Blue Planet – Copenhagen, Denmark
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has launched two new shore excursion concepts, designed to further enhance its immersive destination experiences. The new shore excursion tours – Behind the Design and Eco-Connect – will give travelers an opportunity to explore destinations and landmarks from unique and original perspectives.
Behind the Design Tours
The Behind the Design tours will offer insights about some of the world’s architectural feats such as the Royal Library and the Blue Planet aquarium in Copenhagen, Denmark; the Equinor office building and the Munchmuseet in Oslo, Norway; and the La Villa Mediterranée and MUCEM in Marseille, France.
There are a total of 10 Behind the Design tours for the initial launch, which is exclusive to European destinations in summer 2022, with further global destinations to be announced later in the year. All will offer special, little-known stories and information from knowledgeable guides.
Other Behind the Design tours being launched focus on sites in Barcelona, Spain; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Glasgow, Scotland; La Coruna, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and Sete, France.
MUCEM – Marseille, France
Sample Behind the Design Tours:
Royal Library & Blue Planet – Copenhagen, Denmark
Discover two radical, modernistic buildings with an architectural historian who will reveal little known facts about their extraordinary designs. The Black Diamond, an extension of the Royal Library, is an irregularly shaped monolithic prism in black granite that has a significant tilt, wave-like balconies and expanding form. The Blue Planet is the largest aquarium in Europe and resembles a giant whirlpool; its exterior is covered in aluminum panels that are reminiscent of fish scales.
La Villa Mediterranée & MUCEM – Marseille, France
Gain an insider’s understanding of the challenges in building two avant-garde landmarks by touring them with an architectural historian. La Villa Mediterranée was designed to embody Marseille’s deep bond with the sea. Learn how MUCEM, a national museum devoted to Mediterranean civilizations used revolutionary materials to achieve its design.
Eco-Connect Tours
The Eco-Connect tours feature more than 150 tours worldwide, where guests can engage with local groups and businesses to learn about how they are working to conserve and sustain their surrounding environment.
These tours, many of which provide an educational element, offer a variety of experiences, including sampling organic wine at a sustainable vineyard in Bordeaux, France; helping to create a paradise for sloths to roam in Puntarenas, Costa Rica; or gaining a new appreciation for diverse plants and animals around Hue, Vietnam on a hike through the Bach Ma National Park.
Eco-Connect tours span the globe, including such destinations as Africa, Alaska, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Northern Europe and South America.
Sloth Sanctuary, Costa Rica
Sample Eco-Connect Tours:
A Sloth Paradise & Give Back to Nature – Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Have a close-up look at the world’s slowest animal at a sanctuary for sloths that have been orphaned or injured or lost their habitat due to deforestation. Plant a tree in a nearby reserve to help reverse the effects of deforestation and visit the organic farm that supplies food for the sloths at the sanctuary.
Bordeaux, Wines and Sustainability – Bordeaux, France
Discover how converting to biodynamic and organic farming has further elevated the quality of the wines at Château de La Dauphine. In 2015, the new owners adopted sustainable biodynamic practices that go far beyond organic pesticide-free agricultural methods. A wine sampling is included in the tour.
Many of the tours are included as part of Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ free unlimited shore excursions, with select experiences offered as the cruise line’s choice shore excursions, starting at $299 per guest.
Both the Behind the Design and Eco-Connect tours are scheduled to roll out across the fleet in 2022.
