We recently had the opportunity to tour Regent’s Seven Seas Navigator, the ship that is planned to become Avora Lumina, a luxury residential cruise ship.

The funny part is that we were already on a 20-day cruise when we were invited to attend. So we arranged with Celebrity to disembark, left the ship, and flew from Florence to Barcelona for the tour. Because apparently, when you are considering living on a ship, flying off one ship to tour another ship makes perfect sense.

The night we arrived, we were greeted by a group of future residents, people seriously considering purchasing, and others who had already made commitments. Chris Cox, President of Avora Residences, and Kathy Villalba, Co-Founder and CEO, hosted the event along with the marketing team.

We went out for tapas and started connecting with our potential new neighbors on Avora. Kim and I have reserved a residence on the ship, which is scheduled to launch from Lisbon in January 2028.

The stories around the table were fascinating. One couple had been on Villa Vie Odyssey, while another had experience with The World. Let’s just say we learned a lot from both ships, and I will leave some of those details unmentioned. Every residential ship seems to have its own learning curve, its own personalities, and its own version of community life.

One of the biggest takeaways for me was the power of community.

We heard stories about Christmas tree decorating contests on Villa Vie, and even how one resident who was a seamstress took on a project to redo cushions on the ship. I was amazed by the level of community. Honestly, I was also a little worried about how tight-knit these communities can become. I am not sure Kim and I had fully prepared ourselves for that part.

There seemed to be a club for almost everything, from poker nights to scuba diving.

Kim and I are both in our mid-50s, and the idea of meeting new friends at this stage in life can feel almost impossible. The idea of meeting hundreds of people seemed daunting. After dinner, we both talked about the need to set some social boundaries when we get there. We want to enjoy the community, shared dinners, and new friendships, but also make sure we still have one-on-one time together.

One gentleman described it perfectly. He said that at times, “his social cup was full.”

We live in a pretty lonely world for the most part, so the idea that you might have to manage your social life is something we had not really considered before. Usually, people are trying to find more connection. On a residential ship, the challenge may be making sure you get enough quiet time.

The next day, we all headed over to the ship. After the usual formalities with passports and boarding passes, we were able to go onboard during the turnover period.

We were greeted by Regent executives, who walked us through several different suites, the pool deck, theater, dining room, casino, and other public areas. The casino is expected to be converted into work areas, which makes sense for a residential ship, although there was some talk about keeping a few of the tables for casino theme nights.

I was really blown away by how large the suites were.

Kim and I had originally booked the Navigator Suite on this ship years ago. Ironically, it was the same type of room we have now reserved for Avora, but because of Covid, that original trip was moved to another ship.

The Solstice Suite, as it will be called on Avora Lumina, felt just right. Kim described it as “perfect.” It has a separate bedroom, balcony, walk-in closet, bathtub, dining area, and living area. The Solstice is listed at 509 square feet, and it really feels more like a small condo than a cruise cabin.

You can see it in the tour video we put together here.

We also loved the mattress. Originally, we thought we would need to buy a new mattress, but we found out the suite already had a very comfortable Elite Slumber bed. That was a pleasant surprise.

After traveling on Celebrity Equinox, which was built in 2009, the Navigator felt more luxurious and, in some ways, even newer. You could really see the impact of the major 2016 refurbishment.

One example was the theater. On Equinox, the theater has more traditional, smaller theater-style seating. On Navigator, the room had more of a cabaret feel. It felt more intimate and less crowded. The dining room also felt much less packed.

I enjoyed seeing the spa as well. We were able to film both the ladies’ and men’s spa areas, which are very similar. Both include a steam room and a cedar dry sauna. There was also discussion about possibly reducing the size of the upper levels of the theater and adding things like a pool table or other resident-focused spaces.

Both Kathy and Chris seemed very interested in hearing what future residents wanted. That was one of the best parts of the tour. It did not feel like everything was already set in stone. It felt like they were still listening and trying to figure out how to make this ship special.

Another topic that came up was the idea of an “owner’s closet.”

Kim and I own Airbnbs, and when you travel to your own property, having an owner’s closet is incredibly useful. Someone mentioned wanting to store golf clubs. Others had their own ideas. It is a small thing, but when you are thinking about living on a ship part-time or full-time, storage becomes a big topic very quickly.

After a full morning of touring, we sat down for lunch in Compass Rose, which we were told will be renamed Meridian House. We were served on beautiful Versace tableware, with caviar, foie gras, and a few other things I could not spell even if you gave me three chances.

I asked Chris if they were keeping the plates, and he said absolutely. He also said they intend to work with The Apollo Group, which provides hotel and logistics services to cruise brands, including Regent Seven Seas, to help maintain a very high-end experience onboard.

There really were not a lot of negative things I could say.

The only thing that bothered me a little is that the balconies have more traditional metal railings instead of the glass balconies you see on many modern cruise ships. It is not a dealbreaker, but it does change the feel a bit when you are sitting outside.

The other challenge for us is that there is still no real place for our dog, Ginger. That will likely mean shorter trips for us, at least at first. Don’t worry, Ginger has our adult children and friends, who she seems to love more than us. Definitely more than me.

Overall, the tour made the idea of living aboard Avora Lumina feel much more real.

It is one thing to look at renderings and floor plans. It is another thing to walk the ship, sit in the dining room, see the suites, meet future neighbors, and imagine how your life might actually work there.

The ship is scheduled to set sail from Lisbon in January 2028 and begin its first global journey. At one point, I suggested that maybe they could just pick us up in Miami instead. Chris laughed and said, “I don’t think you are going to miss the inaugural sailing.”

He is probably right.

It does feel like it will be history. And after seeing the ship, meeting the people, and imagining what this could become, I think Kim and I will want to be there from the beginning.

Check out the tour video here. It was not professionally shot, and it was my first time using a gimbal with my iPhone, so let’s keep our expectations somewhere below Spielberg. But our team at Live At Sea did a great job putting it together, and I think it gives a real feel for the ship.

Feel free to share the video with anyone who is curious about living at sea. And if you have not already done so, join our Live At Sea Facebook group.