Seven Seas Explorer, the most luxurious ship ever built, will set sail on its inaugural season with a crew of veteran Regent Seven Seas Cruises leaders who will ensure guests sailing this magnificent vessel enjoy the pinnacle of luxury.
As master of Seven Seas Explorer, Captain Stanislas Gerard Jean Mercier De Lacombe will lead a senior leadership team of the following cruise line veterans:
Franck Galzy, General Manager
Aurelien Dumeylet, Executive Chef
Luca Griggi, Chief Engineer
Ray Solaire, Cruise Director
They will be joined by nearly 550 highly-trained staff and crew members, all focused on providing guests with the absolute highest level of personal service.
Captain Stanislas Gerard Jean Mercier De Lacombe is responsible for commanding the overall operation, crew and safety of Seven Seas Explorer. He has more than 20 years of seafaring experience, and has captained both Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Navigator since joining Regent Seven Seas Cruises in 2009. A native of Nantes, France, Captain De Lacombe became enamoured with the sea at an early age, and has extensive leadership experience on ferries, container ships and several commercial cruise lines.
General Manager Franck Galzy is responsible for overseeing the flawless delivery of hotel and food & beverage services for Seven Seas Explorer. After graduating from the CAFA Sommelier Wine School in Angers, France, General Manager Galzy expanded upon his hospitality expertise at the famous Crabwall Manor Hotel & Spa in the United Kingdom for two years. Since joining Regent Seven Seas Cruises in 1999, he has worked in a variety of roles including head waiter, head sommelier, provision master and food & beverage manager. In that capacity, General Manager Galzy has maintained a general manager position for the past six years, coordinating a number of special events during some of the line’s most spectacular voyages, including its Navigate the World and Circumnavigation of South America cruises.
Executive Chef Aurelien Dumeylet will supervise all aspects of the menu and food preparation for Seven Seas Explorer’s multitude of gourmet dining options, including its dramatic new Pan-Asian specialty restaurant, Pacific Rim, and new French restaurant, Chartreuse. A native of Limoges, France, he developed a passion for the culinary arts at a young age and has served aboard Regent Seven Seas ships since 2007.
Chief Engineer Luca Griggi is responsible for overseeing Seven Seas Explorer’s technical operations, including engineering, electrical, and mechanical functions. A native of Genoa, Italy, Chief Engineer Griggi joined Regent Seven Seas Cruises in 2012 and has over 30 years of maritime engineering experience – in the Italian Coast Guard, aboard tugboats and supply vessels, and on cruise ships.
Cruise Director Ray Solaire oversees all entertainment and activities aboard Seven Seas Explorer. Cruise Director Solaire has performed on cruise lines for more than 40 years and is a talented singer, puppeteer, comedian and ventriloquist. He joined Regent Seven Seas in 2008 and has served as cruise director aboard all of the line’s ships.
Seven Seas Explorer
The newest member of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet, Seven Seas Explorer has been hailed as the most luxurious ship ever built. At 56,000 gross-registered tons and carrying only 750 guests, it boasts one of the highest space ratios in the cruise industry and features the Regent Suite, a one-of-a-kind 3,875-square-foot suite, extravagantly designed lounges and showplaces, and lavish gourmet restaurants. The luxury liner’s maiden voyage is scheduled for 20 July 2016, and it will spend an inaugural season in Europe before heading to Miami for a series of Caribbean voyages.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is the only line to offer free unlimited shore excursions in every port-of-call in every destination. Seven Seas Explorer is exclusively offering new Gourmet Explorer Tours designed for guests seeking unique, one-of-a-kind epicurean adventures ashore to complement the unrivalled culinary experiences found aboard the ship. Highlights of its epicurean delights are an array of exquisite gourmet restaurants and the hands-on Culinary Arts Kitchen, the brand’s first culinary instruction centre.