On a recent visit Down Under, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania SVP Steve Odell sat down with Karryon to talk about his new role, the cruise lines’ new ships, strategies and the evolution of luxury at sea.
In January 2024, Steve Odell rejoined Regent Seven Seas Cruises as the line’s SVP and Chief Sales Officer after a year’s early retirement, moving from Sydney to the head office in Miami.
Following a recent reshuffle at RSSC’s and Oceania Cruises’ parent company, NCL Holdings, Jason Montague was appointed Chief Luxury Officer and Odell was promoted to SVP International and Consumer Sales for both RSSC and Oceania Cruises.
In his new dual-brand role, Odell will lead the international sales teams as well as the consumer and onboard sales teams for both Regent and Oceania in a move he says “will allow him to drive strategy and growth across all international markets, including Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Europe, and Latin and South America”.
“Key to this will be fostering strong relationships with our travel partners and respecting local market nuances including language and culture,” says Odell.
“I will also lead our consumer and onboard sales teams at each brand respectively. In Asia Pacific our Regent team will continue to be led by Lisa Pile (VP Sales and GM Asia Pacific) and for Oceania Cruises, James Sitters (Director of Sales Asia Pacific) will head the local team.”
And he says the move comes at an exciting time.
As NCLH embarks on an extensive newbuild and refurbishment program and advances its luxury positioning strategy, the management team will be focused on NCLH’s Charting the Course strategy.
“The company is adding five new ships to the fleets, as well as implementing plans to redesign four of our existing vessels,” Odell explains.
“Oceania Cruises is expecting three newbuilds through 2029, starting with Allura later this year. Additionally, Marina and Riviera will be refurbished in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
“For Regent Seven Seas Cruises, a new Prestige Class will be introduced, with Seven Seas Prestige launching in late 2026. Another two new vessels will be added through 2029, in addition to planned enhancements to Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager in 2025 and 2026, respectively.”
And, he says, for advisors, with bookings opening in June 2025 on Seven Seas Prestige, there’s a lot to tell clients about the new ship.
“Seven Seas Prestige embodies the heart of Regent’s vision for the future of ocean travel,” Odell says. “She furthers Regent’s commitment to excellence as reflected in every aspect of her elevated design.
“At 77,000 tons and hosting up to only 850 guests, Seven Seas Prestige will boast one of the highest guest-to-space ratios in the cruise industry. She will maintain the intimate and luxurious service our guests love onboard our Explorer Class ships, while also providing even more space throughout the ship, allowing for new suite categories and new experiences, including a new concept restaurant.”
Seven Seas Prestige will be the first of two Prestige-Class ships, the second of which will be launched in 2029.
Meanwhile, Seven Seas Navigator is leaving the fleet in October next year to sail year-round with Crescent Cruises, a new brand offering luxury residences at sea. Her last official cruise with Regent departs on October 2, 2026, from Istanbul to Alexandria, and is expected to sell out quickly – it will be a deeply sentimental journey for many longtime devotees of the ship.
Odell says there is a lot of excitement about Oceania’s next-generation Quattro Class ships, but right now, the company is focused on welcoming Allura to the fleet in July.
“Allura is the sister ship to our highly acclaimed Vista, which debuted in 2023. Allura, like Vista, builds on our focus of providing the finest cuisine at sea, exquisite appointments and the largest standard staterooms in the industry – entry-level veranda staterooms are almost 28 square metres!
“Allura will also introduce some new dining concepts like the Crêperie, the highly anticipated reprise of Jacques, and usher in more than 200 exciting new menu options.”
The evolution of luxury
“There has been a notable shift toward more experiential luxury travel,” Odell explains.
“Today’s luxury travellers are less focused on opulent surroundings and are increasingly seeking immersive, cultural, adventurous and off-the-beaten-path experiences.
“Travellers are looking for more customised and personalised experiences. Luxury cruise lines have adapted by offering bespoke itineraries that allow guests to enjoy tailored shore excursions, private tours and customised services onboard.”
To meet this demand, he says at Regent they have introduced 12 new Epicurean Explorer Tours which will see travellers indulging in cuisine-focused shoreside excursions in destinations around the world, including Asia, Europe, Canada and New England.
“Additionally, we have unveiled an extraordinary lineup of Spotlight Voyages for 2025 and 2026. The latest collection offers a range of curated experiences that immerse guests in gourmet cuisine, fine wines and whiskies, cultural heritage, media storytelling, sport and the exceptional artistry of bespoke jewellery making, providing exclusive opportunities to interact with notable experts and visionaries.
“We are seeing a definite shift in the age of our guests, which we are planning for in our onboard design as well as our onshore experiences. While baby boomers will remain an important guest sector for many years to come, we will increasingly see a younger guest coming onboard our ships.
“We also believe we will see more multigenerational travel plus health and wellness becoming more of a priority. That is changing our menu delivery, as well as the design of our spa and fitness offerings onboard.
“Sustainability will also play an increasing role with guests looking at shore excursions that offer a greater involvement with local communities, as well as looking at our food provenance.”
Back to business
At a Luxury Travel Collection function in Sydney last week, LTC’s General Manager Nikki Glading described Odell as a “visionary in the luxury cruise sector, whose remarkable career has shaped the global expansion of ultra-luxury cruising”.
After the move to Miami with his partner, Jay, last year, Odell says, “It’s been great both personally and professionally. We have enjoyed settling into life on Miami’s South Beach – it’s a vibrant place to live with its Latin beat.
“Professionally, it has been very rewarding to participate in Regent’s executive team on all kinds of issues that influence the brand and its day-to-day operations.
“My new role means I will be back in this region more often, which is great as this will always be home to me. I’ll be back for CLIA 360 in August and again in October for Regent’s 10th anniversary in Australia.
“And I’m looking forward to joining the festivities surrounding Allura’s launch in the second half of this year!”
For more information, visit rssc.com, oceaniacruises.com
