The cruise ship Seven Seas Navigator paid a whirlwind visit to the town of St.

George last week, inviting local dignitaries on board for a chance of a lifetime five star wining and dining experience.

The 560 foot vessel, owned and operated by Seven Seas Radisson cruise line, arrived in the early hours of last Friday morning.

She brought with her nearly 400 pampered guests who had a 24-hour experience of Bermuda before being whisked away early on Saturday to continue their transatlantic voyage.

Bermuda was just one stop on a voyage that had started in Funchal, Madeira five days before and finished in the hurricane-vexed waters of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Taking advantage of the brief stopover, the ship's crew played host to a small local party, including the Mayor of St. George's Lois Perinchief, Director of Tourism Gary Philips and Town Crier E. Michael Jones -- dressed as usual in his full traditional attire. The lucky local dignitaries had a glimpse of the facilities passengers have at their disposal day in and day out.

The ship, launched less than eight weeks ago, looked like a cruise ship in miniature, with the now typical blunted ends and the seemingly mixed-up proportions of extreme height versus not such extreme length.

But it was there that the comparison ends.

After a closer look, it could be seen that the middle of the ship was more like an apartment block than a "floatel'', complete with private balconies and sliding glass doors -- more than 90% of the guest quarters have their own secluded balconies overlooking the sea.

The realisation comes that this was not just any ordinary cruise ship.

Walking through it is like being guided through a huge, luxury hotel, up in spacious lifts, through deep, echoing atriums and down wide, thickly carpeted corridors lined with works of art of all styles and which, according to the hostess, are all on sale at auctions held regularly during the cruise.

The thought slowly materialised of what the price tag for staying on board such a luxury ship must be.

A casually picked-up brochure confirmed the revelation with the fact that the "Prospect Profile'' of passengers includes people with an average income of $100,000 or more a year and an average age of 45 upwards.

The Seven Seas Navigator represents a marked contrast to the casual, easygoing but crowded atmosphere of the ships that periodically berth at Bermuda's docks throughout the summer.

For instance, there were very few, if any, children on board and one could just tell that this wasn't the sort of cruise line to offer full-time activity-packed fun days for youngsters whose parents just wanted to laze by the pool.

It is a cruise for a more "sophisticated'', less family-oriented crowd.

It's just the type of cruise that nearly every adult would love to take but that just, unfortunately, isn't realistic for most with price tags approaching $10,000 a head, not including meals.

From the quality of the food and service at lunch, which took place after a short ceremony involving the passing of plaques and flags between the ship's captain and various local dignitaries, it could be seen that such high prices were justified.

Before serving a delicious gourmet four course meal, waiters laid thick linen napkins on guests laps and filled water glasses at the slightest raise of an eyebrow.

They were the kind of servers who are trained to continually look for some way to make your dining experience that tiny bit better.

After that it was off on an extensive bow-to-stern tour of the ship, which showed the party everything from the wonderfully tranquil poolside eatery to the 490-seater "Seven Seas Lounge'' where different shows from all over the world are devoured each night by the culture-hungry audiences.

There is nothing fake about this ship at all.

The lush plants sitting in every hallway are all real and the artwork is most definitely genuine.

And by the time it came to seeing the accommodation each guest has to "put up with'', the point had been completely hammered home.

Each suite is equipped with its own walk-in closet (and valuables safe) and boasted huge double beds and breathtaking views of the sea.

Even bottles of champagne and books about the sea were strewn about casually in an effort to get across the "connoisseur'' image of potential guests.

By the time the excursion was over, it was doubtless that everyone felt as if they had been transported to another dimension.

Stepping back into the Penno's Wharf car park was a bit of a rude awakening after the taste of luxury the Bermudian contingent had just experienced.

The Seven Seas Navigator departed over the weekend, bound for the tropical waters of the Caribbean.

She will, however, be returning to Bermuda this Saturday and will be berthing at Hamilton Harbour until the following Monday afternoon.

Exquisite: The luxury liner Seven Seas Navigator which was in St. George's at the weekend.