Inside Regent Seven Seas Splendor: Suites, Dining and Life at Sea.
There is something wonderfully effortless about falling asleep somewhere along the Mediterranean coast and waking up the following morning in an entirely different city. No packing, no airport transfers and no need to check in and out of another hotel. Your suite simply travels with you.
Until recently, I had never been on a cruise. My first experience, however, was aboard Seven Seas Splendor, and beginning with one of the world’s most luxurious all-inclusive cruise ships may have set the bar impossibly high.
Our Mediterranean journey took us from Livorno to Cannes, followed by two days in Barcelona, Málaga, Portimão and finally Lisbon. In the space of one week, we experienced several destinations while unpacking only once. More importantly, the journey never felt rushed. That, perhaps, was the greatest surprise of all.
Our experience began with a private transfer to the ship. From the moment we stepped aboard, Seven Seas Splendor felt more like a grand hotel than a conventional cruise ship.
The sweeping staircases, chandeliers, polished marble and carefully curated artwork immediately create a sense of occasion. Yet the atmosphere never felt overly formal or intimidating. The grandeur is balanced by a relaxed style of service and an intimacy that is partly made possible by the ship’s configuration: Introduced in 2020, Seven Seas Splendor has 374 suites, each with its own private balcony.
Despite its scale, the ship rarely feels busy. Even on our full day at sea, we had little trouble finding a quiet corner or an available lounger away from the main pool.
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PRICE INFO
We stayed in a Deluxe Veranda Suite, the category immediately above the ship’s entry-level Veranda Suite. Although positioned towards the entry level of Splendor’s suite categories, it felt remarkably spacious, particularly for a first experience at sea.
The sleeping area featured a generously sized bed, while a curtain could be drawn to separate it from the living space. There was a comfortable sofa, a large desk and vanity area, and enough room to relax without feeling as though every piece of furniture had been fitted into the smallest possible footprint.
One of the most practical features was the walk-in closet. There was ample storage for dresses, eveningwear, shoes and everything required for a week that alternated between warm days ashore and more elegant evenings on board.
The marble-and-stone bathroom had a spacious walk-in shower, while the private balcony offered a proper outdoor seating area rather than merely enough room for two chairs. It became one of our favourite places for a quiet breakfast, a glass of Champagne or simply watching the coastline pass by.
The gentle movement of the ship also surprised me. In calm conditions, we barely noticed that we were sailing, although there was sometimes just enough motion at night to make falling asleep unusually easy.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is known for its all-inclusive approach, and it is only once you are on board that you realise how much this changes the rhythm of a journey.
Speciality dining, a wide selection of fine wines and premium spirits, gratuities, Wi-Fi, 24-hour in-suite dining and valet laundry are all included. There is no constant need to sign bills or calculate which experience should be added to the final account.
In-suite dining proved particularly convenient and went far beyond a conventional room-service menu. Breakfast could be served privately on the balcony, while the team proved remarkably accommodating whenever we had a particular request.
One of the most unexpectedly luxurious inclusions was the valet laundry service. Clothing could be collected from the suite, washed, carefully pressed or folded, and returned ready to wear. After a hot day exploring Barcelona, being able to send away a dress or shirt and receive it back freshly laundered was a small detail that made an enormous difference.
In the evening, the suite was prepared during turndown service. Our suite team checked in regularly, always warmly and without becoming intrusive, asking whether we had slept well, when we would like the suite to be serviced and whether there was anything else they could arrange.
CHECK AVAILABILITYDinner quickly became one of the anchors of our days on board. Seven Seas Splendor offers enough variety to dine somewhere different almost every evening, without any of the speciality restaurants carrying an additional charge.
CHARTREUSE
Chartreuse was my personal favorite. The restaurant serves classic French cuisine with a contemporary interpretation, in one of the most elegant interiors aboard the ship. Soft lighting, sculptural details and ocean views create an intimate atmosphere that feels entirely separate from the traditional idea of dining on a cruise ship.
PRIME 7
Prime 7 is Regent’s sophisticated interpretation of an American steakhouse. Darker materials, rich colours and leather details give it the atmosphere of a private club. The menu focuses on prime cuts, seafood and classic steakhouse accompaniments. The Porterhouse steak was a standout, so perfectly cooked and easily a 10 out of 10.
PACIFIC RIM
Pacific Rim introduces a more dramatic aesthetic, beginning with the striking bronze sculpture outside its entrance. The menu takes inspiration from across Asia, with dishes influenced by Japanese, Thai, Korean and Chinese flavours. As in the other restaurants, the team was happy to recommend wines to accompany each course. The dim sum and exceptionally fresh sashimi were among my favourites, especially paired with an Alsace wine that complemented the flavours beautifully.
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COMPASS ROSE
Compass Rose is the ship’s largest dining room and one of its most versatile restaurants. Rather than presenting one narrowly defined concept, it allows guests to compose their own dinner from an extensive selection of meat, seafood, sauces and side dishes, alongside the restaurant’s daily creations on Versace plates. Despite its size, the room retains a sense of elegance through its sculptural lighting, pale colour palette and generous spacing between tables.
SETTE MARI AT LA VERANDA
During breakfast and lunch, La Veranda offers both buffet selections and dishes prepared to order, with the option to sit inside or outside. In the evening, the space becomes Sette Mari at La Veranda, serving Italian specialities in a more relaxed setting. It became one of our favourite places for an unplanned dinner between speciality restaurant reservations.
Reservations are not required at Sette Mari, making it a particularly pleasant choice on evenings when we preferred not to plan ahead.
POOL GRILL
For an informal lunch between an excursion and an afternoon by the pool, the Pool Grill was ideal. It allowed us to return from a morning ashore, have lunch outside and still enjoy several quiet hours on deck and is also open for dinner.
Speciality restaurant reservations can be arranged in advance through Regent’s online system. I would recommend booking preferred dining times as soon as the reservation window for your suite opens, particularly for Chartreuse, Prime 7 and Pacific Rim.
Our itinerary demonstrated what a Mediterranean cruise does exceptionally well: it connects destinations that would otherwise require several transfers and hotel changes.
The selection varied considerably from one port to the next. From Livorno, guests could visit Pisa or explore the Tuscan wine region, while Cannes opened up possibilities across the Côte d’Azur and Provence. In Málaga, excursions extended as far as Ronda, Granada and the Alhambra. In Barcelona, we chose a hop-on hop-off tour. It may not have been the most exclusive option on the programme, but it gave us an easy overview of the city and the freedom to decide where we wanted to spend more time. Other options included excursions outside the city, such as a visit to Montserrat or Barcelona by night tour. Portimão provided access to the Algarve before we eventually disembarked in Lisbon.
Regent includes a broad choice of unlimited included shore excursions in its fares, although selected Regent Choice experiences may require an additional payment. Excursions and speciality dining can be reserved online before departure, with exact booking dates depending on the suite category and voyage. Subject to availability, the concierge can also assist with last-minute arrangements once on board.
On excursion days, guests receive clear instructions about where and when to meet. In our case, we gathered in the theatre, where each group was assigned a number before being escorted from the ship to its corresponding coach. The process was organised and easy to follow. Coaches were comfortable and air-conditioned, and there was no uncertainty about finding the correct guide or returning to the ship on time.
Depending on the port, Seven Seas Splendor may dock alongside or anchor offshore. When docking directly, guests disembark via the gangway. In tender ports, smaller boats operate continuously between the ship and the shore. Enough tenders were deployed during our voyage that waiting times remained minimal.
Although the destinations are an essential part of any Mediterranean itinerary, we quickly discovered that not every day needs to be filled from morning until evening.
Some days we joined an excursion in the morning, returned to the ship for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool. There was generally space on the main pool deck, but the deck above offered an even quieter place to read or enjoy the views.
This balance became one of the most appealing aspects of the journey. We could explore a different city each day without feeling obliged to spend every available hour ashore. There was always the option of returning to the calm of the ship and enjoying the rest of the afternoon without a fixed plan.
The fitness centre is equipped with Technogym machines positioned in front of large windows overlooking the sea. A programme of classes included Pilates, indoor cycling and yoga, while the outdoor track made it easy to walk a few extra laps after dinner or keep up a daily exercise routine.
On the upper deck, guests can also find paddle tennis and putting green.
The Serene Spa & Wellness area is more extensive than I had expected. Alongside treatment rooms, there is a salon offering hairdressing, manicures and pedicures.
We had one full day at sea, which proved to be the perfect moment for a 75-minute signature massage using warmed sea-salt stones. After several days of walking through warm Mediterranean cities, the treatment felt particularly well timed.
The rest of the day unfolded without any real schedule: lunch, a few hours beside the pool, an aperitif and another long dinner on board. It was an indulgent rhythm, but one that felt completely natural by then.
There is plenty to do aboard Seven Seas Splendor, although some of my favourite spaces were among the quietest.
The Library, for example, feels carefully curated rather than merely functional. Its collection ranges from novels and thrillers to beautifully produced coffee-table books by Assouline and Taschen, alongside large-format world atlases and other books you would happily display at home. It is the kind of room that invites you to choose a book, settle into an armchair and temporarily forget what time it is.
Nearby, the Card Room offers another pleasantly traditional way to spend an hour at sea. Here, guests can play familiar games such as Scrabble and Monopoly, presented in beautifully made wooden editions that feel entirely in keeping with the surroundings. It is a small detail, but also a good example of the attention given to spaces that could easily have been treated as an afterthought.
Elsewhere aboard the ship are the Constellation Theater, a casino, boutiques and several lounges, ranging from quiet corners for a drink to places with live music and evening entertainment.
Art is present throughout the ship rather than confined to a single gallery. The collection, valued by Regent at approximately five million US dollars, includes works by Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró. As a result, corridors and restaurants often feel closer to exhibition spaces than conventional passageways.
For travellers accustomed to five-star hotels and a high level of personal service, Seven Seas Splendor offers a relatively easy introduction to cruising. It is particularly well suited to those who want to see several destinations without repeatedly packing, changing hotels or navigating airports.
The style is polished and traditional rather than minimalist, and the days can be as structured or unstructured as you choose. Those who enjoy planning every detail independently may find the organised excursion format less personal, but there is always the option to explore ashore on your own.
For us, the combination worked. The ship felt spacious, the service personal and the itinerary allowed us to experience several destinations without the usual logistics of a multi-stop journey. With the valet laundry service, even an extended journey away from home becomes that much easier.
Seven Seas Splendor offers an unusually seamless way to travel. The spacious all-balcony suites, sophisticated restaurants, included excursions and highly attentive service remove much of the planning and friction that usually accompany a journey through several countries.
Yet the most memorable luxury was not the marble, the Champagne or even the beautifully prepared dinners. It was the freedom the ship gave us: to wake up somewhere new, explore for a few hours and return to a place that already felt familiar. The service felt almost one-to-one; wherever we were on board, someone was nearby to assist, often before we even had to ask.
Seven Seas Splendor changed the way I looked at cruising. Rather than a floating resort, it felt like a luxury hotel that travelled quietly through the night, leaving us to wake up somewhere new each morning. After a week on board, the ability to experience so many different destinations while unpacking only once may have been the greatest luxury of all.
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