Perhaps the most positive events to have come out of the COVID pandemic from a personal work perspective have been the opportunities to partake in complimentary shake down/return to cruise preview cruises, as well as short cruises departing from ports round the UK not usually included on cruise line itineraries. This has included sailings from cruise lines not known for long seasons based in the UK (for example Disney Cruise Line and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC)).

I was lucky enough to be invited by a friend to experience a 4 night Exclusive Preview Voyage on ‘Seven Seas Splendor’ sailing from Southampton on 7th September 2021.

You can find more photos from my trip on my Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/gocruiseandtravelbyhelenworthington

The itinerary originally included ports of call of Amsterdam and Zeebrugge, but whilst round the UK cruises have now ‘nailed’ shore excursions (with a combination of cruise line excursions and from the 1st September, opportunities for some independent disembarkation), going ashore in non UK locales is still very much a work in progress. As a result, Portland and Falmouth were substituted into the itinerary. In non COVID times RSSC include over 2000 shore excursions worldwide, in their cruise fare (with some small-group Regent Choice Shore Excursions, available at an additional cost).  We opted for a 4 hour tour to the Abbotsbury Swannery & Tropical Gardens, via the Isle of Portland and Chesil Beach coast and a 5 hour one to St Michael’s Mount  (walking over the causeway, up to and around the castle, allowing us to burn off a few of the calories imbibed courtesy of the restaurants on board). Social distancing was taken very seriously with no more than 20 people on each coach travelling to the same location. In both ports of call (Portland and Falmouth) it was also possible to go ashore independently, The standard of both excursions was high with experienced and interesting guides and thought had been put into planning routes to give a more scenic outlook of the area (eg. we travelled back from St Michael’s Mount through areas known for tin mining).  One of the plus points of travelling in a small group is the ability to be creatively reactive to altering situations – our visit to The Swannery was curtailed due to the weather, so our driver drove us up to The Citadel in Portland (via numerous hairpin bends, definitely not designed for a coach) where there was the most magnificent view of all 18 miles of Chesil Beach, the town of Portland below and the cruise ships docked there (Regal Princess was in port as well).

‘Seven Seas Splendor’ is an all verandah/balcony suite  Explorer Class ship, sister to ‘Seven Seas Explorer’ (star of Channel 5’s documentary ‘The World’s Most Expensive Cruise Ship’), to which she is almost identical (although the master bathroom and spa in ‘Splendor’s Royal Suite is 30% larger than on ‘Explorer’). RSSC’s ambitious tag line for ‘Splendor’ is ‘Luxury perfected’ and started off well when her godmother was announced as (‘Uptown Girl’) Christie Brinkley. The ship was launched in 2020 and has 10 passenger decks. She weighs 55,254 tonnes and carries up to 750 passengers, with 540 crew. Sadly, her inaugural world cruise was cut short by COVID in San Diego and so our cruise was a prelude to the ship’s (re) inaugural season!

Embarking ‘Seven Seas Splendor’ on deck 5 you are immediately ‘wowed’ by the opulent 2 deck high Atrium with its curvy stairway and the Grand Chandelier which took 5 craftsmen, 3 weeks to install. Made from Lasvit glass, in the shape of 5 rings, with 358 hand blown Bohemian crystal glass rods, it is a luxurious introduction to the ship and set the ambience for the duration of our cruise. As a result of this chandelier, the Atrium is a light airy, contemporary looking space with bleached wood stairs and brass handrails, taupe and cream shades with mocha patterned carpets (deck 4), as well as an elegant black, silver and gold  décor complementing the black and white marble floor (deck 5). Deck 5 is home to the Reception, Destination and other guest focused stations, as well as Coffee Connection (a barista made coffee area with additional al fresco seating). Both levels act as a meeting point or a place to relax in, as well as providing the marble floored foyer setting for the ‘Compass Rose’ (one of the 7 restaurants on board) on deck 4, along with the The Splendor Lounge  and the Casino.

There are 375 suites spread over 10 categories of stateroom on ‘Seven Seas Splendor’: from the lead in 300 sq ft Verandah suites (12 in total) up to the Regent Suite at 4,445 sq ft (dubbed the most luxurious address at sea), designed by the Swedish company Tilberg Design. It has its own spa area (with unlimited spa treatments), wraparound deck with a hot tub, outdoor dining area, Steinway grand piano, $200,000 hand crafted king size Vividus bed by Hastens and an original Picasso as well as its own driver on shore excursions. The Regent Suite sleeps 6 people and prices start from US$11,000/night. In between these two extremes are Deluxe Verandah Suites (49), Superior Suites, Concierge Suites (D & E grades – approx. 420 sq ft. We were allocated a D grade Concierge suite - 731), Penthouse (55), Seven Seas, (20) Splendor (6), Grand (8) and Master (4) Suites. Most suites will sleep 2 people – apart from the larger ones which have 2 bedrooms (sleeping 4-6 people) and all suites ending in ‘7’ which sleep 3 people (the 3rd person typically on a sofa bed). Concierge and Superior suites (combined total of 220 suites) have beds that face the balcony (like some river cruise ships), so you can laze in bed and take in the sea view as you sail along. The only difference between them, as they are the same size, are the amenities and benefits available in Concierge grades (and above); including a complimentary one night pre cruise hotel package, a priority online reservations facility and Illy coffee machines. As you go up through the grades, living areas and bonus amenities are added. For example, Penthouse suites and above include Butler service, in suite afternoon tea and pre dinner canapes and iPads. Higher suites are also entitled to cruise associated discount benefits. All suites on ‘Seven Seas Splendor’ feature 24 hour room service, a mini bar set up and complimentary laundry as well as complimentary shore excursions, free wifi, pre paid gratuities and free flights. There are 3 accessible cabins and 20 connecting cabins on board. There is no dedicated Kids Club on board, although some activities may be available during school holidays, especially as the cruise line is seeing more family groups made up of grandparents holidaying with their grandchildren. More than 60% of the suites are 470 sq ft or larger.

Suite décor incorporates neutral colours of beige, cream, taupe, muted gold and silver, contrasted with darker brown or black wood surrounds and with flashes of brighter colours (for example Grand Suites have touches of emerald green, which are carried through to the bed linen and Penthouse cabins pick out a dark blue vibe). Bathrooms have multi jet walk in showers, are lined in marble and have L’Occitane toiletries as standard (there is a choice of brand in the higher Suites). There are exceptionally comfortable king size Elite Slumber beds, ‘welcome’ champagne, fruit and flowers and pashminas to borrow for chilly evenings on the very deep balconies (70% of balconies are 10’ or more deep): large enough in many cases for at least 2 chairs, a table and a lounger and a great location for an in suite breakfast. The walk in wardrobes are extensive with more than adequate hanging space for clothes and in many cases act as dressing area as well. In an effort to do away with bottled water (not easy with COVID restrictions) RSSC have introduced a Vero water system on board and bottles are left in each suite and are available around the ship.

‘Seven Seas Splendor’ has 7 complimentary restaurants including the exclusive ‘The Study’: a 12 seater dining room, just for Regent Suite guests, situated between ‘Chartreuse’ and ‘Prime 7’. Each of the restaurants is splendidly opulent with over 216 chandeliers across the venues and each has its own unique tableware.

‘Compass Rose’ with 372 covers is the main restaurant on board. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner where guests can eat off Versace tableware. The décor encompasses shades of gold and silver. There is an extensive dinner menu on offer featuring low calorie dishes (Serena Spa & Wellness Selection), a 6 course Executive Chef Menu Degustation (individual items are offered on the daily specials menu as well) and the most comprehensive range of ‘Always Available’ dishes I have ever seen at sea.  The menus, where the daily specials are just that, have a key for dietary considerations and the current definition of ‘plant based’ dishes will suit vegetarians and vegans alike. In all restaurants, there is a choice of (complementary) wine as well as sommelier suggestions for reserve wines (from $60/bottle). ‘Compass Rose’ also hosts a seafood buffet at lunchtime – amazing displays of lobster, crab and prawns interspersed with ice sculptures and finished off with macaroon towers for dessert.

The Pool Grill on deck 11 is the other restaurant on board, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It tends to offer lighter dishes and along with the adjacent Creamery which has a selection of frozen desserts (10 flavours of ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt), smoothies and milk shakes, can seat 222 people, al fresco style. Lunch items include burgers, hot dogs, pizza, chicken wings, minute steak, sandwiches, paninis and wraps and even lobster nachos.

‘La Veranda’ with 276 seats, including indoor and outdoor seating areas, is the casual/buffet restaurant on board and serves breakfast and buffet lunches. Breakfasts include the usual array of hot and cold cereals (my favourite was the Bircher muesli), fruit and juices, a large variety of breads and pastries, smoothies and yogurts, as well as ham, cheese and cold cuts, hot breakfast items and made to order egg dishes like omelettes, Eggs Benedict and smoked salmon and potato fritatta. Lunches include soup, pasta dishes, hot carvery and grill stations. In the evening the restaurant turns into ‘ Sette Mari’ an authentic Italian restaurant with 132 covers – utilising over the water alcoves to enhance the atmosphere (choose a corner table for a sea view on two sides). Dishes include Tagliolini Con Aragosta Fra Diavola (lobster in a tomato sauce served with fresh tagliolini pasta), Bistecca di Manzo Alla Pizzaiola (grilled Black Angus sirloin steak served with tomatoes, garlic, olives, capers and parsley) and Torta com Fichi, Limone e Olio D’Oliva (fig, lemon & olive oil cake), all paired with Tuscan wines.

Lunch is also available at ‘Chartreuse’ and/or ‘Prime 7’ (108 seats each and no reservation required). However, dinner is when ‘Seven Seas Splendor’ comes into its own with the reservation required restaurants of  ‘Prime 7’, ‘Chartreuse’ and ‘Pacific Rim’ being open. One of the perks of the higher grade suites is the prority booking system for dining. Guests are allowed to pre book one meal in each restaurant per cruise (apart from Grand Voyages). For Concierge guests and above booking starts 90 days out and for standard suite guests 75 days prior to the sailing. This is strongly recommended to secure chosen dates and times.

‘Chartreuse’ evokes the ambience of a chic fine dining restaurant in Paris, offering  haute cuisine in a typical French style, with the waiting staff greeting you in French. Menus in the specialty restaurants do not change daily, but there is sufficient choice that you would never need to eat the same dish twice (unless you chose to, of course!) Dishes include traditional French delicacies like Chartreuse Garlic Escargots (snails with garlic and a mustard sauce) and Lobster Bisque with Armagnac, as well as those with modern twists like Coquilles St-Jacques Poelees et Chirozo (scallops with chirozo). There is a typically French flourish to the table service and even complementary macarons to take away with you.

We were unable to get a reservation for ‘Prime 7’ at night and were either not on board or unavailable for the lunch option. The restaurant has a classy black, white and marble décor with a black and white marble tiled floor which gives it a masculine, New York look. It can seat 108 diners, has a large wine display and serves surf and turf dishes. There is a range of 6 – 18 oz prime steaks, as well as lamb, pork and veal chops, whole lobster, 2lb clusters of crab legs and the famed smoked salmon with a tamarind whisky sauce. ‘Small Plates’ are available with 5 and 6 oz portions of fish and meat or you could order the surf and turf option if you really can’t decide. The restaurant displays Picasso’s ‘Le Taureau Noir’ at the reception desk, as well as Joan Miró’s ‘The Bullfighter Move’.

‘Pacific Rim’ was probably my favourite restaurant, with seating for 94 people. Pick your way past the angry looking dragon at the entrance into a world of Pan Asian delights. Lotus shaped windows and black pagoda designs on the large lampshades add to a Zen like ambience, that is more than matched by the fusion style menu. There are classic dishes like Thai curry, duck spring rolls and curried seafood Laksa as well as Korean style BBQ chops (served with  wok fried brussels sprouts and gochujang) and black foot chicken and foie gras Gyoza with soy mirin sauce. In the end we went for a banquet style selection of the menu and it was truly amazing. I particularly enjoyed the amuse bouche of Edamame beans, peanut sauce and seaweed crackers, the Canadian Lobster Tempura, the Miso Black Cod wrapped in a Hoba leaf, which when it is unpinned, decorously unfolds to reveal the fish inside, the assorted sushi platter, with salmon, prawn and tuna, the various beef dishes (that I couldn't identify!) and the Mochi dessert (gelatine coated balls flavoured with green tea, mango and strawberry thickened mousse). I also took the opportunity to try the house saki – the jury remains out on that one!

To round off, it is also possible to have 24 hour insuite dining and the menu as you might expect is extensive and all encompassing. During the opening hours of ‘Compass Rose’ you can even eat course by course in your suite. Perhaps a time to have a ‘tray meal’ and watch one of the 150 (or more) movies on the TV?

‘Seven Seas Splendor’ is not a ship offering a wild and long night life and while we were on board, several of the bars closed at midnight. There are 3 lounges which offer different genres of musical entertainment  in the evening: The Meridian Lounge on deck 5 (opposite Coffee Connection) is home to the trolley and white gloved served Afternoon tea, pre dinner cocktails (and canapes) and music by the Regent Signature Orchestra. Its 61 seats proved very popular. One floor below is the Splendor Lounge with seats for 63 people. Again there is a small stage and dance floor. Another venue for early evening cocktails, Boogie & Kasia performed here with their own brand of what was described as ‘cool lounge hits’ but got everyone up and either dancing or clapping along to pop favourites. By contrast the 187 seater Observation Lounge at the front of the ship on deck 11, complete with a grand piano and pianist was a restful space, any time of day. It boasts a selection of different seating arrangements, with fabulous views over the bow of the ship, tasteful glass screens painted with flowers, to give an airy, garden vibe and a ceiling of flower shaped down lighters over the dance floor that really comes into its own in the dark.

The impressive 2 tier Constellation Theater is home to the Splendor Production Cast who performed 3 different musical theatre shows over the 4 nights. There are seats for 647 people (so almost full capacity in one sitting). We saw ‘Diamond Run’ (a James Bond-esque style piece of musical theatre detailing the global chase for a blue diamond) and ‘Bohemian Soul’ (set in Paris and telling the story of a group of travellers showcasing a worldwide range of music and dance styles). In the past RSSC has not been best known for the standard of its evening entertainment, but these productions proved otherwise (and are perhaps testimony to the sharing of experiences across the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings group).

There is also a large (for the size of the ship) Casino and a Cigar lounge (Connoisseur Club, one of only 2 places where guests can smoke. The other is a bus shelter type space outside on the Pool deck).

During the day The Culinary Arts Kitchen is open, offering an interactive cooking experience. It usually encompasses a 2 hour bookable slot ($89pp) in an 18 work station setting, set atop 3 curved rows of white quartzite countertops with stainless steel accents and recipes written on the walls. Here you are taught to cook dishes according to your itinerary (for example Flip-flop Floribbean or Familia Cubana).  The best part is eating the fruits of your labours afterwards and guests can invite everyone from their suite to join in the tasting. They then take home the recipes, as well as the apron they have worn. Our class was 1 hour long and hosted by Kathryn Kelly, the Executive Chef and Founder of the Culinary Arts Kitchen. We made scones and salmon rillettes, washed down with a Pimms.

If you are looking for a ‘full on’ programme of daily activities, ‘Seven Seas Splendor’ is probably not the ship for you. On sea days there are a few craft activities, Casino gaming lessons and sporting competitions around the golf, paddle tennis, shuffleboard and bocce courts on the Sports deck. But under your own steam there is the Serena Spa & Wellness and Fitness Center on deck 5 & 6 aft. The Spa offers treatments, a nail bar, barber’s and hair salon (all at additional cost) as well as a sauna, steam room, cold room, Experience Shower and a chilly infinity pool (13 bathers maximum) . The Fitness Center has an impressive range of cardio equipment as well as free weights and resistance machines, across two rooms and offered classes throughout the day including sunrise stretches, yoga, meditation, Pilates, Circuit training and HIT work outs. Due to current COVID restrictions only 4 guests could attend a class and the gym was restricted to 12 users at any one time. Try jogging (anticlockwise) round the Jogging Track where just over 13 laps is 1 mile. As well as relaxing in the pool and 2 hot tubs or find a comfortable, circular lounger or cabana.

The Library is huge – with lots of nooks and crannies and comfortable sofas to catch up on the news, complete the Daily Puzzle or just browse the wide range of books available: from novels to travel books and biographies to coffee table style reference catalogues. It also has its own artwork: ‘Custom Piece Book spines’ by Jessica Drenk. Additionally there is also a Card Room (closed on our cruise) where you can play board games and bridge.

In keeping with the ‘Luxury Perfected’ tag, the artwork on board ‘Seven Seas Splendor’ is a multi million dollar museum standard collection, with works from over two hundred 20th & 21st Century artists. Frank del Rio (President and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd) personally commissioned the artwork, as he has also done for ships belonging to Oceania Cruises (a sister cruise line). It seems that there is a masterpiece in every lounge, restaurant and corridor (as well as the suites). Clever use of  metal, glass and crystal, reflecting and refracting light around the ship, enhances items like the 2 Picasso’s on board (in The Regent Suite and ‘Prime 7’),  the hand blown glass work by Duncan McLellan in The Observatory Lounge and the imposing bronze dragon sculpture set at the entrance to ‘Pacific Rim’.

There is a real sense of space and airiness on ‘Splendor’: even pre COVID, RSSC ships hosted fewer passengers and offered a significantly higher Passenger Space Ratio than main stream cruise lines (up to 3 times more public space) and this lack of overcrowding and standing in line, as well as opportunities for small group and private tours (synonymous with luxury cruise lines) is perhaps of even more value now.

Whilst there are over 4000 sq meters of marble on this ship and a degree of opulence rarely found at sea, with luxurious and refined fixtures and fittings and an extraordinarily high level of attention to detail, she manages to exude a very relaxed, warm, gracious and comfortable feel. Some of this aura is down to the exemplary service offered by the ‘Regent Family,’ as the crew refer to themselves. It is also borne out by the evening dress code on board – ‘elegant casual’ (with optional formal nights only on itineraries of 16 nights or more) and the level of intimacy and choice available for all guests both in their suites and without. As several people have written, the only difficulty with the ship is remembering to leave the ‘U’ out of ‘Splendor’

With everything that is included in the cruise fare, making RSSC the most inclusive cruise line in operation, it is perhaps easier to list what is not included: spa treatments, premium shore excursions, Culinary Arts Kitchen classes and items purchased from the boutiques or the Connoisseur Club.

So many main stream cruise lines advertise the level of their inclusivity and their perceived star rating, that in comparison, it is fair to say that RSSC truly are an ‘ultra all inclusive’ 6 star cruise line and probably the most luxurious cruise line in the world. Coupled with the large suites and the amazing standards of food and drink on board, as well as the phenomenal service, it is practically impossible to draw comparisons between main stream cruising and the ‘unrivalled experience’ on board a Regent Seven Seas ship. I cannot put into words how phenomenal the whole experience of sailing on ‘Seven Seas Splendor’ was but I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone, especially for that one off, special occasion.