On a cold morning in February, we did a hop, skip and jump over to the Mediterranean to join the welcome party for new Regent Seven Seas Cruises ship, Seven Seas Splendor. Our sales team leader, Linzi, tells us whether the luxury cruise ship lives upto her name…
Seven Seas Splendor
My first initial impression of the ship was “WOW” – The design and the feel to it was very sleek, modern with an elegant twist. As it was the first six-star ship I had ever sailed on, I was blown away. From the minute I walked onboard I was made to feel very welcomed and very special; nothing was too much trouble.
I feel one thing that really stood out to me was how much space there was on the ship, particularly in the lounges on board. From past experience of other ships, you normally find yourself sat down in a bar or lounge more a less arm-to-arm with other guests, but this was not the case on Splendor. Everywhere seemed to be very spread out, it was really lovely. I also loved how light and airy it felt. The ship had lots of beautiful lighting right the way through and it really set the ambience. I was most impressed with the handblown flower lighting that almost welcomes you into the Observation Lounge, this really was something very different and unique. Whilst on the subject of “entrances”, the entrance to most of the restaurants and lounges had an impact. A good example of this is the entrance to the Pacific Rim Restaurant, where a huge sculpture of a Chinese Dragon really was amazing!
The Culinary Arts Kitchen
I had so much fun in “The Culinary Arts Kitchen” – although a little apprehensive at first (purely as I cannot cook lol) we were invited to attend a cooking experience and this was one of the highlights for me. The Kitchen itself had two rows of approximately 10 work stations, in which all ingredients were set out ready for us. The Chef, Kathryn, was brilliant, very witty and made it such an enjoyable experience and put every one at ease. Guests can take part in one of these classes priced at $70.00pp for a two hour class and I would definitely recommend it!
Dining on Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Talking about restaurants and food, I can honestly say I have never eaten so much delicious food, from the presentation and attention to detail, to the Versace dinnerware in the main restaurant, Compass Rose…WOW! I really appreciated what a nice touch it was to have been allocated our dining in a different restaurant each night and to sample all different cuisine. My personal favourite had to be Pacific Rim, the Pan Asian speciality restaurant. The “zen” ambience was brilliant and the décor was really funky, lots of lime green and brown colours. The extensive menu really did give so much choice and the food was like I had never tasted before. We also ate in Chartreuse, the French inspired restaurant – this again was such a beautiful speciality restaurant and very elegant, not as big as the other restaurants but I liked that it was smaller. It had more of an intimate feel for me.
We ate in Le Veranda Restaurant on the first day, which was the Buffet on board. This was like no other buffet I have ever experienced. I have always been so used to buffets on other ships and just queuing to help yourself to lots of different food, piling a concoction of different dishes all on one plate – definitely not the case on Splendor. Myself and Elsa were greeted at our table by a lovely waiter, who explained that we could pre-order hot food to be sent to our table if we required. We then made our way into the buffet; I went to take a plate to help myself but was kindly asked what I required whilst the waitress plated it up for me. I was not expecting this, but again it was a great idea and much more organised. The Pool Bar was again amazing. All food cooked fresh and such a wide choice of food as well as a buffet style area also. The service in all the restaurants was unbelievable; the staff were so attentive and were quick to fill your wine glass, even after only a few sips.
Splendor Suite, cabin 702
Now onto the Stateroom…OMG is all I can say. I felt so lucky to have been allocated such a beautiful stateroom. The cabin we were allocated was the Splendor Suite, cabin 702, which also meant we had our very own Butler, Sarj, who was so lovely and always there if needed. We were given the grand tour on arrival into our cabin and I was blown away. The stateroom was pure luxury, from our own minibar and full dining room table, to a walk in wardrobe and the most amazing bathroom which included two sinks, a whirlpool bath and L’Occitane toiletries. The balcony was huge and because of the position of the cabin being at the very Forward, the Balcony wrapped round giving lots of room and plenty of furniture too. As we were in the suite, we had our very own pillow menu and evening canapes that we could choose and pre-order the night prior! We had a look around the other cabins and I have to say even the Deluxe Veranda (G Grade, lead in) was so lovely, and extremely superior when compared to a deluxe balcony on a mainstream operator.
Constellation Theatre
The Constellation Theatre was different, two-tiered and again lots of seats but all very spread out. The décor in the Theatre, although lovely with Royal Blues and dark wood I feel didn’t really fit in with the décor throughout the rest of the ship. Having said that, I suppose this did make it stand out more. The Theatre Company on board were brilliant, very talented. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first performance, “Club Wonderland” – it seemed a little cheesy and wasn’t what I was expecting, however the performance on the last evening was great and the performers very much captured the audience.
Meridian Lounge
The Meridian Lounge was my favourite of all the bars and lounges on board. The ambience was calm, with low lighting and soft music playing early in the evening, then came to life later on in the evening and was a good meeting/socialising area for most guests on board. The waiters in there were very accommodating, even making me a drink that wasn’t even on the menu!
The Pool Deck
The Pool Deck and Top Deck – Luxury sun loungers with a thick foam mattress and towelled cover, a decent sized swimming pool and two very inviting hot tubs. The top deck had an array of different sporting facilities such as mini-golf, tennis court and also shuffleboard – plenty of things to do whilst on a sea day perhaps?
Coffee Connection
For coffee lovers, Coffee Connection is the place to be. Located just after the reception area on the ship, it’s a very relaxed area where you could sit and enjoy an array of different coffees and also a light snack whilst looking out of the window and watching the world go by. Perfect!
Serene Spa and Wellness
Serene Spa and Wellness – Again, such a lovely area of the ship. We had a guided tour by a lady that worked in the spa and she was very informative. I was surprised to see segregated spa areas for both Male and Females and thought it was a nice touch. Again, I have never seen this in a spa before. The aft of the ship is great, with its own infinity pool and lovely loungers for guests to relax. The gym was also impressive, very high tech and had all the mod cons you would expect. The PT in there was so lovely, very chatty and told us a little about himself. We were surprised to hear Splendor was to be the first ship he had ever worked on and that previous clients had included the likes of George Michael, Matt Damon and David Tennant.
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