Guides
Regent Seven Seas Explorer, Splendor and Grandeur Ship Guide
At a glance
- Three sister ships: Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Splendor and Seven Seas Grandeur, each listed by Regent at 10 decks and 735 ft long. (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Guests: Explorer and Splendor are listed at 748; Grandeur at 746. (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Every cabin is a suite; Regent's ship page lists eleven categories from Veranda Suite up to Regent Suite. (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Dining lives mostly in Compass Rose plus specialty rooms that Regent's ships page names only for other ships; confirm your ship's list before booking.
- Loyalty is by nights sailed, from Bronze to Commodore. (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Our sample route is a representative 10-night Mediterranean loop from Barcelona to Athens. It is not a booked sailing.
- Pre-cruise: arrive a day early; Barcelona's port authority site lists passenger terminals and transport services, so confirm your terminal and transfer. (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- The mistake to avoid: assuming one fare means one set of inclusions. Inclusions differ by fare and sailing, so read your own booking.
Who this guide is for, and who it is not
This is for travelers who want a small, all-suite ship and are weighing the three Explorer-class vessels against each other. It suits couples and solo travelers who like long dinners, a quiet pool deck and port-intensive days. It also suits anyone who wants to spend points on flights and keep the cruise itself simple.
It is not for you if you want waterslides, a big kids' program, a casino-first night life or the lowest possible fare. Ships of this size carry fewer guests than mainstream liners, so there are fewer venues and fewer late-night options. Regent's own ship page notes that the line's Explorer class is being "reimagined" with larger suites on three ships, so refit timing is something to confirm per sailing. (checked Oct 17, 2026)
How to pick a sailing
Start with the port list, not the ship. The three ships are close sisters, so itinerary, date and suite category matter more than which hull you get. Then choose the suite: a Veranda Suite is the entry point, a Concierge Suite adds perks, and a Penthouse or higher gives more space. Look at where on the deck plan your suite sits before you pay; Regent's ships page shows a "View Deck Plans" link for each ship (checked Oct 17, 2026), and we could not read its contents on 2026-10-17, so open it yourself.
Check three things on every sailing: whether it is a refit year for the ship, how many port calls are overnight, and which fare type you are offered. Fare type decides whether air, a hotel and extras are included. Our attempts to read Regent's inclusions page failed on 2026-10-17, so confirm each inclusion in your quote rather than relying on a summary.
If you are flexible, compare the same route on two of the three ships. If dates collide, pick the one whose suite you prefer.
A few more things help the decision. First, think about pace. These ships are listed at 746 to 748 guests (checked Oct 17, 2026), so tenders, shuttles and restaurants move in smaller groups than on a mainstream liner, but the ship still arrives in port at the same hour as on any larger ship. Second, think about cabin time. If you want a long morning on your balcony with room service, the suite category matters more; if you are ashore from breakfast to dinner, the entry suite does the job. Third, think about dates. Mediterranean ports in July and August are hot and crowded, and a shoulder-season sailing, to our knowledge, often means gentler days ashore; check weather averages for the month you pick.
Before you commit, open the sailing page and write down the embarkation port, the disembarkation port, the number of overnights and the port list. Then compare it with two other sailings. Ten minutes of comparison avoids an easy mistake: choosing the ship and not the route.
A note on timing: Regent's terms page shows that full payment is due well before sailing, so the cost line that matters first is the deposit, then the balance. Plan your cash around those dates rather than around the sailing date. (checked Oct 17, 2026)
Rough cost of the trip, three ways
We do not quote cabin prices because they vary by sailing. Use these blanks with your own quotes.
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Plan your budget
Your trip budget worksheet
Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.
Your trip budget worksheet Item Your amount Cash only. Cruise fare for your suite: $ per person. Flights to the port: $ Pre-cruise hotel: $ Travel insurance: $ Total: $ -
Plan your budget
Your trip budget worksheet
Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.
Your trip budget worksheet Item Your amount Points for flights. Cruise fare in cash: $ Flights on points points plus taxes $ Hotel on points or cash Total cash outlay: $ -
Plan your budget
Your trip budget worksheet
Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.
Your trip budget worksheet Item Your amount Points plus portal. Check the cruise tab in Chase Travel, Capital One Travel or Amex Travel for your sailing. Compare the portal's cruise price with Regent's direct price: $ versus $
Verified money facts we could read: Regent's terms page lists a 15 percent deposit within 5 days of booking for cruises of 60 nights or less, with full payment for all suites due 150 days before sailing; a Regent Suite deposit is 25 percent. (checked Oct 17, 2026) Those numbers are for the general schedule; your booking contract controls.
Entry and safety basics
You need a passport valid for your whole trip and any visas or authorizations the countries on your route require. Rules vary by nationality and change. On 2026-10-17 we read the U.S. State Department advisories for the countries on our representative route: Spain Level 2, issued August 1, 2026 (checked Oct 17, 2026); Italy Level 2, issued September 10, 2026 (checked Oct 17, 2026); France Level 2, with an issue date of May 28, 2025 (checked Oct 17, 2026); and Greece Level 1, issued October 23, 2025 (checked Oct 17, 2026). Malta and Monaco were not checked. (Check this on the official page before you book.
Petty theft is a normal risk around ports and on trains; the Italy advisory says so directly. Keep a photocopy of your passport page apart from the original.
Three free things (one photo subject each)
Each free item below costs nothing beyond what you already paid for the trip, and each has a clear photo subject so you can plan your day around it.
- Watch the sail-away from the pool deck. Pick a port with a skyline, such as Barcelona. Photo subject: the Barcelona waterfront and Montjuic hill seen from the harbor.
- Walk the Marseille Old Port at dusk. Public quays are typically free to walk; confirm access on the day. Photo subject: the Vieux-Port quay with fishing boats and the hill basilica above.
- Stand at the Valletta Upper Barrakka Gardens. The viewpoint overlooks the Grand Harbour where the ship docks. Photo subject: the Grand Harbour from Upper Barrakka Gardens.
This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.
Good to know before you go
We checked the pages cited here on 2026-10-17. Fares, inclusions, itineraries and port calls change often and can change after you book. Confirm on rssc.com or in your booking before you sail.