SPLENDID SEAS

Regent’s newest and most resplendent ship, Seven Seas Splendor, goes to lengths that leave other ships behind.

- JANICE WALD HENDERSON

I lean over the teak railing, my plush robe cosseting me from the brisk and salty morning air. Cobalt water, the color of my daughter’s newborn eyes, stretches for miles. That blue, an unforgettable untainted hue that I witnessed just once. Yet here, the color magically reappears, flowing and then vanishing into the horizon. Gazing at the ocean, I exhale as if I’ve been holding my breath for, well, a long time. Such is a sea day aboard Seven Seas Splendor, where serendipitous moments like this unfold hour upon hour.

Although abundant lures beckon beyond my suite door, I feel little urge to venture far. Not with a large private balcony, more than 100 square feet, with oversized, deeply cushioned chairs whispering “settle in, daydream” to the chorus of waves.

A concierge suite proves perfect. With an interior measuring a luxurious 332 square feet, it’s just beneath the mid-level of 10 categories on this all-suite ship. The king-sized bed seems fit for a king, with a statement leather headboard, suggesting someone important sleeps beneath it. I brew a foamy espresso in my illy machine, sink into the plush couch, pull the cashmere blanket over my lap, and contemplate my next move. Check out the dinner menus or watch a movie on my flat-screen TV? Take a spa bath in the full-size tub, all the better to marvel at the two sinks and separate rainfall-style shower in my roomy bathroom? Mostly, I just want to bask in the surrounding beauty — the finest marble and granite, the softest fabrics, in shades ranging from cream and gold to deep brown.

An ultra-luxury ship, Seven Seas Splendor mimics a floating museum.