Delivered six weeks before the world stopped
The Seven Seas Splendor was delivered by Fincantieri at Ancona on 30 January
2020. Six weeks later the entire sector shut down. This ship therefore began
her career alongside, and that is why some sources date her to 2021 rather than
2020: they count the start of real operations, not the delivery.
Two hundred and twenty-four metres, fifty-five thousand two hundred and
fifty-four gross tons, three hundred and seventy-five suites all with
balconies, seven hundred and fifty guests, five hundred and forty-two crew,
thirteen decks. She is the second hull of her class, after the
Explorer and before the
Grandeur.
What we cannot establish
The number of wheelchair-accessible suites is published nowhere, for any ship
in this fleet. That is not an omission on our side: it is data the line does not
release. We ask for it on every booking.
What is included, and the misunderstanding about flights
Start with what almost everyone thinks they know. This line built its
reputation on included flights. They are no longer included by
default. Since 1 July 2024 two fare structures exist side by side: the
standard fare covers the cruise only and leaves the guest to arrange flights,
while the higher fare includes round-trip air with a choice of class,
transfers and a chauffeur credit. Check which one is on your booking, because
the gap is considerable from Montreal.
The rest is generous and consistent from one text to another. Shore
excursions are included, with no cap on how many, which is rare. Gratuities are
prepaid. Drinks are included, wines and cocktails among them. Every speciality
restaurant is included, with no cover charge. Wi-Fi is included. So is valet
laundry.
Two qualifications worth knowing. The pre-cruise hotel night exists only from
Concierge suites upward, and the butler only from Penthouse suites upward. They
are not universal inclusions, whatever the brochure sometimes suggests.
Elsewhere in the fleet
The Seven Seas Prestige opens a larger
class at the end of 2026. The full fleet lets you compare
generations, which run from 1999 to 2026.
Booking from Quebec
The contract is with Seven Seas Cruises S. de R.L., headquartered in Miami,
and is governed by the general maritime law of the United States. A claim for
personal injury, illness or death goes to the United States District Court for
the Southern District of Florida in Miami, or to a Miami-Dade County court.
Every other claim goes to binding arbitration in that same
county, and the contract imposes a class-action waiver.
The deadlines differ by claim type, and the second one surprises people. Six
months' written notice and one year to sue, for personal injury. But
thirty days' notice after the cruise ends for any other claim,
and six months to act. Damaged luggage, a service not delivered, a cancelled
call: thirty days from disembarkation. Baggage liability is also capped, unless
value is declared and a fee paid.
The carrier reserves the right to cancel the cruise, change its date, its
port of embarkation or its destination, shorten it or substitute the ship, at
any time and without notice. Nothing establishes a Quebec licence for it. Your
protection comes from here: Voyages AquaTerra holds a licence from the Office
de la protection du consommateur, your payments pass through a trust account,
and your departure is covered by the compensation fund for travel agency
customers.