I spent three nights in the Seven Seas Grandeur's concierge suite and now understand why travelers are willing to shell out almost $5,500 for one week in this floating hotel room.
My concierge suite had a bathtub, a large balcony, a swivel TV, and a surprisingly small walk-in closet.
In 2024, this stateroom starts at $5,455 per person for a seven-night cruise.
If I had $5,500 to spare, I might not spend it on a luxury cruise, but after a few nights aboard a particularly nice ship, I can now see the appeal to some people.
For those people who are much more enthusiastic cruisers than I am, I might have just found your next luxury vacation: the concierge suite aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises' new Seven Seas Grandeur.
Let me take you aboard my high-end experience.
In December, I spent three nights in this plush 332-square-foot cabin, complete with a large bathtub, a larger balcony, and an even larger living room.
The desk doubles as a vanity.
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The cruise line hosted me on the new Seven Seas Grandeur during its three-night non-revenue "christening" sailing.
While I can't afford this on my own, I now understand why wealthy travelers are willing to shell out $780 per night for a vacation in this suite.
The concierge suite is mid-sized compared to the other cabin options.
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However, I did have some issues with the floating hotel room. But before we get there, let's see how the cruise line can charge so much for a floating room.
While this wasn’t my first luxury cruise rodeo, this Regent cabin is the most expensive I’ve ever stayed in.
Cruise ship cabins aren’t known for being massive.
The couch has small reading lights.
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But at 322 square-feet with an additional 83- to 132-square-foot balcony, this cabin is one of the largest I've stayed in.
The suite is divided into five spaces: the bathroom, walk-in closet, bed, living room, and balcony.
My spacious balcony could've easily accommodated more than two people.
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The balcony was shockingly large, enough to accommodate two lounge chairs and a small table without feeling cramped.
Back inside, two curtains could be extended to separate the adjacent living room from the bed.
Curtains can be used to separate the living and bed rooms.
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Unlike most cruise cabins, the king bed faced the windows instead of another wall, making the bed "room" feel more spacious than usual.
The living room had the typical furnishings of a luxury suite: a couch, coffee table, and television.
The bar had built-in drawers.
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The television, which could swivel to face the bed, was mounted on a console-like bar equipped with drawers, glassware, and a small plate of fruit.
Personal beverage stations are commonplace in premium cruise cabins.
The machine came stocked with single-serving pre-ground Illy coffees.
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This one came with an Illy-stocked espresso machine, a mini-refrigerator with sodas, and bottles of drinking water.
While I won’t complain about having extra space, this living room seemed almost too big.
The living room was surprisingly spacious.
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The center of the room was left open and furniture-less.
Besides appreciating it, I had no idea what to do with this extra space.
The desk was then located next to the couch, separated by the curtain and a small wall.
The desk has rows of drawers.
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This tabletop extended down the hall and served as my dumping ground for grab-and-go items like my phone and camera.
Where the living room excelled in extra space, the walk-in closet disappointingly didn’t.
The walk-in closet was long but narrow.
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Drawers, shelves, and several rows of hangers lined this narrow room.
To my surprise, my less expensive ocean terrace suite on the Explora I had a wider walk-in closet than this.
However, the combination of this closet and the drawers in the living room still made for one of the most storage-equipped cabins I’ve ever seen.
The closet had two robes and slippers.
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I could've moved my entire wardrobe into this closet and still have space to spare. Just don't ask me to stand in there for too long — it's a bit claustrophobia-inducing.
The bathroom was then located around the corner from the closet.
The bathroom had a large walk-in shower.
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The marble and stone detailing made it feel as plush as a bathroom I'd expect in a five-star hotel.
This thin space was full of uncommon cruise bathroom amenities like a full bathtub and spacious walk-in shower.
I've never had a bathtub in a cruise ship bathroom before.
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Unexpected luxuries like the double vanity, bathtub, and multiple towel hangers made this one of the most luxurious bathrooms I've had both at sea and on land.
"Unexpected luxuries" just about summarizes how I feel about the Grandeur's concierge suite.
The two reusable water bottles that could be filled around the ship.
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The attention to detail — like the reading light-lined couch, swivel TV, and fresh fruit plate — were all small but wonderful additions.
While I didn't touch the latter, I did find a few strawberry leaves in my bathroom after housecleaning came by. At least the fruits weren't going to waste, right?
But at its lofty price, it’s hard to overlook issues like the incredibly narrow walk-in closet.
"Valet laundry" is included in the cruise fare.
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It seemed the designers prioritized the large living room over a comfortable closet, a fair choice.
And in terms of the interior design, the room looked more dated than it did new.
This suite may not appeal to travelers looking for a trendy cruise cabin.
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If you had told me that this ship was a few years old, I would have believed you.
I prefer trendier contemporary designs.
Only a handful of art pieces lined the walls.
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But the grey and tan color scheme with muddy blue accents looked more like a high-end but old hotel than a sleek and modern ship.
However, I’m far from Regent Seven Seas’ target age or income — as in I’m young and not a member of the elite 1% club.
The Seven Seas Grandeur has one pool.
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In 2024, the concierge suite starts at $5,455 per person for a seven-night December cruise roundtrip from Miami, Florida to Mexico, Belize, and Honduras.
This price then ranges up to $20,200 for the 14-night roundtrip cruise in April from Barcelona, Spain to France, Monaco, Italy, Malta, and other Spanish cities.
A starting price of $780 per night may seem high. However, context matters.
Pan-Asian Pacific Rim serves up options like vegetarian pad thai and fried lobster.
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Regent Seven Seas is all-inclusive. No need to pay extra for excursions, flights to and from the ship, and unlimited drinks and food.
With that, maybe some wealthy travelers — especially those who prioritize convenience and luxury — could find this hefty price worth it.
The bathroom comes with products from L'Occitane en Provence.
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And in terms of amenities, it's hard to top a cabin like this.
Other luxury cruise lines also offer plush comforts like a chilled welcome bottle of champagne and espresso machines.
The concierge suite had the longest vanity I've ever had in a cruise ship cabin.
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But I've never had amenities like a double vanity or bathtub in a cruise cabin before.
As someone who sometimes doesn’t enjoy cruise ships or their often cramped cabins, even I was impressed.
The nightstands had amenities like USB outlets and a small phone.
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If I, a public cruise skeptic, was convinced by these little luxuries, I'm sure any other cruise cynic would be as well.
I likely won't be sailing board this expensive ship again, but you might want to.
One of my balcony seats didn't come with cushions, although I was traveling alone.
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If it's within your budget, this could be a good option. The small walk-in closet left me a little claustrophobic, and I didn't love the somewhat dated interior design.
But that could probably be overlooked — especially given the other luxuries, like that huge balcony.
And I'm sure you'll agree after lounging in a warm bubble bath in the suite's marble-lined bathroom.
