Seven Seas Splendor's Dining Truth: What I Actually Spent vs. What They Promise

When I booked my seven-day cruise on the Seven Seas Splendor, I'll be honest: I was seduced by the marketing. Regent Seven Seas advertises their specialty restaurants as included in your cruise fare, and while that's technically true, the reality of how that works versus the main dining room experience is way more complicated than the brochure suggests. After spending a week aboard this ship and eating almost everywhere, I've got some real talk to share. Let me back up. I'm not some luxury travel snob—I've been on Carnival and Royal Caribbean plenty of times. But I saved up specifically for Regent because everyone talks about how ultra-luxury cruise lines are different. This was going to be my fancy cruise, the one where I could actually relax and eat well without nickel-and-diming myself to death. The Seven Seas Splendor seemed perfect: smaller ship, fewer people, multiple specialty restaurants supposedly included in my all-inclusive fare. What could go wrong? Everything looked amazing when I walked into the main dining room on night one. It's called Compass Rose, and let me tell you, it's genuinely beautiful. High ceilings, elegant lighting, actual cloth napkins that are enormou…