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We really enjoyed the food on Riviera and Marina as well, but the Explorer overall beats them due to the FAR superior Compass Rose cuisine over the food in their MDRs. It's tightened a bit because there is no comparable Regent restaurant to La Reserve, and the top "connoisseur menu" there is worth the supplement.

 

Jacques and Chartreuse are comparable but quite different French restaurants--for us Jacques has the slight edge, and is our favorite O ship restaurant along with Red Ginger--while the other specialty restaurants are quite similar. YMMV, of course....

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For us, Explorer is the first Regent ship to combine the best of the Regent Voyager and our other favorites, the Oceania Riviera and Mariner, due to the addition of the top-flight Pacific Rim pan-Asian restaurant, the large and excellent teaching kitchen, the fun 18-hole putting course, the excellent coffee bar, the cigar lounge (which the O ships lack), the large main swimming pool, and the spa's infinity pool, sauna, steambath, heated tile chaises, cave showers, and other varied free spa amenities. We only book the PH suites on the O ships and the E or ideally the F suites on the Explorer, because we need a walk-in closet and a bath tub.

 

Interesting analysis. We have been on the Regent Voyager and Mariner (has been some time) and in recent years cruised on the Oceania Marina (same as Riviera), and happen to like the Oceania ship more than the Regent ships we were on, and like you we also only book PH suites. We have been on the Marina three times and about to go on our fourth in a couple of weeks. We do have a cruise booked on the Explorer and it sounds like we are going to like it from what you write. We have booked an F suite.

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Has anybody that has been on the Explorer in the past year, been on what they think was a better ship with better food and better amenities if so what ship?

 

Gilly, ........ but, was the food and amenities better on any other ship that you have been on. Not only the TS wants to know, but so do others.

 

We had reservations on the Seabourn Encore to do Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, but decided to cancel that and take the Explorer from Los Angeles to Miami instead. Good choice. The Explorer was fun to look at and fun to experience. It makes the Silversea and Seabourn ships look (with the exception of the Silver Spirit) dull (understated is a nicer way to put it). Apples and oranges can be hard to compare. None are "better". Each ship has its own character. We can do understated, and we enjoy doing dress up. We actually prefer that, but the Explorer is a world of its own and we will be back again for even longer early next year.

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Explorer is my favorite ship in every category. It's all about the whole experience. I have sailed on many ships and almost every cruise line over the last 40 years including all Regent ships. Booked for two more Explorer cruises and one on the Navigator (It's about the itinerary on the Navigator). However, I will sail anywhere on the Explorer. It's that simple!!! :)

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Explorer is my favorite ship in every category. It's all about the whole experience. I have sailed on many ships and almost every cruise line over the last 40 years including all Regent ships. Booked for two more Explorer cruises and one on the Navigator (It's about the itinerary on the Navigator). However, I will sail anywhere on the Explorer. It's that simple!!! :)

Agreed. All else being equal, we'd choose Explorer over any other Regent ship. And I'm sure her sister ship will address some of the minor misses on Explorer and be even more amazing.

 

We sailed on Explorer in April with my mother and we'll be back on board her next month with my in-laws. My mother had never been on any cruises before so she had no frame of reference (although she said it was the most amazing two weeks of her life so far) but my in-laws have sailed with us twice before on Navigator - it will be interesting to hear their take on the new ship.

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Has anybody that has been on the Explorer in the past year, been on what they think was a better ship with better food and better amenities if so what ship?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Yes, Regent Seven Seas Mariner. I have 297 days on Regent including 24 on Explorer this spring with many of the posters on this board. Explorer is beautiful. P7 and Chartreuse are lovely with wonderful little bars included. Decorations and art for most part beautiful; but i cannot get past the design issues with the ship (we can start by asking why all the glass in Compass Rose to reflect sound and make room unbearably noisy).

 

Mariner has been my favorite ship for 15 years. Benefits of Mariner over Explorer:

 

Weather decks adjacent to Observation Lounge

One more lounge

Rear facing Horizon Lounge

Three staircases instead of two

Much better sight lines in theater

Promenade that is more useful than all the extra seating outside reception on Explorer

 

I am looking forward to the dining improvements (including reservation desk) being added to other ships so that will no longer be a benefit of Explorer.

 

I believe that Explorer will become (has already become) an engineering nightmare. All those decorations and moulding adding to suites and around ship will start to deteriorate with movement of ship. Ships are designed to flex; they need to or they will just break; I don't think that flexing was built into the design. I am sure many of these issues can be addressed in Explorer II. Maybe that ship will replace Mariner as my favorite; until then, I will keep sailing Mariner (and Voyager and Navigator) before booking another Explorer cruise.

 

Just my two cents,

 

Marc

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Gilly, ........ but, was the food and amenities better on any other ship that you have been on. Not only the TS wants to know, but so do others.

 

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

No, I don't think they are. As I said in my previous message, but apparently didn't make clear enough.

Edited by Gilly
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Our trip is not till 2018 so we would love to hear your thoughts when you get back! Have a great time!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Hadn't realised that you were further out than us. I will be happy to let you know how we get on.

 

There is another thread over on the Silversea board with Wes and Ida, fabulous couple and give fantastic blogs and photos. It may give you a different perspective on other luxury cruises.

 

Pam.

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One reason we favour Mariner (marginally) over Explorer is we find the menu choices and some of the individual dishes more to our taste in Signatures than in Chartreuse. Others, I know, have the reverse opinion.

Unfortunately this restaurant will be changed on Mariner in the Spring next year. However, by that time Regent chefs may well have tweaked some of the offerings in Chartreuse.

 

Like Gilly, our primary criteria when booking a cruise is the itinerary

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Has anybody that has been on the Explorer in the past year, been on what they think was a better ship with better food and better amenities if so what ship?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Not fixated -- just interested in the questions and responses to the question. Are you fixated on questioning my posts? In any case, may I assume that, once the Mariner is upgraded, you will no longer prefer Mariner's food over Explorer's, Voyager's and Navigators (all of whom have Chartreuse)?

 

What I was hoping to get by keeping this on track was hearing from people that sailed other luxury cruise lines (Crystal, Seabourn and Crystal specifically) and Explorer. Although food is definitely subjective, if several people mentioned another ship or a cruise line other than Regent, it would have been quite eye opening. On page one this turned into a review of Explorer vs. other Regent ships that have the same food and amenities (except on the Mariner as you pointed out). I am guilty of "buying into" the discussion. It would have been nice if we had responses from people that have sailed other lines and actually sailed Explorer (past - not future tense).

 

This thread began as a request for comparisons of the Explorer to other ships. There was no specification by the OP that other Regent ships be excluded from the comparison. Nor does the wording of the OP limit the request to posters who have traveled on another ship in the past year. The reference to "past year" refers to travelers on Explorer. The OP did not specify that the comments should be limited to "luxury" or any other category of cruise ships. If the OP didn't want comparisons to other Regent ships, then it would have been useful for the OP to have said so.

 

The amenities on the different Regent ships are not the same (the first definition of amenities that pops up on Google is "a desirable or useful feature or facility of a building or place". For example, the theater sight lines are a problem on the Explorer. The outdoor (pool area) dining seating is not as comfortable on Explorer as on other Regent ships, IMO. The limit on walking all the way around the Explorer outside deck is another deficit compared to other Regent ships.

 

The repeated criticisms (direct or implied) of posters who have made comparisons in line with the OP's request is how threads go off topic and ultimately escalate in tone leading the threads to be shut down.

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Is there anyone that has been on a Crystal, Seabourn or Silversea ship as well as on the Explorer that feels that the food and amenities are better? I know that this is subjective but the responses would be interesting.

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Only a personal preference (please don't flame me!) Silk Road on Crystal beats Pacific Rim hands down. Sushi bar is a huge asset. Yes, I know food is such a personal thing that it's really difficult to assess. Too many variables.

Prime 7 and Prego are pretty much a tie, again only my critique. However I love the decor on the Explorer's Prime 7 and Chartruse as well. Too bad they missed the mark on the rest of the ship,....again, only my opinion!!!!

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Only a personal preference (please don't flame me!) Silk Road on Crystal beats Pacific Rim hands down. Sushi bar is a huge asset. Yes, I know food is such a personal thing that it's really difficult to assess. Too many variables.

Prime 7 and Prego are pretty much a tie, again only my critique. However I love the decor on the Explorer's Prime 7 and Chartruse as well. Too bad they missed the mark on the rest of the ship,....again, only my opinion!!!!

 

Interesting! I've heard really good things about Prego on Crystal and am not a huge fan of Pacific Rim (but do love their sake:evilsmile:).

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Gilly, ........ but, was the food and amenities better on any other ship that you have been on. Not only the TS wants to know, but so do others.

On the same cruise as Gilly, she is spot on.

And, no, except for lunch (maybe) in the specialty restaurants, the food and amenities were not better than any other ship

The ship was beautiful but Seabourn still wins overall

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Seabourn Encore is the only Seabourn ship with a sushi restaurant, according to their website. Seabourn Sojourn, for example, appears to have no specialty French, Italian, or Asian restaurants when I look online. Voyager's and Navigator's basic suites are considerably larger. Seabourn does provide a lot more caviar and perhaps better service, I hear....

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I won't be on Explorer until November' date=' but Crystal's Silk Road is going to be pretty hard to beat.[/quote']

 

I hear that Silk Road is great. Keep in mind that PacIfic Rim is not a Japanese or sushi restaurant. It is Asian fusion. While we love Japanese food, to us, Asian fusion Asian confusion.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I hear that Silk Road is great. Keep in mind that PacIfic Rim is not a Japanese or sushi restaurant. It is Asian fusion. While we love Japanese food, to us, Asian fusion Asian confusion.

 

TC, I agree - wish it was true Asian. Japanese, Thai, or Chinese would be better. Pick one and do it right.

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