Occasional observations from Explorer 'Round the Isles' June 2017

Excuses first: internet is too slow and unreliable to post pictures but will try again later.

We boarded last Saturday at Southampton - smooth and pleasant service from the port personnel as well as from Regent. Our berth was switched at fairly short notice - received an email from Regent on Friday - but this caused no issues as far as I can tell.

Our first trip on Explorer and so far very impressed. We are in an E category suite on deck 6 and it is generally excellent in terms of space, fittings and finish.

Two minor criticisms: first the curtain separating bed from sitting area is too close to the end of the bed so that we couldn't use it at night for fear it would cause trips if I have stumble around in the semi-darkness at night. Second, the tiles on the floor of the shower and nearby are beginning to show yellow/brown staining. They are regularly cleaned, of course, so it would seem to be the effect of water lying on them. No noise from sliding door so far but we have had no wind to speak of.

The CC meet & mingle was not a great success. Only two couples turned up although 16 people had signed up! It was great to meet the others but with an area roped off for Special Event and the GM (Franck Galszy) and CD (John Barron) in attendance, it was rather embarrassing! However, it was great to meet Franck again (last time was on Voyager back in 2014) and John for the first time. I think the poor attendance can be put down, at least in part, to the timing - first night and barely an hour after lifeboat drill.

More later.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Our first dinner was to be in Compass Rose but there was a long line and, rather than wait for a two-top, we accepted the offer of a table in Chartreuse. I'm not sure but it seemed to me that it was a bigger venue than Signatures had been (on Mariner & Voyager) - the same thought occurred to me when we visited Prime 7 last night. There certainly seemed to be more space and neither restaurant was full unlike CR!

We had a great meal anyway, good food and great service. We have not recognised any of the wait staff yet as most of them we spoke to had been with Regent less than the 3 years since we last sailed. For those of you interested in wine, there was a decent Petit Chablis and our old favourite Chateauneuf du Pape on offer.

We had tried CR for lunch earlier in the day but it was reserved for a special event - it looked like an affinity group but we have seen no evidence of this elsewhere. Anyway, we enjoyed a light lunch in La Veranda and were impressed by the improved layout of the buffet area.

Sunday was a sea day so we had the chance to try the famous Brunch in CR - very impressive! But so difficult to decide where to start and, even more, where to stop! That kept us going until dinner, of course.

More later.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Excuses first: internet is too slow and unreliable to post pictures but will try again later.

 

We boarded last Saturday at Southampton - smooth and pleasant service from the port personnel as well as from Regent. Our berth was switched at fairly short notice - received an email from Regent on Friday - but this caused no issues as far as I can tell.

 

Our first trip on Explorer and so far very impressed. We are in an E category suite on deck 6 and it is generally excellent in terms of space, fittings and finish.

 

Two minor criticisms: first the curtain separating bed from sitting area is too close to the end of the bed so that we couldn't use it at night for fear it would cause trips if I have stumble around in the semi-darkness at night. Second, the tiles on the floor of the shower and nearby are beginning to show yellow/brown staining. They are regularly cleaned, of course, so it would seem to be the effect of water lying on them. No noise from sliding door so far but we have had no wind to speak of.

 

The CC meet & mingle was not a great success. Only two couples turned up although 16 people had signed up! It was great to meet the others but with an area roped off for Special Event and the GM (Franck Galszy) and CD (John Barron) in attendance, it was rather embarrassing! However, it was great to meet Franck again (last time was on Voyager back in 2014) and John for the first time. I think the poor attendance can be put down, at least in part, to the timing - first night and barely an hour after lifeboat drill.

 

More later.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for your up to the minute observations! I'm on the next cruise and we have the same category cabin - so the cabin info is really helpful. We've got 26 signed up for our Meet & Mingle so we'll see who actually shows :D

Susan

Thanks rarin. Do you know if John Barron will still be CD at end of July.

Thanks rarin. Do you know if John Barron will still be CD at end of July.

John Barron is expected to leave the Explorer in July to join his family for summer vacation. I believe he is leaving mid-July but am not sure of the date.

Thanks Travelcat. A pity about John not being on board for our cruise starting 25 July as we like him a lot. Do you know who his replacement will be? We would love to meet you as we seem to correspond a lot on these threads. After our cruise on the Explorer our next booked cruise is on Queen Elizabeth in early December. First time with Cunard since 2001 and if it's a bit "slumming it!" after Regent and Seabourn, at least we won't have to fly to or from the ship

Rarin, please leave some of the Chateauneuf for us as it's also one of our favourites.

eliana - yes - we do seem to correspond a lot via CC. Hope that we do meet up on one of our cruises!

I don't know who will be replacing John. I know that Lorraine is currently on the Mariner and Paul Reynolds is on the Voyager so it will not be either of them.

Hope that you enjoy your cruise on the Queen Elizabeth. We're doing an Alaska cruise at the end of August and then the Amazon in November - both on the Mariner. Next year we switch to the Voyager for our cruises and then back to Explorer in 2019. That will be much too long for us to be away from our favorite ship (and also John) but we have to go where the itineraries take us!

Thanks for taking the time to post. Hope you have a wonderful cruise. We disembarked Explorer 2 weeks ago and had a fabulous time. We both felt it was the best service and food we have had. Jean.

Thanks rarin. Do you know if John Barron will still be CD at end of July.

I'll try to remember to ask him when I see him next.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for taking the time to post. Hope you have a wonderful cruise. We disembarked Explorer 2 weeks ago and had a fabulous time. We both felt it was the best service and food we have had. Jean.

Thank you. Agree that service and food very good indeed.

We are headed for some rough seas, I'm afraid so we can report on how Explorer handles it!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes it's a very wild night here in Scotland. Safe travels and I am sure the Explorer will handle the rough seas very well. Jean.

Just heard from John Barron - he is going on vacation on July 25th!

We left the Explorer on May 21. Loved everything. Be sure to see John Barron's show. It was one of our favorites.

How many GM's are there? I'm boarding in August and hoping it is not a particular person ( no, I will not say who).

Wow - this is like a test. I'll give it a try (don't know all last names):

Frank Galzy

Andreas

Michael Coglan (misspelled)

Davor

Nikki Sheils

Massimo

If I am missing anyone, I apologize!

Thanks for info. Any idea of gm on Explorer in August?

All we can do is guess. When a G.M. takes over during vacation, it is only for two months since G.M.'s have 4 month contracts and then have two months off. It seems that Franck Galzy is all over the place - filling in, etc. Based on the G.M.'s that have already sailed on Explorer (and knowing that Andreas is going on vacation in July), my best guess would be Michael. My second guess would be Massimo. On the other hand, I could be 100% wrong:halo:

I think Paul Reynolds is on the Navigator - at least he started his contract in mid-May. I think Jamie and Dana return in Montreal - before the ship heads to Europe.

Peggy

I think Paul Reynolds is on the Navigator - at least he started his contract in mid-May. I think Jamie and Dana return in Montreal - before the ship heads to Europe.

Peggy

Hi Peggy, you made me laugh because you did what I started to do .. listing C.D.'s instead of G.M.'s.:D. Did I miss any G.M.'s? You are the expert in this area. We so much want Paul to be on one of our cruises but he keeps changing ships. Fingers crossed for next year.

I'll try to remember to ask him when I see him next.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

John Barron leaves on July 25 and is replaced by Andy Heath until September when John returns.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes it's a very wild night here in Scotland. Safe travels and I am sure the Explorer will handle the rough seas very well. Jean.

Well we are now through the Inner Sound across the top of Scotland and the seas are calming somewhat. Captain Stan had warned us that it would get pretty rough during the night and early morning and it certainly did! The waves were hitting us from the side so the ship was rolling quite a bit but fortunately we are low and midships which minimises the effect. There were some creaks and clicks from the fittings and the occasional thump from below but we slept through most of it and enjoyed a delicious breakfast in Compass Rose.

Sea day today so I will write up some further reports and post again soon. [emoji2]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi Jackie,

You've listed the GM I know about. Are there others? Maybe. I don't know.

Peggy

Onboard now. Signed up for the Meet & Mingle but never received an invitation. Maybe others are in the same boat so to speak and that could be why attendance was poor. Having a great time except for the weather.

Sorry you missed it - we had a card waiting for us at the suite. I know you were on the signed-up list

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

We have now dined twice in Compass Rose. Once we tried for a table around 8.15 pm and had a 15 minute wait to be seated. When we were it was in a section near the entrance. It was very noisy, making normal conversation difficult. The food was adequate rather than exceptional and the large rectangular area, combined with the lack of any features gives the ambience of an, admittedly upmarket, refectory. The menu lacks the variety that we have found previously - I know there is the 'mix & match' of different entrees and sauces but think the chefs must find it rather inhibits creativity. The sauces also tend toward the bland - certainly the green pepper was almost flavour free.

The next time (last night) was better. We dined around 6.45pm and managed to secure a table in the rear section where, despite the rather low ceiling, it was pleasantly quiet except for a young couple making and taking calls on their cell phones! Service in both sections was very good, certainly as good as any other Regent ship we've sailed and maybe a notch or two better.

We also tried Prime 7 which is definitely bigger and better laid out than on the older ships. Again it was not full at any time that night. Perhaps I should add, in case I haven't said before, that the ship is full. We have, however, managed to secure additional bookings in all the specialty restaurants, so clearly Compass Rose is very popular with the majority of passengers.

I've just noticed that CR has Miso-Glazed Sea Bass on the menu tonight so that's one decision already made!

Excursions next.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk