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RSSC Explorer Secrets, Tips and Advice


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We are seasoned mainstream Caribbean cruisers and this will be our first Regent Seven Seas cruise. It is also our first European (Western Med.)cruise. Extended flight time is also something that we have not experienced. (MCO-JFK-HRW-Nice, France). We live in FL and just usually drive to the ports.

We have pre-booked our excursions and initial restaurant reservations.

 

Any tips, advice or Explorer "secrets" would be appreciated.

Thanks

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I will be taking my first "Explorer " cruise in July, but have taken over 10 cruises with other lines. My suggestion is just enjoy!!!! The Med is hands down my favorite place to cruise and this ship will be the ultimate in luxury! So go with it no worries and remember to post your thoughts/observations!

 

Have a fabulous time and enjoy the sun kissed shores and smells of my favorite places on earth:hearteyes:

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I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Explorer is a great ship. While I've sailed RSSC for 20 years, my first Explorer cruise was a B2B Med/crossing in November/December last year, and I had a great time.

 

No "secrets," but a couple of things it took me a little while to catch on to:

 

Lounges. There are three main lounges on Explorer. Meridian generally had the more traditional dance band in the evening. Explorer Lounge had the funkier entertainment (and some dancing). Observation Lounge had the (excellent) background pianist. So Observation worked best for conversation, the other two for entertainment. Though Meridian could often work for conversation as well.

 

Restaurants. In addition to the main dining room, Compass Rose, there are four specialty restaurants. Everyone has their favorites and least favorites, but you will enjoy finding yours. You can make only one advance reservation in the three that take reservations, but if you want to return, you can do so by request while you are on-board. We never once failed to get in when we wanted.

 

Do not neglect Compass Rose. The menu concept there is fairly new, and is wonderful. One page is a listing of appetizers, main courses and sides that are there every night. And not just the usual salmon/steak/chicken. Dover sole, escargot, lobster tail, etc are part of the array. The other page is the nightly specials. Watch for the miso glazed fish, usually sea bass (and do try the miso glazed cod in Pacific Rim--my favorite dish on the ship).

 

If you like steak tartare, Prime 7, Chartreuse, and Compass Rose all have their own versions of it (not on the CR fixed menu, alas, so you have to wait for it). I kept trying to figure out which was my favorite, and finally determined it was whichever one I was eating at the time.

 

Adult beverages. The included list is extensive and not too shabby. I'm all about the wine and scotch. I was able to get a nice selection of single malts in all the lounges, and with a little exploration, to get some surprisingly decent wines. The pouring wines are the kind for which you'll usually pay somewhere in the $12-$19 range per bottle at home. The ones they initially offer are respectable, but ask about alternatives (or find the table or place behind the bar where they keep the bottles and see what they have). They also do a lot of different mixed cocktails, which my friends seemed to enjoy.

 

Coffee. I like my coffee strong and black, but not necessarily espresso. I found the coffee they pour in the restaurants to be undrinkable, and even the Cafe Americano was at best hit or miss. I finally found the key to good coffee on Explorer: the french press in the Cafe. They don't advertise it, so you have to ask for it. But it's a good way to manage the strength of the coffee to your personal taste.

 

Excursions. They are surprisingly well-run, and they usually run the buses at about 2/3 capacity, so you have room to spread out if you want. Guides are generally good, but of course there will be the occasional dud. What I like about their longer excursions is that they usually start with a good walking tour and then you get a couple of hours free time to explore on your own. Just make sure you get back to the meeting point on time. If you are stopping at Malaga, do take the 'pay extra' excursion to Granada and Allhambra if they offer it.

 

Have a great time!

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We are seasoned mainstream Caribbean cruisers and this will be our first Regent Seven Seas cruise. It is also our first European (Western Med.)cruise. Extended flight time is also something that we have not experienced. (MCO-JFK-HRW-Nice, France). We live in FL and just usually drive to the ports.

We have pre-booked our excursions and initial restaurant reservations.

 

Any tips, advice or Explorer "secrets" would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

We are seasoned mainstream Caribbean cruisers and this will be our first Regent Seven Seas cruise. It is also our first European (Western Med.)cruise. Extended flight time is also something that we have not experienced. (MCO-JFK-HRW-Nice, France). We live in FL and just usually drive to the ports.

We have pre-booked our excursions and initial restaurant reservations.

 

Any tips, advice or Explorer "secrets" would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

Hi and welcome to the Regent board!

 

In general, the tips for other ships also apply to the Explorer. The Explorer does have an extra dining venue - Pacific Rim. I always recommend that people new to Regent set up their account on the rssc.com website. If you have not done this already, suggest that you do it. It takes about 5 minutes to set up and you will see the dates when you can book excursions and dining reservations (recommend booking them the day that they open - keep in mind that the day is 12:00 a.m. EST.

 

If you have not booked (or booked very recently), I highly recommend using a TA that regularly books Regent cruises as this will save you money in terms of getting a percentage back on your cruise fare and possibly OBC's (depending upon the itinerary).

 

Deviation - for $175/person you can select your flights 270 days prior to sailing. You mentioned flights with two stops. I found a Lufthansa flight with only one stop. This is better for two reasons: 1). If you have a stop in the U.S. (stopping in New York for instance), your flight from Florida may be in coach (unless you are using the same airline on all flights), and 2). Lufthansa has flat-bed seats in Business Class and, In my opinion, is a far better airline than U.S. based carriers. Having just booked a deviated flight to Barcelona on Lufthansa, I know that Regent is contracted with Lufthansa.

 

If you booked a concierge or above suite, a pre-cruise hotel is included. If you are not on a concierge or above suite, Regent will expect you to fly to Nice the day of embarkation. If you decided to book your own hotel the day before, you would still pay the deviation fee since you have technically deviated your flight. Sorry - this is confusing to most of us -- if I am not clear on anything, I'll be happy to clarify.

 

While not a secret, some passengers coming from non-luxury cruise lines may not know that in the main restaurant, Compass Rose (we refer to it as CR), you can pre-order almost anything that you wish 24 hours in advance by contacting the restaurant manager. We have ordered Indian, Indonesian, Filipino meals as well as Chateaubriand, etc. Also, on some nights, the choices on the CR menu make it difficult to make a choice. So, you can order an appetizer portion of a entree visa versa. Sometimes we get an extra entree - just to share -- lobster is great for sharing and is on the everyday menu.

 

One item on the CR menu that I want to make a special point about is the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass - it is amazing.

 

Crowds in CR is a problem on all ships ONLY after an event like the Captain's Reception or Farewell and when they hold the Seven Seas Society party for returning guests. After the event, 400+ people line up for CR and, as with any restaurant, it is just about impossible to give great service when everyone arrives at once. Suggest getting to CR at 6:30 p.m. or wait until 8:00 p.m.

 

There is one area of the Explorer that is not on the other ships - the Infinity Pool. It is a small area in the front of the ship near the gym (they have a wonderful gym on Explorer) where you can hang out and watch the sea - whether you are in the water or on a lounge.

 

There are a lot of nooks and crannies on the ship to relax - read a book or people watch. The decor of the Explorer is amazing. You may want to stop by the library - if only to see the leather floors. Also, kind of a secret is the fact that there are two computers in the library (you can't print but they work just fine).

 

Hope this isn't too much information. I'm sure that you will have a great time on Explorer!

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It is described on the menu as Maine lobster. Just the tail on the everyday menu, but other lobster dishes appear from time to time on the daily menu. Whole Maine lobster is served in Prime 7.

 

Below is the link to a sample CR menu. Everything above "Executive Chef's Daily Specials" is the everyday menu; everything below is what changes daily, so this is just one example.

 

https://www.rssc.com/experience/cuisine/compass-rose

Edited by wishIweretravelling
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Hmmmmm, while I love lobster, I am not familiar with any that are not Maine or Australian. I know that Prime 7 has Maine lobster. I believe that the tails that are served in CR are from Florida (could be wrong) so would these be cold water lobsters? Maybe someone else can give more specific information.

 

We find that the lobster in CR varies in taste quite dramatically depending how they are prepared. Although I typically do not like poached food, the poached lobster there is really good. The tails are fairly small - they give two per serving but you can order a double (or triple) portion.

 

BTW, they also serve Filet Mignon, shrimp and many other goodies on their every day menu.

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Hmmmmm, while I love lobster, I am not familiar with any that are not Maine or Australian. I know that Prime 7 has Maine lobster. I believe that the tails that are served in CR are from Florida (could be wrong) so would these be cold water lobsters? Maybe someone else can give more specific information.

 

Florida lobsters aka Caribbean or spiny lobsters are warm water and served as tails only. Often grilled. Very different taste and texture.

Lobsters from Maine and other NE states and Canada are cold water. These are what most folks typically think of as "lobster"

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What an interesting discussion! We’re on our first Regent cruise next week and looking forward to some warmth - the weather in the UK at the moment is foul.

 

I’m interested to see that you can request a particular cuisine in advance in CR. We so often find cruise ship food to be bland, and we love spicy food. I’ve been wondering if the green Thai curry, for example, is a real curry or a cruise ship version with narry a chilli to be seen....

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We are seasoned mainstream Caribbean cruisers and this will be our first Regent Seven Seas cruise. It is also our first European (Western Med.)cruise. Extended flight time is also something that we have not experienced. (MCO-JFK-HRW-Nice, France). We live in FL and just usually drive to the ports.

We have pre-booked our excursions and initial restaurant reservations.

 

Any tips, advice or Explorer "secrets" would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

We've done 12 Regent cruises with 3 (46 nights) on Explorer. You'll get lots of good info and suggestions from other but here's some more input.

 

From DW: "have fun"; she's not a planner but loves being pampered on Regent. So my first advice is always: if you need something or somethings is amiss, just mention it to the staff - it gets fixed promptly.

 

Mingle. Regent passengers are a joy! We always try to "share" dining tables. As an aside, we find the luncheons in the specialty restaurants to be fantastic - a lighter menu in gorgeous ambiance!

 

We don't know yet how the included laundry for all will work out. It will surely be done well but may be slow (it's been wonderful in the past when only for some cruisers). So I would plan for 2 to 3 days from out to in - it's usually been 1 day at most. I'm dong an October Med on Voyager so I'll know what others have experienced.

 

Bon Voyage

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I’m interested to see that you can request a particular cuisine in advance in CR. We so often find cruise ship food to be bland, and we love spicy food. I’ve been wondering if the green Thai curry, for example, is a real curry or a cruise ship version with narry a chilli to be seen....

The curries served in Compass Rose can be a little under-spiced for some tastes. Just ask your server to arrange for a spicier version and the kitchen will oblige. Alternatively, give the restaurant manager at least 24 hours notice of your requirements for a particular dish or menu (e.g. an Indian Feast) and they will arrange it for you :D

 

We found that dishes in Pacific Rim tended to be spicier than in CR e.g. the Thai Green Chicken Curry; but again tell your server that you would like it chilli hot :eek:

 

Hope you enjoy your first Regent cruise and that this weather does not disrupt your travel arrangements.

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What an interesting discussion! We’re on our first Regent cruise next week and looking forward to some warmth - the weather in the UK at the moment is foul.

 

I’m interested to see that you can request a particular cuisine in advance in CR. We so often find cruise ship food to be bland, and we love spicy food. I’ve been wondering if the green Thai curry, for example, is a real curry or a cruise ship version with narry a chilli to be seen....

 

If you want authentic food of different nationalities, note the nationalities of a large percentage of the crew. Their food is usually routinely prepared in the crew mess, so someone in the galley staff knows their way around that cuisine. Ask crew members of the nationality for their favorite dishes, and then order them. I've never ordered Indian food on Regent, but the butlers generally are from India, so there's a good chance that Indian dishes will be the real deal. We always order a Filipino meal, and it has always been delicious on Regent. Interestingly, we tried this on Crystal and it was terrible. I then realized that I saw very few, if any, Filipino crew on that ship.

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In my opinion, the Indian food is wonderful on Regent (except for the naan - since they don't have a tandoor). The Filipino food was okay (probably prepared well but we are not used to the spices used in many of their dishes) and the Indonesian food was quite good.

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We are seasoned mainstream Caribbean cruisers and this will be our first Regent Seven Seas cruise. It is also our first European (Western Med.)cruise. Extended flight time is also something that we have not experienced. (MCO-JFK-HRW-Nice, France). We live in FL and just usually drive to the ports.

We have pre-booked our excursions and initial restaurant reservations.

 

Any tips, advice or Explorer "secrets" would be appreciated.

Thanks

I'm assuming that by HRW you're referring to London Heathrow (actually coded LHR, just so you don't panic if you see a different code than what you're expecting) - be aware that Regent's Business Class air is only for the overwater portion of the flight, so in your case you'll possibly be in Economy for the Orlando - NYC leg as well as London - Nice. Depending on which airline you're booked on you may be seated in First Class for the domestic legs but it's not guaranteed. If the flights aren't what you're expecting you can opt to pay a deviation fee and have Regent Air find a more suitable route for you.

 

The warm water lobster tends to be Caribbean. I think it is also called rock lobster. It looks and tastes different from cold water lobster.

Great - now I've got that stupid B-52's song stuck in my head...it'll be there all weekend, I'm sure...

 

As far as any secrets - I can't think of any that haven't been covered already, except maybe for spending some time in the aft Infinity Pool if the weather permits. It's rarely crowded and I enjoy watching the wake as we sail along. Of course, with the glass window in the deck above you can sometimes feel like you're living in a zoo, but it's a good tradeoff for me. Just spend your first few hours with a deck map exploring the different areas on the ship. As much as I love being on any Regent ship, I think Explorer is still my favorite.

 

Enjoy!

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I'm assuming that by HRW you're referring to London Heathrow (actually coded LHR, just so you don't panic if you see a different code than what you're expecting) - be aware that Regent's Business Class air is only for the overwater portion of the flight, so in your case you'll possibly be in Economy for the Orlando - NYC leg as well as London - Nice. Depending on which airline you're booked on you may be seated in First Class for the domestic legs but it's not guaranteed. If the flights aren't what you're expecting you can opt to pay a deviation fee and have Regent Air find a more suitable route for you.

 

 

Great - now I've got that stupid B-52's song stuck in my head...it'll be there all weekend, I'm sure...

 

As far as any secrets - I can't think of any that haven't been covered already, except maybe for spending some time in

 

the aft Infinity Pool if the weather permits. It's rarely crowded and I enjoy watching the wake as we sail along. Of course, with the glass window in the deck above you can sometimes feel like you're living in a zoo, but it's a good tradeoff for me. Just spend your first few hours with a deck map exploring the different areas on the ship. As much as I love being on any Regent ship, I think Explorer is still my favorite.

 

Enjoy!

 

Greetings from South Beach, UUNetBill. You write very enjoyable posts. I love your way with details. I can't wait to visit the zoo again.

 

DH and I also think Explorer is our favorite ship, zoo and all. Itinerary plays a part in our cruise choices, usually. However, after our TA last March, we strayed a bit from our usual path. We booked a Caribbean cruise on board just because we wanted to sail on Explorer again soon. It was the most convenient. We had a great time, although there was a sort of feel that we were roaming around our back yard. To be sure, it is a pretty nice back yard.

 

My main tip for any cruiser is to appreciate the magic of being at sea. Our next cruise will begin in Miami. Sailing through all that gorgeous wavy stuff will bring us to lots of amusing ports.Even the ones that are not amusing will offer something. What a way to travel! Our species has been sailing since our ancestors discovered that wood floated. Boy am I glad we progressed since then. The Sunday at sea champagne brunches on Regent are surely a sign of cultural growth. I'll bet the earliest sailors never had caviar either, poor souls.

Mary

Edited by warburg
Spacing, omitted word.
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We are seasoned mainstream Caribbean cruisers and this will be our first Regent Seven Seas cruise. It is also our first European (Western Med.)cruise. Extended flight time is also something that we have not experienced. (MCO-JFK-HRW-Nice, France). We live in FL and just usually drive to the ports.

We have pre-booked our excursions and initial restaurant reservations.

 

Any tips, advice or Explorer "secrets" would be appreciated.

Thanks

Slightly off topic but, never having Regent arrange air I'm curious if that itinerary is typical? Anyone who normally takes included air care to comment?

Seems like more direct flight options available than what the OP has been assigned.

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Slightly off topic but, never having Regent arrange air I'm curious if that itinerary is typical? Anyone who normally takes included air care to comment?

Seems like more direct flight options available than what the OP has been assigned.

 

I don't think that Regent has given the TS the air routing as of yet since July is too far in the future (they typically do air 75 days out). We have done air through Regent with and without deviation. Obviously there are a ton more seats available at the 270 day mark than there is at 75 days. Plus, flights can have seats available on them but Regent contracts for a certain number of seats per flight and those seats may be full. We have had that happen previously. Whether you get a non-stop flight or with one or two stops is more or less a crap shoot. It depends upon the time of the year, the destination, etc.

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We received our seat assignments.

AA from USA & UAL on return.

All seats are business or 1st class. Thank you RSSC.

We are frugal types and have only flown economy in the past. Then again the longest leg of any previous flight has only been maybe 3-4 hrs.

Sleeping while crossing the Atlantic now seems possible!:D

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We received our seat assignments.

AA from USA & UAL on return.

All seats are business or 1st class. Thank you RSSC.

We are frugal types and have only flown economy in the past. Then again the longest leg of any previous flight has only been maybe 3-4 hrs.

Sleeping while crossing the Atlantic now seems possible!:D

 

Wow - this is the first time that I've heard of Regent booking flights so far in advance. Thank you for letting us know. So, the flights that you posted initially are the ones that Regent selected?

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RSSC selected seats. Aldo at RSSC has been excellent and maybe he had something to do with it?? My first Regency cruise & I don't know what usually happens. Cruise is 4/12, < 6 weeks.

 

For some reason I thought that your cruise was in July - my mistake. BTW, you can change your seats - either on the airline website or by calling the airline. We do this all the time but you do need to know your booking code!

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