The Emperor tries on Regents New er third hand "New" Clothes - Yes an Explorer review

[Emperor Norton]

Unless it is a company announced official change we won't join the club. Regent is more than expensive enough already. If tipping is now officially encouraged, Regent will be returning to the ranks of the mainstream cruise lines.

 

I'm not sure - but it was the same men over and over again. Thankfully it didn't seem to alter the service levels of those around them.

[vlinbin]

We took our first Regent cruise from Lima to Buenos Aires on the Mariner back in 2011. Due to the length of the cruise we received Silver Status immediately. Since then we have always had two log-ins for the Internet. We are still Silver, but on our recent Alaskan cruise, I pointed out to the computer attendant that we were entitled to two log-ins. He checked and returned allowing us the two log-ins.

 

During that same cruise, we ordered Pisco Sours throughout the ship (bars, pool deck, Constellation Theatre) and always received them. Assuming pisco to be a South American liquor, we have never asked for Pisco Sours on other itineraries such as the Iceland to Copenhagen cruise.

 

Finally, I am confused by the messages about tipping. Were certain people on one of the cruises tipping during the cruise? Were they cruise guests (such as travel personnel) who may not have been familiar with Regent's policy?

[Emperor Norton]

We took our first Regent cruise from Lima to Buenos Aires on the Mariner back in 2011. Due to the length of the cruise we received Silver Status immediately. Since then we have always had two log-ins for the Internet. We are still Silver, but on our recent Alaskan cruise, I pointed out to the computer attendant that we were entitled to two log-ins. He checked and returned allowing us the two log-ins.

 

During that same cruise, we ordered Pisco Sours throughout the ship (bars, pool deck, Constellation Theatre) and always received them. Assuming pisco to be a South American liquor, we have never asked for Pisco Sours on other itineraries such as the Iceland to Copenhagen cruise.

 

Finally, I am confused by the messages about tipping. Were certain people on one of the cruises tipping during the cruise? Were they cruise guests (such as travel personnel) who may not have been familiar with Regent's policy?

 

The tippers were guests that from what I gathered had been on Regent several times in the near past.

[Travelcat2]

If you look at any of the "tipping" threads (quite contentious), you will find many people that insist on tipping (which is their right). On the other side of the coin, over the years we have seen that tipping can create an expectation by crew members that is quite uncomfortable for many of us. Whichever side of the issue you are on, the Emperor's comments have been enlightening (and for me, quite disturbing).

[Emperor Norton]

I was expecting some teething problems on this cruise and found them. Then I found something quite unexpected. If an engine (or multiple) were running you could hear a low frequency thump thump (think Harley engine-esque) on the pool deck. It also had a tangible feel to it, like a pressure wave. Apparently some passengers also heard this on their verandahs. At the time of the cruise the running theory was that somewhere along the line either the stacks or pipes in the stacks weren't built/designed/whatever correctly and this was causing the escaping gas to expand/contract in a sub optimal manner producing the sound waves.

 

The other surprise was the amount of vibration felt when the ship was underway. At some points it sounded like the ceiling panels were about to become flooring. Not everyone I spoke with experienced this however.

 

The new in room electrical system I found annoying. I'm sure it's greener but I don't like having to bypass a switch in order to be able to charge items while I'm out of the room (the map of the cruise ship will do in a pinch but an old cruise card or say AAA card will also keep the juice flowing). As well, the light switches seemed to be connected to things with little rhyme or reason. Perhaps if the next passengers bring a label maker;)

[Emperor Norton]

You could tell there was still clean up work to be done from the factory (indeed they had Fincanteri staff on taking lots of pictures and measuring things to make them right - like the ankle biting slat on the pool deck).

 

The paint glob came pre-circled so we wouldn't have to strain to find an issue.

 

Our first day was in St. Tropez. I felt so sorry for those poor poor yachters that couldn't afford a boat big enough to fit multiple helicopters. There was one owner so poor the helicopter almost didn't fit on the helipad.:rolleyes:

 

This was going to be a tender port (YUCK). This, the night of the Captains party and Crew Capers were the only three times I felt I was on a ship with ~ 750 of my new best friends. For the most part people were kept away from each other so you didn't feel crowded. Aside from the chair hogs.:eek: (Regent was nowhere near as vigilant as Oceania on this. O had an officer and staff on deck just to combat the hogs - so Regent and Seabourn are about the same in this category).

 

For the most part people followed directions and waited to be called and didn't block the entrance/exit (but there are always those that don't follow the rules).

Edited August 10, 2016 by Emperor Norton

[Emperor Norton]

Our first stop on todays tour was the quaint little hilltop town of Gassin.

 

Did I mention they had a waterfall?

 

Unlike the Bay Area it was very green.

 

They even had one of those things that points out tourists

 

Edited August 10, 2016 by Emperor Norton

[Emperor Norton]

Good morning locals, sorry about the bus-load of tourists

 

Someones such a kidder

 

I liked the old arches

 

No birds were home

 

A nice, cool tunnel

 

These streets can be narrow.

[Emperor Norton]

Other than the banners there was no sign of a party and I thought we were a bit late for Bastille day fete.

 

Where were we again?

 

Local animal lover or artist

 

Worlds narrowest street

 

 

[Emperor Norton]

The other end of the worlds narrowest street.

 

If the hills were brown and there was more traffic it'd remind me of home.

 

Now what would someone in France need with stainless steel vats like that?

 

I don't think I've seen that shape bottle used before

 

A nice Rose (not Swanson Rosatto nice however)

 

That's one way to remember the name of a place you've been

[Travelcat2]

Agree that the bypass switch was a nuisance (until I stuck something into it to keep the electricity going) but did not notice the vibration or other issues that you mentioned. Does this occur only at certain speeds or when the seas are a bit rough? During our sailing, the seas were like a reflective lake - not a wave in sight. Since our next cruise on the Explorer is transatlantic and we will be far forward on a high deck, I suspect that any issues she may have will be noticed. Thankfully, the Explorer does not have the serious issues that the Navigator and Voyager have (as well as many other ships).

[Emperor Norton]

Agree that the bypass switch was a nuisance (until I stuck something into it to keep the electricity going) but did not notice the vibration or other issues that you mentioned. Does this occur only at certain speeds or when the seas are a bit rough? During our sailing, the seas were like a reflective lake - not a wave in sight. Since our next cruise on the Explorer is transatlantic and we will be far forward on a high deck, I suspect that any issues she may have will be noticed. Thankfully, the Explorer does not have the serious issues that the Navigator and Voyager have (as well as many other ships).

 

 

It was definitely there at 19kts when racing to offload a med emergency. Seas weren't glass but IMO weren't far from it. It might've been a function of speed + direction change.

[Caroldoll]

Love your tongue in cheek posts!

[rcandkc]

I'm confused. When you leave the electricity to room goes off? So, ac goes off? How does it know that you aren't asleep and your partner maybe left room?

[Emperor Norton]

I'm confused. When you leave the electricity to room goes off? So, ac goes off? How does it know that you aren't asleep and your partner maybe left room?

 

A/C and the fridge still seem to get power. Everything else not so much. Theres a card slot near the door. If theres a card/wad of paper in the slot the power flows. If your partner leaves the room and pulls their card from the slot - it doesn't know theres still someone there and the power dies (which can be problematic). Id recommend taking an old cruise card or something of similar size and just leaving it in the slot all the time. You can always use the ships map that's included with your room key wallet to put binding side down into the slot. However your steward(ess) is likely to remove this, hence my preference for a AAA card which was left in the slot:cool:

Edited August 10, 2016 by Emperor Norton

[BarbarianPaul]

Did you utilize the wifi? How does the quality compare to the usual relatively slow speeds on other ships?

 

 

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[Emperor Norton]

Did you utilize the wifi? How does the quality compare to the usual relatively slow speeds on other ships?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Day 1/2 the WiFi seemed a bit faster than normal. By day 3 it was as slow as most ships. When it was up at all. There were some passengers who've sailed on the newer Carnival/Royal mega-ships and they complained that the speeds and reliability on the mega ships were far, far ahead of what Explorer had. I also don't think Regents got the in-port side load internet option.

[BarbarianPaul]

Well, hopefully they'll get it worked out by the time we head from Jerusalem to Rome in November. And thank you for the quick reply! On Crystal, there was an app we could pre-load for downloading/reading a relatively large selection of periodicals on board, for which there was no charge. We quite enjoyed it on sea days especially. Does Regent have anything similar?

 

 

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[RachelG]

I was expecting some teething problems on this cruise and found them. Then I found something quite unexpected. If an engine (or multiple) were running you could hear a low frequency thump thump (think Harley engine-esque) on the pool deck. It also had a tangible feel to it, like a pressure wave. Apparently some passengers also heard this on their verandahs. At the time of the cruise the running theory was that somewhere along the line either the stacks or pipes in the stacks weren't built/designed/whatever correctly and this was causing the escaping gas to expand/contract in a sub optimal manner producing the sound waves.

 

The other surprise was the amount of vibration felt when the ship was underway. At some points it sounded like the ceiling panels were about to become flooring. Not everyone I spoke with experienced this however.

 

The new in room electrical system I found annoying. I'm sure it's greener but I don't like having to bypass a switch in order to be able to charge items while I'm out of the room (the map of the cruise ship will do in a pinch but an old cruise card or say AAA card will also keep the juice flowing). As well, the light switches seemed to be connected to things with little rhyme or reason. Perhaps if the next passengers bring a label maker;)

 

We have encountered that energy saving electrical system many times in Europe and occasionally in the US. Very annoying. I like to charge my electronics while out of the room.

I am hoping the vibration you describe is just an anomaly that will pass and had something to do with the ship's speed and direction!

[UUNetBill]

We have encountered that energy saving electrical system many times in Europe and occasionally in the US. Very annoying. I like to charge my electronics while out of the room.

I am hoping the vibration you describe is just an anomaly that will pass and had something to do with the ship's speed and direction!

 

I don't mind the 'put the card in the slot by the door to save energy' thing so much in hotels and whatnot, but not being able to charge my devices when I'm out of the room/cabin is a definite issue. One way Regent could get around this would be to have a bank of USB ports that are powered regardless of the status of other lights/outlets. But what I think is going to happen is what you said - people are just going to game the system by sticking in any old card...

 

I mean, the ships only get like 0.0001 MPG or something like that - is keeping us from charging our phones really going to make that much of a difference??

Edited August 10, 2016 by UUNetBill

[liptastic]

Emperor enjoyed the tour photos of Gassin. We enjoyed that excursion last year on Mariner. Managed down the worlds narrowest street with ease, but was surprised as it was almost the end of the cruise by then:D. Lovely photographs. Thanks, Jean.

[Emperor Norton]

Well, hopefully they'll get it worked out by the time we head from Jerusalem to Rome in November. And thank you for the quick reply! On Crystal, there was an app we could pre-load for downloading/reading a relatively large selection of periodicals on board, for which there was no charge. We quite enjoyed it on sea days especially. Does Regent have anything similar?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

AFAIK Regent doesn't have anything like Crystal does (or Seabourn with the NewsReader app). Instead they offer to download/print out different news papers. Theres a charge for this (depending upon status/suite? level). Also at least on this cruise the LA times only seemed available about 1/2 the time. Other papers oddly showed up daily. Biggest issue were the newspaper thieves. Normally the papers are left outside the room. We had to have ours dropped in the room as it wandered off on its own a few times.:mad:

[gnomie1]

AFAIK Regent doesn't have anything like Crystal does (or Seabourn with the NewsReader app). Instead they offer to download/print out different news papers. Theres a charge for this (depending upon status/suite? level). Also at least on this cruise the LA times only seemed available about 1/2 the time. Other papers oddly showed up daily. Biggest issue were the newspaper thieves. Normally the papers are left outside the room. We had to have ours dropped in the room as it wandered off on its own a few times.:mad:

 

Gold and above are entitled to a free paper each day - I was totally shocked when you mentioned newspaper thieves - I have never experienced that (at least on a Regent ship - in a NYC apartment building is a different story!) and there is absolutely no reason to do so since the library has a copy of all the papers for the day and many people bring their paper down to the library when they have finished reading it.

[BarbarianPaul]

Shocked also! Well, I don't plan on being one of those thieves. Probably easier to just download them from my iPad and read them offline.

 

 

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[Fairsky84]

I want to know why they decided to put the ship's funnel on backwards? Am I the only one who thinks it looks strange?