on board the Explorer

[rarin2go]

...We have sailed in a far aft suite on the Mariner and will be in a far aft suite on Sunday so I'll be better able to make a comparison (especially since it is another transatlantic crossing).

 

We are in a midships suite on deck 6 in June on Explorer so that's probably (hopefully) as good a ride as we can get! But the Mariner is a wonderful ship for smoothness and will take some beating! :)

[flossie009]

YES! I mentioned this a couple of times on my recent blog. The vibration is 95% gone. Even in Chartreuse (used to be Signatures), where it was really strong. I asked the engineer about this when we dined with him, and he confirmed they had specifically addressed it at the dry dock. I would be fine having a room behind the back elevator now. Would have never considered it previously.

 

This is very interesting.

 

During our Christmas cruise on Voyager we were in suite 1047 (towards the rear of the ship) and had no issues with vibration (or noise from La Veranda above, which is sometimes anticipated)

However we did meet others who did have complaints of rattling caused by vibration, as reported in my blog:

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2431780 (post #8)

 

Maybe the last 5% still affects some

[egret]

We just docked in Barbados. We ate at Prime 7 last night and had a great meal. Service is better, fewer tables less logistics maybe. Very attentive and friendly.

Travel Cat, we were "trained" in tea by a neighbor from South Africa. She may have added her own spin but she always said you had lemon curd with your scones, and the Windsor Court always had lemon curd.

No problem with the stability of the ship, the seas have been nearly flat. St. Lucia was nice but the 4X4 vehicle did a number on my posterior. We did no off road, except some driver detours. Too many speed bumps I guess. The beach was a little disappointing.

Overall we are very happy with our cruise so far.

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks for your reports.

[flossie009]

We just docked in Barbados. We ate at Prime 7 last night and had a great meal. Service is better, fewer tables less logistics maybe. Very attentive and friendly.

Travel Cat, we were "trained" in tea by a neighbor from South Africa. She may have added her own spin but she always said you had lemon curd with your scones, and the Windsor Court always had lemon curd.

No problem with the stability of the ship, the seas have been nearly flat. St. Lucia was nice but the 4X4 vehicle did a number on my posterior. We did no off road, except some driver detours. Too many speed bumps I guess. The beach was a little disappointing.

Overall we are very happy with our cruise so far.

 

egret,

Thanks for your reports.

 

As for afternoon tea, although the traditional accompaniment to scones is Cornish or Devonshire clotted cream plus strawberry jam, it is perfectly acceptable to substitute other jams or preserves; lemon curd sounds yummy :D

Both Harrods and Fortnum & Mason of London serve lemon curd (as well as jam) with their cream teas

What I cannot abide is chocolate scones, which are sometimes served on Regent :eek: - only plain or fruit scones for me :)

 

Now i need a cup of tea - Twinings anyone?

[Travelcat2]

We just docked in Barbados. We ate at Prime 7 last night and had a great meal. Service is better, fewer tables less logistics maybe. Very attentive and friendly.

Travel Cat, we were "trained" in tea by a neighbor from South Africa. She may have added her own spin but she always said you had lemon curd with your scones, and the Windsor Court always had lemon curd.

No problem with the stability of the ship, the seas have been nearly flat. St. Lucia was nice but the 4X4 vehicle did a number on my posterior. We did no off road, except some driver detours. Too many speed bumps I guess. The beach was a little disappointing.

Overall we are very happy with our cruise so far.

 

You don't realize how helpful your comment about the 4x4 vehicle in St. Lucia is. We are booking excursions tonight for our November cruise and one of the stops is St. Lucia. I will avoid that particular excursion. Thank you!

 

I knew that we should have gone to tea in South Africa when we were there - we would have enjoyed having clotted cream as well as lemon curd on our scones (talk about a lot of calories). To be honest, I'm not a tea drinker (except herbal iced tea or hot tea when I'm not feeling well) but scones with the accompaniments go well with a vodka martini as well.

 

All of talk of food is making me hungry!

[egret]

We did the Luxury Catamaran Excursion, costs extra. The luxury I guess is you don't snorkel with those pesky swim fins. They also required I wear a flotation vest which makes snorkel diving tough especially with no fins. We did see some small sea turtles and the "reef" was a few coral formations. Experienced snorkelers will be disappointed. We had lunch which was good and then hit a small beach. The boat anchors in about 10 feet of water so you have to swim in to stand.

We did the Pacific Rim last night. Not our cup of tea. We were seated at a corner table with bench seating. The staff tried to make my wife comfortable with a pillow however in retrospect I should have requested a table with chairs. She did not enjoy the meal.

The service has seemed to improve over the few days we have been on board, we now get spoons with our coffee cups in the morning. One waiter even asked about our on board experience. Today we do Antigua.

[Travelcat2]

We did the Luxury Catamaran Excursion, costs extra. The luxury I guess is you don't snorkel with those pesky swim fins. They also required I wear a flotation vest which makes snorkel diving tough especially with no fins. We did see some small sea turtles and the "reef" was a few coral formations. Experienced snorkelers will be disappointed. We had lunch which was good and then hit a small beach. The boat anchors in about 10 feet of water so you have to swim in to stand.

We did the Pacific Rim last night. Not our cup of tea. We were seated at a corner table with bench seating. The staff tried to make my wife comfortable with a pillow however in retrospect I should have requested a table with chairs. She did not enjoy the meal.

The service has seemed to improve over the few days we have been on board, we now get spoons with our coffee cups in the morning. One waiter even asked about our on board experience. Today we do Antigua.

 

Thank you again for the update. We booked excursions last night and the Luxury Catamaran excursion (with the extra cost) is no longer showing up. We booked the Luxury Catamaran Champagne and Lobster excursion (included) but may end up cancelling as we don't like hanging around a beach. And, thanks to you, we did not book the 4 x 4 excursion in St. Lucia but did book one in another port.

 

As I'm writing this I'm wondering how in the heck we even booked this cruise. We hoped to never visit the Caribbean again but it is necessary to get to the Amazon (a destination that will be too hot for me). The only saving grace is that we are sailing with friends and that will keep me cheered up (plus I am happy to be going somewhere on my DH's bucket list - even if it isn't on mine).

 

BTW, it was very difficult for either my DH or I to like Pacific Rim. I do like the lobster tempera and the cold sake goes well with it. Aside from that, we prefer dining in CR.

 

Keep the reports coming!

[egret]

We ate last night at the La Veranda. Train wreck!!!! My wife and I walked in @7PM and we were led to a table for 6. Waiter came by and gave us menus and explained it to us, which we did not completely understand. After about 5 minutes two couple joined us, nice folks, one from the UK and one from Naples. We had a nice conversation. 40 minutes later we were wondering why one couple hadn't been given menus and where was the waiter. Went down hill fast. The restaurant manager(I think) got involved and tried to get us happy. The ladies piled on, imho, but hungry people can be tough to deal with.

 

We went on the island tour with beach break while at Antigua. The guide was friendly and informative. We stopped at a fort and then Nelson's Dockyard. The guide at the dockyard was a little hard to understand. The museum there would take me more than the allocated 30 minutes to see so I guess I will have to return to Antigua. We then went to a beach for an hour. This beach was much nicer than the one on St. Lucia. Nice relaxing excursion. Folks who we met went on the Champagne and Lobster excursion said is was fabulous, they were waitlisted til they got on board. A young couple told us they hired a taxi that took them where the lobster fishermen hang out and had a lobster lunch and rode waverunners.

 

Today we did the Blue Cat Snorkeling trip. This was a legitimate snorkel trip. Fins, masks, and buoyancy vests, yuck. The water was rough and the crew had my wife inflate her vest and take a noodle along. I had to tow her behind me in order for us to get to the coral. Felt like I was towing a barge. Saw some neat stuff, lobster, eel, trumpet fish school of blue tang etc.

 

Today for a change we ate lunch at Prime 7. Great pea soup!

 

We anchored at St. Barts. The tender was really rolling so the crew was hauling each passenger from the ship to tender and the reverse. With so many mobility challenged guests I can understand their caution, I just rolled with the punches and let them manhandle me.

 

We have met a lot of nice and interesting folks. I do think they should make everyone sign a no political discussion form before boarding and confine violators to the engineroom. Please let me eat in peace!

[Host Dan]

Thank you for all the reports onboard!

[RachelG]

Egret, we have had some service issues in Sette Mare in the evening as well. If you haven't been there before and don't know how the system works, it is confusing. The waiters should pay more attention to this. Since we have been there many times, if a waiter is not there in a timely fashion to take our orders, we just go up to the buffet and get started with the appetizer course. This usually gets things rolling.

[Suite Travels]

Hmmm...does not sound like six star service to me.:rolleyes:

[ronrick1943]

I agree, no political stuff..........life is to short. Hope the service gets better, no excuse's for Regent on this-sounds like they need to get working on service. After all that is what you pay for.............

Rick

[forgap]

I do think they should make everyone sign a no political discussion form before boarding and confine violators to the engineroom. Please let me eat in peace!

 

Ha! I agree! We had someone on the World Cruise hang an enormous (I should say "tremendous") Trump banner from his balcony at every port. I thought the rule was that nothing should be draped on the balcony.....I have a lot of funny things do say about this but, because they are irreverent and scatalogical, I'll refrain from sharing in this forum!

[Suite Travels]

I do think they should make everyone sign a no political discussion form before boarding and confine violators to the engineroom. Please let me eat in peace!

 

Ha! I agree! We had someone on the World Cruise hang an enormous (I should say "tremendous") Trump banner from his balcony at every port. I thought the rule was that nothing should be draped on the balcony.....I have a lot of funny things do say about this but, because they are irreverent and scatalogical, I'll refrain from sharing in this forum![/quote

 

No political banners should be displayed on a cruise ship. Display your banners and signs at home on your property.

[HongKongAlan]

Egret, we have had some service issues in Sette Mare in the evening as well. If you haven't been there before and don't know how the system works, it is confusing. The waiters should pay more attention to this. Since we have been there many times, if a waiter is not there in a timely fashion to take our orders, we just go up to the buffet and get started with the appetizer course. This usually gets things rolling.

 

Hi Rachel, soon to embark for first time. How does the ordering system work in Sette Mare?

[egret]

I think, and this may be totally off base, the waiter is supposed to greet the table and the antipasto is supposed to placed on the table as well as provide menus. The waiter then is supposed to take the entrée order and the guests go to the salad bar for preliminaries. After the meal the guests go to the dessert bar to select their dessert.

 

I failed to mention that after dinner at Sette Mare on Wednesday night my wife went down in a heap stepping down the stairs in the Theater. She was wearing heeled sandals and she says the heel caught in the carpet. Maybe not wear heels???

Anyway I ordered a Zambuca straight up and got it on the rocks. This continues the trend of little hitches.

 

Last night we ate at Chartrues(sp?) Service was very good and the meal was excellent. Specialty restaurants excellent service, open seating restaurants problems. This is something Regent and the Explorer need to work on.

 

We are on our way back to Miami. Seas are about 4' but we are comfortable with the motion of the ship.

[Gilly]

We are generally not fans of Sette Mare and would not choose to dine there ourselves, though are easily persuaded when the company is good! Our experiences have been mixed and ranged from no service at all (we sat for an hour, chatting, before we realised we didn't even have a menu) to full table service for the whole meal (the very next time we returned, when the mistakes of the previous occasion had been picked up, noted and acted upon). Other occasions have included all levels of service in between. Even after at least half a dozen evenings there, I remain confused about what is supposed to happen, where the service begins and ends and just what I am expected to do for myself and what I should leave to the professionals. Perhaps the concept is a flexible one? Maybe it's designed to be as interactive/passive as each diner wishes? Dynamic and responsive staff are more than able to cope with such an arrangement, I'm sure, but somehow, I always feel there is some kind of plan - even if I am not party to it. I much prefer straightforward table service, personally, though a clear and comprehensive, well maintained buffet is ok (if I have to).

 

I'm sorry to read of your wife's fall in the theatre. I hope she didn't hurt too much and/or didn't feel too embarrassed (I always wish the floor would open up and swallow me in such circumstances!) Hopefully a lovely evening at Chartreuse cheered her.

 

Your cruise seems to have come to an end very quickly. I always feel that we wait for so long, looking forward to it all and then it passes in the blink of an eye! Thank you for posting your thoughts - it's always good to read a fresh viewpoint.

[vitacura]

There is a group on board from Artful Travelers and while I have not attended their lectures, they have done several presentations on politics, this mornings lecture was all about the election last year. This may be why the increase in political talk aboard among passengers in the public venues.

Edited March 24, 2017 by vitacura

[RachelG]

I think Sette Mare service is erratic because at breakfast and lunch, La veranda is all buffet. Then in the evening, it goes to a combination of buffet and table service, but the waiters are tuned into this at all different levels of understanding. (Not an excuse--it should be consistent.) If you get a good waiter, you are brought a few nibbles (olives, parm cheese, bruschetta) and a really great bread basket, as well as the menu as soon as you sit down. The waiter explains that appetizers are on the buffet, and you are welcome to go get them your self or the waiter will bring what you request (the appetizers are listed on the menu). You will place your order for soup, pasta and/or main course with the waiter, and they are brought as courses after you finish the appetizer. Then desserts are on the buffet.

 

The appetizer selection is HUGE! I often just eat off the buffet and don't order anything else. A lot of other people do this as well, which also contributes to confusion. There are usually 2 waiters in each section of the dining room, and if they are not communicating with each other, they may think the other has already given menus, taken orders etc. The clue that no waiter has been to the table is the absence of bread and munchies.

[lincslady]

We were on Mariner last year, and Sette Mare was about the only thing I actually enjoyed. What should happen is that a waiter comes to your table, brings lots of little things to snack on, like good breads, olives etc. and tells you that the starters are buffet, you order the main, and the desserts are buffet.

 

All far too much food, but very nice, when it works. My experience is you need to go when it opens to get a choice of tables.

 

We won't be going on Regent again,but did like Sette Mare.

[Travelcat2]

We ask also enjoy Sette Mari despite the sometimes slow service. Rachel, when didn't you get a bread basket and goodies. We always have had them.

[RachelG]

We ask also enjoy Sette Mari despite the sometimes slow service. Rachel, when didn't you get a bread basket and goodies. We always have had them.

When we were ignored after being seated, for a really long time, so we just went up to the appetizer buffet and helped ourselves.

[flossie009]

Sette Mari is not our favourite venue

Although we haven't been on Explorer yet, we normally only dine in Sette Mari on Voyager & Mariner once per cruise, unless we have friends who want to dine there more often

On Voyager, after her refurb, the venue was made worse by the undimmable bright lighting; hopefully this has now been fixed and toned down

[Gilly]

Rachel, had we been more familiar with how Sette Mari works, we'd have noticed the lack of bread and nibbles and realised the implications. I'm pleased it's not just us who experience inconsistency, though as we cruise just once a year it's difficult to remember exactly what to expect. I'll admit too, that we don't like the rush for tables - by the time we're ready to dine it will likely be full. Since our next cruise is on board Navigator, however, we may have to review our dining preferences as we will have more limited choices. Still, if we dined in the updated Compass Rose every night, we'd be happy!