First Regent Cruise Thoughts

[Boatmans Lady]

After a long 21 months of waiting our first cruise with Regent has been and gone.

I promised a few thoughts, so here goes.

 

Our cruise was the first leg of Navigators current Round the World tour and was 20 nights onboard from LA to Tahiti.

Regent arranged our flights and we live in the UK.

 

Flights.  Our flights to and from LA were with United. Economy Plus outbound and Polaris on return.

                Both flights were ontime and we had a decent amount of legroom in economy plus. 

                Food offerings were good, but it was strange being offered breakfast before landing at 16.30??

                Soft drinks, beer and wine were included, but spirits were chargeable. This only became apparent on being given the requested drinks and many drinks were handed

                back when asked for x amount dollars. What a waste.

                One thing we did find very strange was that after the meal had been served, the cabin crew manually over rode the window shading, set them to blackout and 

                turned the cabin lighting to night mode? This meant that if you wanted to read or do anything other than watch the screen or sleep, you needed your light on.

 

                Our flights home in Polaris were very good and despite some reviews I had read saying the champagne was in short supply, there appeared to be a never ending supply.

                The brand new Polaris lounge at LAX is lovely, especially when you have a long layover. 

                 It is bright and airy with a well stocked bar. Extensive hot and cold buffet with a separate restaurant if you want something more substantial.

                 The showers are well appointed with Saks towels and there is a list of other things you may need and having travelled on an overnight flight from Tahiti being able to shower 

                 and change into fresh clothes was most refreshing.

                There are also sleeping pods, but we didn't use these.

                 Plenty of varied seating and even a couple of small meeting rooms.

                 Our 6 hours passed quickly and it only just started getting busy as we left for our flight at 17.30.

 

               Air Tahiti was the airline from Tahiti to LAX. Not much to say about this flight other than we were fed well and had a hot breakfast.

 

Coming from the UK, we are forced to arrive the day before and Regent include a hotel. On arrival we found the Regent agent, only to be told, "You aren't on our list!!"

 It transpired, the other UK people on our flight were going to the Ritz Carlton, but we had been put in The Westin at LAX.

The hotel was fine in itself, but we would have liked to be able to take a walk, but owing to the location, there was nowhere to walk and unfortunately we could hear the planes landing all night, so not much sleep.

Also, it is a fairly new hotel for Regent, so there were a few niggling issues, like settling our bill for our meal and drinks, arranging for our luggage to be picked up. 

There was only a smallish bar/restaurant to eat in at night, but the offerings were of a good quality.

Our transfers to the ship run late as the coach broke down, so we were put into two minibuses instead, but other than that, the transfer was swift and hassle free.

 

We arrived at the ship after check in had opened and there was only a small queue which moved quickly, so we were soon being welcomed on board.

For us the day was warm, so we sat enjoying the sun round the pool and grabbed some picky bits from the pool buffet.

First impressions were good and fellow cruiser and staff were smiley and greeted you.

Once the suites were opened we made our way down to unpack and our cases were in our suite.

Our suite was bright and airy and made a favourable impression.

Plenty of storage space and things were quickly stowed away and we made our acquaintance with our stewardess and learnt that she would only be with us till our first port.

 

Muster Drill was up next. This was well organised and efficient. Not having to take your life jacket with you makes a big difference.

Once dismissed we made our way to Galileo's and watched as we slipped quietly away from the port, before finding people from our roll call for a pre dinner drink.

 

Ship.  We had picked up that people either love or hate The Navigator. We are firmly in the love bracket. 

            The smallness suited us and never felt overcrowded or cramped

            The ambience was positive and the staff happy to be there. In a short space of time, the staff learnt your name and favourite drinks.

            On the whole the ship was looking good, but the hull was badly marked. The captain said they were hoping to get the necessary permits to start painting the hull from Tahiti

             onwards.

             Yes there is a vibration, but we never found it worrisome. Yes we felt the seas, but then we like that.

             My take on it, is that it was like coming home after being in high heels all day and slipping into a comfy pair of slippers or sneakers. We felt at home.

             Everywhere was beautifully clean and well appointed with enough seating for everyone, even though we had the upper decks closed for 7 or 8 days.

 

Food.   Yes we were impressed and only had one iffy meal, in fact that whole experience was disappointing and happened to be the night of the mid cruise comments.

              I jotted down my thoughts on the evening and these were addressed very quietly without a fuss from the next day. Well done Regent for taking notice.

              I was worried about food temperatures, but needn't have as all was acceptable except for some coffees. But politely asking for a hot coffee, quickly saw the cold coffee removed 

              and a new hot cup fetched.

              We had two very good meals in Prime 7 and would recommend the bone in prime rib. Was perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth.

 

Entertainment.  The production cast were very talented and put some good shows on. 

                             We enjoyed the enrichment lectures and craft lessons. June is a gem and so very patient and encouraging.

                             The deck games and quizzes were great fun and very competitive, but in a friendly good way.

                              We quickly settled into a routine and enjoyed taking part with a great bunch of people and we were very sad to have to leave those that were continuing round the

                              world. Keep winning those Regent points!!

                              There was enough variety of evening entertainment to suit all tastes and adding things in like the football playoffs with tailgate snacks worked well.

 

Tours.  All our tours except one, were included tours. Apart from the trip to Pearl Harbour and a sunset cruise, these were all small groups of 8 to 14 people. The other two tours were 

              40 people. 

               We took 12 tours and all but two were good, and the other two were ok, but we wouldn't repeat them.

               If anyone wants anymore info on the tours, just ask away.

 

Just to sum up, we thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise with Regent and will look to do another cruise with them.

Do they live up to their hype, yes we think they do. 

Are they perfect, no, but they deliver a very good product, listen to what their customers tell them and rectify if possible, making you feel that you are valued as a person and individual.

 

Happy to elaborate on any points or answer questions and I would like to thank all those that were very patient in answering my many questions leading up to this cruise and those answers helped greatly with our enjoyment of our cruise.

 

             

[liptastic]

Boatmans Lady thanks for the well written detailed review. I smiled when I read how comfortable you felt on Navigator re the slippers, as I actually said the exact same to my husband the second time we sailed on Navigator 😀. 

It seems such a happy ship to sail on and for me I feel the friendliest between the four ships.

Glad to hear you had a great cruise. We always use the Regent flights, but our TA always works with us to pick the airline and times to suit us and it’s never been a problem with Regent. 

Thanks for taking the time to report back to us all,  regards Jean.

 

[flossie009]

Thanks for the interesting and detailed review.

So good to hear another positive impression of Navigator, as we are trying her out for the first time in just over a months time.

 

If you have the time, please add a review of your suite to Suite Guru

Edited January 31, 2019 by flossie009

[WesW]

Thanks for sharing you well done Navigator review Boatman's Lady.

[ronrick1943]

Thanks, great to hear you had a great time and all was pretty good.  We've booked the Navigator: Tahiti to Los Angeles--after reading your post just makes it better.

[Gilly]

12 hours ago, Boatmans Lady said:

Food.   Yes we were impressed and only had one iffy meal, in fact that whole experience was disappointing and happened to be the night of the mid cruise comments.

              I jotted down my thoughts on the evening and these were addressed very quietly without a fuss from the next day. Well done Regent for taking notice.

 

Those mid-cruise comment cards (that appear long before the middle of the cruise, in my experience) really do have an effect and are a great opportunity to resolve niggling issues before they become total spoilers.  I always appreciate the prompt action that usually follows - definitely not something I take for granted and like you @Boatmans Lady, I always acknowledge it.

[RJ2002]

Thanks for the detailed and balanced review Boatmans Lady.  Well done, and it sounds as though you enjoyed your first Regent cruise.  

[RachelG]

Nice review.  We also like Navigator though I realize it is too small for some.  Your comments about the precruise hotel and transfer are exactly why we do our own.

[Boatmans Lady]

Thank you all for your comments. 

I have just realised that I missed a couple of things off. 

I did find it strange that LA Veranda and Prime 7 don't have a bathroom nearby. You either have to go outside across the pool deck to a tiny one or up a level to Galileo's. To be honest, one ladies and one mens closet with a shared sink isn't enough on a nice sea day especially at a busy lunch service. 

 

The other point I missed off, was about the CD, ACD and social hostess. Our CD and ACD were husband and wife Jamie and Dana. SH was Sarah. 

This trio worked tirelessly from early morning till late at night. Always had a ready smile and greeting for everyone. Everyone works so hard, but these three really put their heart and soul into making your cruise enjoyable and often went above and beyond and we thought we would miss redeeming our Regent points due to a late tour, so we're told to just get reception to call one of them when we got back and they would come down and sort us out. 

Little things like that stick in your mind and just prove it is all about the customer and this ethos is reflected throughout the ship's staff. 

To quote what a behind the scenes member of staff told us, she said, Regent look after us well and care about us and we are expected to look after ourselves and look after you as a customer and give you the best experience. I feel lucky to work for such a good company. "

 

We wrote the following comment on our final questionnaire, " Captain Aivo captains a well run happy ship and this reflects in the staff and the product they deliver. Happy professional staff equals a happy well looked after clientele. "

[Travelcat2]

Just a comment about the lack of restrooms for La Veranda and Prime 7.  When the Navigator was built and for many years later, there was no P7.  During refurbishment, they took a portion of La Veranda and it became P7.  If I remember correctly, the restrooms were removed during that renovation.  

 

in my opinion, adding P7 made La Veranda too small and I have read on CC that they have to open P7 sometimes for breakfast and lunch in order to have inside seating for passengers that want to dine there.  

 

I see both sides of the issue.  On one hand, the ship was too small to add a specialty restaurant but passengers wanted at least one specialty restaurant on Navigator.  

 

If you sail on another Regent ship,  you will find restrooms near all of the dining venues.

Edited February 1, 2019 by Travelcat2

[GOARMY]

Thanks to TS for a comprehensive, thoughtful review.

 

Have been on Navigator five times, most-recently June, 2018--L.A via Panama Canal to NYC.  Great experience, as usual with Regent.  However--

 

Not wanting to be that skunk at the garden party:  But, the fact that Navigator did not require passengers to bring life jackets to the Muster Drill is disconcerting.  This is based on our real-life, real experience a few years back aboard Cunard's Queen Victoria when transiting from Miami to various European ports-of-call.

 

We experienced a situation which--having had that training on the afternoon of our first day aboard--served us well five nights later when in the South Atlantic.  Everything turned out o.k.  Obviously. 

 

Point being:  It is vital that passengers know how to put on a life jacket; know specifically where to go in the event of the "real thing"; and are told during the Muster Drill that this is a serious matter.  There is nothing more "binding" when starting out a cruise than putting that jacket on; then, putting one's arm on the shoulder of the person in front of you; and having the arm of another shipmate on your shoulder; then moving from the Muster Station in a line--directed by ship's Staff, to the actual Tender which will be your Life Boat in event of the worst possible event.

 

Well, not to rain on any parade--but, stuff will happen.  Just recall, and do not forget Costa Concordia. 

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

  

 

 

[Boatmans Lady]

2 hours ago, GOARMY said:

Thanks to TS for a comprehensive, thoughtful review.

 

Have been on Navigator five times, most-recently June, 2018--L.A via Panama Canal to NYC.  Great experience, as usual with Regent.  However--

 

Not wanting to be that skunk at the garden party:  But, the fact that Navigator did not require passengers to bring life jackets to the Muster Drill is disconcerting.  This is based on our real-life, real experience a few years back aboard Cunard's Queen Victoria when transiting from Miami to various European ports-of-call.

 

We experienced a situation which--having had that training on the afternoon of our first day aboard--served us well five nights later when in the South Atlantic.  Everything turned out o.k.  Obviously. 

 

Point being:  It is vital that passengers know how to put on a life jacket; know specifically where to go in the event of the "real thing"; and are told during the Muster Drill that this is a serious matter.  There is nothing more "binding" when starting out a cruise than putting that jacket on; then, putting one's arm on the shoulder of the person in front of you; and having the arm of another shipmate on your shoulder; then moving from the Muster Station in a line--directed by ship's Staff, to the actual Tender which will be your Life Boat in event of the worst possible event.

 

Well, not to rain on any parade--but, stuff will happen.  Just recall, and do not forget Costa Concordia. 

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

GOARMY, we did the whole drill, being organised into groups and then moving single file out to the muster station and then told what to expect. 

It was very comprehensive and well organised, but just no life jackets taken. 

As we tendered at a fair few ports, I also noticed that each tender we were on had stacks of life jackets on board in case you couldn't get back to your cabin to get yours. 

 

[CBWIR]

3 hours ago, GOARMY said:

Thanks to TS for a comprehensive, thoughtful review.

 

Have been on Navigator five times, most-recently June, 2018--L.A via Panama Canal to NYC.  Great experience, as usual with Regent.  However--

 

Not wanting to be that skunk at the garden party:  But, the fact that Navigator did not require passengers to bring life jackets to the Muster Drill is disconcerting.  This is based on our real-life, real experience a few years back aboard Cunard's Queen Victoria when transiting from Miami to various European ports-of-call.

 

We experienced a situation which--having had that training on the afternoon of our first day aboard--served us well five nights later when in the South Atlantic.  Everything turned out o.k.  Obviously. 

 

Point being:  It is vital that passengers know how to put on a life jacket; know specifically where to go in the event of the "real thing"; and are told during the Muster Drill that this is a serious matter.  There is nothing more "binding" when starting out a cruise than putting that jacket on; then, putting one's arm on the shoulder of the person in front of you; and having the arm of another shipmate on your shoulder; then moving from the Muster Station in a line--directed by ship's Staff, to the actual Tender which will be your Life Boat in event of the worst possible event.

 

Well, not to rain on any parade--but, stuff will happen.  Just recall, and do not forget Costa Concordia. 

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

  

 Not sure what this has to do with the otherwise positive comments re Navigator. It is now fleet wide policy. Not just the Navigator.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

Did the policy change in January for life jackets at Muster? When we were on Navigator for the Amazon cruise (Nov./Dec.) we had to bring our life jackets to the drill, put them on, then go to life boats.

[orvil]

8 minutes ago, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

Did the policy change in January for life jackets at Muster? When we were on Navigator for the Amazon cruise (Nov./Dec.) we had to bring our life jackets to the drill, put them on, then go to life boats.

Yes, they told us on Voyager that the policy had changed.  It may be ship specific as to when it goes into effect.

[Hambagahle]

10 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Just a comment about the lack of restrooms for La Veranda and Prime 7.  When the Navigator was built and for many years later, there was no P7.  During refurbishment, they took a portion of La Veranda and it became P7.  If I remember correctly, the restrooms were removed during that renovation.  

 

in my opinion, adding P7 made La Veranda too small and I have read on CC that they have to open P7 sometimes for breakfast and lunch in order to have inside seating for passengers that want to dine there.  

 

I see both sides of the issue.  On one hand, the ship was too small to add a specialty restaurant but passengers wanted at least one specialty restaurant on Navigator.  

 

If you sail on another Regent ship,  you will find restrooms near all of the dining venues.

We were on the Navigator immediately before the dry dock when la Veranda was sliced up to make Prime 7 and a year later so we were able to really compare the space before and after.  I don't remember any extra toilets there - just dining space.   Totally agree that the result is not great - la V. is too small and so is P7.  Why they didn't add something on the very top deck (near the Health Club) where there is a huge amount of unused space is beyond me but there must be a good reason...

[Travelcat2]

Carrying life jackets to muster has been changing on other cruise lines as well.  Not judging whether it is a good or bad thing  

 

In any case, different Captain's have different requirements (but stay within required guidelines).  With some Captains we go outside by our assigned lifeboat and other times we do not.  Sometimes Captain's make you do the entire drill again after 15 nights and other give reminders via the loudspeaker.  Regardless of how it is done, we always pay attention and come away from muster with the knowledge that we need in case of an emergency.

[1982CruzStart]

On Explorer in Nov we brought our life jackets and put them on during the drill but did not go to our life boat stations.  It is interesting that there seems to be a continuous back and forth on this issue. During the almost 40 years of cruising, how the muster drill has been handled has taken many forms from meeting at the life boat station and putting on our jackets on all the way to meeting in a room and just watching a demonstration. 

[HotRoot]

Good Morning, Boatman's Lady.  I read your thoughts with an English accent.  We miss you, too.  We mention you at least once a day.  I will make you laugh.  Internet has been terrible the last four days.  Last night someone said they can only access the internet from their bathroom.  It works!  I am sitting on my toilet using my sink as a counter.

[Eno-Bob]

5 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

On Explorer in Nov we brought our life jackets and put them on during the drill but did not go to our life boat stations.  It is interesting that there seems to be a continuous back and forth on this issue. During the almost 40 years of cruising, how the muster drill has been handled has taken many forms from meeting at the life boat station and putting on our jackets on all the way to meeting in a room and just watching a demonstration.  

 

We did a back-to-back cruise on the Explorer, Cape Town to Cape Town Dec 22 and Cape Town to Rio on Jan 6.  On the first cruise we brought our life jackets and on the second cruise they told us not to bring our life jackets.  We asked and they said that the requirement had changed on Jan 1^st and passengers were no longer required to bring their life jackets.  My initial thought was they had probably lost more passengers to tripping over the life jacket cords then to a ship emergency.  They did demonstrate how to put on the life jacket at the muster drill.  This was our 4^th cruise on the Explorer and we have never been taken from the muster station to the life boats on any of them.