Splendor v. Explorer

[eliana]

We are about to book another cruise next year and will go on the Explorer or Splendor, itinerary has become less important. Can anyone tell us the differences between the Splendor and the Explorer other than lounge names and possible decor.

[shuguley]

Improved sight lines in the Constellation Theater.

[ronrick1943]

Higher pricing to start?  Less choices of suites, due to suites selling faster of Splendor cruises until all the hype is over.

[cAPS lOCK oN]

An outdoor seating area in the Coffee Connection (or whatever it's called).

[flossie009]

Less popular name (even UK spellcheck doesn't like it) 🥴

 

Revised PH suite layout?

 

Lighter colour palette

[UUNetBill]

All this, and I've heard lighter overall decor as well as they flipped the main staircase in the atrium 180* around.  I'd expect an experience pretty close to Explorer, but I'd lean toward Splendor because, well, new.   🙂

[Travelcat2]

19 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

Less popular name (even UK spellcheck doesn't like it) 🥴

 

Revised PH suite layout?

 

Lighter colour palette

 

In the U.S., spellcheck will not accept many words that are spelled differently than in the U.S. - it isn't a big deal really.  When I read "Splendour" (had to type that twice and it is underlined that it's wrong), I tend to pronounce the ending "dour" (as in "relentlessly, severe, stern").  

 

The name has been changed back to Coffee Connection since no one called it "The Cafe".  The beautiful, HUGE, prayer wheel outside of Pacific Rim on Explorer will not be on Splendor.  

Edited August 29, 2019 by Travelcat2

[ClefsDor]

We've only ever sailed on Crystal (about 10 cruises) and have another 4 booked. We are considering cancelling one of our cruises in January of 2021 and booking a Caribbean cruise on either Splendor or Explorer. I'll be watching with interest as more information is released about Splendor especially videos/photos of suites, restaurants and public spaces before we decide on which ship. Sometimes newer doesn't necessarily mean better - we really like everything we've seen and read about Explorer so far and it will be interesting to see if passengers feel Splendor is as good or better.

[Carol From California]

Have sailed on the Explorer and loved it. I am sure the Splendor will be equally as nice. I would not hesitate to book either, in fact we have another cruise booked on the Explorer in 2021. Deciding on which ship to book would depend on the itinerary for me. If you don't care about the itinerary and just want to book the ship based on the overall look, to me the Splendor has a lighter color palette, which I prefer and because it is newer I would choose the Splendor.  

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Looking forward to seeing and sailing on Splendor in March. 

We, too, have decided since we really love Explorer, we now have six cruises booked on both ships. Three and three!

Wow! I can’t  believe that we did this. 

Sheila

[Hambagahle]

Jackie - I see no difference in the prononciation of Splendour and Splendor.  It is like colour and color - there are many other examples where the US has removed a "soundless" u.   Personally Splendor looks odd to me and it makes me think of a non-sugar sweetener !!  But both sound the same.  No need to be "dour" !!  Now that is a very good Scots word!!

[boblerm]

From everything that I have read both here and elsewhere, it's hard to imagine that whatever differences that we are likely to find will be so significant as to warrant choosing on anything other than itinerary for those that have not yet sailed on Explorer.  Those that have are surely anxious to sail on Splendor, (no matter how we pronounce it!)😀

[GrJ Berkshire]

3 hours ago, boblerm said:

From everything that I have read both here and elsewhere, it's hard to imagine that whatever differences that we are likely to find will be so significant as to warrant choosing on anything other than itinerary for those that have not yet sailed on Explorer.  Those that have are surely anxious to sail on Splendor, (no matter how we pronounce it!)😀

Enjoyed a nice ship, but still favour the other 3 Regent ships. Explorer has many faults that only just work, the theatre, CR restaurant noise and light, wall opposite the bed in concierge suites , wasted space in aft area. We are just back from 20 days on the Navigator, apart from an extra speciality restaurants I don't think I would swap it.

Hope that the Splendour sorts out these kinks especially the theatre, which has limited capacity owing to these problems as upstairs is no use for shows or AV presentation in lectures. 

[boblerm]

18 minutes ago, GrJ Berkshire said:

Enjoyed a nice ship, but still favour the other 3 Regent ships. Explorer has many faults that only just work, the theatre, CR restaurant noise and light, wall opposite the bed in concierge suites , wasted space in aft area. We are just back from 20 days on the Navigator, apart from an extra speciality restaurants I don't think I would swap it.

Hope that the Splendour sorts out these kinks especially the theatre, which has limited capacity owing to these problems as upstairs is no use for shows or AV presentation in lectures. 

I don't disagree with the any of your comments about Explorer, (other than the CR, I have no prob there), and would add to these no outdoor forward facing area. 

I still  love the ship. It's great that we have choices! 

[ronrick1943]

The Explorer is nice, and one would think building a new ship you'd take the information you have about Explorer and make the Splendor better.  Each ship has it's own experience, I like the older ships---but that didn't stop us from booking the Splendor b2b cruise this coming April.  

[Travelcat2]

8 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

Jackie - I see no difference in the prononciation of Splendour and Splendor.  It is like colour and color - there are many other examples where the US has removed a "soundless" u.   Personally Splendor looks odd to me and it makes me think of a non-sugar sweetener !!  But both sound the same.  No need to be "dour" !!  Now that is a very good Scots word!!

 

I suppose this all comes down to how we were raised.  The British words that end in "our" are obviously not only odd for some of us to spell but also to pronounce (I did look up the pronunciation after I posted and I had been pronouncing it incorrectly).  Had to laugh about "Splenda" (a sweetener that I use).  Now that I think about it, I think that Apple products enable one to change languages.  Perhaps if I changed to British, my system would allow me to spell these words without telling me that I am spelling it incorrectly (except then I couldn't use American spelling).  Guess there is no winning here.

[Jim B]

Bet they still won't have night lights in the bathrooms.

Oh and wonder what they will do different from the two doors on Explorer in Observation Lounge

that are locked and don't go anywhere?

[ClefsDor]

Just wondering about the lighting in Compass Rose on the Explorer. All the videos/pictures I've seen make it appear as though the lighting at night is very very bright. I personally prefer softer and dimmer lighting in restaurants in the evening - could be that the lighting was adjusted to allow for pictures/videos and it's not actually like that?

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, ClefsDor said:

Just wondering about the lighting in Compass Rose on the Explorer. All the videos/pictures I've seen make it appear as though the lighting at night is very very bright. I personally prefer softer and dimmer lighting in restaurants in the evening - could be that the lighting was adjusted to allow for pictures/videos and it's not actually like that?

 

I believe, but do not know for sure, that the lighting has changed from "blue" (that did not photograph anything well) to a dimmed light.  CR can have several types of lighting but whatever it is when you are onboard is likely not going to change.  In my opinion, too much has been made about the lighting and supposedly the noise in CR.  This has not been our experience.

 

I also think that too much fuss has been made of the theater.  Yes - there are issues in the balcony and a few seats downstairs, however, there are many seats where the site view is just fine (on busy nights - like when John Barron is performing -- it is wise to get to the theater early to get the best seats.)  The Splendor will have better site lines.

 

For us, that will have 34 Regent cruises under our belt when we board Splendor, Explorer is and always will be our favorite ship.  It isn't perfect but nothing is.  Overall, we love the ship and therefore, at least for now, cannot imagine booking any ship other than Splendor or Explorer.  I suspect that we will really miss the prayer wheel outside of Pacific Rim on Splendor.  This is not from a religious aspect but rather from a spiritual one.  Being able to read and turn the wheels before entering Pacific Rim is very important to me.

 

 

[boblerm]

2 hours ago, ClefsDor said:

Just wondering about the lighting in Compass Rose on the Explorer. All the videos/pictures I've seen make it appear as though the lighting at night is very very bright. I personally prefer softer and dimmer lighting in restaurants in the evening - could be that the lighting was adjusted to allow for pictures/videos and it's not actually like that?

Shirin, I can't say that the lighting in Compass Rose is "dim", but personally, I do not find it overly bright, certainly not harsh.  Some are not fans of the blue chandelier, (I am), but there is no unpleasant blue cast.  I find it a pleasant environment to dine in.  I don't think it is any brighter than any other cruise ship main dining room I have been in, but in fairness, I have not been on either Crystal ship since their transformation to Waterside, so I can't really compare.

Bob

[boblerm]

16 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

I believe, but do not know for sure, that the lighting has changed from "blue" (that did not photograph anything well) to a dimmed light.  CR can have several types of lighting but whatever it is when you are onboard is likely not going to change.  In my opinion, too much has been made about the lighting and supposedly the noise in CR.  This has not been our experience.

Jackie, the blue lighting (blue chandelier) has not changed since my last cruise on Explorer in March 2018 to my recent one, however it does not interfere with photographs as it did on the other ships .  In recent years the lighting in CR in Marina, Voyager and Navigator has made photography next to impossible, but I think I have read in recent reports that this has been fixed.

 

I agree that noise and lighting is not a problem, at least not for me.

Bob

[ClefsDor]

Thanks Travelcat2 and Bob for your comments on the lighting. Personally, I really like the look of the blue light fixture and it's good to know that it's not harsh lighting and that you found it pleasant to dine in, Bob. Whilst the main dining room on both Crystal ships have been refurbished since you were on they still have the same ambient lighting in the evenings and it sounds like CR is no more bright than on Crystal.

 

[Hambagahle]

12 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

I suppose this all comes down to how we were raised.  The British words that end in "our" are obviously not only odd for some of us to spell but also to pronounce (I did look up the pronunciation after I posted and I had been pronouncing it incorrectly).  Had to laugh about "Splenda" (a sweetener that I use).  Now that I think about it, I think that Apple products enable one to change languages.  Perhaps if I changed to British, my system would allow me to spell these words without telling me that I am spelling it incorrectly (except then I couldn't use American spelling).  Guess there is no winning here.

English is probably about 50% French.   Splendeur is a French word which in English is spelt splendour.  American English developed on its own after colonisation - it seems that Applachian English is the nearest to the sort that was spoken in the 17th century that still exists on the planet!  Americans made changes to spellings and in some cases to pronounciation as well - putting stress on different syllables for example.  Same language taking parallel tracks.  But the way splendour, colour etc are pronounced is no different between the countries.   As Churchill said famously "England and American are two countries divided by a common language"!!

 

Will be watching the 2nd episode on TV tonight - right now we are off to Crans to watch something far more important -- Rory McIlroy !!

[Travelcat2]

14 hours ago, boblerm said:

Jackie, the blue lighting (blue chandelier) has not changed since my last cruise on Explorer in March 2018 to my recent one, however it does not interfere with photographs as it did on the other ships .  In recent years the lighting in CR in Marina, Voyager and Navigator has made photography next to impossible, but I think I have read in recent reports that this has been fixed.

 

I agree that noise and lighting is not a problem, at least not for me.

Bob

 

I don’t think I explained the “blue light” issue very well.  I love the blue chandelier in CR but the entire restaurant had a blue hue to it at one time. Trying to get a good photo was very difficult.  When we were on Explorer earlier this year, the blue was gone and we could take photos.  Apparently there are several colors that can be used in CR (on Explorer only) .  It will be interesting to see the lighting on Splendor when so many of us will be onboard!

 

P.S.  You’re right, “dim” was not an accurate description of the lighting. During the summer CR is quite bright because the sun is still up but during the winter, without the sun, CR is less bright.

[GOARMY]

Currently on Explorer (at St. Petersburg).  The CR lighting has never been an issue on previous visits.  Noise has.  So--we arrive early and get a window table for two, forward.  

 

So-many familiar faces amongst the Staff.  Several have provided details of their pending transfer to Splendor.   This includes CD John Barron and Food and Beverage Manager Stephan.  Looking forward to meeting them again next March when embarking at San Diego.  

 

No-doubt, there will be criticism(s) about Splendor.   Write them down.   Regent will have another opportunity to consider these suggestions when planning the next ship--name to be determined--scheduled for launch in 2023.  

 

Almost time for lunch at Chartreuse.  

 

GOARMY!