Live from the Explorer - The Caribbean Reunion Tour!

[Hambagahle]

What I love about all these photos is that the portions look a reasonable size.  So you can comfortably have several courses.  Perfetto!

[UUNetBill]

2 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

What I love about all these photos is that the portions look a reasonable size.  So you can comfortably have several courses.  Perfetto!

My wife and I noticed that on our last Explorer cruse - the portions seem to have been 'right-sized'.  The cynical among us may accuse Regent of cost-cutting but I, for one, salute them for not overserving meals.  Previously I felt like I either needed to stuff myself or waste food.  This last cruise I felt the portion sizes were perfect.  And of course, if you wanted additional portions of anything, I'm certain Regent would indulge you.  I rarely wasted any food and I surely NEVER went hungry.   🙂

[UUNetBill]

On 2/1/2020 at 6:51 PM, orvil said:

Gluten Free and Dairy Free.  You Swiss need to get out more😀

 

DH (Dear Husband) is so thrilled with the specialized food service that he has received on Regent, he is refusing to try Seabourn because he is afraid it will be 10-12 days of misery.  It makes such a difference to me when he is happy.

Orvil - we cruised with my mother and her husband the first time in April of 2017 and Regent did a superb job of catering to his food allergies (which can be potentially fatal if not treated quickly and properly) - the F&B team made sure to meet with him on an almost daily basis to set his menu, double-check his requirements, and reassure him that he would have dedicated cookware and kitchen utensils to avoid any cross-contamination of his food.  We had absolutely zero issues on a 10 day cruise.

 

Fast-forward to January 2020 when they sailed with us again...day one on board, we met with the F&B manager and the head chef and they not only reassured him they'd take good care of him again, they still had his dietary information in the system!!  This for a second-time passenger who hadn't sailed with them in almost 3 years!  They pulled up all of his information and made sure everything was current and nothing had changed.  And again, a 10-day cruise with zero issues.

 

That's just another plus in a long, LONG list of reasons we love sailing Regent.

[1982CruzStart]

1 hour ago, UUNetBill said:

My wife and I noticed that on our last Explorer cruse - the portions seem to have been 'right-sized'.  The cynical among us may accuse Regent of cost-cutting but I, for one, salute them for not overserving meals.  Previously I felt like I either needed to stuff myself or waste food.  This last cruise I felt the portion sizes were perfect.  And of course, if you wanted additional portions of anything, I'm certain Regent would indulge you.  I rarely wasted any food and I surely NEVER went hungry.   🙂

i agree that the portion sizes are great. Allows for multi courses without wasting food. 

[Hambagahle]

I am SO very happy to read all this ...  We love lots of small courses with great tastes.

[kjbacon]

19 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

I am SO very happy to read all this ...  We love lots of small courses with great tastes.

We do too and have appreciated the portion sizes ... and you can have as much as you want, it is not limited so not to worry if you prefer a larger portion. We love trying several dishes but hate wasting food so we’ve loved it.

 

Yesterday was a day of contrasts. While St. Lucia is gorgeous, it is also very run down and poorly kept. Our tour was a disappointment on a bus that was in bad shape with a tour guide that did not do a good job. We are in no hurry to return and would likely stay on the ship if we happen to find ourselves back at this port. Enjoy some of this beauty of the Pitons, waterfall, and the poinsettia.

 

 

 

Compass Rose was also a contrast. Beautiful table set, good service, and delicious food couldn’t tip the scales for us to compensate for its size and noise. We far prefer the quieter and smaller venues so it is unlikely we will return there this trip. We both felt that it was less crowded on our last trip but to be fair, we just aren’t sure! Turns out that the Dover Sole is every bit as good as everyone says, a must try. We also enjoyed the Sushi, Foie Gras, Duck L’Orange, and Indian Biryani (vegetarian). I should mention that the vegetarian and vegan choices have been very good throughout the trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also enjoyed our favorite time of day, cocktail hour with Ross on the piano. The snacks continue to be very strong and last night’s Gazpacho (vegetarian) was delicious.

 

 

Today, we are in Dominica for the Champagne Snorkel and dinner in Prime 7. Not an easy job but someone’s gotta do it!!

 

 

 

 

 

[forgap]

Your description of St. Lucia is so disappointing.  We have been several time but in resorts near the Pitons - the last time at Jade Mountain which was spectacular.  The resorts are the big employers and there are definitely major income disparities which breeds discontent.   Unfortunately their history of suffering is long and painful.  

[travelwell]

What excursion did you choose for St Lucia? Did you hear anyone talk of a better excursion? We will be there next January with Regent. We had a nice time 2 years ago on a Segway excursion with Seabourn. You are right about the poverty, we noticed the same.

[1982CruzStart]

5 hours ago, kjbacon said:

We far prefer the quieter and smaller venues so it is unlikely we will return there this trip.

If you request a table at the back on either side i think you will find it quieter.   I learned that from CC that the quiet areas are way at the back of CR.  Those areas also feel smaller. On our last Explorer cruise we asked for the back area on the right side and really enjoyed it. 

[boblerm]

9 hours ago, kjbacon said:

We are in no hurry to return and would likely stay on the ship if we happen to find ourselves back at this port.

 

9 hours ago, travelwell said:

What excursion did you choose for St Lucia? Did you hear anyone talk of a better excursion? We will be there next January with Regent. We had a nice time 2 years ago on a Segway excursion with Seabourn. You are right about the poverty, we noticed the same.

Nothing wrong with enjoying the day on this beautiful ship.  But for those who cannot find an excursion that appeals, if you are a beach lover, there is a fabulous beach very close to the pier called Viggie (pronounced vee-jee) Beach.  Here is a report of my day there

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2638353-viggie-beach-👍/?tab=comments#comment-56871569

 

Bob

[ronrick1943]

Looks and sounds like you are having a great time----and keep that up, enjoy every minute of your cruise.  Makes me really look forward to April 1st when we board a Regent cruise for 30 days.................sit back and enjoy.  thanks so much for taking the time to post. 

[travelwell]

3 hours ago, boblerm said:

 

Nothing wrong with enjoying the day on this beautiful ship.  But for those who cannot find an excursion that appeals, if you are a beach lover, there is a fabulous beach very close to the pier called Viggie (pronounced vee-jee) Beach.  Here is a report of my day there

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2638353-viggie-beach-👍/?tab=comments#comment-56871569

 

Bob

Bob,

Wow, thanks for the recommendation. The beach looks beautiful. Was it hard to get a cab back to the ship?

Lisa

[kjbacon]

And surprise! We are back to serving ourselves with no explanation ... can you say confusion ?

[boblerm]

10 hours ago, travelwell said:

Bob,

Wow, thanks for the recommendation. The beach looks beautiful. Was it hard to get a cab back to the ship?

Lisa

Lisa, I don't think that getting a cab back should be a problem, however if memory serves (always questionable🙄), we may have arranged for the driver that dropped us off to pick us up at a specified time, we often do that when going to the beach in the Caribbean.

Bob

[kjbacon]

Evidently, they had to do some type of illness screening over the last few days and we passed ... so it’s all good! 

On 2/5/2020 at 8:18 AM, travelwell said:

What excursion did you choose for St Lucia? Did you hear anyone talk of a better excursion? We will be there next January with Regent. We had a nice time 2 years ago on a Segway excursion with Seabourn. You are right about the poverty, we noticed the same.

We did Soufries by Land and Sea, a tour we had done 3 years ago. The changes weren’t a plus in our opinion. And this time, our tour bus was in very bad shape and in serious need of repair. The tires were in scary shape. And our guide was not good. Very long bus ride with a nonenjoyable host made for a long day.

 

Conversely, our tour yesterday in Dominica was fabulous and not to be missed. Snorkeling in Champagne Reef was one of, if not the best snorkel tour I’ve ever done.

 

 

Today, St Kitts! I’m behind on my food porn but I’ll catch up ... it’s too good not to share.

[orvil]

Ask for a table in the back and to the right as you enter, aft port.  The height of the ceiling drops, it's much quieter and there is less traffic.

[kjbacon]

Snacks at Cocktail Hour have been consistently good. Watermelon with Feta & Mint, Tuna Tataki, and Guacamole Mousse were each delicious.

 

 

Prime 7 was very good again but with a couple misses. We enjoyed the Crab Cake appetizer and the Wedge Salad. The Dover Sole was unsuccessful mainly because it was not fileted correctly. The flavor was good but it was loaded with tiny bones so it was hard to eat.

 

 

The Ribeye Steak, Stuffed Baked Potato, and several sauces made for a serving for 2, delicious.

 

 

Sauces were Bernaise, Chimichurri, and Maple Habanero Barbeque, all quite good.
 

St Kitts was nice. For us, not our favorite port so far but not our least favorite either. We discovered a beautiful old church and some unusually pretty trees in the park when we took a stroll around town. We found the locals to be very friendly. Later in the day, we took the Scenic Rail that while nice, felt a little long at 2 plus hours to us. If you take this tour, I recommend that you take the upper outdoor seating for the better views instead of the lower air conditioned seating. Several of the beaches have black sand and are very beautiful.

 

Dinner in Pacific Rim last night had several misses. Our favorite dish was the Vegetarian Red Curry that had a very good level of spice and a good array of fresh vegetables. It paired well with the Fried Rice. The Beef Bulgogi was also very good.

 

 

 

We didn’t care much for the very overcooked Korean Lamb Chops or the Green Chicken Curry because the chicken was overcooked and very dry.

 

 

After dinner drinks were delicious and my first Brandy Alexander won’t be my last!

 

Today, our first ATV adventure in St Martin including Maho Beach, very exciting! Dinner in Chartreuse, one of our favorites so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Host Dan]

Great photos and blog!

[Portolan]

Favor to ask of those onboard Explorer: what beers are on offer (excluding Bud/Miller/Corona/Amstel)?

 

We'll be on Explorer in May and am debating putting in a special request for beer since past experience has been uneven (like sometimes Sierra Nevada IPA or equivalent or no IPAs at all).  BTW, on our recent (first) Viking Ocean cruise, there was an extensive beer menu including 2 Belgian Abbey ales and 4 Norwegian beers (one of which was a really good IPA).  It would be nice if Regent gave the same support to beer aficionados as they do for wine connoisseurs. 

[kjbacon]

10 hours ago, Host Dan said:

Great photos and blog!

Thank you so much!

 

7 hours ago, Portolan said:

Favor to ask of those onboard Explorer: what beers are on offer (excluding Bud/Miller/Corona/Amstel)?

 

We'll be on Explorer in May and am debating putting in a special request for beer since past experience has been uneven (like sometimes Sierra Nevada IPA or equivalent or no IPAs at all).  BTW, on our recent (first) Viking Ocean cruise, there was an extensive beer menu including 2 Belgian Abbey ales and 4 Norwegian beers (one of which was a really good IPA).  It would be nice if Regent gave the same support to beer aficionados as they do for wine connoisseurs. 

 

 

 

Happy to help!

 

 

 

[Portolan]

1 hour ago, kjbacon said:

Thank you so much!

 

 

Happy to help!

 

 

Thanks!  A couple of decent IPAd and the Leffe will work.

Km

[Zqueeze1]

You guys are doing a wonderful job on keeping us informed and taking us with you. Great pics!  Hope you continue to have a great time. 

Z and TB

[kjbacon]

19 hours ago, Zqueeze1 said:

You guys are doing a wonderful job on keeping us informed and taking us with you. Great pics!  Hope you continue to have a great time. 

Z and TB

Thank you so much! We are in the home stretch and continue to have a fabulous time. Yesterday, there was a Curries if the World themed lunch that might have been the best lunch spread yet.

 

 

Krew Kapers was terrific, as always, and it’s great to see the kids having such a fun time.

 

 

Dinner in Sette Mari beneath a full moon is as good as it gets. We’ve decided that this is our favorite restaurant given the food, atmosphere, and service. The Spaghetti Carbonara is scrumptious.

 

 

We are going again tonight, our last al fresco meal for quite some time. Prime 7 is tomorrow night.

[liptastic]

24 minutes ago, kjbacon said:

Thank you so much! We are in the home stretch and continue to have a fabulous time. Yesterday, there was a Curries if the World themed lunch that might have been the best lunch spread yet.

 

 

Krew Kapers was terrific, as always, and it’s great to see the kids having such a fun time.

 

 

Dinner in Sette Mari beneath a full moon is as good as it gets. We’ve decided that this is our favorite restaurant given the food, atmosphere, and service. The Spaghetti Carbonara is scrumptious.

 

 

We are going again tonight, our last al fresco meal for quite some time. Prime 7 is tomorrow night.

Oh have to agree with you Karen we also really enjoy Sette Marie for dinner in the evening too.  Carbonara looks lovely.  Jean.

[Hambagahle]

I am SO sorry you will be leaving the ship.  Your comments and photos have been wonderful...  travel safely home!  And thank you for sharing the cruise with us.