Live from the Explorer, from new Regent Cruisers…

[dancingmary]

We are scheduled to said Jan 19th from San Diego on the Explorer.  Has anyone on your cruise contacted Covid and needs to be quaranteed?

[Zqueeze1]

2 hours ago, Mudhen said:

So was I....exactly the same drink....with cucumber. Nope, no Hendrick's. I didn't investigate further if it was a supply issue, but was just told there was no Hendrick's. I was not happy, but did manage to choke down a few other "treats"! (giggle!)

Next time you have a Hendricks, drop a strawberry into it.  Let it roll all over that wonderful juniper flavor and eat it after you finished your drink.  I stopped using cucumbers since trying this. 
Z and TB

[NCHPcruiser]

Please continue posting your thoughts! We are also Celebrity suite passengers and recently ventured onto a Crystal sailing which apart from the abysmal internet we enjoyed.  Looking to expand our experience to Regent!  

[gcorgain]

Thank you all for your kind words. With regards to the situation with my friend, I must admit I was honestly very surprised as it seems out of character from my limited exposure to Regent. I think I will have a conversation with the GM tomorrow, so that hopefully the next person would not experience the same treatment. 
 

I will also ask for the Grey Goose from one of the friendly bartenders!

[gcorgain]

Hi I will find out what gin is available. I know Aviation is on the list. Grey Goose is in all the bars… I was told Absolut was the only choice for the suite, but I’m going to ask the bartenders. Honestly, all the other bar choices are all better.

 

Tonight we were told that there are no passengers with Covid, but that Cartagena would be a technical stop due to their changing rules and no passengers would be allowed off the ship. So effectively another sea day. That is a minor disappointment, but one we were prepared for.
 

Greg 

[lprp]

7 hours ago, Zqueeze1 said:

Next time you have a Hendricks, drop a strawberry into it.

Try it with raspberries too 😋😋

[lprp]

15 hours ago, gcorgain said:

We asked for a bottle of Grey Goose and club soda for the suite, she came back several hours later and said “all you can have is Absolut”

We have ALWAYS had Grey Goose and Hendricks in our suite along with a (pre booked) supply of Fever Tree - it would be devastating if this wasn’t available (First World Problems 🙃 I know).

 

Hope your friend is recovering.

 

We also cruise Celebrity occasionally, our only real preference over Regent is Murano over Chartreuse. The table side flambéed Lobster on Murano is divine as is the oozing Epoisse on the Cheese Board.

LP

[Mudhen]

1 hour ago, lprp said:

Try it with raspberries too 😋😋

Raspberries in ANYTHING is delicious. I also like them in my bubbly. Blackberries in a glass of champers is also yummy!

[kjbacon]

13 hours ago, Mudhen said:

Not on the Explorer.....and believe me, I begged.

Yes, I watched her beg many a night. It was not a pretty sight 😏

[kmkord]

On 1/5/2022 at 1:19 PM, gcorgain said:

I’m mid 50’s and Aaron is mid 40’s. Yes, I think we are the youngest on the ship, but we are loving our interaction with most guests. Although several have mistaken us for crew! J

 

 

 

 

 

I sailed on the 12/9/21 Explorer cruise with my pretty blond 22 year old daughter. People were constantly mistaking her for a crew person, or commenting on her bikini. She actually loves meeting older people, and loves sailing with me on the luxury cruise lines. She usually ends of befriending the entertainment staff and hanging out with them in their off hours.  We also had a great group of social travelers on that sailing, and had the first ever social travelers Christmas pub crawl.

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Edited January 6, 2022 by kmkord

[gcorgain]

Today has been a lazy day, with nothing much to really report. We had breakfast in La Veranda overlooking the aft, and layed by the pool. I have been sporadic in taking food pictures, but here are a few:

 

Day 1 Dinner at Compass Rose (Veal PIccatta - Excellent, and Dover Sole — OK)

[gcorgain]

The second night was the day that everything happened with our friend and I took no food photos. Last night was Prime 7. We both started with the Wedge and then I had the Prime Rib and Aaron had the Surf and Turf with Filet and Crab Legs. We both finished with the Popcorn Sundae. All Excellent.

[gcorgain]

And I apologize for being out of order but yesterday lunch was in Chartreuse. I had the Croque Madam (excellent, but very rich) and Aaron had the Nicoise Salad. Today we just grazed for Breakfast and Lunch. I’ll send dinner tomorrow.

 

 

[gcorgain]

I wanted to comment on the entertainment. The three lounges have entertainment each evening. The players stay the same, but they have different themes for their shows. 

 

The first night we primarily stayed with the excellent Duo, Denis and Elina. Denis is an exceptional guitar player and Elina has an amazing voice. They have a wide range of songs from the 70’s to the 90’s and are developing quite a following. They are in the Explorer Lounge.

 

The second night we went to the Meridian Lounge where the Regent Orchestra calls home when not in the main theater. We listened to some wonderful music while several couples danced. We also started working through the craft cocktail list. 🙂 After the show they did a Sinatra themed evening.

 

Last night we went to the Piano Bar with Ed. Tonight after the show  he is doing a Billy Joel set. He has also done a Beatles evening, although we were too tired and went to bed.

 

As for the main theater…

The first night was an intro show, and we didn’t attend. The second night was Divos and Divas and focused on the music of Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Shania Twain, and a couple of others. It was great!

 

Last night was a guest artist who was an excellent pianist. Her name is unfortunately escaping me, but her show was entitled from Bach to Broadway, and she did it all, backed by the Symphony Orchestra. She also did a little comedy bit. I need to dig up her name, because we would go to see her again in a second. Interesting is that she got her start by opening for LIberace, but she must have been very young.

 

Tonight is Bob Upton, a comedian.

[Stickman1990]

22 hours ago, Mudhen said:

Aside from the worrisome treatment of your friend, the Grey Goose omission in tragic! I was heartbroken (well...I exaggerate a little!) that the ship did not have Hendrick's. OMG, the horror!

I’m hoping that was a temporary issue 😳 - surely Regent have Hendricks gin as one of their standard pours?

 

If not then what gins do they offer?

[hvsteve1]

22 hours ago, CruiserFromMaine said:

I tried both a recent Silversea cruise and thought they were comparable. I really liked Chopin vodka. 

On our first Raddison (Regent) cruise you were entitled to two bottles in your suite. However they were not "top shelf".  We asked the housekeeping supervisor (back then Scandinavian young ladies)  which was their best vodka and she said we could trade out two lesser bottles for Chopin, which we did. (don't name other vodkas as many didn't exist back then),

 

[RJ2002]

gcorgain, enjoying your posts and pictures.  Looking forward to more.  

[Host Dan]

Thanks for posting Greg!  I'm enjoying your travelogue!

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Sorry for  all you aggravation at the beginning of your cruise. Can’t imagine those circumstances not being properly handled by the Regent staff.  Please report it!

Really enjoying your posts. A new view for a new year. 

Sheila 

[Mudhen]

A most excellent job in reporting and photos! Almost like being onboard again! Did you ever get your GG?

[CruiserFromMaine]

Following along, thanks for posting!

[macbest]

Really appreciate the updates and the food pictures. Already planning my attack plan! (Alas, without Hendricks)

[gcorgain]

Hi, a couple of additional things for tonight:

 

1. I still need to get a list of Gins but they do have Hendricks as I have seen it. They also have Aviation and Tanqueray. Also Beefeaters. Again I will get the list. We are in the meridian lounge now and they don’t have the list here, but do in the other locations. 
 

2. the captain announced at 5pm that there were  a few Crew positive COVID tests in their weekly testing. I asked our server about it and she said she didn’t know the exact number but it wasn’t a big breakout, no one was very sick, and that it shouldn’t be a problem. We shall see!

 

3. I haven’t made another run at Grey Goose yet. But I will. 🙂  I have tried to see the GM to discuss the disembarking experience three times but he wasn’t in his office. If I can’t catch him tomorrow I will leave a message for him. 

[Pcardad]

32 minutes ago, gcorgain said:

Hi, a couple of additional things for tonight:

 

1. I still need to get a list of Gins but they do have Hendricks as I have seen it. They also have Aviation and Tanqueray. Also Beefeaters. Again I will get the list. We are in the meridian lounge now and they don’t have the list here, but do in the other locations. 
 

2. the captain announced at 5pm that there were  a few Crew positive COVID tests in their weekly testing. I asked our server about it and she said she didn’t know the exact number but it wasn’t a big breakout, no one was very sick, and that it shouldn’t be a problem. We shall see!

 

3. I haven’t made another run at Grey Goose yet. But I will. 🙂  I have tried to see the GM to discuss the disembarking experience three times but he wasn’t in his office. If I can’t catch him tomorrow I will leave a message for him. 

Leave a request that he contact you at the front desk - he will do so very quickly.

[SireDoime]

On 1/5/2022 at 1:19 PM, gcorgain said:

Honestly, this was the area I was expecting Celebrity to be better, and boy was I wrong

I can't agree more. I absolutely hated Celebrity's shows. The sets were awesome, but (to me) the music sucked. 

 

I loved your post, and am so shocked by the service your friends got for their emergency.

I read that on Regent all guests get the same level service, but guests in Penthouse & Named Suites get more attention, but not better service. I was surprised by the incident with the vodka.