Escape from reality / Splendor Feb 3rd. 14 days southern Caribbean

[RachelG]

The schnitzel is a traditional last night of the cruise dish in CR.  And huge.  I have only ordered once as I hate wasting food and could only eat about a 1/3, but it is very good with some lemon and sauces.

[macbest]

Splendor

Final summary

 

I could go on and on with final impressions. Ok, i will! There’s so many cool things that Regent does that just cannot be ignored but not the things that you would know about unless you sailed with them. The “Million Little Things” that distinguishes this level of luxury cruising. I’m sure everyone has a list of their favorites but many of these items you don’t think twice about until you don’t have them (either on another cruise line or at home)! 

 

The Little towels in all the public restrooms. And on this new splendor, you can wave your hand in front of a reader at public restrooms and it will open the door for you to go into the bathroom or out of. So you don’t have to touch doorhandles. Although if you want to, they have these little dispensers with paper towels to open the door. We like ice and lemon with our sparkling water. Presto it always appears. The bar help knowing the special way that you like your drink and then repeating it with confirmation of “the usual?”  

Going to a “top loyalty tier” event and seeing not only passengers being awarded for their next loyalty level but also recognizing the major milestones of years of service of the staff. Having the head of HR on board to award these achievements wow that speaks volumes of how they treat staff. 

 

The replacing your used napkin with a new napkin when you get up to leave the table temporarily. 

 

The Included ice cream bar with a daily changing list of ice creams available by the pool. A huge indulgence I take advantage of on every Regent cruise! (Note ice cream is not made on board anymore except for the vanilla and chocolate in Prime 7 for some reason). 

 

The stateroom additions that come with such a modern ship like electrical plugs on both sides of the bed. A light switch that is barely lit up on both sides of the bed that turns on a faint blue light in the hallway so you could go to the bathroom at night when no light is present and not trip but also not wake of your spouse. Turn it on when you get up and off when you are comfy back in bed. [Note there are many light switches in your cabin. It takes 3-4 days to figure out which ones turn off lights but worth it to have more control over lighting]. 

 

Included Laundry. This is huge. On this cruise, we loved having it done whenever you wanted at no cost (dry cleaning had a small charge). We sent our laundry out probably 5 times during a 14 day cruise. Everything comes back beautifully folded and delivered in a nice box. This is a wonderful change added in the last few years (and this isn’t for just platinum plus members - everyone gets this.)

 

It’s the little things but done well that makes such a difference in luxury cruising. 

 

The ship itself is beyond gorgeous - one of the nicest we have ever sailed on. And because it’s so new, everything is very modern and everything works; elevators are super quiet -you almost can’t feel them going from floor to floor. 

 

I also really like the coffee connection area especially on Splendor where you can also sit outside which is partially blocked from the breeze that is generated when the ship is moving, so you can enjoy your coffee and not feel like you’re getting blown out when the ship is at sea. And comfy couches to relax in while you enjoy your morning brew. The make it yourself machines are very convenient and very good but if you want they will make it with the fancy machine also (with a smile). 

 

The staff is beyond friendly - in a great way. While always the case on Regent, we really felt it this trip. How wonderful they all are. 

 

Comments

There often are small challenges on every sailing, areas that you need to have addressed. And we had a few in our cabin this trip. Examples: The shower door kept coming off it’s tracks. The door to our walk-in closet was not installed correctly and they had to remove half the closet to fix it. But prior to the fix, the light would not go off and made a loud buzzing noise (like there was an electrical short) that you could hear at night. And for our room, 837, we could not get cold water. At the coldest setting the water was quite warm which is very awkward when you brush your teeth. I’m fully aware of how they desalinate water on board, but we had cold water in all the public restrooms so it wasn’t like they only send the new “desalinated warm water” to the cabins. We called on this four times and they said after four visits that’s just the way it is and nothing could be done to correct it. I’m hard-pressed to think that all the other cabins had warm water coming out when the lever was set at cold. It is like the valve at the sink was faulty (I suggested this) and let warm water in when it was in the cold position. Very odd. After that fourth call about five days in to our cruise, they offered to move us to another room. But after you’ve unpacked and settled in, it just didn’t make sense (and the room they were going to put us in was closer to the front of the ship which we would feel more rocking motions.) So they ended up accommodating us by providing a bottle of water in our bathroom to brush our teeth with which at least was room temp and not warm to hot. I will include this point on the suite guru posting for room 837. 

 

The location of our cabin, starboard, mid ship, deck 8, however was perfect. You use the rear elevator when you often go up to many of the activities (deck 10 for alternative restaurants or 11 for pool and La Veranda / Sette Mari - but to dinner you use the front elevator (to compass rose as you can’t get there from the rear elevator on deck 4). Either way was about half the distance to the elevator. Bottom line it was perfectly placed. Further, there was very little motion throughout sailing. This was much more noticeable in the upper floors and forward and aft. During February, the Caribbean waters had this time roughly 7-12 foot swells pretty much throughout our trip. Motion mid ship and on deck 8 was very minor. 

 

Staff 

The staff on board is beyond amazing. Everyone is super friendly, they all have to say hello to you as they pass which is wonderful, and they remember you and what your likes are. Many ships do this also but it certainly was aided by only having 430 people on board out of a possible 750 and everyone just got to know you that much better. 

 

Our cabin stewardess (Suzanne) was incredible. Always would greet you when they saw you in the hallway (even all the way down the end) and were amazing putting our room together each morning and evening. We asked for sparkling water and lemon slices and they were always refilled along with a bottle of Chardonnay (and refilled when needed). 

 

Entertainment 

We were not impressed with any of the entertainment in the main constellation theater. This may just be us as others seemed to enjoy it. I was surprised there was never a comedian! The magician, Levine, that was there early on they said was a comedian, but he wasn’t. 

 

The entertainment or music and each of the lounges was OK to good. we are big Boogie and Kasia fans, and the regent orchestra that would play in the Meridien lounge each evening was good, but seemed odd when they introduced a trumpet player. The lounge is very small and someone playing a trumpet can be incredibly overpowering in terms of the volume and really making it difficult to even talk to somebody else next to you. And Andrew, the pianist in the observation lounge, was a good piano player but a terrible singer. He would be better off being silent and just playing the hotel. So for us, the entertainment was not a big draw. 

 

Casino

Minimum blackjack was a $10 table. Another played a smaller group with a $15 min. Roulette was $1 min. They had a craps table if you wanted to play. The slot machines were numerous but no one player 95% of them as they were the new ones that have like 20 lines to play and were all “electronic led type screens). We NEVER saw anyone playing those. We played the 5% that were “normal”. However, it felt they were making up for the casino being “closed for two years during Covid” and nothing paid out. 
 

By the way, the super bowl “pool” where you buy a square was run by the casino. The payout was 90% of the monies paid in. They kept 10%. Maybe this happens elsewhere but I was surprised this happened. 

 

Arriving/Departing

I discussed embarkation earlier. We decided to arrive at 1p and almost literally sailed through. 40 min from arrival to being in our room. And that included Covid testing. This was likely due to sailing with only 430 guests. But arriving later vs earlier will be something to consider in the future.
 

Disembarkation was even easier. We chose to get off last so we could enjoy our last breakfast on board and didn’t want to fight the crowds. Note we did not find an elevator once you get into the terminal to get down to your luggage so you have to walk down steps with any hand luggage you didn’t have them pickup the night before.
 

Easy to get an Uber/Lyft or taxis were just sitting there after customs. A garage is across the street just for this terminal J (generally for Regent and Oceania) so that would be very convenient also. 

 

Length of cruise

At 14 days, this was our longest cruise yet and really was perfect length. It took us nearly 7 days to get into “the zone” and then we really enjoyed the last 7 days. The two seas days in the beginning and end were perfect to unwind and relax. 

 

The pool area.
Super nice loungers that have terrycloth like covers that are replaced daily (and after each use). These are soft and comfortable loungers that you could lie down in all day (and we did two days for nearly 8 hours). Mind you these aren’t the “waffle or strap like loungers” found on many lower end cruise lines or resort hotels. Can’t speak highly enough about the comfort of these. I spoke extensively about the lounger hogs and that has been covered extensively already on my thread. Enough said. 

 

Super secret tip. Most do not know that the rear loungers by the infinity pool are available to everyone not just spa clients. If you don’t want to go through the spa to get to them, go outside on deck 5 on either side of the rear elevator and walk along the outside walkway to them. We loved this area especially at sea as there is more shade there (and less chair hogging). You do get the sound of the waves and engines as you are sailing but it creates a nice white noise to put you to sleep. There is no bar service there however. But the bathroom in the spa and the water and tea available in the spa is right there. Don’t miss out on the infinity pool either. Especially when at sea. It sloshes you around in the water which is really fun. The staircase that leads you into this pool could not be more welcoming and easy to get into of any pool I have been in. Those less stable would really appreciate this cool pool and ingress into the pool with handrails. 

 

All in all, a wonderful vacation. Regent continues to be amazing. And now with 149 days of sailing with Regent we continue to be very impressed and will continue with our next sailing from Iceland to Copenhagen end of July 2022 (on Voyager). I will likely do another blog on that cruise here also if others would like to hear our comments. 

 

Hope you enjoyed “living vicariously” through my cruise and the food and excursion experiences with me! Happy sailing. 
 

PS after getting home we both didn’t gain any weight! How is that possible after what we ate on this cruise! More cruising!!

[Jlhalldc]

Thanks a million for all of your posts and especially for your final thoughts. Your praise and criticisms are valuable info for us all. We board Splendor in early April and can't wait. Thanks again for sharing your cruise with us and I hope your entry to the "real world" is easy.

 

[RachelG]

I hate your cruise is ending as I have enjoyed following every minute.  

[DatawCruiser]

Final Impressions - Part 2

 

I was on the same cruise as Macbest and we met a few times in the Pool Lounge, Meridian Lounge and even the Wine Connoisseur lunch.  This was my second Regent cruise and I have a few additional observations.  First of all, I promised to not reveal the secret Spa pool location to Macbest, but now, you all know.   

 

Here are my observations on the good and bad experiences we experienced.  We are a mid 60's married couple from South Carolina.

 

Housekeeping -  Superb.  Our Lead Housekeeper Sigit was spot on.  We had a PHC suite and it was like he knew our schedule each day.  The service was spot on and the room was perfectly cleaned every time we left, even if we came back 60 minutes later.

 

Butler - A little cold at first, but he warmed up after a few days.  We did not place huge demands on him, but he handled everything seamlessly.  We had room service several days before excursions and service was right on time and just as ordered.  He also handled all laundry requests perfectly.

 

Penthouse suite - I loved our suite.  The perfect layout for us.  We were in Suite 840 across the ship from Macbest.  The only problems we had were on two nights during high wind events, the dividing section between our balcony and the suite next to us blew open.  It began banging back and forth between suites,  I had to call maintenance twice in the middle of the night to fix the situation.  My wife was not happy.

 

Entertainment - We watched the Magician and Vegas singer, but were not impressed.  We did not watch the few Broadway shows due to our schedules.  Overall, I had no problem with the entertainment in the theater.  Boogie and Kashia are not for us.  Boogie is extremely talented and was very entertaining.  Kashia, not so much.  She tries very hard, but does not have a great voice.

 

Food and drink. -  I thought the food on this voyage was far inferior to our first cruise.  We often found ourselves wanting for something in La Veranda for lunch.  Dinners were hit or miss in all venues.  This was our biggest disappointment on this cruise, and we are considering cancelling our next cruise until we see better reviews.  The wine selections were marginal, and the wine service was hit or miss. We tried ordering a couple of bottles off the premium list, and both were not available.  Try updating your list?  The big exception was the Meridian lounge.  Nemanja and Victoria were the best with all the craft drinks.

 

Pool  - We typically hung out on Deck 12 above the pool.  We never had a problem getting a good spot and while there were a few apparent chair reservations, it was never an issue for us.  Drink service was a little spotty but acceptable.

 

Excursions - Again, hit or miss.  We went on 7 excursions and 2 were a complete waste of time.  Do not go on the Two Nation tour on Saint Maarten, or the Sunnyside Garden tour on Grenada.  The tour descriptions are totally inaccurate.

 

Splendor - The ship was incredible!  Beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean.

 

YMMV,

 

DatawCruiser

 

 

 

[cuddles115]

1 hour ago, DatawCruiser said:

Final Impressions - Part 2

 

I was on the same cruise as Macbest and we met a few times in the Pool Lounge, Meridian Lounge and even the Wine Connoisseur lunch.  This was my second Regent cruise and I have a few additional observations.  First of all, I promised to not reveal the secret Spa pool location to Macbest, but now, you all know.   

 

Here are my observations on the good and bad experiences we experienced.  We are a mid 60's married couple from South Carolina.

 

Housekeeping -  Superb.  Our Lead Housekeeper Sigit was spot on.  We had a PHC suite and it was like he knew our schedule each day.  The service was spot on and the room was perfectly cleaned every time we left, even if we came back 60 minutes later.

 

Butler - A little cold at first, but he warmed up after a few days.  We did not place huge demands on him, but he handled everything seamlessly.  We had room service several days before excursions and service was right on time and just as ordered.  He also handled all laundry requests perfectly.

 

Penthouse suite - I loved our suite.  The perfect layout for us.  We were in Suite 840 across the ship from Macbest.  The only problems we had were on two nights during high wind events, the dividing section between our balcony and the suite next to us blew open.  It began banging back and forth between suites,  I had to call maintenance twice in the middle of the night to fix the situation.  My wife was not happy.

 

Entertainment - We watched the Magician and Vegas singer, but were not impressed.  We did not watch the few Broadway shows due to our schedules.  Overall, I had no problem with the entertainment in the theater.  Boogie and Kashia are not for us.  Boogie is extremely talented and was very entertaining.  Kashia, not so much.  She tries very hard, but does not have a great voice.

 

Food and drink. -  I thought the food on this voyage was far inferior to our first cruise.  We often found ourselves wanting for something in La Veranda for lunch.  Dinners were hit or miss in all venues.  This was our biggest disappointment on this cruise, and we are considering cancelling our next cruise until we see better reviews.  The wine selections were marginal, and the wine service was hit or miss. We tried ordering a couple of bottles off the premium list, and both were not available.  Try updating your list?  The big exception was the Meridian lounge.  Nemanja and Victoria were the best with all the craft drinks.

 

Pool  - We typically hung out on Deck 12 above the pool.  We never had a problem getting a good spot and while there were a few apparent chair reservations, it was never an issue for us.  Drink service was a little spotty but acceptable.

 

Excursions - Again, hit or miss.  We went on 7 excursions and 2 were a complete waste of time.  Do not go on the Two Nation tour on Saint Maarten, or the Sunnyside Garden tour on Grenada.  The tour descriptions are totally inaccurate.

 

Splendor - The ship was incredible!  Beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean.

 

YMMV,

 

DatawCruiser

 

 

My DW and I are former Seabourn regulars( we're platinum and have cruised only on Seabourn).  Our last cruise in the Caribbean was a disaster to put it mildly. So, we migrated to Regent and were pleasantly surprised. The same hogs were at the pool.  The difference was that the loungers were padded as opposed to mesh loungers on Seabourn. One couldn't spend the whole day by the pool because of the uncomfortable lounger.  As for the food, Regent  Splendor was hands down better. The service was fantastic.....I thought I was dreaming.  DatawCruiser thought the food was inferior. I thought it was miles ahead of Seabourn. Of course, there  were little nits to pick.This happens on all cruises.  But, bottom line, Regent is head over heels better than Seabourn in all respects!!!

 

[PinkMEB]

We were on the cruise with Macbest and DatawCruiser so especially enjoyed their reviews. I laughed about the light switches because we still had not figured out what turned off what light even after a week. Our cabin was on deck 7 and our water in the bathroom was cool so maybe that issue is just in certain areas. 
Entertainment- I think because of Covid, Regent still is having problems booking entertainers because it was unusual to repeat several performers. We did not care for the magician at all, thought the shows by the two male singers were okay, but we loved the Salute to Broadway, Divos and Divas, and David Niven’s show. And, as always, Krew Kapers was great. The service was incredible and the food was wonderful. The buffet in La Veranda didn’t have as much variety as it did on the Explorer fours years go, but we found plenty to enjoy. Loved Splendor and look forward to future cruises. 

[briar14]

Macbest, thank you for your posts. We loved Suzanne on our Sept/Oct Splendor cruises. A Regent treasure!

Edited February 22, 2022 by briar14

[macbest]

4 minutes ago, briar14 said:

Macbest, thank you for your posts. We loved Suzanne on our Sept/Oct Splendor cruises. A Regent treasure!

So amazing that you had the same cabin attendant! Can’t believe how on top of everything she was and how she quickly learned our nuances to make our cabin perfect twice a day!

[briar14]

3 minutes ago, macbest said:

So amazing that you had the same cabin attendant! Can’t believe how on top of everything she was and how she quickly learned our nuances to make our cabin perfect twice a day!

And . . . She decorated our suite beautifully for my birthday and followed us when our suite was changed. I would have loved to get to know her better, but Covid restrictions kept that from happening. She is very professional and competent.

[macbest]

1 minute ago, briar14 said:

And . . . She decorated our suite beautifully for my birthday and followed us when our suite was changed. I would have loved to get to know her better, but Covid restrictions kept that from happening. She is very professional and competent.

As i mentioned with the problems with the warm water (not cold) we had, and when it went up and down the ladder of command to make a decision, she was ready to move our room items to a new cabin. So very energetic and as you said, professional. We opted not to move 1) the cabin was in the front and more motion; 2) we were already settled in and repacking/unpacking/learning new cubby holes and the light switches would have been too much to continue our relaxing; hence she came back and put the cold bottle of water in our bathroom to brush our teeth. Again, always thinking ahead.