First Time on Regent—Boarded Explorer Today

[Gilly]

27 minutes ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

Then he had the whole lobster and I had the crab legs.  As you can see from the photo it is just a mountain of crab legs.

 

Joanie, perhaps here's a good opportunity to say that you can be quite specific about how you would like your dish to be served.  I love those crab legs (rarely seen on menus here in the UK) but always ask for just a couple, ready shelled as a starter.  I find that by the time I have fiddled about with them, extracting from the shell and all of that faff, they've gone cold and are no longer quite what I had in mind!

 

We have never been charged for a glass of port with the cheese, though as @PaulaJK suggests, maybe we didn't ask for a specific vintage - I don't know.  I certainly have enjoyed a glass of Sauternes with my Foie Gras recently at no extra charge too.  Worth following up I think.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Gilly

[HotRoot]

Our go to in Prime 7 is crab cakes and wedge salad.  Tried to find the menus on their website to see if they are still offered but could not find menus.  We were known to go to Prime 7 for crab cakes and wedge salad and then go to Compass Rose or the Pool Grill for our entree.  

[GeorgiaPeach51]

1 hour ago, Gilly said:

 

Joanie, perhaps here's a good opportunity to say that you can be quite specific about how you would like your dish to be served.  I love those crab legs (rarely seen on menus here in the UK) but always ask for just a couple, ready shelled as a starter.  I find that by the time I have fiddled about with them, extracting from the shell and all of that faff, they've gone cold and are no longer quite what I had in mind!

 

We have never been charged for a glass of port with the cheese, though as @PaulaJK suggests, maybe we didn't ask for a specific vintage - I don't know.  I certainly have enjoyed a glass of Sauternes with my Foie Gras recently at no extra charge too.  Worth following up I think.

Gilly, great idea to ask for a few already done.  I laughed at “all of that faff “, perfect description of the onerous process.  I have had a sauterne on board with dessert and enjoyed it.  We received the mid cruise comment card today and will mention our puzzlement at the charge for the 20 year....a very insignificant comment considering the abundance of lovely choices on board.

 

just returned from the treadmill in the fitness center.  Nice little center.  Up to date equipment. Thee were two others there at first and then only me, so it does not seem to be overly used.  I think many people enjoy walking the decks.  The Cozumel heat makes that unattractive to me.  I like that the fitness area is NOT on the top of the ship where the sun blasts in on the treadmills and ratchets the temperature up about ten degrees.  Because this one is lower on the ship it is not nearly as hot.  It has always puzzled me that the fitness center occupies such prime real estate on most ships.
 

One comment....the fitness area is up a winding staircase.  I did not see a restroom up there, though I searched.  I may have missed it, but if there is none, it is a little inconvenient to stop walking and running, run down the stairs to the spa area, and then come back to a machine that has now lost your workout data...the pause counts down from one minute.

 

I’m not a spa person but Rolf says the men’s locker room has wondrous showers and all kinds of nice extras.

[GeorgiaPeach51]

1 hour ago, HotRoot said:

Our go to in Prime 7 is crab cakes and wedge salad.  Tried to find the menus on their website to see if they are still offered but could not find menus.  We were known to go to Prime 7 for crab cakes and wedge salad and then go to Compass Rose or the Pool Grill for our entree.  

Hotroot, both are still on the menu.  Might pick those next time.

[vegasdriven]

18 hours ago, Not a Georgia Peach said:

I tried to respond to the Viking comparison and I hit something incorrectly, so I will try again. We have done several Viking cruises and we noticed the quality go down from the first one we did.  We did our first Regent cruise in January and it was phenomenal.  The food was superior  and the options were greater.  The staff on Viking were pleasant, but on Regent  everyone was a delight.  Since everything is included on Regent it makes for a more relaxing cruise, you never have to think about the price of something.  We could think of nothing that was better on Viking.  We had a Deluxe Veranda suite and it was wonderful.  The storage space was terrific.  The last cabin we had on Viking was a Penthouse Veranda and it was better than their Deluxe Veranda, but no comparison to the cabin on Regent.  I could go on and list other items, but I think you can see our opinion.

Very interesting- we have a Georgia Peach, and a Not a Georgia Peach on this thread🥰, and a fabulous one it is.

We don’t see many reviews of the veranda suites, so it is good to hear your positive remarks (assuming this is the del veranda on Splendor or Explorer).

I would be interested in knowing how you found the bathroom in the suite, as it looks to be quite small? Which wouldn’t necessarily be a problem for us, but I am wondering about the storage around the sink? Is there enough space for all the toiletries et al for two people?

Also how was the balcony?

[GeorgiaPeach51]

28 minutes ago, vegasdriven said:

Very interesting- we have a Georgia Peach, and a Not a Georgia Peach on this thread🥰, and a fabulous one it is.

We don’t see many reviews of the veranda suites, so it is good to hear your positive remarks (assuming this is the del veranda on Splendor or Explorer).

I would be interested in knowing how you found the bathroom in the suite, as it looks to be quite small? Which wouldn’t necessarily be a problem for us, but I am wondering about the storage around the sink? Is there enough space for all the toiletries et al for two people?

Also how was the balcony?

We are in a Concierge suite.  I just paced off the veranda and it is approximately 14 x 10 feet.  Ample room for a large round table, two chairs and a chaise.  We are very happy with it.

 

I took specific photos of the bathroom storage for you.  There are 7 storage drawers.  More than enough for us.  With plenty of room left over, although we are using all the drawers just to keep the clutter down.  The bathroom does not seem overly small to us, with both a shower and a shower/tub....but we have never been in a PH or higher, so perhaps we are not a good judge of space if you are accustomed to higher end suites.  

Edited March 6, 2022 by GeorgiaPeach51

[Gilly]

1 hour ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

I’m not a spa person but Rolf says the men’s locker room has wondrous showers and all kinds of nice extras.

Yes!  I can't speak for the men's room (!) but the women's area has the "experiential showers" which are well worth trying!  (I blogged about it here)

[DeepFreeze63]

On our B2B ending March 3rd, I used all the sauna, the special showers, the Men's Locker Room (nicely equipped) and the Infinity pool - Marvelous experience.  However, I forgot that I had a mask on when I used the "experiental" shower - OOPs

[GeorgiaPeach51]

1 hour ago, Gilly said:

Yes!  I can't speak for the men's room (!) but the women's area has the "experiential showers" which are well worth trying!  (I blogged about it here)

Loved your blog!  Sheesh, I might have to investigate the special showers myself!

[lprp]

1 hour ago, Gilly said:

Yes!  I can't speak for the men's room (!) but the women's area has the "experiential showers" which are well worth trying!  (I blogged about it here)

So glad I’m following this wonderful thread.

We’ve been on Explorer twice, but I’ve never been in the special shower - something else to look forward to on our Singapore to Sydney cruise on board Explorer in December😁.

[GeorgiaPeach51]

My hubby is working so I am wandering around and would like to share a few thoughts.

 

We renovated a house once and the contractor said two things that have stuck with me.

 

1.  Your reputation is as good as your WEAKEST subcontractor.  ( This was after we had a hardwood floors issue that was a severe negative in the midst of a great deal of positive,)

 

Regent delivers.  And I think this is because EACH department delivers at a consistently high level.  The food and beverage is outstanding. Housekeeping is hard to beat.  The ship is spotless.  The passenger space ratio is fantastic.  The staff is uniformly just lovely and gracious and so very warm and welcoming.  Sometimes on ships it is good except for X.  Or, if only Y was better.  Regent, so far, does not have a weak link so passengers like myself have a smooth, superlative experience no matter who they encounter, and no matter where they are located.  That comes from good hiring and good training and high expectations. 

 

2.  Be careful of the “not muches”.  Our contractor said this in reference to the cost of each faucet, each upgrade, each change.  But it also applies to the small but tangible differences that make the Regent experience different from what we had on Celebrity.

 

The little clever box of macarons we were given after we finished a wonderful meal in .Chartreuse.  Charming.

 

Heru, the sommelier in Prime 7 remembering our wine preference after just one encounter 

 

Rivy, our room steward, replacing our malfunctioning coffee maker in our suite within 10 minutes and taking the time to guarantee that the new one was working.  We were hoping to get a new one, perhaps, by that evening.
 

Rivy, noting that we drink a lot of water and without asking delivering two bottles of Vero water every day instead of one...starting on day two.

 

The beautiful fresh flowers all over the ship.

 

The focus on passenger comfort.  On the Celebrity Edge we were frustrated to find a comfortable seat.  In some you struggled to stand upright.  In others, way too many for us, they were visually unique and stylish but were just plain aggravating to try to sit in comfortably.  We are not having that issue on the Explorer.  The soft furnishings are pleasing to our eyes and to our spines.

 

We have repeated several drinks.  I am happy to report that what you order one night will be replicated the next night.  On Celebrity it was hit and miss.  Sometimes that dirty martini was perfect.  Other times it snarled at you and was nothing you had ever encountered before.

 

there is no wait time for a sommelier. They are RIGHT THERE.  Granted, the ship is half full.  But, they are present and it does not require bloodhounds and Sherlock Holmes to find them in any venue. Yay!  Not one time has my wine glass ever even approached empty.  You might, indeed, have to watch your intake lest you weave a little as you stand up!  🥴🤗

 

The passenger count, at half, gives me a somewhat skewed first impression.  However, there is no congestion, no fuss, no flurry, no anxiety about getting off the ship, no wait for the elevator.   I’m not sure Regent knows what getting in a line means, based on our first three days.

 

The to go coffee in the Coffee Connection is served in the same nice ceramic cups as the “here” coffees.  And there are nice goodies to serve yourself all day with no need, again, to stand in a line.  
 

The library.  ❤️❤️
 

We took a HAL cruise this year because we liked the Panama Canal itinerary. Did not enjoy the cruise and were ready to get off before the end.  My preference is to leave a ship sobbing and wailing, if you know what I mean.  We noticed that ships officers on that cruise avoided eye contact and most did not even say hello.  In some ways I get that..they are working, they don’t want to listen to a spiel from a passenger.  But, I expect you to acknowledge my presence as you pass by.  Every single officer and staff member speaks to you on Regent.  I Wayan, in the Compass Rose at breakfast specifically said, “please come and sit in my section so I can serve you”.  Touched my heart.  Sheesh.  

 

So, the little things add up.  They are pretty powerful to the sum of the passenger experience.  And Regent gets it right.
 

As you can tell, we are Regent-ized...there’s no going back now!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Nice little area outside the Coffee Connection.  

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Odds and ends.

 

The little clever box from Chartreuse. 
 

Cozumel....we like the open railings rather than the solid clear panes that get covered with sea spray.  
 

Too Good to be Believed ice cream.  In this case, Dulce de Leche and Rocky Road.  Criminally good.

[alidor]

Georgia Peach - you are better with words than I am.  Everything you say about this sailing I can vouch for to be true.  It really is an amazing ship and an amazing cruise!

[vegasdriven]

Thanks Georgia peach, about the deluxe veranda suite I was hoping that Not a Georgia peach would give me her review re the bathroom and balcony.

I realize you are in a concierge, which would be fantastic. We are in an F1 suite for our next cruise, which is the same as concierge without the bigger balcony, though we were able to snag one of the angled balconies giving us slightly more space.

However that is probably as far up the scale as we would pay for, so there may come a cruise that we might only be able to afford a deluxe veranda, and those are the ones with the very small bathroom (most of which at this time I believe are not being sold as they are kept for quarantine use, but I am sure that will change as they get closer to capacity sailing).

 

Sorry to confuse things, and again so enjoying your thoughts on this cruise.

[RachelG]

Georgia peach, really enjoying following along.  A tip re prime 7–if you order crab or lobster, ask them to take it out of the shell for you.  I rarely order crab in restaurants as it is so much work, but in P7 they will do the work for you.  Just ask.

[Not a Georgia Peach]

Sorry for not responding to veranda and bathroom.  The bathroom on Regent Explorer was bigger than a Viking bathroom and the storage was much greater.  My husband said the shower was the best shower design he has seen (he is not easy to please).  The veranda was bigger than on the Viking veranda and the chairs were much more comfortable.  The chairs have cushions which the room staff bring in each evening.  And the veranda table was bigger.  I didn't mention comparison of excursions.  The Viking included excursions were typically crowded bus tours.  The Regent excursions were more diverse and often included a snack or drink.  We were on the LA thru the Panama Canal to Miami cruise.

 

[vegasdriven]

Thank you- Not a georgia peach. I have seen videos of those suites, but nothing equals a firsthand review. I would feel quite confident now to book one of those if need be.

[PaulaJK]

Raspberry ripple and fresh peach ice cream….don’t leave without it!

[poolechick]

1 hour ago, PaulaJK said:

Raspberry ripple and fresh peach ice cream….don’t leave without it!

I'm a fan of the kir royale sorbet. 

[daetchief]

On 3/5/2022 at 2:04 PM, docmark said:

We (my wife and I) are exclusive RED wine drinkers, and we both feel the Cline "cashmere" and Raymond B wine listed above were "decent" choices (tried them in January cruise)

I have to agree about the Cline Cashmere - Black. That wine was so good that I searched it out when I got back to Honolulu and found two bottles at a very reasonable cost.

I usually enjoy Duckhorn or Joseph Phelps Cab, but I would drink Cashmere Black any night of the week.

[rkaratsu]

Hi Joanie.  Having just been on the previous Explorer cruise, it is nice to relive through you being back on board!  

 

Having done a few Celebrity Cruises (most recently in the Celebrity Suite which I had no problems with), something you might want to do while you are on the Explorer is ask for a "special" dinner.  In our case, we asked if an Indian meal (dinner) could be arranged.  (We did this through our butler but I'm sure any of the head waiters could do this.  If you don't like Indian, maybe BBQ or perhaps a pasta tasting menu.  Just give the chef 24 hours notice.)  

 

Pretty sure this is something else Celebrity wouldn't do!  (And if  you want to be served by *the* best waiter on the Explorer, ask to be seated in Hendra's station in the Compass Rose (it is in the far back right side of the restaurant.  Hendra is hillarious, I think you will be like him!)

 

Continue to enjoy your cruise!

[Buglady777]

As long time Celebrity cruise fans, we were also disappointed with our last few cruises, food wise.  Except the martini bar, always fun. We took two Viking cruises (Amazon and Scandanavia) for their itineraries. Great experiences.  Loved the Ocean ships (River, not so much). So much room to lounge around and read, and no problem with chair hogs.  Loved the ocean-facing lounge chairs and observation lounges.  A big step up from Celebrity. Now, we are upping our game this month with a TA to Rome on Explorer, hoping to find similar places to hang out in comfort.  And THANK YOU Georgia Peach51 for your reports! I took copious notes. The food experience alone will be an adventure! We splurged on a bigger suite with all the money we saved by cancelling 4 cruises this past 2 years. I bet we will be spoiled. 

As a side note, we were on the inaugural TA crossing in 2018 on Symphony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship (at that time).  Wow, NOWHERE quiet away from the crazy pools to just sit and read (with any view to speak of)! We resorted to the futons on the jogging track to get an ocean view to read our books. Our cabin location was on the sunny side, 90 degrees on the balcony, so hot!. The megaship was an experience (great food and WOW shows), but give me a smaller ship. (DH begs to differ, he loves the glitz of big ships)

[Gilly]

@Buglady777 one of our main reasons for trying Regent way back in 2008 was the lack of quiet spaces to sit on a more mainstream line.  Previous to that, we'd been happy to sit with a book in a quiet lounge, but suddenly the need for upselling began and sitting in any public space for longer than five minutes was a prompt for continued offers of coffee etc. - all to be added to the final bill of course.  In my experience of Regent, even when a ship is sailing full, there is always a comfortable and quiet space to be found and of course, that coffee (and more) is always available too - but no-one will trouble me.  We love the relaxed elegance of all the Regent ships, the way the staff immediately note our preferences and are there with them in hand before we've even thought of it ourselves (!) and how all of this translates to the kind of experience @GeorgiaPeach51 is currently enjoying. Like so many here, having found our niche, we've sailed Regent ever since.

 

Yes, do request a special menu - it's a lovely way of gathering friends together and again, our experience has always been first class, with Regent staff really taking the opportunity to share their own home cuisine.  Just one observation: There are few staff with a Chinese heritage and (I believe) the lack of a gas-fired stove in the kitchen has resulted in disappointing Chinese dishes.  However, Indian, Indonesian, Thai, Filipino and Malaysian menus have proved to be spectacular with chefs proudly using their mother's "secret recipes" to a very appreciative audience!

 

Aaagh, now I am feeling hungry and it's only 8.30am!! 🤣

Edited March 7, 2022 by Gilly

[briar14]

GeorgiaPeach, your post #86 describes all the reasons we sail on Regent again and again and again! I am enjoying seeing Regent through your experiences. Wishing you a wonderful cruise.