Explorer: The Truth Revealed 😱

Sue you did a fantastic job! I think we should make you the new editor of Cruise Critic. We loved our 24 day cruise and would rate it in our top 3. Hope we sail together soon. Crisy

What a great review, will have to consider a cruise on Explorer. Loved the pictures and also the way you formatted your review. Thank you.

LOVED your review and concur with most of your comments. We were onboard from Miami to Rome and enjoyed most every minute with a few hiccups here and there. Thank you for your great review!

Thanks, really a nice report with great photos. What a joy to read all.

Thanks to you all for your kind comments about our review :*. Glad to see that many readers enjoyed it and found it useful.

It was fun preparing it, allowing us to re-live a great cruise - plus we learned the new skill of posting photos via Tapatalk - very easy.

It was good to meet up with some other CC members during the cruise.

We probably won't be cruising again till next Spring, so look forward to reading other blogs so that we can at least enjoy 'virtual' Regent cruising.

Aperol spritz at breakfast? ;p

One of us had a croissant & cappuccino; one of us had an Aperol Spritzer with Bruschetta...................not saying who had which :o ..........and it was late morning

Sue you did a fantastic job! I think we should make you the new editor of Cruise Critic. We loved our 24 day cruise and would rate it in our top 3. Hope we sail together soon. Crisy

Crisy,

It was good to meet you all again.

I cannot take all the compliments for the review; it was a truly joint effort by David and me

Sue xx

I too enjoyed your posts. It made me have wanderlust! LOL, I have to wait until December. Thanks a million for all of the time and detail you put in.

Carole

Best review of the Explorer!

Thanks so much for taking so much time to write and share. I agree with everything you wrote. We did the Transatlantic in November. Booked it again for November 2017.

We were just on the Mariner and it is certainly in need of refurbishment. We loved it on previous sailings. Hope the Explorer holds up its beauty for our next sailing.

Loved the Navigator two years ago. We are sailing again in August 2018, sailing Norway etc.

Never been on the Voyager. ( We were booked on it for March 2017 - Hong Kong to Beijing. Unfortunately, we had to cancel ) So I can not rate. My ratings are:

1- Explorer

2- Navigator

3- Mariner ( I am sure I will love it after refurbishment and it will move back to #2.)

Just my opinions.

1. Explorer

2. Voyager

3. Mariner (many would put it second)

4. Navigator (good in many ways, but not where you want to be in stormy seas....)

So much great info here - thanks Flossie for your comprehensive reviews and photos! I especially valued the super detailed restaurant and lounge info. I see you ate at the specialty restaurants several times during your cruise. I read a review from someone who claimed there was a "caste system" that kept people out of the specialty dining if they didn't have an upgraded suite (we have a Concierge Suite). Can I take that then with a grain of salt (or a whole shaker?)? Thanks

So much great info here - thanks Flossie for your comprehensive reviews and photos! I especially valued the super detailed restaurant and lounge info. I see you ate at the specialty restaurants several times during your cruise. I read a review from someone who claimed there was a "caste system" that kept people out of the specialty dining if they didn't have an upgraded suite (we have a Concierge Suite). Can I take that then with a grain of salt (or a whole shaker?)? Thanks ��

We have sailed on Explorer four times and therefore feel qualified to respond. First, Chartreuse and P7 are open for lunch which makes the urgency to try them for dinner diminish. The new menu on Compass Rose is so good that many of us prefer it to the specialty restaurants. CR is so popular that the Maitre 'd asks passengers if they would prefer to dine in P7 or Chartreuse.

There is absolutely no caste system ..... with one unfortunate exception. Passengers in the Regent Suite, Master or Grand suites have unlimited dining in specialty restaurants. Having said that, we have been in suites with unlimited specialty restaurants and cannot imagine going there more than CR. Unless your cruise is longer than 2 weeks, one reservation per specialty is enough.

So much great info here - thanks Flossie for your comprehensive reviews and photos! I especially valued the super detailed restaurant and lounge info. I see you ate at the specialty restaurants several times during your cruise. I read a review from someone who claimed there was a "caste system" that kept people out of the specialty dining if they didn't have an upgraded suite (we have a Concierge Suite). Can I take that then with a grain of salt (or a whole shaker?)? Thanks ��

Glad you enjoyed this thread and found it helpful.

The reviewer who talked about a caste system was mistaken in their belief that Concierge Suites and above have priority over others when booking additional dining reservations on board; with the exception of the very top suites (as noted by TC2).

The same reviewer did not care for the food in Compass Rose; this is very surprising as most guests find the extensive menu excellent and the dishes offered delicious.

How many additional reservations you will be able to obtain when you are on the ship very much depends on the length of the cruise, as each speciality restaurant is strictly capacity controlled. This enables the staff to provide exemplary personalised service.

Note that the lunch menus in the speciality restaurants are totally different to the dinner menus; reservations are not required for lunch in any venue.

IMO you have made an excellent choice in booking a Concierge Suite on Explorer.

Have a great cruise :)

Glad you enjoyed this thread and found it helpful.

 

The reviewer who talked about a caste system was mistaken in their belief that Concierge Suites and above have priority over others when booking additional dining reservations on board; with the exception of the very top suites (as noted by TC2).

The same reviewer did not care for the food in Compass Rose; this is very surprising as most guests find the extensive menu excellent and the dishes offered delicious.

 

Thanks Travelcat and Flossie! I read that review with dismay (and weirdly my husband found it too - the one thing I think he's ever read on here 🙄). I'm hoping we can get in Pacific Rim a couple more times because I like Asian fusion type food but I'm sure we'll enjoy everything. Good to hear about the lack of lunch reservations. Thx 😀

Thanks Travelcat and Flossie! I read that review with dismay (and weirdly my husband found it too - the one thing I think he's ever read on here ). I'm hoping we can get in Pacific Rim a couple more times because I like Asian fusion type food but I'm sure we'll enjoy everything. Good to hear about the lack of lunch reservations. Thx 😀

On the afternoon that you board go to the restaurant reservations desk (deck 5, opposite reception) to see what extra reservations are available. Two things to try when looking for additional reservations:

1. Opt for a sharing table; there are likely to be more options available
   
2. Ask for something on the first evening. Many people do not pre-book a speciality restaurant for the first night as they fear they will be too tired to enjoy
   

I believe that speciality lunch venues alternate between Chartreuse and Prime 7; I don't think Pacific Rim ever opens for lunch. Also open for lunch daily are La Veranda (excellent hot & cold buffet) and the Pool Grill.

Thanks for your comments Flossie. They have brought the Explorer back to life for us particularly as we had to cancel our first cruise on the ship due to ill health but have just booked again at the end of July. Has the coffee improved- we've just sailed on the new Seabourn Encore and it was a feature with a choice of beans in the Square and of coffee makers machines in the Colonnade. We will try to write a comparison of the Explorer and the Encore when we return.

Incidentally as the circle to the theatre seems unusable and some of the seats downstairs have obstructed views, is it difficult to get a good seat unless one arrives very early.

Also do you know if John Barron will still be Cruise Director in July/August or if not, who?

Also do you know if John Barron will still be Cruise Director in July/August or if not, who?

John will be leaving Explorer sometime in July, not sure when. I think he said he'd be back in the September/October timeframe.

I know for sure he'll be off the ship in August because I specifically asked him if he'd be on board for our next trip...

It should be fairly easy to track John Barron through next year. He works 4 months and is off for 2 months (this can change of course -- sometimes he needs to board early or stay longer than expected). The most important thing is that John will be the Cruise Director on Explorer through 2018 (and hopefully beyond -- but he will likely be anxious to go back to the other ships by then).

John will probably know next month who will be replacing him. I'd check with whomever is reporting live from the Explorer in June.

eliana, IMO the site views in the theater (not including the balcony) have been overstated. There are great views from most areas of the theater, however, some people do get there quite early to get a good seat. My DH usually went to the theater a half an hour early to get a seat (and save one for me). He also enjoyed chatting with others that were doing the same thing (kind of a social event). When John Barron is around, he'll talk to the passengers which is always lovely.

I'm confused about your coffee question. If I am correct, you have yet to be on Explorer. IMO, the coffee on Explorer is quite good (they even has French Press coffee in the Coffee Connection.

Looking forward to your review of the Encore and Explorer. Based on photos alone, I prefer the decor of the Explorer but Seabourn reportedly has a great product - hope that you enjoy both cruises.

On the afternoon that you board go to the restaurant reservations desk (deck 5, opposite reception) to see what extra reservations are available. Two things to try when looking for additional reservations:

1. Opt for a sharing table; there are likely to be more options available
   
2. Ask for something on the first evening. Many people do not pre-book a speciality restaurant for the first night as they fear they will be too tired to enjoy
   

I believe that speciality lunch venues alternate between Chartreuse and Prime 7; I don't think Pacific Rim ever opens for lunch. Also open for lunch daily are La Veranda (excellent hot & cold buffet) and the Pool Grill.

Thanks - invaluable! I will do that day one (which is coming in just a few weeks - yay!!) :D

Thanks - invaluable! I will do that day one (which is coming in just a few weeks - yay!!) :D

Not wanting to be a downer on this (and I do hope that you get the reservations that you want) but Regent holds back reservations for a reason. Not everyone books online and Regent guarantees that every passenger can dine in a specialty restaurant once. So, they may not be willing to book the "saved reservations" on day one - especially since I presume that you already have one reservation. I do agree that it is easiest to get into a specialty restaurant on the first night and there are last minute cancellations pretty much every night so that would be something else to keep in mind.

If you cannot get a reservation on the first day, keep trying! I would hold open the second night as that is the night of the Captain's Reception and there are some extra special items on the Compass Rose menu (the same is true of the night of the Captain's Farewell which is generally the second to the last night).

Not wanting to be a downer on this (and I do hope that you get the reservations that you want) but Regent holds back reservations for a reason. Not everyone books online and Regent guarantees that every passenger can dine in a specialty restaurant once. So, they may not be willing to book the "saved reservations" on day one - especially since I presume that you already have one reservation. I do agree that it is easiest to get into a specialty restaurant on the first night and there are last minute cancellations pretty much every night so that would be something else to keep in mind.

 

If you cannot get a reservation on the first day, keep trying! I would hold open the second night as that is the night of the Captain's Reception and there are some extra special items on the Compass Rose menu (the same is true of the night of the Captain's Farewell which is generally the second to the last night).

OK, thanks. I just looked at the reservations (which I made literally the first minute they were available) and I did leave those nights free. Phew. I'll try the first cruise day for other reservations but I'm easy ;)