Explorer and the saga of 'Whistling Windows'

I seem to recall a thread on here regarding the ‘Whistling Windows’ on the veranda doors on Explorer. I understand that doors are having to be taped up to enable some guests to have a decent nights sleep.

It was also noted that a fix is going to be carried out in Miami some time. Well we are currently onboard Explorer and have 3 whistling veranda doors in our suite.

HOWEVER- I've identified a short term fix ! By lifting the handle 20 degrees the door remains locked but the compression of the door gasket changes and the whistling stops !! Do try it if you are suffering from whistling windows on a future Explorer cruise !

Unconventional I know and not exactly something one would expect to be doing on a luxury cruise, but it works ! And it's certainly better than tape !

My consultancy bill is in the mail to Fort Lauderdale !

So sorry you have to deal with this! We were lucky in November to have zero problems in our Concierge suite, but we certainly heard about the issues from fellow passengers onboard. I thought by now that the problem would have been corrected.

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I seem to recall a thread on here regarding the ‘Whistling Windows’ on the veranda doors on Explorer. I understand that doors are having to be taped up to enable some guests to have a decent nights sleep.

 

It was also noted that a fix is going to be carried out in Miami some time. Well we are currently onboard Explorer and have 3 whistling veranda doors in our suite.

 

HOWEVER- I've identified a short term fix ! By lifting the handle 20 degrees the door remains locked but the compression of the door gasket changes and the whistling stops !! Do try it if you are suffering from whistling windows on a future Explorer cruise !

 

Hopefully now you will be able to have a good night's rest.

Machotspur: I love your simple solution! (y) We also had a whistling cabin during November's transatlantic and I found the recommendation to tape the door balcony doors to be unacceptable. So, we put up with it during the daytime and I slept with earplugs while The Boss slept like a baby since she can sleep anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

Z and TB

I seem to recall a thread on here regarding the ‘Whistling Windows’ on the veranda doors on Explorer. I understand that doors are having to be taped up to enable some guests to have a decent nights sleep.

 

It was also noted that a fix is going to be carried out in Miami some time. Well we are currently onboard Explorer and have 3 whistling veranda doors in our suite.

 

HOWEVER- I've identified a short term fix ! By lifting the handle 20 degrees the door remains locked but the compression of the door gasket changes and the whistling stops !! Do try it if you are suffering from whistling windows on a future Explorer cruise !

 

Unconventional I know and not exactly something one would expect to be doing on a luxury cruise, but it works ! And it's certainly better than tape !

 

My consultancy bill is in the mail to Fort Lauderdale !

I did the same twist on my transatlantic cruise and it worked!

We will certainly give it a try on our upcoming TA cruise. When I mentioned this issue to my husband, he said "well we can just leave the door open" which we sometimes do anyway, but this is a good option too.

My wife and I will be on Explorer soon (deck 12). Would it be a good idea to pack a roll of masking tape just to be on the safe side?

My wife and I will be on Explorer soon (deck 12). Would it be a good idea to pack a roll of masking tape just to be on the safe side?

The whistling sliding glass doors are in the process of being fixed by the builders (as the Explorer is still under warranty and the seals were faulty). If there is a problem with your suite, the crew will tape your sliding glass door. However, if you would rather take a roll of masking tape, that is up to you.

We were in suite 1200 on the Explorer in November (transatlantic crossing) and found the movement on that deck to be much more disturbing than the whistling doors. I understand that this was completely our fault because all ships feel the "motion of the ocean" more on forward upper decks. However, because of the motion issue, we are changing our 2019 Explorer cruise from a suite on deck 14 to a suite on a much lower deck (not sure if it will be deck 8 or 9).

Jackie...

I'm as big a fan of the Explorer as you are...I think the ship is beyond incredible. My wife and I had a flawless experience onboard.

Not true for a wonderful couple we befriended, though, whose expensive vacation was ruined at first by the sleeplessness the whistling doors caused, then by the aesthetic disaster of seeing their beautiful cabin turned into a festival of masking tape, with zero access to one of the ship's signature features...their cabin's beautiful balcony.

It's almost beyond belief to me that Regent has continued to sell these cabins, without, apparently, giving any of their occupants advance warning that their cruising experience

could very well be seriously undermined. At best, that behavior is somewhat underhanded. At worst, it's fraud.

I have no idea what the logistics involved in fixing these faultily sealed doors are. But at this point, after almost 9 months, it strikes me as much a management issue as a builder's warranty one.

I'm upset because I saw nice people have a vacation ruined. And it's still happening!

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For all the publicity/hype of the most luxurious ship afloat the window saga detracts from a luxurious experience. Its not the standard people are paying for is it?

Sounds like just luck or bad luck depending whether your cabin door is affected or not? Jean.

It does appear from reviews and reports that the Explorer is suffering more than its fair share of design and manufacturing issues - suite door seals, theatre sightlines, sun-bed shades, deck awnings, sound insulation between decks, noise in CR, stairs to nowhere, elevator-stair proximity etc etc

Some of these faults will hopefully be fixed in the very near future; others will be impossible to address. Hopefully NCLH & Regent will be more careful in their review of the drawings and specifications for the next ship (yn)

Notwithstanding, we are looking forward to our cruise on Explorer next month and will be interested to see whether it knocks our favourite ship, Mariner, off its number one position. Albeit some firmly believe that "U.K. Regent guests.....tend to be a bit harder to please than those.....in the U.S." :evilsmile:

True, Jean. And I'm sure Regent knows exactly which cabins are affected. So, I wonder, for the last nine months after each cruise's disembarkation, do they remove the masking tape the previous occupants tolerated, and just hope the new folks coming into the cabin don't complain? Do they feign surprise when these people inevitably do?

Was anyone who experienced this issue forewarned? A relentless all night noise problem and/or no balcony access in my own cabin sounds like a nightmare. Why would Regent continue selling this product prior to the problem being corrected? It's far from cheap, as we all know.

In Valletta, we were forced to stay an extra day at the expense of another port. No huge deal. We watched huge plates of glass being replaced all day near the pool grill. And absolutely nothing could be done regarding these faulty door seals for nine months?

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Jackie...

I'm as big a fan of the Explorer as you are...I think the ship is beyond incredible. My wife and I had a flawless experience onboard.

 

I have no idea what the logistics involved in fixing these faultily sealed doors are. But at this point, after almost 9 months, it strikes me as much a management issue as a builder's warranty one.

 

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Hi Paul - yes I remain a big fan of the Explorer - even though we had whistling door issues on the transatlantic portion of our cruise (and had paid quite a bit for a large suite). If I recall correctly, the whistling door issue wasn't even noticed until the transatlantic cruise. When we sailed on the christening cruise and the Tel Aviv to Rome cruise, there was no mention of this issue. So, it is possible that we are talking about a problem that was discovered in mid-November (which doesn't make it any better for those that went through sleepless nights).

As soon as the issue was noticed, Regent said that the seals would be fixed when it reached Miami (which required sending people from the dockyard in Italy to Miami along with the materials necessary to make the fix). Since the ship hasn't stayed in one place very long since arriving in Miami, these fixes are taking place while the ship is full of passengers. We also don't know if they are replacing seals on every door or only the ones that have had problems (they should do all of them and that is a heck of a lot of doors).

I am surprised that your friends didn't just take the tape off of the doors during the day and have it put back on at night. Even with our whistling door and stubbing my toe on the piece of wood that stopped the bathroom door from rattling, our Explorer cruises have been the best that we have experienced since we started sailing with Regent in 2004 (note: I'm referring to the onboard experience - not the ports..... at the moment we are completely over the Med. and don't plan on returning for a long time).

When we are onboard later this month I hope to learn more about the whistling door issue but won't be surprised if it is already fixed (although it might be a good idea to have a couple of workmen on board for the transatlantic cruise as this is when the doors tend to "sing").

In terms of other complaints that posters are making, I still suggest that that you wait until you have experienced the Explorer. Calling the Explorer "the most luxurious cruise ship ever built" does make it a target. It seems that posters are now blaming the Explorer for lounge hogs and seem to be creating issues that do not exist on the ship. For posters that believe every negative comment you read on CC and are concerned, there are three other Regent ships that you can sail on. There will always be people that love a ship and others that do not. The minor issues on the Explorer (sight lines and staircase to nowhere) really do not affect the onboard experience. The whistling doors on the other hand were a nuisance and didn't show up until the ship was on its way to the U.S.

In the meantime, I'm continuing to follow the almost funny issue of lounge hogging on the other thread.

Well, enough talk of this...at least the problem is getting resolved! Hope you have a great crossing, Jackie. Lana and I agree with you, we're completely over the Med too. While you're on the Explorer, we're doing a last minute local 10 day cruise to Mexico (so convenient but non Regent, alas) out of our home port of Los Angeles. We're not into frying ourselves by the pool, but if we discover any lounge hoggers in whatever shady areas we find, I'll just remove the stuff myself!

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Well, enough talk of this...at least the problem is getting resolved! Hope you have a great crossing, Jackie. Lana and I agree with you, we're completely over the Med too. While you're on the Explorer, we're doing a last minute local 10 day cruise to Mexico (so convenient but non Regent, alas) out of our home port of Los Angeles. We're not into frying ourselves by the pool, but if we discover any lounge hoggers in whatever shady areas we find, I'll just remove the stuff myself!

 

 

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Have a great cruise! My "home port" was Los Angeles for most of my life (our family is still there). We'll be on the Explorer in 2019 when it goes from Chile to Los Angeles (more rough seas:-).

Thanks...and Chile to LA will no doubt be a blast!

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Travelcat2 , I think you were correct in saying that the publicity heading for Explorer has possibly made it more susceptible to criticism and comments.

However I think you will find that most of the people like myself making comments are well seasoned cruisers with Regent and are very familiar with the other 3 ships.

Yes we still have to sail on Explorer which we will in May. Do I believe all that I read here on CC or trip advisor, no I don't. I will form my own opinions once we are onboard but let's face it the facts from quite a few passengers relating to the noise from doors disturbing rest and sleep is definitely what you expect from Regent is it? And certainly not at the price everyone is paying for the cruise. Jean.

TC2,

:confused: How can you describe the theatre issues on Explorer as "minor" and not affecting the on-board experience, when the extremely poor design leaves many seats with no, or obstructed, view of the stage; let alone the trip hazards down the aisles

Also, IMO, you have misrepresented and over-emphasised posters blaming Explorer for the problem of sun-lounger hogs. I do, however, agree that there are some far-out theories on that thread...................including those who feel that all sun lounger hogs must have originated from main-stream cruise-lines and have now had the temerity to bring their bad manners to Regent :rolleyes:

Re the theatre...we just got there a few minutes early and never had a single issue finding a seat with a great view.

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liptastic - agree with your comments and appreciate that you will be making your own decisions. Yes - the whistling doors (no windows in most suites) were (are?) a problem and the builder should be taken to task over this.

flossie - no the sight lines are not a major problem. As with many theaters in the world, there are places where it is more difficult to see the stage than others. Do I hope that next Explorer class ship has better sight lines in the theater - yes.... but the theater on the Explorer does not affect the onboard experience. You simply need to watch where you sit.

I stand by my comments about lounge hogs

flossie, you have an interesting list of what is wrong with the Explorer. For the best experience, you may want to put your list aside when you board her next month and open yourself up to what is good about the Explorer. I hope so as this could/will enable you to have a much more enjoyable cruise.

P.S. Paul - just saw your post and agree with you completely.

 

flossie, you have an interesting list of what is wrong with the Explorer. For the best experience, you may want to put your list aside when you board her next month and open yourself up to what is good about the Explorer. I hope so as this could/will enable you to have a much more enjoyable cruise.

With all due respect to your greater knowledge and experience I do not feel the need for your coaching in how to enjoy a cruise :*

HOWEVER- I've identified a short term fix ! By lifting the handle 20 degrees the door remains locked but the compression of the door gasket changes and the whistling stops !! Do try it if you are suffering from whistling windows on a future Explorer cruise !

Not having experienced the whistling or examined the doors yet (12 days! but who is counting...we are!), this makes perfect sense. Most rotating door locks pass over a bit of a hump before hitting their stop. This keeps them from rotating open. If you pack the handle over the hump, more pressure is being applied to the seal. We'll certainly try this if we have the problem. We won't let this keep us off our verandah in any case.

Not having experienced the whistling or examined the doors yet (12 days! but who is counting...we are!), this makes perfect sense. Most rotating door locks pass over a bit of a hump before hitting their stop. This keeps them from rotating open. If you pack the handle over the hump, more pressure is being applied to the seal. We'll certainly try this if we have the problem. We won't let this keep us off our verandah in any case.

Hi Scott

Thanks for your comments.

We've now been onboard for 8 days and after the trial & error handle twist solution being applied to our three verandah doors, we haven't had a problem at all.

We are on for a further 12 days so fingers crossed.

Of course it is crazy that a curious guest such as myself has to experiment to create a solution. I'm also a bit puzzled about the 'Miami fix' that certain learned posters have mentioned. We embarked in Miami, and will be back in Miami in 2 days time. Still not fixed, in this suite at least.

In the meantime best wishes for your future cruise, and for the absence of whistling doors !

Great image:D

Photoshop and alcohol...bad combination. :')

Hahahaha!