Explorer's Inaugural Atlantic Crossing: A Joint Live Blog

Ahoy, mates, Live Joint Blog dead ahead featuring one fun group of CCers!

Even though we don't sail until November 16 from Civitavecchia, I wanted to reserve a message board berth now for those who might want to post en route to, or from, the Eternal City. Ginny and I will be among the early arrivers, as we are joining several other Roll Callers on Regent's pre-cruise three-night offering, "Cherished Relics of Rome." Several more, including Fsulaw1 and 2015 Hot Spots and Headlines co-blogger Travelcat2, are already onboard.

Regarding the Roll Call for this cruise, little could Poster No.1 reblevow have known the response he'd get when he wrote on April 14, 2015, "Hope others will be joining the roll call as time goes on."

They did, all right: eventually more than four dozen! As it winds to a close, this Big Daddy of a Roll Call spans 63 pages, and boasts more than 1,200 replies and 23,000 views. By June of 2015, the conversation was already so varied and animated that 555lavan1+ described it as "like reading a good novel that you can't put down." (I've skimmed the whole thing, but don't quiz me!)

Our group has plans not only for a shipboard Meet & Greet but also a Zqueeze1-arranged "Marriott Invasion" happy hour the night before we sail. There have also been discussions of a "tapas crawl" in Malaga and a farewell dinner in Bermuda. Cruise Critic camaraderie at its best!

I believe that Jackie and yours truly will be the only bloggers on this thread who have already logged nights on the Explorer. I'm keenly interested in our fellow posters' first impressions. Meanwhile, as the Maiden Voyage was port-intensive, I'm planning to continue my exploration of the Explorer and contribute my usual assortment of Random Notes. (I spent all of five minutes, for example, touring the gym the last day of the MV. This time I'm hoping to befriend it--eight sea days call for an exercise regimen.)

This will be Ginny's and my fourteenth Regent cruise and second TA. We were spoiled by the serene seas and warm temps on our April, 2012 crossing aboard the Mariner. In fact, one of my favorite memories of that cruise was our string of leisurely deck lunches as we visited with new friends and listened to Nature's Rhythm Trio for the first time. I am delighted that Larry, Jun and newest member Sernil are still on the Explorer (we renewed acquaintances on the MV, when Jun surprised me by knowing, and ably performing, "Bulldog," an obscure 1960 rock instrumental that I had requested). Weather gods permitting, I'm looking forward to peppering Nature's Rhythm with more noon-hour Pool Deck song requests as I down a tall one.

On behalf of the team, we're happy to have you along. If you have any questions, or requests for info, let us know!

Rich

Seven Seas Explorer, "Atlantic Retreat," Rome (Civitavecchia) to Miami, November 16-December 2, 2016

YAY! Love these live blogs - thank you in advance. We're sailing on Explorer on Dec. 4 and it will be fun to hear about her ahead of time!

I'm taking a break from packing.....or at least waiting for the elves to come in the night and fill the open bags. So far, they haven't shown up......!

The excitement is getting real now. We leave on Sunday and will be in Rome for a couple of days before the big blast off. Looking forward to meeting "the in crowd" at the Marriot. In the mean time, John and I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable trip to Rome. See everyone on board!

Linda and John

PS, Rich and Ginny....looking forward to reminiscing about RV with you!

Agree with everything that Rich said. Our week on the Explorer has been wonderful (as was our cruise in July). Everything on the Explorer seems to be just a notch better than on the other ships. Having John Barron (C.D.) on board is an added treat. He has so much energy and talent.

I have been posting on our Roll Call the past week and want to dispel at least one misconception on this ship. There is a clothesline above the bathtub in the suites (meaning Concierge and F1/F2 suites).

Unlike our first cruise, we are able to relax and truly enjoy the ship. Although it is truly luxurious, after a few days you only think about the food, service and comfortability (made-up word ) of the ship. We have not been in a "regular" suite on any Regent ship in years but have found our time in a concierge and F1 suite most enjoyable. Yes - we miss having a butler but the suite itself could not be better. Must agree with posters that have had concerns about "G" category suites. IMO, most Regent guests would not be happy with having a small bathroom and a closet that isn't walk-in. Hoping that Regent rethinks these suites on the next Explorer-class ship.

Really looking forward to welcoming the 60-70 CC'ers on November 16th. Not sure if our unseasonably warm weather will continue but I'm sure they will enjoy the cruise - whether it is 80 degrees or 30 degrees.

Note: The "Business Center" computers have been full since we have been here this evening which only highlights the need for more computers. Hope that Regent is listening. This would not be a big deal - simply finding a couple of places to put a computer (and printer).

WOW! Looks like your going to have a great time, enjoy and thanks ahead of time for the writings to come. Have a safe trip.

Rick

Note for our upcoming cruise........ John Barron's show (C.D.) is a must see. Best show we have seen onboard - he received a well-deserved standing ovation!

Really really getting excited now.

We leave on Monday for Rome via Atlanta and it can't come soon enough.

Looking forward to the Tues gathering at the Marriott in Rome and then meeting the other posters onboard.

Keep enjoying this leg of the cruise and "rest up" because the rest of the cc'ers are on our Explorer Board are on our way!

Oh, wow. I just went over to look at the roll call for your cruise. What fun it'll be! Thanks for blogging-- I look forward to all the posts. Have a terrific time, everyone.

And, woogie, I'll hold down the fort here in Bonita Springs for you.

We are now in London waiting on our third and last flight. This airport's security process is a nightmare. Really excited to see this live blog take a life of its own. The Boss had a four hour nap on our flight from JFK and is raring to hit the streets of Rome.

Z and TB

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Glad to hear you're on your way and only have a little way yet to go. I sympathize with you as far as Heathrow goes. We have not yet been thru that airport with out some sort of massive glitch.

In the meantime, safe travels to Rome and be careful there as well. Pick pockets are alive and well in the Eternal City.....see you soon!

though I'll have to read it in reverse order to match our Explorer TA crossing next March!

I'm so glad to see this! I expect to see lots of posting and lots of information.

Thanks Rich, Jackie and everyone else!

Peggy

Linda VH, ronrick1943, poss, Portolan and xrvlcruiser, glad to have you along! I'm also delighted to see that no fewer than five Roll Callers have already posted.

Z, sorry you and TB had to endure the always seemingly grueling (at least for us) Heathrow. We were not happy to see "LHR" on the three-flight itinerary that Regent originally offered us, especially since Regent got us home after the MV in July on two flights from Rome. After we complained, the line got back to us with a much better alternative, ABQ-ATL-FCO, and without a deviation charge.

Linda, I'd be happy to reminisce with you and John about Royal Viking Line any time (as Peggy/xrvlcruiser will attest)! That was a magical period in my life, and a big part of that magic was meeting a lovely young lady by the name of Ginny aboard the Star two days out of L.A. at the start of a Circle Pacific cruise in January of 1977. Ginny and I have now been married 36 years!

Rich

Glad folks are on the way to Rome. Z, what problems did you run into at Heathrow with security? We leave for Rome on Sunday with a connection at Heathrow. We arrive and depart from Terminal 5 with a three hour connection time. That should be plenty of time and, hopefully, our past good luck at Heathrow will continue. I was a little apprehensive about luggage transfer at Heathrow so we decided to ship our two big bags ahead with Luggage Free. They were delivered today to the Luggage Free agent in Rome who will deliver them to the ship on the 16th. Big relief!! :D

We're looking forward to meeting folks at the Marriott on the 15th and on the Explorer at the meet and greet. It should be a great cruise.

Heathrow definitely can be a pain, but the Duty Free area is amazing!

I have been through LHR several times every year never had a major problem. Security has got more painful over the years like everywhere else but sometimes we've got through very quickly. Luggage often sitting on the carousel waiting for us. For us it's been better than many other airports round the world.

So no need to fuss about LHR.

Our luggage has been delayed getting to the ship (once for 10 days and another time for 3 days) when going through Heathrow. While we will fly through Heathrow after our March cruise, we aren't as concerned about losing luggage going home as when we are going to the ship.

For this cruise, we flew Air Canada and had two delightful flights (Vancouver to Toronto and Toronto to Tel Aviv).

Almost forgot...... for those of you traveling, for obvious reasons Samsung 7 cell phones are not permitted on airplanes OR on the ship (on the ship they just want to collect them and return it to you after the cruise.

Very excited to follow along on this thread! We are currently on the Mariner in the Caribbean and just booked Explorer's November 24, 2017 transatlantic cruise from Lisbon to Miami. We've been very happy with everything on our first Regent cruise and look forward to our second one!

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Although I do think it's the luck of the draw, we have yet to get thru Heathrow without some sort of MEGA glitch. Most of them involved missed flights and re doing them thru their infamous "connections" desk. Nightmare at best. But most horrifying was being bused to the middle of nowhere, loading plane, then told we all had to get off because it was leaking hydrolic fluid " all over the tarmac". Don't they look at this stuff BEFORE we all get on? But I digress.....as I said, luck of the draw.

Almost forgot...... for those of you traveling, for obvious reasons Samsung 7 cell phones are not permitted on airplanes OR on the ship (on the ship they just want to collect them and return it to you after the cruise.

Some clarification needed here - it's the Samsung Note 7 which is cause for concern. Other Samsung cellphones which have a 7 in the name (eg Samsung S7 or S7 Edge) are perfectly ok.

Gilly, thank you for the clarification. I am not familiar with Samsung phones and only heard "Samsung 7" during the announcement on the plane and onboard the Explorer.

Just now saw this and want to wish everyone bob voyage. We are currently in the Galapagos (see my blog on the Silversea board) but will disembark tomorrow, so I look forward to having this to keep me entertained.

We're happily situated in our airport-area hotel room. We fly out at 8 in the morning to Atlanta, and then after a few relaxing hours in the Delta business lounge, it's on to Rome.

I've been checking the weather forecasts for Rome, Toulon, Barcelona, Cartagena and Malaga, and at the moment things are looking darn good. Other than next Monday in Rome, where there is a 50% chance of showers for the first day of our "Cherished Relics of Rome" tour, I see. . .

11/15 Rome, partly cloudy, 61/48, 0% chance of precipitation

11/16 Rome, sunny, 63/44, 0%

11/17 Toulon, partly cloudy, 62/49, 20%

11/18 Barcelona, mostly sunny, 64/48, 10%

11/19 Cartagena, mostly sunny, 68/53, 10%

11/20 Malaga, mostly sunny, 67/49, 10%

These are positively balmy temps for folks like Ginny and me who live at a high altitude (7,100 feet for us). The other morning we dipped below 30, which spelled doom for our morning glories.

Sure glad now I packed some shorts, tees and several polo shirts!

Rich

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Thank you, Rich! That looks pretty good! May have to throw in some shorts!