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AZ Travelin'

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Posts posted by AZ Travelin'

    Two questions about sailing Explorer on Eastern Caribbean cruise

    in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

    Posted

    We are planning a 10-day Eastern Caribbean cruise in 2020 on Explorer (Miami-Miami) and were hoping some of you who have done these routes before could offer us a little insight on a couple of items.

    1) Concierge (D, E) vs. Superior (F1, F2) suites

    Our inclination is to book a Superior suite, as it is the same size as the Concierge and seems to be the best value. We are comfortable managing our own transfers, pre-night hotel, and luggage in Miami (although I have an additional question about that below) but are wondering about the drop in priority for booking excursions. I just don't have a sense for how many become unavailable (30%? 50%?) by not booking the higher level suite.

    2) Miami port access

    We did hear that disembarking at Miami's port can be a hassle (very congested, long taxi lines, etc.). But that congestion would be there regardless if Regent handles our transfers, so it seems like an Uber and some patience would take care of that problem. Or is there something else about Miami's port we should know about, both for embarking and disembarking, if we're handling our own transfers?

    Thanks in advance for your input!

    Back from RSSC Mariner POST Dry Dock - VERY DISAPPOINTED

    in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

    Posted

    I read this thread right after returning from Alaska on the RSSC Mariner (5/30 - 6/6/18) and appreciate the candid commentary. I wanted to share our experience as well. I think our trip was one or two voyages after californiacruiseluvrs' trip, so perhaps a few kinks were worked out over that time. I actually noticed things improving as our own cruise went on. I have to assume that putting a ship in service after a lengthy dry dock is a pretty extensive process.







    First I want to disclose that this was only our second cruise (we sailed Oceania's Regatta on a Mediterranean cruise a few years back), but we have traveled extensively over several decades and so have a lot of travel experience to compare this to.





    We stayed in a Concierge Suite D, which was fine for 7 days but we'd probably go with the Penthouse on this ship for a longer trip. Loved the bathroom, especially the shower (we had no tub by choice). Compared to the Regatta, this was a far superior stateroom at the Concierge level. The balcony was a little small but we weren't out there much as it was understandably quite chilly. The public areas were clearly renovated and looked beautiful. Internet service was spotty...not sure why this was the case.





    We found the crew to be friendly and competent for the most part. I'd say 85% we interacted with were very good, 10% were average and 5% were rude. They mostly had accents as most were from eastern Europe, but I agree with Travelcat2 that this is to be expected and even appreciated, given that Regent hires people from around the world.





    We had VERY high expectations for the culinary experience and have to say the food may have fallen a notch below what we'd hoped. Compass Rose got progressively better as the cruise went on and by the last couple of days I was absolutely loving their offerings. Prime 7 was a total disappointment. Not only were our steaks sub-par (as in, if I got this steak at an Outback I'd be highly disappointed), but the server actually challenged me when I politely told him it clearly didn't seem to be "prime" quality. Sette Mari was a wonderful surprise. EVERYONE wanted into this place! They don't take reservations so you had to wait in a long line to get a table. Loved Chartreuse...would have liked to have gone there twice. We went to Veranda for most breakfasts and lunches, and while I am not a buffet fan, it was a better daytime atmosphere than CR. (I wish CR had a better breakfast menu.) The pool restaurant food was pretty lousy -- no other way to put it. House wines were also a disappointment. Seriously, a company with Regent's buying power surely can find better wines to pour by the glass! We ended up using most of our shipboard credit on bottled wines, which we found were very fairly priced.





    We didn't do the spa so I can't comment on that. We did do several excursions and very much enjoyed them. One of the reasons we chose Regent is because everything is included (although we did pay a little extra for a couple of the excursions). Oceania, on the other hand, nickels and dimes for everything. If you want the drink package and excursions, you'll end up paying as much as you would on Regent, in my estimation, and you'd be settling for inferior rooms by comparison. (We also chose Regent because we wanted a luxury cruise but not one requiring formal dinner attire. We appreciate a "casual elegant" dress code but can't think of anything much more impractical than taking gowns and tuxedos on a cruise.)





    Passengers were generally friendly although we certainly ran into a few grumpy ones. We tend to socialize on excursions and during post-dinner entertainment (not looking to meet people to have dinner with, in other words), so we found lots of fun people with similar interests.





    I thought the entertainment as a whole was fine, albeit a bit inferior to Regatta's in my opinion. Then again, I wasn't expecting a Broadway show. I thought the performances were creative and fun, and that the Regent Orchestra was outstanding.





    All said and done, we both left the Mariner satisfied, and we will definitely travel on Regent again. We will continue to look to this forum for input and suggestions -- all of you have been so helpful! We plan to take many more cruises and are already planning our next one, this time on Explorer.

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