Dr. Cocktail

I also like good entertainment - too bad I wasn't able to see it on Regent! I'm not one for lectures in the Caribbean - depends on the itinerary. I'm curious to see how Explora pulls it off. I know that they have a strategic partnership with Steinway to provide 4 (!) pianos per ship and rotate through a roster of artists. Your comments on shore tours generally aligns with mine - I didn't mind a short minbus ride to go snorkelling and my included excursions were fine for the Caribbean. But - for the last 20 years, we have always done private tours on our travels. Generally not hard to arrange and it provides an entirely different level of information and comfort.

I read that Explora is targeting "the working wealthy, age 50 to 65". At age 59 (for a wee bitty longer!), I'm not straying from their target. Based on their videos, they really just look a new generational version/vision of luxury. I don't view them as being expedition at all! Their numerous bars, lounges, cabanas and pools look perfectly designed for doing nothing! I will be reporting back in due course!

Not anytime soon but three booked on Explora!

One hundred percent agree! Statements like that create absolutely unreal expectations for those who have never sailed before. I wish that marketing departments would actually consult with the people who have to deliver the product! It IS an excellent product but change the brochure to "Dine in our complimentary, award winning (there's ALWAYS an award for something) myriad of restaurants with your special someone and new found friends". Just don't fill in the details!

Actually, Regent's latest brochure says: "Dining is always whenever, wherever and with whomever you choose"..... It does imply that you can just walk into the restaurant of your choice.

I have many friends/patients always calling/emailing me for cruising advice .... I always say that the itinerary trumps nearly EVERYTHING! I'm not saying "no" to Regent in the future ... it's staying on my "preferred providers" list. I'm just saying "not just right now". As my cruising is going to be just for R and R for the next little while, Explora may be a better fit based on their marketing.

You HAVE to try a cruise - it's required by law if you're on these boards! You can then use it as a template to see what you do or don't like!

Farm fresh, artisanal butter from an Eastern Facing pasture supervised by Nuns

Thanks! ALL the restaurants have background music and while tastes are different, it's ... bad! The word "curated" is extremely overused these days (a blt sandwich is now a "curated porcine medley with artisanal lettuce cultivated in a free-range rabbit warren and Yusmani (it's important to make up a word) tomatoes." Having said this, if you're going to have music (and I am a fan) in the background, it should be curated to be appropriate for the venue and the audience. You can't hear the music when the restaurants are full but as we dined late, as the venues emptied out, the music became VERY apparent.

Thanks! Soooooo funny .... on our first dinner at CR, we were likely the last ones seated in the dining room and one of the last to leave. We were lingering over our desserts/cheeses when they turned the lights on FULL! We looked at each other and said: "we get the message!" and broke out in hysterical laughter - just one of those times. We just found it hilarious and walked past the podium as the lights went back to normal. We told Jorge, laughing, that everyone could now clean up. He was MORTIFIED!!!!!! We honestly thought his head would explode.... he would speak to the server who accidentally turned out the lights, was our evening ruined, he's so embarrassed, etc, etc, etc.... Of course, we were still laughing and I finally had to put my hand on his shoulder and say: "There is only one person upset here and it's not us! We had a great dinner and a laugh - relax!"

Um, it's called The Table of Shame. Accuracy is critical.

Combining "regular", "Regent" and "folks" in sequence is an oxymoron! I have enjoyed your posts and let's face it - all of our discussions in this thread are from an extremely lucky group of people (myself included) who have the ability to cruise on Regent. I ABSOLUTELY know that this product is perfect for many people - I think it's important to have a comprehensive review for newbies to see why I liked/didn't like aspects of the cruise and see if it applies to them.

Was that so hard?!

Thanks! As you can tell from my signature, I like trying different products! That's the point of my disclaimer and my review - a good review contains information that you can use in helping make a decision. I'm not here to preach to the converted!

It's like arguing with my cat .....

I can only comment honestly on personal experiences, not on empirical statements. I won't get into a fight over whether or not I saw the General Manager but the deck chair policy is most certainly NOT being enforced. I witnessed numerous people holding chairs both in the shade and in the sun.

As I stated, different ships/different dates/different biases .... Individual Results May Vary! I think that you have to see for yourself and always keep expectations in check!

Thanks for all your comments!

Thanks for your comments! See my other comments re Pacific Rim but - different sailings/seating times/days may have different results! I respectfully submit myself for Five Lashings with a Wet Noodle! The F and B Manager may have been there but I didn't realize because he wasn't wearing his name tag or stripes! The Hotel Manager and Captain were definitely MIA.

I Thanks for your thoughts! I will slowly respond to individual comments... The door was well and truly broken! You had to pull with all of your strength.... I wasn't specific enough regarding Pacific Rim. We went the first night and got a table at 8:30. Not a single item we had was hot - everything was tepid at best. None of the fried items were crisp - it all just felt warmed over. Getting a chair wasn't a problem - shade was.

The Bottom Line A fantastic time on a great “old school” product that really needs some attention to detail. I liked my cabin and appreciated the high end furnishings and finishes. Generally great food and fabulous cocktails. An almost universally excellent crew but noticeable absence of senior officers including the General Manager, F and B director and Captain doing the rounds. It’s not for show - it’s to actually witness on a random basis what’s going on and what people are saying. An absolutely terrific group of fellow travelers! Would I return? At present - no. The lack of shade and jostling for chairs is a real deal breaker for me. The stories are true. It’s really an unwanted stress on vacation. The “rigidity” of timings of meals and entertainment is also not ideal. Again - an excellent product but just not for me at this time. I have high hopes for Explora Journeys and have a few cruises booked. I’m hopeful that their less structured product and truly vast outdoor and covered pool decks may be a better fit.

Shore Excursions All Excellent. I did the Jolly Roger snorkeling in Roatan whereas my partner did the horseback riding. An excellent dolphin encounter in Cozumel (I did my research - supposedly the animals are treated well in this one) and a positively spectacular Private Beach Villa at Harvest Caye. Still - the cattle call in the theater in Roatan was ridiculous. Where’s the “luxury” in 600 of us sitting and waiting to be called? I’m a recovering luddite but an app which would tell us it’s time to go would be a far better solution. The Crew Almost uniformly superb. Just wonderful. The only less-than-idea/friendly staff stood out in comparison. I have to mention the servers at the pool grill who just weren’t particularly engaged. Fellow Passengers Despite all of my criticisms, this is where Regent shone. Bar none, easily THE nicest and loveliest group of people we have encountered on a ship. I didn’t have to give the stink eye to anyone! Interesting, varied backgrounds and all ready to chat and have a drink - my kind of people. I was taken aback when I was chatting with one lady in her late 70’s (?) who asked if I had sailed on Regent before. I told her my cruise history and she was surprised and asked what I thought. I said I loved it but wished it were a bit better in various ways. She said “true, but where else would I meet someone as lovely and nice as you!”. She made my day!

The Dining Generally excellent to superb with some curious and glaring misses. I’ll break it into the various venues: La Veranda An “old school” ship’s buffet with a surprising lack of high end ingredients. As expected, food from the chafing dishes was lukewarm at best. I would have thought that action stations with smaller portions laid out would be the way to go. I enjoyed the eggs brought to my table at breakfast but the rest was “meh”. No berries or exotic fruits. Cocktail shrimp in a bowl, not shrimp cocktails or jumbo shrimp. The breads, like everywhere else on the ship, lacked variety and taste and I’m somewhat suspicious that they were from frozen dough. The cheese selection at lunch was shockingly bland - I’d say “Costco '' but my local store has waaaaaaay better choices! Pacific Rim Truly a jaw dropping space with its high ceilings and downtown restaurant vibe. But - bland food served only slightly warm. A big disappointment. High end ingredient food-court Asian. Chartreuse. Two dinners and one lunch. The first dinner was “off” (food thermal problems again) but the restaurant redeemed itself on subsequent visits. Finally some decent cheese - but brought out on a plate with no choice. Prime 7 We ordered waaaaaaaay too much and were embarrassed at how much we left. All hot, delicious and satisfying. I wished the steak were a bit better but I’m really quibbling here! Compass Rose. A winner - easily among the best main dining room food experiences we’ve had at sea. I’m not a fan of big, noisy rooms but it just all works. 6. Pool Grill Hit or miss depending on your server. The only restaurant where they got orders wrong. The Lobster Nachos have nothing wrong with them that some lobster couldn’t solve and the burgers are obviously frozen, preformed patties. Simply unacceptable. The other items available were generally excellent The ambient music in the restaurants is generally terrible - not dissimilar from what you would hear in a supermarket. Different playlists in the various areas - let’s say Frank Sinatra/Tony Bennett in the Prime 7 and French contemporary music in Chartreuse for example would be a vast improvement. 7. Sette Mari I’ve saved the worst for last. A train wreck. We arrived at 8 and were told it would be about a half hour wait. We said “no problem” and headed down to the Meridian Lounge. At 8:40, we were just getting out of our seats to head to Compass Rose before it closed when they told us our table was ready. We headed upstairs and went directly to the antipasto buffet which was basically picked clean - platters almost empty and some not even there. The food that arrived was fine but the noise level, clanging of dishes and overall ambiance was awful. We left before dessert and witnessed waiters emptying industrial strength biscotti from packages onto plates. We were so upset that we sacrificed a Compass Rose for this mall food court experience I would have been perfectly fine with an honest answer when we arrived, namely: “we’re so sorry but we really underestimated the number of people tonight and are full for the evening. You can go to Compass Road or let me phone the other restaurants to see if they can seat you anytime soon”.

The Alcohol The cocktail quality overall was SUPERB - like, really the best! The mixology at the Meridian Lounge was beyond inventive and creative. I think I had one “ bad” cocktail all week and I put that down as my choosing poorly. I had needlessly worried about the complimentary wines based on prior reviews and while a daily printed list would have been nice, it wasn’t necessary. It was immediately obvious that the sommeliers have been instructed to offer cheaper wines, but some polite engagement and humor got us great choices. As an example, I was offered a pinot at our lunch at Chartreuse with him practically pouring before I could answer. I smiled and asked what he had in a white. He started with offering a Sauvignon Blanc, moved onto a riesling and then asked about a California Chardonnay. I asked if a Chablis was available and moments later it was poured! It does put more pressure on you knowing what YOU want but not a biggie. The pool bar’s main bartender, I Gusti was fabulous but ridiculously overworked. This area was frequently understaffed and resulted in some guests practically vibrating in irritation which I found strangely amusing! The Entertainment A bit of a mess …..but not for the reasons you think. I like to dine late (8 or later) which was compounded by the fact that the earliest reservations available for the specialties was 8:30 or after. All the lounge entertainment, however, came to a grinding halt at around 7:30 and was quiet until 9. So - if I have a dinner reservation at 8:30, it means no band, Gino (fantastic) or anyone else for that matter with my pre dinner cocktails. And seeing the show? Impossible as I’m still eating. This really falls on the CD and head office … stagger the entertainment in the lounges from 6 until 9:30 and offer an early show at 6. Problem solved.

The Ship Our Superior Suite had one of the interesting, forward facing angles balconies that was great - if you could get outside! The locking mechanism was misaligned with the door frame and it took ALL of our effort to open the door. Numerous trips by maintenance never got the issue resolved. The furnishings were extremely high quality but I wish that all of the luxury lines would opt for light or “summer” duvets as it got extremely hot. The cabin was immaculately clean but strangely showing signs of wear in numerous areas. The faux plastic moldings aren’t particularly durable. I wasn’t a fan of the long, walk-in closet with the lighting not really illuminating the cubbies and shelves. The decor in the ship overall was quite luxe if not always to my taste. Great artwork everywhere! Decks 4 and 5 in particular had a grand, ocean liner feel to them and the overall layout was good. There were many varied and interesting floral bouquets throughout this area. The “Infinity Pool” isn’t really one as while in or in front of it, you can’t see beyond the cloudy rear wall. I noted one particularly irritating and one MAJOR design flaw based on the many ships that I have sailed on. The “irritating” was the numerous sets of doors on deck 11 that were not self opening or closing. The doors leading outside at La Veranda self open so why can’t the others? From the forward elevator lobby to the entrance of La Veranda, one always seems to be opening and holding doors for someone else. Just strange considering the target audience. The major is the absolutely too small pool/resort decks on 11 and 12. Why is there so much chair hogging? Because there isn’t enough deck space and there aren’t enough chairs! “Luxury” isn’t arriving at the pool deck every morning at 7 to get a chair in the shade. The decorative dividers at the sides on Deck 11 creating “mini cabanas” take up a lot space. Their removal would facilitate adding more chairs. Why there isn’t a deck 15 (and 16!) forward sun deck is mind boggling. Not wanting people over the Regent Suite is a ridiculous answer. Put in some stairs and a gate, only have it open from 9 until 6 and put in some insulation. Problem solved.