eroller

You are welcome! I hope I was able to stir up some great memories for you.

You could be absolutely right about that. Options may be limited post-Covid and things may not be quite where they want them to be. Nothing was bad, it just wasn't any different than excursions I've experienced on the mega-ships. I guess I just expected sometime a little better with Regent.

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the read.

I am jealous! Bon Voyage!

I hope you decide to take the plunge. It was an impressive experience on a very impressive ship. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

You're welcome! The experience was truly 100% positive. In fact I loved it. My suggestions were only that and in no way impacted my enjoyment. You are in for a treat!

SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER June 19, 2022 Rome to Athens 7-Nights - Rome; Amalfi; Catania; Corfu; Gythion; Santorini; Kusadasi; Athens Photo Link (575 Photos): https://www.flickr.com/photos/eroller/albums/72177720300384042 This was my first Regent cruise and it was delightful. I’ll touch on what really impressed and some areas of opportunity as the review progresses. Suffice to say I would absolutely return to Regent and certainly hope to in the future. A little about my background so you have some perspective of the reviewer. I started cruising in the latter 70’s as a pre-teen. My grandmother got me hooked on cruising from my very first cruise on the Italian Line LEONARDO DA VINCI. What a ship! Fast forward some 44 years and this Regent voyage was my 135th cruise. I’ve sailed on everything from Carnival to Silversea, and most lines in-between. My luxury line experience includes Royal Viking (back in the day), Seabourn, Silversea, and now Regent. I’ve also enjoyed many premium cruise experiences on lines like Oceania, Azamara, Windstar, Cunard (Grills), and Disney. In addition I’ve been lucky enough to experience the “ship within a ship” luxury concepts such as the Yacht Club with MSC and the Haven with NCL. It’s surprising just how nice those experiences can be, but I don’t think they can top a full-ship luxury experience like Regent offers. At the end of the day you are still sharing a ship with thousands of fellow passengers instead of hundreds. Although it’s probably obvious I love cruising, it’s the ships themselves that are my passion. Ships are a hobby and have been since I was a child. I collect ship memorabilia and although I’m fascinated by ocean liner history, I’m equally intrigued by the cruise industry today, how its evolved and where it’s heading. Prototype ships really catch my attention, and I enjoy nothing more than sailing on a first-in-class ship. I have to be honest and mention the initial marketing of SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER was somewhat off-putting to me. Touted as the “most luxurious ship ever built” before she even made her debut seemed pretentious and frankly presumptuous to me. Like most new ships I reviewed the interiors, studied the deck plans, and watched some videos. I concluded she was a bit over the top, and perhaps someone else's idea of ultra-luxury but not necessarily mine. Maybe trying a bit too hard? That was my initial perception anyway having never set foot on her. Needless to say perceptions can be proven wrong and that was certainly the case where SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER was concerned. I found the ship absolutely delightful with beautiful original works of art, top notch fittings & finishes, and just the right balance of bling to bring it all together. Surprising I found the ship very comfortable & inviting, and not at all stuffy. The atmosphere onboard was casual elegance even if the surroundings were in some cases opulent. More on the ship in a bit. This adventure started with two nights in Rome and thankfully we had an anti-climatic journey from our home in Fort Lauderdale to Italy. Flights were jammed packed as were the airports. People are traveling in droves after these last years of virtually no travel during Covid. We made all our hotel and air arrangements independently and did not take advantage of the Regent air or hotel program. We took a taxi from Fiumicino airport to our hotel in Rome which was called the River Palace. To our relief we only had to wait maybe an hour for our room to be ready and we instantly crashed for a few hours. The River Palace was a modest hotel very near the Piazza del Popolo and therefore within walking distance to most major attractions of the city. Having already been to Rome several times we had no tours booked and generally avoided the tourist attractions. This was more of a shopping & eating excursion and I confess we ate very well! One observation is how crowded the city was. We generally avoid the Mediterranean/Europe in summer and this trip only reinforced that notion. We will stick to either the Spring or Fall for future European vacations. My favorite day of days arrived. Embarkation day! Even after 135 cruises I still get excited embarking on a ship, especially one I’ve never sailed before and even more thrilling trying out a new cruise line. We opted for the cruise line transfer from Rome to the port of Civitavecchia, as it’s about a two hour journey. We met up with the transfer at the Westin Excelsior which is the pre-cruise hotel that Regent uses. We had our documents and negative COVID tests in hand. We brought with us two proctored COVID tests which I’ve used for other cruises so I was familiar with them. BinaxNOW by Abbott. We each took turns testing in our hotel room using the hotel’s wifi service, and thankfully both of us were negative. The entire process takes about 30 minutes each and the verified results are emailed directly to you, which you can then show to the embarkation staff. It works brilliantly. Embarkation was a little cumbersome but this can be attributed to COVID procedures. The terminal was one of the older terminals (without a/c) but the fans were circulating to cool things off. In fact we embarked on a Silversea cruise from this same terminal. I think the smaller ships must use it. The embarkation process entails providing COVID results, then clearing a security screening, then actually checking-in and boarding the ship. You can opt for a COVID test right at the terminal for a $99 per test fee which is a little steep. FYI Regent will no longer require a negative COVID test at embarkation as of August 1st, unless it’s required by the country of embarkation. Boarding the ship was via the ships gangway, so no modern jet-bridge at this terminal. I have to confess the Silversea embarkation process from this same terminal was superior, but it was several years ago pre-COVID so it’s not a fair comparison. Anyway on that sailing they actually checked us in on the ship in the main lounge with a glass of champagne. First impressions make lasting impressions and that was certainly the case with SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER. We entered into the beautiful atrium with music playing (live music would be better) and were met with a glass of champagne. Our suite was not yet ready so off we went to enjoy lunch in La Veranda. Almost instantly I could feel how spacious and luxurious the ship felt. That first lunch did not disappoint and was a preview of the wonderful cuisine & service we would enjoy the forthcoming week. Our suite was ready around 1pm and we made our way to Deck 8, cabin 860. This was a E-Concierge category stateroom. I absolutely loved this stateroom and it’s a top five favorite of any ship I’ve sailed. The layout was great, with the bed facing the window & doors for amazing views. Tons of drawer space and a perfect sized walk-in closet. The bathroom was beautifully appointed with double sinks, a full size tub and separate walk-in shower. Water pressure was excellent and there was no fluctuation of temperature. I enjoyed all the attention to detail, as honestly that is what really sets an experience apart these days. It’s all about the detail. Luxury bath products; robes & slippers; binoculars; umbrella; live orchid; welcome champagne; stocked mini-bar; coffee/espresso maker; card key holders; welcome letter; wool blanket; cashmere throws; interactive tv with a great selection of movies and music. I requested some rum for the mini-bar and to my surprise a full bottle of rum was promptly delivered. A standout for me was an actual bedspread. I know that sounds silly but I’m so tired of the standard white duvet with runner that is found on every single cruise ship and hotel room these days. Funny enough the bedspread was only put out on embarkation day but it was a nice touch. The live orchid was also a standout, but probably my favorite standout were the metal refillable water bottles by vero. These were yours to keep and they could be refilled at any number of water refill stations around the ship. I always used the one at the Coffee Connection. The water was delicious and it came out ice cold, with your choice of still or sparkling We made great use of these both in the cabin and on shore excursions. We only used room service for breakfast, and it was always served promptly on our choice of the coffee table or balcony, and beautifully displayed. What a great was to start the day, and we are not even breakfast people. Like on other luxury ships you can opt to have dinners in your cabin ordered off the dining room menu, served course by course if you so desire. Our cabin steward was awesome. Besides an introduction the first day we never saw him. Like magic he would service the cabin twice a day without fail. I believe the bed sheets were changed almost every day if not every day which I have not experienced on other ships. Also you did not see cleaning carts and supplies sitting in cabin corridors like on other ships. It was much more discreet. One final detail worth mentioning is laundry. Regent will launder one bag per day of laundry at no charge. We sent out a couple bags during the cruise and the way it returned the next day impressed me to no end. The clean laundry would be waiting on your bed after dinner in these grey Regent boxes, all wrapped in Regent tissue paper. Absolutely beautiful presentation for something as simple as laundry. Should you desire to do your own laundry there were laundry rooms available on most passengers decks. These are not like laundry rooms I’ve seen on other ships. First they are spotless, kept quite cool, complimentary, and have beautiful lighting fixtures, chairs & couches, art, and a large flat panel TV. You can even have room service delivered to one if the mood strikes. That is the kind of attention to detail that sets Regent apart. SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER was built in 2015 but for all intents and purposes she felt brand new. Everything was in pristine condition and I saw virtually no wear & tear. Inside and out she was spotless and as well maintained as the day she entered service. As I mentioned earlier the ship’s original marketing campaign was a bit off-putting to me, but now having experienced the ship first hand I can say she is likely the most lavish and expensive feeling ship I’ve sailed on. The attention to detail in her design, the choice of art (original works by Picasso & Chagall), fabrics, and fittings are all top notch. There was no skimping and it shows. She borrows some traits from her cousin the Marina Class at Oceania, but Regent takes it all to the next level with a better layout, more windows facing the sea, and space. For a ship this size the amount of public space is unparalleled On a ship space equals luxury and that is certainly the case here. My favorite spaces were the extravagant atrium area, the art-deco inspired Explorer Lounge, the magnificent Compass Rose dining room with its gorgeous chandelier, and the topside forward facing observation lounge. Even La Veranda, the buffet restaurant felt luxurious and nothing like a typical buffet restaurant. Outdoor areas were also lovely, with a full teak lined pool deck, a large tiled heated swimming pool, plenty of luxury cushioned sun loungers (shaded or open to the sun), an outdoor but sheltered Pool Grill, an aft open deck dining extension of La Veranda, and down on Deck 6 a partial wrap-around promenade deck leading to the aft spa deck. The Serene Spa had a fantastic aft open deck with infinity heated spa pool overlooking the stern I loved this pool even though it was a bit warm for me. Inside were men’s & women’s facilities including sauna, cold room, experience showers, and steam room. These facilities were open to all at no extra charge. Nice touch. No venue ever felt crowded but it never felt empty either. It was just a very pleasant balance of people and space. Unlike some other luxury and premium cruises the ship felt alive and was not a dead zone at 10pm. After dinner there was usually a show and a choice of venues for live music and dancing. Even a nightclub of sorts for the late crowd. Surprisingly this cruise had a fairly low average age. We were expecting 60 to be the average, but it might have been more like 40. Lots of younger couples and even some large families with kids. Yes there were older couples as well but overall the feeling was younger & vibrant. We only saw one show and I was surprised how large the production show cast was for such a small ship. Rather quaint is how many staff members onboard have double duties. This really reminded me of how cruising was 30-40 years ago when the average ship size was that of SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER. For instance the cruise director also sings and hosted his own show, as did both the social hostess and assistant cruise director. One of the dancers checked us in during embarkation Those little tidbits reminded me of cruising in yesteryear before everything became so big. On to the most important aspect of any cruise, the dining experience. I’ll cut to the chase and say this cruise probably offered the best overall dining experience of any ship I’ve sailed. This is not to say I haven’t had exceptional dining experiences on other ships, I have. I’m talking overall. Up to now I would say Oceania’s RIVIERA was the forerunner with maybe Celebrity APEX not far behind. Regent took the best aspects of Oceania and raised the bar even higher. The selection, quality, ingredients, presentation, service, and most importantly taste were all first rate. We dined at every restaurant the ship offered, from the Pool Grill to Chartreuse. I can honestly say I enjoyed every one of them. While excellent specialty restaurants are common even on mass-market ships, the much more difficult task is an exceptional main dining room experience. This is where Regent really excelled with the Compass Rose. The menu is extensive with a huge selection of available every day items, plus another page of exclusive never repeated items unique to that day. I loved that side items are ordered individually and nothing is pre-plated. Entrees are prepared to order. Service was always exceptional, efficient but not stuffy, and quite friendly. Unlike Oceania where I found the wait staff to be proficient but standoffish, on Regent the wait staff were always friendly and more than willing to chat if you so desired. Something else I have not seen in probably 30+ years are dated menus. This means that days selection will be used once and once only, not to be repeated again. Very impressive. Back in the day this was the norm, but now most ships see menus created by head office and if it’s Tuesday, then the set Tuesday menu will be used. Also up to the task were the surroundings. Versace china, crystal glasses, silver flatware, comfortable seating and beautifully designed spaces. The chandelier in the Compass Rose is especially impressive, along with the very high ceilings. All creating a luxurious atmosphere of space. The specialty restaurants were more intimate, and each offered a unique and exceptional dining experience. Needless to say I ate very well this cruise and my expanding waistline proved it! Funny enough a standout for me was Sette Mari at La Veranda. Perhaps expectations were low because essentially this was the buffet restaurant transformed for dinner, but I have to say it was exceptional and the sunset over Santorini was an added bonus. One nice feature on Regent is that on port day lunches, one of the specialty restaurants is used. This is a great way to dine twice in your favorite specialty restaurant if a second dinner reservation is hard to come by. If there was a miss I would say it was the Pool Grill. The atmosphere was busy and a little loud, and some ventilation fans would have been welcomed as it’s outside and gets toasty. The burgers and fries were just so-so and I consider myself somewhat of a burger connoisseur. This cruise was port intensive and I’m not a fan of port intensive cruises. In fact my favorite itinerary is a transatlantic crossing with no ports at all. It’s one reason I sail on Cunard’s QM2 quite often. This cruise though fit the bill for a variety of reasons, but I would have certainly enjoyed some days at sea to enjoy the ship. In fact there were no sea days this cruise, although we enjoyed some spectacular cruising along the coasts of Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Just stunning. We had been to all these ports before except for Gythion and Amalfi. The port of Amalfi offered the opportunity to explore Positano which did not disappoint It’s something I have been wanting to do ever since seeing the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. In Catania we returned to the quaint oceanside town of Taormina which is as charming as ever. Santorini is always a delight but it was the most crowded we have ever seen it, which took away from some of its charms. In fact it was over an hour wait to take the cable-car back down the mountainside to tender back to the ship. Getting up was no wait at all. The fact there were five ships in port didn’t help matters. Another reason we will avoid the Mediterranean during the summer months. We did take advantage of the included excursions that Regent includes on every sailing. Frankly they left me a bit meh. I’m not sure what I was expecting but they were no different than the excursions I’ve experienced on the mega-ships. Everything was well organized, but I thought perhaps they would be a bit elevated in some way being Regent. They weren’t. Maybe the excursions you pay for have that elevated experience, but that sort of defeats the purpose of having them included. Disembarking SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER was effortless and very well organized. In fact they even offer full room service breakfast on your disembarkation morning which was unexpected. I can honestly say I felt like I was 15 years old again and didn’t want to get off that ship! No I didn’t have a tantrum but I could have easily stayed onboard another week. I can’t say that about every cruise I take. I always enjoy them but usually I’m ready to get off at the end. That wasn’t the case here. We took a cab to our post-cruise hotel in Athens called the in[n]Athens which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would absolutely stay here again. The hotel wasn’t luxurious but it was charming and fully remodeled, and in the heart of Athens. Best of all the a/c worked like a charm which was welcomed with temperatures in the mid-90’s. Our journey home was a 26-hour ordeal going through both JFK and Atlanta but it everything was on time and our luggage made it safe and sound. So really nothing to complain about except a very long day and night. In closing I think it’s apparent my first Regent cruise was a roaring success. It was truly one of my best experiences at sea. This is not to say there were not some areas of opportunity. There were which I will outline here, along with some standout details that truly impressed me. Please keep in mind these suggestions in no way impacted the cruise and are minor, but are ways Regent can elevate the experience and stay ahead of the competition. The luxury market competition is tough after all and getting even tougher. New entrants like Explora Journeys, Scenic, Emerald, Ritz Carlton Yacht Club, the return of Crystal, and even rumors of Four Seasons building new ships. Of course established luxury operators like Seabourn, Silversea, Ponant, and SeaDream Yacht Club are always raising the bar. Personally as a consumer I think the competition is great and keeps everyone on their toes, and I would like Regent to stay one step ahead of the pack. How could Regent raise the bar? - Internet. It’s included but was quite slow and clumsy. - Post cruise survey - in fact it had to be completed during the cruise using the clumsy and slow internet. Frustrating. Email it after the cruise. - No pens in the cabin - a small but missing detail. - Key card holder was a nice touch but needs to be better quality. It quickly began to fall apart. - Offer a full sushi bar experience in Pacific Rim - Improve the quality of the burgers and Pool Grill experience - Offer cold towels and sorbet/popsicles poolside by staff - some other lines do this and it’s a very nice touch, especially on a hot afternoon poolside. - Elevate the shore excursion experience - ours felt no different than mass-market cruises - Elevate the tender/embarkation tents in the various ports. Better seating, more staff, cold towels, more beverage choices than water. Even mass-market lines did a better job. Surprised not even cold towels were offered especially on a summer cruise in very hot ports. This is something that passengers from other competing lines see and Regent should stand out and impress. Standout details that really impressed - - Initial document package - love it. Great attention to detail and a taste of what is to come. Great first impression. - Included professional laundry service - the best at sea bar none. - Laundry rooms - beautifully fitted out and in keeping with the luxury experience. - Dining Room Menus - extensive and printed daily with the date, something you don’t see anymore - Full room service breakfast the final morning onboard. So civilized up to the last moments onboard. - vero water thermoses and refill stations. Fantastic concept and also great for the environment A win win. - Specialty Restaurant Lunches - great way to experience a specialty restaurant without committing to a full dinner - Full bottles of liquor delivered for the mini-bar. Very impressive. - I never heard the word “no”. A true testament to an ultra-luxury experience. Bravo Regent on delivering excellent service from beginning to end. I hope you enjoyed the review as much as I enjoyed my first Regent experience Please enjoy the pictures from this cruise which can be found at the link located at the beginning of the review. Every area of the ship is extensively covered. Until next time … happy sailing!

Looking forward to following along. INFINITY is on my short list for an upcoming cruise. I sailed on her almost 20 years ago on a cruise to Hawaii and it was a great trip. Generally I love the M-Class ships and have sailed on all four. I’m mainly interested in how she is holding up, and that the a/c issues have been resolved which I think they have. Enjoy your cruise!

Glad you enjoyed them and you are quite welcome.

Thank you! You're welcome. Now if I could just get the inspiration to write that review! LOL

You are quite welcome! Our cabin was a Concierge E and it was splendid. Beautifully laid out and appointed, plenty large enough, and a huge balcony. One plus over the Penthouse is that our cabin had a full tub and walk-in shower. The Penthouses only have a shower. Not a big deal if you're not a bath taker, but my husband does love a good bath and he took a couple on this cruise. Nice large tub.

I agree! She is a stunner!

Thank you for that!

I’m curious as well. Right now a future booking is between INFINITY and EXPLORER OF THE SEAS. Normally I would gravitate towards Celebrity without question, but recent reports of INFINITY are cause for hesitation. Like you I can’t tolerate lack of a/c, especially in the Caribbean.

I think Regent is still holding out about 10 cabins per sailing for quarantine requirements. Overall I think Regent and the entire industry are well on the road to recovery. This is not to say significant challenges still exist ... they do. They are doing a good job mitigating them though. One of the biggest challenges currently is air. The demand simply exceeds capacity right now, and the airlines are dealing with their own post-Covid challenges. Many close-in sailings with Regent still have space for a variety of reasons. Many people didn't want to travel abroad because of the US testing requirements to return. That has now been lifted but the air capacity is restrained. We also have the war with Russia and that meant some fairly last minute drastic itinerary changes for the Baltic. This is really impacting SPLENDOR. I was set to sail on her to the Baltic on a 10-day and the itinerary was completely changed to a 17-day day cruise, which was not feasible for me. So I ended up on the EXPLORER. Some of the new itineraries for SPLENDOR left me a bit puzzled and I have to wonder if they were the best choice. I'm not sure creating longer itineraries so last minute was a wise decision. Alaska has been a big surprise to all the cruise lines, including Regent. A blockbuster season was expected and unfortunately the reality has been lackluster. So many cruise lines are giving Alaska away and Regent has plenty of space on the MARINER as well. I'm not really sure why Alaska is under-performing? It's a fairly close-to-home destination with fewer restrictions so you would think it would be more popular. Who knows? Regent did sell out the latest world cruise before it went on sale, and overall the future looks bright. Their phone lines have been very busy and I believe they set some single-day booking records (as have other lines). But I think it's mostly for sailings that are a year or more in the future, and the close-in sailings remain more of a challenge.

Attached is a link to all the photos I took from this cruise, with most being of the ship herself. Many are labeled to describe what the photo is. Others without labels are pretty self-explanatory. Included are some menus and at the end are all the daily programs and some other printed materials. A full review is forthcoming which I will create a new post for. There are 575 photos in total. https://www.flickr.com/photos/eroller/albums/72177720300384042

Funny enough I was a fairly vocal critic of this ship when she was first introduced. I thought she was over the top and the Regent marketing of "most luxurious ship ever built" was off-putting and pretentious to me. Fast forward to today and I'm a big fan of the ship. Yes there is glitz & glamour and a world class art collection, but it somehow all worked, is done tastefully, and didn't seem over the top or pretentious. In fact I felt the ship was quite stunning, and the atmosphere onboard was friendly, welcoming, and very comfortable. The pax count was around 675 from what I was told. So near capacity. No shortage of service staff, no shortage of supplies, and all venues & entertainment operating. In fact except for embarkation and having to provide negative Covid results, this cruise seemed 100% normal like pre-Covid.

You are welcome.

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the pics. More on the way. It was a great trip but we were reminded why we don’t do the Med in summer. Too hot and crowded. Couldn’t help it this time, but next time back to late September or October.

Although I"m not a ballroom dancer, I sail on Cunard a lot where ballroom dancing is very popular. They have the big bands and the grand ballrooms. That is not this ship. There were beautiful lounges and bars, but no grand ballrooms. The two largest dance floors onboard would be the Meridian Lounge and the Observation Lounge. Some nights there was Big Band Swing in the Meridian Lounge. I've attached a couple pics of the lounge and dance floor for reference.

You’re welcome. I’ll eventually post a link to the full album once I sort them and upload.

We dined very well on the cruise, and I'm pleased we were able to dine in every establishment. Compass Rose. Pacific Rim. Chartreuse. Prime 7. La Veranda. Coffee Connection. Pool Grill. Sette Mari. And room service. There were no bad meals and we enjoyed excellent service in every venue. Some meals stood out more for their excellence, and nothing had to be sent back. Surprisingly Sette Mari was one of my favorites. Since this was part of the buffet restaurant I think my expectations were perhaps lower. I was very impressed. Overall I felt cuisine & service on Regent (this cruise at least) was to a higher standard than what I experienced on Seabourn & Silversea. There was also a lot more variety which I appreciated. The menu in Compass Rose was especially impressive for a main dining room. On the whole It was inline with Oceania, maybe a tad bit better, and this of course is no surprise since both brands are part of the same parent company. Attached is a little food porn for anyone into that.

Thank you to everyone that replied. I don't think I would have any problem booking SPLENDOR and I appreciate your comments. Seems like at the end of the day they are more alike than different. They are of course the same class of ship. Based upon the renderings I've seen of GRANDEUR, she might be my favorite of the trio. Very sophisticated decor with a smattering of whimsy. She looks gorgeous. At least I know I love this class of ship. I'm not sure how I would feel about the older Regent ships.

Fair enough. I appreciate your insight. Of course we all have different design tastes and they are all subjective. There is no right or wrong. I do thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Oh wow interesting. I actually thought SPLENDOR was the preferred ship as she is newer and toned down a bit. Personally I loved the glitz & glamour on EXPLORER, and the art work was first rate.