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Your favorite Regent ships, and why


UUNetBill
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What was your favorite Regent/Radisson ship?  

54 members have voted

  1. 1. What was your favorite Regent/Radisson ship?

    • Explorer
      15
    • Voyager
      7
    • Mariner
      17
    • Navigator
      7
    • Diamond
      4
    • Song of Flower
      3
    • Paulo Gauguin
      1
    • Minerva
      0


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Okay, not sure if this has been done before, or lately, but I though it would be fun to post a (hopefully) non-contentious thread that helps some Regent veterans think back on some of their happy cruises. Please pick your favorite Regent ship (or Radisson for those of you who go back that far) and give us a little information on what made it your favorite.

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Great idea - haven't seen a poll in a while. Our favorite ship is the Explorer (formerly favorite ship was Voyager due to layout of the ship and the suites).

 

I like the layout of decks 4 and 5 -- it just makes sense. Deck 5, in addition to having Reception and Destination Services together (along with other necessary places), there is a lot of seating room - a great place to people watch. Having a lounge opposite the Coffee Connection (aka The Cafe) is also convenient - especially when there is a Meet and Greet held in the lounge. Deck 4 has the two Boutiques, Casino and another lounge - next to Compass Rose as well as a direct walk to the Constellation Theater. Good planning and I hope this set-up is the same on the new Regent ship.

 

The ship is spacious, has Pacific Rim which is a great addition in terms of dining venues and is just a beautiful ship.

 

P.S. Bill, you did a great job of finding former Regent ships. The one that you missed is a very popular one and still sails today - under different ownership -- the Paul Gauguin. She was our first Radisson ship and we will always have a special place in our hearts.

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Okay, not sure if this has been done before, or lately, but I though it would be fun to post a (hopefully) non-contentious thread that helps some Regent veterans think back on some of their happy cruises. Please pick your favorite Regent ship (or Radisson for those of you who go back that far) and give us a little information on what made it your favorite.

 

Explorer after 2 cruises (37 nights) due to fabulous F 1 cabins, spaciousness of public areas, Pacific Rim, artwork (really) and despite awful theater design.

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P.S. Bill, you did a great job of finding former Regent ships. The one that you missed is a very popular one and still sails today - under different ownership -- the Paul Gauguin. She was our first Radisson ship and we will always have a special place in our hearts.

I think I got autocorrected...somehow the PG became Italian...;p

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My vote went for the Song of Flower. Having cruised on her eiht times, the first time in 1992 as a Seven Seas Cruise ship, she carried only 180 passengers, could cruise into small ports easily, she was a joy. You could get to know and be friends with almost all the passengers onboard and all the crew got to know you by name and knew your favorite drink and had it ready when you got to the bar or "your seat" in the lounge. The Song was like having your own private yacht. Who could ask for more?

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My vote went for the Song of Flower. Having cruised on her eiht times, the first time in 1992 as a Seven Seas Cruise ship, she carried only 180 passengers, could cruise into small ports easily, she was a joy. You could get to know and be friends with almost all the passengers onboard and all the crew got to know you by name and knew your favorite drink and had it ready when you got to the bar or "your seat" in the lounge. The Song was like having your own private yacht. Who could ask for more?

 

That sounds wonderful. We couldn't afford the money (young sons with future college funds to save for) or the work time. If I could have I would have loved that experience.

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Tough one, as each one has it's own charms....Last place would be the Navigator with 2 negatives....no ob. bar and that vibration thing. Next would be the Voyager thru no fault of her own as we've only sailed her once. Then comes the Mariner...warm place in my heart for her. Really love everything about her, but am sorry to hear she is badly in need of a face lift. The Explorer I'd have to put in first place, but not without a few glitches....LOVE the "concierge" cabins (my cabin high water) and the layout of the ship is wonderful. Love Chartruese and Prime 7. They really got those right. Theater has to be put in the "what were they thinking" category. Now if I could just redo the decor (which I personally find atrocious) then we'd really have something!!! BTW, decor isn't a deal breaker in any way, but geez, who was responsible for that debacle?

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My vote also went to the Song of Flower. Perhaps she is better in memory than reality--the likely reasons RSSC sold her were that sailing so small a ship was not financially viable, and the tighter cabins and bathrooms were no longer acceptable in the luxury market. But I've yet to see another ship with the atmosphere that existed there.

 

I never sailed the Diamond, and have not yet sailed on the Explorer (an omission that will be corrected in three weeks), but of the remainders, I'd have to rank the other ships in the following order:

1. Navigator

2. Paul Gauguin

3. Voyager

4. Mariner

 

I realize my list is probably dead opposite from most others', but for me the atmosphere of the ship, the friendliness of its community, and the ship's ability to dock close-in and visit all array of ports are paramount. Navigator ranks ahead of the PG because the PG limits itself to a small area of the world (and I realize it's no longer under the Regent banner, but it has kept much of the Regent approach). Voyager and Mariner are about equivalent, but I'm not nuts about Mariner's hallway setup, nor the chance to wind up in one of its bathtub-only cabins.

 

All that being said, I'd jump onto any of the ships, given the right itinerary and pricing.

Edited by wishIwerecruisin'
spelling
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Although I voted for the Diamond for sentimental reasons, Explorer is my favorite ship today. However, although there are some cruisers that bash the Navigator, I have enjoyed it every time we sailed. It's cozy and we always select a suite front/center. No vibration, no brown water etc. made love TA of new friends on board. If we want a special itinerary offered on the Navigator, no problem. Presently, have two booked for the itinerary.

I guess I love each Regent ship for its own uniqueness. Wouldn't hesitate to sail any of them.

Regards

Sheila

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Although I voted for the Diamond for sentimental reasons, Explorer is my favorite ship today. However, although there are some cruisers that bash the Navigator, I have enjoyed it every time we sailed. It's cozy and we always select a suite front/center. No vibration, no brown water etc. made love TA of new friends on board. If we want a special itinerary offered on the Navigator, no problem. Presently, have two booked for the itinerary.

I guess I love each Regent ship for its own uniqueness. Wouldn't hesitate to sail any of them.

Regards

Sheila

 

Were you on the Mariner going through the Panama Canal?

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We have yet to travel on Voyager, which we will remedy next April.

 

So far, Explorer has been the most luxurious and opulent, plus it has Pacific Rim - quite simply an amazing restaurant with a distinctive and inventive menu,

 

 

However, the lack of an aft facing lounge, no outdoor space beyond the pool & the poorly designed spa area/terrace mean that I prefer Mariner tbh. The layout, pool deck, Horizon Lounge and general ambience were better in my view.

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Should divide into Radisson ship and Regent ship.

 

The Diamond isnour Radisson pick, though Paul Gauguin was a close second. We never went on Song of Flower.

 

Explorer now, with Mariner and Voyager next.

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Haven't been on the Voyager (yet!), so far my fav is the Mariner. Love the aft SS suite for the fabulous balcony. The crew are superb and the common areas are useful and clean. Did not care much for The Explorer. Our forward SS suite was falling apart and the door whistled constantly. Most of the ship was way too ostentatious for me. Navigator has too much vibration but I do love the smaller size and less crowded feel, especially on excursions. But, really, I would sail on any..again, and again, and again.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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I think I got autocorrected...somehow the PG became Italian...;p

 

I should have understood the Italian - guess I wasn't paying enough attention. My computer's autocorrect makes it look like I'm writing in another language (things not caught by spellcheck - if I were to use it -- because they change my words to real words that don't make sense). Very happy that Cruise Critic took misspellings, poor grammar, etc. into consideration when they set up their rules.

 

The results thus far are a bit surprising -- not about the Explorer - I would expect that the majority of people that have sailed on her enjoy the experience -- however, the Mariner being so high up is a surprise. We started sailing Regent when the Voyager was new and the Mariner was just a couple of years older. Word at that time was that they fixed all of the mistakes on the Mariner when they build the Voyager (sort of like what Regent may do with the second Explorer).

 

While I didn't mention it above, our second favorite ship (and it is a fairly close second) is the Voyager. The larger suites really make a difference. When we are on the Mariner, everything seems "mini" (except the public areas).

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This is a no-brainer; Mariner is by far the best ship in the fleet. Cabins big enough and public spaces best of all ships. Voyager is NOT a sister ship; only thing they have in cabin is 700 pax; totally different design with less public spaces including a relaxing open Voyager lounge (so Stars meant they had to set up Voyager lounge as night club). Explorer not even close as CR too noisy and Cat H cabins not very good let alone too small coffee connection and all the other documented design flaws.

 

If they could add horizon lounge to Explorer II and larger P7 and Chartreuse to Mariner and Voyager that would be a Panglossian solution.

 

We are at airport en route to Voyager for 63 nights; will ice nteresting to see my ranking after this trip.

 

Marc

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My favorite is the Mariner. Best public spaces of any of the Regent ships (by quite a lot, IMO). Has the smoothest sailing motion in the fleet (although Explorer is rather nice, too). Good cabins, although the base cabins could use another half foot or even a foot in width (the space between the base of the bed and the wall is a squeeze). Biggest weakness is the gym – just too small (the Navigator also shares this problem).

 

I’d be happy on any of the Regent ships and we select a cruise because of the itinerary and not the ship. But given my druthers, I’d choose the Mariner all the time.

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