RSSC Explorer Secrets, Tips and Advice

We are currently on our first Regent cruise and one of the things we learned that we didn’t know in advance was that you can request two bottles of alcohol for your stateroom (1 litre in size) - just ask your stateroom attendant for the request form.

We have also noticed they don’t do much to watch for people leaving things on the lounging chairs at the pool while they are off doing other things so the ones in the shade are hard to come by - if you want them you need to claim them early in the AM.

Our last tip is do go to the onboard lectures even if the topic doesn’t sound great as the presentations we’ve had so far have all been really interesting!

PS. We are on Mariner so some of this may differ on Explorer.

I just got off the Explorer Feb. 19 to March 1 Caribbean cruise and will report the chair hogs are out in force. I'm an early riser, and to test the system and sat in a choice deck chair in the shade by the pool at 7:00 am on the last full day of the cruise. This was a sea day. About 7:15 am two people came by and "saved" (by placing books and bags on the chairs) four chairs on either side of me. They came back to sit about a hour and a half later. I did this just to confirm my suspicions. This was going on every day, but I didn't really check times. My traveling companion did point this out to a junior officer on deck, but nothing was done. I don't know what to do. You can complain to officers on board. You can save your own deck chairs, but get there early. But don't count on decency from all your fellow passengers, because some will abuse the guidelines to take advantage of others who are more considerate.

Well, I must have been traveling with Fluckey because I just got off from Explorer on 3/1 and noticed the same shameful behavior from people hogging chairs on deck! So crass!! I think the Captain should, when he gets on the horn at noon, give an admonishment to this people. Really!! I was mellow this time, but will not stand for this next time I cruise!

Thanks, TC. Once again you come through for us with useful info. Glad to hear about the Infinity Pool. Also, although we have cruised several times with Regent (but not on Explorer) we never knew about the ordering special meals in CR. Can't wait to try Indian cuisine spiced beyond the generic, bland versions. You are our hero; hope to meet you one day. Thanks, again.

Hi and welcome to the Regent board!

 

In general, the tips for other ships also apply to the Explorer. The Explorer does have an extra dining venue - Pacific Rim. I always recommend that people new to Regent set up their account on the rssc.com website. If you have not done this already, suggest that you do it. It takes about 5 minutes to set up and you will see the dates when you can book excursions and dining reservations (recommend booking them the day that they open - keep in mind that the day is 12:00 a.m. EST.

 

If you have not booked (or booked very recently), I highly recommend using a TA that regularly books Regent cruises as this will save you money in terms of getting a percentage back on your cruise fare and possibly OBC's (depending upon the itinerary).

 

Deviation - for $175/person you can select your flights 270 days prior to sailing. You mentioned flights with two stops. I found a Lufthansa flight with only one stop. This is better for two reasons: 1). If you have a stop in the U.S. (stopping in New York for instance), your flight from Florida may be in coach (unless you are using the same airline on all flights), and 2). Lufthansa has flat-bed seats in Business Class and, In my opinion, is a far better airline than U.S. based carriers. Having just booked a deviated flight to Barcelona on Lufthansa, I know that Regent is contracted with Lufthansa.

 

If you booked a concierge or above suite, a pre-cruise hotel is included. If you are not on a concierge or above suite, Regent will expect you to fly to Nice the day of embarkation. If you decided to book your own hotel the day before, you would still pay the deviation fee since you have technically deviated your flight. Sorry - this is confusing to most of us -- if I am not clear on anything, I'll be happy to clarify.

 

While not a secret, some passengers coming from non-luxury cruise lines may not know that in the main restaurant, Compass Rose (we refer to it as CR), you can pre-order almost anything that you wish 24 hours in advance by contacting the restaurant manager. We have ordered Indian, Indonesian, Filipino meals as well as Chateaubriand, etc. Also, on some nights, the choices on the CR menu make it difficult to make a choice. So, you can order an appetizer portion of a entree visa versa. Sometimes we get an extra entree - just to share -- lobster is great for sharing and is on the everyday menu.

 

One item on the CR menu that I want to make a special point about is the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass - it is amazing.

 

Crowds in CR is a problem on all ships ONLY after an event like the Captain's Reception or Farewell and when they hold the Seven Seas Society party for returning guests. After the event, 400+ people line up for CR and, as with any restaurant, it is just about impossible to give great service when everyone arrives at once. Suggest getting to CR at 6:30 p.m. or wait until 8:00 p.m.

 

There is one area of the Explorer that is not on the other ships - the Infinity Pool. It is a small area in the front of the ship near the gym (they have a wonderful gym on Explorer) where you can hang out and watch the sea - whether you are in the water or on a lounge.

 

There are a lot of nooks and crannies on the ship to relax - read a book or people watch. The decor of the Explorer is amazing. You may want to stop by the library - if only to see the leather floors. Also, kind of a secret is the fact that there are two computers in the library (you can't print but they work just fine).

 

Hope this isn't too much information. I'm sure that you will have a great time on Explorer!

Thank you for your very kind post - it is appreciated:p. When you order your special Indian dinner with the Restaurant Manager, be sure to let him/her know the spice level that you would like. They can certainly accommodate that. Also, anytime you like, you can order a bit of "sambal" (a bit different than sriracha) to add to you food. It seems to go well with any dish when you want a little more heat!

I have a feeling that you will love Explorer!

"Sambal" isn't Indian - it is Indonesian but that doesn't matter much. It spices anything up!

We haven't been on Explorer yet but have ordered an Indian meal in the CR on all the other ships. And uniformly the food has been delicious. I asked why it was so good once - and was told that there is an Indian chef who cooks for the butlers. (All the butlers are Indian).

"Sambal" isn't Indian - it is Indonesian but that doesn't matter much. It spices anything up!

 

We haven't been on Explorer yet but have ordered an Indian meal in the CR on all the other ships. And uniformly the food has been delicious. I asked why it was so good once - and was told that there is an Indian chef who cooks for the butlers. (All the butlers are Indian).

Thank you! Any particular favorite dishes? I'm a fan of lamb vindaloo, vegetable korma, and vegetarian thali.

What an interesting discussion! We’re on our first Regent cruise next week and looking forward to some warmth - the weather in the UK at the moment is foul.

 

I’m interested to see that you can request a particular cuisine in advance in CR. We so often find cruise ship food to be bland, and we love spicy food. I’ve been wondering if the green Thai curry, for example, is a real curry or a cruise ship version with narry a chilli to be seen....

The regular serving will probably be rather bland, but as with any other food preference you might have, just tell the waiter that you like spicy food and chillis and if its doable, they will do it. Regent is renowned for this.

"Sambal" isn't Indian - it is Indonesian but that doesn't matter much. It spices anything up!

 

We haven't been on Explorer yet but have ordered an Indian meal in the CR on all the other ships. And uniformly the food has been delicious. I asked why it was so good once - and was told that there is an Indian chef who cooks for the butlers. (All the butlers are Indian).

know that Sambal is Indonesian but I like it in a lot of food. I have it at home and put it in soup to give it a little kick. While I don't care for food that blows your mouth out, a bit of spice is a good thing. When we were on the Mariner, when they had an Indian buffet on the pool deck, there were various spices that you could add.

coljack: We enjoy almost anything Indian - lamb, chicken, shrimp....... We had some of the best shrimp ever on the Mariner (Indian style and also had it prepared Indonesian style). We ask that the chef prepare whatever he/she wants to prepare. They asked if there was anything that we didn't care for and there wasn't. There is an Indian dish that is like a fried ball but is made with onion -- so delicious. They prepared a tandoori dish that tasted as if it were made in a tandoor - don't know how they did it. However, as mentioned, the naan wasn't up to par - think they need a real tandoor to make it correctly.

Onion bhaji.

Onion bhaji.

Thanks - it makes my mouth water thinking about it!

Onion bhaji.

....... traditionally served with Mint Raita ......... yummy :D

You do not need a tandoor to make tandoori food. You just have to have an oven that will go up to 250C and "suspend" the food in air. I make tandoori chicken this way - on skewers over a roasting pan. 10 mins at 250 and it is perfect. Of course you also have to do the two marinades so ti tastes as it should!!

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Electrical outlets on the explorer? if we bring a multi plug surge protector from the USA will it work? or do we need the European plug adapter? so we can plug in our computers and I-phones? This will be our first cruise on Regent.

Bring an power strip without a surge protector as they are fire hazards on cruise ships. There are U.S. and international plugs but not enough of them. There are also USB ports in the suites which makes it easy to charge items.

The Explorer is a gorgeous ship - have a wonderful cruise!

Unfortunately there are no international outlets on Regent ships; only European and US.

Some of the US sockets are awkwardly located on Explorer.

To many of of in the U.S., outlets that do not look like ours we simply call them international since we generally cannot identify the plugs. Actually, I have no idea what plugs would be used in "European" outlets..... probably the two pronged ones but then, there are two pronged plugs with thin and/or thick prongs - plus there are U.K. outlets that also look similar to some in other countries (I have an assortment of plugs for various countries and they definitely can be confusing). However, if we need to use an outlet that is not like ours, we make a point to learn what it is. I just purchased a plug for Indonesia that looks like many other plugs but must be different in some way. The poster that asks the question is from the U.S. so they would be looking for U.S. outlets.

Hopefully when "SS Splendor" is launched there will be truly "international" electrical outlets in the suites i.e. the type provided on some aircraft and in many international hotels that accommodate plugs from multiple countries.

Just a few random comments, as earlier postings have pretty-much covered the field. And, will not stray onto other Threads. Well, maybe a little.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This applies to "chair hogs". This was a MAJOR item of CC Thread discussion about 18 months ago. Same issue as to early-morning claiming of a lounge chair; then, perhaps, the individual who did so placed his or her rear end on same perhaps periodically during the day. This became such an issue that passengers sought out upper-level Officers while onboard because concerns addressed to other Staff did not result in addressing the problem. A notice in Passages--even when in ALL CAPS--was not sufficient.

What was sufficient was establishing a "Table of Shame". In our experiences aboard Mariner, Voyager, and Navigator, such was usually placed near the Pool Bar. It was just-great to view all the stuff that accumulated during the day--books, sun glasses, cruise brochures, hats. There was also a written Notice on that Table stating that "orphans" were found on abandoned lounge chairs. So, not to let them feel abandoned, they were placed together until the "parent" returned for reunification. Oh, the subtle shaming.

Our subsequent experience(s) have been that such action does have the desired effect, as the Officer removing those "orphans" has two or three stripes on the shoulder board. Thus, the Captain did not put the onus on Deck Crew to maintain order.

Bottom Line: It is up to on-board passengers to bring such conduct to the attention of Management in a timely and professional manner. Which means--contemporaneously. Written comments on the mid-cruise Evaluation will seldom do the job. A friendly interaction with an Officer will result in an appropriate response.

Will note one other situation which had the desired effect when a matter required immediate action. This concerned a Compass Rose experience where a table of four near us far-exceeded reasonable injection of alcohol. Loud and uncouth. I left our table; brought the matter to the attention of Management; and those four individuals were asked to LEAVE. They did. All guests at contiguous tables noted this action, and thanked Staff for their professional response.

Well, my other comment may seem counter-intuitive. But, here it is. Unless there has been a recent (within the last six months) change in protocol, there are two lists of extra available alcohol which one can request. As noted earlier, one is for wine. The other--which will, or should be provided without prodding by your Butler or Cabin Attendant--pertains to alcohol. Such as gin, bourbon, vodka, or whatever. The result is that for each cruise segment, you may wind up, at your request, with four bottles of whatever to pack and take home. And, this does not include that bottle of champagne.

This "protocol" applies on BTB segments. There should be a separate set-up on your Suite on the first day of that next segment. On our last experience, told our Butler to forget the extra lists; just put the chilled champagne bottle on the table.

Best, and hope to see some of you on our Navigator June 3rd cruise from LA via Panama Canal to NYC.

GOARMY!

GOARMY - great post! I want to share a "grand" error that I made last year that I have learned from. I felt so badly for the passengers on one Explorer Caribbean cruise - especially one poster that claimed that he/she was told to sit on their balcony when there were no lounges available on the pool deck, that I contacted management in Miami (something I have done less than a handful of times in 13 years -- I do not believe in going over someone's head unless it is really necessary. ) I do not want to bother management with trivial issues and, after all, it is not the job of top management to deal with every little issue.

In any case, I subsequently learned that the information provided by the poster on Cruise Critic was not true. Since that time I have learned that some passengers threaten Regent with making a negative post or review if they do not get what they want. Since this is something that would never enter my mind, I was more than surprised but was also embarrassed. Why did I believe what an anonymous person posted? While this is not on topic, I feel that it is important to know that this can and does occur.

Definitely not trying to belittle posters on the Cruise Critic board because I believe that most of us are stating the truth of our experiences 100% and CC is a valuable tool. However, when someone makes constant negative posts about Regent and continues to cruise on Regent, I now ask myself "why"? Based on what occurred last year as well as several years ago when I mistakenly believed a poster and blasted Regent, I will no longer go to Regent on behalf of a poster. Sad in a way but it is what it is.

For whatever reason, Caribbean cruises and lounge hogs seem to go together. There is no reason that I can think of but this does seem to happen consistently. Not saying that this does not occur on other ships but when a dozen people place their belongings on lounges all day and the majority of lounges are still available, it does not present a problem.

Last, I do not think that the onus should be on the Captain. This is something that can easily be handled by the G.M.

TravelCat: Totally agree. Based on 28-years' Army experience, following the chain of command is the way to go. Concerns on all but the most-serious (immediate life threatening) issues can be addressed on lower-rungs. And, if it life-threatening: Pay attention at the Muster Drill, and one will know what to do. This is based on a real-life situation experienced aboard a Cunard ship in the South Atlantic.

Another time; another Thread.

It is instructive to review the initial "Passages" issue in which Officer ranks, uniform designations, and responsibilities are clearly defined. This includes what is on the shoulder board of that particular person.

I cannot recall having any occasion on any of the four Regent ships we have sailed on over the past 16 years (one of which was before Radisson became Regent) to request a meeting with the person having four bars on his/her shoulder board (Capitan) re: an ongoing, onboard problem which was not taken care-of by appropriate Staff.

Have reasonable expectations; do not expect Staff to control the weather, wind, tide, volcano eruptions resulting in canceling shore excursions (no joke), or medical emergencies requiring extensive changes in course to get persons to a safe harbor. Such is cruising.

Go with the flow. BUT, do not behave like a potted plant when there is an onboard situation which can be addressed and dealt-with when directed to the appropriate Staff person.

GOARMY!