Maiden voyage Explorer

[lisemare]

Truly hoping this is not an indication of what we can expect come July 20th on the Explorer .

 

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/passengers-onboard-the-harmony-of-the-seas-share-their-fury/news-story/f7ecf8fd68cd60c2cd9f609340563ed9

 

 

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[travelingduo]

I was on ONE maiden voyage and never again. Wait until everything is finished and they all the kinks worked out. Many issues are unknown until the ship actually sails on a voyage. These cruises should really be sold as 'shake down' cruises and all guests should know what to expect and then make an informed decision. I too, hope that Regent will not let this happen.

[Portolan]

the germane statement in the article is "with approximately 6000 on board." No way to effectively deal with some warts which are to be expected with 8 times as many as will be on Explorer. I expect it'll be a fun voyage. We certainly would have done it if our calendar allowed. We'll just have to wait for the next Regent ship (though thankfully not 13 years).

Edited May 31, 2016 by Portolan

[Travelcat2]

Sorry but I think that the linked article has nothing to do with the experience people will have on the maiden voyage of the Explorer for fairly obvious reasons.

 

Regent/Oceania management has dealt with the debut of two ships in recent years (Riviera and Marina) and have learned many lessons. While I don't expect that the ship with be 100% ready, it will be ready enough!

[Emperor Norton]

Sorry but I think that the linked article has nothing to do with the experience people will have on the maiden voyage of the Explorer for fairly obvious reasons.

 

Regent/Oceania management has dealt with the debut of two ships in recent years (Riviera and Marina) and have learned many lessons. While I don't expect that the ship with be 100% ready, it will be ready enough!

 

Just some food for thought:

 

RCI has launched 5 new ships in the last 6 years. Regents had 0 (it may be floating but it's not carrying fare paying pax yet) and Oceania 2. One line has far more experience and lessons learned than the other.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Emperor Norton

[Travelcat2]

Just some food for thought:

 

RCI has launched 5 new ships in the last 6 years. Regents had 0 (it may be floating but it's not carrying fare paying pax yet) and Oceania 2. One line has far more experience and lessons learned than the other.

 

Good food for thought. I'm banking on Frank Del Rio's team doing the same great job that they did on Oceania's Riviera. Not much longer until there are passengers. The onboard reports should be interesting.

[DeepFreeze63]

If offered, I would be on the maiden voyage in a heartbeat! BUT, I would be expecting a first of a kind adventure, not a perfect luxurious cruise - the latter I expect on my New Year's cruise. There is just no way to anticipate how everything will react until they are subjected to the stress of the seas.

Go, enjoy and be assured that I am green with envy.

Jim C

[UUNetBill]

If I could have made the schedule work, I'd have tried to book the maiden voyage. I'd expect some hiccups, but I'm sure it would be a memorable trip. I've never been on a maiden voyage before, but I assume you'd need to balance the expected problems with the bragging rights of being the first to sail on a brand new vessel. I guess I'll just have to wait until next April to sail on her, when she's an old, decrepit hulk... :p

 

Maybe I'll be able to get on the maiden voyage of her sister ship (The Regent Seven Seas Shippy McShipface, perhaps?) in 2020.

[Caroldoll]

There will just be travel agents on that cruise, and I believe that a lot of the kinks will be worked out there, a lot but not all. Riviera could not have been bad because they had to cancel one or two segments because of a union strike. I can't believe that they didn't get something done on board then. Personally, booking a maiden voyage is romantic, but it would not be my cup of tea. I just would not want to be on a shake down, which is what it is. I had one cruise where a ship was just out of an extensive dry dock and it was just plain horrible. I hope for the best on this.

[flossie009]

Just some food for thought:

 

RCI has launched 5 new ships in the last 6 years. Regents had 0 (it may be floating but it's not carrying fare paying pax yet) and Oceania 2. One line has far more experience and lessons learned than the other.

 

From the various reports it appears that RCL has not learned any lessons from its previous extensive experience of bringing large ships into service

 

However, it should be noted that the cruise which caused such a PR disaster for RCL was not the maiden voyage but a 'pre-maiden', albeit with paying passengers on board. The maiden voyage of of Harmony of the Seas set sail on 29 May

[machotspur]

My wife and I will be taking our first cruise on Regent - on Explorer - early next year.

 

Our wonderful TA in London only last week kindly advised us of the following :-

 

In order to ensure everything runs smoothly for guests travelling on the inaugural itinerary, Regent will be performing a ‘shake down’ cruise to iron out the final details and make sure that everything is smooth sailing for the launch.

 

Travel Agents et al have been invited on-board, so on the 2nd July I’ll be embarking on a short cruise to see the ship for myself. It’s a great opportunity for us to gain an insight into the vessel and answer any questions that you may have.

 

Whilst any newly launched customer facing operation takes a while to fully settle down it does appear that Regent is planning 'shake down' activities before the maiden voyage.

[RustyRollock]

We are naturally very excited about our forthcoming maiden voyage on Explorer and have realistic expectations that there will inevitably be some "shake down" issues. It's almost part of the fun. I just hope our fellow pax will be equally sanguine about it because I don't wish to endure 2 weeks of listening to the whinging. There WILL be some glitches - get over it. We are very lucky to have this opportunity.

Edited June 1, 2016 by RustyRollock

[wifeofgrapestake]

Hear! Hear! I couldn't have expressed it better. We are thrilled to be a part of this unique experience and don't expect perfection. Looking forward to meeting RustyRollock and plan to be busy when the BMOC club gathers to complain.

[Travelcat2]

Hear! Hear! I couldn't have expressed it better. We are thrilled to be a part of this unique experience and don't expect perfection. Looking forward to meeting RustyRollock and plan to be busy when the BMOC club gathers to complain.

 

Really happy to see you two on Cruise Critic. I have no doubt that you will enjoy the maiden voyage.

 

Jackie

[wifeofgrapestake]

TC, We have been hoping our paths would cross again on another voyage. Perhaps on Explorer next year. Our best to your DH. Looking forward to seeing Ray and Franc on Explorer along with other long-time Regent crew. Sadly, our favorite dining room manager, Gami, went over to Viking. The Regent family is what keeps us coming back and back.

[WesW]

I may of missed this being posted elsewhere, but this is now the Explorer review posted on CC (June 3). What is nice is the Explorer May podcast link embedded in this May Explorer update (really like the rendering of the Compass Rose, Explorer Lounge and the Constellation theater)

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=998

[wripro]

The only way I would accept less than a perfect voyage on the Maiden is if they were giving a discount to accommodate the less than perfect experience.