Random Notes, Explorer Maiden Voyage, LIVE

[Pamela1]

How about a food critic?? Doesn't mean bad, good. Just means that persons opinion.

 

 

Exactly! :D

[Travelcat2]

Please see responses below:

 

Sorry - was reading the number of posts the person had rather than the post number. It is post #329.

 

In terms of "reasoned opinion", you and I may agree but what the other posters that think that you are suppose to be critical of experiences? I'm not expecting Cruise Critic to change their name - just did not think about how negative the connotation could be (or not) to some posters.

 

I think what "gets me" the most is the overstated negative "subjects" of some threads. Yes - something may well have gone wrong with your cruise or experience with Regent but many times it is explained or resolved yet the negative subject remains.

 

BTW, Dan, it may just be me but I think of a "food critic", I tend to think that they are looking for negative rather than positive.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Pamela1]

Sorry - was reading the number of posts the person had rather than the post number. It is post #329.

 

In terms of "reasoned opinion", you and I may agree but what the other posters that think that you are suppose to be critical of experiences? I'm not expecting Cruise Critic to change their name - just did not think about how negative the connotation could be (or not) to some posters.

 

I think what "gets me" the most is the overstated negative "subjects" of some threads. Yes - something may well have gone wrong with your cruise or experience with Regent but many times it is explained or resolved yet the negative subject remains.

 

BTW, Dan, it may just be me but I think of a "food critic", I tend to think that they are looking for negative rather than positive.

 

Jackie, i'm sure that you said that you would let the people that were on the MV have their say without your (free) interruptions. It would be nice if you respected that.

[Anchorbuoy]

Sorry Mr. Rumor, but this thread has been hijacked. It is no longer about Random Notes, from our personal experiences on the open seas.

 

Hopefully, you have returned to the Land of Enchantment, and will cherish your fond memories of the Maiden Voyage on Explorer. We certainly did, and now we have to wait for our return to this beautiful ship in January.

[fizzy]

The value of the review section is that one can post their feelings without fear of their opinions being dissected or corrected.

[Mjflowers]

Wish that the negative review of the Explorer would be taken down. There will always been negative reviews but reviewing a new ship based on décor and slow service at one meal on its MV does not seem fair. One almost expects a few issues on the MV and there were issues on the CV as well (but nothing worth mentioning as they were small items in a few cabins that were fixed during the cruise). The fact that the Explorer was turned over to Regent late did make it harder on the servers as it gave them little time to get used to the new dining venues.

 

I have a friend on the current Explorer voyage and hope that she has time to post. If not, I'll get the scoop when she returns home.

 

Looking forward to more reports from the Explorer!

 

Waiting for the scoop. Me too. Reviews taken down. Now you are really going off the wall. Give us a break. We know you are a Regent cheerleader. But come on! Everybody is intitled to their Opinon. Good or bad.

[Mjflowers]

How about a food critic?? Doesn't mean bad, good. Just means that persons opinion.

 

Yes, opinions. We all know food is so subjective, and opinions.

Hey to Phill. Best to you and you'res.

[Travelcat2]

Waiting for the scoop. Me too. Reviews taken down. Now you are really going off the wall. Give us a break. We know you are a Regent cheerleader. But come on! Everybody is intitled to their Opinon. Good or bad.

 

It would be helpful if you read this thread ... Our at least the last couple of pages. A poster indicated that a Navigator post was removed. I responded that it would be nice if the Explorer review was removed. Obviously this was not going to happen. In simple words, that is all there was to it.:rolleyes:

[machotspur]

I feel I do have to comment on the discussion regarding the negative posting in the review section.

 

My wife and I have been quite long term Silversea guests but have yet to go aboard a Regent ship. We’ve booked a back to back on Explorer next Spring so we have really valued the comments being posted by Travelcat2, Mr Rumour and others – including the posting in the review section that is provoking such strong opinions. So thank you to everyone – they are of true value to us.

 

I believe that I, and probably many people who cruise, have the intelligence and judgement to realise that online review sites, such as Cruise Critic & Trip Advisor, will contain reviews that are extreme in their opinions. Long term customers may - at times - be excessively positive about their cruise/hotel/restaurant experience. Equally someone who has – to them – a really bad one off experience, may vent their anger on a comment site such as this.

 

I value and respect all of the comments, but do recognise the extremes that I have just described, when using them to inform my travel decisions. To suggest that a post is ‘taken down’ because the content doesn’t agree with my own, or is not very well written, is IMHO very wrong.

Who was it that said ‘I do not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it’ ?

 

The main purpose of my posting today is to pass on a very genuine conversation I had with my TA in London yesterday afternoon. As an aside she made me aware that she had been speaking with two separate clients who had returned from the Explorer Maiden Cruise yesterday morning.

 

One of them is a very prolific traveller, who I believe cruises with Regent 3-4 times a year. She told the TA that she did not enjoy Explorer and would be unlikely to cruise on the ship again !

 

Why ? .. well I kid you not …..

 

- The ‘darkness’ of the ship and the décor

- The poor service throughout the cruise, particularly in the restaurants

 

Sound familiar ?

 

So here is someone else – another really experienced Regent traveller – almost agreeing with the comments being made by the poster in the review section.

 

Me – I value and respect the all of the comments thank you and will ultimately form my own opinion.

[flossie009]

Sorry - was reading the number of posts the person had rather than the post number. It is post #329.

In terms of "reasoned opinion", you and I may agree but what the other posters that think that you are suppose to be critical of experiences?

BTW, Dan, it may just be me but I think of a "food critic", I tend to think that they are looking for negative rather than positive.

 

Sorry, but you have totally lost me.

I can find no reference in Post 329 to Navigator

I do not understand your second sentence

A good food critic gives a balanced view and is often positive

 

 

It would be helpful if you read this thread ... Our at least the last couple of pages. A poster indicated that a Navigator post was removed. I responded that it would be nice if the Explorer review was removed. Obviously this was not going to happen. In simple words, that is all there was to it.:rolleyes:

 

Sorry to be like a broken record, but where is there any indication that a Navigator post (review?) was removed?

 

Certainly I would lose all faith in CC if there was any indication of removing poor reviews of any ship on any cruiseline

[lincslady]

Unless they actually contain offensive language I do not think that any review of any ship should be removed or edited on CC. Also, I believe it is considered a bit unkind and even rude to comment on people's spelling. I have often been tempted to do so, but have refrained. Sadly it is understandably clear that if people feel they have had a rotten cruise they are likely to post here, perhaps less so after a reasonably happy one.

[Caroldoll]

I also found the other place for reviews.

 

The negative reviews were regarding color and darkness, even to the extent that it was perhaps depressing. These are extreme. While I am not doing a snoopy dance over the colors myself, I feel that there is so much more than color, and so many other beautiful touches that this is purely subjective and easily put aside.

 

I found the beiges everywhere on the old Voyager horribly dowdy, but I still liked the ship.

 

Regarding the three hour dinner. I would NOT have liked that either, but I do not feel this is the NORM. This was a maiden voyage and this is truly to be expected. I am really CONFIDENT that this will straighten out with time.

 

I read a review by an owner of a very large agency yesterday and she mentioned that fact too...that service would take two to three months to straighten out. It will morph over time. I am POSITIVE of that.

 

I know why some people on this board are overly sensitive about one poster. I guess having a smiley face put on everything for personal secondary gain is irritating. Why not read all of the reviews and average them out. I am sure they will all be coming. We do not go on Explorer until December, and I am sure the positives will even out the negatives.

[Mr Rumor]

Before bidding adieu to the Explorer MV blog, I wanted to make good on my promise to Rachel to list the selection of Pacific Rim teas. I started typing up this list in Notes during the cruise, but didn't manage to finish and post.

 

On our second visit to Pacific Rim, I decided to try a pot of "balanced" and "invigorating" Ginger Lemongrass in lieu of a glass of wine. It was so good that I decided to delve further into the list by ordering a pot of "exotic" and "alluring" White Ginger Pear. Rachel, I think you'll be pleased by the selection:

 

BLACK TEA (contains caffeine): Orchid Vanilla (Madagascar vanilla, coconut slivers/luxurious/indulging; Orange Pekoe rich flavor/simple/mellow/fulfilling)

 

HERBAL TEA (caffeine free): Flora (hibiscus flower, cinnamon sticks/licorice root/ruby red/enticing; Ginger Lemongrass (spring lemongrass/soft ginger/balanced/invigorating); Chamomile Citron ( Egyptian chamomile/fruits and herbs/gentle/relaxing)

 

GREEN TEA (low in caffeine): Japanese Green Tea Sencha (traditional essence/healthful/revitalizing; China Gunpowder (hand-rolled green tea leaves/aromatic oils/grassy/stimulating)

 

WHITE TEA (very little caffeine): White Ginger Pear (Japanese pear/hint of ginger/exotic/alluring).

 

My pot of Pacific Rim Ginger Lemongrass tea (extra points for the cool packaging):

Edited August 5, 2016 by Mr Rumor

[gnomie1]

I may not be crazy about the tea selection, but I sure do like that teapot! Do they use that type of teapot in all the restaurants or only the Asian restaurant? I know it would require more work, but I was wondering if the afternoon tea on the Explorer now uses teapots?

 

Last year while in Cape Town we had afternoon tea at a charming restaurant and I ended up buying one of the teapots which I use all the time - nothing is more relaxing that a great pot of tea and a scone.

 

 

gnomie :)

[JPR]

We also do not care for their tea selection, though for us it's a breakfast black tea issue. (That being said, no jasmine tea at Pacific Rim??) So we bring our favorite loose-leaf tea to brew in our suite or at the table, from Adagio or another online tea seller, along with either a lightweight plastic gold filter or small white bags you can buy cheaply. Works perfectly.

 

We also like espresso, and particularly iced lattes when the weather is warm. Since we are flying in on business class with the higher weight allowance and have a Superior Suite for our December 28 cruise (we live in Los Angeles, the final destination), we are toying with also

bringing our small Nespresso machine and pods....

Edited August 5, 2016 by JPR

[eliana]

We also do not care for their tea selection, though for us it's a breakfast black tea issue. (That being said, no jasmine tea at Pacific Rim??) So we bring our favorite loose-leaf tea to brew in our suite or at the table, from Adagio or another online tea seller, along with either a lightweight plastic gold filter or small white bags you can buy cheaply. Works perfectly.

 

We also like espresso, and particularly iced lattes when the weather is warm. Since we are flying in on business class with the higher weight allowance and have a Superior Suite for our December 28 cruise (we live in Los Angeles, the final destination), we are toying with also

bringing our small Nespresso machine and pods....

 

A pity Nespresso pods won't fit the Regent coffee machines.

[CruisetheCs]

Having awakened today to read this hijacked thread I feel a bit like I’m still in a twilight zone. A dither over one negative review? It is unfair to post an opinion about disliking the color of the ships interior and a three hour meal because the ship is new? A poster capitalized Cruise Critic? What is going on?

 

I have been reading some classic books, one of which was Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Do we really need thought police to protect us from the horror of discovering that someone didn’t like the decor and didn’t like a three hour dining experience? And yes, maybe we should change the Cruise Critic label to some other title? How about "Cruise Crush" as in I’ve got a crush on you. That would encourage only positive reviews.

 

But on the good side, it was helpful to bring the review to my attention, since I wouldn’t have read the review if it hadn’t been cited on this thread. My booked explorer cruise is going to be devastating, I’m sure, because I will be haunted by the thought of dark colors and an involuntary three-hour meal experience.

 

And now someone is not ecstatic over the tea selection? In "1984" that negative comment would have been removed faster than the speed of light. (And according to Regent's web page I see that the Explorer is still under construction so someone couldn't possibly be troubled by the tea selection) :)

[RustyRollock]

Anyone who expects a busy maiden voyage to be perfect is either naive or unrealistic. There WERE problems on this trip and most of them will no doubt be ironed out as everything settles in over the coming months. But there's no avoiding or glossing over the fact that many people we spoke to felt unhappy and disappointed that the "trip of a lifetime" we were promised (and paid handsomely for) was basically just another cruise, albeit on a shiny new ship. Explorer has many excellent features but also some fundamental design and staff problems which Regent has to address if they want to keep this loyal customer and several others we spoke to. We heard more negatives than positives for sure which can partly be explained by human nature, but there ARE underlying issues. I will post a detailed review, the good and the bad, and you can decide for yourselves.

[morneau]

Rich, thank you for your comparison of the PH and concierge suites. We agree with your assessment. It is also interesting to note that the sinks and counter in the concierge suite (same as F1 and F2) are larger (actually the counters are longer) than in most other suites. Even the glorious Regent suite's master bathroom has smaller sinks and counter (although everything else is over the top). Also, the closet is about twice the size in the concierge suite over the PH suite.

 

Regarding the shower only in PH suites, this was discussed some months ago. Rather than have a small bathtub and shower, Regent decided to go with one large shower. IMO, it isn't a big deal as the shower only suites on the Mariner are the most popular.

 

We were fortunate to be able to tour the different suite levels on two occasions during our cruise. It becomes confusing because many look alike but the sizes of the suites and balconies are different. We felt that all of the suites were a good size and well laid out (but did not view category "H").

 

Of all of the suites, the biggest surprise to us was the Seven Seas Suite - really lovely! The Explorer suites are also beautiful but I'm not fond of the locations.

 

I'm sure that we will hear more about the suites in the coming months.

 

A follow up question for Travelcat2.....we just booked Explorer Suite 901 on an upcoming voyage and I agree that the locations for those suites aren't ideal. I do like the room size and layout however. Cabin 901 appears to be under the bridge. Do you see any particular drawbacks to that location, and do you remember which Explorer suite you looked at? Any advice would be most welcome....

[Travelcat2]

A follow up question for Travelcat2.....we just booked Explorer Suite 901 on an upcoming voyage and I agree that the locations for those suites aren't ideal. I do like the room size and layout however. Cabin 901 appears to be under the bridge. Do you see any particular drawbacks to that location, and do you remember which Explorer suite you looked at? Any advice would be most welcome....

 

 

We toured an Explorer Suite on Deck 11 and there were some issues with noise from the pool deck above. We were going to book an Explorer Suite for our upcoming November cruise but were concerned about the locations of all four suites (the Explorer Suite is absolutely amazing - one of my favorites). After remembering back to when we were under the bridge on the Navigator and under the pool deck on the Voyager, we decided to book a Grand Suite (not a big difference moneywise).

 

As an aside, after seeing the Seven Seas Forward Suite (not one under the pool deck), we changed our November '17 Grand Suite to a Seven Seas Forward Suite. It really helped to have the opportunity to tour the suites.

 

Hope that my observations are helpful.

 

Onto other complaints....... tea...... really? I thought that coffee, chairs and clocks were the issue sof the week. Guess we need to add tea. It seems that Mr. Rumor posted tea available in Pacific Rim - it could be different in CR, La Veranda and/or at tea time. Note: obviously, if someone can pre-order soft drinks and/or alcohol 90 days before boarding the ship (less time in some areas), one could request a specific tea.

 

RustyRollock: I understand that passengers on the maiden voyage paid a whole lot of money to be on the ship. Still, as you mentioned, expectations for a maiden voyage need to be tempered a bit.

 

eliana, I hear that Nespresso is really good but is not popular or advertised much in the U.S. (in fact, my computer thought that the word "Nespresso" was a typo). Based on comments from Regent passengers, if Nespresso machines were in the suites, someone would want Illy.

 

For those people that truly do not like the Explorer for whatever reason, Regent does have three other perfectly good ships (that I assume will soon match the colors of the Explorer).

Edited August 5, 2016 by Travelcat2

[gnomie1]

 

eliana, I hear that Nespresso is really good but is not popular or advertised much in the U.S. (in fact, my computer thought that the word "Nespresso" was a typo). Based on comments from Regent passengers, if Nespresso machines were in the suites, someone would want Illy. .

 

While not as popular as in other parts of the world, Nespresso is widely advertised and available in the U.S. - many high end hotels now have Nespresso machines in the rooms and the check out line at the specialized Nespresso boutique at Bloomingdale's flagship store is sometimes longer than the standby line for Hamilton. Nespresso is widely available and seems to be the coffee machine of choice for many bridal registries - whether it be the east coast or the west coast.

 

gnomie :)

[Pam]

Nespresso seems to be a better product than Keurig, from what I have seen. I have no idea, because coffee isn't my favorite beverage lately.

 

With the talk of an Explorer review that supposedly took place before Explorer was even handed over, I wonder if the person meant to be reviewing Explorer of the Seas (is there an Explorer of the Seas? I can't keep up with all their ships). Seems like a reasonable mistake.

 

I have really enjoyed the reports from the MV. It has given me cruise fever, for sure, and knowing that John Barron will be on Explorer makes it stronger.

[Mr Rumor]

Well, here I am still posting. In going through my photos I came across one I thought you might enjoy.

 

There is an Explorer design feature that is unique to Regent ships, the balcony "bump." If I counted right, there are 28 suites on passenger decks 6-10 that have a balcony that does not have a straight line, including 829, our suite on the MV. Although we didn't have the chance to spend a lot of time on the balcony, the time we did spend was fun, in part, because of the enhanced aft view the "bump" gave us:

[gnomie1]

Thanks for the heads up about the balcony bump - the suite on our upcoming cruise does not have this but something to think about for the future! I love to spend time on the balcony and take pictures and this just makes it so much better.

 

gnomie :)

[Silver Sweethearts]

The main purpose of my posting today is to pass on a very genuine conversation I had with my TA in London yesterday afternoon. As an aside she made me aware that she had been speaking with two separate clients who had returned from the Explorer Maiden Cruise yesterday morning.

 

One of them is a very prolific traveller, who I believe cruises with Regent 3-4 times a year. She told the TA that she did not enjoy Explorer and would be unlikely to cruise on the ship again !

 

Why ? .. well I kid you not …..

 

- The ‘darkness’ of the ship and the décor

- The poor service throughout the cruise, particularly in the restaurants

 

Sound familiar ?

 

So here is someone else – another really experienced Regent traveller – almost agreeing with the comments being made by the poster in the review section.

 

Me – I value and respect the all of the comments thank you and will ultimately form my own opinion.

 

It sounds like this person and the OP who posted the review might be the same person. The OP said she had been with Regent many times and liked being "spoilt" - a UK version of "spoiled".