Explorer's Inaugural Atlantic Crossing: A Joint Live Blog

[JPR]

If there is a French Press option, that generally makes good coffee. Thanks!

[Mr Rumor]

It is not every port in which the Explorer has a cannon trained on it! I took the photograph, below, from in front of the Commissioner's House inside The Keep, the "final line of defense" of the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda. Today, The Keep is a part of the National Museum of Bermuda, a real gem boasting the stunning exhibit, "Sunken Clues to Bermuda's Past." I didn't know before walking the exhibit, housed in the 1850 Ordnance Building, that Bermuda's settlement began in 1609 with the wreck of the Jamestown-bound Sea Venture. The exhibit features a treasure trove of Sea Venture artifacts.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

What an amazing photo!

[RachelG]

Nice pic,Rich!

[Mr Rumor]

One of the joys of a Regent cruise for Ginny, and especially me as a one-time crew member myself (Royal Viking Line, 1970s), is the opportunity to interact with the crew, and to learn about their lives. . . . their adventures, dreams, and, sometimes, even their struggles.

 

As we near the end of the cruise--Krew Kapers is tomorrow tonight--I thought you might be interested in the fact that the Explorer's 552 crew members hail from 43 countries.

 

As always, the Philippines is far and away the No. 1 country in terms of staffing, with 182 crew members. India and Indonesia follow, with 111 and 59 crew members, respectively.

 

Here is the full Explorer Crew Nationality Breakdown, country by country:

 

Philippines 182

India 111

Indonesia 59

Ukraine 23

Honduras 16

Serbia 16

Romania 15

United Kingdom 15

Italy 12

South Africa 12

Bulgaria 10

United States 9

France 8

Croatia 7

Russian Federation 6

Myanmar 5

Canada 4

Mauritius 4

Hungary 3

Mexico 3

Nepal 3

Venezuela 3

Argentina 2

Bosnia and Herzegovina 2

Portugal 2

Thailand 2

Belgium 1

Brazil 1

Belarus 1

Chile 1

China 1

Estonia 1

Spain 1

Finland 1

Greece 1

Guatemala 1

Macedonia 1

Peru 1

Poland 1

St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1

Slovenia 1

Spain 1

Trinidad and Tobago 1

[Mr Rumor]

Nice pic,Rich!

 

Rachel, I thought of you and George as I was walking The Keep. If you haven't already explored it, I highly recommend you do so when/if you visit Bermuda. The museum's various exhibits, also including the excellent "Slavery in Bermuda," are housed in a handful of buildings that were a part of the one-time fort.

 

Rich

[Mr Rumor]

A quick post before turning in. Captain Stan predicts "very comfortable conditions" as the Explorer "surfs" some minor swells to Miami. Estimated Miami arrival time is 4 a.m. on December 2. Even with the rolling motion we had early on, we have no complaints about weather and sea conditions overall on this crossing. It was beautiful today in Bermuda, partly cloudy and in the '70s.

 

Rich

[RachelG]

Rachel, I thought of you and George as I was walking The Keep. If you haven't already explored it, I highly recommend you do so when/if you visit Bermuda. The museum's various exhibits, also including the excellent "Slavery in Bermuda," are housed in a handful of buildings that were a part of the one-time fort.

 

Rich

 

We have explored and thoroughly enjoyed it. Many persons with the surname Gibbs in that area.

[Mr Rumor]

Good morning from the gym on Sea Day No. 7. I've already had my workout. Just wish the "gym DJ" would give the continuous loop of Techno-Disco or Techno-Whatever a rest!

 

 

 

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Edited November 30, 2016 by Mr Rumor

[BarbarianPaul]

Sounds like you guys have been having a great time on the crossing! We got off in Rome and of course wish we were still on. Quick question about the internet. I'm confused about people being pleased with the quality of the connection. When we were on, of the ship's many incredible strengths, alas, that was not one of them. Throughout our 14 days, it was slower and more unreliable than we've ever experienced on a ship, rendering my wife and I incapable of posting pix by email, text or Facebook. Loading a website was usually a hit or miss affair that would take an average of 3-4 minutes, while some image heavy apps would not open at all. Video streaming was of course out of the question ( not including the blocked sites.) Some days were better than others, but over all the internet experience was quite frustrating. My question is, if these 6000 passenger behemoths can do it, why can't Regent do it for 750 people?

 

 

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[JPR]

Techno Muzak? Yuk. Clearly I'm going to have to wear my Bose noise cancelling headphones in the gym!

 

Has anyone used the cigar lounge? Are their prices reasonable? I like Montecristo #2. I only smoke a few cigars a year but enjoy one or two while on cruises. One of the few drawbacks of Oceania's Riviera and Marina is the lack of an indoor area to smoke cigars. I can't stand the smell of cigarettes...

Edited November 30, 2016 by JPR

[Johnthesailor]

The smoking lounge is not limited to cigar smoking. It is used by cigarette smokers as well (perhaps even more so) so if you can't stand it you may have an issue.

[JPR]

Then the strategy is to use it when the cigarette smokers aren't there, perhaps during a show we've decided to skip...

[Travelcat2]

Sounds like you guys have been having a great time on the crossing! We got off in Rome and of course wish we were still on. Quick question about the internet. I'm confused about people being pleased with the quality of the connection. When we were on, of the ship's many incredible strengths, alas, that was not one of them. Throughout our 14 days, it was slower and more unreliable than we've ever experienced on a ship, rendering my wife and I incapable of posting pix by email, text or Facebook. Loading a website was usually a hit or miss affair that would take an average of 3-4 minutes, while some image heavy apps would not open at all. Video streaming was of course out of the question ( not including the blocked sites.) Some days were better than others, but over all the internet experience was quite frustrating. My question is, if these 6000 passenger behemoths can do it, why can't Regent do it for 750 people?

 

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Hi - I am posting this from our suite on an inexpensive HP small laptop and have no difficulty whatsoever with connectivity (most of the time). Very recently (not sure when), Regent installed routers (hope that is the right term) throughout the ship so that everyone can connect from their suite. In terms of photos, video streaming, etc., it would appear that Regent is giving "free" internet for purposes of email but does not want to include things that "hog" the internet and is not necessarily required by most passengers (yes - I know that I'm using all of the wrong terminology). On the other hand, I send pictures via my Kindle and have no problems.

 

I would guess that the percentage of passengers paying for internet on mainstream cruise line is much less than on Regent. I complained about Regent's internet in the past but are now quite happy. Things that I cannot download can wait until I get home. I know that some of you work from the ship and, IMO, there should be a system whereby people that need to do a lot of downloading, etc. should be able to purchase a separate system from what most passengers use (not sure if this is doable). The same goes for printing hundreds of pages of documents for work........ IMO, this is a vacation ship and cannot compete with what you have in your offices.

 

Wishing for the good old days when a vacation was a vacation and no one could reach you unless it was an emergency.

[CruisetheCs]

Sounds like you guys have been having a great time on the crossing! We got off in Rome and of course wish we were still on. Quick question about the internet. I'm confused about people being pleased with the quality of the connection. When we were on, of the ship's many incredible strengths, alas, that was not one of them. Throughout our 14 days, it was slower and more unreliable than we've ever experienced on a ship, rendering my wife and I incapable of posting pix by email, text or Facebook. Loading a website was usually a hit or miss affair that would take an average of 3-4 minutes, while some image heavy apps would not open at all. Video streaming was of course out of the question ( not including the blocked sites.) Some days were better than others, but over all the internet experience was quite frustrating. My question is, if these 6000 passenger behemoths can do it, why can't Regent do it for 750 people?

 

 

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Hi - I am posting this from our suite on an inexpensive HP small laptop and have no difficulty whatsoever with connectivity (most of the time). Very recently (not sure when), Regent installed routers (hope that is the right term) throughout the ship so that everyone can connect from their suite. In terms of photos, video streaming, etc., it would appear that Regent is giving "free" internet for purposes of email but does not want to include things that "hog" the internet and is not necessarily required by most passengers (yes - I know that I'm using all of the wrong terminology). On the other hand, I send pictures via my Kindle and have no problems.

 

I would guess that the percentage of passengers paying for internet on mainstream cruise line is much less than on Regent. I complained about Regent's internet in the past but are now quite happy. Things that I cannot download can wait until I get home. I know that some of you work from the ship and, IMO, there should be a system whereby people that need to do a lot of downloading, etc. should be able to purchase a separate system from what most passengers use (not sure if this is doable). The same goes for printing hundreds of pages of documents for work........ IMO, this is a vacation ship and cannot compete with what you have in your offices.

 

Wishing for the good old days when a vacation was a vacation and no one could reach you unless it was an emergency.

 

When I was on the Explorer in Oct-Nov, the internet download speed was mostly around 4 to 5 Mbps as measured by a speed test on my iPad. The internet worked most but not all of the time. There were times when there seemed to be an internet connection and the speed test app would still not work for some reason, which I'm guessing was probably an indication of an extremely slow or intermittent connection.

 

Regent says that guests can expect "high-speed WiFi that is similar to that of your fiber-optic network at home". If they are going to promise that, then they should provide that level of service. Apparently management doesn't want to spend the money to buy the appropriate level of bandwidth to deliver what it promises.

 

And yes, some guests use the internet more than others, just as some guests drink more alcohol or eat more food than others. That doesn't mean that Regent should promise essentially unfettered access to food, alcohol or fiber-optic-like internet and then not deliver on what is promised.

[ronrick1943]

Looks like your cruise is coming to an end-Thanks for taking us along, really enjoyed the post and photos. Looking forward to cruising myself.

[Travelcat2]

When I was on the Explorer in Oct-Nov, the internet download speed was mostly around 4 to 5 Mbps as measured by a speed test on my iPad. The internet worked most but not all of the time. There were times when there seemed to be an internet connection and the speed test app would still not work for some reason, which I'm guessing was probably an indication of an extremely slow or intermittent connection.

 

Regent says that guests can expect "high-speed WiFi that is similar to that of your fiber-optic network at home". If they are going to promise that, then they should provide that level of service. Apparently management doesn't want to spend the money to buy the appropriate level of bandwidth to deliver what it promises.

 

And yes, some guests use the internet more than others, just as some guests drink more alcohol or eat more food than others. That doesn't mean that Regent should promise essentially unfettered access to food, alcohol or fiber-optic-like internet and then not deliver on what is promised.

 

As mentioned above, the WiFi on the Explorer now is not what it was a month ago. I must have missed the notice that Regent is promising "unfettered access to food, alcohol or fiber-optic-like internet". IMO, on the Explorer, they have delivered 110%.

[BarbarianPaul]

I noticed that the Explorer doesn't sail from Miami until Sunday evening. Am curious as to what it's doing for two days...

 

 

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[mrlevin]

I noticed that the Explorer doesn't sail from Miami until Sunday evening. Am curious as to what it's doing for two days...

 

 

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Lots of Travel Agents and, I imagine, press tours.

[Mr Rumor]

I noticed that the Explorer doesn't sail from Miami until Sunday evening. Am curious as to what it's doing for two days...

 

 

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Lots of Travel Agents and, I imagine, press tours.

 

BarbarianPaul, elaborating on Marq's response, Regent is introducing the media, travel agents and friends and staff to the Explorer via a two-night Bahamas cruise. FDR and Regent Prez/CEO Jason Montague will be onboard.

 

Rich

Edited December 1, 2016 by Mr Rumor

[Mr Rumor]

If there is one event Ginny and I are willing to wait outside the Constellation Theater door for 20 minutes to secure front row seats to, it's Krew Kapers. As always Kapers was an absolute delight tonight, earning robust applause, cheers, and a standing ovation at the end. What talent and spirit our wonderful crew possesses!

 

Rich

 

Explorer's Krew Kapers has evolved since the Maiden Voyage. Among the new numbers: an Indonesian folk dance.

 

 

 

 

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[CruisetheCs]

As mentioned above, the WiFi on the Explorer now is not what it was a month ago. I must have missed the notice that Regent is promising "unfettered access to food, alcohol or fiber-optic-like internet". IMO, on the Explorer, they have delivered 110%.

 

My point was that Regent essentially offers "free" alcoholic beverages and food and keeps that promise by providing as much as you want (and of excellent quality generally) without running out. It says that it provides internet similar to your fiber-optic network at home. It does not provide that, i.e, it falls short. Seriously, do you or anyone else think it works like "your fiber-optic network at home"?

 

I would like to know if anyone thinks the internet is "110%". What I see is that opinions range from it works okay or meets my needs to several opinions that it functions poorly. If it has improved in the last 4 weeks since I got off the ship that would be good news.

[Mr Rumor]

Captain Stanislas De Lacombe played a numbers game with us during his remarks at the Captain's Farewell tonight, as follows:

 

8, the number of sea days on our cruise.

17, the biggest swell we experienced, in feet.

24, the number of nationalities among the passengers.

43, the number of nationalities among the crew.

57, the biggest gust of wind, in knots (the morning we arrived in Funchal).

5,050, The number of nautical miles we traveled.

317,000, the number of gallons of fuel the Explorer burned.

.018, the nautical miles we traveled per gallon of fuel.

 

Captain Stan ended with a number "you should all be ashamed of," 9600, the number of bottles of wine consumed!

 

Rich

 

Captain Stan after Krew Kapers. To the right is social hostess Amanda Perry. Behind the captain are members of the Explorer Production Cast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

Rich: great pics. Thanks for posting so many of them.

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

This is our last full day onboard and I've started a suicide watch for The Boss. Even though we missed most tours and events due to being ill, we will rate this cruise as one of the best. We have met so many great new friends and have been spoiled silly by the crew. Some quick thoughts:

 

-Internet. Worked 95 percent of the time and provided decent bandwidth for my needs.

-Food. Great. Best Alaskan king crabs ever. Lobster feast almost nightly. Even the disappointing Pacific Rim redeemed itself. Highlights include the Sunday brunch and the new CR menu. Throughout the ship, there should be enough variety to please just about everyone.

-Interior. We like the decor and artwork with very few exceptions. The choice of woods and color provides an air of nostalgic elegance throughout the vessel.

-Suites. Bury me in mine. Loved the F2 suite's layout and the walk-in closet is a must. The sofa could be more comfy.

-Tours and shows. Missed most of them. However, the Rumba Barcelona flamenco show is one of the best I've seen at sea. CD John's show is also a not to be missed.

-Staff and crew. Most professional we've experienced. Extremely helpful and friendly.

 

Overall, the Explorer is magnificent and very beautiful. She is sexy and sleek and has the strength to cruise the Atlantic in a single bound. We fell in love with her and can't wait to be back onboard. We don't want to go home.

 

Z and TB

 

 

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