Explorer for New Year cruise

[ronrick1943]

The Chateaubriand is something you have to order? Is it really nice and served table side?

Rick

[Travelcat2]

The Chateaubriand is something you have to order? Is it really nice and served table side?

Rick

 

It may appear once per cruise on the menu and no, it isn't served table side. IMO, the meat is some of the best I have ever tasted, but I'm not a fan of the duxelles is too thick for me.

[HongKongAlan]

Chateaubriand definitely now going on the must order list. thanks all for your responses

[PaulaJK]

Beautiful horse shaped bay

Pier side folkloric show this am

Tons of security pier side and no sign of trouble

Many, many passengers visited and so far I've only heard positive

Comments.

The report of the hotel beach excursion sounds fabulous. I regret that

We were too lazy to gather ourselves to go on that one .

 

Not certain whether anyone replied, but John B leaves in LA as do several

Of the other folk who have 'mothered' Explorer.

[Snackdaddy]

The Pierre Marques Beach Getaway excursion was wonderful. The food was very good along with two drinks with alcohol and two without alcohol. The hotel was kept up very nicely and the grounds (beach and pool areas) were large enough for you not to notice three bus loads of Regent passengers. As Paula stated, there was a heavy military and police presence on the streets and roads. As far as we know all returned to the ship safe and sound.

 

 

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[Eager2Travel]

Thanks for the update on the hotel excursion. We are eagerly looking forward to it.

[Travelcat2]

Thanks for the update on the hotel excursion. We are eagerly looking forward to it.

 

Glad to hear that you will be getting off of the ship. Hopefully you and other Regent cruisers will learn to trust the decisions of Regent and other cruise lines that have "intel" far beyond what we read in the news (that is generally inaccurate).

 

In my recent memory, the only cruise line passengers that were in harms way (not Regent) is when passengers in the Caribbean were robbed when they were on a tour bus. In all of the "hot spots" in the world, passengers have been kept safe (thankfully).

 

Enjoy your cruise - hope that you love the Explorer as much as we do.

[flossie009]

The worst recent attack on cruise passengers was in March 2015 when many were killed and injured during an excursion to the Museo Bardo in Tunis

However the attached article attempts to give a balanced view of the risks:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/Are-cruise-holidays-safe-from-terrorism/

 

Travellers need to be aware of the risks (that can occur anywhere in the world), take informed advice, and then only choose to do whatever they feel relaxed and comfortable doing. Individuals will have very different perceptions of their personal safety in various parts of the world

 

At the end of the day you are on holiday; no point in becoming needlessly stressed...............or missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; it is a very personal decision

[DeepFreeze63]

Apology to Regent; Acapulco was a terrific stop. Beautiful bays! Town's glory is somewhat faded but still very worth a visit. We did " Cliff Divers and Highlights" tour. The 40 minute stop for cliff divers (included short fold show) was amazing! Complaint excursion ended at "tourist-trap" shopping.

Town near boat was filled with people on a Sunday morning - foot race for school children; demonstration (very peaceful) about rise in gas prices; and young couples strolling along on a beautiful day. Heavily-armed security obvious but not overwhelming. Nice shopping place at pier.

[JPR]

Cross-posted from my comments yesterday in the separate Acapulco thread:

 

"I'm sorry for those who didn't go into Acapulco from the Explorer today, though at least you were able to see the spectacular harbor and bay and the dramatic sail away.

 

For us, Acapulco was one of the highlights of the cruise. After a photo stop, the Regent excursion bus dropped us off for 4 1/2 hours at the beautiful Pierre Mundo Imperiale Hotel (formerly the Pierre Marques, where as a ten year old I went with my father 50 years ago). Three swimming pools with chaises and umbrellas plus a private beach area; after some time relaxing in the sun with a book and IPad (free excellent wifi), we walked along the very wide and long beach and took a dip, then went for a swim in the refreshing pool--about 80 degrees and much nicer on a hot day than the ship's pool, which tends to be closer to 90 when its hot outside There was even a Starbucks to get your frappuccino fix...

 

We had each received coupons for two non-alcoholic and two alcoholic beverages each (we had Palomas,and Margaritas) and an excellent buffet lunch (chips with salsa and guacamole, ceviche of all types, gazpacho, salads and jalapeños for the brave, freshly made soft and crispy tacos with beef, chicken or pork and toppings, just grilled steak, fish, chicken and pork plus grilled and steamed vegetables, fresh fruit and dessert). Very friendly service from all hotel staff.

 

We also found well-priced items at the hotel shops, as the peso is very weak now. Or we could have skipped the rest and played a round of golf instead at the nearby Princess Course.

 

For those concerned with security, parts of Chicago and even L.A. are far more dangerous. There were armed state police patrolling the perimeter of the hotel and helmeted federales at the ship dock.

 

We're watching the last view of Acapulco and the adjacent coastline now, from the Infinity Pool. Mmmmmmmm."

Edited January 9, 2017 by JPR

[RachelG]

Glad to hear the improved reports about Acapulco. I have fond memories of that place as it was my first ever trip outside the country, and first ever trip without my parents. My mom let me go there for spring break with a some of my friends while I was in high school. We had one mom chaperone (in the loosest sense of the word). Of course, this was 45 years ago, but there was never any worry about safety as far as being physically attacked.

[golfgirls]

Yes we had a great day in Acapulco as well and have posted our experience on that thread.

 

I thought I would post some of our thoughts on the Explorer as we are now 20 days into that experience and already feeling sad about leaving on Friday....

 

First of all, I will start with the service experience. We have had fabulous service everywhere onboard. If there were issues with staff training, I think they have long been worked through. Even though we have a number of the crew finishing up their respective contracts this week, they are upbeat, accommodating and fun. I can only surmise that Regent treats their staff well so they in turn treat us so very well.

 

This is the first cruise that we have been on with John Barron as CD and I have to say that he is just outstanding. He sets the tone for everyone truly enjoying their vacation and has made the holiday events really special. He clearly has a great rapport with all levels of staff onboard and I love his sense of humour. I am a bit sad though that John won't be our CD on the next three cruises as we will be on the Mariner and Navigator.

 

 

 

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[golfgirls]

And now for the ship itself...

 

In a nutshell, it is beautiful. We find the decor to be quite lovely, interesting and definitely not dark! I understand that decor is a matter of taste so no flame throwing please if you disagree!

 

We are in a concierge level suite and love the layout. I call it the better B and B - being the bathroom and the balcony! Much improved on the Explorer vs the other ships and we really don' t need anything larger than this level of room. And we do not miss having a butler at all as we are well taken care of by our stewardesses.

 

One of our favourite 'new' things is having either Prime 7 and/or Chartreuse open for lunch. The menus have been great and the service has been super. We are also big fans of the new Compass Rose menu as well and could happily eat there every night, though we always enjoy Setti Mari as well. My only question mark is Pacific Rim, though we did enjoy it a bit better second time around.

 

Well that's it for now, I have to figure out what we are doing in Los Cabos tomorrow as I messed up on our excursion booking.

 

Cheers!

 

 

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[OceanPatter]

Just reiterating the positive review on Acapulco. We took the cliff diving tour that included visits to a charming museum, and a hilltop chapel in Acapulco's most exclusive neighborhood (with jaw-dropping views). This was a welcome contrast to the somewhat less interesting tours in Nicaragua and Guatemala (but still worth taking).

 

Standouts on the cruise so far have been the dining venues, about which much has been written. The artwork in Prime 7 (from the Picassos to the Chagall), Chartreuse's stunning French china (and the service!), and the chargers at Compass Rose were ... amazing eye candy. We probably dined at the specialty restaurants 70% of the time, and it was a pleasure not to be nickeled-and-dimed by 'additional' charges. Breakfast at Deck 5's coffee bar quickly became a routine ... with expertly-made coffee drinks and my favorite snacks (dried mango and pine nuts ... thank you, Regent!).

 

Trying to offset a few calories, I work out daily (love the gym's aft views), but long for a steamier steam room and a hotter sauna (I simply don't get those infrared heaters, which barely warm one shoulder ...). I also long for a functional promenade deck (an abbreviated version is perhaps, sadly, the trend of new ships), and an outside forward deck. On our bridge tour, we looked down on an empty, unused forward area, which the officer indicated would probably remain under-utilized. What a shame...

 

Overall, it has been a divinely relaxing cruise, where I've slept better than I have in years. Thank you, Explorer! And thank you, Thundery, for organizing the roll call's meet + greet, which gave us lovely people to continue talking with throughout the cruise.

[mrlevin]

A question for those on eXplorer now; are the wash basins at entrance to La Verandah still there? If so, how often are they used? Have they been supplemented with the antiseptic soap dispenser?

 

thanks,

 

Marc

[doyouseawhatisea]

And now for the ship itself...

 

In a nutshell, it is beautiful. We find the decor to be quite lovely, interesting and definitely not dark! I understand that decor is a matter of taste so no flame throwing please if you disagree!

 

We are in a concierge level suite and love the layout. I call it the better B and B - being the bathroom and the balcony! Much improved on the Explorer vs the other ships and we really don' t need anything larger than this level of room. And we do not miss having a butler at all as we are well taken care of by our stewardesses.

 

One of our favourite 'new' things is having either Prime 7 and/or Chartreuse open for lunch. The menus have been great and the service has been super. We are also big fans of the new Compass Rose menu as well and could happily eat there every night, though we always enjoy Setti Mari as well. My only question mark is Pacific Rim, though we did enjoy it a bit better second time around.

 

Well that's it for now, I have to figure out what we are doing in Los Cabos tomorrow as I messed up on our excursion booking.

 

Cheers!

 

 

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Are you continuing our "legacy" in trivia?! Wish we were there!! Go to the Office in Cabo if you want a party and the best guacamole ever!

[Thundery]

A question for those on eXplorer now; are the wash basins at entrance to La Verandah still there? If so, how often are they used? Have they been supplemented with the antiseptic soap dispenser?

 

thanks,

 

Marc

 

Yes they are still there. Often staff ask people to wash their hands. They have the hand sanitizer there as well and 2 more by the buffet stations

[DeepFreeze63]

A question for those on eXplorer now; are the wash basins at entrance to La Verandah still there? If so, how often are they used? Have they been supplemented with the antiseptic soap dispenser?

 

thanks,

 

Marc

 

Only saw 1 guest use the sinks in la Verandah; but lots of dispensers around. Also, small paper towels on back of restroom doors with instructions inviting use on knobs for opening exit doors.

[golfgirls]

Well we have not had quite the success rate of the Mixed Nuts but did win Name that Tune one night and eek out the odd third place at trivia....

 

We are sailing into Cabo San Lucas right now and it is a beautiful sight. Sitting on our balcony hoping to see some sea life at play.

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

Hope that all of you enjoy the last days of your amazing cruise on the "Most Luxurious Ship Ever Built". IMO, it isn't just the ship (which admittedly is the best ship we have ever cruised on) but the amazing crew members, the food, the service...... everything about the experience, IMO, is the best there is.

[Suite Travels]

Hope that all of you enjoy the last days of your amazing cruise on the "Most Luxurious Ship Ever Built". IMO, it isn't just the ship (which admittedly is the best ship we have ever cruised on) but the amazing crew members, the food, the service...... everything about the experience, IMO, is the best there is.

 

How do you know it is the most luxurious ship ever built? You have not sailed all the luxury line.

[Travelcat2]

How do you know it is the most luxurious ship ever built? You have not sailed all the luxury line.

 

This is trademarked by Regent. Suggest that you contact Regent to get your answer. Seriously, this is a lovely thread, let's keep it that way!

[RustyRollock]

The "most luxurious" label is Regent's own marketing hype. If people actually believe it (and repeat it ad nauseam here) that's fine, but I think we should be allowed make up our own minds, especially those of us who've sailed on her.

[Thundery]

the "most luxurious" label is regent's own marketing hype. If people actually believe it (and repeat it ad nauseam here) that's fine, but i think we should be allowed make up our own minds, especially those of us who've sailed on her.

 

ok people enough of the nasty. Can we stay on topic please

[UUNetBill]

The "most luxurious" label is Regent's own marketing hype. If people actually believe it (and repeat it ad nauseam here) that's fine, but I think we should be allowed make up our own minds, especially those of us who've sailed on her.

 

:rolleyes: