Explorer: I was about to book until I read the nearby blog

[tripperva]

Could someone with experience on The Explorer clarify the perception that the dining facilities are over crowded and "chaotic." There is an excellent blog on the January Panama Canal trip where several posters mention "chaos" in LaVeranda and unrelaxed dining in CR. They mention the "people issue" and

they "cut in front" in the lines. Apparently CR gets very busy early and the experience is not especially good.

The best ships from the best cruise lines are mostly full now, and some are simply too crowded in the dining facilities. The blog confirms this on Explorer. We just came off the Silver Spirit which had this problem. So, is there a way to enjoy LV and CR when the ship is full or does one have to seek other venues?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Could someone with experience on The Explorer clarify the perception that the dining facilities are over crowded and "chaotic." There is an excellent blog on the January Panama Canal trip where several posters mention "chaos" in LaVeranda and unrelaxed dining in CR. They mention the "people issue" and

they "cut in front" in the lines. Apparently CR gets very busy early and the experience is not especially good.

The best ships from the best cruise lines are mostly full now, and some are simply too crowded in the dining facilities. The blog confirms this on Explorer. We just came off the Silver Spirit which had this problem. So, is there a way to enjoy LV and CR when the ship is full or does one have to seek other venues?

Eating later? Being willing to share? I am on Mariner and it is full. No problem after the first few days when pax and staff have had a chance to settle in.

 

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[I&J Cruisers]

On our way home from explorer right now. We had none of the problems you noted. We generally ate dinner between 7 and 7:30 each evening. Lovely ship, great food and great company.

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

In terms of people on board, that obviously changes from cruise to cruise. The way La Veranda is set up now, the only place that I could imagine someone "cutting in line" is by the grill since there are no lines anywhere else. The grill is in the middle of a long counter and people do come from both directions - unsure where the line starts and ends. We did not have a problem in our 30 nights onboard the Explorer.

 

One point about La Veranda is that it will get crowded on mornings when the majority of passengers have morning excursions. The key is to get there early - not a half an hour before you are due to leave for the excursion. Otherwise, having room service is an alternative. CR doesn't open until 8:00 a.m. so people rarely go there before an excursion (but it is a great alternative for those passengers with a little extra time).

 

In terms of CR, getting there early (or late) is the key. Rush hour is generally 7:15 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. The same "rush hour" applies to Sette Mari. The specialty restaurants have no problem with crowds since they stagger their reservations. At 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. the restaurants look mostly empty. Once they have their drinks and orders in, the 7:00 p.m. reservations come in and this is how the evening progresses until they are full (usually 8:30 p.m. or so).

 

P.S. Would you mind telling us which cruise the blog was referring to? Thank you!

Edited January 30, 2017 by Travelcat2

[purpleally]

I'm sure they were probably referring to the LA to Miami thread

While I could la Veranda to be chaotic, and people cut everywhere, not just at the egg ordering area, others did not. And it was at breakfast only.

We found Compass Rose a wonderful spot for breakfast

 

As for dinner we really had no issue at Compass Rose. We went to dinner between 630 and 7

 

The explorerer is way too beautiful a ship to let a little breakfast chaos stop you

Almost everything was wonderful.

[UUNetBill]

I don't know that I've EVER seen it not at least a little chaotic at La Veranda for breakfast. Which is why I usually have either room service or a quick bite elsewhere.

 

But - even when it's a little chaotic, it's less chaotic than other lines I've heard about, and much less crazy than the one non-Regent cruise I've taken. I wouldn't let that one write-up dissuade me from cruising on Explorer (indeed, we have two Explorer cruises booked in the next 6 months.)

 

Go, enjoy, and if it's too hectic for you, there are several other alternatives for breakfast.

 

:D

[Jim B]

Since most of our excursions seem to be around 8 am and La Veranda is

almost always full we just go outside on the pool deck and have fruit, cereal,

coffee, rolls, that are waiting there for you with no lines or hassle.

Well other than trying to operate the fancy coffee machine. LOL

[Travelcat2]

Just remembered -- when we got tired of eating breakfast in LV, we went to "The Café" (known by most as the Coffee Connection). We had a light breakfast and much better coffee than is served in LV. It does get crowded at times and I wonder if we could have just taken our coffee with us across the hall to the Meridian Lounge (which is empty in the morning but could be good for overflow).

[DeepFreeze63]

Yes, people see similar things differently. We loved dining on our recent Miami to L.A. Explorer cruise. We loved Explorer (our 8th Regent cruise but 1st on Explorer) and wouldn't go on any other ship except for desirable itineraries.

We only ate breakfast in La Verandah during the Explorer cruise. It was only crowded (sometimes it felt almost empty) when there were lots of early excursions and also when we had very bad weather (gale force winds closed pool eating areas). There are no official "lines";you're in a queue only when the person before you is selecting an item. There are lots of serving stations so lots of movement but no real "chaos".

We routinely dine at 7PM; and found that a good entry time for CR. On a cruise, we never dine alone; enjoy the company of others; and are in no particular hurry. We loved the ambiance and the new menus in CR. Our dinners were often 2 to 2 1/2 hour events - delightful for us.

We ate both dinner (@ 7PM) and lunch in each of the 3 specialty restaurants and enjoyed them all. Lunch was better suited for us as the portions were smaller (not by much) and seemed less "exotic" but that is just us. As TC2 noted, specialty lunch venues were sometimes sparsely attended (read: too quiet for us).

Setti Mari (La Verandah at night) is our favorite "Go to" venue for a quick dinner as we can control the timing of both appetizers and desserts. This can get full by even about 7PM so we eat early there - especially to eat on the aft deck (a real treat on a beautiful night or late sail-away).

[tripperva]

Thanks for the encouraging responses. We have 140 days on Regent and have gone ahead and booked the Explorer. The original quoted comments can be found in the Panama Canal thread under January 21 and also January 24.

[JPR]

Sailed Miami to LA too. Ignore the complaints. Wonderful.

[Gilly]

Tripperva, I don't think its realistic to expect a 'perfect' cruise on any ship. After all, there are likely to be some things which don't meet expectations and every one of us has a different set of priorities, don't we? For me, I will overlook the occasional situation because I know that there is either a very good or better alternative, or that I can make a polite and reasonable request and somehow that is usually fulfilled.

 

If there is a hubbub by the muesli, then I know that I can remain at my table and ask a server to bring me some. I don't generally make requests like that because I'm perfectly able (and willing) to get it myself. Failing that, i could do as Purpleally did and enjoy a more leisurely breakfast in CR. I surely wouldn't allow something like that to prevent me from booking what is likely to be a marvellous cruise on a beautiful ship.

 

Those of us who have commented on the LA to Miami thread did indeed identify a couple of shortcomings, but please, take them into context with everything else we wrote and feel confident you did absolutely the right thing in booking your cruise!

[Eager2Travel]

We loved our breakfasts in La Veranda. We sat outside and enjoyed the ambiance. Helpers were everywhere and always ready to get what you needed sometimes before you asked. I myself enjoy picking out my own fruit. The papaya and mango with cottage cheese and smothered in nuts was my favorite starter. I asked for a particular type of berry the first day and they had them for me every day. Someone would take your order for hot dishes or you could do it yourself. Yes, some passengers are slower than others but I use that as an exercise in controlling my own Type A tendencies.

 

Our server in Compass Rose was wonderful. That is why we choose to eat at 6:30. We wanted to sit in her station. Other servers are also excellent but we liked that she got to know us and our preferences.

 

Please don't let any of our thread comments discourage you. Nothing is perfect but Regent is high up there and we have tried Seabourn, Crystal and Silverseas.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Eager2Travel

[ronrick1943]

Thinking about this, why not see for yourself and take a cruise. Only you know whats right for you. I'd toss out the best reviews and toss most of the bad ones (remember some people you can't please no matter what)--Go on the cruise and you'll know whats right for you.

[UUNetBill]

I've been on cruises I loved and came back to read pretty scathing reviews of the same cruise I was just on! Ronrick is right - some people are impossible to please.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I've been on cruises I loved and came back to read pretty scathing reviews of the same cruise I was just on! Ronrick is right - some people are impossible to please.

Ain't that the truth!

 

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[Saildude16]

We really prefer to be served and avoid buffets no matter where we are. When there was time(only 7 days with port calls and 2 of them were at noon) we had breakfast in CR. A few days we had room service which included the opportunity to dine on our balcony.

 

Lunch was a treat in the P7 or Chartreuse. La Veranda was avoided.

 

During the 15 evenings we dined 2 times each in P7, Chartreuse and Pacific Rim: once in Setti Mari: and the other 8 were in CR. Table selection in CR was important as parts of the venue are too loud for us. Dining at 6:30 - 7 p.m. worked well.

 

Contrary to others, we did not enjoy the grand pool deck BBQ. Too many lines and impolite, gawking people milling about.

 

Meals and service befitted the Most Luxurious Ship Afloat. Staff were quick to recognize us and our preferences.

 

Our expectations were high, and were exceeded in suite(F2), food, lounges and overall service. Only area to complain about was some of the entertainment in the Constellation Theater - but, that is a matter of personal preference.

[Travelcat2]

We really prefer to be served and avoid buffets no matter where we are. When there was time(only 7 days with port calls and 2 of them were at noon) we had breakfast in CR. A few days we had room service which included the opportunity to dine on our balcony.

 

Lunch was a treat in the P7 or Chartreuse. La Veranda was avoided.

 

During the 15 evenings we dined 2 times each in P7, Chartreuse and Pacific Rim: once in Setti Mari: and the other 8 were in CR. Table selection in CR was important as parts of the venue are too loud for us. Dining at 6:30 - 7 p.m. worked well.

 

Contrary to others, we did not enjoy the grand pool deck BBQ. Too many lines and impolite, gawking people milling about.

 

Meals and service befitted the Most Luxurious Ship Afloat. Staff were quick to recognize us and our preferences.

 

Our expectations were high, and were exceeded in suite(F2), food, lounges and overall service. Only area to complain about was some of the entertainment in the Constellation Theater - but, that is a matter of personal preference.

 

Your post is one of the few that I agree with "almost" 100%. We did a couple of breakfasts and lunches in LV and loved the cooked to order items (eggs for breakfast and steak, chicken, lamb chops, pasta, etc. for lunch). We also do not attend the pool deck BBQ for the reasons you stated. However, there are a couple of items on the BBQ that we do like so my DH goes up to the pool deck and puts those items on a plate and delivers them to CR where it is quiet and the service is perfection.

[Gilly]

I've been on cruises I loved and came back to read pretty scathing reviews of the same cruise I was just on! Ronrick is right - some people are impossible to please.

 

I just read a couple of reviews of (I assume) the same Explorer cruise as we just enjoyed and though I agree with a couple of the points about Explorer's design, I find it hard to imagine other aspects which didn't meet either reviewer's expectations. In particular the criticisms about the enforced shopping experiences during the shore excursions seem unfair taking into consideration the relative wealth of the Central American countries we visited. Who can blame them for doing their best to squeeze every last cent from anyone passing through? At least each one of the calls we made offered something above and beyond the tacky souvenirs, even if was only a clean loo, a taste of local coffee or a lovely view! As for the "entertainment content" - what? Another reviewer comments that most excursions start with at least an hour's bus ride. A pity those early settlers didn't take cruise passengers into consideration when building their capital some way from the port, isn't it?

 

Let's talk about managing expectation! The title of this cruise was "Exotic Panama Canal" by the way.

Edited February 9, 2017 by Gilly

[Eager2Travel]

So glad you shared what you did Gilly. I couldn't agree more. Not quite sure what people expect when they visit a different country???? This is why we travel - to learn and to experience. If we have fun along the way all the better.

[Gilly]

So glad you shared what you did Gilly. I couldn't agree more. Not quite sure what people expect when they visit a different country???? This is why we travel - to learn and to experience. If we have fun along the way all the better.

 

Oh, Anne, isn't that true! Maybe I'm unusual in preferring to see places and people which are very different from those I'm used to? The world would indeed be a poorer place if everywhere were the same. But it seems not everyone does their research as we do and thereby hangs the tale (and the disappointment)

[Saildude16]

As far as shore excursions with "shopping opportunities" at the end on the LA/MIA cruise, I was the ringleader 3 times to organize a vote to bypass the "opportunities" There was 100% agreement among fellow travelers. On each occasion there had been free time to hit the vendors and shops prior to the scheduled final shopping stop. There did not appear to be grumbling about the bypass decisions from anyone other than the tour guides. On a couple of tours we were asked to sign that we desired to "alter" the tour.