LIVE ("lite") Explorer - 3/26 - 4/9

[Pam]

I don't understand why they put on that gorgeous brunch and leave the caviar elsewhere. It makes absolutely no sense to me. Why not have it everywhere on Sunday?

[Travelcat2]

giustot, you bring up a good point. TA's should tell their clients about this. While it is not unusual for elevators to go to certain floors only (other ships have the same issue), it is definitely something to be aware of. BTW, the aft stairs don't go to deck 4 either (well, they do but it is a dead end - we refer to it as the "stairway to nowhere".

 

Pam, to be honest, we didn't even notice that there wasn't caviar at the buffet. It wouldn't be hard for Regent to add it.

 

As a reminder to readers and lurkers (I'm met some great lurkers onboard - such lovely people), the Buffet Extravaganza is only on Explorer and only when Sunday is a sea day. So, this event not happen frequently.

[HongKongAlan]

I was on deck 12 yesterday when a black helicopter landed above the Regent Suite and unloaded 20 barrels of bandwidth and two cases of Hendricks gin. So we're all good now.

 

Internet speed and connectivity are different issues. It's 10 am on board Explorer, so most passengers are up and checking their mail and so on. The download speed is 38.46 mbps and upload speed 0.61 mbps.

 

http://www.speedtest.net/

 

Retest was a little lower but still, these are decent speeds. Not as good as home, but very good for at sea.

 

On the iCafe page, which you should have bookmarked, it will tell you if the network has speed (latency) problems, or if you are not connected.

 

I have had zero issues with speed, and occasional issues with connectivity, but they tend to resolve themselves in a few minutes. Sometimes those issues are resolved with a reboot. Of course, I am not online all day long. I don't even own a smart phone.

 

If you are a gmail user, and are having problems at sea, I recommend that you use the basic HTML version instead of the standard version:

 

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/15049?hl=en

 

If you are uploading files, images or whatever, and can do that with an FTP program, then I recommend that you do that.

 

Avoid anything with a continuous feed. If you are a heavy Facebook or Twitter user and just cannot put those down, then maybe therapy is an option. In general, the problem with technology is that every time the hardware gets better, those darn software developers exploit it and create things that need more space and speed. Blame it on the Bossa Coder

 

Great post and could not agree more. Blame it on the Bossa coder, chortle.

 

Best

 

Alan

Edited April 4, 2017 by HongKongAlan
Addition

[UUNetBill]

I was on deck 12 yesterday when a black helicopter landed above the Regent Suite and unloaded 20 barrels of bandwidth and two cases of Hendricks gin. So we're all good now.

But was it metric or analog bandwidth?

[Kwaj girl]

I don't understand why they put on that gorgeous brunch and leave the caviar elsewhere. It makes absolutely no sense to me. Why not have it everywhere on Sunday?

 

(y) agreed! Don't understand that one at all. But the hot garlic/smoked paprika shrimp were delightful, as was the very flavorful prime rib.

[Kwaj girl]

Yet another whistling issue.....

We are currently in 806 and had no problems until yesterday. WTH. Has a gremlin come into our suite and messed with us, even after April Fools Day? Have reported this issue. We shall see.

[flossie009]

Yet another whistling issue.....

We are currently in 806 and had no problems until yesterday. WTH. Has a gremlin come into our suite and messed with us, even after April Fools Day? Have reported this issue. We shall see.

 

:lips-sealed: Will those guests in 804 or 808 please stop whistling those happy tunes and give Kwaj girl some peace :D

 

 

The Sunday Brunch in CR looks very tasty, but unfortunately we don't have a Sunday Sea Day on our forthcoming Explorer cruise :(

How does the brunch differ from a normal La Veranda buffet lunch?

[ronrick1943]

From the look of the photos, a lot! I like the idea of it being special and not always a happening. I guess were lucky as we have a Sunday sea day on are cruise coming up. Looking forward to it--we have two Sundays-one a sea day and one not.

Thanks for the photos and giving your thoughts on the cruise.

[UUNetBill]

Yet another whistling issue.....

 

We are currently in 806 and had no problems until yesterday. WTH. Has a gremlin come into our suite and messed with us, even after April Fools Day? Have reported this issue. We shall see.

 

Man, I hate those whistling gremlins...

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Travelcat2]

There is no comparison between LV's buffet and the Brunch Extravaganza. Brunch is over the top ("Z" hasn't received a couple of photos yet but there is more than what he posted and even more that I didn't send him). at least 1/3 of CR's tables are moved in order to place the many, many items out for guests. It is simply too difficult to make the comparison. It takes several days to prepare for the Sunday Brunch. Unfortunately, the majority of Explorer cruisers will not experience it but at least they should know that it exists.

[JPR]

I don't understand why they put on that gorgeous brunch and leave the caviar elsewhere. It makes absolutely no sense to me. Why not have it everywhere on Sunday?

 

Not sure what you mean. Where was the Sunday Brunch caviar?

[Travelcat2]

Not sure what you mean. Where was the Sunday Brunch caviar?

 

I'm guessing by the post that the caviar wasn't in CR but in LV. Not sure if this is an oversight as I'm sure that Regent isn't trying to withhold caviar from their guests. They do serve mimosas, champagne bloody Mary's at the brunch. There is food everywhere (including the juice bar that is generally set up on the pool deck).

 

I am kind of surprised by the caviar comment. It seems that even when Regent goes above and beyond anything that we have seen in 13 years, someone is going to find fault.

 

Tomorrow is a port day which we are all looking forward to. Crossing our fingers that there aren't 8 buses going to the same place. We only booked an excursion since we have been at sea for 5 days. Had a Regent Choice excursion been offered, we would have gladly taken it. Interestingly, there were no Regent Choice excursions offered on this cruise. We do enjoy Funchal and will find a way to enjoy the excursion - no matter what! I will report back on this excursion as there is a group of people on Roll Call that are interested.

[Saildude16]

Our experience in 809 on the recent LA/MIA cruise was the whistling occurred only when a strong wind was on our/starboard side. This happened 3 times on a 15 day cruise.

[Suite Travels]

Still no excuse for the most "luxurious Cruise Ship". Whistling doors would not go too well with us.

[Caroldoll]

Miles, I know some of the people posting are or think they are really experts at everything! I know what you like, and I do concur. However, we have been on Explorer and it IS quite lovely. I know you are trying something new and I am really waiting for your assessment, but just so you know, the fabrications and décor on this ship, in my opinion, are just wonderful.

 

For me, I expect a lot of bugs from something new, and it is my hope that they fix all the gremlins and whistles while they are in Europe. We are planning one month on it this year when it returns.

 

In the meantime, I am really waiting for assessments of the other new ships from people like you who have tried all the luxury lines. Sincerely.

 

Carole

[Pam]

Not sure what you mean. Where was the Sunday Brunch caviar?

 

 

They have caviar in the other venues for breakfast, and don't have it for the brunch. If that is "finding fault" to voice disappointment, then so be it. I love caviar, but would definitely be hitting that beautiful brunch.

[forevertravel]

They had caviar at Sunday brunch during our cruise. That brunch was incredible and there was so much food no way we could taste everything. As to the whistling we had it in our cabin. It bothered us the first night and we reported it. Yes, they used tape, Yes, it shouldn't have happened. That said, the ship is new and there are always going to be little kinks that need repair. Regent is addressing the issue. The ship is beautiful, the food is awesome, and the service is wonderful. I find nothing to complain about and can't wait to be on the Explorer again.

[Kwaj girl]

Our whistling in 806 suddenly disappeared as of last night....must have been 804 and 808 all along. :confused:

[Travelcat2]

I was complaining about excursions on the Voyager thread and gave lots of reasons why I feel the way I do. Below is what I posted on the other thread. After the quote I'll talk about the excursion:

 

"Sometimes even a 'cat' has to eat crow (North American slang). This excursion could not have been more perfect (wondering if someone was reading this thread?) In any case, this is how it went (tour description on the "live" thread.

 

 

Ship due to dock 10:00 am - actually docking time 9:30 a.m.

 

 

Ship cleared in 15 minutes (only ship in port - amazingly fast clearance)

 

 

Destination Services in theater - completely set-up at 9:45 a.m. (a real anomaly).

 

 

Only a dozen or so people in the theater at 9:30 am (I was there in order to report back).

 

 

Received tickets before 10:00 a.m. (our "meeting time in the theater".)

 

 

Went directly to the bus to check out who was onboard (note: I sat in the back half of the bus - not trying to get a good seat - only trying to report). Only 4 people were onboard - all in disabled seats. I was pleased to see that they were able to get the seats they deserved! (More about disabled to follow).

 

 

1st stop - only 2 Regent buses and a few unknown buses. Two restaurants where could use restrooms. The one we went into had two stalls for women (no line - go figure). I heard that the other was downstairs (not good for disabled folks).

 

 

So, when things go right, I am the first person to speak up. However, issues mentioned in my previous cruise happened. If all excursions were like today, I would have completely different feelings (note: approximately 50 passengers on two buses -- have no idea how the other 650+ fared).

 

We loved this excursion but it isn't for everyone. Lots of winding roads in the mountains but the scenery is spectacular. We live in a beautiful part of the U.S. but Madeira equals it. At the first stop we went to a government run trout farm (sounds boring but the beauty around it was what made it). This was a restroom stop.

 

A couple of people were back to the bus late but it wasn't a big deal. We preordered our lunch on the us. Most of us were adventurous and ordered "black scabbard" fish (if you haven't seen one, please check out one of these websites https://www.bing.com/search?q=black+scabbard+fish+photo&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=black+scabbard+fish+photo&sc=0-0&sk=&cvid=8B6605ACC1FA4C1CB4F04CCE033430D5v

 

Don't worry - there were other delicious options (and the black scabbard - while black outside is a white fish and was wonderful!). Food, drink and company was excellent.

 

Before lunch, some passengers didn't want to eat yet (it was 12:20 p.m.) so we made a stop in town (where more passengers were late getting back to the bus).

 

I really need to make a comment about people with walking issues (I understand their dilemma even though I was only disabled for 3 months after knee surgery 2 years ago). People with disabilities deserve to get onboard first. They deserve to sit in the front. We have given up our seats in the past (in row 2 or 3 when able bodied looking people took the first row). However, politeness and courtesy works both ways. No one could exit the bus through the front door because disabled people wanted to get off first. The back exit was the only one used (near where we were sitting). IMO, this shouldn't happen.

 

Also, in both cases, the "late" passengers were ones sitting in the disabled seats. I need to check on this excursion in terms of what level of difficulty it is rated. The issue I saw was that everything in Madeira is very hilly and the streets are either bricks or cobblestones (difficult to walk on).

 

While this isn't sounding positive - the excursion was lovely and I do recommend it for people that can handle lots of winding roads and enjoy beautiful scenery, good food and seeing an absolutely stunning island.

 

More after dinner.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Travelcat2

[ronrick1943]

OK, waiting want to hear more.....I normally don't like tours-but we're going to try a few with Regent.

[towel-animal]

Hi, this is Tom. I'm also on this cruise. Just a few quick thoughts.

 

It's a bit complicated to post pictures here. I have some on my Facebook page, especially pictures of the food. You're welcome to look at them. You don't have to friend me but you'll need to have a Facebook account.

 

https://www.facebook.com/tom.giusto.16

 

Tom.

 

Hi Tom, thanks for posting the wonderful pictures! When you have a moment, I sent you a question via your Facebook messenger.

[BBWC]

Travelcat -

 

What was the title of your excursion? We will be in Madeira in October.

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

Travelcat -

 

What was the title of your excursion? We will be in Madeira in October.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Santana and the North Coast! October should be a beautiful month there!

 

RIck, sorry - didn't mean to mislead you. My "more later" comment was referring to the cruise rather than the excursion.

 

Dinner in Chartreuse was delicious. Tomorrow is the Connoisseur Wine lunch (menu posted previously).

 

As this cruise winds down, we become anxious to return home to our feline family (and will be seeing our human family in May). The Explorer has experienced some of the roughest seas in its' young life and did a fairly good job. We still love the ship but after 52 nights onboard since last July, we look forward to returning to the Mariner and Voyager (particularly the Voyager)

 

Today General Manager Andreas came onboard. He will be here until Franck Galzy returns from vacation. Michael Coghlin (probably misspelled) has been wonderful - such an incredible man - will go on vacation and will spend time with his family (I do see a zoo in his future:-) Andreas holds a special place in our hearts as he was there for 30 of us that did not have luggage for 10 days in Scandinavia. He handled everything so well. .We are fortunate to have sailed with every G.M. on Regent - each and every one of them are amazing.

 

John Barron will remain onboard until the summer and will return sometime in September (and I see Disney World in his future). I believe that he will continue on Explorer next year (minus vacations).

 

Tomorrow I'll comment on the wine lunch and Friday on our excursion in Gibraltar In Gibraltar, our excursion takes us into Spain to a farm (we have done this excursion previously and enjoyed it.) Since "Brexit", there is a lot of pressure from Spain to take over Gibraltar. I don't want to get political but there could be some unrest there for a while.

 

Clocks went ahead yet another hour so I likely should go to bed!

[freddie]

BBWC - In the event that the North Coast excursion is not offered when you are in Madeira, have a look out for the "Panoramas of West Madeira". The views were stunning along the very wild and rocky coast. Although lunch was not included in the tour, there was a stop in the charming fishing village of Porto Moniz at the Cachalote Restaurant, which sits on the rocks directly above the wild surf. It was sort of like dining above Point Lobos near Carmel. If you google the restaurant, you will have a good sense of its amazing setting. Another suggestion: Although most of the people of the tour chose to buy the "set lunch" which was served in the upstairs section of the restaurant at big tables to accommodate a number of tour buses, we chose to have lunch a la carte in the lovely dining area downstairs, with the tables next to windows directly out onto the rocks and wild sea. The food and service were excellent there, whereas a number of the people who ate upstairs complained about the noise and bustle.

 

Although we like Funchal very much, this tour gave us a much better sense of the great beauty of the parts of Madeira that are less visited. Have fun!

[irishwitchy]

To BBWC, when you are there in October, look for the fresh figs in the market. I was there two years because we have a friend that lives there. Also, if you find yourself at the trout farm, across the street you will see some of the levadas http://madeira-seekers.com/madeira-levada-walks/ and many of the trees are all bayleafs.

 

I agree with Travelcat the black "very ugly" scabbard fish is very good. Food and drink are very, very reasonable!