LIVE FROM EXPLORER - FEB. 17 - MARCH 9

[kjbacon]

55 minutes ago, Hambagahle said:

My parents lived in Singapore in the 70s and it is absolutely correct that the authorities will shut down, immediately, any hawker or food stand that is not complying with their very strict food laws.  I have never had food poisoning there - nor anywhere else in Asia.  Only in Europe and Lima !!  But "Tropical Rules" are very important: no water unless you break the seal of the bottle yourself.  No ice.  (Not even with whiskey!) No fruit unless you can peel it.  No salads - ever. No raw or under cooked meat and no raw fish.  So - I should never, ever have had that ceviche!!!

 

We have just started traveling outside the US so this topic is news to me (and rather scary)! Would “tropical rules” apply to any of the Caribbean islands? Any restriction recommendations for the Canary Islands, Morocco, and the Mediterranean?

[swansong]

As a UK citizen it is interesting to read about the use of antibiotics and the apparent ease that US citizens can obtain them.

 

I am a pharmacist and no doctor that I know would issue a prescription for antibiotics for patients to have, just in case. I am sure that it does happen on occasions but it could be deemed unethical.

 

In fact, due to the increase in superbugs, GPs are taking a view that antibiotics should only be prescribed where absolutely necessary and are reluctant to prescribe them. This is to ensure that when they are necessary they have the desired effect. Overuse will inevitably cause major issues in the future.

 

[Hambagahle]

This will be a "fuzzy" answer - but anytime anyplace I think a restaurant is not up to par on hygiene I go by my "tropical rules" and this applies to places in the US.  (Very rarely in Switzerland...)   In the Caribbean so much depends on where you are eating.  If you are in a 5 star hotel you can have more confidence than if eating in a beach shack.   Same goes for Morocco though there (and I've been there many times) I never, ever take ice and only drink from bottled water when I have opened the bottle.  Mediterranean - same thing.  Even in Italy or France you can find some places where you would rather not see what happens in the kitchen.   

 

Really it is a matter of common sense.  If you are sure fruits and vegs have been washed properly then fine.  Otherwise stick to ones you peel yourself OR ones that are cooked in boiling water.  Never, ever eat melon.  It ripens on the ground and sucks up ground water.  If that is not clean the melon won't be either.  (Lot's of people don't think about this...)

 

Quite honestly there are as many dirty cafés and restaurants in the US as there are abroad!  But you have microbes that resist the US varieties of germs and you haven't developed the same resistance to "foreign" ones...

 

If you want to be sure that places are clean - come here!!

[aungrl]

1 hour ago, swansong said:

As a UK citizen it is interesting to read about the use of antibiotics and the apparent ease that US citizens can obtain them.

 

I am a pharmacist and no doctor that I know would issue a prescription for antibiotics for patients to have, just in case. I am sure that it does happen on occasions but it could be deemed unethical.

 

In fact, due to the increase in superbugs, GPs are taking a view that antibiotics should only be prescribed where absolutely necessary and are reluctant to prescribe them. This is to ensure that when they are necessary they have the desired effect. Overuse will inevitably cause major issues in the future.

 

 

1 hour ago, swansong said:

As a UK citizen it is interesting to read about the use of antibiotics and the apparent ease that US citizens can obtain them.

 

I am a pharmacist and no doctor that I know would issue a prescription for antibiotics for patients to have, just in case. I am sure that it does happen on occasions but it could be deemed unethical.

 

In fact, due to the increase in superbugs, GPs are taking a view that antibiotics should only be prescribed where absolutely necessary and are reluctant to prescribe them. This is to ensure that when they are necessary they have the desired effect. Overuse will inevitably cause major issues in the future.

 

I totally agree with this view on antibiotics.  Very important distinction...an antiviral drug is NOT an antibiotic.  Different classification of drug entirely.  I’m sure RachelG. or one of the other docs can weigh in here with a more detailed explanation of the differences.

[swansong]

Yes, Aungrl, I agree. That’s why GPs here are restricting antibiotics because so many patients with colds etc were demanding them when of course they would have no effect, but they were being prescribed in order to keep the patient happy!!

My reference to ‘ just in case’ was where patients had no underlying medical issues.

Antivirals are prescribed less frequently here as in many cases when the patient presents it is too late to be effective. Shingles is an example, although there is now a programme here to inoculate elderly patients for this.

[aungrl]

2 hours ago, swansong said:

As a UK citizen it is interesting to read about the use of antibiotics and the apparent ease that US citizens can obtain them.

 

I am a pharmacist and no doctor that I know would issue a prescription for antibiotics for patients to have, just in case. I am sure that it does happen on occasions but it could be deemed unethical.

 

In fact, due to the increase in superbugs, GPs are taking a view that antibiotics should only be prescribed where absolutely necessary and are reluctant to prescribe them. This is to ensure that when they are necessary they have the desired effect. Overuse will inevitably cause major issues in the future.

 

 

22 minutes ago, swansong said:

Yes, Aungrl, I agree. That’s why GPs here are restricting antibiotics because so many patients with colds etc were demanding them when of course they would have no effect, but they were being prescribed in order to keep the patient happy!!

My reference to ‘ just in case’ was where patients had no underlying medical issues.

Antivirals are prescribed less frequently here as in many cases when the patient presents it is too late to be effective. Shingles is an example, although there is now a programme here to inoculate elderly patients for this.

Oops...my bad.  I misread the initial post, I think - and only just now re-read it closely enough to see that you’re a pharmacist, which makes my comment back to you even sillier!  😚.  I think your point about the patient presenting too late is the reason we get these types of prescriptions and have them on hand, because once you feel a cold sore coming on, it’s too late to call he doc, get the script, get the meds, and get that first dose in your system.  

[UUNetBill]

On 3/9/2019 at 2:11 PM, travelwell said:

Oh Boy Ron Rick you are sounding a bit like my husband... Shall we talk shoes:)

Shoes...I take more shoes than my wife - she calls me 'Billmelda Marcos'...

[Travelcat2]

Hoping to do review later today but want to mention that I'm 90% sure that we flew the same type of 737 that tragically crashed and killed everyone onboard in Ethiopia.  American Airlines continues to fly these planes.  I do not have enough knowledge to recommend against flying this aircraft but prefer flying other 737's - at least for now. 

 

I believe that I mentioned this new plane earlier in this thread.  It is the first time we did not see a television screen on a newer aircraft and learned that passengers need to stream (no cost) movies on their own devices.  It is a quite beautiful for a smaller plane.

 

My review will contain the details of how one can be scammed out of $330 at the airport for transportation.  I did not learn the full impact of the scam until we got home.  More later.

[Travelcat2]

Since I did a lengthy thread about the challenges that we had prior to getting to Santiago, I will begin the review beginning from from when we arrived at the airport.

 

I did minimal research about the airport (should have done more).  As Titanium Seven Seas Society members, we had a choice of taking private transportation to the hotel (about 15 miles) or to the port (70 km).  It seemed obvious that we should do private transportation to the port.  We knew that there would be a couple of places where we could book a transfer to our hotel.  No big deal (or so we thought).

 

My DH paid the $35 on his credit card and they sent us off to where the cars were suppose to be located (quite a long walk).  We found someone to take us to the car but was told that we hadn’t paid.  We showed him the receipt and he said that it was a reservation and that money had been charged.  At this point, after 30+ years of international travel, we should have known to have one of us walk all the way back to the counter to figure it out while the other one watched the luggage.

 

The man wanted to take Dennis’ credit card – and take it somewhere to charge the $35. Fortunately, I refused to let that happen.  Instead I said that I’d pay cash.  He went to the ATM with me to “help” figure out things written in Spanish.  He pressed in the amount and I did a mental calculation of what he was withdrawing.  As I’ve said for years, math isn’t my thing.  I mentally calculated that he was withdrawing about $33 which was fine.  It was not until I arrived home that I saw on my bank statement that it was $330.00.  Could not believe that we were so gullible as to be ripped off.  Other passengers had read warnings about scams at that airport but we did not.  Dennis did contact the credit card company and his $35 was immediately refunded.  As for the $330.00 – there is no recourse – lesson learned but I want to share this with anyone that I can that will be arriving by plane in Santiago and needs transportation.  

 

As I mentioned earlier on this thread, we loved the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (formerly Santiago Hotel/Hyatt Regency).  When they finish the major renovation, they will likely charge 3 times the amount that we paid.  Cruising friends also stayed there (Club Room so we had food and drinks available to us) and they enjoyed it as well.  I highly recommend this hotel - service was impeccable!

 

Transportation to the ship was easy and we were able to view the scenery of the countryside.  Another recommendation ..... if you are going to Santiago, it is worth an extra 2-3 days to check the area out.  It is quite beautiful but we were too tired to even leave the hotel.

 

Boarding the ship, etc. will be next (hopefully in a few hours).

[gnomie1]

Most places around the world, but esp at airports, when you place a card in the ATM that is from an American bank, one will be offered the option of changing the screen to English, if it is not done automatically. I have withdrawn funds from around the world and can count on one hand the times the screen did not change to English. NOTE - it cannot be a privately owned ATM, but rather the ATM associated with a known bank. In the early years of ATM usage there was a language barrier, but today most ATM's are multilingual.

 

I have a friend who is temporarily working in the US, but is not a US citizen. He had to open an American bank account and now he gets annoyed when he travels internationally and the ATM automatically reverts to English, which is like his 6th language, even when he is in his home country.

 

gnomie

[Eager2Travel]

We Another voice chiming in from the Explorer.  

 

Mosquitos are a definite hazard in this part of the world .  We dined outside on the balcony of La Veranda the night we left Guayaquil.  My husband was bitten in several places on his hand.  We shouldn’t have been eating out there as evidently there are many mosquitos on the river at dusk.  Us city dwellers lack certain knowledge.  He woke up the next morning with a red, swollen hand.  The med center prescribed three medications.  We hope they work as infection is a risk for him.

 

Otherwise  the Explorer is great.  The ports a little less so but we knew that when we booked.

 

We do wish more had been said about taking precautions about mosquitos as has been done when necessary on previous Regent cruises.

 

My compliments to the bloggers.  It is fun reading their posts describing our experiences.

 

Ann

[travelwell]

Swanaong,

You are correct on the overuse of antibiotics. You should normally not be given a script for "in case" use. We actually have free medical coverage on our WC. That being said, My DH has had 2 knees and 2 hips replaced. We will have a filled script for Keflex (I miswrote Cipro on my previous note) in case of emergency dental work. This is required by our orthopedic for even routine cleaning. We are doing several overland trips away from the ship and it does seem prudent to carry this script that will be filled.

I will have a filled script as I have at home for antivirals for my cold sores.

Once again, good point on the overuse of antibiotics

[Eager2Travel]

I just discovered the above post that somehow did not post.  Please forgive the lateness of it.

 

I just wanted to add to TC’s experience in Santiago.  We also had an attempted scam.  I had ordered the transportation from the airport from our hotel as our son had warned us about issues with transportation at the Santiago airport.  I did not see our name held up by the group of drivers when we exited the terminal.   A man with an ID badge (though it was turned around) came up to us and offered to help take us to our car.  Happy for any help we let him lead us outside.  He said that our car wasn’t there and he would call the hotel for us.  I foolishly gave the name of the hotel.  He “called” there and said they had sent the car earlier and we should let him put us in a cab.  They would pay us when we got to the hotel.  This sent off alarm bells for me.  It was an excellent hotel that I did not think would respond that way.  

 

I went back inside terminal to further inspect the names being held by the drivers.  The very last driver held our name.  Luckily I am more suspicious than my husband and didn’t let us just get into some random car.  We then proceeded uneventfully to the hotel.

 

It was a lovely cruise.  Service was top notch.  We agree with TC and Master Echo about the ports.  The Explorer is a wonderful experience.  Only disappointment was the chef never had the wonderful chocolate coconut cookies on the menu. Bummer!

 

Finally got the cold going around the day we disembarked the ship.  I have lost my voice.

Thanks TC and Master Echo for you excellent blogging.

Ann

Edited March 12, 2019 by Eager2Travel
Mistake

[Travelcat2]

Not sure why but I really do not like doing reviews of cruises but I know that people are interested so I'll continue.

 

Boarding was non-eventful.  As usual, return guests are greeted warmly - sometimes with big hugs and always "welcome home". Check in was not as organized in Santiago as other places where we have embarked.  No pre-boarding for upper suites and upper level Seven Seas Society members (which did not bother me) but there was no "order" to embarkation.  People pretty much jammed around the area where embarkation would take place.  Many times this is out of Regent's control.

 

Our suite was ready early but we did not drop off our things until after a lovely lunch in La Veranda.  I know that I sound like a broken record but La Veranda on Explorer is set up so much better than on the other ships.  Very spacious and easy to get around.  Love having ice cream (no-sugar and regular) inside La Veranda as well as on the pool deck outside.  There is also a grill in La Veranda where they can prepare hamburgers, steaks, etc.  My weak spot in La Veranda is their pasta.  I simply love pasta and they have different preparations every day in addition to having pasta Bolognese or with a tomato sauce.  Very yummy.

 

I won't go into the suite too much as I have shown photos previously.  Obviously, the Master Suite is fabulous with a balcony that is almost half the width of the ship and continues onto the side of the ship.  There is almost always shade or sun - whichever you prefer.  Most importantly, unlike forward Grand Suites (and yes - even the Regent suite) have balconies that are just about unusable when the ship is moving.

 

Food in general was excellent.  For some reason, we were not as into CR as we typically are.  And, it was also quite unusual that we loved P7 and Pacific Rim.  While all of the ships serve the same food (except for Pacific Rim which is only on Explorer), some chefs are simply better than others.  A new food recommendation for those sailing on Explorer is the Miso Glazed Black Cod (vs. the Miso Glazed Sea Bass served in CR).  It melts in your mouth!  Chartreuse was okay - we do love their mushroom chicken at lunch but it is not as good as other dining venues (obviously food is subjective and you may love Chartreuse).  Sette Mari just wasn't up to our expectations.  We used to love the antipasti bar and the nibbles (cheese, meatballs, cheeseballs, etc.) that they put on your table.  We dined there once and that was enough.  

 

Service was over the top wonderful!  There is a reason why so many crew members have been with Regent for years ....... they are treated well and love their jobs.  I have so much respect for the crew of the ships and enjoy the time that we spend with them.

 

Before going into excursions, it is important to admit that I am not a fan of included excursions and am also not a fan of South America.  Just a personal choice.  We have been to South America before and wasn't impressed with excursions then and are not now.  We did two food related excursions (Regent Choice) and they were both excellent.  Dennis did the auto safari in Guatemala and loved it (we will be there again on Splendor next year and I definitely want to see this well taken care of animals (vs. the animals in another port that made me sad).  

 

We found Cabo to be a tourist nightmare.  One could not walk 5 steps without someone wanting to sell something.  This is where Dennis got food poisoning.  We will not get off in this port next year (unless we want to go to the fish spa for our feet).  Having said that, Cabo was the perfect place for the barbecue.  The weather, food, service and ambiance we lovely.  After dinner was dancing (which I could not partake in due to an earlier fall - the one that left me with two black eyes).  

 

The fact that this was an Artful Traveler's cruise (PBS, etc.), the lectures and entertainment were over the top.  If you try to attend all of the events, you may get worn out.  The speakers and entertainers were very open and approachable.  There were opportunities for Q&A sessions and dinners with them.  They had at least three cocktail parties.  Everything was well done and enjoyable.

 

It has become apparent that the "Top Tier" event (Gold, Platinum, Titanium, Diamond, Commodore) is no longer special as there are simply too many of us.  Rather than small cocktail parties during sail away or a special breakfast, all they can do is a special performance in the theater.  Truly hope that Regent looks at this situation and perhaps does something to make these events more special. There are so many "Gold" passengers (a good thing - not complaining) that they could do with a special event for themselves.  Just a thought.

 

I don't want this to get any longer.  The bottom line is that the highs were the ship, the crew, the ship and most of the dining venues.  The not so wonderful was the ports, disembarkation and Sette Mari.  The lows were simply the number of things that kept happening to us (getting to the ship, being ripped off at the airport, falls, colds, food poisoning from Cabo and conjunctivitis).  The most important thing to me is that Dennis had the 2nd best birthday of his life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RachelG]

Tropical food rules, well states above, definitely apply in Morocco and Egypt, anywhere in Mexico, Central America and northern South America.  I also mostly follow them in the Caribbean though it depends on where we are.  Worst food poisoning I ever had was from anApplebees in North Carolina (undercooked chicken).  Second worst was right here in Tulsa at a pretty nice restaurant where the soup was apparently held at just the perfect temp for culturing bacteria.

 

As far as taking antivirals prophylactically, it is fine as they do not induce resistance, even when taken for years.  That is different from antibiotics.  And yes, I agree, antibiotics are way over prescribed and misused.  I am often under pressure from patients who want an antibiotic for a viral infection.  And of course, if you don’t give it,give you a terrible review. No am sure it is worse for pediatricians and family practice.

 

travelcat, I hate to hear about your scam, but I will be alert when we return to Santiago next year!

[BarbarianPaul]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Since I did a lengthy thread about the challenges that we had prior to getting to Santiago, I will begin the review beginning from from when we arrived at the airport.

 

I did minimal research about the airport (should have done more).  As Titanium Seven Seas Society members, we had a choice of taking private transportation to the hotel (about 15 miles) or to the port (70 km).  It seemed obvious that we should do private transportation to the port.  We knew that there would be a couple of places where we could book a transfer to our hotel.  No big deal (or so we thought).

 

My DH paid the $35 on his credit card and they sent us off to where the cars were suppose to be located (quite a long walk).  We found someone to take us to the car but was told that we hadn’t paid.  We showed him the receipt and he said that it was a reservation and that money had been charged.  At this point, after 30+ years of international travel, we should have known to have one of us walk all the way back to the counter to figure it out while the other one watched the luggage.

 

The man wanted to take Dennis’ credit card – and take it somewhere to charge the $35. Fortunately, I refused to let that happen.  Instead I said that I’d pay cash.  He went to the ATM with me to “help” figure out things written in Spanish.  He pressed in the amount and I did a mental calculation of what he was withdrawing.  As I’ve said for years, math isn’t my thing.  I mentally calculated that he was withdrawing about $33 which was fine.  It was not until I arrived home that I saw on my bank statement that it was $330.00.  Could not believe that we were so gullible as to be ripped off.  Other passengers had read warnings about scams at that airport but we did not.  Dennis did contact the credit card company and his $35 was immediately refunded.  As for the $330.00 – there is no recourse – lesson learned but I want to share this with anyone that I can that will be arriving by plane in Santiago and needs transportation.  

 

As I mentioned earlier on this thread, we loved the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (formerly Santiago Hotel/Hyatt Regency).  When they finish the major renovation, they will likely charge 3 times the amount that we paid.  Cruising friends also stayed there (Club Room so we had food and drinks available to us) and they enjoyed it as well.  I highly recommend this hotel - service was impeccable!

 

Transportation to the ship was easy and we were able to view the scenery of the countryside.  Another recommendation ..... if you are going to Santiago, it is worth an extra 2-3 days to check the area out.  It is quite beautiful but we were too tired to even leave the hotel.

 

Boarding the ship, etc. will be next (hopefully in a few hours).

Sorry you had to deal with that annoying scam in Santiago! We use a currency converter app, but it’s not always super convenient.

Agree about taking the time to explore Santiago. There’s a beautiful winery outside of town that’s a fun half day trip.I forget our hotel, and, whatever it was, we weren’t crazy about it, but we did like the location. It was near a large mountainside park, with a tramway going up one side to a huge statue of Christ, and a funicular going down the other side, to a neighborhood of restaurants, shops and art galleries. We had fun exploring!

[RachelG]

Jackie, I agree about the top tier events not being as special as they used to be.  We didn’t attend the gold/plat/tit/ etc event.  It was just another cocktail party on our recent cruise, not special at all.

[Hambagahle]

Jackie - given the stress you had getting to the airport in Vancouver, the long wait in DFW and then a long flight down to Santiago it would have been a miracle if you hadn't fallen for the scam...   Still not a pleasant experience and good to warn others about it.

 

As a matter of rule when we have a long flight I set up a transfer for us Airport/Hotel, generally with the hotel in question.  Yes this costs money but with 12+ hours in the air I am not mentally equipped to be on the "qui vive" !!

 

Our doctor here - has been our doctor and is our whole family's doctor for 35 years - knows us well and knows our points faibles.   So - before a trip he makes sure we have the right vaccinations AND gives us antibiotics to take along.  If we feel we need to use them we email or SMS him.  And he tells us what to take and how.  He and we are happy with that.  More often than not we return with the pills untouched - which is the objective!!

[DeepFreeze63]

TC2: " My weak spot in La Veranda is their pasta.  I simply love pasta and they have different preparations every day in addition to having pasta Bolognese or with a tomato sauce.  Very yummy."

 

Just told DW that her secret wasn't a secret any longer. DW loves having hot, delicious, freshly-made pastas with terrific sauces delivered to her in La Verandah (or even on the Pool Deck area) every lunch.

 

Thanks, as usual, for the details of interest to us cruisers.

Jim C

[RJ2002]

Thanks for your end-of-cruise comments TC!  Sounds like the onboard experience was certainly up to Regent standards.

 

Since you mentioned Don Julio tequilla, was curious if it was available on your cruise?  We were on the Voyager recently (sailing R/T from Miami) and it was not available.

 

 

[Travelcat2]

26 minutes ago, RJ2002 said:

Thanks for your end-of-cruise comments TC!  Sounds like the onboard experience was certainly up to Regent standards.

 

Since you mentioned Don Julio tequilla, was curious if it was available on your cruise?  We were on the Voyager recently (sailing R/T from Miami) and it was not available.

 

 

 

Yes it was available - we even had a bottle in our suite.  Rather strange that it wasn't on Voyager.  Regent ran out of several things while we were onboard (Perrier, San Pellagrino, Sterling Cabernet for instance) but they were replenished at one of the ports.  

 

I do hope we will learn if they are phasing out Don Julio as I continue to recommend it (and Patron as well but Patron onboard is silver and Don Julio is Anejo - much deeper flavor).  I also tried Mezcal - something that I've wanted to try for a while.  It is quite harsh.  I had it as a shot to sip with lime and ended up pouring it into my Mexican Butterfly.

 

In terms of transportation, I did research companies that pick you up from the airport but somehow I didn't follow through.  As Eager2Travel noted, if she hadn't gone back to recheck if someone was holding a sign for her, they  could have been scammed as well.

 

And, about antibiotics.  Hopefully most people know not to abuse them.  We have had the Z-paks or the years and only used them once prior to this cruise.  If I had the forethought to think that I would need antibiotic eye drops, I would have packed them.  Saw my eye doctor yesterday and he felt that taking the oral antibiotics for conjunctivitis was fine.  And, I'm not sure what one takes when they have food poisoning.  Assume that it is bacterial and Dennis' symptoms stopped fairly quickly.   

 

Paul, you make Santiago sound wonderful and, if I didn't have to fly down there, it would be lovely to see.  There are beautiful sites in South America but those that we have not visited will have to be viewed on the internet as we will not be returning to that part of the world.

[Master Echo]

First encounter with Explorer

This was Sir and Madame’s first Regent cruise, though they have sailed twice with Oceania a decade ago and have cruised for over 350 days with Silversea to serve as benchmarks.

First, a bit of history.  During the 1990s, Renaissance Cruises built a fleet of 4,000 ton, 100 passenger ships but replaced these at the end of the decade with the same number of 30,000, 684 passenger vessels, which were named R One through to R Eight. These became known as ‘R’ Class ships in consequence. 

Renaissance Cruises adopted a no-smoking, no children policy and did not sell through travel agents at a time when personal use of the internet was nothing like it is today.  The cruise line closed down shortly after 9-11 and the eight ‘R’ Class ships were bought by several cruise lines.

Those behind Renaissance Cruises formed Oceania Cruises and began to buy ‘R’ Class ships, starting with R One, which became Insignia, then R Two Regatta and then R Five Nautica. In 2016, the line acquired R Four and named it Sirena.

The ‘R’ Class ships were marketed as country house casual in the style of décor and onboard dress, which continued into Oceania’s ownership days.  Anyone familiar with these concepts can see the model carried forward into Regent’s Seven Seas Explorer.  Particularly evident is the design and colour scheme of Explorer’s lift lobbies and stair wells, together with extensive use of dark wood panelling.  This reflects the same guiding mind behind both the ‘R’ Class and Explorer. Tastes change over the years and the dark colour palate adopted for the latter vessel has not proved popular and the forthcoming Splendor will have generally lighter colours.

Now, back to the subject in hand, a personal view of the cruise from Santiago to Los Angeles.  I have said ‘personal’ because others will have different views about Regent cruises in general, Explorer and this cruise in particular.

Regent is an American cruise line that caters primarily for the North American cruise market, which is sensible because this is the part of the world from where the majority of its customers come.  One example of this is the holding of ship-wide cocktail parties at 6 pm, which most Europeans would regard as too early. 

The preference for North Americans to eat early was evident in the main restaurant, Compass Rose, which had few diners remaining by 9 pm.  On Silversea, dinner service would be in full swing at this time.  There also appeared to be a strong emphasis on North American wines as the usual red offering at dinner.  For example, on the last night in Compass Rose, the offered red was a very palatable Californian Zinfandel.

As one might expect for a nearly-new ship, the overall condition was still very high.  In cabin 1022, however, there were clear signs of wear on the worktops, suggesting inferior quality materials from new.

Views were expressed earlier in this thread concerning the stability of Explorer compared to other Regent ships.  When Explorer was being specified, the need arose to strengthen the floor in a number of places to cope with the extra weight. This was particularly so for the huge Tibetan prayer wheel (allegedly weighing several tons) outside the Pacific Rim restaurant.  All this additional weight to meet Regent’s design specification is likely to have an impact on overall vessel stability.

The ship absorbs passenger very well.  Only during the assembling of passengers going on tour and for evening shows, both in the theatre, did one encounter large numbers of people.

In all cabins there is a slot just inside the door into which a cruise card has to be inserted to activate the lights and other power.  This reminded me of lower grade hotels in which I have stayed.  My cabin stewardess said this was for safety reasons.  If safety is the reason, have all Regent ships been so fitted?  If not, then safety is not the prime reason for this annoying requirement, which can be circumvented by bringing a credit card-sized piece of plastic from home; a typical supermarket loyalty card worked for me!  Obviously this card was removed prior to cabin cleaning, so until one returned, there was no power in the cabin.  Previous posters have said gadgets which were plugged in for charging were not removed, however my hairdryer was unplugged on one occasion.  The bottom line – whilst items were not unplugged, after cleaning the cabin, there would be no power anyway, until a card was inserted on one’s return.  Back in 2009, Oceania inserted valves in the bathrooms of its ‘R’ Class ships to reduce water flow.  A safety or an economy measure?

My cabin, 1022, a Category D Concierge grade, was superior to the equivalent on Silver Muse in layout.  Having two sinks was an asset and the larger balcony afforded space for two chairs, a table and one lounger.  There were two minor drawbacks to the otherwise excellent location for Sir and Madame.  At certain times of the day, there was noise from the Pool Grill directly above but this never disturbed sleep.  Being slightly aft of midships, there was some vibration from the engines.  This was only evident when in bed¸ when a slight quivering motion could be felt.  Of course, vibration is more evident the higher up one is and so may not have been felt on the lower decks.

Cabin cleanliness was not perfect.  Dust gradually accumulated at one end of the shelf that spanned the sinks.  On the balcony, several black ‘smuts’, possibly from the funnel, and a grape (from the adjacent cabin) remained for several days until drawn to the attention of the cabin stewardess.

I have posted previously about water from cleaning higher decks during the night soaking the balcony and leaving puddles.  On closer inspection a hose was draped over Deck 12, presumably to clean the windows of the Pool Grill on Deck 11.  This ruled out use of the balcony until it had dried.  This was reported twice but it took until the penultimate day before an apology was received.  Some other passengers similarly suffered balcony soaking.

On the subject of water, I picked up from another thread some comments concerning hair washing and water quality.  Madame had difficulty in getting her hair cleaned satisfactorily and put this down to the amount of chemicals used to purify the water, which was excessive when compared to other cruise lines.  Most notable was after washing of swimwear, the smell of chlorine was very strong.

Overall, the F&B Department provided a very high standard of food and service.  One can always find fault with something in this or that meal but a general gripe concerns the excessive use of salt, to the point where its exclusion during cooking was requested when ordering food.

Again, overall, the F&B staff were friendly and efficient.  I was a little surprised during dinner service on the last night to see several staff, and one Head Waiter in particular, moving round Compass Rose with the clear intention of soliciting gratuities and money was noted changing hands.

The General Manager was visible and approachable.  Lorraine, the Cruise Director, was pleasant enough but not outstanding when compared to others I have known.  The Captain was only visible fleetingly, if one was in a dining venue where he hosted a table or at the late afternoon cocktail receptions.  On Azamara Club Cruises, the Captain often stands at the gangway to wish passengers an enjoyable day ashore. 

I was concerned about the way the shoe cleaning service operates; shoes left outside one’s cabin at night are there in the morning, miraculously having been cleaned expertly!  My concern was my shoes would disappear but either the calibre of passenger wouldn’t dream of such a thing, or my shoes were judged not worth stealing!

I ascertained that there was a crew welfare fund, which provides the opportunity to give a gratuity to all the crew.  After all, the person who deals with my dirty crockery every day is just as deserving as my cabin steward!  Unfortunately, donations to the fund can only be made in cash because there is no code in the system to apply a charge to one’s shipboard account; why not?

In any cast of performers, there will be some that are excellent and others not so.  Personal choice will determine which of the in-house production shows are preferred and I especially liked the one presenting dancing and singing around the world – ‘World Beat’. Not only did they perform a very passable “River Dance” but they also sang in the various languages.  This was the only production show (as opposed to artists brought on board for a couple of cabaret spots) that I saw, that received a standing ovation.

My experience with the tours staff was poor.  The specified times for the first two tours were amended on the tour tickets when I got on board to earlier departures.  If I had wanted the earlier times, I would have booked these.  I raised the issue with the tour staff and they blamed my TA.  Since I booked these as soon as bookings opened on Regent’s website, and produced a confirmation email from Regent by way of proof, the tours staff just stared at me blankly¸ offering neither explanation nor apology.  Having got up one morning for a tour departing at 7.15 am, for which muster was at 7.00 am, I was disgusted that the tours staff were late arriving until well after 7.00 am, by which time there were about 100 passengers waiting to check in.

The pool area has pros and cons.  On this cruise, loungers in the sun were in very low demand.  These loungers are large, have padded cushion pads and a towelling cover that appeared to be changed daily.  The downside is that they are packed very tightly and so cannot be turned to face the sun.  The space between the loungers is also very narrow.  This makes it extremely difficult at times to access a lounger on the row nearest the pool, and from a safety standpoint, is therefore hazardous.  However the actual swimming pool is a good size.  One hopes that Regent do not have such a small space around the pool on Splendor.

Internet performance was substandard and well below Silver Muse. Perhaps providing free, unlimited WiFi means people leave devices logged in (and so using bandwidth) permanently.  Whatever the cause, this proved to be very frustrating on many occasions.

The gym is large, spread across two rooms, and is arguably the best-equipped such facility I have seen on a cruise ship and better than any in an hotel.

Regent offers an ‘all-inclusive’ product, which was what people I spoke to like to have.  This includes flights, but a number of people were unhappy with the arrangements made on their behalf.  I like to make my own arrangements and select seats at the time of booking.  If one waits until the day of travel, or even when flight check-in opens, the choice of seats comprises those others do not want in whatever class of the plane one is travelling.

Concerning the places visited, the problem with extensive previous travelling is that I now find very few places generate the ‘wow’ factor because I have usually seen something similar before.  That does not mean new cities and attractions visited on this itinerary lacked interest.  Each place visited had something worth seeing or experiencing, in addition to getting a feel for, and learning about, the six countries where we called.  I have described my adventures ashore previously and now find it hard to pick one as my personal best or worst.  I travel to see and learn and I did.  I would recommend all these countries to anyone with an interest in travel but what they offer will appeal more to some people than to others.

Regarding Boeing 737 Max, Singapore and Australia have imposed temporary bans on these planes.

I, too, had heard previously about scams at Santiago airport, and arranged a transfer through the Ritz Carlton, from the airport - payment was to my room on arrival, and the driver who met me at the airport required the booking reference number supplied to me by the hotel.

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

Photos may follow in due course - and many thanks to all the posters regarding remedies for wretched cold sores!! 

[gnomie1]

Master Echo:

 

Thank you for your thorough and balanced review - much appreciated. I also enjoyed your writing style and hope you return to CC to provide commentary.

 

gnomie

[Travelcat2]

Master Echo - your comment "again, overall, the F&B staff were friendly and efficient.  I was a little surprised during dinner service on the last night to see several staff, and one Head Waiter in particular, moving round Compass Rose with the clear intention of soliciting gratuities and money was noted changing hands", I am disappointed to learn this but not terribly surprised.  As long as passengers keep tipping, it will be expected to some point.  Doing this in public is quite gauche in my opinion.  

 

It is amazing to me how many people want to sail on luxury cruise lines but have no idea whatsoever how to dress, behave properly (manners, etc.) or respect the cruise lines rules when in such an environment.  Additionally, many people new to Regent do not read their policies or even about the ships.  On day 3 of our cruise, there were quite a few people that were surprised when I mentioned that the specialty restaurants are open for lunch.

 

On the other hand, I will give some of the passengers to this particular cruise a pass as they are not Regent cruisers and were there for the Artful Traveler events (but still should know better).

[gnomie1]

48 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 Additionally, many people new to Regent do not read their policies or even about the ships.  On day 3 of our cruise, there were quite a few people that were surprised when I mentioned that the specialty restaurants are open for lunch.

I am not following as to why this should be considered out of the ordinary? This is relatively new to Regent and passengers may be unaware of it. While it may be listed in Passages as being open for lunch, it is not as if it is highlighted in bold. Normally I pay extremely close attention to details, it is part of my job. However, when I am on vacation, my attention to detail is also on vacation and I tend to miss things that otherwise would not happen. On many occasions we had planned to have lunch in one of the specialty restaurants but missed it because we didn't keep track of which restaurant was open on which day. I know the first time on a specific ship can be overwhelming and it may take time to take everything all in. When on Regent, we usually stay in a concierge suite and do not have a butler, when on the larger ships, we usually get rooms with a butler who would inform us on a daily basis of the special things occurring that day, including the restaurants.

 

gnomie