Reviews and Recommendations for our Explorer Caribbean Cruise

[kjbacon]

On 2/17/2020 at 12:24 PM, Belfast Taxman said:

KJBacon - thank you so much for your blog, photos and review of your cruise on Explorer. We cruise on her (?) in August, albeit on a rather different itinerary, the Baltic, but a lot of your comments will, I am sure, transform into very useful advice.

Thanks again and greetings from a very soggy Northern Ireland

You are so welcome! I’m glad it’s if some help and you are enjoying it!!

 

What the heck is with this cheese cart? Better to take out a table or two ... although I think the distinctive and bold statement that Z proposes might solve the problem (even if they have to change the name of the restaurant to Jaundice.

 

Part three, hopefully tomorrow!

[kjbacon]

Part Three

 

Before returning to everyone’s favorite topic, food, I thought I’d talk about fellow passengers and some loose ends.

 

The demographic was older and affluent, but surprisingly laid back which was great. Most people were friendly and not pretentious, an overall casual atmosphere. My guess is that the more casual tone of this sailing had to do with the Caribbean destination. It was very nice to see the caring element that was prevalent on board from both staff and one another. We noticed a lot of mobility issues among fellow passengers and it seemed as though most everyone was only too happy to hold a door, carry a plate, or help with whatever obstacle. There is a warmth and family feel on Regent that we have not experienced on other lines that we enjoy very much. We have no hesitation about leaving a cell phone or purse briefly unattended and while maybe we should, three cruises later suggests that it is as safe as we thought.

 

Let’s cover a couple of the favorite controversial areas, starting with the dress code (start big or go home). We found the dress code to be much more casual than it was on the Mediterranean Cruise or the Canary Islands itinerary. Most men wore a short sleeved, button down collared shirt after 6pm (often a cheerful island print). Jackets and ties were definitely in the minority, with a slightly higher percentage of them in Prime 7 and chartreuse. Ladies were also more casual and as a much earlier question wondered, yes we did see nice capris and blouses after 6pm. We also saw technical exceptions to the dress code but I can also say that everyone always looked well kept and just as important, no one seemed to concern themself with what the next guy was wearing. On the other end of the scale, we also saw some people that were very dressed up with gowns and tuxes. All in all, quite an assortment!

 

The topic I am about to dive into should really take over first place for the cruise boards topic of controversy and that’s sanitation. As I said earlier ... wash your hands! And wash them again! And stop touching everything! I’m avoiding the threads about Coronavirus because I can be opinionated and can be too outspoken but the misinformation is alarming. There are people promoting face masks and bringing their own pillowcases and trying all kinds of creative cures but nothing, nothing, nothing replaces proper sanitation. On that thread, someone stated the importance of washing hands after using the bathroom and while that is certainly important, it has absolutely nothing to do with the transmission of the flu or Coronavirus. Trivia question: where are the most germs in the bathroom? Answer: the door knob. We saw so many infractions by both crew and passengers that it was mind boggling! My training is from the food industry where I am ServSafe certified. The very morning that we were allowed to start serving ourselves at the buffet again, I watched a man approach his breakfast table and pause before sitting down to reach into his pocket for a used handkerchief to blow his nose. He blew that nose alright and then jammed that used hanky right back into his pocket. Then he reached over to his chair and pulled it out, sat down and added cream to his coffee from the community creamer pitcher. Then he got up and went to the self serve buffet, came back with an array of freshly cut fruits ... my guess is that he handled at least a half dozen serving spoons for that plate alone. It’s not just serving utensils to consider for virus protection, start thinking elevator buttons, door handles, bannisters, chair handles, placemats, and table surfaces in addition to community dining items like coffee creamers, ketchup caddies, salt shakers, and menus. My personal belief is that everyone should be required to use the sanitizers both going in and going out of every venue. Most people did not use them in either direction! I’d vote to have Regent send me fewer mailings and with that savings, hire someone to enforce the use of the sanitizers.

 

Part Four to come!

[boblerm]

On 2/17/2020 at 4:16 PM, Kwaj girl said:

And Regent DOES debone your Dover Sole tableside!

In Compass Rose , but not in Chartreusse (at least not when I last ordered it there.)

[kjbacon]

12 hours ago, boblerm said:

In Compass Rose , but not in Chartreusse (at least not when I last ordered it there.)

Yes, this was our experience too. They also debone It tableside in Prime 7. The Dover Sole was so good that we had it in all three restaurants and while a little different, it was perfectly delicious each time.

[boblerm]

Karen, in terms of sanitation, one thing that I did not see mentioned on any of the recent trip reports is whether they have eliminated hand shaking at captain's receptions and other events.  This is a custom that should be assigned to the dustbin of history IMHO.

Bob

[kjbacon]

6 hours ago, boblerm said:

Karen, in terms of sanitation, one thing that I did not see mentioned on any of the recent trip reports is whether they have eliminated hand shaking at captain's receptions and other events.  This is a custom that should be assigned to the dustbin of history IMHO.

Bob

Bob, to my surprise they have not. I’ve personally ceased shaking hands and we could not agree more that the fist or elbow bump should immediately replace the handshake.

Karen

Edited February 20, 2020 by kjbacon