Cruising in the Time of Covid: Explorer January 19 – February 4, 2022, San Diego to Miami

[GoNavyFamily]

Yesterday was a sea day and although still a little chilly in the morning, it warmed up enough by afternoon to sit in the sun by the pool in swim suits. My husband is an avid runner but the ship is too small for outside distance jogging - 13 laps to a mile! And, the jogging deck is washed early and is too wet and slippery first thing in the morning for even a fast walk. So to the gym we went and he did a very intensive cardio workout while mine was a little more than my normal but pretty mild by comparison! 

 

I feel like I have been eating non stop for three days. Since my willpower level has a low bar naturally, all these amazing choices simply beg to be tried. We ate lunch at La Verandah - it was ok but not as good as my Prime 7 lunch the day before.

 

There were two speakers today but we attended neither although for some, the topics may have been interesting. Here is today's schedule to get an idea of what is offered.

 

 

We spoke to the future cruise person and are considering if we want to book while on board to take advantage of those perks offered. I asked him the number of passengers on board and he said 420. I love it - no crowds anywhere!  FYI the Captain made a noon announcement that included information about the earlier crew required covid testing results, but we were in our cabin and could not hear details.

 

Got some nice sun time in this afternoon. I will note that in order to sit in the sun by the pool (unmasked), we were in chairs adjacent to others. Hoping being outside mitigates any issues! But at dinner, it feels like we are always at a table next to others especially since the multi person tables are not as commonly used. I can only get so paranoid; I want to enjoy this first vacation in two years!

 

Dinner was at Sette Mari. It was lovely sitting outside watching the end of sunset!

 

The bread and antipasto offerings were delicious.

 

We enjoyed a few other antipasto offerings by helping ourselves at the inside self serve display. We did not take any of the salad but did try roasted eggplant and zucchini, a head of roasted garlic, and some asparagus.

 

The main course was, for me, very disappointing. I think it was due to what I selected (veal scallopine with lemon). Honestly the most unappetizing presentation ever. To be frank, it looked like barf on my plate. My husband ordered the seafood stew which was good and visually appealing, but not what you would expect. Basically a few pieces of seafood in a very large dish. 

 

Dessert is my weakness and the desserts on this ship do not disappoint. These are also self serve or your waiter will bring them to you. We tried four and the limincello and orange cake covered in chocolate was delish although the simple biscotti was probably my favorite.

 

although I had planned to see the show which I had read from past cruisers was very good, the combo of waking at 5:39am, all the food, and a large sour apple martini made me too sleepy. So we enjoyed relaxing in the extremely comfie robes in our room until the slight lull of the boat put us to sleep.

 

This morning was another beautiful sunrise. We both worked out (him in the gym, me in the room with some stretching and yoga routines I like).

 

 

Because we are meeting for our 5 hour excursion at noon, and no lunch is included, we ate breakfast in Compass Rose. Normally we don't eat breakfast but we may have to change that on this cruise! An oatmeal banana pancake, egg white omelette with mushrooms, and grilled tomato for me (with a piece of hubby's bacon to enjoy). 

 

My biggest tech issue is that the internet keeps dropping out in our cabin. Here on the pool deck, where I am posting this, the internet seems more consistent.

 

Tomorrow I will post our Cabo experience!

 

 

 

[florida23]

Hi all, I appreciate all of the information on the Explorer. Love reading the reviews of the dining, entertainment and experiences. We look forward to more as you continue. My wife and I are joining the ship in Miami on Feb. 4th for an 11-day Caribbean Cruise. We have suite 1000. We are long time Norwegian cruisers, but this will be the first on Regent and are really looking forward to it. 

[GoNavyFamily]

1 hour ago, florida23 said:

Hi all, I appreciate all of the information on the Explorer. Love reading the reviews of the dining, entertainment and experiences. We look forward to more as you continue. My wife and I are joining the ship in Miami on Feb. 4th for an 11-day Caribbean Cruise. We have suite 1000. We are long time Norwegian cruisers, but this will be the first on Regent and are really looking forward to it. 

This is our first Regent as well and I appreciated all the prior cruise posts just like you. That's why I am trying to put in so much detail. It's not like I think anyone cares what I am doing or eating, but perhaps I will provide some realistic (and subjective of course) information!

[Mudhen]

We are just recently off the Explorer (Xmas/New Year's) and had a wonderful time. I do love reading your reviews however! Glad that you're enjoying the Meridian's wonderful craft cocktail choices...mmm!

Also loved the fluffy robe/champers/"porch" relaxation!!! John and I would do similar before heading out for treats in the Ob Bar with our little group (shout out to Karen and Jack!)  and then dinner.

Please continue to post....it's like being on board all over again!

[1982CruzStart]

26 minutes ago, GoNavyFamily said:

This is our first Regent as well and I appreciated all the prior cruise posts just like you. That's why I am trying to put in so much detail. It's not like I think anyone cares what I am doing or eating, but perhaps I will provide some realistic (and subjective of course) information!

i have been on a few Regent cruises and i love all the detail you are putting into your posts. The detail is not just for newbies, it is for all of us that are cruising through you. thank you so much and please keep it up. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

2 hours ago, GoNavyFamily said:

There were two speakers today but we attended neither although for some, the topics may have been interesting

Thanks for posting that page with the lecture topics. As is often the case, it seems to me, lectures are weighted in favor of 20th century politics and military history, that sort of thing.  I wish Regent would do more topics related to the cultures they're sailing in.  Me, myself, am interested in history, but of the older variety, plus anthropology, archaeology, art, and nature.  

 

Thanks for your reports.

[florida23]

Question.

 

I know gratuities are included in our fare, but does anyone tip the bartenders? I always do on Norwegian even though gratuities are also included. Thank you.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

17 minutes ago, florida23 said:

Question.

 

I know gratuities are included in our fare, but does anyone tip the bartenders? I always do on Norwegian even though gratuities are also included. Thank you.

 

The only extra tip I do is at the end of my cruise for "my" baristas in Coffee Connection. They see me twice a morning every day!

[GoNavyFamily]

Ok here is my opinion on our Cabo San Lucas excursion.

 

We dropped anchor where, from our port side cabin, we had a nice view of the end of the peninsula where the famous arches are found. The day was sunny and warm, and the first day comfortable enough for this southern girl to wear shorts in the morning.  

Knowing our tour was to meet at noon for the tender, and was slated to last 5 hours, we ate a nice breakfast and took a zip bag of snacks, along with a bottle of water, to ward off hunger until our return to the ship. I put on lots of sunscreen as well.

 

We had signed up for "Lands End Boat and Cabo View". As in our previous excursion, we were asked to board our tender shortly after assembling. We were lined up at the pier and after a short wait, led to a much larger boat than expected.

We took seats outside forward and there were inside seats as well. Water and soda were offered and there were mixed drinks for purchase. We waited in the hot sun over 30 minutes before departing but were entertained by a sea lion who would swim out a little then follow boats back in, looking for handouts. It was accompanied by flocks of pelicans. We also met some fellow Atlantans sitting behind us who we enjoyed getting to know. I think there are a lot of Georgians on this cruise!

Once we began moving, the breeze made us more comfortable. As the rock arches are very close to the pier, the tour boat cruised very slowly while a Cousteau audio commentary was played - although we could not hear it well outside. We were able to get a lot closer to the arches and the boat tour was pleasant enough, although not great. 

The rest of the excursion (4 hours more!) was, for the most part, pretty awful and a waste of our day. We were lined up again and led through a shopping area to our assigned bus. We then drove maybe 15-20 minutes to a hotel/condo area where we got off the bus, got a can of cold drink, and stood in line for the bathroom for a total of 30+ minutes.  Other than a nice view of the area, but not much different from what we had already seen, I can't figure out why this stop was included. Back on the bus we went for a longer drive to San Jose del Cabo, another slightly quieter and upscale town about 30 minutes away. Our tour guide pointed out such amazing sites as a Domino Pizza and McDonalds, along with such gems as "we are passing the entrance to a neighborhood of nice homes". He did talk about the history of an old Mission we would see. Once we got to the town, we were dropped off at an obviously upscale but tourist shopping square and told to meet back in, I think, 45 minutes or maybe an hour. The Mission is a small one room building at the edge of the shopping square and took less than 30 seconds to walk through. Shops were what one would expect and I think it likely few purchases were made by our group. To me, it seemed evident the majority would have been happy to forgo this stop. Oh, additionally, our guide kept pushing restaurants he recommended should we be hungry at the stop. After this we boarded the bus for our last stop at a glass factory which was only minutes from the pier. On the way, the guide was desperate to entertain us and sung (badly) and tried to give us Spanish lessons. Some passengers roused enough to respond; most clearly just wanted to get back to the ship. The glass factory stop was interesting but brief, as we watched an artisan blow a whale shaped glass. By the time we got to the pier, it was 6pm and getting dark.

 

I can't speak for others, who may have enjoyed the day, but I would absolutely not recommend this full tour. What I wish we had done was go on the first boat tour but instead of boarding the bus for the four hour land portion, gotten back on the tender to the ship. 

 

Once on board we were hungry as we had not eaten since breakfast. To Compass Rose we went and I was so hungry I forgot to take photos of the different courses, except a few (and had already begun eating my salmon before stopping to take a pic)!  I don't know if it was because we were so hungry, but the meal was delicious. I had a tomato soup, a celery remoulade salad (wonderful), and salmon. I didn't even use the sauce brought on the side; the salmon with fresh squeezed grilled lemon was just right. 

 

The desserts may kill me on this ship, they are so good! First a sampler of four sweets was brought out and the best was a cube of salted caramel. We ordered the specialty cake with butter pecan ice cream (I can't remember the name of the dessert). It was heaven! The cake part was super moist as though it had been soaked in a custard flavored liquid. 

After this we were in a food coma and just wanted a hot shower and quiet time in our room. Our laundry, which we had given our butler two days ago, was presented wrapped in tissue in a beautiful box on our bed and in a hanging bag in our closet.

Clocks moved ahead another hour for our day at sea.

 

Here is the schedule for Jan 23:

 

 

 

[howiefrommd]

23 minutes ago, GoNavyFamily said:

 

Our laundry, which we had given our butler two days ago, was presented wrapped in tissue in a beautiful box on our bed and in a hanging bag in our closet.

 

 

 

 

Are you saying this is not how you find your laundry at home?  🙂

 

Thank for your reviews, enjoying following.

[forgap]

We were on the same tour as Fran and I completely agree with her assessment.  My instincts said “bail while you can” as we passed by the tender to the ship but my sweet husband wanted to give it a go so we slogged through the rest of the trip.  

i enjoyed the boat tour although Jaques Cousteau’s environmental doom and gloom narration just makes me anxious about the future.  The restaurant stop was designed for the weak bladders in the group, I think.  Fortunately, I lived in the Far East as a teen and many bathrooms were downright terrible so I developed Olympian bladder control.  
 

San Jose del Cabo was the longest hour of my life.  Nice square, overpriced t shirt and tequila shops - sun screen was going for an eye watering $19 (US dollars not Pesos!).  

 

It was a long day.  Showered and had a cocktail in the observation lounge with some fellow Atlantans then off to Compass Rose for a great meal.  I tried the scallops again and, this time, they were divers scallops, perfectly cooked.

Since we were practically the last ones out of the restaurant at 9:30, we decided to take in the entertainment.  What a show!  Doug Cameron is a virtuoso on the electric violin.  He had a multi media show that was just fantastic with a repertoire ranging from classical to jazz to funk.  
 

We have a lazy sea day today.  There is nothing better, in my opinion. 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2022 by forgap

[golfgirls]

22 hours ago, florida23 said:

Hi all, I appreciate all of the information on the Explorer. Love reading the reviews of the dining, entertainment and experiences. We look forward to more as you continue. My wife and I are joining the ship in Miami on Feb. 4th for an 11-day Caribbean Cruise. We have suite 1000. We are long time Norwegian cruisers, but this will be the first on Regent and are really looking forward to it. 

So glad you are looking forward you your first Regent cruise, you will love it!   One note about room 1000. It is a lovely room with a great balcony and a handy location.  It is located just outside the entrance to the officers suites and the bridge.  If noise bothers you, the door to the entrance forward makes a LOT of noise all hours of the day and night.  Good news is that there should be lots of alternatives should you find this a problem and if you do, ask to be moved.  We did that on the Christmas sailing and it worked out beautifully.   You might not have a problem at all, we have friends that always pick that room as they love it.  Just wanted to share our experience and let you know that there are options.  

 

 

 

[florida23]

Thank you golfgirls for information. I will keep the recommendation in mind.

[labonnevie]

On 1/22/2022 at 10:30 AM, GoNavyFamily said:

Yesterday was a sea day and although still a little chilly in the morning, it warmed up enough by afternoon to sit in the sun by the pool in swim suits. My husband is an avid runner but the ship is too small for outside distance jogging - 13 laps to a mile! And, the jogging deck is washed early and is too wet and slippery first thing in the morning for even a fast walk. So to the gym we went and he did a very intensive cardio workout while mine was a little more than my normal but pretty mild by comparison! 

 

I feel like I have been eating non stop for three days. Since my willpower level has a low bar naturally, all these amazing choices simply beg to be tried. We ate lunch at La Verandah - it was ok but not as good as my Prime 7 lunch the day before.

 

There were two speakers today but we attended neither although for some, the topics may have been interesting. Here is today's schedule to get an idea of what is offered.

 

 

We spoke to the future cruise person and are considering if we want to book while on board to take advantage of those perks offered. I asked him the number of passengers on board and he said 420. I love it - no crowds anywhere!  FYI the Captain made a noon announcement that included information about the earlier crew required covid testing results, but we were in our cabin and could not hear details.

 

 

 

 

The count was two asymptomatic crew members. 

[labonnevie]

Today’s count was 0. 

[florida23]

Are they testing crew every day?

[purpleally]

9 hours ago, florida23 said:

Question.

 

I know gratuities are included in our fare, but does anyone tip the bartenders? I always do on Norwegian even though gratuities are also included. Thank you.

Not each drink like NCL, but maybe at the end….

[forgap]

Lunch was in Chartreuse.  What a beautiful venue!  

 

I had a “modern “ salade niçoise which was a work of art.  
 

 

Too bad I prefer the old fashioned version with oil packed tuna and tiny black olives with pits!  

[labonnevie]

5 hours ago, labonnevie said:

Today’s count was 0. 

No, just means no one self reported and tested positive, crew or passengers.
All crew tested Saturday. 

[Pcardad]

38 minutes ago, labonnevie said:

No, just means no one self reported and tested positive, crew or passengers.
All crew tested Saturday. 

Corporate has put the kabosh on reporting the numbers.

[forgap]

Food porn from Pacific Rim.   This was our second visit.  The benefit of a reduced passenger count is that it’s fairly easy to book specialty restaurants.   I didn’t take pics of my husband’s meal (salad, shu mai, pork ribs) and failed to take a good picture of my starter, duck and watermelon salad.  The avocado and tofu salad was wonderful 

 

and the tempura lobster was so plentiful I couldn’t finish it.  

 

In typical Regent style, they asked if we wanted our dessert sent to our cabin!
 

I am so impressed with how genuinely gracious the staff are.  I spent most of the morning reading by the pool (and the afternoon napping by the pool) and we were between feeding times.  The pool staff offered libations which I declined and mentioned that all I wanted was some potato chips but I had to wait 30 minutes to indulge my salt craving.  Not 5 minutes later, a bowl of chips arrived with a smile.  “I didn’t want you to have to wait.”  
 

Today we arrive in Acapulco  at noon.  We have a hike and swim excursion at 1pm that is scheduled for six hours.  Looks like room service on the balcony might be in order!  

[GoNavyFamily]

Ahh @forgap, we also dined at Pacific Rim for the first time last night. Some delicious thin seaweed crackers and dip were brought out first and provided a nice start to the meal.  We ordered some different items for appetizers... vegetable pot stickers and tempura shrimp.

 

I ordered the Asian salad, which was very fresh and flavorful. 

I had Pad Thai and my husband, Korean lamb chops. Sorry, forgot to take photos but I really enjoyed my entree. For dessert I had Tres Leches...yum! 

 

Another beautiful sunrise this morning. Later in the morning, about 8am, we watched multiple dolphin pods frolicking off the side of the ship. 

 

It is now 11am and we just docked in Acapulco. We are going on a cliff diver tour but a shorter one than @forgap. We are a little more conservative after our Cabo experience and elected to take the one without the beach option. It will be interesting to see how my co-cruiser and I feel about our different excursions!

 

[califsealion]

Thank you for your posts! I appreciate reading the daily schedules, those are fun to see.

[cwn]

So glad you are reporting on the shore tours. There is very little info on the ones Regent offers. Thanks to everyone who is posting!!!!

[GoNavyFamily]

Update on our shore excursion:  For the first time, our tour was called 15 minutes past start time as we waited in the theater. We boarded a bus which drove us to the cliff diver area, about 10 minutes away. We were able to find a shady area inside the hotel that is open to view the cliff divers, which was nice because it is hot here! It was impressive watching these young men scale the rocks to reach the platform and then dive into the sea. I have a short video which hopefully will attach.

 

After that we boarded the bus and drove through a very run down (by our standards) "downtown" shopping area covering several streets and blocks, bordering the pier,  and not any place I would intentionally go. The bus barely fit on the streets and had to make several maneuvers each time it turned into another street. We then stopped at a cluster of stores in the middle of downtown which the guide described as an arts and craft market (NOT!!) but with the same merchandise found every where. I honestly didn't even want to get off the bus. After 15 minutes or so we left and once again got stuck in traffic for close to 30 minutes. At this point we were 2 hours into our supposedly 4 hour tour and other than seeing the divers,  still in the same run down series of streets close to the pier.  We asked the driver to let us off, which he did and one other couple got off the bus as well. We walked the few minutes it took back to the ship.  I didn't think I could stand the next part of the tour nor the narration by the guide. We just wanted to be back on Explorer.

 

So far Regent is batting zero on our shore excursions. We are very happy with the onboard experience but someone at Regent needs to better vet the excursions they offer. 

 

And here is the sad part.  Even though masks are mandatory in Mexico, as well as required while on board the ship in public areas,  the people sitting across from us as well as several others on the bus stayed unmasked and others wore them below their noses. I wish the tour guide would have gently reminded everyone that masks are required. And we were stuck, it wasn't like the option to leave an area if we felt uncomfortable. 

Some people may want to comment about not cruising if we are that concerned or other similar lines of thought. Please don't waste your time. It is more my point that if you cannot follow the rules, especially the rules of the country in which you are a guest, then you should not elect to travel at this time. 

 

Anyway, we are very happy with our shipboard experience and plan to book another Regent cruise. We knew upfront that ports would likely change. Indeed, Colombia was just raised to Level 4 travel advisory so I will be unsurprised if that port is cancelled as well as the already eliminated Nicaragua and Guatemala.  Fortunately going through the canal is not going to change!

 

I'm happy to stay on board and after this failed excursion, I am sitting by the pool with my mango daiquiri and am very content😊