Kampai! Tokyo to Vancouver - RSSC Explorer 4/13/2024 - 5/1/2024

[forgap]

Oh my!  The Kuril Islands, Russia 

[CardowMD]

That is a gorgeous site!

[forgap]

Saturday,  4/20/24 (Day One) & Saturday 4/20/24 (Day Two) - At Sea

 

We are crossing the International dateline so we have two Saturdays this trip.  We have been pushing the clocks forward each day and, last night we pushed forward two hours and lost a day.  

 

The highlight of our day yesterday was the connoisseur wine lunch.  

 

We had an impressive menu with impressive wine pairings, too.

 

Of course, I then required an impressive nap.  We did manage to take in the show by the guitarist. 

 

The weather has been bleak, cold, and foggy.  However, the sea has been relatively calm.  Because of this the ship seems crowded with passengers sprawled out in all the public venues.  La Veranda added tables for two all along the side of the entry  corridor as the outdoor dining venues re compromised. 

 

We usually have lectures and activities scheduled throughout the day.  I’ve missed much of this as I’ve been immersed in a good read.  

 

I wanted to mention how impressed I am with the staff on this voyage.  I have frequented the lost and found drawer at reception three times.  I had a gold bracelet drop off my arm in Compas Rose.  I thought it was lost forever, but it was turned into lost and found.  Then I lost one hearing aid ($$$) and that was turned in as well, much to my relief.  Yesterday I lost my reading glasses and they were also turned in.  I’m usually not addle brained like this so I’m blaming it on my scapalomene scopolamine patch!

 

The Captain just announced that we are missing our next port, Dutch Harbor, as customs officials can’t fly in to clear the ship due to the weather.   They have added Homer, Alaska as a bonus port.  I think  we will have six sea days in a row.  

 

Today will be busy with a crossing the international dateline event,  the upper tier Seven Seas Society event, and an ABBA dance party.  I don’t hunk anyone can say they are bored!

 

PS - in my mid cruise comment card, I noted there wasn’t an orchid in our suite.  Look what appeared!  RSSC is the best!  

[Gcto]

2 hours ago, forgap said:

 

 

 

PS - in my mid cruise comment card, I noted there wasn’t an orchid in our suite.  Look what appeared!  RSSC is the best!  

and remember....when the orchid is placed on the ground....rough seas ahead....  🙂

 

[PhD-iva]

On 4/14/2024 at 3:09 PM, organizedhome said:

Thank you for all the different perspectives; I’ll take the comments under advisement—but rest assured, we are delighted to be aboard.   

I appreciate your perspective and observations posted (on this non-private forum). They are helpful to others to evaluate onboard conditions, which are always subjective.
I hope that you are able to resolve your concerns and to enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[forgap]

Sunday, 4/21/24, Monday, 4/22/24 - at sea

Tuesday, 4/23/24 - Kodiak, Alaska

Wednesday, 4/24/24 - Homer, Alaska

 

I’m playing catch up now after spending the bulk of our sea days asleep.  I lost my voice for several days and then that morphed into a terrible cough.  I had Covid tests with me so I knew that it wasn’t Covid. I finally went to the infirmary to get some cough medicine and the Doctor confirmed that this particular virus lasts about three weeks.  OTC cough medicine did the trick and I’m off and running again.  

 

We arrived in Kodiak on Tuesday in a foggy mist.  We cleared customs in a very organized and orderly manner.   We had an excursion to the Ft. Abercrombie State Park, but reconsidered hiking given the weather and my diminished lung capacity.  I decided to try a walkabout after lunch and hopped on the tender to the port.  

 

However, I misjudged the “mist” which was more like light rain.  I didn’t even get up the ramp before I turned around and went back to the ship.  

Homer, Alaska was our bonus port and, even though the town was just waking up from the winter, they welcomed us with open arms.  

The town was larger than I expected with all the amenities that you would expect in a small city.  Of course, the population swells in the summer with wall to wall tents and caravans.   Homer is known as a halibut fishing destination but its breathtaking beauty is the real draw, in my opinion.  

 

Regent had put together some excursions which were quickly filled up, but they also had four shuttle busses come in from Anchorage to run a circuit around the city.   This was actually a pretty good tour with “down home” commentary from our bus driver.   We opted to do the tour and return to the ship.  

 

We had partly cloudy skies throughout the day and our sail away was stunning.  

[forgap]

Thursday, 4/25/24  Seward, Alaska

 

We arrived to beautiful party cloudy skies and crisp air.  It was about 40 degrees but colder in the wind.  We went on a wildlife cruise and hit the jackpot…orcas, humpback whales, otters, seals, mountain goats, eagles.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Wow!  Wonderful photos!

[RELS]

23 hours ago, forgap said:

We went on a wildlife cruise and hit the jackpot…orcas, humpback whales, otters, seals, mountain goats, eagles.  Enjoy!

 

Amazing pictures! Thank you for sharing them.

 

We're on a wildlife cruise from Seward in May. I hope we get this lucky!

[forgap]

4/25/24 - Seward, Alaska

4/26/24 - Hubbard Glacier 

4/27/24 - Sitka, Alaska

4/28/24 - Ketchikan, Alaska

4/29/24 - Cruising the Inside Passage

4/30/24 - Victoria, BC

5/1/24  - Vancouver, BC

 

I wanted to share my final thoughts on this cruise, although the last week was a complete blur.   My cough stayed with me the last week of the cruise and it set me back quite a bit energy-wise.  During this cruise, we turned “platinum” in the Seven Sea Society.  We opted out of getting “pinned” on stage, but we did get a lovely invitation to dine with the senior officers in the “Study” which is a private dining room off of Prime 7, along with the other shiny new platinums.   It was really a lovely event and we felt quite special.  

 

All the ports in Alaska were repeats of a previous cruise so I didn’t feel so compelled to maximize my time on land.  Hubbard Glacier was a real stand out as we had beautiful weather and the Captain brought the ship in fairly close then did a 360 degree turn for our viewing pleasure.  I’m always amazed at the sound of the glacier as it slowly moves towards the sea.  It sounds like a hybrid gunshot and thunder and is very other worldly.  

 

In Sitka, our main goal was to get to the pharmacy then meet our tour which was an otter quest. 

 

I think we may have seen one otter but we did see a cluster of grey whales with their heart shaped exhales.  It is fairly early in the season for whales so we counted ourselves lucky to see as many as we did.  

Along the way, we saw an interesting US Navy installation.  This is a submarine base and its function is to assure that the subs are deeply silent.  Our guide said that the high tech mics can pick up a ticking clock which might be enough for the  sub to be detected in enemy waters.  

 

The cruise terminal in Ketchikan was about 15 minutes outside of town and we ended up in the opposite direction for a cruise to an Alaskan lodge and seafood feast.  It was a beautiful setting.   

 

The high point was a bald eagle fly-by.   The crew had trained the eagles to expect handouts of frozen herring so as soon as they saw our boat, they were circling overhead and diving for lunch.

 

The remainder of the cruise was devoted to packing and relaxing as we cruised the inside passage.  We decided to skip Victoria and stay on board as I still needed considerable time resting.   I’m glad I did as it was like running the gauntlet in the Vancouver Cruise Terminal.  We had decided to stay an extra day at the Pan Pacific.  All was orderly as we fetched our luggage but as soon as we exited the Regent area, we mingled with two other large cruise ships.  I’m not sure who was coming and who was going but we had to haul our luggage through a maze of halls until, totally depleted, we found the elevator to the Pan Pacific. 

 

The flight home the next day was uneventful, although we arrived home at midnight after a very long day in transit.  

 

My thoughts about this cruise are mixed.   Because we were in a cold climate with some inclement weather, the ship, for the first time, felt crowded.   La Veranda was often full, even with auxiliary tables set up along the hall.  Certainly, the crew was as lovely as they always are and worked very efficiently to turn tables and help you get situated.  In Compass Rose, Novie was wonderful in remembering our preferences for a quiet table well out of the runway from the kitchen to the dish stations.   King was our favorite server and his station was almost always full.  I predict that in the future we will see him at the ‘front of the house”.  He is very engaging, very intuitive, and very charming.

 

The food on Explorer was my least favorite in all of our cruises.   I think my palate didn’t vibe with the palate of the executive chef.  Usually, I choose from the right side of the menu and most of these choices just didn’t thrill me.  I’m not a big meat eater but the one time I ordered lamb chops, one was completely inedible, the other was OK.   My biggest complaint was with the fried food.  The fry cook either needs some supervision or the items were too long under the heat lamp.  Without exception, anything that was supposed to be crisp was soggy.  This included soft shell crab in Pacific Rim.  My biggest disappointment, however, was in Prime 7.  I ordered a special of yellow tail tuna.  Sounded great.  It was about 1/4 inch fillet that tasted like liver.  Huh?   I admit that my appetite was off due to my cold and that may have skewed my taste buds negatively.   In fact, I didn’t gain a pound this trip!  

 

Typically, I skip the evening entertainment, but I turned over a new leaf for this trip and I’m glad that I did.  All the entertainers were terrific.  The Regent Orchestra was exceptional, especially the guitarist. During cocktail hour, they were usually in the Meridian lounge playing some wonderful jazz.  If that got too loud for conversation, we would go to the observation lounge where the pianist was exceptional.  A new pianist joined us for the last couple of days and he was masterful.  It is rare for “background” music to stop conversation so you could listen more attentively.  He played with real grace and lyricism.  

 

Thank you for following along.  Sayonara!

 

 

 

 

Edited May 6 by forgap

[crusin7]

Your photos are always fantastic. But what an excellent eagle in flight photo! Thanks for posting.

[Nachosdelux]

Was on this cruise also.  Had a wonderful time.  I agree with Forgap (above) that the food was not as good as previous cruises.  

 

I would say that about half of the mains that we ordered in Compass Rose were just "ok".  We normally had the Chef's recommendation, or what the waiter suggested.

 

Also the curries (tried all of them) in Pacific Rim were "off" (I fancy myself a curry expert).  The rest of the food in PR was very good.

 

Best meals we had (2) were in Chartreuse. Did not eat in Prime 7.

 

As a comparison, we recently got off the Mariner on a World segment, where the food was universally exceptional.

 

 In any case, the service on the Explorer was outstanding.  

 

Agree that the Veranda was packed at lunch on sea days - a few times had to sit outside at the pool grill, which was fine due to the heaters.

Edited May 7 by Nachosdelux

[2012_Alaska_bound]

17 hours ago, forgap said:

All was orderly as we fetched our luggage but as soon as we exited the Regent area, we mingled with two other large cruise ships. 

 

Coming out of the "Regent bubble" can be quite shocking! (My son-in-law commented on the same thing coming off Disney Cruise last week - rude people out in the "real world".)

[yodainco]

What a great review.  We so enjoyed interacting with you and "G" onboard and excursions.  A few additional comments: 

1.  The heated dining areas in the Pool Grill were also great places to eat lunch and enjoy the view.  Our standard practice was to ht the Pool Grill after excursions and Gede was on the spot whenever we walked in.  We rarely went to the counter to order.  On frigid  days, we just walked into the heated areas and sat down and he got another person to take our order.  

2.  On the Starboard Side, we found heated wicker lounges--great places to read and watch sail-ins/outs.

3.  Our first time on Explorer.  We were on Splendor last year in the Baltic and in many ways--crew interaction, service level, and "quiet space" availability I think Explorer wins. 

4.  We had the best steward ever--Shannen on Deck 9.  Whatever we asked her for--orchids, Velcro fasteners, cream, liquor or wine bottles--she managed to procure.  

5.  I felt the Captain and GM to be the most approachable and open I have seen.

6. Several times, Eliana in Destination Services or Alouis at Reception helped us with issues we had.  Eliana guided us to several tours at the last minute when we were thinking of just doing a walk-about.  They were great.

7. I've always enjoyed getting to know the staff, but it seemed the staff on Explorer were much more responsive when I recognized them.  

8. One critique is of Coffee Connection:  Too dark, too small.  In the AM the place was jammed.  Meanwhile, the across-the-passageway Meridian Lounge was closed so 10 ladies could do Bingo.  CC in other Regent and Oceania ships we've been on was much better.  Having said that, the service staff there were great.  They recognized the shortfalls and tried to make up for them with excellent service.  Finally, when I went in earlier or later there was no problem.

 

Again, thanks for allowing me to tag on to this superbly crafted review. 

Edited May 9 by yodainco

[forgap]

@yodainco  thanks for reading and thanks for contributing!  Will you complete a vlog for this cruise?  I’d love to see it.  It was a delight to meet you both!  Stay in touch!  See my email below.  

[yodainco]

10 hours ago, forgap said:

@yodainco  thanks for reading and thanks for contributing!  Will you complete a vlog for this cruise?  I’d love to see it.  It was a delight to meet you both!  Stay in touch!  See my email below.  

Yes, I'll be working on it slowly.  Once it's done I'll send you the link.  Thanks for remembering! johnloucks3@gmail.com.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

21 hours ago, yodainco said:

On the Starboard Side, we found heated wicker lounges--great places to read and watch sail-ins/outs.

 

Love this spot on Splendor, and looking forward to trying it next week on Explorer. Was told it is called "The Patio".

[Tsunami74]

On 5/9/2024 at 12:37 PM, yodainco said:

 

 

2.  On the Starboard Side, we found heated wicker lounges--great places to read and watch sail-ins/outs.

 

Have never found this.

Is this on deck 11 around the pool?

[Nachosdelux]

24 minutes ago, Tsunami74 said:

Have never found this.

Is this on deck 11 around the pool?

 

yes it is on the starboard side, deck 11, just aft of the pool "buffet" area (across/aft from the cookies and coffee machine)

[papaflamingo]

23 hours ago, Nachosdelux said:

 

yes it is on the starboard side, deck 11, just aft of the pool "buffet" area (across/aft from the cookies and coffee machine)

I believe your comment might be a bit confusing (at least it was for me).  You mean you found lounges on Deck 11 that were in a heated AREA, not that the lounges themselves were heated, correct?  When I read your first post I thought you were saying you found heated lounges. 

[Scout16]

On the Explorer there are areas on both sides of the ship to the aft of the pool and the pool grill that are open on one side to the outside air with a wall of windows on one side and the ship on the other two sides.   The rear areas have heater in the ceiling.  When I went from Tokyo to Vancouver in 2023 most of the lounge furniture was moved elsewhere and the tables were moved to the sheltered areas from the exposed deck near the pool.  This was needed since the outside area for La Veranda was closed due to the weather and on the Explorer class ships this makes up a rather large number of tables. 

[Nachosdelux]

On 5/12/2024 at 8:39 AM, papaflamingo said:

I believe your comment might be a bit confusing (at least it was for me).  You mean you found lounges on Deck 11 that were in a heated AREA, not that the lounges themselves were heated, correct?  When I read your first post I thought you were saying you found heated lounges. 

 

 

Scout16 explained it better than I could.  In any case, it was a pleasant place to sit outside, as it was heated (from above), had comfortable furniture, and there were blankets available.  Also generally not crowded.