Seven Seas Explorer Review
Elegant ship, superb dining, great enrichment, good entertainment
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our 3d cruise on Regent after a 7 year gap, having taken 2 river cruises, sailing cruise, and travelled independently in Europe and Asia. We enjoyed it and will probably take another Regent cruise as our next excursion aboard a ship. We didn't pick Regent as our first cruse, but rather made a yes-no decision to accompany friends who had booked on Regent. Once we had the Regent experience we booked the following year to get the on-board discounts and repeat the wonderful experience.
By anecdotal comparison to my colleagues positive experiences on other lines, I cant imaging stepping down to the nickel and dime business model of other cruise lines. All inclusive really is all inclusive on Regent.coffees, cappuccinos, imported beer, nice wines, top shelf liquor all flow without charges, chits, or gratuities, or special bracelets or beverage cards. No tipping. Yet despite that, the staff all smile, and ask how they can help satisfy your request. For ,us a discriminator was asking for blue cheese stuffed olives in our evening cocktail. Except for one bar right outside the compass rose, the request was always--"yes, absolutely, but it may take a bit longer to get the blue cheese." And there was no gratuity for going out of the way to honor our request.
On the other Regent experiences we could make reservations to dine in the specialty restaurants once per cruise. (Again, all inclusive, no up-charge.) On the Explorer they had a reservation desk to enable multiple reservations in the specialty restaurants after ensuring everyone had a chance to go to every one. That was a nice touch. Plus they were open for lunch on a rotating basis with a similar but lunch sized menu. One day there was a line at Compass Rose and the matre'd looked at the computer and asked if our group of 4 wanted to go to Chartreuse French restaurant where there was no wait. Very professional and quality service to do that.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Veranda Suite
Our balcony suite was one up from steerage category (also balcony suites on Regent) and was a wonderful and comfortable cabin. We sleep in a king size bed at home and the bed here was excellent. When travelling in Europe we often request 2 double beds in hotels because we no longer sleep well together on a queen or the contintentinal size equivalent, so this Regent size was especially comfortable. Ample room to move on either side with side tables, and a 110 outlet and 2 USB plugs on each side, plus light switches on each side. Nice appointments and stocked fridge, which was replenished "on request."
However some aspects of our Explorer cabin compared less favorably to our last Regent cruise on the Voyager in a deluxe veranda suite. Then we had 2 or 3 chairs plus a couch in the sitting area. This time there was only the desk chair and the couch, so when we had company in the suite a couple of times, one person would have to sit on the bed or outside on the balcony. Small thing, but it was a difference that was better on the older Regent ships. Also on the Voyager, the coffee table had a booster stowed under the couch so that room-service in-cabin dining was made nicer by a higher table that was made up with linen cloths and 2 chairs to sit in while we had a breakfast. That didn't happen on the Explorer with only a small coffee table and 1 single chair.
The curtains dividing the bed from sitting area were very useful when one of us wanted to stay up reading while the other slept. And while we mostly use a Kindle or tablet readers, the divider curtain and the goose neck reading lamps were very nice features. The balcony curtains effectively blocked the light from 0600 sunrises while in the tropics.
The walk-in closet was just right, with drawers, shelving, hooks, hanging space, and shoe rack. The sliding pocket door with automatic light was ideal. Suitcases stowed perfectly under the bed platform. Very well designed and thought out.
The appointments, linnens, robes, and shampoos were all very nice. The bathroom had his-and-hers side shelves on either side of the mirror to stow our toiletries and a 2 clever tooth brush holder/cups.. I also appreciated an in wall nitche just right for my shaving kit so it didn't clutter the counter.
Our basic balcony wasn't the largest size with chaise lounges, but just 2 chairs with cushions and reclining backs and a side table. It was perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed reading on the balcony while at sea or sitting looking out on the night time ocean with beverages from our fridge. There was an ice bucket, stored in the fridge, that the staff replenished daily without asking. But unlike our last Regent cruise 7 years ago, we had to request replenishment of the diet cokes, sparkling waters, and red wine we drank vs having it just appear after the presence of empties on the trash can. Its a small detail but one of those things that used to distinguish Regent's level of near flawless service.
Port Reviews
Puerto Quetzal (Antigua)
Great tour guide. Great to see a bit of colonial Guatemala. But lots of poverty. Sad.
Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera)
Great port to visit on your own or just grab a towell and head to the beach. You wont need an escort here. Linked up with an EXPAT family friend, Had a typical Tico lunch at an open air eatery. Drove inland and saw an organic coffee plantation where the beans we selected were roasted and then ground for us. Then watched sunset into the pacific from terrace of a high end resort's restaraunt, Of all Central American venues, you are very safe to go off on your own or hire an independent guide to leave the group and see things off the beaten path. Nice people, universally friendly, if poor, but not the poverty of Nicaragua or Guatemala port calls. Very stable area and English spoken widely.
Cartagena (Colombia)
Miami beach like place. Mix of old and new. 1600s Monastery was pretty amazing and not a ruin. Great view, Lots of police and tourist police ensuring your safety along the tour route.
Los Angeles
Boarded the ship here. Our Regent motor coach transit from LAX to the cruise docks was simple and easy. But it was odd to pull into the virtually empty and uncrowded cruise terminal vehicle reception area and be told by a port of LA long shoreman "we were slammed with work" that we had to wait until the one single bus ahead of us was offloaded. We waited about 20 minutes before our 1/3 full bus was allowed by a port organizer (Not a Regent agent) to pull up to the curb amongst the block long stretch of empty curb. It appeared to be some sort of union rule / organized inefficiency as they were the olny ones who could pick up our bags. The driver took them off the bus, we carried our bags about 2 steps to the long shoreman, and he put them on a group baggage cart. Sad to see such a thing.