We chose to go with Regent for the 3rd year in a row after very good experience on the Navigator. Explorer has been hyped as the most luxurious cruise liner in the World, so we thought we would try her.

She looks beautiful and the interior art, decor and appearance is gorgeous and the furniture is very comfortable too. First impressions are very good.

The main problem for us and a number of other passengers we spoke to was just how she failed to provide the level of comfort required of a luxury ship when sailing. Even in calm waters at the stern of the ship where most restaurants are, she 'jogs' from side to side, like a car with an out of balance wheel, then when seas become a little more challenging (but no more than a Force 2-3) our suite would groan and creak like an old Spanish Galleon! The ride was on occasion akin to that of a car ferry crossing the Irish Sea, with lots of slapping and banging going on. Fortunately after 4 or 5 days the seas became like a mill-pond, so the majority of the problems subsided but the 'jog' persisted. Read more