When Regent announced the launching of a new ship several years ago, like most Regent cruisers, my wife and I were very excited, and had cruises booked on it for September of 2016 and March 2017. Life intervened, and we had to cancel both of these cruises. So when we were finally able to book another cruise on it, we were chomping at the bit to experience it, wondering whether our high expectations would be met. Clearly from the title of this review, they were... although with a bit of an asterisk.

The ship- Regent hypes this ship as "World's Most Luxurious Ship". As I have not been on every cruise ship in the world, I cannot validate this statement, but if there is a more beautiful ship at sea, I would love to see it. The ship is, in a word, breathtakingly beautiful. OK, 2 words. But I cannot say enough about how impressive this ship is. Prior to this voyage, I thought the most elegant ships I have sailed on were Oceana's Riviera/ Marina, but I think the Explorer has them beat. From the stunning atrium, to each and every restaurant, lounge, theater..even the men's rooms were beautiful. (And I assume the same for the ladies' room, although I have no first hand knowledge of such and will take DW's word for it. ) The hallways of stateroom decks have lovely black and white photographs. The ship is a pleasure to walk around on.

Cuisine- I have long been a fan of Regent cuisine, but I am now an even bigger fan. Every cruise line's main dining rooms offer "always available" items, usually steak, chicken, salmon, and perhaps a vegetarian dish. , The main dining room on Regent,, Compass Rose, now offers as always available: Read more