We have enjoyed many wonderful cruises with Regent. This is our second time on the Explorer and she is a beautiful and elegant ship. We did a back to back, starting on January 8th and disembarking on January 28th, 20 memorable days. 1. Embarkment - Now I know Regent has no control over the Miami Port staff but embarkment was a disaster. Our documents stated Terminal J and our taxi dropped us off. One of the porters saw our luggage tags and told us Regent isn't docked there. It took a few minutes from workers to find out Regent was at Terminal F. We had to take another taxi to that terminal. Arriving at F it was total chaos. Crowds of folks being directed all over the place. First man at the top of the escalator tells us to line up at the end of the room but there is no line. A woman tells us to get a number but the first guy has none. She gives us #10 and they haven't even called #1 yet. Then we see a priority line for early check-in and our documents state we are eligible for early check-in, no #s and no line. The port staff all acted like it was their first day on the job and there was no supervision. And in this day and age, Regent could have texted us with the change in terminals. So many folks had driven to the port and parked at Terminal J only to find out they had to take a cab to another terminal. Not a great way to start a cruise. 2. Cabin - Superior cabin, large spacious with a great bathroom, double sinks, tub and separate larger shower. Large walk-in closet and plenty of storage. 3. Public Room - All beautiful well appointed. 4. Bars - All great. Bartenders were wonderful. It's great that they remember your name and your favorite drinks. 5. Dining - Main dining room served great dinners. Open seating but we prefer the same server and Francisco was the best. The specialty dining rooms were reservations only but at No extra charge and they were outstanding. Our favorite was Pacific Rim, Asian fusion, Simona was the maitre de' and the entire staff in the restaurant were women. Each time we went there, the room was run seamlessly and the food and service impeccable. Forget the "elegant casual" dress code. For the most part, Regent has allowed their dress code to plummet and folks dress as if they are going to a neighborhood diner. Sneakers and tee shirts and flip flops are more the norm. But I will say that at least a 1/3 of the folks in the specialty dining rooms dressed up a bit better. Guys, just bring one sport jacket if you want but many guys were allowed to even wear tee shirts in the dining rooms. 6. Excursions - At no extra charge we enjoyed many that were offered. But for the Caribbean we had been to many of the ports and enjoyed our own time at some ports. 7. Entertainment - Surprising good. Regent sure has improved on their lounge/cabaret shows. IN-TRANSIT - As we did a back to back we had a day in Miami to ourselves. We received documents and info from the Destinations team on what to do and expect while in-transit. All we had to do upon returning to the ship was show photo ID and our ships card key. Unfortunately, again, the Miami port staff didn't seem to know this or even care. There were 10 of returning on the shuttle bus, provided by Regent and a huge line of folks waiting to be processed on their embarkment day. As instructed we tried to walk in and show our docs but the female worker said we had to go to the end of the line and wait. We stated that we were in-transit, not new passengers. Much arguing and a supervisor comes over and he lets us proceed. Why the drama when it was so unnecessary? We had a great 20 days with the Explorer and it's wonderful crew. The only hiccup being the Miami port staff on day one and while in-transit. When we mentioned the Port issues to the Regent General Manager, he stated that they are well aware of the issues but the cruise ship companies have no control over the Port or its staff. Maybe the cruise companies should go back to Fort Lauderdale. Read Less

Reason of choosing this cruise because it would bring us to parts of the world which we wanted to see. The route was one we believed was an attractive one, and turned out to be so. Lots of ports but also sea days could be enjoyed. Being on board ment meeting other guests and enjoying the warm embracing of the employees which were so incredibly friendly. Next to that and the every day big programme, which could be enjoyed, the food was SPLENDID. The choices were surprisingly great, the taste of every meal, can actually not discribe it. Hope everybody will understand the high level of it. In short; route was A very nice one. We learned much about many. The crew, completely marvelous. A great thank you to the captain Kristovic for sailing us save and sound to all the directions. Mr. Ray Solaire which was very informative and entertaining. A big thank you to the chef the cuisine Kelly Cochrane for the delicious food. Much appreciation to lovely Lusan and Saga who took care of our cabin. Who did I forget? hopefully no one. The ones, Koko, Maya and Ivana, lets not forget Ronald, we enjoyed having them around. All the employees deserve A BIG THANK YOU. We say ; untill the next time. Read Less

Chose cruise for its all inclusive features. No worry about WiFi charges, drink charges, etc. Thought the food was excellent, especially the no-res needed Italian Setti Marie. The expansive pool side grill offered many choices in addition to usual burger/hot dog items. Gym was really nice, stretching across the ship’s beam at the stern. All equipment working and clean. Jogging track the usually short track, dodging wandering old people. This ship actually has a complete promenade deck on deck 5 that encircles the entire ship. Fun to work and in the shade. Lots of equipment partially in the way so its not a rapid walk. Our cabin was roomy with an awesome walk-in spa shower (multiple heads). Best I’ve every seen. Two sinks in our penthouse suite. We were far forward for very bumpy ride, to the point that we couldn’t sleep in the open water portions of the journey. Main gripe: impossible to sleep in our cabin until 1130 when music was finally turned down in the observation lounge. No prob during the day w regular overhead music or piano playing but awful at night. Multiple complaints from other cabins forward on deck 12 and forward on deck 10. Management knows about this problem and it could easily be solved by scheduling music acts at another site or simple stopping them at 1000. The shows were fun but didn’t start until 930, later than we would have liked. The ship itself was in good shape w lots of dark wood paneling. Elevator response was excellent. Not a fan of the Caribbean stops/ports but we never planned to take part in excursions. Dominica downtown is downright scary (we scurried back to the ship after a short walk) Love this small ship. Crew was uniformly polite and friendly Read Less

We chose the Explorer based on the size and reviews we had read. We were absolutely impressed by many features of this ship. My wife has numerous severe food allergies, and the kitchen team in every venue took them seriously. A big THANK YOU to Food and Beverage Manager Natasha. We saw her all over the ship, and she made it a point to check in with us to confirm that we were enjoying the dining experiences. Our Explorer suite was outstanding, including Ravi, our Butler. The layout, size and finish out were perfect for our needs. The bath tub is amazing, with both air jets and Jacuzzi jets. Towels were very plush as well. We enjoyed every show as well as movie screenings in the theater. Cocktails were well prepared and readily available. My only beef was that on Silversea, the pool bar opens at 8:00, vs. 10:00 on Regent. Also, there are no other bars until the afternoon that are open, which is very limiting. That being said, the staff was super friendly and remembered our names right away and throughout the trip. The biggest disappointment came with the excursions. We had booked 3 excursions based upon them being described as wheelchair accessible. Once onboard, we were told that none of the vehicles (buses, vans, boats) would hold a wheelchair. They then presented some very expensive ($1,100-$1,500 per person) options. This NEVER happened on Silversea, as their tours were set up to accommodate the needs of the handicapped passengers. Likes it so much that we cancelled our July Silver Spirit trip and booked with Regent again. Read Less

We choose this cruise to get to the sunny warmer weather out of our cold snowy north. And we chose Regent since we had never sailed on her and loved the idea of everything included like drinks, excursions, wifi on four devices and specialty restaurants and all said to be upscale! In spite of some bumpy weather which they very nicely and adroitly changed two of our ports for our safety it was a great cruise! And they certainly cannot control the weather but they handled it very well. We actually loved our free excursion in Martinique(a substitute port) to the beautiful rainforest gardens. And who does not like St. Thomas for shopping?! The food was above any I have ever experienced....and we have cruised many. Oceania was my top one for food before and this beat them out too! The service was great too....if any problem they were wanting to fix. We were not in a Penthouse Suite we were in Concierge so had no butler and we still loved our service. And the cabin itself....bigger than any before and I loved the walkin closet and the bathroom with both bathtub and walk in shower. And the balcony....I lived out there on the chaise lounge and the size of the balcony we could have had a party out there. Room service was excellent too; right on time and delicious. I loved the aromatic steam room in the fitness center area and did the workouts and then the steam room and then the showers....sitting out by the Infiniti Pool was great at the back of the ship too! The special restaurants were like going out to an elegant restaurant with so many selections. And even in the Compass Rose the main dining room you could almost have any type of entree you desired...you could actually build your own meal instead of just picking from a few. I like this alot! And the food was excellent. We liked our Champagne and Lobster excursion, also the Whale and Dolphin Safari, and the Garden Rainforest mentioned above. These were all free! So comparing to my previous 25 years of cruising this was over the top. By the time you add up all that you are getting for free including the hotel Conrad in Miami precruise, the excursions, the wifi, the premium drinks, the restaurants....it might be a tad more but it was a totally different experience. I loved it. I also liked the block party where you met your neighbors and had champagne, apps and the captain and some of the crew swept by too.... Read Less

Choose this cruise because it is Regent. Also the itinerary matched what we were looking for and the timing was great. Great itinerary. The service on the ship was great. The food was great. The people were great. We will probably not cruise on the Navigator again unless the itinerary overcomes the lack of a forward observation lounge and the vibration and engine noise. I should mention that in our cabin there was no noticeable noise or vibration worth mentioning. The ship was clean and the cabin every bit as nice as those on the Mariner and Sojourn. The biggest criticisms that we have is that there is no forward observation lounge, the ships engines created a lot of vibration (and some noise) in the stern of the ship and the ship rocked and rolled more that the other ships we were on. The lack of the forward observation lounge is probably the biggest issue. On our other 2 cruises we were in the lounge to see sail-away and arrivals everyday. This was the go to location for us to have an evening cocktail. We really did not visit the bars on the Navigator. The pool was adequate. Never had problems finding a chaise lounge. Plenty of service from the bar. We both participated in needlepoint during tea on the sea days. Almost finished a project. Mallory, the support/costume lady for the entertainment troupe led the activity and was a great host and fun to talk with. The stage shows were good solid performances. We went to several. One of the dancers, Kevin, in particular was a standout. Incredibly athletic and danced beautifully. The staff and crew are all very service oriented. Would have been 5 stars except that on our last Regent and Seabourn an incredible portion of the personnel knew us by name and knew our preferences. Only a small handful did on this cruise. The food in the Compass Rose was all well prepared and served attractively. The menu was varied with a combination of choices available every night and a great a selection of daily "specials." There was only one day when we had a hard time finding something we wanted to order. Most days it was hard to select from among several selections all of which we wanted to try. The experience in Prime 7 was also great. We ate in Prime 7 twice. We both had Alaskan King Crab Legs (2 pounds!) on the first night and I had them again while my wife had the Maine Lobster. For both you had the choice of in shell or out. Where's the fun if you do not have to disassemble them your self. If all you are looking for is steak those who had it said that it was equally good in both Compass Rose and Prime 7. The breakfast buffet in La Veranda was good. There were adequate choices on the buffet plus cooked to order eggs and a daily special. We ate lunch at the pool grill several times. The burgers and sandwiches were good. There were 2 theme lunches Greek and Satay. The Greek food was tasty but not authentic. The Greek Captain should have helped them deliver an authentic experience. The Satay was great with meat and fish choices and all the correct sauces. The deserts in all the venues were great. Embarkation 5 out of 5 Embarkation was simple and fast. The only delay was that there was only a single security station to check ID to board. The check in was on the ship and was simple and rapid. The cabins were available early and our luggage was waiting Moorea, French Polynesia 4 out of 5 Had a great excursion for dolphin watching with a PhD who worked at UC Berkley labs on the island. Fakarava, Tuamotu Archipelago 2 out of 5 We arrived at Fakarava and anchored. The Captain waited about and hour and decided conditions were too bad to allow tender operations so this stop turned into a sea day. The Cruise Director and his team worked hard to get a new schedule of activities prepared and had it ready shortly after we departed the lagoon. Nuku Hiva, Marquesas 4 out of 5 Had a great tour with locals round the island. The tour was in 4WD pickups. The information shared was interesting. Only real complaint is that the leader do not speak English too well. It did make fun for the those of us who know a bit of French to get the ideas across to all the group. Rangiroa, French Polynesia 4 out of 5 Great snorkel tour Bora Bora, French Polynesia 5 out of 5 Fantastic "all" day tour. Polynesian day and Motu lunch. We circumnavigated the island in a outrigger motor boat. Stopped at 2 places to snorkel. We say lots of colorful corals, a large moray eel and at the second stop snorkeled with black tips sharks and sting rays. The day ended with a Polynesia feast on a small private motu (island.) Food was great and it was fun sitting at picnic tables in the shallow water. Based on recommendations we will likely return here and stay for a few days at the Le Meridien or St. Regis. Raiatea, French Polynesia 3 out of 5 Raiatea was beautiful. We would like to go back for a couple of days. We did a snorkel tour to Taha'a Coral Gardens. It was a drift snorkel. Having to go in a line with inexperienced snorkelers was a disaster. Many people ended up being forced into the coral and were scrapped up. Huahine, French Polynesia 5 out of 5 Fantastic island tour in a pickup with room for 8 on benches in the truck bed. Ride was comfortable. The driver/tour guide was knowledgeable, interesting and engaging. This is another island that we would like to visit again. Disembarkation 5 out of 5 Extremely easy. We were traveling independently after the cruise and taking the ferry to Moorea. We were invited to debark anytime after 8 but before 9. Luggage was waiting with helpful guys to dig it out for you. Read Less

I wanted to experience Regent and I love the tropical waters. This was a first class experience. The Dining is First Class - anything you can possibly imagine. The cocktails were only restricted by my waistline. Service is amazing. Our suite 1002 was lovely and spacious. The shows were again first class. Great amazing dancers. Just wish it started at 9pm instead of 9.30. I cant believe some people complain about any of this it was all first class and wonderful. I have two issues that could have been better. The first would be the tendering using the life boats. It was slow and laborious and hot and stuffy in the enclosed boats. Every single time we had to listen to the monotonous recorded message about being careful and staying seated. Point two was that if you book three or four months out you will certainly not get on the excursions you want. All I really wanted to do was snorkel the coral and I could not get on them before hand and despite my checking with tour staff everyday I still did not get to do this. So when regent say unlimited excursions it really should say very limited excursions and then only if you book 9 months out. I did manage to get on a snorkel with the Sharks and stingrays and that was an experience that I will never forget. Fabulous. Overall the cruise was fantastic. Read Less

The stern vibration is still an issue, especially coming into port early morning, good wake up call is how we managed it. The cabins are basically the same, very comfortable and was kept very clean. The wait staff, food and wine was excellent. There was not a meal we didn't enjoy, and we did the back to back, so even after a month of menus, Chief kept serving up a variety of choices. Guest speakers were great, the production team gave 110%, the polynesian dancers was a nice welcome and history of the islands. The rest were basic lounge shows. Shore excursions highlighted the look and feel of polynesian life and was well organized. Service was exceptional and very personalized. There were children on the cruise because it was over the holidays, I believe most of them enjoyed family time together. If you want to really get a feel for the polynesian culture, history and way of life, this was a true immersion and overall wonderful experience for our 112 th cruise! Read Less

We were excited to take this cruise because we wanted to visit the Amazon. Additionally friends had told us how wonderful Regent Cruise lines is The shore trips were marginal and poorly executed. The guides were extremely inexperienced and lacked knowledge The best bird sightings were at the zoo in Manaus. Not what we expected. The food was barely average. It lacked creativity and the ingredients were sub-par. We were told that the Italian food was the chef’s interpretation of Italian recipes. Since the chef was German, the interpretation was far from true Italian cuisine. The seafood was “fishy” tasting and sauces were offered on all meats, mostly to disguise poor flavor. Additionally the included wine selection was extremely poor and mostly 2018 red wines. We have cruised many different cruise lines and can honestly say from what we have been told Regent did not perform up to normal standards The specialty restaurants had inferior quality meat supplies. Very disappointing! The staff made the only redeeming difference in what otherwise was a very dismal Cruise We would not recommend Regent to anyone. Read Less

We wanted to visit the Amazon. It was worth the price of many sea days (which we normally try to minimize). We just returned, arriving in Miami Jan 6, 2020. It was a solid 4 star experience, based on 20 cruises on 12 cruise lines. The all-inclusive feature is nice, although for those of us who don’t drink, free alcohol is not a benefit. Not being nickel-dimed is worth it, unlike certain cruise brands. Check-in/boarding was ‘different’ in Rio, where we waited in a hangar like terminal until boarding time, then walked up the ramp into the ship where check-in tables were set up in the reception/atrium area. We’re used to the photos taken - boarding cards prepared etc. check-in process being done in the terminal; however, it was relatively painless and efficient. Our concierge cabin on deck 9 was fine, if a little small. Bathroom (bathtub/shower etc.) was nice, nothing special but no issues (toilet plumbing acted up in our section of cabins several times during the 3 week cruise, but fairly quickly repaired). Food was good, comparable and maybe somewhat better than Oceania, our previous standard. All the restaurants provided fine dining, good ‘everyday selections’ and several new items on the menu each evening. Service was in general very good. The Veranda buffet offered very good selections every day, with fresh fruit, pastries, a breakfast special every morning and eggs cooked to order. Cold cuts, salmon, and such were available every day, along with many kinds of bread/bagels/muffins etc. The dessert selections were very good, along with cookies (everywhere on the ship, all day, beside the cappuccino/Latte machines - a definite self discipline challenge). Lunch selections were varied and also very good. One complaint about the Veranda buffet is that it is only open for breakfast and lunch. If you don’t want to dress up and spend the time to ‘dine’ every night, the grill on the pool deck is your only option. The food there is mostly good and you can order chicken wings, burgers and such, but it is somewhat limited. Entertainment was good. Some excellent guest performers were on board, along with a very good naturalist/Amazonia speaker and an Apollo 9 astronaut. The ships dancers were excellent. The 5 piece band was outstanding. The singers were decent. One show was performed at 9:30 PM, on most days. Excursions: very good. We had no trouble booking excursions (free). Some were booked in advance, a few were booked only days before (our biggest excursion was booked privately, our usual MO when wanting to see a particular attraction(s) without having to compromise, nor wait for a busload of other passengers). Service/hotel staff were very good, with very few exceptions. Reading the small percentage of 1 and 2 star reviews of the Mariner highlights an issue of the passenger demographic that book the 6 star lines; specifically, a good percentage of high-worth individuals, many of whom are getting on in years and have mobility issues; some have airs of entitlement to go with very high expectations. Consideration for others can sometimes be lacking. Example: walking slowly down a narrow ramp with a walker, one old gentleman was overheard saying to his wife (who was trying to move out of the way for those behind), “don’t try to make room, they can just wait”. Another example is getting on and off tenders. Regent does not enforce their own rules about who can and can not ride, consequently, boarding/debarking tenders behind physically impaired passengers can be an exercise in patience – (I am in my late 70’s). To recap, nice interesting cruise. Would we book Regent again? Certainly, given a desirable itinerary. Read Less

This ship is supposed to be free WI-FI .More like hardly any wi-fi.Took 4 hours to download a local paper. Could not get e-mail. Want to wish family Merry Christmas forget about it. Compass Rose dining too noisy .Had to always wait.Once I asked for a table for 4 to at least be seated .Was told by Maitre D he needed all tables. We were leaving and nobody had sat at that table.Also they rush you out .Wait an hour out in 30 minutes. They say beds are king size.Bull i AM 5'9 and the length was too short .The width was no better.Not a king . Canapes were hit or miss peanuts, pretzels and chips. Once and awhile they got creative with some olives or tuna.Nothing great . For a newer ship there was rust on the shower doors.Why they used marble in the shower is beyond me.. Went to future cruise department. Asked for a copy of baltic city tours to see what we might see on a future cruise. Gave e mail .Still waiting been back 10 days .Maybe wi fi is down. Been on Crystal and Seven Seas .Nothing is perfect but did not have the above issues. Oh the free tours .More bull. One tour was a trolly around town. Stuck in traffic.Locals were all laughing at us .Why can't they provide free transfers to downtown areas. Sette Mare dining was excellent. They made the effort to remember your name .Service was excellent. Also Regent seems to be encouraging bringing children on board as one can see with the special rate for children.Lost me there Read Less

The Regent ships are smaller. Approximately 750 passengers and 500 crew. The amenities; service, food, entertainment; are fantastic. The cruise is all inclusive (the cost of alcohol, food, tips, excursions are generally all included). Certain premium items (high end alcohol, tours, spa services) need to be paid extra for. A $400 per room credit is provided to pay for some these types of items. Excursions are at times lacking/hit and miss. Sometimes I think it would be best to research and pay extra for each shore tour through Viator or Trip Advisor. I like to hear as much information as I can from a tour guide, and the ship excursions don't always provide that. One excursion in Nassau was a complete waste of time. We traveled on a small boat to a nearby island through swells. There was maybe 80 of us on this boat, packed in like sardines. There did not appear to be any life preservers. I was somewhat concerned. The place we visited was overpriced and our "stingray" excursion ended up being stingrays kept in a large pen off the beach so we ended up staying away and sitting on the beach drinking overpriced/cheap beer. Our room was really nice and large. Our deck was spacious, covered, and included outdoor furniture. Our fridge was stocked with beer and, during the cruise, I believe we received in our room up to two bottles of wine/champagne. Bathroom was double sink and included one shower and a bath/shower. Large bed, walk-in closet and sitting area with flat screen TV. Entertainment in the ship's theater was very good. Several full cast musical shows were provided, along with two shows from a guitarist. A lecturer on some days would provide insight on the local customs, etc. I think the cruise could do better to provide a lecturer each day specific to the island community to be visited. Service in general is very, very good but towards the end of the cruise I noticed that bar servers seemed to be growing testy and tired. Restaurants were excellent. Wines, foods, liquors were all top notch. Be prepared for many passengers who are quite elderly and everything that may come along with that. We experienced several situations of elderly folks, likely wealthy, who appeared to feel they were somewhat entitled and were very rude. Don't be shy about bringing too much luggage and dressing up. Read Less

All rooms were suites. . It was awesome. Christmas decorations were beautiful. Great Christmas events We enjoyed all restaurants except Prime 7. Steaks were dry. lobster over cooked. Our favorite without reservations were Sete Mari the Italian and Compass Rose. Chartreuse was excellent on Christmas Eve. The shows put on with musicians and dancers were great. The comedian wasn’t very good. There was a guitarist that was good also but I don’t remember his name. The staff was great that took care of us. No lines. There was a block party to meet all your neighbors in your corridor. The Captain was going to come by and cheers to all. They ran down the hall and tapped glass and ran off. Not a good experience. Should have avoided the Captain part all together. We were a little disappointed after we booked that they changed one of our destinations from St Bart’s to St Kitts. The chairs on the upper deck were very comfortable. The pools were nice but we didn’t use them. Not pool people. There was an infinity pool on back deck in spa. Great experience. Will definitely use this cruise line in the future. Read Less

We have been with Regent over 100 nights. In general we were treated like children and pushed around for tours, dining, the Mariner is poorly run in general. The management doesn't care and is openly hostile. This is the culture on this ship now and has never been the culture in the past. Our cruise was tremendously expensive and we did not have the advertised 6****** experience. Trouble on board this ship, BEWARE before you spend your hard earned $$$$. The gym and spas are dirty, hot and not ventilated!!!! The spa hounds you to buy packages when you cannot use them and the spa is very expensive. The spa is very small on this ship and has one bathroom. During our stay the spa bathroom was filthy. Service at the pool is dicy, sporadic and inconsistent. We are tired of having to flag down the help to get a drink, etc. Read Less

Buenos Aries to Rio de Janeiro 10 night cruise. We arrived 2 days before departure to explore Buenos Aries. The ship put us up at the Alvear Palace Hotel. Wow! What a spectacular hotel. Highly recommend it. We booked a walking tour guide through the hotel. Great way to see part of the city and hear the interesting history. The cemetery "village" is a must. If you enjoy steak and a hip evening scene, book dinner at Parrilla Don Julio's. Short taxi ride from the hotel in an adorable neighborhood with lots of small shops and a ton of night life. They serve champagne while waiting for tables. We had a lovely time on the Mariner. While it isn't nearly has luxurious as the Explorer, it's still a luxury liner. Other than the bathroom and closet space being quite small compared to the Explorer, it was basically the same Concierge cabin and amenities. The staff for the most part were awesome. Very professional, friendly and attentive. The downsides were some of the excursions and the mediocre onboard entertainment and food choices. There was no cultural aspects to the entertainment or the food on board. When we travel, we like to experience that. The food in the Compass Rose dinning room was fine but not all that interesting. The Italian restaurant (loved loved loved the appetizer bar) and Prime 7 steakhouse offered more interesting food so we ate there most nights. The first few excursions were a let down, but they did get better. The Montevideo Old Town walking tour was listed as strenuous but was anything but that. We were on a bus most of the time and the little walking we did was to a very small shopping mall where we did have delicious churros. The Juanico Winery excursion is a not to miss in Montevideo. Next stop - Punta del Este, Uruguay - excursions were good and interesting. I did the bike tour and my husband id the Sea Wolves Island tour. We enjoyed both. The biking group included a range of abilities. The guide let us more experienced riders bike ahead at our pace which was great. In the afternoon, we walked from the pier to one of the beautiful beaches in town to experience the scene. Worth the walk. Rio Grande, Brazil - a required passport stop. We signed up for afternoon walking tour but the folks who went in the morning came back to the ship with awful reviews so we bagged it. Guess there isn't anything to see here. It's just a big ugly port. Porto Belo, Brazil - The cable car excursion is lovely. The walk through the "rain forest" (a park with pictures of animals and birds) wasn't but it goes with the cable car ride to the top so a necessary piece. We also spent time on our own walking to the beach. Santos, Brazil - a large city and a long ride from the pier. We did the Best of Santos and Guarja excursion. The "largest aquarium" is quite small and for kids. Not worth the stop. Lunch together was a real treat, as was the excursion to the beach. Wish we had had more time there. Some shopped. We walked the beach. What a fun scene. Parati, Brazil - Now we're talking. This is a gorgeously preserved Portuguese colonial an Brazilian Imperial town, dotted with tropical islands. The historic area right off the pier is traffic-free, cobblestone-paved streets with horse drawn carts everywhere. The small buildings have brightly painted doors decorating the historic buildings. Definitely not to miss. We walked around on our own for a few hours then did a short historic walking tour with a guide then an afternoon 4-Wheel/Land Rover drive into the rain forest through the country, to waterfalls and a rum distillery. One of the best excursions of the trip. Ilha Grande, Brazil - We did a morning Schooner/snorkeling trip. It is a beautiful sail around the coast. The swimming was a treat but not really a snorkeling excursion. Yes there are fish but no reef so not what we are used to when snorkeling and all the boats came to the same cover so it was very crowded. I'd still recommend this excursion for the sail. In the afternoon, we walked to a beautiful beach in the bay and ate on the beach at Lua Mar (recommended to us by the our local schooner captain) - fabulous. Have the seafood stew. It's amazing. Buzios, Brazil - Absolutely beautiful beach town, popular spot for the Rio de Janeiro crowd. In the morning, we walked on our own out to a beautiful cove beach past the white church on the hill with the statute of Mother Teresa. You can walk or take a cute little water taxi over. We walked but the water taxis looked like fund. We were supposed to take another schooner ride around the coast in the afternoon but ended up staying at the beach all day. On our walk back to the pier, we stopped for drinks and Accai and the Bardot restaurant right on the water overlooking bay dotted with sail bots. A perfect end to a fun beach day. Rio de Janiero, Brazil - disembark ship in the morning. Ship transfer to our hotel - JW Marriott right on Copacabana Beach! Book through the ship so you are guaranteed a room overlooking the beach. Rooms weren't ready when we arrived so they put us in a conference room. We checked our luggage and headed out to walk the beach. This is the largest and beautiful beach. Not too too crowded when we were there. Lots to see and do. And they serve food and Caipirinhas on the beach!! We returned to the hotel in the afternoon, moved our luggage into our room and left for city tour, which we booked through the hotel. The trip to Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Corcovado/Christ the Redeemer are not to miss. the next day we explored on our own walking from our hotel over to Ipanema beach and shopping. A fun day trip. Seemed much quieter on Ipanema than Copacabana beach so glad we stayed at Copacabana. Read Less

My wife and i have sailed on over 25 cruises ranging from large, to midsize, and to small ships, at both luxury and premium levels. For several years now we have wanted to try Regent but could not find an itinerary nor price point suitable for us. When this cruise was offered it was to sail to Havana as well as the western Caribbean, which we had not done before but was subsequently rerouted, thanks to our President disallowing Cuba visits. The Explorer is indeed a beautiful ship throughout, but as a luxury cruise experience it fell short. Embarkation was a long and arduous process, and when we finally embarked the ship, we were welcomed with a glass of champagne, but no one offered to direct us to our cabin. Our Penthouse, which was quite comfortable, but the "living-room" space was very narrow and the sofa was quite uncomfortable. Our butler did not show up until we called for service and instructions regarding the room set-up, etc. Our pre-arrival requests had not been fulfilled and so we had to try again then. Although our butler was very personable, we did not find this service particularly worthwhile. The food was a mixed bag of mostly quite good in the restaurants, but pretty lame at the buffets and coffee bar. In fact I don't remember ever having such consistently below par food and selections on any cruise ship we have sailed on before. At the risk of sounding snobbish, I want to mention that the two caviar and champagne breakfasts boasted offering "the worlds finest caviar" where in fact it was salmon and a pathetic paddle fish roe, which tasted like nothing more than salty fish paste. Even lesser cruise ships do better than that. When Maine lobster tails were offered in the restaurants, they turned out to be warm water lobsters, which don't taste at al like Maine lobster. Another way to cheapen the experience. The desserts and breads in the restaurants were quite good, but pastries were pretty poor. It seems like all they could make was different versions of dry pound cake based items. Entertainment shows by the song and dance ensemble were quite good, but the other single entertainers were OK, at best. WiFi and computer room were mixed. There were a number of problems being able to connect, but we were told an upgrade was to made on the ship's return to Miami. Service throughout the ship was mostly quite good and attentive. We have no substantial complaints. All in all, while our Regent experience was mostly positive, it did not measure up to a level of "Luxury" we have experienced on Seabourn, Crystal, or even on Oceania and several Celebrity Cruises suite class sailings we have taken in the past. For the premium one pays to sail on Regent, we cannot recommend them for value. Read Less

Cruised in December 2019, departing n arriving Singapore (14-days) on the Regent SS Voyager. Our family comprised 6 adults - several of us are veteran luxury cruisers, one of us is a first-timer. We had heard good things about Regent SS, and decided to give the Voyager a try. My most recent luxury cruise was on the Seabourn Encore, so I’ll use that as a reference point for my review of the Voyager. Overall Ship design The ship in general is well-designed, though dated in parts. The Concierge Suite we had was attractive, functional and comfortable. Linen was superb, aircon sufficiently cold. Shower water pressure was on the weak side of adequate. Toiletries were from L’Occitane. I prefer the Molton Brown range offered in the Encore, but that’s a personal thing.No comb nor toothbrush/paste was provided - I’m not sure if housekeeping would have provided gratis if I had asked, as I’d brought my own. Still. Nice as the Regent is, the Seabourne Encore is a notch higher in the styling & design department - in their public areas as well as the suites. Dining Getting seated in Compass Rose was always efficient and prompt. The menu there is excellent. Sides for each dish and accompanying sauces were available separately. Healthy options were available as well (recommended by the Canyon Ranch Spa). Wines were decent to excellent. I found the food to be consistently good, better than the cuisine I enjoyed on the Encore. I routinely ate lunch on the pool deck, preferring to eat and chill rather than sit in a restaurant for an hour or more. The burger and hot dog counter was always a popular spot, as was the ice-cream section. The cafe on Deck 5, Coffee Connection, was very popular and we often could not find seats there, though it wasn’t much trouble to take away and sit elsewhere but nearby. The coffee was passable but the pastries, cookies and fresh fruit were always delicious. Shore Excursions The included tours were not great, but I attributed it more to the ports of call rather than to Regent itself. There was nothing compelling to see nor do in several of the stops. We had to miss Koh Samui due to bad weather. At the overnight dock at Laem Chabang, we decided to bus to Pattaya instead of Bangkok along with everyone else. We stayed overnight at the Hilton in Pattaya. Bangkok was a 120-minute bus-ride away, Pattaya only a half-hour. That was a good decision as we got to enjoy a change of scenery and cuisine. We felt the extra expense was worth the while. Entertainment The entertainment on the ship was good, though I’m not a great fan of cruise-ship cabaret-type shows. But that’s just me. The musical performers in the various lounges were very good. Misc Facilities The free laundry located on every floor was helpful, and it never seemed too crowded. The library was adequate as well, though I’d brought my own e-books. Good range of movies in the suite TV. Wifi was adequate, though it occasionally dropped off to zero at points along the cruise. Our package (free) allowed for 4 devices, but I’m not sure if this is offered to all suite classes. Card key Oh, good grief…. that infernal card-key. My wife and I had a running competition to see who had the higher number of tries to unlock the suite door. I won with 9 tries. And no, I didn’t keep the card key with my phone or other electronic devices. Changing the card didn’t help. Service My main gripe (and it’s a big one) is not the food quality but the food service. Food quality is subjective; service is not. I’m not picky about being waited on. I want my food to come without flourish and fanfare. But certain basics are non-negotiable - particularly when Regent charges a premium for it. Orders were mislaid or forgotten, wrong dishes were delivered, or delivered very late…etc. This happened at every single food outlet (including Prime7), and at almost every meal. We never got through a single meal without something going wrong. This sad experience was shared by numerous passengers we chatted with. The service staff was always friendly and warm - so I attribute the faux-pax to bad training and/or inexperience. I’m sure the staff were trying their best, but the problem seemed to be systemic. I would not accept this level of service from ANY restaurant, and am disappointed to have had to accept it from Regent. Staff on deck were great, always ready to offer towels and water. The pool deck often got crowded though, especially on sea days. Conclusion We had a great time on the cruise, all things considered. Will I cruise Regent SS again? Perhaps when I hear that the food service has improved, or if the prices drop significantly, or after the next upgrade. Read Less

Regent, “an unrivaled experience” is one I have no intention of replicating. Here is a rundown: 1. Arrival at airport was disorganized. After waiting about 15 minutes in airport we waited about another 45 minutes at the curb. 2. Next morning at hotel, breakfast ended at nine am with checkout at noon then a wait of a further hour+ before bus to port. On the way to port the bus driver kept drifting in and out of lane on the 710 to Long Beach and at one point came within a few feet of rear ending a stopped truck at about 50 mph because he fell asleep at the wheel, if the collision avoiding alert had not alerted we would have hit. 3. When boarding the ship there was not one staff member available to assist in directing to cabin, so we wandered around and eventually found the cabin. 4. First day on pool deck attempting to get a bite to eat after a fifteen minute wait for service finally found someone to assist. 5. Cabin was clean but very worn, sloppy caulking, dining table well stained and etched, rust around veranda (picture sent separately). 6. Initially wait staff not responsive but did improve significantly over a couple of days. 7. My comments on the initial survey would have demanded management contact me but the butler was sent to inquire, that was poor form, management should have called me. 8. Late getting to Hawaii, helicopter ride was cancelled and a bus tour substituted (poor substitute), ten minutes from ship engine blew up on the bus, my wife and another couple took a taxi back to ship rather than wait as it turned out 90 minutes for another bus to show up. 9. An island was eliminated from the agenda because of slow transit time even though activities were organized and we stopped at an atoll with no activities planned (just a gas station, store and arts store) when I asked why pick that schedule I was told it was pretty and anyway at the missed island the guides didn’t speak English anyway. 10. We told we had to slow down and miss some activities because of sea conditions, others were told the ship had mechanical issues. The latter seems more believable as sea conditions were just fine. Someone who claimed to know about these things calculated the ship would have had to travel at maximum rated speed to meet the published schedule 11. The activities did not meet the description, seemed to be somewhat ad hoc. 12. All in all quite a number of people seem to have similar feelings. Read Less

We actually didn't choose this cruise or itinerary but voluntarily accept a bump off our original cruise in exchange for numerous upgrades and rebates. We flew coach to LAX with me squeezed in the middle seat and I was unable to get upgraded with my AA miles. The return flight arrangement took us 30 hours from the time we disembarked in Papeete at 8:45 AM until we touched down at JFK at 8:30 PM Christmas Eve. There were excursions (6 in total because we missed a valuable port in the Hawaiian Island due to technical problems which were never explained or reimbursed)that were too commercial including stops at the tour operators' relatives' establishments. We were not advised to spray ourselves with Deet, nor was it provided, in French Polynesia where the mosquitos attacked us and boarded the tour bus at a scenic view stop. The ship is still wonderful, the nightly piano player, Jeff Spence, was incredible, some of the shows and entertainment marvelous, the Internet was spotty, the Library did away with its free passenger book exchange, Trivia was great, the service impeccable and the Cruise Director Jamie and his wife, the assistant cruise director, perfect and the food was fabulous. Will I cruise with Regent again, absolutely. Would I choose this Itinerary, absolutely not? Because of our age, travel insurance was exceptionally expensive. The boutiques are only suitable for those who don't have great shopping near them and have shipboard credits to spend. The enrichment lectures were generally not my cup of tea. The program leans heavily toward early morning activities with not much to do until 4:00 pm, by which time very little time is left of the afternoon to freshen oneself for the evening "elegant casual" or optional "formal" dress requirements after 6:00 pm in all public indoor spaces. Once you disembark and are thrown off the bus at a deserted airport with no sense of where to wait and nowhere to sit, the bloom fades from the rose. I must say, that once we boarded Regent's charter Atlas 767 airplane, we were treated perfectly. The employees of Atlas were wonderful and all seats equally fine business class accommodations. I personally will never return to French Polynesia because their International airport is a disaster and caused us great stress as well as physical pain after standing without information for almost two hours. The French equivalent of inspection is antiquated and elderly people had to remove shoes, belts, watches, suspenders, etc. Read Less

This was a back to back cruise. There are many very good aspects to this ship. It’s small leading to great interaction between crew and passengers. Even the entertainers spent time with the passengers. The Captain was very accessible and courteous. The General Manager the same. The executive concierge helped us with several personal problems. The destination staff went out of the way to find us good excursions. With the exception of 3 meals, the food ranged good to excellent. The butler and room cleaning staff were friendly and efficient and courteous. Prime 7 restaurant has great service although I was disappointed in two steaks. Compass Rose restaurant had excellent service most of the time but some of the service areas are remote to the tables they support There were some negatives as well. The ship is in need of a massive makeover. Our suite, 931 is under a smoking area. The smoke was not a problem, but the moving of the furniture was noisy and bothersome, particularly after 9:00 pm. And as late as 2:30am. I would never recommend this room. We had been reassured by Regent that this suite would not be noisy. The trouble was addressed, but we did not see a solution. Rust is showing in many areas. The Diesel engines are noisy and have much vibration in the rear of the ship. Disembarking was very inefficient compared to other lines we have cruised. Read Less

Just completed 2 b2b cruises, last one being a transatlantic. In good conscience, I will have to give the Explorer 4 stars. It is a pretty ship, although with some jarring and too glitzy decor. The much touted “art” looks like something purchased by the yard in a warehouse. Some very nice art glass pieces in various locations. Many comfortable lounges and places to relax. The staff is very good, the personalized service not so much. After 24 days, only our cabin steward seemed to address us by name. The dining manager in Seti Mari ( where we ate at least 10 times) never had a smile or even pretended to have seen us before. The venue isn’t that big and it seemed odd. Not that big of a deal. One can’t expect overworked crew members to remember names, their job is difficult enough. Everyone did have a smile and hello. Dining venues were generally good, but not worthy of the raves I have read from others. The service in the Compass Rose varied from good to horrible, with waits of over an hour from appetizer to main course happening at least half the time. CR is huge and really noisy, overlit and not that inviting. We tried to avoid it when possible. Specialty restaurants, Seti Mari and the Pool Grill were all good. We especially liked Pacific Rim. Our cabin, a concierge, was nice enough, We had various issues; broken TV, toilet having to be replaced. I personally found the linens to have an odd odor and had an allergic reaction to what ever the sheets were washed in. I realize that is a personal issue. Our steward, though a very nice fellow, would start calling me at 1:30 to leave the cabin if I was still there for cleaning service. ( had to rest after a small medical procedure every 3-4 days, and had breakfast delivered) I tried to explain that I would try my best, but he insisted that if I did not leave he could not service the cabin until after 6:30. I was stunned. This was luxury? I can’t think of any nice hotel or cruise line that would have a 5 hour period in the middle of the day you could not get your room refreshed. This caused me some stress and was something I didn’t expect. The included excursions varied from really good to awful. Several were reclassified as to difficulty level once embarking on the ship and required changing. This was worked out in most cases, but in one I had to forego an excursion as nothing was available. I do feel the excursions were often poorly vetted by destination service. The most difficult one, where I walked 4 plus miles, was rated a one ( lowest) in difficulty. A rated 3 ( highest) was basically no walking and mostly riding in a 4x4 vehicle. This lack of transparency seemed to cause many difficulties for some older people. In at least 3 ports the walk to the buses was over a half mile. Plus the half mile back to the ship. A few wheel chairs seemed available, but no shuttle. Luxury? Not the fault of Regent, but 2 ports in Morocco were cancelled due to bad weather. Very disappointing as this was one reason I booked. A half day in Tangier was substituted, with a very very poor excursion. We also had two days in Burmuda canceled as to storms. Making for a very long period at sea. This was not a great fit for me to be on ship with very little to do on 9 sea days. There were a few lectures, trivia etc. Good selection on movies on in suite TV. The absolute worst part of the cruise was the shocking lack of internet connectivity. When it worked it was like year 2000 dial up at its best. 2 or 3 minutes were max before getting kicked off. Several days it did not work at all. We have been on several other lines that did not have this issue. This was totally unexceptable if you need to conduct business or keep in touch with family. The included wines were ok, in a few cases they were ones I recognized from having purchased as being about $6 a bottle retail. Cocktails were better. The few shows we saw were underwhelming. We didn’t go to many. They tried. We did not use the included air, so can’t remark on that. While the concept of all inclusive is great, I’m don’t think the value for expense is really there in Regent experience. I could conceivably consider booking again on a much shorter cruise, but the dealbreaker is the lack of internet connectivity. Until I felt that issue was resolved, never again. There are several other high end lines that in IMHO are better choices. Read Less

We chose Regent because we thought it was a high-end cruise, plus we wanted to sail through the Panama Canal. The staff, restaurants and food were excellent, but each shore excursion had terrible problems. The cruise director should communicate with the local tour company the DAY of the tour to determine if there were issues, such as traffic delays due to construction, etc, and then make changes. Our tours were never completely what we were promised, and extremely disappointing. Gift shops were always added in order for passengers to make purchases , but then time at our destination was shortened. We took the Colonial Antigua excursion, because it is a UNESCO site. Due to construction, it took 2 1/2 hours to reach our first stop. We asked that the time be shortened at various sites, in order to get to Antigua. We had a wonderful guide but his tour company wouldn’t allow it. The ship should give them discretion to shorten time at sites, since it took almost 4 1/2 hours roundtrip on the bus We spent too much time at gift shops! I don’t plan to take another Regent Cruise. Viking ocean cruises are far superior! Read Less

Most everyone, especially those who love the sea, has some familiarity with the story of the Panama Canal. David McCullough's marvelous book, The Path Between the Seas, is required reading for anyone making this trip. But no amount of reading or watching videos or documentaries prepares you adequately for the real thing. That's why we chose this trip. We began in Miami's Mandarin Oriental hotel, a splendid accommodation. As usual, the transfer arrangements were well-organized and efficient. We were able to occupy our suite at noon and it was ideal for the transit of the canal with a forward- and side-facing balcony. The stop at Georgetown was pleasant but unmemorable. Cartagena, with its Fort San Felipe, was excellent. Then came the Canal. Our transit began in the early morning, shortly after sunrise and continued until we finally exited into the Pacific at dusk. The narrator - making her 700th transit! - provided rich detail about many aspects of the canal itself, as well as the flora and fauna, along with anecdotes about both the French effort and the subsequent American success. We had room-service breakfast so as not to miss a moment. This one day made the entire trip entirely successful all by itself. Puntarenas, Costa Rica, was the next stop with a very enjoyable river cruise - numerous tropical birds and crocodiles. Other stops - Corinto, Puerto Queztal, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas - provide some interesting sites. All required boarding buses. What we missed on this cruise was the small group option we enjoyed on the two cruised we had on the Explorer. As with other Regent cruises, the cuisine was excellent in Sette Mare, Compass Rose and La Veranda. We weren't quite as impressed with Prime Seven. We found the enrichment lectures short on regional relevance. Many cruisers have commented on Navigator's vibration, particularly notable toward the stern of the ship. It is sometimes noticeable toward the bow, but we did not find it disturbing. Our cabin, a Grand Suite, was excellent. It was spacious and well-appointed. One note of caution for North American travelers: although there are 110 volt outlets, there are only two of them. We found it helpful to bring along converter plugs that allowed us to plug in electronics to the 220v outlets, which are numerous. As I mentioned above, the view from the balcony facing forward is a real treat, particularly if you are interested in watching the deck crew manage the bow and spring lines or deploy and weigh the anchor. One modification that would make the balcony really spectacular is to install a baffle between the forward and side areas. The wind across the deck makes sitting on the side area nearly impossible when the ship is underway. The ship itself is relatively small by today's cruise ship standards: only 490 passengers. But it is perfectly spacious and never feels crowded. The staff are all excellent and cheerful, particularly the stateroom butler and stewards. All-in-all, a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime trip! Read Less

Went to join the ship at Lima Peru, taking a taxi to the port, we were told that we would have to wait for 2 hours outside the port area as there was no terminal, so we were at the side of the road in a very unpleasant dock area, we were joined by others who were shocked at our treatment, a disabled lady who couldn't stand got a chair from a good samaritan dock worker. Eventually after an hour of standing or sitting in the roadside the chief concierge managed to get us on board. Entertainment , apart from the guest lecturer was mediocre, 5 musicians are a quintet not an orchestra, a lot of one man shows, and film shows, the "main attraction " shows were repeats of ones I had seen on this ship before, last 8 months ago, best show was Krew Kapers, the crew put everything into it. Food , Seti Mari is not like any Italian restaurant I have been into, and I am married to an Italian, born and bred, Prime Seven restaurant,had a lot of food of inferior quality, steaks were part cooked for speed , then heated up , which dried them out. Not 6 star. Chatreuse restaurant, has nothing french going for it, I lived in France for 7 years, and a french chef would turn all the food here down. Compass Rose( main restaurant) was the best bet, but food was drowned in sauces, Fresh fish is best done simply, not miso glazed or smothered in sauce, and a beef wellington should have a crispy pastry cover , not a micro waved soggy one. Baked Alaska should have a hot exterior with cold ice cream inside, not all frozen. Apart from Coffee Connection, where all the officers drank their coffee, including the Captain, coffee on the ship was dreadful , machine made slop. One morning , they had fresh berries on the menu, which I ordered, the raspberries came covered in a green mold , I was told they couldn't store them, so why advertise and serve them, not a six star cruise. On board ship for 31 nights, and never once had a pool deck party/ barbecue, missed going to Falkland Islands , because of heavy seas, asenior officer said he had been here 5 times and never was able to land, we spent an extra day at sea with no alternative option. Saying all this the crew were the best ever and deserve high praise. Read Less

We booked this cruise very late due to domestic circumstances and got a good deal as a consequence. The down side however was the available business class flights were limited. Our agent booked our outbound flight to Lima via Miami with a 2 hour 5 mins connection time and we thought this would be OK. Then we discovered that we would have to go through US immigration and possibly even collect our bags and go through customs. We asked BA in the UK and American Airlines who both confirmed this so I researched airport maps to ensure we didn’t get lost in Miami airport. We managed to check our bags all the way through at Heathrow and got a second set of boarding passes for the next flight to save having to go to the desk in Miami. Fortunately these boarding passes were marked with TSA Precheck. TSA is essential for a connection in the USA or there is no chance of making it in under 3.5hrs as the general queue for security was enormous. The TSA queue wasn’t small either. The flight into Miami was 30 mins early which saved us. In the end we didn’t need to collect bags or go through customs but did need to go through immigration and security. In the baggage hall we were directed back out land side without going through customs and then headed for the relevant TSA security area. After our overnight stay in the airport hotel in Lima (which was ok for one night with a great location and good breakfast) the taxi dropped us off at the Pier gate where we had to wait for a shuttle bus to take us to the ship. The taxi driver stressed where he would drop us was safe which worried us slightly. Some others for the ship arrived at the same place but we were literally dropped on the footpath. There were no facilities not even seats or a shelter. One woman who was ill had to sit in a car belonging to a baggage helper. Fortunately, there were around 8 armed police on hand to look after us but not an ideal boarding situation. A coach eventually arrived and took us to ship where they had a van with an X-ray machine in the back to check the luggage. Quite shambolic. Easily the worst port we have ever boarded a ship. Our cat F suite was nice and although smaller than some other ships we have been on was OK. It was certainly tight for storage space for a 3 week cruise where both warm and cold weather clothing had to be packed. The bathroom let it down somewhat as it is small and dated with a yellow/orange marble finish. Our suite had a bathtub but it is really only ¾ size. We had cracked wall tiles and a degrading mirror and a shower curtain looked to have replaced the original screen. The air-con in the cabin was very variable and in warmer areas couldn’t cool the room sufficiently. There were problems with toilets on our deck several times. Our bathroom was flooded when we returned from breakfast one morning as the clean water kept running in but our stewardess was already on it and had the engineer on the job. A cabin 3 doors up was not so lucky and the occupants had to be relocated and a de-humidifier ran inside and outside the cabin for several days. Our bathroom vents were not working so the bathroom became very hot and steamy. We asked the stewardess to report this for us and when we came back from a tour the vent tops were lying on the floor and in the bath. We had to chase them up to get the job completed. Why do half a job when they were back in use in about 15 mins when the technician arrived? I do wish the CEO had spent more money on the bottom end cabins and less on art works. My granddaughter who is almost 2 years old could produce some paintings for a fraction of the cost. The horizon lounge also looks a bit tatty especially the seats. I don’t think it has had any work done on it during the refurbishments. The food was generally good with lots of choice. One exception to this was the vegetables at dinner time. It seemed impossible to have good quality vegetables at dinner (especially green vegetables) that hadn’t been overcooked or looked as though they should have been discarded. At lunchtime they seemed to be OK on the buffet. Brussel sprouts, green beans, asparagus .. Forget it!! We never saw the chef in the restaurant to complain. The pancakes and waffles were also poor. They had little taste and were quite doughy so we gave up after a couple of tries. The staff were great as usual and many got to know us by name quickly. Strangely we hardly recognised any of the staff from previous cruises. Special mention to our cabin Stewardess Geraldine who was great. A few could have done with a bit more training. One bar waitress said they had run out of brandy glasses so brought a cognac in a plain glass and tipped into my old glass at the table! Scraping left over food off plates onto one plate at the table isn’t the best either. The officers did speak in passing but made no great effort to hold a conversation. I think we saw the captain possibly 4 times and his second in command twice. We saw the general manager more often but mainly on the stairs! It took us a few days to find some complementary wine which we liked, particularly white. Villa Maria (NZ Sauvignon Blanc) was available on boarding but not at dinner or lunch next day. It was restocked on day 8. We did find some nice Malbec and Bordeaux. The laundry lost some of our socks so we resorted to hand washing them as we couldn’t afford to lose any more. They sent us two pairs of socks they thought were ours next day but they weren’t so someone else lost socks as well. They also managed to shrink some of my T shirts so beware. You can’t take food ashore in Chile so think about the length of your excursions. You have to complete a customs declaration and carry it with you and your bags are x-rayed and searched and they use sniffer dogs. Most ports we visited on this cruise are commercial ports so you need to take a shuttle bus to the port gate. Some ports allowed tour buses to the ship and others mainly in Chile did not. Punte Del Este took the prize for the longest tender at 20 mins. Watch out for excursion time changes in the passages at night. Yes, I know most people don’t read them after a long day and a good evening in the restaurant and bar but you may miss your excursion or worse. E.g. we were supposed to leave Punta Del Este at 22.00 but that was changed to tenders at 17.30 and departure at 18.00 The Vero Water bottles in the room are glass so really heavy when full and almost impossible to pour without spillage. Single use water bottles were still available when going ashore. On several occasions (especially cold and windy sea days) La Veranda was so overcrowded they had to bring the tables in from outside and set them down the corridor. Not a pleasant place to sit with all the passenger and crew traffic passing by. This was surprising as we were told that there were only 600 passengers on board. The Glenfiddich supplied in the cabin and in the bar is a cheap version (like Seabourn) and not like you have tasted before. It says single malt on the bottle but tastes like a blended whisky and needs a mixer. The store ran out of this too after 2 weeks so it was replaced by a bottle of Glenmorange which was also in an unusual bottle? This was slightly better but again not the usual stuff I would buy in the UK. The Guest lecturer gave a good commentary and lectures highlighting the points of interest on our cruise. We missed the live commentary on the sail through a fiord in the observation lounge one day as we were late entering the fiord and trivia was taking place!! Obviously, we have different priorities to some of the passengers and the cruise Director? We were disappointed we couldn’t go ashore in Stanley. We arrived around 06.00 and waited for about an hour then set off around 07.00. The captain didn’t even hang about to see if the weather would improve. Presumably he based his decision on the weather forecast but we all know weather forecasts can be wrong and often are. Most people would have settled for a short trip ashore later in the day if it became possible but the captain didn’t even give it a chance. Interestingly when we missed a port with Seabourn due to the weather we received a credit for unused port charges in our onboard account but Regent don’t seem to do this? Just a note to reception. The sticky labels you apply to our passports are difficult to remove and leave a sticky residue. Most airports have now been persuaded not to stick baggage labels on passports anymore and stick them to boarding passes. Maybe you need a better system or label? At a guess the average age of passengers on this cruise was mid 70s possibly because of the itinerary. This changed the feel of the cruise somewhat. Look out for the high speed mobility scooters too. This was our 7th cruise on Regent and our 4th on Mariner but somehow the overall sparkle was missing. Is it because the best staff have been moved to Explorer or in readiness for Splendour? There was no galley tour possibly because 4 cases of upset stomach had been reported and we had a code red level 1 for a time. This seemed to be swiftly dealt with however with extra cleaning and an emphasis on hand washing. Some people still walked into the restaurant without using the sanitiser and this could have been tightened up. There was no bridge visit. The dress code was largely ignored. We only once saw someone wearing jeans in the bar being asked to go and change. I decided not to take my DJ this trip mainly because we had to take warm clothes and I am glad I didn’t. Next trip I will probably shed my suit and ties too. There was a lack of entertainment for the 4 days at sea we had following our unsuccessful trip to the Falkland Islands. The Assistant cruise director did an extra show the day we should have docked at Stanley which was good but nothing else was laid on. We seemed to rely on trivia and games with the entertainment team which is not to everyone’s taste. So, would I cruise with Regent again – probably as I think the food is better and I like the included excursions. Would I sail on Mariner again – probably but only for shorter cruises in warmer climates. As usual itinerary and price will dictate the cruise. Read Less