We read , and foolishly believed the slogan” the most luxurious ship in the world, so promptly booked a Miami round trip, visiting Belize and Guatemala. We flew to Miami, staying in the superb Biltmore hotel prior to our cruise. Embarkation was a quick process, and we were welcomed onboard by smiling staff proffering small glasses of champagne. As it was lunchtime, we decided quickly to enjoy a light lunch and then to explore the ship . Lunch was adequate , buffet style, with no showpiece dishes to wow, but as we were hungry it mattered little that day, accompanied by a glass of wine. After lunch, like most people we made our way to our cabin , a stern facing deck 7 standard stateroom. It was large, but very oddly decorated and furnished. A sombre dark brown pleather bed head stretched up and over the bed, not matched by the grey and black bedspread. Cream cabinets faced a large dark brown foam slab sofa, sitting on orange and beige carpets, with red and cream curtains separating the two areas of the cabin. It all seemed to be a 1980s throwback in decor, far from luxurious. A welcome bottle of champagne stood chilling, but we didn’t open it at that point. Our stern facing , metal fronted , balcony was furnished with two huge rattan chairs ,no footstools and a tiny table. We explored the ship, loving the glamorously appointed public areas, the top deck sports areas and the lovely swimming pool, surrounded by sun loungers for sun lovers. We enjoyed the small deep infinity pool at the stern of the ship, always quieter and great for a dip. Prior to joining the ship, we had made dinner reservations online for the speciality restaurants, especially enjoying the French Chartreuse, and the Asian Pacific Rim. Other restaurants were popular, as was the main dining room. The food was, on the whole extremely good, but we couldn’t understand why fish was always served overcooked and in tiny portions, especially when compared to the gargantuan steaks being served. We found the breads were dull, the desserts very average, but the cheeseboards were excellent, as were the daily wine selections. As our preferences are for European wines, the sommeliers were always happy to offer wines to our tastes. As a malt whisky connoisseur, my husband was disappointed by the selection offered in the bars, and we were disappointed by the port on offer. As excursions were included, we had prebooked those that appealed in each port of call, tending to choose those of cultural or historical interest, the guides were fine, the transport the best available locally, often school buses being repurposed. We enjoyed the opportunities to revisit the rich Mayan history of the area. Entertainment onboard was very mediocre, we felt, with the usual singing and dancing shows, little in the way of classical offerings, and comedians of limited appeal to international guests. The showroom was comfortable, with good sight lines. For an upmarket expensive cruise line, we felt they could have done better, especially compared to the parent company, NCL which has fabulous entertainment. Read Less

Landed in Miami the day before sailing and Regent set us up in a very nice luxury hotel for the night. Breakfast in the morning was with other people embarking on the cruise and allowed us to meet a few new couples that we would see again aboard. We explored downtown Miami in the morning and then headed back to the hotel to catch the bus to the port that Regent had arranged. Embarkation was a very simple process and we were greeted upon boarding by one of the show performers with glasses of Champaign. Ship was impressive looking inside and out with nicely detailed furnishings, walls, and flooring. Spa treatments were a bit overpriced and many of the ports offered massages for 90% of the quality at less than 10% of the price. Dining was the clear highlight of the trip. From most to least enjoyable they are Pacific Rim, Chartreuse, Compass Rose, Sette Mari, and Prime 7. Prime 7 though not our favorite was still more than adequate. Breakfast was probably the worst meal on the ship as it was clear that they conceded a bit of quality in order to quickly feed everyone aboard. Although the food wasn’t terrible, it was the same every day and became quite boring by the end of the trip. We ate at the pool bar for lunch most days which offered burgers, pizza, cold cut sandwiches, and salads which were good for a light bite. Our one lunch at Chartreuse was spectacular but most days our excursion had us back too late to partake in the other restaurants for lunch. In general the menus were static for the specialty restaurants except at lunch when they had daily specials. At Sette Mari and Compass Rose, half of the menu changed every day with many of these items being fantastic and giving great variety while still allowing you to find a go-to regular item that you could get every night. I’m not one for the shows but my wife really enjoyed all of the three musical shows we went to. Daily activities like MENSA puzzles and team trivia allowed us to make great friends and accrue points towards Regent branded shirts and bags at the end of the cruise.. Generally service was great with only a few long waits to order at the restaurants when they were particularly busy. Excursions were generally very well organized with all of the activities in the descriptions being accurate. Note that many of the excursions tended to run longer than listed on the description which meant we almost always meant the pool grill was the only option left for lunch. In general the cruise was worth the rather high price that we paid. We are currently planning how to fit our next Regent Cruise into the budget/work schedule Read Less

We chose this cruise for a late-Winter getaway to the Western Caribbean as a great way to evaluate the all-inclusive nature of Regent. We were not disappointed at all. The accommodations are very nice (especially after getting bumped up two levels), the food is very good, and the crew is exemplary! The Coronavirus was just getting a foothold in the USA and Regent was surprisingly well prepared. Hand sanitizers were everywhere you looked and proper hygiene was highly recommended and later required. About three days before the end of the cruise, the CDC bumped up their report and Regent took a more stringent approach. Too many changes to write here, but as an example, the library was off limits, due to the prospect of sanitizing each and every page of each and every book, etc. The numerous free excursions were top-notch and the shipboard entertainment was amazing. The cruise director even sang and has a voice bar none. The free wine and liquor was also top notch and flowing. I really can't find anything bad to say about the cruise, but if I had to, I would say that I think Oceania's Mariner had a more beautiful atrium reception lobby with all it's Lalique crystal (which I believe is now gone). I highly recommend this ship and crew to anyone wanting a great voyage. It was worth every penny. Read Less

> We have cruised many times but this was our first Regent cruise. > We drove to Miami, and the afternoon before we were to embark we got a message from our travel agent that we were no longer going out of Terminal J, but rather terminal F. So the closest parking was parking garage G which was a bit of a walk to our terminal but very doable with the nice weather we had at boarding. > Check-in was relatively easy, but we did have to wait until embarkation began around noon. Water, coffee and some pastries were provided. When boarding began, it was a very long walk through the terminal to get on the ship and we felt sorry for some folks that seemed to struggle with the walk. > We had nice lunch at La Veranda, and cabins were available around 1:30. We had a so called superior suite, which had good storage with a walk-in closet. Bathroom was very nice, a little narrow, with two sinks and nice shower. We thought the veranda was a good size with comfortable loungers. > Our overall dining experiences on this 10 day cruise was great! We went to all the specialty restaurants including going to Pacific Rim twice. Enjoyed all the options in Compass Rose and also went to Sette Mari one night. To find anything negative about the food or service would be beyond picky! > We thought the singers and dancers on this cruise were outstanding! Also enjoyed the Beatles themed entertainment in the atrium on the last night. > We did have a small cruise critic meet and mingle get together where the cruise director stopped by. Regent provided mimosas as well as some excellent appetizers. Very nice! > The pool was nice, never too crowded, with plenty of comfortable loungers available. There were plenty of activities on the top deck (shuffle board, pickle ball, bocce ball, mini golf, golf practice net, and table tennis), and they never seemed to be crowded either. > We went on included excursions in all ports but one. They ranged from outstanding (Chocolate drink of the gods in Guatemala) to "glad we did not pay extra for this" (mangrove boat ride in Harvest Caye). Generally they were good. Had to tender in Harvest Caye which led to some issues getting ashore. We were informed about this the day before, then learned later that the pier had been damaged by NCL ship a couple weeks before, so tendering had been required since. > We really enjoyed meeting many of our fellow passengers! Global, well traveled, polite, interesting and fun! > We loved the quality and variety of the cocktails, but thought the wine offered was decidedly mixed, although they were happy to provide different selections if there was something you didn't like. Coffee was not good in La Veranda and room service, but liked the latte in the Coffee bar. > We were very impressed by all members of the crew. The cruise director, Lorraine, was very visible on the cruise and very professional. > A couple days before the end of our cruise, I asked at reception if we were coming back to Terminal F and was told that we were coming back to Terminal C. I explained that we had parked at parking garage G and was told that there would be a bus right outside terminal C to take us to our parking garage. Disembarkation itself was very easy, but when we got outside there was no bus in sight and no one seemed to know where it was, except for a crossing guard (who actually spoke and understood English)…….finally we found out that we had to cross over two streets and down another 100 yards to a bus which then took us to our parking….obviously not the best end to our cruise! > Overall we thought the cruise was one of the best we have done! Excellent service, entertainment, cabin, food and passengers. We will definitely be doing Regent again! Read Less

We chose Seven Seas Explorer as it is described as 'The most luxurious ship ever built" As we stepped onboard we could clearly see this ship is very luxurious and smart. All the public areas are immaculate and 'upmarket'. There is a good choice of restaurants and the food is generally quite good. The Sunday morning brunch is magnificent served in the Compass Rose restaurant. I can honestly say I have never seen anything as good as this! I would only say the entertainment was average. The singers and dancers were good but the 'special' magician and comedian less than average. Unfortunately we had a really dreadful experience in the cabin we booked which was an Explorer suite. (Costing £20,000.00+ cruise only). We were directly under the Culinary Arts Kitchen and we suffered with horrendous noise coming from above every day beginning at 7.30am for a couple of hours and then also at 6pm for a couple of hours (presumably clearing and cleaning up time). We also experienced water dripping through a light fitting. Although we complained on numerous occasions absolutely nothing was done about it (apart from a bottle of champagne and red wine given to us as a gesture one evening). We were told we could have $1,000 credit against a future cruise which we thought was totally inadequate given the tension this caused us and how the cruise was completely spoilt for us. Having arrived home from the cruise we wrote to the CEO but it was a complete waste of time as he very much belittled our complaint. No wonder his staff were so dismissive on the ship!! Whilst this was the main source of our disappointment it would be fair to say that the service levels in some of the restaurants also left a lot to be desired and far below that experienced on other high end cruises to have taken. (The rumour on the ship was that the top waiters etc had been taken off the ship and transferred to the new Splendour ship leaving second rate and new staff for this cruise - unfortunately we did not pay a second rate price for this cruise!) This cruise should have been so much better! We cannot recommend this cruise line in any way!!! Read Less

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

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

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

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

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

We have been on over 20 cruises on various lines. We took this because it was the next level up and we wanted to compare it to Oceania. One passenger describe it best when he said about the crew, they are very friending and smile but the just don't understand what you are asking for. Alcohol is included in the price but if you don't drink, the staff does not know what to do with you. I never had a meal where I did not have to ask (seriously) at least 3 times per meal to have my water glass refilled. Everyday either first hand or watching others, orders (both drink and meal) were wrong or delivered to the wrong table. At least 3 times my order was delivered to someone else and I would not have gotten my order if I did not see this. In the dinning room we noticed that about 70% of the activity was around serving boos and not food. The meals were top notch. The everyday menu was excellent as a back-up if you did not like the daily choices. Chartreuse, the French restaurant was poor at best. Everyone we spoke to was very disappointed. One person was trying to be polite and when I said "it sucked", he said, "well.... yeah". The rooms were very roomy, that cabin crew nice but not as quick as we would expect. If we were gone for 2 or more hours in the morning, we did expect our room to be made up when we came back which did not happen about 1/3 of the time. Shore excursions are included in the price but you need to know that you have to book them within the first 5 minutes of them opening if you want to get a popular one. The excursions themselves were okay but because our itinerary was changed from Cuba to the Caribbean, I can understand that they were not excellent. The programs were some games and only had 2 enrichment seminars per day while at sea. For this group, more of that would have been appropriate. We are active people and there was not much to learn about of be active while at sea. Read Less

We just got home after an incredible 10 days in the Caribbean. We really enjoy the port intensive experience, with 7 of the 10 days in port. The downside is that the sea days are perfect also and we would have savored more time enjoying those wonderful sea days. The service and crew were incredible. The hostesses in all the venues, the waitstaff without exception and the bar servers were so good that it's ridiculous. The servers at the pool were always there to get you anything you could think of. Wine glasses in the restaurants were always topped off. The meals were served elegantly, no rushing, no running, no tossing silverware on the table between courses. If you need to eat in 30 minutes, this is not the ship for you. If you like to dine, enjoy your tablemates or your spouse, you will have a lovely meal with plenty of time at the end to dance, get to the show and get a seat with no problem or do whatever moves you. On the few occasions where we wanted a table for two and none were available, we simply walked a few yards to a lovely bar, enjoyed a perfectly constructed cocktail and when our table was ready an elegantly dressed host or hostess approached us, greeted us by name and escorted us to our table. Perfect in every way. By the way, the food was very good to outstanding. We never had anything that was just OK. The suite was well maintained, kept spotless by our steward and his assistant. They kept the mini bar stocked and fresh fruit was always on hand. By way of full disclosure, when we checked into our cabin on our last trip on the Mariner one of the vents sounded like a jet engine, very unpleasant. When the steward stopped by to introduce himself I pointed out the noise and asked him to try to handle it. We went to lunch, took a walk around the pool and had a beer. When we got back the problem was resolved. Just that quick. The public spaces were always clean and the restrooms always looked like someone had just refreshed them. The excursions were above average in my experience and the logistics were handled very well. Given the small passenger count we expected this to be the case and were not disappointed. The entertainment was excellent. The sets and costumes were simple, not as extravagant as say Princess, but the singers and dancers were the best we've seen on any size ship. With some major cruise lines (ie. HAL) cutting back hard on production type shows its incredible to see this kind of talent and staging on such a small ship. The orchestra did double duty most nights and followed or preceeded the shows with a dance or genre set. The also had a great, energetic and talented duo on board that played every night, did requests and kept us dancing. One topic that's harder to quantify is the quality of the passengers themselves. We met so many wonderful people on this cruise. Days spent with people on excursions or on the ship that were having a great time and not spending every minute trying to find fault was a delightful change of pace for us after traveling other brands. It was great leaving the cabin in the evening and seeing everyone comply with the simple elegant casual rule. Everyone looked great and dining was so much nicer. I wish some of the premium lines would compel passengers to adhere to the stated rules. If you need to wear cutoffs, ball caps, t shirts, etc. at night that's absolutely OK. Choose a ship that allows or encourages it. To my fellow travelers and reviewers that had problems on with their cabin, food or service I can only say that you had some very bad luck because we've been on the Mariner twice and they exceeded every expectation. Read Less

Regent sells this cruise as luxury, which is deceptive. Most of their ships are old which in this case is the Mariner, which is in disrepair [the Navigator which I sailed on is worse the ac could not be fixed and staterooms in aft bounced from the engine room.] The stateroom was not ready for use. The ac temperature was 74 and there was slow airflow. After four calls throughout the day and being ignored I threatened to call the General Manager and two men showed up to fix it. The shower had low pressure and a new shower head had to be replaced. Basically, I am restoring the stateroom for the cruise line. The bathtub was very high and narrow. Although we were there was no accident because we were careful and physically in good shape, I’m sure there are many accidents. I do not know how in good faith Regent can allow this dangerous situation to continue. The ship’s waste-processing system leaked toxic gas into my stateroom, throughout the ship and even along dockside at different times. Try breathing this all weak with no fix. The toilet stopped working because the entire line had to be repaired. The quality of the food was on the cheap end. For example, I ordered a rib eye, which I could make shoes out of which were not even supermarket quality. The fruit was not ripe, lower end quality, as you know fruit is rated. The service is slow and disorganized because Regent hire third world labor whose forte is not serving. The dining room manager was obnoxious. The dining attire stated nothing about sandals. However, He singles me out in a non-discrete manner in the middle of the dining room for all to hear “ sandals are not allowed!” I pointed to male guest already seated with sandals and asked what do you have to say to him….His response was no response. I asked him about the woman wearing sandals and he ignorantly responded, “this not discrimination!” Keep in mind he didn’t read stated rules on the menu, which I have already mentioned. Now we get to the pool deck. Although drinks are included there were no waiters on deck 12. There were three waiters on deck 11 by the pool. I spoke to the Beverage Manager who does not do his job and supervise and informed him. I sure the reader will not be surprised that the next day there were no waiters on deck 12 serving drinks and to make matters worse the pool deck manager allowed every towel area to run out of towels. I know this because I had to check every area looking for towels instead of relaxing. When I found him his explanation was, “there’s wind I can't put them out!” He could not explain why he did not put the towels in the boxes with lids [another incompetent.] It should be noted the main incompetent is the General Manager who hides in the back, is never visible, does speak to passengers passing by to get feedback. The buck ends with the CEO. The pyramid crumbles from the top and that’s who’s responsible for their brand. This cruise line is an overpriced, high-end rip-off. Just about any mid priced cruise line can do way better than this. Save your money or find a real luxury cruise line if it exists. Read Less

This was an Anniversary cruise for us and we were quite pleased with the overall experience (particularly no children on board). My wife's double-doctorate background concluded that, facetiously, Walt Disney must have been involved with Regent's personnel committee because she/we were so, so overwhelmed with the friendly, caring, positive and enthusiastic traits we experienced every single day of our cruise in our interactions with the crew and staff. Having read some of the previous food reviews on Cruise Critic, we felt we were on a different ship in that our meals were over-the-top good, both as to food quality & appearance and service. Period! They were very good gastronomic experiences. Our cabin was impressive as will be described below. Now, as to areas that could be improved, I'd need to start with the embarkation process in Miami where we were crowded into a holding pen area until magically they started calling groups to board the ship. No refreshments or other amenities were offered while waiting, some of whom were there for 2+ hours. A fairly common complaint I heard on board was the unreliability of the ship's Wi-Fi system. Another frustration was the lack of sports information on the TV system, i.e. ESPN. We're in the midst of the college and pro football seasons, and the World Series, and we were left in the dark. No one wants a sports bar, but ESPN would have been great. Finally, our port visit to Costa Maya was less than satisfying, but the other ports were well worth visiting. Please don't let these few negatives stand in your way. The many, many positives easily overwhelmed the negatives. Read Less

Based on the Regent brand, I was expecting a lot more than was delivered. I have been on other Luxury cruises which far surpassed this experience in every way possible. Even cruises which are lower in the luxury scale have often (if not always) surpassed the entertainment and enrichment series which is so important on TAs with many days at sea. The cabin was acceptable but like the rest of the ship worn and tired. The food was plentiful and certainly looked appetizing. In fact the issue was not the looks of the food or the variety, rather the flavor or lack of it....this was true in all restaurant venues. The one place where the cruise truly stood out is in service. I cannot site one exception - all staff members were courteous, professional and willing to do everything for your comfort. I would give Regent a 50/50 chance of getting us back on board. Read Less

I recently sailed on a trans-Atlantic voyage and a western Med cruise. I had a Grand Suite for the first segment and a Penthouse Suite on the second leg. Both staterooms were equipped with a bluetooth Bose speaker. I enjoy listening to my own playlists on Spotify. If you do too, I recommend that you download your favorites before leaving home as streaming services are blocked once you're on board. The Grand Suite was spacious and it was nice to be able to host a cocktail party for nine. The butler arranged for a bartender and canapes. It was a very nice get together. We also enjoyed the convenience of having a second bathroom. The crossing was very smooth - one of the best, according to the Captain. The itinerary was interesting and featured some nice ports of call. I especially liked Madeira and Cadiz. Would highly recommend this as a wonderful way of getting to Europe. Read Less

Anyone reading my other reviews will know that I am a huge fan of Regent, we have met many lovely people over the years, welcomed them to our hoes and even gone to their weddings. As Cruise Critic makes clear in its own review of the Voyager, the make up of the guests are generally well educated, well travelled people and they choose Regent because they will meet likeminded people. The ship, staff, officers and entertainment were all exactly as I describe in my review of the first half of our cruise. Thoroughly decent, hard working and friendly people who I would happily sail around the world with forever. Why then, you will be asking, have I rated this cruise 'terrible'. The simple answer is that having broken our 17 day cruise in two without telling us, there was also one other fact that Regent had omitted to mention when we booked - which was that they had booked two groups of 250 each on 'corporate incentive trips'. We can only speculate (and Regent has not denied) that there was always a plan to split the cruise and that these two groups were already booked on the Voyager when we booked 9 months ago - that can be the only explanation for limited availability to us and then lots of availability for the first 10 days. So, 500 passengers got off in Miami on 5 March and two groups got on. One group was no problem, well behaved, beautifully dressed although ultimately they were a group and would wear their corporate T-shirts to remind us we were on a corporate trip and did not join in with things like trivia (which went from standing room only to three teams overnight). However, the second group were something else. As I want to ensure that Cruise Critic print this review I will not go into detail about them, suffice to say there was a virtual mutiny aboard especially with the 73 guests who had booked a 17 day cruise and were now trapped on a ship with 250 people on a 'booze cruise'. Guests were demanding meetings with the captain (what could he do?), the corridors being patrolled every evening to try and enforce the dress code, the pool deck became a no go area. There was no mid cruise survey done... Yes we were on a lovely ship, with lovely food (delayed due to our fellow guests ordering everything off the menu in one sitting) and we got to see some lovely places. But it was that feeling of dread coming back to the ship, the frustration of not being able to go to the pool, the worry that any of them would be on an excursion we were booked on. But most importantly it was that feeling of betrayal that this beloved brand that have looked after us so well and who we have such fond memories of, could have done this to us in such a cold and calculating way. Regent have assured us, in writing, that this was a mistake and will never happen again. However, they seem to believe that because we have had so many lovely trips with Regent we can overlook one bad experience. We work very hard to be able to afford the Regent experience and this was a week of our lives and precious holiday time that we will never get back and for which we paid full price. We have come home more stressed and frustrated than when we went which is getting worse by the day as Regent head office bury their heads further into the sand and refuse to recognise the problem. Mistakes happen but the art of good customer service is how you recover from them and it seems that Regent still have that lesson to learn. As soon as they realised the scale of the problem they should have dispatched a senior executive out to the ship to apologise in person and offer those affected something. This is not about money, it is about recognition of the monumental mistake made (or imposed on them from above) and there are many things that they could have done which would have cost them very little at the time. Read Less

Husband and I are in our 50s and been on dozens of cruises - from carnival (in my youth) to Crystal. Many family cruises on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Crystal. We chose this ship because we have been curious about the all inclusive, “exclusive” reputation of this line, we like the size- less than 1000 passengers, and ease of travel to embarkation port was a priority. Had been to most of these islands before(many times) so we hoped to give some business to these special places recovering from hurricanes. The positives: embarkation and debarkation were easy. our stateroom, 703, was large, comfortable bed and linens, great bathroom with separate tub and shower and delicious lavender bubble bath provided. Our cabin steward was fantastic - Victor! As was his assistant. We enjoyed the Mensa and trivia competitions daily and Name that tune, and took home a bunch of loot to promote Regent 7 Seas and boast our success. There was a lot of interest in these activities which isn’t always the case so that enhanced our trip, there is always a jigsaw puzzle going near the library which we enjoyed - I think we finished a dozen 1000 piece puzzles. Daily mah jong was appreciated and we enjoyed the honor system very nice library. Oscars were while we were at sea and many of the nominated movies were available for free in our stateroom. The negatives: we booked our cruise in January so people had already prebooked all of the desirable excursions. Since they are included in the cruise price, this was a big disappointment and you should be aware before booking. We were not told of this problem when we booked our cruise. The other significant issue we had was there was a serious under supply of shaded lounge chairs. On sea days, one would need to get to the pool deck by 7 am to get lounge chairs and never leave for more then 30 minutes or someone could remove your pool gear and take the lounge. I saw numerous conflicts about this. It would have been entertaining except for the price everyone has paid for this experience. Now for the food ...this was so hit and miss. We had a very nice meal in Prime, the steakhouse. An inedible meal in the Italian specialty restaurant. Fair dinner at Chartreuse, the French specialty restaurant. Their snails didn’t have butter or garlic. Imagine that. The main dining room had uneven service and had me longing for the old days when you knew your waiter and bus boy and they took care of you. I guess this is the downside of inclusive tipping. I had amazing fish on this ship. Poor pasta. BAD fruit. I couldn’t believe how bland the melons, kiwis, were and almost non existent berries, which I love. The giant shrimp cocktail were always terrific. The bread never tasted fresh and the deserts were fair. Nice cheeses. There are a handful of tables outdoors off the back of the ship near the buffet. This was the best place for breakfast and lunch. We only went to one show. It was embarrassing. Hard to watch people try so hard and just not have it. The dancing was quite good but then they sang. I’m now seeing why some other lines have the dancers sing along with a recording or lip sync. We traveled with our 18 year old. They had a great time but they are low maintenance and just happy to be there. There was almost no one their age. This crowd is older - 70+. All drinks are included. They made a lot on us in that respect. We enjoyed the wines offered at dinner and husband had a beer during the day. I doubt we would travel this line again but maybe if the itinerary was just right and not available from Crystal or Celebrity. Read Less

Nine months ago we booked a 17 day cruise to the Caribbean and Cuba. There was limited availability - penthouse and above but it looked a really good itinerary and 17 days is a good length of time to meet lots of interesting people. Without notification, Regent split the cruise into 10 days in the Caribbean and 7 days around Cuba. We only found this out because some friends booked for the first 10 days and we could not, at the time, work out why there was now plenty of availability on this segment but not on the 7 days which was waitlist only. This review relates to the first 10 days which were fantastic. I shall post my review of the second 7 days separately. It is important that anyone reading this reads the second half. This cruise went to many of the islands devastated by the hurricanes the previous year, which had quickly recovered. It was a great itinerary and it was good to be supporting them as they rebuilt their homes and towns. We had not seen the Voyager since her make over and she looks amazing. There was a great mix of people on board and plenty of familiar faces - including the captain's double! The entertainment was the best we have known on a Regent ship and the entertainers the friendliest and nicest of people. We were delighted to be sailing with Andy Heath the cruise director and his delightful wife Tammy. Captain Stan was once again at the helm which made us all feel very safe and the General Manager Anatoli is one of the friendliest and most ever present general managers we have come across. The food and beverage team under Director Daniella were so hard working - ever present in every restaurant and bar, with one of our particular favourites being the very hard working Dominic, the Prime 7 Maitre D' who is ever present at breakfast clearing plates and ensuring everyone was ok. Shane in Chartreuse remembered our names and greeted us like an old friend every time we saw her. A big thank you to the medical team on behalf of one of our friends we were travelling with who became unwell during the trip and could not speak highly enough about the care and service she received. There are a couple of small pointers for Regent - the television in the cabin welcomes only my husband and not me despite this being the 21st century; and they are definitely doing something weird with the meat - I see another reviewer has suggested that they are precooking it. It is not a welcome change. The excursions were all great - lovely snorkelling. We particularly enjoyed Dominica which is like St Lucia but not so spoiled by tourism and Puerto Rica which was great and if we had known how interesting the town was we would not have gone on an excursion to the rainforest. Our penthouse cabin was probably one of the best we have had in terms of layout and it was always immaculate and our butler Suraj very friendly and keen to help with anything. Great lectures which were much more applicable to that part of the world than last year - pirates, sugar cane etc. Read Less

The ship was medium sized but it had a great variety of activities and great food options across board. I loved the spa and the casino. The cabin was really spacious and we had a wonderful view and best of all, the price includes air tickets, land and port excursions and all beverages... including the minibar! We loved the service onboard, and don't make me talk about the Wellington steak or that tremendous lobster; we would then move onto "simple" things like grilled salmon or grilled chicken and they were awesome too. We were to several islands that were devastated by the hurricanes last year, and we were stunned to see how fast they were recovering. Personally, I loved the excursion to the rainforest on Puerto Rica, a very pleasant experience (the city is interesting too, we just wanted to go and meet with nature). This was an awesome experience, and I hope we can do this again, hopefully with little us (haha)! Read Less