we choose this cruise because we had heard good things about Regent and we liked the fact that it was all inclusive. We liked the ship itself. It was clean and well maintained. We did not like the pool because it was too hard to get into and out of. The concierge level cabin was nice. The bathroom had both a bath tub and a separate shower and we liked the fairly large walk in closet. We also liked that there were drapes not only on the windows, but between the sitting area and the bed area. That allowed one of us to sit and drink coffee and read without waking the other. Since the only differences between concierge level and penthouse level seemed to be that the penthouse level had a butler and nicer bathroom amenities we didn't see the need to spend the extra few hundred dollars for the penthouse level since the rooms are the same size. The food on the ship was good. Prime 7, the specialty restaurant, was decent but the food was not really special. Like most ships, Regent puts rice in their salt shakers to keep the salt from absorbing too much water. The problem is, the rice is larger that the holes in the top of the shaker and it is impossible to get the salt out, unless you remove the top. The entertainment was good. We enjoyed the most of the shows, especially the one put on by the crew. When they offered a tour of the galley a lot of us took advantage of it. We got a chance to walk through the galley and see where and how our food was cooked. They were displays of food throughout the tour. Everybody walked through and then walked into the dining room to order our lunch. Only then were we told that we should have taken our lunch from the food that was on display in the galley. You would think that would have been mentioned prior to the tour. We were most disappointed in the Destinations Desk. They should get some of the crew to go on the tours they promote. The bus tour in New York was a mess. The tour simply drove around the very crowded streets. The tour guide would say things like, "If you look down that street to your right you will get a quick look at Times Square". How about driving to Times Square or Central Park? Also, as part of the tour we were going to take a boat tour on the river and the Statue of Liberty. The tour guide got our tickets and sent us to the boat. She had told us the tour would start a 3, but the tickets were for 3:30. So we all got to sit around for 45 minutes. In Sept-Iles we were told that a shuttle bus would take us around the city. The shuttle bus would be a hop on, hop off type of bus. When we got on the bus, the tour guide told us that that the bus would not go around any of the city and would not make any stops except to drop us off at a point about a mile from the bus. There was nothing at that point other than a large tent where you could wait for the shuttle to return, if you wanted. Upon returning to the ship we complained to the manager of Destinations and she apologized and said she hadn't been made aware of the problem until about an hour before we had to be back on the ship. Prior to disembarkation we were offered a brief tour of Montreal prior to being taken to the airport, as long as our plane was scheduled to depart after 4 p.m.. I explained to a Destination member that our flight departed departed at 3:25 p.m. and was told that wouldn't be a problem. He scheduled us for the tour and we were issued the necessary luggage tags. The next day we were called and told that we couldn't go on the tour because our flight left too early and that we needed new luggage tags. Not a big deal, just and example of Destinations not being fully aware of what was going on. All in all, I think we will go back to traveling with Oceania. Regent just didn't live up to their reputation on this cruise. Read Less

We chose to go with Regent for the 3rd year in a row after very good experience on the Navigator. Explorer has been hyped as the most luxurious cruise liner in the World, so we thought we would try her. She looks beautiful and the interior art, decor and appearance is gorgeous and the furniture is very comfortable too. First impressions are very good. The main problem for us and a number of other passengers we spoke to was just how she failed to provide the level of comfort required of a luxury ship when sailing. Even in calm waters at the stern of the ship where most restaurants are, she 'jogs' from side to side, like a car with an out of balance wheel, then when seas become a little more challenging (but no more than a Force 2-3) our suite would groan and creak like an old Spanish Galleon! The ride was on occasion akin to that of a car ferry crossing the Irish Sea, with lots of slapping and banging going on. Fortunately after 4 or 5 days the seas became like a mill-pond, so the majority of the problems subsided but the 'jog' persisted. Unfortunately, the staff on the ship seemed rather laissez-faire and on several occasions we had to 'chase-up' instructions for drinks, towels and general service. This was very surprising and disappointing because as previously mentioned our experience with Regent in the past has been excellent. Moving on to our suite, 810. There was no cold water to the wash basins...just tepid...not great for cleaning your teeth, obviously not fixable during our cruise! The satellite TV reception was poor and the sound system akin to my transistor radio of the 60's. The patio door was almost impossible to close properly and whistled and sang in the wind all night long. Drawers and cupboards were poorly fitted and in our opinion were not of the expected quality, having pull handles with very sharp edges. The ensuite door would not close without slamming, not desirable for your partner asleep after your mid-night visit to the bathroom. The internet package only allows for one user at a time....trips out often and is extremely slow. There is a limited number of music channels on the TV and no facility to play your own music through the suite system, via iPod or MP3. Annoyingly, the walk-in closet door was not lockable in the open position and had a tendency to close itself, cutting the lights whilst you are inside. The ensuite door has deep scratches in it, where the suite door can run into it when opened. Finally, one of the two quality coat hooks behind the door has broken off and been replaced by a cheap 50 cent chrome one, that you might put in your garden shed! The bed is very comfortable, the 2 seater couch is not and there is only one chair in the suite, so with no 4th chair its not possible to entertain friends for a pre-dinner cocktail. Our room stewards were very good. Room Service. We called it once for some Champagne and Shrimps, so we could watch the sunset. It didn't arrive. A bottle of Champagne arrived 90 minutes later as were were going to dinner. Someone forgot.....The F&B manager and Head Chef were nice and very apologetic....but the moment had gone. Generally, the restaurant food was very good. Especially in the Pacific Rim and Chartreuse, however, on several occasions it was overcooked and had to be sent back. The Veranda cafe is great for breakfast but there are never any berries on display, be warned that if you want anything not on show, someone has to go 'downstairs' for it...and that takes time. There are never any 'no sugar added' deserts available, which was very surprising and maybe a policy with this ship but for diabetics and those conscious of sugar intake, only 'nsa' cookies were available. Overall, we enjoyed the cruise, as the weather was very good and we met some nice people. However, we would not travel on the Explorer again, as we believe that it has problems in terms of comfort and service and does not represent the value expected.This would not deter us from travelling with Regent again but we would probably go with Silversea or Seaborn for the next cruise Read Less

Have been a Celebrity regular. My wife wanted to try Regent because she had heard so much about it and especially this new ship, the Explorer. Beautiful ship. Included tours very poor. 34+ people on a bus and not well organized or interesting. Some food good, some very poor (Worst Veal Marsala I have ever eaten). Certainly not worth the cost difference over Celebrity, Bar staff and servers very inattentive and slow and forgot requests easily. Lecturers were great and the ship's group of entertainers were amazing and interacted with the passengers which was fun. Special call out to Stephanie Londino, lead singer, who is the best. Deserves a better gig in the future. Cruise cost over double a Celebrity cruise and not close to worth the difference. Will not be a Regent returnee. They seem to cater to people who need to be totally pampered and are not interested in do thing for themselves. Read Less

Regent Seven Seas markets its cruises as first class. In some ways it almost is but other parts are so bad that it ruined the good parts. This cruise line goes the cheapest route when it comes to airline travel and hotels. Regent is EXPENSIVE and only if you drink and eat an extraordinary amount will you get your money's worth. Bad -- Emergency situations: Disastrous. Their emergency number took over an hour to answer, then put us on hold, when our air transportation got changed by them and we were marooned. Air Travel -- we were supposed to have Business Class and instead they booked us on a third rate local airline and it resulted in us missing a connection and a whole day's vacation plus paying $500+ for hotel and taxi to a different airport which Regent refused to pay. We later learned from experienced Regent travelers to check what flights you want and then insist they book you on them. Internet -- we had no internet for most of the cruise, despite being told we would and printed marketing material indicating full time internet. If you have to do business while traveling, do not take this cruise line. One fellow passenger missed an important stock trade and was hysterical because there was no internet. Despite promises to fix it, it never was fully functional. Embarkation/Debarkation: Disorganized, confusing and way too time consuming. Ditto for baggage handing. Hotels: They book you into average hotels with basic rooms, definitely not first class. Our hotel room in Reykjavik was so small we couldn't even turn around, also hot and stuffy. In Copenhagen we inquired about upgrading our room and were told that Regent only books "Basic" rooms, not first class. Good: Fabulously well trained staff especially our private Butler. The best part of the trip. All other staff on board were very polite and helpful. However, lowly staff can only do so much when management is lacking. Entertainment was excellent but for first time Regent cruisers it should have been better explained as to how to be seated, etc. Most food better than average except the premier Prime 7 where we had two bad meals. The French restaurant, Signatures, was very good. The basic restaurants Compass Rose and the Veranda were good and wine selections were also good. Overall, all service on board was excellent, including our Butler, cleaning staff, servers, bartenders, etc. Word of advice, this cruise is not for families as it is appeared to be older than average crowd. Some patrons were much too elderly/infirm to do the excursions and yet were allowed to participate, resulting in inconveniencing everyone else. If you are looking for a totally first class experience, we would suggest a different cruise line. Read Less

We're retired and we enjoy sailing. After over 150 nights on Regent, we've considered it our favorite and we always anticipate our next Regent cruise. Sadly, things are not what they once were. The first hint that things had changed happened at embarkation. In the past we arrived at the pier and walked onto the ship. In December 2010, we arrived and were guided upstairs to be seated where we waited to be called to the registration desk. We arrived at noon and at 1pm, we were still waiting to be invited to board. The Ship and cabins: Decorated for the holidays, the ship and cabin were as lovely as we remembered. Everything sparkled! Dining is important to us. In the past Voyager's meals were memorable. Sadly, on this cruise, the meals were a sore point. We ate mainly in Compass Rose, the main dining room. While food was nicely presented and always hot, it was generally bland and uninteresting. Some main course dishes such as tournedos and butter-poached "mini" lobster tails( two to a plate) were properly cooked and tasty. Others including the hamburgers(ordinary preformed patties), pasta, lamb shank, and fish were tasteless or chewy. Not the fine cuts that we had come to enjoy in the past. Deserts looked wonderful but were ordinary tasting. In LaVeranda, the alternate evening dining venue, the antipasti table was bountiful. The soups were hot and delicious. But the pasta course should never have left the galley. The pasta was so stiff(far beyond al dente) that it did not bend on the fork. The main course, shrimp wrapped in pancetta over broccoli,was an embarrassment. The dinner plate was presented with four small shrimp and two pices of broccoli. Also, there was a long delay between the soup course and the main course. The server apologized profusely about the lag in service. In Prime 7, one of the two speciality restaurants, the oysters Rockefeller was presented on a totally ungarnished beige plate. The shells skated around the plate when it was served. The onion soup with a miniscule amount of cheese was hot but tasteless. The main course of strip steak was cooked to requested temperature but lacked flavor and was chewy. In Signatures, the other speciality restaurant, we enjoyed the best meal on the ship with fine service. The staff is the best ambassadors for the ship. The entire staff work their hardest to please. On the holiday cruise, the staff seemed cut to the breaking point. Although everyone worked to their utmost, there were lengthy waits for service. On the first night in Compass Rose, after waiting for wine service, my husband finally got up from the table to find a dining room manager to request wine. That had never happened in the past. At breakfast, we had 30 minute waits between courses. Again, at lunch, after waiting 45 minutes for the main course, a turkey sandwich, my husband was ready to leave! Now tours are included in the cruise price. We sampled several and found them to be tedious with long fillers and wait time. For example, in St Martin on the America Cup race, the total sailing time amounted to 30 minutes out of two hours of wait and talk. The entertainment onboard was an improvement. The present performance company features dancers and two vocalists and they were far superior to the former company. They did three shows and a Christmas performance. The social director Lorraine and her assistants were outstanding. Their energy from morning until late at night was unbelievable. The all-inclusive cruise fare(air, cruise, tours, tips, and wine and liquor) are seductive inducements. However, if quality, fine cuisine, and attentive service are important to you, Regent may not be the best choice. All in all, Regent is just not what it used to be! We will probably sail with them again and hope things shape up. In the meantime, we will try another cruise line. Read Less