Six months since our last holiday, by May 2019 it was time for a break. I am a firm believer in the HR notion that a break every six months is restorative (if not to ones bank account, at least for the soul). So I looked for a cruise that would please me and my wife. A bit about us: we are late middle-aged (later 50's, early 60's), one of us still works, and we have done many cruises since 2001. Mostly on Holland America, yet more recently on Seabourn. We very much liked the almost all-inclusive nature of our Seabourn cruises, as well as the smaller ships. In May 2019 Seabourn had an interesting cruise option, yet on that ship the verandah cabin guarantee offered may well have come with the opaque (metal) balcony railings. That is a show-stopper for my wife, who wants to be able to see out her balcony while seated. Seabourn would put us in a balcony with the Plexiglas railing--yet only if we ponied up another $2 grand each. It looked like we would not be cruising after all in May. Happily, searching the usual websites, I found this interesting Regent cruise--a trans-Atlantic, which we like (the days at sea can be quite restful), some interesting ports, a departure from New York, which is only an hours flight from Toronto, and with the airfare and shore excursions included. We also would have a proper balcony in the verandah cabin, with no metal railing blocking the view. All this, including business class air for the transatlantic flight home, for about the same price as Seabourn wanted for the obstructed view balcony. Hmmm, it was time to give Regent a try. Cutting to the chase for any impatient readers, we quite enjoyed our Regent cruise and would return to them. This line is now on our list, along with Seabourn. We would also return to HAL, even though we do like not having to sign for most things, for the right itinerary and pricing. It is nice to have options and choices. We found Regent a well organized operator. Their shore staff met us at Newark airport, and we were escorted to the van (we were the only passengers) provided to take us to the port of Manhattan. Ironically, the drive from the airport took longer than our 1.3 hour flight. It was nice, accordingly, that I did not have to pay for a taxi or limo, and that such ground transportation was included. As we checked in around 2PM, we had missed the rush. On board quickly, we headed to the Verandah for a casual lunch. This was the first of many very good meals on board. Ultimately to our cabin--we had received and accepted an upsell offer for a penthouse. The basic amenity was that the cabin, same size as the verandah cabin but better located, came with a butler, who was excellent! Between the butler and our stewardess, and her assistant, we were very well looked after for the next 15 days. Having never had a butler before, and wondering what we would use him for, now I wonder how we could survive without one! The cabin was a little tight compared with what we are used to. On HAL we get a Neptune Suite, and on Seabourn a regular verandah. Yet the Seabourn ships are newer than this particular ship, Navigator, which is about 20 years old. We found that there was not quite as much drawer space or storage generally, as we have had on Seabourn in the regular verandah cabins--yet we managed to get everything put away. Still, I would not have wanted a room service dinner in the cabin. Again, other than having the daily snacks which the butler brought, it was a tad tight for dining. We were not impressed with the lifeboat drill. Held partly inside, and then being taken out to the boat deck was superfluous, as the boats you were shown at the drill may well not be the boat to which you would be assigned when you gather in the event of an emergency. In my view this is not well thought out. Either do the entire drill outside, or inside. I would also think specific lifeboats should be assigned per cabin, so everyone knows exactly where to go in case of an emergency. Other lines do this in a more organized fashion. We had a little difficulty in getting the cabin stocked with my wife's favourite Vodka, Chopin, a potato-based vodka. A substitute was provided, and Chopin was available in the bars. Ultimately, our butler scrounged us a bottle for the cabin. Unfortunately, we were told that Chopin was no longer to be provided on Regent once current inventory was finished. Too bad, as it is an excellent luxury brand. The included/available Scotches were also not quite top drawer. I mean, seriously, Johnny Walker Red? Yes, they had Black, Chivas Regal (my daily tipple), and some single malts. Yet for a luxury cruise line, at a minimum 12 year old single malts (not just one, but a choice of several) should be included, and frankly, they should provide 15 year old Scotch without a surcharge. In addition to most friendly, warm, welcoming, and personable cabin staff, the same could be said about all the bar staff. They were great. It was nice to be seated, and ones regular drink brought around without having to say a word. Kudos to them for fostering a welcoming and clubby atmosphere. The food quality was truly excellent--and we are foodies. It was the best we have experienced on any cruise. Being fair, HAL provides in our experience very good Banquet style meals. Seabourn provides very good meals as well, just not a lot of variety at times, and at times, overly salted. Regent's food was not overly salted, yet was well seasoned. There was also plenty of variety at lunch, and especially at dinner in the main restaurant. Some of the "always available" dinner items included genuine whole Dover Sole, which would be filleted table-side--a pleasure to watch. We found the food prepared "a la minute", and was an example of fine dining. Not every dish was a success, but the effort was clearly present. We were surprised that someone on the cruise after ours, a Veterans charter, did not enjoy the food. Yet that may have been because it was a charter. We enjoyed the dining room or the upstairs casual restaurant which becomes an Italian restaurant at night. Happily, it was not a buffet, unless one wanted to go up and select items. We much preferred the lovely Italian servers bringing us our meal. We also enjoyed two meals in the steakhouse. We found the personnel there most welcoming and accommodating, too. The beef was very good. Yet, as I have a great local butcher, and enjoy making a BBQ during decent weather, unlike some I do not get all excited about a steakhouse! Service in the dining room, however, was not quite as good as was the food. Some of the servers were great: warm, friendly, yet also competent. Over 15 days there can be one or two food items that are not to ones taste--the better wait staff knew to check and to quickly rectify the situation. Alas, not all of the servers fit into that category. We are used to on HAL our fixed table at 8PM, where we build a rapport with the same team of waiter, assistant waiter, and wine waiter over the cruise. While we do appreciate the flexibility of open seating available on smaller ships, one sacrifices, to some extent, that personal rapport which can, if one is lucky (and we have always had good luck on HAL in that regard), develop between server and customer. The challenge for Regent and Seabourn is to imbue their wait staff with the feeling that, even if for one night, each passenger is "their" passenger, and the goal should be to make the evening special, for each guest. Not easy to accomplish, but worth aiming for. In any case on this cruise we had a word with hotel management about some initial service issues, and happily, things improved. The ports included Bermuda, and the shore excursions, also included, were very good. Unfortunately, a couple of the afternoon tours were cancelled. As I get up early most weekday mornings, the last thing I want to do on any cruise is get up early to go on tour. I prefer a leisurely morning. In most European ports, Regent did offer afternoon tours, and again, we enjoyed them. We found the laundry to be expensive, albeit thankfully we were using "Monopoly money" (our ship-board credits) for that. Seabourn offers laundry at $50 for as much as one can stuff into a bag. Regent should follow that example. If I did not have sufficient credits, the cost of laundry would be a factor worth considering, along with the other factors such as included shore excursions, included air-fare, etc. There are, it seems, always trade-offs to be made. The lectures were in our view poorly timed. The fellow who spoke at 10 AM I would have preferred hearing in the afternoon, and I could have skipped the afternoon guy who talked about photography. The onboard shows were decent, although the layout of the theatre makes it hard to find an unobstructed view unless you arrive early. Some of the specialty performers were excellent! The piano bar was ok. While the piano player could play, he often mangled the lyrics. A little more practice to make perfect may help. Bar staff there, however, were great. The demographics of this cruise included, in our view, a somewhat older crowd. That made us feel comparatively younger (not a bad thing!). Still, we met a few folk to, on occasion, have a drink with. People were quite pleasant for the most part. We were surprised that the dress code on Regent was specified as "elegant-casual" each night. Apparently for cruises of 15 days or less, there are no formal-optional nights. I had brought a couple of ties, yet never wore one. In the main dining room, however, most men did wear a sports-jacket or the ubiquitous navy blazer. People were for the most part indeed elegantly casual. We flew home on May 30, and have to say that Amsterdam's airport is very disorganized. I would also warn folks not to connect through London-Heathrow, as the security and other line ups are horrendous. In hindsight, I would have tried for a non-stop flight which, as we all know, is the best bet. Generally, and if the price is right, we would definitely return to Regent. Yet right now they seem to be charging nearly $1,000.00 per person per day. That is far more than what we paid for this cruise. So, if one can afford it, go for it--yet it pays to shop around. Read Less

I will start my review by saying my wife and I are 60, a little plus and minus. We have been on about 30 cruises with most of our time spent on Celebrity ships. Except for the Paul Gauguin, this was our first entry in what I expected to be the high-end cruise market. I have to start by giving the crew of this ship the highest possible praise. Not sure how Regent makes it happen, but I believe that every crew member we ran in to actually loved their job and wanted you to feel 100% pampered. The service was absolutely fantastic in every way and everyone was so nice. The other thing that made the cruise nice was the all inclusive nature of the cruise. If you stay out of the spa and shops there is really no reason to spend one dime on the cruise. They even have a tremendous selection of movies on demand in the room for those times you just want to kick back. I will say that although there is no tipping required, with the level of service you get, you will want to tip and we gave money to numerous people around the ship in addition to our normal room stewards and bartenders. In general the ship is old, but it does have a level of elegance that we enjoyed. It was like going back in time a bit when we first started cruising. I will say that the vibration that everyone talks about was worse than expected. Read my comment under room for that piece, but I would never take this ship across the big oceans again. I did like the layout of the ship and it was unusual with the main dining room in the middle of the ship and everything else at the back of the ship to include the show lounge. It had some nice touches like a putting green on the front of the ship and ping pong table on one floor. The pool is a salt water pool and since the ocean was cold, no one used the pool. My wife and I and maybe one other couple used the hot tub which are fresh water and were nice. My wife enjoyed two massages in the spa and liked those. They are a little pricey so watch for the specials. Internet was OK for email and messaging, but not for streaming or sending pictures. Entertainment was good, but just let me say that with the average age of passengers at or above 70, most of the entertainment was like being stuck in an elevator for 16 days. Need I say more so practice up on your ball room dancing. Ports were great and the shore excursions were on par with what you would normally pay for except these were free. The groups seemed smaller as well which was nice. This may be a result of the mobility of many of the passengers. Embarkation was easy, but debarkation was supposed to start at 7:00 AM, but did not start until around 8:15 AM. So what are my complaints? First, except for the service I mentioned, everything was average to poor. This would be fine except when you put it in the value for your money category the price is way too high for what you get. Even in the Prime 7, reservations required restaurant the food was average at best and the lobster and crab tasted old and watered down from being frozen for so long. They missed the mark on many normal recipes. My wife planned to send them in a couple because we were not sure what they were making in some cases. My advice is to try things you have never had so you have no preconceived expectation. Finally I am going to end with my pet peeve, “Water Quality”. Every ship I have been on has said that the water out of the tap is better then water out of the bottle. After the brown and yellow water that came out of our taps we were told to not drink it. How can you pay this kind of money pour a bath that looks like diarrhea water? They did make it better by replacing filters twice outside our room, but really? They go through so much bottled water that they literally have pallets of water stored on the back decks where passengers should be able to go, but I assume for safety they are limited to crew only. So in the end, if you want a cruise to snooze, read a book or two and eat average food, this is the one for you. For me and the money spent, I think I will try something else because I do not see Regent as an upscale cruise line, just an all-inclusive one. 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

This was our first time on the Voyager, and it will probably be our last. The staff was, as always, wonderful. However, the service in Compass Rose was excruciatingly slow; so much so that we just stopped eating there and relied on room service and the pool grill for dinner. As others have mentioned, you had to ask for refills of water, wine, etc, and that has never happened to us before on any Regent cruise. And the food was just mediocre. It felt as if they were just using up whatever food was onboard before the ship got to Miami. Not impressed at all. The Cruise Director (not allowed to name him, but he is a fairly new CD, and perhaps that was part of the problem) was not visible at all on the ship, and when he was, he was rather stand-offish (I heard the adjective "arrogant" used more than once). The whole social vibe of the cruise was off; the members of the production crew were not very engaging (we've always enjoyed spending time with them during the social games, or after hours, but not on this cruise...they just didn't interact well with the passengers). There was no interaction between the Cruise Director and the Social Hostess, which is unusual. Just a strange, not friendly, atmosphere. We were very impressed with Terry Bishop, who was both a lecturer and singer/comedian. We were not impressed with the production shows, but this was the last cruise for that crew (their contract is up), and they all got off the ship in Miami, so perhaps that had something to do with it. The maintenance of the ship was poor. We heard several first time cruisers with Regent comment that it looked like Regent had stopped putting any money into the ship and was just biding its time until it could sell the Voyager. Crew members started painting and fixing the ship up about a week out of Miami...come to find out it was the first time the Voyager was going to be in the US in 9 years, and they were spiffying it up for the Regent bigwigs and/or the authorities in Miami. Too bad the paying customers weren't important enough for a spiffy ship (and yes, I got that info from a high level staff member). Captain Stan did a great job routing us around the bad weather and rough seas, but we did miss Madeira Island and Bermuda (the two places we really wanted to visit). He did manage to add on Saint Maarten, but it was just a short visit. However, it kept us from being on the open seas for 9 days straight. We love Regent, but did not book another cruise while on board. There was just too much off about this cruise for us to book with them again for a while. Hopefully this was just an anomaly and not the new norm...because they do seem to be moving more and more in the direction of NCL. Read Less

The embarkation was very quick and we were on the ship in minutes.We really enjoyed ourselves even though unfortantly we missed a couple of ports because of the weather.We were busy all the time with several wonderful lectures from Terry and Adam,drinking and eating too much and the entertainment on the ship was wonderful. David Niven was not only a hard working wonderful cruise director but put on a show that brought down the house. The cabin was excellent and really even though we had a butler it really was not necessary the food in Compass Rose was very good and if I had a complaint some of the food was warm not hot when I got it. Chartuse was nice but their menu was limited but dover sole was delicious Prime 7 was wonderful and anything on the menu was outstanding would go on a Regent cruise again for sure Read Less

Third time on the Voyager, and sixth sailing RSSC. Good news: the regular cabins are still great; house keeping still strong and service oriented; refurb quite good; great menus in the restaurants; alhough food is very good, quality no longer outstanding, and quite inconsistent; service WAY BELOW standards we always loved. Never had to ask for coffee, water and beverages in the past —— this time it was the norm. Wifi was the WORST! Regent probably had no choice but to give it for free. Been involved in mergers and acquisitions —— understand how new owners assume that they can operate the new acquisitions better and more economically than previous owners. In my opinion NCL either reduced F and B staffing or have new members that are not well trained. Captain and crew did a great job navigating the storm! Felt sorry for the room service waiters —— they really had a workout! Took our first Crystal cruse last year. Other than cabin size, service and food was superior. Read Less

From the moment we were greeted at embarkation to the moment we left the ship our experience was one of total enjoyment, comfort, respect and outstanding service. Our suite was kept immaculate, Our Butler was one of if not the best in all our years of sailing. Dining was a pleasure and fine dining is the best description. The preparation and special requests were outstanding and innovative. Although I believe the beef was not the top quality I experienced in the past. I give the waitstaff mixed reviews. Compass Rose only one stood out while the others seemed lost. Prime 7, The whole experience from the Maitre'D to the waiters to the runners were amazing. I wasn't a fan of the shows ( I'm usually not) but the other guests seemed to enjoy. Diverting around rough seas was a great choice and adding a port shows the commitment on Regent to keep the guests in their thought process. Read Less

We have been sailing with Regent since the beginning, over 25 years. We can't say enough how disappointed we were with this cruise. We booked a Master Suite, the best cabin on the ship. While the cabin was spacious, the shower stall was so small you couldn't even bend over. Secondly we had leaks in the room for the first 5 days of the cruise. We had wet carpet every single day for the first 5 days. There was also a stain on the carpet in the living area that they never were able to get up. We think that the cabin was full of mold as both my husband's and my allergies were terrible. We did ask that they take the carpet up and put down new carpet, but they never did. We had always enjoyed the food before on Regent but this time. We went to Prime 7 several times and each time the steak (filet) was so tough you could barely chew it. I tried to order the lamb, but each time it was also so tough that you couldn't chew it. We ordered the crab legs and they literally served us a pile of crab meat, most all of it from the body of the crab!! That is not crab legs, just crab meat. They did fix this the next time, but they told us that we had to order "tubes". Not sure why when the menu says crab legs you have to order "tubes". We have never had to do that before. Omelets were horrible as the eggs were never cooked. When you tired to order fried eggs they were either over cooked, or under cooked. The food service in the restaurants was generally good, the food however, was horrible. Now, let's talk about the wine and beverage service. It appeared to us that they have really cut down the beverage staff. More than once, we had to wait over 20 minutes for a person to even take our beverage order! While we have always had to work a little to find a wine that we liked, we never did find a drinkable red wine on board this ship. We did find a few white wines that we could tolerate, ( even though we prefer red wine) but each time once we had the wine and in 2-3 days they ran out of that wine. We found the wines to be extremely cheap and not of the quality that we had come to enjoy on Regent. We also found that the bar staff couldn't make any drink that we ordered. The cosmopolitan's were undrinkable. The Lemon Drop's were undrinkable. A Vodka tonic was horrible. Finally our butler explained to us what was happening. If you didn't call a vodka name, they were pouring a super cheap polish vodka. WHAT? This is a cruise that cost us well over $2,000 a night!!! The advertising claims fine wines and spirits, not so!! We sent a bag of laundry to have it be laundered. It came back smelling worse than when we sent it in. We should have sent it back, but we just washed it ourselves. Now, let's talk about shore excursions. We booked all of our shore excursions the first day or two that they were available to book. By the time that we sailed 4 of them had been cancelled and we had to put them back on wait list. Three of them never did come through!! Now, I have no idea which passengers they decided to cancel off of a prearranged shore excursion, but you would think that the people who booked first and who were in the BEST cabin onboard the ship might have had some precedence. When I asked the shore excursion people, they claimed that they had no idea. So, the included shore excursions aren't worth much, when you can't even book them!! And, they never made any accommodations for shore excursions that they canceled. Entertainment isn't the most important item to us, but we did find that the crew shows were a disappointment. In the past we have always found the crew cast to be amazing dancers and singers. This time we found them to be very lacking. Let's talk about the Navigator a bit. Obviously it is time to retire this ship. Can't think of one thing to like about this ship, besides it's size. We will never ever go on this ship again! We had 3 additional cruises booked on Regent. We did cancel one of them and tried to cancel the one coming up in December but the cancellation penalty was $36,000. So, we are going, but not by choice. It would seem that Norwegian has finally ruined Regent. Read Less

We are on a cruise from New York to Iceland and we picked the cruise for its destinations. The ship is old and is poorly maintained; lots of rust,scuff marks,stained carpets,faded wood on the decks.The vibration in the cabins is constant and unbelievable like sleeping on top of a freight train. The food is on par with Hometown buffet.Ar breakfast the hot foods were covered in grease.No fresh yogurt or berries.There are few choices for food on the ship with restrictive hours.The room service took forever and was poor quality. For dinner you are forced to dress up and go the main dining room so you don’t starve and you see fed like warm mediocre food. Most of the senior patrons don’t seem to mind or notice.We have been on about 29 cruises and this is by far the worst. There was bad weather last night and many cabins and hallways leaked and were inundated with water.Ernember this is an old ship. There is virtually no entertainment or enrichment programs and at the moment the pool and jacuzzi ms are drained with a full day at sea.The days entertainment choice a movie in the theater? The staff are very nice and well trained for the most part but they have very little to work with. I would stick with Silversea,Viking and Seabourn if you wish to experience a luxury cruise. Give these guys a miss unless you like bad food and old ships and a vibrating cabin where you can’t sleep. Read Less

I wanted to try Regent's new ship Explorer and the transatlantic crossing gave me lots of sea days to explore the ship. We also had some interesting ports of call in Madeira and Spain. We flew into Miami on our own and used a hotel shuttle to get to the cruise port. Very easy and economical. First time I've been on a ship that joined in a search and rescue for a passenger overboard.The captain and cruise director kept us informed of what was going on as several cruise ships joined in searching the grid along with Coast Guard out of Spain. Fortunately it was not one of our ship passengers or crew. The search was not successful and was called off after about 12 hours as odds of surviving that long in the cold water were not feasible. Service was excellent everywhere. Disappointed that the onboard lecture series did not exist, especially with so many sea days. When I inquired they told me the lecturer had to cancel at the last minute. I think they should have tried to come up with something. New layout of cabins on this ship and decided it was worth it to upgrade to the lowest level concierge. They actually turn the cabin so the bed looks out through the balcony doors instead of a blank wall. Dining was excellent. Prime 7 layout is huge. Chartreuse wall banquets are not meant to hold people.. Read Less

We thought Regent Seven Seas was a "premium" cruise line. It's not. From the first day there were problems. In our cabin, we tried to turn on the tv to see the safety information. The tv didn't work, so we tried to call someone to fix the tv. The phone didn't work either. One night we turned on the bathroom faucet and muddy, dirty water came out and didn't clear up until the next day or so. Another night the toilet didn't work. Our bathroom door wouldn't shut. After workmen came to fix it, when they left we tried to open it and the handle fell off. The food was mediocre. The waitstaff in the restaurants kept getting the orders wrong, or forgot to bring orders at all. The reception clerks were perfunctory and didn't seem to know what they were doing. The "unlimited" wi-fi either didn't work at all on some days or on other days it was intermittent and slow. There was a big leak in our bathroom. Our shower didn't drain, so we showered in pools of water. The women's public rest rooms had broken toilet seats and doors. The wallpaper on one of the walls in our cabin was peeling off, so workmen had to come in and replace it. We had hoped for a relaxing and pleasant cruise, but with the constant stream of workmen coming in and out of our cabin to fix things, it was one interruption after another. By the end of the cruise, I had a serious eye infection and both my wife and I had severe allergy problems, probably from exposure to all the work dust and fumes. Maybe things changed when Regent was taken over by Norwegian Cruise Lines and Apollo Mgt. That's what other passengers told us. They are obviously trying to cut back and have turned what may have once been an upscale cruise line into a mediocre one, certainly not worth the money they charge. Read Less

We are long time Regent customers but had not sailed with Regent for two years account a previous problem. In the interim, we sailed with luxury lines, Crystal, Seabourn and Oceania. We chose the transatlantic crossing to try the new (for us) Explorer and because of the price. We also love going to Bermuda. We had an overnight in Bermuda where I chose to wear formal Bermuda attire, of coat, tie, Bermuda shorts and folded over knee socks (picture attached) I was asked to leave the bar as I had shorts on. Next, I experienced the only poor service, rude employee, of the cruise, the reception desk manager. I explained that we were docked in one of the most formal British protectorates in the world and that my attire was local custom, and requested to be allowed to wear formal Bermuda attire in Bermuda. The correct answer for the location was to check with the hotel manager or else make a simple apology. Instead I was given a lecture about local customs and how bad it could be in Papua, New Guinea (loin cloth). Steam was rising from my ears. With my bad experience highlighted I will say that the ship lives up to its billing of the most luxurious ship ever built. There is marble granite and exquisite light fixtures - EVERYWHERE. The overall decor of the ship is no less than 10 out of 10. Words and pictures can't describe it adequately. When I went into a private stall in the restroom I was in an eight foot by four foot marble box. Simply amazing. Service was generally excellent in all dining venues and bars. The ship was not completely full and extra visits to the specialty restaurants were available, especially if you were willing to share a table or eat late. Food in the main dining room, The Compass Rose was excellent. Of all the restaurants we rated Prime 7 as number 1. We did not enjoy Pacific Rim, but we are not Asian food fans so please consider this review neutral there. Overall passengers on the Explorer dressed better than other lines, a plus for us. 80% of men wore jackets at night and half of those wore ties. Our room was a Penthouse which we enjoyed (see below). We enjoy butler service on cruises and have learned to make use of them. Unfortunately, we did not get the best one as service could be slow or forgotten. We spoke with other passengers who had no problems so I must assume that we just drew the wrong one. We went on two shore excursions which were excellent and included. We missed the final port due to engaging in a man overboard search and rescue for a passenger from another ship who had fallen or jumped overboard. So, with all of the great that that can be said about this cruise why only 2 stars? Beyond the bad experience in Bermuda we can say that it boils down to value and inflexibility. Value - we have seen Regent take price increases each year. We chose this trip due to its lower cost and included business class return air from Spain. Backing out, my estimated value for the cruise, we paid just over $500 per day per person for the cruise. Good deal, but a quick check of category Penthouse B cabins this summer will reveal prices that can approach $1500 per day (which include business air). Over the past few year Regent strives to make more and more included. Shore excursions, drinks, specialty restaurants, and just starting - free laundry. To get the full value for all of this you need to take advantage, and most of us don't. And then there is another phenomenon that seems to be more prevalent on Regent than on other top lines. My wife and I call it "forced shopping". On this cruise we had a combined total of $1,100 (USD) shipboard credit. The credit came from American Express, the ship and the travel agent. Regent is"all inclusive" and Since we are not big spa people, and don't partake in top shelf spirits or wine, we have to spend it (or lose it) in the shops. We ended up purchasing lots of stuff we never would have elsewhere. And the shops aren't cheap. Up until about 2010, you were able to visit the future cruise consultant and roll the shipboard credit into a future cruise. That ended and we became free agents in the luxury market. Finally, inflexibility. The shorts incident aside (a perfect example) we found that the staff works from a very regimented script or playbook. One day we told our (excellent) waitress that we were praying for calm seas. She lets us know she was praying for a calm boss. On the last full day, we completely packed early in the morning and stashed the bags under the bed. The cabin steward pulled out the completely full bags and put them on the bed, because - that was what the script called for. In fairness this may be Regent's way of managing service but we found it to be a little stiff. We will be back on Regent but it will likely take 2 years or more. Read Less

Really a 4.5. Embarkation in Miami extremely easy especially if you were in one of the larger suites like we were--a Master Suite. But really it was only the difference between no wait and at most a 3-4 minute wait, there were over 15 agents taking care of the formalities. One unusual thing--first time ever in 2+ cruises that we were allowed to keep our passports. Ship itself is gorgeous--still has that new ship smell :). It's subjective, but it may live up to the "most luxurious cruise ship" tag from Frank del Rio. Master suite was very good with a couple of flaws that made us wonder if Frank had ever examined it personally. First,the living room couch was quite possibly the least comfortable couch we have ever tried to sit in. Very low and hard back. They had put lots of cushions on it, but all that meant was if you tried to sit up in it or lean back to watch TV you slipped off. Only one arm chair so only one person at a time could be comfortable watching a movie. Also, couch set up far too close to the TV for comfortable viewing. Butler and stewards moved the couch for us about four feet back for a proper viewing distance. TVs themselves large and proper Hi-def feed of a large movie selection. However, seems like most cruise lines these days content themselves with MSNBC and Fox news so if you want anything in the middle you get BBC. Moreover no ESPN so only Sky Sports and if you have a 75%+ American clientele all soccer all the time isn't great especially during March Madness. The other cabin oddity was no fewer than 15 switches (in rows of 3) that do exactly the same thing. You can turn on or off all the lights in the foyer, living room, and dining area at once but can't choose any subset. I sincerely hope they fix both of those things in drydock. We did get a chance to see the famous $5K/day/person Regent Suite as we got invited to a small dinner party there. It is over-the-top with built in spa, the $75K bed (apparently the Splendor will have a $150K bed), lots of Lalique crystal, etc. Food was generally excellent at both lunch and dinner (we believe strongly in sleeping in on sea days especially when losing an hour most nights going eastward). Lots of lunch venues open, both buffet and sit down. We found the food considerably better than that we have had on the other Regent ships, particularly in the MDR. The new MDR menu provided a huge number of choices and quality didn't slip because of that variety. There is a Senior Executive Chef who reports directly to the GM instead of two a F and B manager--we met him on a galley tour and he is extremely impressive. Of the specialty restaurants, Pacific Rim is surprisingly good--I put it that way because we are from N. California so are Asian food snobs. There was excellent variety and quality and most of the dishes were reasonably authentic. Yes the bulgogi was really a nice sliced steak with a soy-based sauce instead of the true Korean item and they should train the wait staff to pronounce the iconic Vietnamese soup pho as "fuh" vs. "foe," and the menu should make it clear you can get both hot and cold sake (it only says cold but they were happy to serve hot at the proper temperature). But those are minor quibbles. I rate the quality about as good as the Nobu restaurant on Crystal with more choices and actually better than Jade Garden on Oceania (which is good, not just nearly as authentic). They push the lobster tempura (which is good), but be sure to try the duck, the pho, the miso cod, and the stir-fried greens, and the green tea ice cream among other dishes. Chartreuse was also excellent in all respects although selection a bit limited. Much better than the earlier Regent Signatures incarnation. The whole dover sole is particularly good. Prime 7 a bit disappointing actually, appetizers, sides, and desserts very good, but steaks only fair without a proper char and not as marbled as prime steaks should be. Seti Mari is still a confused concept. Is it a buffet or sit-down restaurant? The bit of both doesn't really work IMHO. Toscana on Oceania hugely better for Italian food as is Prego on Crystal. The baker on Explorer is really good-both for desserts in the restaurants and especially at afternoon tea. Entertainment generally good to excellent. Production company one of the better ones we've seen--rivaling Crystal in that regard. Guest entertainers mostly very good to excellent--a husband-wife pair called "Somewhere it's Five O'Clock" was new to us and did two shows with actual modern pop and rock music (and some classic rock too). (Although we may have been the only couple that recognized their opening song "Little Talks"--that's by Monsters and Men if it comes up on a ship trivia quiz). However, the guest comedian was something out of the Dean Martin era when joking about drunk drivers and the female anatomy was considered funny. Nowadays it's both sexist and offensive. That caused me to downgrade the entertainment rating one notch. Service top-notch in all respects from wait staff to cabin attendants/butlers to cruise director and his staff. If anything Regent may have gone overboard in responding to some earlier comments in this forum about slow or mediocre service, at one dinner we counted 8 times a waiter, head waiter, or maitre'd came over to ask if everything was excellent. I thought of putting up a sign that said "things are perfect." The only problem with our butler was that he made us feel guilty we didn't give him enough to do--I had to convince him we could find our way to dinner without him. Internet service only fair. Sort of OK for first half of cruise, then they had problems switching satellites in mid-Atlantic which led to 3 days of unusable service. Not a matter of too much simultaneous use--service terrible at 2am during that period. The similarly sized SIlversea Silver Muse with a comparable passenger load and "free" internet throughout had almost land-based speed on a crossing we did six months earlier. Speed these days is simply a matter of money and technical competence. Finally ports and excursions, a fairly minor part of a crossing and particularly true on this voyage. There were five port days scheduled and two+ got cancelled. The first day in Bermuda, while it was sunny, winds were up to 60 mph gusts. Some deck furniture that was not completely tied down literally flew off the ship. So almost all excursions that day were canceled. Unfortunately that meant that re-scheduling everyone on excursions the second day proved impossible. Our tour in Funchal was just ok--guide could have been a lot better. The tour of the Nerja caves near Malaga was spectacular. If you haven't seen them you really need to do so. Largest underground "theaters" I've ever seen and an excellent guide. And then came the unique-to-us part of the cruise. We were sailing from Malaga to our last port of Alicante before ending in Barcelona. Our captain woke us at 3:30am to tell us that the ship was going to be making some unusual turns because a passenger had gone overboard on the Norwegian Spirit which was just ahead of us. Five ships in the area including several from the Spanish Coast Guard and two helicopters spent six hours searching the area--the passenger, who it turns out had jumped overboard, was never found. We were released from the search, skipped Alicante, and had an extra sea day. Overall, this was a very good to excellent crossing aboard a superb ship that I believe will get even better when they fix a few glitches. Read Less

Chose this cruise (Rome to Miami) for the ship and the TransAtlantic experience. The food, cabin staff and dining staff service were absolutely first rate. This was our first "all-inclusive" cruise experience and we found it very relaxing not to always be reaching for your cabin card. The entertainment was generally above average, although the magician did a juvenile routine that clearly had not been vetted for adult cruisers. The folks at the destination desk left a lot to be desired, both in terms of knowledge of the ports and excursions they offered. The end result was a lot of confusion as to what excursions were appropriate and where exactly they went. The enrichment activities were not effective even though they were offerings from Smithsonian. The topics were either too narrow and esoteric or of such limited interest that most passengers watched the tape of the presentations so they could turn them off when they got bored. Read Less

We took this transatlantic cruise from Lisbon to New York for two reasons. Our first cruise 16 years ago was on the Navigator so we wanted to revisit the ship. Our previous cruise was great and led us many years of wonderful cruising. The second reason was the timing which was great for our purposes. This was an unusually early fall transatlantic leaving in October 6th. We were suprised to find the ship was old and tired and I think needs to be retired. The cruise lacked activities that we normally have on transatlantic cruises such as bridge lessons and organized bridge games. The only real plus was the guest lecturer that was great, For the most part the food was good, especially in Compass Rose. The crew tried hard and most of them, but not all, had a great attitude. The worst part was the entertainment. The production numbers were amateurish and our local high school would do a much better job. We had two guest entertainers that were ok but not great. The band played mostly jazz music which is not really suitable for dancing and did not create a good atmosphere for the evening. I am not giving up on Regent and we will book another cruise on one of their other ships. The Navigator just isn’t for us. Read Less

We make spring crossings every year and decided to try the Explorer to see what it is like. Unfortunately, we booked a cat G suite which is very small, around 250 sq ft with only 24 inches of hanging space in the closet. I think this category was originally designed for single travelers, but couples were booked in all of them. They are still working out many problems left by the shipyard. A couple of major omissions compared to the rest of the fleet are the lack of a forward open deck to enjoy sailing in to ports and there is no rear lounge. The "Horizon" lounge is called Meridian and is located mid-ship. There is no rear entry to the Compass Rose so those with suites in the aft have to walk all the way to the forward lifts, go to deck 4 and walk a long way rearward to access the restaurant. It was particularly difficult for guests with mobility problems. The ship has a lot of wasted space and the decorations are too gaudy for our tastes and toe overall ship size is too large for us. The staff, as always is excellent and the food has generally been quite good. Many guests feel as we do and prefer the other ships to the Explorer, particularly the Navigator & Mariner. Read Less

This was our first Regent cruise in several years. Other than too many wrong way time changes the cruise was excellent. Embarkation was the fastest we have ever experienced. Unlike many other reviews I have read, we liked Pacific Rim best, then Compass Rose, Prime Seven, Sette Mari and Chartreuse least. All were at least very good, with service to match. Our Penthouse suite was different, some wasted space a smaller closet, no tub but the best shower ever. We did like being able to separated the two rooms. We only did two excursions, Tea at Reid's and Cork an Cattle Farm, and both were very good. As a note, this was the nicest group people we have ever sailed with, we shared a table most meals an enjoyed every one. Barcelona airport was a zoo, took almost two hours to check in. British Airways flights, BCN to SEA were very good, just long. We had such a good time we booked two more cruises while on board. Read Less

Transatlantic Cruise March 26 – April 19. Our embarkation in Miami took no more than 10 minutes and we headed for lunch in the Pool Grill. (I later learned that there was a place to check our hand luggage so we wouldn't have to carry it around until our suite was ready). When we got to our suite, the suite door was slightly ajar so we didn't need to fumble with our keycard to get in. Our rooms were ready at 2:30 but none of our suitcases were in our suite. I located the suitcases in different places along our deck. One of our suitecases didn't fit under the bed and our steward put it above the handing closes in our closest. While going around the ship to look at everything we ran into a couple we had been on a cruise through the Suez Canal with, so we had a Trivia team. Our suite was a G1 that is listed as around 300 sq ft, which is smaller than the comparable suite on the Navigator and Voyager. But the ergonomics of everything made it comfortable for us. What I liked: the bed was just great, the shower was nice with plenty of room, enjoyed to larger balcony, we had plenty of storage space. We were right across from the launderette and this was the first time we were able to do our laundry rather than send it out. What I didn't like was the placement of the TV in the sleeping area and the size and height of the table in the sitting area which didn't allow for an enjoyable in suite dinner. The ship. We enjoyed the ship and the public spaces. The Explorer Bar was right outside the Compass Rose and was a nice place for predinner drinks. The Observation Lounge was very nice. the meridian Lounge on the 5th floor was nice when you had speciality restaurant reservations. We ate most of our meals in the Compass Rose which had a very nice menu and service. We had 2 reservations each for the speciality restaurants and enjoyed them for a change, with Pacific Rim being our favorite. We did not eat at Sette Mar. We had in suite dinner a couple time and really had to watch what we ordered since the coffee table in our suite was not very big and too low to be a table. We ate most of our breakfast and lunches in LaVeranda. The tables were nicely spaced and there never seemed to be too many people trying to get food at the same time. The main problem with LaVeranda was the salt grinders – they never worked and took a lot of attention of the staff to find one for us that would work each and every day. Morning room service for coffee was always very prompt. The few nights when we ate in, it would take at least an hour to get what we ordered, and as I said earlier, the table in the sitting area was not big enough to hold 2 plates. The sea days had plenty of things on the schedule with some very interesting Smithsonian lectures plus bingo and trivia. We were able to get a galley tour and a bridge tour. Both were very interesting. The excursions were good, and we enjoyed the guilds and all the sites we saw. Read Less

Impressions of the Regent Explorer based on 24 nights from Miami to Venice, 26 March/19 April 2017 (the second segment, 9-19 April, was the “Regent 25th Anniversary Cruise”) Bottom Line Up Front: If (as impossible as it would be) all of Regent’s ships were doing the same itinerary, we’d choose Explorer, then Voyager, Mariner and Navigator, in order. Explorer because the Big Wins listed below outweighed the Big Fails. Explorer did not, however, deal a knock-out blow which we actually view as good. If it were perfect in every way, we’d probably feel diminished if we had to “settle” for one of the other ships. As it is, itinerary wins: we booked cruises on Voyager, Mariner and Explorer while on-board. Big Wins: Suite design for F (and D & E) – love the feet outward layout, lots and lots of storage space in neat drawers and cabinets that draw themselves closed when pushed nearly closed (we can’t break ourselves of this habit at home and are leaving things only mostly shut!), lots and lots of power points including USB charging at both nightstands, large verandahs even with F2 (which we had), great bathrooms with tub and rainforest shower. Pacific Rim – our favorite restaurant (6 times in 22 nights!...yes, you can only make one advance reservation per restaurant per segment, but if you are willing to share and flexible on times, no problem), we were great fans of Latitudes and are happy again. At the on-board Town Hall with Regent President Jason Montague, I cited this great addition and suggested that, since they can’t create a Pacific Rim space on the other ships, they might at least add some of the signature dishes to the “All the Time” menu in Compass Rose. Compass Rose menu expansion – we used to sometimes end up in the former Compass Roses and have to choose the item we disliked least…no longer with the huge “All the Time” section. The chairs are more comfortable, as well. Culinary Kitchen – we did two, “Majestic Mediterranean” and “Healthy Modern Greek,” and both were great. We’d reserved the first in advance and enjoyed it so much that we added the second. Surprised and pleased in how comprehensive each session was: starter, entrée and dessert. They are popular, especially as a great activity on a sea day, so it’s advisable to book them before you board. Wins: Restaurant Reservation desk – very nice to have a single place to go to deal with additions/changes to restaurant reservations. Setti Mari – already a favorite, it benefits from much more outside dining space with some very sheltered locations and infrared heaters for enjoyment while under way. Specialty Restaurant availability – Explorer carries 50 more passengers than Voyager/Mariner. Our impression is that Compass Rose is similar in size and that Chartreuse and Prime 7 are larger. Add the new capacity in Pacific Rim and it certainly was the case for us that we could eat pretty much in any restaurant we wanted (with the above-citied willingness to share or be flexible on times). Minor Wins: Chartreuse – hard to say why, but we liked it more than Signatures. Seemed less pretentious. Neutral: Décor and artwork – clearly a hugely subjective area. The décor is startlingly different from the other ships—sort of grand era of cruising retro—but we neither adored it or hated it. Similarly OK with most of the artwork. It’s not like we view the ship as an art museum where one sits and ponders the artist’s work. Minor Fails (correctable): Beer Selection – is totally pedestrian. Nothing you can’t find at the local 7-11. Regent seems to respect wine drinkers as having reasonable palates, but not if you like quality beer. They’ve even dropped the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (a widely available, pretty decent large craft beer). If you want it, put in a special request. Once upon a not-too-long-ago time they also had Guinness and Bodingtons in the nitro cans…avoid the export Guinness at all costs! Not expecting true micro-brews, but please, something not distributed in tank cars. Major Fails (not correctable on Explorer, but could be addressed on Explorer 2…many noted before by others): NO OUTSIDE FORWARD DECK AREA – hugely disappointing! Other than the Observation Lounge, it is nearly impossible to see where the ship is headed. On our recent Miami-Venice cruise, this was particularly painful while sailing into the Kotor fjord and the morning sail into Venice. I brought this up at the Town Hall and it received quite a round of applause (as did the next item), so not just my view. It would/will be challenging to fix this on Explorer 2 since it was caused by creating the high value real estate on deck 12 forward. NO REAR FACING LOUNGE – we really like the Horizon Lounges on the other ships. Nothing on Explorer faces the rear since the obvious space was given over to the spa and the fitness center. I think that later, at least, could be placed elsewhere. The lack of this second “formal” lounge (along with the Observation Lounge) means that events like tea time end up in the Observation Lounge where many, like us, spend a lot of time. Not so comfortable when they are setting up tea time all around you. This, too, received a good round of applause when I brought it up at the Town Hall. Theater sight lines, cramped rear stairwells – all mentioned by others and specifically recognized as something to deal with at the Town Hall. Read Less

This was a disappointment made less pleasant by negative customer relations attitude. To put into perspective we are regular Regent cruisers in recent years (having also used Seabourn and Silversea), and indeed have a further cruise booked with Regent in 2017 on Voyager. Overnight in Rome was in a good hotel to which we would return - the Westin Excelsior. Well positioned too. Regent agent embarkation was a bit disorganised as we were not told which area of the hotel to meet in, and our bus went early without us despite being near the agent desk at the time! The ship is indeed very luxurious in its build and furnishings and this has been much trumpeted - the most luxurious cruise boat ever built etc. This did not extend to the finish of our suite - nor some of the thought that should have gone into it (see below). Dining was generally very good and the Pacific Rim a good addition. We definitely preferred the old Signatures over the new Chartreuse (as did a number of people we dined with). The restaurant which really needs a makeover is Sette Mare which has been providing the same starters for all our last few cruises. We liked the new pool grill set out (some reviews don't seem to but it makes for more friendly conversation and better table use). Bars were all in general good with very good serving staff. We were pleased to see an new alternative to the very repetitive Jean Ryan group - but whoever designed the upper sight (or lack of vision) lines in the main theatre!? Whilst the 7 piece band from Ukraine was very good and versatile as well as playing good jazz, the pre and post dinner band/music combination was not as good as on the other Regent cruises. One evening there was an excellent guitar/singer combination which the CD said he would repeat - but it didn't happen! Ross the pianist was very good but overused and therefore necessarily repetitive. Guest entertainers were good but why have an excellent magician on board for 6 days between Madeira and Bermuda and give him only 2 spots. His specialty was table magic - he could have come into the dining rooms too. Our problem in particular was the suite 1202, a Penthouse (A) - for what its worth 1203 had similar problems. Basically a connecting lounge and bedroom area with a partition which had a double sided TV. A nice bathroom with multi jet shower and two sinks and walk in wardrobe. Fittings were nice. A very efficient butler service. Therefore a little more than we usually have as it was an inaugural crossing on a luxury boat. Beware -- - significant noise from the Observation bar came from below as synthesised music accompaniment because the speakers are in the false ceiling below our floor. This was also evident daily at the quiz with the microphone in use. Partially resolved by piano only after 11pm. - suite door rattled at night needing adjustment. - the dressing room door would come open at night spontaneously with noisy latch sounds - and several times despite closing. Had to be adjusted. - Air conditioning noisy and would not turn off. This required repeat visits by the engineer. On one occasion it just came on spontaneously again at 1am needing a visit to turn it off. Not good on the most luxurious boat etc... - There was no means of keeping the bathroom door open such that using the adjacent sink it hit you repeatedly in the back. A design fault we had to solve ourselves by using a robe belt tied to a towel rail (on the most luxurious etc..) - Sliding doors built into the partition slid backwards and forwards on their own. We had to put chairs against them at night until the butler produced some wooden wedges. another design fault on the most luxurious etc.. - Whilst there was a lot of movement on the Atlantic, which does not in itself trouble us, no boat we have been on in various rough seas ever creaked in the walls and ceiling like this one! Worst was in the bulkhead above the bedhead - again a point brought up in conversation with other cruisers. What on earth was in there causing it? - Wind noise from the two double veranda doors was excessive even in the Med before the Atlantic. Pulling, pushing, reclosing did not help. I found drilled out door locks on both doors where staff had attempted adjustment (remember it was only launched in July). When we discussed these problems with the General manager and Concierge we were informed it was a problem they knew about and was to be rectified with new locks and seals! Why were we not told about this rather than finding out for ourselves? Why wasn't the work done prior to an Atlantic crossing? We were offered daily taping of the doors to partially alleviate it. Unbelievable in the most luxurious cruise liner etc.. - and of course the infinity pool - a special feature of this boat - was out of action with engineers working on it during the cruise. We had to sleep with ear plugs in most nights and poor quality of sleep detracts from overall enjoyment. Why had we paid the extra?? Understandably there has been correspondence via our cruise organiser with Regent Customer Services. We were offered a £500 pp cruise credit prior to disembarkation but we considered this an insult. Despite lengthy letters this has only been increased to £750 and our Cruise agent on speaking with the Customer Services was told that 'her seniors' would not allow more. I suggested the 'seniors' may wish to discuss it with me but nothing so far. If a hotel room is unsatisfactory you are moved or don't pay the accommodation - we of course have paid upfront. Regent letters are full of platitudes re overall good feed back, and feedback being taken seriously. They hope we will take another Regent cruise when we already have one booked. Not good to put in the letter! At the time of our return Channel 5 ran a double documentary on the building of this ship, noting' the race' to complete for the maiden voyage - clearly a lot of the final finish was substandard. Customer relations deny this. We have been loyal to Regent and given very good prior reports of our cruises. On this occasion all we wanted was for Regent to put their hands in the air, say we're sorry we got it wrong for you, and make a realistic compensatory gesture. We would have been pleased to acknowledge such in this review. I'm sorry, whilst wether we may travel on Regent again after 2017 depends on our next experience (which has previously been good), Explorer is unlikely to be a choice. It could and should have been so different and a major part is how it was handled by customer relations. Read Less

In reviewing our recent cruise on the Explorer I will no doubt repeat what others have previously mentioned but I believe those opinions should be reinforced. Let me begin by saying the cruise was enjoyable mainly because of the excellent service. I was less impressed by the decor and layout of the ship itself. One reviewer described the decor as "exuberant"; a description I wholeheartedly embrace. It appears the phrase "less is more" was not part of the design concept. The 4th deck is grand but in my opinion overdone. The nicest part is the hallway from the atrium to Compass Rose. The chandelier that seems to generate so much awe is simply big, the staircase is nice but nothing special (we laughed at the newel caps that look like oversized golf balls). The problem with creating such a grand floor is the limited space it leaves for the others. The ceiling on the 5th floor is low and dark. It made my husband joke that it felt like we were on floor 7 1/2 from the movie "Being John Malkovich." Throughout the ship, halls are extremely narrow, ceilings low (my husband is 6'1" and had to walk to one side because his hair brushed against the domed, crystal hallway light fixtures), staircases are also narrow, and some elevators oddly shaped. Yet, the worst flaws are found in the theatre. It bears repeating that there are few good seats. Huge pillars and the low, deep overhang from the balcony make most seats inadequate. The pillars also block easy access to many good seats. It is all around a poorly designed space. As far as the signature chandelier in Compass Rose, well, it is blue. Not impressive in design, just big. This excess of glass is supposedly one of the reasons for the horrible noise level in parts of the restaurant. Our cabin was a midship G2 on the 6th deck. The location was very convenient but it took a while to figure out which way to go to avoid the "stairs to nowhere" when we chose to use the stairs to go to CR. The suite layout was the same as the veranda suites on the other ships. Definitely smaller but not too small for us. The bathroom was smaller than on the other ships but because of the medicine cabinet we felt there was much more usable storage. The shower was great. The drawers in the walk-in closet were wider but was that the reason the double hanging was removed? We did miss that. The only complaint was the television being in the bedroom area not the sitting area. We wondered if they forgot about it then had to scramble to figure out somewhere to put it. I think they wanted the desk in the sitting area to double as a vanity so had to install that huge mirror and couldn't figure out what to do with the television. There are a number of cures for this flaw; I hope Regent considers one. Also I hope they fixed the rattling and the air infiltration through the balcony doors. While I view much of the décor as being ordinary and in too many instances overdone, and even with the head scratching decision over the changes made in the suites, these flaws did not prevent us from enjoying the cruise and remaining steadfast and loyal Regent customers. The service, as expected, was superb. This is what we want from a cruise and Regent delivered again. The food was the best we've experienced on Regent. There were minor problems with quality and service but each were addressed promptly and to our satisfaction. Just to add, the problems were not in CR. That restaurant was outstanding; loved the new menu. Our steak was better there than in P7. Our favorite restaurant was Chartreuse. The pool deck was our least favorite. Besides the food being just okay, the seating is awful. The tables are just too close. We enjoyed most of the entertainment but really missed the JAR shows. The Krew Kapers never fails to entertain and is always appreciated. We participated in included excursions and were pleased with them. Would we sail Explorer again? It would depend on the itinerary. It would have to be significantly unique for us to either ignore the television issue in a reasonably priced suite or go against our "dollar for value" perspective and be forced into spending more than necessary for this product. Read Less

We got off the Explorer two days ago. It was our first crossing and it was wonderful. The Explorer is a beautiful ship in all respects. The decor is elegant and is obvious lots of money and thought went into it. We loved everything about the cruise. Cabin: Even though Regent's cabins are larger than most cruise lines, this cabin was much bigger. Lots of drawers (including the bathroom), bathroom with double sinks, a large walk-in closet, and a large balcony. The cabin was beautifully decorated in blues and cream. Our cabin stewards kept everything clean, neat, and in perfect condition. Food...We had the best food we have had in any Regent cruise and we find Regent's food outstanding. The new menu in Compass Rose (main dining room) is the best I've seen. It includes lobster tail, filet mignon, dover sole and many other good food every night along with the chef''s specials. The specialty restaurants are over the top in my opinion. Prime 7 is the steakhouse, Chartreuse the French restaurant, and Pacific Rim the Asian fusion. All three had wonderful menus. The Veranda is the menu for breakfast and lunch and the decor and food are outstanding. The Veranda becomes a nice Italian eatery at night. Service....excellent. A mix of crew members from the other ships and new ones. Everyone went beyond was expected to please and service passengers. Wines....a very good selection of wines. Kudos to F&B manager. Boarding and disembarking went as smooth as possible. All-in-all one of the best cruises we have taken, and, in the most beautiful ship. Read Less

At our initial cocktail party, it was announced that 390 of the 750 passengers on board had cruised from 75 to well over 400 days on Regent. This gives you an idea of the loyalty of these cruisers to the company. Yet, while perusing Cruise Critic reviews, this loyalty and love of Regent does not seem to correlate with the reviews. Why is this? I believe that these avid cruisers rarely write reviews for Cruise Critic. As one of the repeat Regent cruisers, I decided to submit my first review to delineate my observations on this trans-Atlantic cruise. This is intended to be a general overview of the ship. Specific details and issues can be found on the numerous forums on Cruise Critic. Having sailed on all the Regent ships, I was anxiously anticipating my cruise on the Explorer. I was not disappointed. In my opinion, the Explorer is the most luxurious and beautiful ship I have ever seen by direct experience, photos or videos. While taste is a matter of preference and some people might find Ikea to be their style – the lighting, cabinetry, flooring and hardware on the Explorer are extraordinary. Like the St. Regis in New York or the Four Seasons George V in Paris, the materials and décor are stylish, beautiful and of the highest quality. From Dornbracht fixtures in the bathroom, to Italian lacquered cabinetry, to a myriad of colors and textures of marble and granite used throughout the ship, the end product will astound you. I am not one of those cruisers who finds fault with every little detail and allows that to diminish my enjoyment of the cruise. Whether you are in a hotel or resort or on an airplane or cruise ship, perfection simply does not exist. There will always be glitches in service, dining or the physical product, however, those brands which rise to the top will be those that have the greatest consistency. To be fortunate enough to cruise on Regent ensures that every day on board will bring me some joy and happiness. That said, I found the overall service and dining on the Explorer to be excellent. Having dined at Michelin starred restaurants around the world, I would say the service and food, for the most part, were quite comparable, especially in the specialty restaurants. In comparing the cuisine to Oceania (often purported to have the best cuisine at sea), I thought the Explorer was a notch better. The specialty restaurants – Chartreuse, Pacific Rim, Prime 7 and Sette Mari were all outstanding. The new menu in the main dining room, Compass Rose, allowed an exponential number of appetizers and entrees to satisfy even the most finicky eaters. Rotating opening the specialty restaurants and Compass Rose for lunch was pure genius – allowing a variety of menus to compete with the standard lunch buffet. The buffet, however, is no longer standard, as it now offers an incredible array of made to order meats, seafood, pastas and whatever is the cuisine of the day. While I don’t consume much alcohol, my dining companions said the wine was superb and clearly superior to what was served on previous Regent cruises. All in all, I believe even the harshest food critics would find something to enjoy on the Explorer. While Regent has been my cruise line of choice, I have researched other luxury lines and what they have to offer. The two which have intrigued me the most because they are rated so highly are Crystal and Seabourn. On closer examination, I realized that Crystal’s assigned dining times would never suit me. I prefer to explore the world and return to the ship and not be on a time schedule. Luxury for me is partially defined by eating wherever and whenever I choose. Crystal has recently introduced “Dining by Reservation,” however, multiple reviews I have read noted that this does not work well within the scheme of dining because it creates two classes of service. Crystal also allows only one reservation per cruise at each specialty restaurant and charges a fee for any additional visits. I find this to be absurd on any luxury line. The Explorer offers four specialty restaurants and I was able to eat at each one multiple times during this cruise – for both lunch and dinner. Seabourn is similar to Regent, yet because the ships are slightly smaller, they are said to offer more individualized personal service. I find the smaller size, however, to be a detriment because I enjoy variety. Regent offers multiple specialty restaurants which provide more diverse cuisines and the slightly larger size of the ship allows for additional venues (bars and gathering spots) to keep me from getting bored of the onboard scenery. The size also allows a very low density of passengers throughout the ship. Additionally, I enjoy running on the deck and one only needs to circle the running course seven times to reach a mile. The Regent Navigator is similar in size to the Seabourn ships and as such, its limitations make it my least favorite ship. There are several luxury lines from which to choose and from speaking with other cruisers, the first luxury line they tried often became their line of choice – sort of like a first love in which the newness and specialness created a unique feeling. That’s how it felt for me after trying several mass-market lines and then Oceania. My first Regent cruise blew me away and although business practices and constraints have produced little changes here and there, they have not been enough to detract from the total cruise experience. The ship size, dining, service and all-inclusiveness of Regent keep me coming back. The differences between the various luxury cruise lines provide travelers with divergent tastes and desires several viable choices, however, the Regent ships, specifically the Explorer, come closest to perfection for me. Read Less

We do not think the photos and videos publicity do the Regent SS Explorer justice. A phenomenal amount of thought and attention to detail has gone into achieving a magnificent, beautiful masterpiece of craftsmanship. But saying that any organisation is as good as its staff. We feel Regent have moved into a different league with the quality, charm, presentation and efficiency of the staff on board. From the moment we arrived to the sad moment we departed, one felt a magical appealing team spirit. Nothing was too much for the passengers on board. It was fascinating to note that all the crew just wanted to always go the extra mile for the clients. Be it a cleaner or an officer, everyone was friendly, polite, courteous and couldn’t do enough for the guests on board. Most importantly, they all took pride in their appearance. The on board entertainment was splendid. We enjoyed the shows and all the daily programs. Great thought and attention to detail on what the client wanted. Many fellow passengers felt the same. What we did like that the entertainment staff mingled on a daily basis with the passengers and were not aloof like other cruise ships. The shows were professionally presented and extremely enjoyable and entertaining. The guest entertainers were well chosen. The speakers were outstandingly good on their subjects, knowledgeable and professional presentations. The Daily Programme sheets were extremely informative as well the port of call guides were up to date! The TV Guide and the content were excellent and very up to date DVD’s and programs. We felt the tours were at an upper level compared with what we were used to. Why, because there were 25 to 28 people to a 50 person bus so that it wasn’t a mass “scrum” every time and the locations seemed less crowded and more selective and thought out. The storage and space in the suites is wonderful as well as the electrical and charging facilities are second to none. My favourite in the suite is the ceiling shower. Just loved it! The suites are decorated to a five star standard and again a lot of wonderful little touches throughout the suite. General opinion again was that the standard and quality of food on board was the best on any Regent ship if not on any cruise liner. We have always been great fans of Compass Rose which again is well supported by La Veranda, The Café, Prime 7, Chartreuse and Sette Mari but have to say were totally blown away by Pacific Rim. We are huge followers of Asian food but have to say what we had tasted several times on board was the best we have experienced so far in the world. Absolutely brilliant and even better now we attended the cooking demonstrations. The quality of all the bars were superb, well stocked with quality spirits, cocktails, and wine selection. There were a lot of other lovely little physical touches throughout the ship but most of all was the quality of chandeliers, glass sculptures, furnishings and paintings and overall design. The Regent SS Explorer is a quality product. The standard has been set and knowing Regent, this will be maintained at all times. The cruise industry has a hard act to follow. The ship is sheer majestic splendour. It is far from being “bling” or plastic like some other cruise lines. The one aspect we will take away from this holiday is the superb standard of service and staff attitude. We feel we have met so many genuine friendly people and were totally spoilt. Regent have set a new standard of service second to none and we look forward to continue to support the company. This cruise has surpassed our expectations and we have already booked another Regent cruise as well looking at other options. To summarise, one can sense a phenomenal positive atmosphere, great team work, morale and attention to detail and that can only come from a strong and very capable Regent management team As we all know, these days, people are so quick to complain or make a habit of complaining for the sake of it, we just wanted to say we had an extremely enjoyable holiday with Regent. We were really impressed. We loved the extra small touches as well the good food, beverage, and great people. To conclude by going all inclusive with tours, gratuities, food and drink, Wi-Fi, it works out the same price as the main players with all their extras. Only difference – superb quality and service! It saves you from constantly having your ship’s card out. What would you prefer? The only decision we have to make now is where next with Regent? Read Less