eroller

Attached are some preview photos from taken from my full photo album.

Attached below in a link to ship photos, menus, daily programs, and a few videos. I tried to photograph most of the ship. This cruise departed Miami on April 12, 2024 for three nights to Key West and Nassau. MSC MAGNIFICA is a midsized ship at 95,000gt and 2550 pax (double occupancy). She recently turned 15 years old so definitely not brand new. MSC has used her twice for world cruises and this is her first ever season in North America. Like all MSC ships she is very well maintained. She is showing her age in the decor department but somehow I find it quaint, because it reminds me a little of how cruising used to be. One lounge flows into the next and there are an incredible amount of bars (17 I think). Even a traditional disco. There are also 4 sets of elevator/stair towers spaced evenly along the length of the ship. Ships are just not designed this way anymore and you’re lucky to have two sets of elevators/stairs on the mega ships of today. This was a full sailing and she feels quite spacious and never a wait for an elevator. There is a traditional promenade deck under the lifeboats and it’s wonderful, but it’s void of any seating which is unfortunate. It’s great for strolling though and while not full 360 wrap-around it’s a horseshoe around the front. On this short 3-day cruise MSC puts on three full production shows and they are damn good. A big cast and some really excellent singers (more Broadway quality than cruise ship). MSC tends to excel at entertainment and puts on some great shows. Live music is prevalent as well and you literally stroll from one lounge to the next with a different genre of live music playing. This ship is very alive at night. I was in cabin 10060, a standard balcony cabin. As blue is my favorite color I absolutely loved the cabin. If you like blue, pick on cabin on Deck 10 as they are all blue. They will be a different color on other decks. The cabin was cozy and nicely finished, with a standard bathroom with small shower and the dreaded shower curtain. The balcony is quite narrow but large enough for a couple chairs and a table. A/C worked great and I never heard anything from other cabins. I also loved the location close to the forward elevators and my cabin stewardess Connie was excellent. I was originally booked in an obstructed ocean view on Deck 8, but bid for an upgrade ($35 per person/$70 total) for a partial view balcony. About 2-3 days prior to the cruise the upgrade came through, and I was assigned this great cabin with no obstruction. I highly recommend it. Service was friendly and efficient and food just ok. It’s not superb but you won’t starve. We ate in the dining room each evening and it tends to feel very busy. I felt the buffet has improved since my previous MSC cruises. There still isn't the variety and selection like you might find on NCL or Royal Caribbean, but it was certainly adequate. As always on MSC the pizza was excellent as was the soft serve with unlimited toppings I quite liked the burgers and fries as well. Cuisine has never been MSC’s strong suit and it still isn't, but it's catching up especially as the other mainstream lines dumb down their dining budget. Back to decor, MSC loves red, purple, blue, green, rust, brown, mustard, and burnt orange. You will even find these colors on the new MSC ships. Lots of suede and velour seating and plenty of shiny surfaces. While not new any more, it's all very well kept. This style of decor is typical of MSC and some of it reminds me of Home Lines and the Italian Line from a bygone era. The ship also smells like a true ship. It’s a combination of varnish, fuel, a/c, a hint of cigarette smoke, and MSC’s cleaning solution which I love. Carnival’s ships used to have a certain smell as well (that I loved) but those days are over. Anyway those are the highlights. Overall a great experience on a nice ship for an inexpensive getaway. Lastly a very international passenger mix for a short cruise and very diverse. Again this is more typical of MSC. They attract a lot of Europeans and South Americans but I was surprised to see so many on this short cruise. Even India and the Middle East were represented. Everyone was well behaved and I witnessed none of that horrible behavior another nameless cruise line is becoming notorious for. Just people from all walks of life enjoying themselves. Would I recommend this cruise? Absolutely but you have to put your expectations in line with what you’re paying and remember it’s not a brand new ship. Also MSC beats to its own drum and for me at least that is part of the charm. They are not NCL, Carnival, Royal, etc. They do things a bit differently and you shouldn’t expect a clone of those other lines. As the saying goes … when in Rome. Pictures Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eroller/albums/72177720316239370

Lucky! I love a crossing and I love the Grandeur. Win win!!

In NY on business and I couldn’t resist a stroll to the West Side Piers to see my girl Seven Seas Grandeur. I just got off her a few weeks ago and now she is headed to Europe. Looking fabulous which is no surprise. I have so many childhood memories of these piers from the 70’s and onwards. Many an afternoon spent touring ships here and sailing in and out of these terminals. I would drag my grandmother up to NY and we would walk through Hell’s Kitchen from Port Authority to the piers. Then usually lunch and a play before heading home. Some of my favorite memories of my grandmother and childhood. I can tell you the terminals haven’t changed much. I walked into one and I was brought right back to my childhood and the 70’s! It was these piers, touring the ships, and taking sailings out of NY that started a lifelong fascination with passenger ships and the cruise industry. Here we are some 45+ years and 150 cruises later. Thank you grandmom! ❤️

Both.

Not from what I’ve heard.

I think you mean NAVIGATOR.

The two new ships are going to be larger but the ratio of passengers is far higher than any Regent ship. The space ratio is enormous so these new ships are going to be incredibly spacious. Seven Seas Grandeur 55,000 gt 744 pax 73.9 space ratio Newbuilds 77,000 gt 850 pax 90.6 space ratio

The cabin was awesome. I think the Superior Suites/Concierge Suites on the Explorer Class ships are some of the best designed cabins afloat. I love the bed faces the balcony, and the closet and bathroom are awesome. Have a fantastic time on the NAVIGATOR. She seems to have a strong following and that small size must be nice. So far my only Regent cruises have been on the Explorer Class. It would be interesting to try out one of the old ships. Bon Voyage!

Just back a few days ago from a 10-day sailing of SEVEN SEAS GRANDEUR. This cruise was round trip Miami to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Harvest Caye Belize, Santo Tomas De Castilla Guatamala, Roatan, and Key West. We enjoyed fantastic weather pretty much the entire cruise. This was my second time on GRANDEUR and I felt she is as good as ever. I really love this ship, the crew, staff ... pretty much everything. She is an all-time favorite ship which is saying a lot as this was around cruise 144 for me. Regent just got it right on so many levels with this ship and the entire experience. Everything was awesome with just a couple exceptions. Our cabin was 718, a Concierge level forward on the port side. We were just at the beginning of the bump-out and I loved having an angled balcony. It seemed larger even though I know it was a little smaller. Absolutely no noise from anywhere around us. The cabin was super quiet. Alyssa was an amazing cabin attendant and all our special requests were ready and waiting as we entered the cabin. My only complaint would be the temperature in the shower would vary on its own from chilly to boiling hot. You had to be very careful with the temperature setting. This was not an issue my last time on GRANDEUR (cabin 856) so I'm assuming it's more a problem in the forward section of the ship. Our friends in cabin 706 had the same issue. Food, entertainment, service all exceptional. The entire crew really went out of their way and everyone was so friendly and accommodating ... with one small exception. The Pool Grill fell short to the rest of the amazing dining experiences on GRANDEUR. Not so much the food and selection but the service. It was the only time the entire 10-day cruise we received indifferent service. The bar service was great, the food service not so much. After waiting about 15 minutes for anyone to acknowledge us, I got up to seek out someone. I found a head waiter and let him know. He brushed me off but sent a waiter over to our table. The waiter seemed very put out. Honestly this was the only negative experience the entire 10 days so really no big deal. It's just that all the other experiences were so elevated that the Pool Grill wasn't up to the standard. We dined there a few times and the other experiences were better but not great. I think it's just understaffed to be honest. Also some ceiling fans would be welcome as it gets pretty hot and steamy in there even with the windows open. I felt bad for the wait sfaff as there was little air flow. My only other area of opportunity is the end of cruise survey. This had to be completed prior to the end of the cruise and using the ship's WIFI network. Who wants to worry about a survey while enjoying your cruise? Not me. This should be emailed and completed at home within 1-2 weeks of sailing like almost every other cruise line does. Also the survey link was so glitchy and kept crashing. It took me about 5 times to complete the survey and get it submitted successfully. I'm sure many others gave up and it's a disservice to Regent not getting the feedback (good and constructive) needed to perfect the product moving forward. And yes I did put this in the survey! LOL Attached are some pictures from the cruise. I hope you enjoy and Bon Voyage to all with future sailings on SEVEN SEAS GRANDEUR. You're in for a treat.

Glad to hear everything is good so far. No doubt someone tried flushing something they shouldn’t down the toilet. So frustrating. Even with the signs at every toilet and warning notices in Passages.

I don’t think anyone ever said you can’t tip extra if you want. That is on you. But the gratuities are included in the cruise fare and there is no expectation to tip extra. So yes, tips are absolutely included in the cruise fare.

According to Regent’s own advertising, gratuities are already included in your cruise fare. Nothing else is expected. Yes if you feel compelled to tip extra that is on you. No one will stop you. But entirely unnecessary.

Pretty much every cruise line is hiring. If crew can make more on other lines no one is stopping them. Bottom line Regent promotes that gratuities are already covered in the cruise fare. It’s not my place to know what the crew gets paid or feel guilted into to paying an additional gratuity. That is their relationship between them and their employer. They sign an employment contract knowing full well that Regent is a non-tipping line. I assume that they are compensated to offset the gratuities that are paid out on other lines where tips are basically mandatory. If not there would be no retention at Regent and crew would simply avoid them like the plague. Too many other lines they can work for.

And honestly I think this is the risk when people tip on a non-tipping line. It then becomes expected and people feel obligated. It’s a slippery slope. There are other ways to show appreciation. As mentioned earlier, for something extraordinary I can understand. For just doing your job and even doing it well, the tips are covered. As an American where we tip for everything, it’s refreshing not to have to worry about it on a Regent cruise.