Explorer Baltic Cruise - Aug 31st - 12th Sept

Well just back from our first Explorer cruise. We are relatively new to Regent, have only done 5 previous trips on the Navigator.

I must say right off the bat, we loved the Explorer, we had a E Concierge suite on deck 8. Things we loved,

Gym - was brilliant obviously a lot lager than the one on the Navigator

Bars - all nicely laid out, staff great, very good selection of wines.

Dining - Loved the new Compass Rose menu, liked Pacific Rim, Prime 7, but our favourite was Chartreuse. La Veranda was very good for breakfast, we didn't dine in Sette Mari.

Entertainment - Thought the shows we went to, were much better than we experienced on the Navigator. Still think there could be more entertainment after dinner, especially in the observation lounge, whilst Ross playing name that tune is good fun, I think that should have been in another venue and there could have had the band on, playing some dance tunes.

Trips - Very good and well organised

Really liked the layout of the ship and the pool area and bar.

We had a few niggles, but nothing major that disappointed us.

Prime 7 - thought the service was a little off, our sliders arrived with the main course, which was a bit odd

Coffee - The coffee in La Veranda was awful, so much so, we used to use the coffee machines on the Pool deck and make up our own Americana, don't remember the coffee being bad on the Navigator

Compass Rose - The last evening, dinner service was slow, 40 mins after being seated, we had menus, but no wine or orders taken, but a quick word sorted the service out. Then at the end of the meal, my desert never arrived. Not a massive issue, probably shouldn't have eaten it anyway.

Entertainment - Whilst being late 50s we were among the younger cliental on board, the entertainment after dinner and the shows had finished, was a bit dull, but that is a little subjective I guess.

Overall very pleased, loved the ship, and still a Regent fan (must be as we have never cruised with any other line)

Thank you for the well balanced review of Explorer. You may be the only person that enjoyed Chartreuse as much as we did. It doesn't seem to be a favorite amongst other passengers.

Do you think that you'll be booking Explorer again in the future?

Hi, yes we will be booking Explorer next year, still trying to decide where to go. We loved the ship, because although its larger, it never felt crowded. Having not cruised on Mariner or Voyager, Explorer is now our favourite ship. We are pretty easy going, so minor niggles don't upset us too much. As for Chartreuse, thought the location of the restaurant, food, and service was exceptional. Eric was a great maitre d, although some we met thought otherwise :)

We were very disappointed with the Chartreuse menu on Voyager this summer. Thought it was a poor representation of French cuisine, many non popular choices and foie gras which we won't eat for ethical reasons.

Thought the new CR menu was far better and wider, at least they have stopped signatures dramatic 'voilà' removing of the covers!

We were very disappointed with the Chartreuse menu on Voyager this summer. Thought it was a poor representation of French cuisine, many non popular choices and foie gras which we won't eat for ethical reasons.

Thought the new CR menu was far better and wider, at least they have stopped signatures dramatic 'voilà' removing of the covers!

Just a side note - as you know, Signatures is still on the Mariner. When we dined there earlier this month, instead of saying 'voila', they said "bon appetit" (not much better).

In terms of Chartreuse, I wonder if most people in the U.S. are familiar with authentic French cuisine. I think not. We really enjoyed the rack of lamb at dinner and the mushroom chicken at luncheon Explorer. Both are likely not prepared in the French way (which could be why we liked it). Discussions I've heard regarding French cuisine is that they use too much cream and butter in their sauces which is too rich (and fattening) for many people. Perhaps Regent simply does its' own version of French cuisine.

Along the same lines, we don't care for Asian Fusion which is what Pacific Rim is. We really enjoy their sake and tea so we have learned that there are a few items that we like on the menu and no longer try new items in PR.

Regardless of the menu items that we don't care for, we prefer Explorer to any ship we have sailed to date (which includes all of Regent's other ships).

We really love the steak tartare with caviar in Chartreuse, and the cold pate de foie gras is quite good. But the deconstructed French onion soup, while much healthier than the traditional one, doesn't have enough there there. The Dover Sole is delicious, but of course is also available in Compass Rose.

After that, it's good to just ok. We're not sous vide cooking fans, so the Tournedos Rossini in Compass Rose is much more to our taste.

We decidedly prefer the more traditional fare served in Jacques and La Reserve on Oceania's "O" ships. YMMV....

Also just re-acclimating myself to reality after the 12 day Kingdoms of the North Cruise.

I parrot all the accolades you mention; truly the best cruise on the best ship with the best crew...(IMHO).

The first thing I'm telling friends and co-workers who asks how the cruise was is a recounting of how my DW and I arrived in Stockholm two days prior to the sailing, relatively early in the morning, and was greeted by a Regent Rep. who said "Welcome to Stockholm" and informed us that a car was already arranged to take us to our Hotel. When we arrived at our hotel (Haymarket by Scandic) we were again greeted with "Welcome to Stockholm - Your room is ready." The rest of the cruise was a perfect reflection of those first moments.

Our favorite dining venue was Compass Rose; there was never a concern nor a misstep. Prime 7 beat out the other two specialty restaurants but only due to the company present at our table. Chartreuses was nice - but in other ways. Pacific Rim's 'Asian Inspiration' left us pacific islanders shaking our heads. But I did enjoy the Hamachi sashimi and other more focused Asian dishes. Seti Mari was our least desired venue, large because the portions were way to large - especially on top of the Anti-Pasto and breads.

We stayed in a Penthouse B suite on deck 8 that was a joy to live and sleep in. Ignorance of the other cabin options aside, my wife and I had no criticisms of the suite layout or size. Especially enjoyed the double-wide extended balcony. We toasted each port as we departed on the balcony.

A well deserved shout-out goes to our CD Andy Heath and his Social Hostess wife Tammy, as well as Alen the Maître'D in Compass Rose/La Veranda, Prakash our butler as well as Ms. Martina at the Coffee Connection serving perfect coffee concoctions.

An huge external reason for the cruise's success was the weather. The previous cruise was mired by rain throughout. Our weather was 85% sunny in most every port and any rain was a passing shower.

I hope I'm not masking the fact that I had the time of my life! My DW awoke this weekend thinking she was still on the ship and wondering where to go to breakfast...

"USS Morton DD-948 (PI/SE Asia) - 1825 Days.

USS Sample FF-1048 (SoCal) - 92 Days.

USS Cimarron AO-177 (Arabian Sea) - 1265 Days.

USS Leftwich DD-984 (Indian Ocean) - 1034 Days.

RSSC Mariner (Med) - 7 Days :evilsmile:"

Amused by your sailing history!

"USS Morton DD-948 (PI/SE Asia) - 1825 Days.

USS Sample FF-1048 (SoCal) - 92 Days.

USS Cimarron AO-177 (Arabian Sea) - 1265 Days.

USS Leftwich DD-984 (Indian Ocean) - 1034 Days.

RSSC Mariner (Med) - 7 Days :evilsmile:"

 

Amused by your sailing history!

And precisely why I signed on the dotted line for the Air Force instead of the Navy. :D

I woudn't trade those experiences for a Millon Dollars.

I wouldn't pay a Nickel to do them again! :)

Except the very last one, right?

Except the very last one, right?

Exactly!:')

Really loved your reports from the Voyager. We haven't been on Voyager for at least two years but will sail on her twice next year and are looking forward to it.