Occasional observations from Explorer 'Round the Isles' June 2017

Thanks for your reports. Enjoy the last days of your cruise.

Our favourite is Chartreuse, although not many seem to share our preference if the availability of tables at short notice is a reliable indicator. The service from all the staff but particularly Coralie and Celine has been both efficient and charming. The food is to our tastes generally although the slow-cooked beef ribs were lacking in flavour but not in quantity! We were keen to try the rack of lamb but were deterred by reports that it could be tough. The cheese soufflé was consistently excellent as were the desserts.

 

Overall, the standard of service throughout the ship has certainly been the best we have experienced on Regent and the food has been of the same high standard. I do think though that the appeal of the specialty restaurants has been reduced by the new menu in CR.

 

Tonight we dine with the GM and tomorrow we shall dine in Chartreuse for the fourth and final time

 

 

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So good to hear that you are having a great time. Chartreuse is also our favorite specialty restaurant. Don't be afraid to try the rack of lamb. We have had it several times and it was great. Having said that, it is always possible to get a lamb that is tough - even though that hasn't happened to us yet. If it isn't perfect, just return it and get something else. IMO it definitely worth having.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Apologies for the very occasional nature of these reports - too busy enjoying ourselves! As we have an unscheduled sea day today, I'll try to catch up a bit. It's unscheduled because high winds in Liverpool port meant the we needed 2 tugs to manoeuvre off the berth safely. Unfortunately these were not available until 10.30 pm, some five hours after we were due to leave for Cobh in Ireland. Captain Stan decided that, in view of the high winds and seas, we did not have enough time to get there before we were due to leave! So we are now on our way to Dartmouth, our final port.

 

We have now dined in all the restaurants except Sette Mari which we avoid because of the lack of a reservations system. Compass Rose continues to be very busy and unless you're there before 7pm, there is a wait for a two top. We have therefore been dining early there and sitting in the rear where it is definitely quieter although there is a lot of foot traffic to and from the galley. Service has been consistently excellent, we have never felt rushed nor have we waited too long for our food. Wine has been kept topped up and quickly produced when we have asked for an alternative to the standard pour.

 

We were not overwhelmed by Pacific Rim. While the ingredients were fine, the spicing was too bland to our taste. It was very good to find an Alsace Gewürztraminer on offer - although the Sommelier described it as German. Luckily there were no French passengers within earshot! There is also a German Riesling from Dr Loosen available - it is only 10.5% alcohol but not too sweet - we drink it quite often at home.

 

We enjoyed P7 which seemed to be the most popular of the specialty restaurants we actually visited. It is a very consistent, quality product but we are not great steak eaters - 6 oz is more than enough for us - so we don't seek extra visits.

 

Our favourite is Chartreuse, although not many seem to share our preference if the availability of tables at short notice is a reliable indicator. The service from all the staff but particularly Coralie and Celine has been both efficient and charming. The food is to our tastes generally although the slow-cooked beef ribs were lacking in flavour but not in quantity! We were keen to try the rack of lamb but were deterred by reports that it could be tough. The cheese soufflé was consistently excellent as were the desserts.

 

Overall, the standard of service throughout the ship has certainly been the best we have experienced on Regent and the food has been of the same high standard. I do think though that the appeal of the specialty restaurants has been reduced by the new menu in CR.

 

Tonight we dine with the GM and tomorrow we shall dine in Chartreuse for the fourth and final time

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thank you for your detaled reports. You certainly have an interesten choise of wines indeed.....Dr Loosen is a great choise considering its available everywhere for a retail price of just 10.99. Very easy to just swollow away..

My apologies for the hiatus – just too much cruising to enjoy then the unpacking etc! Anyway now we are home I shall just summarise our thoughts on the final days and the Explorer in general.

Dartmouth

This was the first time Regent has used this port and our arrival coincided with beautiful sunny weather. As we dropped anchor early, the tours were rearranged so instead of 10.00 we needed to be in the theatre by 9.15. There were over 100 passengers going on this tour which consisted of a river cruise up the Dart & a steam train ride back. We boarded the ferry straight from the ship & the guide on the river cruise was both informative& amusing - taking the trouble to point out buildings of interest like the Royal Naval College, vineyards, a hamlet with just 3 houses which is known as a village as a clerk inadvertently added a nought to the number of residents in the census, as well as seals swimming beside the boat, egrets on the river bank& the largest elm tree in the country. It took about an hour & 20 minutes with many beautiful views - it was the first warm day which made it even more enjoyable. We had a brief bus ride from Totnes to Paignton in order to catch the steam train. While a railway station had been built in Dartmouth, no trains actually arrive there. Thomas Telford had hoped to build abridge across the River Dart which would directly link to the station, but permission was refused so the line terminates on the opposite side of the Dart and a ferry is needed to get back to the town. It is a beautiful coastline with many beautiful coves & colourful beach huts. From the train we had views of both the coast & the river depending on which side you sat. 4 coaches had been reserved for us so there was plenty of space to move to either side as necessary. We returned to the ship by ferry then tender at about 2.30 & lunched in La Verandah which remained open late for us.

Going Home

In the evening we were booked into Chartreuse again but when we were in the Observation Lounge, Tim Docherty, the pianist, suggested we dined together. However, we couldn't get a table for 3 in either Chartreuse or Compass Rose so we went to Sette Marie for an Italian meal. As he had to play again at 9.30 we weren't too late. This was the first time we had ever dined in Sette Mari, having always been deterred by the need to wait for a table but this time we walked straight in and enjoyed the food and the company.

On Wednesday 14 June we docked early in Southampton at about 4.30. Beautiful weather of course - at the end of the holiday. We breakfasted rather sadly in Compass Rose for the last time.The disembarkation and luggage collection was a smooth operation & we were in our waiting car by 8.45 am.

Explorer

Being critical, we did not take to the layout of Compass Rose – too much the feel of a banqueting hall – but liked the new (to us) menu.We also found the Observation Lounge rather dark but perhaps that was a product of the rather gloomy weather – it certainly seemed more roomy and better laid out than on the other ships.

The Explorer may or may not be the most luxurious ship ever built, but it is certainly very well appointed, sails beautifully and has a marvellous crew. We received food and service better than on any of our previous Regent cruises. As many of the crew seemed to have started on the Explorer, Regent has done a really excellent job of training them up to its wonderful standard.

Rairintogo glad you have given us an end summary of your cruise. The weather certainly wasn't very kind to you on the trip, the Dartmouth excursion sounds really good.

We were on Explorer a few weeks before you and we did feel it was the best food and service we have had amongst the 4 ships.

We were very fortunate to dine in one specific area in Compass Rose and it being at the side area it was much quieter . Thanks for taking the time to post, Jean.

Hi Rarin2go-

Although we were the "other couple" that met with you during the "cruise critic meet & mingle", I am happy we did show up to say hello. You and Elizabeth were always so nice and happy every time we ran into you on the cruise. It was nice to make the connection and enjoy the trip with you. It was unfortunate that the mingle was set up for the first day we got on the ship at 6:00 pm. Either people didn't notice their invitations, or they were busy with unpacking since we had just finished the muster drill.

We enjoyed meeting the officers at the mingle. I think Regent expected there to be more people at the mingle, they had made a nice spread of food. Thankfully, they had the staff go around to the rest of the passengers that were in the Explorer Lounge, not in the mingle, to enjoy the nice appetizers. The staff were so nice, and also said to tell Travelcat2 and Mr. Rumor "hello". Although I don't know you both personally, I thought I'd give you a Shout Out to know that they do listen and follow you, and other passengers, on Cruise Critic.

After being home from an extended stay in London, I finally was able read your report on the trip. Aside from all the communication about the cruise director's upcoming hiatus, I think you gave a wonderful review of the trip. We loved the Explorer. Felt like the ship handled all the rough seas that we encountered. We loved the ports that we visited. Wished we could had better weather.... but that wasn't anyone's fault. It is what it is. We learned to carry rain coats and umbrellas. Not a big deal.

We were a big group (13). We always went to Compass Rose by 7:00 pm. They had a table of 8 and 6 for us. Ivan (CR Manager) was very nice to make sure he saved a few tables for us. Sometimes we were in the "main area" or even in the back of the restaurant. The last night, we sat in the left side of the restaurant and had the best service. We told the staff that we wished we had requested that area the entire trip! :) Not to say, the other staff at CR wasn't good. They were and they were very nice and sweet to my father-in-law. He suffered a broken hip a few months ago, so they were very accommodating to him with him limited mobility. Ivan also helped me arrange a special 80th birthday cake at Chartreuse one night, which was very nice.

I also wanted to add that I loved the fact that the laundry facilities were so convenient. Not that I wanted to do laundry during my vacation, but I am a mom with a family of 4. We were gone for 16 days.... we needed to do laundry. 90% of the time I checked the laundry, I could put 3 loads of laundry in the wash. That saved so much time for me to have 3 washers going at one time. I was holding off using my onboard money, incase I needed to send out laundry, but I was able to get everyone's laundry in our family done before our last stop that I actually enjoyed our last day at port and didn't worry about the dirty clothes. :)

Thank you, Alan, for making a wonderful summary of the trip with your updates on this thread. It was fun to read what you wrote to re-live the trip again!!!

FloridaGirl1962: Really enjoyed your review and thanks so much for the shout out! It is appreciated! As many know, Explorer is now our favorite ship!

While I am sorry to learn that the "Meet and Mingle" was not a success, it is not surprising. As I have discussed with Regent management, Regent passengers are simply not into having a get together where they are not part of the decision process (and have it at a time that someone decides for them). Over the years, we have had many successful "Meet and Greets" that were set up by people on Roll Call that coordinate the time and place with Regent officers. IMO, when you get "corporate" involved (along with CC), it simply does not work. It may take a while for Regent to "get" it! Regent passengers are really into making their own decisions rather than having decisions made for them.

Good to hear that CR worked well for you and your group. We do find the crew on the ship to be extremely accommodating. Plus, you apparently did your "homework" and knew the best time to arrive for dinner.

Hope that your future Regent cruises will be as great as this one was (with better weather):D

rarin2go, FloridaGirl1962, sundial,

Thanks for your reports & observations.

Sorry you had such bad weather during much of your cruise but glad you still managed to make the most of it. Look how the weather has changed - today is reported to be the hottest day in the UK for over 40 years! :cool:

While I am sorry to learn that the "Meet and Mingle" was not a success, it is not surprising. As I have discussed with Regent management, Regent passengers are simply not into having a get together where they are not part of the decision process (and have it at a time that someone decides for them). Over the years, we have had many successful "Meet and Greets" that were set up by people on Roll Call that coordinate the time and place with Regent officers. IMO, when you get "corporate" involved (along with CC), it simply does not work. It may take a while for Regent to "get" it! Regent passengers are really into making their own decisions rather than having decisions made for them.

Tc2,

:confused: I am not sure why you have a strategy of attempting to get CC and Regent to drop the recently introduced Meet & Mingles.

OK, on this cruise the timing & invites were obviously not very well organised, but I have also read reports from other cruises where things went well.

Even though we enjoyed some of the past ad-hoc Meet & Greets, we are looking forward to the new Meet & Mingles on our forthcoming cruises. However, if guests wish to organise their own meetings there is nothing to stop them.

You have already made it clear on these Boards that you have no wish to attend the events so why would you have this issue on your agenda and want to stop these events for others? :confused:

rarin2go, FloridaGirl1962, sundial,

Thanks for your reports & observations.

Sorry you had such bad weather during much of your cruise but glad you still managed to make the most of it. Look how the weather has changed - today is reported to be the hottest day in the UK for over 40 years! :cool:

 

Thank you. Now we are wearing all those summer clothes we packed for the cruise and brought home unused! :)

Thank you. Now we are wearing all those summer clothes we packed for the cruise and brought home unused! :)

Be careful what you wish for. While I don't know where in the Northwest you live, we have our hot weather coming - usually after the 4th of July. I would definitely not want to be in some parts of Europe or the U.S. now. Sadly, people are dying from record heat. We are hoping for cold weather on our August 30th Alaskan cruise.

Really enjoyed your posts from the Explorer. Did you make any onboard bookings?

flossie - not sure why you question everything I say but will respond since there is one really good reason (of many) why I am against having CC/Regent Corporate control "our" get togethers. From watching Roll Calls, people are waiting up until the last minute to see if they "qualify" for the "Meet and Mingle". The focus is on getting people to sign up. Once they realize that there will not be a "Meet and Mingle", the time has passed for the Roll Call group to figure out how to put together a Meet and Greet and they end up having nothing. As we know, some Roll Calls are so small that there is no way they would ever get 12 people to attend.

As a correction, I do not believe that I said that I said that we would not attend "Meet and Mingles" specifically but rather will not attend either M&M's or M&G's. However, this does not mean that I cannot have an opinion. In any case, this is off topic so I will let it go at this point.

Just wanted to thank you for your report and taking the time from your vacation to do it.

Thanks, Rick

Be careful what you wish for. While I don't know where in the Northwest you live, we have our hot weather coming - usually after the 4th of July. I would definitely not want to be in some parts of Europe or the U.S. now. Sadly, people are dying from record heat. We are hoping for cold weather on our August 30th Alaskan cruise.

 

Really enjoyed your posts from the Explorer. Did you make any onboard bookings?

 

Thank you - the staff and the ship more than made up for the weather .

We certainly didn't wish for the temperatures we had in Suffolk today - peaking around 95F and high humidity! - but it will all end in storms tomorrow we're told. Central Europe I would not even think of in mid-summer! We'd love to do Alaska but I can't do long haul nowadays.

We didn't book onboard as, although I'm almost sure we'll be back on Regent in 2019, we're waiting for publication of the sailings for May/June and they don't come out till October, I believe.