kjbacon

And I can’t see what the specific objection to the smoked salmon is but we think it’s fine.

We are having such a great time and have managed to get a few bright spots of weather. We’ve managed to get stuck in a couple downpours too! Two days ago, we had a fantastic catamaran sailing tour to Bequai and ate barracuda for the first time on our lunch with a view. Dinner that night was excellent in Prime 7. We split the Diver Scallop with pork belly and pomegranate, chilled seafood tower, and rib steak with asparagus (béarnaise and chimmichurri sauces). Yesterday, we had a very good tour in Barbados and visited several nice places including Sunbury Plantation. The rum demo was fun and delicious. We went back to Pacific Rim last night and had another fine meal with great service. We split several apps, Alaskan crab summer rolls, duck confit spring rolls, and pork shrimp shu mai. Our main courses were Beef Bulgogi and Veggie Pad Thai, side of mushrooms to split. Everything was delicious. Today is Roseau, Dominica.

Grenada is a very interesting island with the spices and the aromas but I am in no hurry to return. Vendors are agressive, tour busses are in questionable shape, and the driving is not for the faint at heart. We celebrated Valentine’s Day with our friends, Mudhen, in Pacific Rim and had the perfect meal for sharing. Food and service were excellent. Everyone starts with edamame and rice crackers. Apps were all delicious including a sushi sampler, tempura soft shell crab, tuna tartare, and beef tetaki rolls. Since the Pinotage was very nice, pictures of our main course are incomplete and far from my best!! The Korean lamp chops were fantastic as well as the aromatic duck and bbq ribs with sides of Indonesian noodles and stir fried greens. It was such a great night. Today is St Vincent.

You had a bad meal in both Prime 7 and in chartreuse on the same night?

The weather is still very windy with showers so every morning, we hope for better weather. We did a glass bottom boat tour in Bonaire and at least we got a rainbow over unspoiled Klein Bonaire after the downpour. Dinner in Chartreuse was mixed but overall, a disappointment. There are more tables in the back of the restaurant than we recall and the acoustics are not good. We wondered how they would negotiate our very favorite dessert, the cheese cart, and we learned that they don’t. Instead, they bring a sample plate of their choosing and the server knew next to nothing about the cheeses. Plating, as you can see, was not done with care. Service was off all around. Jack’s seared Foie Gras appetizer was the best dish of the meal. Today, Grenada.

Ugh, lost to a heartbreaker, overslept, and missed breakfast!! Pulled on shorts and heading out on an early tour anyway. Many thanks to the fabulous Regent crew for the party in our room.

We have had mostly very good meals with only the occasional miss. The service is outstanding. Yesterday, I mentioned that we often have avocado with sambal and hard boiled eggs for breakfast. Good and good for you!! Today … We took a bus tour of curaçao this morning and while the stops were only ok, a brand new bus, a great tour guide, and beautiful scenery made for a good tour. There is artwork everywhere and plenty of unusual plants. There are lots of hummingbirds on the island and I was lucky to get a great picture. We are enjoying some people watching while we wait for the Carnival parade. And tonight, FLY EAGLES FLY! 💚🦅💚

Regent is unpretentious and yet has service fit for royalty. I am doing a live thread right now that might be of help to you, if you love food!

Yesterday was Bonaire and we enjoyed a brisk, long walk through town. The Renaissance hotel and mall is worth seeing. We had a very special dinner last night and I’m always amazed at how much Regent will do for you! I called our travel agent a couple weeks before boarding to ask if it was possible to get oysters. He contacted regent and they said they would if they could. These were some of the very best oysters Rockefeller that we’ve ever had. The tray was full and beautifully plated but I couldn’t snap the shot fast enough!! We also shared the caviar service, another delicious and gorgeous platter. And while it might not be a common pairing, we chose our favorite Lamb Korma for our main course and it was delectable. We also had delicious mixed veggies, rice, and chicken tandoori. Sides of fresh salad, relish, and raita were perfect. If you love Indian food, I’d recommend that you request an Indian meal. Please give the staff a couple days notice and the chef prefers to create the menu. Well worth it!! Not my best pictures, true, but an evening of food that good with martinis and good friends beats great pictures any day. Today is Curaçao with iffy weather but tonight we cheer for our Eagles 🦅💚🦅 in the Super Bowl!!

As much as we love the Explorer, we love Splendor more. The ship is comfortable and gorgeous with many improvements over her sister ship. The weather has been horrible but everything else is spot on. Service has been outstanding and the food has been extremely good with only the occasional miss. The wine connoisseur lunch yesterday was spectacular, not to be missed and worth every penny. An enthusiastic staff, creative dishes, and truly fine wines made for a memorable afternoon. Georgiana is a gem. The table set was so inviting. The first course of lobster medallions with Bollinger Brut Champagne was a delightful start to this fine meal. We were all surprised by the Foie Gras on banana bread with candied pineapple paired with a Cloudy Bay Sav Blanc. It worked beautifully! The fish course was everyone’s favorite course, at least at our table. The miso glazed sablefish with chive mash was paired with a Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, just amazing. The meat couse was a perfectly roasted beef tenderloin, bordelaise sauce, potato confit, and a shallot compote paired with a Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia, a super Tuscan, that is now my absolute favorite wine. Dessert was a Chocolate Cheesecake, infused with Irish stout, topped with toasted marshmallow that was really delicious. To be fair, I didn’t taste the dessert wine so I cannot comment. Portions were perfect. We were full and satisfied but not stuffed. Happy hour in the Observation Lounge was wild with waves crashing over the bow. Gino on piano is very good. We went to Sette Mari intending for a light bite but gave into temptation when we saw they had osso-buco and Gorgonzola crusted filet. Both dishes were fantastic! Yesterday was a food day for the books. The weather conditions improved somewhat over night so it is not as rough as it’s been. Looking forward to more improvement there! Today, a light breakfast and a light lunch before our (weather hopeful) shorex in Aruba.

Everything continues to be wonderful, except for the weather. We are in quite the storm and it is expected to last all day again today. Yesterday, we had lunch in chartreuse and dinner in Prime 7. Highlights from lunch included the goat cheese appetizer and the onion Gruyère tart on salad. We had a very nice Bordeaux at Prime 7. The complimentary wines have improved. The tomato soup amuse bouche is always one of my favorites. The crab cake appetizer converted to a very good main course with the addition of sone truffle fries. Today we will be bouncing around a good bit again and have the wine connoisseur’s lunch.

Last night was a great night! The Mudhen and kjbacon reunion was a fabulous time. We had cocktails in the Observation Lounge and agree with other posters that Gino is very good. We had a Washington state Merlot that was nice. We have been very pleased with the complimentary wines. We had picked Sette Mari for dinner to have the Miami skyline in view but the weather was not (and is not) cooperating. It is very windy! Dinner was indoors instead but was still a wonderful night. We had a Tuscan Chianti from the complimentary wine list that was very good. We shared two pasta appetizers that were mixed with a very weak shells in champagne clam sauce and a good mushroom risotto. Jack had the lamb chops with potatoes for his main and said the lamb was good and the potatoes were excellent. I had an impromptu Veal Milanese (built out of the veal parm) that was absolute perfection. Service was excellent. Since we had done our duty so well (sampling lots of the complimentary wine list), we opted out of dessert and stumbled back to the cabin for a much needed good night’s sleep. Day one was fantastic! Today is the first of two sea days.

The Splendor is gorgeous and it’s now our favorite ship. The back deck of La Veranda has some privacy dividers that are beautiful. Lunch was great with the signature prime rib, perfectly cooked, and this is the first time I’ve seen the option of the ribs. We are wowed with the Observation Lounge, a huge improvement and we will be spending plenty of time enjoying it. So far, all crew members have been terrific. We had a wonderful reunion with head sommelier, Georgiana. The list of included wines has improved and the Bordeaux we had with lunch was very, very nice. Day one is always so special!!

The wait is finally over and today we reunite with Mudhen for our next adventure on Regent together! This will be our first cruise on The Splendor and I just can’t wait. Food was my career and now is my hobby so expect plenty of food porn. We also look forward to a Philadelphia Eagles 🦅💚🦅 victory on Sunday. Everyone, please feel free to chime in and join the fun!!

Our first Regent cruise was in 2017 and have enjoyed several since. And our next one is tomorrow!! We hope you love Regent as much as we do. We have always found crew members to be very helpful and willing to assist. The 2025 world cruise is or is nearly sold out. You can waitlist but some cabins have very long waitlists. If you waitlist a cabin and decide against it, there is a $1,000 admin fee. The 2026 itinerary has not been announced yet.

I think this is fantastic! We are boarding the sold out Splendor tomorrow (yay!) for the southern Caribbean and will be happy to benefit from it.

I think this seems fair. One could always grab a quick burger or a dog at the pool grill at lunch time. Very much in favor of this new policy. Also anxious to see how this plays out and happily, I will find out in less than a week 😻 will keep the board posted!

Thank you! That’s what I thought I remembered but just wasn’t sure. Time to get creative!

Admittedly, I should know this but I just can’t remember! Are there any light choices for dressing at the salad bar, other than oil and vinegar? I was supposed to lose the usual 10 lbs in preparation for next week’s cruise but I guess I forgot that too 🤣 and it’s better to splurge at dinner than lunch.

You’ve been advised a couple times now that the only place you need reservations is TK Grill. That is not correct. There are certain special nights in the Collonade, such as the specialty fried chicken menu, that require reservations. Stop at the podium in the Collonade on your first day and ask which nights of your voyage fall into that category. Earlier, I suggested that you make your reservations for 4 so that you could be helpful toward another couple that you are bound to meet that didn’t know they needed a reservation. It’s a lovely way to pay it forward.

We are doing a similar itinerary to yours in just about 10 days so your live from is all the better. We are doing what looks like the same shorex in Grenada so thank you for those great pictures. About Chartreuse, do you remember the wine that you had or which beef dish?

Wow, that sounds like the best day ever!! So glad that you are having such a good time.

I’m sorry that you are having such a difficult time and I hope that it works out for you. It doesn’t matter how you booked the cruise, it is a SB issue and only a SB issue no matter how the select may try to turn the blame onto you. If it’s not safe to book a SB cruise without a TA, SB should not provide the opportunity for bookings on board, on the phone, or online.

Thingvellir National Park in Reykjavik is well worth a visit so if you can, go a day early or stay a day later to see it.

We went to Iceland for the first time last summer and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Prepare yourself for magnificent scenery and wildlife with quaint small (very small) towns. We were not ready for just how cold it can be there in the summer so I’d recommend packing more warm clothes than you think you will need. Bring layers if you will be doing anything on the water.