Live from Explorer...

[M&PGermany]

Dear all,

 

I just got off the Explorer (the travel stress being the reason for my late reply) and I will be working on my report shortly. As I mentioned before the service issues never disappeared... although after I spoke to some of the maitres in the restaurants they seemed to have given the others a "heads up". But that's not what I wanted. I dont need special treatment - I was looking for a relaxed and friendly luxury atmosphere.

Regent undoubtedly has perfect hardware, probably the best that is out there, but the software was (with a few excellent exceptions) not more than average. I heard the comment twice by supervisors that "We at Regent are the best" and you should have seen the faces when I told them that they simply were not. From my point of view the stiff and unrelaxed work atmosphere is not in the best interest of the guests (with ship's management being responsible for that!). The officers on deck would not even stop to say hello or at least hold a door open for you... The room stewards and stewardesses in contrast were always cheerful, up for a chat and funny - even those that were not even taking care of my cabin.

 

Quite a few crewmembers especially in the Food and Beverage department seemed very unhappy and stressed - no small talk, very few smiles. I was never - except for the lovely maitres in Prime7 and Compass Rose- adressed by name. Most of the things you have to actively ask for, e.g. peanuts with drinks, minibar set up, coffee after lunch, a champagne refill... It's not that everything was bad, I had great service by some, e.g. french Louise in Chartreuse or the guys in the observation lounge but all in all it was very far from a luxury service experience.

 

I will give you a few examples and you be the judge:

 

1) The minibar set up arrived 24 hours after I ordered it.

2) After returning from an excursions I asked if I could order a club sandwich to the cafe bar to have it with my cappucino: "No, you have to do it from your room via room service".

After I spoke to a maitre: "Well, this is our service standard".

3) Showing up at Pacific rim for our reservation, the maitre was busy clearing a table so I eye-contacted another supervisor in uniform. She finger-pointed to the maitre signalising me that I have to wait. I later asked the maitre who the other woman was: "That was my boss".

4) Chef Salad delivered to the room without the dressing. Had to call again, dressing delivered after another 20 minutes.

5) See photos... Tables in the Cafe and the Pool Grill.

 

So, there will be a lot to write about in my report and OF COURSE THERE WERE A LOT THINGS ON THE POSITIVE SIDE AS WELL. It's the sort of "It was an excellent cruise, BUT..." report...

 

I'm very much looking forward to all your comments.

All the best,

M&P

[M&PGermany]

Can you take a picture of the red wines with pricing and post that? If it is very long, take a snap of the California and Italy reds. Enjoy your cruise and thank you.

 

Dear Irishwitchy,

 

I took the pictures of the wine list for you. Just let me know where you want me to mail them to...

 

All the best,

M&P

[M&PGermany]

Ohh.. and one final comment on the missing outside observation area at the front of the ship.

 

Do you think that..

 

a) the Italians at Fincantieri forgot about it because it was dinner time at home.

b) management thought "naaahh, the big ships don't have it any more, why bother..."

c) a cool sea breeze is overrated.

d) the Regent suite was more important.

 

;)

[ccruzer123]

WOW - we will be on Explorer next July and reading this surprises me. Never on my 10+ cruises ( all with larger lines) have I or anyone in my party had these kinds of experiences. Food and service can be spotty at times, people are human. However, multiple times on a luxury line like Regent truly shocks me. I hope someone from Regent is taking notes and it is addressed sooner rather than later.

 

I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure things will be fine. Regent is aware of the problems, they searched us out to apologize and discuss it. They truly seemed to be concerned so hopefully things will improve.

 

Have talked at the airport with other Regent cruisers we saw, one said they had a wonderful cruise with only minor problems while another cruiser said the first week was better than the second week.

 

Again, the ship is beautiful and I'm sure you will enjoy. Maybe we just had an off cruise, for some reason.

[ededmd]

Dear Irishwitchy,

 

I took the pictures of the wine list for you. Just let me know where you want me to mail them to...

 

All the best,

M&P

 

Please post (if able) to this board.

The current wine list is recurrently a topic of interest for some.

[irishwitchy]

If you could attach the list here, great if not, my email is irishwitchy at gmail.com. Thank you!

[sharon2975]

would love to see the wine list as well. sharon2975@aol.com if you can't attach and have to send it along. thanks so much.

[ronrick1943]

M&PGermany---Thanks for a good fair report and as they say a picture is worth a 1000 words. Since it sounds like Management on the ship didn't listen to you, I hope Corp is reading these posts---or someone sends them in. Again you should not be managing the staff--I can't believe the people in charge of the dining areas don't see what's going on, to have your main dish still on the table when you have dessert-that's a bit much. We cruise on the 24th of November so we'll see first hand---we also plan to do a review as we cruise about the ship. Since it will be are first cruise on Regent we'll be looking at it as what we expect from full luxury cruise experience. Even after reading reports about Regent we will not go into this cruise with low expectations, we are not demanding but we do except what we pay for-not more, not less. We also won't be going into this cruise looking for problems, we'll be looking for enjoyment, good service and good food. Thanks again M&PGermany, will be looking for your full review. Rick

[1982CruzStart]

M&PGermany - thanks for taking the time to provide your comments. So sorry your experience was not what it should have been. I look forward to reading your report when you have time.

 

Ronrick1943 - thanks for committing to posting your experiences.

[liptastic]

M&P Germany also extending thanks for your honest and balanced review of Explorer. Sorry it wasn’t the experience it should have been. We had quite the opposite time on Explorer in May, it was beyond fabulous in every way, and it’s sad to see it wasn’t like that for you.

Also Rodrick realLy look forward to your posts from Explorer next month. I think you will be able to bring a fresh assessment of Regent being an experienced Oceana cruiser. Jean.

[Travelcat2]

Hi everyone! I'm the friend Rachel referred to earlier. This is my 19th Regent cruise, first time on the Explorer.

 

Even though it's only the morning of Day 2, I have been impressed already with some things that I usually find lacking with Regent.

 

We dined in Prime 7 last and had great service from a bar waiter who was assisting the sommelier with wines. My husband finds the included wines too warm (since they open several bottles at a time when they are prepping for dinner service around 6:15pm or so), and when he mentioned this (after we tried the already opened bottle) the waiter opened a new bottle for us. Husband was very happy. We'll see if we get that sort of service in the CR.

 

This morning we ate in La Veranda. Typically I don't go there in the morning because I've always felt ignored as the staff seems to concentrate on cleaning and resetting the tables after the morning rush. I either timed it perfectly this morning, perhaps because so many people had early excursions, or their training has been better.

 

I'll note right know I won't be able to give any insight on excursions on this trip. I've been to most of the ports before so I know what I like to do, and that doesn't include being on a bus with 25-30 people.

 

I'll find out who the Executive Chef is too.

 

Thank you! So glad that you are reporting from the Explorer. It is always helpful to get perspectives from people new to Regent as well as us "old timers". IMO, old timers can be more harsh in terms of judging service, food, etc., because we know what to expect and can easily see if something is "off". So far it sounds as if they are exceeding your expectations.

 

Looking forward to learning who the Executive Chef is. Wish I could remember the name of the Exec. Chef that was on the christening cruise and maiden voyage. He is amazing (which is likely why he was selected for the Explorer).

 

When you have a second, we would love to read your impression of the layout of the ship and your suite in particular. Since most passengers are in the "F", "E" and "D" category suites, it is good to hear how the suites are compared to other Regent ships.

[thecleave]

The Senior Executive Chef is Aurelian Deumeylet.

 

I have noticed there seems to be a lack of “cleaning up” - this morning in the seating area in front of reception there were half empty bottles of water left on tables. I may be making excuses but that seems to be a sense of entitlement amongst guests at times - “oh someone else will clean up after me”. Why not take your half empty bottle of water with you?

 

In the coffee cafe this morning there was a staff member diligently clearing up after guests had vacated their tables. But that does leave me to question - do they take orders from guests when they sit at a table? I always place my order at the counter, wait for my beverage and then find a seat. I know at the Cafe al Bacio on Celebrity there is a server to take orders.

[Travelcat2]

The Senior Executive Chef is Aurelian Deumeylet.

 

I have noticed there seems to be a lack of “cleaning up” - this morning in the seating area in front of reception there were half empty bottles of water left on tables. I may be making excuses but that seems to be a sense of entitlement amongst guests at times - “oh someone else will clean up after me”. Why not take your half empty bottle of water with you?

 

In the coffee cafe this morning there was a staff member diligently clearing up after guests had vacated their tables. But that does leave me to question - do they take orders from guests when they sit at a table? I always place my order at the counter, wait for my beverage and then find a seat. I know at the Cafe al Bacio on Celebrity there is a server to take orders.

 

No wonder I didn't remember his name..... that is a mouthful. Yes - IMO, he is the best Executive Chef on Regent and is the chef that I would want when I am onboard the Explorer. Without rereading this thread, I don't think that food taste/quality has been an issue on the Explorer - even though service was.

 

Strange that people are leaving half empty bottles of water in the seating area by Reception. In terms of the "coffee cafe" (aka Coffee Connection), we also order at the counter and sometimes they ask us to sit down and they will bring it to us. This is one area that we have had "iffy" service. Some "baristas" know how to make coffee and others don't have a clue. Even though there is a receipe for French Coffee on the menu, if I order it 10 times, it is likely to come out 6 different ways.

[ronrick1943]

The Senior Executive Chef is Aurelian Deumeylet.

 

I have noticed there seems to be a lack of “cleaning up” - this morning in the seating area in front of reception there were half empty bottles of water left on tables. I may be making excuses but that seems to be a sense of entitlement amongst guests at times - “oh someone else will clean up after me”. Why not take your half empty bottle of water with you?

 

No your not making excuses, people should dump their empty water bottles--but if they don't you shouldn't have to see them later. I would think the crew in charge of the area would cleanup afterwards so the next person using the area would have a clean table. Looking forward to hearing about the restaurants and service in them. Just wanted to thank you for taking the time, but don't forget to sit back and enjoy your cruise first---us second. Rick

[NCCruzQueen]

The Senior Executive Chef is Aurelian Deumeylet.

 

Hi Andrea,

 

Thanks for your posts. If you get a chance, would you list the top staff members on the ship now. I'd like to know names when I board in 13 days. I do appreciate the time you are taking to post here.

 

Enjoy!!!!

[RachelG]

So far so good. She had an amazing steak in prime7 tonight, perfectly prepared. No issues with the suite or service at all.

[ronrick1943]

So far so good. She had an amazing steak in prime7 tonight, perfectly prepared. No issues with the suite or service at all.

 

That's great news, keep them coming.

Thanks and sure she'll have a great trip.

[thecleave]

Hi Andrea,

 

Thanks for your posts. If you get a chance, would you list the top staff members on the ship now. I'd like to know names when I board in 13 days. I do appreciate the time you are taking to post here.

 

Enjoy!!!!

 

I was finally able to get this uploaded but can’t figure out how to imbed the image in the thread. Thought I was pretty good with technology - guess not! Here’s a link to the list of Senior Officers & Staff onboard:

 

http://www.andreanovickphotography.com/Travel/Explorer-2017/i-Pvqjr8m/A

[thecleave]

I hope the TS doesn’t mind me using this thread to post my thoughts.

 

Just wanted to report we had a great evening onboard last night. Started with cocktails in the Explorer Lounge. The bartender, Mayya, made me some fresh blue cheese stuffed olives for my Hendricks, which were delish. We ate in the CR around 6:45 pm. Had a nice starboard window table for 2. Excellent service all around. The wine - a Corvina from the Veneto - was the perfect temp for my husband. We both had the Dover sole which was fantastic.

 

 

This morning we had breakfast in the CR. Again, excellent, friendly service. In the past I’ve felt the morning servers weren’t really happy when people actually showed up for breakfast. It always seemed to take forever to order, get coffee, etc. None of that today. Fast beverage service, order taken quickly and the food was served piping hot.

 

 

Oh - yesterday we had lunch in Chartreuse, which was also really good. Lunch is served there from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm. We arrived around 1:00, and were finishing up around 1:55 pm when a couple arrived to be seated. The maitre d’ seated them without question.

[WesW]

Thanks for posting the Explorer Senior Officer & Staff link Andrea. We have found using either Tapatalk or the Cruise Critic Forums (available in your preferred App store) is relatively turnkey.

 

Also, enjoyed your very positive summary of your recent Explorer dining experiences.

 

Finally, thanks to M&PGermany (where in Germany ?) for starting this thread and sharing their first hand Explorer experiences.

[thecleave]

Just had the biggest disappointment so far...no buffalo wings at the pool grill. :loudcry: How did I not hear of this before?!

[EAGLESLOVER]

Andrea

Thank you so much for taking the time to post.

We are boarding in Barcelona on Saturday and those blue cheese stuffed olives will be very happy in my Belvedere vodka.

While I understand that not every cruise is 100% perfect (although our previous cruises on Regent have been pretty close) and we are kind of "go with the flow " people, it is very nice to read a positive report.

Thanks again.

Sharon

[ronrick1943]

Just had the biggest disappointment so far...no buffalo wings at the pool grill. :loudcry: How did I not hear of this before?!

 

No buffalo wings! If that's your biggest disappointment, what a great cruise your having. Thanks so much for your report it's good to hear positive happenings and that your enjoying Regent. Rick

[DaveFr]

Just had the biggest disappointment so far...no buffalo wings at the pool grill. :loudcry: How did I not hear of this before?!

Andrea,

 

You didn’t miss anything. I ordered “buffalo wings” on my September explore cruise. What I got were wings with barbecue sauce. Totally forgetable. :eek:

[Onkel_Ken]

This is sounding like a great cruise so far! I especially like that there is input from folks that have made this cruise or are on it at this time! Sincerely appreciate the time spent in sharing your experiences. To the OP/TS "Gute Reise!" translation "Have a good trip!"