Seven Seas Explorer 10 days Eastern Caribbean Jan. 30 – Feb. 9 2018 - Review

[hksilverfox]

Seven Seas Explorer 10 days Eastern Caribbean

Jan. 30 – Feb. 9 2018

 

First let me give you my overall opinion on things now that our cruise is complete. In one word it was fabulous! Everything we did, encountered, saw was 5 star. The ship lives up to its name in that it is spectacular. It is meticulously clean and spacious. We had about 675 pax on board so we were about 90% full. We had no problem finding seats for meals even at a busy lunch time. Meals were something to look forward to especially dinners which my waistline can attest to. I did hear a couple complain about the food but not sure how you could. There was plenty to choose from and if it wasn’t on the menu you only had to ask. My DW has major food allergies and they bent over backwards to make sure she was well fed. My special thanks to Ivana and Valentina for making her cruise such a wonderful experience! Which brings up the staff. I would love to meet the person responsible for hiring these people as they have got it right. Having worked in the service industry for 40+ years I know how good they are, from the room stewards to the dining room staff, the bartenders to the maintenance staff they were all superb! The word “No” did not exist. We have been on quite a few cruises and this one was by far the best for many reasons.

Staff on board included:

Captain Rosario Vasta.

Cruise Director Andy Heath with his lovely wife Tammy.

Assist CD David Nevin

 

Day 1 – Miami ETD 1700

We boarded about 1330 with very little delay, perhaps 15 minutes total from arrival to boarding. Pass through security, fill out the health questionnaire, proceed to the check in desk with your credit card and proceed on board. We headed to La Veranda for lunch with our welcome aboard champagne and about 1420 the announcement came that our cabins were ready. We are in 667, a level E category and it is lovely. With a rain shower a separate bath and dual sinks. A large walk in closet with plenty of room for clothes for the 3 of us. Enough drawer space for all and the suitcases stuffed under the bed. Plenty of plugs for electronics but we did have a multi plug for phones etc (highly recommend taking one!). We had a king bed configuration and DD on a large hide a bed. We had asked for the eggshell mattress covers on both beds and non- feather pillows which were waiting for us. Lifeboat drill did not take long and was well organized. Sail-away was under partly cloudy skies, 72F and a pretty good breeze. Dolphins and a couple of jumping sting rays to say farewell. Once clear of the harbor the wind was doing a good job whipping up the sea and I think a few people will be feeling under the weather tomorrow. Dramamine already taken as prevention is so much better than trying to cure the ills! Off to explore the Explorer and it really is a beautiful ship. First dinner in the Compass Rose and exceptional service particularly for the family who have major allergies. The show that evening was “Broadway in Concert” performed by the 6 onboard singers and they were excellent. Very well balanced vocally with a great blend between them and an enjoyable show.

 

Day 2 at sea - our first sea day began with a yoga class in the gym. Although 7 signed up it was just me who showed so a good private class (beginner level but you could make it more advanced if that was your need) made all the more challenging as we had a good rolling sea with 25 knot winds stirring up the ocean. The gym is divided into three areas, two with equipment and one open room. Classes are in the open room with sign up sheets usually out by lunch time the day before. Plenty of machines and it never seemed to be too busy. Quite a few greenish people around this morning. Ordered breakfast in the room and had a lazy coffee morning from the café. The Café became a daily stop as the coffees were excellent. We were too late to get in on an organized meet and greet so I organized lunch in La Veranda where our little group of CCers hooked up. It was really good to put faces to names and we ended up spending quite a bit of time with several of the couples. Afternoon Mensa trivia and regular trivia over tea in the observation lounge, a cocktail before dinner at the Captain’s reception, including Regent CEO Jason Montague who is on board. Another excellent dinner with one of my favorite value wines showing up (Arboleda) and great conversation with some new table mates. Temp today at 74F and 25 knots across the bow. Evening show was “My Revolution” introducing the dancers to the mix. Another high energy and enjoyable show. As noted on CC get seats downstairs for better sightlines. Off to bed with the clocks going ahead 1 hour.

 

Day 3 at sea - spin class started the day with 5 people so a bit better showing and a very good workout with Bobby. He runs all the classes and is very adept at picking the level for the class. Still blowing about 20kts but temp a very pleasant 76F. Future cruise presentation to see where things are going and a little chat on the new ship. Itineraries are still being decided on that one. Greek buffet on deck for lunch and some rays out of the wind on the balcony. Plenty of activities to choose from including the movie Dunkirk for DD and I. DW soaking up some sunshine! Shorts, a plus temperature, nice breeze, plenty of sun and no snow, perfect! Tea and trivia has now become a staple in the afternoon and was followed by a superb dinner in Prime 7 then off to see Jeri Sager with her wonderful voice as she redid many of her Broadway appearance songs. Some good Karaoke singers to round off the evening.

 

Day 4 St Kitts – ETA 1000 Dep 2000

Nice sunny day with temps in the 80F range

Leisurely morning breakfast before heading out for the scenic train tour of the island. Had to register in the theatre then wait until they called the tour number. Just enough time to enjoy a coffee. About 20 minutes on the tender then a 30 minute drive across the island to the train with an informative driver. Enjoyable way to see the island with complimentary drinks and a group of young ladies singing local songs. About a 10 minute drive back to the ship (some tours go the other way around). A quick local bite to eat as not enough time to go back to the ship (tender port) before DD and I headed out for some quad bike fun in the afternoon. A few minutes of demos then we began. Not very difficult and a very easy pace to climb up to a good vantage point. Just about anyone could do this so give it a try if you’re thinking maybe. Lasted about an hour on the trails and back to the pick up point where we had a complimentary punch and back to the ship. Made it in time for tea then some sunshine sitting on the balcony which has plenty of room for 3 with two chairs and one lounger. Explored a few more of the CC recommended cocktails in the Observation lounge and off for another lovely meal. Enjoy sitting at the larger tables and meeting new dinner partners. Many staff already greeting you by name even if you have only seen them once, impressive. After dinner off to see the show by David Nevin the assistant CD. In my opinion one of the best shows of the cruise and definitely not to be missed! A nightcap listening to one of the singers, Don Middleditch playing an Irish pub night.

 

 

Day 5 St. Lucia – ETA 1200 DEP 2000

I am enjoying getting into the ports a bit later as it allows time to hit the gym in the morning and get breakfast. Started with a Pilates class with Bobby in the gym and breakfast in the sunshine on La Veranda back deck. The seas have calmed down considerably with about a 15 kt breeze blowing. Just enough to let you know you are at sea! Again we met in the theatre for our tour, The Tree Top Canopy Adventure. Proceeded to our bus when our number called (again very efficient) for a drive through the island lasting about 45 mins. Our tour guide was very informative and had us laughing a lot. The zip lines, about 12 of them of varying lengths and speeds, were great fun. After the safety brief and getting the first one under your belt everyone relaxed with lots of whooping and hollering. Quite a few stairs to climb and a couple of people were feeling it and complaining they were not told about this even if it says fairly strenuous in the write up. We were not in a hurry and most people just took their time. Back to the ship in time for tea and trivia! Dinner tonight in Sette Mari and thoroughly enjoyed it once again. The show, “I love being here with you: the music of Peggy Lee” was well done but my least favorite probably because I am not that familiar with her music. We seem to have a regular group playing trivia now and we got together for a nightcap and to play name that tune. Definitely not my strength but we managed to win. Another enjoyable day with so much to do and so little time.

 

 

Day 6 Antigua – ETA 1200 DEP 2300

Super Bowl Sunday and there is a definite sense of excitement around the ship particularly from our friends south of our border.

Leisurely yoga class to stretch a bit before breakfast and a beautiful morning cruising towards Antigua. As usual we grabbed the Mensa quiz from the library, picked up a great coffee at the café and enjoyed relaxing on the balcony. The usual meet up in the theatre for our tour number and off to the pier for the bus as we were heading out to swim with the stingrays. 30 minute drive gave us a chance to see a bit of the island, quick brief and pick up snorkels and mask (life jacket as well if you want) then a 7-8 minute boat ride out to a platform. Unload onto a platform and make your way into the water. We spent about 45 minutes in the water holding, feeding and watching the rays. Water is quite shallow with the only issue for some getting in and out of the water (ladder). It was a fun and informative time followed again by complimentary punch. Headed back to the ship for the Super Bowl! It all started with a tail gate party in the atrium with food available all the way through the game which was televised in the theatre. A super bowl quiz with prizes and then the game. Long evening (a 1 hour game took 4 hours to play!) but the theatre was packed. Did not see too many people elsewhere on the ship. The ship was supposed to depart at 2300 but they could not get the game signal as they thought another ship was blocking us. That ship left and still no signal. Now they figured it was the island blocking us. The Captain then decided as everyone was back on board to leave early (about 1800) so we could get a signal to watch the game. Smart move as he would have had most of his passengers disgruntled! The game lasted forever as usual but lots of food and drink kept pretty well everyone there until the end. There was always plenty of entertainment in the evening with your choice of the Regent Signature Orchestra, pianist Deborah, Boogie and Kassia (a very diverse and talented duo) and of course the casino. All the venues seemed to be well frequented but never packed.

 

Day 7 St. Barts ETA 0800 DEP 1700

First early arrival day and enjoyed the morning relaxing on the balcony watching the tenders and mega yachts moving about the harbor. Ship pretty empty so we took advantage of lunch in Chartreuse before heading to shore on the tender. Met up there and boarded our catamaran for our sail of the leeward side of the island. 48 foot cat I believe and we had about 10 people on board. Once we got going we sat up on the front and enjoyed the sail to a lovely beach. Had a chance to swim to the beach in beautiful, clear, warm, blue water. Back on board to appies and drinks and about 45 minutes back. It was enjoyable and relaxing and some of those yachts up close are huge! The girls only have one request each day and that is to get back for tea and trivia so that we did. Another superb meal in the CR and off to the show, “Paradis”. A high energy, extravagant display of costumes and dancing. An early night with a sea day ahead.

 

Day 8 At Sea

Good workout at the spin class. This is definitely the hardest of all the programs that I have done on the ship and will definitely burn off one or two desserts. Harry Chittick has been giving lectures all week on different topics and I decided to go and hear “The search for Emelia Earhart”. I wish I had gone to the earlier ones as this one was entertaining and educational. I won’t miss the next one! Sea days are for relaxing but I often find there is so much to do that I forget that so today was a relax day. Really enjoy just putting my feet up on the balcony. Wi Fi on board has been OK with some areas getting much better reception than others. The cabin is about a 5 out of 10 for this but I wasn’t really worried as I was on holiday. DD had a pretty good idea where the best spots were! Tea and quiz time seems to end each day and showers and cocktails start the evening. Evening dress has been at least smart casual with some gents in jackets and no ties others with ties. The ladies always seemed to look good, usually not in evening gowns but very nicely dressed. Smart casual definitely the call. I did not see one tuxedo on the whole trip but I did see one gent turned away entering dinner with jeans on. Jeri Sager was back with her second show and again entertained with her strong vocals. Nightcaps while we listened to some very good karaoke singers in the Explorer Lounge.

 

Day 9 At Sea

 

Mornings now seem to follow a routine with exercise (Pilates) today followed by breakfast and a mid morning coffee on the balcony. Went to hear Harry Chittick’s talk “Space” and it was just as interesting as the previous one. Afternoons are spent being lazy or relaxing however you want to call it after a lovely lunch where one eats way too much. Tea time rolls around again with more food then it is off to shower and get ready for more food, Oh yes, don’t forget drinking usually accompanies all the meals as well. Moderation has to be learned early!

Another high energy visual spectacle called “World Beat” was our show for the evening. This cast of singers and dancers has to be the best we have ever seen. Their energy, choreography and vocal balance is excellent. In all the shows on this trip we have not seen one hiccup anywhere. Superb entertainment!

A final name that tune nightcap and off to bed where we get our hour back!

 

Day 10 Nassau ETA 0800 DEP 1700

 

We were docked beside 3 other Carnival ships and calculated there were 8500 passengers being deposited on the dock. The theatre routine to get our tour tickets once again was quick and efficient except for people who showed up late and delayed departures. Not sure why people can’t read the departure time and be on time. A minute or two is acceptable but having to wait 15-20 minutes is unreasonable. Just my little gripe.

We were given a number and headed off to find that group on the pier and escorted to the boat. Many tours leave from the same place so keep an ear open for which boat is yours. We boarded a large catamaran headed for the Blue Lagoon Island Dolphin Encounter. There were many different tours on the same boat doing different things but the boat had plenty of room. Sit upstairs on the left side to see the magnificent homes!

We were escorted to the encounter area and equipped with life jackets and made our way to the encounter platform. There are 2 sets of about 4 stair ladders to climb down so be aware if you have issues. About 45 minutes is spent with the dolphins and then you are headed back to the boat for the trip back into town. We went back to the ship to get a head start on cramming all our stuff into our suitcases then the final tea and quiz with our little trivia gang and then down to “spend” all out Regent reward points. An invite to a farewell party with some new friends allowed us a peek at a Grand Suite. Beautiful! Last dinner in CR then off to the Beatles dance party in the atrium. Andy, Tammy and David did a great job and seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves which was contagious. Back to the cabin to get the bags out by 2300 double checking we had not packed what we needed for the morning!

 

Day 11 Miami ETA 0700

 

As you will have seen I have said ETA on every port. This gives you an idea but I would say we were early arriving every time. Not by a lot but we certainly were never late. The same with our arrival back to Miami. We were tied up by 0700. We had asked for the earliest time to get off which was 0830 and were told that they expected to have us cleared by then.

Final bills had been sent to the room the night before and if you had left a credit card you did not need to do anything. We had to be out of our cabin by 0800 so we were up for breakfast about 0700 and sitting in the Explorer lounge by 0800. At 0810 our number was called and we were off the ship. As we got off there was a long line waiting for the elevator. I asked and was told if I went the other way I could walk down the stairs which we did. It is about 2 flights if you are OK carrying your bags. We grabbed our suitcases, cleared customs and immigration and were in a taxi headed for the airport before 0830! It could not have gone any smoother!

 

I hope this has given you a bit of an insight into out wonderful vacation on Seven Seas Explorer. If you have any questions please send them along and I will endeavor to answer them.

 

A wonderful holiday and we can’t wait for our next trip in 2019!

[Travelcat2]

Thank you for posting your amazing review -- it was a delight to read. You feel the same way as we do about the Explorer! What a wonderful ship!

 

What itinerary have you booked for 2019 (and what ship)?

[Keith1010]

This is a very well organized and thoughtful trip report/review.

 

Thani you for taking the time to write it and to share it on this board.

 

Keith

[liptastic]

What a great review and well written and detailed.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise, and thanks for posting a great read. Jean.

[1982CruzStart]

Thank you for the great review. Welcome home to BC. The trip must have been a much needed break from our never ending winter here. This has been our worst winter in the 40+ years i have lived here.

I echo TC2 what is the 2019 cruise?

[Snore42]

Great job Greg. We enjoyed getting to know you and your wonderful family!

[travelingduo]

Thanks for the thorough review. I was curious about the spin classes. How many bikes are there and is this a fee based class? Do the bikes accommodate cycle shoes or did you just wear regular trainers? I spin 5 days a week and would love to be able to continue that on the ship. Thanks!

 

 

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