Newbie post

[Belfast Taxman]

Well we all have had a first posting, so here goes and apologies if all this has been covered many times before.

we have just booked our first Regent cruise and got our detailed itinerary from our TA. Explorer is due to leave Stockholm at 5pm and we have a pre-stay not that far from the port but our private non-Regent transfer pick up is stated as 11.00am. Is this way too early? We have a Concierge Suite, so when would we be likely to be allowed to embark?

In the Regent brochure I have there is very little about the embarkation process so any advice, tips or just experiences most welcome.

Finally can I just say what a really useful font of information this forum is. I would go as far to say that it has been a small element in us deciding to take our first plunge with Regent. We have cruised before with Celebrity and look forward to noticing differences. 

Thanks to all the regulars on this forum. I should warn you that this is unlikely to be my first and last posting, asking questions that have no doubt been asked before.

 

[Kitekat]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! And to Regent - we have also cruised mainly with Celebrity but love Regent. 

Boarding usually commences about midday but can vary slightly. We have rarely had much in the way of queues when we have checked in with Regent but we have taken their transport, and the process is more or less the same. If you are making your own way there, I believe you can check in any time. I expect Travelcat2 will come along and confirm this.

And you get a welcome glass of (real) champagne on boarding rather than the sparkling wine that Celebrity serves. Both tend to be a little on the warm side for my tastes!

 

Suites will be available about 13:30 although we have had one occasion when it was quite a bit later. I few glasses of champagne filled the gap quite nicely.

 

Do be prepared for a much more rigorous muster drill than on Celebrity. You will be asked to bring your life jackets and shown how to put them on before trying it out yourselves. And finally, if it's a wet afternoon, you should have a mac with you as you will go outside to your lifeboat position on deck.

 

Once finished and unpack - relax. I am sure you will have a wonderful time on Explorer.  Bon Voyage!

[flossie009]

19 minutes ago, Belfast Taxman said:

We have a Concierge Suite, so when would we be likely to be allowed to embark?

Embarkation for all is normally about midday. 

Your suite will not be available until maybe 2 - 2:30pm, but plenty of time to relax on board for lunch.

[flossie009]

2 minutes ago, Kitekat said:

You will be asked to bring your life jackets and shown how to put them on before trying it out yourselves.

Not any more - this changed recently, probably because of the dangers of people tripping over trailing straps.

[Kitekat]

Ooh that's definitely news re lifejackets. I actually thought it was a good idea. I know they are not complicated to put on but when under stress it can be difficult to remember things.

 

[taxare]

Just to add a bit. After embarkation, but before the suites are ready (generally 2pm for non named suites) you can have lunch upstairs. They will announce when all of the "regular" suites are ready. I was just on the Explorer and can  confirm what Flossie said, you still go to your muster station, you still get the appropriate instructions, they demonstrate how to put the life jacket on but you do not bring your life jacket with you and you do not go to the actual muster station where your lifeboat is. They do still check you in and call for the suites that don't show up. It isn't clear from your post when you booked, but if you are within 14 days of your deposit, you may want to check the member referral thread and get a credit on your cruise. Welcome to Regent, you will have a great time!!

[mj_holiday]

Our last cruise (Navigator) - we showed up about 11:30 and shortly they started checking us in.  Once on board we were delightfully told our cabin was ready.  What we usually do is go to the Pool Grill and have a drink and order lunch and start enjoying our cruise.

[Travelcat2]

A quick note regarding Explorer vs. the other ships in terms of how they do muster differently.  While other Regent ships may (usually) have to go outside by their lifeboat station, this is not done on Explorer (for reasons that I have yet to understand).

[ronrick1943]

You'll enjoy your cruise and I look forward to reading more of your post.  Hope you poet about your trip and what you think about your Regent cruise.

[ClefsDor]

What restaurants are open for lunch on embarkation day on Explorer?

[DaveFr]

13 minutes ago, ClefsDor said:

What restaurants are open for lunch on embarkation day on Explorer?

Just La Veranda and the pool grill. Hope this helps.

 

Dave

[ClefsDor]

Thank you, Dave! 

[rcandkc]

Most of our cruises we have been at the pool grill with drink and lunch.  We just relax and count our blessings we are on another cruise.  At the beginning when the announcement came suites were ready we rushed off but noticed a significant number of people not budging.  I soon realized they were the experienced and knew no reason to rush to cabin.  Now, if weather decent we are one of those...no rush.  Just start relaxing...whatever that means for you.