First Time on Regent—Boarded Explorer Today

[GeorgiaPeach51]

I know there is probably curiosity about this first cruise with masks not required so I thought I’d give you an update and some first impressions.

We had a boarding time of 12:00.  We arrived at about 12:03 and were directed to a white tent.  There we joined a medium sized line with the purpose of dealing with all the Covid aspects.  Masks were required.  It took about 20 minutes to reach the front.  We were asked for our Covid immunization cards, and for our evidence of a negative Covid test within 48 hours (longer for internationally travelers, apparently).  It was all carefully scrutinized.  Our temperatures were taken using a forehead scan.  They attached a red paper wristband and we were directed to go to the main building adjacent.

 

Once there we showed our passports and boarding passes, then went up an escalator to security.  After security another short line, five minutes max, as we waited to officially check in.  Passports and boarding passes and Covid immunization cards shown again, and we filled out a short form that notated the exact dates of our two Covid shots and the booster.  We got our suite cards and away we went to the ship.

 

From arrival to boarding the ship was 30 minutes.  
 

once on board, lunch was in La Veranda, or outside at the pool area.  We thought the lunch was great.  Loved the table cloths.  We both found a wine we liked.  The food was good, and the desserts actually tasted like desserts should.  We have been longtime Celebrity cruisers, but had grown weary of the price increases without an increase in value...so we are excited to try Regent.

 

First impressions.  Lovely ship.  Had seen some comments about the ship being dark, but we think it is beautiful.  Very staff member so far has been warm and welcoming.  Although we have only been in a few places so far we are not seeing the vast majority wearing masks.  In fact, I’ve only seen one so far, on a passenger.  The staff is still in masks.  

 

we are in a Concierge suite and it has everything we need, including a ton of storage.  Our room attendant, Rivy, is just great.  Our little coffee maker wasn’t functioning and he had a new one in place within ten minutes, and brought a few additional hangers.  We noted that they are not the wire hangers Celebrity gives you but the nice wooden ones.

 

My poor husband is doing some work and conference calls while on ship so we have not explored the ship yet.  Stay tuned.  I’ll come back when I can.

 

Joanie

[PhD-iva]

Thanks for your posts! I’m a Celebrity refugee and lately have moved up to Regent’s sister line, Oceania. I booked my first Regent cruise to take advantage of a low single supplement. Looking forward to that day, but will need to look for some patience since I don’t embark until 2024! 😵

[PinkMEB]

After this cruise, I have a feeling you will be spoiled by Regent. You are in for a treat. Enjoy. 

[Aloha 1]

Just disembarked today. You will have a great time!

[WNcruiser]

Looking forward to your posts and comparisons. We are boarding on the 13th when you get back, also our first Regent cruise and many cruises with Celebrity. 

 

Have they said how many passengers are on board? We have very few cabins left on our cruise.  

 

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

38 minutes ago, WNcruiser said:

Looking forward to your posts and comparisons. We are boarding on the 13th when you get back, also our first Regent cruise and many cruises with Celebrity. 

 

Have they said how many passengers are on board? We have very few cabins left on our cruise.  

 

 

The waiter in Chartreuse this evening told us there were 400 on board.  And that normally there are 700.  And that last cruise was 400.  

[Zqueeze1]

We wish you a wonderful cruise and many happy new memories.  We love the Explorer and its great artwork.  How did you like the food in Chartreuse?  
Have a French press coffee for me. 
Z and TB

Edited March 4, 2022 by Zqueeze1

[asnaleah]

Thank you for posting about your experiences. We primarily cruise Celebrity and are looking forward to our Regent cruise in June.

[GeorgiaPeach51]

1 hour ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

The waiter in Chartreuse this evening told us there were 400 on board.  And that normally there are 700.  And that last cruise was 400.  

My mistake...last cruise was 500, not 400.  Just caught my typo.  
 

Joanie

[sb44]

3 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

Looking forward to your posts and comparisons. We are boarding on the 13th when you get back, also our first Regent cruise and many cruises with Celebrity. 

 

Have they said how many passengers are on board? We have very few cabins left on our cruise.  

 

 

We're also on the 13th. I think we're going to be pretty full with spring break and no masks any longer. Looking forward to checking out the ship.

[Portolan]

12 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

The waiter in Chartreuse this evening told us there were 400 on board.  And that normally there are 700.  And that last cruise was 400.  

Just for clarification, in normal times, Explorer/Splendor/Grandeur accommodate 750 passengers.  Whereas Voyager/Mariner can carry 700 and Navigator 490.

[DeepFreeze63]

12 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

The waiter in Chartreuse this evening told us there were 400 on board.  And that normally there are 700.  And that last cruise was 400.  

Just off Explorer (yesterday), per Cruise Consultant, there were 505 passengers (capacity is 750 for Explorer and Splendor) of which 125 were GPT. Felt spacious until last sea day with beautiful weather - had nearly full shady part of pool area and pool grill for lunch. No problem with reservations for specialty restaurants except Prime 7 often nearly full for lunch.

[Pudgesmom]

2 minutes ago, DeepFreeze63 said:

Just off Explorer (yesterday), per Cruise Consultant, there were 505 passengers (capacity is 750 for Explorer and Splendor) of which 125 were GPT. 

What is GPT?

[DeepFreeze63]

Gold, Platinum, or Titanium - Seven Seas Society (SSS) status level for benefits.

[UUNetBill]

28 minutes ago, DeepFreeze63 said:

Gold, Platinum, or Titanium - Seven Seas Society (SSS) status level for benefits.

Although now I guess it would be GPTDC, wouldn't it?  Hell, it's been 12 years and we're not even Platinum yet...guess I gotta get cruising more.

[DeepFreeze63]

Alas, none of the 3 Commodores (2000 nights) on our cruise; one was our Triva partner on one cruise - delightful lady. I didn't think to ask about Diamond (1000 nights).

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Morning!  We had a nice evening.  We finally got to explore the ship.  This is the smallest ship we have ever been on, so I will be interested to see what we think after ten days.  So far so good.  We both think the ship is beautiful. Everywhere.  Lots of comfy places to pause with a book.

 

At some times the ship feels just empty.....you can walk through many areas and not see another soul.  At no point has it felt even slightly crowded, of course, with only 400 on board, but it is obvious that even with a full sail the passenger space ratio is very generous.

 

We wandered into the lovely Observation a lounge last night for a pre-dinner drink.  Loved it.  My husband had a drink with limoncello and I had a Cuban daiquiri, I think.   Served with two little dishes with potato chips and mixed nuts.  
 

we had a WONDERFUL meal in Chartreuse. Perfect for a first night.  It wasn’t crowded or even full at 6:30.  First they brought a welcome glass of champagne with a strawberry. For appetizers I had the artichoke tatin, which was just yummy.  My husband had the escargot.  Very unusual....it’s in a creamy sauce.  He liked it.  Then we both had soup.  He had the lobster bisque, which he didn’t love.  He said it was a little watery and a little lacking in flavor.  I had the mushroom soup, which was SO good.  First you receive a bowl with a few mushrooms and garlic cloves.  Then the waiter pours the soup.  
 

Rolf had the lobster dish and I had the Dover Sole.  Both fantastic.  He is allergic to almonds, so they replaced the almond broth with a different sauce and he was a happy camper.  My Dover Sole was perfect, for me.  I will try to upload some photos when I get a chance.

 

For dessert Rolf had the apple tart, which he didn’t enjoy, and I had the Opera Cake, which was very good.  I only had a couple of bites, but it was enough....a pretty dessert.

 

We threw away some money in the casino and then went to Divos and Divas....we thought it was excellent.  Unfortunately we had to leave early since Rolf had to be up at 4:00 a.m. for work.  Sigh.  Speaking of which, the suite has a nice set of drapes that can be drawn across the room to block off the bed from the sitting area so he could work while I selfishly slept.  We both puzzled about the bed....we thought we were getting a king bed, but it doesn’t feel like a king, which we sleep in at home.  It feels like a Queen.  🧐

 

A couple of observations.  We concur with the lack of outlets.  It’s workable but takes some strategy.  The veranda furniture is outstanding and the veranda is a great size.  In the public bathrooms there is no shelf of any kind to put a purse or a kindle or an iPad.  Just a small aggravation.  
 

if anyone is on board and wants to add to this thread, feel free.  Still seeing almost no masks on passengers, and boy, is it ever nice to not have to wear that thing.  I’ll return with some observations about differences between Celebrity and Regent.

 

Joanie

Edited March 4, 2022 by GeorgiaPeach51

[GeorgiaPeach51]

I will attempt to upload a few photos from my iPad.  I apologize in advance if they are upside down!  Last time I tried using my iPad they were exactly that, to my chagrin.

 

[NCCruzQueen]

1 hour ago, DeepFreeze63 said:

Alas, none of the 3 Commodores (2000 nights) on our cruise;

 

@DeepFreeze63 All 3 Commodores are currently on Mariner.

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Regent vs Celebrity observations so far...

 

Our dissatisfaction with Celebrity after enough cruises to become Elite is based on extremely increased cost vs lack of value.  In other words, if we are paying for a little more luxury, we would like to see it in tangible ways.

 

First, comparing a Celebrity Sky Suite with the Regent Concierge suite.  Comparable size.  Both visually appealing to us.  Both bathrooms similar and sufficient.  Veranda furniture on Regent vastly superior in style, comfort and size.  Celebrity has a thing for teensy tables that do not support having a meal or even a snack on the veranda.  Regent gives you a table of sufficient size that you don’t have to balance a coffee cup on your knee if you want to also have a plate of something to eat.  The outlet situation is better on Celebrity.  We like the wine glasses, coffee cups, espresso cups available in the cabin on Regent.

 

when our cruise papers and luggage stuff arrived it came in an impressive folder with very nice luggage tags.....A hint that things were already going to be a step up on Regent.

 

On Celebrity you have to show your card when you order any beverage or drink.  On Regent you just order.  No card needed.  For Regent faithful that is probably “ummm, yes”, but to those of us accustomed to the card system, it is a welcome revelation.

On Celebrity we found that the quality of a drink varied according to the bartender who made it.  I’ll try to let you know how Regent compares.  I’m hoping we find more consistency, snd suspect that we will.

 

It is a revelation to request a bottle of wine for the room, and there it is.  Wow.  Love it.  The food on Regent so far is superior to the food on Celebrity, including both the pool area food and the food in Luminae for Celebrity suite guests.  The food is fresher, more obviously “homemade”.  Nothing in the pool area offerings is dried out and you can order a piece of fresh grilled fish from the server.  The Veranda on Regent has tablecloths, and a calm, unhurried atmosphere, while Celebrity’s pool area/Oceanview is markedly more hectic....you often cannot find a place to sit on sea days.  Of course, in fairness we are on a roughly half filled ship.

 

If you are not familiar with FOBO, we use that term to mean Fear of Better Options....there is just an embarrassment of riches so far on Regent.  For lunch today do we eat in The Veranda, or do we eat in Prime 7, or in Chartreuse or at the pool grill which is having fish al fresco today?  Choices, choices!

 

FYI we only did two Sky Suites on Celebrity, allowing us to use The Retreat.  The first time we really enjoyed Luminae.  The second time Luminae was more hit and miss and we came away somewhat dissatisfied and disappointed. That experience and the high cost of a less than stellar cruise led us to the search for a cruise line.  I should tell you that we tend to be glass half full people, so so grateful to be able to cruise at this point in our lives, so we don’t expect perfection on ANY cruise.  But we do like to see our hard earned money spent reflected in ways we can feel and see.  So far, Regent wins by a mile.
 

Joanie

Edited March 4, 2022 by GeorgiaPeach51

[1982CruzStart]

Joanie, thanks so much for taking your vacation time to bring us along with you. Loving the reports. Have a wonderful cruise.

 

We tried a couple of Celebrity cruises in Suite class after we had sailed on Regent and enjoyed them but they were not comparable to Regent IMO.  We went on them because they offered intineraries that we wanted that Regent wasn't offering. Wouldn't you know it Regent offered similar itineraries a couple of years later. 

I have checked Celebrity offerings every once and awhile but have found them way too expensive for what you get. 

[UUNetBill]

Joanie - ditto on the thanks for taking the time to post while on vacation.  It's good for me to see comparisons as we started our cruising on Regent and have only strayed once (to Cunard).  We immediately came back to Regent and have been hooked ever since.

 

We have friends who love Celebrity and The Haven and the perks...but at the end of the day you're still on a big ship with a lot of other people.  I much prefer the feel of Regent's smaller ships and the more 'one-class' feel.  We also love not having to swipe for drinks (even if they're pre-paid, it's still a hassle, IMO - spoiled, I know).  Maybe one day we'll try a more upscale large ship experience...but probably not.  😛

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!!

[PhD-iva]

2 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

I’ll return with some observations about differences between Celebrity and Regent.

 

Joanie

whisper in my ear…….we can’t let just anyone know about this great value. It’ll be our secret!

[RachelG]

Thanks for your report.  We have only sailed on Celebrity once--and concur with your observations.  Never again.  We will stick with Regent, Silversea and occasionally Oceania if the itinerary is right. 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

We had lunch in Prime 7.  All winners.  Rolf had shrimp and grits for an appetizer and I had the goat cheese panna cotta with beets and pistachios.  Both just wonderful.  Then we both had the salmon.  Two thumbs up.

 

they brought the dessert sampler which was fun...and yummy.