Splendor February 2023: An Extremely Detailed First Timer's Review!

[Pcardad]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

I can only comment honestly on personal experiences, not on empirical statements.

 

I won't get into a fight over whether or not I saw the General Manager but the deck chair policy is most certainly NOT being enforced. I witnessed numerous people holding chairs both in the shade and in the sun.

I have read from multiple other people that it is so.....I guess we will agree to treat your findings as "strangely amusing" to use your words from post #3.

[Dr. Cocktail]

4 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

I have read from multiple other people that it is so.....I guess we will agree to treat your findings as "strangely amusing" to use your words from post #3.

It's like arguing with my cat .....

[1982CruzStart]

Thank you for your detailed review.  I enjoy reading everyone's perspective on their trips, the good, the bad and the ugly. It is all great information. 

i hope Explora Journey turns out to be all that you want. 

[jeb_bud]

Thanks for the review and the objective observations. Fortunately for us most of your negative experiences were things we don’t care about. We generally dine early and don’t spend time at the pool. Based on your experience I think we’ll make sure to continue that way. 
 

I empathize with your sliding door issues. Our last cruise was on Splendor in 2022 in a Penthouse. Both doors were very hard to open. Restaurant service was generally fine but on average not quite as good as our previous cruises. We’ll be on Voyager in May. Hopefully as we exit the COVID era service will get back to normal. 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

We were on Splendor in January and sailing again tomorrow. We loved our cruise. Except for lack of chairs at the pool, we experienced none of the issues discussed. 
Dining was great in every restaurant. F and B Manager was present almost every night in the dining venues. I agree Seti Mara has become very popular and crowded. Plan accordingly. 
Didn’t see the Hotel Manager. However, if I needed him, I knew where to find him. 
Perhaps, I will be more critical next week…but I really don’t expect that. 
We are regular Regent folks. My favorite!

sheila

[Pcardad]

2 minutes ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

We were on Splendor in January and sailing again tomorrow. We loved our cruise. Except for lack of chairs at the pool, we experienced none of the issues discussed. 
Dining was great in every restaurant. F and B Manager was present almost every night in the dining venues. I agree Seti Mara has become very popular and crowded. Plan accordingly. 
Didn’t see the Hotel Manager. However, if I needed him, I knew where to find him. 
Perhaps, I will be more critical next week…but I really don’t expect that. 
We are regular Regent folks. My favorite!

sheila

GM turns over tomorrow on Splendor...

[Gpilon]

19 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

GM turns over tomorrow on Splendor...

Do you know who GM and CD will be for our March 28 TA on Splendor?

 

[carolina cruisin]

1 hour ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

I can only comment honestly on personal experiences, not on empirical statements.

 

I won't get into a fight over whether or not I saw the General Manager but the deck chair policy is most certainly NOT being enforced. I witnessed numerous people holding chairs both in the shade and in the sun.

The matter of the chair hog situation not being enforced is not 100% accurate.  Having been on the same cruise, I do agree that chairs were hard to come by most of the time - but, the situation was being monitored.  I saw a LOT of items placed on the "table" by the pool bar. Imagine it was hard to keep up but they were trying.  As stated many times, different people see things in different ways and encounter different situations.  Thank goodness for "difference".

[Pcardad]

6 minutes ago, carolina cruisin said:

The matter of the chair hog situation not being enforced is not 100% accurate.  Having been on the same cruise, I do agree that chairs were hard to come by most of the time - but, the situation was being monitored.  I saw a LOT of items placed on the "table" by the pool bar. Imagine it was hard to keep up but they were trying.  As stated many times, different people see things in different ways and encounter different situations.  Thank goodness for "difference".

<Meow> 😃 

 

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, 1982CruzStart said:

 

i hope Explora Journey turns out to be all that you want. 

Thanks!  As you can tell from my signature, I like trying different products!

58 minutes ago, jeb_bud said:

 

Fortunately for us most of your negative experiences were things we don’t care about. We generally dine early and don’t spend time at the pool. Based on your experience I think we’ll make sure to continue that way. 
 

 

 

That's the point of my disclaimer and my review - a good review contains information that you can use in helping make a decision. I'm not here to preach to the converted!

[Dr. Cocktail]

17 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

<Meow> 😃 

 

Was that so hard?! 

[Dr. Cocktail]

48 minutes ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

We are regular Regent folks. My favorite!

sheila

Combining "regular", "Regent" and "folks" in sequence is an oxymoron!

 

I have enjoyed your posts and let's face it - all of our discussions in this thread are from an extremely lucky group of people (myself included) who have the ability to cruise on Regent.

 

I ABSOLUTELY know that this product is perfect for many people - I think it's important to have a comprehensive review for newbies to see why I liked/didn't like aspects of the cruise and see if it applies to them.

[Dr. Cocktail]

29 minutes ago, carolina cruisin said:

The matter of the chair hog situation not being enforced is not 100% accurate.  Having been on the same cruise, I do agree that chairs were hard to come by most of the time - but, the situation was being monitored.  I saw a LOT of items placed on the "table" by the pool bar. Imagine it was hard to keep up but they were trying.  As stated many times, different people see things in different ways and encounter different situations.  Thank goodness for "difference".

Um, it's called The Table of Shame. Accuracy is critical.

[RachelG]

Good review.  Fortunately different strokes for different folks.  A lot of issues you mentioned aren't a problem for my husband and me because we generally eat early and we definitely are not pool deck people (though chair hogging should NOT be allowed).  But I do agree with you about the difficulty opening the door to the balcony--on our previous cruise on Splendor, I was never able to open it.  My husband could do it with difficulty. 

 

As far as Pacific Rim, it is totally inconsistent.  Some great meals there but others very similar to what you describe and like I said, we eat early so the time of the meal isn't the solution. 

[mrstanley]

We found all the restaurants to be inconsistent. 

We try to avoid Compass Rose as we don’t like the venue. Ugly decor and the lighting is too bright. Not a warm and inviting place to eat. The other restaurants are so beautiful… what happened to CR?

 

It’s like eating in a cafeteria. The size is too big… they should consider closing off the section near the kitchen. 
 

All our friends feel the same about CR.

At least they could dim the lights!

[Dr. Cocktail]

3 hours ago, RachelG said:

 

 

As far as Pacific Rim, it is totally inconsistent.  Some great meals there but others very similar to what you describe and like I said, we eat early so the time of the meal isn't the solution. 

Thanks!

2 hours ago, mrstanley said:

We found all the restaurants to be inconsistent. 

We try to avoid Compass Rose as we don’t like the venue. Ugly decor and the lighting is too bright. Not a warm and inviting place to eat. The other restaurants are so beautiful… what happened to CR?

 

It’s like eating in a cafeteria. The size is too big… they should consider closing off the section near the kitchen. 
 

All our friends feel the same about CR.

At least they could dim the lights!

Soooooo funny .... on our first dinner at CR, we were likely the last ones seated in the dining room and one of the last to leave. We were lingering over our desserts/cheeses when they turned the lights on FULL!

 

We looked at each other and said: "we get the message!"  and broke out in hysterical laughter - just one of those times.  We just found it hilarious and walked past the podium as the lights went back to normal.

 

We told Jorge, laughing, that everyone could now clean up.

 

He was MORTIFIED!!!!!!  We honestly thought his head would explode.... he would speak to the server who accidentally turned out the lights, was our evening ruined, he's so embarrassed, etc, etc, etc....

 

Of course, we were still laughing and I finally had to put my hand on his shoulder and say: "There is only one person upset here and it's not us! We had a great dinner and a laugh - relax!"

Edited March 10, 2023 by Dr. Cocktail

[ILoveMyDogs]

5 hours ago, Pcardad said:

My point was that I use Regent for the transport, the food and the comfort....not the entertainment. Even with that criteria, Ray stands out as an exceptional CD. I was a little leery early on but I have come to know and appreciate him greatly. He actually kept his trivia contests going all through Covid for people who wanted to play. 

 

[ILoveMyDogs]

Love Ray . I’d definitely book a cruise no matter where it was going if I knew Ray was on board . We’ve sailed Voyager, Mariner , Explorer and are signed up for a Splendor . Just might need to give Navigator a try 

[cwn]

Ray is the best….a Regent cruise with him as CD is special, and especially so on the Navigator. The ship’s size really makes Ray’s CD style shine!

[forgap]

Massive flooding at the pier in a port in Indonesia.  We waded knee deep through water to get to the gangplank.  Here is Ray greeting us.  Gotta love it!

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by forgap

[lincslady]

Nearly everyone loves Ray, but he is a bit different and a few take time to warm to him, or maybe never do.  I have cruised with him several times, though not for ages, and have fond memories.

[Vivaldi]

On 3/9/2023 at 10:09 PM, Dr. Cocktail said:

The ambient music in the restaurants is generally terrible - not dissimilar from what you would hear in a supermarket.

 

As someone who has considered taking a RSS cruise, could I ask whether all the restaurants onboard have background music? Being a retired classical musician I'm afraid that unavoidable background music would be a bit of a deal-breaker for me! 

Very interested to read your detailed and balanced review. Many thanks.

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, Vivaldi said:

 

As someone who has considered taking a RSS cruise, could I ask whether all the restaurants onboard have background music?

Thanks!

 

ALL the restaurants have background music and while tastes are different, it's ... bad! The word "curated"  is extremely overused these days (a blt sandwich is now a "curated porcine medley with artisanal lettuce cultivated in a free-range rabbit warren and Yusmani (it's important to make up a word) tomatoes."

 

Having said this, if you're going to have music (and I am a fan) in the background, it should be curated to be appropriate for the venue and the audience.  

 

You can't hear the music when the restaurants are full but as we dined late, as the venues emptied out, the music became VERY apparent. 

 

[Camillus112]

1 hour ago, Vivaldi said:

 

As someone who has considered taking a RSS cruise, could I ask whether all the restaurants onboard have background music? Being a retired classical musician I'm afraid that unavoidable background music would be a bit of a deal-breaker for me! 

Very interested to read your detailed and balanced review. Many thanks.

 

My DH is also a classical musician and, like you, dislikes background music in restaurants.  I will say that in our one (and until December) only Regent cruise in 2020, the music did not interfere as it was kept low.  We are early diners and, of course, the full venue helps to dim the sound.

[fizzy]

39 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Thanks!

 

 The word "curated"  is extremely overused these days (a blt sandwich is now a "curated porcine medley with artisanal lettuce cultivated in a free-range rabbit warren and Yusmani (it's important to make up a word) tomatoes."

 

Hopefully with farm fresh creamery butter....like the local diner has.