Perfect Return to Cruising!

Seven Seas Explorer Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 46

Overall rating:

4.4 out of 5
Verified Review
Seven Seas Explorer

16 Night Lavish Living On The Riviera (Trieste To Barcelona)

Sail date: October 15, 2021

Ship: Seven Seas Explorer

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 864

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 3 years ago

Review summary

This was a wonderful and unique experience. It was the first cruise for the ship in over 16 months. The CEO of Regent was on board for the week. The ship was only 50- 60% full, and full COVID-19 precautions were in effect. We were overwhelmed by the quality of the service, but the guest to staff ratio was probably unusual. Our only complaint relates to the excursions. Something was not right. We were on numerous excursions where mobility-challenged passengers were on tours that were completely inappropriate for their abilities. As a result, there was resentment from the rest of us due to delays by those who could not keep up. Physical requirements for excursions must be clear and passengers need to be responsible to follow guidance.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Overall, it was smooth, but complicated by Covid-19 testing processes and documentation, which was out of the control of the cruise line.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Food was excellent, both at Compass Rose and the specialty restaurants.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Activities were somewhat limited. Regent's small ships are not oriented to a vast array of on-board activities. They offered a few options, like putting contests, but these took place when many passengers were on excursions

Entertainment

4 out of 5
I attended several shows. Martin Kaye did a phenomenal show honoring Elton John. The Regent troupe was very good, but not the caliber of performers on some of the larger lines. However, they showed lots of creativity and talent and variety. The international show was particularly good.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
We upgraded to a butler suite, and it was really luxurious. The bed was awesome, and there was lots of space for our things. The bathroom was lovely. Our butler was totally focused on our needs.

Ports of call

Ravenna, Italy

3 out of 5

Zadar, Croatia

3 out of 5

Dubrovnik, Croatia

5 out of 5

Corfu, Greece

4 out of 5

Sorrento, Italy

5 out of 5

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Superb. There was a huge luxury bus to take 6 of us from the port to our hotel in Rome. A Regent guide was included. She provided interesting commentary on our way into the city, then assisted with our check-in and stayed in the lobby of the hotel until 1 pm to answer any questions, give us maps, recommend restaurants, etc. In addition, the following morning, Regent was there to pick us up at 6 am and drive us to the airport. And then, we were stunned to learn that Regent had yet another person to literally walk us into the airport and make sure that we were able to check in to our flight! This was truly over and above our expectations.
Was this review helpful? 46

4 Comments

jameeh    3 years ago

Glad the inaugural sailing since the shutdown was a hit for you.

javawoody    3 years ago

Glad you enjoyed your cruise thank you for sharing your experience

Curt34    3 years ago

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for the review.

cruising2004    3 years ago

Thank you for sharing your experience