SO HOW WAS MY REGENT SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER CRUISE?

 In a word....disappointing.  Considering the cost, reputation and expectations, what else is there to say.  

• For all the fancy advertising, anticipation and prospect, Regent was just not fabulous and failed in too many ways.
• First, the ship, decor and large suite with sizable balcony met expectations.
• Second, the staff was mostly excellent, with exceptions.
• I found the tours to be mediocre, but the fault could have been me.
• I might be getting too old for these tours.  Walking is a pain and falling is a concern.
• I just don't enjoy churches, mosques, forts, castles and the like, after riding the bus for a 1:15 hours one way to see a humdrum sight.
• So called "markets" were tourist traps with every 5th stall selling the same items of local clothing, incense, fake designer purses, cashmere scarves, camel rugs, local fruits and fried donuts...you get the picture.
• India stops are to avoided.
• Something is lacking when the best parts of these tours are the rest stops.
• Thankfully, all went well, healthwise.  
• The cuisine was fine, but experienced cruisers mentioned that the food on Oceania is better.  In fact, I thought the overall eating experience was no better than the Norwegian American Pride, which tools around the Hawaiian Islands and only has an average reputation.
• The problem is that any good restaurant--and Chartreuse, Pacific Rim and Prime 7 are high class ones--if too frequently used, becomes almost like a cafeteria of the same daily menu with a few daily specials which cycled back all too often.
• I went out of my way to bring a tuxedo and two sport coats, and there was never an occasion to use them.  Even the Diamond Princess had more formal nights.
• They ran out of the premium whiskies the first week and other alcoholic brands of our choice as the cruise went on.  I heard the same was true for certain juices and other commodities.
• The free laundering was nice.  But...they stick on this scratchy identifying label on each laundered piece, which has to be removed if you can find them.  There has got to be a better way to determine ownership.
• The TV and audio were of very poor quality.  They did have a whole lot of films to select, many of them only recently released.
• The two speakers spoke on the most boring of topics.  Did not bother going to even one talk.
• The evening main shows were not worthy of my presence.  But my going to sleep early no doubt contributed.  I was sleepy a lot, and being at sea might have been the reason.
• We had a major incident on which I cannot say anything more.  One of these can ruin any trip.
• As expected, I'm sure I gained too many pounds.  But I haven't weighed myself since leaving Honolulu.  A friend told us she expected to gain at least 20 pounds.
• Departure could have been organized better.  Instructions were to vacate room at 8 am.  Lobby didn't have enough chairs to accommodate.  Overflow sat in the coffee shop, lounges, restaurants, poolside, wherever guests could find chairs.  Many were standing around in the way of guests trying to depart.  Departure by color code and number didn't start till almost 9 am.  Orange 1 got called after 10 am with more color codes to follow.   This led to the bus tour departing over an hour late, which affected tour stops.  Lunch at Jumbos seafood was soon, so bus went straight to the seafood restaurant.
• This was one of my worst lunches, for I am allergic to crustaceans, and virtually every dish had them.  I ended up drinking cola to add calories, my first soda in years, and a bit of fried rice, which was tasteless.  I had essentially stopped eating rice to lose weight.  The only dish I could eat had broccoli and tofu, not something I would order, but edible.  I also had pretty much abandoned breads, but ate a piece of toast, in a Chinese restaurant.  That was my lunch, with water.
• After the all-day tour, buses poured into the Fairmont, and long lines formed to get checked into the hotel.  Reception had been arranged for special check-in to get room cards and provide credit card backing.  But the organization was deplorable.   Guests got frustrated and angry, then vocal with their complaints after standing 45 minutes in a line that hardly moved.   As more buses dropped off guests, many got angrier at the chaos.  Finally the boss lady passed out numbers by asking guests to sit and wait to be called, while she asked reception to send up more clerks to help with check-in.  Helped, but this did not quell anger as guests thought they saw later guests cutting in line.
• Passengers initially were told to find a special room where we were to identify our luggage.   This changed to luggage will be sent to your room, so don't go.  After a long wait, we went down to where the bags were, and it turned out that if you did not pick them up yourself, who knows when they would have been delivered.  Mind you, this is a Regent cruise.
• This ending was symptomatic of the cruise.  For a company like Regent Seven Seas to plan so poorly was inexcusable.
• The Fairmont Hotel is excellent.
• Everything in Singapore is so expensive.

I'd give this Regent Seven Seas Explorer cruise a generous C- grade, by far the worst in all my years of sailing.  Will I return to Regent?  Probably, if we get a good deal.  Maybe the next one will be better.

Am I looking forward in a positive way to the upcoming Seabourn Odyssey cruise in March?  Yes, but I worry a bit about the 53-day length.  Yet, time is running out, as I can still do this, and will.  Living on the 2nd floor skilled nursing unit of 15 Craigside is looming.  It's now or never.