7 Nights Athens (Piraeus) to Istanbul Cruise

Regent continues to wow

The ship was absolutely beautiful and felt very spacious. I never felt crowded. There seemed to be some a/c issues….I found one side of the dining room and level 4 of the theater very cold. Elevators ample and quick. The staff was as accommodating as always. We had a problem in the Veranda getting HOT coffee. It was tepid most the time. It seemed Sette Mari used to have more offerings…for example no fried calamari on buffet or slices of fresh mozzarella. They did have tomato slices with about a teaspoon of burratta on top. I used to love this dining option but this time I found it just okay. The Pacific Rim is outstanding both in decor and food. Every steak I consumed whether in Prime 7 or other venues was absolutely delicious. On Sea days, rather than the Compass Rose being open at lunch, they opened Prime 7 and Chartreuse with lunch menus. I loved this smaller more intimate dining option. We booked a Serenity Suite and it was wonderful. It had so many drawers and the walk in closet spacious. The on board entertainment from guest performers to lecturers was top notch. Loved everything about this cruise!

Southern Africa on Regent

We just returned from a Regent cruise which included both a pre and post cruise package. All travel arrangements were made through Regent. We selected the option of choosing our own flights going to Johannesburg through Atlanta with a direct flight from Atlanta to Jberg and a direct flight from Capetown to Dulles. We experienced no issues at all. From Johannesburg where we were accommodated at an airport hotel, we were flown to Kasane and driven to Chobe national Park. Regent agents were available to expedite our experience. The lodge at Chobe was an excellent choice in that it was 2 minutes from the park. Needless to say that visiting the park and seeing animals in a natural setting was amazing. After 3 nights there, we were driven to Zimbabwe and Victoria Falls. Again, no issues at all. Great guides, excellent lodging. Then we were flown to Capetown for an overnight at the V and A hotel. Next morning, after a bus tour, we were taken to the cruise terminal for boarding. Here, we experienced a glitch. Insufficient ground personnel made check in a series of long annoying lines. Regent blamed the port authority, but check in was horrible. Once on board, everything ran quite smoothly. The ship is exceptional, the staff excellent though we felt they were less chatty than some other cruises. Food was varied and good, not great! We've yet to experience great food on a cruise. We did like that the pool bar served a wide variety of dishes at lunchtime which differentiated Regent from other cruise lines where you can basically get burgers and pizza at the pool luncheon. Entertainment was fine, though nothing exceptional. Several lounges had varying entertainment during the day. We opted for a Concierge Suite and found it roomy with tons of storage. Amenities were excellent. As alcohol is included, Regent allow one to ask for specific items to be delivered to the suite. For me, a bottle of single malt and a bottle of Cognac were excellent. All excursions were as described though we did miss Mosambique as there was political unrest. Leaving the ship went smoothly and we were taken to a good not great hotel for 2 nights. Only issue was that the written instructions we received were somewhat different than what actually occurred. We appreciated that Regent doesn't charge for drinks and does offer several included excursions at each port. This does set it apart from many other cruise lines. A great trip of nearly a month in southern Africa.

Regent Splendor mostly excellent

This ship is BEAUTIFUL, comfortable (almost better than home). We were in a concierge suite which is roomy, and king size bed is comfortable. Suite stewards professional and prompt. This was our longest cruise ever. Probably too long for us. Although the food was excellent with a few exceptions, coming later, it became repetitive, and I agree with many past reviewers that they need some kind of an informal small buffet, like at pool grill at lunch, incase you just want to stay in your shorts or jeans. Yes, room service is an option, but it's nice to get out. Regarding dining, the service at Compass Rose was sub-optimal. We had to wait too long for next course on may occasions. Simple requests, such as a request for hot tea rather than wine seemed to stymie staff. My observation is that there were too many wine servers, and not quite enough waiters. We thought food at Sette Mari was outstanding, and the service was great. We never had to wait more than 15 minutes for a table at this no reservation restaurant, and they would get you when your table was ready no matter where you were. The hostess had the most amazing memory- knew our names and suite numbers by second night. Specialty restaurants were good. Loved Pacific Rim, with amazing service and menu. My husband thought his rib-eye steak at Prime 7 was the best he'd ever had. I was a little disappointed by the lobster, which was obviously frozen and re-cooked, but service and setting were great. Lunch on sea-days at Chartreuse provided a light meal opportunity with table service. Bar service and drinks EXCELLENT My biggest beef was with the tours. Big groups, and unlike Viking which we'd last cruised on, no sound boxes. Yes, we were in Africa, but audio problems were the worst in Cape Town, where microphone didn't work, and guide didn't seem to care. In Ghana, we had the same experience, and the guide was sensitive to this , and came to the middle of the bus and repeated his spiel. We're not much for shows, but they had a pianist and tenor who performed apart and together who were wonderful!! Pools wonderful. Nothing like sailing away in infinity pool!!!!!