7 Nights Alaska Rails & Trails Vancouver To Anchorage Cruise

Another great trip on Regent!!!

This was our sixth cruise with Regent and the fourth time on the Explorer. The itinerary was what hooked us and it was a wonderful experience. Although the Explorer just turned eight years old, it is still in very good shape in the common areas and rooms. The staff was stellar and the friendliest of all Regent cruises though that's hard to top. Everyone was always smiling and looked happy in their jobs. The food was superb and the bartenders were some of the best we have ever encountered. The singing duet in the Explorer Lounge was from the Philippines and were truly outstanding. The best entertainment on a Regent cruise ever. Many of the Free excursions were cancelled for various reasons which were never explained. In total, the trip was a great experience and we met some great people from throughout the world on the trip. It's tough to beat Regent.

The Best Cruise Line Ever

This cruise line is amazing. The very best in my opinion. They don’t doubt you have celiac disease, they accommodate you very well. They have kids programs, which my niece used every day and had a terrific time. Their ports are amazing, their free excursions are pretty darned good too. The butler is always phenomenal, as are the housekeeping staff. I’ve travelled with them several times, and I will never travel with any other cruise line after this summer. They have great onboard activities and entertainment. Many years ago, 11 to be exact, I took my Dad on the same cruise. We ended up having a diversion because a fisherman was gravely injured, the captain came on the intercom and let us know about maritime law, and the guy ended up being okay (lived) and we weren’t disturbed at all by the cruise line doing what was legally and morally right. I can’t say enoug good things about Regent (never tried the pool, Alaska is a little chilly).

Absolutely Superb (one significant negative)

All in all an amazing experience. We've previously sailed on Viking and this is worlds better. (There is one small negative and one medium, that they are addressing, negative.) So here goes. The ship is very nice although I think the Viking ships are a bit nicer. But this is very close and very nice. The excursions are amazing. First the number. So many it seems like every passenger could go on a different excursion. And I found many of them to be super interesting. So A+ on excursions (say twice as good as Viking.) The room stewards were great. One thing that was interesting, you almost never see them. Everything is taken care of, but silently and invisibly. So A+ on this. The entertainment was excellent. They had 12 singers/dancers as well as a comedian (who was hilarious) and we got a really good show every night. One thing, some of the song/dance evenings are quite different - my wife and I still can't decide what we think of one night. And one evening they basically had amateur hour by crew members (who are not on the entertainment team). The Elvis impersonator was incredibly good and the rest ranged from decent to quite good. And it was fun - don't miss this. The food is amazing (one exception - below). Both the breadth and the quality. No matter your preferences you'll find numerous items you'll like, and they'll be good. The one exception is Setti Mari. First off, the food in it is good, not excellent. Also one night the service was terrible. Some parties left instead of ordering dinner (we should have too). I asked for additional mashed potatoes 3 times, and not only never got them but had the waited come back and ask if we needed anything and apparently did not remember that I had asked for them before. Anyways, everything else is great so just avoid that one. Finally the one big problem - their Internet access sucks. Limited number of devices, incredibly high latency, and purchasing high bandwidth does not work well if you have multiple devices (what couple does not have at least 2 cell phones?). This is being addressed. I was told Explorer is upgrading to Star Link in September. My recommendation is don't take a Regent ship until it has been upgraded to Star Link. My last item is their beer selection is not great. I was fine with what they had, but it would be better if they had a larger selection, including an Amber Ale. But all in all a great ship, superb crew, and wonderful trip. I doubt we'll ever go back to Viking.