My wife and I have cruised on two other lines: Disney when with the grandkids and Crystal just for us. We were looking for a Med cruise this October and checked Crystal first but neither of their ships were in the area we wanted. So we took a chance and booked Regent's newest ship, the Explorer, from Venice to Istanbul. But when the problems erupted in Turkey, we switched to the Navigator from Venice to Rome. Eventually, Regent also cancelled the Istanbul stop but by then we had already switched. We were hoping Regent would be a comparable experience to Crystal, thereby expanding our luxury cruising options (we like the mid-sized ships) to more than just Crystal's two ships. It didn't work out that way.

First, the good. The food in general was better than Crystal, including the specialty restaurants. The breakfast and lunch buffets were OK but more limited. Lots of menu choices in the main dining room but also a lot of repetition from night to night. The shore excursions were free and good quality. The free part was useful in that we cancelled one or two due to bad weather.

Now to the downsides. First, the ship itself. Low ceilings, lots of vibration, no central grand public areas, stinky toilets, malfunctioning a/c, tiny casino with not much action, limited on board activities (no movie theater, few enrichment activities such as painting, computer, cooking, language or golf classes), and, despite the recent renovation, a tired overall look. We were told that the drydock was much shorter than advertised. Repairs continued during our cruise, such as replacing doors, refinishing outdoor decking, etc. This made much of the ship an obstacle course, since you never knew what areas would be closed. When it rained, water would puddle up on the deck, making passage impossible from one area to another. Overall, the ship did not succed at being either luxurious or intimate, as their advertising would have you believe. Read more