Sand, Surf & Rum Cruise on the Regent Grandeur
1/24/25 to 2/3/25

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Page 1 – Embarkation, Ship
Page 2 – Ship Continued
Page 3 - Ports of Call: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Gustavia, St. Barts
Page 4 - Ports of Call: Roseau, Dominca; St. Johns, Antigua; Tortola, BVI

Ship (Continued)

Other

Atrium – The atrium on deck 4 is quite lovely both from decks 4 and 5.

There is lots of comfortable seating around the atrium and nooks to settle into.

Two of the atrium's forward elevators are glass walled. It is an interesting view looking up into the shaft.

I thought the best view of the atrium was from the inside of the glass walled front elevators. The large crystal chandelier was quite spectacular in person.

It also provided the closest view of 40-foot-tall hand-woven tapestry, the Enchanted Tree.

Regent spent a bundle on the 1,600 pieces of artwork on this ship, including multiple Picassos. The most distinctive piece is the Faberge Egg, Journey in Jewels, that was custom made for the Grandeur. It is described as "wrapped in seven waves - deep blues, lightening into an ocean spray of white pearls - representing the Seven Seas, hiding and harboring the treasure within." It is quite a beauty! It is displayed close to the reception desk in a glass enclosed case.

Reception & Concierge – On one side of the atrium is the reception counter, with the concierge desk right next to it. The reception staff was a pleasure to work with. They were very helpful.

Destination Services – This counter is right next to the reception counter. It is used to make or change tours provided by the ship. Since I booked all of our tours ahead of time online, I had no need for their services other than to provide info to them about one of the tours being dangerous for seniors or possibly anyone.

Internet Service / Tech Support - Across from the reception desk is a desk where you can get assistance for your mobile devices to use the ship's Starlink WiFi service. You must have the Regent app to sign on to the service. Regent recently changed the service to allow two signons per cabin, which was most appreciated. Higher level cabins and those with more loyalty get four logins per cabin.

The Regent app is a minimalist app with the main features being able to see the daily Passages information brochure and the restaurant menus. I was quite disappointed with the internet speed. When I measured it, I was only receiving at 3 Mbps. I wasn't even able to access several non-streaming websites. Starlink is supposed to be better than what we experienced. They must have the speed greatly restricted unless you pay extra for the faster service.

Serene Spa & Wellness – The ship’s spa area is located on the starboard side of deck 5 at the back of the ship. It has a very grand long hallway entrance.

Within the spa is barber shop for the men and salon for the women that provides every service imaginable.

As you continue through the spa, there is an entry area to stairs that go to the deck 6 gym. Under the stairs is another piece of artwork.

You must pass through the nicely appointed locker rooms to get access to the other spa amenities.

There is a cold room that certainly looked cold.

An interesting option was what they called the Experiential Shower. The description certainly sounded interesting.

There was also a nice sauna.

As you exit the main spa area at the back of the ship, you enter the Spa Deck. It is a more private deck with loungers, a thalassotherapy pool and hot tub. This area can be used by any passenger, but many didn’t realize it was even there. The shaded areas were full during sea days.

Just off the Spa Deck is a door to enter the Relaxation Room. I believe that it is used for those waiting for spa treatments.

Fitness Center – This gym is accessed through the stairs from the spa or the deck 6 hallway leading to the back of the ship. After passing through the gym lounge, where there is an area for a foot specialist, you can access the gym that is in two areas on either side of the lounge.

Library – The very nice library is located on the starboard side of deck 11 near the front of the ship before the Observation Lounge. It was popular during our cruise.

Card Room - The comfortable card room is located on the port side of deck 5 near the front of the ship before the Observation Lounge.

Culinary Arts Center – On the starboard side of deck 5, between the pool and library is where cooking classes are held. It is highly recommended to book these classes online before the cruise before they fill up. The cost is $90 per class. Cathy was able to book one and she loved it. Not being a cook, I passed on it. With the cooking classes normally starting at 4:00 PM and lasting till around 5:45 PM, it wasn’t the best timing for us. With the students eating the food they prepared; it could fill them up before dinner. If you book a cooking class, it is a good idea to plan on eating later

Boutiques – There are two shops on the Grandeur, both on deck 4 across from each other just before you get to the theater at the front of the ship. On the port side is the jewelry shop.

On the starboard side is a clothing and sundry shop. We were very surprised that there was no logo ware in the shop. No t-shirts or hats even. The attendant thought that they might be changing the logos, but that didn’t make sense to me. The shop also had very limited supplies of the other apparel on the shelves. When I asked about other sizes, she said that everything was on the shelves.

Self Service Launderettes – The launderettes are located on decks 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12. They each have 3 washers and 3 dryers. There is no charge for using the launderettes. They were very comfortable rooms with everything you need to do your own laundry including soap. They even had a nice TV if you were waiting for a machine to load or empty. With the ships laundry service included at no charge for all guests, I was surprised how popular the launderettes were.

Perspectives Photography Studio – This new venue located mid-ship on the port side was formerly the Business Office. They made sitting appointments to have photos taken.

Cabin

For this cruise we booked Serenity Suite number 875. It is a very roomy suite category with 332 sq. ft. of interior space and a balcony that ranges from 83-132 square feet. We entered down a hallway with the bathroom on the left next to the closet.

It was a very comfortable and nicely arranged cabin with a love seat right across from the large TV. The TV also swung out so that we could watch movies from the bed.

We had a nicely stocked refrigerator with beer and sodas under the TV. Our cabin attendant asked if we would like any other drinks. We could have gotten anything for the room, but I asked for some Blue Moon beer, since I saw it on the menu. That night he brought us a six pack with only half of them fitting in the fridge.

The desk area was very functional for working or putting on make-up. In addition to the two small desk drawers, there were four nice size drawers and two double size ones next to the desk.

The bed was incredibly comfortable. We really enjoyed it. On either side was a nightstand with a small drawer and an open storage space under it. There were electric outlets throughout the cabin. In addition to US and European outlets, some had both USB-A&C plug ins.

We were thrilled with the amount of storage space in the walk-in closet. We had many unused drawers in the closet and in the main room. It was so nice to have so much more storage space than we needed.

The bathroom was also nicely arranged with plenty of counter and storage space. The shower was roomy with both hand-held and rain shower heads. We didn’t need the large bathtub, but we did use the laundry drying line in it for our wet swimsuits. I was surprised at how soft the shower water was. Most cruise ships emphasize saving water, but with the softer water, you have to use a lot more of it to rinse off.

When we walked out on to the balcony, we couldn’t believe how deep it was. We must have gotten one of the larger ones. We did use the balcony a lot on this cruise with the great weather. The views to the ocean were totally unobstructed.

We had a great cabin attendant named Gede. He and his assistant adapted to our schedule so well. He also couldn’t do enough for us and was always smiling.

Entertainment

We were pleasantly surprised with the entertainment quality on this ship. From the lounges to the theater shows they were all very enjoyable. The Cruise Director was John Ekin. He was lower key than some, but he did a good job and was just a very nice guy that was very guest friendly.

The evening shows in the theater started at 9:30 PM every night and there was only one show. With us preferring to eat early, it worked out well. Those that preferred a later seating could miss out on the shows. For those that prefer early seating, but couldn’t get an early seating reservation in a specialty restaurant, they missed out on a few shows too.

Performers –

Patty Dess – Patty has a great voice and is quite the entertainer. She performed two shows during the first part of the cruise. She performed popular songs that showcased her skills. The audience loved her.

Andrew Grose – What a funny guy! We were so glad that Andrew was on this cruise. He performed two shows on the last half of the cruise and kept the audience laughing the whole time. He is a Canadian comedian whose observations about life are just hilarious. His stories and timing are perfect. If you get a chance to see him on a cruise, don’t miss him. He is a gem! Here is his website if you want a taste of his performances: http://www.andrewgrose.com

Production Shows

We weren’t expecting the production shows to be that good on a small cruise ship. But we were wrong, they were much better than we expected. The production company had 4 singers and 8 dancers. We were most impressed with the amazing performances of the dancers. The choreography and energy made the shows so enjoyable. I’m sure the performers were glad that they only had one show per night, rather than two that most cruise lines have. I'm not taking photos of all the production shows anymore. I would rather just enjoy the show. I am only taking my iPhone to the shows rather than my larger Canon R7 mirrorless camera, so I can't get close ups. With one show just having the singers, I was able to take some photos of them with my Canon.

Passion – This show was described as “A celebration of the Tango blending traditional dance and modern hits, taking you on a journey to the alluring Tango show halls of Buenos Aires.” Like all the shows the singing was mostly very good and the dancing outstanding.

Broadway Unplugged - This show was described as “An intimate evening of acoustic covers and stylistic re-imaginings of Broadway favorites old, new and woven together with unique behind-the-scenes stories.” This show was just singing. The dancers got a rest.

Maurauder’s Ball - This show was described as “A swashbuckling good time filled with adventure and excitement, all set to the beat of modern music infused with folkloric sea shanties and melodies.”

Icons - This show was described as “Journey through the great music showcasing beloved headliners like the Pointer Sisters, Hall & Oates and Celine Dion. A true celebration of the music and not just the artists.”

Ignite the Night - This show was described as “Be prepared to be mesmerized by an unexpected mix of dance, style and design. Inspired by the visual grandeur of American Idol, the exhilaration of the Video Music Awards, and the contagious energy of Dancing with the Stars.”

Krew Kapers – This wasn’t a production show, but it was in the theater at 6:00 PM. We first had Captain Luciano Montesanto’s farewell reception.

It was followed by performances by crew members from many of the ships non-entertainment departments. It gave the crew a chance to show their skills and have fun. Most of the performances were dance, some very pretty and others just hilarious. We thoroughly enjoyed the show.

At the end of the show, the crew thanked the passengers and we were able to cheer the great crew as they walked down the aisles.

Activities

This was an area that we were most disappointed by with Regent. There weren’t a lot of interesting activities during the day, especially on sea days when they are needed. Our favorite activity is to attend enrichment lectures. We had an outstanding lecturer on this cruise, but he only did one presentation per sea day. We are used to having two lectures per sea day on most other cruise lines. Even on smaller ships than this one.

Enrichment Speaker David Plourd – We were so lucky to have David or Dr. Dave as he goes by on this cruise. He is an excellent presenter that draws you in with valuable and interesting information. His manner makes the talks such a pleasure. I wish we could have had more of them.

His three talks were:

H2OHHH-MY! Our Wonderful World of Water
Sea Turtles – Cold-Blooded but Warm Hearted
Sharks & Rays – Not a mean Bone in Their Bodies

The bio info on his Facebook page (LINK) tells us about this most enjoyable speaker:

Dr. Dave, a professional academic and clinical obstetrician-gynecologist, is also an accomplished marine biologist, naturalist, and conservationist. He has spent over 30 years exploring the world's oceans including up-close encounters with dolphins, whales, and sharks in the wild. He has weaved some of his astonishing images and videos into a riveting series of passionate presentations about our beautiful oceans and her wondrous creatures, from tiny to tremendous.

Block Party – This was an activity that I hadn’t seen before on a cruise ship. On the 3rd day of the cruise, we were told that at 6:00 PM we would have a block party. Guests were supposed to stand outside their cabins with a wine glass to meet their neighbors and receive wine or champagne from the staff going through the halls. We had a 6:30 dinner reservation, so we didn’t think we would have time for it. When we left our cabin to head to a quick before dinner drink, we met several nice neighbors and a dancer from the production company standing in the hallway. It was so much fun, and we got to better know the neighbors that we previouslyjust said hi to in passing. The dancer was also a great guy who told us about himself. We look forward to this activity on next year’s Regent cruise.

Art Experience - The Grandeur is the only Regent ship to have a digital art experience available on thre Regent app. When enabled, you follow a map of decks 4 & 5 taking you to several of their art pieces. Once in front of the art piece, a video plays telling about the piece and/or the artist. It was most interesting to be able to hear what the artist was trying to accomplish with his or her creation.

Sand, Surf & Rum Cruise on the Regent Grandeur 1/24/25 to 2/3/25