Regent Seven Seas Cruise from Tokyo to Vancouver

We flew out to Tokyo via Doha in business class with Qatar Airways on 24th April and it was excellent. We arrived into Tokyo at 7pm on 25th and we had a private transfer to the Grand Prince Shin Hotel in Takanawa, Tokyo for an overnight stay. The following morning we were transferred to Yokohama to board the Regent Seven Seas Explorer cruise ship. This is a small ship by today’s standards, 55254 tons, carrying only 750 passengers and 548 crew so it has a very high level of crew to passenger ratio. The ship is all inclusive and has a wide selection of wines and spirits included. Wifi, gratuities, speciality restaurants and laundry and excursions are also included. Boarding was quick and our suite was not ready until 2pm so we explored the ship and had some lunch in La Verandah buffet restaurant which was very smart. All the tables were laid with table cloths and it did not seem like a buffet. The selection of food was excellent as was the fantastic service. Our suite was very comfortable with a bathroom with a large walk in shower, a walk in dressing room and a separate seating area with a large sofa and desssing table/desk. Larger suites also have a bath and two wash basins in the bathrooms but ours was quite adequate. The balcony was a good size with 2 wicker chairs and a wicker table. The dining options were excellent as were the choice of food options. The main restaurant, Compass Rose had a vast menu choice. La Verandah turned into Sette Mari most evenings, with a great choice of Italian cuisine. There were three speciality restaurants – Prime 7 Meat and fish) , Chartreuse (French) and Pacific Rim (Asian) which was our favourite. We did not struggle to eat in the speciality restaurants and Sette Mari. We ate in the 12 out of the 19 nights onboard and the cuisine and service was the best we have had at sea. There was also an outside grill on the pool deck which also had a great selection of salads, pizzas, sandwiches and grills and various types of burgers at lunch time and there were covered, heated seating areas for when it was too cold to sit out. We loved the nachos with lobster which we shared as a starter. The guest entertainment was excellent, particularly a very talented pianist called Linda Gentile and vocalists Emily Vaincourt, Paulette Ivory and Bryan Cheatham. The theatre production cast were OK but some of the vocals could have been better. There was lots to do on sea days with a couple of excellent lecturers. One was a marine biologist who did excellent talks on Alaska and one was a historian. There were also quizzes, craft classes, bridge classes, dancing classes and various games. Our itinerary was from Tokyo to Hitachinaka, Miyako, Muroran and Amori and we had excursions in all but one port. We then had a 7 days crossing the Pacific ocean, where we crossed the International Date Line and had 2 x 3rd May! Our first port of call in Alaska was Kodiak which was disappointing with not a lot to see, we then went to Whitter, cruised the Hubbard Glaciar, visited Sita, Ketchikan and Victoria on Vancouver Island before finishing off in Vancouver. Victoria was our favourite port of call and the weather was warmer. The weather was quite chilly in Alaska and for 3 days in Tokyo. The scenery was stunning in Alaska, with snow topped mountains but there was not too much wild life to see in Alaska in May. I would suggest to visit between June and September to see the whales. We saw bald eagles, sea otters and seals. The average age profile was about 70 years. There were 2 formal nights which were optional and only about 10% worn evening dress. The majority of passengers were from the USA, followed by Australians. It was mainly the Europeans that liked to dress up.

We flew back from Vancouver in business class with Air France, via Charles de Gaul. It was comfortable but Qatar was much better. We would certainly sail with Regent Seven Seas again. This was our second time and it far surpassed our first cruise, which was on a smaller ship. The size of the Explorer was ideal for us. A first class experience.