Hal Jespersen's Regent Caribbean Cruise, February 2025

This is my (Hal’s) report on a cruise Nancy and I took to the Caribbean on the Regent Seven Seas Grandeur. It is our first experience with this cruise line, formerly Radisson, now the high-end brand of Norwegian Cruise Lines. (Their medium brand is Oceania.)

Wednesday, February 12 — to Miami

We flew United Airlines to MIA and Uber’d to the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne; this night at the hotel was included in our cruise package. It’s quite fancy with beautiful grounds, two large swimming pools (family and adult), and a small beach entirely crammed with beach lounges. We ate in their Mexican restaurant, which was pretty good.

Thursday, February 13 — Embarkation

Breakfast for the cruise passengers was provided in the hotel ballroom, an unmemorable continental layout. We had our bags packed early, and they were retrieved from inside our room at 8 a.m., to be trucked over to the ship (although they did not arrive at our cabin until 3). We were bused to the cruise terminal at 11, where we boarded the Seven Seas Grandeur, the newest ship in their fleet. It’s compact by modern standards, with only about 750 passengers. Quite beautiful interiors. We lunched on the pool deck while waiting for our cabin to open at 2:30. The deck with cabins has restricted headspace, and I’m not looking forward to ducking light fixtures.

Our cabin (a "concierge suite") is large and comfortable with a beautiful bathroom, a spacious balcony with comfortable furniture, and lots of storage, including a walk-in closet. A bottle of (room temperature) Heidsieck champagne greeted us, but we did not partake because Nancy usually drinks very little, and I am avoiding alcohol this week on the order of my cardiologist. (I had atrial ablation surgery last week. Poor planning to have cardiac issues emerge so close to cruising.) Later in the day, our cabin steward substituted a bottle of “Pierre Zero” Merlot, a decent, drinkable non-alcoholic wine. Free Wi-Fi is provided by StarLink on two devices per person, but they are blocking streaming channels, including YouTube, and VPNs, unless you pay for an upgraded package. (I had to use local cellular systems in ports to get my daily YouTubes downloaded.)

Passengers are said to be on average 60 years old, although that seems a bit young to us. We met lots of friendly folks, and a common characteristic is that there are a LOT of return customers, with multiple cruises planned per year and casual friendships with specific crew members. One of the nice things about this ship is how uncrowded it feels. There’s never a problem waiting for elevators or finding a seat in the main dining room or theater.

We sailed away from Miami near sunset and had a nice party on the pool deck with hors d’oeuvres and a band. The bar has a selection of four excellent mocktails. (Normally I avoid these because they’re just as expensive as alcohol drinks, but since all drinks are included for the cruise, what the heck.) Dinner was in Sette Mari, which during the day is the buffet restaurant, but at night is an Italian sit-down venue. I had an excellent spaghetti alla carbonara and a steak pizzaiola. We dined with a nice couple and found that the man was a guest speaker hired by the cruise line—he has taken 85 cruises! At 9:30 we attended a song and dance show called Icons, covering memorable 70s and 80s hits, which was quite good, particularly the energetic dancers.

Friday, February 14 — Valentine’s Day at Sea

A lazy sea day today. Last night, our clocks jumped an hour ahead to the Atlantic time zone in anticipation of arrival in the Dominican Republic tomorrow. Both Nancy and I surprised the other by revealing VD cards and small boxes of See’s candy. Breakfast was a typically bountiful cruise ship buffet at the Veranda restaurant, although with white tablecloths and attentive waiters, it was a more refined experience. Superb breakfast pastries. At 10, we attended the first talk by our dinner companion from last night. It was an enrichment lecture/PowerPoint about San Juan, Puerto Rico. Quite a lot of details about history, culture, and landmarks. Well done, much more info than comparable port lectures on Viking ships. Lunch in the Veranda buffet. Nothing more on the sea day schedule that interested us, so we enjoyed reading on our balcony instead.

Dinner was in the gaudily decorated dining room, Compass Rose (a touchstone name for cartographers like me). Mine was excellent: escargots, blackened red snapper, and a hazelnut soufflé. I had another Pierre Zero wine, their Chardonnay, which was actually quite good, although it tasted more like a Sauternes than a Chardonnay. The evening show was a tribute to Whitney Houston, and the singer, Nina Skyy, did an impressive job.

Saturday, February 15 — Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

We arrived in port with a tugboat assist, something we haven’t seen in years with modern cruise ships. Today was our first shore excursion. Regent includes multiple gratis excursions in each port, and they have a selection of reasonably priced ones as well. We chose a dolphin encounter and visit to a water theme park called Ocean World. The dolphins were cool. We fed and interacted with one named Narissa, and she let us rub her belly and hug her. She also offered a kiss on the cheek. We visited an aviary and got to feed parakeets that swarmed all over us and saw some beautiful parrots, macaws, flamingos, and a toucan. There were a couple of capybaras on site, but we couldn’t get too close to them. There was also a dolphin show, a shark feeding, and a bird show with really smart macaws solving puzzles.

There was a “block party” in which we all left our cabins at 6, and wine and hors d’oeuvres were served in the hall, where we were encouraged to socialize with our neighbors. Ship officers ran from deck to deck, attempting to greet everyone, but no one had arrived by the time our group petered out. Then dinner in Compass Rose again, with risotto and lamb chops for me. The evening show was “Marauders’ Ball,” a musical with a “swashbuckling” pirate theme.

Sunday, February 16 — San Juan, Puerto Rico

We arrived to beautiful weather in San Juan. Our gratis excursion was a city bus tour in a small shuttle led by a local named Elmyr, who was knowledgeable and funny. We drove to the Capitol, which has some architectural similarities to the much larger US Capitol. Outside are monuments to some US presidents—bronze statues at a slightly large scale and plaques that describe their historical importance and when they visited Puerto Rico. There is also a monument listing the dead of various wars; it’s interesting that World War II only has 30 or 40 names listed, unlike the Korean War, which has hundreds. There was also the Banana War, with a single name.

We drove to nearby San Cristóbal fortress, one of two massive structures the Spanish built for defense. I had visited here before and Nancy wasn’t really interested, but I spent most of an hour wandering around the upper battery level—beautifule views up there—and various history exhibits, including a lot of cannons. We didn’t visit El Morrow, the big fortress at the mouth of the harbor. We took a short bridge off the island of Viejo San Juan to visit the new city. This is obviously more modern and was somewhat reminiscent of South Beach in Miami, with lots of high-rise hotels and pretty beaches. We stopped at La Ventana al Mar beach in the Condado district and also saw a park, some artisan booths, and a collection of plaques in the sidewalk honoring famous Puerto Ricans like Roberto Clemente and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

We had drinks in the Observation Lounge and chatted with a Houston couple who are “titanium level” sailors on Regent—over 600 nights on board! Nancy and I are "bronze" newbies. Dinner was at our first of three specialty restaurants, which require advanced reservations, Pacific Rim. We had an excellent meal of mixed Asian cuisines, including sushi, dim sum, tempura, and seafood dishes. The evening show was a talented soprano named Stephanie Baldwin performing movie and Broadway tunes.

Monday, February 17 — Gustavia, St. Barthélemy

It seemed like a beautiful day in St. Barts when we arrived outside the small harbor, but attempting to anchor and launch tenders, the captain decided it was too windy and safety demanded that we skip the port. This same sort of thing happened to us on a Viking cruise last year, skipping a stop at Rhodes. We had booked a gratis excursion of a catamaran ride to a nice beach, but we got a sea day instead. Our affable cruise director quickly printed up new a daily schedule with more activities.

We attended a newly scheduled enrichment talk about the history of piracy in the Caribbean, which was excellent. In the afternoon, we watched a recent movie, Conclave, in the theater—quite well done. Then, a somewhat formal afternoon tea in the lounge, with various mini sandwiches, scones, and cakes. A purist might complain that teabags were used. Dinner at Sette Mari again, spaghetti carbonara and veal Marsala. The evening show was Broadway Unplugged, an unusual selection of show tunes that were sung in unusual ways, different tempos, etc.

Tuesday, February 18 — Roseau, Dominica

It’s a rainy morning as we dock at 7:30, our first (and, as it turned out, only) inclement weather. Our gratis excursion is River Tubing and Emerald Pool. We loaded into small vans and drove 20 minutes or so north from the dock in Roseau to the Layou River, the longest in the country. Dominica (doe-min-EEK-uh) is the most mountainous island in the Caribbean and has 365 rivers flowing from the mountains. Nine of the mountains are live volcanoes, which is the largest geographic concentration on Earth. It’s also one of the poorest countries in the Caribbean. It’s a first time visit for us.

We rode in large inner tubes about two miles downstream and had a blast. We got totally soaked in the rough current, dodging rocks with the help of guides who waited in strategic locations to nudge us in the right direction. One of the guests who is an adventure rafter said that we went through stretches of level 1 and 2 rapids. The weather cleared throughout this little journey, so we had a great time. Unfortunately, I had to leave my camera and valuables in the van, so no photos were taken on the river. I found a substitute on the Internet.

Then we drove over narrow winding roads to the top of the island and Morne Trois Pitons National Park, where we hiked to see Emerald Pool, fed by a small waterfall. Some of the guests jumped in ("the Dip") and stood under the waterfall, but Nancy and I decided that one time getting wet was enough for one day. As soon as we returned to the ship, it started raining, so we did not bother taking the free shuttle downtown. Instead, we had lunch in Le Chartreuse, one of the three specialty restaurants. Onion soup and a Croque Monte Cristo sandwich for me.

Dinner was at another specialty restaurant, Prime 7 Steakhouse. We ate with the couple next door to us, having met them at the block party. I had a fish and avocado poke and a NY steak; I’ve had better. The evening show was Nina Skyy again with a tribute to Motown and soul. Excellent performance. We were pleased to receive clothing back from the free laundry service, nicely folded and wrapped in tissue paper. (Unlimited laundry is free, which can simplify packing; dry cleaning is extra.)

Wednesday, February 19 — St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda

Up early, we embarked on a van ride from St. John’s across the entire length of Antigua, one half of a two-island nation, with the other half pronounced BARB-oo-duh, as informed by our driver. Our complimentary excursion was Swimming with the Stingrays. We boarded a fast boat for ten minutes and arrived at a shallow area known as Stingray City. Here, we waded into waist-deep water (my waist, of course) and interacted with approximately a dozen southern stingrays. Some of the females were particularly large, measuring around four feet in width. We fed them squid and posed for photos with them. Their skin felt incredibly smooth, akin to super slick leather. At times, they would rub along our legs as they gracefully glided around. Their mouths were located underneath, and they slurped up the squid like a vacuum cleaner. We were advised that if they mistakenly bit our arm, their teeth were more like sandpaper, leaving only a hickey. However, their stinger would only cause pain (about six times worse than a bee sting, they said) if we physically forced it into our body ourselves. Unlike that Australian ray that tragically killed Steve Irwin, these stingrays have no direct means of attacking.

We had the afternoon free and considered venturing back out after lunch on the pool deck, but downtown St. John’s didn’t look very interesting. Dinner at Compass Rose. I had the tasting menu of five small dishes, including a very nice Dorade fish main. The Pierre Zero Chardonnay was out, so I had the rosé, a wine style I rarely order, but it was quite good. The evening show was a comedian, Phil Tag, with a very New Jersey in-your-face sensibility. Really funny.

Thursday, February 20 — Tortola, British Virgin Islands

We arrived at the Road Town dock before dawn, and the crowded hillsides of brightly lit houses imply that our final stop is more upscale than the previous smaller islands. This is the third island that Nancy and I have never visited before, despite seven or eight Caribbean vacations over the years (cruises and resort stays). Our pier is shared with Norwegian Encore, NCL’s largest ship, with 4,000 passengers, looming over us. (We later learned Encore plays super loud music most of the day, disturbing our late sleepers in starboard cabins.)

Our gratis excursion was a scenic drive to Cane Garden Bay Beach. The drive was in an open-sided taxi bus, climbing a very steep, narrow road to the Ridge Road at the top of the island. Our driver, Frenzell, pointed out some cultural highlights (such as the Social Security building), and we made a few stops to get out and photograph the stunning views, including one looking out at the Atlantic, identifying a number of the 52 islands in the BVI chain. There was also an extremely long roadside mural about island life painted by many local artists.

Cane Garden Bay Beach is a bustling commercial beach with hundreds of loungers and umbrellas. We took a dip in the Caribbean and found it very pleasant with smooth sand, cool water, and tiny waves. But there were no apparent snorkeling opportunities. We enjoyed vegging out with a free drink coupon and watching chickens patrol the lounge area up close. The ride back was a different road, but still one that climbed up the mountain for some pretty views. Our walk back through town confirmed our expectations that the downtown is clean and relatively prosperous.

We departed our final port at 5 and prepared for two sea days. Dinner at Compass Rose featured roast turkey and traditional sides for some reason. The evening show was Ignite the Night, and the singers and dancers gave very energetic performances of pop music tunes.

Friday, February 21 — At Sea

The enrichment talk today was on music of the Caribbean. It covered the various styles—I had no idea there were so many—and went into some detail on the careers of Harry Belafonte and Bob Marley. Really excellent presentation. There wasn’t much else to do besides reading in the nice weather on our balcony. We’re no longer into tanning on the pool deck, or gambling in the tiny casino, or doing spa treatments. There is a nice gym on board, but the motivation factor isn’t there this vacation. I am suffering from lots of insect bites itching my lower legs; apparently delayed reactions from our beach visit yesterday.

Before dinner, we attended Krew Kapers, a thank-you show performed by the crew, about a dozen volunteers of the 550 on board. There were ethnic dances and some modern songs, and also some funny bits such as male crewmen dressed in tutus dancing suggestively with beach balls. At the end, about 100 crew appeared on stage for our applause. Dinner was at Le Chartreuse specialty restaurant. This was our best meal of the cruise. We had a window table looking back at the ship’s wake (for as long as daylight held). I had a cheese soufflé, Tournedos of beef Rossini, petits fours, and an unusually large Île Flottante. And they sent us out with macarons in a little gift box. Outstanding. The evening show was a return by comedian Phil Tag.

Saturday, February 22 — At Sea

We booked the only charged event of our cruise, two hours in the Culinary Arts kitchen to follow Chef David in preparing Anytime Brunch. We started with a glass of Prosecco and melon and then prepared and tasted scones, baked oatmeal, and Berber Shakshuka. All the ingredients were prepped and measured in advance, so it was pretty easy. We’d gather up in front to watch the chef go through the steps for a dish and then return to our assigned stations to duplicate them. The sous chefs handled the actual baking. The shakshuka—onions, peppers, and spices in a tomato sauce with a poached egg on top—was the most delicious course.

Lunch was an Italian buffet. Dinner in Compass Rose for the final time. Excellent spaghetti puttanesca, pork tenderloins, and passion-fruit soufflé. We packed up our luggage and left it in the hallway before 10 as requested. The last evening show was Pasión, with a Brazilian theme, but most of the songs were familiar American pop music. Once again, the dancers stood out for their energetic performances.

Sunday, February 23 — Everglades and Home

Since our flight was scheduled for late in the afternoon, we booked a four-hour excursion and airport transfer, the only expense on our shipboard account for the ten days. (All of our other excursions were gratis, and drinks, WiFi, and gratuities are included in the cruise fare.) The ship docked before 6, we vacated our room at 8, and we cleared immigration and customs in the terminal at 9:45. There are nine cruise ships in Miami this morning. It was fun to watch forklifts frantically moving boxes of supplies into position for the evening departure.

Our bus drove 45 minutes west to the Everglades National Park as we heard local info from a very personable guide named Lance. We rode on a large airboat driven by two large airplane style propellers, loud enough to require earplugs, which they provided. We went quite fast in some places over very shallow water and were able to see a few alligators and some egrets. afterward, we walked on a boardwalk and found some more alligators, including some in rather inhumane pens. There was also a very sad looking crocodile. On the bus ride to the airport, Lance gave us quite a lot of detailed information about the biology of alligators and passed around sample heads, teeth, and the bones that make their backs so spiky. We had a couple of hours to kill at the airport, but had a good flight back home.

We had an excellent time on our Regent cruise and will sail with them again, currently scheduled for December 2026, Bali to Sydney.