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bizinsider

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    San Diego, CA
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Crystal, Regent, Seabourn

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  1. Regarding the cancellations in June 2025 - we're scheduled to be on only the Route of the Vikings segment, and that appears to be fine. Seems they're only canceling the center section of the longer cruise. And that would fit with @nancygp's comment regarding a charter. Herb
  2. Final thought from us... all in all it was a fine cruise. After our complaints, it was clear everybody was trying hard. Donald the F&B manager gets high marks for taking our criticisms seriously, ditto his team. The highlight of the trip for us is where we are right now - the post-cruise excursion to Angkor Wat. Eighteen people. Salon is one of our very best guides, ever. Incredibly well-organized. Plus... he's a fantastic photographer. Got to be in Angkor Wat just before it closed when, thanks to his exceptional planning, there was virtually nobody left. He smartly juggled the schedule the next day to get us to the Ta Parohm (where "The Tomb Raider" was filmed) just after it opened... again, with few people. Can't express what a delighfully unexpected surprise that was. This entire experience was on par with our Regent overnight in Luxor. Cheers Herb & Mary
  3. Hi all, We're planning to do Route of the Vikings in 2025 on the Sojourn. It used to be done on the Quest, which had/has Zodiacs. That would be an extra bonus for that itinerary. Does anybody know whether Sojourn does, as well? Thanks, Herb
  4. The executive concierge reached out after our mid-comment review on the forms provided in our rooms. He said he encourages passengers to reach out to him when they have an issue - and to do it early. If there is truly a liaison, he would be it. (In all our years of cruising, this was our first "executive concierge.") There has been an enormous effort to make things better. In general, they are, though Prime 7 last night? That's another story. (S-L-O-W.) 😬
  5. Update... Things seem to be improving. Had an outstanding dinner at Chartreuse. (I had the halibut, Mary had the sole.) This was the Regent we remember. Herb
  6. My quick update: Today is night/day from the first few days. We spoke with another couple we met on the cruise (at Trivia!) who agreed... suddenly, we're seeing smiles from the crew, and everybody seems much friendlier. Officers are out and about and accessible. We did have a repeated food issue this morning at La Veranda and word went up the chain and pretty soon Donald, the f&b manager, was at our table. That's the way things should be. We had one dish at dinner that was inedible that we turned back; someone else we met on the cruise did the same, independently. (Let's just say it wasn't in my mind what red snapper is supposed to look like or as grizzly as red snapper is supposed to be.) I exchanged it for the mushroom crepe my wife had... we had an incredible winner and both of us can't recommend it enough. Moral of this story is to speak up and speak up early. They do want to hear from you if things aren't going well. Just be kind... as @Stickman1990 said, it's not the crew's fault. Onward to Okinawa.... Herb
  7. There seems to be a thread about this cruise starting on an earlier thread from the October 20th Cruise. We thought we'd start a new thread here, based on the previous comments: On the guides, we concur: The guides have been fine with good English (they're native Japanese speakers) and good info. (We had a private guide in Kyoto, who was able to get us where we wanted to go... which included places not on Regent's tour.) On the an earlier comment on the October 20 thread on the lack of berries: Mystery solved. I asked the La Veranda manager about it and he said they simply can't get them in Japan. They're out of season and in Japan they're not allowed to procure from the local fruit markets. He said things should improve as we sail into Southeast Asia. I suggested they should include a sign on a fruit section at breakfast, with a brief explanation. On food service.... we agree 100%. La Veranda has been a huge disappointment, breakfast, especially. Oatmeal, eggs... all lukewarm to cold. (We spoke up!) This morning the poor woman running the toaster didn't know how it worked. On the staffing... this must be a ship full of first-timers. Lot seem nervous. There seems to be an edge to the staff... not overly friendly. Coffee connection, in particular, is definitely understaffed... we would say they're not friendly but we simply think they're overwhelmed. Throughout the ship, very few people look you in the eye. No effort to connect. We have sailed mostly Regent, Seabourn and the old Crystal. On a positive note: The Vibrant Tokyo pre-cruise, as I mentioned in a separate post, was much better than expected. Our housekeeper Miriam, who has been with Regent for many years, is fantastic - exactly the personality that makes you feel welcome. She's a real pro. Andy the cruise director is as good as any we've had. Our trivia team is top notch and delightful. Also, this ship is incredible, the best we've every been on in terms of everything from soundproofing to the size/quality of the staterooms... and overall ambiance. (We're in a Concierge.) BUT we're finding ourselves comparing this trip in the early going to our last trip last June to Norway on the Seabourn Ovation, where EVERY staff person, from housekeeping to officers, would look you in the eyes and say, "good morning" or "good afternoon" or "good evening"... always with a smile... and often referring to you by name. THAT was an incredibly well-run ship. This one? We'll see if things improve. We realize others on this ship may disagree or may be having a different experience. We just wanted to share our early thoughts. If things improve, we'll surely be back with an update. We realize this is very early in the cruise. Herb and Mary PS - No, we haven't spoken to the food & beverage manager because we saw that @Stickman1990 had already done so. We did speak to the La Veranda manager, who seemed stressed. And of course, we'll complete the mid-cruise survey.
  8. Sounds like a great trip you have planned First time in Japan for us and we're loving it.
  9. Haha, just now getting over the jet lag going this direction from California.
  10. We had read so many bad reviews of the Vibrant Tokyo pre-cruise that we braced ourselves for the worst... expecting a disorganized mess with bad guides, packed buses and unruly crowds. As it turns out, our experience was just the opposite before the start of our trip to Bangkok, which started two days ago. We can't say enough good things about Theo, who was the point person for the third party operator.. giving the daily overview as we waited for the buses. We also had no complaints about the guides. While they didn't give "guided tours," they were full of information and depending on the site, were a good combo of hand-holding and independence. As for their English, it was better than expected. Make no mistake, this is a group experience. But all in all, it was a surprisingly good experience... not to mention an excellent value. (As in free.) My wife, Mary, who writes The Modern Postcard blog, will post a full review of the cruise (including the pre-cruise) here at the end of the trip. Cheers, Herb
  11. You never know where I will show up. Blink and you will miss me! 😎
  12. Can't imagine what you're talking about. (Inside joke.) 🤣🤣🤣
  13. A few additional thoughts to what everybody here said. Now that the cruise is almost over I can confidently say that this has been the best Internet of any cruise we have ever had. With the few exceptions in the fjords, it was outstanding. Fast. Consistent. Surprisingly reliable. The crew/service was outstanding. We had a tour of just six people of the galley by Exec Chef Trevor, who is a wealth of info. We've had other galley tours, none like this. While it wasn't "advertised" we simply asked if they were doing one, and they signed us up. Ditto for a very small bridge tour while at port today... just a small group. (We asked.) @maryogreen and I enjoyed meeting and dining several nights with @SLSD and Mr. SLSD. Ditto tonight's dinner the wonderfully engaging @PSahoy. (If the Colonnade has an Indian Marketplace on your cruise on the last night, don't miss it. Fantastic.) Oh, and despite being in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea, if you were wondering, the waters throughout most (if not all) of this cruise were like glass. Bottom line: The Ovation is a very well run ship. Thanks for starting this thread, Susan. That's a wrap from me. Herb
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