coljack

I am sure you wouldn't be disappointed on Viking, but I think Regent Seven Seas has a better selection of cozy bars, though not exactly pubs.  On Viking, the Observation Lounge is fine but definitely not a cozy bar.    Regent is the more all-inclusive sister line to Oceania.  On Regent, everything is just free--no need to show anything.  On Oceania you have to show that you have purchased the drink package.  Food is best on Regent, second Oceania and third Viking.  I did a detailed comparison of Viking and Regent (I like both.). If you email me, I will send it to you.  johnmauss@earthlink.net

22 hours ago, slidebite said:

I'd just call regent yourself unless you're really wanting your ta to do it. It's a 5 minute phone call. They also have different info than the website. I called a couple weeks ago and they told me an excursion showed wait listed online actually was not and booked it for me.

Always worked great for us but expensive.  We're older and if we have pre or post cruise activities, it is worth it to us.  Be sure to get the 20% discount by going through Viking.  Go to MVJ, click on "Before You Go", and click on LF.  For first time user, can be a little confusing so call them if you have a question on the forms they send you--they are easy to get ahold of and friendly.

We always get the SS package mainly to get the decent wine list at dinner--not just the cheapest "red or white."

For anyone who has not looked at the Roll Call for this cruise, there is a lot of good information about an informal Meet & Mingle and some private tours.  The private tours may be important, especially if you are in a cabin with a late sign-up date.

If I book under the advertised two-suite upgrade, can I reserve a particular cabin in the higher category?  I am afraid it will be termed "guaranteed" and I could get stuck with a cabin directly under the pool deck or Veranda outside dining area.  I've been there and was awakened every morning by chairs and tables scrapping directly above our heads.

Another thought.  If all else fails, there are independent tours available if there are particular things you absolutely want to do/see in a port.  Check Viator and Grayline.  These range from private limos to busses and they frequently will pick up and drop off at the dock with the ship's arrival and departure noted.  I know it seems wrong to pay for something that should be included, but you could file the info away to use if needed.  

On 11/7/2022 at 4:14 AM, LewiLewi said:

I checked the spread sheet for the Splendor. Hardly anything was filled in. Again I would like to know what is considered the vibration zone on Deck 8 since our cabin is mid ship Deck 8.

We were in 836.  Had the vibration around 6 or 7 days out of 22.  Never severe but was intermittent so not like white noise.  No vibration when seas were calm.  Hope this helps.

1 hour ago, MTV43 said:

4 couples invited us to join them on RRC Jewel of the Sea sailing from Amsterdam on 5/4-5/12.  I have not do my research on Norway itinerary but based on what I read, the below ports are frequently mentioned on this board except for Molde.  I have few questions and greatly appreciate for your suggestion:

1) What do you think about this itinerary and what is not to be missed on each port of call?  We are keen in landscape photography.

2) Balcony or Inside? The difference is $908 for two, we sailed Balcony once on British Isles Itinerary and never had time to enjoy our balcony because it was a port intensive itinerary.   Also, it is May, is still too cold to out to balcony?

3) Will we able to see Fjord from this sailing below?

 

Thursday 5/4/2023   AMS   5:00PM   Friday 5/5/2023   At Sea       Saturday 5/6/2023   Olden, Norway   8:00AM 5:00PM Sunday 5/7/2023   Flam, Norway   7:00AM 5:00PM Monday 5/8/2023   Geiranger, Norway   10:00AM 7:00PM Tuesday 5/9/2023   Alesund, Norway   8:00AM 6:00PM Wednesday 5/10/2023   Molde, Norway   8:00AM 4:00PM Thursday 5/11/2023   At Sea       Friday 5/12/2023   AMS   6:00AM

 

Many thanks for your reply!

 

MTV

 

Geiranger fjord is the highlight.  The ship will cruise in and out.  Flam also good.  Don't bother to visit Norway if you are in an inside cabin--you will miss seeing the fjords as they are seen from the ship, not excursions.

 

 

1 hour ago, MTV43 said:

 

 

On 11/11/2022 at 5:22 PM, losfp said:

Hi all. We've done a few cruises before but we're complete newbies to Northern Europe cruises. Heck, we've never even been to Europe before, but we're going to fix that in Oct 2023 when we do Europe and RCI for the first time.

 

We're looking for options for our 2027 20th anniversary trip. For our honeymoon we did Alaska, and returned there in 2017 for our 10th anniversary. We were going to go back again for 2027 but we're looking into alternatives, and Norway/Iceland came up.

 

I've done a bit of reading (the pinned post about Norwegian Fjords has been a goldmine of info!!) and from what I can work out, the main lines do these rough types of cruises:

 

- Norwegian fjords - mixture of deep fjords and coastal towns

- North cape / midnight sun - these go further north

- Iceland - visit a couple of Norway ports on the way up and maybe Scotland on the way down

 

These all sound amazing, but there's kind of no cruises that do ALL of it from what I can see with the main cruise lines. If we want to hit all the spots, we would have to do small/luxury cruises or do multiple back-to-back cruises.

 

My question for people who have visited this region before, and hopefully have been to both Norway and Iceland... if you had to do one of the above cruises, which one would you pick and why? And if you had to do only two, which two and why? We have a ton of time before 2027 so I'm just fishing for information now.

 

A bit more context: We absolutely love Alaska, it's one of our favourite places to cruise. We love Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm, and the charming small ports. We've also done New Zealand and love scenic cruising in Fiordlands. We prefer a small/medium sized ship and are all about the destination, not the ship.

We loved Norway.  The fjords are fantastic, especially Geranger.  Bergan is a great city to visit.  Read about the "Norway in a Nutshell" independent tour.   Strongly recommend you do NOT take the excursion that "visits a glacier."  It is several hours on a bus to see a small glacier in the distance.  Nothing like Alaska.  All we got out of it was a wasted day and back aches.  Norway for the fjords: Alaska for the glaciers.  Can't comment on Iceland--we are doing that next June.

We are sailing on Saturn in June from NYC to Greenland and Iceland.  Does anyone have any recommendations, good or bad, about any excursions?

My earlier live review from Splendor ended up titled only “ONB.”  If you are interested in current views on Splendor, open ONB from a few days ago.  That was in Spain, now we are on the next segment in Italy.  David Nevin still CD and still great. Passenger count rose from 625 to 675. Still feels very uncrowded. Our opinions of the restaurants: Compass Rose has been consistently excellent. Seta Mari and Pool Grill also excellent and better than we remembered. Prime 7 also very good. Chartreuse has never been our favorite but was very nice. Pacific Rim:  all we can say is it is a beautiful spot. We were long time residents in Asia so probably are hard to please, but the only thing we found worth ordering was the Meso Black Cod. Our dinner companions agreed and even sent back their lobster as “too tough to eat.”  I hope we just caught them on a bad day as we haven’t been back. Any other recent thoughts on PR?

Cofee still awful as it is poured  throughout the ship.  Order something made to order like a cappuccino or cafe americana and you will get a good tasting cup with no delay,

Guest performers were not nearly as good on this segment as on last. We don’t want to slam any individuals but will just say that we wish Regent was more consistent in who they contract. Dance and song team very talented but too much bump and grind choreography for our taste. 
 

we have been in a midship cabin on deck 8—right in the vibration zone some have posted about. We noticed it on a few days when there were light swells but it didn’t really bother us, but it is an odd vibration. 
 

As always, the great attitude of the entire crew is what makes Regent worthwhile and that includes a compliment for the great training they get from management. It has been great to be back on board. Also, we were surprised at how many first-time Regent guests we met on bound.  Not sure how to explain that but glad to see people are traveling again. 

On 10/23/2022 at 3:52 PM, RJ2002 said:

 
I thought I had another acronym to learn.  Lol. 
 

Thanks for your report from Splendor.  Sounds as though things are in good shape.   Any comments about cuisine?

Compass Rose and Pool Grill were excellent.  Prime 7 was very nice.  chartreuse and Pacific Rim were beautiful but we will pass on this segment and stick with CR. Seti Mari was much better than we remembered and merited a return visit. But it fills up fast.  BTW, passenger count is up to 675 for this segment. 

Should have been titled Onboard Splendor in Barcelona. Darned internet. 

Finished Spain. About to start Italy+. Taking advantage of mostly disembarked passengers between cruise segments to enjoy good (relatively speaking) internet. These are observations from veteran Regent travelers but first time on Splendor and first since pandemic. Regent is still Regent. Great time. Terrific crew. No major complaints. David Nevin started a contract as Cruise Director on Oct 11 so he will be on Splendor for the near future. Very conscientious, approachable, and effective. DO NOT MISS HIS SHOW!  Great voice and great performer. Speaker was Brian Unger. Most entertaining speaker we have seen on Regent. He won’t be back until Panama Canal in Dec, but has 11 cruises scheduled in 2023. I know no one chooses their cruises by speakers, but don’t miss him if he is on board. His audiences were larger than some shows. We liked Splendor a lot. Lighter decor than Explorer.   Very interesting art throughout ship.  BTW, 625 guests aboard. All restaurants open and fully staffed. Bar service spotty. Usually fine but once waited 30 minutes+ in  Observation Lounge even when not crowded. Sight lines have been fixed in theater but first few rows in center area were freezing with cold air blowing on you from above. Senior staff told us they were well aware but couldn’t fix problem. Sweater doesn’t help. Unless you wear a hoodie, you can sit under the balcony, on the balcony, or on the sides. Was odd to see the best seats empty for some shows. Singers and dancers were very talented but Regent choreographers seem to be targeting younger audiences. Lots of suggestive bumping and grinding and more Bruno Mars than Tony Bennet. Just our opinion, though, and there was a terrific Broadway show. To repeat, the entire crew was friendly, helpful, and everything you have come to expect on Regent. 

CCMO,

I had another thought to share that occurred to me after I answered you. Since you are a first timer with Regent, let me tell you to never hesitate to ask for anything.  The staff will do whatever they can to help.  Some examples:  fresh squeezed orange juice--ask & you will receive.  Better coffee at breakfast: ask for a cafe Americano or a cappuccino or a latte and you will get it.  Want anything special in Compass Rose?  Ask a day ahead.  We always ask for an Indian meal at least once and give the restaurant supervisor a list of courses and it is there the following evening.  There are many helpful hints in earlier posts.  Look for some of them such as "What I learned...."

1 hour ago, ccmo said:

Thank you!

I would be shocked if the reservation desk didn't fix you up, but if they don't help, take it up with the general manager.

Gold or above gets 4 devices no matter what cabin.

DW loves rieslings.  Always had a  few available on every Regent cruise.  After the first night, Compass Rose staff always brought one to our table without being asked.  Also got it by asking in specialty rest's.

We are booked on Saturn, 7 June 2023, NYC to Iceland.  I think this is the second Saturn's second cruise.  Is there any info out there on her building progress?

Thanks to all who replied.  Very helpful.

17 hours ago, cwn said:

That is what my husband aways wears.  He only takes the pair he is wearing and the one packed. (Plus a pair of beach shoes) Since he is past the suit/tux stage, that went out the window at retirement. 
One  man wore red and white high tops with brightly colored socks every night on our would cruise and never a word was said!

The Regent dress code used to define Casual Elegant or Country Club Casual with the usual no jeans, only collared shirts. etc., after 6PM.  It also used to (pre-COVID) say something like "no athletic shoes."  I always used the luggage space and weight to pack a pair of dress shoes in addition to my two pair of sneakers.  My question is this:  Can I get by with a pair of New Balance black leather shoes?  The only thing that identifies them as sneakers is a very subtle, embossed "N" (also Black) that cannot be noticed without close examination.  It would be nice to only pack one pair in addition to the one I was wearing.

Thanks for any input.  We've cruised Regent a lot, but not lately.

A couple other things.  Although the folks who answered above are right that there is a larger difference in Penthouse Suites on Splendor, the Superior Suite on Splendor is very, very nice.  Unless you want the butler, book the Superior.  We love Explorer/Splendor and prefer it to Voyager for the reasons others have listed, but IMO there is one type of itinerary in which I would go with Voyager or Mariner:  The newer ships have luxury suites stacked up fore and aft.  As a result, you cannot walk a complete lap outside anywhere and have no views fore and aft except through glass.  If the cruise is Norway or Alaska or the Panama Canal or anyplace you value those views, I would go on Voyager.

21 minutes ago, coljack said:

Used it with Regent Seven Seas.  $240 for a 50# bag, one way, Colorado to ship in Barcelona.

I just checked again and prices have gone up substantially.  Latest is $399 for same bag (50#, Colorado to Barcelona.