-Lew-

The last time we were in Rome we stayed at Hotel Smeraldo which we will likely do again in 2025. We stayed in a two bedroom although there were just two of us. We enjoyed the extra room including two bathrooms. The hotel is right across the street from L'Antico Forno Roscioli for great takeout dining. Roscioli has a number of various food locations within a short walk...all excellent and interesting. We did their wine tasting at Rimessa Roscioli and it was over the top...highly recommended.

I agree; however, if what you say is true why do they publish the following in Passages? DECK CHAIRS & POOLSIDE ETIQUETTE Complimentary chaise lounges and extra-large towels are provided for the use and enjoyment of all guests on board and are available on a first come, first served basis. As a courtesy to your fellow guests, we kindly request that you refrain from the practice of reserving chaise lounges and day beds with personal items. If your personal items are left unattended for an extended period of time they will be sent to Reception for you to collect at your leisure.

This is, unfortunately, not the case. Below is a portion of an email I received from Mike Moore, Vice President eCommerce, on January 4, 2004 before he left his position at Regent: Thank you for the email, that is in fact the policy, so we'll be sure to ask all of the ships to reference this policy in both Passages and signage on the pool deck in hopes to remind all guests to use common courtesy. We were on the Grandeur for 32 days in January and February where there was no enforcement of the above referenced policy. Written comment on the mid-segment survey and a request at the front desk for management to contact me elicited no response. Company policy was not followed. By all appearances they just don't care.

I wonder why Starlink's DL speed is being restricted on Grandeur. Starlink's website advertises the following. I certainly don't need 40 Mbps, but a speed above 20 would be very useful.

Here's a typical test result while on Splendor...

No apology necessary. Splendor DL speed averaged about 7 Mbps.

I believe we discussed this in a previous thread...

Not impressed with Starlink on Regent Grandeur during January and February. DL speed was about three times faster on Splendor last winter without Starlink.

We've cruised on six Regent cruises and always in a Concierge E. Excellent suite for us. We're booked on B2B cruises beginning with the January 25th sailing of the Grandeur embarking in LA. Is that the one you booked?

For us suite category, location, and cost are important. When there are sales, our TA has been able to take advantage of them for us if they make sense. If the above three factors are not important and you're willing to deal with what may or may not become available due to cancelations at final payment, by all means go for it.

I believe you've answered your own question. I can't comment on all itineraries, but I believe what you have realized is the norm. We booked the 01/25/2026 Grandeur cruise on 06/21/2023. Booking early will afford you choice of category and suite location that may not be available at a later date.

Nothing wrong... We have done as you're doing for our last two winter Regent cruises out of PortMiami. Staying at Hyatt Centric Brickell for three nights costs only 69,000 points transferred from my Chase Sapphire Reserve rewards account. Checkout is noon and a quick Lyft ride to terminal J is convenient. Excellent restaurants within a ten minute walk is a big plus.

A corporate vice president assured me it is policy. He told me all GMs would be reminded to enforce it. We disembark Tuesday. I plan to followup after arriving at our next destination.

The GM on Grandeur has no desire to enforce Regent corporate policy regarding this issue.

How does that officer's statement square with the following notice in Passages?

Be sure you're on the booking site at midnight Rome time to complete your request. 12:05am might be too late.

Those embarking will not be allowed inside the terminal until all B2B guests have been processed through Customs and Border Protection. We're currently on the third segment of a B2B2B and we noticed early arriving guests being kept outside the terminal after we completed CBP processing and were on our way back to the ship. We were done processing by 10:30am. I can't tell you when arriving guests were allowed to enter the terminal. Outside cover is limited if it should be raining.

Thank you, @Jane Mitchell. On our last port call on February 16, 2023 no such form was required.

Is the form you're referencing something new? We've visited Barbados a number of times on various cruise lines and have never been required to submit any form.

This is the point chart for the current Grandeur itinerary... 2024.02.21 5.29.25 PM.pdf

Our download speed on Splendor last winter was much better than what we're currently experiencing on Grandeur. See below. Viking Sky with Starlink last fall in the Med was also much better...

Currently on Grandeur and internet has been extremely slow. See latest Speedtest below...

Most are available on YouTube...

I learned that the hard way. With my VPN turned on, I'm essentially off the ship and cannot connect to Regent app services. Beyond the Regent app, I'm finding some apps and sites work better with VPN on or off...with no rhyme or reason.

The moral is more than reading the fine print... My personal practice is to not purchase insurance from the entity I may have to submit a claim against. This is because the entity or its insurance company may have a conflict of interest when it comes to paying out claims. IMHO it is better to purchase insurance from an independent third party who has no stake in the outcome of my claim. This way, I can be confident my claim will be handled fairly and impartially.