mnocket

Talk about missing the point🙄

At the end of the day, it really comes down to IT, specifically their customer facing IT, not being a priority to the cruise line executives. I don't know if it's because they don't understand it, and hence ignore it, or if they just don't put much emphasis on the pre-cruise experience. Either way, they either under-invest in these IT systems, or they don't manage the quality of the developer's work. It seems to be an issue for most cruise lines. There's really no excuse. Other travel related websites offer reliable websites with excellent functionality. Cruise line websites could, and should, do the same. The fact that they don't is 100% a management issue.

I'd hate it. I enjoy nice background music when dining in a restaurant, but loud, in your face musicians? Go Away!

Actually, many TAs who specialize in cruises are one-person franchisees. I have no idea what the up-front cost is of buying a franchise, but I suspect it wouldn't make sense for someone in your situation.

Great trip report! Thanks👍

Thanks👍

Do they issue different chips for OBC? By that I mean, on another cruise line the chips they issue for OBC are marked as such and can't be cashed out. You can only cash out the "normal" chips you get when you win a hand. So basically, you have to cycle through all of your "OBC" chips before you cash out.

This aligns with my impression that Regent passengers care a lot more about the dress code than Regent does.

How do you convert OBC to cash? Most cruise lines I've been on don't make it easy.

Maybe someone can clarify this for me. Does MSC use both Hamburg and Wernamunde cruise ports? If so, when the itinerary says Hamburg, does that mean it might actually depart from Wernamunde? Thanks.

I feel the need for a minor rant😡 I recently branched out and joined several luxury/premium cruise line related FB groups. It didn't take long to realize that those groups were dominated by moderators and members alike that were ardent fanboys (and girls). They are extremely intolerant of any views that didn't reflect their fanboy mentality. In fact, they even forbid mentioning any other cruise line. For example, posts saying "I love Windstar, but they don't sail to Japan. Do you think I would enjoy sailing on Oceania?" are removed. Forbidden. How dare you ask about another cruise line. They are essentially forums for extolling the virtues of their favorite cruise line. Period. I just don't understand why so many people these days want to live their lives with blinders on - never hearing or seeing anything that deviates from, or challenges, their perspective. It has made me appreciate Cruise Critic even more. Sure, there are fanboys and loyalists here, but they don't dominate the forums shutting down dissenting opinions. The good, the bad and the ugly are discussed freely. Comparisons to other cruise lines are always welcome. My foray into FB has been eye-opening. Kudos to Cruise Critic for welcoming a diversity of thought. Something that is becoming rarer these days. End of rant.

We were on the same sailing as @AmateurGO and @r&rd. We missed the first 3 of 5 ports due to weather. It can happen🙁 That said, we really enjoyed our pre-cruise time in Reykjavik and the port stops that we managed to make. As for cruising vs a land tour of Iceland... We discussed this after returning home. My thought was that I think a cruise was the right decision for us, but if we were younger and looking for a very active vacation, a land tour would have been better. In fact, we wish we had done a land vacation in Iceland 20 years ago. My advice would be, if you're looking for (and capable of) an active vacation where you spend your days hiking and exploring independently come rain or shine, then by all means do a land vacation in Iceland. If you prefer a more comfortable and relaxed vacation, then a cruise will definitely fit the bill.

Here's a chance for Regent to design a ship with more shaded loungers on the pool deck. Might help the chair hog situation just a bit🙂

Windstar Cruises has announced the expansion of its fleet with the addition of the Star Seeker and Star Explorer. The Star Seeker was originally ordered by Mystic and slated for its Atlas brand. This doesn't seem to make sense unless Atlas is under some financial distress and is cutting back its expansion plans. Windstar Cruises Welcomes Two New Ships to Fleet - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News

There are aways some analysts who are predicting a looming recession. Perma-bears. I think the general consensus is that we are not currently on the brink of a recession. All cruise line stocks have been volatile lately. I've given up trying to make heads or tails out of them. I reduced my cruise line holding to a minimum a while back. I don't like investing in stocks that have wild price swings for no discernable reason.

I agree completely with this reply. Simply put... if you're a non-suite passenger on Celebrity, you will probably not be happy as a non-Yacht Club passenger on MSC.

I honestly wasn't aware that TAs didn't get commissions for air and hotel bookings. Makes me wonder how they make money booking land vacations. I make my own travel arrangements, but my brother recently returned from a land vacation in France that was booked by a TA. The entire thing consisted of air, hotel and train reservations. Why would a TA take on such a trip if they aren't getting paid any commissions? Seems strange.

I've previously sailed on the Windstar Pride (motor yacht) in Iceland. The small ship experience is certainly different. I found that people who like a lot of different night-time entertainment options don't fit in well with Windstar, but those who enjoy good food, an intimate environment (you will know, and be known by, most every crew member and fellow passengers), a complete lack of crowds, and focus on ports, will love it. I've just recently booked this cruise aboard the Windstar Spirit (an even smaller sailing ship). overview (windstarcruises.com) The only potential disconnect I see with your requirements may be the cabin size. If you can live with that, Windstar may be a good option. If cabin size is really important, and you would like more night-time options, you can't go wrong with either Azamara or Oceania.

From the FAQs on the Celebrity website... How do I contact a friend or family member aboard a Celebrity cruise ship? For all Celebrity ships: • Dial: 1-877-266-1020(applicable country code)+1-321-953-9002 (outside the United States) • Dial the appropriate number above. • The caller will be asked to enter the credit card number and expiration date. • The system obtains a real-time hold for $79.50 ($7.95 x 10 minutes) and initiates the call to the ship. The $79.50 hold is the maximum that will be held. Actual charges will be calculated based on the number of minutes used on the call. • A voice prompt directs the caller to the specific ship. • The call is connected to the ship. • The call rings through to the designated department onboard (Radio Station or Purser Desk). The call is then routed to the guest's stateroom. • The PBX monitors the call. If there is no answer, the call will ring back at the designated department onboard (Radio Station or Purser Desk) and a written message is taken for delivery to the guest's stateroom.

To be honest, I haven't looked into how CSR handles pre-existing conditions. I (fortunately) don't have that concern (yet). Hopefully, someone here can chime in.

I'm in complete agreement that CSR is a great travel card. As for $100,000 evacuation insurance, I had no idea if that is adequate or not. I noticed that GeoBlue offers $500,000 coverage. Your comment prompted me to investigate the cost of medical evacuation a bit, and here's what was said in a Forbes article... emergency medical transportation to the U.S. from the following countries can cost the following: Caribbean and Mexico: $15,000 to $25,000 South America: $40,000 to $75,000 Parts of Europe: $65,000 to $90,000 Asia, Australia and the Middle East: $165,000 to $225,000 Emergency Medical Evacuation Insurance In Travel Insurance Plans – Forbes Advisor I would guess if one is on an African safari it might cost even more! So once again, for most travel purposes CSR is more than adequate for trip cancelation and medical evacuation.

CSR is a great travel card, but you need to understand what it is, and isn't, good for. If you're often looking for trip cancelation insurance for trips that fit within the $10K person/ $20K maximum limit, it's a great solution. These limits fit the needs of much of my travel, and in those rare instances where it doesn't, I can either buy an additional policy or self-insure the excess. Where if falls short is medical (and possibly evacuation) coverage. As mentioned, $2,500 is really inadequate for covering all but the most basic medical incidents. Therefore if you don't have a health insurance policy that covers out-of-country care (note: while Medicare does not, some Medicare Advantage policies do), it's wise to purchase medical coverage for international travel. I've used GeoBlue. These policies typically offer $500K - $1M evacuation coverage whereas CSR is only $100K. So I find CSR to be a great solution for my trip cancelation needs, and since I've gotten a Medicare Advantage policy that covers me during international travel - I'm pretty much set. Plus the points I've earned are very nice too🙂

Well this would certainly be disappointing since I'm booked for August☹️

Point taken. You have more experience with Seabourn👍

I would rank them from highest to lowest in terms of formality of dress code and fellow passengers expectations of compliance as follows... Silversea Seabourn Regent Oceana, Azamara (similar) I will say that some Regent passengers would actually comment directly to the person if they felt their dress fell short of their standards. Not many, but I'd never seen this happen before.