Mahogany

On 1/18/2024 at 10:21 AM, Lonedaddy said:

I was surprised to see a tour on regent that is charging $170/pp in Wavis Bay is the same price or cheaper on get your guide or viator.   It is the sandwich harbor tour.  I'm sure they use the same operators and all the descriptions are similar (some include lunch, regents tour does not specify.)  I thought they gave a discount on the tour or include it if it is $149 or less.  This tour I am looking at should be a $21-$40 upcharge.  

Have you seen it printed somewhere that there is a discount or included if more than $149. News to me, but anything's possible. 

15 hours ago, drkitkat123 said:

Yes, very personal. My DW was happier. Breakfasts were the same, every day, quite institutionalised as were lunches. In evenings, we ate at La Terraza (quite limited menu - bored by the end of the cruise), Indochine (terrible meals- - we did complain), Note (boring after 2 nights there), Atlantide, food was not great in my opnion, veggies miserable and cold. The grill was my favorite but still getting bored after 2 weeks. We ate with someone who cooked their own food (we never do) and they brought all the meals together and we were well finished when he started eating - just something to be aware of...

Bored after 2 weeks? I think cruisers have a misconception about food onboard. Don't expect it's like going to a different restaurant on land every night. "Breakfasts were the same"? What do you expect for breakfast? Fresh fruit, pastry, eggs any way, several meats, salmon, fresh-squeezed juice.  Yeah, that's real boring! And "institutionalized"? Like prison?

I was on Silver Dawn two voyages, a total of 5 weeks last year and found something different to eat each time at La Terrazza.

I sure hope no one is making a decision to not sail with Silversea based on your review.

What ship are you sailing next?

2 hours ago, BBWC said:

Yes for pickle ball. Classes are Yoga, Pilates, indoor cycling, etc.

Just saw on website: bocce and paddle tennis. Same court as pickleball, just different equipment?

Anybody know about activities on Splendor? Same as Grandeur? Pickleb all and classes?

Sorry, repeated topic.

Has anyone been in the Venture Veranda Spa Suite? There are 2 and 1 Penthouse. I think I read somewhere there were steps involved to access it, or is that on the classic ships? Entrance is opposite the Spa treatment rooms and down a corridor to the Fitness Center (sweaty bodies? 😁). It's classified as a V4. Curious whether it's the same size as the other V1-4 verandas.

Has anyone been in the Venture Veranda Spa Suite? There are 2 and 1 Penthouse. I think I read somewhere there were steps involved to access it, or is that on the classic ships? Entrance is opposite the Spa treatment rooms and down a corridor to the Fitness Center (sweaty bodies? 😁). It's classified as a V4. Curious whether it's the same size as the other V1-4 verandas.

7 hours ago, flossie009 said:

There is also a polite reminder in the final issue of Passages to ensure that library books are returned and that bathrobes & umbrellas remain in the suite.

 

Do we find this to be an inconvenience? No

Do we find this to be "insulting"? No

Do we take this personally? No

 

it is just a very practical way of ensuring no embarrassment for guests or staff and that all items on board are available for the next guests who board.

I agree. And for those who do intentionally take them, what a surprise when the cost is added to their final bill.

23 hours ago, JSR said:

It rained all day. Went to hear Gabor give the port talk for a couple ports in Peru. It was informative. 
 

Ran into friends in Arts Cafe and hung out and visited. Then went to the Grill for lunch. They said the comedian last night was very funny. Tonight we have another guest entertainer. Going to try and go but you never know with us. We seem to be embracing the manana attitude. 
 

Tonight is the Venetian Society cocktails and formal optional night.
 

Tomorrow is yet another sea day. We do have a Bridge tour scheduled and waiting to see what the other options are for the day. 
 

@Carolfay unlike last season Peru seems to be a good bet. 
 

Be safe and stay warm! 
 

jean

 

 

Do you know the name of the comedian? They usually perform for 2 nights. Steve Stevens was on Dawn last month.; most attendees enjoyed him; he also plays a few musical instruments.

On 1/8/2024 at 2:09 PM, Fletcher said:

No evening entertainment apart from a pianist, no 'formal' dress code, landings by zodiac in some locations, far more destination driven - ie, nature, wildlife, culture - than your normal 'classic' cruise when cruise directors seldom know where they are on any given day.  Passengers are also a slightly different demographic - ie, seriously widely travelled, destination driven.  You will meet almost everyone. The UK, especially the further reaches of Scotland, is quite a satisfying region for this sort of cruise, even in the unpredictable weather.  The Endeavour looks great.  We were on the Spirit a few months ago - a bit of a soulless luxo-barge.  We're on the Wind in April.

Soulless luxo-barge? Please expand. Sounds awful.

I'm on a Splendor cruise in July that stops in St Peter Port, Guernsey. One of the excursions was sold out, no option to wait list, note said to pick something else. I called Regent shorex and was told because of the small size of the island and limited suppliers (guides, buses, etc.) that there was no chance there would be an additional time for that particular excursion.

Perhaps St Barts has similar issues because of its size and popularity.

When I was on the Dawn (twice) last year, the SALT Bar, as well as the Kitchen, offered cocktails (and maybe mocktails) that reflected the area the ship was visiting. I know the Bar is much larger on Nova and will probably accommodate a wheelchair visit just fine. The Dawn bar is tiny/cozy.

3 hours ago, safarijm said:

Let us know when you run out of lettuce! Yes crew does excellent service but you will run out of “stuff” during your next 69 days.

Wow, Debbie Downer. And he was just beginning to enjoy things!

These last few posts say it all. You can have a good or a bad experience, on ay ship, on any cruise line.

17 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

I went to the Crystal board for fun and I did see quite a few negative comments about the same things we are seeing with Regent. Significant changes to itineraries, lack of communication, some food and cabin issues, etc. There are definite cheerleaders on both Crystal & Regent sites where neither cruise line can’t do anything wrong even when it’s obvious they screwed up. Before Crystal went bankrupt, I cruised with them occassionaly, about the same as I do with Regent. I don’t recall all these significant itinerary changes, other than for safety or security reasons, pre COVID. It feels like in at least some cases the rules are changing on the cruise lines post sales but prior to departure and this is causing significant angst among passengers because they don’t feel they re getting the product they paid for. As an example, the French Polynesia islands are now limiting the size of the cruise ships that can visit. I’m sure some large ship cruise lines sold some cabins prior to this announcement.  

What are examples of "all these significant itinerary changes"? Surely you're not blaming Regent for French Polynesia's regulations.

3 hours ago, acstall said:

I so agree with your assessment but have hesitated to share my thoughts about our cruise on Regent.  In our case, the server taking the special eggs order was very rude about indicating we should get our table first.  Even when we did that, there always seemed to be an issue with our orders.  Although I did a lot of research prior to our Splendor cruise, I did not learn about this "process" until our first morning for breakfast.  On our cruise in December 2022, we did not feel that key staff leaders were open to feedback about the uneven experience both in food quality and service in the restaurants.  Our cabin was elegant and our butler was also wonderful - that side of things couldn't be better.  However, the overall feeling of being dismissed kept us from booking another cruise on Regent, although if there's an interesting itinerary in the future I would consider it.  We cruised for the second time in December 2023 on Crystal and it was as wonderful and welcoming as ever.

Every time someone praises Crystal, I have to ask. Were you in a Penthouse? Because that's what you have to pay for to get the same suite space as Regent, Silversea and Seabourn's entry-level veranda. I know from experience.

2 hours ago, kjbacon said:

I’d like to see better information communicated by seabourn!

What was their answer when you called them?

4 hours ago, Brad1185 said:

$480 for 2 meals for 2 people in the 2 extra charge restaurants on the Nova is a bit much when SS over uses the words all inclusive on their advertising and website. 

What were the reasons you chose to eat in the extra-charge restaurants?

1 hour ago, PhD-iva said:

My issue with incorrect website pricing is because I cruise solo. Even if I input that only one passenger is sailing, I generally get a price that is twice the per person double occupancy cost. That would make sense except that I am always looking at itineraries that have a 0% single supplement or some other reduced single supplement percentage.
I recently was looking at a July 25 sailing that had a wonderfully low price. Unfortunately, when I am given the 0% single supplement cost, it is much higher than the price I see on the website.
It is a bit of a struggle to figure out the applicable pricing. 

I agree. I am on that sailing and have compared my and my friends' (2 in a suite) Guest Statements. Even with my Platinum status, I am not paying half. And as new clients, they received more SBC than I!

My favorite trip in my lifetime was Antarctica on Le Ponant's Le Boreal 10 years ago. The Captain was a big part of that, always alerting us to a sighting, especially a humpa-backa (his pronunciation). And the expedition team was phenomenal! Also don't remember paying for wine. The voyage I was on was chartered by Abercrombie & Kent, so English the first language; maybe their involvement improved the quality. Guess I just got lucky on my voyage.

2 hours ago, tinaincc said:

Hope you try Sea Dream yacht Club. We just disembarked this morning and your dress preference is exactly their code - it was FABULOUS. Never treated as a second class citizen based on appearance. People in long dresses sitting next to someone in shorts. The conversation and scenery were the focal points. 

A question about Sea Dream which was in Lisbon when I was there last month. The yacht didn't seem to have a lot of balcony space. Do all the suites have balconies?

1 hour ago, Fitstylist55 said:

The Pursuit is stunning! The suites are beautiful with very well thought out features (walk-in closet door is the one flaw I see—ask for a stopper). 
 

About to go to my kayak safety briefing and I will inquire about snorkeling opportunities. 

I planned on bringing my own door stopper (lots of CC complaints) when I sail Venture in March. I assume it's the design which didn't get rectified with Pursuit's build. Do they really have enough stoppers on board for all the disgruntled passengers? A small, but annoying problem.

5 minutes ago, QuestionEverything said:

Sounds like Oceania's food delivery options are far superior to Seabourn.

Did O Insignia in August - Iceland, Greenland, Canada and US.

The food and options for eating were outstanding.

The Grand Dining Room was mostly full at breakfast and lunch - I ate there much over 17 days! The food, service, staff were outstanding.

I have not done Seabourn yet, but this thread will ensure I will not do so.

Not good at all.

 

My opinion after several Oceania cruises: the specialty restaurants are excellent, the dining room poor. If your experience is very recent, that's good news.

Dining threads are just like dress code postings, very subjective IMHO 😀

47 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

To be honest, I don't pay much attention to decor and furnishings, but they look comparable to me.

 

One big difference worth mentioning is that on SS ships all public areas are on the aft, while the cabins are on forward and mid ship. This is very different from O (and most other lines) where public areas are spread between aft and forward (the theater for example is almost always forward while the dining room is aft). personally I don't really care. Those are small ship and fairly easy to navigate, no matter the design.

Not all SS ships. The Nova and Ray have decks dedicated to suites, fore, mid and aft, and public spaces above and below suites.

15 hours ago, Hobar said:

Looks like OneSpaWorld has the monopoly.

https://onespaworld.com/at-sea/spas-at-sea/

I had such a wonderful mani on recent cruise that I couldn’t resist adding more gratuity.

On the website you mention, it's interesting that of all the cruise lines it says it provides service for, only Regent and Oceania don't have a "Discover" link to their onboard spa. So maybe the NCL conglomerate is not currently using them?