MalbecWine

Can you order an alcohol beverage from the lounge or do you just bring it with you?

We have seen a few medical emergencies where the guest needed to leave the ship. For sure they will pack you up in any category.

As long as we are able bodied we will unpack and pack our own stuff. I am OCD where things go.

It’s the bandwidth being eaten up when many people are online and the internet slows to a crawl. Repeaters are all over the ship but that has nothing to do with bandwidth just reception from the server.

The Rivera is the only ship that we might try in the premium market as we heard the owners suite is drop dead gorgeous with Ralph Lauren decor.

I guess I should go over to the O board and ask questions.

Bill certainly agree with you about that! Most ports (outside of the Caribbean) are great. Tour guides, on the other hand, can be anywhere from horrible to wonderful.

 

Have to agree with witt's end about Vancouver. I don't think of it because we live 50 miles away from Vancouver have not sailed into Vancouver but have sailed out of it.

 

P.S. Bill you may have given me an idea as to what my blog should be about on our upcoming Asia cruise. Since we will be doing more Regent excursions than normal, I can give what I hope is a new and positive experience. We have done some of the ports on our own so I have that to compare the excursions to.

If we lived 50 miles from Vancouver we would be visiting often. We love the diversity and the food and people are so nice. It has a little feel of Seattle which is also one of our favorite cities.

We are done with the Caribbean, been there done that too many times. St. Bart’s is the only Island we like but we can fly there and rent a villa and car.

Agree 100%!

We agree as well. Othrr lines do the same thing. Smoke & mirrors.

We had a great experience in Gadansk but we did it privately. We are not a fan of ship tours.

We were taken to a village outside and had a fabulous lunch and were taken to the music college which was fantastic. On the way back we went to a few antique stores which only certain items can be bought for import to the US. Certain items could not leave the country only locals could purchase.

If you don’t speak up, what can they do. Yes the GM is the one to bring this up to.

We have done this on Regent and just told the desk we will make our own way to the ship and they noted it on the list.

Vancouver is a wonderful place to walk around and very diverse.

I agree with you to some extent but when you are paying close to a 100k for two on luxury lines you will get free laundry and dry cleaning and at least an hour of free phone calls but the the cell is easier to use.

We love all of these lines and have no complaints except some dining venues and that’s a matter of taste. We are driven by itinerary and sea days and excellent service. Which all of them offer IMHO.

The Ritz Carlton is coming out with ships and we will give them a try as we love the Ritz product but we are open minded but that is just us. This luxury industry in cruising is becoming very competitive and continues to compete. Bottom line nobody will have a bad cruise with any of the aforementioned lines. Choice is good.

nigelc: When posters told me several years ago that I should be trying other cruise lines, we tried Silversea (3 times) and Oceania twice. While they both are lovely cruise lines, they do not beat Regent. So, for that reason, we no longer have a interest in trying Seabourn (and certainly not Crystal).

 

In terms of laundry - it is already restricted - except for the 29 cruises that you referenced. As stated, when Wi-Fi was not included it was not a big deal. And the fact that laundry is not included (except for very long voyages and the silly "promotion") is also not a big deal. In fact, in all of the years that we have been cruising on Regent (since 2004), it was not until the darn special in the Mediterranean was offered that anyone even "moaned" about the fact that they didn't qualify for that benefit. So, in my opinion, Regent made a gross misstep by offering this benefit for the 29 cruises!!!!!!!!!

 

P.S. Just discussed this issue with my British DH and he agreed that not having included Wi-Fi or laundry does not create a class system. He brought up airlines, credit cards, hotels, etc. (which I tend to not want to compare with cruise lines) - all of which have loyalty programs. The fact that we just booked first class flights using points from our credit card and maybe someone else cannot does not define our credit card company as a having a class system.

nigelc: When posters told me several years ago that I should be trying other cruise lines, we tried Silversea (3 times) and Oceania twice. While they both are lovely cruise lines, they do not beat Regent. So, for that reason, we no longer have a interest in trying Seabourn (and certainly not Crystal).

 

In terms of laundry - it is already restricted - except for the 29 cruises that you referenced. As stated, when Wi-Fi was not included it was not a big deal. And the fact that laundry is not included (except for very long voyages and the silly "promotion") is also not a big deal. In fact, in all of the years that we have been cruising on Regent (since 2004), it was not until the darn special in the Mediterranean was offered that anyone even "moaned" about the fact that they didn't qualify for that benefit. So, in my opinion, Regent made a gross misstep by offering this benefit for the 29 cruises!!!!!!!!!

 

P.S. Just discussed this issue with my British DH and he agreed that not having included Wi-Fi or laundry does not create a class system. He brought up airlines, credit cards, hotels, etc. (which I tend to not want to compare with cruise lines) - all of which have loyalty programs. The fact that we just booked first class flights using points from our credit card and maybe someone else cannot does not define our credit card company as a having a class system.

Oceania is not a luxury line as it is considered premium. Seabourn is wonderful and Crystal is up there as well and Regent too. Variety is good in the luxury market and we have enjoyed all of them. We are not loyal to one line or another all of them are excellent in their own way.

I wonder why you have not tried Seabourn which are beautiful and also Crystal does offer suites. We love the Master Suite on the Voyager.

We think they are all great!

Well, I do agree--however the last place I want to be on the ship is in the laundry room while on vacation, I prefer the open deck looking at the ocean. That said if we get up early we'll throw in socks, underwear and maybe some polo shirts. Set the alarm on the phone and come back to our deck for coffee. But nothing more. Rick

So agree the last thing we want to do is spend time in a laundry room after paying big bucks for a cruise. Penny wise and pound foolish. Is that right?

Reserve signs would be great with guests names on it. I would think that would help eliminate the problem.

I agree this is sleazy. Interactions with the casino staff is always fun and on other lines the casino staff have other duties. Virtual casino is not the way to go. Passengers love to interact with real people. Bad decision.

We were on the Voyager with a group of financial people a few years ago I would guess 150 and they were attending meetings off and on but other than that we noticed nothing different and all were social. NCL is a whole different ball game. I would not worry about it and just enjoy.

We sit n the back for the same reason.

Rachel, I am so enjoying your photos with the IPHONE they are amazing and I take pictures with mine but I only have the iPhone 6+. I guess I need to upgrade. These pictures look like the were taken by an expensive Nikon or Cannon. Great job!

Thank you for your wonderful blog and amazing photos.

Regent gives warnings out to passengers and one of the suggestions is to remove wedding rings. I am only repeating what Regent recommends. The only place in the world where I have seen this suggestion from Regent is Brazil (Rio and Manaus).

Sorry to disagree with you having had work in Rio for a major bank and cruised as well there, most Regent guests are well traveled and know what to wear or not take with them.

We will never remove our wedding rings and believe it or not many Brazilians are very wealthy and sport it openly in the Copacabana area. Your information is a little scary for those wanting to visit one of the most beautiful places.

Cruisin7’s entertaining live thread of the 2018 World Cruise inspired me to finally finish my blog of our adventure in the South Pacific. Since the ports of call are about identical, I thought it would interest cruisers on the current South Pacific segment and those who are planning to do this trip.

 

 

It’s a long read, so perfect for insomniacs! Enjoy!

 

 

https://southpacific2017.travellerspoint.com/

Amazing photos and one of the best blogs I have seen. Thank you for taking us on a virtual vacation.

Rachel, thank you for the beautiful photos and we have been there and I did not take any pictures. Your are excellent. May I ask what type of camera you are using?

We did not remove our wedding rings either and never will and they don’t atttract attention. We have cheap watches when we go into areas that are questionable and nobody would want them. We have been to Rio six times and never have had a problem but we stay close to the Copacabana area during the day at night we we either stay on the ship or take a radio taxi to and from the hotel.

It’s a shame that some people cast a bad view on such a beautiful vibrant city. Crime happens in NYC and now Harlem has become a popular tourist attraction filled with restaurants and jazz clubs. At one time nobody would go there.

Bottom line is just use common sense no matter where you are in the world.

We have been to Rio many times and never had any problems but we take precautions. The following is an excellent read for those going to Rio in the future.

https://safearound.com/americas/brazil/rio-de-janeiro/

You might check the Disabled Cruisers forum to see if anyone there has ideas. A number of existing threads appear to be on this or a related topic: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

This is a great forum for disabled guests...lots of information. Just because one is disabled does not prevent them from enjoying a cruise or excursions.

++1

++1 also.

Forgive the poor photo from our very first Regent cruise in 2008, when door decoration was very much the thing for the World Cruisers to identify with.

 

 

Whilst not something I'd want to do myself, I don't see it as offensive in any way. Each to their own!

Gilly, I find that decoration very tasteful.