DatawCruiser

What does it cost to upgrade to multiple devices if you don't already get this?  Can you use OBC for an upgrade?

My apologies.  You are correct.  I went to my cruise history and the cruise was 2-3-2022.  I mixed up my deposit date.  Regardless, it was a great cruise.

Our first RSSC experience was on the Voyager in January 2019.  We absolutely loved the ship and the cruise.  Followed that up with the Splendor in February 2021.  Another wonderful cruise.  So we recently booked the Voyager again for this fall.  But now I'm very concerned about the comments concerning the aging of the ship.  It will have been 5 years since our original cruise and I am wondering if I should switch to a newer ship.  Can anyone else comment on the aging of the ship over the past 5 years?  Am I reading too much into the comments about creaking noises and worn furnishings? Thanks in advance.

According to the Regent web site, Silver does not qualify for the extra wifi logins.

Will I be able to make a 12:30 departure at Rome Airport (FCO).  The tentative schedule has the ship arriving at 6am in port.  I would be taking a private transfer.

Thanks in advance.

Just to clarify, the actual viewing of the game was in the theater.

We were on Splendor last year during the Super Bowl.  They held a nice tailgate party on the pool deck with an ice sculpture, and did show the game.  I believe we were underway and not at a port, but I'd have to check the itinerary.

20 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

That's good to know.  No problems parking at the J terminal?  Did you drop your bags off first, or not? How far did you have to walk to check in?

Yes.  As you drive to the Terminal J parking garage, you drive right past the baggage drop off.  I stopped and unloaded the bags, and my wife got out there also.  Then you take two left turns and you are at the garage entrance.  You have to prepay the attendant for the entire stay up front.  They know how long the cruise is for.  I was fortunate and saw an open spot just past the attendant on the first floor.  Regardless of what spot you get, the garage is directly across the street from the cruise port and is a easy walk.  We got there well ahead of the Regent transfer buses and had no waiting of any kind.

We also drove to Miami and stayed at the Intercontinental  It is well worth paying for parking for one night for one reason.  In the morning you can leave on your schedule and not have to deal with the Regent shuttle process. We were able to call the porter to get our bags and car, and be at terminal J parking garage in 15 minutes.  

Dataw Island, SC.  

Just a side note.  On our Splendor cruise in February, we ordered a couple of high end Reds off the Wine list, only to be told they were out of them.  Very disappointing that they were still on the list.  Hope you have better luck.

We were in 840 and there was noticeable vibration.  Not enough to be a big problem, but disappointing for a newer ship.

My last cruise on Splendor in February had 2 ridiculously bad excursions and less than impressive meals.  I cancelled my only future cruise with them and will wait until things improve.

I would suggest you read the tripadvisor reviews for the excursions at each location.  There are some good ones and some real stinkers.

Final Impressions - Part 2

I was on the same cruise as Macbest and we met a few times in the Pool Lounge, Meridian Lounge and even the Wine Connoisseur lunch.  This was my second Regent cruise and I have a few additional observations.  First of all, I promised to not reveal the secret Spa pool location to Macbest, but now, you all know.   

Here are my observations on the good and bad experiences we experienced.  We are a mid 60's married couple from South Carolina.

Housekeeping -  Superb.  Our Lead Housekeeper Sigit was spot on.  We had a PHC suite and it was like he knew our schedule each day.  The service was spot on and the room was perfectly cleaned every time we left, even if we came back 60 minutes later.

Butler - A little cold at first, but he warmed up after a few days.  We did not place huge demands on him, but he handled everything seamlessly.  We had room service several days before excursions and service was right on time and just as ordered.  He also handled all laundry requests perfectly.

Penthouse suite - I loved our suite.  The perfect layout for us.  We were in Suite 840 across the ship from Macbest.  The only problems we had were on two nights during high wind events, the dividing section between our balcony and the suite next to us blew open.  It began banging back and forth between suites,  I had to call maintenance twice in the middle of the night to fix the situation.  My wife was not happy.

Entertainment - We watched the Magician and Vegas singer, but were not impressed.  We did not watch the few Broadway shows due to our schedules.  Overall, I had no problem with the entertainment in the theater.  Boogie and Kashia are not for us.  Boogie is extremely talented and was very entertaining.  Kashia, not so much.  She tries very hard, but does not have a great voice.

Food and drink. -  I thought the food on this voyage was far inferior to our first cruise.  We often found ourselves wanting for something in La Veranda for lunch.  Dinners were hit or miss in all venues.  This was our biggest disappointment on this cruise, and we are considering cancelling our next cruise until we see better reviews.  The wine selections were marginal, and the wine service was hit or miss. We tried ordering a couple of bottles off the premium list, and both were not available.  Try updating your list?  The big exception was the Meridian lounge.  Nemanja and Victoria were the best with all the craft drinks.

Pool  - We typically hung out on Deck 12 above the pool.  We never had a problem getting a good spot and while there were a few apparent chair reservations, it was never an issue for us.  Drink service was a little spotty but acceptable.

Excursions - Again, hit or miss.  We went on 7 excursions and 2 were a complete waste of time.  Do not go on the Two Nation tour on Saint Maarten, or the Sunnyside Garden tour on Grenada.  The tour descriptions are totally inaccurate.

Splendor - The ship was incredible!  Beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean.

YMMV,

DatawCruiser

We enjoyed the Wine Connoisseur lunch today. Fun commentary by the head sommelier and a good selection of food and wine.  Macbest was also there and will most likely have better info than I.

Barbados…We went past the main cruise docks this morning, which appeared to have room, and ended up docking at a bulk processing pier.  There is a loud steady noise from machinery of some kind. Not what I would expect from a luxury cruise.  Here is the view from my suite.

Barbados…We went past the main cruise docks this morning, which appeared to have room, and ended up docking at a bulk processing pier.  There is a loud steady noise from machinery of some kind. Not what I would expect from a luxury cruise.  Here is the view from my suite.

One interesting note.  Our original health advisory required COVID antigen tests before excursions on Bonaire and Grenada.  It appears these are no longer necessary.  We are in Bonaire tomorrow.

We took a bus tour today. We stopped at the natural bridge that fell into the sea in 2005.
 

A second bridge then formed to replace the original.

A picture of the shoreline.

Arrived early to Aruba at around 7:30am.  This guy was waiting to help us in.

in.

1 hour ago, sherkston said:

Thanks to those on board for posting…and feeding those who are eagerly awaiting our turn to get on. 😎🙂

curious if you know at this stage if they are keeping to the original itinerary, or have they advised of port changes - either cancelled or substituted for another port/stop.   Thank you

No changes of any kind as of now.   We are scheduled for Aruba at 9am.  We have received all our excursion tickets for the entire cruise.

A couple of quick comments about our PHC.  This suite is head and shoulders above our previous experience with a PHC on Voyager.  The layout is very spacious and we have more space than we expected.  The closet is huge, the bathroom is incredible, and the shower is great. Unless you plan on entertaining others in your suite, I see no reason to get more than a PH on Splendor.

Macbest,

If you’re interested, we can meet for a drink at 4pm today at the pool bar.  I will have a black golf cap on.