greenolaker

Splendor October 24

April 24. Cancelled 

May 14 received credit to my credit card of cruise deposit and shore excursions (minus $200 cancel fee)

After reading this I decided to check on our AA flights to Venice on October 22. It was cancelled although the return flight from Rome in November is still listed. Never got an email from AA that they had cancelled. I called and was told to request refund for the round trip. We were going to wait to see if things improved and the cruise would happen but now I guess we will cancel the cruise. 

Thanks for doing the blog. We’re doing Venice to Rome end of October and I get to sign up for our shore excursions later tonight.  We were on the Voyager in December so I can’t wait to experience the new ship. She looks beautiful. 

We were on the Singapore to Singapore cruise on the Voyager. Now that I am getting over my jet lag I have read the comments and reviews. We have to agree with the comments about the service problems in the restaurants.and with the bar servers. We had extremely slow service in Compass Rose. We also had times that we felt we were invisible in the Horizon Lounge  when servers would offer appetizers to some and skip us. Same with the bar server in the Constellation theater who took my husband’s drink order and then ignored me.  Trying to get a server’s attention to get coffee  at breakfast in the Veranda was a challenge.  We did discover that one side of the restaurant had fewer servers than the other side so tables weren’t cleared and service was lacking. We tried to find avoid sitting on that side.  

I also agree with the problems in the cabin. We were in 839. I complained the first day about the cabin being too warm. Nothing was ever done to fix the a/c. Luckily we travel with a small box fan which helped at night when it seemed that the a/c was turned off in the middle of the night. We also found that it was impossible to get cold water from the bathroom sink faucets. 

It took many calls to housekeeping to get our refrigerator only stocked with our requested Coke Zero and  to remove the beer and regular coke. We also had to call to get the toilet paper replenished 

This was our first Regent cruise. We would not sail on the Voyager again and would consider a new ship that hopefully wouldn’t have the mechanical problems. 

We’re taking our first Regent cruise in December. Thanks for the tip 👏

What about the a/c?  Does that go off if the key card is removed?

Thanks everyone for your input.

We are booked in Voyager Cabin 839 for our December Southeast Asia cruise. I think that is on the starboard side of the ship. Considering the heat and humidity I would rather have a balcony that is in the shade in the afternoon so the sun isn’t making the cabin warmer. For those who have done this itinerary which side of the ship should I choose?  Thanks. 

I really enjoyed reading your pre-cruise posts and look forward to reading about the cruise.

50 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

Today is the last day here in Hong Kong, the car service pick us up at 11:30 this morning.  Got to the airport in normal time without the traffic you have here.  The airport was busy but check- in went smooth.  We’re flying on Thai Airlines on one of the new 350’s business class on a two class airplane.

After check-in we were taken to immigrations priority line, then on to security and on the other side in minutes.  However after many escalators and a pretty long walk, two trains we got to the lounge.   Every lounge had its good points, so it was a place to be until are flight was called.

 

Boarding the plane was a breeze; a crew member took us to our seats for the flight.  Within a short time they passed out newspapers and your choice of beverages.  The seats are pretty big for business class with full lay down beds for this 2 ½ hour flight.  Anyway the service was very nice and the food was good on Thai Airlines.

 

Just an FYI for those that visit Bangkok, they have an airport service you can book in advance (which we did); it’s called Air LOT Service.  If you don’t know it’s a long, long walk (min 1 mile) from your plane to passport control and that can take an hour or more.  With this service they greet you at the gate, put you in an electric cart and drive you though the airport to passport control and walk you through within minutes.

 

They have another person waiting for you to take you to luggage and retrieve it.  Take you to your waiting car and off to the hotel.   Thai traffic was a mess.  Arriving at the Royal Orchid Sheraton was a nice experience, your luggage taken, and off to special check-in desk.  Desk staff offered you a beverage of your choice, and then you were taken to your room for check-in.  Luggage was waiting in your room; the room itself was a nice suite with a full River View from left to right.  So far everything is going in the right direction, very nice.  Of course you’re in Asia, fresh flowers, fruit and chocolate candy of course.

 

Next a hot shower, change of clothes and across the River to the new shopping center for dinner and a little shopping.  This isn’t any shopping center, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen—it’s very high end, like want to buy a new car, 8^th floor.  Fountains, waterfalls and a river inside with a floating market, and as we were leaving full water show shooting a few stories high with color and to music.

 

Ron did go to the LV store and yes he got a new bag.  That put us over our amount that is allowed when returning to the US for customs for both of us.

 

Back to the hotel for a good night sleep, tomorrow is cooking school they pick us up around 1:00PM.  We’ll be cooking our dinner and getting back around 7 tonight.  We’ve done this school last year, its hands on and a lot of fun. 

I love reading your trip report and look forward to each installment. We will be in Bangkok overnight as part of our cruise in December and will be staying at the Sheraton. I am looking forward to going across the river to Iconsiam   Where did you eat dinner in the mall?  We’re also taking a class at Blue Elephant cooking school   Which cooking school are you going to?

Bonnie 

This sounds like a fantastic trip. Can’t wait to read all of the reports from everyone. 

18 minutes ago, SWFLAOK said:

I went online at 11:00pm in Galveston TX and was able, through "my bookings", to see what was available at each port for booking. There were way fewer excursions available than what was shown as "previously offered" excursions for our cruise, and no private cars or vans were listed. Unfortunately, the 2 excursions I had most wanted to book (Kato park in Kuching, and Franklin Islands in Cairns) were not listed, so I had to make other choices. It took me over an hour to do the bookings, but I got it all done and confirmed with an email. When we spoke to our TA about it, she said that excursions change a lot in some areas, such as SE Asia, and past excursions are often no longer available since tour operators come and go. The excursions I really wanted (not car or van), were no longer shown on "previously offered" excursions for this cruise when I checked it at 7:00am on the 10th.

I didn't try for a PDF since we're currently on vacation in Texas, and a PDF is harder to get downloaded than going to a website. 

I received an email yesterday from Regent informing me that I could now book my shore excursions. It also mentioned The Executive Collection which offers private cars and guides and to call Regent to find out about it. I called and would be able to book a private car for Saigon. The price was around double booking a private tour on my own but I have tons of shore credits that I probably wouldn’t use so I think I can use them for this. Anyway I will call tomorrow to confirm that. 

It is disappointing that so many excursions that were listed on the web site as previously offered excursions are not offered now. I was able to book something for all of our ports and even today nothing is sold out. 

Just wanted to post an update. I never received the PDF. I went online at 11:00 p.m. CST and it listed every excursion as not available. I thought I would give it one more go before I went to bed so at 11:20 p.m. I went online and every excursion was available!  I was able to book every excursion with no problem. There were no new excursions listed and no many choices in each port. We want to book a private car in Saigon which was an option in the what was offered on previous cruises but not offered on our cruise. I will call my travel agent to find out if it can be booked on board. 

Thanks Rachel.  I have been looking at the web site and selected some excursions for each port. The problem is that some that were listed yesterday are not listed anymore i.e. private car, etc. The selection is a lot smaller today with fewer  excursions offered in each port.The two different Regent agents told me not to go by what is offered on the web side as the PDF will have the authentic list of excursions. I guess I will see when I can select the excursions at 11 p.m. CST tonight.

I am really frustrated with my first Regent cruise and the ability to select shore excursions. We can select them April 10th but I am still not able to get the PDF e-mailed to me. There are some listed on the web site with prices but others that were there yesterday are no longer showing. When I try to have the PDF mailed to me it has the message that no shore excursions are available yet. I have called Regent a few times. I was told to not go by what is on the web site and wait for the PDF. This morning I was told that the shore excursion desk is having a problem with the PDF and I "should" get a PDF this afternoon once the problem is fixed. At this rate, I doubt that I will be able to log  on to select excursions when it opens at midnight EST. Is this typical? My travel agent called yesterday and was told that the PDF is not available. 

Looking forward to reading your blog, especially as we will be first time Regent cruisers when we embark on the Voyager in December. Can’t wait to hear about your good and bad impressions. How is the air conditioning in the cabin?  I like it freezing and am concerned since we will be in the heat and humidity of Southeast Asia. Anyway hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise. 

Susan. I was thinking of taking the cooking class when we are there on our Voyager cruise in December. Just wondering if the room is air conditioned.

Also are you doing the Regent post cruise Singapore 3 day shore excursion?  

Since we we have many of the same ports I have enjoyed reading about your experiences. Thanks for your informative blog

Bonnie

Thanks for sharing your blog. I loved following along on your adventure. 

7 hours ago, HotRoot said:

Regent offered a free tour called Bangkok on your own.  It dropped us at a mall in the Central District.  We made our own hotel reservations.  The second day we had Regent hire us a van, driver, and guide.  We were picked up at our hotel at 8 am.  The van took us to the Reclining Buddha.  After that we walked and took boats.  We saw the Temple of Dawn, canal boat ride, barge museum, Emerald Buddha, and Grand Palace.  We did not like the restaurant selection so had the van come back to get us and take us to a cleaner restaurant.  Then we were brought back to the port.  The van, driver, and guide cost us $899.  We divided it by 6.  We each paid our own admission fees which were about $60 per person.  We paid for our own meal.  When we arrived at the ship, the crew was lining the walkway.  We had a band playing and drinks being served.  Someone took our umbrellas (it was raining when we left), someone else our suitcase.  We really felt welcomed back.  If you dock in downtown Bangkok (Silver Shadow was), it would be much easier and much cheaper.  We have been to Bangkok but the other two couples had not.  We had never done the canal ride or Barge Museum so we did see something different.  Some people booked the Bangkok on your own for both days.  They took the ride in and then caught the ride back on the second day.  If you do not want to see the sights, this would work.  But it is no where near the temples so you would waste time the second day getting back to the mall to meet the bus.  Questions?  Ask away.

Thanks for all of the tips. Really helpful in planning our Bangkok overnight. 

@HotRoot. We will be on the Voyager in Cecember and want to stay overnight in Bangkok, too.  I was thinking of booking our own transportation and hotel but am worried about missing the ship if we are on our own. <What did the destination desk arrange for you and did you book it when you were aboard the ship?  Looking forward to reading about your experience. Enjoy the rest of the cruise 

Good to know. 🙂

Loving all of your pictures and descriptions of your excursions. Looking forward to our December Southeast Asia cruise on Voyager. I am hesitant to go on the Mekong as I am deathly afraid of snakes and saw pictures of a python being shown to passengers on a previous Regent Mekong shore excursion. Did this happen on your excursion?  

Looking forward to to reading about the remainder of your cruise 

I spoke to my travel agent yesterday. She called Regent and was told the pdf is not available yet. Probably won't be available until 2 days before April 10. 

2 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

Yes, we're on the Singapore to Singapore, and then continue on the next cruise to Sydney. We've never been anywhere in that part of the world and are really excited to go.

It seems like stopping at the cruise port nearest to Bangkok, then taking an excursion to this could be disappointing: "Ancient City: One of the world’s largest outdoor museums features a 200-acre city with 109 scaled-down copies of Thailand’s most famous monuments and architectural attractions".  It does have good Trip Advisor reviews, but miniature versions of famous monuments doesn't sound good.

For our Alaska cruise last summer and our Med cruise in July, the excursions listed as "here are past excursions, they may not be the same" next to the itinerary were nearly spot on when it came to what was available for booking.  I hope something more shows up before April 10th. Signing up on board hasn't worked well for us since many ship's excursions have already been sold out.

We’re hoping they will offer the overnight Bangkok tours with hotel again so we can stay in Bangkok since it is such a long drive from the pier. If not I’m going to ask my travel agent about arranging it to do on our own. 

@SWFLAOK

are you on the Singapore to Singapore cruise?