KenzSailing

2 hours ago, BWIVince said:

 

Fresh, free, locally sourced product for the Chez!  😉 

Well, locavore is all the rage!

On another local note for Vince, we just dined at the latest DC restaurant he won't get down here to: Pastis, Stephen Starr's new neo-bistro in Union Market.  We made the rez a couple weeks ago and we're glad we did because, two days before we went, Sietsema published an absolute rave in the Post.  OLoPP had the duck confit, chicken Kiev for me, both spectacular, and service was top notch.  Just be prepared for a room that, once it gets full, sounds like you're in the landing pattern at National. 

1 hour ago, BEAV said:

Happy cicada season to our beloved DC/Maryland/Southeast members.

 

@rafinmd @BWIVince @TheKingD @KenzSailing

 

 

Tastes just like chicken!

On 1/5/2024 at 7:03 PM, -Lew- said:

@etual324...

 

I'll take credit for the second paragraph you quoted, but not the first.  Be careful when you attribute text to someone.  I have no idea where the first paragraph came from.

 

If the first paragraph was written by you, take care to add your thoughts outside and below the quote box.

OK, I'm a little late to the party, but it tickles me no end that the poster who (mistakenly) corrected -Lew-'s grammar, using that one word, misspelled it.  I so love social media.

6 hours ago, BWIVince said:

 

Where are the pics of him visiting the Chez while he's making his rounds around town??

 

Vince

Guy opens 50+ restaurants and a hotel or two and he forgets his friends.  🙁

I ordered a hi-ball, I got a fastball: 

https://dc.eater.com/2024/4/24/24139066/celebrity-chef-nobu-matsuhisa-shohei-ohtani-wingos-dukes-grocery-dc-am-intel?ueid=4eba6b281d9f0c8ecfc26836a0d720b7

On 4/4/2024 at 3:10 PM, BWIVince said:

Thanks... Serenity’s July 2nd Alaska cruise.  (I was thinking of the flight dates for the pre-cruise when I said that, but now we’re inside 3 months for the cruise too.)

 

Thats pretty much the scale of what I was picturing Crystal might end up with, but I think when people consider the feasibility of the casino they think primarily of the scope, and not as much the terms, which was the trouble Crystal had with finding a new operator when Caesars stopped serving that segment.  
 

All of the other luxury lines at this point have either in-house operators or global enterprise contracts that leverage the operating volume of their sister brands, which like it did for Crystal, VASTLY changes the equation.  I think this has had a lot to do with the original cancellation of the casinos and the added scrutiny now.  A similar sized casino on Regent, Seabourn or Silversea is going to cost a lot less to operate as the exact same setup on Crystal, at this point.  That wasn’t always true, but like everything in cruising, consolidation and volume pricing has changed a lot of the economics.

 

Vince

Over on Facebook, back when this was a hotter topic and Crystal's position was still "no how, no way" I remember Cristina Levis jumping in to state unequivocally that casinos don't make money for cruise lines, they make money for the concessionaire. 

Also, hi Vince!

On 3/26/2024 at 8:01 PM, Smbruner said:

I agree with all - but, they are very chinsey with their wine these days.  We barely got a taste!  It was about 1/8 of a glass - if that and no refills.  We noticed this on our most recent Explorer cruise (last month) as well as our TA on the Grandeur in November 2023.

You should take classes next to me.  You can have my barely touched wine.  I take the cooking classes to pick up a pointer on two and to have a bit of fun, for which I want a clear head.  Regent is an AI line, plenty of time to get pleasantly foggy in the evening.

4 hours ago, ctjon said:

Got it and remember but wondering why one of the questions was would you not do Crystal if no Casino's - reconsidering maybe??  Or delaying maybe for a couple of years.

Yeah, could be.  IIIRC, the current CEO(or whatever) stated on FB that casinos are not money makers for cruise lines, they mostly make a profit for the casino vendor.  That, coupled with NC's obvious ambivalence(at best) about casinos, has to make you wonder. Assuming their initial about face was driven by negative reaction on social media, interesting they're polling folks they know to be established Crystal cruisers.  They're not trolling for new casino clients.  Essentially, "OK, Crystal cruisers, time to turn your cards over." 

Me, I'm standing on 19. (And yeah, I just mixed a Poker and Blackjack metaphor.) 

1 hour ago, Roland4 said:

Crystal has said a number of times that a smaller casino will be added to both ships. The problem, I suspect, and at a guess, is it will have to wait until the next drydock.

Based on the survey wording that started with words to the effect that "Crystal has announced it will bring back casinos in 2024" I got the feeling that what they're trying to figure out is what size the re-introduced casinos should be.  Interesting they didn't drill down on preference for slots vs table games(and what sorts of table games.)  Determining that mix is probably left to whatever vendor they hire, I suppose.

Interesting.  I watch a lot of Youtube videos about cruising(yeah, I gotta get a life...) There's a US TA know for their many, many cruise line in-depth videos, mostly on mass market lines, but certainly across the market segments. They just posted a short featuring Crystal's 2026 WC. That's got to help.

1 hour ago, eroller said:

 

 

Even if you have regular contact with a crew/staff member, no tip is required or expected on Regent.  That includes butlers.  Its all been covered, and as you mention Regent is much more expensive than your average cruise line, and in part because gratuities are included. 

 

As others have mentioned, a heart felt "thank you", acknowledgement on the surveys, or thank you card goes a long way.  

 

Americans feel this compulsion to tip even when it's absolutely not required.  Don't feel remotely pressured to fall into this trap.  Enjoy the no-tipping culture on Regent ... it's one thing that sets them apart from the rest. 

No, we don't.  Now, let's beat this dead horse some more.

Hey, anybody want to discuss dress codes?

I have one rock solid belief about human nature, based on experience:  everyone, and I mean everyone, is convinced that the way they handle their finances is rational, and everyone else is doing it wrong.

My gosh, I love this thread.  I started out reading about a recent RSS cruise experience, and also got advice on breathable fabrics and how to mulch my garden.  Now that's full service!

And yes, it's the Cruise Critic way.  

On 2/12/2024 at 2:25 PM, ChatKat in Ca. said:

The Crystal Experience is superior to the Regent Experience. The crew is welcoming but will take cues from the passengers. The excursions are not bus loads full. We cruised Regent for years and tried a Regent Cruise last year and were sorely disappointed .  We cannot wait to be back on board later this year. 

I respectfully disagree, but every cruise(and cruise experience) is different.

7 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

It all could be a moot point if Regent and others would be forthcoming and tell us the truth. You can make fun of the multiple people on this board who have experienced head scratching excuses but the fact that people are expressing issues means where there is smoke, there is fire.

The repetition of conjecture is not synonymous with fact.

If social media has taught us anything, it's that sometimes where there's smoke...there's a smoke machine. 

Wow, this thread should be titled "The X-Files at Sea."

2 hours ago, Roland4 said:

To be honest, like the "Midnight Buffet" of cruising years past, the Grand Buffett was an anachronism that was due to be dropped. Yes, it was an incredible feast to look at, but we, like many we talked to, rarely participated, and more often than not watched vast volumes of uneaten food be taken back into the MDR at the end. While some of it MAY have made its way to the crew dining room, I suspect most of it went into the waste disposal system. 

 

In the last two years we have sailed on Regent, Seabourn and Silversea, and with the exception of one of those lines, which one escapes me, and which only does it when Sunday is a sea day, Grand Buffets are a thing of the past. 

We were on Regent recently.  They do grand buffets, but only on Sundays that are also sea days and then, only once per cruise.  We attended a cooking demo hosted by the head chef.  A question was asked about food waste.  He said the only waste incurred was from the grand buffet.  Standards are such that the left over food could not even be served to the crew, but had to be disposed of. I agree it's an anachronism best left to a mention in a lecture about the history of passenger cruising.   

I'm with the Senior Flamingo on this one.  We were on Grandeur in December, never heard the cabin occupants on one side, spirited conversation did filter in from the love seat side.  Honestly, I don't know if my antennae would have been so active had I not already read about the issue on this board(the good and ills of social media.)  Anyway, after a 16 day cruise, it was so minor for us that we've booked a BtB on Grandeur for next December.

Even if an issue the potential remedies are many: ear plugs, a white noise machine, one(more) last one in the Meridian Lounge(my preference.)

11 hours ago, Pcardad said:

Would you be comfortable posting a picture of this gratuity line? I believe you but it would put the issue to rest.

That would be helpful.  We were on Grandeur in December and indulged in wine off the specialty list (whatever Regent calls it) twice(both times in Prime 7.)  Don't remember a gratuity line, but by that time evening merriment had been had. 

7 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

Honestly, I think insulation is the same in all the suites and not as big a problem as everyone thinks.  We had friends on one side, the side that the tv was on, and their tv was on our wall.  We never heard them and they never heard us.  On the side we had our couch, as I said earlier, we heard our neighbors maybe 3 times in 16 days and never at night or during any sleep time.  Since I was sitting on our couch, I suspect one of them was sitting on their couch on the other side of our wall so we were literally inches apart, and that's when I heard them.  But I heard NO complaints by anyone on board and our friend heard nothing at all.  So really, don't "over think" this.  If you get a neighbor that is consistently loud, just let them know and ask if they can talk quieter.

Well, we were on the Dec 21 Canal cruise in a Superior F1.  Never knew if the folks on one side of us were in their cabin on not.  On the other side, we always knew when they were talking.  I don't know what to say about that other than YMMV.

4 hours ago, BEAV said:

 

 

 

63F in Northern California…

 

The shorts are on! 
 

 

 

 

OK, for you, we'll suspend the usual formal-optional dress code for the sup celebrating the big winter batch of French onion soup I made today.  Good use of a day not fit to go outdoors anyway.

But no board shorts.  Gotta have some standards.

We were on the Grandeur Dec 21 MIA-LA cruise, 16 nights. Experienced Crystal cruisers, first time on Regent.  I'm too lazy to write a review(and frankly I find them of little value as I have no idea the perspective of the reviewer.)  We were pretty much over the moon.  The ship was of course bright and shiny, but the service was much smoother than I had been expecting on a ship so recently put into service. Food(important to us) was also just fine to excellent, with the few misses easily corrected and not worth further comment.  Also, luuuved the Culinary Arts Kitchen experience.

My proof?  We've booked Grandeur BtB this December over the holidays.

Sorry to say, but the eternal verities of cruising still apply:

1) You won't know until you've tried it

2) The only opinion that matters is yours

24F at 1 PM here, about 8 inches of fresh snow on the ground, so I'm fighting back by wielding a hot stove.  Hot chocolate this morning, grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch.  It's Saturday, so steak tonight according to her majesty's wishes.  Life is good.

On 1/15/2024 at 7:22 AM, rafinmd said:

Today's sunrise comes with a bit of a strange story.  I was booked on a 32-day cruise on Symphony to Antarctica and back to Miami.  I did not want to fly from Baltimore in the middle of winter to meet such a major cruise so I came up with a strange workaround, sailing Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton and connecting with Queen Victoria for the start of their World Cruise, Southampton to Fort Lauderdale.  January 15 was a sea day from Ponta Delgada to Fort Lauderdale.

 

 

Roy

I remember that sojourn.  At the time, I called it "the Royest thing Roy has ever Royed."  Still true!

33 minutes ago, BEAV said:

Glad you had a nice cruise. But still kinda

ticked you were in my state and didn’t call or stop by. I would’ve sent Christmas leftovers home with you in my

Mom’s hand-me-down 60’s vintage Tupperware. 

Welp, my apologies.  And I wish that we had, the experience would undoubtedly have been better.  The rest of the story: we spent an additional two nights in LA specifically to dine at a restaurant I've been jonesing in go to for years.  I snagged a rezzie there, even scored one of their limited servings of pressed duck. 

After all of that, we would have been better off with Mom's leftovers.  I even know how to burp Tupperware, and I promise we'd return it clean.