RetiredandTravel

Churchill War Rooms is very very cool, highly recommend. If you are looking for lunch the Club Sandwich at the American Bar in the Stafford Hotel is awesome. https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms https://thestaffordlondon.com/american-bar/

Todays Barron's reminded me of a great Yogi Berra quote "Its dangerous to make forecasts, especially about the future". IMO the charts of the overall averages have certainly improved this year. The Russell 2000 is bumping up against its Aug 22 high of ~2020, always nice to see leadership from the small caps because they represent more stocks so the rally may have more breadth. The S&P 500 has nicely cleared the 200 day MA, the downward trendline off the highs and the December high. This week it also had what chartists consider a positive sign called a "golden cross" where the 50 day MA went above the 200 day MA. Personally I think many "Golden Cross" events happen after the horse is out of the barn and I've seen to many be false signals but its still a potential positive. My only investment in cruise stocks is down payments but according to CNBC CCL is actually the winner YTD +46% vs RCL +38 & NCLH +35. The future possibly depends on how quickly inflation declines without hurting growth and how well earnings hold up, easy right. I read the Zacks earnings prediction model you attached and its not something I would use in my personal investment decisions. If I read it correctly Zacks says the "model" only works on earnings beats but according to Factset over 5 years 77% of companies have beaten earnings estimates and over 10 years 73% anyway. (Quote and attachment below) Hmm. Prognosticating quarterly "beats/misses" is a risky business which I don't partake. If I were I don't think I'd use the Zacks data. I'm not saying they will be wrong on RCL earnings but its just not an approach I personally would consider. None of my comments should be considered investment advice. Quote on earnings "Of these companies, 70% have reported actual EPS above estimates, which is equal to the percentage of 70% at the end of last week, but below the 5-year average of 77% and below the 10-year average of 73%." https://advantage.factset.com/hubfs/Website/Resources Section/Research Desk/Earnings Insight/EarningsInsight_020323A.pdf

Barcelona is fine but I'll take the Sistine Chapel w/lunch after - bucatini all'amatriciana & a gavi dei gavi every time. Honestly I don't see how a cruise ship does justice to Rome but do your best.

We've had excellent experiences with Regent included excursions. They are on a bus with probably 50-60 other guests and a tour guide so they are far from a private tour but work well for what they are. The tour guides except for one have all been great, very knowledgeable & engaged. If you are going to a location with a lot to see that may be crowded I'd recommend a more private tour. Kyoto was an example for us, Rome/Florence maybe for you?

It is important to get to Sette Mari close to when they open @ 6:30 (or 8PM seating) to be assured of getting a table. Getting there closer to 6:30 will also mean you are one of the first to be seated and avoid it possibly getting a little hectic when its full. Sette Mari is an excellent non reservation alternative to CR. Sharing a table in usually good fun but I have seen it go horribly wrong. Never happened to us but someone being "overserved" is usually the issue. Enjoy.

Is there anything Regent can do that you will say was wrong? Get real. IMO Regent completely botched these Aus/NZ cruises and should have been transparent with people. Prior to the cruise people should have had all the information and ability to cancel with full refund. So yes for the way they handled the situation these people deserve a full refund IMO.

Maybe its you?? I'm totally kidding. Given the current rules I would have done the same as you in that situation.

I'm not trying to stir the pot here but given tothesunsets and your comments I fail to see how the "Silversea way" prevailed. Sounds like complete chaos. Glad we vacation at Caribbean resorts not cruises. The service and food are back to pre covid levels of excellence btw.

Well said. IMO this is a very disappointing performance by Regent I would think at least 100% reimbursement for the cruise is in order, the chances of getting airfare I would bet is slim to none.

and the pool lounger war rages on! I don't condone anyone hogging loungers but it seems to me that the responsibility is on the the cruise lines. If they had a defined and enforced reservation system say in 4 hour blocks there wouldn't be lounge hogging or dirty towels. Never gonna happen right? Sounds like this gets ugly.

Yes on the first day of the cruise from Regent "If you have sailed with us before and are already a Seven Seas Society member, your new tier benefits take effect on the first day of the cruise during which you transition from one tier to the next." Make sure you logon for specialty reservations the day they are available quality spots go quickly. You probably know this but Icelandair Business Class is like our Domestic First Class not European Business Class. No flat seats.

Enjoy your trip. Thanks for keeping us up to date on your experience(s).

If you have specific excursions that are important to you it may make sense to check if they are still available. Specialty restaurant reservations start 90 days ahead, if you are Regent Society Silver from your prior cruises. Quite sure you are past the excursion reservation window. When visiting the Regent itineraries page click on the room type "view details" and then "amenities" for a list. enjoy

IMO the Regent CC contributors here are by far the friendliest and most helpful in the luxury category. I think you will find the same on board, all in all a very nice and fun group. The number of rude and snarky people also amazes me. Some people are the first to ask for compassion and the last to give it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uepFO4psgKE

Probably from my assessments resulting in me getting my asses handed to me too many times. My post should have said the 15% because you would actually need to make 25%. $10000 cruise after 25% down you give 6k ($8500 total) upfront or 7.5 later. 1500/6000 = 25%. If that's how the discount works. Sorry.

Personally I think SS would have been better off not going "all inclusive" and including the excursions in the price. We aren't Caribbean cruisers but if I were a person that goes on SS Caribbean cruises every year I would view this as just a price increase. I've found the SS included excursions to be a mixed bag , some ports are fine others very light. Seems there is no rhyme or reason to it. They really need to up their game here to advertise "all inclusive". The only thing I can think of is they are new to the approach and will improve over time For example, below is a cruise that goes to Israel and Egypt. The 10+ hour Jerusalem tour (with food) is included but in Egypt the 10 hour Pyramid excursion costs extra. I understand its a different country and a long ride etc etc but if you say you are "all inclusive" seems to me that there should be a trip to the Pyramids included. https://www.silversea.com/destinations/mediterranean-cruise/athens-piraeus-to-athens-piraeus-sl230509015.html

Economically it just comes down to if you can make 15% on your money over that period of time after taxes. Given the financial condition of the cruise lines I'm reluctant to give them the entire amount. If there is an issue I guess you will probably (never experienced this just read it here) get your money back from the credit card company or travel insurance but that sounds like a pain. Some say I worry too much. Enjoy.

If you read my post I'm not saying entry level get discriminated against or poor service.. Quite the contrary I'm just saying the top suites (paying clients) get special attention. We don't want to get the faithful going on the extra charge for two restaurants, touchy subject.

I'm just pointing out that I have the impression that Regents business model is to strongly cater to the larger suites. Just compare the amenities, Regent Master Suites can eat in specialty restaurants every night (+++) and I think the employees focus heavily on the larger suite clients. Maybe SS does the same, you tell me. I'm not saying one approach is superior. When I was in business people who paid the most money got the best service. It wasn't at the expense of other clients just top paying clients got special attention and they generally used more resources (room size). I had just noticed he said he had to pay for La Dame and IMO La Dame should be "free" every night at that level, any level actually but we won't go down that road. We're more Veranda/PH people so most of this is irrelevant to us. https://www.rssc.com/ships/seven_seas_explorer

Great trip report Ronrick. Thank you for taking the time its very valuable to us newer folks. Our last experience on Regent was poor so our next cruise is on SS. We've decided not to book on pre Muse SS ships until we have a couple trips under our belt. Hopefully we have a better experience. I'm of the opinion that Regent may value the business of people in larger suites and frequent cruisers more. IMO this may lead to better service and overall experience for the people in larger suites. I'm not saying the service is poor for everyone else just that its better if you are spending more money. Hard to argue with the logic. If I spent $50k on a 2 week cruise and they charged me for the La Dame dinner I'd be pretty steamed.

We love Sette Mari, it offers a nice alternative to CR and the first come first serve system works fine. It is important to get there close to when it opens to be assured of getting a table and I'm thinking important to get there closer to 6:30 so you are one of the first seated. We've never had issues with service or pace of food service except once, the server was very new. She tried hard but should have been trained better. Pag111 sorry you had a bad experience and I respect and understand your decision to not take Regent again. If it were me given your experience I might say I wouldn't take the Navigator again but that's me. I think when you read all these trip reports the quality of all "luxury" lines has deteriorated quite a bit since Covid, hopefully they get back on track. They don't give this stuff away.

My apologies I misread your post. How was the service away from the two nights at Sette Mari?

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Honestly I'm a little unclear. You were on a 72 day cruise. The food & drinks were good but you mention poor service two nights at Sette Mari and elude to service in general. Was the service poor the rest of the cruise or just two bad experiences? Some have nicknamed it the "vibrator". One gentleman said he orders his eggs raw and watches them scramble themselves.

Seville - "Alcazar Real de Sevilla" is very cool