Belfast Taxman

Supplemental question

can you pre-book specific tables in the speciality restaurants? For example, a window table for two.

Generally we like to eat dinner around 8pm or later on a cruise, especially if we have been on a full day shore excursion and wifey wants a bit of freshen up time ( as well as that all important aperitif)

we have heard that many cruisers are happy to eat earlier than this, if only to catch the theatre entertainment, which is of lesser importance for us.

is it likely that this might mean we have a greater chance at extra nights in the speciality restaurants (do they have double sittings there, say 6.30 and 8.30pm?), or might it mean we have a better chance of simply walking into Compass Rose, or Sette Mari and getting a table for two?. 

Thanks for all the replies. I am sure Wifey and I will give it a go

I don’t recall these events on Celebrity but it has been a while. I seem to recall drinks being served at first day “sail away”, probably not for free

On Regent

is there an “official” policy on these events?

what exactly might one involve?

when do they normally take place?

does the whole ship have one at the same time as Captain and CD go round the ship?

is it considered bad form not to take part? 

do you offer drinks to “neighbours” or simply byo?

is there anything I haven’t asked about this topic that I should have?

I hope it wasn’t empty when you first arrived in your cabin😀

2 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

 

 

Gotta take these reality shows for what they are, I guess.  

So the question is, to the very experienced cruisers from the unexperienced, how “real” was it, if at all?

Thanks to all your replies - mind now significantly more at ease, only 330 days to go!!!

I am led to believe that booking the free shore excursions can be something of a heartbreaking experience.

i don’t expect to get every excursion I want, but just how difficult is it. Might I end up with nothing even if I am online at “zero hour”?

is it better to get your TA to book them as they may have earlier access to Regent systems?

i suspect that on our 2020 Baltic cruise, there are some ports such as St Petersburg and Copenhagen where we will just stump up for either Regent Choice or fully private tours. Just how flexible can you be on such tours in terms of deciding where you go and for how long? 

For example, wifey and I love art and thus the Hermitage in St Petersburg is an absolute must and for as long as possible.

i am aware of the possibility for private tours, but also that there are visa issues, especially for UK passport holders. Do the private tour companies obtain a visa there for you?

Sorry, rather more than one query there but any help very gratefully received 

Thank you so much for your interim report of your cruise. For comparative newbies like me, this kind of update for Explorer is really useful.

you will now have to pardon my ignorance; I assume that F&B stands for Food and Beverage, but what would this person, Stephane, actually do?

Whilst I would agree that the recent Uk Channel 5 documentary series does occasionally have the potential opposite effect that Regent may have wanted, our TA reported that UK bookings for Explorer have increased in recent weeks, which is perhaps just as well because with the new Splendor coming to the Med next summer, UK bookings on Explorer had previously been well down on normal levels.

The phrase “all inclusive” is one that Regent shouts out loud and proud, but I appreciate that there are limits. When it comes to alcohol there are a number of queries I have.

(1) wine - the Regent website does indicate the sort of wine served free in Chartreuse and that’s great, but I was wondering about the type and range of wines in other parts of the ship. Is there a wine list as such? I understand that there will be wine that you do have to pay for. For these wines how would you judge prices? Again is there a wine list for these premium wines? If anyone could provide examples of prices or links to lists that would be great

(2) spirits - again my query is about the borderline between free and premium. I don’t imagine the Louis XIII cognac is free, but what about, say, VSOP level. Any other examples would be lovely

(3) bottles - one of the perks of the top suites is full bar set up, but I hear that you can, in almost any cabin, ask for two full bottles of spirits. For example say Beefeater Gin and Bacardi Rum. Is that correct?

(4) mini bars - I hope for daily restocking here, is that truly likely? And can you arrange for, in a Concierge suite, particular items in your mini bar such as tonic water, Coke Zero etc to go with said bottles at (3)

finally can you order ice and a slice to your suite?

perhaps I should confirm at this stage that wifey and I are not alcoholics, but on occasion we do imbibe in moderation.

Well we all have had a first posting, so here goes and apologies if all this has been covered many times before.

we have just booked our first Regent cruise and got our detailed itinerary from our TA. Explorer is due to leave Stockholm at 5pm and we have a pre-stay not that far from the port but our private non-Regent transfer pick up is stated as 11.00am. Is this way too early? We have a Concierge Suite, so when would we be likely to be allowed to embark?

In the Regent brochure I have there is very little about the embarkation process so any advice, tips or just experiences most welcome.

Finally can I just say what a really useful font of information this forum is. I would go as far to say that it has been a small element in us deciding to take our first plunge with Regent. We have cruised before with Celebrity and look forward to noticing differences. 

Thanks to all the regulars on this forum. I should warn you that this is unlikely to be my first and last posting, asking questions that have no doubt been asked before.