NanJ0508

Yep, and I think El Nino contributed to the bad weather this year.

Thanks for the replies. It makes sense that categories are waitlisted, not individual suites. 

We have booked a cruise in May 2025 and asked our TA to book 2 Grandeur suites out of a list of 8 that we gave her. Only one of our choices was available. Does anyone know if Regent has a waitlist system for suites? We are low level Seven Seas Society members so have no pull there!

Our TA is out for surgery so I emailed Regent to ask the question but I'm guessing it could take a while to get an answer. 

21 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

Nan, have you settled on a cruise line and itinerary for the French Polynesia?

Not yet. We are traveling with another couple so we are getting together soon to discuss options. It will be between Silversea and Paul Gauguin. We need to decide soon because it is "only" a little over a year out. I watched a video by Gary Bembridge, Tips for Travelers, who said the cruise companies are forecasting record capacity in 2024.

24 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

Not sure if this was the same cruise but here is someone’s report from the February cruise in the French Polynesia: “We had a rough ride getting to Bora Bora, a tender port.  Captain came on at 0730 to say it would be impossible to tender. It is raining buckets and high swells.  So we are sailing to Pago Pago. This is our 5th missed port.”

Yikes! How disappointing.....

44 minutes ago, Dirtygerty said:

We are on navigator now, embarked on 17 February for a 16 night cruise.  The weather has been amazing, sun and blue skies all the way, no rain at all apart from a very very brief shower early this morning in American Samoa. I realise that we have been very very lucky as the weather can be unpredictable at this time of year. French Polynesia is absolutely gorgeous, esp Bora Bora. 

Wow, how fortunate! Thanks for posting - enjoy your cruise!

50 minutes ago, jessandarnie said:

We have just sailed TAHITI on Navigator, departed Papeete on 7 February. Yes there was a storm occur which delayed us and we missed Mo’orea. But after the storm the weather cleared up and I must say it was the most stunning waters one could experience in the world. Calm seas and blue skies enhanced the excursions, which were brilliant, especially the water based ones.

(We rebooked this after cancelling same cruise March 2020)
 

when storms arise in Tahiti the government are pedantic about stopping marine traffic, ferries, excursions etc, all due to safety.. Mariner was in Tahiti at the same time. Oceania & Azamara, next Princess and RCL were following. November to March in the pacific the weather can be unpredictable unfortunately .

 

I must say, it was the ultimate cruise we have experienced. Regent excelled themselves in every way possible. All the crew were the best we’ve had., thank you Regent.

So happy you enjoyed your cruise! Disappointing to miss Mo’orea but it seems Regent and the other ports made it a wonderful trip nonetheless. Thanks for sharing your experience!

50 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

Wow thankx.  I was just about to pull the trigger on a Regent FP cruise for Feb 2026 until I saw this.  I then looked up the weather info.  There went that cruise!  Two of our Three Regent cruises to Eastern Canada and Alaska were rain nearly daily.  Did not make my spousal unit happy. Ergo, note to self...avoid rainy seasons.  That's one grief factor I can avoid. 😁

Yes, I am furiously exploring other cruise lines now! From my research, FP choices comparable to Regent in the dry(drier) season are Paul Gauguin, Silversea and Windstar. I'm leaning to Paul Gauguin but I think it will be even more expensive in total than Regent - gasp. I haven't asked the travel agent to price it out but she said generally PG is more expensive once you add it all up. This is a dream cruise for us so we will probably just have to suck it up and pay more.

3 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

Nan, there are 2 definite seasons in the French Polynesia(FP), the wet season and the dry season. I would never choose the wet season. Regent doesn’t go to the FP in the dry season so as others have said your choices are basically 2, Windstar and Paul Gauguin(PG). I am booked on PG for June 2025. I don’t expect them to be as luxurious as Regent but I do expect a great cruise based on all the positive reviews I have read. I am going there for the outdoor activities and the beauty is supposedly second to none. I don’t think PG is more expensive than Regent. PG also engulfs you in the culture of the area because that region is all they do. PG is a small ship and it can get into shallow lagoons of which there are many. If it’s the ship you are more concerned about then yes, cabins are more luxurious on Regent and of course Regent has all the fancy art work and restaurant entry monuments but I don’t care, especially for the French Polynesia. If you go for the natural beauty and for water activities then I think PG is more than sufficient. The food is supposed to be great on PG. The key for me was the time of the year and Regent didn’t offer any options. The dry season also has a lot less humidity although it can rain at any moment but not like what the recent Regent cruisers experienced.

Thank you for sharing your perspective. I think our decision will boil down to PG, also. We don't cruise often so the luxurious Regent experience is part of the enjoyment for us. But as expensive as French Polynesia vacations are, the whole experience has to be considered, and like you said, for FP, the beauty trumps the luxury accommodations. 

Just now, Marylebone37 said:

We just left the Mariner in Papeete 10 days ago. When you read about their wet season in Jan-April, believe it! Winds, blinding rain, and nothing like what you come to expect from Tahiti or the beautiful South Pacific. I’d avoid this time of year on a cruise ship, unless you like lots of missed ports, extremely choppy seas, and getting drenched! 

 

Oh, I am so sorry for you! But thank you for replying and sharing. We may have to rethink this Regent trip. A forum member who travels to the South Pacific a lot says December to April is a crap-shoot. For our pocketbook, these cruises are too expensive for a crap-shoot!

How was the weather when cruising Tahiti in their summer season aboard Regent?

I don't understand why Regent chooses to cruise Tahiti in their summer! We are currently booked for February 26, 2025 but now I am having second thoughts after checking the weather for Tahiti the past couple of weeks. I know any tropical area can have rainy afternoons but it seems this time of year is worse than "some afternoon showers". 

One of the things we love about Regent is the size of the suites and the overall luxurious feeling of the ships. My impression from our travel agent is Paul Gauguin Cruises does not meet Regent's level of luxury or suite size and is more expensive. 

I would love to hear your experiences!

Yes, I thought that might be the case. Thank you for the help!

No rush on this - we are choosing a cruise for 2024 because we had to cancel a scheduled cruise the night before we were to leave on December 1. ☹️

san05080509@gmail.com

bitob, can you share more information about how you book your own excursions, please? 

From the Regent email: "

• Check availability online – this will show you flight options from your departure city. If the lowest business class fare does not show available, it is not likely available within our contracts.
• Note any options that are your preferred schedule and routing - including the pricing of each of those flights."

What site are they referring to? Their site? We have a cruise booked in December and I do not see a place on our account where we can check flights that Regent has within their contracts. Am I not understanding their instructions? Or is this just for intercontinental flights (ours departs from Miami)?

19 hours ago, Zqueeze1 said:

NANJ:  if you remember from your last cruise, Compass Rose has a menu on the left that is offered daily and does not change. On the right side, the selections change daily.  In turn, one can make countless combinations.  Although I’ve never seen a cruise port centric menu, you can order just about anything you want for dinner by ordering it 24 hours prior.  We’ve done this for a Filipino dinner as well as ordering a paella.  
Hope this info helps.  
 

Z and TB

 

PS. I went to college in Charleston.  Where are you from in SC?

We are in the upstate, near Spartanburg. Our family vacationed at Folly Beach outside Charleston for most of my life - wonderful place!

I did notice the changes daily on the right side of the menu but didn't know about special orders. Good to know - thanks!

We sailed on the Mariner this year and will sail on her again in 2023. We wonder how often the menu changes in Compass Rose and the specialty restaurants? I assume customer favorites remain on the menu but how often is the menu refreshed? One of the pleasures of cruising is trying new foods so I hope there are new selections for us. Does Regent include meals that relate to the cruise ports?

North of Spartanburg, outside Boiling Springs! We are new to cruising and went first class with Regent. No going back now.....

15 hours ago, audobon_tx said:

Readily accessible memorable scenery: Kotor, Amalfi, Catania

 

Be aware that this is an Adriatic Sea intensive cruise.  Personally I like the Adriatic towns/ports and you don't spend your time being dragged from one Roman ruin to the next.

 

Eastern Med is mainly Greece and Turkey.  Many areas are mountainous and have scenic beaches.  Very pretty but can involve a lot of walking.

 

But Kotor (sail in and "fjord"), Amalfi (coastal tour to Positano by boat, or take the coastal road), and Catania (Mt. Etna) are unique in the world.

 

All comments are just my experience and preferences.

Thank you for your insights!

2 hours ago, Gilly said:

We are booked on this cruise in October and are looking forward to it! But  @audobon_tx is correct in the observation that it's a very port-intensive itinerary.  We usually do longer, more relaxing cruises, but on this occasion the opportunity to visit some places we've wanted to see outweighed that slight concern.  We have done such intensive itineraries previously, eg. in the Baltic, and as the days go on, we've noticed how the mood on board (and our own 😉) becomes slightly more tetchy as everyone becomes more tired from the early starts and late nights.  It's surprising what a difference just one sea day can make.  Hopefully the temperatures in October will be kinder than midsummer, too.

As newbie cruisers, we realized this after our first cruise. The week was over and we had not taken advantage of much of what the ship had to offer. I think we may have to mentally accept that it is okay to not do an excursion. We haven't traveled much internationally so we are torn between seeing the world and enjoying the relaxation time. Answer to this? More cruises!

16 hours ago, cwn said:

We have done some of these ports years ago when we were more able bodied. So we mostly explored the town own our on or with a taxi.
Look on Regent.com at those ports and see what tours have been offered in past. That is just a sampling but may give you some ideas. See if any coastal sailing have been offered in the past. I like to check “What in a Port” also. It has information on what to see and gives me ideas.

I had  not even seen this part of RSSC.com - and I have spent wayyyy too many hours on their site, lol! Thanks for the tip! I've downloaded the entire excursion lists for several cruises to review but it is tedious going through pages and pages. I see on Ports & Excursions there is a filter button for activity level - nice.

We are choosing a future cruise to the Mediterranean. Our group enjoys the beauty of nature (like Alaska) more so than castles/cathedrals. I've heard the eastern side of the Mediterranean may be more what we are looking for. With some of our group having difficulty walking we hope to do excursions that sail or cruise along scenic areas. Does anyone have experience with itineraries such as this Voyager cruise in October, Rome to Trieste?

We are new to cruising and have the "we don't want to choose the wrong one" mentality! Although after our first cruise which was on Regent, I don't think there is a "wrong one"!

We did our Inspire proctored tests on May 30 for sailing date of June 1. Four of us sat together situating the computer so the camera view included all of us. As the proctor watched, we each swabbed one at a time then put the swab in the liquid cup. Once we all finished that step, we each put the drops on our cards so our waiting times were simultaneous, not one at a time. Worked smooth as silk. The proctor talked us carefully through each step, no rushing, very patient.

Other members of our party stayed in this suite.

Mariner Suite 8101

Suite 8101.xlsx

1 hour ago, Got2Cruise said:

Are you bringing a portable wheelchair? The bus drivers will store it in the below luggage compartment. Most of Europe is cobblestone streets. We were on a cruise with a gentleman who used a walker and he researched and found out there were rollator type walkers to be used on cobblestone streets. 

No, my husband doesn't use a wheelchair. While he uses a cane mostly for balance, his primary issue is shortness of breath due to having 2 lung lobes removed. The special walker is a good idea, thanks!

6 hours ago, cwn said:

Nan….

I walk with the aid of a cane and use two when traveling. If one can walk with a cane doing the things one needs to at home, some one and two man Regent tours are doable. We have 200+ days on Regent and have done the ship tours in most ports around the world. I agree that with lots of sailing type tours in the Caribbean and the Pacific, tour choices are easier. Europe and Asia are harder because they are city tour tours.
I look for the tours that have the least amount of walking or it is at least broken up in several stops or say that it is at your choice. Food sampling tours are a good choice. I avoid ones with lots of steps or hour+ long  continuous walks, of course. But we don’t limit ourselves to just overview bus tours. Then when we board the ship, I stop by the Tour Desk and talk with them about each tour I signed up for. They are very helpful and will contract the operator if there is a question. I usually like to talk to the head person.
I check that I can stay on the bus during a stop while my husband does the walking if too much for me or  that we can get off and arrange with the guide to meet the bus at a place and time. Sometimes the bus stays at the stop other times it needs to wait somewhere else and come back.This works especially well for sites in town. We can find a cafe or a park bench near by and enjoy the sights and sounds while the rest of the tour makes the rounds with the guide. I take a book to read on the bus if we stop at a site that is to much for me. And my DH does the walking and takes pictures for me. On the all day tours, I am usually not alone on the bus at stops. 
We have found that Regent’s included tour package is worth it to us. We still will do a privately arranged tour at some ports we love because there are things there we want to see or do again. Hope this helps.

CWN, thank you so much for the very well-thought out response! You obviously have overcome the limitations as best as you can. My husband and I appreciate the suggestions and will evaluate the tours with your suggestions in mind. 

I had not thought about talking with the Tour Desk once on board. Great suggestion. On our recent cruise they were very helpful and patient with us as we changed a couple of tours. 

Arranging our own tours is a bit out of our comfort zone. We have not traveled internationally a lot and appreciate that Regent vets the tours, requires the operators to adhere to certain guidelines and can be in touch with the tour operators in case of problems.