Bruce61

There are four master suites and six grand suites (plus the Regent with its own dining room) who can eat every night where they want. That is roughly 20 people spread out in three specialty restaurants - a very small number - who could have a real advantage. All other suites can make one advance restaurant reservation per restaurant per cruise segment. That is three nights on a cruise. Additional space based upon availability can be sought on board. As Flossie009 said, there are far more chances to get additional seatings on longer ships for this very reason. Now, Concierge Suites and higher, as well as certain frequent cruisers with a number of nights under their belts have 15 days' advantage over other guests (90 days in advance instead of 75) to make their reservations. Still, if one does not procrastinate, there should be available seatings just maybe not the night or time you really wanted.

It is true that there are a number of boutique wineries who are avoiding cork, or avoiding cork on their lesser priced bottles. I've never seen $250 wine with a screw top, but have certainly seen and drank $80-$100 bottles. There are numerous articles about the "Stelvin closure" which is the most used screw top substitute for a cork. There was a time that roughly 4-5% of all bottles of wine had some infirmity from the cork caused by bacteria and some claim the screw top avoids that. It also ages slower. To me, I prefer the cork but I will say that when bringing a bottle to a picnic or place where you may not be sitting at a table, the screw top is convenient. What was really bad was about ten years ago or more, many were using these rubber corks and those caused a lot of problems. Going back to the cruise talk, I am doing an 18-night cruise on Spendor in July and planning on bringing about a case of really good wine for the trip.

I only have sailed on Regent once but it seems as though you can Board fairly early - like noon or 1:00. Your suite may not be ready but you can eat in one of the restaurants (La Veranda or Pool Grill), and they will announce when suites are ready, We had a named suite and were able to go to our suite as soon as we were on board.

For those who don't have the free night, when our Alaska cruise was over in September we stayed three nights at the Westin Bayshore which had a nice view of the water and was fairly priced. Several others from the cruise were there as well. Walking distance to a number of good restaurants.

On Explorer in September I distinctly remember for champagne. They had Veuve (yellow label, not Grand Dame), Dom and Krug. They especially had a lot of higher end Bordeaux. Very little burgundy if I recall. The prices for a wine list were good, all about 20% more than what you can buy the wines for retail. A lot better than 300% like you see in a typical restaurant.

The dock is in its own bay, and a distance to town. We chose shore excursions poorly and did not budget our time so we actually missed the town and instead had a very nice boat ride where we saw eagles in the wild, among other sites. If you dock and have time before your tour take a quick jaunt into the town.

The way they wire these ships, only the 220V can handle the wattage of the hair dryers. They would blow circuits the way the ships are wired. You also will see the plugs that handle the hair dryers are near the make-up vanity and not in the bathrooms (at least in the suites with vanities). I have seen this not only on Explorer but also on river cruises.

I really hope "summer" is by July 25 as we will be on Splendor for 18 nights from Reykjavik to London in July. Please keep sending the details of your trip!

I wonder if those are temporary as the other ships seem. all have Dyson dryers.

Thanks and enjoy the cruise.

So, can I ask if your Grandeur Suite is on Deck 9 or 10, and if on 10, do you hear noise from the pool deck? In September we were in 1011 on Explorer, which was under the smokers section of the pool deck and heard very little noise - but the caveat is it was an Alaska cruise and the pool deck was not really being used except by people walking from forward to La Veranda or Pool Grill.

Each machine is proprietary. They take only their own pod. They definitely have the fill your own type capsules if you really want to do tea in the room that way. Much easier to call room service or a butler if you have one.

The Illy pods make a full cup coffee. No instructions so know that red are caffeinated and blue are decaf. No tea kettles or things to heat tea in the room. Tea at coffee connection or in dining rooms.

On Explorer in September (Seward to Vancouver) they seemed to have a real problem with their supply of Bourbon. I had asked for Woodford in the room and they had no Woodford, Elijah Craig, Buffalo Trace or Makers for the rooms (had a few bottles of each in the bars). Was given Bullett. As the cruise progressed they seemed to run out of most of the Bourbon. At the time I chalked this up to boarding in Seward and a supply problem..

Thanks for that information! Did not think about what we would do with lots of bags and nothing open!

I did see that I can fly to Seattle and then Iceland nonstop- not really a fan of a redeye without a sleeper seat. A search found another alternative which sounded better to my wife, We would fly to NYC from LA, spend a day in NY, and then take a non-stop from Newark to Iceland which is only a 5 1/2 hour flight and avoids the hassle of London. Return from Heathrow is easy. And RELS, surprised it is not Vodka flowing easy on an Icelandair flight!

In September on Explorer did not see one. But also did not ask.

Let me also ask, what/who do people think has the best flight plans to Reykjavk from the West Coast (of US)? It seems like SAS may be the most direct routes, but I was thinking of British Air or American from LAX to LHR and then a separate flight on Icelandair to Iceland. Concerned about connections and bags in London. What are others doing?

I appreciate all of your comments. We have booked an 18 night cruise from Reykjavík to London on Splendor next July. Our second Regent cruise after several Uniworld river crises.

Can you and Cardad explain a bit why you prefer those three ships over the newer Explorer and Spendor? I am not being critical, but am genuinely curious. Thanks.

Assuming the splendor suite is exactly the same as the explorer suite, then, yes, you can watch TV in bed.

Papaflamingo, I was responding to.the combined responses above yours, and I am sorry if you thought I attributed it to you. Here is what it does say on the website: (https://www.rssc.com/experience/suites/distinctive-suites) which I ddi review. It clearly states: "Begin your journey with priority check-in at embarkation before stepping into a truly sumptuous environment that includes all the benefits of our Spacious Suites and more. Tailor your retreat to your taste with choice bath amenities and a personal butler seeking to ensure your every need is taken care of. You may enjoy guaranteed reservations at your favorite specialty restaurants, an intimate in-suite caviar service and a full liquor bar set-up, customized with your preferred beverages. The exclusive amenities and tailored services available at this level are nothing short of the best." And when I contacted them about it initially it was not to complain per se, but to point out that it was somewhat misleading and that they continue that theme in print ads including the big brochures left in the cabins. Considering every suite has three guaranteed restaurant reservations (and Concierge and above can reserve a few days before the others), their advertising promoting the benefits of booking their higher-end suites has to be inferred to mean it gives more than the "lesser suites." The interpretation of the word "may" is entirely misleading if that is how they meant it. The advertisement clearly was intended to suggest these suites get something more than what you get in other suites. If they wanted to be clearer, then when they list each suite, they should say which ones get what. I will be more careful in my criticism around here.

You are missing my point of view and I was agreeing with Clutj that the ambiguous advertising makes shopping harder. There can be no argument that their advertising is not at least inconsistent. It is not up to the consumer to weed through the advertising to know up front there could be something not included - the advertising clearly states the Distinctive Suites get an in-room caviar tasting (which we received), guaranteed restaurant reservations, etc. The broad statements are said to apply to suites above Penthouse. That is all I was saying. And their representative was snarky in his response instead of being apologetic about any confusion. Those were my points. Of course we lived. And we know for the next time. We have booked again so it was not that big a deal.

If you really want to complicate the interpretation of their poor and misleading advertising, in multiple places on their website and in print advertising received just this week, they still say that Distinctive Suites include guaranteed restaurant reservations. When pressed their idiotic representative said it does not say “each night.” Since every suite is guaranteed three specialty restaurant reservations, what else could it be interpreted to mean except something more or different for the expense of upgrading to a distinctive suite? On Explorer last month I upgraded for a fee from Concierge to an Explorer Suite. While the prospect of guaranteed restaurant reservations was not the only perk I was looking forward to (the huge size upgrade and butler were the key selling point), it certainly played a part in my upgrade decision. I now know it only applies to Regent, Master and Grand Suites, there are others who I assume will be misled once again.

Here is a more complex question? We are going on an 18 night cruise on Splendor next year (Reykjavik to London). it is not a multi segment cruise, but one cruise for 18 nights. Is it better to book the three guaranteed reservations early on the cruise and then run and seek more reservations on board for the later dates, or vice versa?