TWG_ag

The only entrees that stand out in Setti Mari are Veal Parmigiana and the Veal Shank. Other than that, it is basically Macaroni Grill. So, when I am on long cruises, I will order one of these in advance every 10 to 12 days in Compass Rose. I have never understood the fascination about going there multiple times a cruise. On our 78-day Grand Voyage on Navigator, we only went there twice, and that was at the invitation of friends  I love the long lines, because it shortens the line in CR.  At home we eat Italian about once every two weeks, so it works for us.

If your father-in-law is in the Grand Suite, he will have a butler that will take care of this for you. Meet with him on the first day and he can line it all up. As for eight of you, all the specialty venues have one or more large tables. These are sometimes used to pull together big "Sharing Groups". just to get use out of them. You should have no trouble (again with the help of FiL's Butler to book these tables. I love traveling with my adult offspring and I hope your group has a great time.

The safest way to observe an eclipse is the method I learned in elementary school. Pock a pinhole in a piece of paper and focus the light onto another piece of paper behind it.  You will easily see the current shape of the eclipse with no risk of eye damage. All four of my grandchildren have done this with no cost and no risk. By the way, I will also be on this cruise. I will be the guy on an open deck with two pieces of paper.

Would have to say that Ross and Gino are my two favorites. 

We have always enjoyed a day here. Mostly you are their with no NCL ships, which means a large empty beach with the Regent crew manning the buffet and bars with no extra charges. Like you we often stay on board the ship in many Carribean ports, like Nassau, San Juan and St. Thomas. However, GSC is a nice relaxing beach day, so take tender and enjoy the day.

First of all, they will have better brandies than Korbel. Second, if you ask at least a month in advance you will likely get it. My best advice is that since you are on vacation and they will have options, sit at the bar and try the several brandy options and you might find a new favorite. I would not bother to bring something on board when you are on an "open bar" ship. Either way, enjoy your trip.

In a recent Seven Seas Society newsletter, there was an article about how many people were in each of the tiers. We are Gold and will be going to Platinum with our next trip. I did not keep the article but am betting someone else did. I was surprised to see how few members there were Gold and above as well as Platinum and above. Did anyone keep that paper and if so, can you give me the numbers of SSS members and their percentage of the total. Just sitting around at our regular Friday night happy hour and was wondering. Thanks, and as we say in our house "Happy Friday!".

TW 

Thank you for the reply. We will be making a decision in the next day or two. 

TW

BBWC, since you have been and may still be on the Mariner as it laps the Caribbean, I have a question I hope you can answer. Who are the Hotel Manager, Cruise Director and F&B Manager currently on the Mariner? We are caught up in the current Amazon cancellation and it might help us decide if we are going to do the March segment or not. Thanks.

TW

I will follow on to GOARMY as my experience (not to be considered medical advice) is similar. Wife and I will be on the March 2022 Mariner Amazon in a month. I got a Yellow Fever shot in 2005 to go to French Guiana (including Devils Island). I also took the Malaria pills. It was a requirement to enter the country at that time. Yellow Fever is for life, so one and done. In 2016 we took a cruise to ports in Central and South America which had CDC warnings and based on the advice of our personal doctors and an International Travel doctor we took Malaria pills, but Karen was not given a Yellow Fever shot. I would note that many people on that cruise did not take pills, and that was their choice.  Fast forward to this month, same process, met with Personal and International doctors and Karen now has the Yellow Fever shot and the magic Yellow Card and we will be taking the pills again. Wife is 64, read all the over 60 warnings and 8 days post shot has had zero reaction. This will be me third time taking Malaria pills (Atovaquone-Proguanil), second time for wife and we have not had any negative reactions.

Bottom line, this was our experience with decisions made in coordination with Medical Professionals. Just responding to help you with your decisions. Also, as others noted, you should make sure things like DTP, Hep A & B and others are checked as well. 

TW

First, my heart goes out to the WC er's who just had their voyage cancelled. We had our long-planned Amazon cruise in Nov 2021, changed to a 20+ day Caribbean tour and opted out. We changed to a TA on Explorer with a B2B on to Venice. So, with the WC change, today I am moving my B2B Miami-Venice to the third segment of this WC do to the 25-day Amazon on Mariner that my wife and I wanted all along. I know that does not help you guys, but I can assure you that if this trip goes, I will dedicate a drink every evening to all of the WC er's who lost their dream. Take heart that there is another trip in your future and that in the crazy times we now find ourselves, we have to look for opportunities as they come to us and overcome the obstacles that come in front of us. God Bless you all.

TW

As already noted, sometimes yes and sometimes, no. We have used them in Helsinki, Madeira,  and Lisbon. These are places where we were not docked in the city center. In places where you are near the city center, there is no need. I would caution that in the current covid world, some ports only allow people off that are on "ship tours".  Even when they had them, they were not advertised much beforehand. We were made aware of them the day before we docked. This would greatly impact your pre-planning. 

December 2006 we took our first Regent cruise on Navigator for New Years. We had our 19 year old daughter with us. In Dec 2007 we repeated the New Years Navigator again with our now 20 year old daughter. In 2008 we were on Mariner and in 2009 we did two Celebrity cruises with extended family. April 2010 the two of us get on Navigator in Florida for a Bermuda cruise. We got through check in, proceeded to the pool deck for a bit of lunch and as soon as we sat down, a pool waiter walked up and said, "Where is your daughter?" We were always big fans, but we were blown away. I have never been on a Regent cruise where we were not recognized by and reunited with their warm and caring staff. So my best Regent memory always starts with Regent staff. 

TC and others

I am flying from Washington Reagan to Houston Hobby on  Sunday and we are already planning for prevention. In over 30 cruises we have never gotten sick (I just knocked wood). I attribute that to being educated and applying good solutions to current problems. This forum is a great way to prepare. We will be not be wearing masks ( I have them) but will be more focused on basic protection such as practicing safe hygiene, like not touching our eyes, noses or mouths' without disinfection. We will be using a combination of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide hand cleaners. not touching people we do not know and keeping our distance. 

Yesterday in church I must have hugged 30 people. On a typical cruise I do double of that each day. We cannot live in fear, as long as we apply common sense. Corona is not in the USA today in a presence that should scare us, but flu is. I practice this prevention all the time. If you are traveling international, that is another situation and you should react accordingly.

So keep posting, keep talking to your family. friends and neighbors; but most of all keep living your life and cruising. 

TW

PS, TC, Karen and I really enjoyed meeting you and Dennis on the Explorer. 

On 12/15/2019 at 8:20 AM, wishIweretravelling said:

My objections are threefold:

 

1. While I recognize that more businesses are  monitoring site usage and contacting the user, I find it creepy that my activity is being watched. It’s one thing to monitor site activity for statistical and user response purposes. That’s generalized information not specific to an individual. But when what you did on the site is noted (the caller mentioned that he saw I was looking at a particular type of cruise), that crosses a privacy line.

 

2. If they must monitor and contact, stick to email. The telephone is intrusive, and I get enough junk phone calls. Which of course I don’t answer, but still the ring is a nuisance.

 

3. Ummmmm. ETHICS. I realize that our society has lately devolved to an if-it’s-not-illegal-it’s-OK mentality, but I guess I’m officially an old fart, and I just don’t like it. I spent most of my career in a field where unethical behavior had severe consequences, so it is ingrained in me to take ethics seriously. And, in my field, directly contacting someone who had a known designated representative was definitely unethical. 

 

And I believe that the travel industry has a similar rule. I know my own TA is careful while on a cruise not to do anything that smacks of soliciting business. And other TAs I’ve met on cruises were equally careful (in fact, I’ve generally only found out from others that they are in fact TAs).  I would think that a travel provider should be even more conscientious about such things, as the TAs bring them business.  It’s one thing if the customer initiates the contact, but their initiation of the contact seems to me to be an interference with the relationship with the TA.  

While we all have different tolerance levels for Regent marketing (a frequent gripe on this board), I do not think what you are describing is unique or invasive beyond 99% of the websites out there. You think it is creepy that you are being watched. If you touch a commercial website, you are being "watched". Likewise, if you have a cell phone, Siri or a Nest thermostat, you are being watched. This is not black helicopter stuff, this is 21st century market research. As for ethical, I am sure if you were to wander through that multipage Privacy Statement on the Regent website, it would tell you that you are agreeing to let them do exactly what that are doing. Like you and others who have responded, I rarely pick up a phone call and monitor closely who I actually talk to, I admittedly screen friends and family, and I bet most of you do as well. Nothing wrong with that, it is why God gave us caller ID and the free will to use it. Like others I never save a cruise I am considering, just jot the date and ship down for DW to peruse at her leisure. I always let my TA do the heavy lifting and have never been bothered by Regent when the TA is chasing details for me. That said, I do not like to be bothered either, and while not defending Regent's practice directly, I would prefer they (and others) were a little less pushy. Keep using that Caller ID and or block their number. Happy New Year.

TW

PS: as I type this, Cruise Critic keeps giving me a "pop up" that is begging me to change my settings to allow them to push notifications to me. I won't do that either. Just another creepy attempt to burrow into my life.

It thrills me to no end that Regent keeps this Grand Lady in top shape. Our favorite Regent ship (five cruises) I am looking forward to my next one. To the haters and skeptics, what she offers, you cannot get on the rest of the fleet, what they offer, she may not have, but what she delivers to her loyalist, we truly enjoy. Have a great day.

TW

I am the CFO of a company that spends way too much on advertising. I have never been totally convinced that money spent on marketing is cost justified, except in one area and that is defense. Whether you Regent loyalist believe it or not, much of what they are doing is trying to hold onto you and make sure they stay in the front of the line for your money. Over 90% of the direct marketing I get (and recycle as you all do) is with companies I already patronize.

Two other comments would be that like others the only thing I get from Regent I hold onto is the "big book" and all the bulk junk mail does conflict with the "green" message. I would point out that the green message that most companies put out is BS only meant to appeal to those who care about it. Even the recycling we do is window dressing. I live in  Fairfax County Virginia, where we have "mandatory recycling". However, I know for a fact that most of the stuff that goes into my Blue Bin is simply thrown in with the other trash as the county has no market to sell the cardboard, paper, glass and plastic into. So my County's "green" message is BS. That said, I faithfully add my Regent mailers to the Blue Bin and hope for the best. In the end, I just keep booking cruises and enjoying the travel. I know you all do too.

Clearly you have heard that you are required to do the drill. I would point out that you do have the opportunity to improve your experience. When we have done back to back, we pay close attention to the area of our Muster station that goes out of deck last (if you have to do that) so that you are the closest to the rail and not pressed against the back wall, stand outside the least amount of time and get released first. If you do not go outside, again you can determine which area of the station is closest to the exit and gets out ahead of the crowd.  I would note that sometimes these coveted seats are obtained by coming early or sometimes by coming late. Armed with this information we time our arrival to the second (or third) Muster drill to get these prime locations. Something many of you have never experienced, is that on cruises longer than 14 days (something we usually do on Regent) you actually have to have a refresher drill during the cruise. This usually happens in late morning of a sea day. So just remember, the cruise line has to do it, the drill is as much a benefit to the crew (we absolutely want them to know their jobs) and the less resistance they get from the passengers, the faster we all get back to vacation.

I also use Matrix/ITA and that Lufthansa is a United codeshare that runs seasonally and ends Oct 25th. I will be on the b2b Barcelona to Miami so that is why I have to get to BCN. I am exploring deviation and or changing my exit to Newark to get a non-Stop from there. Have my TA working on it, was just looking for any other detail to support the decision. Thanks for the response.

TW

I am finally selling out and going on Explorer in November. I am a Navigator loyalist and there is nothing some people can say to dissuade me from enjoying her (6 times so far). My number two is Mariner for the large Penthouse suites. Voyager is okay, and I even had an aft Penthouse which is supposedly like Navigator, vibration prone. All I can say is you are on a floaty thing on a big piece of water, it bobs and sways and wiggles. I have been on 150,000 ton ships that do the same thing. Enjoy Navigator, I always do. As for Explorer, well we will wait and see.

TW

Just got through skimming this sting, now over five years of Q&A, and did not find my answer. Does anyone know what airline Regent might use from Washington Dulles to Barcelona this fall. United dropped their non-stop, so with one stops the options are many and there are some discount lines that I would and would not fly. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

TW

Have gone through both ways and preferred Pacific to Atlantic. If you go that way would recommend Port side as the new canal is on the Port side of the ship and you have a great view of the new lock which is closer than the one of the Atlantic side which will be on the Starboard side as you exit. Interestingly if you go Atlantic to Pacific it will be the same way, Port in the morning and Starboard in the afternoon, so I guess I would take Port side either way. Of course if you are out and about on the ship, it does not matter much since you can go side to side. Also, when you go through the lake and Gilliard Cut the view is basically the same. I would also recommend doing at least one lock at the rear of the ship. You can go down there, no one will be there and you are in the shade, right next to the walls, as you go up and down. As others have mentioned, it takes all day, there are six locks and you can view the thing from multiple locations. At six am, everyone is jammed up front, by the third lock the crowd thins out, in the afternoon as you exit, there are no where near as many people crowding the good places for pictures, as some are already getting ready for dinner.

As for stops; when we did Mariner Sept 2016 we went San Francisco to New York. We stopped at Acapulco, Puerto Quetzel, Guatemala, Corinto, Nicaragua, Puntarenas, Cartagena and Charleston, SC. Missed Cabo due to a hurricane, but I am sure you'll stop there. The Guatemala and Nicaragua stops (as is Puntarenas) are industrial ports, but that had some good excursions into the countryside where you see volcanoes. Cartagena was a beautiful city and the old city and fort were good stops, but plan on walking on cobblestone. I think you will do basically the same stops in either direction on Regent.

Finally, always recommend anyone going through the canal should read the David McCullough book Path Between the Seas, which is the best history on the construction and frequently quoted by the ship narrators.

Since you are in the business I have a question for you. SpaceX and some other companies have announced plans to launch thousands of low orbit satellites a year over the next few years. So wouldn’t that increase capacity quite a lot? Is that real or are those plans a lot of hype?

Different technology brings unique problems. It does cost less to put something in low earth (300-1200 miles) versus Geosynchronous (22,200 miles)orbit, but it will take a few thousand to do what one does today, so the cost may not be cheaper and the transaction still needs ground stations, which do not exist in the ocean. On a positive note, the latency of low earth will be much better than Geo Sats, but still slower than terrestrial technology.  So most ocean routes would not have good coverage. Rural Nebraska will see a new option long before the southern Caribbean.  I would not expect a lot of change soon, especially on the routes that cruise ships travel. Just because Mr. Musk says it will work and happen, does not necessarily mean it will.

I just read this interesting string and wanted to add some data points.

First nothing on your cruise (or airline flight, or hotel stay) is "free". It may be included in the base price or charged as an extra, but you are paying for it. I split time between Celebrity and Regent. Luxury lines like Regent, throw the word "free" around a lot, but mostly what they are saying is included. So whether Celebrity gives it to you are tacks on a fee, you will be paying for it. That is the same for "free" internet in hotels or airplanes. BTW, free public Wifi is not really "free", someone is paying for it to entice you to their location.

What we are really talking about is marketing. I believe Celebrity often runs promos that include Internet just like booze and specialty dining. So if you want "free" wait a week or so and a promotion will come around.

Second, I am actually in the Satellite Internet business and have been for over 10 years. It costs over $100 million to put a modern satellite in orbit, and that does not include the ground stations required to complete the connection to the net. Somebody invested money to do that and they are entitled to a return on their investment. The cost of Internet on a ship is classic supply and demand. There is high demand and very limited supply. Only in the past couple of years have the two main providers started dedicating large amounts of their capacity to ships and planes. It is now their fastest growing segment. Since they can only put a new satellite up every 12 to 18 months, capacity will not come quickly. Supply may catch up but even then, you will never have more than one option on one ship, so internet access is going to have strong marketing value to the lines.

Finally, I just want to address a recurring theme in this thread. The belief of some people that access is somehow necessary or required on a cruise ship. (Others may be correct in arguing if it is the essential necessity the OP originally stated, but I will leave that to them.) I have been cruising since 1982. There have always been ways to get ahold of friends or family in an emergency. I cruised with a Tulsa Oilman in 1985 (pre-internet) that was signing leases  from the Song of America in the Eastern Caribbean, long before we all had iPhones. Still, I do not see the requirement of a cruise line to do anything other than give you a great vacation. Running your business from vacation seems like a waste of your vacation. To the OP, if that is a requirement for you, then you made a practical decision moving to land based resorts. That is the great thing about vacations, it is your choice to make the best decision for yourself.

Anyway, thanks for an entertaining read, and safe sailing to you all.

TW

You absolutely can go back and forth. We have for over 10 years. On Celebrity we only do Royal and Penthouse suites, while on Regent we do Penthouse and below. The reason we went to Regent originally was because we felt that service in all classes and levels of Celebrity were declining, this was around 2005. So for the price we were paying, we could step right from a Celebrity Royal to a regular Regent. We did not like losing the space, but saw the value in the better service and smaller ships.  However, after doing Regent exclusively for 4 years, we began seeing Celebrity improve at least their Suite service. We sailed on one of their first Michael's club trips, then Luminae opened. The level of service you get in Micheals and Luminae and from Suite Butlers, is very comparable to what we experience on Regent, IMO. As for food, our last three 14-day Celebrity cruises, we never ate a buffet or pool deck meal, having breakfast, lunch and dinner in Luminae, a specialty restaurant or our room.  Like most Regent loyalist,  I do not like the bigger ships or large crowds and totally disagreed with Celebrity getting rid of great ships like  Century and Horizon to build their new behemoths. Of course I also think Regent is doing the same thing, building bigger ships, which many like. but also moves them  away from their former ability to maintain quality staff. Don't get me wrong, I like both lines and understand that the regular Celebrity experience is not the Suite experience. We will be on the Summit in July and Explorer in November. So just one man's opinion, you can go back and forth.