WNcruiser

On the bright side Cadiz has a large dry dock right near the port. Hopefully there are plenty of resources to fix whatever issue Voyager has. 

5 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

Thank you Hank for your continuous reports!

 

We always loved the bread on O!

 

Do they still have surf and turf in Waves?

 

Also, did you try the afternoon tea?

 

 

If you don’t mind me answering, yes they do. The only change is that it’s a burger patty instead of a filet. 
 

10 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

Maybe it's a matter of perspective and attitude?  

 

We didn't experience anything like this on any of our O sailings (Riviera and Regatta), and the new ships usually get the best staff available. or maybe we did and just didn't pay much attention?

 

If you are looking for faults hard enough, you will always find something..

It’s definitely not attitude. I am nothing but respectful and polite to the crew. I only answered your question and gave you some specifics as requested. 
 

it was merely a comparison and we are all entitled to our own opinions and reviews of our experience. 

10 hours ago, chloemonkey said:

So odd that we were on the two sailings just prior to yours and found no similar issues.  Our experience was the total opposite as we found the staff to be so overly concerned with our satisfaction that it bordered on being bothersome at times.

Our experience was that this was among (if not the best) service that we have had of all of our Oceania cruises.....funny how we all have varying degrees of satisfaction and opinions.....Guess that is what makes the world go around.  Hope your last day or two provide you with a better experience....

 

I just brought up some service issues as I was asked for specifics. I am not basing my entire cruise on these issues. We had a great dinner in Polo last night with excellent service. 
 

There was a large change in crew in Miami so maybe that has something to do with it? Thank you for your respectful response..and we still have a week! 😊

On 3/30/2024 at 9:46 AM, Techno123 said:

Some advice please. We have booked 9061 on Vista but it opens onto the 4 forward elevators. I have read reports on the older ships which state this is not a problem BUT I believe Vista has an 'overweight' alarm which rings quite loudly if too many people squash in.

 

There is an option to move further aft to 9085 which is between the two elevator banks, however, when we were on RSSC Explorer last year, midship deck 9 there was horrible vibration from that middle section between the port and starboard suites. I don't want to jump out of the frying pan into the fire so question is for anyone who has sailed on Vista - is it noisy by the elevators and is there any vibrating machinery or  crew work areas by 9085?

I’m not Hank but I am on Vista and am a helpful CC member 😊

I took a couple pictures of 9061 for you. It is right by the elevators. One picture from the hall and one from the elevator lobby. Personally I would choose something a little further away if you can. 

We had an Eater service on Vista and they also had several services on the TV, including from Rome Italy. 
 

There was also an amazing Easter brunch in The Grand Dining room! 
 

2 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

Do you mind sharing the service issues you had?

Of course not. Sitting at a table in Waves or Terrace and not having anyone come by with water asking if you would like coffee or tea in the AM. Dirty dishes sitting for extended periods with staff walking by ignoring them.
 

During lunch at Waves yesterday we had no silverware on the table. We asked three different staff members for silverware which never came. We finally took it from another table. Twice in Aquamar no one came to take our order, we had to flag someone down. 
 

In Ember our steaks came out completely overcooked. No one came to check to make sure they were cooked properly. Again we had to flag down our waiter to let him know. 
 

In my opinion the majority of the crew just do the bare minimum and are not overly friendly. We have found a couple that are better and try and stick with them. No where near Regent or Seabourn service. 

19 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Afternoon from the middle of the Atlantic,

 

This morning we were notified that the Vista has cancelled its visit to Horta (Azores) which is the 2nd port (in a row) cancelled.  This is due to bad weather forecasts for the Azores.  The Captain has changed our course to a more southerly course and we are, instead, heading to Funchal (Madeira).  This change has also put us into better weather and today was a gorgeous sea day with seas in the 1-2 meter range, blue skies, and temps in the 70s.  We also had a following wind so it was a near perfect day to be outside.  

 

This morning, we had the "Country Fair" which is a major activity (on the pool deck) where there are various games, prizes, etc.  It was well attended and kept the pool deck busy from around 10:30 until noon.  With all the constant banter (from Peter, our Cruise Director) it almost reminded me of a Carnival cruise.  As a rule, we find the higher-class lines have fewer announcements.  Peter usually has a longish daily update around 9:30, more to say around noon, and will usually have another schedule update around 4.  I prefer the attitude on Seabourn where there are very few announcements, and it is assumed that passengers are capable of reading the daily schedule.

 

A couple of nights ago we went to our first Production Show and thought it was generally awful!  Sorry to say it was more like a bad high school musical production than what we expect on ships. 

 

Hank

Hank I am on this sailing as well. I spoke with Peter at the “country fair” about his early and long announcements. In fact he woke me up that morning as we are moving one hour forward each night I told him it was really 7:25 AM. I told him it was too early and all the information we was giving could be found in the currents. He wasn’t very receptive unfortunately. 

I do agree about the shows but I knew Oceania is not known for their quality entertainment. Coming from Regent and Seabourn I find a big difference in service and crew on board. We have had many service issues that would never occur on those two lines. 
 

30 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

Unless there is a record that the pax requested the TA to cancel, it will be difficult to win a credit card challenge. While we speak to our TA by phone frequently, we always send any request, whether it's booking, payments, cancellations etc by email, and she confirms them.  She similarly requests us to respond by email when it comes to the financial details.  Every transaction is documented.

This is great advice. Also if the OP cancelled in December they would be expecting a refund of the deposit, when that didn’t show up it should raise suspicion, I would always ask for a cancellation confirmation. 
 

Travel agencies have insurance to cover mistakes like this. 

37 minutes ago, pmatawan said:

Crew says Miami tells ship what speed to cruise at  and other navigational issues and this information is only provided to them a day or 2 before segment of cruise starts. On board changes due to weather conditions are made by the captain

30 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Is this normal for other cruise lines, as in standard operating procedures in the industry?  I sincerely do not know. 

I have been cruising over 35 years on over 100 cruises and have never, ever heard of this. It sounds to me more like a propulsion or engine issue slowing the ship. Of course that is a complete guess in my part but can’t imagine “Miami” making these decisions. 

On 1/19/2024 at 8:34 PM, mauibabes said:

How does the price compare with a Marina Antarctic cruise that does sail byes?  I am sure there is a huge difference in the number of guests aboard the two ships. We were on Marina last January and a friend on Seabourn and she felt the food and service was pretty comparable.   Expedition cruises are different so you definitely had a great trip. So glad you enjoyed it, we loved our sail by trip and were not up to an expedition sailing. 
 

Mauibabes

1200 on Marina vs. 264 on the Seabourn expedition ships. It’s a big difference sailing by and using zodiacs to actually step on the continent. Seabourn ships literally sail straight into ice and “dock”, letting passengers walk right off the ship onto land. 
 

All cruises leave from Ushuaia so you take their included charter from Buenos Aires. The price was actually less than a PH on Marina. 
 

On 1/20/2024 at 11:55 AM, talljules1 said:

Alas for several ports there is no option to waitlist - they're just sold out.

Did you call Regent? Many of my excursions for Mariner in June were sold out when I booked. Several wouldn’t let me waitlist on the website but when I called they were able to add me to the waitlist. 
 

Happy that most cleared in a couple weeks but still waiting on two. 

3 hours ago, Guerncruising said:

Looking at Crew Centre she was in dry dock in Genoa 10 - 26 September, so I’m not so sure. 

They are referring to the article Jlhalldc posted. The video is from the most recent dry dock this month. 

This a very Informative and interesting video about Navigators recent dry dock. I hope it does not violate any rules, the only link I can find is to FB. 
 

https://fb.watch/niLIHWHnq_/?mibextid=v7YzmG

A sport coat is not required and I rarely saw any in the Compass Rose (main restaurant). There were some men who wore one at the specialty restaurants but you will not be underdressed without one. 
 

Most men wear slacks or khakis and short or long sleeved collared shirts. Short sleeve buttoned down shirts would not be inappropriate. 

11 hours ago, MkeCruzn said:

Hey @WNcruiser, thanks for a great live report. We will be taking a similar itinerary on the Norwegian Star in about 10 days, hitting some of the same ports as you. A few more in Norway, no Belgium/Amsterdam, but it should be good. We have a forecast of clouds and rain for the first week in Reyjkavik and our Iceland part of the cruise.

I am sure our food and room will not be as nice as Regent.

I did notice the Star in your video of the ship horns talking to each other!

Yes I remember the Star in Isafjordur. I highly recommend Nice tours (nicetravel.is) in Reykjavik for any tours. They use nice 19 pax Mercedes mini buses. If your going to Bergen the fjord cruise to Mostraumen was fantastic. We booked direct with the operator (rodne.no). 
 

Have a great cruise! 

On 8/29/2023 at 11:43 AM, lprp said:

A Walk Around Reykjavik:- 7.5km in 2 hours - our poor aching legs and feet 😬

Well many of these look familiar 😀. The Grand is really far from town, that is why we just booked our own hotel in Reykjavik to be right downtown. There are almost no restaurants near the grand either. 
 

The weather looks great! 

22 hours ago, Linda VH said:

Kind of says it all.  What time can you actually get into the pool.  I have an aqua jogger (rubber thing around waist) and I do my exercise for 1/2 that way.  I, of course, would not want to take up space later in the day by being stationery in one spot so would like to get in before breakfast.  I’ve looked everywhere I could think of but haven’t found the answer.  Will be on Mariner.  Thanks in advance!

I checked the Passages and yes, it was 8-8 every day. I don’t think anyone would say anything if you were to go earlier. I never saw a net over the pool. 

1 hour ago, NCCruzQueen said:

@WNcruiser Steve, thinking of you and Joey and hoping you are safe from flooding.  What a way to return home from a wonderful cruise!

 

Beth

Hi Beth, thanks for thinking of us. All is good, just lots of rain and wind but no damage. Far better than Ian was. 
 

I’m pretty sure it was 8 AM to 8 PM. When I get home later tonight I will check the passages and confirm. 
 

12 minutes ago, Kwaj girl said:

@WNcruiser one technical item to note...paying "extra" for onternet does not increase speed...it only allows for streaming.

Thank you for the clarification. 

Final summary. 

We chose this cruise mainly for the itinerary and of course the cruise line. It did not disappoint. As I mentioned numerous times the crew on the Voyager was outstanding. Personal service by crew who genuinely want to help you and make sure you enjoy your cruise. Definitely one of the best crew we have ever had and many who we will remember for many years. 

There was a definite noticeable change in food quality since sailing on Explorer last year, however with that being said we had many great meals. There were a few days where nothing in La Veranda interested us for lunch so we ended up at the pool grill. Overall I would say we enjoyed the food but it wasn't a big highlight like on Explorer. 

Visiting Iceland, Shetland Islands, Norway, Amsterdam and Bruges was something I will never forget. The spectacular scenery and wonderful people of Iceland and Norway were beyond expectations and I would love to visit these countries again in the future. We had great luck with our Regent included tours. The guides and busses were all excellent, with a little hiccup in Bruges with a last minute guide change and a group of 37 for a walking tour that was difficult to keep together. Other than that I was very happy with all the tours. 

We met many wonderful people on board which always makes your trip special, including several from our CC roll call. We even had a sea day lunch at the end of the cruise and were put at the Captains table in CR by the amazing Restaurant Manager Luigi. 

My only minor complaint was the Wifi. It was terribly slow to the point I couldn't upload any photos to CC and had to wait until we were in port to use data. I didn't like that they had faster wifi but wanted to charge extra, Regent is the all inclusive line and that should include fast wifi.

Thank you all for coming along with me on this fantastic cruise and for all the nice comments. My next cruise will be on Oceania but hoping to be back on Regent next year on Grandeur. Goodbye for now, 

Steve 

More photos from Bruges:

Good morning from Florida. I promise to not drag this thread on any longer and will conclude the trip today!
 

Let’s start by catching up where we left off, at Bruges, Belgium. I really loved this port even though it was extremely crowded. The gothic architecture and beautiful 12th and 13th century buildings on every block with so many canals and parks was just amazing. We had a walking tour of about two hours, a 30 minute canal boat ride and then 1 1/2 hours free time. Of course we had a Belgian beer and waffle 😁. There will be a few more photos than usual since there were so many wonderful sights. 
 

4 hours ago, flossie009 said:

U.K. CAA rules regarding reimbursement of costs and provision of compensation should apply to the delay suffered by @WNcruiser
…………….. and there is no excuse for BA poor customer service ☹️

 

Not that it should matter, but the employees at Gatwick are contractors and not actual BA employees. It was a very stressful and frustrating experience. 
 

Thank you for the link.