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Thank you for your help. How do you gift a NYT article…..for future reference?

This is a very interesting article in the New York Times concerning trip insurance, a cancelled flight and, thus, a missed cruise. The moral of the story, in my opinion, is to read the fine print and avoid insurance that is offered by the cruise line. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/travel/cruise-travel-insurance.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

We liked Ponant very much. I really like modern design but the cabins are rather small with some major design flaws. That being said, the expedition team and captain spoke excellent english. My husband is French so the language issue was not a problem for us. When the Filipino crew discovered my husband was a French Professor, they always appeared, little notebooks in hand, to learn more French. The passenger mix was very international with a large Japanese contingent, a sizable Chinese Canadian contingent, some French, some Americans, some Australians. One expedition team member was bilingual in Japanese and English (grew up in NJ). All announcements were in French, English, and Japanese. It was a very memorable cruse with iconic moments I will never forget.

We did both. The landings were spectacular and worth the effort. We sailed Ponant in 2016 and then Voyager for a drive by on 2023. Each cruise had its advantages. We were much more up close and personal to whales, penguins, and elephant seals on the Ponant expedition cruise. We also slid down a snowy mountain after a hike to the top and managed to see a leucastic penguin. On the other hand, the scientific team on Voyager made the trip. If you are not in physical shape to make landings, then the drive by’s are a great alternative. some pics from the Ponant trip: To celebrate our first landing Elephant seal Penguin version of Abbey Road

I often say designers should be forced to spend a week in a mock up of their design. We were once on a ponant cruise with too much furniture in the room so it was tight and difficult to navigate. The closet doors opened out into a small hallway leading to the cabin door. The bathroom door and WC door also opened out into the same small space. The result? Chaos!

Enjoy! I’m looking forward to reading your impressions of this beautiful region. We cruised from San Diego to Auckland on Navigator in 2017 with our best friends. My favorite memory was sailing out of the lagoon in Bora Bora followed by about twenty outrigger canoes, champagne in hand, and “Bali Hai” from South Pacific playing on the ship’s speakers. I hope they repeat this for you. Bon voyage!

Did the luggage ever arrive? Or, is it still in limbo?

We did a similar excursion in Cairns in 2018. The catamaran was huge with about 200 people packed in - a mix of Regent passengers and others. A cyclone was about 500 miles away so very choppy seas. Of course, I got sea sick. Mustered up enough energy to squeeze into a wetsuit (not a model shoot - more like 100 imitation Orcas), got into the murky water for snorkeling and called it quits after five minutes. I was down for the count for the rest of the excursion. For what it’s worth, Bora Bora was much better and, actually, Oman was better.

Did I say i was going to Brazil? I simply asked a question.

Curious if the cost of the visa could be disputed with your credit card company. After all, you paid for a service you didn’t receive.

@zak477 I think you have some valid points but ones expectations of anything tend to be personal and based on your life experience. I imagine if you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, Regent would be a definite step down. Most of us, however, have worked hard for the funds to pay for a Regent cruise so that luxury is defined a bit differently. For us, not being nickel and dime at every turn is luxury. Spacious cabins with lovely decks are luxury . Beautiful common spaces and engaging fellow travelers add to the ambiance. We have taken two Regent cruises since Jason was replaced by Andrea. The first, in February of this year on voyager was wonderful, the second in October on Splendour, was our least favorite cruise ever as it felt like the management was dialing it in…nothing special, no hallway meet and greet, no deck BBQ, mediocre entertainment and lectures. Food is subjective and has been good. So, it remains to be seen if we can pin this on management in Miami. We have two cruises booked for 2024 so time will tell.

We live in ATL and ny husband was a French professor at GSU. I wonder if he taught your wife?….Dr. Georges Perla, Modern and Classical Languages.

Ha! That was me! It was one of the most memorable trips we ever took. Remember how exhausted we were? It was non stop and each thing we did was better than the last. But, the warriors were amazing and the highlight of the tour!

This is an interesting thread. We had a cruise through SE Asia in 2019 that included a post-cruise tour to Xian, China. Since group tours could get a group visa through the tour agency we did not alert on the necessity to get a visa, nor did Regent inform us we needed a visa. So, long story short, we had to secure a visa in early January for a mid-February cruise. This involved an exacting application that would be rejected with one mistake, sending passports to the nearest Chinese embassy, and praying all would be resolved and passport returned by the date we would fly out. We managed, but we talked to other guests who cancelled this once in a lifetime trip because someone in Miami dropped the ball.

Agree! I lost interest after the NCLH president’s remarks. I thought all the personal remarks were out of place for this event as a launching of a new ship is not a testimonial to your career and its impact on your family. I almost wanted to post a “Take a Shot” game every time someone said “unrivaled”!

When friends ask us why we travel so much, I often reply that we are one fall and one diagnosis away from being unable to travel at all. Surrounding you with light, prayers, hope, or whatever you need to get you through this difficult time.

Ask for more information….no emojis necessary.

I think we have lost the art of conversation. If one expresses an opinion that is counter to yours, the appropriate response is “what do you mean by tasteless?” This actually starts a conversation. Perhaps the poster prefers robust, spicy cuisine….perhaps the poster has an issue with his ability to smell, thus impacting taste…..perhaps the poster is used to a specific cuisine. We are so quick to judge, defend, belittle. Enough.

We have only cruised once on Mariner and, fortunately, I had read bout the shower/tub problem so we booked a shower only room. There was a BIG problem with that configuration. Some bright designer thought a large mirror inset in the shower area would make the space look larger. Each day I was forced to look at the impact of my gluttony. Post cruise my choice was therapy or weight watchers!

We plan to go to Kamakura as well. I found a great diy walking tour. We have a day to kill between our land trip and our cruise. As a teen, I spent considerable time there as it was close to Yokosuka where we were stationed for 4 years in the 60’s. https://blog.japanwondertravel.com/hidden-places-kamakura-10168

I have a light weight camper French press that I bring. I fill it with the coffee from the DIY machines, grab two mugs, and off I go! Quieter and more convenient than room service.

Really? Why? Not judging, just curious.

See above @mrlevin. This may be Regent’s version of the “Golden Batchelor” But, who will run the activity? Entertainment team or social hostess?

CLOTHING OPTIONAL???????

When we were much younger (and poorer) we were in Gordes, a hilltop town in Province - very chic and pricey. It was late and we found a hotel above a low key village restaurant. Looked at the room before committing and it was really nice. However, as the night progressed, the room got hotter and hotter. Little did we know that our wall shared the chimney to the restaurant pizza oven. We opened all the windows, draped cold towels over our sweating bodies until about 3am when the chimney cooled down. Then the nocturnal soap opera began as a betrayed young woman started screaming at her unfaithful husband/lover. It was a night to remember and the village was certainly talking bout it the next morning as we blearily sipped coffee in the cafe. I learned some new colorful vocabulary, too!