Joanandjoe

We've just made our final payment and gotten our trip insurance.  We hope there will be other CC members on our cruise. J & J

Suzy, don't keep us in suspense:  did the Jazz sail as scheduled, or did they cancel the cruise?

At the pizzeria, the seating area was empty; but apparently the large group was either downstairs or somewhere else where we didn't see them.  We didn't find out about the group until we received our incorrect pizza order.

It's obvious that we had an untypically bad experience, so I've been trying to persuade Joan to try again.  As noted. Silversea has some fabulous itineraries, including the Gulf of Bothnia cruise that we were on.  We would love to have access to such itineraries.

Our companions weren't rude:  we told them that "good manners spoil good food".  They sat with us until we were done, and they were charming.  We eventually found out that a waiter other than ours had taken our order, and our waiter didn't realize what had happened.

We went to the front desk at least four times, starting on the second or third day, asking for either the food service manager or the guest relations manager.  No food service or guest relations manager, no apology, no contact at all from management then or after the cruise. 

On our cruise, the Grill opened at 6.

Actually, we are surprised that no one from Silversea management has responded to this thread.

Joan and I are definitely not "glass half empty" people.  Actually, we tend to err on the side of optimism.  I asked because I hoped to persuade Joan to try Silversea again.  Based on her "we'll never sail on Silversea again" post (yes, both of us post on CC under the Joanandjoe handle), it's a lost cause.

Just for the record:

1) I ordered a Margareta pizza in Spaccanapoli.  The waiter didn't mention that there was a large group that was hidden from view and had just ordered more than 15 pizzas.  After 40 minutes I received a pizza loaded with pork, which I don't eat.  Yes, I went hungry on Silversea.

2) We ate at Indochine twice. Once was fine.  The other time, we ate with another couple.  They got their food promptly, but nothing came for us.  Finally we asked the Maître D;' who said that our order had been lost.   We got our meal 55  minutes after ordering, and after our companions had finished dessert.

3) Our order was also messed up in Silver note. Plus, I'm allergic to chocolate and Joan to strawberries.  Basically, they didn't have a dessert for us, and everything next door at the bar was chocolate or a single shrimp in a gloppy sauce.

4) La Dame was marvelous. 

5) We were never able to get a reservation at the Japanese restaurant.  We also never had room service delivered in under 30 minutes. The meal at the Grill, which opens at 6, was so disappointing that we didn't try it a second time.

6) After the Spaccanapoli disaster, we asked to speak to the food service manager.  He finally saw us on the last day of the cruise.  Not much use.

I give up.  Bad dining experiences at 4 or five different venues may just be bad luck; but that's what our experience was.  Have we had bad experiences on Regent?  Of course, but they were rare, so we shrugged them off.  On our Silver Spirit cruise, bad dining experiences were almost as common as good ones.  I hoped that this thread would convince Joan to try Silversea again; but, based on her post, that won't happen.

I wish all of you smooth sailing, and better experiences on Silversea than we had.  Goodbye.  Joe

We will not sail Silversea again.  Silversea is supposed to be a LUXURY line.  You don't wind up eating cold cheese and bread from breakfast at 4 PM on a LUXURY line.  Your complaints don't go unanswered on a LUXURY line.  

Thanks.  Let

s see if anyone joins the roll call.

We have had one cruise on Silversea, on the Silver Spirit from Copenhagen to Stockholm via the Gulf of Bothnia. The ship was beautiful, and the unusual ports, most of which rarely welcome cruise ships, were great.  Still, we were only partially satisfied with the experience. Why? Because we were hungry most afternoons, and didn't get to see any shows.

We normally start dinner between 5:30 and 6:15 pm.  Dinner time on our cruise was 7 pm, which was way too late for us, and made the shows too late for us.  We never found a venue where we could get an afternoon snack to tide us over.  Room service was very slow.  There was no tea time, which is a highlight for us on other cruise lines (such as Regent).  The pizza place was so messed up that it took 40 minutes for them  to deliver the wrong pizza, which I couldn't eat because of the toppings.  We didn't find out about the gelato at the pizza place until the last afternoon of our cruise.

Have the meal times been expanded so that the dining room will be less full?  If dinner time is still 7 pm, I probably can't talk Joan into trying Silversea again, even though the itineraries are the best I've seen and we loved having a butler.  If dinner time is now earlier, I may be able to convince her to book another cruise on Silversea. 

What are the current dinner and show times on the ships (other than the Expedition ships)?   Joe

On our ocean cruises, we've always participated in roll calls for our cruise.  We've connected with some great people that way. CC does not seem to have a roll call board for American Cruise Lines.  Does that mean we should start our roll call on this board.

Our cruise is a 7 night Chesapeake Bay cruise, Baltimore to Baltimore, on 11/14/21.  If this board is the right place for roll calls, we'll start one.

Pre-Covid, we chose small group tours when we were really interested in the tour, and they were well worth the extra money. When our interest was marginal, we did not pay extra for small group tours, and in one place - Greenland - all tours were pretty small.

We wonder whether tours that are not small group in the near future will nonetheless be smaller than the group size pre-Covid.  We have an excursion signup later this month, and will need to decide whether small groups are still worth the extra cost.  We will probably decide YES.

35 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

P.S. - I love old sci-fi movies!

But maybe not Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space, possibly the worst movie ever made.

We'd like to join the optimists; but, frankly, our next scheduled cruise, mid-September from Vancouver to Tokyo on the Explorer (19 days), seems unlikely, even if somehow Alaska-bound cruises are allowed to sail from Seattle rather than closed-to-cruising Canada.

Thank you, Mighty Quinn and J Mariner, for clearing up this point..  So I guess an Alaska cruise would be difficult with the 7 day limit, but nonetheless possible.  Joe

I'm puzzled by the legislation.  For now, cruise ships are not just prohibited from stopping in Canada:  they are not allowed to cruise in Canadian waters.  One of the points of Alaska cruises is that much of the sailing is in the relatively protected Inside Passage.  If the ships can't cruise between the Canadian mainland and Vancouver Island  (& Prince Rupert Island), they will have a much longer, rougher passage between (for e.g.) Seattle and Seward.  Can that even be done with the 7 day CDC cruise limitation? As for Alaska to Alaska cruises, I don't believe any port other than Seward can handle large ship embarkation and disembarkation.

Of course, if the legislation passes, maybe Canada will let ships pass through their waters as long as they don't stop in Canada.

7 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

I was pretty hopeful for our 2021 Vancouver to Tokyo cruise in September until recently. With the issue we are having getting vaccines in Canada i am not sure that Canadian ports will be open even then.  I hope that changes but my hope is dwindling. We have no idea when we might get a vaccine and we are in the over 65 age group. Who knows when the rest of the public will get them and i don't see Canadian ports opening until All Canadians have had the opportunity to get the vaccine. 

We're also scheduled for that cruise and, sadly, I agree with you.  It's hard to see that, by September, we'll be able to take a 4-country (Canada, US, Russia, Japan) cruise in a manner that makes going worthwhile.  That means full use of ship facilities, not having to use a mask at all times on the ship and on flights from NJ to Vancouver and Tokyo to NJ, and being able to have free time in ports, where we can sample local food, do some sightseeing and/or shopping on our own, and talk to the "locals".  I fear that this is unlikely to happen.  But keep up the faith:  hopefully time will prove me wrong  Joe

On 1/19/2021 at 11:08 AM, ShropshireCritic said:

Agreed, just taken this approach with our Japan 2021 cruise just cancelled. 

Then another two more cruises just booked taking advantage of the 2 suite upgrade options

Which Japan cruise has been cancelled?  We're scheduled to take the one in September, 2021 from Vancouver to Tokyo.  I don't think it will happen; but I also don't think it has been cancelled.  Thanks

(Oops - I didn't see the post that says the April, 2021 cruise was cancelled.  Keep your fingers crossed regarding the September cruise.)

What's interesting about the first class air on trips to Alaska is that it does not apply (at least, so far) to the start of our Vancouver to Tokyo cruise on the Explorer scheduled for September, 2021,  Who knows whether that cruise will take place:  one of us is optimistic, the other not.  Nonetheless, it's odd that we would have to travel by coach from NYC to Vancouver when Alaska cruises starting in Vancouver get first class air.

It's nice to speculate about Explorer restaurant hours, and to post what the meal schedule used to be.  The real answer to your question is that no Regent passengers know what Regent dining hours will look like after cruising resumes; and it's possible that management doesn't yet know either.   Will they close off portions of the dining rooms, on a rolling basis, in order to disinfect the tables>  Will they abandon the free choice of dining times and dining companions, so that people eat at fixed times (or only by reservation)?  Will they extend dining times, so that fewer people are in the dining rooms at any given time?  Any or all of these things is as possible as having dining times look like pre-Covid dining times.

One thing is certain:  you won't go hungry on Regent,  At least one dining choice (including room service) should be available at all times.

2 hours ago, JMARINER said:

Mariner is on its' way to Hawaii from OZ. Expected to  be Honolulu on April 4. I assume that it is making its' way eventually to Vancouver for the Alaska season.

 

Maybe so; but how can Mariner go to Vancouver when all Canadian ports are closed?  I'm surprised she will be allowed to dock in Hawaii.  Joe

It's hard to find something funny about cruising these days; but the folks who run Cruise Critic managed to do so this morning.  We received an email reminding us of the Meet & Mingle for our scheduled cruise on the Splendor on April 16.  Like many others, we cancelled the cruise (which probably won't take place anyway); but there seems to be no way of cancelling our registration for the Meet & Mingle.  The email was good for a small chuckle.

At least we have a virtual Meet & Mingle - the Roll Call.  We' like several others, are still posting.

Stay safe, everyone, and hope for better days, and resumed cruising, ahead.

21 minutes ago, shuguley said:

Hope maybe Regent can shift ports for the June Alaska trips, maybe use Astoria.

Nope.  Astoria is also closed.  In any event, unless the passenger travel rules requiring a non-US port are waived, Regent can't offer an Alaska cruise.  

11 hours ago, mj_holiday said:

We did Amsterdam to NYC via Iceland and Greenland.  It was fantastic.  I do not remember any issue with tendering and Nuuk we were docked.  We did a family visit in Nuuk which was very interesting.  Our host was very eager to explain things about everyday living in Greenland.  Just great.

We were on the cruise last August with MJ, and also did the home visit in Nuuk.  Terrific tour.  We were docked in Nuuk, even though the itinerary shows and showed this as a tender port, and tendered in Paamiut. Paamiut was a bit of a waste:  untrained locals as tour guides, and the town's main attraction - the church - was closed.

Joan, the bargain hunter, picked up some inexpensive souvenirs and toys at the shopping mall in Nuuk.

Yes, everyone, even the men, should be prepared to dress in layers.  I didn't find Iceland or Greenland to be cold; but then, I don't need gloves at 20 degrees. The temp was never below 40, except in Prince Christian Sound. Joan was cold, and Californians probably would be.

The most beautiful day of your itinerary may not even be on land.  Prince Christian Sound (June 12 for your itinerary) is way beyond spectacular. Sort of a glacial fjord open at both ends.  Dress warmly, and enjoy hot drinks in the upstairs lounge. Take pictures and movies, and watch for wildlife. 

The bird island of Vigur excursion is also well worth it.  We did that bird tour, and another one in Orkney; and we're not even birders.

We took the archaeological wonders small group tour.  The weather was putrid - s;eet and high winds in late August.  Nonetheless, we are archaeology buffs, and this was one of the best tours - Regent or otherwise - that we have ever taken.

On several occasions, I wasn't able to book at midnight eastern time; but was able to do so about 10 minutes later.  If all excursions (or dining reservations) are shown as unavailable at 12:01, they might be available a few minutes later.

For one of my cruises, I was on a Regent ship; but in an internet dead zone when excursion bookings opened.  I know that was a possibility; so I asked my TA, who is in the central time zone, to book the excursions for me. She kindly did so.  {I good thing, too - we had no internet when I woke up,the next morning, since our dock in Iceland was surrounded by mountains.)

12 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

You should be able to go into your Camera app, tap the Menu (the multi-pointed star usually in the top left).  Then you may see "Hold Shutter button to" > "Take burst shot" (or just take a picture), or you might just see an option for "Burst", where you can set or unset the option.  I see mine is the former, and is set to burst if I hold the button down (too long, I presume, so I'm going to unset it!)

Nope.  The selfie camera menu settings are selfie shot, HDR. gesture view, voice shutter, and help.  The regular camera options are HDR, voice shutter. Scan QR code, Tag locations, grid, and help.  Nothing in help mentions burst.  I may have learned something, at least, by checking these menus.  Perhaps "Scan CR Code" is what you do with those mysterious (and, until now, useless) square codes that we're asked to scan.  Who knows, someday I may learn to scan and deposit a check!

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Too bad Regent doesn't offer classes in this type of thing.  What you need is someone to give you a good lesson in how to use your new phone.  It's possible that you might end up loving it after you got the hang of it.  If you get multiple photos it means your camera app is set to "burst" mode, this can be turned off.

I agree with Cruise the C's comments.  A tour app is a bad idea, given Regent's demographics.  Management, are you reading this thread?

Thanks for the comment about turning off "burst".  My multiple exposures did, indeed, say "burst # 1, burst # 2, etc."  However, I don't see a burst setting on my LG Android phone.  I do see an "HDR" setting, but that is turned off. Maybe this setting was on, and I accidentally turned it off, stopping the bursts.

As for instruction on my smartphone, it would be nice if it were offered by Regent.  Even a few years ago, the only classes seemed to be for iPhones, not Android.  Now classes on how to use an Android phone don't seem to exist, if they ever did..  Maybe people assume that everyone knows how to use the phones, since the phones have been around for many years; but Joan and I didn't get our phones until this April.  Learning to use them seems hopeless, and we go back to the phone store several times a month because we can't get get certain features to work.  Facial recognition and pairing the phones with our cars both seem hopeless!

23 hours ago, poss said:

Since we own no smartphones or any other kind of gizmos (just an iMac at each of our desks at home), I've been a little concerned about this new way of doing.   Not sure where it'll leave us technological troglodytes.

I couldn't have said it better.  In April I was forced to get a smartphone (Android) because I couldn't get a good new flip phone.  I'm not a fan!  It's nice to have a camera always with me (although I seem to get multiple photos most of the time); but I'm hopeless with aps, and I don't own any headphones (or want to own any). I have Pandora on  my phone, but can't get it to work.

Regent management, having guides use aps instead of the transmitter sets we used on our 8/14 to 9/3/10 cruise on the Navigator will work for some people, but won't work for many of us Luddites.