CruiserFromMaine

We did that tour earlier this year and enjoyed it. Wasn’t too long of a bus ride and the ride was interesting.

I sent an email to SS Guest Relations on Tuesday afternoon highlighting the exposure of people’s’ information. I got this email from them yesterday afternoon. We’ll see what I get back from the so-called privacy team. Dear Mr. XXX, Thank you for raising this issue to our attention. The issue is being investigated internally and I am informed that the issue has been contained. I have shared your email with my colleagues in the data privacy team who will come back to you as appropriate in due course. Best regards, Guest Relations Team Silversea Cruises

I agree totally, there is no reason at all to put a passport number on the room key card.

Happened to us too, in the US. I logged on with my account and my wife’s and we got the same wrong person. Very bad security. This is a breach. I believe this needs to go into an SEC filing too. Here’s the definition of a Personally Identifiable Information (PII) breach in the US. PII Breach means the loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, unauthorized access or any similar term referring to situations where persons other than the authorized users, and for other than authorized purposes, have access or potential access to PII, whether physical or electronic. https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/pii-breach I can no longer log in, so that’s better.

@Bellaggio Cruisers if Franck the GM is still on the Splendor, please have a visit with him to explain your situation. That was poor treatment on Regent’s part; I’m sorry to read about it.

I’ll just say that your impression of the Splendor is far different from mine. We loved it and booked another on board and another one since. No, it wasn’t perfect there’s a thread I started here about our cruise. But it was overall excellent. We’re not big pool people and eat earlier so that’s part of it. Enjoy the other lines.

Here’s a video review. I’ll wait awhile till they get the kinks worked out.

We were on that cruise with you, and the one right afterwards that was 7 days. And, yes, a *much* different, livelier, vibe on the 7 day cruise. Enough so I’m not sure I’d book one again on a high-end line like Regent.

Crystal had a very good app, and Celebrity does now that shows activities, bar hours, etc. I like having that option. Otherwise, I’d like a printed copy so I can take a photo of the hourly schedule, on board time, etc. As another alternative, they could post the full issue each day by reception for easy access, without having to ask someone to pull one out—like posting the daily menus. maybe SS has an app, too, I don’t recall.

I think that’s a great idea!

Interesting discussion on music. It’s like food, in a way—very subjective. We’re in our early 60s and really enjoyed the American Songbook repertoire of Gino’s. But we also enjoyed the Beatles show in the atrium and the dance party on deck. All great music, and a nice mixture. The Lemon Duo was good for a change-up for us, but we didn’t love her voice; the guitarist was very good though. Not saying I’m right, just offering another view for anyone reading along.

We just walked through the spa and said we were going to the infinity pool. Nobody bothered us either coming or going.

That sounds like Grenada. Sorry to hear that. I had one good and one great meal there on our last cruise. And the good I’ve was mostly due to me ordering outside my comfort zone. Service was excellent. Strange it changed so much.

@GeorgiaPeach51 I’m glad you got moved, hopefully our comments to Regent helped them see the light. I’m glad you liked the thread! I enjoyed yours from a couple months ago. @cAPS lOCK oN we were supposed to be on the 11:30 shuttle but it left about 12:20. Then a long wait at the terminal. We got on about 1:10. I’d just take an Uber or Lyft the next time.

I’ve been delinquent in sharing my final thoughts on our wonderful Splendor cruise (Jan. 21 to Feb. 8, really a back-to-back cruise). We loved it! It was our first Regent cruise after trying several luxury cruise lines such as Crystal, Seabourn and Silversea. The crew were superb, somehow they knew our name wherever we went, and knew that we were staying on for a second voyage. The entertainment was very good and better than expected for a smaller ship. In particular, we really enjoyed listening to Gino in the Observation Lounge. The productions shows were very good, although largely repeated on the second cruise. The guest comedian on the first cruise was excellent. The food ranged from good to excellent, with very good to excellent being the norm. One beef dish was warm but not hot and a couple things just weren’t to my liking, but they were also a little outside the box for me, too. We were in Suite 871 (a concierge suite), which was an ideal location; three decks up to the pool deck/La veranda/Observation Lounge and three to four decks down for the theater or Compass Rose. Our suite itself was very nice, with lots of outlets by the very comfortable bed. I liked how the bed faced the window. The sitting area was quite comfortable. The balcony was large with two chairs, a lounger and a table; the downside was that the furniture and floor often seemed salty from the spray. The bathroom was a nice size with a double vanity, a tub and separate shower. We never used the tub. The TV was nice, and we appreciated having the menus available on the TV. One thing we missed that we’ve had on other cruises is a nice app that would show menus and the daily activities without having to carry around the daily Passages or taking a photo of it. We enjoyed the infinity pool area as a relaxing place as opposed to the pool deck, which could get quite busy. We did try the hot tubs a couple times and the temperature was nice and hot. The included excursions were OK, but frankly we didn’t go on a Caribbean cruise to deeply explore the ports, most of which we’ve been to several times. The ship was the primary destination. And the ship itself is gorgeous. The public areas have a very nice color palette and are well-designed and laid out. Unfortunately, my wife needed to visit the medical center. The doctor was efficient and provided the necessary prescription for a burn suffered in an excursion involving a cooking class. There was no charge and when the doctor saw her the next day by chance around the ship, he asked how she was. Some people have experienced difficulty completing the post-cruise survey. My wife completed it on board and I asked for an email link, which I got a couple days after I got home. One negative experience on the cruise was the pre-cruise assigned hotel in Miami, the AKA Brickell. It is still under construction and not up to Regent standards. The hotel shuttle to the ship was disorganized and behind schedule, and there were long lines at check in at the cruise terminal. One thing we learned, too, was that the passenger mix on seven night cruises is much different than on longer cruises. Our first segment was an eleven night cruise, the second was seven nights. It’s a noisier crowd on a shorter cruise, with some groups on board. I will say, though, that the “exuberance” decreased after the first day or so. But it’s something to keep in mind. We enjoyed this cruise so much we booked another on the Grandeur for next March. If you haven’ttried Regent, you definitely should; and if you haven’t tried the Splendor, you definitely should!

@GeorgiaPeach51—thank you! I now have an even greater appreciation for thread-captains (like you!) who post longer and more detailed reports! Yes, terminal J. I’m sorry you had such a long walk after you disembarked. I don’t know the algorithm behind what terminal they use. People on the second cruise got on at B and off at J.

I enjoyed the included Chianti as well. And the Observation Lounge is a great place in the evening if you enjoy piano music—Gino is fabulous! We we’re surprised at the quality of the internet access, considering what we had read. It wasn’t perfect but very good. Food and service were excellent!

I agree that you should explore the River cruise option. Take a look on those forums for ideas. Our go-to line is AMA. Not all-inclusive but excellent food and service.

I had this typed up a couple days ago, and then forgot to post it… Now, sadly, off the Splendor… After packing and snacking with our cheese plate and champagne last night, we headed up to trivia. A first for us on this cruise! We had 2 Regent points and wanted to get more or give away our points. We did ok for a team of two, but gave away our points to a team of ladies who told Ellie she was so kind. They were glad to have them. We listened to Gino in the Observation Lounge before dinner again (of course!) and Ellie had one more gin martini with blue cheese olives. I had a vodka martini. Then off to one more dinner in Compass Rose. It was a lovely dinner again (of course!). I had escargot, risotto and the Thai curry chicken. And the very delicious chocolate coffee caramel soufflé for dessert. Ellie had the porcini crusted salmon for an entree. We also shared some butter pecan ice cream for dessert. I’ll wrap up final thoughts in another post but the food has been very very good on this cruise! After dinner we listened to the first part of the Broadway show/interview but it’s not our cup of tea so we left to hear Gino at 10pm (of course!). We had a chance to chat with him as well. It turns out he will be on the Grandeur next March when we’re on—yay! Also Jorge from Compass Rose will be on then too! More reasons to look forward to that cruise! One more sleep in our suite then up early to finish packing and out by 8am. One more nice breakfast in Compass Rose and then we did self disembarking to meet friends of ours who picked us up around 9am. Clearing Immigration was easy, maybe 5 minutes from getting “binged” off the ship to the passenger pickup area. There was only one other ship in port—a Virgin ship. I’ll post some final thoughts tomorrow.

It was $169 per person last week on the Splendor. You have to book it on board. For us it was on a sea day. It was fun and well-presented with very good food but the wines didn’t wow me. It will definitely be your lunch that day.

On the Splendor. We had a nice dinner in Chartreuse on Saturday. I had a duck foie gras starter and a veal entree, and the floating island dessert. The dessert was excellent and the others good, but I thought my first meal there was better. We had an early start to the day, plus we lost an hour as we set the clocks ahead, so it was an early night for us. Yesterday was Costa Maya. We had a quick breakfast in La Veranda then off to see the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben. I thought this was a fascinating tour, and one I’ve been looking forward to. It was our first visit to Mayan temples. The ride from the ship was about an hour each way, and we had a good two hours there. Ours was the only ship in port so we were able to experience it without crowds. Our guide said some days they have 17 busses of tourists! The “reclamation” is still in its very early stages; the area was discovered only in 1972 and not uncovered until 1994, whereas Pompeii was restored beginning in the 1700s. It is slow work, hindered by the close jungle that has overtaken the area. Still, it is impressive to see the temples that have been restored. A nice lunch with a burger with lobster and corn aioli and a margarita, then relaxing and, frankly, a nap. Then off to the Seven Seas Society reception where Anthony sang for us. We learned there were 671 guests on board for this cruise. We had dinner in Compass Rose. The porcini risotto was delicious and the spicy beef stir fry was very good as well. Not spicy like chile or jalapeño but with some warming spices. My wife had the miso glazed sea bass that was also excellent. We had seen David Nevin’s show in the last cruise and while we loved it, we skipped it this time and headed to a nearly abandoned Observation Lounge so had a nice chance to talk with Gino de Luca. He’s the perfect person to play in the Observation Lounge. We’ve got a late excursion in Cozumel today. A quick breakfast in La Veranda and a salad at the pool grill before we head off for a Mexican cooking class. Photos of Mayan temples and floating dessert

On the Splendor. I’m getting behind again…funny how when you don’t have anything to do, you don’t do anything! After lunch on the sea day, we relaxed around the ship. Of course we visited the Observation Lounge to hear Gino before dinner in Compass Rose. We had a nice dinner there, but unfortunately I don’t recall all of what we had. I know my wife had the duck breast that was very good. Oddly, the duck breast was listed on the spa menu but with 1,310 calories and 91 grams of fat! We were tired from a long day of being at sea, so we skipped the show and retired early. The next day was a sea morning, with a nice breakfast in Compass Rose. I had the waffles and they were quite good. The waffles, pancakes and French toast are all good there and those items seem to challenge some kitchens. Lunch was at the pool grill, featuring a Greek-themed buffet. Quite good. Then we went to the theater for our tour, The Best of Roatan. It took about 30 minutes for our tour to be called, but we finally boarded a really tight van and headed out. The highlight for me was a flat-bottom boat ride around the protected harbor at French Cay. The water was very clear and our guide there was very good. The island of Roatan has some beautiful areas but also seems down on its luck, like many Caribbean locations. Dinner was in Pacific Rim last night—excellent again! I had the soft shell crab tempura, pork dim sum and the barbecue pork ribs. I had the coconut tre leches for dessert. My wife had a wonderful meal as well, including the lobster tempura and raspberry sake sorbet. Our day caught up with us again so we retired early. We woke up in Belize today, at Harvest Caye. A quick breakfast in Compass Rose (cereal, yogurt and eggs) then off to explore Harvest Caye. It’s a well-constructed and well-manicured depiction of Belize. We probably should have done an excursion. Oh, well. We had a nice lunch in Prime 7 then off to the infinity pool. Photos below from Roatan. More later!

Things seem to have calmed down after the first night’s excitement for some people.

After we left the Splendor to get a zero count we took a short Lyft ride to CVS to get a couple items, then back to the ship. We had to wait till about 11 to get back on and there was some uncertainty among the port security when we first tried to get on. The wait was short as it turned out. Back to our suite then onto the pool deck. Yay! We finally got a nice double lounger. The margaritas are still great and we split the truffle burger. It was very tasty. A dip in the pool and the hot tub, then back to the suite and relax on our very nice balcony. It’s really nice to stay on for a back-to-back cruise! I forgot to add that we booked another cruise on board—March 2024 on the Grandeur from Miami to New York in a Superior Suite. We’ll save a fair amount compared to the Concierge Suite so we can pick our own hotel. We’ll lose out on the coffee maker and binoculars. We went up to see Gino play before dinner then off to dinner at Prime 7. We had a wonderful time at a shared table with another couple. The prime rib was good and I got the wedge salad with blue cheese dressing this time, and the popcorn caramel sundae again! The Welcome Aboard show was a little different this time and just as good. Then up to see Gino in the Observation Lounge. The vibe on board is much, much different than the last cruise. What a difference a cruise makes! This passenger mix is younger and more talkative, even too loud. Interrupting Gino while he’s playing to make a request and practically drowning out his playing. And dirty dancing to Elton John (something that may never have been written before!). There are some groups on here with travel agents, a construction company and more. Some families too, including two toddlers. I miss the old vibe from the last cruise. I’ll stick to cruises more than a week long in the future. Today was the wine sampler—most/all of the included wines were available for tastings this morning (morning wine!). If that was offered last cruise, we completely missed it. This cruise it wasn’t in the listing in Passages but rather noted off to the side, so maybe we missed it earlier. The pool deck was very busy so we went to Chartreuse for lunch. That was quieter until someone started a FaceTime call during lunch! I had the grilled salmon and enjoyed it. Then back to the Observation Lounge for some quiet time, and someone was on the phone loudly there too, but fortunately only briefly.

We went to afternoon tea again yesterday. We thought the guitarist from Lemon Duo would be playing but it was Gino instead. That was good too. And just for the record, I left my teabag in the pot and had chocolate treats and not a scone. 😄😄 We met another couple in the Observation Lounge for nice music and pre dinner drinks. I had a “Not Old Fashioned” which was good but I needed to take some of the ice out. Dinner was in Setti Mari with our new friends that we met at the Wine Lunch. The conversation was great and the food and wine was as well. I had the carbonara and the veal al limone. A limoncello at the end was perfect! After dinner we went to the Beatles show which was in the atrium. What fun! The music went until about 10:30 and people were dancing and singing along with all the songs. Then back up to hear Gino again, then to bed. Lots of luggage in the hallways by now. David Nevin had a wig on to look like one of the Beatles. In Miami this morning. Since we are staying on we could be a little more leisurely than most people. Breakfast in La Veranda then those of us continuing on were to meet in the Meridian Lounge at 9:15. Disembarkation was behind schedule though. In Miami, all the luggage needs be off before passengers can disembark. Disembarking started around 8:45am and the last colors were called around 9:45. Everyone needs to get off for at least a short time to get a zero count on board to keep US immigration happy. We got off around 10am.