Gcto

yes, the Kindle Fire is pretty much like a tablet computer... with Kindle features. The "regular" kindle is more an e-reader with a very limited browser. I have a Kindle Fire and no problems downloading...my wife's Kindle Oasis is a no go....thus...the steps outlined above.

but....we all are...aren't we 🙂

it's a Kindle issue which can't login as a device into the ship's wifi... you can enter all the info, name, date of birth etc...but then the last step doesn't work. The kindle browser is very limited and flakes out (technical term). What you can do is: 1. Establish a personal hotspot on your laptop (if you have one). Settings, Network and Internet, Mobile Hotspot 2. Create a mobile hotspot on your phone (which is connected to the ship's wifi) 3. Mobile Hotspot on your ipad. Once you created that on either device, you connect your kindle to the hotspot and you circumvent the necessary login... your pc/phone/ipad connects to the ship's wifi and your kindle connects to that hotspot without having to login to the ship. It is not region dependent, I did it in Japan, Caribbean, etc. It's the limited browser on the Kindle.

he'll skip the umbrella... one has a reputation to uphold...no matter what's in the glass. But Cy (Sikumar ) will take care of him (and us)

and remember....when the orchid is placed on the ground....rough seas ahead.... 🙂

nope, same cruise...Miami to NYC.... described outfit to chatgpt and this is what it came up with :-)

I personally think the regent dress code makes sense as it ads to the overall cruise experience. Yes, one can argue about little things (dress jeans, no collar shirt under a jacket, turtle neck etc), but overall it all makes sense. On our last cruise however, we had one "gentleman" who decided to dress in tie dye shirts and MC Hammer pants only... during the day, during dinner etc. Asides from other antics he showed, it was quite ...sad. He flaunted his looks and it was kind of "in your face"... here's a close resemblance of what he looked like...just not as slender. Not pretty ...

Same from me... and in case anyone cares...there is a great Pastis in one of the left side fridges... Cy knows 🙂

Back home now too.... caught up on the "blog" to see what I was missing. Enjoyed the trip and it was great getting to know you. Hope to see you again.

from what I was told a while ago, this is the process (pls correct me if I'm wrong). 1. You get a 2 cat upgrade when booking. So if you book PHB, you pay D price, or PHC, you pay F 2. If you already made final payment.... tough... you are out of luck...but...you are cruising soon 🙂 3. If you are already booked and your booked category is waitlisted, Regent will not honor the new price, as "rebooking under the new offer" would not get you the category you are already in. 4. Any previous offer you got (flights, pre cruise tours etc) will disappear.

All good info from GoArmy and LewiLewi. To add to it, I would suggest to let the ship know that you have to leave early in the morning and ask them to call a taxi or have one waiting. Assuming the ship docks in Yokohama at the cruise terminal Pier 6 or so... at that time in the morning I doubt there are taxis waiting for passengers (like they might during the day or afternoon). It is not at a main street, so the taxi has to get there. Also, as the ship is behind a security gate/area/etc, there might be a security process to go through (passport etc). Ship can give you info. Time to Haneda should be about 30 to 50 min and based on the distance, a taxi would be around 10000 yen (about 68 US dollar), plus minus a bit.

that's New York....you know a guy who knows a guy 🙂

you don't have to. You just decide in the morning where you want to eat and what time and tell your butler. He will arrange for it. Spec restaurants keep a few tables free for guest in Master etc. You can only "reserve" on night in each restaurant before the cruise (in general, depending on length of cruise etc), but there is a reservation desk where you can see what's available should you not be in Master suite.

Mike, my question was targeting a slightly different scenario. So let me try to clarify what I meant and how I interpret the offering and your reply. 1. Option Cruise only is Cruise only and does NOT include Flight, Transfer and Hotel. 2. Option "All inclusive" includes everything from Cruise, Hotel, Regent Flight and transfer. So I can no longer choose the all inclusive option, but do my own flight. I will either have the full package or, be totally on my own. I see the "math", but it's all or nothing as it seems. And if I want to have a hotel, I can book it as part of a "pre-cruise" option for an upcharge.

my points exactly!! I find this either confusing or... not clear. We have lately booked our own flights in the US, but always chose the hotel options due to travel needs etc. You got flight credit and hotel and transfer to ship was included. Will this now be (as Mike stated), "Cruise only" or "cruise and flight and hotel" option ? And should I decide to get the Regent included Hotel, would that be an extra much higher charge than before ? So it's confusing. And hopefully not some other reason for this. I was perfectly fine to see the prices listed and then at the bottom...air credit. If Regent continues to claim that they are an all inclusive cruise line, this will take the "all inclusive" away imho.

I agree with you in some things, but as you know as a TA dealing with clients on a daily basis... Perception matters. And the new way does not meet that. I don't mind filling out my own tags...but the material needs to be something durable, surviving the porters at the port and the luggage cart. If your tag is gone... how will they find your room ? Paper tags are just...paper and easily ripped of. Do we need faux leather...no...but it provided some "class". Do we need leather luggage tags ? No.... but it distinguished from other lines. I'm sure there is a golden middle which still gives clients what they need and is cost saving ... Email is fine...and yes, I can print out things. But... perception matters and if we go too cheap... it sends the wrong message. So add a buck to the cruise price... and go on with it 🙂

maybe this was the prequel to the upcoming Musk Zuck cage fight 🙂 Wonder what the Code was on board via Intercom. Code Purell, Code Purell...cleanup in public area 🙂

Correct... we've been in 784 before and all we did was fill out the butler form. When getting to the cabin, nothing had been done...Butler claimed he had never seen the form (but then he claimed a lot of other things during the trip). But between him and cabin steward, things were done quickly. Cabin attendants were fantastic and made up for lack of "enthusiasm" of butler 🙂 Not a big deal, but unusual considering the standard.

For now it's easter Oregon wanting to join Idaho, but I can see that eastern WA might not be far behind 🙂 On the city ordinance lrlp mentioned: No there wasn't an ordinance or law, but various restaurants started to add a "living wage adjustment" to the bill. Just showed up either as a flat rate or some percentage. And yes, rather than explaining it was just another quest to raise prices (for whatever reason, even to support staff), some wait staff or managers rather "blamed" the city of the state for this. Made the complaints or questions go away as it was "big bad government"....

yes, if you want to book the trip you think is right, book when you see it. On board, or with your TA. I don't always find the CC on board completely forthcoming with all the info, but it might also have to do with the questions I ask or not. But what is important is to have a great TA and your on board booking is transfered to this TA. The TA will then take over and can make sure they get you the best possible deal. And if later Regent has special offers, the TA can make sure that you can use it. Ours does that automatically and checks. Sometimes we got great savings (great is a relative term ) and sometimes, Regent had increased the prices so even with applying the "new offers" we'd not get the savings. Always frustrating to me (or more to people we cruised with) to see the difference in offers between the UK or Europe and the US. Can be confusing.

I would second Celebrity. RCL's super ships have plenty of options, but we found that Celebrity offers enough for the youngen's while nice for the adults... but...those times are gone and done with...now we take care of us adults 🙂

depends how many "martini" you had. Sorry ..not helpful...I know 🙂

what pcardad said. Usually about 2 weeks before... but no guarantees 🙂 What will happen is that upper cabins will be upsold first and then things will get assigned.

There is a wine list and the head sommelier can usually produce it quickly. Or "create" one. However, most wine stewards either don't know about it, or are told not to mention it. Head Maitre D can also help (Jason in this recent matter). But we stopped asking for it as it's a hit and miss. We always try the wine of the day to see if we like it (it's listed on the menu). But when we don't like it ...we tell the wine steward what type of wine we like... red, syrah, full bodied etc... and usually within a short time, we get a great recommendation ... we we like it (and usually do), this becomes our go-to stand by for the next nights. I usually works out. I say usually, because the wine staff on the mariner on your trip and the trip before (we were on that one), was less than "stellar". New, unexperienced and frankly overwhelmed I guess. So they just walked around with red and white and were engaging. Only one or two. I even talked to the Beverage Manager about it and he acknowledged a training issue. Also seems that the Head Sommelier was not on board or unavailable. Never saw him or her. A person I thought was it, told me she was trying to fill in as much as possible. So in short...this was not the normal situation in the wine department. You already figured out the other routine for CR. Find a section and waiter you like and things relax. Joseph is a great example as GoArmy mentioned. Unfortunately, his section also had the less stellar wine servers.... Win some, lose some 🙂

Based on comments above it really depends on the group and the size. We just came back from a trip on the Mariner where our TA was "hosting" ag group. It was done very classy to say the least. A get-together at the Stars Lounge at 5 during a sea day to meet and great and then individual lunches with clients etc. Some of the group knew each other and had dinners together, but it was very low key and didn't occupy any space. Well done. Then we've been on a trip with a larger group where most people knew each other and hung out together constantly. Was a "rewards" cruise for a sales organization, all drinks included if you get my drift. Not good... Then...we were on a cruise where a larger group had all booked together. Most were part of a Baptist Gospel choir and they had fun, dancing in the evening, giving impromptu concerts... it was great. But while "visible" they did not impose or assume that their group had special times etc. We enjoyed it very much because it was a group of great people, not a group of... see above. So in short... it can be hit and miss. The hosted trip... if you weren't part of it, you wouldn't even notice. The sales group.....run...don't hide. The choir.... great. It all depends on how the individuals and the "leadership" handles it.