Starlaker

Direct flights over Iceland & Greenland to Europe aren't bad from Seattle.  We never take a flight to Europe that connects on the East Coast.  

Our Concierge was very helpful in printing out our boarding pass on one of our cruises.  Don't remember which one.  Guess it all depends on the individual.  Sounds like yours, Shawnino, didn't want to be bothered.

" I smiled and nicely told her that no, she should please put them under the bed for us."

There is a difference between telling her that she should put them under the bed for you and asking her if she would please put them under the bed because of your bad backs.

We have often asked that our luggage be stored outside the room and it was done promptly and cheerfully.

You will like the smaller R class ships.  They are our favorite.

Thanks Mura.  I didn't know you could do that.  It was easy.  

We are also on this cruise.  I booked at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel.  It is right next door to the train station which I thought would be convenient.  I gave up on the roll call because the person who is organizing the meet and greet keeps posting the same statement over and over every time someone new joins the meet and greet.  

Terry in Ohio,

We ended up using US dollars everywhere.  We planned to get local currency from the ATM at the Papeete airport, but it wasn't working.  I don't think the taxi drivers took credit cards.

If you are familiar with Reynoldsburg, then you probably are familiar with Tussing Rd.  I am a Tussing and we lived on the family farm on Tussing Rd.  The road was originally the private lane of my great, great grandfather who was a pioneer settler in the area.  It is sad for me to go back there now and see that it is all developed.  

Hi Terry in Ohio!  I was born and raised in Reynoldsburg, just outside of Columbus and am an Ohio State grad.  Nice to see another buckeye!

We did Taxi tours on Pago Pago, American Samoa,; Apia, Samoa; Suva, Figi, and Lautoka, Fiji.  All were great and the drivers were very informative and spoke good English.  I think the charge was about $20 per hour and we spent 3 or 4 hours per tour. They were waiting just outside the gate when you get off the ship.  I highly recommend.  We don't like group tours all that much and preferred the personal touch.

We did taxi tours on several of the islands and were very happy with them.

Amazing!  Thanks for sharing the pictures.

I have ordered two entrees from Oceania with no charge.  Not recently though.

That is one of the reasons why we always pay the deviation fee and go in a day early.  We nearly missed our first cruise when our plane was delayed.  We were the last passengers to board.  I don't want to go through that stress again.

Missymo, We had the same issues with the malaria tablets.  We stopped taking them when they made us dizzy and sick at our stomach.  We both had the Yellow Fever shots when we were 64 and had no reaction other than a few days of soreness at the injection site.  My friend got very sick from the shot.  

ABoartNerd just won't give up, will he./she?

My personal favorite is the chocolate covered strawberries.  I had that every day on our cruise in December and am still missing them!  My husband ordered some Sherrie's Berries for me at Christmastime to help me over the withdrawal.  

It is wise of you to ask this question.  We didn't utilize the butler on our first cruise in a PH suite.  We just didn't know what to ask for.  We recently returned from a cruise in a PH and we were much wiser this time.  My favorite thing was the chocolate covered strawberries at 5:00 every day.  I am missing them now!  We also enjoyed breakfast in suite each day.  It was nice to have a leisurely breakfast in our room before getting ready for a day of touring.  We weren't feeling up to dining in Toscana on one of the nights we had reservations.  We called our butler and he changed our reservation to another night for us.  He and our room steward worked together to make our cruise experience even more memorable.  Now that we have utilized the butler service, we are hooked.

We got off Regatta in Sydney in December and also loved every minute of it.  The crew was outstanding.  The Captain kept us well informed.  The ship was beautiful.  We didn't miss any ports.  I am so glad that we were able to experience it one more time before the retrofit.  I love the current decor.

Our lifeboat drill on the Regatta last month was a bit different than previously.  Before, it was held in various indoor locations on the ship where they made the announcements, showed how to put on your vest, and then dismissed you.  This time we had to file out to the lifeboats after the announcements and demonstrations and line up along the deck.  We also had to have two life boat drills as our cruise was more than 8 days.  I guess the regulations are getting tighter.

I chose not to go into the water, but not from fear of encountering piranha.  There are other unseen organisms lurking in those waters.  I saw enough in my college microbiology classes to keep me out of tropical rivers forever.

We went back the River Negro on a private excursion and stopped off at a platform where they feed the pink dolphins.  Some in our party got in the water and swam with them.  I just walked out on the platform and feed them.  It was definitely worth it.  We also saw them from the ship while we were docked in Manaus.  

Very interesting and well done thread by the OP.  We got off the Regatta in Sydney before the OP got on.  We did the Tahiti to Sydney segment and loved everything about the ship.  I too had been a bit apprehensive after reading a number of negative comments about the Regatta.  We found the staff to be extremely friendly and helpful and the food and service exceptional.  We had been on the Regatta before and love the old world atmosphere.  The renovation plans look very sterile.  I am glad that we got to sail on the "old" Regatta one more time before they take all that old world charm away. Thank you for this thread Perash.  Makes me wish we had stayed on!

We are on the Regatta now and we couldn’t be happier with the condition of the ship and the service. This is day 4 and all the crew have been so friendly and welcoming. Personally I love the look of the Regatta and hate to see it “modernized”. We have sailed on the Marina and definitely prefer the smaller ships. The food has been very good also. After reading the complaints on here before we sailed, I was a bit apprehensive. I am happy to say that I do not understand the comments about “tired looking”, “dark decor”, unsatisfactory service, etc.  I have to assume that some people are hard to please. We are having a wonderful time!

I agree with LHT28.  We get it already.  No need to keep flogging this dead horse.

Thank you for posting.  We will be joining the Regatta in Papeete on 27 November so I am very interested in how you are liking the ship, crew, and food.  I look forward to following your journey.

Petoonya, No, we are on the Oceania Regatta 11/27.

We did the National Express bus to Southampton and it was very easy.  Oceania transfers are ridiculously expensive.