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Everything posted by PaulMCO
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South Africa Pre-Cruise Safari Considerations
PaulMCO replied to UUNetBill's topic in Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Specifically.... Carriage of Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC) or CPAP breathing machines on internal flights per airline regulations (subject to change as each airline has their own regulations) 1. Guests must obtain a Doctor’s Certificate mentioning their medical condition and the need to carry this equipment with them on their flights. 2. The certificate should have attached a picture of the equipment with its description/specifications especially with regards to the type of batteries used (lithium/dry or any other type) 3. These documents need to be sent to the Land Program Team via Reservations at RSSC at least one month prior to travel so that our local operator can begin the notification process with the airline(s). 4. Failure to comply with the above regulations may result in a denial of this equipment at the airport for which Regent Seven Seas Cruises nor our local ground operator be responsible for. -
Those were the days with such Yankee greats as Pepitone, Tom Trash and others -- you said publicly you were a METS fan (heaven forbid)
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Agree on both. Crystal remains our favorite but just like Explora, it is hard to find unique cruises. Hopefully when III is built they might diversify their itineraries and add South America, Asia etc.
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Old and have a great memory. Remember when Yankee tickets for the regular season were $3.50 for box seats, $2.50 for reserved, $1.50 for upper deck, and $0.75 for bleachers. 1960's
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I have been using Starlink as a Beta tester with a Gen 1 dish since late 2020. Since it is a Satellite system and uses remote terminals which can vary depending on the ships position (with different IP addresses), many financial and some email services treat these as suspect IP addresses. This is NOT a Regent issue but a Starlink one. An example was on a recent cruise on Mariner, one hour we were using a Portugal IP address then the next hour it was a UK IP address. My Xfinity email was blocked (with an error message of suspect IP address) and I had to reset my password. Never an issue with the MTN's Geostationary satellites (past provider) as all of their traffic and thus IP addresses are routed through their Florida headquarters.
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I would like to see more pre/post cruise land programs which should enhance the brand. I would hope a Miami event would be on the Horizon.
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Enjoy your cruise @scottie99 .. Istanbul's Galataport is definitely a confusing place. Would love to hear more about any ship issues (hopefully none), as we board in Barcelona.
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1. Internet -- yes one at a time. Yes you can pay extra and get 4, but with those 4 you do not get streaming. If you opt for the streaming package you will only get ONE device. We had 4 devices in a PH. When paid extra for the streaming, you get down graded to one. When you pay for streaming you do not get more speed only unblocked from streaming IP sources. 2. Suite coffee makers are for Concierge and above suites. Room service 30 minutes typical. Coffee connection barista is the best. I think the self service machine in the coffee connection works 24/7. Also provides hot water. 3. Bath hot water, I would not drink. You might want to ask for a carafe you can use for hot water and then go to the coffee connection to get super hot water from the barista or from the self service machine. 4. They have distilled water for CPAP machines -- so ask housekeeping.
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Regent throttles the Starlink connect to max 4mps. When you buy the upgrade, it does not change the speed. It only unblocks the streaming content. Many cruise lines do same. Starlink still has poor coverage in many places in the world. Northern UK, Iceland, Greenland are particularly bad, as there are few satellites. Areas that are away from the coast, and/or do not have ground terminals require the use of laser link satellites (v1.5 and v2)-- which requires hopping from one satellite to another until it can reach one that can downlink to a ground station. These are increasing in number, but still not optimal. Starlink is still a work in progress - especially in Maritime. https://satellitemap.space/?norad=48572
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They closed the North part of the trade center terminal in 2023 -- the south side will be closed in late 2025. With fewer berths available some cruise lines in high season are being forced to use Tarrangona which is an hour plus away.
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Thanks good to know In our case since have some future bookings it was... My Account, Future Bookings then Past Cruises.
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I cannot be very specific. But some of the more popular internet cruise travel agents have the ability if you try to book a dummy reservation to see what cabins are available.
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You post reminded me to check on my cruise on the 14th of Jan on Explora II. Mine looks around 60% booked. I generally check OT3 and OT4 and the PP. Mine showed 50% OT3 booked less than 50% OT4's booked and about only 10% on the PP's sold cabins. Only a few OT1 and 2 were not booked - still a few available Your Explora I on the 28th was similar. Not to say when Black Friday arrives, Explora Journeys does not do another 30 to 50% off sale like they did in 2023.
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Our Regent letter clearly stated that it was good for life. "Proof of Yellow Fever Vaccination consists of an International Certificate Vaccination Card, approved by the World Health Organization. The card states the batch number of the Yellow Fever shot, the date of inoculation and the doctor’s stamp. As of July 2016, the World Health Organization officially stipulated that a completed Yellow Fever Vaccination is valid for the lifetime of the vaccine. Booster doses are no longer necessary after 10 years"
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There is nothing wrong with Regent or Seabourn. You can see our next cruise is in two weeks with Regent and then later on with Seabourn. We are itinerary driven as this point in our lives. Some Seabourn pluses/minuses are (from our perspective): Expedition cruises with Venture and Pursuit Included Caviar anytime Interesting small ship ports (example Greek Isles and Turkish Riviera, South Pacific -- small islands) Larger fleet than Crystal means more varied itineraries. No butlers on Seabourn Larger Veranda Cabins. The PH on Seabourn compares to a Crystal Sapphire Veranda. Some Regent Pluses Newer Ships and large fleet allowing more varied itineraries More varied specialty restaurants(French, Italian,Steak, Asian) than Seabourn Included excursions (though some may say this is a negative) Larger Veranda cabins. Explorer/Splendor/Grandeur PH compares to a Crystal Sapphire Veranda. PH on Voyager/Navigator/Mariner is one larger room and compare to the Aquamarine Veranda on Crystal. Needless to say all things being equal on the itineraries - we would chose Crystal.
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Unlike Regent or Silversea who offer free excursions that sell out quickly, I do not ever remember those at Crystal selling out since they are not "free". The Regent/SS extra cost ones do not seem to sellout either. Shore Excursions are added to your onboard account. You do not pay for them in advance. This makes use of on board credits easy and uncomplicated.
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Not really -- those born there cannot forgive. No different than someone from Baltimore rooting for Indianapolis. My DW refused to use Mayflower on our past moves for that very reason. Used to remember cutting class at College (in the Bronx) and head to 161st street to catch a game. GO YANKEES...
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I would also add -- pick a longer than 7 or 10 day itinerary. Our first was 7 days and we were not impressed, no different that our other favorite line. It was when we cruised on a 21 day Amazon cruise that we became Crystalized. After a time, when the crew knows you, the magic really happens. When the Barista knows what coffee you prefer, the butler leaves your favorite canopy in your cabin while you are away (and forgot to order), when the sommelier has a complementary wine ready that he knew you would like instead of the daily preferred offerings -- that is when you become Crystalized.
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Explora ll maiden transatlantic - any special ceremonies new ports?
PaulMCO replied to TrinaLC's topic in Explora Journeys
Then did it go towards me since I made the comment. And yes on our last Explora I cruise the ship was full of badly behaved, chair and bar hogging, loud phone talking doing booking business in Creama, loud video recording TA's and influencers -- all from Miami. This included special events that closed facilities. Ship was empty so might as well stock it with non paying guests. Yes every cruise line does it. But Explora overwhelms the ship. Did you experience any of the first Dec/Jan Miami sailings???? Yes I love my TA and he would not behave in such a manner. -
The hotels are listed in the find your cruise search under Special Offers and scroll down to the Land Programs and Hotels. For the 19 March cruises, as an example, it lists the Park Tower for both Pre and Post Cruise hotels. For the 3 night Vibrant Tokyo -- still states Hilton.
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Explora ll maiden transatlantic - any special ceremonies new ports?
PaulMCO replied to TrinaLC's topic in Explora Journeys
Anyone want to bet their will be one. Some here remember the New York maiden visit. What better way than to have a party and invite a 100+ travel agents to board and spoil the embarkation day of the next cruise guests (and those doing a B2B). Then again that first Miami embarkation cruise might have those 100 TA's and associated "digital creators" onboard making a nuisance of themselves for 8 days. -
I agree that trends are important, but for some of those big lines, management rotates so the results could be skewed by a bad General Manager (I know a few on Oceania). I was on Regatta that year for 60 days in early 2017 and the ship was in horrible shape and am surprised it did not also fail their safety inspection. Crystal on the other hand with two ships has a constant management. Despite the assurance of Management, someone did drop the ball. I have been on a number of TA's on Oceania and Regent and the crew knows that once they hit Miami, Coast Guard safety and Health inspections are going to happen. Check lists are out and crew is busy pulling equipment out and sanitizing behind, thorough cleanings, checking date codes, temperatures etc..
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@BWIVince yes but TWENTY ships scored 100 percent. It would have been nice to see Crystal do same. I do think familiarity of the process and rules are key to getting that 100 score. And Crystal has not spent any time in the US post bankruptcy. Twenty ships have scored a perfect 100 this year: ◾ Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Spirit in September. ◾ Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Ascent in January. ◾ Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Equinox in February. ◾ Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy in January ◾ Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam in August. ◾ MSC Cruises’ Explore I in January. ◾ MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia in July. ◾ MSC Cruises’ MSC Seashore in May. ◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Bliss in June. ◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway in February. ◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape in January. ◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Gem in January. ◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel in July. ◾ Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sky in May. ◾ Oceania Cruises' Regatta in July. ◾ Royal Caribbean International’s Brilliance of the Seas in May. ◾ Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance of the Seas in July. ◾ Seabourn Cruise Line’s Seabourn Odyssey in August. ◾ Viking Expeditions’ Viking Polaris in April. ◾ Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Orion in August.
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New to Seabourn and worried about recent bad food reviews
PaulMCO replied to anonymousegirl's topic in Seabourn Cruise Line
If your husband like Crystal and Oceania, I think you will not have any issues. IMHO, Seabourn falls in the middle, better than Oceania but not as good as Crystal. You will have less choices on specialties than Oceania. We actually prefer the Colonnade in the evening as they tend to have theme nights. Otherwise the Restaurant is good (much better than the Oceania GDR/MDR)