PaulMCO

Team used with APP. Just remember that Marina and Riviera are bigger ships with 1200 capacity. Splendor is only 700.

Audio will work -- did a Teams call on Regent yesterday. Video did not. Oceania/Regent use the same contractor with same system and same limited internet. Riviera is in the drydock in Marseilles along with NCL Gem (we passed her on our excursion)

Splendor Cabin 924 Great cabin -- quiet, separate tub and shower, veranda facing bed that makes the room feel larger. SS Splendor 924.xls

IMO the Sashimi was a very poor quality. It was obviously frozen and had a mealy texture. The fish was nothing special (just look at the color of the Tuna) The menu says Sushi. But what was served were all rolls. Fairly tasteless or overwhelmed by the sauce and ingredients on top -- just plain YUCK. Maybe I am a purest. Did enjoy the Pad Thai, as I asked for its special with chicken and Thai hot.

Just get to the facts and no speculation. The internet has not been upgraded in last two years. In fact the upgrade did not add satellite bandwidth but added additional capacity when a ship was located at a certain port via terrestrial links. The NCL family still uses the archaic systems from EMC (formerly MTN) located in Florida. System uses high orbit satellites similar to those being used home internet companies like Hughes Net or Viasat. NCL is not alone -- but others have EMC contracts with higher bandwidths. Yes Starlink is a great idea and RCL is doing trials. Starlink has other issues including bandwidth limits and needs more upgrade satellites to allow it to service ships that are not with line of site of land based terminals. That will happen soon. Carnival uses another system that uses low earth orbit satellites that provides better service with better latency.

We did this cruise from BA to Santiago on Insignia. We missed Falkland because the ship lost its anchor during its positioning. Weather was great. Captain blamed it on the weather, not the crews competance. Drive by was literally a drive by -- some large ice flows. Some smells from penguins on Deception Island. But it did wet our appetite for an expedition cruise, which we did on Silversea Explorer that was exceptional. The Chilean fjords and coast was the better part of the cruise. Opinion - expedition better, but certainly no complaints about a drive by. Falkland is worth it if you can land (many do not for various reasons 🙂 )

I do know where this Regent does bus tours comes from because it does not. Our upcoming Rome to Miami has many 8 hour tours and most include a full lunch. The food is of a higher quality but not markedly so. The included wine is better than O's drink packages which add $$$. The thing we like are the "large" ships like Explorer and Splendor have a lot fewer passengers than O's Marina class, yet have all of the specialties (steak, Italian, French and Asian fusion). But since we are itinerary driven we focus on the place and then the cruise line and pricing.

I do not think names can ever be change on the Regent site. It has to be done by your TA, as it is part of the booking. As far as middle initials, airlines do not care. I am going to task my TA about this...

It depends on your vaccination status and the country requirements -- which constantly change. Regent emailed a voyage specific requirements one month prior. Each voyage may be different. For the Splendor Nov 9th voyage this is the link. No covid test for vaccinated travelers. https://www.rssc.com/voyage-health/SPL221109

If you are doing a deviation, I would specify my specific flights. (there is no difference in specifying generic or specific -- you could ask for a specific and alternatives, as Regent does not control whether a flight is cancelled or schedule changes) Since you are doing a Transatlantic, I would hesitate on an evening flight from DCA the day before. You could have weather that could cancel the flight and the next available flight could be the following evening. Yes Regent could help in an air issue but it is up to the airline to sort these issues out.

Name correction. The point is that prior to this they would book flights on a deviation with incorrect names in the booking (not per your passport). That is why they are insisting that you enter the guest information completely with passport data prior to RSSC finalizing any air bookings. Anyone that has had to correct a name on an air booking knows that it is a pain.

The next day we had a short discussion with the Hotel Director and our Barista in the morning.. The next evening (non formal night) we both came to Seabourn Square in our formal bathrobes. The Hotel Director was there as was our favorite Barista and we all had a good laugh...

Oceania not alone... We were on Seabourn in July -- formal night. We are having an evening coffee at Seabourn Square. Wearing a jacket (no tie) -- and someone sits at the adjacent table, wearing their "formal" bathrobe and slippers. 🙂

Would have hoped he left to supervise the finalization of Vista. He was their best GM, very customer centric.

Remove the EU to get the NA edition https://www.oceaniacruises.com/emags/tropics_and_exotics_2024_2025/

Expensive tastes -- over 1K Euro these days. But it is nice as is the 4 Seasons on the Bosporus The JW is nice but avoid the inside looking rooms. To me very claustrophobic. The Novotel next door is also OK.

Received this today... So if boarding in Athens -- must be Vaxed and likely boosted and tested. MARINA, ATHENS TO ROME, NOVEMBER 1, 2022 Embarking From Greece: · All travelers must be Fully Vaccinated. · The definition of Fully Vaccinated for voyages embarking in Greece is as follows: All travelers over the age of 18, whose primary COVID-19 vaccination will be beyond 270 days at the time of disembarkation from their voyage, must have a COVID-19 booster prior to embarkation. In lieu of a booster 270 days after the primary series, travelers may present a government recognized or official medical Certificate of Recovery. · All travelers must present a negative, medically administered covid-19 test. PCR and Antigen test results may not be older than 48 hours at the time of boarding. · Booster mandates are in effect and strictly enforced – see above.

Just did the process today for Splendor. I found it easiest to do using a cell phone or ipad with a camera. Saves the issue of uploading. 1) Log on to your account and select the cruise from the managed booking list 2) Click to on line check in the last item of the list of action items 3) Select first person on the cruise 4) Take photo -- a head shot with your face and shoulders worked best. Use plain background -- glasses are OK except no sunglasses. Preview the photo, if you not like it, clear it and do it again, like it hit SAVE and it will go to the next prompt. In case you want to use a photo you already have -- use the upload button instead and then SAVE, 5) Watch safety video, then click the acknowledgement -- then SAVE 6) Credit card data -- enter this. SAVE 7) Email for the board pass -- SAVE/SEND Repeat for second person -- but you will only need to do the photo and email. Boarding pass will take all of 5 minutes to arrive (web site says within 24 hours).

You could stay at one the hotels Karakoy. JW Marriot is a good example. Most hotels in Istanbul can arrange a pickup. Some of the luxury ones like the Shangri-la nearby have a golf cart pickup/drop off service. The Peninsula hotel right at the port has yet to open. Depending on your cruise date it could be an option.

Why is anyone surprised at this. Cruising has returned to normal with ships nearly full. Holiday (Nov/Dec) cruise are always full. Oceania has always done this at last minute and always after final payment. They will make an offer, and if no takers will make another with more incentives. Have had this happen two weeks before sailing.

It is luck of the draw to see the Northern lights. Besides the natural weather, you also need the cooperation of Space weather. By space weather, you need a Geomagnetic storm cause by the sun. At this time in the solar cycle, they MAY occur once per month and only last a few days.

I have stayed there on business -- the Chophouse in the IHG is OK I prefer Il Gabiano (Italian) nearby within walking distance. Food is good..

Maybe I should wear my Crystal or Silversea Explorer shirts, bring my Seabourn Windbreaker. DW should wear her Viking Princess headwear, that will bring back memories. Post the review or running commentary on Crystal. We should have enough regulars onboard.

The included air is from the select gateways like Phoenix or Denver. If you wish to leave from your local airport you would pay the deviation fee plus possibly an additional fee depending on the choices of flights available. The only way to find out the exact amount is to request the deviation to see what is available. The soonest you can do this is 270 days from your cruise date. You probably would be better off to take the air credit and book your own flights. By booking your own it will give you a better choice of flights and you can arrive a day or two earlier -- making certain that arrive and your luggage does too. Having just experienced the horror of flying to the EU returning home two week ago, I would never plan on arriving on the same day. Misconnects, extra nights at an airport hotels, involuntary reroutes, 2 hour waits in EU passport control... joys of flying post-Covid.

You should have no issues with those on the list. Have been traveling for 50 years and medicines are generally not really issues unless they are narcotics. What is an issue are the little old Polish ladies bringing Kielbasa back from their trip. Or someone with an Orange or apple from their flight. No fruits, vegetables, meats, plants seeds. And of course never mention you live or work on a farm.