flossie009

.............. but only two grade H suites now available for booking on Mariner, unless things change in the future

It is obviously important for Regent to ensure that the issue with Mariner (reportedly a recently damaged prop) is resolved as soon as practical. The two 7-day cruises affected are not unique and were not fully booked. It therefore makes sense to carry out the repairs as soon as nearby dry-dock facilities could be arranged; encouraging those affected to move their cruise to one of the later available opportunities. Extremely disappointing & frustrating for those whose cruise has been cancelled, but the compensation offered by Regent appears to be generous. I hope all those affected manage to find something suitable to replace their cancelled cruise and do not suffer any adverse financial or personal consequences. I doubt that there will be ongoing consequences after the dry-dock. Presumably Regent are confident that the necessary work will be completed within the two-week time period allocated. The ship will then revert to its published schedule.

Regent might work for you both. Dress code is not onerous.

I may be wrong but I think it depends where you had your vaccinations and the form of certificate that you can produce. For those of us from the UK, I understand that our NHS certification is accepted as the equivalent of the EU Health Pass so no further documentation or declaration required.

I agree with wish’s assessment. As you say, you have a suite in a good location with previously positive reviews, so it would have to be a very attractive offer to make it worth a change at this late stage. Has your TA told you the location of the available concierge suite? Is the upgrade price just the normal differential or is there a discounted deal on offer? Now if there was a Penthouse or Horizon going at a knock-down price then that would certainly be worth considering on Mariner. Hope you have a fabulous cruise, whatever you decide.

I note that you did not answer my question, but I will gladly answer yours. Our next cruise is not until October, and we will follow any rules pertaining at that time; whether that be on-board, flying to/from the cruise or on excursions ……………. as we did during our previous cruises last December/January. If no rules are in place we will make our own risk assessment, as we do now in England where all covid regulations have been removed.

......... but no mention of vibration

It is good to hear live balanced reviews from first time Regent customers such as you and @DISNEY GIRL I hope your experiences improve over the coming days

You certainly could not have done, and you obviously chose the position of your suite carefully to avoid the reported stern vibration. If the vibration is throughout then it has certainly got considerably worse since we were last on board Navigator, one of our favourite ships. In our experience Mariner has no vibration issues. There have been recent reports of vibration on Splendor, but we were not impacted by anything when we cruised on her last December.

It appears that Israel intends to relax its onerous requirements from May 21st, which is good news for the forthcoming Explorer cruises: https://corona.health.gov.il/en/abroad/cruise/

IMO the cruise lines are all trying to supply the best and most accurate information that they can obtain. As @Gilly says they will always err on the side of caution otherwise they will be flamed by cruisers who have not got the right documentation, and also risk the ship being denied entry to some ports. It must be remembered that advice has to be given based on officially published information, which sometimes differs from what is being enforced in practice, and can change without prior notice. In Europe the situation is further confused by EU "guidance" which sometimes differs from what individual EU Member States require - sometimes more onerous; sometimes less onerous. Also the "rules" and paperwork requirements can differ depending on whether you are entering a country by land, sea or air; the U.S.A. being a prime example. It is always the individual traveller's responsibility to double-check what documentation is required by the airline, cruise line and country to be visited.

Yes, it would be nice touch if Regent arranged for the Jubilee dessert to be available on cruises visiting U.K. ports this year. The ingredients are readily available and it is not difficult to prepare.

Returning to the OP’s original question, I don’t think that “small group” tours are offered for Petra or Wadi Rum in Jordan. If the OP is concerned about using the Regent excursions then the alternative is to arrange a private driver & guide; either through Regent or independently.

Most desserts on Regent are memorable 😋 I wonder if the Regent chefs will manage to recreate the new UK dessert, Lemon & Amaretti Trifle, in time for our Jubilee celebrations in early June? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61428970

The requirement for a home test to be witnessed is on the CDC website: We used BreatheAssured for on-line supervised tests prior to a trip to the USA. Very friendly & efficient.

Understood. You will receive a credit for the flights, and if there is an included post cruise land tour advertised on the Regent website ask for a credit on that as well. As well as the flights you will also have to arrange your own airport transfers, but that won't be a problem.

This should not be a problem. A couple of questions, though: 1. Are you using Regent flights, or arranging your own flights & transfers? If the former they may charge a small fee for the change. 2. Does the cruise not have a post cruise land tour included in the pricing? You certainly would not want to miss out on the interesting areas in & around Cape Town before returning home.

For both Petra and Wadi Rum the "bus" part of the excursion is simply to convey you to the sites of interest. The buses used are modern & comfortable: Petra is explored on foot at your own pace (a long walk but worth it). For one of the Wadi Rum excursions you transfer to 4x4 off road vehicles (old Toyota pick-ups) for an exhilarating ride across the desert to a Bedouin camp Above photos taken during a Regent cruise in 2019

In our experience (pre-covid) both the Petra and Wadi Rum excursions are excellent as is the combined Petra & Wadi Rum trip.

Drying laundry is so much easier on WindStar cruises 🤣

They could lay them out on the unreserved sun loungers 😉 🤣

No limitations for laundering and/or pressing All guests, in whatever suite grade, are entitled to the included valet laundering & pressing service

When cruising stopped earlier this year, does anyone know what arrangements were made for the gentleman who chose the popular & profitable Regent Seven Seas Navigator as his retirement home. We hope he is safe & well during these difficult times.