commodore2010

On 12/8/2019 at 8:06 AM, mrlevin said:

 

Jim, photograph (and announcement) of Godmother used to be in Atrium of ships; I believe FDR had them moved when Prestige took over (just like all the plaques that used to be near entrance of Observation Lounge on Voyager).

 

Marc

On the Explorer the pic of the princess is in the Atrium reception.  

8 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

I’d amend that to say they *may* make a cruise better.  We’ve had a few who were outstanding and a few who were borderline annoying.

Agree with this wholeheartedly. We have had a butler on almost all Regent Cruises. Butler service is very inconsistent almost 50/50.  We are low maintenance and do not ask for anything special.  No special in suite meals, preparing drinks, baths, etc.  Maybe a specialty dinner reservation is all we ever ask for.  Even then they are 50/50 on getting the basics right. 

Stay in Bergen.  Its a beautiful city and you can do it on your own. Take the funicular to the top of the mountain for incredible views.  Hardanger is not one of the best fjords in my opinion and really not worth 7.5 hrs on a bus.  You can figure out the bus route and google map it and then click on the street view and you will see the fjord views from the road. 

On 10/9/2019 at 3:32 PM, Hambagahle said:

Reading the above posts - I am more than ever eager to sail on the Splendor (hooray - got the spelling right twice!) and to then be able to compare Regent to Oceania in my posts.   The ONLY reason we have chosen this itinerary with Regent on the Splendor is for the itinerary...   So we will see what else it brings.  Frankly had Oceania had Riviera or Marina on the same itinerary - we would have gone with O.  But they didn't - it was Nautica or Sirena and we cannot imagine sailing on the "R" ships with their 1960's decor and lack of space.  So we will see...and report back.  I have a very open mind...

Have you looked at the R ships that have gone thru the recent refurbishment?  The ships look beautiful from the pictures I have seen. Far from old worn out decor that they had.   We are planning an Asia cruise on the Regatta for Nov 2020. Looking forward to trying one of the smaller ships for the first time. 

On 10/2/2019 at 10:38 PM, JMARINER said:

All spa services on all cruise line have a hard sell. Get a message, they try to sell you a lotion/potion. Get your hair done, "you need some magic conditioner/Shampoo." And whatever they are trying to push off is much higher priced than anything shore-side. Trying to up sell is where the Spas really makes their money. Beside the ups-sell they offer useless things like foot or posture clinics to sell othrhotics or body fat/composition analysis to sell junk vitamins and supplement. 

 

But  what do I know;  it must be a real money maker because almost all cruise lines have them, they all charge about the same and all push add on products.

 

J

Sometimes I just remember the name of the lotion/potion. Go on Amazon right after the treatment and buy it for 1/3 the price.

Over the years we have got on late and left early on a few cruises.  Got on late on one Oceania. Just get the "OK" and you are good to go. 

4 hours ago, taxare said:

These are good points. When Modi did the India rupee demonetization a couple of years back we had to scramble to get our rupees exchanged (I was traveling there frequently). We also have some old pound coins which we will give to some British friends in September. Once a year I do a quick look at the various currencies to see if anything is being replaced. 

I still have Marks, Lira, Drachma, franc, guilder and pesetas.  I am just going to keep them.

On 7/25/2019 at 9:02 PM, Travelcat2 said:

Paying in U.S. dollars for tips to tour guides and bus drivers is no big deal - anywhere (although when someone gave a someone a dollar in Africa, they they held it up to the light - turned it over and upside down trying to figure out what it was).  It can be an issue when you want to purchase something  (especially if they do not take credit cards).

 

I'm trying to find the word in my brain that means that we are pretty selfish to assume that other countries love to have USD.  There are a few that do but for the most part, they are a nuisance. How would any of you like to be paid in British Pounds, Danish krone, krona or even the Canadian dollar?). We live 20 miles from the Canadian border and our city does accept Canadian money but at a horrible exchange rate.  The "horrible" exchange rate is likely put in place because they do not want foreign currency.

 

 

Yes, USD for tour guides and drivers.  Its expected and they know where to exchange.

USD, being the reserve currency for the world,  makes the USD a little different than say the pound or canadian dollar.

In most underdeveloped countries or countries with struggling economies,  many would rather have USD than their own currency. 

I was in Argentina earlier this year and they LOVED the USD. You could spend it anywhere and get a better exchange than at the banks or by using ATM's. 

On 7/14/2019 at 11:55 PM, cruiseluv said:

 

Agree, I've only been once , but found Helsinki to be underwhelming. I wouldn't blame Regent for that!

On 7/14/2019 at 7:41 PM, GrJ Berkshire said:

We found Helsinki to be our least favourite Baltic port. The harbour area is pretty, there is the rock church, Sibelius monument, Olympic stadium, all ok ; but compared to Visby, Stockholm, Tallinn, ST PB, Copenhagen it lacks iconic sights is another country ticked off; but if we had missed this port not central to our cruise.

On 7/12/2019 at 7:29 PM, Travelcat2 said:

We had a ball walking around Helsinki - no need to take an excursion!

Being a capital city and a well known name Helsinki stays on most itineraries.  I think Riga and Gdansk are far superior places to see than Helsinki. You don't see these two ports often on the basic Baltic Itinerary

On a CPH/ARN cruise either port could fit in nicely. 

On 7/9/2019 at 9:06 AM, bebop bonnie said:

Just want to add a recent Silversea cruise (the Muse Hong Kong to Tokyo)  included economy air, upgradable to business and hotels and transfers. For a minor upcharge, we were able to stay at the Tokyo Peninsula.  On our upcoming cruise ending in Rome, we were given only one (not very satisfactory) hotel choice. So.....as you all suggested, we'll book our own hotel.

Not making excuses for Regent, but city center CPH does not have very many upscale hotels with lots of rooms to accommodate a big group.  Most Regent hotels are the same or similar to what you had in Tokyo.  

Most of the Nordic cities do not have the upscale brand hotels like Ritz Carlton, Conrad, Four Seasons, etc.  Really not sure why. 

I am on the Explorer in 3 weeks leaving from CPH. We chose to stay in a small boutique hotel on Nyhavn. 

9am has been the standard. 

On the Azamara Cruise,  Did you help unpack the next guests luggage when they got to their cabin at 2pm. LOL 

On 7/8/2019 at 1:17 PM, cAPS lOCK oN said:

 

So Regent is 0 for 2 on Choice tours in Helsinki. That is useful information for future Baltic cruisers.

To be honest, There really isn't much to see/do in Helsinki. 

+1 for the Hilton, but agree with using a scooter on the vaporetto will be a little challenging. 

21 hours ago, lesliebe said:

thanks for posting.  This is our first Regent cruise......  So you can order what you want, if it is not 'the wine of the day'?  Also in cabins.......  geez, as someone said on a different board "this is not a 1st world issue'!  but impt to my wine snob husband

Be aware that the avail list changes somewhat as the ship is restocked in different parts of the world. 

You can usually find a couple that are to your taste.

If it would improve connectivity, they should just limit it to two devices per cabin until they can upgrade to handle more. 

I would rather have two devices work than none. 

I was in 8003. Great suite. It really all depends on the weather.  Ours was mixed, so we did not get as much use of the veranda we had hoped. 

40 minutes ago, drib said:

FYI, Regent went all James Holzhauer on Cuba with 17 trips, not counting back-to-backs, within a 17 months span.

https://dc.bigdogfoto.com/rollcall/rollcall.php?ports=cuba&line=regent

Oceania, also all-in, has 24 trips with scheduled ports in Cuba. Two of those are on O ships, which I still follow, and 22 on R ships, which I stopped following.

The other line that I follow, Crystal, has no scheduled trips to Cuba.

That may be why its taking a little longer to hear from them. If they had more Cuba than other cruise lines, its going to take a little longer to figure out what to replace with and get that ports ok. 

12 hours ago, mrlevin said:

I found notice on Norwegian Cruise Lines (not corporate) site that all stops in Cuba have been eliminated; however, I cannot find anything on Regent website.  Can someone post the link with the info from Regent?

 

thanks,

 

Marc

It appears you really want to go, but its time to accept the inevitable.  If NCL eliminates Cuba, so will Regent and Oceania.  It may be today or in the next few days but Cuba is a no go. 

Not to mention that Carnival Corp and Royal Caribbean have already announced. 

Works fine.

On 4/17/2019 at 8:52 AM, shuguley said:

If you think that Regent might be, "simply a step too far",  then it probably is.  Take a cruise that offers a more comfortable financial commitment and enjoy yourself.

The first response in this thread is perfect.    Simple and true. 

If you stretch yourself financially you probably won't enjoy the cruise because you are thinking "I spent $$$$$ for this cruise when I could have done ?????" 

You may want to think hotels.

Do you mind spending the extra money for the Four Seasons, Mandarin, Ritz Carlton or is the Marriott, Weston, Hampton Inn just fine?     

20 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Speaking with an attorney isn't likely to be helpful for passengers who are concerned about this, at least in the USA. 

 

I seriously doubt that we would 'have standing", as the contract concerning commissions is between travel agents/agencies and cruise lines (in this case).

Spending money to get a serious legal opinion wouldn't make sense for someone who couldn't follow through if desired.  And it would only be that, an opinion from one attorney, anyway, at this point.

 

I have no idea how any of this would work in other countries.

 

GC

There is a real need for a sarcasm emoji.  Many times sarcasm just doesn't come across in text. Its more of a tonal thing. My prior post was supposed to be sarcastic, sorry. 

Great info on getting caught. Thanks

1 hour ago, RJB said:

Not always.  Sometimes the courts will have the final say in what is legal and what is not.  Would like to see it tested there especially with reguard to a ship re selling a cabin that has already been  paid for and keeping all the money.  Time for the T/A 's to stand up and fight for themselves.  If they stop selling the cruise lines that are not being fair to them it could be a problem.  From what I hear most cruises are sold by agency's and if the went on strike it would impact the lines greatly.  Walk softly but carry a big stick.  

If you feel so strongly, go seek an opinion from an attorney.  Or better yet, go talk to an Agency owner.   

1 minute ago, pinotlover said:

I can see where all this can swiftly go. 

 

If I cancel during the 100% cancellation period, does my TA get paid, therefore should I get my rebate check from my TA

 

If one’s rebate check is greater than their travel insurance it can become a money making deal!

 

I’ll leave these policies and discussions alone!

Excellent Point. 

Its a contractual agreement between the Agency and the Cruise line.   The passenger has no standing.  If your agent has a problem, tell them to take it up with the agency owner. 

I would imagine that its treated as cancellation penalty, not sailed revenue , so no commission.  Lots of things are non-commissionable on a cruise. (ie excursions, drink packages)  Even thought the agent may have persuaded you to purchase.