GOARMY

Bruce61: Yes. Formal Optional Nights are delineated on, initially, your "Preliminary Vacation Summary" received directly from Regent and/or via your Travel Advisor. There will be a "F" mark on the far right of "Cruise Itinerary" portion for those Formal Optional Nights. The standard over the past several years has been: cruise segments of 16 or more "at sea" days will have two such "F" designations, irrespective of itinerary. Hot or cold; Atlantic, Pacific, 'Carib, or 'Med. Usually--usually: such are second day at sea on night of Captain's Reception; and on penultimate night, again, usually associated w/"Krew Kapers" and Captain's Farewell Reception. And, there will be reminders posted, appropriately, in "Passages" as there are for each night for appropriate 1800H + attire in public venues and restaurants. ----- the_dylaness: OUTSTANDING!, as we used to say in the Military. We dress to acknowledge respect for Regent's level of service (over these past 20+ years). Good Army wife and self will be so-clothed on the two "F" nights on our upcoming January-February Mariner segment--San Francisco via Hawaii to Polynesia. Have checked my tux; still fits, more or less. Best to all; and safe travels. GOARMY!

Reiterate comments made in Post #11. My wife is a gourmet cook. Have most of the Julia Child cookbooks; she has replicated many favorites over the many years. Have utilized OBCs for cooking classes during several Explorer segments, including the one referenced in Post 11. She comes away with learning a thing or two as to preparation. Her Conclusion: time (and OBCs) well utilized. My conclusion as a consumer--Likewise. But, as always, YMMV. GOARMY!

Constantly monitoring this Site. Extra attention because luggage tags arrived today for next month's Mariner cruise. Have begun noting current, and recent-past cruisers' location on Mariner, as to Suite site(s) experiencing a flushing problem. This brought to mind when last on Mariner. October-November '22. As noted above: on one or two occasions, first attempt hitting the flush button did not work. Second attempt did not work. So--shut door; repaired to Suite contemplating a call to Reception. Magically, maybe ten or so minutes later, heard that delightful flushing sound. Magical. Another form of relief. This scenario was replicated two or three more times over the next two weeks. No rhyme or reason for timing. Never needed to call for assistance, as the situation "cleared up" on its own. Still---- GOARMY!

TS: "Awful reviews . . . poorly managed ship. .." and so-on. We were most-recently on Explorer this last September-October, Vancouver to Tokyo segment. You will be going the other way. Firstly: every cruise segment on every Regent ship--and we have been on all of them except Splendor and Grandeur (Grandeur will be visited in the near-future)--has had a hiccup or two, OR NONE. And, that is the point. We have had our reasonable expectations met on cruises going back to the Radisson days when aboard Mariner. That is over the past 20+ years. Looking forward to boarding Mariner, yet-again, in January. Yes, Regent is well-aware of passenger feedback, to include reviewing mid-cruise "Comments" Management listens. Staff has listed to me on those very-few occasions when we (spouse included) felt the need to provide on-board feedback when something was amiss. Followed up by contacting us for an onboard in-person meeting. Professional. Heard us, and responded--appropriately. Nothing earth shattering. But, important enough for us to comment; and Regent to make the effort to seek us out, and follow up. We don't sweat the small stuff. Just be wary of both the "Home Team" rooters; or-or the "Debby Downer" naysayers who look for every variance from what may not have been experienced on a previous segment. It is interesting to read Post-cruise segment reviews from folks ON THE SAME Cruise who come away with differing opinions. And, I do not mean just what salad dressing was, or was not, available; and, heaven forbid--and overcooked (or undercooked) lobster in Prime 7. We have also sailed on the other 5+star "small ship/all-inclusive" Lines. To include, as have you, several aboard Crystal. (Will give Crystal another try once our trusted Travel Agent advises being comfortable in booking clients aboard another segment.) So---FWIIW; and another bromide: Your mileage may vary. Enjoy your cruise. We plan to enjoy the next three already booked w/Regent. GOARMY!

Several times at Vancouver, BC waiting to board various Regent ships. Most-recent was September 19th waiting to board Explorer the next-day for the segment to Tokyo. Stay was at Hyatt Regency Vancouver, 655 Burrard Street. About a seven block walk to the Pier. Pleasant walk. Regent used two hotels; can't recall the name of the other one. Very-nice. GOARMY!

labonnevie: Not to twist the knife on this, but, "Net, net" as to Regent management attitude could also be considered in the Russian equivalent-- NYET!, Nyet! GOARMY! .

cruisevirgin24: Yes. Your bags (left outside your Suite door the night before) will have already been picked up. Just take yourself and any carryons to La Veranda or Compass Rose. GOARMY!

Georgia: Enjoying your "blow-by-blow" account. Have never been on Oceana. Probably never will, given management's philosophy which is: My (our) way or the highway. Believe we were with you aboard Explorer a bit ago on the Vancouver-Tokyo segment. GOARMY!

The F&B Manager is definitely on top of List for a dinner "partner". Recently (May-June on a Navigator B2B) with F&B Manager Brandon Haylock. Accepted a dinner invitation first-extended by the Head Sommelier during our initial "Welcome Aboard" La Veranda lunch. We have become wary of accepting invitations which, in the pre-COVID days, usually resulted in meeting at a table for six--or even eight. My wife has hearing difficulties which make it challenging to participate in large table conversations. The Sommelier assured us it would just be the three of us. Given that my wife is a gourmet cook who takes almost-every Cooking Class when aboard Explorer--this was a no-brainer. The first dinner at Compass Rose was delightful. I stayed out of the conversation, as Brandon and my wife explored details of certain sauce presentations going best with certain entrees. Way-beyond me. And yes, the Wait Staff was very-attentive, particularly when Brandon sent back a special bottle of red wine which was initially met to go with our entrees. Not-up to his tasting standards. The replacement was delicious. This led to a second invitation during the second cruise phase. Brandon, from South Africa, asked us to join him at a special dinner featuring only South African cuisine paired with South African wines. Yes. Another positive experience. None of those dishes was on the regular Compass Rose menu. Unique courses prepared under his supervision. Now--that is attention to detail. Have had positive experiences on other Regent cruises when dining with a F&B Manager--but none with so much individual attention as that experienced on our most-recent one on Navigator. So--if one has the opportunity, go for it. GOARMY!

Here are examples of shore stops offering excursion possibilities. This is a compilation from several of our cruises. Cadiz, Spain Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain San Juan, Puerto Rico Royal Naval Dock Yard, Bermuda Funchal - Madeira Island, Portugal Gibraltar, United Kingdom Other CCers will probably be able to offer additions. GOARMY!

Stand-by. It would be helpful if you supply name of ship; and departure date from Barcelona. Based on three experiences--one pre and the others post-COVID--either on a TA from Barcelona to Miami or NYC; or on one occasion, from Miami to Barcelona: Yes. Stops at Cadiz, Spain; and Azores, for quick examples. There were more, but I would have to dig through previous cruise files to provide additional specifics. Which I will do, shortly. More to follow. GOARMY!

January, 2025. LA-Canal-Miami. GOARMY!

Very current comment. Spouse participated in two of these Classes during Explorer's just-completed September-October Vancouver-Tokyo segment. She retained the detailed printed materials; and advised Instructor, with Seattle roots, was the best in guiding guests throughout the approximately two hour sessions. One ran a little over; the other was right-on the two hour timeline. My wife, a gourmet cook to which I can attest for the past 54+ years, always looks for opportunities to increase culinary skills. This evening, she replicated preparing salmon similar to that demonstrated--and consumed--during one of those onboard classes. Delicious. Plan to sign-up for similar venue(s) on future Explorer and Grandeur cruises. GOARMY!

flossie: Please pass on our BIG "How do you doooooooo" to dear Ray. Our favorite Regent Cruise Director. We just-missed him when boarding Navigator at NYC in late May. He got off; we got on. Darn it. Jim and Sue Redmond, WA (GOARMY!)

RELS: Quick add-on to Pcardad's cogent comment. Of course, you can, and should, call Regent for clarification and peace of mind. If, for no other reason, to alert of wasted resources. Would be interesting if this was a One-Off. We have never experienced similar during an almost 20-years association with Radisson/Regent, whether with a past, or our current TA. Another thought. Was there no one else at TA's office available to answer, and then respond, to this query? I would be concerned as to a TA association/operation that does not provide a back-up. We always receive an email alert from our TA as to his/her absence(s) from the office either for personal, or cruise reasons. Name and phone number for that office Associate provided. And, we have had the need to utilize that information on more than one occasion. Thus, seamless service. Something to consider. GOARMY!

Edit: Excuse my spelling gaff. That's British Isles. GOARMY

pappy1022: That was unfortunate. We had a wonderful experience (PreCOVID) when on Explorer's 2019 Around the British Aisles segment. "The Boys from Liverpool". A Tribute Band from Liverpool brought onboard for a 5:45pm show. These guys put on a great performance. Recall literally running across the Pier from our excursion bus following an afternoon tour back to ship. Got great side Balcony seats close to Stage. The place quickly filled-up. Packed by 5:30pm. Such venue was advertised in "Passages" beginning about three days' prior to arriving at Liverpool. Trust Regent rebooks this Act in the near-future. GOARMY!

TS: Techno123 described the "Connoisseur Wine Lunch" opportunity. This is VERY popular, as fine wines are pared with a special menu. Cost (hopefully taken care-of with OBCs) is around $170.00 pp. We felt this was reasonable, considering food, ambience, and those "Revenue" wines made for a special experience. Definitely "sign-up" with Sommelier while at that initial La Veranda or Pool Grill lunch. Two such lunches were offered while we were on our recent Explorer Vancouver-Tokyo segment. Again--consult "Passages" and/or a Sommelier. In addition--Regent has instituted a "Connoisseur Wine Dining Experience" on several ships. We attended one of the first of these dinners in June when aboard Navigator; then again this month when on Explorer. A bit-more pricy--$298.00pp. GOARMY!

Just returned from our Explorer cruise to Tokyo, and add-on stay. Regent will do whatever it needs to do if placed in the uncomfortable situation of "overbooking" a cruise. 2014. Voyager Sydney to Beijing segment. We booked the previous year--together with my brother and his wife; and mutual friends. So, six of us. Two weeks before our flight to San Francisco--to catch the flight to Sydney: Offers began. Initially, full cash credit for a future cruise and some FCCs (can't recall specifics). No. Every other day came an incentive to cancel and reschedule. Full future credit plus $5,000 cash; then, upped to $10,000. Stayed in touch with our TA, who advised the pot would be sweetened. It was. Full cash refund plus $15,000. The final offer received two days before our fly-away from Seattle was cash refund for current cruise PLUS $24,000 cash. Of course, we were tempted. But--considering the long planning, and that we would be with family and friends--did not "bite". And, as determined early on that cruise, Voyager sailed out of Sydney Harbor with the six of us contributing to ship's full capacity. Assume Regent got others to take the bait; and/or had to deal with unhappy folks who did not clear Waitlist. In the interim, have received one or two other offers to reschedule similar to those described above. This is in-line with current (Post COVID) cruise realities and corporate financial considerations. We have not accepted any. Happy travels. See some of you in a few months when aboard Mariner. Unless we get an offer we "can't refuse". (Apologies to Godfather I.) GOARMY!

In our experience, guests do no sign up for a general wine tasting event. No need. This is an "open to all" venue. You show up--usually on the mid-morning of the second cruise day; usually in the Atrium outside Compass Rose. A plethora of wines will be displayed for your tasting pleasure. Specifics will be shown on "Passages"--the daily Notice left on your bed each evening. When in doubt, double-check with the Service Staff at lunch or dinner on your first night aboard.. You will have the opportunity to taste a variety of "Included Wines" to be served at lunch and dinner during your cruise. Take Notes. This will facilitate preferences at dining venues. This "event" is well-attended. GOARMY!.

mnocket: Appreciated the update as to changes in River conditions due to drought. What a change! Everything is magnified in the Amazon Basin, whether size of insects, or heat. We were advised while on our Navigator cruise The River was at its third highest historical water level. Thus, literally washing-out two stops; and requiring the Captain to significantly alter course while navigating "up River" to Manaus. The comments in my Thread were, obviously, time sensitive; and for the benefit of folks planning their upcoming Mariner cruise. From my safe, current vantage point, can only opine this drought will only exacerbate the heat and humidity index. GOARMY!

All: As usual, cwn provides timely, cogent, and useful inputs based on previous experience(s). In this instance: recommending review Roll Call postings for your specific, future cruise. In addition, there is a plethora of Postings (Roll Call and others) concerning guest experiences on their previous Amazon River adventures. mnocket and others planning their first such adventure: When you have the time (and interest), you might want to visit a Mariner Roll Call on which I made a few contributions. While what I describe is based on a pre-COVID Miami-Amazon River-Miami segment, pretty sure time, tide, River (always capitalize a reference to Amazon because it is THE GREATEST RIVER IN THE WORLD) conditions, and weather have not changed to any degree. Oh, degree. Like 100% heat and humidity! Like, being only one or two degrees off the Equator. Specifics. Mariner Roll Call. Page 7. Title: November 17, 2017 "Radiant Amazon". My pertinent Postings began at # 61; with continued pepperings until Post #99. Again, these were based on our (spouse and self) cruise when aboard Navigator. Happy reading(s). GOARMY!

tubeamps: Just-completed our Explorer Vancouver-Tokyo cruise. Three-day Post Cruise stay was at Hilton Shinjuku. Still recovering from jet lag. Anyway--- Excellent hotel experience in all respects. Attentive Staff; great room (large, and non-smoking). Many on-site restaurant options. Breakfasts were included. Full, actually, over-full buffet options. Regent folks were seated in a separate room immediately adjacent to the main buffet dining area. Quiet. Used the "Vibrant Tokyo" option. Tours, once at the the hotel, were well-organized. Guides spoke excellent English. Busses were not crowded. Guides kept to the schedule. Interesting itineraries. Never felt rushed to "get back on the bus". But, we were sure not to be the last ones boarding. So--highly recommend. ------ Have cruised off and on with Radisson/Regent for 20+ years. Fortunately, have had a uniformly positive stay whether for a single pre-cruise night; or during pre-cruise and post-cruise extended days. As memory serves (and it tends to fade), these were at Sydney, Auckland, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Los Angeles, Miami, NYC, London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome, Stockholm, and Helsinki. Have now added Tokyo to the List. GOARMY!

czardas: We did not utilize a Regent car; we asked the Concierge to arrange for a taxi. That is what he did. Very reasonable cost. ------- Customs clearance is(was) face-to-face. First passengers called were those with scheduled same-morning tours. Then--Deck by Deck, starting with Deck 6 and moving upwards. Last Deck(s) called got that call around 1100H, as I recall. Orderly procedure. You will have already been provided with a Japanese Customs Card to complete prior to meeting with Local Officials. Then, with Passport and Customs Clearance Form in hand--line up to complete the process in the Theater. Clearance includes being fingerprinted. No ink; don't worry. Everything automated. Facial photo recognition taken. Regent will then put a small stamp on your Passport to confirm clearing the process. Time from lineup to process completion for us was about 35 minutes. GOARMY!

czardas: Following is based on just-returning to our Redmond, WA home yesterday (October 12) following a three-day post cruise add-on at Regent's assigned downtown Tokyo Hilton Shinzuko (sp.) hotel. Ours was an Explorer cruise which began on September 20th at Vancouver, B.C; and ended at the Yokohama Port. So--your upcoming situation is not exactly contiguous to our most-recent experience. BUT--you are arriving a day before departure. Therefore, Customs clearance procedure should not be an issue. Important: We did our own air which was from Haneda Airport back to USA; however, due to the post-cruise add-on, Regent retained responsibility for bus transport from hotel to Haneda to board a mid-afternoon United flight. A couple of points: we noted plenty of taxis at Yokohama--for use by other fellow guests who were doing their own thing following debarkation. Haneda Airport has recently completed a number of improvements. First-class. Also, there are two (at-least from what we were able to observe from our bus) new hotels located adjacent to the Airport. If you elect a pre-night hotel stay, am relatively certain that hotel will arrange a shuttle for you and bags "across the street" to the Terminal. As to recent experience: Regent coordinated with Hotel staff to accommodate passengers with early AM departures. A schedule was posted. Guests could depart as early as 0530H. At that time of day--about 25 minute bus ride from Hilton to Haneda. Would estimate (as noted by others above) about the same time from Yokohama Port to Haneda. That said: Based on two past experiences (Rio and Barcelona pre-COVID) as to early departure from ship to airport--even if you are doing your own air-- Regent (Concierge) arranged for taxi service to meet us at that Port for a direct transfer to the airport. We gave the heads-up for this several days in advance, obviously. Staff assisted in carrying our luggage (which we had retained in the Suite) off the ship to the taxi. A Staff Officer confirmed with the driver where we were going; and the cost. These were late night departures. So--a win-win. Out of Suite early; Attendants could get early access for refurbishing for the next guests. --------- We had a great cruise (never mind two rather rough sea days--and nights--while transiting from Dutch Harbor, AK across the Bearing Sea to Japan). Enjoy your cruise. GOARMY!