skybluewaters

shark b8:  I really appreciate your commentary and am glad to see you possess such positivity in light of the issues you've faced.  You are making lemonade, as they say, and will have a great time no matter what! 

The best days I've ever had in Rome have been walking days. 

Get up early and start walking.  🚶‍♂️

You can see Vatican City, Castel Sant'Angelo, Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps in one day if you are in decent walking shape and aren't in need of partaking of the associated indoor museums or tours.  This would include time to rest over a nice lunch and dinner.  If you feel the need, you can always take a taxi back to your hotel at the end of the day.  But walking the city is immeasurably more satisfying than a bus tour, and going with your partner/family/self is much better than with a group.

2 hours ago, elisebev said:

which cruise are you On. We are doing the 14 day Alaska cruise on odyssey departing on 1st july

Odyssey 14-day cruise in September.  Similar itinerary to yours.

Maybe you could do a report from your cruise and let me know what you think.  Maybe even post some food pics!

If you provide evidence of a negative test within the 72 hour time frame, does that mean you don't need to do a test at the pier upon embarkation?

4 hours ago, jsiegel said:

Thanks.  I don't see Today's menu yet.  Guess I have to wait until it's closer to the cruise date.  I'm not going until the fall.  

I just downloaded the Seabourn Source app and was able to find today's menus onboard Odyssey.  They were exactly where ciaoYacht pointed out they where on his posts above.  My cruise isn't for six more months. 

Btw, the menus looked VERY good!

Thanks for this information.  Looking at the chart from the link you provided, it appears that the savings will only apply for Concierge or higher suites.  That seems odd.  True?

On a related note:  Is there a computer center on board?  If we only have one included wifi connection for our cabin, can the other person go to a computer center and use the computers there?

Any advice on which night in a 14-day Alaska cruise would be best to dine at TKG? 

I'm thinking that on formal nights the Restaurant would probably have a better than usual menu, so it would be best to stick to the Restaurant those nights. 

How about sea days vs port days?  If the menu at the Restaurant on sea days is usually better than it is on port days, perhaps going to TKG on a port day would make sense. 

I'm basing these thoughts on past experience on another cruise line.

Also, prior to the cruise, how can I tell which evenings are formal evenings?  Thanks!

P.S.  I know that "better" is subjective, but I hope you know what I mean.

5 hours ago, jeb_bud said:

A few months before our last Regent cruise, back in 2019, Air France canceled a flight on our return to SFO from Venice.  We had deviated so we could choose our flights and assure first class for the domestic legs.  There was some back and forth with Regent Air and although our preferred routing would have cost quite a bit of money, we were able to settle on a reasonable routing that still kept us out of coach seats with no extra cost other than a zero-dark thirty departure from Venice.  There was no extra deviation fee involved.

 

 

Thanks for your reply.  But it's not the deviation fee that's the issue, it's the fact that flight changes seem inevitable when booking many months out.  What's the point of securing a preferred route by using the deviation mechanism when the flights will almost certainly be changed by the airlines?  Isn't it better to wait until closer to cruise time?  I'm most interested in what considerations go into deciding what the optimal time for choosing the flights when using deviation is.  Thanks!

New to Regent, very much appreciate this thread.  We’ll be taking our first Regent cruise this November/December, Rome to Miami.  Our gateway is SFO.

We would like to use Regent Air and book as soon as possible with deviation so as to ensure the best available routes and seats.  My major issue is that airlines seem to change flight times and connections often.  By booking many months out, it seems inevitable that at least one if not more changes will be made.  I assume that if changes that I don’t like are made to the flights by the airlines, I would need to pay an additional deviation fee. But it’s not the fee itself that’s the issue for me.  It’s the fact that the new flights might  bear no resemblance to the flights I wanted and so the initial deviation process would have been in vain.

Is there an optimal time to book flights when deviating?  On the surface, it seems that 270 days is way too early knowing that there will most certainly be changes, yet waiting too long will result in fewer and/or poorer choices.
I know there is no perfect answer, but what goes into the decision-making process when deciding when to initiate the deviation?

On 2/26/2022 at 3:12 PM, mrstanley said:

The beef served on Regent is not Prime Beef as is served in some of the top steakhouses in the US. 
 

Not worth ordering beef onboard unless it’s Beef Wellington. They prepare that quite well.

 

Are you certain that the beef is not Prime?  This is from Regent website under Prime 7:

Of course, beef is the undisputed star, and it is all USDA Prime and Dry-Aged at least 28 days to ensure the ultimate tenderness, juiciness and flavor.

Why (and how) would these Canadian regulations particularly affect RT Vancouver cruises?  Is it because the cruise lines might have to cancel these cruises or is it because the regulations would be tougher on the passengers? 

Thank you all for your opinions, much appreciated.  If I can be a bit mundane, is there lobster offered every night at TKG? I’ve seen lobster thermidor listed on a sample menu, I believe.  And is the lobster good in your opinion?  Thanks 

7 hours ago, SLSD said:

My only comment is that many do not consider the TK Grill to be fine dining--but instead a typical America steak house kind of menu--steak, seafood, various sides and typical desserts.  Many find it very tasty (and we do as well) , but to me, it is not fine dining.  

If you find the food "very tasty" and the service "impeccable," in what way does TKG miss out on being fine dining?  Is it the ambiance?  The menu selections? 

Thanks.

Can't wait for your video!  I've enjoyed your previous Crystal videos and look forward to your Crystal perspective on Seabourn.  Wish we could be there with you, but our initial Seabourn cruise won't be until this coming September. 

Bon voyage!

When scheduling online prior to the cruise for dinner at the TK Grill, any tips on which day to choose?  We'll be on a 14-day Alaska cruise aboard Odyssey this fall.  I suppose we should dine at the MDR on formal night, since it appears there is an enhanced menu that night, correct?  And how do we know which night is formal night in advance of the cruise? 

Also, are sea day dinners generally "better" than port day dinners as they are on some other cruise lines?  (I know that's subjective, but if there's lobster etc., most people would agree that would be "better" 😁).  Thanks!

On 11/2/2020 at 4:36 AM, rafinmd said:

Today's sunrise is the first from yet another cruise.  I was supposed to be on the ship but wasn't.  I was supposed to board the Crystal Symphony October 31 (2012) in New York but Superstorm Sandy got in the way and I watched the sun come up November 2 in Charleston.

 

 

Roy

This photo makes me nostalgic!  This was our very first Crystal cruise, and I remember being right next to you in line to board that day, near the very front of the line.  Thanks for posting this!

46 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

What is the problem with embarking/disembarking in Bali or Colombo? Is it Bali & Colombo that are not accepting cruise passengers? If so, that is silly as they are allowing air traffic into the country.

Beats the heck out of me.  It would be nice to get an explanation beyond the boilerplate "this is a rapidly evolving situation," but I don't really expect one. 

21 hours ago, teamflames said:

Crystal just cancelled 3 legs of its world cruise between Syd and Mumbai

Not true.  The world cruise will go on, but Crystal Serenity is not embarking any new passengers in Sydney, Bali and Colombo.  Additionally, segmenters who were due to disembark in any of these ports will need to disembark in Sydney and not proceed to either Bali or Colombo.  The world cruise will end in Rome April 21 as scheduled (for now, at least). 

I don't agree with your comment that staterooms on Crystal river boats are small.  We found the standard cabin on Crystal Mahler to be of nice size, including a walk-in closet and a spacious bathroom with a huge shower. 

There are a small handful of "petite" staterooms that are small, but those are basically intended for solo travelers.

Our suitcases easily fit under the king bed in the standard stateroom. 

On the other hand, Crystal's ocean ships have small standard staterooms.

You certainly can do both a morning and an afternoon excursion on the same day, but be careful you don't overdo it.  We usually did one excursion each day and used the rest of the time to go out on our own, which was especially enjoyable in the smaller towns we visited.  The temptation to pack in as much as possible can leave you feeling exhausted. 

Relaxation was as important as sightseeing was for us, but that may not apply to you.  Some of our best memories from the two Crystal river cruises we took were from wandering around and discovering things on our own.  We may not have checked off as many boxes as we could have, but I believe we had a better time.  YMMV.

18 hours ago, scottca075 said:

Lawai is in the Poipu area, but it's different from Poipu Beach, which is one of several beaches in the Poipu area.

 

I'd have an Uber take me to Kiahuna Beach, next to the Sheraton Kauai.

Thank you for the suggestion!  It looks perfect, from my initial cursory internet search.

Regarding Kiahuna Beach, can I just tell the Uber driver to let me off at the Sheraton and walk to the beach?

And is it easy to get Uber to pick us up at the Sheraton in the afternoon to drive us back to the pier?

Thanks again!

We will be in Kauai in mid-January and would like to spend some time snorkeling there.

We are fair snorkelers (not advanced, not beginners).

I've heard that Poipu Beach is very good.  Would a taxi or Uber be easy to find mid-week in January?

Is Lawai Beach considered part of Poipu Beach?  Would it have any advantages or disadvantages compared with Poipu Beach?

Are there any other beaches we could snorkel that are closer to the pier at Nawiliwili? 

Even thought all gratuities are included in the all-inclusive Crystal river cruises, it's hard not to give additional gratuities to some of the unbelievably friendly and helpful crew members you come in contact with.  We used the entirety of our $500 onboard credit for this purpose, and I know others on our Mahler cruise did the same.

As mentioned previously, the spa services are ridiculously over-priced, the included (free) excursions are generally good or excellent, the Vintage Room is very expensive (and, really, who needs it when the dinners at Waterside are so good).  The Michelin dinner experiences have not gotten such good reviews, especially since the restaurants don't let you choose from the full menu, but only from a very limited menu, and the experience of getting there in a group by bus and often sitting in a separate eating area takes away from the overall atmosphere you would expect at such a restaurant.  The typical dinner on board is usually better than those restaurants anyway, IMHO. 

4 hours ago, disnefile said:

The Ama schedule is the worst of all the cruises. The best markets are Cologne and Rudescheim. Not even a possibly of see the Rhine Gorge. We are leaving Tomorrow. The worst part is that the entire trip will rain almost every day. I will never again take a river cruise. This is screwed up. Too late to cancel and there is no way to look at this other than a disaster.

I'm not certain which itinerary you are talking about, but if it is the same as Hoyas96's itinerary mentioned at the bottom of post #1592 above, from Amsterdam to Basel aboard the AmaKristina, you shouldn't be so discouraged.  Antwerp is an excellent city to visit, and it also is within ~ 1 hour 15 minutes of Bruges by bus, which would be a highlight of most cruises.  Also, Rotterdam is surprisingly interesting and definitely worth visiting.  Plus, Strasbourg is outstanding.  True, you will miss Heidelberg, which is a loss, but not going to Cologne is not that big of a deal in my opinion (other that the cathedral).  You also are going to really enjoy Lucerne, so looking at the big picture, you have reason to have a positive attitude.  The biggest issue will be the 5 hour bus ride from Antwerp to Strasbourg, and the loss of the christmas markets....but then again, I just don't get why the markets are such a big deal (but that's another topic altogether). 

So smile and look forward to a wonderful cruise!