rkaratsu

On the flip side, since we fly out of LAX, particularly when flying west (Asia, AUS/NZ, etc.), we have found it worth our while to take the air credit and book our own air. (Have saved a LOT on a couple of occasions, and using Chase points has also been helpful.) But like others have said, do your research first...

Was recently on the Explorer and one thing to keep in mind (at least it was true for me) is that with the room service breakfast cards that you get, if there is something that you want (that isn't on the menu), write it in. For example, things like papaya, prunes, baked beans, peanut butter, etc. are not on the menu card but we never had any problems getting these things. (We did have a butler so I don't know if this made a difference or not. Oh yeah, on the day that had the caviar brunch, we got that delivered to the room as well. Seriously, the service in the Compass Rose for breakfast can be glacial...) And if you are not a big breakfast person, the Coffee Connection is super convenient. Fresh fruit, fresh pastries, tea (not coffee drinkers here) and yogurt is sometimes all you need. RK

Nor Fleming’s or Morton’s (and I think that is one thing everyone on this board would agree on!) But you can still have a nice experience in Prime 7. I still think the amuse bouche is my favorite bite on the entire ship, the wedge or Caesar salads are good (especially early on in the cruise) and the filet and the pork chop are fine. Maybe best thing is to not listen to people like me and just enjoy yourself! 😀

The answers to all of the questions were pretty much the same: Available supply chain (he said they were ordering three years out) and having consistency across the fleet (offering the same thing across the entire fleet.) Pretty much non-answers. I pressed about the free wine list (there are other $12-15 bottles of red from places like Rodney Strong or Chateau Ste Michelle that are better than Raymond and these are also mass producers and the response was my comments were noted but to also put them in the eval. As far as what he would if one of his waiters (for example) was producing YouTube content and he said it wouldn’t happen. (Mind you, there is a dancer on a other another ship that does behind the scenes YT videos so not sure what is going on. I think these videos are great PR for Regent since they are all fluffy and positive.) Actually the F&B guy (as well the the head of housekeeping who really didn’t say very much) were very nice and TBH, after a couple of nice bottles of Cabernet, I guess I didn’t care that I really wasn’t getting any answers of substance… 😀🍷

I was also on this cruise (plus did the Vibrant Tokyo precruise) and perhaps unlike others, I enjoyed my time on the Explorer and in Japan. (Might be some mitigating factors here. Some details to follow): Just some random thoughts: - Precruise. As others have stated, the precruise was a bit of a cluster at times. But if you get it included, I do think that just the three “free” nights at the hotel (with IMO a nice breakfast buffet) is worth it. I didn’t use the transfers (was between $45-50 for a taxi between Haneda and hotel and then from hotel to cruise terminal. If you fly into Narita then I would take the transfer because taxi to hotel is going to hurt…) I did two of the included tours. To Regent’s credit, here were between 28-32 people on a bus that held 44 so it didn’t feel crowded but here just wasn’t much guiding, just being dropped off and picked up from different spots in Tokyo. - Our cabin. In another post, I wrote about getting offered an “upsell” (not upgrade! 🙂) and I guess this was a bit of a game changer. (In essence, for the price of a PHB, we were put in a Master Suite. Besides the extra space, the perks were great! (More about this later…) - The food. One of the suite benefits was being able to eat in a specialty restaurant every night. So we did (with the exception of two Indian dinners in Compass Rose (which were nice) and once in Sette Mari (meh…) I would say that the service in the specialty restaurants is definitely better than in Compass Rose (we went there for breakfast once (the caviar Saturday and was never offered he caviar!) Pacific Rim is still our fave but this time, I actually enjoyed Prime 7. Granted, I am not a huge meat eater but his I thought the prime rib and a rib eye were good. (Probably comparable to a mid-tier chain steakhouse like Outback.) Oh, and the Asian buffets were pretty bad (being genres calling it on the level of a Panda Express. And I thought since we were in Japan there might be at least some supermarket-level sushi but I don’t recall ever seeing sushi in the buffet.) Like others, I would agree that the breakfasts in La Veranda were a lot of the same but at the same time, considering what I generally eat for breakfast at home, I guess I shouldn’t complain… And FWIW, my favorite bites on this cruise were: 1). the amuse bouche shot of tomato soup in Prime 7; 2), the porchetta at lunch on the last sea day in the Veranda (I guess crispy pork skin and force meat has a special place in my heart…); 3). the pizza at the Pool Grill. (I am not by any means a pizza gourmet but I ate my share here); and 4). the hot dog at the pool grill. I think I only eat hot dogs on cruises so this might explain why they taste so good (?) - Room service. Before this cruise, we never really did it but because we had a butler, he said whatever time we put for delivery, we would be his first delivery. (I guess another suite perk.) But even if you do not have a butler, when you fill out your room service order, even if it is not listed, just write it in and it should magically appear. (For example, I asked for (and received) hints like peanut butter, baked beans, papaya, etc. None of these are one the menu card.) - Laundry. Without a doubt, IMO this is the best perks that Regent offers (and is available to all) According to the Housekeeping Manager, the are 14 full-time staff just doing laundry. -The entertainment. The four times we have sailed on Regent, it has all been on the Explorer so the shows have always been the same. But this time, they did really change up the content of the Broadway and Divas and Divas shows and we appreciated this. (Now why they keep the Paradis show is beyond me…). Wasn’t into the comedian or lounge acts but YMMV… - Other suite perks. The caviar service was cool. And we did get to pick an officer to have dinner with so went with Food & Beverage Mgr since I understand F&B (as opposed to what the heck would I talk to the captain or hotel manager about?) Best thing about the dinner (in Chartreuse) was having staff there falling over each other and getting a couple of nice bottles of Cabernet off of the paid wine list! (Actually also talked about things like why Regent doesn’t do a chefs table, the thinking behind what is on the free wine list, why no A5 Japanese wagyu offered on this cruise and hat is Regent’s policy if a crew member wanted to do a YouTube channel. - Shore excursions. Like others have said, these were a bit all over the place. I will say that we did have a couple of guides who were terrific (in particular a woman named Asako in Miyazaki (but I also think she did tours in Nagasaki.) She could do stand up comedy.) If I could do it over again, I would do a private tour of Kyoto and Osaka (since we overnighted there. Spent way too much driving to get to Kyoto and once there only saw one temple (albeit pretty spectacular) and one castle. And I must give credit to the Destination staff for arranging a private tour once on board. Basically this cruise had a change in port to a place called Sasebo and when I looked on a map, I saw that it was fairly close to Karatsu City (uh, see my username…) I asked if I could get a driver and an English-speaking guide to check this place out and they made it happen! (In the end, I really have no ancestral ties to Karatsu but it was pretty cool to see places like Karatsu Burger and Karatsu Ramen and the Karatsu City Hall (and the city does have a nice castle (it overlooks the South China Sea) and is well-known in pottery circles for ts cool ceramics (which unfortunately even with my name I can’t get a family discount.☹️) Well this has gone on way too long! (I am on flight home and have free wifi with ANA (which is better than on the ship although I didn’t think the ship wifi was horrible if all you wanted to do was email, post to CC and/or browse the web. Oh, and kudos to ANA. The service onboard is next level and the food solid (do the Japanese menu!)

One thing that might bear consideration is if you go to Japan in April, yes the cherry blossoms are in full bloom but on the other hand, if you think popular attractions are crowded at any given time, it seems like you can multiply this by ten during the Sakura season (because the Japanese are also taking vacation at this time.) But otherwise, some very good tips. Definitely spend at least four or five days in Tokyo and also consider a private tour of Kyoto. (You could even overnight there.) Finally, I would consider booking a cabin on the starboard side (an odd numbered cabin.) If your itinerary heads south from Tokyo to Shimizu, you will get amazing views of Mt. Fuji from your balcony (assuming the clouds operate) as well as some of the most memorable sunrises and sunsets I have ever seen!

Room service for the specialty restaurants is only available if you are in the Regent, Master or Grand suites.

One of the topics of convo with F&B Manager was if Regent “sanctions” crew who create YT videos about their life onboard. I asked because I had seen crew on other cruise lines with their own YouTube channels (and quite frankly they make more from YouTube than they make from their cruise job. I was telling one of our waiters that he would be a great YT personality and that there are a lot of people who would be interested in his life “behind the scenes.” Maybe not as glamorous as a performer but I’d be interested if done well.) Of course the F&B Manager didn’t think it would be a good idea… 🙃

I had dinner last night with the F&B manager (also the head of housekeeping) and at least on the Explorer, it doesn’t sound like any of the behind-the-scenes tours (galley, laundry, bridge and/or stage) will be happening anytime soon. (Usual COVID/security/safety reasons given.) Maybe if you are staying in the Regent Suite or have Titanium status it might be different but for the rest of us, no go. (I did ask!🙁)

We are on the Explorer in Japan and just did a cooking class (called “Farmhouse Fabulous”.) And we made…Falafel and a riced cauliflower stir fry! 🙄 Now considering that we were just in Busan, South Korea where we did a tour of the largest fish market in Korea (it was pretty amazing BTW), why we are making falafel (well actually, just frying them; they were already made for us) doesn’t quite register. The class was fun and well organized but all of the prep work is done for you and like someone else already mentioned, you aren’t going to learn anything new unless you are a pretty novice cook. But having said this, if you haven’t done a cooking class before, go for it (and then decide if more are in your future.) There probably is an untapped market for Regent here in doing a market visit with chef and then coming back and cooking whatever you found (no recipes, just inspiration from the ingredients) or in a place like Japan, visiting a sushi or a tempura restaurant and learn from the local master. Wouldn’t be cheap but I’d sign up for one of these!

Hi Techno. We sailed from the International Cruise Port near Odaiba. (Looks super convenient to Shinagawa!)

Our T-Mobile plan has unlimited text and data overseas (while in port; at sea we are at the mercy of Regenr’s wifi…😢) In Haneda airport, there were a few places where one could get either a SIM card or some kind of mobile router (I guess for multiple devices) but don’t really know much about which one(s) might be the best.

I absolutely think this is a terrific idea. I can speak a little Japanese but I was surprised at how challenging doing what I thought would be relatively simple things in other places (I.e. figuring out subway, ordering in a local restaurant, asking for directions outside of the hotel) were a challenge in Tokyo. If you have a local take you to a restaurant or a yokocho (the small food and drinking alleys; maybe the prototypical Japanese dining adventure), this could be a memorable experience. Finally, if you do the Metro Building observation floor, I’m not sure it would be necessary to go to the Sky Tree or Shibuya Sky. (Free is always better than not free and the lines are actually shorter, at least on the day we went.)

You and hub will need your own QR codes. (Pretty sure family members can be added to adult.) As far as QR codes, save them as .jpgs to your photos (although there is good wifi in Haneda.) And hopefully you use an iPhone instead of Android since it seems like most online things are biased towards iOS ( things like using wallet for Suica card, Apple Pay, etc. My wife unfortunately uses an Android phone and seemed to have more issues than I did.) Ah yes, one last thing if you are planning to use Suica card for travel (or even to pay for things in convenience stores): If you need a physical Suica card, you need to get it at airport (not sold at train stations any longer. Of course if you have iPhone, you can add Suica to your Apple wallet (you can do it right now if you like) and it works like magic! Super convenient!)

There are some very good suggestions here. I agree that the Indian restaurant in the basement of the Hilton is good. There is also a convenience store in the basement. DO NOT sleep on the food at places like these! (And do not confuse 7/11 stores in the US with the 7/11s in Japan!) My wife and I are addicted to the egg salad sandwiches! High quality stuff. Also the rice balls and unusual flavor of potato chips! And best of all, incredibly inexpensive. We ate at the Japanese restaurant in the Hilton. Had the A5 wagyu. Now *this* wasn’t inexpensive but if you want to splurge, I would recommend. If you walk out of the Hilton, turn left on the Main Street and at the first big office building there are a number of Japanese diner places. (If you turn right out of the Hilton, you will run into a Japanese Denny’s!) Another fun thing to do is go to a Japanese department store. All have food courts (usually in the basement.) The Isetan store in Shinjuku (10 minute walk from Hilton) had *the* best food section I have ever visited (and yes, looking at you Harrod’s…😀 I would highly recommend visiting there just to see all of the food.) But what I think is best would be to take the free Hilton shuttle to the Shinjuku station and just wander around there. One highlight was going to the Kurasushi conveyor belt restaurant. TBH, the sushi isn’t amazing but the whole experience is! (Just be prepared to wait. I would go early, make a reservation at the kiosk and then come back when it says it is your time. Two hours seemed like a normal wait time and you will probably have to ask for help with the kiosk since it is all in Japanese but it will be worth it!) (And techno123, I figured out how to put the piano into player piano mode so it is playing itself as I type! As far as what to do to stay awake once you arrive, I would just wander around Shinjuku. It probably took me three days before I felt comfortable with my bearings (and I think I have a good sense of direction) but I found Tokyo really different in its scope and size!)

We arrived at Haneda. With the VJW website (it is not an app, they are very adamant about this for some reason!), you upload a lot of info so when you get to the kiosk (located where you collect your luggage), IIRC, it takes your photo and scans your passport after you scan the QR code. (We have American passport not sure if this makes any difference.) After you do this, you go to a separate line for those who have the QR code. After you show the QR code, you are basically done. From the time we landed until the time we were out on the street getting a taxi took 18 minutes. (I timed this! We may have landed at a gate close to terminal and could have been a slow time but I do think that using the VJW QR code helped. It is not mandatory but I do think it is a time saver.) Now you may have to wait in a taxi queue for 30 minutes (like we did) but this is another matter… 😀)

We recently did the “Vibrant Tokyo” three day precruise and while it is still fresh in my mind, I will do a quick review. (I know there are others on CC who were also on this precruise so hopefully they will chime in with their opinions as well.) I guess the TLDR; review would be if it is a free tour from Regent then it is worth it. However if you are considering paying $1.8K (think this is the list price), I’d suggest you save some $$$ (and more than likely have a better experience) by doing the pre-tour on your own. Details to follow… So here are details: At least for my particular precruise, there were probably 300+ people on it. The hotel (Hilton Tokyo) was filled to capacity and just getting to your tour bus could be a bit of an adventure. (Waiting for the elevator could take 10-15 minutes in the morning. I guess if you were on a lower floor you could take the stairs but really wasn’t an option on the 25th floor!) The included precruise buffet (which I thought was really good) could also get super busy at certain times. As far as the actual tours, calling them “tours” was a bit of a stretch. For example, on tour day #1, you got a ride to the Tokyo National Museum, got dropped off and then told to be back at the bus by a certain time (which wasn’t nearly enough to see a pretty interesting museum.) After this you got a ride to Ginza shopping district, dropped off and told to be back at the bus at a certain time (or could make your own way back to hotel.). The tours for days 2 & 3 were similar in that you got a ride to other attractions in Tokyo and then a ride back to the hotel. On the last day you were taken to the ship (rather than back to the hotel) to board around 1:30pm. Offhand, I would say that the actual monetary tour was around $850 p/p. Basically, you got picked up from the airport, transported to the hotel, 3 kinda tours and then taken to the ship. IMO, the only real value was the hotel. Although the Hilton Tokyo was a bit outside of the main area of Shinjuku, you could easily walk there in less than ten minutes. (The Hilton also had a shuttle that wasn’t really advertised but it ran (like clockwork) every 20 minutes to and from Shinjuku station between 8am and 10pm. Super convenient if you didn’t want to walk.) If you took a taxi from Haneda airport, this was around $55USD. A taxi to the ship from the Hilton was about the same. Being generous, I would say the value of each tour was no more than $75USD so when you add everything up, this is where I got the $850 p/p amount. We flew in a couple of days before the precruise to see a bit more of Tokyo. TBH, I was not prepared for just how big and fast-paced Tokyo is. (I live in SoCal so am used to living in a big city but Tokyo is a BIG city!) Also getting around by the subway was harder than expected (finally decided to just take taxis. They are not cheap but certainly plentiful and efficient.) Also by having a couple of extra days in Tokyo, got to see more of Shinjuku and Shibuya (neither are covered on the precruise itinerary) as well as having time to go to the Sky Tree and the (recommended) teamLab Planets art installation. I guess that’s it. This is kinda rambling so if you have any questions, feel free to ask…

We are on Japan cruise right now and had no issues with bringing in meds. And not sure if it made a difference but we used the Visit Japan Web website. Once you fill out info, you get a QR code. Coming out of customs, once we got our luggage, we just scanned QR code and literally walked right through customs and immigration. (People who fill out the paper form (you will be given one on the plane before you land but you don’t use it if you have QR code) had to wait in a much longer line, at least when we arrived.) If you are not familiar with Visit Japan Web, I would Google it. There are videos explaining how to use it. It isn’t mandatory but at least in our experience it saved us a lot of time.

So we are currently on the Explorer in Japan. While in Tokyo for the pre cruise tour, I got a phone call @1am from my Regent person (probably wasn’t aware of the time difference. I saw who was calling but was so jet lagged that I didn’t answer (I was fast asleep when he called!) Actually, the first thing that came to mind was that the cruise was cancelled but figured if it was, it could wait until morning…) Anyway, later that morning when I listened to the voice message, I was told that a Master Suite had opened up and for $3K p/p, we could upgrade. (We were booked in a PHC.) I emailed (pretty much on a whim) saying if Regent would accept $1K p/p, we would upgrade. Next thing you know, I heard back that my offer was accepted so if I wanted upgrade, I just needed to authorize credit card. So anyway, here we are in a Master Suite. TBH, it is way too big for us (and what am I going to do with a piano) but having the second bathroom is nice. Also will take advantage of eating anytime/any day in specialty restaurants. (Went to Pacific Rim tonight.) And got a bottle of Veuve Cliquot. All I need to do now is make some friends on board so I can host a cocktail party and decide which ship’s officer I would like to have dinner with. (I am thinking the food and beverage manager.) And the big question I have is why I (who am *not* a Regent cruiser of any particular status) who does not use a travel agent would be given this offer. (Or is this not such a good deal? Pretty obvious the Regent was desperate to get anything to fill this suite.) Oh one last thing: maybe I can learn to play the piano on this cruise! (I’m surprised the piano actually works!)

I guess if I were in your situation, I would strongly consider staying at one of the hotels that are in Haneda. (One of the hotels is brand new). It seems like you will have to wake up at some ungodly hour (around 4:30am (?!) on the day of departure and then fret over your cab arriving and then the drive over to Haneda. Maybe not the best way to end a lovely cruise vacation... It's not like you can sleep in if you stay at the airport (maybe until 6am?...) but at least you are already where you need to be and just need to worry about the check in process. And it isn't Changi Airport but the new and improved Haneda looks like there is more than enough to do to spend an evening there. (Yeah, I tend to overthink most things..😀) Whatever you decide, have a great cruise! (We are flying out for our much-delayed Japan cruise tomorrow!)

Agree. For recent trips to AUS/NZ and Japan, we found the air credit to be very generous. (IIRC, by booking on our own to AUS/NZ from LAX, the credit was almost a 2 for 1 deal.) And yes, the credit going to Europe is significantly less. We generally use Regent air when going in this direction. Maybe once used points to get to NYC because we wanted to spend a few days there and was able to find a good deal from NYC to LHR.)

I think you sound like me in that when on vacation, if I wear something on, say, Tuesday and then wear the same ensemble again on Friday, no big deal (it's not like I am ever going to see my fellow cruisers again anytime soon. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't share these same values but this is a conversation (uh, argument) for another day...) But I also take a hat (a cool fedora. If you are comfortable with this look, no one will even notice that you are wearing the same sport coat or pants multiple times! 😀)

Unless things have changed in the past three months (when I made my final payment via My Account on the website), you should be able to do so. (I probably should but have never used a travel agent to book my cruises...)

Sorry, one other thing to consider: If you like Indian food or perhaps want to try a Filipino or Indonesian dinner, talk to the maitre 'd (or your butler if you have one) and have a specialty dinner in Compass Rose. We've done both Indian and Filipino and they were *outstanding*! Staff take great pride in their cuisine so it was our experience that what were we served was tailored to what we requested, fresh, and just yummy! Just give a day or two notice and I think you will like it! RK

So here is a scenario that could play out (it has happened to us twice): On the first night of your cruise, you go to Compass Rose (this is assuming you have not made a specialty reservation on the first night; I don't think many people do) around 8pm and there is a wait to get seated. The hostess will ask if you would like to eat at one of the specialty restaurants. (Or is there is a wait, you can ask if there is availability elsewhere). We have always asked for Pacific Rim because it has a fairly extensive menu so that especially if you are with a larger group, there are a lot of different things to try. (Downside is that if you made your Pacific Rim reservation for night two then you are going there back-to-back but I guess this is a first world problem...) I personally am not crazy about Prime 7. (It does advertise USDA prime steaks but I'm not sure about this based on the steaks I have been served. This is where (for an upcharge), Regent should be offering A5 wagyu!) But I like Sette Mari so go figure. (If you like it, I guess you could go there every night. I have met a couple of people who have!) Have a great cruise! RK