Alaska last trip

[Mjflowers]

Cruising north out of Vancouver. Sitka tomorrow PM. Gong to see the Otters, Mr and Mrs. Whale alerts already. A few whale tails off the starboard bow this evening observed from the lounge. Weather has been sunny most of the day. Hope it continues. Cruising sure is fun.

[tallship]

Thx for the update. We were supposed to be on this cruise but my mom had an accident and could not travel. Looking forward to your reports.

[Mjflowers]

A little slow on updates. This has been a wonderful trip so far. Weather, as expected, cloudy, cool, but surprising, very little rain. Yesterday, on the whale tour we experienced, according to the tour ship captain one of the best days ever. The crew was even taking pictures. During our appox 1 hour in the bay, we saw over 50 plus whales at one time or the other. Just drifting around the whales would swim right by the boat a few feet under the surface. Breaching, splashing, and thar she blows. A lot of gasps of joy from the group and even some cheers. I sure hope my video and pictures, all 300 of them come out.

 

Staff and crew have been great. Almost forgot. On our cruise to Hubbard glacier the other day the weather, in the am would not cooperate. Fog, and ice flows hindered our way. The captain waited and waited but no luck. We had to leave. Well no sooner, 30 minutes maybe, the sun comes out and now nice and clear. A RCCL ship past by us on their way to the glacier because of the improving conditions. From what I heard, a very unprecedented action occurred. Our captain turned the ship around and we headed back to Hubbard!

What a grand decision. Bravo! From a customer standpoint Regent, IMO made a few stars that day. Just another reason to sail Regent.

 

Skagway today, setting sail in about half an hour for Juneau. Dinner tonight a Prime 7. It's my birthday! Happy birthday to me. Time to celebrate.

 

Well, ttfn.

[tallship]

Thx for the update. Did you see the whales in Hoonah? I love whale watching....my new favorite thing besides cruising

[JMARINER]

Who is the Captain?

 

j

[AWED23]

Yes.....Captain?, General Manager?, Maitre'D?........Thanks for any help...

[Mjflowers]

Yesterday was Ketchikan and float plane bear watching. Weather was sunny most of the day with a few sprinkles. We actually did get to view the bears fishing and totally gorging themselves. One of the big guys came within 10 feet of our viewing station making for wonderful photos and video.

 

Sea day today, Victoria tomorrow with an excursion to see the Killer Whales.

Captain, Ubaldo Armellino over sees the entire ships operation, along with his General Manager, Davor Josipovic, and Dining Room Manager, Marcel Karabinos. Ray Solaire along with assistant cruise director Trevor Britnell, both Brits, are doing a great job. Do not know the entire staff, but all are making this a most enjoyable cruise. I have not been able to find fault with anything.

 

Calm sea forecasted for the remainder of the cruise along with mild weather. Hope this holds up all the way to Frisco.:)

[forevertravel]

We were on Navigator north to south and disembarked in Vancouver. You got on the day we arrived. We saw the Navigator sailing that afternoon (we stayed in Vancouver for four days). It was sad seeing her leave. We had such a wonderful cruise. You must be having the nice weather we had. We didn't have rain one single day. Your cruise is longer and disembarks in SF. Have a wonderful time.

[pingpong1]

Hi Folks - I just disembarked from the same cruise that MJFlowers was on. As it was my first Regent cruise, I didn't have cheap/free internet minutes so I couldn't send daily reports. We've been in San Francisco now for about 4 hours and are staying at the Embassy Suites for a coupe of nights before heading back home.

 

I guess the first description that comes to mind from our first Regent cruise is - Wow! It's a big enough "Wow" that we booked our second cruise (for 2013) while we were still onboard the first cruise. ((We'll be doing the 10-night Rome to Venice cruise on Voyager beginning October 23, 2013))

 

As "MJF" said, the weather was absolutely great throughout the entire cruise. We got what I would consider to be just one actual full (single) day of rain and that occurred when we were in Juneau, but it held off until we had completed our whale watching boat tour and our trip to the mendenhal glacier. Then, it started raining as we were getting back onboard the bus to head to the ship. Certainly did not ruin the whole day. All the excursions throughout the cruise were great and well worth the time spent on them. These were not the extra-cost tours but just the complimentary ones which were all very enjoyable and did not have too many people on any of them. You never felt "crowded or rushed ".

 

After having waited near the Hubbard Glacier for nearly 4 hours in the morning - without the fog lifting, we started heading south. But as MJF related, we could see the fog lifting behind us and the captain decided to turn the ship about and go back to the glacier. A huge applause and "3-cheers" erupted around the entire ship and we got back to the glacier and had about an hour of wonderful views - Many Thanks to Captain Amerlinno (SP?)

 

One would really have to "dig down in the weeds" or be extremely hard to please to find anything about this cruise experience that was not top notch. The crew really goes out of their way to make everything as good as it can possibly be. And if everyone is trying that hard to make all the passengers happy, then I think it's just being "picky" to fault anything that would be outside of their control. The "Crew Capers" show held last night in the SS Lounge was very special and was done "from the heart" by all the crew members who participated. The singing, dancing, and skits were very well done and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

I know many, many hours are spent on this board discussing the various restaurants and opinions about the meals served. I won't go into that unless someone wants to "open that can", again :) I'll just say that if someone encountered something (or some meal) they didn't care for too much - then they just did something else and ordered something different the next night. I will just say that several of us came away from P7 with the exact same view as others on the site have expressed in the past - Specifically, It was just "Okay". Many of us seemed to prefer CR or SM for dinner over P7. We were able to eat at P7 twice. If anyone wants more specifics, I'll be glad to provide some. Best Regards to all. Can't wait till our next cruise!

[Travelcat2]

pingpong1: Thrilled to hear of your wonderful experience on Regent. Now you understand why so many of us continue to sail on Regent and rave about it.

 

Bravo to the Captain -- IMO, Hubbard Glacier is one of the most spectacular places in the world. It does not surprise me that a Regent Captain would turn around to give the passengers the opportunity to see this incredible place.

 

I always miss Regent...... but after reading your review, it will be more difficult to wait until December 1st. Thank you for taking the time to post.

[OrpingtonT]

pingpong1.

 

I, too, am so pleased you enjoyed you first Regent cruise, so much so that you have booked another whilst on board. You will enjoy Voyager just as much, if not more.

[RachelG]

Ping pong, I too add my congratulations ona wonderful cruise and booking another. Voyager is my favorite ship. I am really glad that all the build up didn't disappoint.

[Mjflowers]

Ok Pingpong you jumped on my thread ahead of me. Well, I can't argue with you. This was one of my DW and mine best cruises ever. The wild life was spectacular, the weather great, the staff outstanding. I can't begin to list everybody that went above and beyond so I will just give a big bravo to all. As usual, Regent shines. If you had any complaints, you can not be pleased. If you had any complaints all was resolved on the spot.

I will be cruising with Regent again in the future, just not sure when. As you can see by my upcoming trip we will be giving Oceania a try in November. I can't stray to far from my Regent family. One way or the other, it's Northern Eurpoe next summer for at least on of our cruises. For all of you considering a first cruise on Regent, book it! You will not be disappointed.

Off the subject a little. We are staying in SF a few extra days. For the foodies out there we had a most wonderful dinner tonight at Gary Dankos'. A must to put on your list the next time SF.

Well I guess I'll have to jump over to the Oceania board and start lurking over there for our next trip. I will not be gone, but probably forgotten.:D

[Judyumcer@aol.com]

We are Regent or Oceania cruisers but made a last minute decision to cruise Alaska. Celebrity gave us a Sky Suite at a good price. Our first time on Celebrity. The Infiity is a beautiful ship but there are 2000 passengers & 1000 crew onboard. We also had nice weather except for Juneau where it poured all day. Unlike all you Regent passengers, we didn't see any bears, moose, or whales. Some people said they saw whales. The highlight of our trip was a helicopter tour to a glaicer. We did see eagles, salmon and Tracey Arm as well as the I,nside passage. Beautiful scenery! The food can't compare to Regent or Oceania but was o.k. We didn't go to the speciality restaurants because they were all starting at $40pp. It was hard not having everything included. We even had to pay for water. But the entertainment was exceptional. There have full Vegas style production shows. They really were excellent. The service was as good as Regent & Oceania. We had a wonderful Butler. It sounds like you all saw alot more of Alaska than we did. However, it was our first trip to Alaska and we were happy to be able to see it. it is an awesome trip up there.

[busdriver475]

Here are a couple of Whale pictures I got on our recent cruise to Alaska on Princess. I really lucked out on the bubble feeding. Hope you enjoy.

Jim:):)

 

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[Hambagahle]

mjflowers -

see you over on the Oceania forum! We have also jumped ship, so to speak, and will be on the Riviera in January. I am looking forward to your comments... as you can imagine!

 

If our current thinking holds, our next cruise will be neither Regent nor Oceania but a river cruise. We are eager to sail down the Rhine and are looking at Scenic cruises which as far as I can make out is the nearest thing to Regent on a river!!

[findacruise]

mjflowers -

see you over on the Oceania forum! We have also jumped ship, so to speak, and will be on the Riviera in January. I am looking forward to your comments... as you can imagine!

 

If our current thinking holds, our next cruise will be neither Regent nor Oceania but a river cruise. We are eager to sail down the Rhine and are looking at Scenic cruises which as far as I can make out is the nearest thing to Regent on a river!!

 

We did our first river cruise this spring 14 days from Vienna to Basel and loved it. Food not as good as Regent and "O" and cockails,tips not included, but we loved being able to get off the ship and walk into many towns. Only 120 passengers and had a great time getting to know folks. Enjoy.

[newlondon]

Hambagahle, The nearest thing to Regent on the river is Tauck. Highly recommend the Amsterdam-Budapest cruise. We did it in a suite which is 300 sq. ft. with an excellent bathroom-included a tub, which is rare on the river. Tauck is all inclusive and the food is close, but not equal to Regent. We have sailed Uniworld as well. They did a good job, but Tauck is just a little bit better all around.

[EleanorWW]

the husband and I had an interesting experience the day OP's cruise ended.

 

a few weeks before Navigator was due, our TA sent out an email inquiring who would be interested in a tour and lunch onboard Navigator while she was in port on 3 September. there was space for 45. I quickly raised my hand without even consulting with the spouse. good thing, as we heard there was a wait list within hours.

 

on the appointed day, we set out for the quick drive to the cruise terminal, top down on the convertible and feeling happy and festive and let out a whoop! when we saw our much loved Navigator at the pier. you know how it feels when you catch first sight of the ship and your spirits soar?

 

I wonder who paid for this outing? there were about 100 clients of our TAgency as they dumped the wait list and invited everyone. we boarded the ship at 10.45 and were greeted by Mark Conroy holding open the door to Galileo's. he and the Mrs had been spending a few days up in wine country but were not staying onboard for the trip through Panama. we were offered champagne or mimosas. sushi was passed. we were seated and small plates were offered.

 

the marketing presentation was nothing new to anyone already familiar with the product. Jillete was introduced as the regional sales director and she and Mark took turns passing off the microphone.

 

I learned some factoids:

 

60% pax are repeaters

35% are retired

 

Sette Mari was supposed to take 100 diners out of Compass Rose, but instead has been seeing 150 diners/night.

 

$850K included and $150k regent choice excursions have been provided in the past year.

 

the age of the RSS customer has declined ten years in the past ten years. the average age is now 58.

 

we were broken into groups for a tour of the ship. our guide was a member of the entertainment troupe. I had heard from a TA approximately half of us had cruised with Regent. enough people hadn't sailed before and were suitably impressed. as this was turnaround day, we could see the cabin stewardesses were working hard and fast.

 

the pool grill was laid out and ready for embarking passengers. la veranda was also ready and waiting.

 

it was so weird to be onboard and NOT! I had my passport in my bag, just in case a moment of lunacy struck. it didn't.

 

lunch in compass rose was three starters served as separate courses, choice of entree and then souffle as dessert. I guess that is five courses?

 

we had conversation with a couple and two ladies who travel as solos. they'd all sailed with Regent and a number of other lines. the couple had done at least one world cruise with HAL and when we said we had heard it could be very quiet sailing with the same people for such a long time, the husband responded that it could feel very clique-ish .... if one were not in one. hmmm.

 

one lady was onboard Voyager during the pod-problem in 2009 and related she was treated exceptionally well by Regent. the other solo enjoys Regent but has also sailed on Allure, which really caused my jaw to drop. she then said she sailed with her granddaughter and of course, Regent does not offer the same experience. she said she had a really good time on Allure of the Seas.

 

we heard the announcement cabins were ready while eating dessert. as we left the ship, we could see people coming through ship's security, looking either harried or happy, or both. the sidewalk in front of the cruise terminal was bustling with people and luggage coming off buses and taxis. the sun was shining in the city that day.

 

this wraps up my very brief Regent experience for this year. we were last onboard Navigator in 2010 for the San Francisco to Vancouver start of the Alaska season. the ship looked fine then and fine now. Navigator next returns to San Francisco in April.

 

I think we were supposed to be seriously temped to book something when we got home. we were! the next day, I started to look at what was going where and on Thurday, paid for a Princess cruise leaving in a month. our TA understands our situation and we are still eyeballing options with Regent. right now, we need to be close to home but new adventures always beckon!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Interesting. There were several groups of TA's on Navigator for the afternoon in Victoria, in May. Galileo's was full, on a port day, I think two different groups. We spoke to a few of them.

[pingpong1]

EleanorWW - My wife and I were leaving the ship (off the Alaska cruise) as you were coming onboard for the day's marketing tour. I wish there had been an opportunity for the departing passengers, no matter however briefly, for us to have met Mr. Conroy that morning. We weren't told he was even in the area. They probably didn't want us to know!

 

I would guess that the "prime mission" that morning was to get all of us pesky departing passengers off the ship, unload the luggage, "clear the decks", and prepare for the onslaught and orderly welcoming of new boarding passengers. But we now know that they did make time to squeeze a "marketing opportunity" in between the two groups ("departers" and "new boarders"). No doubt, a judgement was made that there simply was not enough time to provide an orderly opportunity for the departing customers to meet Mr. Conroy, and get them off the ship quickly.

 

As it was, there was quite a "hub-bub" that morning getting all the debarking luggage off the ship in a timely fashion. I was watching the whole unloading process transpire (from one deck up - standing next to Ray Solaire the CD) and it did not seem to go as smoothly or as rapidly as what the ship's staff would have wanted. This was not the "fault" of the crew. It seemed to be an organization and efficiency problem on the part of the port staff responsible for offloading the bags. The debarking process for the first group of passengers (those who had the earliest flights out of SFO), which was supposed to begin around 8AM, didn't really get started until nearly 9:15AM. We were in the last group (with no particular place that we had to be as we were staying in SF for a few days) didn't finally get off the ship (with luggage ready for us on the dock) until 10:30. You may have seen departing passengers still leaving as you got there.

 

On "turnaround day" (as was the case on 9/3 in SF), an awful lot of different things have to happen "right" in a short period of time. Even without the addition of a marketing tour for 100 "extras" squeezed in between the debarkation process and the embarkation of new customers. But it seems that Regent pulled it off in a fairly orderly way - I'm sure it added to the ship's workload that morning. I wonder how many new bookings occurred (which wouldn't have happened, otherwise) as a result of that day's "meet and greet"?

 

One question - What was the "Voyager Pod-problem of 2009" that you mentioned in your report? Many thanks for your very informative review.

[pingpong1]

New London - I wholeheartedly agree with your advice (to Hambagahle) regarding river cruising with Tauck. Before my "conversion" (an epiphany, really) to Regent -at least for ocean cruising - I spent a lot of time "hanging out" on the river cruising board and took a river cruise on Avalon Waterways from Amsterdam to Vienna just 4 months before my first Regent cruise.

 

We all know that river cruising is not the "same" (and in most aspects -including space onboard - simply cannot/won't ever be the same) as ocean cruising. But after experiencing Regent, it seems that this becomes the "yardstick" (I don't know if there's such as thing as a "meterstick") for comparing/contrasting all other cruise experiences.

 

After seeing a lot of the river boats on the Rhine - passing them and tying up next to them (while cruising on Avalon) - and reading hours of reviews over on the rivercruising board, I think that Tauck (perhaps Scenic, as well) would be the only/nearest "comparable" river experience (as far as onboard amenities) to Regent (on the ocean). If the time comes to go on another river cruise (I still have a few more Regent cruises to get through first), and after having experienced Regent, I don't think I'd be satisfied with Avalon again. I'd be looking for something "more" and from what I've read, it seems like Tauck might fit that need.

 

300 Sq Ft is a HUGE cabin in the riverboat industry, yet is "standard" (or even a bit small) for Regent. Walk-in closets (on river boats) are virtually unheard of. Dining venues (and menus), multiple lounges, and all-inclusive/all day alcohol service is also rare (although with river cruising you're never be more than a few hours away from finding an onshore liquor store to make your own purchase (to stock your stateroom). But that would be an "extra" expense. On Regent, it's included. Free-use washing machines are rare on river boats and small pools/spas and elevators, even though now making a very limited appearance on some of the newest river boats, are still very rare. Folks with rather significant mobility issues would find river cruising very challenging - if not impossible.

 

In river cruising, the new towns along the river that you pull into each day are the primary "focus" of the trip while the boat itself serves primarily as the place where you sleep and eat between towns. On Regent (my feeling here) is that the ship (including the various eating venues and wider wine/food selections, the friendships, the services, the amenities and facilities) is the "center" of the vacation experience and the various ports you visit merely supplement and enhance that total cruise experience. In river cruising, the boat is primarily the "transportation device" whereas the ship (on a Regent cruise at least) is a far more significant (perhaps primary) "hub" or focus of the cruise experience.

 

For me, when river cruising down the Rhine/Main/Danube, I looked forward to getting OFF the boat. On my Regent cruise, after our excursion each day (which I enjoyed very much) I looked foward to getting back ON the boat and relaxing. But I realize that most will rightly point out that I'm trying to compare apples to peaches. I'm just suggesting (like NewLondon does) that for veteran Regent cruisers who are used to a certain level of service and ammenities, and who are considering an alternative river cruise experience, they might be "happiest" if they seek out the most upscale and most all-inclusive river cruise tline hey can find. Something Like Tauck - who also has their own set of "cheerleaders". Regards to all.

[newlondon]

Well written post pingpong1. I love it when people agree with me:D

[Travelcat2]

pingpong1: Thanks for your input on river cruising. Everyone we know that has sailed on a luxury cruise line and then a river cruise has been disappointed. To be fair, none of them did Tauck.

 

Just a comment or two on pods. Almost every cruise line that has ships with pods has had problems. The first Regent pod problem occured on the Mariner. It took approx. a year and a half to get a new pod. In the meantime, they worked on the existing pod and were able to continue sailing at a reduced speed (which affected port stops). Then, one of the Voyager's pods was caught in a fishing net. This ended the world cruise (not sure if that was 2009). A year or so afterwards passengers boarded the Voyager only to learn after muster that the cruise would not be taking place. The ship limped to drydock. Fortunately, both ships have been fine since then. I do not believe that the Navigator has pods.

[xrvlcruiser]

Jackie,

 

I have to disagree with you that "Everyone we know that has sailed on a luxury cruise line and then a river cruise has been disappointed. To be fair, none of them did Tauck."

 

I did a Avalon River cruise a year or so ago and was not disappointed. Is it different? For sure but that was no surprise. I had a very good time and am going on another one - AMA this time - next Spring.

 

I'm pretty sure the Navigator does no have PODS . . . . and yes, the Voyager WC which was canceled was in 2009.