New to Regent and a bunch of ??s

[owtrspace]

Hi All:

 

We are new to RSSC having just booked the March 29, 2010 FLL - FLL 11 night trip on Navigator. We are semi-novice cruises having been only on 8 cruises (6 on Princess, 2 on Celebrity).

 

We are 2 adults, plus 1 well-traveled 11 year old. It was a great deal, including OBC. I opted to get the air credit in lieu of the free air, since air from So Cal is much less than the credit. Also, shore excursions are included for our son, since he was a paying (though reduced fare) passenger.

 

Questions:

 

How "open" are the guests in terms of being liberal? I have read great things about the guests being well-traveled, well educated and upper middle class(ish), which we are. That said, we are a non-traditional family being 2 male parents of an adopted son. Will this fly on this cruise line (being so intimate and sometimes of an older demographic)? I would like to think so as it has never been a problem on other lines....

 

I have seen information on the boards regarding dress code, but does it differ for a tropical itinerary? I know the elegant casual nights should be slacks and collared shirts (I have seen that polo/golf shirts are a no-no), but what about collared, short sleeved "aloha" shirts? It seems it would fit the theme of the cruise and still be tactful (think along the likes of Tommy Bahamas).

 

Does anyone know if a children's program will be offered? Not that important since there will be 9 ports in the 11 days, but just curious.

 

Has anyone stayed in cabin 867 (Cat. F) and any feedback in terms of location, noise, etc.?

 

I've seen the menus from Mariner, but are they the same on Navigator?

 

Does anyone have photos of Navigator (in detail)?

 

Thanks for any help!

[Travelcat2]

:D

Hi All:

 

We are new to RSSC having just booked the March 29, 2010 FLL - FLL 11 night trip on Navigator. We are semi-novice cruises having been only on 8 cruises (6 on Princess, 2 on Celebrity).

 

We are 2 adults, plus 1 well-traveled 11 year old. It was a great deal, including OBC. I opted to get the air credit in lieu of the free air, since air from So Cal is much less than the credit. Also, shore excursions are included for our son, since he was a paying (though reduced fare) passenger.

 

Questions:

 

How "open" are the guests in terms of being liberal? I have read great things about the guests being well-traveled, well educated and upper middle class(ish), which we are. That said, we are a non-traditional family being 2 male parents of an adopted son. Will this fly on this cruise line (being so intimate and sometimes of an older demographic)? I would like to think so as it has never been a problem on other lines....

 

I have seen information on the boards regarding dress code, but does it differ for a tropical itinerary? I know the elegant casual nights should be slacks and collared shirts (I have seen that polo/golf shirts are a no-no), but what about collared, short sleeved "aloha" shirts? It seems it would fit the theme of the cruise and still be tactful (think along the likes of Tommy Bahamas).

 

Does anyone know if a children's program will be offered? Not that important since there will be 9 ports in the 11 days, but just curious.

 

Has anyone stayed in cabin 867 (Cat. F) and any feedback in terms of location, noise, etc.?

 

I've seen the menus from Mariner, but are they the same on Navigator?

 

Does anyone have photos of Navigator (in detail)?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

I can answer a few questions for you.

 

Regent passengers are very welcoming to all people. If you and your partner are friendly, nothing else will matter. All three of you will be very comfortable.

 

Yes -- there will be a children's program on the Navigator for your cruise. Even though it is port intensive, your son will probably enjoy interacting with other children his age.

 

The clothing you describe are fine (as are polo shirts) on casual nights. On Formal nights, you will need a dark suit and tie (if they have a Formal night -- some cruises do not.

 

While I'm not positive that the menu's on the Navigator are the same as the other ships, I believe they are (someone else can verify this).

 

In terms of suite 867, I am a bit concerned that it is too far aft. The Navigataor has a vibration that may or may not be disturbing to you and your family. To place it safe, I'd move to a more mid-ship suite.

 

Have you checked out the Regent website? There are some photographs of the ship (note: the suites on the Navigator are almost identical to the suites on the Voyager).

 

The ships, crew and passengers on Regent are wonderful. It would be difficult not to have a great time:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, semi-novice after 8 cruises, good attitude! (I have 8 cruises too, all on Regent.)

 

I doubt the menus are identical on all the ships, since they have different chefs and they rotate through time, but the type of menu is the same.

 

I'm no expert on Navigator, but I would have thought that your cabin 867 was too far aft. Navigator has a well-documented vibration especially at speed, and rocks and rolls quite a bit too in stormy weather. We had an E, mid-ship on deck 6 and were very happy. But you may not have that option since these cruises appear to be very popular. Others who have experienced the vibrations can comment better.

 

You can always dodge a formal night by having room service, which is of course, complimentary--you can get the full Compass Rose menu. We have 3 such nights on an upcoming Voyager trip and will dodge at least one of them that way.

[egret]

I just left the Navigator on August 14. The food in Compass Rose was very good in my opinion. We didn't have dinner at Portofinos, however that is moot with you since Portifino's is history after the refit at the end of the year.

My experience is that you meet all different sorts of folks on Regent and most seem to be very tolerant although my wife was very intolerant of my differing political opinion on our recent cruise. Better not go there. I would say if you don't make it an issue, it won't be an issue.

I wore polo shirts as well as short sleeve conventional shirts for the casual nights and my suit and tie on the informal nights, we had no formal nights. I didn't feel out of place as there were folks in more casual and more formal dress all the time.

There were alot of young people of a variety of ages on our Med Cruise and they seemed to have a good time but had no impact on us. We saw them at dinner, on some excursions but that was about it.

We were in 722 specifically to avoid the aft and the famous Navigator vibration. I noticed it in Gallileos and Portofinos but I can't say I was bothered by it. Several people I met had not noticed it until I asked them if they were bothered by it. You just need to be ready for it if you have an aft stateroom. We were not bothered in our room.

I am sure you will have a great cruise.

[Island Cruiser]

My partner Fred and I discovered Regent in 2003. We found it to be very gay friendly. As a matter of fact, the Cruise Director on that cruise, Regent's "star" at the time, was openly gay. I think you and your partner and very luck son will feel right at home on a Regent cruise ship. Patrick

[RachelG]

Like Egret said, if you don't make the gay issue an issue, it won't be an issue.

My husband is VERY conservative, but his favorite guys to play blackjack with on our recent cruise were gay. It wasn't an issue.

[kvisf]

Confirming what Island Cruiser said: we (conservative, heterosexual) have been on two Regent cruises with our best friends (progressive, gay) and there was simply no issue with other passengers. You will have a wonderful time with your son.

[wripro]

Regent, like all the luxury lines, is very gay friendly. Don't worry. Just enjoy!

[owtrspace]

Thanks for all the great insight. We are so excited about this trip! It's funny, we have a land-based vacation to Sydney coming up in a couple months, but it is being overshadowed by our RSSC cruise :).

[mrlevin]

Hi All:

 

I have seen information on the boards regarding dress code, but does it differ for a tropical itinerary? I know the elegant casual nights should be slacks and collared shirts (I have seen that polo/golf shirts are a no-no), but what about collared, short sleeved "aloha" shirts? It seems it would fit the theme of the cruise and still be tactful (think along the likes of Tommy Bahamas).

 

I've seen the menus from Mariner, but are they the same on Navigator?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

You are scheduled to have two formal nights; on both of your sea days. Tux or dark suit are fine. The rest of the nights are casual; Tommy Bahama shirts are fine.

 

We just came off one week on Navigator followed by one week on Voyager. Menus were conistent between the two. As all meat purchases are coordinated in US, that is not surprising. In fact, menu on last night of each cruise in Compass Rose was almost identical.

 

I know that you will find Regent a wonderful cruise experience.

 

Marc

[cands]

Hi,

We're in the process of booking our first Regent cruise on Navigator. Our travel agent politely declined to even quote on the 'F' suites because she had received so much negative feedback about vibration and noise!

 

Regards,

Steve.

[cruiseluv]

Steve,

 

You have a well informed TA! You'll be fine in any cabin towards the front.

[MamaQuack]

owtrspace,

 

You, your partner and your son will be welcomed on Regent; we meet openly gay and lesbian couples on every Regent cruise. Our son always loved the youth programs because they are so much smaller than what Celebrity or HAL offer. He has met many kids coming from same sex parents. It is not an issue on Regent. Go, plan, have a ball!! We have only sailed the Navigator once but found the size delightful. Its just worked out over the years we have been on Voyager and Mariner for our other cruises.

[bbonprince]

My husband and I have been cruising since we first met 16+ years ago on a range of lines: Silversea, HAL, RCCL, NCL, Celebrity and others. We take our first Regent cruise on 09/16 from Seward to Osaka. We are not flag wavers but most intelligent folks realize we are a couple very quickly and not once in all these cruises have we experienced prejudice of any sort. The fact that you are parents is a bonus. There is too much emphasis in the media on homophobia. We may be a little out of touch in that we live in South Florida and Boston but on a cruise, we never experience bad vibes because we are gay. We hope you have a great cruise.