PaulaJK

We are onboard since Venice. We find the staff/ crew to be very service oriented as well as personable. The lounges are clean and comfortable w. pretty floral arrangements. Our PH is well appointed and in generally decent condition but the sofa has arms unpleasantly worn/ stained, not consistent w. luxury, five stars star bragging. We think that there has been a decline in the cuisine. The menu reads 5 star but not the product. For example, we had an unchewable rib eye steak, soups are very salty, soufflés have thick crusts! ..french fries are never hot, etc. I had sauteed grouper that came out as firm as a hockey puck : I know , hard to imagine. Most lounges have music until 7:15 pre dinner and after the show/ Mariner Lounge seems short changed here. . There is an entertaining duo in Stars . One cast show was impressive ( Divos, Divas) and one depressing .(Tuxedo). Not a lover of magic, I do not hesitate to say that this magician was marvelous. He is the only headliner to date and tonite is a movie. Horizon Lounge has been offering some dance music after the show These are our experiences and opinions and may differ from yours .

We boarded Mariner today. Anyone who is disabled or who has mobility issues or medical problems should seriously consider not booking a cruise embarking in Venice. JMO, of course. We took a water taxi (110 E) to the Marine Terminal. Agents met the taxi and took the luggage then instructed us about a long walk to the terminal. We were earlier than printed check in but there were over a hundred people in line..not your usual Regent experience. A lovely Belgium couple on their new to Regent said that it was like MSC. We asked an agent for a wheelchair for my husband who has a respiratory condition and was short of breath in the ninety degree heat. ..’all taken’. Eventually we proceeded thru desk check in, then a security similar to an airport. The boarding pass was never perused. We were then directed to another walk to reach a ‘bus or boat’. ( there was no boat). This was not a luxury experience. It did not provide that usual fun, exciting welcome but rather was debilitating.

We found transfer in FRA very stressful and tedious. Ours involved ups and diwns as well as train terminal transfer. Every time we travel, we seem to require more tine for the transfer. Be kind to you.

I concur w CWN. Perhaps you could try individually booking the hotel R is using….R’s rates are based on 2 persons (as are most hotels) and tend to be higher than the hotel’s.

Given the age of your son, old soul included, I suspect that SS might be a bit subdued for him. With a Caribbean itinerary he may be able to choose excursions w snorkeling or wave runners. Have fun!

We had 1 ( quite legitimate) claim w. IME that took 7 months of appeals..finally reimbursed. They were a nightmare!

Mike responded to my inquiry concerning boarding in Fusina. Very helpful and much apprecuated.

I need to check my notes…sorry all

This is very helpful. Not to be snarky, but they should give the notice to their telephone receptionists, several of whom have no clue.

Thank you. This post was very helpful. And thank hou tdchono.

Thank you for your reality based recommendation. I telephone Regent who stated that they transfer all passengers to Fusina after check in. I will check this a second time as rep had to put me on hold to learn this plus thought that Mariner sailed at 5 pm/ unnerving. We have cruised into and out of Venice but Fusina plus mobility issues now make this seem daunting to us.

Thank you Flossie Regent confirms that they will transfer all to Fusina post check in. This is a great relief as I was struggling w private arrangements to Fusina. Of course I don’t expect transfers to and from our independently booked hotel.

Is this transfer available to everyone? We have not taken the Regent air or hotel ( We wanted to stay in Venice ‘downtown’.) if not available to us, can we purchase it from Regent or can we find another transfer program?

We are sailing Mariner in late August, embarking in Venice/ Fusina. It seems that we check in @Marittima/ Marine Terminal. #1 - Do they take your luggage from there? #2- Is there a transfer service to Fusina and if so, what? We chose to go into Venice a few days early..which seems to be confusing things for us. If we had chosen the Hilton, these transfers, of course, would be included. We anticipate private pay but now I am wondering if that is possible…the check in to Fusina Being very challenging. Your experiences or any recommendations would be appreciated.

Love your even pitch commentary Georgia Peach and these photos are fabulous. Thank you.

Nothing is free. Several items are pointed out as included in your fare. e.g. gratuities and excursions. I accept ports cancelled or changed due to weather or operational reasons. Same w tours e.g. our helicopter ride onto an iceberg, cancelled due to weather. Since we are already paying for excursions, I find it quite annoying when few are available/ open or when they are cancelled without explanation and without a substitute offering. Regent offers no refund for fare paid for these excursions. Imagine if they stopped serving dinner etc.

We will book our own air into Venice but will take the one night hotel. -If we wish to spend 2 nights at the hotel, do we need to book thru Regent. Their prices are generally higher. -Since we will not be using their air, am I correct in assuming that the transfers to the hotel do not apply? Will they transfer from hotel to terminal fir check in and to Fusina? A canal city with boarding outside of it is throwing me. Also concerned about the distance from airport terminal to water taxi as spouse has mobility issues.

We have always had to submit our passport along w the application for the new passport. Could someone please clarify what this ‘second passport’ is.

Any news on Mark Farris reappearing?

We are accustomed to sail from Venice proper but have never sailed from Fusina. Would appreciate any information about this. Is it better to stay/ hotel on Guidecca or Murano? Do you have to go to Marittima to check in or has some facility been set up in Fusina?

Two weeks ago we had a scrumptious dinner of stone crab claws..2 courses…couldn’t resist , then a modest entree. Absolutely delicious. Great service. Hope that you enjoy yours!

Debarked Sojourn today. Some officers wore masks…and saw about four passengers w masks.

Debarked today from a Sojourn cruise which had 4 sea days w DR opened ltd hours for breakfast and lunch. We skip breakfast but did attended lunch which had a good showing on the starboard side section of the DR. Lovely, relaxing watching the sea from a window seat. I don’t think that the line is enthused and that ir reflected in the sparse menu. SB continues to note that the closing of the DR results in more rest for the crew/ empathy please….however, the crew is used for room service…so last night’s very fine waiter brings your breakfast. SB seems under staffed and it shows…meanwhile the staff works very hard and is fabulous.

We also learned that our reservation had not carried over from booking via SB Source to the restaurant…this is how the restaurant explained what is happening to many….so, check your reservation upon boarding.

Lovely restaurant. If you enjoy stone crab claws, excellent here . Just perfect for a pre cruise experience. Will be dining here on Thursday.