loriva

When you open your Booked Cruises, open the one of interest with "Manage Cruise." Scroll down and you should see a bunch of items under "Customize my Cruise." Under "Roundtrip Airfare," you should have a line "Review Air Schedule" in blue. Open that link and your booked flights will appear.

As others have said, you will not be able to manage your flights on the airline's website until Regent has ticketed them. This is around 60 days prior to embarkation rather than as soon as you make final payment, per Regent's Air Department. We made our final payment for our upcoming cruise over a month ago, but they are still showing on the Lufthansa website as not ticketed. Our 60-day mark will be in another three weeks. Regent's Air Department also told me they do make seat reservations when they initially book your flights. For me at least, the seats do not appear on my Air Schedule in my account on Regent's website nor were they on the itinerary sent to me for review and approval. I was able to obtain the seat assignments by calling Regent--and it did not trigger the $75 fee. This MAY not apply to all airlines. We had air from Regent to LHR on British Air and return on Virgin Atlantic last year and I was able to manage my reservations on their websites as soon as the flight was booked, long before it was ticketed. I've only booked air through Regent twice, so not sure if this was just an anomaly or if different airlines have different policies on how bookings made by third parties can be managed.

We have a roll call going. Not very active but come on over and say hi if you wish. Busy trying to plan. It will be only the second time for DH in Venice and Athens, so trying to come up with ways to maximize our time there (which includes just wandering aimlessly in Venice!) All the other ports except Kusadasi will be new to us.

Which sailing are you on? We're on the one departing Venice on 20 October. Hoping for some nice weather and smooth sailing on what looks to be an interesting itinerary!

I thought the drinking water on the ships came from a desalinization process? And then the Vero water is supposed to be filtered after that? So, the water should not have any of the heavy metals, chlorine, or fluoride the alkaline filters are meant to remove to begin with.

Late to the party, but we booked this itinerary for August 2025 while aboard our first VO cruise in May. Thank you so much for the informative, detailed, and lively commentary on your cruise. Will have to give those lamb chops for breakfast a try in a couple of years!

Slightly off topic, but what are the days and hours when the Viking Air Plus department is open? I can find their phone number (1-877-523-0580) on the Viking website, but nothing on when they are open. Our date to book air is this Saturday (310 days before we embark). Is the department open that day or do I need to wait until Monday to call?

Thanks, @SempreMare, for pointing out @Azulann's wonderful live report. Brings back memories. Also, sadness that we missed Gdansk--same shorex booked. We had the same experience with our CC.com M&G--no response to my email--but never had any contact with the GM. Loved Assistant CD Francesca--great voice. We did not have Aarhus on our cruise itinerary, but my sister and I visited it on our Danish Heritage tour after the cruise (after we sent the husbands home). Driving around Denmark visiting areas where our family lived with the genealogist/guide was a magical experience. Har det godt for the rest of your travels, @Azulann!

Thanks for the summary of the new procedure. That was not my question, however. On these boards, people have suggested calling Regent a week or so in advance of the 210-day mark to get the names of the carriers with whom Regent has contracts for a particular route. Then with that information in hand you can prepare itineraries you find acceptable for the call at the 210-day mark. It was that first call--not actual booking--on which I had the question of the $75 charge. I've also asked the question on the flight deviation thread, perhaps a more-appropriate place for the query.

Should have thought to ask this question when I called about seat reservations, but I did not. Does anyone know if you can still call the Regent Air Concierge to obtain the carriers with whom Regent has contract rates for a particular route or routes? Or does the $75/pp charge apply even to that? Will give it a try next week and report back my experience.

Does anyone know if you can still call the Regent Air Concierge to obtain the carriers with whom Regent has contract rates for a particular route or routes? Or does the $75/pp charge apply even to that?

The Regent Air Concierge also told me yesterday that they make seat reservations when they book your flight. Mine did not show up on the itinerary they sent me (or my TA) so I had to call to get them. They do not ticket the flight until 60 days out, however, so you might not be able to access your reservation to change seats, etc. until after that date. This does seem to vary, however. I was able to access our reservation on British Airways for a flight last September but cannot access the current reservation on Lufthansa--it pops up a message that "this reservation requires payment." So, you might want to have the seats you desire in hand on your preferred flight options when you (or your TA) call/s the Air Concierge at the 210-day mark.

Interesting! The OP specifically mentioned booking shorex for a cruise in June 2024 that includes Dublin/Dun Laoghaire. But the Regent website does not list Dublin (nor any port in Ireland) as among its destinations. But there is it on 16 June 2024 in the Splendor cruise itinerary! Weird.

Had not heard Regent dropped Dublin. The OP mentions stopping in Dun Laoghaire, which is where we anchored and tendered in for Dublin. DL is a suburb of Dublin. I remember reading that cruise ships used to be allowed to go down the Liffey River and dock right in Dublin. That may be what you are thinking.

Hey Karen, Our itinerary was called "Breathtaking Irish Landscapes" (love the creativity of Regent's marketing department in coming up with names for all its sailing). Here was our itinerary: Date Port of Call Arrival Departure 09/17/2022 Southampton – 06:00 PM 09/18/2022 Cruising 09/19/2022 Edinburgh/Newhaven – tender – 08:00 AM 06:00 PM 09/20/2022 Invergordon 09:00 AM 07:00 PM 09/21/2022 Kirkwall – 07:00 AM 05:00 PM 09/22/2022 Ullapool – tender – 07:00 AM 04:00 PM 09/23/2022 Killybegs – 10:00 AM 08:00 PM 09/24/2022 Belfast 10:00 AM 10:00 PM 09/25/2022 Dublin/ Dún Loaghaire – tender -- 07:00 AM 10:00 PM 09/26/2022 Holyhead 08:00 AM 06:00 PM 09/27/2022 Waterford/Ireland -- tender 07:00 AM 05:00 PM 09/28/2022 Portland/Weymouth 12:00 PM 10:00 PM 09/29/2022 Southampton 07:00 AM -- We missed Edinburgh as the port was closed for the Queen's funeral. Instead, the Splendor sailed across the English Channel to La Havre for the day--not ideal as it was a Sunday and most things were closed. Then we had a sea day as we sailed to Invergordon.

Lots of choices in vacation experiences. We have done both river cruises (Danube, Rhine, and Elbe and planning upper Danube and Douro) and ocean (lots of different cruise lines). With the increasing popularity of river cruises, it is not a guarantee you'll be able to walk immediately off the ship into town--we've also had to shuttle in some ports (Strasbourg on the Rhine, for example). Cabins are also much-more cozy and there are fewer choices of food, wine, and entertainment on the much-smaller river ships. Great information on the river boards on CC.com if you are not already following them. We had a wonderful time on our BI cruise with Regent. Part of it is simply the Regent experience--lovely large cabins, great service, lots of fun craft cocktails in the Meridian Lounge, tasty food, etc.. Having had some longish bus rides on our BI cruise, I made sure to do my research prior to the date we could reserve our shorex for our upcoming Med cruise on Splendor. If we really wanted to go somewhere, we signed up for it regardless of the distance from the port. For a port like Dubrovnik, we opted to stay close to experience the town itself. Private or DIY is also an option, although having paid for shorex in Regent's fare, I like to select at least one--even if just a hop-on, hop-off bus ticket. It's all your choice as long as you do the research to make informed decisions. Take care,

Many--most--of the excursions on the BI itineraries seem to involve long bus rides with just a little time on site. There are simply long distances between where the ship can dock and the sites. Invergordon to Lochness was a prime example. If there is something you're really interested in do a search on Google Maps for the distances involved. We did not have the exact itinerary as you on our circumnavigation of the British Isles last September on Splendor, but here's what we did on the common ports: --Newcastle -- not on our itinerary --Edinburgh -- Missed due to the port being closed for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II --Invergordon -- Lochness and Urquhart Castle -- long bus ride, scenic but long --Kirkwall -- NORTH ORKNEY EXPLORATION -- Standing Stones interesting, scenic, but long bus ride --Stornoway -- not on our itinerary --Dun Laoghaire is the port for Dublin -- We did the Guiness Experience, then spent the rest of the day on our own going to Temple Bar, a cruise on the Liffey River, and visiting a historic pub. We took the commuter train (DART) from the Dublin Connolly stop back to the port. (IHalf of the ship's staff and crew were on our train--very easy to do.) --Belfast -- We booked the pubs tour (don't waste the money on the small group version--they were seated right next to us in the same pubs). On board we also obtained tickets for the Hop-on, Hop-off bus and used it to visit the Titanic Museum and then completed the circuit of the ccity, We had lunch at the St. George's market and then used the Regent-provided shuttle from City Hall to make our pub tour time. --Isle Of Man -- not on our itinerary --Ringaskiddy -- not on our itinerary --Portland -- We had booked the CORFE CASTLE & SCENIC DRIVE but cancelled it after the long bus rides we'd had in other ports (some of which are not on your itinerary). We took the Regent shuttle into Weymouth, walked around the beach, went to Marks and Spenser for our fix of British foods, and had lunch in a pub. The best excursion on our sailing was in a port not on your itinerary--Killybegs, Ireland. It was a long drive to reach the farm with the sheep dog demonstration, but the dogs were so cute--and it was fun seeing the handler put them through their paces. We also stopped for tea and scones in a historic pub on the way back to the ship. Hope this helps.

DH and I have sailed with Regent twice (Explorer and Splendor) and Oceania (Riviera) once. All three were post-COVID. (Previous cruises were mass-market lines.) I'd throw in my two cents that the itinerary really matters on which cruise line we might prefer. We did a Caribbean itinerary for our first Regent cruise on Explorer in Dec 2021-Jan 2022 as well as our Oceania cruise (February 2023). Both sailed out of Terminal J in Miami, so we drove to each cruise--airfare not a factor. Since we had been to most of the ports previously, the shorex was not a big factor either. The included excursions on Regent were so-so--sometimes big buses and long drives. We booked our own on Oceania and enjoyed them. The Concierge-level suites on Regent were much larger than Oceania--415 sq. ft. versus 291--but I find the design and layout of both more than sufficient to our needs. The specialty dining on both (included in the fare on both) is very similar in my view--a steakhouse, an Italian, a French, and a pan-Pacific. (And the La Reserve experience on Oceania (an extra cost) was superb.) I found the experience much the same on both lines--although I did prefer Jacques to Chartreuse. I also give higher marks to the Terrace on Oceania--the choice at the grill is wonderful. We found service on both lines comparable--always friendly and professional. So on a Caribbean itinerary--where excursions were not really a factor--I'd say I preferred Oceania. (Price overall could not be a point of comparison between the two cruises as the Regent cruise was a "Hail Mary" after having three cruises with Regent cancelled due to COVID and having to find something to sail on to use our FCCs and the Oceania cruise was a Florida-residents special, so a very good price.) Our second Regent sailing was a British Isles itinerary. While I don't have an Oceania for direct comparison, I'd probably give Regent the nod on this one due to the included international Business air and ease of selecting shorex for the different ports (although I learned to check how far the sites to be visited are from where the ship docks). (On the included airfare, we could have probably gotten home earlier and with fewer self-paid hotel nights if we had booked independently. We had to wait three days until Regent had contracted seats with British Airways after Hurricane Nicole prevented our originally scheduled return to Florida.) We also just completed our first ocean voyage with Viking (the Homelands itinerary) and liked them very much for the ship, accommodations, food (not so much the included wine--but they have a very liberal BYOB policy), service, and excursions. They'll also be in our calculations going forward. I'm keeping a spreadsheet to compare costs and experiences, initially with the idea of selecting a new preferred line. At this point, however, we'll probably just keep with the idea of itinerary first--then finding one of our preferred lines that best suits our timing. It's nice to have choices even though I think we'll also start cutting back on cruising given the huge price increases we're seeing for 2024 and beyond--double in some cases.

@AzulannThe CD is Richard Green and the GM is Daciano da Silva. When I heard about Viking doing Meet and Mingles again, I sent an email to the ship directed to the CD and GM. It was only 72 hours before our embarkation as the thread on this did not come up until it was almost time for our sailing. Sadly, I received no response. Hope your luck is better. We did the included walking tour in Copenhagen in the morning and the trip to Roskilde for the Viking Ship Museum and Cathedral in the afternoon. A long day, but both interesting--even for someone who had been to the sites previously (albeit over four decades ago!) Aalborg also turned out to be excellent and a charming small city. There was a wonderful brewpub (Sogaards) and found out the beer-tasting excursion Viking offers is offered by the pubs themselves. It is called the "Beer Walk" and you buy a tasting glass at one pub (Sogaards being one) and then you get vouchers for beers there and at other bars. It cost DKK 159 (U.S. $23ish) to Viking's $109. Aalborg is easy to walk around, no guide needed. Also, Aalborg has the Danish Emigration Archives that has historical documents for Danes who emigrated from Denmark in the late 1800s/early 1900s). The staff were very nice, but sadly, could not find records on my family (although I had names, birthdates and places, and the year they left Denmark). But if records do not exist, they cannot be found.

Captain Larsen mentioned "gale-force winds" in his announcement prior to departing Aalborg. The technical definition of that is an "8" on the Beaufort Wind Force scale or 37 kt/43 mph/68 km/h. I guess we see why he substituted Aalborg for our scheduled Skagen. (Which is ironic as Aalborg was the port of call on our original itinerary--Viking switched it to Skagen last August.)

Also onboard the Jupiter. At noon, the captain (Thomas Larsen) announced we would also be skipping Bornholm (Ronne) due to the high winds. He decided to sail directly to Warnemunde instead of having a third sea day in a row. We were estimated to arrive at 0900 hours, but the CD (Richard Green, who was confined to his cabin "under the weather" for the start of the cruise) just announced it would be around 0930 hours as we need to wait for another ship to clear our scheduled berth. We will overnight here. The excursions team did not lay on any extra excursions for our extra day. There is a shuttle that will run from the Warnemunde Cruise Terminal to St. Mary's Church (Marienkirken) at Lange Strasse approximately every 20 minutes. There is also an offer for a free beer at Restaurant Hopfenkeller from 1200-1700 hours. Not sure if that is every time a Viking ship is in port, or just today.

Just checking the mattress in our stateroom on the Jupiter... The mattress itself appears to have a top layer of foam--rubber or something similar. We also have a nice, thick mattress pad. We did not ask for an extra topper--it is just as a comes. I'd also rate it as firm, but not hard. We've had no issues with the comfort.

The staff talked as if it were to be shipwide. They also said rehearsals for the new shows had begun.

An update to my original post from staff on Jupiter: --The ABBA Songbook will be folded into a show on the pool deck--a show to allow people to get up and dance. --The Beatles show folds into a classic rock show--50s, 60s, and 70s; Stones, Fleetwood Mac, others. --There will be a new show, Southern Sounds, which is country western. --A second new show will be show tunes--more of a traditional production show onboard cruises. Variety shows and guest entertainers will also continue.