coljack

Hoping to have 12 guests register for the Meet & Mingle (12 is the minimum needed.) We have 10 so far. If anyone else is reading this and is on this cruise, please register. We just need two more guests. Hope to meet everyone at the M & M if we get two more.

Great question. Without a doubt, Petra and Wadi Rum. Second place is harder. Ephesus with an Archeologist was terrific ("with an archeologist" part made it an extra charge but well worth it.) In St Petersburg, there was a special evening tour to Catherine the Great's palace that included a private tour including the Amber Room with no tourists, and extras like a string quartet performance, dinner at a Russian restaurant afterward. A caviar buffet awaited us back at the ship. One of our best evenings ever.

We live near Denver and love to go from Denver direct to Frankfurt and then to wherever the cruise starts. I am a retired pilot and understand the risks of misconnections and lost luggage if we go through Chicago or Dallas or anywhere in the US. Flying Lufthansa to do this cost us an extra $1000 each plus an extra $350 each to delay a few days in FRA. Not counting the air dev fee, of course. This is the first year we had to pay extra for Lufthansa.

We sometimes take the Regent pre or post package and sometimes book our own. The Regent hotels are always top-notch and get you upgraded status in the hotel. For example, if it is a Hilton property, you get diamond status for lounges, etc. Using the Regent packages also avoids the air deviation fee ($175 each now, I think.) If you arrive or leave on a date different from the scheduled Regent air, you are "deviating." On the other hand, these excellent hotels are frequently not in the area you want to stay. Examples: In Montreal, the Regent hotel was in the financial district; we wanted to stay in the old city. In Istanbul, Regent hotel in the club district on the new side of the city; we wanted to stay in the old district near all the tourist attractions. In Barcelona, Regent hotel not walking distance from La Ramblas. Hope this gives you some other things to think about. In our case, location is the most important factor. I agree with other posters that the free transfers are not important.

Hi, Jo,

I know you haven't been on Regent lately and haven't seen you on the roll call for awhile. Did you remember to make your dining reservations?

John

Alexandra & Jarle, Thank you for your kind post and offer of help in Oslo. We will be finishing a Regent cruise in Oslo in July and, unfortunately, will not be able to stay in Oslo, so will be going from the ship to the airport. We do have two extra hours and want to visit the Viking Ship Museum. We want to book a limo to meet us at the ship, take us to the museum, wait for us for an hour or so, then take us to the airport. We don't need a guide, just a driver who is reliable to watch our luggage and take us safely to the airport. Can you recommend a transport service?

Best regards, John and Helen

Thanks, Poss! I'll try those.

I'm looking for a limo service in Oslo to take us from ship to airport with a stop at the Viking Museum, which I've always wanted to see. We don't need a guide, just a ride that we can rely on to keep our luggage safe while we are in the museum and a reliable ride to the airport. Does anyone have any recommendations?

"Sambal" isn't Indian - it is Indonesian but that doesn't matter much. It spices anything up!

 

We haven't been on Explorer yet but have ordered an Indian meal in the CR on all the other ships. And uniformly the food has been delicious. I asked why it was so good once - and was told that there is an Indian chef who cooks for the butlers. (All the butlers are Indian).

Thank you! Any particular favorite dishes? I'm a fan of lamb vindaloo, vegetable korma, and vegetarian thali.

I haven't seen a large charter, but sometimes, if the cruise is well undersold, Regent will open those up to discount agencies. This can result in a number of guests who are not in the usual Regent demographic. This can be good or bad, but doesn't fit your worry, since they are usually not connected with each other. We've been on five Regent cruises; hopefully some of the more experienced posters will weigh in with a more comprehensive answer.

Thanks, TC. Once again you come through for us with useful info. Glad to hear about the Infinity Pool. Also, although we have cruised several times with Regent (but not on Explorer) we never knew about the ordering special meals in CR. Can't wait to try Indian cuisine spiced beyond the generic, bland versions. You are our hero; hope to meet you one day. Thanks, again.

Hi and welcome to the Regent board!

 

In general, the tips for other ships also apply to the Explorer. The Explorer does have an extra dining venue - Pacific Rim. I always recommend that people new to Regent set up their account on the rssc.com website. If you have not done this already, suggest that you do it. It takes about 5 minutes to set up and you will see the dates when you can book excursions and dining reservations (recommend booking them the day that they open - keep in mind that the day is 12:00 a.m. EST.

 

If you have not booked (or booked very recently), I highly recommend using a TA that regularly books Regent cruises as this will save you money in terms of getting a percentage back on your cruise fare and possibly OBC's (depending upon the itinerary).

 

Deviation - for $175/person you can select your flights 270 days prior to sailing. You mentioned flights with two stops. I found a Lufthansa flight with only one stop. This is better for two reasons: 1). If you have a stop in the U.S. (stopping in New York for instance), your flight from Florida may be in coach (unless you are using the same airline on all flights), and 2). Lufthansa has flat-bed seats in Business Class and, In my opinion, is a far better airline than U.S. based carriers. Having just booked a deviated flight to Barcelona on Lufthansa, I know that Regent is contracted with Lufthansa.

 

If you booked a concierge or above suite, a pre-cruise hotel is included. If you are not on a concierge or above suite, Regent will expect you to fly to Nice the day of embarkation. If you decided to book your own hotel the day before, you would still pay the deviation fee since you have technically deviated your flight. Sorry - this is confusing to most of us -- if I am not clear on anything, I'll be happy to clarify.

 

While not a secret, some passengers coming from non-luxury cruise lines may not know that in the main restaurant, Compass Rose (we refer to it as CR), you can pre-order almost anything that you wish 24 hours in advance by contacting the restaurant manager. We have ordered Indian, Indonesian, Filipino meals as well as Chateaubriand, etc. Also, on some nights, the choices on the CR menu make it difficult to make a choice. So, you can order an appetizer portion of a entree visa versa. Sometimes we get an extra entree - just to share -- lobster is great for sharing and is on the everyday menu.

 

One item on the CR menu that I want to make a special point about is the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass - it is amazing.

 

Crowds in CR is a problem on all ships ONLY after an event like the Captain's Reception or Farewell and when they hold the Seven Seas Society party for returning guests. After the event, 400+ people line up for CR and, as with any restaurant, it is just about impossible to give great service when everyone arrives at once. Suggest getting to CR at 6:30 p.m. or wait until 8:00 p.m.

 

There is one area of the Explorer that is not on the other ships - the Infinity Pool. It is a small area in the front of the ship near the gym (they have a wonderful gym on Explorer) where you can hang out and watch the sea - whether you are in the water or on a lounge.

 

There are a lot of nooks and crannies on the ship to relax - read a book or people watch. The decor of the Explorer is amazing. You may want to stop by the library - if only to see the leather floors. Also, kind of a secret is the fact that there are two computers in the library (you can't print but they work just fine).

 

Hope this isn't too much information. I'm sure that you will have a great time on Explorer!

My wife thinks that the best tip we've gotten from this board is that room service will deliver to the laundry rooms. She had them bring her a Cosmopolitan while she was doing laundry, and actually had a fun time.

Thanks for the chuckle and the idea! We've exclusively used room service for breakfasts before early excursions. Clearly, we need to brainstorm some other uses.

Having taken the plunge and booked a Baltic cruise on Explorer, I have a question concerning excursions. I know that they are generally included, with some exceptions. So far as St Petersburg is concerned, can anyone tell me whether the Regent excursions (both standard and those for which an extra charge applies) are worthwhile, or whether it would be better to book a private or semi-private tour? I know of the various tour operators in St Petersburg, but am uncertain whether to trust Regent or for us to go independently of Regent.

Travelcat's reply is excellent as always, but I want to chime it as well. We love the flexibility of private or semi-private guides but they are expensive. One Regent tour in St Pete that we loved was the evening excursion to Catherine's Palace. We had private access to the Amber Room and lots of extras in terms of entertainment. No crowds at all! Well worth the extra charge for the Regent excursion.

If you ever had survival training you might find a snake quite tasty.

I must have had the luxury survival training. I got a rabbit instead of a snake.;p

Life rafter,

Have you flown Business Class on BA? If not, one thing to keep in mind when reserving seats is that (at least some of) their aircraft, have privacy dividers between most of the seats that make them awkward if you want to talk with your flying companion. Check the Seat Guru on the net for seat maps and info.

Bill,

We're in another draught in COS with fire danger high very frequently. We live in the foothills so we keep a bag packed. Evacuated for a week and barely spared in the Waldo Canyon fire. Even so, we love it here! Thanks for saying hi.

John

Thanks, Travelcat. I'm not real active on this site but have enjoyed your comments.

How do you find out how many cabins are still open?

Can anyone tell me of you hear noise from the pool deck of you are staying on deck 10. We are on the Mariner crossing on April 4. Right now we are in center of deck 8 but was thinking of going up. Only deck 10 is left. Any advice

Hi, We were on deck ten, 1007, on Voyager. This was right under the La Veranda outside seating. Every morning at 0600, the chairs and tables were loudly pushed across the deck to clean the area. Never got any results from complaining. Now we always check what is above our cabin before booking it.

Dear MHB: Thank you so much for the extremely helpful reply. I appreciate the time you took to give us some great info. If I could intrude once more, did you have any favorite restaurants in Flam, Bergen, or Oslo? We usually look for nice places that have local food and flavor (decor) that are below Michelin level but still nice.

We actually did the NinN last week before we boarded the Star in Bergen and we used Porter Service. It was a GREAT convenience. We stayed at the Radisson at the airport which is quite a long way from the city center so they met us right on the train platform the next AM exactly when they said they would and the luggage was waiting for us at our hotel in Bergen when we arrived the following day (we spent the night in Flam en route). It would have been a huge hassle to get luggage on and off ferry and up to bus in Gudvagen and not easy in a bunch of other places too.

 

In your case I am not certain there would be anyplace at the pier in Bergen for them to leave the luggage. If you had the bags tagged for Viking they might be able to hand them over directly to the Viking staff at the pier but that is something you would have to clarify with Viking. I'm thinking you might be better off having them delivered to a hotel near the port (Radisson Blu or Havnekontoret and Viking uses the Radisson for their Oslo-Bergen precruise extension) and pick them up there on your way to the ship.

Your best bet is to email the Porter Service people directly and see what arrangements they can offer. They will answer email very promptly. Contact them at porter service.no. Let us know what you find out.

Dear MHB: I was very excited to see your post. We are about to book a Bergen to Copenhagen cruise for June of 2018 and I am trying to figure out a way to include NinN before the Bergen sailing. I am most concerned about the best way to handle the air travel. This is our first Viking cruise, usually Regent before and they were very good at air deviations. It sounds like you flew into Oslo and I was happy to hear about Porter service. Did you do your own travel arrangements or use something people are calling Viking Plus? Also, if you give me your name would you get a benefit when I call Viking or your TA?

Coljack

We have taken several Regent Seven Seas and Oceania cruises and enjoyed the experience. We are thinking of taking a Viking Ocean Cruises journey. We would like to hear from someone who has cruised both lines and ask their opinion of Viking Ocean. In particular, we enjoyed working with the air deviation desk at Regent to give us more control over our air bookings. We always extended and/or came early on all our trips and had the flexibility to move our arrival and departure dates for air travel sometimes even changing the cities. Does Viking offer this service as well. Thank you.