Paul&Shark

WOW! Montradon for 13$....for a full bottle? or maybe a split? If it's for a full bottle, 13$ is a give away!

It is the regular 70c bottle. For sale at DEEN Supermarket. They have 83 outlets. If you like Heineken, a case with 24 30c bottles is for sale there at 12 bucks. Enjoy!:halo:

Paul

You might try LIDL or ALDI supermarket as well.

If hat is a permanent change, we won't be happy either.

Now this is very interesting! It goes to show that it is all about taste....Montaudon ( I like it very much) is for sale in the supermarket for 13 dollar. Jaquart sells for 34 and Germain R B goes for 39 ! So Regent is doing well IMHO.

:halo:

PAUL

it seems that many people on this board confuse "luxury' with all-inclusiveness; the more inclusive the line is, the more luxurious. However, the industry recognized leader in luxury cruising, hapag-lloyd's europa and europa 2, are not all-inclusive.

right on ! !

Jackie,

Heads on! After you left the ship in Hong Kong there was an invasion of a couple of hundred Spanish speaking guests including US cits from San Diego and Monterey.

They brought kids ranging from babies and toddlers to teenagers. I will be giving a break down of the nationalities on board later.

We will be on board for another couple of weeks.....

Said that, the Voyager and it's fantastic crew is still our favorite ship , we've sailed all Regent ships, and we are enjoying the cruise very much.:cool:

Paul

Saturday, March 17th

Today, St. Barth’s. I was up at the crack of dawn and watched the sail-in from the top deck while my husband slept in a bit. It was a long tender to shore where we strolled the main street area enjoying the ambiance as well as watching the sailboats sail out for trials of some sort. After doing a bit of shopping we returned to the ship where we retreated to our balcony to watch the million (and even at least one billion dollar – we googled it) yachts in the harbor. The sailboat teams were also quite visible from our balcony. Not sure if it was a regatta or team trials taking place. We ordered dinner and drinks to the balcony where we stayed until the sun set.

Sunday, March 18th

Our first sea day on the return to Miami. Out of the three over the top meals options today, we chose the Sunday brunch at Compass Rose. Being new to the line, and probably hesitant to wander around to have a good look, we missed a few options that we didn’t notice until we were leaving. It was quite the spread though and beautifully laid out. Not to mention delicious. I seem to be using that word a lot. <wink> After lunch it was back to the balcony for more sun and ocean watching. We did dress for dinner and were in the Observation lounge for cocktails and to watch the sun set. Magnificent does not even begin to cover it. Hubby captured some great photos. We had dinner reservations at Pacific Rim and I am here to say it was the best meal of our trip. I read here that the soft-shell crabs are not to be missed and that is an understatement. I may have to book another cruise just to eat at Pacific Rim again. Everything we had that evening was too good for words. After dinner, we waddled to the theater for the David Niven show. That guy has an incredible voice and I really enjoyed his show. Though if I’m being totally honest it did border on being a little cheesy. IMHO he was definitely “playing” to the older crowd. And here I am at 64yo and hardly believing I just typed those words.

Monday, March 19th

Our last sea day of the trip. Would you believe it was another balcony day? Breakfast AND lunch eaten out there. In the afternoon I would pop down to the pool bar for beach drinks to bring back to the balcony. At least we were not the only ones. Our next door suite neighbors spent nearly every day out on their balcony as well. And if I stood to have a better look at the ocean I could see quite a few others enjoying their balconies as much as we were. For dinner it was off to Sette Mari to eat open air on the back deck. Good food and another wonderful sunset. Watched the World Beat show in the theater after dinner. It was just ok. I guess I’m a harsh critic.

Tuesday, March 20th

The last day of the cruise at Great Stirrup Cay. We had every intention of going ashore, but as we sailed in the island did not look to be our cup of tea, so we spent the day on the ship. Naturally we put in a little balcony time and in the afternoon we leisurely packed, so we would have no mad rush late in the evening. Cocktails and sunset at the Observation bar in the evening and a final feast at CR with the incomparable Anthony. A wonderful last night.

Wednesday, March 21st

Since our plane did not leave until late afternoon, we booked the Regent HOHO tour with transportation to the airport. My, my, my…what a nightmare that experience turned out to be for some folks. Yet again, it was necessary to pack as many people as possible into the HOHO buses which met us at the terminal. Consequently, about 15 of us were jam packed on the first floor of the bus with NO WINDOWS and water dripping on us from the A/C. We expected to be taken to the Bayside Marketplace to store our bags and then start the tour of our choice, however bags were taken from us at the terminal and the tour began immediately. It’s a HOHO bus, right? One should just hop off and wait for the next bus, right? Not so, my friends. The guide, who was up top, would ask who wanted to stop and since no one up top wanted to, we didn’t. And our driver did not speak English. When we finally made it back to the Marketplace it was such a relief. Many people had earlier flights than us so that ended up being their only experience. Luckily, we were able to catch a different bus and had a delightful tour of South Beach. We even had time for lunch at the Marketplace and some people watching. Then it was on to the airport and home. We ended as we started, arriving home after midnight.

 

For what it’s worth, that is our trip! If nothing else, I had fun writing this recap and reliving it all over again.

 

Mamapirk, Thank you very much for this well balanced and Honest report. It really is a relief to read an realistic story like this on CC. The ardent Regent cheer leaders probably won't like it, but we really do appreciate your input! Said that, we hope you try Regent once more, we love the line and you help the realists among us to keep them sharp!

Paul

Brown water on Navigator has been a known thing for a very long time. That said, we have cruised on Navigator a lot, and never encountered it. It seems to come and go. It is not dangerous. But obviously if your clothes are ruined because of it, that is a big problem.

Rachel, You are absolutely right! There even is a review about this issue in the Navigator map on CC called "Brown water at 1000 dollar a day " with photos showing the brown water......

However brown water is not unique for the Navigator. We are on the Voyager right now and have seen brown water twice this week. We got used to this phenomen and don't even report it anymore as it is quite common although reception reacted very surprised when we reported it earlier.

We noticed quite some costcutting this trip on newspapers and wine availability, but will report this later on another blog as we are doing the back to back and will be on board for a few more weeks:cool:

While I agree to a certain extent with other posters, our pre-cruise hotel in Bali was maybe the best that we have ever stayed in (in over 30 years of international travel to about 100 countries) so do not discount Regent hotels.

 

The Mulia Bali was so over the top that we had to adjust to the slightly lower level of service on Regent (hate to say this because we adore Regent but must speak the truth). When four of us were walking from the bus to the hotel lobby and did not join the groups that went into the vans for the 2 blocks), someone came running with a flashlight to illuminate the way.

 

This was a 3 night pre-cruise hotel but could not have been better. There are times (our next trip to Barcelona is an example) when we book our own hotel and do our own transportation to the ship. But, it is worth the time to check out the hotel online. Sometimes you can write to them and get an upgrade for a small price.

 

It has taken us years of trial and error to figure out what works best for us and what works for us may not work for others. However, the 200+ guests that stayed in the Bali Mulia (it is a humungous hotel and 200 people was a drop in the bucket), every single person loved the experience and would stay there again.

Jackie,

Regent booked us at the Ritz-Cartn resort in Bali this trip. We enjoyed it very much. We loved the birds and the troup of monkeys in the resort. We have never before seen monkeys swim....wonder what the Koi carpers thought of that..:cool:

A year ago on our Australia and New Zealand cruise we missed Milford Sound and 2 ports due to weather. We got some shipboard credit, so they have been pretty generous with you in my opinion.

RCANDKC; We were on that trip too when 2 windows of the Compas Rose were broken. We were very sorry to miss the highlights of the trip.However we did NOT get any shipboard credit. Maybe because we never thought about asking for it.....:halo::cool:

Interesting thread. In our 400 days onboard Regent ships, we rarely see signs other than people that have received plaques from world cruises and other significant Regent cruises.

 

Regent will put balloons, etc. in your suite (if you notify them in advance of the birthday). Other than that, it is up to you. Personally, I don't put things on our doors (or bumper stickers on our cars).

 

Not trying to be a downer - just giving my opinion.

Jackie, Regent is even better than you think.

We never notified them of our birthdays but got the full treatment you mentioned every time anyway!

So no need to put anything on the door...:'):cool:

TC,

 

Unfortunately on April 7-8, we (the Voyager) will be docked at the Kai Tak terminal which is located on the site of the old airport. Too bad as this terminal is nowhere near as convenient as the Ocean Terminal. The reviews of the Kai Tak Terminal are not very good.

I'm very sorry to hear this.

Some times I wonder why Regent so often uses B locations.

It happened to us recently twice in Cape Town and once in Sidney.

If you know what the difference with the A location is you're in for a real shock. It's not just the extra bus time that Regent is famous for....

What surprises me the most: It's not just Silversea or Seabourn that take the A spots! In Cape Town Oceana got the hot spot! And how about Sint Peterburg and London to name a few......just forgetting Brazil and the container ports..

We love Regent but this is one of the few things we think can be improved.

Last year we were on the Voyager from Sydney to Melbourne cruise. The Tasman sea did not treat us well. For days we had 30 foot seas and 75 to 80 mile winds. We missed several ports. It was quite a ride. Even 2 windows on Compass Rose broke out. Some were mad but I was grateful that I felt safe and the Captain was trying to keep it that way.

We were on that cruise Singapore to Auckland! Indeed it was quite an experience. Not only the compact rose sufferred but La Veranda was damaged severely on the outside deck. I've never seen that before, and hope to never see it again.:halo:

We were very sorry to miss the Milford sound. It was supposed to be the high light of the trip....however, as Johnny Cash used to say I guess things happen that way :halo::cool:

Why do you think that they are dropping these ports? Very strange. I don't like seeing prices drop so much as it seems to be a magnet for people are like what Marc described.

 

I'm curious to see what the demographics are for our upcoming Bali to Hong Kong cruise on Voyager (we love her too).

JACKIE; It's just economics I guess...:halo:

For instance, your tip from Bali to Hongkong still has a lot of open cabins. Since October the price has been dropping. The trip now is offered for 6999 INCLUDING: Air, Land programm and transfers.

The following leg however, Hong Kong to Singapore has been wait listed for months!

It's not always easy to understand the preferences of men....:cool:. It certainly is a problem for those of us (yes indeed.....) who want(ed) to do the BtB, a real great trip on an excellent ship!

The price guarantee is not worth the price of the paper it is printed on. In addition to same category needing to be available (your case), it also doesn't apply if price is lower in a different country ( Canada at par for example or dumping Hong Kong to Beijing in Hong Kong market (67 from Hong Kong on our recent cruise)), or if they give special deals to only certain TAs (i.e., not available to the "public").

 

Regent can do what it wants and we can do what we want (i.e., no one is forcing us to book with Regent). I have known that the guarantee is worthless but still book onboard for other reasons.

 

In your case, you probably won't get any money back from guarantee but if not past final payment you may be able to go to a higher category at a lower price or just have your TA talk them into a free upgrade even if room size is same (three category upgrade should get your a concierge for a Cat H).

 

Marc

Yes MARC, you are absolutely right! The Hong Kong - Beijing leg was dumped very heavily in Europe as well. The price sank to E 2799. Would you believe that? It,s once of the reasons the demographic is changing...I did enjoy your reports from the Voyager. Indeed, she is in great shape and in fact my favorite ship!

I just go back to the question "Why should a possible one-time Regent customer who drops an extra few grand get a benefit that a long-time Gold or Platinum (or higher) cruiser doesn't?" You've got a possible one-and-done cruiser being treated 'better' than someone who has been loyal to Regent for 10, 20 years or more but just happens to prefer booking a PH. IMO, the upper level SSS members should receive priority boarding before someone who just happened to book a 'named' cabin. After all, they're the ones who have spent tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars with Regent. And what about people who have been bumped from a lower GTY cabin, or someone who took a deal on an upsell? They may have actually ended up paying less for their upper level cabin. Do they still get priority boarding?

 

True, in the grand scheme of things, whether you board at 12:00 or 2:00 is a very minor thing...but when you start alienating your established customer base with policies like this, it's a problem. I just think Regent needs to give these things more thought before they roll them out...and you absolutely, positively, definitely need to include Platinum and above members in any of these programs, too.

 

I mean, my wife and I are just Gold, but I hate to think of how much money we've spent to enjoy a few weeks every year aboard a Regent ship. We usually book 'F' cabins or thereabouts, with the occasional foray into PH or named suites - and I'll be honest, it kind of irks me that first-time Regent cruisers are getting priority boarding and included laundry on some itineraries - perks that I've never received in my 8 years of cruising on Regent. Maybe I'm petty, but that's the way I feel. We specifically chose Regent initially because there was no 'us and them' mentality. I just hate to see that going away.[/quote

 

Bill,; very well said! We do understand your feelings.

The SSS membership benefits are eroding.

We became Platinum by making 17 trips in the past 5 years. Just see what happened to the perks in those five years.Perks like , free wifi, laundry etc are available for first timers now as well.

 

Jackie won't like this, but I see a bad moon rising for those who worked so hard to achieve Titanium level. Their premium benefit is the limousine service. Right now in Belgium f.i. for all 2018 sailings a free limousine service to the airport is offered for All customers for All suites.

 

This might be a pilot project......before roll out...:cool::cool:

 

Bill; We sail with Silversea and Seabourn as well.

Would it be an idea to start a new thread and compare their loyalty programs with Regents? The free sailing that can be earned at Seabourn might be tempting now more than ever...:halo:

Irishwitchy, thanks for information about camouflage clothing - very interesting!

 

So, we are in Barbados - and this is a perfect example of why we prefer not going to the Caribbean. First, a Royal Caribbean ship with 3,100 passengers was disembarking with us. It was a madhouse trying to get transportation into town in a sea of people. By the time we returned (less than an hour later), another ship (not sure which one) arrived and there were even more people. One could not look at anything in the shops as it was gridlock.

 

The lady driving the Regent shuttle to and from the cruise terminal was delightful. She let us know that another two large ships would be arriving. I have no words other than I am happy to be back on the ship.

 

Perhaps if you took a taxi around the island it would be nice but visiting the downtown area was not so nice (unless you want to see Diamonds International on every corner - and I'm not overstating this). We got the $2/person shuttle back to the cruise terminal and worked our way through all of the people back to the free Regent shuttle back to the ship.

 

The weather is very humid. We spoke to a couple from Arizona that, like us, are used to dry heat. The humidity, when you are not accustomed to it can be quite uncomfortable.

 

Will try not to complain about our two final ports. Trying to decide if we do the touristy (but likely fun) swimming with the stringrays tomorrow. Not quite sure how it works - how can I take money and a camera with me if I'm going in the water? Will have to figure that one out. Has anyone reading this blog done the swimming with the stringrays in Antigua? Suggestions are more than welcome.

 

That is all for now. Trying to cool off.

Jackie,

Yes, we have done that! It can be fun, but be prepared that it can be very crowded. To feed the stingrays by hand is a funny experience. We enjoyed it for quite a while until another shipload of tourist arrived!

Don't worry about your camera or your money. There is always a nice Regent guest nearby that will be happy to take your camera and money:halo:and will return it to you after your swim. ......."Enjoy!

Wayne,

You're absulutely right. The Voyager was their home town for the past few years. Boogie is a great Jerry Lee Lewis impersonator as well. His great Balls Of Fire act is fun, standing on the piano stool like old Jerry Lee used to do. However don't let him fool you. Boogie is a very good serious piano player as well.

Kasia is not only funny but belts a hell of a country song as well. Some great Hank Williams songs like your cheating Heart en how about their version Billy Swan's I can help.??

My wife and I really enjoyed these guys over the past 5 years! It's Always great to see - and hear! - them again...

P

I’m not positive but a couple of years ago we did a Hong Kong to China Regent cruise that had a Boogie and Kasia in the lounge. I’m not sure they are the same but that pair of names seems impossible to have two of. Not sure if Boogie has played the piano concert by himself or in the main area. But when he did on our cruise it was fantastic. Super talented as we remember. He normally is “hidden” in that he is a master pianist.

Travelcat2,

The remarks about Boca da Valera you heard are right.

It's all fake, just like a lot of stories about the Amazon.

Some people seem to think it's like the old days, but helas?- those days are gone and time goes on and for sure he world in the Amazon has certainly changed as well!

Jackie; please don't worry about the bugs. There used to be a whole lot of them in the old days, but nowadays there seem to be more of them in the Everglades....... :cool:

Concerning the heat and hummiddity: , have your ever been to New Orléans and the swamp? :halo:

Enjoy the rest of your trip, and be prepared for just another civilised area : Manaus.!

Kwai girl you for sure are right! We enjoyed the Amazon trip as well. We not only were surprised by the width of the river but mostly by the commercial devellopment in this area. Probably we should have gone 10 or 20 years earlier to see the Aamazon that we thought it would be.

There is a great plus however,compared to the old times. No yellow fever shots necessary anymore . And......We did not see one musquito the whole trip!!

The humidity was better than we experience in New Orleans. Welcome into the NEW world of the Amazone.:cool: We certainly enjoyed the trip and were thrilled by seeing the pink Dolphins while having lunch on the outdoor deck of La Veranda. (We were not impressed by all the brown water, but have to admit that we never saw pink dolfins in the muddy Mississippi...:halo:

To us the best of the trip was not being on the Amazone, mind you Maus is just another cosmopolitian city however surrounded by a lot of trees. It was the excellent service of the Regent crew that made our trip really great!

For now we plan the Medeiterranean again. Even after 7 Regent trips in this area, everytime this is a real treat!

Whatever you decide, happy cruising!

We did the 2016 Circumnavigation of S America which included about 1 week in the Amazon - I was truly amazed about the width of this river - often you could barely see the coastlines....and when you get to the "merging of the waters' you will definitely see the brown water vs the black water. And the pink dolphins!

Rick&Ron, Bellagio, and Sharon - It will be very enjoyable and enlightening to hear some new observations, thoughts, and impressions from all of you folks, rather than from the "usual suspects". To be honest, I've been quite "put off" from considering/booking additional Regent Cruises during the past year or so - mainly because of the rancor, the "over the top" and effusive/non-objective "cheerleading" from some posters, coupled with their discounting/minimalizing of new/alternative views that have been presented on this board by a few who think they're doing the rest of us a "favor" by endless commenting (and second-guessing) on everything/anything that other observers have posted.

 

Contrary to what they might think, the compulsive posting has not been helpful (at least not to me) and has actually "turned me off" Regent cruising for a while and caused me to select alternative travel options to Europe, Asia, and South America over the past 2 years.

 

I would like to enjoy (and would actually look forward to) more Regent cruising in the future based upon fair, fresh, and objective reporting from "newer cruisers"......and not just because I'm "supposed" to like Regent based upon the views of a few "dedicated Regent loyalists" and the Regent marketing material ;)

 

I especially look forward to reviews from some "younger cruisers" like yourselves. Particularly with respect to the trans-Atlantic cruise that you're now on. Please tell us what you're liking and perhaps what you might not be liking so much (if anything) about this cruise. I've been considering one of those TA cruises myself! I eagerly await to read all your collective comments. Perhaps the 3 of you could "share" this thread together so the rest of us can follow along on your adventure "across the ocean". Best Regards to all! I hope you have fun!

Very wel said!, Our hopes are on Ronrick 1943.............His previous posts were very encouraging!

I also appreciated your review - especially how well you accepted having code red twice on your cruise. That would be a bit much for us.

 

While RachaelG and I tend to see many things the same, I have to disagree regarding the age of passengers on longer itineraries (and in the Caribbean - no matter how short or long the cruise is - likely due to how many seniors live in Florida). Having said that, we don't really pay attention to the ages of the passengers.

 

I will comment on music because the C.D. does remember you since you were one of the very few passengers that ever mentioned the type of music played on Regent. He explained that "new" music has to be practiced before it is played. I suspect that other music would be played if there were a calling for it.

 

Speaking of age, our next cruise is one that is very active. Although I feel that longer sailings tend to bring older passengers, I am guessing that the age of passengers on our 25 night cruise will skew younger due to the itinerary. Most excursions will not accommodate wheelchairs or walkers. Thankfully, most cruises will accommodate them but the Amazon can be a bit difficult - even for able bodied people.

 

Again, thank you for posting your balanced review. Having read what was happening on your cruise, I did not think that the review would be so positive (but am happy that it is).

Jackie; I don't want to spoil your day....but hold your breath. We did the Amazon trip 2 years ago and there for sure were people with wheelchairs and a lot of walkers. One (very heavy) wheelchair guest insisted on joining a canoo trip to the inlands. It took 4 bodybuilders to carry him into the canoo that almost capsaized. I have never seen a thing like that before and hope to never see it again. It was quite shocking.

At Manaus there is a fabulous Opera House. Some walker users insisted to go upstairs as well, indeed that is a great sight, but there is no elevator...quess what happened.

So Jackie, please be prepared! And just enjoy the trip but don't have high expectations, the Regent Amazon trip is just a quite touristic experience nowadays.......:halo:

I'd also note that I'm the lead passenger and pay for our trips, but Regent both on land and at sea keep addressing everything to my husband both in writing and in person. This is mightily annoying (to me and to him) and an example to my mind of 'everyday sexism' that I know some others have raised in the past (to the ire of others). If the British lines we use have no problem with recognising me as the lead why is it so hard for Regent?]

 

I'm wondering whether you have the same last name? We had the opposite experience. We have different last names but my wife's last name starts with "C" and mine with "E". I don't recall this in the past, but on the TV it didn't say welcome to both just my wife, when we would call about something it was always my wife's name, when we got the cruise questionnaire at the end there was only one for my wife, which we rectified. So in our situation I'm the travel "lead" but my wife got either top or sole billing. Yes, I know, thats the way it should be :D . I did ask if they had a new software system on board, but was told no.

 

 

Allright; well this again is Regent at its best!

We are Platinum members, and for the past 17 trips in the last five years both our names were shown on the TV screen as welcome and I've been the lead.

However this year our 2 trips only my showed my wife's name on the TV, I didn't exist.

As my wife told me she was not planning to leave me after 47 years of marriage, and Reception did not know how to solve things, I rested my case....:cool: :halo:

I think the tour guides expect a tip if the tourists are American. I'm just back from a MSC (nearly all European passengers) and at no time did I feel any of the tour guides expected all tip.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910F using Forums mobile app

Yes indeed! Most European guides, servers, drivers etc do NOT ecpect tips. However Americans do tip....Most European and people from Asia do NOT. Americans should remember that tipping can be a culture shock. In some countries tipping is not done at all and is considered to be offensive!!......

Paul&Shark,

I'm confused - although some of your dates make sense, the ship will be in LA on December 29th and at sea on the 30th. It does a Mexican Riviera just before the WC starts. The WC ends in LA on May 25th.

Could you check the details again?

Thanks . . . .Peggy

Peggy,

The schedule was provided by Jamie. I have no more info at this moment.

Am I in the Twilight Zone? Okay - so I don't watch what everyone is wearing - unless it is really strange. However, just now (8:30 p.m.) we finished dinner and I wanted to stop at the room. We got on the elevator with a man in a bathrobe. This was particularly disturbing because the C.D. specifically said "no bathrobes after 6:00 p.m". So, when the elevator stopped at deck 8 (we are on deck 9), I got off - just to avoid this person. Low and behold, the next elevator that arrived had a woman in a bathrobe. She mentioned that she had a facial - I was very cordial but in my mind wondered why one must have a facial in a bathrobe. What is Regent becoming.

 

Sorry to be so negative but this is definitely a weird cruise!

Jackie

Welcome into the real (Regent) world! We had the same experience last year on Mariner AND Navigator.

However everything was topped by the gentleman that entered the special James Bond party on Voyager wearing flip flops, shorts and an Hawai shirt. He insisted on having his picture taken with one of the Bond girls. CD Jamie just smiled..... And then, on another Voyager trip, thee was a guy in shorts, sandals and Bermuda enjoying himself on the front row during crew capers!

They probably won't be on prior to the WC as I believe they will host the Gala at the hotel the night before.

Jamie will leave the ship in Lisbon Portugal, on Sunday October 23th for vacation. He and Dana will join the Navigator again on Friday December 30th, at St.George's, Canada for the World Cruise, and will stay on board until they leave at Miami Florida on Saturday May 13. for just another holliday....:cool: :halo:

Enjoy your cruise!