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maryogreen

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    San Diego, CA
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Crystal, Seabourn
  • If you have a personal or hobby CRUISE or TRAVEL BLOG, include the url here:
    www.themodernpostcard.com

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  1. @Gilly Have a fantastic time on your MAD GIG adventure! Herb and I look forward to reading all about it here and on your blog. Wishing you safe and happy travels 🥰 Mary The Modern Postcard
  2. @Shelley G My husband and I were on Regent's Tokyo to Bangkok cruise in November and did a day trip to Kyoto on the Shinkansen. It was surprisingly easy and fast – less than 15 minutes from the port to Shin Kobe station and about 30 minutes on the bullet train to Kyoto, including a brief stop in Osaka. No difficulties getting a taxi at the port or at Shin Kobe for our trip back to the ship. Here's a link to my blog post from our day in Kyoto, which includes photos and information on taking the bullet train: https://www.themodernpostcard.com/one-day-in-kyoto-a-wonderful-whirlwind-tour-taking-the-bullet-train/ Best of luck! Mary The Modern Postcard
  3. My husband and I booked Cape Town to Port Louis, Jan. 27,2026, when we were onboard the Explorer in November. The cruise consultant told us that this would be the Voyager's third cruise post-dry dock. Now it appears that it will be the first. We had no idea about these changes and send a big thank you to @briar14 and everyone else who posted on this thread. Our itinerary is still the same as when we booked, and the cruise is not waitlisted...but we will be keeping an eye on our itinerary and the cruises that follow. Our best guess is that Regent is planning to avoid the Red Sea and much of the Middle East, even at this far-out date. It's reminiscent of when Egypt was taken off itineraries for quite some time – two or three years. When travel opened up in 2019, we jumped at the chance to take what became one of our all-time favorite cruises from Barcelona to Dubai on the Voyager. We will be watching these boards closely and will also follow up if we learn of changes to the Jan. 27th itinerary. Mary The Modern Postcard
  4. My husband and I were on the Explorer's Tokyo to Bangkok cruise in November and had a fantastic trip. We had a few concerning issues with food and food service at the very beginning of the cruise, which we brought up right away and which were dealt with right away. Here is a link to the review I recently posted: Mary The Modern Postcard
  5. Thanks so much @boblerm! I look forward to hearing your thoughts and always welcome insights! 😀
  6. @Redking, I'm so glad you enjoyed the review. We sometimes book our trips quite far in advance as well...and then suddenly they seem to arrive more quickly than we'd imagined!
  7. Thanks @RachelG! We heard quite a few comments about the size and more openness of Splendor's Coffee Connection compared with the Explorer's.
  8. @1982CruzStart You're very welcome! It was great to hear that you had an unforgettable Angkor Wat experience as well. Regent did a great job on this, and the destination is one of the greats.
  9. This was my husband Herb's and my first cruise with Regent since the pre-pandemic, when we'd sailed on the Voyager from Barcelona to Dubai in November 2019. After that terrific experience, we were excited to return – and especially to sail on the Explorer. "Vibrant Tokyo" Pre-Cruise We signed up for the complimentary "Vibrant Tokyo" pre-cruise tour, which included transfers, three nights at the Tokyo Hilton Shinjuku, daily breakfasts and half-day excursions. Our expectations weren't too high after reading @rkaratsu's most helpful report here a month earlier, but it seemed that by the time our tour arrived, the organizational wrinkles had been worked out. Thank you to everyone who posted about the pre-cruise! It truly helped us understand that these were not guided tours in the traditional sense and enabled us to make plans beyond the tours. The land program was run by a fabulous director named Theo, who held meetings each morning before we left the hotel and offered extremely helpful tips and insights into life in Japan. Guides provided commentary on the buses as we traveled to various destinations, but once we arrived, we toured on our own. We found the Japanese guides to be absolutely delightful and loved the way they shared stories about their personal lives and lifestyles. One guide was a jazz singer by night, offering to sing at the end of the tour, and another ended our tour by serenading us with the classic Japanese song, Sukiyaki! The Hilton Shinjuku was terrific – a bustling business and tourist hotel in a convenient location. The breakfast buffet offered a large selection of Western and Japanese dishes, and the two hotel restaurants we tried – Chinese and a light meal in the bar – were tasty and convenient. Our favorite meal was at an Indian restaurant called Ashoka located just below the Hilton in the underground passageway. The ATM for securing yen is also located below the hotel. Our room was on the 26th floor and offered a great city view. The Ship It's almost impossible to find issues with the Explorer. Our cabin – Concierge Suite 825 – was the nicest of any ship we've ever experienced. Tremendous thought was clearly put into designing the space, with the most storage imaginable and wonderful flow of the cabin. Extraordinarily comfortable bed, fabulous shower, spacious walk-in closet and really nice-sized verandah. I can't say enough good things! The ship is quite stunning and has a big job living up to its slogan of "the world's most luxurious ship." The only area we found a little disappointing was the Coffee Connection, which felt cramped and always crowded, especially on sea days with a full ship. Food, Service & Crew My husband @bizinsider and @Stickman1990 posted live threads here about food and service issues on this cruise, so I won't repeat details of our experiences. Something was clearly "off" when we arrived on board. Food service was slow, some items were not prepared properly or served hot and the crew seemed understaffed, undertrained and stretched beyond their limits. As @minotaur suggested here, perhaps some of the more seasoned crew members were transferred to the newly-launched Grandeur. We spoke up about specific concerns right away, which I think is the key to making things right. And we spoke to the top people in charge. There were lots of grumblings around the ship, and Regent requested feedback a few days in, posting a questionnaire box on the main desk. Food and service improved quickly, and we began to find our favorite crew members, requesting their tables for dinner. Our best meals were in Sette Mari and Chartreuse, where food and service were consistently top-notch. We especially loved Rustine, who left the ship in Vietnam and will be returning on the Mariner for the World Cruise, and Rey, the ever-smiling, greet-you-by-name waiter who made our dinners a delight. Excursions We signed on for Regent excursions in every port except Kyoto, where we hired a private guide. I wasn't happy with Regent's limited tour offering there, and because we had only one day, I wanted to see as much as possible. Herb and I avoided the long drive from the Kobe port by taking the bullet train, which got us there in half an hour and added to the fun of the experience. Our guide was fantastic and took us all over the city by taxis, local trains and on foot. A special tank you to @Gilly, whose helpful information here on taking trains in Japan gave us the confidence to give the bullet train a try! We paid extra for two small group tours in Vietnam, which was very much worth the cost, and took complimentary tours everywhere else. Guides were good-to-excellent and tours were well thought-out. The biggest issue in this part of the world is the long distance from Vietnam and Bangkok ports to the cities, resulting in very long bus rides. There were also a few awkwardly timed four- and five-hour tours than ran from late mornings to early afternoons without including any snack or food break. What made it worse is that we were told we weren't permitted to bring any food off the ship in these ports. Tours were quite full, and we were surprised that Regent ran such packed buses. We were most surprised by the tender ride in Nha Trang, where Regent packed three buses into one tender from the port to the pier. In all our years of tender rides, we have never experienced anything that unpleasant. Tour selection was quite varied and seemed geared to both first-time (as we were) and repeat visitors to the ports. I especially loved the off-the-beaten-path experience we had in Taiwan, where we traveled to an old mining town in the countryside to write our wishes on traditional lanterns and launch them into the sky, afterwards hiking around a beautiful waterfall. Angkor Wat Post-Cruise If I had to pick a highlight of the trip, it would have to be Angkor Wat. The ancient temples have been on my travel wish list for many years, and I couldn't have asked for a better way to experience this magnificent place. The paid excursion was organized by Regent and included round-trip flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia, two nights at the Borei Angkor Resort, one night at the Sheraton Royal Orchid in Bangkok, most meals and two days of touring Angkor Wat. Everyone packed a small bag – there were 18 in our group – and Regent transferred our remaining cruise luggage to the Bangkok hotel for storage until our return. The land program provided a representative who traveled with us from Bangkok and joined all the tours as well as a local guide in Siem Reap named Salon who was one of the best we've ever had. Salon adjusted the schedule each day to maximize our time and avoid the crowds. He provided commentary on our short rides to the site as well as while we were visiting the ruins. And best of all, he loved photography. I don't think I've ever had so many photos taken of Herb and me in a special place like this. Salon knew all the "best spots," and every time he'd reach another location, he'd say, "Now this is the best spot!" For anyone who is interested, I've just posted my first blog from the trip and will have photos and stories from every port in the coming days. https://www.themodernpostcard.com/tokyo-day-1-first-impressions-national-museum-ginza-shibuya-crossing/ Mary themodernpostcard.com
  10. We didn't use the laundry service and do not have loyalty status, so I'm not sure whether it is free. I would guess that your elite+ would apply, and I do remember a number of people using the service. There is no laundry on board.
  11. For our May 2022 Flora cruise, Celebrity flew us non-stop on a chartered Avianca Airlines A320 from Quito to Baltra. There were no other passengers except our group. The return flight was handled the same way. It takes about two hours. Mary The Modern Postcard
  12. @Poconolady My husband and I were on the Celebrity Flora's Inner Loop in May 2022. I can't begin to say enough great things about the trip. From the Quito pre-tour to the ship and expeditions to the crew and Celebrity staff, everything was just wonderful. Here's a link to the review I wrote for Cruise Critic, which may answer some of your questions: I also have stories and photos on my travel blog from each day in the Galápagos, which you might find helpful. Here's a link to the Ecuador archives: https://www.themodernpostcard.com/category/ecuador/ Happy planning and best of luck with your decisions! Mary The Modern Postcard
  13. @Ken the cruiser You're not overthinking at all! I remember there were zodiacs going back-and-forth from the beaches to the ship at various times after the walks. Everyone in the group did their own exploring post-hike – some snorkeled, some spent time walking or sitting on the beach and some went directly back to the Flora. On the excursions with no independent time – hiking to Darwin's Lake, mangroves cruise, Bartolomé Island hike – everyone stays together, but I don't think you'll have a problem with getting back to the Flora at your preferred time. If you have any concerns, just ask one of the naturalists before heading out. There is also a meeting with the naturalist team every evening before dinner when excursions for the following day are discussed and sign-ups are taken. It has been over a year since we were there, but the images are as clear and memorable as if it were yesterday. It's a really special part of the world, and you're sure to have a fantastic time! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions. Mary The Modern Postcard
  14. @boblerm That rainbow photo is a stunner! I love how you captured it disappearing over the golden hills. Just magical. I know what you mean about it being the most dramatic you've ever seen. A few years ago, I witnessed an extraordinary rainbow on a sea day in New Zealand and serendipitously had my camera with me. I've never experienced anything like it since. Maybe these are the rainbows with pots of gold at the end.😊 Wishing you continued happy travels and a safe journey home. Mary The Modern Postcard
  15. @SLSD Hi Susan, we had planned to stay at The Pig on the first of our cancelled Norway cruises in 2020, which embarked in Dover. It looked like a great place, and they were very kind about the cancellation. I'm happy to hear that @DC Traveler244 highly recommends it, and I hope we will one day be able to stay there. Mary https://www.themodernpostcard.com/
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