DeepFreeze63
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Posts posted by DeepFreeze63
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16 minutes ago, GMIAC said:
And if a frog had wings it wouldn't bump its ass a-hoppin'.
HUH!
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I wouldn't do any flight from MIA before Noon; Port of Miami is infamous for delays in debarkation - baggage handlers and immigration. Another ship (big) is coming into port with you! Yes, easy to get to the airport once you get out of the terminal.
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We did the 14 night Explorer, Tokyo to Tokyo in March 2024. We had cold, rainy, windy weather as a norm. I'm NOT a good sailor. I had minimal nausea; wore wrist bands and had a mid-ship, Deck 6 cabin. Absolutely LOVED the cruise and Japan - gained 5 pounds.
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39 minutes ago, mrlevin said:
This already exists today (sort of); air credit on my 2026 cruise went from $6,600 to $7,350 (online) although my paperwork shows just $7,100 credit. Even with new pricing you can get credit if you don't want/need Blacklane.
Here is description on RSSC:
Marc:
The changes that you have seen should be separate from this announced change which is scheduled for new booking beginning on 7/1/2024, a time for usual price increases.
A lot to "chew on" but I'm mainly interested in split air reservations - I quite often use Regent Air one way and purchase or use FF the other way.
Jim C
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2 hours ago, mrlevin said:
Anyone know how long it takes from laying of keel until commissioning? How about from cutting of first steel until commissioning? Any word on any work starting on Regent new build?
thanks,
Marc
Grandeur cut steel, in same yard, on 11/02/2021.
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I always enjoy the photo that Regent often uses for African cruises; the photo highlights Golden Tamarin monkeys - that only indigenous to near Rio, Brazil.
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41 minutes ago, forevertravel said:
Once again the website is gone mad. You would think that for a company that spends so much money on brochures, they could get someone to fix all the problems with website. It seems the "manage this booking" button has disappeared. However, if I click on tours I see show my itinerary at top. I can't book some tours because I get message "there is a conflict with a tour you already booked" even though I haven't booked anything. You would think that by now Regent IT department got its act together.
Why would you think that? Are you new to Regent? The Website's functionality has been a problem in the 12 years that I have used it (for 28 Regent cruises). Despite optimistic promises from at least 2 Regent Presidents; yet they must spend a fortune on print advertising - my mailbox and newspapers often contain Regent ads.
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LoneDaddy: We too thank you.
We are on 2/25 Splendor and have been agonizing about transfers in Columbia or Panama. We canceled a similar cruise before and Regent canceled once because of COVID. Have never been to Chile and hope to see Antarctica again (after 63 years) even though from afar this time.
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1 hour ago, GMIAC said:
Splendor will be in dry dock next year at this time. Maybe some updates/changes are coming? Time will tell.
???? Their cruise is in November 2024.
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Wow! What a way to start cruising. First, best wishes for a greatly enjoyable adventure.
We have sailed on the Splendor 3 times (total of 36 nights); it’s a gorgeous ship. Also, we did the same itinerary as yours but on the Regent Voyager just after Africa reopened in 2022 following COVID – we had a marvelous time. My thread was “An Adventure on the Voyager” with the last post on 12/22/2022.
If you haven’t already, start a “My Account” on the Regent web site and reserve your excursions
You’ve already made a good start. Search through this Cruise Critic board using the search engine for such as “tips” , “Splendor”, and “advice”; there lots of threads and posts. As questions arise, post your specific questions – specific questions get the more relevant answers.
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As you acknowledge, this would only be a "taste" of Japan but could be fun and interesting. Given the ship's schedule, I would skip Kyoto (1 1/2 hour from port of Osaka or Kobe) and concentrate on Osaka. Port of Kobe is across the bay from port of Osaka.
Osaka Castle and grounds are magnificent; Dotomeri (spell?) section of Osaka at night is fun and is modern Japan at it's craziest!
Yokohama is at least 40 minutes from downtown Tokyo by even bullet train; so I'd stay in Yokohama. It's an interesting part of Japan.
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On 4/17/2024 at 11:54 AM, JJean said:
Wondering if it is necessary to buy a travel card for just 2 days or easier to just pay
by the trip. Not sure yet how we are getting from the airport to hotel.
Just back from 14-night, Tokyo to Tokyo cruise PLUS 15 nights ashore on our own. Japanese cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka) are inundated with tourists! - locals and Westerners - as well as a large population! You don't NEED an IC card for 2 days BUT depending where and what you are doing on your full day, some Yen could be very convenient, to avoid long lines at Travel kiosks.
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On 4/4/2024 at 5:34 AM, toseaornottosea said:
Looking for a luxury hotel in Tokyo for pre-cruise stay. Suggestions welcome including best areas to stay.
Stayed at Tokyo Station Hotel for 3 nights in early April - absolute luxury -but at a price. Book through hotel web site. Marvelous experience; terrific location for access to Imperial grounds, Ginza, and JR Maranote trains that circle Tokyo. Quiet; heard NO noise despite adjoining station handling hundreds of trains per day.
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Forgot to mention! Am now in Taipei and taking Regent Air flight (UA) home - 19 days after disembarking from Explorer in Tokyo.
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We have done 28 Regent cruises; except when I was able to snag reasonable FF flights, I have always used Regent Air and deviated. We do live in a major hub area; that is a help. Only once, I had difficulty with the Regent offerings; getting to Santiago, Chile. Didn’t like the Regent offerings; cancelled that cruise.
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On 3/22/2024 at 4:53 AM, GMIAC said:
I'm not afraid to do touring and trains on my own, but I do want to see Osaka Castle, so I might just have to suck it up and stick to the tour that's offered.
We visited Osaka Castle on a sunny day - great photo ops, magnificent signage in English, very interesting history displayed. Plan on about 2 hours inside and maybe a 1/2 hour wait to ticket machine. Top floor view not as good as I expected due to netting and safety bars.
Came from Kansai airport by train& subway - right to entrance to castle park (vast). Information booths have detailed instructions on specific trains& transfers.
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We were on the March 18th cruise. Had aGREAT time at the Toyota Museum in Nagoya. Mind blowing visuals, equipment and signage. Regent only allocated an our - should have been 2 hours!
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On 4/3/2024 at 9:23 AM, forgap said:
Day Four - Tokyo to Kanazawa to Kaga
We arrived at the main Tokyo train station bright and early to catch the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kanazawa. It was a mass of humanity
and we quickly secured our bento box lunch for the ride and navigated to our platform where the train arrived and left exactly on time.
The ride took us through Nagano, the site of the Winter Olympics, and the majestic mountain range in the distance.
Kanazawa was spared from allied bombing during WWII so there are many picturesque districts dating back to the Edo and Meiji eras. Our first stop was the Kenrokuen Garden, originally the outer garden of the Kanazawa castle. This was an exquisite garden, reported to be one of the most beautiful in Japan.
i was most impressed with the manicured moss, painstakingly attended by devoted staff.
The trees were shaped into living sculptures, often supported by wooden beams to save them from the winter winds and snow.
Kanazawa is located between the Japanese alps and the Sea of Japan, so it is known for its very rainy climate. The winds blow from the north west (Siberia), and pictures of the winter landscape were beautiful and austere.
Kanazawa is also known for its production of gold leaf which is used in much of the Japanese decorative arts. We visited a gold leaf workshop which was very interesting to see the process of fabricating paper thin sheets of gold. We then went up to the classroom area and made our own gold leaf decorated chopsticks. This will be such a nice keepsake!
Of course, there was a gift shop with some absolutely beautiful things to buy, but difficult to bring home in one piece.
In the late afternoon, we finally arrived in Kaga. Our Ryokan was a modern building bordering a lake but done in a spare, beautiful, Japanese aesthetic.
Our guide instructed us in the required etiquette, including how to tie our yakuta, when and where to go shoeless, how to place our shoes in the shoe case, and how to navigate the onsen - no bathing suits allowed, birthday suits required.
Our kaiseki dinner was incredible. I lost count of the number of courses we were served. We waddled out. I had to remind my husband that he needed to monitor his gaping yukata. No flashing allowed in a kaiseki dinner!
A final note- Georges had a close encounter of the third kind! Not with aliens, but with an alien toilet! The Japanese are known for their wonderful Toto toilets. They are everywhere, both in public and private venues. They heat the seat, play music to mask unmentionable noise, and clean your nether regions. In the ryokan, he mistook a flashing button for the flush, got spayed in the face, couldn’t turn it off and yelled for help. I couldn’t turn it off either and the bathroom was quickly flooding. I finally unplugged the damn thing and showed him the flush which, remarkably, looked EXACTLY like the flusher we know and love.
Web have been in Japa n for 3 weeks and have had some “ near Today DW used a public facility and photoed a sign over the commode that stated: “Please do not stand on seat.”
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49 minutes ago, mrlevin said:
Two new ships will be hybrid so they can go into Norwegian fjords and other protected waters. Voyager will be gone in 2026.
Great news on new ship! Mary and I will(hopefully) spend our 65th anniversary on its Maiden.
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Just completed 3 days at Tokyo Station Hotel. Magnificent stay! Beautiful venue, great location for: imperial grounds, easy access to Ginza, and Yamanote line that circles Tokyo. Extremely helpful staff, especially during our medical difficulty.
Surely can’t promise it, but we (by dumb luck), got to see the Emperor,s horbse-drawn carriage take the Ambassador from Honduras from the Hotel’s imperial section toward the Imperial Palace.
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20 hours ago, mwike said:
We're doing one in 2025 and has the typical overnight in Kobe. After reading this thread, I'm thinking it would be best to get a hotel in Kyoto instead of staying on ship in Kobe. We could take a small backpack to get us through one night. I just don't want to waste 6 hours traveling if it's 1 1/2 hours each way, each day. Any thoughts/suggestions for this plan?
Great idea! Had planned an overnight in Kyoto but first day in Kobe was cancelled because of high winds. Had a reservation in hotel in Gion section of Kyoto for one night. Got permission from to leave ship for overnight. Getting around Kyoto with out a car is time consuming; plan to at least use a taxi between major sites. Bring Yen to expedite ticket purchases at sites, etc
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Am on Explorer now. have had no difficulties with Destinations; they greatly helped with our private an tour of Kyoto. They have handled the mechanics of getting us (including 295 "new-to- Regent") passengers out the door efficiently.
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On 10/30/2023 at 3:58 PM, Snowcat1 said:
We are looking to book a cruise around Japan in 2025. I see that Regent has several cruises that include Japan. I would like to hear from people who have done one of the Regent Cruises in Japan, about which cruise itinerary they chose, why and would they recommend it. Thanks
Are presently on 14-day Tokyo to Tokyo - a marvelous experience! We wanted the 14-day in order to visit Korea (first time) and Shanghai (return after 27 years); otherwise, I'd have taken the 12-day all in Japan cruise.
We had previously (2017) spent 3 nights in Tokyo with regent pre-cruise excursion. This time. we went 4 nights early to decompress after 14 hour flight and 13 hour time zone change. Stayed ON OUR OWN in Odaiba (where regent put passengers not on pre-cruise excursion). Grand Nikko Daiba was very nice and located in interesting entertainment district with easy monorail access to both downtown Tokyo and Tokyo Cruise Terminal.
We are taking the included past-cruise "Vibrant Tokyo". With post-cruise excursion, well arrive wide-a-awake and have a full first day.
We rented a private van (we had 4 people) with guide for Kyoto (from Kobe port). Expensive but in 8 hours we visited the 5 most popular sites and had an exterior visit to Osaka castle.
I'll write a trip report on my return home in mid-April (we spent 2 weeks in Japan and a week in Taipei after the cruise.
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On Explore now. Shanghai tomorrow as part of 14 day cruise to /from Tokyo. Our 28th Regent cruise; 6th on Explorer. Having, as usual, a great experience. 295 "new-to- Regent" passengers on board.
We have a 61 day "Grand Asia" cruise booked on Explorer in early 2026, which we are eagerly looking forward to.
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South America Flight Feedback
in Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Posted
Thanks to all for advice. We got very acceptable AA flights and seats for our Santiago to BsAs cruise in 2/2025 AT $1400 p.p. less than Regent. Only downside, we get AA credit (but no fee) if we cancel rather than cash back.