the_dylaness

My favorite restaurant on Crystal Serenity was probably "Tastes"... not a pool grill per se but definitely more casual outside dining. I enjoy getting dressed up for dinner, don't get me wrong, but not all the time and not usually after a long port day (or a long pool day, sometimes!) Earth and Ocean sounds great, I would love to try it out. We liked Silver Wind's "Hot Rocks" option (is that what it was really called or just what I remember?) but sometimes the point is that you don't want a reservation, you just want to wear whatever you already have on and eat outside 🙂 We are on Grandeur in January- will there be a casual dining option? This is our first Regent cruise and without being too much of a downer, I have to say that most of what I'm reading on this board makes me wonder if we've made the right choice. Jockeying to get into a Sette Mari, all the pool chair drama... was hoping that little annoyances like these would be bypassed. (In fairness, the pool area on Crystal Serenity was so crowded one day I ended up sitting on the floor, so they don't have it sorted just yet, either.)

Sometimes you just want to sit outside, wear casual clothing, and have dinner. This doesn't seem like too much to ask from a "luxury" line!

It is frustrating that they advertise them and then take them away. My recent Azamara cruise had an AzAmazing evening, then it was quietly removed, then quietly readded, and then removed with no notice- I didn't find out until I was onboard and asked. It was replaced with one of the onboard performances (in Marseille) which was fine, at best.

We were the ONLY people who signed up last month on Pursuit for the Rijstafel! So of course it was cancelled. I was very surprised.

Wow, the third menu option ("Arabic")... looks amazing. Thank you both! They don't seem to be the same wines I had but I am waiting to possibly hear back from Azamara about it.

That would be great, thank you!

Also, in St Barts, if you decide to do an alternate excursion, we found renting a car and heading to Colombier Beach was an EXCELLENT experience, would love to do it again.

I haven't done these excursions through Regent but I've been to El Yunque (through another cruise line, honestly I can't remember which but possibly Celebrity). The above poster is correct about the time it takes to travel there (IIRC it was maybe an hour for us but perhaps traffic or something...) which is probably why I ended up doing it with the cruise line instead of independently. It was pretty. I've also been to Virgin Gorda and the Baths. I was excited about this as I'd read for a number of years that it was quite pretty. Our experience (this time definitely with Celebrity) was disappointing and I'm not sure Regent could do much to improve it... the issue was that the Baths were just SO crowded. There were passengers there from other ships as well, it seems, and perhaps some land-based tours. It wasn't very enjoyable. I would not return. I hope you enjoy whatever you do choose.

Oh, I forgot- when they first put out the TG buffet there were no mashed potatoes. I was ok with this but apparently it was NOT ok with many other passengers (and my own kids but they were too young to complain)... about 20 minutes after we arrived we saw a ton of mashed potatoes coming out, so I appreciated how responsive they were to the feedback!

We had our Thanksgiving dinner (or was it lunch?) on Celebrity in 2018, in the buffet. Nothing is ever the same as how your own family does it, but we were fine with that, and thought the food was tasty enough. I didn't have to cook, clean, break up any arguments, listen to politics, or worry about someone getting too drunk. It was great! 🙂

I'm sorry to hear you are ill! THANK YOU for making the right decision and protecting others. I truly hope all works out well for you with the refunds. It would be really awful if doing the right thing lead to a financial loss for you in this sense. That only incentivizes people to go when they are sick which perpetuates the whole problem. Feel better soon.

This is helpful! I think I'll go with cocktail dress and DH in a suit.

Panama Canal so presumably Caribbean-levels of casual

I have stayed at the Caribe Hilton in SJ but not via Regent... FWIW it was a good experience! Lovely lobby, nightlife for those who wanted (not me, too tired, although I watched for a bit), enjoyed the sushi bar, and then hit the beachside pool in the early AM before embarking (Crystal Serenity). I hope if anyone does stay there they have a nice time, as we did.

In all seriousness, we are going on a 16 night Regent sailing in January. Since we won't be too constrained with our luggage requirements on this trip, we are planning to "dress up" for what seem to be the 2 more formal evenings. On these nights, are more men wearing suits, or tuxes?

Funny, I was having dinner with the Captain one night and he said the same thing except it was "brassiere" instead of "jacket"...

We stayed at the Monument last month before our Azamara cruise and I agree with all your observations, particularly concierge!

Concierge...

Watching with interest... traveling on our first Regent cruise in January but dining booking opens tomorrow. I don't necessarily mind to share on many nights but one night of the trip is a milestone birthday, would prefer to celebrate as a couple... hope we can get reservations. It is a sea day. 🙃

We have two children, elementary and middle school aged. We've sailed Celebrity, RCCL, and Disney with them, with X overall being the best fit when we sail as a group. They don't need tons of entertainment and honestly found the RCCL and Disney crowds a bit overwhelming. Having said all that, we just disembarked our first Azamara cruise (just husband and myself) and I do think my kids would've been bored to death. There are really very few activities that are even remotely family oriented, and although it's not my preferred activity, at least sometimes on the larger lines the evening theater show, for instance, is of interest (singing/dancing/acrobatics, or a magician...) The Azamara shows were fine (we saw only a few) but would not have interested our children in the least. I hope you find a good fit!

We had the same exact concern when embarking Pursuit in Barcelona 2 weeks ago. The instructions are contradictory. We showed up around 2pm with no issues, got on right away.

Greetings, We recently enjoyed the French Chef's Table offering on Pursuit. I really loved the white wine served after the sparkling wine that came with the starter... I meant to bring home the menu but misplaced it. Does anyone have a photo of a recent chef's table menu? Thank you!

Looks like we'll just take cash 🙂 No ATM card- had the same bank account since I was 15 years old, they never sent me one, I never asked for one... now I wouldn't even know what to do with it! Appreciate all the helpful replies!

Thanks all! The credit card situation is covered (Amex Plat charges no foreign fees and I have a SW Visa that is the same, came in handy in France in July since Amex not popular there apparently). I appreciate the wealth of info. I fly out on Friday so not sure I'll be able to find a debit card before then but this is great knowledge for the future. I have never had a debit card (I don't think they earn points like CCs?) but might consider for next time! Happy sailing!

Interesting... I have never used an ATM. Would definitely need to figure out what is required for that in advance!