Pcardad

1 hour ago, Syd58 said:

My point was/is wearing a mask in crowded public places mitigates the risk of getting Covid, which could result in ruining your cruise by being forced to quarantine in your cabin. Of course, it's a personal decision..

I agree - which is why we also choose to wear them in those circumstances. I don't see it as political, just common sense and a moral obligation not to infect others if I can avoid doing so....or get infected myself. My point was more that the cruise lines can't enforce a lot of safety protocols without the CDC telling them to...unless they want to go out of business.

16 hours ago, bissel said:

I last cruised Regent in 2020 after sailing on her very frequently since 2005.

i believe I am an observant person but I cannot recall any instance of rudeness toward a crew member and only one blow out brawl between cruisers where the antagonists were left at the port at Sri Lanka.  😳😤

is this incivility really so rampant now?

No - it is not. I have pulled 500 nights in the last 8 years and only seen a few incidents. I've booked ten times that number and hardly ever hear a story. You will see people with noses in the air but others just ignore them.

8 hours ago, Syd58 said:

Much of this could be mitigated if people would just wear masks in crowded public places. We just returned from a cruise and were appalled how few people wore masks in crowded places.

WHy appalled? There is no requirement to do so by the CDC. I wear one on a plane because I think it makes a difference but I always wash my hands, try not to touch common items and don't stick my fingers in my face. That seems to make a big difference. The cruise lines are in a tough spot. Contrary to the OP, there are no requirements in place by the CDC for cruise ships so the cruise ships have no CDC requirements to follow. They have their own protocols which, in light of the lack of requirements by the CDC, are actually stricter than what is required (nothing). I've said the same thing for years now. If you cannot afford to get sick, do not travel on a plane, train or ship. Your health is too important and there are too many people out their who will no wash their hands, who will not go to the doctor and who will not think about the health of others.

5 minutes ago, briar14 said:

@PcardadUsing good simple hygiene and being considerate of other passengers would go a long way to keeping everyone safe. If you don’t feel well, don’t share your germs with your fellow passengers. I know you’ve paid tons of money for your cruise, but that doesn’t allow you to infect others. Mask up and wash your hands!

I agree absolutely.

4 hours ago, Scout16 said:

I tend to remember that I normally only needed the passport and credit card for the Regent people (and since the on line pre-check-in not the credit card).  I needed to show various other documents to get past the local port security people.  

Bring the credit card - half the time they can't access it.

33 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Everyone seems to rave about Starlink on ships.  In my experience, the best wifi so far on any ship was on the Viking 2018 world cruise.  Fast and reliable.  Also had live tv almost all the time.  On the recent Viking WC with Starlink on the ship, we often had no live tv and internet was slow and often interrupted.  So, as for me, I just dont get all the hoopla. 🍹

When you have satellite, you choose the bandwidth you want for your guests. The more you want, the more expensive it is. You can have Starlink on 2 different ships and one can be 25 times faster than the other...even if they are right next to each other.

What CDC regulations are currently in effect for cruise ships? I know there are some CDC suggestions/recommendations for individuals but I don't know how these would be enforceable without mandatory testing. I don't think any cruise ship has had mandatory masking in a long time either. The harsh reality is that Covid and other viruses and respiratory ailments are part of life and people don't use good hygiene...both the sick and the people who become sick. 

23 minutes ago, GMIAC said:

Here's an idea. Let's all carry a couple of $20 bills with us, and when we see someone being a jerk to a crew member, send a little love their way. I know I'm going to.

It doesn't happen very often thankfully. You can report the guest's behavior to the GM and they will track it.

42 minutes ago, Mudhen said:

I would be with you 100%, however we've stood behind countless folks who don't have a clue in how to find these docs on their devices....."oh, it's in there somewhere...."

I suppose the same could be said for assorted pages of docs...."it's here somewhere"....

Best boarding experience we ever had was with a tiny boutique cruise line where they had a

card table set up by the ship, a small flower arrangement and a list of passengers. We showed our passports and that was that........

All you need to check-in for Regent is your Passport and a credit card. No idea why the rest of it even exists.

2 hours ago, caviargal said:

Just off Splendour and live music was lacking in both availability and quality.  It was dead after dinner except for the shows, which we do not attend.  We like to dance after dinner and did not find anywhere we found the music enjoyable enough to do that. 

 

There needs to be an option for those in the 40+ range who want to stay up have some fun. 

There is Luggage Free and Luggage Forward. Unless it is free, there is no real difference between the two of them....although I think the customer service at Luggage Free is better.

1 hour ago, captjohn said:

Nothing personal but you may think that 4MBPS is good but when we were on Seabourn we never had less than 75. We are on Grandeur now and it's about 2.75.

I don't think it is good. RCL provides over 50. I said it was wonderful compared to the old system...and TBH, unless you are downloading something large it's probably enough (with that low ping) to work fine for most people.

I have almost 40 data points on this now and it looks like the DL speed is throttled at 4MBPS - but that is wonderful compared to the old system.

11 minutes ago, CascadeLakeGirl said:

How dressed up do people get on Regents?  Alaska seems casual and I hate to over pack. 

From Regent's website...

 

Attire ranges from Casual to Formal Optional. Casual wear consists of resort-style outfits; some examples are jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. Casual wear is appropriate for daytime both on board or ashore. Casual wear is not appropriate after 6:00 PM. On the night prior to disembarkation, guests may need to pack their luggage early due to morning flights the next day. With this in mind, on the last night of every voyage, we will relax the dress code for dinner to Casual.

Otherwise, the recommended onboard dress in the evenings is Elegant Casual. Dinner dress for ladies includes a skirt, or slacks with a blouse or sweater, a pant suit or dress; slacks and a collared shirt for gentlemen. Sport jackets are optional. Casual wear is not to be worn at dinner. Ties are not required.

On sailings of 16 nights or more, Formal and Semi-Formal attire is optional on two of the evenings. On the two Formal Optional evenings, guests are welcome to dress as per the elegant Casual dress code or opt for a more formal choice of clothing including gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies; tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with tie for gentlemen.

20 minutes ago, exlandlubber said:

Hello Everyone!
We are coming up on the final days of our 14 day London to Oslo cruise on the Splendor and if the board audience will forgive me, I’d like to vent about some of my fellow passengers. I understand that Regent cruises are pricey and that certain expectations exist. This is our 4th Regent, third on the Splendor and all of these cruises have had one thing in common - the crew work their asses off! Perhaps because we’ve had more time on this cruise to interact with the crew and to see some of the passengers demonstrate incredibly boorish behaviour, I just felt it necessary to say, “who the heck do you think you are?” Believe me, I’m couching my language for the benefit of the forum, but geez, what’s wrong with these people? We are met with nothing but smiles and graciousness throughout our day despite the fact that these people are away from home, working long shifts with tough jobs, and are nothing but lovely. I can’t stand seeing fellow passengers treat the crew as underlings when we should do everything in our power to make their jobs more pleasant. The crew never responds inappropriately but boy, there have been a couple of times when I just wanted to slam a couple of passengers for their rude behaviour (I did with one “lady”) Thank you for allowing me my soapbox moment.

Kim

Some people think money = class.

49 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

I want to know because I like to trade with companies I can trust and avoid those I can’t.  Especially when spending as much as a Regent cruise costs. Like many, we like to have a pre-cruise land stay of more than one night. Setting those up often takes much effort, and changing them on two or three weeks notice takes more. In our 25 or so years of fairly regular cruising on several lines we have ever even heard of an embarkation port change — certainly not on short notice. I want FULL info on this to consider in choosing future cruises.

As someone who deals with almost all cruise lines, I have found Regent to be very trustworthy. You don't have to accept my experience, but I have booked over 5,000 nights on board (for myself and others) and have learned I can count on them. I can't say the same for every line nor do I expect any line to fully disclose their reason for every change in plans. It simply doesn't happen in this industry. Regent tends to come to an equitable conclusion to issues even if it takes them longer than some people would like. On top of that, they deliver a fairly consistent product that is at the top of the pile in their market. If you are going to go on cruises, it is important to set your expectations in accordance with the reality of the market. There will always be uncertainty and change...it is the nature of the industry. But, as I always say, vote with your wallet and the cream will rise to the top.

1 hour ago, Nachosdelux said:

I can tell you from casual observation that men (in general) are disgusting.

 

So many men walk out of the restroom without washing their hands.

 

 

Probably 2 out 3....but touching a handrail or a doorknob is probably a greater risk. I flew on a 54 minute flight last weekend, didn't touch anything, wiped my hands repeatedly, wore 2 masks and still got sick. 

6 minutes ago, forgap said:

I remember a similar thread on FB but can’t find and the search icon is not cooperating.   Did Regent pull the thread?  
 

They don't usually pull threads for complaints - they pull for breaking group rules. They are more likely to delete specific replies than initial posts.

10 minutes ago, forgap said:

This is the source of the confusion.  After impacted customers called, were given misinformation then forced the escalation through several supervisors until one brought it to the attention of upper management who corrected the issue.  This was hardly  “caught” internally.  More likely damage control.  

Caught = identifying the problem and bringing it to the attention of someone who can correct it.
Damage control = what they do about it.

45 minutes ago, majcigar said:

Who do do think made the phone calls! ME and other Cruise Critic members!!! 

Did you even read my post? I specifically mentioned phone calls - although more came from FB than here.

"A customer service supervisor caught the error (based on phone calls) and escalated it to a level where it was corrected."

4 minutes ago, majcigar said:

Or a Group of pissed off Cruise Critic members! 😉😉

They caught this internally - see post #115.

31 minutes ago, Hoo27 said:

I'm very happy to say that I just received an updated email, which looks like it went to all passengers.  The updated information states as follows:

 

***UPDATE***   IMPORTANT EMBARKATION INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR CRUISE SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER® DEPARTING SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

 

Dear Valued Guest and Travel Partner,     ***Update - Guests with Pre-Cruise Travel Arrangements in Seward***   Any guests with independent pre-cruise travel arrangements in the originally schedule embarkation port of Seward are welcome to reserve a complimentary transfer (available at 11:30am and 1:30pm) from Seward to Whittier by contacting our reservations team on the below phone numbers.   We look forward to welcoming you aboard Seven Seas Explorer.

Happy to see this ends well for all guests. Sometimes it just takes a little time for a large company to do what you or I could do in minutes.

Thank you for posting that.

Voting with your wallet is an excellent choice. My point is that I see more of these things than most people do and, based on my experience, it is not specific to a particular line. I think everyone agrees this was an error. I certainly do (the definition of not defending them) and I am glad for the guests that the mistake is being corrected. 

2 minutes ago, majcigar said:

I completely disagree! Before RSSC hit the SEND Button on this change they should have had their S___ in one sock and been prepared for this storm! You only get one chance to make a first impression. RSSC completely BLEW IT!

The entire industry is like this - we see it every day. Many things going on outside of the ability of the companies to react to quickly. Was it an error, sure. But they caught it and are fixing it. Certainly could have been worse. If you go through life expecting everything to be perfect, the only result you are guaranteed is to be disappointed, especially in the cruise business where anything can change on moment's notice.. Don't take this as me defending Regent - more of explaining how expectations need to be adjusted post-Covid. But you certainly have the right to vote with your wallet and I wish all your future cruises to be hassle free!