TakingFlight

1 hour ago, DavyWavey70 said:

I’m just back from an incredible 4 week tour of Aus and NZ with a twelve night cruise on the Celebrity Edge that I’m not allowed to mention on here, oops. You’ll have the most amazing time. If you get the chance then look into the Indian Pacific rail journey. What an experience! 

We will be doing a Kimberley cruise (on another line) next year in June. Prior to the cruise we are doing the Ghan train from Adelaide to Darwin. I really appreciated the pics you posted of your train adventure, DW. And I’m really looking forward to it!

In 2025 Orthodox Easter and the Easter holiday we celebrate in the States will be on the same day, April 20.

3 hours ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

TakingFlight, your suite 6052 is directly above the stage area with the piano in the Dolce Vita lounge on deck 5.  Have you experienced any noise coming from this area?  We were on the Dawn last year and were on deck 6 directly above the stage area where there were audio speakers in the ceiling.  All of the suites on deck 6 above this area complained about the noise and vibration from the speakers, especially during afternoon trivia and in the evening during special events.  We enjoy being on deck 6, but wonder if there are certain areas that are affected by the music or other events in the Dolce Vita lounge on the Nova.

I counted the number of steps between my cabin and the piano in DV. I think that cabin 6050 is the one directly above the piano. Either way, we can’t hear any noise from the lounge in our cabin. 

Absolutely no noise from the areas beneath our cabin. 

I am currently in 6052 with a connecting door immediately next to the cabin door. No noise at all from next door. I have a cabinet above the laundry bin with 3 shelves. The vanity space is about 3 feet wide. I have occasionally heard the neighbor’s tv while in my suite. I know

from being on my veranda that my neighbor is hard of hearing as he speaks quite loudly so I assume he has the tv volume turned up quite high. Fortunately they do not have the tv on very often. 

My documents also say that boarding is between 2-4 pm on the 15th. I’ve only sailed Silversea expedition ships so I’m not sure when boarding usually commenceson the classic ships.

Thank you for letting us know about this situation. I will be boarding Nova on the 15th in Ft. Lauderdale. I will plan to spend a bit more time at the pool or beach instead of rushing to the port to board early. I wonder if SS will alert us as to the later boarding times?

2 hours ago, DTtravelers said:

 

I would consider a longer trip with land and sea elements to explore the region, so this type of arrangement has some appeal. 

 

 

We are on one of the Kimberley sailings next year. We’ll fly to Adelaide and spend a few nights there, then board the Ghan train for a ride through the Outback. We’re doing their Explorer trip which includes the train ride, Kakadu National Park and Darwin, 7 nights total. Then we’ll do the Kimberley. There are plenty of ways to expand your time in Australia. We’ve done Sydney and Great Barrier Reef and want to do something different this time. 

Ponant also has Great Lakes cruises.

Are you staying in a hotel the night before your cruise? You could order from Red  Ribbon’s website, have them delivered to your hotel and carry them on the ship when you board.

1 hour ago, CardowMD said:

I have been trying to get back on the mailing list. Everything stopped about 2 years ago, but still get weekly Viking and occasional Oceania mailers Despite applying for RSSC. I refer back to deck plans on old catalogs all the time…these haven’t changed, although itinerary’s have had many changes.

On Regent’s website they say they have a new 2024-25 brochure. You click on the order link and it will be mailed to you. It’s about the size of a coffee table book-big and heavy. And it arrived within 3 days. I bet I’m on their mailing list now! 

I am following this thread with great interest even though I have no bookings affected by these changes. Everyone posting here says they have been booked at the Trident. Has no one been booked at the Oberai?

We used Blacklane in 2022 and enjoyed their service.

On 12/20/2023 at 5:59 PM, Woodrowst said:

Thanks for all comments.   To close the loop, my TA quickly returned my call and was surprised as Seabourn had not notified her of the change.  She got Seabourn on the line and had them put us back in the original cabin.  Seabourn did indeed consider this a two category complimentary upgrade but for the life of me I cannot figure out why they think Venture cabin 828 is better/more expensive than 610.  After perusing the deck plan, I would think the opposite would be true which is why I thought we had been downgraded.  All is well!

Please let us know about your experience in cabin 610. We have booked this cabin on Pursuit for a Kimberley cruise in 2025. 

13 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

Today is Saturday morning, December 2, 2023.  We got off our ship on November 19, 2023 so we have had some time to remember a lovely trip. Today our team, the Alabama Crimson Tide will Play Georgia for the SEC title.  I don't think it is Alabama's year but hopeful. 

As my mother would say, “Hope Springs Eternal”. Congratulations on a spectacular win for your Crimson Tide! What a fun game to watch.

Wherever you might end up viewing the race, your visibility corridor will be limited due to the nature of the street race. VIP suites in the Paddock area will give you great views of the garages, pit stops and start/finish. But very little else. If you want to see some racing the high seats in the K grandstand, looking down at the track and the yachts in the marina, were brilliant. You can see the cars come out of the tunnel, go downhill to a long (for Monaco) straightaway right in front of you which is one of the few places the cars can (and did) pass each other. There was a big viewing screen where we could watch the action taking place on other parts of the course. Another plus was that from the top of the K Grandstand we could look down and see a Birds Eye view of the cars as they were accelerating from the start line, preparing to go up the hill. And just watching the parties on the yachts was an added entertainment bonus. We had a fantastic time at the Monaco Grand Prix in 2022.

Oh, Nancy.  I am so sorry; I remember fondly what good care you took of your husband when we were in the South Pacific last August. Our excursion on H2O Bora Bora was the highlight of our cruise. It is encouraging to see you are willing to give it a go on your own in the Med. I have also booked a solo voyage next November as John doesn’t want to do too many more long haul flights to far flung places. Perhaps our paths will cross again and I would enjoy that very much.  Your friend, Jo

1 hour ago, A Tucson Guy said:

It may not be as intimate, but the Chef's Table is quite a "Dinner and a Show". With the shipboard credits that you have, try it.

Great idea, ATG. I just might do this.

Now that we’ve had a little time to get over the sticker shock of the price of La Dame on the Nova, I have a question for those that have take the plunge. My DH and I will be celebrating our anniversary in March on the Nova. We have a $1000 OBC and I thought I would use it on a special dinner at La Dame. I don’t need to spend it in the shops on jewelry, watches or clothing. Given that the upcharge will be covered by the OBC do you think it would be worth it for our special occasion? Any other dining venue you would consider for this occasion?

3 hours ago, alithecat said:

Disagree with @Fletcher. We were on the Cloud Holiday cruise this past winter and loved it. The ship did not feel either too old or too big. The food, service and suites were lovely. The expedition staff were great. All very knowledgeable, helpful and professional. Our expedition leader was outstanding. We are booked on the Wind next summer for Iceland and Greenland.

I’m not sure when the last refurbishment was on the Cloud. We went to Antarctica in 2018 which was just after a recent refurbishment. There were a lot of indications that the ship was old then-gouges in our bathroom sink, drawers opening and closing all night during the Drake passage, etc. Although we thoroughly enjoyed our Antarctica adventure we have chosen the Seabourn Venture for our Arctic cruise in July. 

I am on the Barcelona to Miami Mariner cruise in November next year. If you log into your account you will see all the ports included in the itinerary listed. Click on the day for that port. For example, Funchal, Madeira. It tells me that the excursions are not available yet but it will list all the excursions they have offered in the past so you can get a preview of the possibilities. It also says that they hope to have the excursions listed 365 days in advance. This will be my first Regent cruise and so far all this makes sense to me. Hope this helps you. 

I am booked on a TA next year with a 0% single supplement. The price is exactly the same as what is advertised for one person in the suite. You won’t be eligible for any other promotions but the savings for a solo traveler are tremendous and I can’t find a better deal on any other cruise line I typically book. Please note that these promotions are incredibly popular and if I had waited another couple of weeks I would not have been able to take advantage of this great opportunity. So if you’re really interested, book now!

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi, yes you can book them on line. It gives you 3 choices. Early, mid and late. And you are correct, Salt and Atlantide are not set up for on line reservations.

Early, Mid and Late? So what times would equate to those descriptions?

We live in Pismo Beach, 1 1/2 hour drive north of Santa Barbara. We are seeing whales every day and they are closer to shore than usual. 

I sailed French Polynesia on Windstar’s Wind Spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience but it is very different from the Regent/PG experience. More casual and less inclusive with what they offer. And there are no cabins with verandas.  The Wind Spirit does not have any elevators so if stairs are an issue for someone then Wind Spirit would definitely not be for them.