BettyDol

We were on the Rome to Miami cruise in Nov 2023, in a Penthouse B suite. Regent put us in the Marriott, Sini Bernini Bristol but the Westin Excelsior Hotel was also used by Regent. I don't know what criteria was used for the different assignments, suite category. points status, arrival dates ??? The Sina Bernini was a lovely hotel. More of a boutique style than the Westin, Service was wonderful, especially the Doorman, He gave us great sightseeing and dining suggestions. The location was also good. We walked easily to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps as well as several lunch and dinner restaurants. There was a very nice included buffet/order breakfast. We were there for 3 nights. We upgraded our Regent room for the 3 nights and management let us stay in the upgraded room without charging for the Regent included room on the third night. If this hotel is also available for you, it is worth considering.

We were on the Rome to Miami Splendor Cruise in Nov 2023. A couple of "words to the wise" about the port of Miami and Miami airport. First, our flight from Miami to to Los Angeles departed at 11:40 . Before booking the flight we contacted Regent to confirm this would be a doable scheduling. We were told that the airport and port were very close, we would dock at 7am and disembark at 7:30 AM. We also checked at reception onboard and were told, "No problem". We were ready to disembark at 7:30 but were not permitted to do so. At 8:10 the Cruise Director arrived to announce the dock workers were refusing to handle any luggage until every piece pf luggage was unloaded. Not just our color tag luggage, but EVERY color tag . The CD said he was told the best hope for completion of the task would be 8:30. 8:30 turned into 9, 9 to 9:30. 9:30 to finally departing the ship at 10:15, we were immediately confronted by a long Taxi line. By this time I was a mess. We got to the airport and had 45 minutes to catch the flight. The next part was actually worse than the disembarkation. Be warned that the Miami airport is HUGE. From security to our gate left us with only 2 minutes to spare . I have heard from several friends that the labor situation in Miami does not favor the traveler. Embarkation delays are frequent and more the rule than not. Maybe pack some roller skates to transverse the Airport!! Or, to be on the save side, book the 4:00PM American flight to LAX instead of the 11:40! After a really fabulous cruise, the disembarkation was a real buzz kill!

I think that Redraider 1966 would probably be more comfortable staying home. Just saying....

Agree completely with Dolebludger! Anyone have experience with Scenic or Atlas. Both have snazzy brochures promising "luxury experiences" but feels a little bit off to me. I am not ready to switch from Regent, but am curious to learn of any credible competition!

The explanation to this price difference is both simple and not simple! I did the math the same way you did and then got an astoundingly different quote, . So, i called the TA for an explanation. I hope I can explain it correctly. The $5599 quoted price is the special, "two for one". Once you switch to the Single Supplement deal, you are no longer eligible for the "two for One" price, because you are a Single. So, the price that is used to arrive at the , "single supplement " total is not based on the $5599 price, but on the original brochure price. Yikes!! that makes the Single Supplement, 25% deal laughable. A Very misleading offer. I hope this explanation helps!

I just want to throw a different perspective into this discussion. If this happened to me, I am sure I would be upset. However, a few years back, we were on a Back to back Caribbean cruise on the Voyager. There were 70 other passengers on this btb cruise. Unfortunetly for all of us, there were also 2 different corporate charters aboard. each group had about 300 "guests" each. One group consisted of about 85% 25 to 30 year olds. When I tell you that cruise was an absolute nightmare I am understating the situation by many miles. So, the alternative perspective I mentioned is this: I think Regent got you out of a nightmare and into an opportunity to find a wonderful cruise! Hope you can find a fabulous "second Choice"!!!

If you have Orange County (John Wayne) airport available as an option, it is not a bad option. The distance may be further, but the reality of NOT being at LAX is a pleasure. Long Beach Airport is close and small, but Orange County Airport is a joy compared to the other two.

In the early 90s our family had our first visit to Barcelona. We were there on a Sunday and hired a cab for the day. We decided to go to Mass at Sagrada Familia, it is a Catholic Church after all! The cab driver didn't say anything. So, imagine our clueless tourist surprise when we arrived to discover the church was just an external shell, not even a roof on it. Fast forward probably 25 years and after watching a wonderful TV special about the church's progress we went again. When we walked in, I burst into tears at the beauty everywhere. Please, DO Not miss the Sagrada Familia!

I sure agree with "Cruiser from Maine" about avoiding BTB cruises with a 7 day segment. Pre Covid we were on a 17 day BTB cruise on Voyager in the Caribbean. The first 10 day segment was a wonderful Regent experience. On the second 7 day segment 75 passengers stayed on. The remainder of the passengers consisted of 2 corporate "incentive" groups. Each group had 300 people. One group consisted of Realtors with families included. This group was Ok with the exception of monopolizing several public spaces. The other group was an Insurance Company and was made up of 25 to 30ish couples. They were a NIGHTMARE. Examples included partial nudity, vomit, broken glass and beer bottles IN the pool. One night in Prime 7 we were seated next to a table of 6 for a 9 o'clock reservation. That table ordered 18 entrees for 6 people, at 9 0'clock. We felt so sorry for the Staff. Suffice to say none of the 75 continuing guests were happy. I now personally avoid any 7 day Caribbean Cruise.

What a WONDERFUL plan! Good Luck

Seriously looking forward to your Splendor reporting as I so enjoyed your last Explorer reports and also because like Mystictraveler and pingpong1, my husband and I are also on the Splendor next Nov. with this itinerary. Such a long time to wait so it will be really interesting to "sail along "with you, Georgia Peach! Betty

My husband and I boarded the Splendor on Dec. 8, 2021 and the ship was already beautifully decorated for Christmas. There were several Holiday celebrations presented through out the 19day cruise. One especially enjoyable celebration was a Christmas caroling session . While there was not a clergy member onboard, the Cruise Director did have a non denominational Christmas Eve and Christmas Day service. I do remember a lovely, festive Christmas dinner in Compass Rose, but do not remember what we ate! We were not aboard for New Years, so, I cannot provide any New Years info. I just remembered that there was a British film crew onboard early in the cruise. This crew was aboard for the Splendor's Atlantic crossing and filmed the whole Christmas decorating process. I am sure with a little digging one could still find the show on You Tube. It was a very interesting program.