papaflamingo

To add to what Minotaur said.... I just did this a few months ago for our Grandeur cruise that we completed on Jan. 24th. When you get into Dining Reservations, you'll see the "add another guest" prompt as. Minotaur shows. Select it, fill in the information for the other reservation, and select "NO" for "Share Table." BE SURE TO SELECT THE "ADD GUEST" PROMPT!!!! This will put you in a 4 top for the 4 of you. It will only. bring up times available for 4 top tables in each restaurant. Simply select your time and confirm you reservation (you'll see the prompt). It's also very important that the other couple doesn't try to make reservations. That'll delete what you make. You should get an email confirmation showing a party of 4.

They'll announce any changes when changes are made. I get that people would like to know what the "plan" is, but Mariner isn't even scheduled to get to the Red Sea until April 13. That's over 2 months from now. And Navigator doesn't go until May. A lot is going to happen during the next 2 months. There is a possibility, perhaps a good one based on last nights actions, that the threat will be mitigated by then. Regent probably doesn't have a "drop dead" date yet for making the decision. So they probably can't tell you when the decision will be made. The Red Sea is very important to the world economy. The world isn't going to sit back and let this continue very long. Relax and enjoy your cruise. You are headed to the most beautiful part of the world, the South Pacific! Don't worry about what's going to happen in 2 months. The worst that will happen is that they'll route the ship around Africa instead of going through Suez Canal. Seeing Africa would be fantastic in my opinion. So either way it will be an amazing cruise. I wish I was on it! 😎

If you select a night that shows "available," you will see at the top of the list "share a table" with a "yes" or "no" prompt. Click the "no" prompt and any available "2 top" times will come up. If you want one of those times you simply select the time then hit "reserve new" and your earlier reservation will be automatically cancelled and you'll have the new time confirmed.

Just a suggestion.... I'd pre-book a dedicated car so that it is waiting for you when you get off the ship. Could take time to get a taxi. It'll be more expensive but cheaper than missing your flight.

I have seen a number of shows on Ponant and have seen the ships (beautiful design). But it seems they were really geared to Europeans more than English speaking Americans. Also the cabins seem very small. Anyway how did you like Ponant? Looks to me like a great cruise line for the Antarctic.

Just a comment about itinerary changes... all the speculation in the world is worthless. This mess in the Red Sea could go on for 20 years or be over in days. Regent is likely looking at their options and will make a decision when it is necessary. Consider the logistics of a major change in a cruise ship's itinerary. It impacts port space, supply abilities, fuel capabilities, crew turnover, shore excursion availability, other ships also changing itineraries, and, of course, cost. So it's likely, and in my opinion, wise, for Regent to spend significant time and look at options and then wait until it's necessary to make the changes, and wait until they are firmed up to announce them. Consider them changing the cruise and cancelling one or two others and then in a week this ends, or announcing changes that they end up unable to accomplish. Everyone will be furious and we'll have endless threads of "why did Regent cancel or change my cruise so early?" So.... all we can do is wait and see. Let the company decide what they want to do with their ship and then adjust to the decision.

Of course your flights are still a "go." Regent paid for the tickets 60 days before your cruise so they are bought ant paid for. I will be more than willing to bet that any booked flights outside of 60 days (tickets not paid for) will also still be a "go." Without actual documentation I would be a bit skeptical of Delta "cancelling" the contract with Regent. I wonder if the TA is wrong and what has actually happened is Delta doesn't offer any contract rates (even with an up charge) on certain flights or routes. I live in Atlanta and am retired Delta.. We ran into this a few years ago when we were trying to book via Regent to Sydney. Delta was a complete "no go." Not even an offer of an up charged flight. Yet last year we were able to book via Regent non stop to Athens with an up charge and non-stop Rome -Atlanta with NO up charge (straight contract rates) on Delta. We are returning from Tokyo after our Hong Kong-Tokyo cruise on March 8 on the Delta non-stop (also a bit of an up charge). So I wouldn't worry. It's just that Delta is so short of crews and their Delta One product is selling out as fast as it can be booked on most routes. No need for them to offer contract rates to anyone, so they won't unless the route is not selling out. But I will still request it when we deviate for our next cruise in 2025. But I'll also have other backups available.

You can cancel air anytime up to 60 days prior to the cruise. That's when Regent actually pays for the flight. For reference, it is listed on your Booking Confirmation under "Cancellation of Ancillary Items."

We use the one's you have shown in your comment above. They work great.

We were on Grandeur for the LA to Miami cruise (really miss it and it's only been a week). In Cabo San Lucas we did a shore excursion that went to a nice restaurant and we had an outstanding tequila tasting experience. The tequila "sommelier" was fascinating, but we also learned that tequila is best sipped and paired with foods. We had 3 different levels of tequila, each paired with a specific food, ceviche, a wonderful taco, and outstanding chocolate desert. When we took a bite of food and a sip of tequila,...WOW! 😎

We were on the sailing before yours, LA to Miami and I have to agree wholeheartedly, we also found the Destinations Team to be great! They deserve the recognition for sure.

We were in Fakarava in 2018 and a group set up a dive tour (probably the same thing you're looking at) and all said they loved it. We didn't go, but we found that when you get off the ship you can rent bikes and ride the atoll. We headed out and it was beautiful! You can stop anywhere on the side of the road at small beaches and snorkel (we brought our own mask and snorkel). We found a small cafe and had a beer. We found a beautiful Coral Church. Honestly, one of the best days of a fantastic cruise.

We just got off the 16 night LA to Miami through the canal cruise on Grandeur 4 days ago. It was spectacular!!! Anyway, as others have said, only 1 reservation in each specialty restaurant, however Prime 7 and Chartreuse are open for lunch on a walk up basis. Although it isn't the dinner menu, we ate in there 3 or 4 times and really enjoyed it. But,... interestingly on the first night (departure day) we went to Compass Rose about 7:15, a large group showed up ahead of us. When we got to the Maitre'd station they said there was no wait in Pacific Rim or Prime 7 if we'd like to go. So the four of us "beat feet" to Pacific Rim and had a wonderful meal!! We were also able to get a second reservation in Prime 7 later in the cruise. Just go to the Dining Reservations office on Deck 5 and see what's available. So you shouldn't have much of a problem getting more reservations, especially if you are willing to share a table. Enjoy your cruise... Grandeur is beautiful and the Panama Canal is amazing!

Yes. I was insured by GoReady and when I changed the cruise, I called them and "pushed" the dates. There was a bit of an upcharge since we had been covered for months and would continue coverage for another 10 months, but not a big deal, I think about $200 or so to extend the time. Even if we had to lose the premium and re insure the money we were refunded by Regent would have still made it a great deal. One more thing, at least for us.... since we had passed Final Payment for our cruise, we were considered past final payment for the new cruise too. So we couldn't cancel without loss of full payment. Not an issue for us since we were insured anyway, and seemed fair to me.

CRONUTS in Coffee Connection... enough said! 😎

Our experience too. The side we heard was the couch side of the cabin where we shared a common wall with couches back to back. On the tv side, we never heard a peep, and neither did our friends on that side from us. Only time we heard anything was when our neighbor was, it seemed, sitting on his couch and talking to his wife across the room. Otherwise it was quiet. Oh yeah, I was also sitting on our couch when I heard him, so only about 6 inches away through the wall.

Our experience too. What I was saying is that the insulation (or lack of) is the same for all suites on Grandeur. I doubt they insulated some cabin levels more than others. I do think it has to do with common walls. Like others said, we only heard our neighbors from the "couch side" of the cabin not the "tv side." And the "tv side" were friends of ours and they never heard us either. So I think the actual problem, for us at least, was only when our neighbors were sitting on their couch, which shared a common wall with our couch, and talking across the room. Otherwise it was very quiet.

We had a similar offer last year. We were booked on Navigator last March for a 10 night Caribbean cruise. On Christmas 2022 we had a pipe freeze with major house damage. Too late to cancel, we were going to let the construction crew simply continue the repair well we were gone. Four days before the cruise got an email asking if we would be interested in changing to Mariner in Dec. and an upgrade to a Penthouse and about a 20% refund! JUMPED ON IT! As you may know.... Navigator to Mariner IS and upgrade, and Mariner's Penthouses are fantastic!!! AND it allowed us to be home to finish the house repair! So...win-win for sure! These offers come along. For us it was a "God send." But if it doesn't work for you don't take it. As for shore excursions, we were still able to get everyone we wanted except one and we cleared that waiting list about 2 weeks later. So it all depends on where the ship is going, etc. You may or may not be able to get excursions. Specialty Dining you can probably get when you get on board. So if excursions are "make it or break it" for you then don't change cruises. Othewise if it works to your advantage and is worth the savings, go for it. But call Regent and see what they say about cabin assignment, etc. and if you don't like what you hear simply say no thank you.

Honestly, I think insulation is the same in all the suites and not as big a problem as everyone thinks. We had friends on one side, the side that the tv was on, and their tv was on our wall. We never heard them and they never heard us. On the side we had our couch, as I said earlier, we heard our neighbors maybe 3 times in 16 days and never at night or during any sleep time. Since I was sitting on our couch, I suspect one of them was sitting on their couch on the other side of our wall so we were literally inches apart, and that's when I heard them. But I heard NO complaints by anyone on board and our friend heard nothing at all. So really, don't "over think" this. If you get a neighbor that is consistently loud, just let them know and ask if they can talk quieter.

The "guide" was supplied by the Canal and I was surprised to find he was Panamanian since his English was better than mine. So probably "luck of the draw," whoever is working the day the ship transits.

First....make sure you have activated WiFi Calling in your phone settings. If not, do that before leaving home. It'll ask you to fill out emergency information, just use your home address. It's simply to tell emergency services where you are since you'll be on wifi and not traceable. Second... when you board the ship, put your phone in "airplane mode." Third..... log onto the ships internet. Your phone should automatically go into WiFi Calling. You can verify this by looking on the upper left corner of your phone where it shows the carrier. We have ATT so ours shows "ATT wi-fi." Yours will show something like "VZW Wi-Fi." This means you are now in wifi calling and can use the phone as if you are in your home for no additional charges. Just be sure to keep it in "airplane" mode. The phone will "decide" which to use, cell or wifi, due to signal strength. So to be sure the wifi is stronger, remove the cell from the equation by selecting "airplane" mode. Also in ports, you can do the same if you have wifi coverage like in a wifi cafe, etc.

Just off Grandeur yesterday. So...my experience. The ship is beautiful! I found all the food excellent... .then again I probably am not that fussy. But it was always hot and very good. Service in the Compass Rose was pretty good. Took about 2 hours for dinner. They work extremely hard, but seemed they might be understaffed. Yes I wrote that up. It's not the crew, they were running like sprinters every night. Just didn't seem enough of them. Occasionally (about 2 or 3 times in 16 nights) our sommelier seemed to disappear. But not really much of a problem. Still... service tended to be a bit slow. It was great in the specialty restaurants. Cabin..... we had an F-2 Superior Suite cabin 811. LOVED the layout, storage, etc. Yes, we could hear our neighbor when sitting on the couch. BUT only heard them a couple of times. So I agree 100% they didn't insulate well enough. I'm not a conspiracy theorist so I'm not going to speculate as to why, it just is what it is. But it NEVER interrupted our sleep or rest. Again, only heard them talking maybe 3 times in 16 days. So my guess... I was on our couch, they were on their couch and we were back to back against the wall so.... anyway, not an issue at all. Panama Canal..... We had a great lecture prior to the Canal on the history and building of the Canal. And we had a local guide provided that was absolutely fascinating. He spoke perfect English and broadcasted from the Bridge explaining everything and then held a talk (I didn't go) in the Constellation Theater. Oh yeah.... there was also a video on the history of the Canal on the TV. So...not sure what more they could have done. Oh yeah there are also "tons" of videos on the web about the canal. If you are going, watch one or two before you go. You'll know way more than you ever wanted to. Anyway... most of cruising is a combination of expectations, keep them "real," and subjective opinion. What I find excellent others may find substandard. Best advice, take ALL opinions and reviews with a grain of salt. And remember, it's a ship, it's crewed by multi-national crews, it moves, it's got limited resources. But overall...it's a cruise on a spectacular ship where they do everything in their power to make you happy. Enjoy. 😎

Look at it this way... the longer we sit at the bar, the better the stories get. Just make sure we can use our hands. After all, no aviation story has been told without hand movement! 🤣

First.. you do need a good TA. But what I've found is if there's a cruise I am interested in I have my TA put a 7 day hold on the cabin I'm interested in. That way I get an actual booking with all the charges displayed. Then I can pay the deposit, cancel the cruise, or simply do nothing and let it expire. But at least I have a lock on the cabin and rate and know exactly what I'm looking at.

No worries. Check lower on your booking to the "Payments" section. I checked a couple of ours (old cruise and upcoming cruise) and both showed a $75 payment and a $275 payment. The custom air payment, being non refundable, is made at the time you make the arrangements and accept them. So you've already been charged, paid, and credited for those fees and they shouldn't be included in the remaining final payment, but show as part of the cost of the cruise.