papaflamingo

You are likely correct. It does seem a bit weird to only drop the requirements on short cruises. Regent Cruise Line has dropped testing requirements on Aug. 1 unless the country. of origin requires it. So I think we are slowly coming out of "Covid mode."

The problem with going into MTD an hour late is that it will likely run you into the second seating. That's why they likely won't allow it. They only allot 2.5 hours for dining so a 1.5 hour dinner would be rushed at the very best. Your safest bet is to plan dining somewhere else that night. We did this in 2017 when we did a family cruise. We were in suites so had access to Coastal Kitchen. We fed the kids (all under 12) with room service that night and we adults had a great late dinner. I'd simply plan an alternate dining experience, either specialty dining or Windjammer. That will take all the stress out of it.

I wouldn't worry, Embassy Suites always includes breakfast. I imagine the voucher you received is a standard voucher good for any hotel that they might book you in, so of course it would state "hotel, tax, porterage only." I've been to many Embassy Suites, including Ft. Lauderdale, and have NEVER been checked for room number. No worries, enjoy the breakfast. I think it's great! Eggs to order, lots of bacon, sausage toast options, cereals, etc. 😎

You don't need insurance....until you do. In 2011 we had a cruise booked out of Venice. My mom passed away and we had to cancel. The Cruise Insurance paid out and the amount we received (full cost of cruise, air, etc.) was way more than ll the premiums added together that I had paid in the past. Another story... recently I read a FB post by someone on a Luxury cruise line who broke her leg on day 2 and had to be hospitalized and sent home. She didn't have cruise insurance and wanted the cruise line to refund her the balance of the cruise. She was another "don't need insurance" type until she needed it. Now she wants the cruise line to refund her cost. Use your best judgment. If you can afford to lose the money you spent on the cruise, and afford the cost of any medical issues, then "self insure." IF not, get a policy.

I don't believe Concierge Suites get a free upgrade. All suites get Business Class when intercontinental. But domestic travel is in economy. So if your plan is to upgrade to Concierge for air upgrade, check it out for sure, you might be disappointed. The biggest advantage to Concierge, besides ship location, IMHO, is early booking of excursions, 4 internet logins, and the one night hotel (plus a few other amenities). So you have to decide if those things are worth the cost of the upgrade. As for suites to avoid, like any other ship, avoid being under the pool deck if able and avoid being above noisy spaces . Personally I look for close to mid-ship and try to have a cabin above and below. One more thought. I've never been on Explorer, but I also try to avoid cabins around the smoke stacks as you could possibly get some noise from intakes etc. and sometimes could smell some stack gas depending on winds. Just a few thoughts.

Thanks for the clarification. I asked Luggage Forward how it would work in Southampton and here's what they told me by email: "Please clear your bags with customs and then hand them off to our agent, who will meet you outside the tunnel." Since I was sending them down the night before, and had to collect the bags to clear Customs, I held onto my Luggage Forward tags and put them on after clearing Customs (actually their agent put them on for me). I do understand your confusion. .

Our experience was 180 out of yours. We shipped to Montreal from Atlanta and the luggage showed up at our cabin on the ship. We then shipped Southampton to Atlanta after the cruise. We claimed our luggage at Customs and got a porter to take it out of the terminal and the Luggage Forward Rep. was standing there with a big sign. He even put our Luggage Forward tags on for us. Totally seamless operation for us. I am curious about your above quote; What "assistance" were you expecting from Luggage Forward for getting off the ship?

At least you're up to bat. We were on Navigator in June and both Greenland ports were cancelled due to 50 kt. winds, heavy rain, and icebergs. As you said " the captain’s decisions were absolutely correct! Safety is paramount." Enjoying seeing your photos of what we missed.

Good point. Since I don't use the Casino and rarely go into the shops, I didn't consider that. I imagine late departures also benefit the cruise line with fuel savings.

We love Sea Days, but if it's all late departures you can take advantage of the ports. Have a leisurely dinner in a local restaurant, go to a fun local bar, etc. If you don't want to do that, then just do on the ship what you'd do if it was underway. The only difference is you'll see the port lights rather than dark ocean, but ship facilities will all be open. For me, not a big deal at all.

True, there is no requirement. But if you DO check in 24 hours prior, get your boarding pass digitally, you will avoid the problems that the OP had. This is still a very "strange" time. Regent Air is slammed with all the airline schedules, people booking cruises and wanting air deviation, and people with problems. The airlines are cancelling flights daily. Sure, Regent should notify you IF they were notified. But I, for one, will not leave it up to them. I check my flights frequently simply to avoid any surprises. I won't be caught going to the airport for a flight that was cancelled a week earlier.

Not sure about Cabin changes, but as for getting on and off the ship, you can do it at your leisure. They prefer you to get off the ship as they do a complete turn-around cleaning and even though you can stay in your cabin and use public spaces, you'll still be in their way. Be sure your Seapass shows your actual debarkation date. If not check with Passenger Service and have it updated before you leave the ship. If you're changing cabins, the crew will move your stuff (you might want to move valuables in the safe). I would go to Passenger Service and get your new Seapass for the new room before leaving the ship. They can tell you what you need to do.