NYC-London

Lorimay is correct and we also experienced many of the same issues and just hoping it is “opening day jitters”. We have never before been on such a short (only seven days) Regent cruise and the vibe is quite different than in previous cruises. Lots of new faces (meaning crew) and many seem to be learning the ropes.

And don’t forget the yummy Xmas cookies - hint, if you break the cookie in half all the calories spill out!

Inquiring minds would love to know!

That is sad because when the ship is decorated for the holidays, it truly is magical

I thought the December 6th cruise was for VIP's and TA's - not listed on the Regent webstie

Essex and sometimes work in Morris

Since when are dogs allowed on cruise ships? And why is a dog being allowed into CR? I am Titatnium and have never seen a dog on any Regent cruise

Who ever in Regent management that made the decision that only concierge level and above receive a tote bag which clearly is marked Regent cruise lines needs to retake both Marketing 101 and Advertising 101 - I'm believe they either skipped or slept through those classes. I am surprised there was no special token for sailing the maiden voyage - yet again reinforces my above statement

When looking for last minute discounted cruise fares, Google is your friend

In the last week, there have been a number of very ugly incidents, mostly in Istanbul but also in areas frequented by Israeli tourists, such as Antalya which is a short flight away from Israel.

I don't think that Regent would ever make such a recommendation, they would probably provide some insight regarding the current situation within each port and advice each person to use their own judgment. Seeing what is going on in the news, esp following the foreign press which is providing greater coverage than the US press, I would not be going to Turkey right now, and Turkey is one of my favorite countries. My name easily identifies myself as Jewish and I would not want to be an easy target. I was once employed at a multi national corporation and traveled a great bit - we were required to take security awareness classes, sometimes for specific countries and more than once my travel plans were derailed because my company did not want me traveling to areas of the world that were targeting Jewish individuals.

I totally agree - my real Longchamp is MUCH nicer, but there are occasions where one does not want to use the "good stuff" and from the looks, this one looks like it might just fit the bill. You are also from NJ where stores are no longer allowed to provide bags - it looks like this will fit onto the compartment on my car door which I can just grab when I run into Kings (a local supermarket) for a few items.

I agree, it looks like it has a zipper and can be easily folded into itself - if so, it is a keeper!

At one time the description of the suites stated that concierge and above suites received a tote bag - I am not seeing that anymore. For those that are either currently sailing or have sailed very recently, are tote bags still being provided? I always found them useful to taking items to the pool. It always seemed very petty to me that only concierge or above were entitled to receive a tote bag - for an item that could not cost more than a couple of dollars - seriously, for a company trying to portray a six star, uber luxury experience, not providing a tote bag for all suite categories, which in reality is nothing more than free advertising for the company seems very short-sighted.

We are usually invited to a hosted table at least once during a cruise and like Pcardad, we always bring one "dressy" outfit with us, not a ballgown but a nice cocktail dress. For the other nights, I either wear a simple dress with a sweater (I am usually cold) or pants with a nice top. I typically purchase clothes that pack easily and do not wrinkle (because unfortunately the wonderful Regent laundry fairies do not accompany me on business trips) At this stage of my life, comfort takes precedent over fashion.

You are so correct regarding the power of word of mouth in this neck of the woods , more so than other areas of the country where I have lived

My office is in Florham Park so when I see your location I sometimes wonder if we have run into each other I totally agree with you regarding land trips - there are a number of dream destinations on my bucket list and other than for Antarctica, I plan to do them all by land while I am still young enough to take such trips.

Know the area very well and have dear friends who live on Sand Spring Road

Yup, that is the mall - wouldn't it be funny if we all know one another Columbia High School grad

Winner Winner Chicken dinner - yes that is the correct mall!

Although everyone calls it the Short Hills Mall, the official name is The Mall at Short Hills (I guess that sounds fancier) and yes, it is very close to Summit, which is the next town over

I know you have quoted this 103% occupancy for quite some time, yet it seems that they are constantly have various promotions to sell certain cruises and selling excess capacity through discount travel websites at significantly reduced rates. I do see that the very popular cruises are waitlisted only but there are quite a few with plenty of availability. I follow a website that lists "last minute" discount cruises and there are quite a number of Regent cruises and if I had the available vacation time, I would be booking one of them in a heartbeat.

I think Pcardad hit it in the nose - within the next 30 days NCL is expected to have their third quarter earnings call and NCL has not been doing as well as their competitors and there is a great deal of pressure on the C suite to their stockholders. I am sure this is their number #1 priority - however, this may prove to be very short sighted, but when it comes to the market, that is the thinking instead of looking at the long game and the need not only to keep their current customers, but also to attract new customers. In the realm of all cruising passengers, only a very small percentage can afford to travel at the level of Regent and those that can have choices. No matter the product, almost all try to appeal to the more affluent section since this is the one demographic least likely to be affected by an economic slow down. While retail sales are hurting, there is an upscale mall near to where I live that has few few empty storefronts and is always crowded and on Sunday one has to fight for a parking space, as I just did a few hours ago (anyone living in North NJ or the suburbs of NYC know which mall I am referring to). But this segment of the overall population is quite small and are usually well educated consumers. Regent may be able to fool people once or twice,, but if too many people feel that the fancy brochure is just marketing hype and cannot deliver the product promised, they will not be able to retain their current customer base, let alone attract new long term customers. The couple I met at the diner last week is a perfect example - this would have been their first Regent cruise and the likelihood of them booking another Regent cruise is slim to none and with just a little bit of common sense and customer courtesy it did not have to be that way.

Regent does not list port fees and taxes as a separate line item, it is included in the "all inclusive" fare and over the years we have missed many ports and never received one penny back

Since you haven't posted in the last day, am I to assume that you are on your way to Istanbul?