AWED23

Not to change the discussion, but I do not like any cruise ships toilet paper.

 

tourguide

Marine grade toilet tissue has to be fast dissolving in order not to plug systems too easily. It is the same on all ships, large or small, cruising or freighter.......Just a point of information.

Well I said I would report back re Ginger Beer on board Riviera on our recent cruise. Sorry but it was not stocked in the Waves bar, but I did mention to the General Manager about my reply from Mr. FDR. and guess what the following day the Housekeeper knocked on our stateroom door with six cans of Ginger Beer and said if I would like to phone her she would get the stewardess to replace them.

This is what I call Customer Service, and a BIG THANK YOU :D:D to Oceania.

 

Also I would like to thank Dominique Nicolle, General Manager for his commitment to finding this in Key West, such a great guy and an asset to Oceania.

 

Lets see if I still have any cans left on our next cruise on Riviera on the 15th May, 2013.

 

Again many thanks.

:D Dominique is one of the very best GMs I have met on either Regent or Oceania. When he told me he had served under Carlo Guineti as both dining room manager and Food & Beverage Mgr. I understood why his enthusiasm and competence level was so high. It is always a pleasure for me after 67 years in the hospitality industry to observe a real "Pro" at work with such genuine enthusiasm and pleasure. Such a "can do" attitude is what is keeping Oceania's ships filled. Kudos to FDR.:D

Dogs have Masters but cats have staff!

We used A Briggs in 2012. Excellent service.

... Briggs is really top notch, especially good for South America. They have many offices around the country.

Wendy, my solution is an almost daily ration of a hot dog from Waves, and pasta a few nights per week ;). That's still within the bounds of Oceania foodie-ness, 'cause their hot dogs and pasta are great! Although, I'd still like Waves open at least one night a week with babyback ribs...

....+1 for sure and plenty of sauce for the ribs...Beans :D& Slaw?

IMO, there is no HAL vs Oceania vs Regent. Regent is a luxury all-inclusive cruise line. The others are not...........Apple's and oranges.

.....No poster said differently...So why bring that up?......After you sailed on Oceanias' Riviera you wrote a very glowing and detailed report. FDR could hardly have written a better one. I agreed with your report almost 100%. How do you balance that glowing report with your posts here describing HAL of having and promoting a "class" system which you say is provable because they have a lounge (Neptune) for the exclusive use of their suite level passengers? Therefore, it only goes to reason that Riviera and Marina must also, (according to Travelcat2's definition), even though they each contain TWO exclusive lounges with admittance by key card.....It would save a lot of time if you would finally address this confusion in your logic....:confused:

One of the many reasons we prefer to sail with Regent is the LACK of "executive" facilities for "exclusive" passengers. I know some people just love to feel part of a chosen few but we find it divisive and unnecessary. It's one of the less attractive aspects of cruising - all lines - that this kind of snobbery often rears it's head, in some cases actively encouraged by the cruise lines.

 

I am in total agreement with you. We much prefer the atmosphere and passenger mix on Regent to all other so called Luxury Lines and yes, we have sailed them all. Thank God for choices...:)

:confused:Pot vs. Kettle etc., etc., etc...C'mon TC, can't we all just get along. So then, by your definition, Oceania's Riviera and Marina have a class system ? This because they each have two lounges for the exclusive use of passengers in certain more luxurious cabins???

:p 1943 ???.....You are ancient. Was the Essex the first our carriers designed and built as a carrier rather than converted from a cruiser hull?...I remember the incident with the Nautilus.....You have had a cold Winter up there in NH....We are having a rather mild winter here in the San Juans....See you aboard, Rob from #826.

Some Command Master Chiefs have been known to allow a squid temorary command of the wheel of one of THEIR yachts...I am certain that in order to get their 3rd rocker they have to pass a grouchy & nasty exam.....Happy New Year and times a waisting.

You are so right. However if some creepy person wanted to see my card (looking at it now) they would only know that I am platinum level, where my muster station is and the dates of our cruise. I rarely discuss our suite (we have stayed in all sizes). I have discussed our current suite because it is so aft ... and on the Voyager

 

Staff can definitely tell what suite category you are in on Oceania. I do wonder why this is necessary. IMO when your card is swiped, the computer knows who you are and your state room number. There is no reason for others to know.

 

I am a bit confused. Thought this was a Navigator thread. My only comment on the Navigator would be that I am not a fan:o

:confused: You are the poster that brought up the subject of class system aboard HAL ships because of their Neptune Lounge for their "Suite" passengers. And snobbish was also used by you. I refer you to your post #32. As to cabin class being on your key card aboard Regent, if you were to read my post you would see that I said I was told this by the future cruise booker. It was on the Voyager last February/March....:(...Now I feel much better.:D

Let's put it this way, like the other New London, this is definitely a Navy town; therefore; things are in order:D

....That gets a big 4.0 !!!

Amazing how some insist on offering comments and opinions about cruise lines they have never sailed on.

 

Let those who have first hand information speak!

 

Sometimes listening is a virtue.

Remember the three monkeys, especially the one in the middle with his hands on his ears....But then, of course, his mouth is shut....

Actually Awed, I have heard that recently the Coast Guard is the most difficult to join. Great demand and small space. BZ

......Oh yes, we can be a bit picky. But then, of course, our Academy is in that other New London, the one that looks across the Thames towards the Navy's Sub school over in Groton......HeHe or is it LOL? Hope things are in order up there in New Hampshire.

You are about to be deluged with great opinions of Crystal on their board along with derogatory opinions of Regent...On this board the reverse will happen. We have been on both Crystal ships, Symphony round trip from Los Angeles to Hawaii, 14 days and a 16 day cruise round trip from Copenhagen up the Norwegan coast and North to Spitzbergen and back via Iceland. That was 3 years ago. For us there is no comparison due to the passenger demographic. People who cruise Regent are, for the most part, much more down to earth and pleasant to travel with than the Crystal crowd who seem to feel a bit more classy than the rest of us because they are on Crystal....But that is only my opinion of course...Objective comparisons are really hard to get. Regent does provide larger and better thought out cabin spaces...Now sit back and enjoy what pops up from Pandoras box! :D;)

pingpong1, Nice to meet a fellow USN type. Were you conventional or nuclear. I spent 3+ years on a CVS so we might have crossed paths.

If ColWes reads this he'll have to understand there are more of us. Go Navy!

;) Please leave room aboard for a few "Coasties", even if it is only in the goat locker......:D

I don't get your point. On our last Voyager cruise we were in a Grande Suite. Very large and very nice. NO one on the ship knew that we were in that suite except some friends we met on the cruise --and they told us their suites as well, all in that category or above.

 

Frankly I find it creepy that you go around asking to see fellow cruisers' key cards. I have found no class system at all on Regent, and yes we we are forced to do a HAL cruise for one reason or another, we DO get a suite with access to the Neptune lounge. It saves standing in line for ordinary shipboard services.

fIRST, First, I do not go around asking to see others' key cards as I do not care where a person books on board. I, like you, do not find a "Class system" on board Regent's ships. I never felt there was a class system aboard Holland America either. We have way over 500 days on HAL. If you read my reply to anothers post again with an open mind you might see that I was replying to a person who can not let go of the idea that HAL employs a class system. That same person gives very high marks to Oceania's Riviera even though they have not one but two exclusive lounges. As for the key cards, it is printed on the key card for anyone to see; but I suppose it is meant for staff to notice; that a person has "Platinum" status. I was told by the future cruise booker that he could tell that I was in a "Marina Suite" by my key card...We prefer Regent to all other lines because of space per passenger, very superior service, excellent food service, general over all ambiance and the passenger demographic. We find Oceania to be our best alternative to Regent but it does not have the same passenger count or the same amenities. I hope this clears up the meaning of my reply post. :)....P.S. We left HAL due to an over all lowering of the quality of their product after Kurt Lanterman retired and was replaced.

After reading your post I had to look up "Neptune lounge" on HAL. As expected, only passengers in certain levels of cabins can visit the lounge. No one could call you (or I) a snob for sailing Regent. IMO, people who sail on ships that have cabins with limited access are more in the "snob" category.

 

As you mentioned, HAL customers that sail in these cabins could sail Regent in the lower categories for just about the same price. The big difference is that they are allowed anywhere on the ship since once you walk out of your cabin, no one knows (or cares) what level suite you are in.

 

On the other hand, if you enjoy larger ships, signing for things, paying for specialty restaurants and having the opportunity to feel superior to others on board, luxury cruising may not be the right choice. Sorry for the sarcasm -- sometimes I just can't help it:o

:confused: I know that Riviera and Marina are not Regent but still I wonder about their Executive lounges with their exclusivity...??? Then too, on Regent, your key card shows your Seven Seas level and suite level, at least if you are in the uppermost 3 levels of suites. Your continuing rant on class systems is a bit much... IMHO....

Because our "Ideal" cruise would be a day in port followed by two sea days and then another day in port followed by three sea days (Need a little extra rest) then another day in port, etc. etc. etc. .....etc. You will fully enjoy the pleasure of actually cruising for 3-5 days as you make the crossing. Enjoy!:D

Host Dan,

 

This question about Regents all inclusive tours, waitlisting, etc. constantly comes up. How about making a sticky at the top with the answers.

 

J

31/425

Good idea !

I really enjoy the Belgian "Stella Artois" beer they have aboard......Now I am anxious for January 24 and our flight to Miami.....:cool:

We experienced problems at the Four Seasons in Sydney, prior to boarding Voyager a couple of years ago and the agent (not Regent) was key to resolving all of our issues. It was the hotel management who advised us to ensure that we had all the agent's details to pass to Regent in the event of things not being sorted - though in fact, the agent proved more efficient than we anticipated and we found a full refund for the cost of our room waiting for us at the reception desk on Voyager when we boarded. Many (Most? All? ) land based arrangements appear to be managed through handling agents in the respective ports and they can vary tremendously, we've discovered.

 

I'm reading reports from Mariner with renewed interest because our cruise is appearing on my radar - we board in Miami, late January and I am very much looking forward to that. Thank you for sharing your experiences and for whetting my appetite!

...:rolleyes: We too were at the four seasons in January(2013)...It should be renamed 2 Seasons...Food service less than fair and the Hotel just not up to snuff. We also will be back on our most favorite of all ships beginning January 25, 2014....The Mariner. So we may see you there.:D I am really ready to get aboard and cast off. Rob.

Wow ! Now give me a couple of grilled bockwursts with a large spoonful of Kraut and the hot German Potato salad then put me in my bed as I will be willing to call that the all time favorite Summer Meal!.....Oh yeah....:D:D

They knew our names and I seem to recall "White Gloves" !!! Very elegant and it sure set the tone and we knew we had found our new home :)

Very well said. Holland America did all of the same routine back in the day also, at least for their "Suite Guests". :)

And there was no lunch in la veranda in those days as I recall.

...Yes, I believe you to be 100% correct.:cool: