PacificView

The only power problem I experienced was for about 20 minutes while docked in Istanbul. We were dining in Chartreuse at the time. There was emergency lighting so we weren't in the dark. The captain came on and explained the situation. A few minutes later the lights came back on and all was well for the remainder of the cruise. I don't know if there were any other electrical problems while I was off the ship. Also, during the cruise (about day 4 as I recall) the ship started putting into place safety precautions as some passengers had developed a gastro-intestinal bug. My friends and I all stayed well throughout the cruise. I never met anyone who was afflicted so I don't know how wide spread the bug was. As is always the case, for those who did get sick, I'm sure it wasn't pleasant.

This is a 10 night cruise, Barcelona to Athens. The email notifying us of Regent's hotel & transport plan asked us to respond as soon as possible if we were choosing to go it on our own. I did that and declined their offer. A little while later I received an email with the terminal address and instructions to arrive between 5:00 & 8:00 pm. I think that if Regent told us earlier that embarkation was going to be that late in the day, others may have done what I did and found their own hotel. Of course, they would have still been upset that there wasn't a reimbursement for our out of pocket cost. But at least it would have been their choice as to how to spend their day. Frantic 36 is right that bringing a bad start onboard only ends up ruining your vacation. For me, I'm separating the two issues between the changes prior to embarkation and everything that's happened since boarding. The people who are still upset are having a harder time doing that. I say that not to criticize them, just to say that since boarding it's been a really good experience for me - and I know that I'm not alone in feeling that way.

I'm on Voyager now and for sure there are a number of unhappy passengers, as the OP stated. However, since we've embarked, a great many of us are also having a lovely cruise, myself included. Whatever the technical issue was, it is not impacting the operations of the ship in anyway. From my perspective the crew have been outstanding! The food and entertainment have all been exceptional. The ship is older, but to me still beautiful. The main issues that people are upset about are: 1. Boarding 1 day later than expected. For that Regent gave us a 10% refund plus a 15% FCC 2. They couldn't find enough rooms in Barcelona on short notice, so they transported passengers to a small resort town about 45 minutes away and paid for the hotel. If you chose not to take their hotel offer, then you had to find and pay for your own hotel. Not a problem for me as my hotel had a room for the night, and I chose to stay in the City. My choice, and I'm fine with the extra cost as I had a fantastic day in an amazing city. 3. On Embarkation day they transported everyone to the cruise terminal much too early. They arrived at the terminal around 1:00 but we couldn't board until approximately 6:00 pm. I took a taxi to the terminal and arrived at 5:00. Understandably, the terminal was filled with annoyed people who had been sitting there for 5 hours. 4. Due to the missed day, 2 ports were cancelled (Palermo and Santorini). Palermo was a replacement port for Sorrento which was cancelled prior to the cruise. This meant that we ended up with 3 sea days instead of the planned 2. It's a fair criticism that communication from Management could have been better. But, frankly, by the time we got on board some people were so angry that no amount of communication could change their minds. Despite all of the mishaps and disappointments, I'm very happy that I'm here, and I will absolutely cruise with Regent again.

And it's a bit of a nightmare for passengers (like us) already in Barcelona anticipating embarkation. Regent sent a notification about an hour ago saying that they were working on alternate hotel arrangements and to hold tight. For sure, embarkation will not happen tomorrow as planned. Arrived in Barcelona yesterday. Barcelona is a magnificent City, and whatever time is spent here will be thoroughly enjoyed. In the end it will be a great adventure no matter what. Hey, I'm not home, and whatever happens tomorrow it's a new experience!

Thank you - that explains it!

Thank you for these recommendations, I will look for both articles. Just this afternoon tours opened up on the RSSC website, and I was waitlisted for my first choice, but was able to get a spot on another excursion that looks good as well. I hope you have a great cruise in August.

A couple of days ago I received notification from Regent that our port call in Sorrento is being cancelled. The letter reads "Due to the scheduled G7 Summit, the planned call to Sorrento/Capri, Italy on April 19, 2024 has been replaced with Palermo". I'm disappointed not to be going to Sorrento, but the thing that I truly don't understand is the G7 summit is being held in Puglia from June 13 - 15. Puglia is nearly 300 km away from Sorrento, and the summit is nearly 60 days after our scheduled stop. I'm perplexed by this explanation. Never having been to Palermo, I'm approaching it with an open mind. Excursions aren't yet available on the website. My cruise consultant said that Destination Services would be coordinating excursions once we're aboard. Any advice regarding excursions that you've liked (or disliked) with Regent in Palermo is much appreciated.

Thank you! It's great to hear this.

I sail out of Barcelona in mid-April on Voyager. Like you, I've arranged my own pre-cruise hotel and will take a taxi to the ship. To make it easy for the driver, I use an app that pinpoints the location of the ship. There are a number of these apps (myshiptracking.com and vesselfinder.com are just two). If you type in Seven Seas (your ship name) you'll see the location of your ship at any time. The morning of embarkation I find the ship that I'm on and screenshot its location so I can show the taxi driver. This worked great the last time I sailed out of Barcelona. Once we got to the terminal we saw the ship and the signs inside the terminal directed us where to check in and board. It was a pretty easy process.

Thanks for sharing your cruise with all of us! I had to look up what a Country Fair was, I had no idea. I will join Voyager in 19 days in Barcelona, and I'm very excited for my trip. I hope that the fun atmosphere continues! Enjoy the rest of your journey.

I'm sure you're going to have a great time on Silversea! Last week I booked a solo on Silversea for January (New Zealand & Australia). The cost on Regent is high but what tipped the scales for me on my upcoming cruise was the 25% single supplement plus the included business class airfare. It seems to me that Silversea has fewer reduced supplements than they did a few months back. Maybe it's just timing? I hope they bring more on, because it's a brand that I know and really like. After my upcoming Regent trip I'll have a better idea how the two compare. Thank you for sharing!

I have an Athens post-cruise package next month, and the hotel is the Grand Hyatt.

Pcardad's comment is spot on. I will sail on Voyager in 26 days. Last week I received an email with a 'completely voluntary opportunity' to select an alternate voyage that includes a suite upgrade plus a cash bonus. Alternatively, I could cancel for a full refund. The offer includes 3 alternate sailings from which to chose. The offer emphasizes that this is "completely voluntary for a limited number of volunteers". The same email came again today, so I take it they are still looking for people who are interested in switching. None of the alternate sailings work for me, but it's a great example of what Pcardad described.

My first solo is coming up in mid April on the Voyager (this is also my first Regent's cruise). I'd love to hear of other's experiences traveling solo on Regent. I'm also considering a solo cruise on Silversea in January. I've sailed with Silversea before and loved it, but they seem to have significantly fewer cruises with a reduced single supplement than is offered on Regent.

Have stayed there many times. Book it - you'll be happy!