Older Sister

On 4/28/2024 at 1:28 PM, jonsmom said:

Did you take a taxi?  Do you recall how much it was?  TIA

Sorry, didn’t take a taxi.  It was a ship’s excursion.  Valley Church was on the other side of the island from the cruise port, but I wouldn’t think you’d have any problems getting a taxi to/from there.  

I’ve been to Valley Church twice (most recently in March 2024) and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Nice beach, chairs and umbrellas available for rent, excellent beach bar with food (haven’t tried the food but it looks good).  Nice water.  Not sure how good the snorkeling is, but the water is clear.  I’d go back again.  

On 2/9/2024 at 3:32 AM, duquephart said:

What you want to do in Stavanger is book the Pulpit Rock Cruise privately with Rodne. One third what Viking charges although you miss out on a waffle. Just thought I'd be the first to not answer your question 😀.

Thanks for this information!  We’ll be in Stavenger in June on the Homelands cruise and I will definitely look into this!

25 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

I know that this is about what side of the ship, but do consider booking the full day - 14 hour I think - Berlin excursion.

 

On our cruise there were about 450 guests that took this excursion and Viking chartered a train from the cruise port to Berlin just for us.  This is about a 2.5 to 3 hour train ride each way.  Then you have about 6-7 hours in Berlin.

 

To us this was worth every penny and every minute.  We had never been to Berlin and probably would not end up there purposely so we did it.

Thanks for this information.  We signed up for this excursion yesterday for our June Homelands cruise and are looking forward to exploring Berlin.  I’ll be sure to take a book for the train ride!

Hmmm, our flights for our cruise in three weeks were booked with Delta.  I suppose they’re still a “go”, can’t imagine Regent would cancel or reschedule them.  I would be furious if they did!

I always bring a small hand-quilting project with me on cruises.  I sit in the lounge with a latte or martini and stitch happily away.  It’s a great conversation starter!

Regent got enough people yesterday to move to another cruise, so looks like we’ll be staying on our original cruise.  However, they did tell my TA that there’s still a long waiting list for our cruise so they might make additional offers later.  

4 hours ago, Worldtraveler 4727 said:

Just received a "voluntary opportunity" from Regent to switch our Grandeur voyage Feb/March for 3 later ones in March. (One Splendor, two Grandeur), offering free additional days onboard and a monetary bonus.

I got the same email and am interested in the two Grandeur cruises later in March.  My TA contacted Regent, we’ll see if his works out.  

1 hour ago, jjs217 said:

Good point.  So I looked it up and I think youngsters would absolutely love doing this.  I'm an oldster - if I saw I duck, I would probably say, "Oh look, someone hid a duck."  And then I would go to the bar and have an adult beverage.

I’ll be right behind you at the bar!

18 minutes ago, Bruce61 said:

Internet for one device is included for all.

We will be in a Superior Suite.  When you say that internet for one device is included, does this mean one device per passenger or one device per cabin?  Particularly, I’m wondering if I need to purchase a wifi package so that both my husband and I can use our iPads onboard.  Thanks!

4 hours ago, CJANDH said:

Dangerous move to book your arrival flight on the day of the embarkation. A flight cancelation or even a delay could mean you miss your whole cruise. Most experienced cruisers always arrive the day before embarkation and stay a night (or two if traveling internationally) in a nearby hotel.

While I agree with a lot of what you say (except I am a VERY experienced cruiser, though not with Regent), our flight is a very short one, from RDU, so I’m not concerned about “missing the boat”.  Flying across the pond is a whole different situation!

We’re doing our first Regent cruise next month, the Western Caribbean cruise out of Miami on February 27.  Our flight arrives in Miami around 8:30; by the time we retrieve our luggage and are transported to the ship it’ll probably be closer to 10 am.  Will we be permitted to board the ship and wait patiently somewhere until our rooms are ready?

Also, our flight home doesn’t leave until 6:30 pm.  I know that some cruise lines reserve a suite or room at a hotel near the airport for folks like us with late flights.  Does Regent do this?  Or do I need to do some research on options at Miami airport?
 

I don’t know if this makes any difference, but our flights were booked through Regent.  
 

Thanks in advance for any information!

Allyn

7 hours ago, NYC-London said:

Needlepoint is one of my "guilty pleasures" and nothing makes me happier than to sit in the observation lounge, have great conversation with new friends, enjoy a nice beverage and work on a needlepoint project - I am very easy to please!

I always take a project with me on cruises and, like you, have found it to be a great conversation starter.  Most of my projects are small hand quilting projects  (and I’ll bring one with me on our Grandeur cruise next month), but I look forward to doing some needlepoint.  I used to do a lot of needlepoint before I got addicted to quilting and I miss it.  
 

So if you see a woman in the lounge, drinking a latte or a martini and doing hand quilting, yup, it’s probably me!  

5 minutes ago, SusieQft said:

 

Cosmetic case/purse size and passport size.  The blue color of lettering in the smaller one is not included.  I used thread from a different kit.

Omg, I love it!  You have no idea how happy it makes me to see this . . . I’ll be happily stitching away on these while sipping martinis next month!  

21 hours ago, piscean said:

I’ve a wonderful collection, made up and lined from both Oceania and Regent.

heres one of my latest….

This is awfully cute!  I wish they had some items with Regent’s name on them, like this one I did many years ago from another cruise line. Regardless, I’ll definitely pick one of these up on our cruise next month.  

15 minutes ago, Whinenowine said:

And then there is also a Cosmo, to add both color and freshness to your warm weather enjoyment.

A Cosmopolitan is the first cocktail I enjoy after embarkation.   It gives me a chance to assess the quality of the bar/bartender.  Yum!

7 minutes ago, NYC-London said:

I was on the Grandeur last month and can confirm they had needlepoint kits - finished my project on the plane ride home. They are Stitch-in-Zip kits and some are specially made for Regent. Usually the first opportunity to obtain a needlepoint kit is during the first sea day and it will be listed in Passages. They usually have an assortment which can include scissor cases, passport covers, eyeglass cases, coin purse and cosmetic cases. For longer cruises, they also have pillows. If you google Stitch-n-Zip, it will provide you an idea of what is available. Depending when the new supplies come in, the selection is either great or very slim pickings. I have been on a couple of cruises where there was no needlepoint since someone forgot to order the kits but since Grandeur is sailing in and out of Miami, I don't expect that to be a problem.

 
Oh hurray!!  Thanks so much for your response!  Our first day is a sea day, so you can be sure I’ll be checking this out as soon as I get on the ship.  Love working on those little kits.  
 

1 hour ago, Brownie54 said:

Needlepoint kits (free) are available on every ship, every cruise. The Social Hostess usually leads/helps (if needed) the group on sea days. Information will be listed in Passages.

Needlepoint?  Sure hope these are available on the Grandeur next month.  If anyone on a current Grandeur sailing could confirm, I’d be mightily grateful!  

14 hours ago, 563toM said:

We don't tip at the very beginning of the cruise but what we do is ask them if they need anything when we get off at the next port.  They have to be approved to go off the ship and if they are in need of something they have to get another crew member to get it or wait.  

 

We were very humbled because on the cruise earlier this month our room attendant asked for a bar of soap and toothpaste.  We had no plans so we just walked around and found a small grocery in Cozumel and got him the soap and they had a combo pack of full size toothpaste and a new toothbrush.  He was very happy and the conversion rate made it under $6.  

This is brilliant!  We’ll be boarding the Equinox tomorrow for a ten-day cruise and I will be sure to ask our room attendant if there’s anything he/she needs while we’re ashore.  Thanks for the idea.  

2 minutes ago, ISABELLA said:

We are sailing on Equinox Nov 30, how to find out what terminal will be used?

We’re on the same cruise.  According to the Port Everglades port schedule, the Equinox should be at terminal 25.  

We absolutely love Viking ocean cruises.  Their ships are lovely and well maintained, much smaller passenger load (900) so there are never crowds to deal with.  Excellent service.  We’re giving Regent a try next year and are really looking forward to it.   I used to be a big fan of Celebrity but no longer, their “product” has really gone downhill.  

I cruised on the Equinox last month in a Sunset Sky Suite and NEVER saw or heard from anyone on the Butler “team.”   Our room attendant did a good job of maintaining our room, the same as has been done on other cruises in lower level rooms.  When I booked the cruise, I chose a Retreat level room with expectations or a higher level of service.  Never got it.  I came home and booked a cruise on Regent.  Celebrity has lost my business due to their bait and switch tactics.  

Cruised on the Eclipse last month in a Sunset Sky Suite, and I have to agree with everything that Zach said (well, we loved Luminae).  Celebrity’s downgraded butler service for Sky Suites is a disaster and not worth the extra money (except for Luminae).  
 

After we got home, I booked a cruise with Regent Seven Seas.  I’m pretty confident that Celebrity has lost my business.  

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

I can tell you what the butler told me on my Summit cruise last month. The 2 large evian bottles were complimentary, but once they were gone, if I wanted more, there would be a charge. We did finish the evian bottles and they were replaced by small aluminum water at no charge without asking.

On our Eclipse cruise in a Sky Suite last week, we polished off our 2 bottles Evian after a few days.  Our Butler Team representative (aka our room steward) didn't bother to replace them with the small aluminum bottles, nor did he ask if there was something else we would have preferred.  

As for evening canapés or fresh fruit, I picked up the phone and called Room Service.  Quick, efficient delivery.  When we wanted coffee, I either called Room Service or walked down to Cafe Al Bacio (there was no in-suite specialty coffee available in our Sky Suite).  

Nice bathrobes.  Bed was very comfortable.  Dining in Luminae was wonderful.  

Butler service?  Hardly knew ya!

Aside from not being escorted on the ship, which was never a perk except for high end suites, how is the experience with the Retreat Butler and team? 
 

The only experience I’ve had with the butler/butler team is with the Retreat Concierge, who is stationed In Michaels Club and has been very helpful sorting out a few things.  As for the person who takes care of our cabin, I have no idea if he’s a Butler or part of a team or not.  He always says hello when I see him in the hall but he’s never asked if there’s anything we would like (like, ice or evening canapés).  We are enjoying our cruise but the service hasn’t lived up to our expectations.