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From more recent experience: Block parties are back. Had one on my current Mariner cruise..I believe it was day 3.

Lack of itemized additional port fees may be small iota of candor in the otherwise most confusing and complex pricing structure in the cruise industry. Not itemizing port fees is beneficial to the cruise line however,specifically because it avoids need to refund fees for missed ports. I believe that the fees are itemized in invoices only the TA sees because my TA tells me they are subtracted out in calculating agency commissions.

Just saw where Regent has changed dining reservation availability time from 12:01 a.m. on date resevations open to 8.p.m Eastern Time. For east coast U.S. residents no longer need for staying up late to get first crack at booking. Wonder if Oceania will do the same.

Am experiencing Vero water for first time on Regent. One inconvenience is unavailability of easy to get water in the gym if you do not want to bring/forgot your metal bottle. Solved easily by quick walk to spa area where glasses are next to orange or cucumber flavored water or take glass to gym and fill glass with Vero water from the machine.

Helpful to share the process. Interesting that when I embarked the Mariner in LA on Saturday no one asked to see our boarding passes!

I am a guy, so will not offer fashion advice, but this is my second morning on Mariner and LaVeranda has been quite chilly (as in over airconditioned). I came upststairs for breakfast and went back to my cabin for a warmer shirt. Otherwise, enjoying my cruise very much.

We just boarded Mariner this afternoon. We filled out form saying we have been vaccinated and indicating brand of vaccine and dates of both original shots plus booster. However no one looked at our documentation. We were given a red wrist band to wear during embarkation registration process...that's it.

Outcome: Lesson learned tonight. Turns out both boarding passes were e mailed to my spouse, even though my email address is the primary contact with my TA and Regent and I registered and uploaded the information. Will remember to check both of our emails for important Regent cruise information in the future!

Hi, we board Mariner tomorrow in LA. Just realized that we never received a boarding pass from Regent after we successfully completed on line registration including uploading our pictures. When I sign into the website the little block is grayed out indicating that I have completed registration. However there is no opportunity on line to request a boarding pass, as one would on an airline website. Is this likely to be a problem when I arrive at the port? I have my final cruise vacation summary, so hopefully that would get me into the port if they ask me to show a document. Would appreciate any advice.

Has anyone been on a Celebrity cruise where most nights show times were other than 7 and 9? (Last night, first night of cruise or ports where they spend the evening in port and bring on local dance groups occasionally, being an exception.)

With my TA it is 10% of the RSSC charge less some taxes which are built into the price and air.

Check out these Vapur flexible/foldable reusable plastic water bottles..order on Amazon or directly. Shop All : Vapur

Here is the Regent applicable language. Seems to me it would have to be an observed or proctored test, whatever you call it. " "Guests who are fully vaccinated (see section two for fully vaccinated definition for this cruise) are not required to test for COVID-19 at the port or present a negative COVID-19 PCR or Antigen test at the port to embark the ship. However, Regent strongly encourages all guests to take a COVID-19 PCR or Antigen test from a registered test provider in their home country, within 3 days of embarkation date. Please note: Regent Seven Seas Cruises will only assist with compensation for trip interruption due to a positive COVID-19 test resulting in on-board quarantine, that is not covered by their travel insurance, if the guest provides proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or Antigen test result from a registered test provider taken within 3 days of embarkation travel date. Proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or Antigen test result taken within 3 days of embarkation date must show guest name, guest date of birth, name of test provider, test provider’s contact details, test result and date the test was taken in order to be eligible".

We board Mariner in LA middle of this month. Our embarkation instructions warn that, while not required if you are vaccinated, you must test negative 3 days or less prior to cruise for Regent to cover costs beyond what your travel insurance covers if you get covid and need to be isolated on the ship. We will do a proctored video visit test and bring documentation of result with us.

Funny..we are packing to leave tomorrow for some time in Anaheim with family ahead of embarking on October 15 ten day version of your Mariner cruise. DW just asked me to post a question about quality of hair dryers on the Mariner. Your mention of it being a "first world problem" settled the issue. Her hair dryer is packed!

Smallest HAL ships DO allow casino smoking...Zaandam and Volendam. So smaller and larger ships do allow casino smoking. It is the "medium sized" ships that do not allow casino smoking.

Not sure of others, but our experiences of not having a table for two readily available in GDR have exclusively been on R class ships. Have never had to wait for a two top during our multiple cruises on Riviera and Marina. One big reason we prefer O class.

Blu seems to have a crowding problem on M class ships. We have had to wait up to 30 minutes for a table if we do not get seated by 6:30. Never happened to us on S Class while in dining in Blu. We did have to wait a few nights to be seated in Blu on our only Edge class cruise in AQ class, but never as long.

Yes, you are correct. Regent would cover after compensation from travel insurance, however AFAIK travel insurance would not compensate you for missed cruise days while you are quarantined in your cabin like Regent would. Either way, getting the test will give us peace of mind that Regent could be a back up for things our travel insurance would not pay, in exchange for the minimal effort of getting a test.

Suggest you get tested regardless for the following reason. Regent advises everyone to test regardless of ports or country. We are on Mariner RT Los Angeles to Mexico in 2 weeks. We got a notice from them saying no testing required for our cruise if you are vaccinated BUT you must have a negative test taken within 3 days of boarding in order for Regent to take care of you financially for expenses and lost cruise days if you do come down with Covid during the cruise. Therefore we will use on line proctored tests we have already purchased prior to our cruise.

Why oh why oh why is there a damn dress code thread on this board that runs on and on seemingly once a month? If one were to search instead of posting a new question, they would see that this subject has been discussed in tens if not hundreds of threads over the past many years! Seems that a cruise line like Oceania, which has the most straightforward, simple dress code of nearly any cruise line has as many or more questions, rantings and pontifications as Cunard, which probably has the most complex and slowly evolving dress code of any cruise line...not sure why.

Blu is not necessarily all about "healthy food." I think it is upgraded food from MDR, but not necessarily any healthier. I think you will enjoy the atmosphere and service in Blu. One problem we have encountered on the Summit while in Aqua Class is that Blu sometimes fills up by 6:30-6:45 p.m. Because it is a relatively small dining room, if you arrive after that they are full with guests who arrive earlier so you may have a 30 minute wait for tables to turn over so you can be seated. We have dined in Blu in all 3 classes of Celebrity ships and this happened to us repeatedly on M class ships (eg. Summit). Happened only once on Edge and has never happened to us on an S Class ship and we have dined in Blu on Reflection, Eclipse and Solstice. And yes, you should be able to order off of the Main Dining Room menu on an M class ship.

All these complications are a reason I usually just do cruise only and don't worry about the mental gymnastics of worrying about gaming their system to extract a small amount of additional value by choosing the "right" tours. Occasionally I take the shipboard credit which equals the additional fare I pay, but since my rebate from my travel agency equals 10% of my cruise cost, I come out a few bucks ahead.

Important to note that there is a price to pay for booking directly. Based on the 8 to 10% rebate I receive from my TA with gratuities often added in, I figure that if I were to book direct it would cost me about 10% more for the cruise. I cannot see paying extra for the perceived ability to have more control over my cruise. My TA also provides excellent service.

Yes, we were on Eclipse to Alaska in July. Service and food were outstanding, so we overlooked areas with mildewed old carpet in the gym and in the casino area near Cellar Masters and a dusty broken down couch in our suite. Had a long talk with the hotel director and he said much of the carpeting will be gradually replaced soon, but no one seems to know when the full Revolution drydock will happen. I am prepared for the Solstice to be in similar condition.