Hunding

You can always ask

Or ask at the bar for some & keep in your fridge

…or ask your waiter in the dining room…or cadge several slices from the buffet… Will not be a problem. Unless there are no limes aboard!

We were in Alexandria eight years ago for an overnight on Insignia. The morning we docked, we bused to Cairo on an Oceania tour -- almost 600 pax on a fleet of buses, an armed, plainclothes security guard (dark suit and tie) on each bus, and a number of armed motorcycle guards constantly weaving through, and circling, our convoy to and from Cairo. Never felt safer in my life -- though the phalanx of security personnel was a total surprise to us, and, naïvely, I suppose, it had never crossed our minds to be concerned. Once we were at Giza, however, we were very much on our own at the pyramids and the sphinx and at the hotel for lunch, and then, later, downtown at the Cairo Museum. If anyone had wanted to create mayhem, there was ample opportunity. On the second day, we stayed in Alexandria, took another Oceania tour in the morning, and then walked freely around areas of the city, decidedly "unguarded." But a lot of blood has flowed over the dam since then, and I suspect we would probably stick with Oceania tours were we to return to Egypt today. Which, truth to tell, I very much would like to do.

Early this morning, Regatta lost complete power while at sea enroute to Key West. Emergency power was restored after about an hour and the ship made it in to Key West but as of now, the ship has not been cleared to sail. It was scheduled to sail at 5:00. The problem still has not been fixed.

This is unquestionably one of my greatest fears.

I, on the other hand, love the tubs ... even the tub/shower combos. I hate those little showers ... then again, I'm wider than Don is!

 

The OS and VS used to have large jacuzzi tubs but I thought I read that at the last renovation these were removed on the "R" ships and replaced with large showers. I haven't been in one myself so I don't know for certain, but I'd heard that was the plan.

 

Mura

I'm with you, Mura - and DaisyUK - I'm one of the handful who still really enjoy a soak in a tub. And I also truly enjoy those wonderful salts they offer - so much so that friends, who cruise far more often than we, have sent plastic baggies of them to me after their cruises! But I am very sad to learn there are no more tubs in the OSs and VSs, as we are to be in one of the latter (for the first and probably last time) in Alaska in June - and I was already anticipating several long, hot…. (As Sister Mary Ignatius says, "Sometimes God says, "NO!!!")

Thank you all for your kinds words about butler service. We certainly would not offened the person. We may try, we are just so use to doing for ourselves. :)

Just think of butler service as an integral - and lovely - part of CruiseWorld, an alternate reality which lasts too briefly, and from which you will be sent packing far too soon! Enjoy your cruise and your suite - and your butler.

Information sent on the new Seven Seas Explorer shows that all suites will be furnished with "Queen-Size Suite Slumber Beds". Our cruises (10) on the other three Regent vessels (various cabin categories) have all enjoyed the comfort and room of King-Size beds.

 

Is this a step backwards for Regent in furnishing suites on their newest vessel ???[/quote

 

 

Off Mariner in December, after a month in a Horizon Suite…. On the proverbial stack of Bibles, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die, that was no King-size bed! We sleep on a Cal King at home, which is narrower and longer than a standard King, and this bed was far narrower -- like sleeping on two ironing boards. Comfortable and cozy, but narrow.

About two years ago, they were quietly removed during the dry-docks when the decor on the R ships was upgraded to Marina/Riviera standards.

 

There were rumors about their removal for a long time, but the handwriting was truly on the wall when the proposed Cabanas on the Marina (Cabanas DID APPEAR on her preliminary deck plans) were never built at all.

 

They were displaced with that putting green on Deck 14, which generates so much revenue, and is so well used....

We had a cabaña on Regatta -- 21 days from San Francisco to New York, $750 for the entire voyage. We used it almost daily, and had a party of sorts on the day we transited the Canal -- other folks paid $150 just for the day. We would have rented one again, depending on the cruise and the time of year. But not to be.

I do not think you can see all on your list in 6 hours. Better prune the list..

 

From Livorno it is easy to get to Pisa and Lucca in the time allotted. Forget Livorno which is a port town and not all that much to see. Lucca is amazing and you should go there. Walking the walls alone is worth an entire Mediterranean cruise. Florence is 90km+ inland and the traffic on the autostrada is fierce, especially around Florence. And then you cannot drive into the historic centre... Either one goes to Florence OR to Pisa and Lucca...

 

If you want a good guide/taxi etc then a great place to post your request is on the Trip Adivisor Forums for Italy. Choose the town you want to see. You will get really good tips.

I completely agree with Hambagahle and portofinoitaly -- save Florence for another trip. You can 'build' a wonderful, memorable day around Lucca and Pisa. And I would add Torre del Lago, Puccini's villa, as well, especially if you care about/for opera. We were part of a group of 12, in a van with driver and extraordinary guide, in late October, 2013. Our first stop was Torre del Lago (lovely lake, surprisingly modest cottage/villa for a world-famous composer), then we were off to Lucca -- had a terrific guided walking tour of the ancient city (inside the walls), then a couple of hours of free time to walk the walls, have lunch, whatever. Our final stop was Pisa, where we not only were guided inside the Baptistry and the cathedral, but had time either to climb the Tower, or -- as we did -- join a local guide for a jaunt through the city to the neighborhoods surrounding the university, thence to the Arno. After about 10 hours we were back on the ship, about 6 PM. The tour was arranged by Regent (we were on the Voyager, and I believe the tariff was about $109 per person -- the best value, dollar for dollar, I can ever remember! Have a wonderful day, wherever you choose to visit.

We are currently on the Mariner in a Horizon Suite - shower only, built-in seat, as CANDYAPPLE noted, one sink - less than half the size of the bathroom in our Penthouse C on Voyager.

I'd suggest requesting the preferred sleeping arrangements in advance of the cruise, as the shifting of the mattresses is so much easier to accomplish while the ship is empty of passengers.

 

I have no first hand experience with the twin sized configuration, but I imagine that the twin mattresses must be somewhat firmer than the queens, because they are called for so infrequently.

Sorry - I know it is/can be a legitimate issue for so many reasons, but…LOL!

Just viewed my Regent account to check my excursion list - Regent have changed the timing of one without notice or confirmation.

 

Is it common practice for Regent to unilaterally change your (half day/4 hour) tour time from am to pm? I had this problem when they suddenly changed my flight from the UK to Barcelona - that was both the airport an the time. This has varied an am tour to a pm one. Same tour but at a time that it is not my particular choice/preference. I don't want to go on a tour at 13.30 thank you very much, I'll decide which option is suitable - generally the one I've booked and had confirmed!

 

The fact that they do this without advising you and that you find out accidentally seems incredible to me, almost beyond belief. I'll be on the phone tomorrow to find out what on Earth is going on but I'm getting a wee bit fed up of Regent even before I board for my first cruise next April, which can't be a good thing!

 

I'm guessing that there is over subscription for the am tour and they'd decided to shift some people - but intriguingly, when I booked it there was no option offered, unlike any other cruise line I've used before, it was 8.30 am or nothing. Where has the 13.30 option now sprung up from? If the 8.30 am tour is cancelled for some reason, which I very much doubt is the case, then tell me! To just be swapped with no word from anybody is an appalling lack of both courtesy and service in my view, rather like the variation in flight arrangements - which I swapped back to my original preference as soon as I found out.

 

Is this a regular feature of Regent's conduct? If it is, then it is pretty poor effort on their part and a practice that makes me wonder what they are going to do next and it is hardly designed to encourage me to want to re-book with them in the future.

Why don't you inquire as to why you were switched to an afternoon excursion? If the response is unsatisfactory, you are then free to accept the change, cancel, or, perhaps, to select an alternate excursion.

rcandkc -- Thanks for posting.

We are on the Mariner Miami to LA cruise and so far have not seen any whales. Is this the result of cut-backs? I understand that in the days of Raddisson, Moby Dick used to regularly appear of the starboard bow to entertain passengers. I blame the bean counters who have so far produced just a few dolphins and a turtle.

Oh, they didn't tell you? The "suits" had all the pods moved westward so the pax boarding in Los Angeles would have something to watch en route to Hawaii.

ROTFLMAO!

It's so great to read about the good stuff, isn't it? Really. We read about the bad so often, and it's happened to all of us now and then; but we rarely read about the good - and the truth is that's happened to all of us, too. And most of the time - most of the time things are pretty swell, and a lot of people are working very hard to make sure that's true. Thanks for your post, Gail.

I would be sorely disappointed. It's not that I don't like Bermuda; I do. It's just that Oceania made it's reputation with a widely varied itinerary, and this sounds like typical mainstream cruise thinking that you put a ship on a regular weekly schedule, like a bus. Anything that takes away some of the Oceania ships on that type of schedule just robs Oceania of one of it's main claims to success, in my opinion. If NCL starts to apply that kind of thinking, the lines they purchased will soon be worth less.

I couldn't agree with you more. Bermuda is a lovely island, and the beaches are beautiful, and Hamilton and St. George's are interesting. Once. But after that…. My opinion only. But it is, apparently, going to be his (Sheehan's) line, and he can obviously do with it what he chooses. The sun will come up tomorrow and all that.

After the past few days, I thought It might be fun to dig up an old review that should go down in the CC hall of fame. It's a seven year old NCL thread...but, some regulars on the board might enjoy a laugh about now.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=679082&highlight=sailorjack

 

Day 2 is the highlight, or lowlight in this case.

Thank you for this (tears streaming down my face).

can I just buy the dessert :D

maybe pay 1/7th of the price ;)

You are welcome to mine ~ not a big dessert fan. And a sip or two of the wine, as well. ("Gosh, what a guy!" I hear you saying.)

The Miami to Lima...its way more interesting to take that route....actualy the Lima to NY on the Marina is even better...

First it is a larger ship,with way more venues and way more options and second, You can start your cruise with a 3 day pre cruise at Machu-Picchu and you end your cruise in a US port and don't have to deal with foreign customs, language and dangers

 

The LA-MIAMI route is tired and the Mexican ports are either scary or devoid of interest.... unless you like to get ripped on cheap booze and have your heart set on a stuffed iguana. ( I am not a Mexican port fan to me there are 2 things to do in mexico and one is leave so the less mexico the better)

You frequently gift me with a hearty laugh ~ as you have done once again! Thanks.

…and make arrangements for a private motor launch to meet you at the airport dock. It is pricey, but the trip across the lagoon is, as the ad says, "Priceless."

There is only one cruise port, to my knowledge - northern side of the Golden Horn, western bank of the Bosphorus. Enjoy your cruise - it's a terrific time of year.

Thanks, all - joan24, Paulchili and CintiPam. Early December. I'm not worried about the Miami weather. Uh…always excepting a late-season hurricane. That would ruin my day.

We took the architectural walking tour of the Art Deco section of Miami Beach last January and thought it was a great way to spend a few hours. We rented the audioguide alone, so we could go at our own pace.

Thanks, CintiPam - great idea! Partner is a docent for Los Angeles Conservancy, so this idea will sell itself.

Every passenger and crew member must leave the ship, for at least some portion of time, during these Inspections.

 

As I understand it, they are required to start with a blank slate (or completely empty vessel) for some of the reports.

Thank you very much, as always. So, a few hours in Miami…. Okay.

Not Jim but

If they ask you not to arrive early then just come later but do check in at least 2 hr before sailaway

The people at the port building will not even let you in the door to go sit & wait ..you will be standing out on the sidewalk

I would have thought the suite passengers would be able to board before 3 pm though

There is always an inspection after a transatlantic cruise ...nothing new

Did not know about the automatic inspection following a TA…which leads me to this question: If you are doing a B2B (a "Grand Voyage," they are called now, which pretty much cracks me up), will you be required to debark the ship during the inspection process? Not stressing in the least…just curious.

We sailed from San Francisco to New York aboard Regatta in September, 2011, a terrific 21 days, start-to-finish. We were in a PH3, but rented a cabaña topside for the entire cruise ($750, a sensational investment as it turned out, since cabañas rented for $150 for the day's passage). Our daylight transit of the Canal was everything you could hope for. Oceania brought aboard a well-versed, well-spoken local "guide," who narrated the entire transit over the PA system; we went from brilliant sunshine through squalls and back out again; and we exited the Canal into a ravishing sunset en route to Cartagena. I won't ever forget it, and would love, of course, to do it again.

By all means, you must sail through the Canal at least once, and you surely could not enjoy a traversal more than you will on Oceania (and, probably, preferably on an R ship -- Regatta's size enabled us to be joined in most of the locks by private sailboats and yachts).

I add as a footnote that I had, before the cruise, done my "due diligence," and read David McCullough's masterful The Path Between the Seas, his account of the history of building the Canal. I highly recommend anyone contemplating a transit do the same -- the book gave enormous context to the experience, and enriched it in many, many ways.