msmillie

Hi Vegas TW,  I think that the Pool Grill is closed at dinner.  Sette Mari (La Veranda) 

is the only restaurant opened at 6:30 in that area.

Let me be the first to say you made an outstanding choice, the included air will make your cruise so much easier.  I know you will have a magnificent cruise.  Angie 

The condition of the furnishings in luxury accommodations should be top notch, whether it is on a ship or in a hotel.  The worn condition of the furnishings is not a new occurrence which is indicated by the repairs and by previous comments made. It is not reasonable to have furnishings in such disrepair that you fear falling if you sit down.    Regent advertises “enriching and luxurious journey on the seven seas.”  That is not what you received every time you went into your cabin or into the Horizon Lounge.  I know that when the furnishings are shabby in my cabin on a Regent ship I am disappointed, even if every other aspect of the cruise was outstanding.

It was. Illy

Thank you for the good wishes, and Happy New Year to you. Angie :)

Although I thought I would never book another Regent cruise after our (very) disappointing experience on Mariner (in a PH, Istanbul to Istanbul) a couple years back, I succumbed to an attractive offer on Explorer for Oct 17, 12 days Venice to Barcelona. We booked a PH A on deck 14 (1408).

 

Glad you decided to give Regent another try. The Explorer is a very fine ship, a good choice for your Venice to Barcelona cruise. It is my opinion that this time your experience will be very special and that you will want to return. Angie

Hi Bob, we hope that both you and Jeannie have a wonderful cruise, it sounds like your cruise is somewhat out of the ordinary. Take the time at the Hilton to recover from your flight, relax and get ready for a special cruise. We look forward to reading about your experiences. Angie

The following is a part of Regent's "Terms and Conditions" as it relates to hotel cancellations, etc.

 

 

To be clear, I am in no way defending Regent but rather am sharing what I have learned through personal experience. Agree with what the last poster stated about the fact that it unlikely that Regent will do anything about this incident since they always seem to have an "out" printed in the documents that you receive (in other words, they have great lawyers).

The free hotel package is not free, it is included in the cost of the cruise. These cruisers were promised accommodations that they did not receive. I talked to several passengers onboard the Mariner, they told me that they were left stranded at the Fairmont for four to five hours, and that they were not assisted with moving their luggage to a different hotel, one passenger said they were offered $10.00 to pay for a taxi to get across the street to the Stanford Hotel. They were told to return to the Fairmont for breakfast, The above quote states, “that it is unlikely that Regent will do anything about the incident,” Well it is my opinion that Regent should do something to compensate these passengers for their stress and inconvenience and to develop procedures to adequately assist passengers in the future.

And this speaks to the lack of enforcement of the policy. According to a discussion I had with a ship's officer, Corporate supports enforcing the "no jeans" dress code policy. It is the onboard crew that is dropping the ball.

On the Explorer, I saw several people wearing jeans going into dinner last night. it was Embarkation night and perhaps passengers were tired from their travels. Generally, most people try to follow the dress code. There was a time when specialty restaurants had a more formal dress code, perhaps dress code could depend on venue. However, if Corporate supports a “no jeans” dress policy, why are some of the new uniforms worn by servers less formal than Burger King? Many things have changed at Regent since I started with Regent 15 years ago, and I imagine they will continue to change in the future including dress code.

My cruise is approaching soon, and wanted to bump this thread to see if anyone has any creative or must-have special dining requests they'd like to share

We love tempura vegetables, which are not on the menu at Pacific Rim, so we order the day before. Hope more people order this so that it becomes part of the regular

menu.

I'm starting to think I should go ahead pack my own, salt and pepper shakers for our cruise in January.

You are probably not going to need your own shakers on your cruise, most cruises do not have a Code Red, but maybe you could bring a few paper packages of salt and pepper like those at a fast food restaurant. You can't bring all of your own condiments: ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, where do you stop? Your best bet is to take care of yourself - flu shot, hand washing, vitamin C, and stay away from people who are sneezing and look sick.

We loved the "free" crab feast! We got to haul in crabs with our crabber - a woman from Marblehead, Mass., which is just one town over from my family homestead in Salem. A bunch of college kids pumped us up for the feast - very entertaining with a prize for the table with the highest tower of crab shells. Some tables started to stack cash on top of the tower so it was a slam dunk which table won!

 

We traveled in an old school bus and our driver was a student from Utah majoring in music. Not only was he funny, he had a wonderful voice. We were serenaded all the way back to the ship. Nice memories!

As Travelcat stated we are in Ketchikan today, and I also love the Crab Feast. Today however we did the Alaskan Lodge Adventure and Seafeast. This excursion gives the Crab Feast a run for its money. We drove approximately 30 minutes to Silver king Lodge. We boarded a powerful pontoon motor boat and "flew" across the ocean. We stopped to see an Eagles nest and two eaglets, stopped a few minutes at a new oyster farm, then on to the Clover Pass Resort. When we got to land we walked an easy boardwalk trail into a beautiful Alaskan Rainforest, such a wonderous experience. We then went onto the lodge's patio where we we were asked to sit at newspaper covered tables with tableware for each of the guests. Our table had the usual condiments and buttered bread. The hostess then strained a large pot of crab, shrimp, muscles, clams, purple, red and white baby potatoes, sausage slices, corn and garlic and poured it all onto the middle of the table. This was a great feast, followed by a warm chocolate chip cookie. A fast boat ride, then bus ride and we're back on board.

I didn't think about the Le Cordon Bleu affiliation. When Regent discontinued their association with Le Cordon Bleu, I do recall that the menu changed (still miss the mushroom soup - the new version is good but not excellent). It is certainly a good reason to change the name,

 

Having sailed on Oceania twice and loving their French restaurant, it makes me wonder why Oceania has an affiliation with Jacques Pepin and Regent doesn't. There were many people that did not like Signatures and some that do not care for Chartreuse, so, if Regent paid for the rights to serve some Jacques Pepin dishes, I feel that it would be a hit with Regent customers.

Although, we like some items in Chartruese, i.e. The cheese soufflé, I agree contracting with Jacques Pepin to serve some dishes would please more customers. Angie

Bill, I couldn't use the template.

We were on the Explorer, 3/26 to 4/19, TA + Barcelona to Venice, in Suite 786, category G2 Aft. The suite size is 253 sq ft, and has a 108 sq ft balcony with a table and two chairs. The bathroom fixtures included an adequate sink, a large walk-in shower, and shelves on either side of the medicine cabinet. The living area is furnished with a couch, a table, one chair, shelving on either side of the desk, and an unsuccessfully placed TV faces the bed. The walk-in closet has 4 or 5 large drawers, an adequate size safe, limited hanging rod, (approximately 30 inches). This suite is far from the forward elevators so it is less accessible. We recommend this cabin for one or two cruisers who want to experience an "intimate" Aft suite. msmillie/Angie

Dolebludger, I am really glad that your wife came through the surgery well and that you will be able to take your cruise. I am sorry that you feel that you should not have occurred the extra cost for the D suite because of ADA requirements. I look at it as an adjustment or compromise made by Regent because implicit in the purchase of a "guarantee" suite is that you get what you get when offered, (no choice). I think the bathtubs on the Mariner are a hazard for anyone and therefore I would never purchase a "guarantee" suite on the Mariner. It isn't worth taking a chance of not getting a great walk-in shower. I hope your Caribbean cruise is wonderful. Angie

Adding changes to the dining venues is a great idea, making dining even more pleasurable.

Playing!

Hello again my faithful readers! I wanted to share my cruise video I've been working on...it's nothing phenomenal by any means but for those who haven't seen the Explorer in anything other than pictures, you can see some (not all, ugh I forgot Decks 4 & 5...I got caught up in Trivia our last sea day) of the ship as well as some of our ports! Enjoy :)

 

DoyouseawhatIsea, Thank you for taking us with you on your voyage, wishing you and your dad the happiest of sailings, wherever you go. Angie

Does anyone know when the 2018 itineraries will be published?

I am so sorry about the accidents, hope the rest of your cruise will be fun and safe. Angie

Looking forward to all you have to say! Angie

Just noticed, in addition to great prices these cruises qualify for the Black Friday $300. obc incentive. Angie

Has anyone heard when the last half of 2018, early 2019 cruises will be announced?

How do you find out if or when the wine lunch is being held? Where do you sign up and when?

You might ask the Food and Wine Director or at the Reception Desk. Angie

We received an In-transit booking form today with two excursions to choose from: Resurrection Bay Cruise $119.00 and Exit Glacier & Sealife Center, free. A little late but 200 passengers won't be on the ship while getting ready for the new cruise. Angie