Wendy The Wanderer

I'm not a single but we've befriended singles in the past. No need to just stick with other solo travelers. Trivia, excursions and shared tables are good for facilitating mingling. Many couples are not joined at the hip.

4 hours ago, JSOL1 said:

Sorry, I’m new this and meant to quote your question in my reply above…

Okay, so this is a token by the sounds of it. We lost something similar when we cancelled the 2021 WC, for obvious reasons.

When did the deposit become non-refundable? Is that the full, usual deposit for such a cruise, or a more token amount?

That's disappointing, don't remember this in the past. As for CR, there's no excuse for bad acoustic architecture--this should be integral to the design from the get-go.

Thats disappointing, don't remember this in the past.

Your photos and commentary are so amazing, I'm so grateful. Never got to Japan, always wanted to.

Thanks for the great photos of Bangkok. Brings back fond memories.

Mostly, I'm happy not to see the CD, as long as he does a good job.

I would do that if you can. I assume you'd get a small credit for opting out of the air one way. 

On 2/19/2024 at 6:04 PM, marycruz said:

We usually stay at the Intercontinental on our own as well.  But this time on our Grandeur cruise there is a music festival across the street which is going to conclude at the hotel with music in the lobby from 10PM until 3AM so we're not staying there.   Regent also told us they are using the Biltmore for the Mar-Apr cruises, We are looking at the AKA Brickell if anyone has any info on this hotel.  

We loved the Biltmore.

Yes, you'll be fine Richard. David wore shoes like that for years.

1 hour ago, Worldtraveler 4727 said:

We are sailing soon in the Caribbean, and one of our traveling companions has recently been prescribed medication that requires staying away from alcohol while on it and staying out of the sun. 😖

Does anyone know if the Grandeur offers nonalcoholic gin, for example?

Perhaps if they ask well in advance, but in general, I would not count on it. NA wine, probably.

Bring your own binoculars. Worth it to buy a new pair, trust me. We each had our own pair.

Varies by region. French Polynesia is usually great from May to October. We were in Singapore and Thailand in February, great time of year.

I found the specialty restaurants on Riviera all overdone and rather ersatz. And the MDR quite lacking compared to Regent. Then again, La Reserve was exquisite.

On 2/9/2024 at 11:43 AM, mnocket said:

 

Starlink is dependent on the presence of satellites and in some locations this can be a problem - particularly some ocean locations.  Most of Starlink's satellites are the original Gen 1 satellites.  They are not useable when over the ocean and beyond the reach of ground stations to relay the signal.  Only the new Gen 2 satellites work over the oceans since they can use laser communications to send their signal satellite-to-satellite until a ground station can be reached.  Starlink continues to launch and position new Gen 2 satellites, and until the constellation is complete there will be some remote areas that receive poor/no service.  Still, in most cases it's a huge step forward for ship internet. 

Wow, I did not know that about Starlink, thanks. Is it not also true that the satellites were originally deployed to favour the northern latitudes? So perhaps near the equator it's a bit dicey?

So sorry that French Polynesia's Society Islands are mostly a "washout".  After all those sea days.  Let's hope the weather improves as you sail west.

10 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

It may be fair to those on the World cruise but we were on the Miami to NYC cruise May 17 to Jun 2 that has now been cancelled. I understand that they can't go through the Suez Canal. Regent's offer to us was a full refund......or 30% off one of the 3 "new" itineraries. On top of that there is no comission protection for a Travel Agent. No "attaboy" from me to Regent. 

Sorry, but what did you expect them to do? Seems fair to me although I can't speak about the TA commissions.

8 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

Left from Miami twice, first time took the the bus from the Hyatt and had to claim our luggage, which was on a different bus that arrived close to when we did and take it to a porter who had his hand out for a tip.  Next time, from the Intercontinental took an uber w/ our luggage and was glad as the line for the bus was utter confusion.  Wendy, how does Regent deal with the pick up your luggage when you are not on the bus but give them the luggage and no porter is getting a tip?

I'm not remembering specifics but I believe it was as Tom stated; we didn't see our bag until it was delivered to our suite.

All that info jibes with what we experienced last year at the Biltmore.  But we made our own way to the ship.  In this case, we had our car, and parked at the port, but would have taken a taxi or uber otherwise--I hate those buses.  Regent did, however, take our big luggage so we didn't have to lug it around.

Oh lucky you, sounds like heaven! I would do Nav in FP any time!

On 12/29/2023 at 3:47 PM, amunhbuu said:

Followup question, is it walkable or best to take a taxi?

Definitely not walkable, as Kahuna implied, although coming back, you can waltz right over to your ship.

 As a former, fairly frequent PG cruiser, I'm sorry to hear this, but not surprised. My expectations of Ponant have been low ever since the deposit debacle at the beginning of the pandemic.

Just wondering since I assume it begins this weekend.

Love Ross. Maybe he's home for Xmas.