Bolshoi

Thanks, FlyerTalker, for the link to the review of the Houston Express.  The seating on the Atlas Air 747 looks better than I feared it would.  I've communicated with Regent and have been told (by Regent Air, via email) that I will not pay the deviation fee as they only are doing charter on this sailing.  Still don't understand why they presented it as a custom air option for $175 pp.

TC2 - thanks for Atlas Air link.  And yes, I've done extensive research on Star Alliance carries between LAX and PPT and there is only one good option.  What puzzles me now is if Regent is saying they only have charters between LAX - PPT why should I pay the deviation fee?  I'll ask my Regent guy...

So I spoke with my Regent agent yesterday to make final payment for our Tahiti cruise at the end of December and said I wanted a deviation for Star Alliance carriers and today received a Custom Air quote from Regent which is for a charter flight, apparently on Atlas Air, direct LAX-PPT for the $175 pp fee.  There is a note at the bottom of the document stating 'Please note that we have only charter flights for this sailing'.  Has anyone else experienced this?

We're approaching the 90 day (final payment) on a Papeete round trip.  Haven't heard a word from Regent regarding air travel and am getting concerned given that options (searched on Expedia) for LAX - PPT are not good (35+ hr 2-stop itineraries are common).  And I want those miles credited to our UA accounts.  File a deviation?

We board the Scenic Amber next Thursday.  The pre-cruise materials states that wifi on board is dependent on location and can be erratic: standard boilerplate. I was wondering what the reality is like?  First time on a river cruise, but have several ocean cruises under our belts where the wifi is generally always available, but typically slow.  It would be nice to not incur added fees for our connected devices (checking email, news, texting, the NYT crossword).

How about the Quartz Orb?

11 minutes ago, G.M.T. said:

My crystal ball only reaches out for two weeks. Too early to say.

 

PS. As we are not allowed to advertise on CC, think I will have to rename the crystal ball. Any ideas?

I could not find this information on Scenic's website.  I know the power onboard is 220v, but would like to know what style of electrical outlets they use so that I can bring the correct plug adaptor for my North American style plugs.

We are on Scenic Amber Nuremberg - Budapest July 11 - 18.  Is the bridge in Passau likely to be a problem, and might there be other water level issues at that time?  TIA!

We are considering a Scenic Danube cruise on the Amber next July. Does anyone have experience with the "Royal Panorama Suite" located at the aft of the ship? Is there much noise or odors from being at the aft? What is the general consensus regarding the various classes of suites, in terms of usable space and value?

TIA!

We're about to depart for our 20+ hrs of travel to Santiago to board the Muse on the 31st.

Spinnaker2, thank you for the internet update. I presume the impact of the Grand Voyagers will continue past Valpo when we board, so I'll keep my expectations low.

Spinnaker2 - my wife and I will embark in Valpo. I was wondering if the restaurants designated formal under the old Muse format (La Dame and Atlantide) remain formal during informal nights?

I was wondering what the current dining situation is on the Muse, i.e. are there now shipwide formal, informal, and casual nights, rather than the restaurant dictating how one dresses? Also, are La Dame and Atlantide always formal, regardless of what the rest of the ship is doing? We're embarking at Valparaiso.

Thanks!

How does one contact "special services"?

Since we embark on your disembarkation day, I hope you may suffer from Oenophobia so that there will be plenty of vino left for us to enjoy. [emoji4]

 

 

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I second this!

Thanks, all, for the replies!

I'm doing my due diligence for a river cruise next year. Our target of interest is the Rhone and I'm considering Scenic, Uniworld, Tauck, and Viking (knowing that Viking may not be in the same category as the other 3). However, I find myself very frustrated with Scenic's wedsite regarding cabin sizing and pricing. All the others provide both pieces of information on their web, but Scenic requires that you request a quote (which I've done, reluctantly).

Can anyone direct me to a site that would have the cabin sizes for the Scenic 'Space Ships'?

Many thanks!

Thanks, all, for the feedback. More research to do on Uniworld, Tauck, and Scenic.

We're thinking of a river cruise in Europe (likely the Rhone) next year and I was wondering if there is a consensus on cruise lines amongst Siversea cruisers. What say the Board?

Thanks, JP. I hadn't thought of that...

Not sure if this is the right place for this question, but here goes: We're embarking the Muse on Oct 31 for a 17 day to Buenos Aires. What are the options for travel from Santiago (where we're spending a couple of nights pre-cruise) to Valparaiso? My default is taxi, but was wondering if there was a train or other that would be as convenient and cheaper.

Private tour is a great way to go - you get max flexibility and there are several good groups to use. We went with SPB Tours in '10 and would use them again.