flossie009

Our excursion today took in the iconic Manaus Opera House; opened in 1896 and funded by the boom in rubber. Even though it is Christmas Eve we were able to go inside to view the splendid auditorium and reception rooms. It is incredible that most materials were shipped in from Europe for the project. The dome is made up of a mosaic of thousands of ceramic tiles in different colours The painted ceilings in the building are not to be missed Even the wooden floors are masterpieces

I am sure John the CD is well aware. I understand he used to be a magician ……….. but just didn’t conjure up sufficient entertainment for this cruise 😉 Pre dinner the bars are reasonably well covered. Fabio (the Regent band pianist) in Observation; the saxophonist or guitar player from the band in Mariner; Boogie & Kasia in Horizon. Tonight the headline singer Colleen Williamson is doing a Christmas show after dinner, which should be good.

After a lazy day anchored off Boca de Valeria we are now headed for Manaus where we will spend tomorrow and Christmas Day

Lounge pianist photo from 2018

Agree that entertainment has been somewhat disappointing, especially for a Holiday Cruise, with lots of sea days. Just to add: - Why no pre-dinner shows? particularly on the nights when a movie was the main post dinner entertainment. The Production Cast could have done something. - What happened to the singer Peter Cutler, who arrived without his luggage, borrowed some clothes for one performance then disappeared ? - The Dance Party was good, but why only Boogie & Kasia performing? Where were the Production Cast singers ? - Could they not have found some more recent movies ? We know that Classic (old) movies are popular with some, but those can be seen in suite on the TV. - No “Liars Club” or similar impromptu entertainment. If there is an issue with visiting performers then please could the entertainment team use some initiative to fill the gaps. Still enjoying the cruise and looking forward to Boogie & Kasia’s stage show tonight. Hope they are being paid well for their additional work this cruise 😁

If you made payment to your TA then your TA is legally obliged to refund you, whether or not the cruise line has refunded them. Also suggest that everyone who paid all or some of the money by credit card should immediately lodge a Section 75 claim with their credit card company. https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/credit-borrowing-money/goods-services-bought-credit

Sadly a tour boat with Carnival obviously didn’t make it 😮 😂

After 3 days at sea we today arrived in Santarem. We were a little late arriving and anchored because of the low water levels. Santarem is at the confluence of the Tapajos and Amazon rivers. You can see the colour change where the waters meet. Today turned out to be better than expected; both in terms of weather and our excursion. Forecast had been for thunderstorms & rain but it was clear skies all day. The ship was set up this morning with Mariner’s tenders heading for the city. On the other side of the ship a floating platform was brought in enabling local boats to collect guests for the river tours. This worked well and we enjoyed our tour up the river and into a tributary/lake to fish for Piranha ……………… and yes, we did make a catch

Try the Executive Concierge when on board. They may be able to assist.

We entered the Amazon early this morning, when the tide was high enough to cross the sand bar. Now at anchor for a technical stop only - Brazil immigration etc Tomorrow is our first Amazon stop for guests; tendering to shore in Santarem Having crossed the equator during the night, we were due a visit from King Neptune this morning for the equator crossing ceremony. However, he and his entourage cancelled due to rain …………… you would have thought he would be used to getting wet 😉

That’s OK then. I worried that you were being judgemental; something I know you abhor from others.

We have read the roll call and the main board thread regarding that cruise with great interest as we were originally booked on it. We changed to this Mariner holiday cruise well over a year ago, which was one of our better decisions. Regent were blindsided by events but in hindsight could have handled customer relations a lot better. As well as the drastic itinerary change, did you also suffer poor service and bad food quality ? Hope you have a better time on Grandeur ☝️

Not at all. Our expectations remain the same and Regent delivers for us. We still like what Regent offers and that is why we continue to book & sail with them. We have cruised with Regent on their various ships regularly since 2009 and ever since our first Regent cruise we have met those who were always looking into a rose-tinted rear view mirror. We well remember on our first cruise a couple telling us over dinner “It’s nowhere near as good as Radisson” We read with interest all the reports on Regent, both good & bad, but we can only report on our personal experiences. Obviously your own recent experiences have not lived up to expectations and you perceive that standards have dramatically deteriorated post pandemic. This is not what we have found. Reports from Grandeur generally seem to be positive. Hope you have a fabulous cruise 😎 PS: @pappy1022, What amused you in my post #52 ?

From this, and your post regarding entertainment on another thread, it appears that the Regent product no longer suits your tastes. In the last 12 months we have sailed on Splendor, Explorer, Navigator and now Mariner. We have enjoyed the quality of food (ingredients & preparation), service and entertainment on all the cruises. I sincerely hope you find a cruise line or other vacation destination that fulfils your requirements in the future.

Boogie & Kashia getting us into the Christmas spirit at the Dance Party on Mariner tonight IMG_7021.MOV

Making our way back to the ship after an excellent excursion in Grenada (GND-001 The Spice of Our Lives) A similar type of itinerary to yesterday in Guadeloupe ……… but so, so much better 😁 A group of 18 guests on a small bus with a congenial driver/guide. Plus very knowledgeable guides at each of the locations we visited (spiced jam factory, spice garden and a rum distillery)

Was it this one that we caught sight of at the rum distillery ? 🤣 Sorry your tour was no good. Ours was “OK”. Bus, driver & guide were good, but there were too many guests in the group, meaning that the guide was inaudible when off the bus. We have given feedback to Destinations. We are trying a tour of Spice Farms and another rum distillery this afternoon. Looking forward to seeing what dishes are offered at the Caribbean Buffet tonight

Fabio sends his best wishes A hummingbird in Guadeloupe Farewell Guadeloupe Good morning Grenada

Much slower today but still perfectly usable

This experiment seems to defeat the primary benefit of cruising; a new location almost every day. …………. but I suppose it saves on fuel 😉

I agree with Marc, Stephane is very approachable and always helpful. Do not hesitate to discuss your issues with him.

Yes it has been a bit rocky and it was a shame to miss St Bart’s. However the seas seem a touch calmer this morning, but still windy. Today is Friday or as we know it “Almond Croissant Day” 😋 going …….. ……… going ………. ………. gone Life is good 😎

…………. but many more have had excellent Regent cruises with perfect service

Sorry you had such bad first impressions. Since most of the issues are related to food & drink, I would ask to see the F&B Manager and run through all the items with him/her. The management on board would much prefer you bringing things to their attention immediately, so that they can address any shortcomings, rather than just complaining after the event on social media