flossie009

Conclusions We are glad we did the Tokyo & Hakone post cruise, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Maybe someone who has experienced “Vibrant Tokyo” can chip in with their thoughts. The tour was certainly enhanced by having so few guests participate and we liked having all the meals included. Apart from anything it ensured that we tried the local cuisine, and had the dishes explained to us. Lunches & Dinners all included one alcoholic drink (usually beer, wine or sake) plus water & soft drinks available. Seeing Odawara and Hakone for us was better than staying all the time in Tokyo. The weather was very kind to us throughout, but it was a shame that we were maybe 2 weeks too early for the famous blossoms. Everyone on the tour was always on time at meeting points along the way. We found Japan and its people to be polite, courteous, helpful, efficient, safe, often cute and sometimes quirky. Here are some of the quirky items we encountered: You are more likely to find dogs rather than children in strollers in Japan. The Japanese love their pets and there is a low birth rate and falling population. The Japanese like giving confectionary as gifts and most souvenir shops are packed with interesting and beautifully presented boxes of sweetmeats For some reason Nestle produces hundreds of flavours of the Kit Kat bar for Japan. We only returned with a few! One final piece of quirky trivia we learnt was how a certain fried chicken brand managed to market itself as the ideal Christmas Dinner for a Japanese family: KFC at Christmas 😂

Day 3 (Tokyo) After a leisurely breakfast, we identified our luggage before it was loaded on the coach. Then it was off on our return journey to Tokyo which included final fleeting glimpses of Mount Fuji First stop was Asakusa, which has traditional craft shops and street-food stalls along Nakamise Street near the ancient Sensō-ji temple. The area was teeming with tourists. One of the giant paper lanterns Some early blossom 🙂 (new Tokyo Telecom Tower in the background) Many tourists ............. and plenty for them to buy From parasols ..................... to apple pies ........... and not just any apple pie ......... No need to walk 😉 We then drove to our lunch venue. This was a slow journey as our return to Tokyo coincided with the historic visit by the President of South Korea. There were even more traffic jams than normal in Tokyo due to the large police presence and a number of road closures. The coach driver finally found a spot where he could drop us and then we walked a few hundred yards to a Yakiniku restaurant (Japanese BBQ). Various thin cuts of beef, pork & chicken were served for us to cook on hot grills set into the centre of the tables. This was a delicious meal; the beef was succulent. We arrived at the Tokyo Hilton mid to late afternoon, where our guide & driver said their goodbyes to a round of applause from us all. Having checked in to our spacious western style room we took the hotel shuttle bus to Shinjuku Station (famous as the world’s busiest railway station with over three million passengers per day). The bus dropped us outside the Keio department store; with 8 floors it had plenty to satisfy our need for a final flurry of retail therapy before leaving Japan. It also had a very efficient and simple tax refund process for us foreigners. Day 4 (Departure) Final packing & weighing of our suitcases, breakfast in the hotel and then a transfer to Haneda airport at 09:30 arriving in plenty of time for our 13:15 flight back to London Heathrow. After a 14 hour flight we arrived at 19:30 with a local car service waiting to pick us up. Back through our front door at 21:30, ready for bed and to reflect on our fabulous holiday.

Day 2 (continued) After lunch it was off to Odawara Castle. As with most of the castles in Japan this one is a reconstruction. Earthquakes, fires & wars caused destruction of the originals. We were able to climb to the top, with many interesting displays inside on the way. We collected the typical Japanese visitor’s stamp on the way down The gardeners were preparing thousands of plants for the summer displays for which the castle grounds are famous Then it was back to the hotel. The view from our balcony never disappointed With some time before dinner we decided to try out the hotel “hot springs”. We donned our swimming costumes and a kimono cover up and set off. On arrival we had to split up to the men’s & women’s sections, and soon realised that the swimming costumes would have to come off as well as the kimonos! Bathing suits - no; birthday suits - yes. It was an experience for sure 😳 The meal tonight was in a private dining room in the hotel where a Kaiseki (Japanese multi-course) dinner was served. (Sorry, but we didn't get photos of all the courses) For the “hot pot” we were supplied with the raw ingredients which we each cooked at the table in individual small “woks” containing a delicious hot broth Sashimi Hot Pot Dessert After dinner our guide gave us our instructions for the morning (luggage out for 7am; coach would leave at 10am). We all agreed that 10am was late so negotiated to meet at 09:15 with departure at 09:30

Day 2 (Hakone & Odawara) We enjoyed a good breakfast - a buffet with a good selection of western & Japanese dishes - and then rejoined our coach, driver & guide, setting off for a morning in the Fuji National Park. Our guide had forewarned us that it would be colder when we got up into the mountains at Hakone and we certainly needed our warm coats. The coach made its way up very windy roads to Sounzan where we boarded a cablecar. This took us higher and gave spectacular views, including Mount Fuji and the steaming ground of the volcanic area over which we were travelling. Heated water from the this volcanic activity is piped to hotels & resorts in the area Mount Fuji was a little shy and remained partially hidden behind the clouds Leaving the cable car at Togendai, we boarded a “pirate ship” for a cruise across the mountain lake, Lake Ashi. The ship was a little Disney-like but the views were good. Wait ................... surely us Regent guests should be the other side of this barrier 😉 Torii - the iconic gate showing the entrance to a Shinto shrine We then re-joined our coach which took us a short distance to our lunch venue in a dining room overlooking Lake Ashi. This was probably the worst meal of the trip. Western style & described as beef stew! - a salad followed by meat & 2 veg, finished with a cakey dessert. Lovely view from the restaurant

Day 1 (Tokyo) Departing the ship around 09:15 we got through customs & immigration with ease; the Japanese authorities having plenty of officials on duty. There were also many helpful people on hand to direct us to our luggage and onwards to the waiting transport. We didn’t see any porters at the Tokyo cruise terminal but there were plenty of free luggage carts. On boarding our tour bus we were pleased to learn that there were only 8 other couples sharing the experience. With a total of only 18 guests on this 3 day tour it made for a very uncrowded experience. We were also blessed with excellent weather. Our guide was a senior citizen, who was sometimes difficult to hear - softly spoken & sometimes didn’t speak into the microphone. First stop was for a walk around the city centre Hama Rikyu Gardens. Unfortunately we were a week or two early for most of the blossoms, but the trees & tea houses were immaculate. The tranquility of the garden contrasted with the bustling city outside Beautifully shaped trees and large lakes One of the tea houses in the garden.This one you could enter but another had the very polite sign at its entrance "You can view easily from here"; so much more polite than a blunt "NO ENTRY" Then it was on to the Tokyo Tower, from the top of which we had outstanding views of the city. Looking up ........ and looking down (glazed panels in the viewing gallery floor) Views from the top of Tokyo Tower The Tower has its own shrine ................ and plenty of retail opportunities Lunch was at a local hotel. Shoes off before entering our private dining room. We were each served with a tray of interesting Japanese dishes. After lunch we set off for Odawara; just over 50 miles south west of the centre of Tokyo. Odawara is a town situated on Sagami Bay, fairly close to Mt. Fuji. It is best know for the beautiful Odawara Castle, and for being the gateway to the Hakone hot springs resort area, and the Fuji-Hakone National Park. Our hotel was the Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa. We were allocated Japanese style superior rooms with outstanding views over the bay. The hotel has an excellent range of sports facilities. Superior room with small balcony View from our balcony in the afternoon Sunrise over the bay greeted us in the morning In the evening we enjoyed a buffet in the hotel dining room; an excellent selection of delicious food. We then retired for a night’s rest, having worked out the easiest way to get into & out of the futon beds which were mounted on a low plinth 😉

Regent cruises that begin or end in Tokyo usually include an optional land tour. Either “Vibrant Tokyo” or “Tokyo & Hakone” Having just returned from a very enjoyable Far Eastern cruise on Explorer we thought it might be of use to others to share our experience on one of these tours. When we booked the cruise (our fourth attempt to do a cruise to this part of the world in the last 3 years), we looked at the pre & post cruise offerings and decided to pay the additional charge for the post-cruise “Tokyo & Hakone”. For us the itinerary seemed more interesting and worth the extra. Spoiler alert: For those who are already booked on this post cruise tour in the future and would rather not have a preview then stop reading this topic now!

Yes, there is a separate column on the laundry list for "pressing only". No charge. The only charges made are for dry cleaning (unless you are Titanium SSS or above)

While on Explorer recently we were told that the Wi-Fi infrastructure on Explorer would be renewed/enhanced during the dry dock scheduled for May. The internet manager also confirmed that all Regent ships would be changing to Starlink …,.,…,, but he didn’t share a date. During our cruise two maintenance technicians visited our suite to “test for the new IT system” ……,…………. and they weren’t just carrying two cans & a length of string 😂

Chartreuse: Steak Tartare; Cheese Soufflé; Foie Gras Terrine; Floating Island; Apple Tart; Cheese Pacific Rim: Duck & Watermelon Salad; Lobster Tempura Prime 7: Onion Rings Compass Rose: Lobster Bisque; Miso Sea Bass Pool Grill (lunch): Lobster Nachos (comfort food 😋); Truffle Burger La Veranda & Coffee Connection & Room Service (Friday Breakfast): Almond Croissant

jteegen@rssc.com

I understand that and I suppose my thoughts are directed at the tour operators who service most of the major cruise-lines. As a loyal Regent customer I chose to share ideas on the Regent Board in the hope that it might be read by someone in RSSC with influence. After all, the parent NCLH has powerful buying power in the cruise tour market and the new President, Harry Sommer, has always impressed as someone who is keen to listen to customers and push forward new ideas. Many manufacturers are already set up for tours and are keen to market their products. The question is whether the cruise tour operators are sufficiently innovative to approach companies in order to include such tours on their menu of offerings to cruise lines. In many ports it seems that they find it simpler to just hire local guides to herd all cruise passengers around the same itinerary of historic landmarks. Regent could further set itself apart from the mass market by offering small group tours to those companies who do not want to open up to large groups on a regular basis.

There have been a few threads recently which include criticism of Regent’s excursions. We have enjoyed many of the destination offerings and we like Regent’s all inclusive business model. However, now we are drawing away from the difficulties of the pandemic, it is maybe time for Regent and its tour operators to review what is on offer in some ports. Regent started to offer a few new ideas pre-pandemic with their go-local & small group offerings. Hopefully they can come up with a few more new ideas. Many of the tours offered are historically themed (lots of churches & temples). Nothing wrong with that but often we like to choose something a bit different. Discussion in the bar on our recent cruise brought forward the suggestion of more tours about the present and the future. For example, technology & manufacturing based excursions. Since the cruise was in the Far East, the possibilities seemed endless. The only manufacturing tours we remember seeing on Regent cruises were to breweries & wineries. How about visits to car or aerospace factories? or food manufacturing plants or the cosmetic industry? Any other suggestions for Regent as to how the content of their excursions could be refreshed?

As you have written proof that a refund is being issued, the response from Regent appears to be outrageous. The money that AA will be refunding to Regent is yours. Suggest you and your TA elevate the issue within the Regent hierarchy and make contact with their guest relations @Jennefer Teegen I can only hope that the initial response your TA received is from a very confused junior Regent agent and that Regent will promptly forward the airline refund PLUS compensation for the discomfort & hassle you have experienced.

Study diligently for the entrance examinations 🤣 Serious answer: Taxi or train

Is that why the tipping culture in the USA prevails and is supported by businesses and their employees?

I was interested to see a thread on another CC Board regarding someone from North America seeking advice on the level of tips in Europe; London in particular It is good to see travellers seeking to abide by the norms in other countries and cultures. Having just returned from Japan, it is evident that tipping is not a necessary prerequisite to excellent service Tipping in Japan

I think the timing of that offer was designed to attract solo ex Crystal cruisers before they decided to book with the new unproven company that has purchased the Crystal name & old ships.

It is impossible for Regent to put this right. The damage is done. All senior management can do is meet with Sheila, acknowledge her complaint, issue a fulsome apology and take the necessary action to ensure this type of incident does not happen again in the future. Regent have been including excursions in the price for 15 years. In that time we have had many truly excellent tours and have met some very hard working, friendly & efficient members of the Destinations team. Damning all members of a Regent department because of the shortcomings of some is grossly unfair. I also disagree with those who choose to name individuals on social media. IMO the correct course of action is to discuss issues with their manager so that corrective action can be taken; if necessary escalating up the chain of command.

I understand that government regulations changed yesterday March 13, such that the wearing of masks is no longer mandatory only advisory. That is correct. Noticeable reduction in the number of Japanese we saw indoors and out yesterday wearing masks. No doubt there will still be many who continue to wear masks since that was the norm prior to COVID. We are at the Hilton in Odawara (fabulous resort hotel). All hotel staff are still wearing masks together with the majority of Japanese guests …………….. except in the hot springs, where a ‘birthday suit’ was the order of the day 😉

I understand that government regulations changed yesterday March 13, such that the wearing of masks is no longer mandatory only advisory.

Thanks for that useful tip, Gilly, which may be of use during our post-cruise, starting tomorrow. Very sad that this cruise is coming to an end 🙁, with a cloudy/rainy day in Shimizu today ☔. We leave Explorer when she arrives in Tokyo tomorrow morning. For our 3 day post cruise we opted to upgrade to the “Tokyo & Hakone” itinerary, which seems to be more interesting & includes lunch & dinner on 2 out of the 3 days. For us it seemed to offer a better experience & better value than the included “Vibrant Tokyo”. Will try to report back after we have completed the tour.

We have only ever sailed with Regent since tours were included, and mostly the transport has not been filled to capacity. It may depend on location & the local availability of buses rather than cost cutting.

In Japan masks are required in the Cruise Terminal, other enclosed spaces and on buses. Most of the locals are still to be seen wearing masks. Masks are not required on board; a few crew and passengers do wear them.

It is such a shame that Regent(UK) opted to abandon this little touch of pre cruise luxury, that set them apart from other cruise lines 🙁

A sunny Spring morning for our arrival in Kochi, Japan today. An extensive welcoming party for Explorer’s arrival; all happy to see the first cruise ship in Kochi for three years.