flossie009

Deck 14 is a very good secluded location. The ship is stable so movement will only be an issue in extremely rough seas. The only drawback with the suites on deck 14 is that the balconies are shallower than some of those on lower decks.

That is in line with Regent’s policy of the last few months. Testing arrangements and the associated risks are now with guests, who are expected to have travel insurance to cover any losses incurred. Regent no longer underwrite the costs of cancellation, quarantine or curtailment due to a positive covid test (as they did previously) It is a positive step that they are moving towards the acceptance of self administered antigen tests in those very few instances where testing is required. We are on Explorer and were informed prior to the cruise that an antigen test will be required before docking in Taiwan; self test reported to medical centre - or $99pp if test done by Regent. No special requirements indicated prior to entering Japanese waters ……….. but we are well aware that requirements can change at short notice.

The following article indicates that the Japanese government has issued guidelines to the cruise lines that include pre- embarkation testing: https://crew-center.com/japan-lifts-entry-ban-international-cruise-ships Are you suggesting that Regent should ignore guidelines when they are introduced?, however inconvenient that may be for their guests. (see also my post #7 above)

Update (5pm) We have just had a visit from a pleasant maintenance crew member. They cannot sort the problem while the ship is at sea. He therefore ensured the door is well taped to ensure no wind noise tonight. After the ship docks in Singapore tomorrow afternoon they will remove the door and replace the seals. So hopefully after that we will have a usable balcony but without a whistling balcony door 🤞

Just remembered another negative on Explorer - the dreaded “whistling” balcony doors. There was a fault with the door seals when the ship was first launched. Naively we had assumed that this fault would have been properly fixed during the ship’s years of service. We were wrong. The night before last the annoying whistle started; we partially fixed it by unlocking & slightly moving the door. Yesterday evening we noted the whistle being louder; maintenance promptly attended while we were at dinner and fully sealed all around with gaffer tape. So now we have no noise from the door ……………… but we cannot go out onto the balcony 🤨 Awaiting a visit from maintenance to see if they can effect a more permanent and user-friendly fix. ”Most luxurious ship ever built” ??? 🤔

Japan is only just opening up to international cruise ships and the authorities have imposed some stringent & specific requirements on the cruise lines. As I understand it, this includes the requirement that a cruise be terminated/leave Japan if covid cases on board rise above a set threshold. Presumably Regent has reintroduced the pre-embarkation testing to reduce the risk of the threshold being exceeded and to have some proof if required by the authorities. This CC Topic gives some background information: The cruise we are on is heading for Japan but no word on testing requirements as yet. (We were told that we will need to test prior to arriving in Taiwan)

Yes, most of the names were new to us as well. So far everyone has been very pleasant, efficient & helpful; certainly up to the Regent standard we expect to enjoy 🙂 Obviously the hotel staff & crew would have had no say in the decisions being taken regarding itinerary changes and I am sure that the additional sea days placed extra pressure on their services. Hopefully guests did not vent their frustrations unduly on those who had no influence on the difficult situation. It does appear that the extra sea days & missed ports has had the knock-on effect of some supply shortages; but we understand that a large loading of F&B stocks will be made in Singapore - docking there tomorrow pm for an overnight stop.

Joining Explorer yesterday, we were pleased to see in the daily Passages: Approx 5pm - Compulsory guest safety briefing via ships PA system. We thought this meant that we could stay in our suite for the briefing ………. but no, in the event we were all herded to our muster stations. Ours was in the balcony of the theatre so, being Explorer, we could not see anything. Thus we simply had a briefing over the PA, but in a crowded, non socially distanced environment. We still had to watch the safety video during on-line check-in, twice more the week before the cruise and then the longer version in our suite after boarding. So we now seem to have the the e-muster in addition to the traditional muster. Not sure that this enhances the health, safety or wellbeing of guests or crew.

We boarded Explorer yesterday and found that Lizzie is the Social Hostess. At the introductory show last night she showed herself to be a highly accomplished singer; as is the Assistant Cruise Director, Marsha Lawson.

Boarded Explorer yesterday in Bali so am now able to answer my own question 😉 A new Production Cast joined the ship yesterday and there will be further staff & crew changes when we arrive in Singapore next weekend. The Regent U.K. office did not have the information. They emailed Miami and after ten days, and further chasing, some limited information was obtained 🙄

Deck 6 is a very convenient location. Can you take advantage of the 2 cabin upgrade offer to have a balcony? Pay for G, upgrade to E.

Excellent choice We favour a PH (or Horizon) on Mariner as they offer so much more space than the D to H suites

Marc's list is a good start but let us add - Mariner has a theatre where all seats (including on the upper floor) have a good view of the stage. The design of the Explorer theatre auditorium has significant drawbacks - Aft elevators/lifts that service all decks (allowing a rear entrance/exit to Compass Rose) - Layout of Compass Rose - Layout of Pool Deck However, the suites on Explorer are better than Mariner (size, layout, storage & bathrooms), especially in grades D, E & F We like all Regent's ships but each has unique & specific plus points.

We were on Mariner in October and had an excellent cruise, with good service, food & wine. Mariner is one of our favourite ships; the layout of the public areas is excellent and she is a very stable ship. The only things to consider are the size of suite that you would like and whether you favour shower-only (our preference) or a bathroom with a tub/shower combo (not favoured by many guests). I am sure you will have an enjoyable cruise on Mariner 😎

Ts&Cs at the bottom of the SSS webpage state: 'Titanium members receive FREE Private Van transfer accommodating 4 large suitcases. Private transfers are “to and from home” if the guest lives within a 100 mile radius of the pier. If the guest lives outside the 100 mile radius, private transfers from airport to pier and pier to airport are provided' So you will be able to use the new benefit on disembarkation from the cruise for a private transfer to airport or hotel

Sorry if my description confused. Where we docked (industrial port) was not of interest, but the town of Cartagena was very attractive with an interesting history. The tour that we did was CTG-001 CARTAGENA SHOPPING AND HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS. The shopping was touristy 'knick-knacks' so if we visited again we would probably choose one of the other excursions; maybe 002 or 006.

True, but the interest on extra borrowing during the pandemic must be eye-watering; and the cost of fuel and most other supplies has risen dramatically

Thank you, Diana and "Uncle Andrew"

There are a number of design issues with the Pool Deck on Explorer and Splendor. For example the position of the showers, the sun loungers facing each other and those butting up to the shower/jacuzzi area. However, packing more loungers onto the deck would not be a good idea and trying to provide more shaded loungers would be very difficult.

Unfortunately I don't think this is a practical or workable solution. It would not stop the "entitled" and would create an impossible administrative and enforcement burden on the crew. It also removes the spontaneity of what guests may wish to do during the day; plus imagine the burden on the laundry of changing bed covers/towels every two hours. I support the simple solution of frequent advertising of the no reservation policy in Passages followed by enforcement of the policy by removing items from loungers that have remained unoccupied for an unreasonable length of time.

Try QURED https://coviduk.qured.com/shop/products (Code BATRAVEL20 may still be valid for a discount on their Fit to Fly tests) Not sure how long they will continue to offer the service as I am sure demand has dropped significantly

You may hear the lifeboat winches when they are being deployed, but since you only have one tender port it should not be a major issue. Being near the stairs/elevators will be convenient; you are unlikely to suffer noise. Unfortunately the rear stairs/elevators on Splendor (and Explorer) do not service deck 4 (or 12), so you will have to go to the forward stairs/elevators to access Compass Rose.

If you book onboard you will receive a modest on-board booking discount and some OBC. You will also benefit from having to pay a smaller deposit and will be given the opportunity to transfer your cruise & deposit to a different voyage one time prior to final payment date without penalty. The booking also comes with a "price guarantee" as others have mentioned. You do not have to wait until you are on board to take advantage of the on-board booking benefits. You can book up to 30 days before your cruise in August and have the benefits applied. Unfortunately one of the best previous benefits enjoyed by UK guests has been withdrawn. Prior to December 2021 UK guests booking on-board received the same cancellation terms as US guests i.e. deposit was refundable before final payment, subject to a £50pp admin fee. Now the deposit is non-refundable in line with the usual draconian UK Ts&Cs @janecambridge, August is the month that Regent usually releases its new itineraries, so it will certainly be worth booking a session with the on-board Cruise Consultant to discuss possibilities, booking discounts or, as @Techno123 says, making an investment in a Future Cruise Deposit. (This gives the on-board booking benefits but does not lock in the cruise prices, which can go up or down in the future) Pre-covid the "price guarantee" received for an on-board booking covered both price reductions and 'benefits' added after booking. Certainly worth requesting any "extras" that are added later to a cruise booked on board; it costs nothing to ask 😉

We have just caught up with the first episode of the C5 documentary .............. Oh dear!! ............ if someone thought this was a good way to market Regent in the UK then IMO they were sadly mistaken. The Christmas episode (available on YouTube) did seem a little better. It was the inference that Regent guests go around the ship intent on stealing jigsaw pieces that had us gasping!

Regent(UK) first changed to nothing in the mail pre-cruise; then after some unfortunate guest experiences they went to the half-way house of luggage labels only in the mail pre-cruise. The Regent(UK) MD told us last year that these changes had nothing to do with cost cutting 🙄 We also used to look forward to receiving the document pack in the mail pre-cruise ............. but sadly no more ☹️ Guests booking PH & above in the UK usually have Business Class flights only for cruises starting or ending in Europe. ...... and their cruise fares reflect the costs of those flights. In the UK you can request an extra-over cost for Business Class flights. Regent prices are often very competitive compared to what you could obtain booking flights independently.