flossie009

Why not? Maybe, but to what ends? Falsifying a result would be fraud. That is not what is implied. It appears that Regent are seeking the simplest solution to the imposed guidelines in order to minimise inconvenience for guests and avoid unnecessary cost & logistics for the company.

Why would he? You should have had a coffee instead 😉

Maybe they are relieved after the adverse feedback on the first cringeworthy episode. IMO Regent Marketing could salvage the rest of the series by having the voiceover rewritten. Less references to cost and more concentration on value and the good service that we all enjoy.

Totally disagree. We have had some excellent pre-cruise hotels arranged by Regent and some memorable pre/post cruise 3-day tours. Recently we flew in to Bali to join Explorer. We were accommodated in the Kempinski hotel - fabulous room and a delicious leisurely breakfast before travelling to the ship. Others were accommodated in the equally luxurious Ritz-Carlton next door.

We never have a problem locating cruise prices on the RSSC website

Short answer: Yes We have enjoyed some excellent included excursions; some average; some not worth repeating. However our primary reasons for sailing with Regent is the on-board experience; friendly, efficient staff & crew; diverse, interesting fellow guests. Personally we favour the “all inclusive” business model operated by Regent, but realise that it is not for everyone. Today we are in Cambodia on Explorer. We decided against an excursion and just took the regular shuttle which dropped us at a huge indoor market, where we could absorb the sights, smells & ambience of local Cambodian life. Tomorrow in Laem Chabang we will take a Regent included tour to the floating market in Pattaya; the following day we will opt for “Pattaya on your own” In some ports we may just stay on board Plenty of choices on Regent 😎

Butler, if you have one; room service if not. Both provide an excellent service in our experience.

CC has a ‘test forum’ which is useful for trying out posting techniques , uploading photos etc https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/860-test-forum/

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