chelseabelsea

Hello all, 

forgive me if this has already been asked, but does anyone know the current champagne served by the glass on Splendor? Just curious…and planning ahead 🤣

Hi again!

We have not taken Covid test yet- that is tomorrow (Monday) prior to Tuesday disembarkation. Regent is offering both PCR and Antigen tests, and it’s up to passengers to know which they need for post cruise travel. Very civilized process, simply make your way to Observation Lounge tomorrow morning- results sent to suites after dinner. 
Sticking with the Covid “theme”: several crew were able to receive boosters while we were in San Juan, and many more are getting their boosters in Miami.

This evening we enjoyed a lovely crew performance in the theater- such amazing talent! Very enjoyable and very sweet.

Hi! We are currently onboard the Splendor T/A

Originating in Barcelona- the ship and staff are incredible, truly marvelous. I’m guessing no one is posting because we are all too busy having fun! It’s been a beautiful crossing. The Captain is marvelous, providing amazing commentary every day. Tonight we have a chance to do some stargazing! Onboard entertainment is exceptional- Boogie and Kasia, pianist Andrew, the Splendor orchestra- great music throughout the ship. Terrific comedian. Happiest crew I’ve ever seen- They aced their US Coast Guard safety inspection yesterday while we were at San Juan, and rightfully proud of it. The ship has been transformed with gorgeous Christmas decorations throughout, really magnificent. The service onboard is amazing; I am forever spoiled by having taken this cruise on Regent (our first)…and yes, of course, we booked another one while onboard! 😁👍🏻

Oh, the Majestic is superb! In my opinion, this is a lovely change you will enjoy. Be sure to explore the rooftop. Great location, walking distance to Las Ramblas, interesting and beautiful neighborhood, very close to at least two Gaudi houses. Oh, and great shopping nearby.

Hi, everyone!

does anyone know how the ore-boarding Covid test works? Do we obtain our own test and bring results with us or does Regent perform the testing upon check in?

Thank you!

Oh my God, you guys are all hilarious. Ok, in keeping with what we drank while at the university…does anyone remember Midnight Train Express? 🤣

(thanks for giving me a laugh!)

Hi there! After a year and a half of worrying about Covid, now that I am triple vaxed, am happy to say I’ve started “worrying” about more mundane things…such as, what is the house champagne served on Splendor? (actually, anywhere on Regent, I’m assuming it’s the same selection)

. . . isn’t it wonderful to think of such things? Our first sailing is this November 🤞🏼 

You are all so kind to share your experiences and advice- thank you so much!

Hi everyone! We are new to RSSC, and are booked in a concierge suite this fall on Splendor. Reservations for dining open up in late August. I’m curious about how this works for a 14 night cruise, how many reservations are we allotted for the restaurants. I think there are only three that require reservations…any special tips or insight you could help me out with would be most appreciated. We have experienced around 20 Oceania cruises, so we know how their system works- I assume it’s similar, but felt it prudent to ask all of you for advice.

Thank you! 😁

Having the vaccine does not mean you are 100% protected from either getting or transmitting the virus. We wear masks to protect not just ourselves, but everyone else we come into contact with. It’s a small price to pay for contributing to the end of this awful pandemic, n’est ce pas? 😊

I just don’t understand his taking a position that risks overall public health. Facts are facts, scientific analysis is independent of politics. 😳

I am sure people will be offended by my post, but honestly I am being apolitical in this statement.

Hi all!

well, COVID19 clobbered what would have been our first Regent cruise. Now I’m looking for a new one to try, and I am curious about how Regent ha does air. Can I choose my preferred airline? How far in advance can I get our preferred flights confirmed? Is there a fee for doing so? Thanks so much for your feedback.

Hi everyone!

actually, my experience in working the details of our free cruise was fairly straight forward,  despite our challenging timeline...here’s our situation at the time: we had cruise #18 in November of 2019. Cruise #19 in late January. Free cruise early March 2020...so obviously, our final for the free cruise, in which we upgraded two to three categories above the category we nominally sail in, was due before cruise 19 was taken. No problem, my fabulous agent worked with O to get the pro-rated cost difference, and we made final payment. O will work with you provided you have a very capable agent as we do 😊

Now...despite all this happiness, sadly I must tell you that our free cruise was scrubbed by O due to Coronavirus. Oh well. First world problems, right? We will get a new one scheduled...but in the meantime I wanted to share my experience for your benefit as you navigate the free cruise deposit situation. Bonne chance - and enjoy the fact that you are in this position, it’s quite a nice thing!

Happy Sailing 🛳 ☀️ 

Wow! We just received an update from our travel agent sent to her from Oceania...all O Asia cruises through June 2020 are cancelled. Full refunds, 25% FCC for cruises in 2020...

Hello all,

my husband and I have many cruises with Oceania, Silverseas, other lines...looking forward to our first Regent cruise this fall. Quick question...for in-suite usage, may we request in advance to have bourbon and vodka awaiting our arrival? How might one go about doing so?
 

many thanks for your kind assistance!

Hello, all,

Contemplating a Regent  Cruise out of LA...does anyone know which hotel is used for the 1 night hotel stay for Concierge class or higher?

Also curious...I assume the OBC crédit can be applied to spa treatments, as on other lines?

Many thanks in advance for your kind responses.

Hello, folks! Oh Lord help me, I hate to be negative...but I do want to be truthful about our Silverseas experience.

We have sailed one time on Silverseas, on Shadow. It was for the Monaco Grand Prix, so we paid a hefty price tag for what we expected to be a luxurious experience, especially given the SS “advertising brochure”. We have done GO cruises before on other luxury lines, so we know and expect a GO cruise to be much more expensive than a regular med cruise. That’s just life, and we accept it.

In all candor, and with deference to SS devotees, our overall experience, EXCEPT for viewing the race practice day and the actual race day, was a *stunning* disappointment. The food was inferior to Oceania, and in fact even inferior to the cuisine that we recalled from our Celebrity/ pre-Oceania days back in the late 90s/early 2000s...as in, pre-Royal Caribbean merger. We were very disappointed in their specialty French restaurant; it was advertised to be the highlight of dining experiences onboard, however we found the food quite...ordinary. Certainly not anywhere close in quality to Jacques.

The service in the bars was very poor, the liquor selection was inferior, and what really bothered me was the liquors on clear display were cheap...to get something like a Woodford Bourbon, one had to request it over and over again. This seemed so tacky to me. Oh, and on a humorous note, our bartender at the bar that was similar to the O Martinis Bar, that poor child of God couldn’t make a martini without losing the top off the shaker and splashing the cocktail all over the place. We would strategically choose our seats so as not to be doused by gin or vodka. It was kind of funny...but also, pathetic.

Entertainment was okay, nothing great. No art work to speak of. The ship does have great square footage per person, and the cabins were VERY comfortable with walk in closets and a lovely large bathroom. Toiletries, advertised at the time to be Hermès or Bulgari, were actually a no-name generic affair, nothing special. No bath salts as we enjoy on Riviera and Marina. The beds were quite comfortable. Sadly, getting a HOT cup of coffee through room service with breakfast was impossible- I never understood how this could be, it’s a small ship.

We got the clear impression that the crew is not happy, and that showed in their service. One exception to this was the reception desk staff, they were terrific.

Now the disclaimer:  having said all of this, it truly is a matter of personal tastes and choices, as well as priorities of what is important to you in enjoying your trip. For my husband and I, we were turned off by our experience and in all honestly, we cannot imagine sailing with SS ever again. 
So that’s my opinion...and opinions are worth about what you pay for them...😉

You are wonderful, thank you!

Hi, Flatbush Flyer, thanks for your response! Do you know we pre-book? I did not see anything under the “manage my cruise” section....thanks again 😊

Hi everyone, Happy New Year!

Hasn’t anyone experienced the new Aquamar spa onboard yet? If so, how are the services and prices? Would love to hear about it!

Well, I must admit I had to re-write my choice of words a few times...finally, I hit upon “careless”...it sure sounds like the ship is still fighting it, given that the laundry is still closed and they are still sanitizing tables between guests. I do know there were a few folks from our cruise are continuing on to the transatlantic currently underway, so I understand why O would continue with these procedures.

As for people who feel that the height of the buffet is somehow discriminatory, well that’s too bad- but don’t they value their health more than feeling inconvenienced? I certainly do!

Just got home from the Marina cruise Marseille-Barcelona, the one in which we had Noro outbreak. We were also on the cruise in January 2018 that had noro, as another person posting to this thread had experienced. In neither case did we get paper plates, and we always had a nice dining experience, even with being handed salt, pepper, sweeteners, etc., instead of having them on the table. I agree, O’s crew works this stuff really hard, yet I also agree that some processes- the exchange of tour tickets for bus tickets- doesn’t seem to make sense. Having said that, we did learn that at the bars, our room card and the pen offered us to sign our bill had both been sanitized each time they were used by bar staff. This was not publicly announced, we discovered this in speaking with a couple of the staff. I suspect O does more than they tell us when they are in noro-combat mode,

i did remark in my end of cruise survey that passengers should be informed as soon as they suspect they might have noro onboard, instead of when CDC requires us to be notified.

I also recommended they permanently seal off the buffet lines from passengers- I have seen so many people who get impatient with waiting their turn and reach under and grab food their own.

Throughout both of the “Sick” cruises we were on, after we passengers had been advised we had noro onboard, I STILL saw passengers leave the restrooms without washing their hands- disgusting. I don’t know how you fix this situation- how do you remedy carelessness???
 

We are in 11/11 sailing. We are in Monaco now, (arrived Friday)  and have been notified to show up at Monte Carlo port for transfer to Marseille.

We had a driver take us from Nice to Monaco, it’s only 30 minutes by car.

Monaco has an offshore gale warning in effect tonight and tomorrow, clearing out late Monday. Harbour is closed to incoming traffic tonight and tomorrow. Oceania made a good call on this.

So here’s the thing...when we are on an elegant Oceania ship filled with beautiful decor and beautiful art, we choose to dress casually but nicely, meaning, not blue jeans at dinner, not even designer. Will I do, however, a Jean style dress pant - a five pocket pant- in black velvet? Yes. With an elegant blouse and nice jewelry.  Will I wear a jean style pant on ponte on the last night? Yes, I will...with dressy jewelry and a black turtleneck. 
My experience has been that the staff not only appreciate the effort, but usually comment positively, and as one told me, it reflects our appreciation for our surroundings and the experience that Oceania provides.

Please don’t get me wrong, I do NOT want the formal gown thing, my husband does NOT want to deal with a tux- too many years of doing so both at home and on travel. Choosing to be respectful and not sloppy is our personal choice. I’ve never seen ANYONE turned away other than a couple that came back from a day ashore in muddy hiking pants and sneakers.

In summary, be who you are, be your authentic comfortable selves while being neat (clean) and respectful (no muddy clothing) and enjoy the cruise 😁

Hello, fellow O fans,

My husband and I  have a Nautical cruise next year that stops at Ha Long, serving as the gateway to Hanoi. For those of you that have visited this area with Oceania, is there a specific tour your recommend? Any and all advice would be most appreciated.

Thank you!