ruthe17

We are on the following cruise Bangkok to Hong Kong. Would appreciate updates on reduced time in ports and if any ports are cancelled. We are especially interested on the Vietnam ports. Thanks in advance.

I was on the 3-15 October Mariner cruise, and at the risk of "beating a dead horse", I feel compelled to endorse several of the comments made by other passengers. The observations about the poor and slow service at Compass Rose are accurate. However, the restaurant staff should not be blamed; they should be commended for doing the best they could under trying conditions. We too were served by Prenay on several nights; he excelled in spite of being responsible for too many tables. Other servers in CR likewise were responsible for too many tables. Even a bigger problem causing this poor service were large numbers of passengers from the 70 person TA Cruise Connection group descending on CR at the same time- putting additional stress on the restaurant staff. This poor service is a RSSC management problem that needs to be fixed by RSSC management- it is not the fault of those who served us. We too took precautions to avoid COVID. We are fully vaccinated and boosted; we took a COVID test before boarding. We always wore masks except when eating- whether in the hallways, in the laundry room or on buses for tours. We almost always took the stairs and did not go into the theater except to pick up tour tickets. In the few times we used the elevator, we made sure we were the only two in it. Not all were as cautious. We were in the definite minority of those wearing masks. While the crew wore masks wore masks at the beginning of the cruise, this requirement ended a few days after we departed LA. We observed excessive coughing that got worse as the cruise progressed. I mention this because I believe the number COVID infections emanating from these cruises are understated. A couple we know contracted COVID on the cruise and were quarantined. My spouse contracted COVID upon return- as did the other passengers who wrote on this blog. I have no doubt there are other non-reported COVID cases. My spouse and I have many nights cruising (mostly on RSSC) and have half a dozen cruises planned with RSSC over the next few years. While we are RRSC fans, I write this note to put in perspective, albeit from my point of view, some of the legitimate issues and problems that occurred on this cruise and need to be highlighted, addressed and most importantly fixed.

1.Concering the just completed cruise, agree the large (66+) group from Cruise Connections impacted dining and Mariner Bar service (for example the Bar ran out of martini glasses by 6:15 on several nights and used margarita glasses to serve martinis!). Besides the closure nights for private events, large informal groups congregated in the Mariner Lounge in mass before all entering Compass Rose together- often taking large tables of 6 or 8 which sometimes affected the service for other guests. 2. We only do the end or cruise survey to recognize specific staff members by name who benefit by getting more time off at ports and additional consideration for promotion.

Had to show proof of vaccination if vaccinated. If you didn’t have proof, they tested you at the port.

We are on the back Deck 7 and unfortunately we haven’t been as lucky. For the last week we have at least once a day a non -flushing problem. Plumber up here at least once daily. Crew and Housekeeping have been most responsive but quite disconcerting not to be able to use the toilet when getting ready to depart for a tour or getting ready for dinner and having to use toilets in common areas. FYI- COVID still onboard. Friends have been quarantined for past 5 days and were told they were not only. All 4 of us tested negative pre- board and boosted. Lots of coughing and minimal mask wearing.

Just got off the phone with LA Port POC (SMS International Shore Ops) listed on our final documents. If you have a car service or private limo, the agent Rosie said to enter the port, drive down Harbor Blvd past 25th Street which then becomes Miner Street and continue driving until you see the ship. There will be a drop-off point where we can deposit our luggage and check in. Hope this helps.

Regent's updated Sail Safe page with today's update still says that cruises from US ports require antigen or PCR test 48 hours prior to arriving at terminal. It is under the heading "Additional Pre-embarkation health screening" section which is further down the Sail Safe page.

francoamerican- Thank you for your in-depth and comprehensive description of events on this cruise. Very disturbing. Issues that you described need to see the light of day. If passengers aren’t informed of the issues while sailing then maybe CC is in fact an alternative forum to highlight legitimate concerns in the hope they will be addressed on future cruises. Much appreciated.