MadMarine

We’ll be joining in LA.  Replacement troops, I suppose.  😎.  We’ve done the majority of the Miami - LA on different cruises and didn’t want to repeat.  We found the Panama transit interesting but not for a repeat.  100% humidity, 100F in Jan.  Whew!

Mad

Ah.. The Navigator.  Our first cruise.  Spoiled us for most everything else!  Fond memories for us.

Mad

6 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Yeah, we thought long and hard about this for 2021.  I would have sprung, but David wasn't willing to risk doing a WC on a line we hadn't been on, and we didn't want to do a shorty with them.  Plus, they lack some perks that Regent has, like a much fuller alcohol inclusion, included laundry and dry cleaning, and of course the excursions--the one included at each port by Viking seems often pretty lame.  They only ship luggage one-way, for some strange reason.  And although I would prefer to do my own excursions, doing so on a world cruise would be daunting, especially in places where you'd have to arrange to share with other pax--this works well on Oceania but I'm not sure it works on Viking. 

 

And to get a cabin that's about the same size as a Mariner G, the price for a minimal PH is about the same as our Regent G, sans extensive excursion options.

 

Other than that, it sounds great, really.  Love the look of their ships, the layout and public spaces.  And I think the food would be fine, albeit perhaps not as glitzy as Regent tries to be.  

 

And as for itinerary, you get to love what you've chosen to do, right? Six of one, half a dozen of another.  

Wendy,

I hear ya about the potential downside to the Viking WC. We’ve not been on a Viking cruise, so some risk there.  I also found the one way luggage shipment odd as well.  We are pretty easy going as far as excursions are concerned.  We’ve been on crappy, excellent and otherwise on all the cruises we’ve been on including paid Regent excursions.  Usually, for us, an overview tour is just fine.  There are exceptions, of course, the Vatican comes to mind!  Almost missed the Pieta 😳.  

As you say, the itinerary becomes a very personal choice.  We are missing the first two weeks on Viking because of duplication of previous cruises.  The remainder will mostly be places we’ve not been.  

Wendy, one of the reasons we jumped to Viking WC next year.  The price was a factor, but mostly, the itinerary.  More bucket list check offs!

Travelcat2. Thanks for your thoughtful response to my question. We are scheduled for a 24 day Barcelona to Southampton in May 2019 on the Explorer. Like you, we aren’t too skittish about traveling in mildly unsettled areas. Our last trip to the Med included being in the middle of a riot in Athens that closed down access to the center of the city. Got some good pics though with a thousand of my closest friends!

Agree that there will likely be many people doing B2B sailings as the Med. is not a popular destination right now (for people in North America for obvious reasons) but they are a heck of a good deal. I suspect that most passengers will be from the U.K. and Europe as this is a "cheapo" area for them to cruise with the devaluation of the Euro and GBP and the cost of flights to embarkation ports and back home.

 

 

 

For those of you that have not been to the Med. too many times as we have, there are some great deals out there!

Curious as to why the Med isn’t a popular destination especially for those in North America?

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For all my Marine brothers in Regentlandia, A Happy 242nd Birthday!!!

Semper Fi. Mad

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Great choice. I am sure you will have a very enjoyable cruise in what is a very comfortable and well configured suite :)

In our opinion the best of the Horizon suites are on decks 8 & 9 (less chance of noise from above or below) and with a shower-only bathroom (i.e. not 990)

Thanks, Flossie. We are currently booked in 8103 and waitlisted for 8104. So, should be a good time. Returning to Regent after a long absence.

Mad

Hi All,

A quick question on the iPhone docking station. Is it power only or does it have speakers as well?

Thanks, Mad

Thanks all for your information. We've gone with a Horizon Suite. Hope it's not to rocky out there on the way to Tahiti. :(

Hi,

We are looking on the Mariner for the subject cruise. The Concierge D looks fairly small. I know that many of you favor the Penthouse suites but any experience with the D?

Thanks, Mad

Thanks, NCCruise Queen. That was quickly and efficiently handled! :D

Umm.... I read somewhere on the forum that a SSS Gold received a gold key card. So, does the color of the card indicate your SSS level or something else or nothing else..... ?

Thanks, Mad

I want to thank all of you for providing your insights. We've decided to go with a Concierge Suite D, 851. We thought we didn't need a butler and the delta in cost would just about cover our tour of South England. So thanks so much for the help.

Mad

Thanks to both of you for your taking the time to respond.

TravelCat2: It looks like the D closet is longer but narrower where the PH closet is more square, and shorter thus the improved hanging space in the D.

Flossie009:

Thanks to you for your excellent observation. By the way, how do you know that the balcony is narrow and compared to what? Is there somewhere I can see the differences? Ok, I can see the difference now. The Ds have deeper decks, but the PH is slightly longer.

Mad

I've been reading some of the feedback on PH suites on the Explorer and am not encouraged. I've only been on the Navigator and that was a long while back, but like PH just fine. I understand there are concerns with the closet, but how bad is it really? Any fans out there?

We are planning a 24 day Barcelona to Southampton and thought the extra room would be nice. Moving up a category would be over my budget..... thoughts?

Thanks, Mad