Pies4u

Well spotted! Thought about ignoring it but, as you say, either word would be pertinent.

The “….concept of…”,rather. Tried to edit, but too late!

TA’s must be very different in the USA then! I’m struggling with the conceit that some random TA can have greater influence, awareness or access to higher levels of management than someone employed by the cruise line. There are a couple of well known ones who tout themselves all over the internet & social media, but are they actually as great as they tell us? A local TA, who books about 30 or 40 folks a year, at most, on a particular line can’t have as much impact as a C C who is dealing with hundreds, even thousands, per week, surely? My consultant has just implemented a helpful amendment to a future booking which was directed through 2 senior execs in overseas offices. I was copied in on the exchanges. I’m more than happy with that level of assistance and attention tbh.

It makes no difference - a TA still has to deal with SS! I trust myself to resolve an issue more favourably than a 3rd party, any day of the week tbh.

I suspect it might be different here in the UK. I used a TA that was quite useful - but they went bust & ceased trading. Subsequently, I’ve booked 2 directly with SS (UK) - (also booked 2 Regent cruises directly too) - and found that there was absolutely no benefit to using a TA. I find it easier to desk directly with the UK consultants tbh. In the case of SS they have proved to be excellent, very courteous, helpful and efficient. I’ve negotiated as good or better deals than the TA ever managed & I’m in control of the booking. I don’t waste time waiting for a 3rd party to sort out any issues. I find I can put my case more strongly and effectively than somebody else whenever it’s proved necessary. Thus, it’s “horses for courses” in my view - if you have the time & you are happy/able to put your own case forward, I’d do it yourself - certainly in the UK.

In respect of welcomes & send offs in Japan - the Nagasaki Girls High School band and cheerleaders were sensational last Oct. We got a 40 minute sail away send off that was truly spectacular. We’d have paid good money to see a show of that calibre, terrific brass band and a really lively, entertaining programme. Pity you had to be port side to see it as, as frequently happens, it was c 6.15 - 7.00 pm when most people are preparing for dinner. I delayed my shower because I couldn’t tear myself away. Plenty of crew & passengers gathered on open decks as word seemed to get around that this was something spectacular and worth watching. Similarly, in a couple of other ports there was something worth seeing but nothing compared to Nagasaki.

Only have 1 experience of SS, compared to nearly 100 nights on 3 different ships with Regent. However, whilst I much prefer Regent’s breakfast & lunch buffet - range/quality and layout etc - SS do offer a far wider choice of evening options. On Dawn (March 2023) La T & SALT were both superb options (with just 1 poor Lasagne) and the variety of other restaurants is better than Regent in my view. We love P7 & P Rim, but it was almost impossible to get a 2nd booking on an 11 night cruise last Oct. They’ve reduced the covers and, basically, don’t take any booking after about 8.15 pm despite the restaurants stating you can dine up to 9.30. SS have better al fresco options - the Grill & Pizza places were fine and you can walk in any time, no problem. They also have S Note, which is an interesting and pleasant change. C Rose is far better than Atlantide in our experience but we did have 1 decent meal in there - we only ate in Atlantide 3 times in a 22 night cruise. I wouldn’t bother with Sette Marie, it is usually crowded and you are kept waiting if you want to dine after 7.30, the antipasti section is about half the size it used to be and I’ve never had a meal in there that made me think, ‘wow”, that was special. La T, La Dame and SALT on SS Dawn made me think,”wow, every time we dined in each location. So, overall, it depends which types of restaurants you prefer - whether choice and range is important - and whether you get a “good” night or an indifferent one. We are happy to have the opportunity to eat on either line but the recent cutbacks on both have, seriously, damaged reputations with the sounds of things.

For clarity & completeness: The former quote - “…you are disgustingly drunk…….you will still be disgustingly ugly..” was Churchill to another MP, a famous Labour MP from Liverpool, Bessie Braddock. He was paraphrasing WC Fields from some film, I can’t recall the title. The latter, “…….I’d drink it..” was a reply to Lady Astor but there has been some dispute whether it was actually Lord Birkenhead, who was present at the time, who gave the riposte, not Churchill.

Sorry, that was “…..speculation…” - auto text randomly amended it!

As I indicated previously, this sod ulstion isn’t helpful! It strikes me that Regent are not going to completely refit a ship - then sell it! That is just a waste of time & effort and not very shrewd business sense unless the new owner is paying for it (On that basis, the published cruises should be honoured in my view.

Open decks forward of the pool and an aft facing lounge, with outside seating, would be a major bonus in my view! The older ships offer these facilities and they are much missed by many, from what I can gather, on the more recent offerings.

Interesting development, given that a few weeks ago they announced major refits for Mariner & Voyager in late 2025. Several Voyager cruises were then waitlisted but they’ve now re-appeared on the website. There seems to be a slight lack of clarity and some uncertainty about what is actually happening with existing ships, never mind new ones! We’ve cancelled a cruise on Voyager scheduled for 2026, because of the changes made since we originally booked. It would surely help prospective sales, and customer relations, if there could be some confirmation that if you book a cruise on .voyager, it will go ahead. The posts regarding which ships might be sold exacerbate the uncertainty. I appreciate that they are not “official” but if people imply that they are “in the know” it may make some - me included - slightly nervous. .

Crikey! That is outrageous - sorry to hear your news. Hope you can get sorted and adequately compensated, not that ‘compensation” is any substitute for the loss of a cruise or the anxiety involved. Really worried about using Blacklane myself - their reliability seems questionable and the “additional luggage” charges sound somewhat dubious too. Nit much if a service if customers have to pay extra for a few miles plus actually taking luggage with them. SS need to get on top of these issues pdq. All the best with your claim(s).

No, you don’t owe anyone anything - but thanks for providing a feasible response. Used courteously, I’d guess you are unlikely to disturb neighbours. In respect of your question, I can’t recall either - it may depend on ship and/or suite tbh. We were in a PH on Explorer last Oct and didn’t use/need Bluetooth speakers but genuinely don’t recall if they were there. (We had them on SS Dawn last year for certain).

Really? Headphones or ear pods would, surely, be a safer and more sociable proposition in order not to disturb others? Just a thought. I certainly wouldn’t want to be next to anyone who played music in their balcony - on the basis that sound travels and you can hear most conversations, even if somewhat muffled occasionally, when neighbours are on their balcony. That is unavoidable but music that is loud enough for you to hear it would carry well beyond the confines of a balcony on a ship.

Just a word for Tenerife - it is a spectacular island, with the highest peak in Spain, Mount Teide. The national park is amazing, the entire north coast offers plenty of interesting and inspiring experiences and Santa Cruz is more than just a commercial cruise port and industrial capital city. There are dozens of quaint villages and fascinating places to see on Tenerife, it isn’t just “sun & sangria” in Playa de las Americas. Whilst Madeira is certainly a great place to visit, and Funchal is easy to get around, I would rather spend a month on Tenerife tbh. There is plenty to see and do there too.

We have a 2026 cruise booked on Spirit. Several of the excursions I booked early as “included” are now “select”, with hefty price tags! As yet, they still appear as “included” in my account and there is no charge appearing. If that situation changes then I will be more than disappointed and would actually consider cancelling altogether as there would be a serious breach of trust. You can’t do business with people who act dishonourably - we are only booked on this particular cruise because Regent did something worse on our planned cruise with them!

Country Fairs - yes! I’ve seen and participated in them. Never seen water fights or people chucking water filled balloons at people tho’. One of the many reasons we left P & O and RCCL was to avoid “throwing people in the pool”, “water fights” and similar annoying daytime activities! When I was 12 they were great.

Wow, just wow!

Country Fairs are 1 thing - no problem - water filled balloons are NCL, Carnival, RCCL and P & O activities.

If Regent have descended into having “water filled balloon” events then I, for one, am somewhat concerned! We have almost 100 nights on board and I’ve never seen, or heard, of that happening before.

Nagasaki is a port not to be missed - the Peace Park is less commercial and not as busy as Hiroshima & if you get the departure “send off” from the Girls High School band, dancers and cheerleaders, that is a highlight not to be missed. They were, quite frankly, the best entertainment I’ve seen connected to any cruise! The opportunity to visit Obi “Castle Town” from Miyazaki is also a bit special in my view. Lovely scenery around Aoshima in particular with the Jinja shrine & “devils washboard” is very interesting. Japan is stunning and each of the 4 main islands provide varied experiences, try to visit at least 3 of them, which most cruises do tbh.

We booked 27 nights in 2026 (2 x 7 nights in the Caribbean and a 13 night crossing to Lisbon) - and it would appear now that several months of Spirit cruises between April & Dec 2025 have all been “waitlisted”. Something is going on, but nobody seems to know, precisely, what is happening with this ship.

Recent experience (last 12 months) of both SS & Regent suggest that they are both struggling to provide previous levels of service quality and restaurant standards tbh. However, it is in the corporate admin and management that things have taken a serious nosedive in both cases! My assessment, based upon those recent experiences and numerous telephone conversations with UK based office staff is rather gloomy. It appears that there are many people who seem to accept declining standards and put it down to Covid, “the lines are doing their best” etc & similar sorts of excuses. Reality is that plenty of customers will simply put up with whatever cruise companies do because they love cruising. So do I, but I’m not prepared to pay 6 star prices for 3 or 4 star standards. There are far higher standards of service and cuisine for far less expense to be had all over the world. Cruise lines are relying on loyalty from a declining number of past customers whilst trying to attract a new clientele that will be happy with what’s on offer. Interesting times.

Only flown out of Narita - as indicated, that is at least an 80 minute journey to central Tokyo. It is always a risk at airports, depends where the plane docks in relation to baggage & customs etc. Unlikely to be a short distance in my view, the chair would be a sensible move for my money.