ToxM

I have nothing to add except if they are saying GI issues on board it’s almost certainly Noro despite what they say - if they don’t call it Noro they don’t have to declare it…. I was on a Regent cruise in Jan and the previous two cruises (at least; possibly more) on our ship had issues with Noro, we were on full Code Red for the duration of our trip (14 days). I think once it is embedded onboard it is difficult to get rid of. I caught it, it wasn’t pleasant. At the height over 80/520 passengers had it. I believe it took two more cruises post our cruise for it to come out of Code Red. Then I managed to get Covid which I probably caught onboard as I was strongly positive within 3 days of disembarkation. The whole experience (compounded by Regent offering a terrible product generally on that cruise) has put us off cruising at least for a few years.

Glad I got to be on a cruise with Pepin then - Xmas 2022 on Riviera, he seemed a lovely chap and we saw him spending time with chefs who came to see him (a lot of times at the pool!). What a dignified chap.

When I took a cruise with my mum, our TA told us on the phone that disabled friendly transfers had been booked for us. Day of embarkation - we were expected to get on a coach (my mum is in a wheelchair). We had to pay for a cab from Nice to MC - 90euros. I emailed my TA, explained the issue and they listened back to the telephone call we had found the TA to be at fault and we were refunded the cab fares. I don’t know if calls are recorded at your TA but worth checking out. For something as important as cancelling a cruise, I would always follow up with an email so you have a “paper trail”.

We always book biz where possible. I am just about to pull the plug on our O cruise in November. I crunched the numbers at the weekend and the results pointed squarely towards Vegas. When we stripped down our needs on a vacation it was decent accommodation, good food, a casual atmosphere and access to poker games if possible. This is why we did TA’s as the extra sea days allowed for this. Our blip on Regent has ruined cruising for us for a while, which is a shame as the things we saw and the trip was amazing, just let down by the operation/hotel side of the ship. Marital Unit no longer wants to cruise for the near future and we both agreed we want more access to food choice in case we find a blip somewhere we are staying. It really seemed like we were trapped on the ship (in my case for 14 days with no time onshore) with food choices that were frankly, terrible and were ridiculously cumbersome to even get the easiest of meals. When you feel anxious about what could go wrong every mealtime (and to be fair my anxiety was correct, it did) then the enjoyment of any meal is ruined. Regulars on this board will know I am pretty easy going so the above isn’t nit picking. So I’ll happily save 8k GBP (the difference in price for our trip) and go to Vegas for 9 days. I won’t say it is easy giving up PH 8000 on Sirena for a TA - it’s my favourite ship and favourite cabin (a hidden gem), but I can find no enthusiasm for a cruise at the moment. I am upset at Regent over this, but understand that to an extent the cruise I was on with them was a huge blip (although complaints about Voyager have been ongoing), but the blip was big enough for me to reconsider cruising at least for the foreseeable. Would I recommend Regent? Not even if I didn’t like you.

As long as you can make a table (min 6 - max 8 to a table) they will do a tournament on a sea day. 60usd buy in, rebuys first hour add on at break. 2K starting chips, ante’s for BB come in after second blind level. Nice way to spend a sea day afternoon. You will have a human dealer, there are no electronic poker machines (apart from VP of course!).

Ahh so it looks like they will embark as we disembark. A light in an otherwise dark tunnel.

I think the trivia crowd enjoy her.

Dottie’s storytime reading of the daily activities grates on me, they are too long and are really intrusive. Tom was a bit racist in his comedy act last time I was on Sirena and I didn’t appreciate it at all. You can be funny without being racist - this is not the 80’s! Knowing Dottie is going to be the CD on the cruise in November will probably be the death knell for us for it. I haven’t told marital unit she will be CD in November, but guessing when I do we will be actively looking at Vegas flights.

An expensive blip, which was unfortunate. Am a big fan of Sirena, love the ship, not such a big fan of Dottie, so thats another factor to take into account.

Voyager appears to be very creaky, never ben in such a creaky cabin! I didn’t mind the decor on Voyager, it’s older, but I didn’t have an issue with it. Service was an issue, as was food on our Cape Town to Rio. We made missed Luderitz and St Helena on our crossing - we did make it to Walvis Bay…. Mother Nature is a fickle mistress. I wasn’t impressed with Regent (first timer on the line also), we had a series of unfortunate incidents that have made us question if we want to cruise again.

I do think the overnights pre and post can wipe you out and possibly negate the positive effects of a cruise. But then the thought of hopping on a plane for a long haul right after disembarking is also quite horrendous. I think I was just unlucky, we had a fabulous precruise tour, then hubby was very ill with an allergic reaction to some food the night we embarked, (asthma attack, the works) then I got Noro - this wiped about 4 days from the start of the cruise til we were both back up and running, then I caught covid at the end of the trip (I think I caught it onboard) and was just at the edge of feeling awful on the flight home (I put it down to two flights and dehydration til I tested two days after we were home). Cumulatively with the less good than expected cruise it’s just become a bit like a distinct aversion to a particular drink when you have had a terrible hangover from it.

Dinner on any line is whatever we fancy that night - I think luxury means what you want and choice. But then again the definition of Buffet is very different in reality between say Celebrity and Oceania. I tend to slow right down on TA’s and regress to extremely casual, and after a long day on a tour, I don’t really want a drawn out sit down meal. Also I like to dip into a few things. It was definitely a learning curve for us on Regent.

Wasn’t there a hat eating promise if ATW ended up being on Vista? I know there was a lot of debate regarding it that as usually happens on this board got quite heated. I shall bring my lawn chair.

I love Sirena, we have booked our favourite PH for our trip in November and it’s also a TA (which we love). I just feel ambivalent about cruising at the moment, it’s actually rather distressing for me and certainly a very new experience for me when I think about the prospect of a cruise. We have a while before final payment and I have yet to arrange our return flight, so we have time to contemplate. I will say that currently 10 days in vegas at a casino that will fit our poker needs and casual eating choices and is not in a strip location (done all that don’t need to do it) with biz class flights from the UK and a hefty food budget is still cheaper than what I will price our final costs for the Sirena TA to be, so it’s a tricky decision at the moment - one which I am wrestling with a lot 😞

If you enjoy the option of a buffet in the evening then Regent shouldn’t be on your radar. I was worried about the lack of a more informal venue for evening meals before I went on the cruise, and I was right to be concerned. Sette Mari is a nice dining venue, but you can’t just wander in unless you are there at opening or can judge when second sitting will roughly start to take place, the options for the antipasti/mezze don’t really change and the mains seem to be on a 3/4 night rotation. It only utilises half of the buffet area and it’s not really a relaxed venue as a buffet proper would be. Regent has taught me that I like the casual and informal nature of The Terrace. I enjoy the choice and the convenience - add to that the pizza venue where Waves is in the evening and it’s a real winner. I know Regent has a more casual eating area outside in the evenings using their pool grill area for the duration of their World Cruise on Mariner, but they really need to bring that back to all their ships.