garyb(uk)

When we were on a British Isles cruise on Voyager, we checked off the ship for an overnight private excursion. We neglected to tell our butler that we were going to do it, and we got quite a scolding when we got back on board; he was very, very worried about us!

not surprised - you need to be careful around those Brits :p

Gary:

 

Check out a thread I started in Aug 2015 regarding how to best make use of our butler during an eastern Med cruise. The thread is located at: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2243267&highlight=he+Butler+did+it

Z and TB

Hey,

Checked it out and was very entertained LOL. Those afternoon canapes are a bit scary though. Isn't there enough to eat at mealtime without those on top? With my SeeFood diet it could be a bit tricky ;p

Anyway your title suggests that great minds...

thanks for all the replies folks

I will modestly admit that I do not understand this statement. Is it perhaps because I am one of those Regent cruisers who cannot "afford to sail on Regent", although somehow I manage to do so from time to time? Gee, hock the family silver and, Bob's your Uncle, the final payment can be made! I guess that it's sort of like the "I'm Still Here" number from "Follies": Plush velvet sometimes, sometimes just pretzels and beer,

but I'm here. ;p

 

Is it possible that the gentle poster meant to suggest that not all Regent cruisers can afford to sail on Regent frequently (regularly, constantly, occasionally, or only in extremis...)? If so, that is a solidly correct statement, as Regent cruisers fall into all of those categories. I would respectfully offer the notion that amongst all of those categories are people who choose to tip butlers and housekeepers and people who do not choose to do so.

 

As a matter of mild curiosity, one might ask what the criteria might be for that select group of passengers who can be described as "those of us that can afford the cruises", as tipping does not seem to be the deciding factor. Is it number of cruises, standard of accommodation on such cruises, or, even to go farther afield, such factors as size of principal dwelling, size of vacation house, make and number of motor vehicles, etc.? Hmm, it might be prudent to recognize that if one is a passenger on a Regent cruise, then one may be assumed to be able to afford to be such, with no further analysis or judgment required, no?

I don't think that TC meant to come across as being condescending. I think she just could have phrased it better. I am one of those that fall into the category of can't really afford a Regent cruise but here I am ;p. I didn't take offense.

We decided on the Penthouse suite as this booking includes Business Class Flight. The Penthouse suite includes a Butler which really doesn't sound us to be honest. I was just wondering what your Butler actually does?

I have just clicked on the second link, the diplomatic one, and read the UK section. I think it was probably written and was certainly valid about 80 years ago, between the wars maybe, and gave me quite a chuckle.

ditto - I'm American but have lived in England for 50 years and it definitely made me chuckle. :D

gary,

 

If your Iceland to London leg is on Iceland air, your business/first seats will be just the larger seats that recline a bit, with more leg room. We've been on Iceland Air, and those seats are very suitable for a 2-3 hour flight -- at least to us.

Thanks Rich - that is kind of what I am expecting but we haven't been told who the airline will be yet.

Just received our cruise docs for Alaska.

Included were 2 leather/pleather? Regent Luggage tags.

In the past we received the blue and white plastic tags

Hey - another Eagles fan - hooray ;) . Although I live in England I come from Reading, Pa.

I'm getting slightly confused as to what Regent will be sending me. Will just have to wait and see.

I don't know if your wife will like flying first/business or not. If it is international, it will probably be those "pod" compartmentalized seats that recline flat, or almost so. Domestic flights sometimes just have large, reclining seats with enough leg room to allow people to get in and out (as all airline seats should, for safety reasons if nothing else) . When we flew Denver to Miami and back on United for our recent cruise (a 3 1/4 hour flight) we were in first/business and the plane had those nice pod seats. Enjoyed it, but for a flight of that length the large, roomy reclining seats would have been fine if less costly. But it was either the international-type pods or the cattle car in economy, with nothing in between.

We fly London to NYC which hopefully will be the pods then return from Iceland to London in the more comfy seats. The return is only 2 1/2 hours so shouldn't be too bad.

Because of my DW's hate of flying we are normally limited to no-fly cruising out of Southampton. I talked her into this cruise because I said there was more room in Business-Class. I hope I'm still alive after the cruise/flight. LOL

ok - thanks all - I'll hold off and see what Regent send though my TA did suggest they would be paper origami type.

Is it worth buying luggage tag holders like the ones cruise critic sell? They aren't that expensive really so would have thought Regent would supply them.. Do CC ship to the UK?

I've said this before, but I think a big factor is WHY people cruise. Some folks are there for the ship. Some folks (including my DH and I) are there for the places the ship takes you too and want to do it in comfort.

 

We only have the ability to do one big trip a year (time and money restriction). Due to lack of time, we're never going to be the couple who does 3-4 cruises a year (even if we went mainstream). Due to lack of money, we're never going to be a couple who does 2 Regent (or other luxury line cruises or land trips). One trip a year, that's it for us. That means with so much to see in the world and so little time, its unlikely we're ever coming back to any given port.

 

So if it's critical to either of us to see X, Y, AND Z in the limited time in port, then yes, I'm going to be picky. I'm not going to book us for an excursion that lets us see X&R or one to see Y&Z -- I want an excursion that does X, Y, and Z. AND even if there is an excursion that does X, Y, and Z -- Neither of us like or want to do it on a bus with 40+ of our new friends. That means, I'll get an excursion that gets us what we want to see be it private or choice. And I'm extremely grateful that I have the ability to do that. Further to date, the costs of private and choice excursions has never ended up being a high percentage of the overall cost of the trip (except in South Africa when we did an adventure ashore).

 

Hope that helps.

 

-Indi

Pains me to agree with a Redskins fan but good post.

In the past Regent gave passengers the option of 1) no air (i.e., take the credit); 2) coach; or 3) pay for upgrade to business (or book PH and above in Europe). Now, Regent only gives the option of 1) no air (i.e., take the credit) or 2) business. There is no option on Regent of just having coach air included. So, please tell me, where is the benefit for the passengers? We went from three choices to two choices. TANSTAAFL - the air isn't free; it is "included."

 

 

Marc

In Europe it is coach below PH and Business/return above - not sure of the credit option.

And I feel that it is fair to say that most Regent customers prefer Business Class or higher which is likely why Regent now includes Business Class on international flights. They needed to meet the demands of "most" of their customers. Also keep in mind some people cannot physically tolerate sitting in cramped seats for long periods of time.

I think it is fair to say most ANYONE would prefer Business Class. It is the only reason we chose this cruise as my wife hates flying (only been cramped u[p in economy before). She is still VERY nervous but willing to give it a go as she loves the itinerary of this cruise.

Basically I'm kinda agreeing with what you said - especially the last bit.

When we were in Edinburgh all we did was take a taxi. It isn't very far if I recall. (We were not on a cruise though).

You're joking - some of those lunch menus would do me for dinner. A burger for lunch would keep me happy ;)

Oh well - just a thought :(

is the WiFi good enough to hold a 'Skype' conversation?

Within the U.S. you would fly coach unless you are continuing overseas on the same airline. We have always had Business Class on intra-European flights.

 

Strongly suggest that you work with a TA that regularly books luxury cruises ... specifically Regent rather than booking directly with Regent. TA's are a wealth of information and there are benefits that they offer that are not offered when you book Regent directly.

Ahh - that would explain my confusion. I live in the UK and the website said free Business European flights. To you in the US European is what I would call trans continental. whereas I queried it with my TA thinking it sounded like just within Europe (flying home to London).

I was rather annoyed/ disappointed to find that the 'All inclusive' cruise I booked that allegedly included excursions still charged for certain 'Regent Choice' excursions. The one excursion we really were/are looking forward to is whale watching etc in Greenland. When I noticed the above being Regent Choice I was rather disappointed as this cruise isn't cheap.

As an aside I agree with others and hate large tour groups. I used Rome in Limo in both Florence and Rome sharing a Mercedes minivan with 4 other people - better and cheaper after sharing the costs. To me planning your excursions is half the fun (but make sure you get back to the ship before she sails LOL)

Hello all, we're an engaged couple planning our wedding & honeymoon for August... so busy it's hard to read thru the entire history of this thread, so help is greatly appreciated!

 

We're going to use RomeInLimo for a private tour in Rome the day our cruise will be in Citavecchia. Here is my question: I was a 5 year Art History student, so I am torn as to what I should focus on seeing. We will do "Highlights of Rome", but I am assuming I can't tour both the Vatican (specifically Sistine Chapel) and Colosseum (underground tour sounds great) in the same day. Which should I choose?

 

Can anyone share some first hand thoughts on their past tour and briefly what they saw? I may not make it back for a long time, so I want to plan my 1 day perfectly. Thanks so much!

we were scheduled to do both in the day but in the end never bought the tickets on line for colosseum as we thought we might need to cancel. Vatican was great but let RIL get you a guide - it is worth it (request Serena if you can).

We've booked with RIL for tours in Rome and Naples during our Cruise on NCL Epic. Jany has been great--but I'm confused on the pricing. Hoping someone who has used them can clarify...price on the site for both tours says 450E with the per person cost going down as more people join. However, the confirmation received for the group we joined (Rome) says 600 and the confirmation for the group we started (Naples) says 550. Jany indicated that, for the tour we arranged, the price is more because we booked on the sharing site. I've only seen one site and the only price I see for anything online is the chart that starts at 450E. Granted, we're not talking about a big difference in price once it's split up, but I just can't wrapped my head around what I'm missing and it's driving me crazy. Help?

I believe they charge €450 for a limo but if you use one of their mini-vans (up to max 8 people the per van charge is €600. There is a reduction on the later price if you have more than one booking with them for that trip (say Pisa/Florence one day and Rome the next) you get an additional €50 off of each trip making them €550. Good value if you can fill your van up.

Thanks for the info Ive booked it now and am wandering if it was a mistake, just hope the weather behaves itself or there will be 2 unhappy boys haha or could be unhappy mum as they might not worry about the cold.

We where on the Adventure early may. We found our room to be dated but the ship was in pretty good nick. The ship is in for a refit in march so the question is are you talking this year or next?

If the weather is your friend I think you and the kids will love it.

we just returned from our first ever cruise. we used RIL for both Pisa/Florence (Elisabetta was our guide) and for Rome (Maurizio was our guide plus RIL booked Serena as our Vatican guide [ask for her if you can]).

We had two members of our group with walking sticks and found RIL excellent getting to see far more than we dreamed of whilst driving right to where everything was thus restricting walking as much as possible.

We booked a couple of ship excursions in Spain and came away feeling that we had wasted our opportunity there. This wasn't the case with RIL. I highly recommend them and certainly would use them again.