LoonCall

The point is Regent is their advertising.

Actually I did know that ... just a sideways comment about Regents advertising. Guess we have all worked for ad agencies In the past :cool:

If that's the case, then your post below applies to the ad agency. Just sayin' - don't shoot them

"You are actually disagreeing with Regent - not me. I am only the messenger. Please don't shoot me"

Yes - I am saying that Regent does not deliver 6 star service when it comes to excursions or internet. Regent also claims that "internet", "excursions" and airfare - whether Business Class or Coach - are free when this is clearly not the case. While I have the highest respect for Regent and their management team, I think that they need another advertising agency as their ads are pretty misleading.

 

Yes - am definitely against the class system but, I do not consider loyalty benefits part of a "class system" as it is based on nights sailed - not who you are - what suite category you are in - how much you paid, etc. Loyalty benefits are also invisible to most passengers. When we are on the ship, no one knows if I have free laundry, 25% off excursions, have private transfers to and from the ship, etc.

 

On the other hand, a special line for people in upper categories is clearly a class system and is not invisible. A class system would also be a lounge/restaurant where lower category guests cannot enter. Most cruise lines do have a class system and, for the most part, luxury cruise lines do not. It is something that some of us will argue against for as long as we can. If we lose the battle, it will be disappointing but not as bad as losing something that you have worked towards for years.

 

I do appreciate the fact that we can strongly disagree and debate with each in a respectful way - this is how things should always be on CC.

You may have great respect for Regent's management but you're deluding yourself if you think advertising decisions are made solely by the ad agency. RSSC's agency may have suggested certain marketing materials based on parameters given to them but I assure you the powers to be at Regent signed off on each and every one of their advertisements and promotional materials.

From what I can tell, the majority of passengers on Regent do their own laundry (or at least some of their own laundry). This is based on how crowded the laundry rooms are. People are lugging laundry from one deck to another looking for available machines.

 

In my opinion, it would take at least two Cosmos or a bottle of champagne to put up with some of the people hanging out in the laundry rooms. It seems to turn guests into monsters when they enter the room. Passengers take laundry out of the washer or dryer if you are 30 seconds late getting back to pick up your stuff. While this doesn't sound that bad, they sometimes leave a few items in the machine and they end up lost or in someone else's suite. We are happy that we haven't done laundry on a ship in years but occasionally go in there to use the iron - only for a quick touch-up.

 

Unless things have changed after the refurbishments, there is laundry detergent dispenser but no fabric softener.

The "laundry people" are not all monsters, TC! I've made some good friends hanging around the laundry room:p:p:p;););)

We are seasoned mainstream Caribbean cruisers and this will be our first Regent Seven Seas cruise. It is also our first European (Western Med.)cruise. Extended flight time is also something that we have not experienced. (MCO-JFK-HRW-Nice, France). We live in FL and just usually drive to the ports.

We have pre-booked our excursions and initial restaurant reservations.

 

Any tips, advice or Explorer "secrets" would be appreciated.

Thanks

Slightly off topic but, never having Regent arrange air I'm curious if that itinerary is typical? Anyone who normally takes included air care to comment?

Seems like more direct flight options available than what the OP has been assigned.

Hmmmmm, while I love lobster, I am not familiar with any that are not Maine or Australian. I know that Prime 7 has Maine lobster. I believe that the tails that are served in CR are from Florida (could be wrong) so would these be cold water lobsters? Maybe someone else can give more specific information.

Florida lobsters aka Caribbean or spiny lobsters are warm water and served as tails only. Often grilled. Very different taste and texture.

Lobsters from Maine and other NE states and Canada are cold water. These are what most folks typically think of as "lobster"

after all the sign drama, the simple answer to this question is "yes" other passengers do this.

 

And if the ship knows it is your wife's birthday they will have a cake and the waiters will sing happy birthday when it is presented in the compass rose, just like our local small town mexican food restaurant does.

++1

IMO, the TS wants to know if their decoration would be appropriate for Regent as they have not sailed on Regent previously. The response seems be mixed. No one is belittling the TS. I think that regardless of our personal feelings, we can agree that the majority of doors are not decorated (unless it is a world cruise sailing or it is a major holiday.)

I'm pretty sure the TS got belittled as soon as someone came out with the TTFW comment.

The majority of the doors aren't decorated because the majority of the people aren't celebrating a special occasion like a birthday. One day the poor guy wanted to put a sign up. Sheesh.

Wow, who knew OP's simple question would engender such a response! "

;)

And so it goes....and so it goes

Anyone care to bring up jeans or laundry?

My wife will be celebrating her Birthday on a cruise . I would like to post a Happy Birthday sign . Do other passengers do this ?

Becknal, if you think a Happy Birthday sign will make your wife smile on her special day, I sincerely hope you put one up. I doubt that it will be the start of rampant signs throughout the ship.

Enjoy your cruise and your wife's celebration.

From what I just read, I think this plan needs to be approved by the Brazilian Congress next week. Personally, I hope to see soldiers on the streeets when I get there this Friday.

And it has been as of Tuesday evening.

I'm trying to figure out where the "deals" are.

If LindaVH is on the 2018 sailing it is as Flossie said waitlisted and heavily sold on the individual itineraries but even Cat H comes in at $1000+ per diem.

I don't know the dates of your trip LInda VH but I am on the same itinerary and excursions for Lisbon are available in advance. You won't have to wait until onboard to book, although I was advised more may be added once onboard.

I absolutely agree about food consumed on excursions. The only time my wife and I have been ill on board Regent ( and we have many cruises behind us ) was when we were given some local specialities on a tour in Montenegro. It ruined our cruise and although we were not infectious we were quarantined. It turned out several others on the same excursion were similarly affected. Since then we have not eaten anything on tours other than planned meals in known hotels.

 

 

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Smart thing to do.

The thing Regent should have done right from the very outset of boarding in Lima was to ensure every passenger was made very aware and signed papers to recognise that resturants in Peru etc do not have the standards of hygeine needed for safe eating .......apparently the latest infection of 2 which caused a furthur 48 hrs of code red was due to eating on shore ....those passengers should have had the commonsense to know better and i fail to see why Regent should treat them for free or the entire ship be inconvenienced by their utter stupidity and downright selfish behaviour

Virtually every Regent sponsored tour I took in Peru and Chile included some type of food or drink. Whether it was unending Pisco sours or roadside "picnics" from locals. It was unnecessary and also awkward to refuse the offerings, but I would consume nothing that was not prepackaged. Not everyone did the same.

So rather than being so harsh to passengers maybe Regent should reconsider what is happening on excursions.

Not arguing but the Code Red cases on Mariner in late Sepember/October/November had the ship visiting the U.S. numerous times are the Code Reds are not showing up on the CDC website. Does anyone have an explanation for that (preferably someone that was on the Mariner from September - now so that they know what I am saying is true). In December, the ship was due for an inspection (which is was given) - have not seen results yet but the ship is still sailing.

 

Last, there have been sanitizers that may have not been developed in 2014/2015 that kill Norovirus and is currently being used in hospitals (this is likely what Regent is using now but I can not verify this). There are also wipes available to the public now that contains the same formula that the hospitals use. So, things are progressing.

 

Unfortunately, there are articles that support just about any position that you want to take. I personally do not believe the CDC more or less than I do other medical websites.

 

Here are some of the products that claim to kill norovirus https://www.amazon.com/disinfectant-norovirus/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Adisinfectant%20norovirus (not all on the list make the claim). I suppose that they could be lying -- there is a more technical list that I can provide if anyone is interested.

What were the itineraries in the fall? Remember it's only listed case are within 15 days of entering US port

There Is one huge difference ..... one is reportable and one is not!!!!!!!! Regent didn't have norovirus In September, October or now but did/does have Code Red.

TC that is not correct. Reporting requirements are for any type of AGE not just Noro.

4.1.1.1.1 Reportable Case Definition (02)A reportable case of AGE is only a case reported to the master ofthe vessel, the medical staff, or other designated staff by apassenger or a crew member and meets the definition below.A case is defined as• Diarrhea (three or more episodes of loose stools in a 24hour period or what is above normal for the individual. Seesection 4.1.2.1.3, illness symptoms); or• Vomiting and one additional symptom including one ormore episodes of loose stools in a 24-hour period, orabdominal cramps, or headache, or muscle aches, or fever(temperature of ≥38°C [100.4°F]);

Nausea, although a common symptom of AGE, is specificallyexcluded from this definition to avoid misclassifyingseasickness (nausea and vomiting) as AGE.

For anyone who would like a little light reading on the VSP to garner some facts here is a link to the Operations Manual :

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/operationsmanual/opsmanual2011.pdf

Mariner is in the grip of Norovirus originting apparently from passengers who went to Ma hu Pichu

 

Far too many passengers even now 10 days on refuse to use hand sanitisers

All books have been removed from library

Same for games puzzles daily quiz

Staff are constantly cleaning

Self service laundrys shut

 

Cannot see this stopping till we get to Beunos Aries

Apparently Lima to BA sector always gets Norovirus and its sure spoiling things for many passengers ...time Regent stopped the trips to Machu Pichu or warned passengers beforehand so we could cancel

I've taken this itinerary and while we did experience Code Red it was NOT from Norovirus but rather a respiratory virus which we were notified about at embarkation in Lima. MP became the whipping post back then but it was unjustified as the ship had traveled from Miami to Lima when the illness started.

Below is taken from the CDC website. Note emphasis mine.

SPECIFIC HEALTH RISKS

GI Illness

From 2008 through 2014, rates of GI illness among passengers on voyages lasting 3–21 days decreased from 27.2 to 22.3 cases per 100,000 travel days. Despite this decrease, GI illness outbreaks continue to occur. Updates on these outbreaks involving ships with US ports of call can be found at www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/gilist.htm.

More than 90% of GI outbreaks with a confirmed cause are due to norovirus. Characteristics of norovirus that facilitate outbreaks are a low infective dose, easy person-to-person transmissibility, prolonged viral shedding, no long-term immunity, and the organism’s ability to survive routine cleaning procedures. From 2010 through 2015, 8–16 outbreaks of norovirus infections occurred on cruise ships each year. GI outbreaks on cruise ships from food and water sources have also been associated with Salmonella spp., enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Shigella spp., Vibrio spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Cyclospora cayetanensis, and hepatitis A and E viruses.

To protect themselves from infections and reduce the spread of GI illnesses on cruise ships, passengers should be counseled on the following:

• Passengers should wash their hands with soap and water often, especially before eating and after using the restroom.
  
• Passengers who develop a GI illness, even if symptoms are mild, should promptly call the ship’s medical center (or the ship’s master, if no medical center exists) and follow cruise ship guidance regarding isolation and other infection control measures (see Chapter 3, Norovirus).
  
• Additional information on cruise ship outbreaks is available at www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp.
  

It is my understanding that it has been confirmed that the outbreak is GI related however Regent or onboard medical staff have not confirmed that it is Norovirus.

I too would never sail Navigator again after a few very, very rough trips. Navigator vibrates and in my opinion does not handle high seas well. To add to what TC said about space I found that outside space also became cramped on (Caribbean) sea days both at the grill and lounge chair seating.

Computers do not need to be shut down -- they have disinfectant wipes next to the computers. If you use them for the keyboard and mouse and disinfect your hands, you'll be fine.

 

You really can't shut down the entire ship. Besides, if you are sick and touch a handrail or elevator button (even though they are constantly being cleaned), you could still get sick. There has to be some passenger responsibility as well. Passengers still need to wash and/or disinfect their hands - not touch their mouth/nose/eyes after touching any surface of the ship, etc.

(y)

Never used the computer room so couldn't remember whether it was or not.

Elevator buttons and railings are like little Petri dishes in my book😷

It's a tough situation with so many people in close contact all the time. You just have to be vigilant and do the best you can.

I don't recall the computers being shut down. Are they off limits?

"elbon the fact that you have done 44 cruises and this is your first Code Red is lucky for you. A person can do only one cruise and encounter it."

True TC. elbon I think you should buy a lottery ticket;)

Was Reading the CDC VSP operations manual for a GI illness to be "reportable" and found this:

4.2.1.2.2

For cruises lasting longer than 15 days before entering a

U.S. port, the AGE report may include only those reportablecases and total numbers of passengers and crew members forthe 15 days before the expected arrival at a U.S. port.

4.2.2 Special Report

4.2.2.1 Special Report Timing

The master or designated corporate representative of a vessel withan international itinerary destined for a U.S. port must submit aspecial report at any time during a cruise, including between twoU.S. ports, when the cumulative percentage of reportable casesentered in the AGE surveillance log reaches 2% among passengersor 2% among crew and the vessel is within 15 days of expectedarrival at a U.S. port.

A telephone notification to VSP must accompany the special 2%report.

A second special report must be submitted when the cumulativepercentage of reportable cases entered in the AGE surveillance logreaches 3% among passengers or 3% among crew and the vessel iswithin 15 days of expected arrival at a U.S. port.

Given that Mariner won't be entering a US port within 15 days it won't be reportable.

TC, please inform us where you get your information from. We have never had code whatever on Regent or Crystal.

Code red is a simple way of referring to an illness outbreak onboard and the ensuing procedures. That is the term TC and the rest of us mean by code red. I believe it comes into effect when a certain percentage (3?) of passengers, crew becomes sick. Anyone confirm that number? Code blue is medical emergency.

Been on Regent cruises when both came into effect.