DavidTheWonderer

6 hours ago, CruisetheCs said:

Makes perfect nonsense to me. I'm sure no one on a cruise ship would care whether others are really vaccinated.  Why not just eliminate proof of everything--surely no one should be forced to prove they have a driver's license.  Why next thing you know some state or local government will want people to show an ID to vote. 

Long long ago in another universe, I had to show ID to buy a bottle of whiskey. I'm not quite sure when this universe was substituted for that one, but I'm sure the switch was for nefarious purposes.

Picking a favourite cruise here is difficult.  But in terms of a peak experience on a Regent ship, chugging up the Bosphorus at dusk going from Athens to the Black Sea on the dear departed Diamond has to be near the top of my list.

On 3/20/2021 at 4:56 PM, xrvlcruiser said:

Crystal Serenity ... stops in Harbour Island ...

The thought of sitting on the deck of a nice ship with a refreshing beverage in my hand sounds spectacular.  But my first choice wouldn't be the Bahamas in July.  And Harbour Island in particular is one of my favourites, but is very small.  I can't imagine the island coping with a large number of cruise passengers, even if the number is much less than the 1040 folks she is capable of carrying.
That all said, the cruise still sounds lovely.

I agree with some that the ship *can* be the destination.  But some itineraries offer more for those who wish. A few Caribbean examples that worked for me: the submarine expedition in Aruba, Rio Dulce river tour in Guatemala (which I've done twice), Jardin de Balata (botanical garden) in Martinque. None of these require much physical effort. However, at this point just sitting on a deck of a Regent ship in a warm climate with a refreshing beverage in my hand sounds spectacular.
I'll also mention that February 2022 is perhaps being a bit optimistic about when cruising gets back to normal.

Others have done a good job of gazing into their crystal balls.  I think there is one more thing to consider if the cruise actually happens. The spectacular hiccup-free service we usually get on Regent could be somewhat degraded, since the people and procedures have been mothballed for so long. Last week we booked Splendor for July 2022, and one consideration for pulling the trigger was that it was likely that the ship will have had a few months of service by then to iron out any kinks.

Also consider going back to the stern for a while to see where you've been instead of where you're going.

According to multiple sources, the CDC wanted to extend the no-sail order until February. Under pressure from the tourism industry and others, the White House overruled the CDC and blocked the no-sail extension.
I am not taking a political position on this controversy, but as you decide when/if you will cruise again, I think you should be aware of this controversy.

I don't have any inside information, but two people here have said the positive case was a passenger.  But the Guardian claims it was a crew member.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/03/two-cruise-ships-hit-by-coronavirus-weeks-after-industry-restarts

11 hours ago, jimm942 said:

... Everyone is so negative here. ...

Many people, including me, are outraged at the new owner (Ponant) unilaterally trying to change the refund policy for cancelled cruises, in violation of the actual agreement they and their customers both signed.  I haven't seen any of that negativity directed at the Paul Gauguin ship or the spectacular crew that makes sailing with her so special.  So I hope you have a wonderful time in paradise.

A sad aspect of this is that the previous group, before the Ponant bandits bought it, was one of the companies that I actually liked doing business with.  They not only sold a superior product, but they had a deep commitment to the preservation and resurrection of the Polynesian culture.  This included, but was not limited to, paying for Polynesian teenagers to go out on archaeological digs to learn first hand about the history of their culture.  It also included a commitment to the environment, also backed up with real money, not just words.  Richard, Diane, etc.: we really miss you as owners of this wonderful ship.

10 hours ago, Larro9 said:

Breathe ..relax..call them and be civil, ...

Thank you so much for your wise advice. I will certainly try to consult you in future when issues of ethics and/or etiquette arise. Are there other areas of expertise which you will be willing to share with me, and perhaps the rest of this board?

I have about 60 nights on the PG spread out over the last 20 years, and the ship and especially the crew have long been my favourite. However, the new owners, Ponant, refusal to honor their contract by refunding people's money for cancelled cruises means that I will never again sail on the PG unless Ponant sells her. I for one will not have any dealings with a company that acts like that. They can try to back down from their decision, which they seem to be doing, but that horse left the barn long long ago.
However, every week or so I get a mass e-mailing from the PG.  I have emailed them back asking to be removed from the list, which I've now escalated to demanding my removal. But I keep getting those emails.  Does anybody on this board have any information on how to get off this list?

So now the word "confederate" is cause for polarization and shouting at each other? As a Canadian I would find this hilarious if it weren't so sad: Canada is a confederation. The United States was also a confederation from 1781 to 1789, when it was replaced by the current republic.

This doesn't really relate to Regent, but since we can't cruise or even realistically plan cruises, perhaps this will help pass the time.

Singapore is experiencing a secondary COVID-19 outbreak, mostly from the dormitories where a large number of temporary workers are housed.  These workers are largely from South Asia. So Singapore is casting about for places to house these folks without cramming them together in dormitories or similar conditions.

Their harbour has a fair number of cruise ships just sitting there. So the government is trying to house some of these folks there.  Each person will get their own cabin including the en-suite bathroom.

I'm guessing some workers are thinking "Yipee!".

Wendy and I go back almost exactly 20 years with the PG. Up until now, since the Radisson/Regent days, one of the things that made it easier to give them money for a cruise was that Diane, Richard, and the rest of the company were highly ethical, and were honestly trying to use their company to make the world in general and French Polynesia in particular a better place.  They must be heartbroken; I am because I know that I'll never again be on what was my favourite ship on the planet. Here's a special message for Ponant: FOAD! (Hint: the first word is not suitable for this forum. The last word  usually involves a funeral.)

5 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

...  the shore excursions nust be really bad, with no air to breath. ...

I remember an excursion in Barbados where no air would have been a blessing. 😉

If you're cooped up at home and casting about for something to occupy a few hours, you may enjoy a fairly new comedy now streaming on HBO. It is called "Avenue 5" and stars Hugh Laurie (House). The comedy is mostly slapstick and involves a cruise gone wrong.  Thankfully, the problem is mechanical involving the ship, not a disease breaking out on board. Oh, and the ship is a spaceship, not an ocean ship.

4 hours ago, SusieQft said:

Unverifiable is putting it mildly, since we don't even know what is really happening in China.  ...

Surely you are correct.  But the graph of new cases in China looks a lot like the graph for South Korea except China is about a month ahead of South Korea. Japan also looks similar but there are disturbing signs of a "bounce" in this case.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/19/world/coronavirus-flatten-the-curve-countries.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

2 hours ago, mrlevin said:

David, will you and Wendy be able to repatriate to Canada this spring or will you extend your stay in Florida? ...

Of course, we can enter Canada at any time: the Canadian border is not closed to Canadian citizens.  We've been having a long talk every day about when to drive back to Toronto: there and pluses and minuses both ways.  This (Thursday) morning we decided to pull out tomorrow morning.

Some snowbirds' decision is driven by their health insurance, but for us that is not relevant.

7 hours ago, cruiseluv said:

Agree. Frankly, I think keeping those cruises on their page is tantamount to deceiving advertising

Assuming China is typical, which is a huge unverifiable assumption, then the worst of the COVID-19 will be over in about 6 weeks.  So there is a reasonable chance that a May 22 sailing involving Canada will actually occur.  That said, I certainly would not even consider booking such a cruise right now. But "deceiving advertising" seems pretty harsh.

Yet another non-nuclear take on the tipping question:

On the Cruise Critic boards for other cruise lines with similar tipping policies, tipping is also a perennial topic.   On those boards, the discussion almost always immediately descends into a bunch of rabid name-calling. Good on you folks on this board for keeping the discussion reasonably civilised.

A small anecdote about tipping and different cultures that is not directly relevant but perhaps amusing.  Some years ago I was on a small out-island in French Polynesia (Manihi) staying at a lovely resort.  Being me, on the first night I went to the bar for a refreshing beverage and, being a North American, I left a tip for the bartender.  The next night I went back seeking another refreshment, and the bartender was really angry with me.  I had to sweet talk her to get a beer!  Finally I got her to admit that she was insulted that I had left a tip; this violated the norms of her culture.  The only way I could make it up to her was to allow her to buy me and my wife a drink after she got off her shift. Then all was well for the rest of my stay.

This cultural norm is not really true any more in the big city (Papeete) but echoes of it persist in the rest for French Polynesia.

Voyager and Mariner are identical in size and number of passengers.  The difference is that Voyager's cabins are larger and therefore there is less public space, while Mariner is just the opposite. Choosing between the two, then, is a matter of personal preference. Personally I prefer more public space.

Navigator is smaller with fewer passengers. I expected that because of that I would prefer it to the larger Voyager and Mariner, and was therefore surprised to discover that it is my least favourite of the three.  But I would happily sail with her again for the right itinerary. Overall it has less space per passenger than the other two (58 gross tons per passenger compared to 69 gross tons per passenger), but about the same ratio of passengers to crew.

You may recall that a major epicenter of the SARS crisis in 2003 was Toronto, where we live. We managed to fly out and do a cruise on the Paul Gauguin during the crisis.  On board we got a notice to go see the ship's doctor, and when we walked into his office on the ship, all the Canadians on board were there.  So it was a nice mixer as we got to know each other.  The doctor took everybody's temperature and sent us on our way.

29 minutes ago, Wheelhouse said:

... Unfortunately management  does not yet seem willing to accept this scenario as it will be devastating to their financial positions. 

Before attacking management, I think a brief pause to realise that the situation is changing by the hour is appropriate.  So speculating about what the situation will be in 6 weeks regarding Italy and/or Europe and/or the world is just that: speculation without any real facts behind it.

That said, if I were booked on a cruise involving Italy leaving on April 26 or even May 4 I would be inclined to cancel.