LIve - Bali - Hong Kong (3/24 - 4/8/2018)

[rarin2go]

Spills will be less noticeable... :rolleyes:

 

Pre-spilt carpeting - brilliant!

[Onkel_Ken]

I have really enjoyed sharing the experience of your journey TC! Loved the pictures and info about your and Dennis' latest adventure!!!

[RachelG]

We had a nice day at Borocay, but overnight in Manila is better. The excursion to Corregidor is not to be missed.

 

As far as bathrobes in public areas, on our recent cruise, there were a couple of people who seemed to wear them all over the ship. Not in CR but pretty much everywhere else. I have no problem with someone wearing one to/from the gym and spa to cabin, but anywhere else is pretty lame, IMO.

[Travelcat2]

Rachel, the odds of us taking another long excursion is somewhere between slim and none -- no matter how good they are (just being honest). I've mentioned before that the heat has been worse than in the Amazon and that is still the case. Even the locals think that it is extremely hot.

 

So, since TapaTalk isn't cooperating with my photos (sorry Ken), I'll just write about today's excursion. We are in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo and signed up for a "Regent Choice" excursion (cost $79/person) which, if it was like "normal" would mean fewer buses/passengers. This was definitely not the case here.

 

The positives:

 

Really nice Tour Guide - easy to understand and very friendly and accommodating (the driver was also excellent). The air conditioning in the bus was great!

Some of the things that we saw (a mock-up village) were interesting and the village was well done.

The food was fine - very good peanut sauce to go with the fish, shrimp, chicken and lamb.

 

The not so positives:

 

Too many people - waiting in the heat - many times with direct sun for way too long. Let me break this down a bit. There were three buses of Regent passengers with about 28 passengers per bus. All three buses arrived at the same time. Once at the village, there were buses from other groups (non-Regent). The excursion consisted of visiting five houses from different tribes. Some of locals showed us how to make rice wine, honey (with non-stinging bees that we all around us) and other snacks that we were able to taste.

 

This sounds good right? Well, it would have been if we were not waiting for groups to finish in each area so that we could proceed. Forgot to mention that each bus was split into 2 groups so instead of 3 Regent groups, there were six - intermingled with other tour groups. We spent approximately 2 hours touring the houses with 80% of the time spent standing outside.

 

After the tour of of the houses - ALL groups headed to the area where there was entertainment (it was fine but the area was crowded with probably 200 people. After the entertainment all of the groups went to lunch. This was okay as Regent passengers had their own tables.

 

Had this been an included excursion, it would have been a fairly nice one. But being in such a crowded environment with other groups intermingled with ours does not feel like a Regent Choice excursion

 

This excursion should have been listed at a difficulty level of "three people" instead of two. While the description said that it was not for people in wheelchairs, climbing into and out of the houses was difficult for disabled and even able bodied people. Some steps were a little more than logs with cut-outs in them.

 

Speaking of disabled, I am going to call this out whenever I see it. A German couple (if it were another ethnicity I would have called them out too), boarded when the bus was half full and asked the Tour Guide to remove everything off the front seat where his belongings were so that they could sit there. They were not disabled and some people that were could obviously not get this seat.

 

I definitely picked the wrong thing to write about on this cruise. Between Destination Services, incorrectly categorized excursions, waiting in the theater and people acting rude, we really need to go back to not doing excursions again (unless it is a food oriented excursion with the Chef of the Culinary Kitchen).

 

More later - will try to get photos to work.

[ronrick1943]

Well, sorry it didn't go so well for you----but on the bright side it can only get better. Hope everything on the rest of your cruise is what you expect o0r better. Sit back and enjoy your time and be safe. Rick

[BarbarianPaul]

Rachel, the odds of us taking another long excursion is somewhere between slim and none -- no matter how good they are (just being honest). I've mentioned before that the heat has been worse than in the Amazon and that is still the case. Even the locals think that it is extremely hot.

 

So, since TapaTalk isn't cooperating with my photos (sorry Ken), I'll just write about today's excursion. We are in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo and signed up for a "Regent Choice" excursion (cost $79/person) which, if it was like "normal" would mean fewer buses/passengers. This was definitely not the case here.

 

The positives:

 

Really nice Tour Guide - easy to understand and very friendly and accommodating (the driver was also excellent). The air conditioning in the bus was great!

Some of the things that we saw (a mock-up village) were interesting and the village was well done.

The food was fine - very good peanut sauce to go with the fish, shrimp, chicken and lamb.

 

The not so positives:

 

Too many people - waiting in the heat - many times with direct sun for way too long. Let me break this down a bit. There were three buses of Regent passengers with about 28 passengers per bus. All three buses arrived at the same time. Once at the village, there were buses from other groups (non-Regent). The excursion consisted of visiting five houses from different tribes. Some of locals showed us how to make rice wine, honey (with non-stinging bees that we all around us) and other snacks that we were able to taste.

 

This sounds good right? Well, it would have been if we were not waiting for groups to finish in each area so that we could proceed. Forgot to mention that each bus was split into 2 groups so instead of 3 Regent groups, there were six - intermingled with other tour groups. We spent approximately 2 hours touring the houses with 80% of the time spent standing outside.

 

After the tour of of the houses - ALL groups headed to the area where there was entertainment (it was fine but the area was crowded with probably 200 people. After the entertainment all of the groups went to lunch. This was okay as Regent passengers had their own tables.

 

Had this been an included excursion, it would have been a fairly nice one. But being in such a crowded environment with other groups intermingled with ours does not feel like a Regent Choice excursion

 

This excursion should have been listed at a difficulty level of "three people" instead of two. While the description said that it was not for people in wheelchairs, climbing into and out of the houses was difficult for disabled and even able bodied people. Some steps were a little more than logs with cut-outs in them.

 

Speaking of disabled, I am going to call this out whenever I see it. A German couple (if it were another ethnicity I would have called them out too), boarded when the bus was half full and asked the Tour Guide to remove everything off the front seat where his belongings were so that they could sit there. They were not disabled and some people that were could obviously not get this seat.

 

I definitely picked the wrong thing to write about on this cruise. Between Destination Services, incorrectly categorized excursions, waiting in the theater and people acting rude, we really need to go back to not doing excursions again (unless it is a food oriented excursion with the Chef of the Culinary Kitchen).

 

More later - will try to get photos to work.

 

 

 

Sorry for what sounds like a totally unpleasant excursion. But thank you as always for the posts, as it’s always to to read about your adventures!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[BarbarianPaul]

Rachel, the odds of us taking another long excursion is somewhere between slim and none -- no matter how good they are (just being honest). I've mentioned before that the heat has been worse than in the Amazon and that is still the case. Even the locals think that it is extremely hot.

 

So, since TapaTalk isn't cooperating with my photos (sorry Ken), I'll just write about today's excursion. We are in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo and signed up for a "Regent Choice" excursion (cost $79/person) which, if it was like "normal" would mean fewer buses/passengers. This was definitely not the case here.

 

The positives:

 

Really nice Tour Guide - easy to understand and very friendly and accommodating (the driver was also excellent). The air conditioning in the bus was great!

Some of the things that we saw (a mock-up village) were interesting and the village was well done.

The food was fine - very good peanut sauce to go with the fish, shrimp, chicken and lamb.

 

The not so positives:

 

Too many people - waiting in the heat - many times with direct sun for way too long. Let me break this down a bit. There were three buses of Regent passengers with about 28 passengers per bus. All three buses arrived at the same time. Once at the village, there were buses from other groups (non-Regent). The excursion consisted of visiting five houses from different tribes. Some of locals showed us how to make rice wine, honey (with non-stinging bees that we all around us) and other snacks that we were able to taste.

 

This sounds good right? Well, it would have been if we were not waiting for groups to finish in each area so that we could proceed. Forgot to mention that each bus was split into 2 groups so instead of 3 Regent groups, there were six - intermingled with other tour groups. We spent approximately 2 hours touring the houses with 80% of the time spent standing outside.

 

After the tour of of the houses - ALL groups headed to the area where there was entertainment (it was fine but the area was crowded with probably 200 people. After the entertainment all of the groups went to lunch. This was okay as Regent passengers had their own tables.

 

Had this been an included excursion, it would have been a fairly nice one. But being in such a crowded environment with other groups intermingled with ours does not feel like a Regent Choice excursion

 

This excursion should have been listed at a difficulty level of "three people" instead of two. While the description said that it was not for people in wheelchairs, climbing into and out of the houses was difficult for disabled and even able bodied people. Some steps were a little more than logs with cut-outs in them.

 

Speaking of disabled, I am going to call this out whenever I see it. A German couple (if it were another ethnicity I would have called them out too), boarded when the bus was half full and asked the Tour Guide to remove everything off the front seat where his belongings were so that they could sit there. They were not disabled and some people that were could obviously not get this seat.

 

I definitely picked the wrong thing to write about on this cruise. Between Destination Services, incorrectly categorized excursions, waiting in the theater and people acting rude, we really need to go back to not doing excursions again (unless it is a food oriented excursion with the Chef of the Culinary Kitchen).

 

More later - will try to get photos to work.

 

 

 

Eek. Typo! Always fun to read about your adventures!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Onkel_Ken]

TC2, you know I always enjoy your postings even without pictures! You describe your adventures so well that my imagination sometimes gives better images than actual pictures would. God bless and hopefully a happy Easter to you and Dennis!!!!!

[Travelcat2]

Taking photos of CR isn’t easy due to the blue lighting. Before playing with the iPad, this is what CR looked like:

 

 

I like CR on Voyager because there are no structures/walls in the middle blocking the views of the restaurant as there are on Mariner and Explorer. With a bit of tweaking, CR still doesn’t look right but better than all blue:

 

See next post - the system is only letting me do one at a time.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Travelcat2]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[Hambagahle]

Good grief! With that lighting what on earth does the food look like? How food looks is as important as how it smells and tastes...and that blue would most likely make anything look terrible.

[taxare]

Below is an article from Conde Nast Traveler magazine re: Boracay. I am just sharing not vouching for its accuracy.

Our readers love Boracay, an island in the Philippines that has the kind of powdery white beaches and see-your-feet-clear water that inspires island cliches. It topped our Readers' Choice Awards list of best islands in the world in 2017. Unfortunately, the tiny stretch of sand—just under four square miles—is a victim of its own growing popularity. With 2.1 million tourists arriving in 2017 alone (spending more than $1 billion), Boracay now has to contend with environ*mental degradation, traffic congestion, insufficient solid waste management, illegal construction, property disputes, illegal fishing...to name a few.

In February, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte called the island a “cesspool.” “I’ll give you six months," he told Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu. "Clean the goddamn thing.”

To future-proof Boracay’s natural beauty, the government has announced an unprecedented six-month closure of the island, set to begin next month and last through September, though an end date hasn't yet been confirmed.

So, how do you actually "close" an island? Although residents will be allowed to come and go, both local and foreign tourists will be blocked at the mainland ferry port starting April 26. The nearby airports of Caticlan and Kalibo will continue operating as they are located on the mainland, but Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air have both confirmed they will offer refunds and rebooking. However, they've held back details of the refund policy while awaiting the government’s clarification on the closure. A cabinet meeting scheduled for April 5 should bring final word.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Departments of the Interior and Tourism, and local authorities are working together to decide how exactly to the implement the temporary ban on Boracay tourism. A few major goals of the closure are clear, and involve constructing a sewer system, clearing the famous beaches of illegal structures, and inspecting legal buildings and businesses to make sure they're abiding by construction and environmental regulations.

Prior to the announcement, Boracay was already making headlines when the government approved the approval of a 250-room, $500 million hotel-casino on the already stressed island. The DENR has only been researching Boracay’s ecosystem and tourism’s impact on it for a decade, and new research this year is expected to help to determine the island’s “carrying capacity,” or the maximum number of people the island and its infrastructure can support, all at once.

This isn't the first time a country has taken drastic measures to preserve the environment of a beloved island. In 2004, the Malaysian government abruptly closed all hotels on Sipadan, known for having some of the best scuba diving in the world. Night diving was banned and, by 2013, the government had further limited tourism to only 120 daily visitor permits. Farther away, the Pacific island nation of Palau began requiring visitors to sign an eco-pledge in December, stamped into their passports as part of the visa, where they promised to act in an environmentally responsible way during their stay.

While a six-month tourist ban for Boracay may mean hundreds of thousands of interrupted or canceled airline, hotel, and activity plans and an untold amount of lost revenue for local businesses, the alternative—running Boracay into the ground until travelers eventually move on to greener (or, rather, cleaner) destinations—isn't worth considering.

[cwn]

Good grief! With that lighting what on earth does the food look like? How food looks is as important as how it smells and tastes...and that blue would most likely make anything look terrible.

 

The dinning picture could be the Navigator. which we are on now. The blue light doesn't effect the look of the food or things around you...just makes for terrible pictures!

[RachelG]

Good grief! With that lighting what on earth does the food look like? How food looks is as important as how it smells and tastes...and that blue would most likely make anything look terrible.

The lighting isn’t that terrible. Just takes poor photos.

[Travelcat2]

taxere - thank you for posting that article. In my opinion, it was a good idea for Regent to cancel the port before the island closed down to tourism. We are in Manila today and tomorrow and this gives the crew more time with their families and I feel that being here is more important than missing a beach port. This stop is so important to the crew. So many smiling faces and excitement on the ship. It was everything that I expected and more.

 

Still can't get my Tapatalk on my iPhone up and running so no photos (unless I take some with my iPad). I uninstalled Tapatalk and now can't reinstall it. I'll keep trying.

 

Last night we had Chateaubriand for dinner which was cooked perfectly and could be cut with a fork (in CR). The food onboard has been excellent and the service just about perfect. I saw a post on another thread from someone on this cruise that sees "cost cutting" in the areas of wine and newspapers. Regent has been accused of cost cutting for as long as we have been sailing with them. We have received our newspapers as normal and the wine list hasn't changed in quite a while. There were some wines that I liked more previously but, for the most part, the included wines are fine. Wish that someone would talk about how much more money it is costing Regent to have lobster, Filet Mignon, lamb, etc. etc. etc. on the CR menu every night compared to the menu before. The new CR menu definitely costs Regent more than the prior menus. Everyone that we have spoken with knows that NCLH is putting more money into Regent than has been done by previous owners.

 

In any case, it is very crowded outside (traffic) and the temperature is 90 degrees. For the moment we are happy being inside of the suite.

[witt's end]

We have not noticed any cost cutting either. The food has been excellent. My DH is a carnivore and commented that the beef he had last night in Chartreuse was the best he has EVER had! He didn’t need a knife and it was cooked perfectly.

Our excursion to Taygatay Ridge had some drama today and our guide handled it with exceptional grace. When we returned to the port there were several people there (described as ‘my bosses’) to greet us and make sure we were OK. The traffic here is a little nuts and we rear ended another vehicle. A passenger in the front row was thrown into the guide and they both took a tumble resulting in some abrasions. It appears as if they were shaken up more than seriously injured though the pax will seek medical attention onboard. Since the bus was too damaged to continue (broken windshield, headlight and bumper) we waited for almost an hour with our police motorcycle escort for a replacement bus. Once it arrived the tour continued without further incident.

Again, I want to give a shout out to our guide for how professionally he handled the entire excursion.

[WesW]

Thanks Jackie and Katie for your on board reports. Enjoy the Philippines (like many other Regent cruisers visiting the Philippines who wanted their Philippine crew to have more time with family, when we visited Manila last February, we told our attendant not to make up our suite the day we visited Manila. And if y'all are taking the excursion Corregidor-The Last Bastion--prepare to be moved by sights, sounds, smells.

[forgap]

TC, you can try transferring your photos from your iPhone to your iPad using airdrop. First of all, make sure airdrop is on on your iPad. Swipe up from the bottom to see your control center. The airdrop icon is a series of concentric circles with a notch out at the bottom. Tap it. Now go to your phone and go to photos. Select a photo. Tap the “send” icon in the upper right corner. A menu should appear and the first icon is airdrop. Your ipad’s Name should appear. (Mine says Jennifer’s IPad). Tap that, and Voila! Your pic is transferred to your iPad. Make sure WiFi is on on both devices.

[Travelcat2]

TC, you can try transferring your photos from your iPhone to your iPad using airdrop. First of all, make sure airdrop is on on your iPad. Swipe up from the bottom to see your control center. The airdrop icon is a series of concentric circles with a notch out at the bottom. Tap it. Now go to your phone and go to photos. Select a photo. Tap the “send” icon in the upper right corner. A menu should appear and the first icon is airdrop. Your ipad’s Name should appear. (Mine says Jennifer’s IPad). Tap that, and Voila! Your pic is transferred to your iPad. Make sure WiFi is on on both devices.

 

Thank you so very much for taking the time to write that out. I'll definitely try it in the morning. AT the moment, I'm overly stuffed from a huge Indian dinner that we shared with another couple.

 

Not much to write tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow when all of the families will be onboard. I'll take photos wth my iPad.

[Travelcat2]

I have this sort of working so will post some photos from the other day

 

 

Brunei

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Travelcat2]

 

Kota Kinabalu village (mock up). Some varied photos

 

 

Iguana

 

 

If you look closely there are tiny stingless need

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Travelcat2]

 

Beautiful women’s faces

 

 

Men aren’t bad either!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Great photos as usual! Thanks for sharing.

[Mudhen]

WOW! Wonderful photos, but wasn't quite sure what the greyish one with black specks was....(giggle!)

[boblerm]

Wish that someone would talk about how much more money it is costing Regent to have lobster, Filet Mignon, lamb, etc. etc. etc. on the CR menu every night compared to the menu before. The new CR menu definitely costs Regent more than the prior menus.

Couldn't agree more. For us, the new CR menu is a game changer. All cruise lines offer "always available" items, but I have never seen anything that comes close to what CR offers. I wonder if any other cruise line offers anything like this.