Regent World Cruises

[RachelG]

The shorts are totally inappropriate.  I don't wear shorts to dinner in a nice restaurant here at home, even when it is hot.

[MalbecWine]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

And you live in South Florida?  I don't wear shorts much any more, but when I'm in Florida, I'm mainly wearing sandals, capris and a t-shirt.  But then I don't live in a big city, but a small resort area.

Back in the day I would wear shorts and look good in a Speedo but now although slim do not like my legs and my butt is not the same.  Where it went I don’t know.🙄

[HotRoot]

On ‎3‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 7:20 AM, indigosea said:

We just had a Miami to Miami Voyager cruise and thoroughly enjoyed it. Andy and Tammy were great as CD and Social Hostess. Tammy did crafts every sea day. They will be on the 2020 World Cruise as replacements for Jamie and Dana. We are signed up for that and are looking forward to the adventure.  Am enjoying this thread. 

 

People on the 2019 World Cruise also booked on the 2020 World Cruise are looking for more information on Andy and Tammy.  Can somebody provide more info - last name, ages, nationality, years with Regent, years cruising?  What kind of Crafts?  Thank you!

[Gilly]

We have cruised twice with Andy and Tammy and we love them both.  I'd describe them as mature, fun and very talented indeed.  Andy has a twinkle and is one of those people who manages to be everywhere and yet never seems flustered or anything but cheerful and good-humoured  (I guess those are essential qualities for a CD?!)   Tammy is charming - petite and elegant, but again, a sense of fun and a great sidekick.  They're from Kansas, cruised originally way back when - before Regent - (someone will be able to fill in that detail) - and have had other careers before returning to be the "substitute" couple for when other CDs have been on holiday.  I'm really glad they are doing more and think they will be great replacements for Jamie and Dana. 

 

(Andy manages Trivia extraordinarily well and offers a Million Dollar bill for anyone achieving full marks.  I know we are not the only proud owners of such wealth and am always on the lookout for someone to accept it in payment!  The issue of it having Andy's face in place of George Washington might just be partly the reason....)

Edited March 21, 2019 by Gilly

[indigosea]

Agree with you Gilly.  Tammy has many different crafts to please all.  I enjoyed the origami and pop up cards.  

[HotRoot]

I have passed on the information about the Heath's.  Had our fifth Meet and Greet today.  There were only four segmenters in attendance.  Most of the conversation was about the last cruise and how poorly some passengers behaved.  Lots more stories than I had heard before.  Screaming at crew.  We are very protective of our crew.  They are so good to us.  Our cabin steward is from Goa.  Later this week we will be in Goa.  At the Block Party a paper was passed around and we all signed off giving him the day off.  He will be able to leave the ship as soon as it is cleared.  He can spend the day with his family and be back on an hour before we sail.  He will then do turn down on our rooms.  We will all attempt to make our own beds but know it will not be up to his standards.  If you are ever on a cruise and go to the home town of your steward/stewardess, you can ask at Reception for the paper and give your steward the day off.  One World Cruiser told the segmenters in our hall that he would make their beds.  After all of the complaints about shorts and jeans, they are really cracking down.  Before they would serve you your drink and then ask you to change.  Now they will not serve you until you are dressed correctly.  Passages has an extended description of what is and is not acceptable for that day.  We have heard some passengers grumbling.  Due to the new policy, we have not seen anybody dressed improperly.  We have not seen any bad behavior either.

[Gilly]

@HotRoot the division you create between the people you refer to as "segmenters" (dreadful word) and "we" and "us" is not at all the experience we have ever had on board a Regent ship.   Your comment about being protective of "your" crew is strange - surely, they are there for everyone and not only those who have established their presence in your corridor?  I am relieved that we have never encountered such entitlement from the people on board the world cruises we have enjoyed and cannot imagine the friends we have on board Navigator right now are part of that group.  Thankfully, my personal experience of several world cruises on board a Regent ship is totally at odds with your reports - I have always been able to reassure people booking part of any lengthy voyage that they will feel welcome and very comfortable on board, receiving the same excellent Regent service as ever and most certainly won't feel excluded in any way.  

 

I must ask, on your previous Regent cruises, have you ever encountered such behaviour issues?  

 

"I have passed on the information about the Heath's." (sic)    You're welcome.

[Travelcat2]

14 hours ago, HotRoot said:

I have passed on the information about the Heath's.  Had our fifth Meet and Greet today.  There were only four segmenters in attendance.  Most of the conversation was about the last cruise and how poorly some passengers behaved.  Lots more stories than I had heard before.  Screaming at crew.  We are very protective of our crew.  They are so good to us.  Our cabin steward is from Goa.  Later this week we will be in Goa.  At the Block Party a paper was passed around and we all signed off giving him the day off.  He will be able to leave the ship as soon as it is cleared.  He can spend the day with his family and be back on an hour before we sail.  He will then do turn down on our rooms.  We will all attempt to make our own beds but know it will not be up to his standards.  If you are ever on a cruise and go to the home town of your steward/stewardess, you can ask at Reception for the paper and give your steward the day off.  One World Cruiser told the segmenters in our hall that he would make their beds.  After all of the complaints about shorts and jeans, they are really cracking down.  Before they would serve you your drink and then ask you to change.  Now they will not serve you until you are dressed correctly.  Passages has an extended description of what is and is not acceptable for that day.  We have heard some passengers grumbling.  Due to the new policy, we have not seen anybody dressed improperly.  We have not seen any bad behavior either.

 

Bravo to you!  Giving the crew extra time with their families is worth applause!!!  

 

The fact that Regent is cracking down on shorts and jeans is also worthy of applause.

 

In terms of segmenters, we would not want to be segmenters on a world cruise.   It is completely understandable that passengers that have been together for so long have formed bonds.  Even when we have done back to back cruises, we do not necessarily want to interact with passengers that have just boarded.  While I would not be rude to segmenters, I likely would not be as welcoming as I typically am.

 

Not sure why this is such a popular thread.  How much is there to really say about a WC that has not been said?

[HotRoot]

Maybe I should say those not on the World Cruise.  I have not experienced any person booked on the ship for 131 days being rude to any passengers, no matter how long they are on the ship.  I have only heard them answering questions and offering helpful advice.  Like sitting on the toilet for better internet access.  I have had several people not on the world cruise find me to thank me when they tried it and it worked.  The World Cruisers are the minority on this ship.  We are less than 1/3 of the passengers.  Our trivia team has always consisted of us and 4 not on the world cruise people.  We do mix with them and have made friends.  We are excited that some people who sailed with us from Los Angeles to Tahiti will be joining us again in Rome.  

 

As to this thread, people were asking why there were no World Cruise blogs and I attempted to answer that question and answer any other questions others may have.  I will continue to answer any questions.  But once this cruise is over, I will no longer participate on the Regent board as we do not have other Regent cruises booked and do to the price point, I doubt if we ever will sail Regent again.  This is a once in a lifetime for us.

 

And as to the question about our other Regent experiences - this is our first Regent cruise.  I have no other experience.  But I do feel qualified to compare the legs as they do change.  And the comments from the Meet and Greet where not mine.  I was repeating what some experienced Regent World Cruisers had to say.  They all had more than 600 nights on Regent.  The yelling was on their deck, not mine.  And the we I was referring to in regards to our cabin steward was world cruisers and not world cruisers who all have the same cabin steward.  And I am sorry but I do not know what (sic) means.  If it was an insult, it went over my head.  And since today is my birthday and we are docked in a container port in Mynamar for the next three days, I have already been insulted.

 

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

In terms of segmenters, we would not want to be segmenters on a world cruise.   It is completely understandable that passengers that have been together for so long have formed bonds.  Even when we have done back to back cruises, we do not necessarily want to interact with passengers that have just boarded.  While I would not be rude to segmenters, I likely would not be as welcoming as I typically am.

 

Hmm.  Odd attitude, at least from my point of view.  I'm hoping I am open and welcoming of new friendships as my (future) world cruise proceeds.  New blood is always good, and I am hopeful of this, as I'm not cliquish and I don't intend to be so.  Yes, I'm hoping we will make some good friendships among the full wc-ers, but will do everything I can to be welcoming, as you put it.  In fact on second thought, "welcoming" is a patronizing way of putting it--after all, they will have just as much right to be on the ship as I do.

 

And to HotRoot, "sic" simply means that the writer is quoting something "as is", frequently implying a minor error or typo that they're repeating verbatim.  Certainly not an insult.  Glad you're enjoying your first and perhaps only Regent cruise.

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Hmm.  Odd attitude, at least from my point of view.  I'm hoping I am open and welcoming of new friendships as my (future) world cruise proceeds.  New blood is always good, and I am hopeful of this, as I'm not cliquish and I don't intend to be so.  Yes, I'm hoping we will make some good friendships among the full wc-ers, but will do everything I can to be welcoming, as you put it.  In fact on second thought, "welcoming" is a patronizing way of putting it--after all, they will have just as much right to be on the ship as I do.

 

 

Interesting that on Cruise Critic, normal words take own different meanings.  Not sure how 'welcoming' could be considered patronizing.  It is just the opposite!

 

To clarify, when we are on a cruise, we tend to meet people in the lounge and, since we are not very social beings, will see them repeatedly in the same lounge and have a short conversation (vs. having dinner with different people or trying to make friendships*).  There were new people that boarded our ship at a few stops on our last cruise (some were part of the PBS group and others just showed up in Cabo and were only going to Los Angeles and stated that they were onboard for business).  While I was friendly enough if I was sitting next to someone that I had not seen before however, I wasn't going out of my way to meet anyone new to the ship. .

 

We have sailed with a group of WC'ers that were on one of our cruises (not part of the WC).  I have a friend that is a part of that group and have to say that they pretty much hung out together.  Our friend did have dinner with us a few times but I did not meet any of "the group" (which certainly wasn't a big deal).  We will be sailing with our friend and the group again in November and I'll pay more attention.  

 

I do hope that your WC is everything that you hope that it will be.

 

 

Edited March 25, 2019 by Travelcat2

[flossie009]

Having recently completed a segment of the World Cruise on Navigator I am compelled to comment; hopefully informatory rather than inflammatory.

 

• Maybe we live in a bubble, or do not seek out problems, but neither of us encountered any poor behaviour or abuse of staff during our cruise.
• Yes, I saw one person who obviously thought that a crumpled T-shirt was OK in the evening. I did not approach him to ascertain whether he was a “World Cruiser”, “Segmenter” or “Short-timer”
• Yes, we did encounter the occasional rude, impatient, pushy, bigoted or loud individual but no more than on previous cruises. Again, we have no idea whether they were on for just one segment or more.
• We met and enjoyed the company of many other guests both on board and during excursions. Some were just on for one segment, some for a back-to-back and some for the full WC.
• Why would someone take a different attitude to another guest simply on the basis of their length of cruise? Beats me!
• I agree that it is good to see crew having the opportunity to go ashore in their home port and/or bring their families on board. On previous cruises the senior staff have simply adjusted the duty rotas to allow for this, with colleagues covering as required. Maybe the smaller numbers of crew on Navigator makes this more awkward to arrange and requires guests to sacrifice service.
• It does seem a risky strategy to book a World Cruise with a cruise line that you have not previously experienced and on a ship that you haven’t previously tried; but we did meet more than one couple who had taken what seemed to us “a plunge in the dark”.
• Surely the ambience/vibe of a World Cruise is bound to change from segment to segment. Different ports, changing seas & weather, new guests, new staff & crew, number of sea days etc etc. Isn’t this part of the attraction to keep the World Cruise experience fresh?
• The Wi-Fi on our cruise was so poor that even bathroom or open-door strategies made no improvement. The best day was when most went off to Bangkok so overload seems to be the primary issue.

 

@HotRoot, you picked out the segment HK to Singapore for particular mention of  abuse to staff.

However on the Roll Call you said “We have learned there is very little "power" on this ship.  Miami makes all decisions.  Feel sorry for the onboard crew.  They get the complaints but cannot do anything without Miami approval.  And when they are being screamed at, Miami is asleep“. I won’t add [sic], which simply means I have quoted verbatim, as this obviously antagonises.

You made this statement a week before the segment started.

Also, during our conversation in the bar on the first night of our cruise you picked out a certain nationality for criticism; again presumably from a previous segment.

So, I do not understand why the HK to Singapore cruisers came in for such focussed disapproval.

 

 

In conclusion, we thoroughly enjoyed our short segment of the World Cruise. Would we do another? Definitely.

 

There seems no reason for divisiveness on Regent between those cruising for different lengths of time, as there is no reason for divisiveness between those choosing different suite grades.

 

 

I can fully understand why this is a popular thread.

If we were contemplating a World Cruise and about to make a huge investment of both time and money we would want to do as much research as possible and find out whatever we could from those with previous experience.

 

 

Best wishes for the rest of this World Cruise and to those embarking in future years. I am sure you will have a fabulous time despite those dreaded “segmenters” 😘

 

[Tranquility Base]

6 hours ago, HotRoot said:

we are docked in a container port in Mynamar for the next three days,

I would be interested in any port logistic info you could pass on please:

 

1. Approx time from arrival till the "ship now cleared to disembark" announcement;

2. Is it walkable from ship to port gate; 

if not, is there a shuttle;

3. Did you notice many taxis waiting at the port gate;

4. Approx drive time from port to centre of town.

5. Are you docked at Thilawa (MITT)

 

Thanks.

[flossie009]

@HotRoot,

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥂

Have a great time in Burma 😎. I suspect that it is hot & humid.

[HotRoot]

1 hour ago, Tranquility Base said:

I would be interested in any port logistic info you could pass on please:

 

1. Approx time from arrival till the "ship now cleared to disembark" announcement;

2. Is it walkable from ship to port gate; 

if not, is there a shuttle;

3. Did you notice many taxis waiting at the port gate;

4. Approx drive time from port to centre of town.

5. Are you docked at Thilawa (MITT)

 

Thanks.

Less than an hour to clear

No walking to the port gate.  It is against the rules.  They have a bus to take you there.

Only a couple of taxis that I saw.

We did not make the drive but all of the paperwork says 90 minutes.  I will check with somebody when the get back to day and let you know if that is incorrect.

Yes.  Thilawa.  

[Tranquility Base]

Thank you for the info.

[HotRoot]

Flossie - I am not going to waste space quoting your message and I do not know how to cut and paste so I will answer without your concerns posted here.  There were passengers abusing the Destination Services staff from day 1.  I honestly do not know how many days they were on the ship because it was too early to tell who was who.  Then when the Bangkok port was changed, those poor girls were again yelled at.  We knew about the port change prior to the Hong Kong boarding.  And that is where my comment came from.    

 

I do know who I was talking about at the bar.  I am not against any nationality.  That couple could only be referred to by nationality as they could not speak our language.  I think that was part of the problem.  They now fit in very well on the ship.  They will be leaving us in Dubai.

 

Maybe the 12 night segment had a lot of new to cruising and new to Regent people.  They ate a lot and drank a lot.  They were ready to party.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  The World Cruise Cake in the dining room added the please do not touch signs on that cruise after people started taking the decorations.  I have no idea who it was.  It might have been World Cruisers who wanted a souvenir.  The vibe of the cruise just changed on that leg.  Maybe it was because the ship was full for the first

time.  It has now changed again but the ship is still full.

 

Everyone experiences different things in different ways.  Everyone is allowed their opinion.  I could make the exact same comment to 10 different people and it could be perceived in 10 different ways.  We will all agree to disagree.

 

I will be happy to answer any questions about ports, excursions, etc. for the rest of the cruise.  I will no longer voice my opinions.

[HotRoot]

2 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

I would be interested in any port logistic info you could pass on please:

 

1. Approx time from arrival till the "ship now cleared to disembark" announcement;

2. Is it walkable from ship to port gate; 

if not, is there a shuttle;

3. Did you notice many taxis waiting at the port gate;

4. Approx drive time from port to centre of town.

5. Are you docked at Thilawa (MITT)

 

Thanks.

My husband just said there were about 25 taxis when we left the port this morning.  There were only about 5 when we returned.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

8 hours ago, flossie009 said:

I can fully understand why this is a popular thread.

If we were contemplating a World Cruise and about to make a huge investment of both time and money we would want to do as much research as possible and find out whatever we could from those with previous experience.

 

 

Best wishes for the rest of this World Cruise and to those embarking in future years. I am sure you will have a fabulous time despite those dreaded “segmenters” 😘

 

Flossie (Sue?), I love your style!  Maybe you can come do a segment on "our" world cruise in 2021!  Would love to meet you.

 

Thanks for all your comments and defense of this thread.  Some people like to talk endlessly about how great Explorer is, and take pictures of food onboard.  This will be the biggest trip of our lives, and so we want to talk about it,  and share experiences with current and future world cruisers, quite rightly I think.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

14 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 How much is there to really say about a WC that has not been said?

 

Jackie, I'm following this thread because I am vicariously interested in the current world cruises and how the participants experience the ports, the ship and each other.  These experiences will help me plan for our adventure, and also keep me anticipating it, since it's so far in the future.

 

If it's boring to you, just don't read it.

Edited March 25, 2019 by Wendy The Wanderer

[UUNetBill]

I don't believe I've ever done a segment, or if I have, I didn't know it at the time.

 

But I can say with 100% certainty that I have seen negative - sometimes VERY negative - reviews and posts on cruises I've been on that I thought were excellent.  So it's apparent to me that no two people will have the exact same experience on a cruise, even on a smaller ship like Navigator.  In fact, most of the 'problem passengers' I've seen over the past 10 years have been blips on the radar, momentary displays of poor behavior that really didn't detract from my cruise experience at all.  I'm sure that these cranky cruisers would probably complain about any cruise they were on - and I think most of them complain about pretty much everything in life, come to think of it.

 

Just because you see or experience some boorish or obnoxious behavior on a cruise doesn't mean it's endemic.  It's probably just a (hopefully) isolated incident that you're unfortunate enough to have to witness.  Although when things like that DO happen, I try to remember who the offending party was and avoid them for the rest of the cruise if at all possible.    

[DavidTheWonderer]

18 minutes ago, UUNetBill said:

...In fact, most of the 'problem passengers' I've seen over the past 10 years have been blips on the radar, momentary displays of poor behavior that really didn't detract from my cruise experience at all.  I'm sure that these cranky cruisers would probably complain about any cruise they were on - and I think most of them complain about pretty much everything in life, come to think of it. ...

I've sometimes mused that Regent hires a person or two to impersonate nasty passengers.  Almost every cruise seems to have one of these hired shills. This gives the real passengers endless entertainment as they gossip to their friends about the antics of the actors.

[rcandkc]

My husband and I have been on several Regent cruises but never a Transatlantic so we decided to try one. In researching we decided on Rome to NYC or NYC to Amsterdam this spring.  We decided on the second one because my gut said we didn’t want to be on the LAST segment of a world cruise.  I’m glad I listened to my gut. 

[MalbecWine]

32 minutes ago, DavidTheWonderer said:

I've sometimes mused that Regent hires a person or two to impersonate nasty passengers.  Almost every cruise seems to have one of these hired shills. This gives the real passengers endless entertainment as they gossip to their friends about the antics of the actors.

David, on all luxury lines you will find a few who complain about something silly.  I don’t believe they are shills.  Just cranky people in their normal life as well.  On our cruises we just avoid them and will have no impact on us as well.

[UUNetBill]

48 minutes ago, DavidTheWonderer said:

I've sometimes mused that Regent hires a person or two to impersonate nasty passengers.  Almost every cruise seems to have one of these hired shills. This gives the real passengers endless entertainment as they gossip to their friends about the antics of the actors.

How would I get a gig like that?  I'm sure for a free cruise I could be quite the @$$....