New to RSSC - what do we need to know!

[CAT58]

My husband and I have just booked our first RSS cruise on Voyager next April. We have previously been in suites on Celebrity.  We would appreciate any hints/tips/suggestions etc that would help us with a new cruise line.  Many thanks in advance, Carol and Mike.

[taxare]

Carol and Mike, welcome to Regent!!! My first suggestion would be to look at the threads pre-COVID and you will see tons of information and reviews so you can narrow down your questions. There are some more recent threads about COVID protocols and safety but those are likely to change prior to April. If you haven't received a referral credit you may want to look at that thread. My email is posted there if this is something you are interested in. Almost all of the posters in these threads are very helpful and enjoy sharing their experiences. We can't wait to get back to the seas with Regent! 

[CAT58]

Will do - thank you for your reply.

[cruiseluv]

Hello Cat,

 

one suggestion would be to book dinner at the alternative restaurants as well as excursions as soon as available. 
You say you’re going on Voyager,  and I would  be remiss if I didn’t mention the vibration that is felt in the aft cabins. Many are not bothered but I am, so I always book a cabin toward the middle 

[CAT58]

Thank you cruiseluv.  Luckily we have a cabin in the middle of the ship! Have already booked excursions (I like to get organised well in advance).  I will check when reservations open for the restaurants.  Any there any that are an absolute must do???

[taxare]

On the Voyager the two specialty restaurants are Prime 7 and Chartreuse (French). I would recommend trying them both. Sette Mari and Compass Rose (The main dining room) do not take reservations. The newer ships also have Pacific Rim.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

31 minutes ago, CAT58 said:

Thank you cruiseluv.  Luckily we have a cabin in the middle of the ship! Have already booked excursions (I like to get organised well in advance).  I will check when reservations open for the restaurants.  Any there any that are an absolute must do???

Depending on the length of your cruise, I'd give each of the specialties a try once--they try to give all passengers a chance, but sometimes you can fit in an extra evening as the cruise goes on. Prime 7 and Chartreuse are both great with interesting menus.  The casual evening dining in Sette Mare (the evening use for La Verandah) is very nice if you want a bit of a relaxed evening, and there's no reservation necessary. But Compass Rose, the main dining room has a wonderful repertoire of great meals, so no problem.

 

Love Voyager, first sailed on her 15 years ago, wow, that seems like a long time.

[CAT58]

Thank you both.  It will be good to try a range of restaurants! 

[mj_holiday]

Not sure what category of suite you have, but if you do not have a butler and do not have the opportunity to complete a form identifying what you want drink wise in your suite, you can call Regent about 45-60 days before your cruise and let them know what spirits and soda you want.  It will (has before COVID) be there waiting for you.  If you wait until you see your attendant if will  then take a couple hours to get you stocked up.

 

When reserving excursions patience is the word.  Your can see available excursions for the ports you are on, by going to the cruise itinerary on line and click on the port.  When time comes to reserve them, I usually do two ports at a time and check out; then do two more ports at a time and check out, etc.  Others have reported losing stuff when they were doing all the ports in one session.

[RetiredandTravel]

If you are on a crowded cruise its important to get to Sette Mari when it opens (or after first seating) to be certain of getting a table.  Sette Mari is Italian which is a nice deviation from the Compass Rose menu.

 

If you enjoy wines try to get a list of complimentary wines.  All of the available wines aren't widely publicized.  We always ordered the "French Burgundy Chardonnay" which was much higher quality than the "house".  Compass Rose and other restaurants  will give you a list of wines of the day.  If they aren't to your liking you can order any wine from the list.  You can have any wine on the list anytime.

 

enjoy

 

 

[ronrick1943]

Rule of thumb is book everything you can as soon as you can—that way you get what you want.

[CAT58]

Thank you all for your advice - very helpful. 

[Aloha 1]

Be prepared to diet after the cruise!

[labonnevie]

9 hours ago, mj_holiday said:

Not sure what category of suite you have, but if you do not have a butler and do not have the opportunity to complete a form identifying what you want drink wise in your suite, you can call Regent about 45-60 days before your cruise and let them know what spirits and soda you want.  It will (has before COVID) be there waiting for you.  If you wait until you see your attendant if will  then take a couple hours to get you stocked up.

 

 

You can order a bottle of your favorite for your cabin (any category) on the online registration form.

[labonnevie]

On 9/15/2021 at 5:25 PM, labonnevie said:

You can order a bottle of your favorite for your cabin (any category) on the online registration form.

Apologies, my mistake...this is the case on Seabourn, not, I believe, on Regent. We have always just asked the cabin attendant when we board and very quickly we get our favorite beverage in our cabin.

[darn88]

Any thoughts on the casinos onboard?  They look very nice on the newer ships (looking at the pictures).  Just wondering if they are typically well utilized.

 

We have enjoy that as our evening entertainment during other cruises.

[pingpong1]

1 hour ago, darn88 said:

Any thoughts on the casinos onboard?  They look very nice on the newer ships (looking at the pictures).  Just wondering if they are typically well utilized.

 

We have enjoy that as our evening entertainment during other cruises.

"Darn" - I would imagine you might be interested in the table games?  That would involve way too much intellectual labor for me!  😵  My "game" is the slots with no thinking involved..."Max Bet, Spin"...."Max Bet, Spin"...sip of scotch..."Max bet, Spin"....And it doesn't have to be one of the newer ships, either!  October 2019...Navigator...."Max bet, Spin....Bang!....$1,500!!!  Followed by 2 sips of scotch!!  🤪  

[Boats07]

59 minutes ago, pingpong1 said:

"Darn" - I would imagine you might be interested in the table games?  That would involve way too much intellectual labor for me!  😵  My "game" is the slots with no thinking involved..."Max Bet, Spin"...."Max Bet, Spin"...sip of scotch..."Max bet, Spin"....And it doesn't have to be one of the newer ships, either!  October 2019...Navigator...."Max bet, Spin....Bang!....$1,500!!!  Followed by 2 sips of scotch!!  🤪  

Pingpong 1, we are about 8 miles west of you.  We are booked on the Splendor in October 2022, after three cancelled cruises on the Splendor.  This will be our first cruise with Regent.  Wednesday we are hoping to book two more, one on the new Lady.

[pingpong1]

31 minutes ago, Boats07 said:

Pingpong 1, we are about 8 miles west of you.  We are booked on the Splendor in October 2022, after three cancelled cruises on the Splendor.  This will be our first cruise with Regent.  Wednesday we are hoping to book two more, one on the new Lady.

Hi Boats - Are you in Festival?  😉  I think you'll really enjoy Regent Cruising.  We sure do!

[Boats07]

..

Edited September 19, 2021 by Boats07
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[Boats07]

2 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

Hi Boats - Are you in Festival?  😉  I think you'll really enjoy Regent Cruising.  We sure do!

Yes, figured you would know where we were.   We have lived there for the past 8 years.

 Keeping our fingers crossed that the cruising takes place with Regent. 

[darn88]

7 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

"Darn" - I would imagine you might be interested in the table games?  That would involve way too much intellectual labor for me!  😵  My "game" is the slots with no thinking involved..."Max Bet, Spin"...."Max Bet, Spin"...sip of scotch..."Max bet, Spin"....And it doesn't have to be one of the newer ships, either!  October 2019...Navigator...."Max bet, Spin....Bang!....$1,500!!!  Followed by 2 sips of scotch!!  🤪  

LOL pingpong1!!  I am with you...my wife likes the table games.  I keep the slots (and consequently the bourbon) company. Max bet, Spin baby!