diebroke

The concept of offering cheap wines paired with "fine dining" is not unique to Regent. It has also been my experience on Seabourn, Windstar, & Celebrity suites. I can't imagine a "fine dining" restaurant on land offering these wines on their wine list at any price. For us, the wine pairing with a special dinner is an important part of the meal & the included wines just don't hold up their end of the partnership. The good news for us is that there are lots of good bottles for purchase on the revenue list. My experience on all the lines I have traveled is that they are priced at about the U.S. retail price. Fine dining restaurants in the U.S. normally charge double the retail price for a bottle of wine. We do drink the cheap stuff with lunch or as an aperitif & I wouldn't put real champagne in my breakfast mimosa.

The R Collection Lot 5 is a field blend made from five varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. In the U.S. you can buy the 2021 vintage on wine.com for $11.99. I agree price doesn't matter if you like it.

We also did this cruise last year.& the barbecue was the only special event. It was moved to the dining room because of the weather. I didn't think it was that special.

I plugged this wine into Wine-Searcher.com & got some interesting results. It is available from a store in Atlanta, GA, for $180; from a store in Singapore for $58, and from an auction site in Amsterdam for $2.13. That’s quite a range. Since it’s a NV (non-vintage) wine, it’s hard to know how old it is. I suspect Seabourn paid closer to $2.13 than $180 per bottle. In 2020, Wine Enthusiast Magazine rated it 88 points & said the price was $60. It is a blend including half Pinot Meunier & is not made for aging. Perhaps Seabourn got a deal on old bottles. Perhaps they spend more on included wines than I thought.

Warning: I have been called a “wine snob” for my posts about wine on social media. I’m o.k. with that. So, feel free to join the party. I won't be offended. I also live in Sonoma, CA, where we take our wine seriously most of the time. My expectations for a wine are situational. If I am at a cocktail party having wine as an aperitif & paying more attention to the conversation or music than to what I am drinking, the cheap stuff is fine – anything to make me a better conversationalist or laugh at bad jokes. If I am engaged in fine dining & trying to appreciate the food & the wine, I prefer a wine that enhances the food & food that enhances the wine. For me, this pairing usually requires a wine of some complexity & that usually comes at a higher price point. I don't drink a first growth Bordeaux with my Big Mac nor do I drink 2 Buck Chuck with a Michelin starred meal. Serving inexpensive included wines is not new for Seabourn in my experience. With some exceptions, the included wines on Seabourn were always of poorer quality than the wines I drink daily at home with dinner while the food on Seabourn was always higher in quality than my average nightly dinner at home. That mismatch bothered me & reduced my enjoyment of the meal. I expected both the food & wine to be of similar quality. I found 4 solutions. 1) Keep searching as there are occasional higher quality included wines hidden among the cheap wines; 2) Purchase wines from the premium list. The wines are generally fairly priced at the U.S. retail level; 3) Bring wine on-board; 4) Complain. I once complained on a Seabourn cruise in the Spain & France region about the cheap U.S. included wines when there were so many interesting local wines available in our ports at reasonable prices. For the rest of the cruise, our table was served local wines that had been recently purchased in the ports. It was an enjoyable experience. Some worked, some didn’t, but it was fun to explore. It was one of those little things that made Seabourn special for us. Most of my experience was on the former “little sisters” where I knew more about wine than the person they called the “Somm.” (And that is not because I have any advanced expertise.) I’m hoping on the newer, larger ships, they have upgraded the Somm position to a level so that she or he could be helpful.

The question of whether to go or not to go & what’s fair compensation for a shortened itinerary is an interesting dilemma. It seems the lack of stabilizers has 4 implications: If the itinerary included South Georgia, it seems almost certain to be eliminated. The chance of a late departure from Ushuaia & an early return to Ushuaia are increased, thereby increasing the odds that the time in Antarctica will be shortened. I would assume the odds of shortened time in Antarctica are high assuming that they can’t depart Ushuaia early & they won’t return late since another cruise starts the same day they are scheduled to arrive. It is increasingly likely that passengers will suffer sea sickness during the crossing. If any of these things happen, is it a weather issue or a ship equipment issue? What is fair compensation or change policy? I assume the primary reason to go on an expedition cruise like this is the time spent in Antarctica. These potentially shortened number of days in Antarctica could produce a scary (for me) cost per day if you divide the total cruise cost by the number of days in Antarctica. I massively enjoyed every day I spent in Antarctica. The days spent on the crossing, not so much. It would be a tough choice for me to decide whether to go or postpone until after the stabilizers have been made operational. There is no single answer for everyone.

Relatives just flew back to the U.S. from a Regent cruise with a 1 hr. 15 min. connection at LHR Term 5 booked by Regent. They made the flight. 2 of their 3 bags did not.

Thanks, that's reassuring.

Regent Air has booked my brother & sister-in-law on a 1 hr. 15 min. connection at LHR less than 2 weeks from now. It is BA international to international (arrival from Athens & departure to JFK) in Terminal 5. I have been to LHR a hundred times but never to Terminal 5. I assume they don't need to do immigration but that there is some kind of secondary security for a U.S. departure. Does this make sense & if not, will Regent make a change once you are on the ship or enroute or is it up to the airline to fix it? Regent has also booked them on a 2 hr. 15 min. connection at JFK - international arrival at Terminal 7 to domestic departure in Terminal 8. They need to clear immigration, claim & recheck luggage in Terminal 7 then take the Air Train to Terminal 8 & go through TSA. This all assumes all flights are on time. I would not bet they will make both of those. They seem to trust Regent Air although neither they nor I have ever used them to make air travel arrangements. Advice?

"Bogs." She found them on-line (bogsfootwear.com $70.). They were rubber. She didn't want to invest in Gore-Tex because we live in a drought area (CA) & didn't know much use she would get out of them. It was cool enough in Norway that the lack of breathability was not an issue although the website says the boots wick moisture off your feet. She felt she got her money's worth even if she doesn't wear them again.

We took lightweight layers & were never cold outside while cruising in the daytime. We ate lunch outside most days & were always comfortable. I would avoid packing a heavy coat - not worth the space it requires. We did a walking tour in Bergen in heavy rain. We had good quality & lightweight rain jackets, pants, & hats that worked well. My wife, being smarter than I am, also brought waterproof shoes. When we got back to the ship, I could wring the water out of my socks & my shoes stayed wet for 3 days. Enjoy

My observations are influenced by my comparison to the previous incarnation of this ship & its sister ships under Seabourn. Perhaps it’s not fair to compare Windstar to a luxury brand, but I spent many weeks on the former Seabourn “Little Sisters”, so the ship feels familiar, and at over $1,800 per night, I feel no qualms in comparing the Windstar Legend to a luxury cruise line. This was our first Windstar cruise - an 8-day cruise in the Norwegian fjords in late July. The hardware We have at least 9 weeks on the Seabourn “little sisters” although this was our first time on the Legend. It felt very familiar. We loved the size & intimacy of the ships when they were Seabourn & we still do. I was not jealous of any of the large ships we saw. The redo of the bathrooms & the French balcony doors was well done. The rest of the suite felt like it had the original Seabourn furniture & carpet, and it seemed a little worn – especially the mattress which sagged significantly on one side. It never felt too crowded in any of the venues except for Cuadro 44 where the tables felt too close together. I also remember a number of days on Seabourn when there was a problem with the sewage system said to be caused by guests who mis-used their toilets. That never happened on Windstar so maybe they reworked that system. The software The service delivery by the restaurant staff was over the top excellent. I have been reading stories on Facebook & CruiseCritic about restaurant service problems on luxury cruise lines. Loyal clients have attributed the problems to staffing shortages, new staff, & training delays as ships returned to full service. I understand the Legend was almost full; however, no excuses were necessary on the Legend. Service was prompt, exceptionally friendly (with one exception,) & accurate. The one exception was the server in Cuadro 44 who seemed sullen in comparison with the rest of the staff. There were never any delays in any of the dining venues for any meal service. The positive attitudes were remarkable. All meals were served as requested without delay. The Seabourn tradition of calling guests by name continues on Windstar except you are called by your first name rather than your last. I don’t have a problem with that. We did have one glitch with the laundry service. The first batch we sent out was returned the same day in excellent condition. The second batch was also returned the same day. The items on hangers were fine; however, we received a bag of socks & underwear that were not ours. I called & they promptly came to collect the bag but they did not deliver our bag with my socks & underwear. It was never found before we left the ship, but I was charged for washing them. I interacted with Reception, our room steward, & his manager in an effort to find it with no success. It’s a minor annoyance in the overall scheme of things. An apology might have been nice. I didn’t take the time to ask for the laundry charges for the missing items to be removed as it was at the end of the cruise & we were in a hurry to disembark. I was looking forward to the “open bridge” experience. We had a memorable cruise on Lindblad to Antarctica where I spent many hours on the bridge watching the captain navigate. On the Legend, I walked by the bridge every day multiple times, but there was always a “bridge closed” sign on the door. The food & wine The food was good. Dishes were well prepared & flavorful and served as requested. It is definitely a step below Seabourn in the sophistication of the dishes both in presentation & ingredients. We ate once in Candles. I understand you are supposed to have beef at that venue, but we serve outstanding beef at home. My wife had branzino & I had lamb. Both were unremarkable. We did not return because of cool weather & because we enjoyed dining in Amphora much more than Candles. We had one meal in Cuadro 44. We had each of the appetizers. None blew us away. The Iberian ham paled in quality compared to that we had 2 nights earlier in a Copenhagen restaurant. Likewise, the lamb chops were not memorable. Given that, the cramped environment, & the sullen server, we stuck to Amphora & were not disappointed. I know most people love Cuadro 44. The other experience where we differ from the conventional feedback is the signature deck barbecue. I was going to remain silent about our experience there, but ryndam’s excellent review of the Star Pride emboldened me to offer negative comments. It has great fanfare. The crew seems genuinely excited about it, & it is considered a highlight by many. I second rydam’s comment; “It was a complete and total miss for us, and rather than the “signature highlight” of the cruise, it was actually the lowest “low-point” for us.” Like rydam’s experience, it was moved indoors because of the weather. Perhaps the outdoor venue would have made the ”picnic” more enjoyable. The two preparations of shrimp were excellent. The meats were a sliced beef with a heavy & sweet sauce & a sliced whole pig without much flavor. We were in & out in under 30 minutes. Wine was another issue. I have often complained about the included wines on Seabourn. Seabourn served exceptional food & below average wine. Windstar's included wines were even worse. I drink far better wine every night at home. Call me a wine snob if you wish. We finally gave up on the included wines & stuck to beer for lunch, cocktails for before & after dinner, & purchased bottles of decent wine for our dinners. The included wines were a nothing-burger. The prices for the purchased wines were fair & there was a good selection. Lounges We enjoyed using the Yacht Club & Compass Rose on sea days & for cocktails before dinner. What we missed from Seabourn was the solo piano or guitar player playing softly. In our one visit to Compass Rose before dinner, there was an amplified duo singing to a recorded back-up band. It was kinda like karaoke except that the singers had nice voices. It was too loud for conversation. We also miss the afternoon tea on Seabourn. We like snacks with our cocktails. On three occasions, we asked for nuts & were given a jar of soggy & stale mixed nuts. On one occasion, we got salted peanuts & they were fine. After 6:00pm, they passed trays of canapes in both lounges. They were quite tasty both times we tried them, but there was only one pass. On a third occasion, they ran out before they got to our table & did not return. Embarkation I can’t recall an easier embarkation on any cruise line. The info we received from Windstar said our boarding time was 12:00pm. We arrived at that time. There were 3 stops in the boarding area & there was no wait at any of them. Our luggage was tagged; we presented our negative COVID test, got our room key, made restaurant reservations & were on-board in less than 10 minutes. I asked how we found out when our suite was ready & they said it’s ready now. Our luggage arrived shortly after we did. Amazing. Itinerary The Norwegian fjords met our very high expectations. We had been many years ago on a Hurtigruten Coastal Ferry from the southernmost point to the northernmost point. Our second visit was even better. The towns we visited were interesting & the fjords spectacular. Our weather was better than expected. We experienced only one very rainy day & that was during a walking tour in Bergen. We were prepared. We cruised for 7 days (8 nights.) Two of those days were sea days with no scenery. In hindsight, I wish I had chosen a longer cruise with more ports & the same number of sea days. Almost 30% of our time on board consisted of sea days. That is a higher portion than I would prefer & I should have realized this before booking. My bad. Based on our experience with the outstanding crew & the terrific yacht ambiance, we look forward to another Windstar cruise in the future.

On the Norwegian Fjords cruise 2 weeks ago, the crew said the Legend was "almost full." They also said the next leg (south from Copenhagen) had very few guests. I take this to mean that Windstar is not limiting the number of guests & the demand for a specific itinerary is the determining factor. There wasn't an issue with an "almost full" ship. Service was excellent. There didn't seem to be any shortage of trained staff as I read about on other cruise lines.

I am not loyalist or a cheerleader for any cruise line although I have experienced quite a few including Regent. I recognize there is a lot of brand loyalty among posters on all of the luxury Cruise Critic boards & a number of cheerleaders for each brand. I agree that all the cruise lines have a good excuse for slippage in service these days. I am sympathetic to their problems & rooting for all of them to return to pre-COVID levels of service or better. However, I don’t think sympathy for their problems should stop cruisers from posting negative experiences. I use social media (TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Yelp, CC, etc.) to look at good & bad experiences so I can make decisions about the choices I have & to manage my expectations. Some cruise lines will respond more quickly to the staffing & supply chain issues than others. I’d like to know how each of them are doing in their recovery efforts. I’d like to see an honest assessment to help me make purchase decisions and to manage my expectations while on-board. If I expect prime steaks cooked perfectly & one cruise line consistently can’t deliver on that, I might like to know. If excursions are consistently over-crowded & of poor quality, I’d like to know. If a Board discourages fact based negative comments, that board is not useful to me. I hope I am intelligent enough to disregard over-the-top angry comments & negative comments about things that aren’t important to me. I can also disregard over-the-top positive experiences. I suspect all of us who lurk on these boards can relate more to some posters writing style than others & are selective about how we use the opinions. So, I hope people will continue to post the good, the bad, & the ugly and celebrate genuine improvement in all the brands when/if it happens.

Thanks - only problem is that given my travel plans & the state of the economy, I need to shorten my life expectancy.