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The price differential on Nova is puzzling. Why a $100 p.p. cost difference from other SS ships?

Good point Mysty re: cancellations for "included" tours with lunch included. Will we get a McDonald's Happy Meal instead? "Included" tour options seem to be shrinking in a number of ports. Q: I thought heard on the Zoom call of a special WC event in Ubud. No mention of an Ubud event on the SS site or in the 2024 WC special events area. Was I mistaken?

Grand Duchess, what is that mess on the floor below the rattan chair? Is it bird seed, shattered plates, peanut shells or lunch leftovers? Curious to know. PS: I agree - don't order the overpriced overly sweet Singapore Sling despite the drink's name.

Mahogany: we did complain and did so repeatedly in a civil and adult manner. Long, long waits at meals, persistent understaffing, poor state of our cabin etc. I believe this stemmed from management's apathetic and ineffective oversight. We did write letters & register our specific concerns in person. No response, no change, no follow up. The lack of a response was an answer itself. Our personalities and temperament are easy to please & happy to overlook shortcomings. As long time cruisers, we appreciate all cruise lines face major challenges cruise - both then & now. Yogi Berra said if you don't know where you're going, you'll wind up someplace else. Regent is in a place very different from their past. Premium prices charged for a product they no longer choose to deliver is an odd strategy, one that did not encourage this repeat customer to return. We look forward to our upcoming SS cruise in January.

Mysty, how are you going to keep track of all these options for eating big meals off of Shadow? Won't Mr. Mysty worry about the waistline and wallet with so many possibilities of long liquid lunches in port?

I totally agree with your assessment! We have been on Oceania many times and concur Jacques and Toscana are some of the best restaurants we have ever experienced at sea with service & food & ambiance. As I noted above, we do not plan booking again with Regent - after 15 years - due the problems you cited. After the 2023 World Cruise, we will not spend money or time with Regent until they can show us the line has significantly improved. We are not picky or demanding, we rarely if ever complain, happy to be left to ourselves. But Mariner convinced us to leave Regent in the past. Splendor is a nice ship -- we were on it summer 2022. But (under) staffing and management problems persist, its a big black mark affecting many areas of the Regent onboard experience.

Not as many suggestions and insights as you have Mysty!🙂 May I ask what are your recommended favorite dinner dishes on Shadow? La Dame aside of course! I am trying to schedule my dining menus this month.

Opinions vary. I would like to think my thoughts mirror those of others I knew (but not all) on the 2023 WC on Mariner. As they say, ideas are a dime a dozen! May I suggest you read Mariner reviews posted on CC by passengers who cruised POST pandemic (since 2022). That will offer you a richer sense of the ship and staff? Obviously, CC's Regent board has posts from those loyal to the brand and those recently on Mariner but for a week or two. A twelve day cruise on Mariner is a very different experience then spending 5 months on a tug boat. Best wishes to you for 2025. CEO Andrea told a "town meeting" on Mariner just days before the WC ended that the ship will not undergo an extensive overhaul prior to the 2025 WC. She was asked this question repeatedly by passengers who were then booked on that cruise and were concerned.

Mysty, the two restaurants are quite upscale (prices to match!) fine dining experiences. My opinion is both do not offer us as passengers a distinct change from Shadow's upscale dining options. For those who don't know, Pernakan cuisine is unique to Singapore, an oddball mash of Indo, Chinese & Malay without much in common for any one of the three, at least for me. If you want to try an authentic Pernakan experience, True Blue downtown on Armenian Street is worth considering. Right next door is the Pernakan Heritage Museum (worth a visit IMHO). True Blue is set in an atmospheric old colonial shop house - the food is quite good when we ate there several years ago. Its not street food, the decor is upscale. TB is not as acclaimed as Odette or Violet Oon although all three offer interesting menus in very different settings. Candlenut received a Michelin star for its Pernakan menu (its up near the Botanic Gardens). That one might be worth investigating if you are interested in trying Pernakan food in a Michelin starred setting.

Thank you so much - I appreciate your prompt & helpful confirmation!

Thanks Mysty. Would you - or anyone here - know if the internet on Shadow is with Starlink? I want to confirm that as the Internet is often very slow onboard. Starlink has been added to many ships so better to know in advance rather than finding out otherwise onboard. Thanks again!

I would appreciate a reply from any one regarding Shadow: is Starlink available onboard? I was told it will be. But I want to confirm the connection prior to our World Cruise in January. Thanks!

Mysty & Others - do you know if Silversea offers an alternative rather than the Gala at SF City Hall? After a day of airports, unpacking... I am hopeful there will be a WC option for dinner at the Fairmont. Otherwise, its the McDonalds nearby for a Big Mac Attack. Thx.

Newcastle has only one tour - a morning pub crawl. As Sam Goldwyn, the movie mogul, said "Count me OUT!"

Hey Mysty, what will we once you board Shadow in Barbados in December? For those on the WC from in SF, you will be AWOL...unable to tell us of updates on brand new tours offered that somehow suddenly got loaded on to the web site? BTW Mysty, how do you find out so quickly of the new additions/deletions of tours? Its a slog to go through all the ports every few weeks without notification!