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papaflamingo

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  • Posts

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About Me

  • Location
    Georgia
  • Interests
    Grandkids, sports, cruising
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Royal Caribbean, Regent Seven Seas
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Italy

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  1. We were on Explorer from Feb. 21-Mar 6, Hong Kong to Tokyo. We had absolutely no issues with Destinations Services. We had one port where the excursion had cancelled and we waitlisted for a different one and didn't clear. We went to Destination Services as soon as we got on board and they quickly and cheerfully put us on the one we wanted and on another excursion in a port where we forgot to book anything. And they were very easy to deal with when asking about town shuttles, etc. So really no problems when we were on board.
  2. Do you mind me asking, what is the price and perk difference between a world cruise on Regent and world cruise on Silversea? Not asking actual cost as that's none of my business, but was it significant if you'd booked the cruises at the same time? Also is there anything one or the other includes that's different? Just wonderin' as Regent is getting pretty pricey.
  3. We just finished Hong Kong to Tokyo including a 3 day pre-cruise tour. All our guides were good to great (mostly great). We sailed Feb 21-Mar. 6. Plus we did a full day tour in Tokyo to Mt. Fuji through Viator and had a great time in spite of cloudy and cold weather. Only saying this as it's a recent experience, so hopefully the tour guide issue has worked itself out.
  4. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! We have booked the same tour! And for info, it's simply added to our booking so we don't actually have to pre-pay anything. But NOW, thanks to your spectacular blogs... I am REALLY EXCITED to do this tour!!! And my wife, really Egypt is her "bucket list" item as she studied all of this in college, will be amazed and thrilled by your wonderful blog and pictures!! Now if only the "world situation" will resolve in time.
  5. Jan. 2023 was a LONG time ago. Crews come and go. I'm not trying to talk you into trying Regent again, I don't do those things. I feel people should find what they like and stick with it. Much of the "cruise experience" is very subjective after all. I am only pointing out the fact that you were on Explorer over a year ago because it might skew the OP as to how Explorer is NOW in 2024. We sailed on her Feb. 21-March 6 and felt it was one of our best Regent cruises to date. We were on Grandeur in Jan. and as beautiful as she is, I personally like the older more "rich" darker colors on Explorer. Personal preference for sure, my wife was the opposite, she loved the lighter decor of Grandeur. But the service, food, etc. of Explorer was definitely, at least for us, what the Regent Experience should be. Oh what a difference a year makes.
  6. If they did people would probably complain there isn't enough sunny areas to lounge.
  7. Yeah,.. I was kidding about Nov. Actually we've considered the possibility of a major reroute too. I figure if the Red Sea remains closed, then the itinerary will be more similar to the current World Cruise and head down Africa and around. My guess would be ending maybe in Capetown (that would be about the same number of days depending) then likely they'd add a cruise to get to the Med. For us, since we would like to go to Africa anyway, not a bad alternative. And if they did this, we'd seriously consider trying to stay on board until the ship hits the Med. But that's all speculation at this point. Who knows?
  8. Hmm.... what's happening in Nov.? 🤣
  9. From Regent's Ticket Contract, "8. CANCELLATION POLICY Regent Choice Shore Excursions Within 36 hours of tour departure 100% fee"
  10. If you call room service you can have all the foo foo umbrella drinks your heart desires delivered to your room. Or.... have the cabin steward or butler put the right ingredients in your cabin, and have your spouse or significant other simply mix and deliver the drink to your balcony wearing nothing but a smile! Won't get that on the pool deck. 😜 But is a deck chair really worth all the attention it gets? People are entitled, rude, ignorant, and just plain selfish. It's no different anywhere else. For the record, I agree that "stuff" needs to be moved after 30 min. (or so). And personally I hate entitled, rude, ignorant, and just plain selfish people too. So public shaming is absolutely fine with me. But heck... I'm not going to lose much sleep over it.
  11. Here's a few shots of Namba. Quite "colorful." 😎
  12. You're not going to cruise because you can't get a lounge chair in the shade by the pool? Why not just sit on your balcony? That's what I do. Quieter, better view, and I have my in-room bourbon to keep me company.
  13. Hmmm... not sure how easy this would be. But I imagine if you want to stay longer and find your own way back to the port that there is no particular reason why you can't do so. Just ask the guide and see what he or she says.
  14. We docked in Osaka overnight earlier this month. Did "Highlights of Kyoto" and also "Osaka Castle and Namba On Your Own," For "Osaka Castle and Namba On Your Own," we enjoyed seeing the Castle. It's a multi-level museum and quite interesting historically but you don't have enough time to read everything so I chose the stuff that looked most interesting inside to read. Go to the top floor and work your way down. The top floor has wonderful views. The grounds are pretty "cool" too so try to leave a little bit of time to walk around the grounds. Namba is basically an area of shopping with some very interesting facades on the shops and eateries. Lots of great street food places so pretty good place to wander and sample dishes. "Highlights of Kyoto" we toured the Nijo-Jo Castle, and Golden Pavilion. Both beautiful and worth seeing (at least we thought so). One word of advice... you can go into the. Nijo-Jo castle at your own expense (it was only a few dollars). But it takes a while to go through. We enjoyed seeing the inside, but the Japanese royalty was not like European royalty. The Japanese furnishings are mostly non-existent unlike the over ornate European castles. Lots of symbolic and beautiful wall paintings, and different floor levels for "power." Anyway, it takes time to go through the castle, partly because once you start you have to go through the whole thing and it can slow down as people read the descriptions of the rooms and there is no early "escape." Problem was, the gardens are extensive and beautiful (even though they weren't in bloom when we were there). We would have liked more time to wander the gardens. So you pretty much have to make a choice of either castle interior and minimal garden time, or spending your time in the gardens. As for the Golden Pavilion, that was spectacular to look at! You don't go in it, but it's. a spectacular sight and the path around it and through the park area is beautiful and makes for some wonderful pictures. Anyway, that was out take on the two tours. We enjoyed them and for us, seemed to be about what the description says. Also keep in mind, we did the tours from Osaka, not Kyoto so docking in Kyoto might change them some.
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