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Ship - Voyager Sail Date - April 5, Miami to Barcelona Suite 654, midship Separate shower and bathtub Noise issues - None Would book again? - Absolutely Great suite and location. Excellent for a TA. Wonderful, unobstructed views from the veranda. Quiet location. Very stable, even during minor weather events.

We just flew in from Barcelona. It’s w good airport. However, we were on the noon flight (United) and while we made it to the airport in plenty of time, we were thankful for the porter who helped with our luggage. After checking in our luggage, making our way through security was fairly straightforward. However, we thought we would have a bit of time to relax in the lounge. This was not the case. The airport is large and a bit difficult to navigate. Lots of elevators to take up and down to get where you’re going. Especially tiring if you’re in a wheelchair or use a walker. Preboarding is also a lengthy process than expected, with no place to sit, so those that have no problem walking but have difficulty standing should consider requesting a wheelchair at this airport.

Just back from our TA. Three ports. The first was Bermuda. The excursion was on a small van that operated as both a cab and a tour bus. The operator was warm and friendly and knowledgeable. She placed my small, collapsible travel wheelchair in the back of the van and had me sit in the passenger seat, which was easy enough to get in and out of. She gave us a log of information and was good about answering questions. Regent did not offer any excursions that were suitable for wheelchair users in the Azores. We found a “Lagarto” bus, open sided and very long trolley, basically, that pipes in a pre-recorded guide to what you are seeing as you are being driven around. Not what we wanted to see but it was something. And anyhow beggars can’t be choosers (and it has been made clear to me by some of the comments on this thread that people with disabilities are little more than beggars in the eyes of some, who should be thankful to be allowed to participate and be quiet about the rest). The folks who run it had no problem with the wheelchair, no problem helping me on and off the trolley. In Cadiz, we took the only excursion available to wheelchair users. My chair was stowed under the bus and I climbed in. The bus had partial visibility from its windows. The guide was repetitive and mediocre. We got more out of a HOHO tour of Cadiz last November. All in all, if these are the only offerings available to passengers with mobility impairments at over half the ports, I think Regent has a serious issue on its hands that it needs to address.

That depends on the airline you are flying, whether you have a credit card with them that allows you to check luggage free of charge, whether you have elite status with them that allows you to check luggage with them free of charge, etc. When you fly back to the US in business class, you will probably have two checked bags allowed per person.

Are these the decisions of a luxury cruise line? I don't know whether to be surprised or disappointed.

I would have been a bit frustrated going to a coffee museum and not being able to sample the world-famous coffee. Oh, well . . .

If you're feeling particularly queasy, ask if they have ginger tea. That can be quite soothing.

This is not about unacceptable excursions. This is about excursions not being available at all to an entire category of passengers. If, when you went to book excursions, in some ports no excursions could be booked by passengers of color, would that be just as acceptable, since (presumably) passengers of color would then be able to pay extra for an independent tour?

Precisely my point about alcohol. DH and I do not drink because it is contraindicated with medication each of us take. No big deal, really. Imagine, however, if Regent's approach to beverages were the same as it is to excursions: Regent is an all-inclusive cruise line. As such, it will provide tap water and alcoholic beverages, thus meeting the needs of the vast majority of its guests. For those guests who wish to drink coffee, tea, bottled water, juice, and soda, you are welcome to do so, of course, in every port. At your own expense. Regent is aware that guests get thirsty, so remember that guests who choose to go out and drink coffee and soda on their own need to be back on board in a timely manner! Regent will not be responsible for guests who go out non-Regent supervised Diet Coke Breaks, so be warned. And, of course, we would have lots of people here telling us that Regent regularly runs out of their favorite wine (so it is totally the same thing as not providing anything to drink for an entire category of passengers at all); that people who don't drink alcohol should know their limits and spend their cruise drinking tap water (because, presumably, that's all people who don't drink alcohol drink, don't cha know?); and implying that their presence is almost ruining it on the fancy ship with all the pretty people, so quit yer kvetching,

And this is happening. On our TA leaving from Miami on April 5, there are no excursions for limited mobility folks on our Azores stop.

I disagree. I think this is the equivalent of Regent providing alcoholic beverages and tap water on board, and telling people who don't drink alcohol that they are welcome to get off at each port and drink soda, coffee, tea, and bottled water to their hearts' content at their expense on land. Just make sure to get back on board in a timely manner, and remember they can't bring anything on board with them. And stick to the tap water while they are on board if they are unwilling/unable to drink alcohol. All while calling it all-inclusive, because the needs of the majority are met.

I know. I just don't know whether we will have in-person muster or not.

Thus far for our cruise in April, we each had to watch the safety video on-line before we could complete on-line check-in.

That doesn't speak well as to what would likely happen in an actual emergency. My last two in-person muster drills (both pre-Covid) (one on Royal, in the middle of summer, with thousands of people on board) and one on NCL (on a late-season TA with that had very few passengers on board) were conducted in locations that had adequate space for the number of passengers assigned. There was sufficient seating for everyone at both. I did notice some people were more interested in their phones than in the safety presentation. I don't care how often you've cruised, I think you should pay attention. In this sense the video presentation may be better, since passengers are forced to watch before completing check-in (I think once on board, too, at least that was the case on our last cruise).

Getting back to he topic of excursions and passengers with disabilities, DH and I are heading off to a cruise on Voyager at the beginning of April. Ages ago, when excursions first became available, it also became obvious that the excursions available to passengers using wheelchairs on this cruise would be limited at best. There was one excursion available to passengers using wheelchairs at one port, so we signed up for that one. There was one excursion at another port, but the system was not letting us sign up for it. It was not showing up as fully booked, but . . . A call to Regent was needed, because the system was wonky, and with only one excursion available, we needed to make sure we got in. Fortunately, the issue was resolved with the phone call. At the third port (Azores), there are no excursions available to passengers using wheelchairs. Not one. So DH and I will be spending our day on board the ship, I suppose. Or going on a HOHO bus. Those are always accessible. Frustrating as heck.

I love Buenos Aires! It's a lovely city with so much to see and do. That gaucho event looks like such fun! I will admit, though, that I have never really enjoyed an old-fashioned Argentine parrillada. The meat itself is fantastic, but I don't like the way they are prepared. Just a matter of taste, really.

I have some super comfy leisure wear from Lily Pulitzer that I have thought of wearing on travel days. I wear them at home all the time when I am at home and just watching TV and chilling -- it's a very cute set of joggers and top, white with small "paint splotches". Anyhow, when I told DH I was going to wear them on the flight from PHX to MIA (or, even better, from BCN back to PHX), he looked at me like I was nuts. I have never been seen out of the house in this outfit. And for good reason.

I really appreciate this thread. My DH and I are starting to figure out what to pack for our two week Regent TA cruise, and this helps quite a bit. He pretty much lives in khakis and polos and button downs with a sweater over the button down if it is chilly, so he should be fine. He may pack a sport jacket just in case, but just in case is overpacking when it comes to cruises. so . . . Oh, well. I will leave it up to him. As for me, I usually pack a couple of pairs of slacks, two skirts, two thin turtlenecks, two tank tops, two three-quarter sleeved merino wool sweaters, an evening cardigan (with a bit of sparkle in it), two dresses for evening. If there is enough space in the suitcase, I may even bring an evening clutch. Add in some evening costume jewelry and there is enough in there to mix and match, dress up, and have some fun while staying within the bounds of propriety.

We tend to pack together, and we cross-pack a little, so that one outfit, a pair or two of underwear, and an extra sweater (or equivalent) is in each other's suitcase. That way, if one person's suitcase gets lost in transit, that person will have the things in their carry-on, plus an extra outfit and a sweater (or functional equivalent) to tide them over.

We have two cats, so, no.

Sometimes the best of these is university alumni associations. I know my undergrad and grad school both sponsor pretty amazing trips (many of them cruises) to places of historical, artistic, bioanthro, and/or archaeological significance (e.g., the ME, the Mediterranean, Western Europe, Central America, I could go on, but this is off the top of my head, with cats meowing for food next to me -- anyhow). Professors who are experts in the fields accompany the group on the trips and provide lectures throughout the voyages, and are available more informally to answer questions as well. Perhaps alumni associations to which you or someone close to you are affiliated has something like this?

I think those of us with mobility issues are well aware of our limitations. Perhaps others around us who don't know us, don't live with us, and don't interact with us, are happy to take a quick glance at us and just know that they know exactly how limited we are. That is an assessment I leave to my orthopedist, to my friends, and to my DH (who to this day laughs at the things I have done, like ski and ride horses, that he has not).

Regent (and NCL) need to see that the way they are treating their guests with mobility issues reflects incredibly badly on the company. No one should be humiliated, insulted, and hurt when trying to enjoy one of the perks of their vacation. This. I am not sure where this will all end. I realize that there are some people who are made uncomfortable by the mere presence of folks with disabilities, and I am always reminded of that scene in the Tom Hanks movie, "Philadelphia," where the librarian asks Hanks, "Would you be more comfortable in a private reading room?" and Hanks responds, "No. Would you be more comfortable if I went to a private reading room?"

I'm sorry, Sheila. I, too, have mobility issues, and I have noticed that the trend with excursions seems to be to exclude people like us from the get-go. I have been trying to book excursions on Regent as well as other cruise lines, and am noting that there are more and more excursions that say they are not recommended for wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments. This includes excursions that I took prior to Covid without issue. I really don't know what is going on, but it is both frustrating and disheartening. Last fall, when my DH and I took our first Mediterranean/TA cruise (something that we had dreamed about for a long time), we ended up having to do HOHO bus tours in many of the ports, because we found that many of the excursions simply would not accommodate folks with mobility issues. In fact, even the private excursions wouldn't do it (we had set up one private excursion a year in advance, giving them all of the information about my wheelchair, they were incredibly accommodating, only to have them contact us a few days before the cruise and let us know that they were suddenly unable to accommodate people with mobility impairments -- they refunded my money but not my husband's, since he could have gone, just was not willing to go without me). It's all become terribly frustrating.

Good advice here. We lived in Manhattan for about 30 years, and I agree with what has been posted. I will reiterate that, at restaurants, you do not need to tip on the taxed amount. In taxis, when paying by CC, the system proposes tip amounts (I think 18%, 20%, and 25%, or something like that). You can also press "Other amount." If you are tipping housekeeping, do it on a daily basis, since there is no way of knowing whether you will have the same housekeeping team each day. I usually just leave some cash with a little note that says, "Housekeeping," if I cannot find an envelope to label and leave the money in each day. This is if you have daily housekeeping. If you will only have housekeeping once you check out, just leave the money for them on your last day.