Parapara

We were on deck 5 recently and loved the space and the cabin in general. Only negative is that the windows were rarely cleaned outside and this ruined the view. I know it was only possible when docked but we were on board for 78 nights and I think they got a cursory clean three times. 

We have been in and are now going out and no announcement. Supposed to have berthed over an hour ago.

Except that we seem to be sailing away from it.

4 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

 

Thanks for the update.  We were on the previous 4 voyages (May/June) that could not get to Corner Brook due to ice.  

 

We used those lightweight aluminum Vero water bottles both on and off the ship.  Great move toward helping to reduce plastic waste.

Yes, we have those but don’t find them light. I was just making the comment re plastic bottles as someone had said plastic were available on their recent cruise. We brought small plastic ones with us. Light and recyclable for a while.

3 minutes ago, cwn said:

Thanks for the report. Did you do a tour in Corner Brook? 

Yes we did. The butterfly house and insectarium. We enjoyed it although the school bus we travelled on wasn’t great. The guide was very good but had to stand and talk at top for us to hear her as the sound system didn’t work.

First day at sea. Thick fog. We made it to Corner Brook. First cruise ship this season. Calm seas to date. Internet awful. No water available in plastic bottles as far as I have seen.

The reason for my question was whether to pack a plastic bottle in my luggage- already used and recycled. If plastic bottles of water are available for excursions then I won’t need to take up ever decreasing space in my case. From comments it seems the metal ones are heavy to carry around on excursions.

I have read that metal bottles are provided which are heavy. I also read that plastic bottles of water are now being provided for excursions. Can someone tell me if this is correct?

Thanks!

Regent advertises their included wines as ‘ fine wines’. Personally I wouldn’t include Villa Maria as a fine wine. Just an average every day wine. This was why it surprised me to see it listed. From what Pappy 1022 says,  the included wines are not ‘ fine wines’ at all. 

I know nothing about any of the wines listed here except the Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand produces some top class Sauvignon Blancs but this isn’t one of them. It is pleasant. We drink it as an every day wine but wouldn’t serve it at a dinner party or drink it when out for a meal. So, I am rather amazed it is listed here. It sells for about US$8 in NZ. 

Not an answer to query above but another question re air conditioning in cabin. Can you adjust it?

I don’t know whether contacting Regent will make much difference. We have had a port ( Holyhead) deleted with a day at sea the substitute. I contacted Regent via the rep we booked through and the following was the response.

Due to the far out publication of our planned cruises, various operational factors sometimes result in the review and revision of itineraries as we get closer to sailing. 
Our rep added ‘ many times this is due to a docking conflict’. Not in our case. Not one ship ( now) berthing in Holyhead that day.

23 minutes ago, Gray Lady said:

Red1head, I appreciate the input. We have already booked the pre-cruise tour, so the extra night doesn’t matter to us. We do plan to deviate our flights, as that appears to be a big plus. It would cost us a minimum of an additional $3000 to book concierge, and we definitely do not want to have to be in a forward cabin. The dinner reservations are not a priority nor is a butler. Hubby says we should be able to find an excursion in most ports. Now I will think long and hard about this, as the 365 day limit starts in 2 more days. I am really torn……

We are sailing in June for the first time on Regent. We booked an ordinary cabin and so couldn’t book excursions early. We were able to book most of the excursions we wanted straight away. Some we waitlisted and booked others. Except for two still waitlisted the others have all cleared. We have excursions we are happy with in both those ports if they don’t clear our first choices. Hope this is helpful.

34 minutes ago, Ladys Mom said:

I agree that it is time for Regent to step up with a greater variety of tours.  That being said, in many large cities there are famous museums and/or sights that Regent seems to forget about.  Instead, people like me are going to the sight ourselves because the Regent ones don't interest us at all.  Some examples on our Grand Voyage this coming summer are the Tattoo and the Ship Britannia in Edinburgh, the Slavery Museum in Liverpool, and the Rykesmuseum in Amsterdam.  It seems like there have been fewer museum tours generally in the last few years.  Many people still enjoy museums if they have a knowledgable guide to explain things to them.

I agree. We haven’t sailed with Regent before but overall are rather disappointed with shore excursions on offer. Being in port over night in Edinburgh when the tattoo is on I would have thought that would have been an option. In fact there are very few excursions offered in Edinburgh over the two days.

Here was I thinking I might just cope with tipping in America, from the first replies to my query, and now all I read are horror stories and more confusion! I even had a nightmare about it last night and was wishing I had never left home. Maybe there is one positive to all this horror. Kids must learn the meaning of percentages at an early age! 
Please, please when you visit New Zealand do not tip. We don’t expect it or require it and most definitely do not want it creeping into our way of life.

6 hours ago, Pcardad said:

 I know wait staff who can easily make $500 a shift in tips. They choose that line of work...no one is making them do it. 

Wow. $500 a shift. I can see why no one is making them do it. Presumably they get some sort of wage as well.

Thank you all very much for the information. Very useful. I guess when you are brought up tipping it is a piece of cake but I find it very complex. Will have to swot up on who gets what and how much! We are flying into JFK airport and staying at The Pierre. The hotel has told us there is a fixed charge of $55 plus tolls? and tips for a taxi.

Jean

I know this is not quite a cruise question and with tipping included in fare not a worry. However maybe someone could advise us about tipping after we arrive in New York and before we board Navigator. We really do not know who to tip, or how much or how to tip.

We will get a taxi from airport to hotel ( we have booked an extra night at hotel that we stay with with Regent). How much do you tip the driver? Do you give them cash or add it to c/c?

At the hotel who expects tips? How much? If we eat at the hotel how does tipping work there? Also at a cafe somewhere?

Any advice gratefully received. At this point in time the minefield of tipping is putting a dampener on our stay in New York.

How much easier it would be if there was no such thing as tipping. Coming from a country where we don’t tip, we know that if someone helps you in some way they are just being kind not looking for money. The one thing that is really worrying me is our future cruise leaving from New York. I have asked people, googled tipping but still have no idea who, how much and when we have to tip. I don’t want to end up with a smashed suitcase!

Thank you so much for all this information. So helpful!

We boarded the ship in Aqaba and next day did a ship’s day trip to Petra ( wasn’t a Regent ship). It was a fantastic day. From memory the bus was a large one but that really wasn’t a problem. It only took you there and back to the ship. 

5 hours ago, lidge said:

For those who responded to the original inquiry about large group tours, many thanks.  I was surprised that there were very few small group tours even offered.  Has anyone switched (while onboard) and had the Regent "desk" arrange small groups?  Regent's private car tours are outrageously expensive but in particular in Jordan, if we don't travel with Regent, we have to arrange for our own VISAs (anyone have experience with this?). We are considering using Tours by Locals as they seem to have a very good reputation and then we'd have options to stay more in Petra or use time to go to Wadi Rum.

 

(For those that ended up commenting about Sake shortages, thanks for that info too as I also really enjoy Sake with an Asian meal!).   

 

We flew to Jordan to join a cruise and just paid for a visa at the airport on arrival.

We received our deposit back yesterday via our T/A for a cruise cancelled on 20 March. We were told at the time Oceania would be keeping NZ $800 as a credit for a future cruise which we were not particularly happy about but had to accept. I asked our T/A for a confirmation re this money as nothing on our acct. with Oceania. We received this yesterday too. Very draconian conditions, in my view, with the worst being that the credit cannot be used as a deposit. There is no future cruise the same as the one we had to cancel. The closest is shorter, $2000 pp dearer for same category and only the choice of one add on versus the three we had included for our August cruise. I know times are tough but this is not making me feel like booking a cruise with Oceania in the future. 

We are in complete lockdown in New Zealand. It started midnight on Wednesday 25th and will last four weeks. We have to stay in our ‘ bubble’ of household members only.Only essential services open. People have to work from home. Schools closed. We should have stopped overseas visitors coming in a couple of weeks sooner, but other than that the Govt. has done well.

I guess it makes some sense for two reasons. Half the world, which you and I live in, doesn’t have half the world’s population and secondly most cases are in the Northern Hemisphere to date. So, IF, it can be contained and cases drop in the Northern Hemisphere with the onset of warmer weather, it has to be good news.