Chateaunole-du-pape

Do you know when he's returning to Navigator, and who will be running the show in his absence? Thanks!

I've only been on Splendor, but Explorer should be virtually the same, since they are virtual twin ships. In short, you should have ample outlets. Looking at our photos from our Concierge D on Splendor last summer: Two USB-A and two U.S. outlets next to each nightstand. (Knowing that Explorer was built earlier and USB-A outlets were less ubiquitous then, I suppose it's possible that Explorer could lack them.) Two additional EU outlets and one additional U.S. outlet closer to the floor on the inside shelf of each nighstand. One of the EU ones powers the cordless phone. Two EU outlets and one U.S. outlet on the desk Two EU outlets on the credenza below the TV. One of these powers the coffee maker. There may be a "shavers only" outlet in the bathroom; my photos don't cover the whole bathroom and I don't remember.

Delta! It was a few years after the merger with Northwest and the cabin had been re-done with DL flat-bed seating in a 1x1 configuration upstairs. It was like a private jet up there... I would always book it when traveling for work if it was on the route I was flying. Probably got to do it 4 or 5 times.

Love this! I turned 40 in Tokyo, and my wife and I flew back to the US that evening. So, of course we crossed the dateline, I was briefly 39 again, and got to turn 40 again, in a pretty cool location - the upper deck of a 747-400 - a few hours later. I love geographical quirks!

We got ours last summer three days before boarding. We were an hour out from landing in Stockholm and the flight attendant had just woken me for breakfast. Seeing that we'd finally been assigned a cabin, and an upgrade, no less, was a very nice way to start the day.

True enough. For two people, the tour is probably cheaper and gives you the additional assurance of not missing the ship. If you're four, then yes, perhaps the savings would make the risk worthwhile...

We had one of those balconies last summer when in a D on Splendor, and agree that it it was really nice, though the weather was usually too cool to enjoy it while we were underway. (We were on the Baltic, and while the weather was pretty temperate, I think the water was still quite chilly, which made the breeze cool.) There's a handful of F cabins on Splendor and Explorer (and, presumably, Grandeur) that have those huge balconies, too. They're near the rear of the ship, which some might not like, but I would book one of those in a heartbeat.

Marseille to Aix is 17 miles. Aix to Lourmarin is 24 miles. Lourmarin to Marseille is 44 miles. Taxi or Uber would most definitely be more expensive than $79.

You're very welcome! Incidentally, is your cat a Ragdoll? We have one as well!

I haven't done this excursion, but I have been to Aix. You won't get lost. I imagine you will get dropped off right outside the historic center, where there's a bus station, and the historic center is where you want to spend your time. It's a fantastic old town, and yes, while there are twisty streets that could be confusing without a map or your phone, it's really very compact - about one square mile - and it's unlikely that you'd ever be hopelessly lost. There's also a little electric microbus public transportation service that circulates throughout the old town, and many or even most of the routes end up on or near the Cœur Mirabeau, which is close to where I expect you'd be dropped off. Aix is one of our favorite spots in France, and would be #1 on our list for this part of France for those who have not visited before. It's a great strolling city - history, good food and drink, open-air daily markets in many or even most of the major public squares - what's not to love? Lourmarin I have not visited - we are actually going there on an excursion this summer, though on Regent rather than Princess - and from what I have seen, it is small and charming - fall smaller than the center of Aix, even. Watch some videos on each of the towns. If they look interesting to you, go for it!

That's really something. It will be interesting to see what they do with the additional space; I've only been aboard Splendor, and have a hard time envisioning how anything could be or would need to be more spacious than it. Maybe we'll see some new specialty restaurants, or larger versions of the current ones, which would enable more frequent dining in them for everyone? A larger thermal experience area in the spa? (I have not been on Viking, but the photos I have seen of the thermal areas on their expedition ships are really impressive.) More "named" suites? Larger lounges? Both of these last two seem unnecessary, but I guess we'll see!

Fully agree. Those uninsulated metal bottles are awful - one of the few things we felt was poorly thought out by Regent on our cruise last summer. (The other one that really stuck out was the use of Twinings tea bags for afternoon tea - while it's perfectly adequate, it is also something you can buy at Publix or any other grocery store. We really would have preferred something more interesting, like the Tea Forte that is served in Pacific Rim. And loose tea would be a nice touch. Something like Mariage Frères would really elevate the experience but perhaps that's asking too much.) This summer, we are bringing our own insulated Tervis bottles for water and Contigo AutoSeal mugs for coffee. We'll pack clean underwear and socks in them to make it less space inefficient. And, upon arrival, we'll ask our suite attendant to take away the metal bottles unused so someone else can eventually use them. It bothers me that they'd likely otherwise end up in a landfill.

There's no ATL-KEF nonstop. You and I, airline guys both, could have an interesting side discussion as to why, but I doubt others here would be interested. 🙂

@GeorgiaPeach51 Thanks! We will definitely report on Navigator. We were slightly hesitant to book on the older ship after falling hard for Splendor last summer. (It was our first cruise ever - boy, were we spoiled, and hilariously, we really had no idea what Regent was when we booked it - it was basically, "Hey, this looks pretty nice, this last minute price is good, let's try it.") But again, these are first-world problems, big time - Navigator may be older and less glamorous than Splendor, but it's still Regent - I'm sure it'll be great, and the itinerary is what really drew us in. We are serious francophiles - wife is a French teacher, French was one of my majors and we met in college French class - and haven't been since before COVID, which is just crazy seeing that we used to go 2-3x a year for work and pleasure. This cruise starts in Monte Carlo, so we'll get a few days in Nice and its environs beforehand. Can't wait! And we've convinced some dear friends and neighbors to join us. We are absolutely counting down the days! Auckland to Tokyo sounds fantastic! I'm sorry that we'll have to wait so long to see you post about it! Hopefully you will indeed squeeze another one in between now and then! Thanks again for your great review. I'm going to watch those videos of Vista again and refer back to your comments as I do so.

Thanks for your report... I actually happened to stumble on some Vista videos yesterday and they certainly piqued my interest, so I was very glad to read a full report from someone with extensive Regent experience. The first video I saw found me equally confounded by the closet situation - the cabin actually looked pretty nice, with a good shower, but after being spoiled by Regent's walk-in closets, I think my wife and I would find a closet in the form on a cupboard in the hallway an annoyance, though admittedly very much a first-world one. Otherwise I must confess that the ship looked very appealing, so much so that I started looking at rates, though I fear that once I factor in excursions and better-quality drinks, I'm probably not going to be far off from Regent pricing, I always enjoy your posts! Any Regent plans on the books? We will be sailing on Navigator in June. Best regards from down the road on Marietta Square!