flossie009

1 hour ago, asnaleah said:

So, is lunch no longer available in Compass Rose?

Compass Rose is open for lunch on Mariner, Navigator & Voyager; not on the newer ships, where a speciality restaurant is available instead.

On 2/5/2024 at 5:11 PM, Dolebludger said:

I looked at a sample pacific rim menu on the web site, and couldn’t put together a meal

With 6 non-fish appetisers and 7 non-fish main courses on the Pacific Rim menu I am struggling to see the issue for those that dislike fish.

6 hours ago, Raintree said:

How about boarding day?

On boarding lunch is available in La Veranda or at the Pool Grill

4 hours ago, RELS said:

Most days Compass Rose is open for lunch, and on the three larger ships at least one of the specialty restaurants is open, too.

Compass Rose does not open for lunch on Explorer, Splendor or Grandeur

On 1/24/2024 at 10:50 AM, Gilly said:

This morning I got a special "Upgrade your horizon" offer for the April 8th segment from Abu Dhabi sailing to Rome, original itinerary - which bearing in mind the current situation, seems a little optimistic.  (We didn't accept the offer as we're already booked on Voyager around that time)

I see that all WC segments on Mariner from Singapore onwards are now marked as “Waitlisted”. Same for a number of April-May Navigator cruises.

Probably means that an announcement on re-routing the ships will be made soon?

Thoroughly enjoying this WC blog and the fabulous pictures.

The speciality restaurants, Chartreuse & P7, are open for lunch only on the new class of ships (Explorer, Splendor & Grandeur). Both on sea days; one on port days.

Menus are specific to lunch.

7 hours ago, Bruce61 said:

I am assuming we need to wait for the printed itinerary which comes with the boarding passes to see the formal nights?

The Formal Optional nights will be shown on your "Preliminary Vacation Summary" which will be emailed by Regent to you or your TA about 8-10 weeks prior to your cruise.

3 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

About that 16 night level... We have an upcoming cruise longer than 16 nights and as per documentation from Regent there are no formal nights.  A bit confusing IMO.

Your cruise is also sold as two separate segments of 7 nights and 10 nights (changeover day Feb 16th in Puerto Rico); hence no Formal Optional nights.

On cruises of 16 nights or more there are two Formal Optional nights

The simple dress code is outlined in the FAQs on the RSSC website

“On sailings of 16 nights or more, Formal and Semi-Formal attire is optional on two of the evenings. On the two Formal Optional evenings, guests are welcome to dress as per the elegant Casual dress code or opt for a more formal choice of clothing including gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies; tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with tie for gentlemen”

11 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

we've been delayed by hours a few times in the past just to wait for all of the suitcases to be sorted in the port.

Southampton cruise terminal is usually efficient in clearing the ship and reasonably speedy in offloading luggage.

A 3pm flight should be OK, but agree that the least stressful way is to defer your flight till the Tuesday ………. or why not extend your holiday, spending a few days exploring the south of England.

A contribution for the Mariner spreadsheet:

Mariner_December 2023.xlsx

10 hours ago, mbtabs said:

we are booked on Grandeur for 16 night on a Panama crossing in Dec.

Even though it is a long-ish voyage, would we still be limited to one reservation in each for the entire cruise?

You can make one reservation in each speciality restaurant on-line prior to the cruise.

You can then try for further reservations once you are on board by visiting or phoning the dining reservations desk.

On a 16 night cruise you should not have an issue with additional reservations, especially if you are flexible on dates, times and willingness to share.

IMO the vibration at the rear of Voyager is minimal and only occurs in certain sea states or when manoeuvring in port.

The PHC suites are unfortunately only the same size as the basic suites (H-D), but the balcony is larger. Certainly not as good as the excellent Horizon suites in the same location on Mariner.

Have a look at the relevant spreadsheet on SuiteGuru for reviews from other CC members.

9 hours ago, Pcardad said:

Possibly the Destinations Manager....

This should probably read "Possibly the best Destinations Manager working on Regent ships ......"

The problem of whistling balcony doors has been an issue on this new class of ship since Explorer was brought into service.

When we were on Splendor it appeared they had tried to alleviate the problem by fitting tighter door seals, but that just meant that the door was very difficult to open 🤨

Could the reported problem with lack of sound insulation between suites be in any way related to the difficulties the shipyard had in 2023 with sourcing properly certificated insulation panels? (FT report)

Has anyone checked the suite walls with a magnet to see if an insulated liner has been applied to the steel wall prior to decoration?

3 hours ago, Gilly said:

.............. but I find that actively promoting this particular sailing to be surprising

Regent are also still selling the April cruise on Navigator, Abu Dhabi to Athens (plenty of availability 🤨)

We cancelled that segment of a B2B in November, but it appears that some guests are still sticking with it.

Difficult decisions for Regent and their guests.

We will watch with interest what routing the WC eventually takes.

31 minutes ago, CJANDH said:

Regent provides business class air in their fare.

Not for guests in the UK

1 hour ago, mklions said:

Decided to arrange our own flights as we want to fly business and I feel I could get a better deal myself.

Before making that decision did you get a price and itinerary for each of the flights from Regent? Regent (UK) often provides a reasonable price for upgrading to Business.

If taking the air credit & booking your own flights be aware of the risks, especially if the flights you choose are non refundable .............. and the potential additional cost for one way tickets.

You will of course also have to arrange your own airport transfers.

We usually only arrange our own flights when using airmiles as the the tickets are refundable (less a small admin fee) and there is no premium for one way bookings.

Have a great cruise; an excellent itinerary 😎

Not included:

• Spa treatments & purchases
• Boutique purchases
• Casino & Bingo "investments"
• Medical costs (should be reimbursed through your travel insurance)
• Some specific excursions (most ports have a range of included excursions)
• "Premium" wines and spirits (we find the quality and range of included offerings to be perfectly acceptable)
• Special wine pairing lunches & caviar tastings
• Cookery classes
• Dry cleaning (laundry & pressing are included)
• Internet streaming (Basic Wi-Fi and internet access is included)

Inclusions are the same for all suite grades

34 minutes ago, liptastic said:

We haven’t received this questionnaire as yet. Is it an electronic format or delivered by post ?  Jean. 

No survey for us either

Maybe only directed to those guests in North America, where the inclusion of business class air is the norm?

7 minutes ago, talljules1 said:

in some ports (all tender ports) all of the included and for a fee excursions are sold out

Put yourselves on a waitlist, which hopefully will clear before your cruise

8 minutes ago, talljules1 said:

Am I right to think we will still be able to get tenders ashore and potter about on our own?

Yes, of course you will be able to do your own thing

9 minutes ago, talljules1 said:

We're in a Penthouse A Suite, should that make any difference

No difference in clearing excursion waitlists or boarding tenders for any suite grades

This thread is simply "quackers"

2 hours ago, mrlevin said:

 It happened on our last cruise and I hope to never see it again.

We didn't have the pleasure(?) of seeing any on Mariner ............ but of course we sail on Regent to ensure we don't see a bill during the cruise 😉

Try SunTransfers

Pre-pandemic they were very reliable

There is also a polite reminder in the final issue of Passages to ensure that library books are returned and that bathrobes & umbrellas remain in the suite.

Do we find this to be an inconvenience? No

Do we find this to be "insulting"? No

Do we take this personally? No

it is just a very practical way of ensuring no embarrassment for guests or staff and that all items on board are available for the next guests who board.

I don't normal drink cocktails but having tried a "Mariner" during our last cruise it became my pre-dinner tipple of choice 🍸

It also cured a ship's sniffle within 48 hours (with the added remedy of a hot chocolate with marshmallows & brandy 😋)

Cheers🥂

We had the same issue …………… and, after many failed attempts, hit on the same solution (zeroing the erroneous OBC)