ChatKat in Ca.

i have only had David Shermet as CD on my two O cruises. I heard since Dottie was ill there was a chance Leslie Jon would stay on for the Riviera crossing :-)

When Regent managed the Paul Gauguin there were many men onboard in beautiful Silk dress shorts in the evening - including my husband. In the Carribbean - I would not find it inappropriate. Even in the MDR. Cargo shorts, swim shorts, running shorts - no. In Bermuda - shorts are worn every where. In Europe - even casual nights have been far more formal.

I think you have to take the destination into account and remember that not all things - rules and pants - short or long - are create equal.

It wasn't the gin and tonic you were paying for. When we ordered a drink on the Grand Canal at 75 Euros for two - it was for that view at sunset. Oh my.

I love Malbec too; Regent will pour you in the dining room any wines on the list of included wines. Not just the daily selection.

They might not include Pinot Gregio in the wine package. But you can order it onboard.

One of the offerings is that you can meet with the Sommlier the first day and prebuy wine from the wine list of premium wines. There is a minmum of 3 bottles. We don't care for the daily pour wines as we have specific wines we like.. We buy enough wine for the full cruise to suit our tastes from the selection of premium wine. It follows us to the venue of choice. It's a perfect way for us to enjoy tasting new wines or old favorites.

My experience on my 2 Oceania cruises made me feel there is little difference between the two lines - just like a buffet, I can choose my amenities on Oceania. If I want all inclusive tours I can pay a lump sum for them on Oceania. If I want all inclusive liquor, that too is an option. Food is subjective, but again the two steakhouses have identical menus, Italian and French - as well, spa services are the same on O and R. The only major difference is there are lower category cabins on O. Staff is fairly interchangeable. Entertainment is a weaker option.

Since I will be on Riviera 28 days later this year in a PH category and I sailed Regent last year my basis for comparison will be quite valid. My experience tells me that my assumptions are acceptable for the style of cruising.

I totally agree with this statement: For those who keep equating all inclusive with luxury and lack of all inclusive as non luxury, I think that analysis is off the mark.

Think Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons -- it's all a la carte and it's all luxury.

Think Viking River Cruises -- it's all inclusive and nowhere near luxury.

Just because you are getting charged more for things you do not necessarily want does not convert a product into a luxury product. __________________

There is NO comparison between Regent and Oceania...why? Because Regent is a LUXURY Cruiseline and Oceania isn't.:p

Sorry, Zorro - I've done both and reviewed both and I haven't even sailed on Marina or Riviera yet.. They are quite close in features and amenities. One is all inclusive and one is not assuming you take a concierge level cabin or higher.

Oh - we went to a local place - recommended by the concierge at the hotel (We stayed at the Westin Regina and Europa) and they did not accept credit cards at all - only cash. They also were not thrilled to have Americans in that restaurant either but I do not recall the name. It was off the beaten path.

My favorite restaurant in the whole world is the rooftop restaurant at the Hotel Danieli. That said, you may not want to spend $300-400 for dinner for 2. The Mushroom Risotto and the Branzino for 2 are fabulous.

We had a different one in our WSJ today with the Mediterranean cruises in it.

Paper is lovely to touch and hold. But totally unnecessary. Maybe there could be an opt in for all mailings, some mailings or a postcard with a web link. Those brochures are very expensive to produce.

And while it's not necessary for Mr. Del Rio to respond directly to us as long as we are addressed, I think that if I were running a luxury company, and my clients were paramount, then it should be a given to respond. And short of asking for identification, there are people in most companies who have the job of responding as if they were the CEO. I have a client who runs a PR agency whose job is to do nothing but respond in the names of their clients to all kinds of requests for information.

We stayed in the SS Aft on 701 and it was a slice of heaven. The area outside the hall had an odor quickly corrected one day. Would not trade the experience

Yes. Los Angeles Times.

Amazon chages $4.95 for the 3g wireless internationally for the week. As I did it onboard, I do not know if there will be a charge by the satellite carrier. I did find it convenient to read the newspaper on the kindle vs the printed paper delivered to my suite which was awkward and bulky

I just asked my butler to have my morning coffee delivered to me. Perfect every time The new PH coffee makers are Nespresso machines. We did not have one in our Seven Seas Aft Suite.

As for the newspapers, they are printed on 11x17 paper and my husband found them hard to read. I decided to subscribe on my Kindle and found it easy and was able to use the ships wireless to download it daily.

If you are used to a PC you will hate the ipad keyboard onboard; The internet wireless for the ipad keeps dropping the connection from our suite. I would not count on Regent's Ipad for much of anything.

My own laptop is not doing that. I did bring my own minibook and am sending the ipad back to the computer people on board. If you leave your computer at home the computers in the internet cafe onboard are wired and work well.

As for geeks on vacation, some of us stay in touch with friends and family via computer and you can still have fun on board with new friends and use a computer to stay in touch with home.

Regent Air and Regent books the hotel, they transfer you.

Regent Air and your own hotel booking - you are on your own.

Ship to airport transfers can be purchased via destination services.

We gambled with a group of strangers booking private tours in 10 ports on a 14 day Oceania Cruise. We interviewed one another and ended up having a very memorable time with all of them. They have taken 4 subsequent trips as a group together on Oceania and Riverboating (at times we couldn't travel). I'd do it again in a heartbeat but you have to screen the co-travelers. I think that a blanket statement of ship's tours are all good or bad also depend upon the ports and the number of tours that can be taken in the port. Some are just better ports with more to do and more access to variety to please all the masses.

hondorner: Oceania is not a luxury line -- nor does it advertise itself as one. It does, however, have an excellent reputation. Regent customers who have sailed on Oceania are not quite as impressed with the overall experience as you seem to be.

I have been on two Oceania sailings 28 days and 120 Regent days.

Oceania is the ala carte version of Regent without a question in my mind. If you were on Voyager and could change out the cabins below H category, you'd have an Oceania Concierge Class ship. Food is great - just a little more simple. Service is equal. As a matter offact a number of our servers/attendants came from Regent whien we were on Oceania.

The difference is really all in perception.

You can buy an internet package. I think it's $55.00 for 100 minutes. Know that it is a bit slower than at home, but, it works just fine. You can access your regular email from the internet or they have some icons for yahoo, aol etc. You can surf the net on the same package if you need to a well. But there are some blocked sites. It works quite well.