Focused1

6 hours ago, captjohn said:

Jackie, I know this a bit off topic but could you comment on the Fairmont Hotel at YVR.We are planning a trip and the air puts us through YVR over night. Thanks  Also wishing you a great cruise 🚢 As I think you know we will be boarding the Explorer in LA.

 

John

I agree with others who have stayed at the Fairmont Vancouver. We stayed their several years ago before boarding. The club lounge is excellent and it has beautiful views of the ships in port. Many restaurants and shops in the immediate area. In addition to its many amenities and proximity to the cruise port (right across the street), the morning of your embarkation, the bellman will bring your luggage to the ship as you walk with him across the street. 

Have a great cruise. I will be interested in what you think of the ship and Viking Ocean in general. We are boarding in Auckland on Feb 24 at the end of your cruise, our first Viking cruise. 

We had a party of 10 on the Explorer recently and had no trouble securing a table to accommodate everyone in all of the dining venues for dinner. Be sure to coordinate with your TA on prior arrangements. 

5 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

The last two posts are extremely interesting!  So many Regent passengers have flown Emirates and this is the first time I've heard of an uncharge.  Apparently this has been going on for a long time.  Do not think that I'll recommend Emirates in the future without also saying that there is an uncharge.  And, now we are rethinking our flight home from Dubai next year.

Several of our family members recently flew via Emirates from JFK through Dubai to Cape Town. They did not pay to deviate and received this itinerary from Regent several months before the flight. No upcharge and no deviation fee. I think the use of Emirates cannot be generalized in terms of whether or not Regent uses them or requires an upcharge. Looks like It just depends on the routes flown and what agreements they have in place with the various airlines for the various routes.  By the way, they loved Emirates in every way. 

We were on the first part of your cruise (Cape Town to Cape Town) and in Explorer Suite 918. Totally agree with you on the layout, amenities, and huge verandah on Explorer Suites. Absolutely loved it in every way. 

On my recent Explorer cruise, I saw (in all of the dining venues) numerous individuals (men and women) in dress jeans in all colors coupled with a dressy blouse, dress or Hawaiian shirt, along with a sports jacket. No fashion police seemed to have a problem and, as others said, it is a much smarter look than some of the other dress code compliant clothing. We saw a woman, probably over 80, repeatedly wear mini skirt cocktail dresses.. not a pretty sight but totally compliant with the dress code. 

2 hours ago, CruisetheCs said:

Worse than a "meh" moment is the internet service on Explorer (and the other Regent ships). It is nothing like the "seamlessly stay connected with friends and family" description that Regent puts in its marketing materials.  A better description for the marketing brochures would be:

"Regent offers "free" internet that our guests pay for via their cruise fare.  Sometimes the internet works and sometimes it doesn't.  It works everywhere on the ship, except for those areas where it doesn't work. Our internet connection provides many of our guests with nostalgic moments from the past as our service mimics dial-up access speeds."

 

So true. Love the description. Worst internet connection ever on any cruise ship for me on the Explorer. 

2 hours ago, Sir Humphrey said:

Although I have been following comments on Cruise Critic for some time now, and found it a very valuable resource, I have now felt compelled to sign up and make my first post.

 

Over the past 10 years we have been lucky enough to be able to enjoy a number of cruises, including three on Regent.  One of the delightful things I have found is that, with whomever you meet/dine with/converse, whatever their income level and whatever on-board accommodation they have there is no snobbery or bragging.  Conversation is delightful, informative and easy. Nobody has ever seen the need to announce the cabin they are in.

 

On the Cruise Critic boards (including this one and this thread) , however, there is a minority of posters who cannot resist bragging.  Often we see a phrase along the lines of "we never travel in anything less than Owner's Suite".  Well, that is perfectly fine if they can do that but are they so insecure that they need to broadcast the fact.

 

I cannot understand the dichotomy between what happens on board(ship) and on board (Cruise Critic).

On the other hand, you might run into folks as we did on our recent Explorer cruise, who ask you multiple probing questions about your occupation, age, education,  Suite class, years married, etc. I find these questions equally uncomfortable and gauche as bragging individuals.

On the the Explorer now sailing on the Indian Ocean and internet is horrible. Up is .5 mbps and down is 1.0 mbps. It has been in this range since the beginning of the cruise 10 days ago. It is absolutely shameful that Regent can’t provide a better service.  It seems to be the same or worse than when we were on the same ship two years ago.  

The on ship internet person is being barraged by passengers complaining about it especially since we have some forced sea days due to bad weather and inability to bring the ship into the scheduled port in Richards Bay. So, lots of folks on the internet but the strength isn’t any better at midnight either. Staff here tell us to complain to Corporate who don’t seem to want to invest in better connectivity.  Again, just shameful especially for those of us who need to check into our offices on occasion. 

32 minutes ago, Eno-Bob said:

Focused1 - We'll be on that cruise with you and would certainly support that idea.   There my be an opportunity at the Meet & Mingle to make a pitch to Margaret. 

32 minutes ago, Eno-Bob said:

Focused1 - We'll be on that cruise with you and would certainly support that idea.   There my be an opportunity at the Meet & Mingle to make a pitch to Margaret. 

Great idea. 

We are on the Explorer Cape Town to Cape Town cruise embarking on Dec 22. One of our family members, accompanying us on our cruise, is an internationally known classical pianist. She was with us two years ago on the Explorer during the holiday Panama Canal cruise and played several impromptu performances (actually practice sessions which attracted an audience) with permission from John Barron who was the CD at the time. Perhaps the current Explorer CD will allow her to do so on the upcoming cruise. 

Actually they have only alluded to the use of Westin Cape Town on the final itinerary (but with the proviso that they reserve the right to use another hotel if necessary). So I am assuming they will use The Westin and we will find out on arrival at the airport, I suppose. 

Wonderful pics of Santa Cruz de Tenerife with Mt Teide in the background. You even captured the condo building my son and family live in. Makes me sad we didn’t sign up for this leg of the cruise since we board in Cape Town. 

Wondering about the current crew of officers since we are boarding in Cape Town.  Was hoping for CD John Barron early on but know he is on vacation. 

That's funny - Focused1 we most have posted at the same time as we both mentioned the generational thing. For us, it's far more preferable to do business this way, but my parents would never book through a travel agent online....they prefer the brick and mortar and personal relationship.

Yes, looks like we posted the same sentiment at the same time!

Good point. Our agent is a member of the Regent Council as well as Crystal and Seabourn also on the board of advisors and Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton and also associated recently with Emirates. Clout does matter and also your wallet.

 

No mom and pop agents for us. You snooze you lose.

Sounds like we might have the same T/A ..

We are just wondering how you (or anyone actually) make yourself comfortable with your agent being so far away? We prefer doing business like that face to face with a TA.

Perhaps it a generational thing. I never saw the reason, nor had the time, to visit a travel agency. You can still develop a personal relationship with a T/A even though they are thousands of miles away. (mine is 1500 miles away). We have been using them for almost 20 years and receive superior service and have saved thousands of dollars as compared to other offers, even though we always receive comparative bids. It’s a business transaction and they always seem to give us the best deal. It also doesn’t hurt that he is a member of the Regent Council.

Agree with TC about Regent adding a feature that advises the customer that the website will be down at a certain time/date so folks aren’t trying to book dining reservations or excursions during the scheduled times. Other businesses post a banner on their landing pages so not sure why Regent can’t do the same. Having experienced the frustration last evening myself along with others, it seems to be a simple resolution to the problem.

6:00 EST and I was able to book dining reservations. What is going on with Regent?????

Same here, about 05:30 was able to book and receive confirmation emails for the three bookings. But, now the site seems to be down again as I cannot access my account.

In one hour I can book dining reservations for our December cruise. I just logged in to the website and there are some glitches. My two booked cruises that were on there earlier today are no longer on there. Everything is blank. My Seven Seas Society information is also missing. There is no way to make dining reservations or view anything. I hope they get this fixed soon! Please let me know if you are having the same problem when you log in to the website to view your "booked cruises". Also the part of the website where you can "Plan My Cruise" is not working.

Yes, I am having the same problem. None of my booked cruises are on the website. Also preparing to make dinner reservations for the Capetown cruise. Perhaps they take it down before the mad rush and turn it back on at midnight EST.

For our last comment on this thread, please see RSSC Fall 2018 Seven Seas Society newsletter story (out yesterday or today) on our Lima to BA voyage at the attachment. Kudos to the editor of the Seven Seas Society newsletter for making our story readable.

Very nice, Wes.

As retired Military, I tend toward the more formal side of "Optional Formal". That is in line with our saying: When you are on-time (for a formation or meeting, or getting on a 'chopper), you are late!

 

That said: Recent experiences on Navigator, Mariner, and Explorer have been about 15-20% of the guys wear tuxes, me included. Those with a military background often include appropriate decorations on a tux. Gave my Mess Whites and Dress Blues away several years ago for use as props by a local musical theater group. And, yes, have seen the kilts. Quite a variety.

 

GOARMY!

I do the same with suits, on most cruises, but the family wants a holiday photo so packing the whole deal. Son in law is also bringing his.

Will be on the Explorer Holiday cruise out of Capetown in December. I imagine there will be more dressed in formal wear than normal on Regent. For me, I will wear my mess dress for those designated nights (the military equivalent to a tuxedo).

I do not believe that Bonine (meclizine) is the same compound as Dramamine. Dramamine uses the same drug as Benadryl. Bonine is supposed to be basically non-drowsy (although individuals here seem to beg to differ.) Dramamine will definitely put you to sleep, at least in my experience.

Dramamine II is meclizine and is considered the non-drowsy Dramamine. The original Dramamine indeed makes one sleepy.

Such a shame that Seabourn is the only luxury cruise line still charging for internet. I had heard several months ago from my TA that the powers that be were considering a similar program as Regent. Anyone else hear about this?