GrJ Berkshire

We knew of the new system this summer on the Navigator. So just brought along 2 reusable water bottles filled each day from Vero system put in fridge then took on excursions. So no need to use single use plastic, roll on when those bottles go from the table as you leave the ship, you should be organised before this. Even on Navigator 490 pax X 20 days so that is close to 10000 bottles, that is not sustainable or desirable it cannot be defended.

15 hours ago, wishIweretravelling said:

I was not suggesting that people were asked to dress a particular way. I was wondering whether people were aware that filming was going on, and perhaps chose to dress up more just in case (or knew that they'd be interviewed). Apparently, you knew that you'd be interviewed, even if you didn't know exactly when. But I suspect they didn't just turn up in your suite without a little advance notice.

 

What was interesting was that many people in the background in the first installment were dressed up too, making me think that the dinner scenes were filmed on Formal Optional night.

This summer was our first cruise to include formal optional nights, Southampton to Amsterdam on the Navigator. We had previously been to Alaska and the Mediterranean with B2B cruises on the longer trips. We noticed on the formal optional evening that most men wore jacket and tie, having rarely worn a tie previously I was glad I packed a couple. We had 2 FO ev's in 20 days.

A jacket is always good as we find that the restaurants can be cool at times, plus it gives you a pocket for key card, glasses etc and this over a short sleeve shirt gives wardrobe flexibility, my wife also finds a little jacket and a pastime handy as well .

Anything is possible in the Bay of Biscay, but prepare for a little rough weather.We sailed on a Brittany ferry from Southampton to Spain and it was  an interesting 24hours and a night when we were rocked to sleep. This was more challenging as our ferry cabin was bunk beds and climbing in and out of the top bunk !!!!!

15 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

Agreed....way too bright.  More of us need to mention it to management while onboard and "maybe" they will act on it someday.

 

Would also be great if the acoustics in the main part of CR could also be addressed.  Now if you want to have a decent (not having to compete with the noise) conversation you must get there at a time when tables are available in the smaller aft areas of the restaurant.

This was the point about noise I was trying and failing to make earlier. We found holding a conversation across a table very hard, as so much background noise which is not deadened in Explorer but is in the other CR main dining rooms on the other ships. We always asked for the back corners, never made this request elsewhere for an area of CR.

Which Azores island are you visiting? You will find the two both memorable and different, Madeira is great but the Azores have their own charms. Having visited 4 of the islands, admit 30 years ago will give advice when answer which of these unusual locations you are visiting.

40 minutes ago, davemorton said:

A post a few pages back confused me.  A poster said .....I’m accustomed to tips being increased/decreased (within reason) based on service.  My restaurant norm is 20%.  Terrible service will get 10-15% (10% is for dreadful); outstanding service is above 20%. 

So in America, would you still tip if you got terrible service? 

 

In the UK, I don't tip just round up. No need staff are paid well, it is not expected or needed unless someone has done something exceptional beyond what they are paid to do. In the states maybe 10% but never more. If the service is poor/ terrible nothing you do not tip bad service, the only tip they get is one suggesting what they need to do to improve. Anything else is rewarding mediocrity.

21 hours ago, NW Pacific said:

Is there a currency exchange booth at the Copenhagen airport after arrival to exchange US to Kroners?  Not asking about an ATM machine.  thank you  

Yes, but you will get a terrible rate at Airport currency exchanges, do the homework on alternatives is my advice.

3 hours ago, boblerm said:

From everything that I have read both here and elsewhere, it's hard to imagine that whatever differences that we are likely to find will be so significant as to warrant choosing on anything other than itinerary for those that have not yet sailed on Explorer.  Those that have are surely anxious to sail on Splendor, (no matter how we pronounce it!)😀

Enjoyed a nice ship, but still favour the other 3 Regent ships. Explorer has many faults that only just work, the theatre, CR restaurant noise and light, wall opposite the bed in concierge suites , wasted space in aft area. We are just back from 20 days on the Navigator, apart from an extra speciality restaurants I don't think I would swap it.

Hope that the Splendour sorts out these kinks especially the theatre, which has limited capacity owing to these problems as upstairs is no use for shows or AV presentation in lectures. 

2 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

The agents do not have the pdf.  I called my own agent and just now another, randomly.  There is just nothing out there yet.  

No, Regent direct, not your local agent.

Get them to send a PDF file as soon as finalised , this will tell you not only the  excursions but the start times and if they are running more than once. We have never missed out by doing this a couple of days after they open. We always book by phoning Regent in Southampton to talk to a human rather than online, you get a better service like this, if one time is less busy they will advise ,also if you wish to do more than one in a port.

Heidseck Monopole with the yellow label

And very good it is too  !!!!

Cheers  !!!

3 hours ago, aungrl said:

FWIW, we took our first Regent cruise - to Alaska, departing out of Vancouver - on June 12 of this year on the Mariner.  Although we had been to Alaska a few times, cruising in Alaska was a bucket list item for the couple we were traveling with, and we were happy to go back with Regent.  As others have said, nothing is 100% perfect, but our experience came close.  I think we were lucky in our embarkation process, in that everything ran smoothly, on schedule, without any hiccups or lengthy waits.  We were fortunate enough to have dinner one evening with one of the officers, and I asked him how many children were sailing.  The answer:  97, which is a fairly large percentage.  But they were extraordinarily well-managed.  The kids club was in full force during the day, and unless we happened to be walking by, we didn’t really see too many children running around unsupervised on the ship - that happened maybe twice in the full 8 days, and in one case, the mother was following close behind and was obviously mortified that her kids were acting up.  I was shocked to hear the number, given how ‘invisible’ the kids were - again, sounds like we were lucky on this one, too, but I’ll take it.  

 

I’ve been reading this forum for over a year, have asked a few questions and gotten terrific answers, and felt pretty well-prepared for the experience, but it still blew us away.  Was every meal in every venue perfect?  Of course not, but on balance, most were well above average and a few were truly amazing.  In fact, the only ‘off’ experience we had in terms of dining for the entire cruise was once at the Pool Grill, at lunch, when we were sort of strongly encouraged to choose a burger from some that had been pre-made, sitting in warming trays, and when we asked if we could get them freshly made, there was a second attempt to get us to just take ones from the tray.  We had a PH3, and our butler was the best butler we’ve ever had.  We celebrated an anniversary, and he went out of his way not only with room decorations and a little treat after dinner, but also with informing the waitstaff in Compass Rose, where we were made to feel incredibly special.  The suite itself was the most spacious we’ve ever had, and I knew ahead of time from CC to pre-order the type of drinks we preferred.  These were stocked and exactly right when we first arrived.

 

We had to make a last minute change to an excursion, and the destination services people couldn’t have been more accommodating.  I know they’ve gotten some criticism occasionally, but that wasn’t our experience at all on this particular cruise.  We changed to a different excursion with literally 45 minutes to spare, and it was all handled cheerfully and efficiently.

 

Because we’ve had the good fortune to experience Alaska on other cruise/land trips, we didn’t feel the need to book excursions other than those that were included.  Our traveling companions did select a couple of the more expensive extra-cost outings, including a helicopter flight onto the glacier followed by dogsledding, and they thought this was worth every penny and more.

 

I could go on, but I mostly wanted to weigh into this topic because our experience just couldn’t have been more different than this family group who pretty obviously has a bone to pick, for whatever set of reasons.  Even though we were on an Alaska itinerary, in the summer, with lots of children, departing out of Vancouver, Regent most certainly lived up to its reputation and our expectations, and we’ll definitely be sailing with them as time allows from now on.

 

 

Totally agree: some of these reviews have a totally unrealistic expectation of the product Everything is not perfect but 99% of the time is !!! IMHO Some people need to get real.

In the UK this summer told by bank they no longer need this , as will text you on mobile to confirm if a purchase/ transaction needs verification or is outside usual use. So one less thing to do before holidays!!

4 hours ago, Phillygirl3 said:

Oh my,  after reading the posts about the Navigator, I'm wondering if I made a mistake booking a cruise on her for 2020.  Creaks, rattles, etc.--a little concerning.  How does one sleep if this is a problem.  I thought that I read about one of Regent's ships having problems with the balcony doors making noise but that people figured out how to turn the handles at a certain angle which fixed the problem.  If creaks and rattles are so problematic, why would anyone want to sail her and why wouldn't Regent do something to alleviate the problem?  Believe me, I have been on Silversea and dealt with plumbing rattling in the walls every time some one below me flushed their toilet.  It was awful and eventually, we were moved to a different cabin.  On Seabourn the vibration from being in a cabin in the front of the ship was so bad that I had to get sleeping pills from the ship's doctor and was charged $100 for the visit.  On a river cruise, we had one of two largest cabins and the noise and rattling was quite bad, but we muddled through and thought that the benefits of what we received for paying for it outweighed the annoyance.  So, my dear Cruise Critic posters, I'm hoping that you can reassure me that I didn't make a mistake by booking a cruise on the Navigator.  We have sailed twice before on Regent, and I'm looking forward to a third but hope that it won't be the last as we are sailing across the Atlantic and I want those days to be relaxing not stressed by noise.

Thanks to all who respond.  I appreciate your feedback.

We are just back from 20 days on  the Navigator to Norway . No real noises beyond any ship as Bill has replied. Take care on where your suite is situated, we were in PH C 904, would recommend as a quiet one!! I think that the aft vibration is much less now on Navigator, we only noticed in the theatre, especially during lectures or close to ports, when there was a shuddering shaking, otherwise better even when rough coming into Shetland.

1 hour ago, Mudhen said:

We were most recently (mid July) on the Explorer and we didn't have a block party. I'm guessing because it was so port intensive. Definately missed it. We'll be on the little Navigator in Oct. Hoping there will be one then.....Block parties don't always appear on every ship, every cruise.

Equally on 10+ cruises never not had a block party, across all 4 ships, best on Navigator - maybe because of central corridor. Poorest attendance on Explorer last year when only a few people bothered, never saw neighbours in one suite on an 8 day cruise.

On all Regent ships. It's great do not miss it, it's well flagged up on the daily passages and also the day to day show the CD does on TV channel 1-  you can't miss it as its on continuous loop!!

Great ship, but not my favourite. So much wasted space in the area to the spa and pacific rim, plus glamour/glitz over practicality, eg the wall in D suites opposite the bed, like this dislike the lack of view out. Theatre with poor sight lines, silly steps, and useless upstairs area, no open front viewing area. These all stop it being the best.... Lets hope they get Splendour better. Hopefully will make CR quieter as well, we ate by choice in the back corner on Explorer, found the Navigator much quieter- lower ceiling?

Why?

Gratuities included or paid as part of the daily amount, is enough!!!!!

Surely paying out twice is both silly / absurd

It's not as if these people are not paid from your fare

Tipping should be above and beyond the normal, the exceptional.

On Regent we never have same staff as anytime open seating means often only seeing a waiter once, therefore tipping on top is weird..........

Sorry, autocorrect overrode....... I know its John BANNON

A very fair view of the Explorer, focused on John Brannon as CD, and the work of F&B director and Exec Chef to procure fresh destination fish in Malaga. Also a little on the Regent Suite and preparing this. Well put together , included the Regent block party as well ,not over doing the excesses , which the programme previews /fliers focused on. A good advert for Regent, which even old hands with 100 days on Regent's seven seas ships found informative and interesting. Hopefully next 3 weeks will get away from expense and costs and show the value of what is included, which does not make it any more than many other cruise lines without the hoards and the nickel/ dining at every opportunity. Yet all the advantages of the ships

Watch if you are able to.........??

Why?

Like most Brits do not get this..........

If you have paid tips already , why pay again?

This master / servant approach and double tipping is mad.

Why not pay a fair price upfront and pay staff properly,  Not a bribe culture. ABSURD.   !!!!!!!!!

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 8:46 PM, kjbacon said:

Not for extra Prime 7 reservations but it gives you the option of an absolutely fantastic treat: a personalized, custom meal served to you by your butler that you can enjoy in your room or balcony. This one of the (many) highlights of our first Regent trip and one that we look forward to repeating for our second and third booked trips. If you choose your balcony like we did, select an evening that you are in port late. You can do this more than once so start thinking of your most special dinner dishes and prepare to enjoy!

One of our most memorable was a meal served by the butler on our balcony in Malaga 2 years ago. It was a late sail away 10pm and we had a delightful private and romantic dinner overlooking the Mediterranean.... Hard to beat

Although the speciality restaurants are good, don't get hung up on these bookings as CR the main dining room is excellent and many things available in here as well. We are just back from the Navigator and had 2 great meals in Prime 7 , but find you need to be hungry to really enjoy. Ease up on lunch that day and avoid tea to get the best out of it. My wife especially finds the smaller plate portions sufficient in Prime 7.Also give yourself time in here with spaces between courses, we had to slow them down the first time, producing one plate straight after another, which is the US way not the European way of fine dining.

Some rubbish talked here, many cities water is re-using existing water. London it is often cited that the water you drink has been through 7 people already !! Don't see how this is less pure than Russian sourced bottled water being given out on the Navigator, I would trust UK scientific standards anytime over Russian ones.

Bottled water in many cases is the biggest 'con' going with massive mark ups for a product scientifically proven to be no better than tap water, in many cases except real springs tap water has more mineral content. The environmental cost as well of all the 500ml single use plastic bottles both carbon footprint of transporting them and then their plastic disposal is a real issue.

3 hours ago, flossie009 said:

Like @GrJ Berkshire, we have just experienced the new Vero water system on SS Navigator. These are our comments:

 

Positives

• Both still & sparkling Vero water is available, both chilled
• The water tastes great (or rather does not taste!) - no more taint of chlorine that used to be the case on occasion with the jugged iced water in the restaurants
• Convenient plastic bottled water is available when on excursion (and presumably could be requested in your suite?)
• Plastic bottles can simply be refilled from the Vero bottles
• Branded bottled water (e.g. San Pellegrino) is available 

Negatives

• The Vero bottles are heavy and can be difficult to pour when full
• Although the Vero bottles did fit in the door of the fridge during our cruise, I am not sure that this was the case for the replacement fridges which were being fitted on our last day on board (The new fridges are apparently more efficient and eco-friendly)
• The Vero system has not addressed the issue of single use plastic bottles for excursions, apart from those who take the trouble to refill a bottle before leaving their suite

Our opinions

• Did the Vero system impact the enjoyment of our cruise positively or negatively? No
• Did we miss the plastic straws? No
• Are Regent's 'environmental' efforts simply a marketing ploy or a cost cutting measure? Maybe
• Do small changes make any difference globally? Every little helps. If everyone just cynically makes no effort, and gives no support to individuals, organisations & companies that try to become more environmentally aware then no progress will ever be made.
• Do we support Regent's efforts? Yes

"We took along our own refillable water bottles, bought in UK. We then simply filled from the Vero bottles every day. If its warm our refillable bottles fitted in the fridge ready for next excursion, no need for the disposable single use plastic bottles at all. Regent could brand these and give to all as a 'freebie' which would remove enormous plastic use and save shipping space (suggestion more wine / beer can be added) .

We never ran out of water as in a PH C suite , our butler topped up our 2 bottles twice a day. I found the sparkling water in dinner just as good as the bottled San Pellegrino, after all it's H2O after all. Many of the bottles given out were Russian - After our close escape from the White sea where the rocket blew up , who knows what glowing reports these will give? For the British readers of this could be as good as Peckham Spring Water from Del Boy - lovely jubbly !!!