Robyn2

Yes we did go to some of the shows, they were very good but we didnt see the CD. We dont do Trivia but it was hosted by the  crew in the evenings, not sure about day time. Saw him a few times on the tv too but not around the ship.

The cruise was so good for us that it didnt matter, the main thing was the standards were very high  and the crew seemed very happy. 

Just off Riviera, had a wonderful cruise, only a few glitches!

The cruise director was Paul Baya, almost invisible, we saw very little of him.

Thank you all for that info. I see on The Priesmans list that the wines are all fairly ordinary, nothing stands out! I'll keep an eye out for Mirabelle etc, maybe we'll get lucky. Cheers!

Is it possible to get the list of included wines with the Prestige Package on Riviera, perhaps I have missed this if posted before! 

Hi John,

Apologies for not responding until now, have been away and didn't log in. Great you enjoyed your cruise so much and are returning to Viking, that says a lot!

You have painted a very good picture of what to expect on Viking. I think I like the casual style, staff seem to be on a par with Regent and cuisine almost as good. We love more classical music, that pianist would hit the spot. And then your price comparison, that is so helpful and explains a lot re extras, tips etc.  In order to compare like with like, you must upgrade to a higher level cabin on Viking. Full payment 15 months ahead...that's a big ask but maybe it can be reduced to 12. Interesting re insurance too and tip on Canal half crossings, that would be a big mistake!

Thank you John, very much appreciated.  You have taken so much time to write this up and I am sure many others will find your review extremely useful.

Kind regards

Robyn

Coljack, thank you, I'll be looking forward to hearing your views on Viking,  especially Panama Canal trip. Hope you have a great cruise.

Yes Alainciao, I too would  rate ambience very highly and it seems Viking would not have the same atmosphere and luxury feeling. I do like the sound of that bar by the infinity pool, it could be very inviting!

I won't be writing off Viking just yet, it does all boil down to itinerary and time of year.

Great response as always from the Regent 'Fanatics', hope they don't change the potion.

Thank you so much.

Gilly, your friends don't know what they are missing.

alainciao, perhaps I jumped ship too quickly. Thank you for your more favourable opinion on Viking. I have done a little more research and agree that when drinks package and excursions are added, there is not a huge difference in price but Viking still works out less expensive. We are not really interested in shows but food and nice wine would matter a lot. Also interesting that there is general access to the spa. More homework this evening!

Thank you Tsunami74 and Jimmymcdaniel, I now have a much clearer picture of what to expect with Viking. It seems it would be ok for a short cruise to somewhere exciting but not much onboard luxury and service like on Regent. Would hate having to fight for a table, food not great etc. I think decision made and I do appreciate your time in replying to my query.

Derosja, so kind of you to reply so promptly, thank you very much. I do appreciate ‘your take’ on Viking and have taken it 'on board'.  It sounds like your experience was definitely not a good one. It may be back to the drawing board for us.

Having cruised to gold level with Regent we are now considering taking a Viking Ocean Cruise to the Panama Canal. I would value any opinions and comparisons from regular Regent cruisers who may have tried Viking Ocean. Of course still love Regent and have enjoyed Oceania twice. Any thoughts much appreciated, thank you.

Yes the Merrion Hotel is very nice but also look at The Shelbourne, one of the oldest hotels in Dublin and very historic with a touch of old grandeur looking over the beautiful St. Stephen's Green. The Westbury is also excellent, all these hotels are right in the centre of the city. The Hop on bus tours are good and will take you to all the main attractions, Trinity College, Guinness Brewery, Christ Church, Kilmainham Jail and much more. Hope this helps.

Hi vtgal, as I am from Dublin I thought I may be able to help. I don't know which hotels Regent use but if I can assist you with choice or plans, let me know. If you haven't been to Dublin before, I think you will like it.

I am not looking for compensation for an act of God. Thank God I am lucky to be alive and healthy and am counting my blessings! 🙏

Let me try and explain myself more clearly.

I am just discussing this matter as it affects me and my plans for future cruises with my favorite company Regent, and I suspect there may be others who are similarly affected.

I would not have availed of the final payment date extension had the implications been made clear i.e. I would not be eligible for the 25% credit should my cruise be cancelled.

The position now is that I am competing for bookings on cruises that seem to have inflated prices compared with previous years.  Perhaps these new prices may be inflated to make up for the extra 25% credit given to so many cruisers.

If I want to book a similar 18-day cruise for next year I find that it will cost me at least 25% more that this year. This makes planning for a future cruise a lot more expensive.

Naturally very disappointed today to hear our March cruise on Voyager has been cancelled.

But also disillusioned to hear that Regent are not offering any compensation whatsoever for this cancellation.

Regent changed out final payment date from October to January and as a result we have not made our final payment.

Had they not extended the final payment date, we would have paid in full and qualified for the 25% future cruise credit. Now we have just been offered a refund of our deposit!

As regular Regent cruisers at Gold Level, we feel let down.

Yes, I booked with a TA, have not heard from them yet!

Thank you so much flossie 009. Our cruise is actually in March, not February as I stated.

I just logged into "my account" and as you said, the final payment date has been changed. Great news!

The girl I spoke with today at Regent UK seemed to be French, perfect English but not perfect information!!

Thank you for the clarification, no big decisions now, am very happy to hear this.

I am a bit confused about information on the extension of final payment dates. We are booked on a South American Voyager cruise in February 2021 so final payment will be in October. I understood from some posts here that all final payment dates had been changed to 60 days prior to departure  up to the end of March 2021.

I phoned Regent UK today to check this out and was told that only cruises departing up to the end of December 2020 had this change to their final payment dates.  Can anyone lend some clarification to this?

Oh great, I didn't realize we could take wine on board and keep it in our cabin. Is the fridge big enough to take a couple of bottles of wine?

That solves the pre dinner drinks question, we can just open our own 😊.

Requesting towels, I am glad to know this, I also thought they may be at the exit to pick up when leaving ship!

We will be on Riviera , I believe 4 specialty restaurants.  So will try nab an extra booking as soon as possible, even possibly on first night.

Don't really want the wine bottle on the table, just hope it doesn't walk away 😉

Again thank you all so much.

Thank you all for the excellent advice and tips.

Yes we will now bring our own water bottles but not coffee mugs, paper cups will do just fine!

We will take our time boarding but maybe in time to get some late lunch.

Great tips re specialty restaurants, thank you and the Terrace Cafe sounds wonderful.

I note the waiter might leave the water bottle on the table but would they kindly leave the wine bottle too !!

We enjoy a glass of wine in our suite while getting ready for dinner. Will room service take for ever to deliver it or can we just go and pick it up at the nearest bar?

One last question, which of the speciality restaurants is the most popular/requested, ie difficult to get a reservation?

Thank you all those great Oceania CC experts....a great help to first timers 👍😊

Hi, we are new to Oceania and can’t wait to board in Miami….a few basic questions please, would appreciate your advice.

Firstly, do we need to bring reusable water bottle and coffee cups?

What toiletries are supplied, ie shampoo, conditioner, body lotion etc?

Are towels supplied for beach excursions?

We are on Deck 7 Riviera, basic veranda cabin, when would be the best time to board in Miami in order to avoid long queues?

Any other advice for newbies would be most welcome, thank you!

Are there any particular nights when there is a special menu, barbeque, deck party,  captains dinner etc and if so when would they normally be held on a 14 day Carribean cruise on Riviera. Just want to check before making dining reservations. Would love some advice on this please.

So I have taken in all the pros and cons and thank you all for taking the trouble to respond. We have as a result booked with Oceania and now cant wait to check it out. Will report back after the cruise, hoping it will be mostly positive comments!

Thank you all for your advice and thoughts on my query. We are now very much inclined to spread our wings and give it a try. I know the 'less expensive' suites are quite small at least compared to Regent. We would be taking 2 suites, 1 single occupancy so will have a bit more space for storage etc. I will have a look at Seabourne too as the single fare with Oceania is now almost the same as for 2 people....ouch! A little more homework to do this evening, decisions decisions!

I know there have been numerous discussions on this but I would value recent opinions.  My query is re service, suites etc. Regent v Oceania. The Caribbean cruise we are looking at works out very good value as we need one single suite, our son who has some disability will join us, single occupancy on Regent is very pricey. O are offering all the following... 3 excursions pp, $300 on board credit, house beverage, one wifi and gratuities. The OBC could be used to upgrade to full drnks package. We are looking at verandah poss concierge if worth it on Riviera? We are committed Regent cruisers, gold level but the pricing on this is very attractive. Will we be disappointed with Riviera, will we get the same great service and enjoy almost the same experience? Would value your opinions.