welshfamily

This may help Not sure if this only works in Europe as that is the only place I have tried it as I usually download all my books at home. However if I need to this is how I download books onto my kindle on a cruise. I attach my kindle to my phones personal hotshot, and download on my phones Wi-Fi. You do have to have a signal. In the home screen access the 3 dots on the upper right hand side of the Kindle - choose settings - then Wireless - make sure your phone hot spot is turned on - open Wi-Fi settings - if your phone isnt on the list hit RESCAN (bottom right of your screen - select your phone. Of course it depends where you are but surprisingly I have had a decent signal on a sea day. Hope you are having a great cruise.

Agree with Wendy. we travel with adult children but welcome interaction with all. Have met plenty of people around the pool, in bars etc We met a couple whose husband enjoyed trivia but his wife didn’t, he joined us daily. Also met a mum travelling with her son …….she was never with him as well as a Solo. Excursions are a great way to get to know people.

As a family who can never do a world cruise due to constant hospital treatment ( every 6/8 weeks ) We have really enjoyed and appreciated your posts and pictures. Imaging we were with you. Best wishes for a speedy recovery Jim from all here in Wales.

A hopefully helpful word of warning Sofia was the hotel we turned down ( took the credit). It has some great reviews. It’s up by camp nou. The hotel is not near the centre however taxis are plentiful and cheap however some of the rooms have the basin etc in the bedroom and we travel with our adults son and daughter. They share a room. The hotel could not guarantee that the bathroom would be enclosed for privacy. This is becoming a problem for us in many “ newly designed” hotels as the facilities are only separated from the bedroom by glass partitions. To be honest and you can call me old fashioned even though we have been married for 42 years I can honestly say I prefer to use the facilities including showering in private and not behind a glass partition however obscured the glass is. on the plus side the hotel responded very professionally to my query.

Similar situation. Last year We asked for Pepsi Max. It’s available in most parts of the world because I have bought it. We received Pepsi regular. Only other similar drink on board was Diet Coke. We bought our own at first port and were able to buy it at most ports. Daughter really prefers Pepsi Max but managed with some Diet Coke. However Diet Coke is very popular on regent and it became hard to get hold of. Having another go this year. Regent Uk have written Pepsi Max (sugar free) this time. It seems Miami do the ordering. I am busy researching Barcelona cash and carry to see if I can bulk buy a case. Anyone know how if it’s possible for the ship to receive an Amazon delivery 😁

Cannot help with Regents reasoning. I don’t know how to do a link to articles however search for A locals guide to Palermo by the newspaper the guardian. Sounds great and equally not a port which is often visited. Equally a really interesting article by the Independent ( another Uk newspaper); We went to Sorrento last year with Regent and did a go local tour. To be honest we could have been in any small Italian city. The gelato and the coffee were Sorprendente ( amazing ) but nothing of real iterest just narrow streets with lots of tourist shops. Of course this is just my opinion. Its was August and pretty full of people. About a month ago We have had an alteration to our August cruise docking at Cannes instead of Antibes. New excursions came up today and there are plenty of different tours available. Hopefully the same will happen for you.

Can confirm taxi drivers will know where your ship is docked. This is an common occurrence in Barcelona.

I don’t understand either. We, in the Uk, have deviated going out and we have upgraded to business however our flights will not be paid for ( ticketed) until approx 60 days before we cruise. Returning from the ship our TA has done everything to try to get us business class flights even by moving us from a concierge D to a penthouse B and still Regent wanted over £600 extra for an included business class flight. I think the amount Regent now are willing to spend on “ included “ flights is unrealistic and will lead to many of us having problems with the included flights. We are currently looking at our options

Sorry embarkation was less than perfect, Hope the champagne was properly chilled and relaxed you both. Pre dinner drinks May I recommend the Voyager cocktail. This was my husbands favourite tipple last summer.

We had our first Regent cruise on the Mariner last summer and enjoyed ourselves so much we are booked for 17 days on the Voyager this year. Again not as new or sparkling as some of their ships but then neither are we!! No cruise is perfect and certainly Regent flight department have lost the plot as far as we are concerned but the onboard experience last year was excellent.

Safe journey. I have really enjoyed your previous blogs. By the way Arthur is very cute. Looking forward to hearing about the Voyager. We are on her for 17 days this summer.

Thank you.

Thank you, My TA spent the afternoon on the phone to Turkish airlines trying to get them to give her just that information. They have kept insisting we need to book a second bag to increase the weight allowance. I too have rung Turkish airlines for just that information. Could I bother you for a screen shot as both she and I cannot find it on the Uk website. if not I will follow Pcardad’s advice and either book our own flights or look into shipping luggage.

Pcardad. We are flying out business with deviation. Only a short direct European flight returning home with Turkish air departing at lunch time. No other business class flights available other than BA on a A321 neo which has only a 30 seat pitch. Does not leave Istanbul till 5.45 pm. Long long layover in Heathrow to catch last shuttle up to Manchester. Whole journey takes over 9hrs. TA has spent two days ringing Regent Uk on multiple occasions looking for alternative flights. No to everything except the two airlines. Regent want £599 which is $760 per person to upgrade to business class on Turkish air. Not good valve for money and I was brought up not to waste money. Turkish air has 3 classes of Economy. Regent will not let us upgrade. Regent Uk say they only have a contract for the middle class. TA has raised a concern. I posted to see if anyone had any other ideas, people to contact etc.

We in the Uk only get Economy seats. Different classes of Economy tickets is becoming the norm on a lot of flights. These different classes are usually without hold bags, with hold bags ( light weight) and hold bags ( better weight) Our TA has been trying to get Regent to buy us the Economy seats with better weight hold bags . Cost on airline site £18 per person difference from the tickets Regent are offering. We would happily pay. Regent will not do this. This seems very short sighted as we are paying a not inconsiderable sum for a 17 day cruise and two cabins. The flight ( even though it is economy ) is direct and at lunch time which makes it highly desirable. Business class on this flight is at an additional cost of £599. £2,400 for our family. We can fly on other flights Business for £199 ….These flights go late and have changes. We can pay for an extra suitcase. We can buy one in Barcelona. It just seems to us that Regent are not or will not understand that airlines are changing. Which is the best way for us to bring this matter to Regent’s attention.

Thanks for the tip about Greece. Our back to back “Port” is Athens. We will carry our Passports. Unfortunately we have been to Athens quite often and therefore hope there is interesting tour and not just the usual sites.

Thank you Do you receive information before you travel or on the ship

Does Regent offer tours for embarkation day for back to back guests. Just trying to decide what to do as I think we have to leave the ship. Does anyone know for how long ? We are having to change cabins and have searched the board for information and this seems straight forward enough. Any hints advice etc gratefully received.

This happened to us in Lisbon last year and the amount credited back in no way paid for the hotel room never mind the transfers. We received no onboard credit as a goodwill gesture. We booked concierge again this year to get midship rooms, early access to both excursions and the speciality restaurants. We were happy to pay the cost as is our prerogative but after last years experience took the credit for the hotel. We received £145 per person. The transfers are never credited according to Regent Uk. However we were able to get our hotel room for a good early price.

Swings and roundabout story from us. Here in the UK we only have included Economy flights. We are just in the process of added a second cruise to our already booked August cruise. We need to fly back from Istanbul to Manchester. We had already deviated, added business class flights both ways on the original booking. These flights were not ticketed. This will happen60 days before we sail. We will not be able to book seats until then. Therefore no seat reservations possible. There are 4 of us. However this meant we could add a second cruise without loss of original upgrade (Athens to Manchester ….£300 per person ). A win. However the choice is now a British Airways late flight from Istanbul via Heathrow with a long stopover ( journey time 9hrs) for the original £300 or Direct flight with Turkish Airlines for £599 per person. Looking at the prices online for the same direct flight we are only getting £205 towards the flight. ( 391 economy and £804 Business on website) Waiting to find out amount of credit for not taking flight. Cruise on the Regent web site is not quoted without flights. We were astonished by the amount Regent wanted for the upgrade. TA thinks Regent do not have a contract with Turkish airlines and are passing on the total cost of the return flight. wondering if any Uk/ European guests have experienced a large increase in upgrade costs.

I have tried to research this for you. Who are you flying with? If it’s a direct flight from the US it’s very unlikely that you will fly into Southampton. However both KLM and British airways ( amongst others…less well known airlines) fly into Southampton usually from Amsterdam, Barcelona etc. We looked into an Oceania cruise from Barcelona to Southampton on the Vista and would have driven to Southampton and then flown to Barcelona. We booked with Regent instead but it was do..able. Flights also arrive from Edinburgh and Glasgow but not often if at all from Heathrow Try taking a look at the arrivals board at Southampton airport. Hope this helps

I have sympathy with the OP over the disappointment of missed ports. I am sure we would all agree that most people cruise to experience new places whilst having a hotel type base. We are taking our second regent cruise in August on the voyager. Our first was on the Mariner. We were happy with the ‘less glitzy ‘ style and are assuming the Voyager will be the same style of ship. We chose the itinerary and not the ship but in this day and age realise that even in the Mediterranean things may change. Cunard is a very different experience , very different style, class oriented and all the ships are large with many passengers. I have found that research on the desired destination, time of year, etc can matter enormously when choosing a cruise line.

Look at H10 plaza Catalunya This hotel has two apartments. It is very central and has good reviews. We have booked it for August.

Just posted on another thread re transport Barcelona airport to plaza Cataluyna. Only about 20 mins journey at most. Do the do short trips. thanks

We are travelling in August. We turned down a different hotel and got a credit. We are staying for a few days before the cruise and chose to stay centrally at the Plaza Catalunya as we wanted a private outdoor area. We also like to “ wander “ around a place and our last stay in Barcelona 2 years ago was just by the Sagrada Familia therefore we decided to try a different district this time. Taxis are cheap and plentiful so I don’t think it matters where you stay. I would factor in the morning plans before embarkation before deciding. We wouldn’t use the bus to the port as we prefer to arrange our own transport. Our issue is finding a company to take us from the airport to the hotel as although we have been told the taxis queue at the airport moves swiftly we prefer to be met. ( any recommendations gratefully received ) If you use the Regent hotel you will have transport from the airport. We have no experience of this as we always deviate.