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  1. I don't know how you know which cruise lines we enjoy or what our tastes are. My post was to respond to the original question: Is the Explorer really that bad? I shared my personal experience on the Explorer and yes it was really that bad! Your snarky response is uncalled for. These boards are for others to share our experiences, and even if you disagree, your sarcastic answer is totally unnecessary.
  2. There were many problems on board the Explorer. We were on board for a Japan Cruise in October. The MDR staff was serving incorrect dinners to the wrong people at our table. The food was continuously cold and the service left much to be desired. We ate there only twice because of these issues. The Sette Mare location served what was supposed to be Italian food, but it was tasteless. The Chartreuse Restaurant was another restaurant serving food that was tasteless, too. The worst problems we experienced were on the included excursions in Japan. Day after day, our excursions had guides who read from a script. The Japanese guides spoke little English and we had much difficulty understanding what they were trying to say. Many people visited the destinations desk and expressed their dissatisfaction with these tours. I am still astonished about the quality of these excursions on Regent. This was not a luxury cruise in any way shape or form.
  3. We used Treviso from VCE Airport to our hotel in Venice and from our Venice hotel to Trieste to embark on our cruise. They were very reliable and all communication was quick & easy. The vehicle and private water taxi were immaculate. We highly recommend them.
  4. We also had a guide who read from a script & had no idea how to answer any questions asked. Very irritating from the customer's point of view!
  5. Thank you for getting this posting back on topic. We were discussing the positives/negatives of Regent Cruises.
  6. We completed our Japan Cruise on Regent Cruises Explorer Ship and were glad we booked private tours with Pinpoint Traveler for Kyoto and Nara. Both tours included pick-up/drop-off at Kobe Cruise Pier and included a professional guide. Our group of 6 people drove to Nara for our half day tour from Kobe Cruise Pier. Our guide, Lito, was wonderful and the van was very comfortable. We walked around the park to see the deer and learned how to bow and feed them. We visited Todaiji Temple (giant Buddha) and walked around Nara near the quaint shops and drove to the top of the hill for fabulous views of the area. We also saw a Japanese bride and groom in their wedding clothes posing for their wedding pictures on the hill. Our guide, Lito, had a wonderful personality and he made the day very enjoyable. Our group of 6 people drove to Kyoto for our full day tour leaving Kobe Cruise Pier at 7:30 am for our 1.5 hour drive to Kyoto. We visited Tenryu-ji Temple, Okochi Sanso (bamboo Grove) in Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari (red gates), Golden Pavilion, Nishiki Market, and had lunch at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Our day had our professional guide with us at all times explaining what we were seeing. We drove comfortably from one place to another. We saw more than we would have seen if we had booked a cruise ship tour where we might see 1-2 places in Kyoto. Our guide also walked us around a neighborhood discussing real estate listings posted and we visited a Japanese convenience store too. Having a personal guide for both of our tours made each day so meaningful. We had no difficulty understanding or hearing our guides because we were only 6 people and one of the guides was Canadian and the other American, so there were no language issues. Unfortunately, our guides on the Regent Tours we booked were difficult to understand and hear. We were all very glad we booked Nara and Kyoto privately and we highly recommend PINPOINT TRAVELER (located in Osaka) for future Japan private tours.
  7. When every Japanese tour was poor for the reasons discussed above, it is not a problem caused by Covid. The one good tour we took was in Busan, Korea. The guides’ English was clear and easy to understand. When you pay over 30k for a cruise, your excuses are ridiculous. If Regent cannot supply what the customer paid for, they should eliminate that cruise. As you stated, the Explorer is not a good fit for us. We like cruise lines that stand behind their product, where you get what you pay for.
  8. This is our first Regent Cruise to Japan. Positives: great room steward nice (but dated) cabins Negatives: *Pre-cruise tours chaotic *Couldn’t understand the Japanese pre-cruise tour guides *Couldn’t hear the Japanese pre-cruise tour guides *Complaints from many about all Japan Tours Regent is supposedly the top cruise line. This is shocking to us because we did not experience unrivaled luxury. How can the top cruise line have tours where every guide (except in Busan, Korea) has problems communicating in English? Regent is very aware of these problems with their Japanese Tours, but they continue to book these cruises and act like everything is top notch. They blame the shut down due to Covid for not having proper guides, yet they continue to take our money regardless. Maybe they shouldn’t be cruising to Japan if they cannot provide tours where you can understand and hear the guides?
  9. If anyone knows when Allura's itineraries will be released, please post the date. Anxiously awaiting their itineraries!
  10. We are looking for a reliable and reasonably priced taxi company for the following Tokyo transfers: 1). Tokyo International Cruise Pier to Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku 2). Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku to Haneda International Airport We would appreciate all recommendations!
  11. We stayed at Sina Palazzo S. Angelo Hotel (a small lovely hotel) on the Grand Canal with the S. Angelo Vaporetto Station right at our front door. Lovely hotel with the convenience of the Vaporetto right outside. We highly recommend this hotel.
  12. We contacted Bischoff Wine Store online before our cruise and ordered 6 bottles to be delivered to our hotel. They helped with our choice of wines and all was sitting at our hotel when we arrived. It was seamless.
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