jessandarnie

On 3/8/2024 at 7:32 AM, NanJ0508 said:

Yep, and I think El Nino contributed to the bad weather this year.

Navigator 16 Feb just gone…. Day 1 was a stormy day out of 11…just got better & better from then on….loved it.

We have just sailed TAHITI on Navigator, departed Papeete on 7 February. Yes there was a storm occur which delayed us and we missed Mo’orea. But after the storm the weather cleared up and I must say it was the most stunning waters one could experience in the world. Calm seas and blue skies enhanced the excursions, which were brilliant, especially the water based ones.

(We rebooked this after cancelling same cruise March 2020)
 

when storms arise in Tahiti the government are pedantic about stopping marine traffic, ferries, excursions etc, all due to safety.. Mariner was in Tahiti at the same time. Oceania & Azamara, next Princess and RCL were following. November to March in the pacific the weather can be unpredictable unfortunately .

I must say, it was the ultimate cruise we have experienced. Regent excelled themselves in every way possible. All the crew were the best we’ve had., thank you Regent.

TYO to Vancouver - 13 April…yes.  See roll call.

Yes designated Uber , transport, pick up area…follow signs.

You won’t need to walk very far…there is a bus service that’s does a loop around the island, you can get off, go for a swim, get back on again at different stops. It will give you enough time to do this. Check the schedule on Rottnest Island webpage. Its a great way to see the sights all around the island, no need to get off of you don’t want to.

the village of Rottnest is all within short walking distance, e.g, ferry to hotel, to supermarket to bakery, less than 10 minutes walk.

it is a great day trip from Perth city (or from Fremantle) The good part of getting the ferry from Perth, you cruise all the way down the Swan River, very scenic cruising…then thru the port of Fremantle to cruise to Rottnest. 
 

you won’t be disappointed but you will if you do not go.

Yes aware of bike hire. The Blue Lagoon boat trip has amazing reviews, and get to snorkle on way back. Looking forward to seeing Fakarava and the waters there.

Hello to others that may be on this cruise.  Regent does not offer excursions in Fakarava, it’s a very small island/ atoll.

i have arranged a Blue Lagoon excursion, with a local operator, please see Roll Call for this cruise.  We need 8-10 perople to ensure this will start.

if you have expressed an interest thru the roll call please message me to re confirm you are still interested. I will then confirm with Ato.

its not too far away now 👌

Digital documents…along with I.D - Passort & credit card on check in.

we know where we are going.

4 hours ago, kelsea82301 said:

Hello,

 

Do you remember what company had the smaller boat?  We are looking at Wavelength and Calypso for a GBR tour out of Port Douglas.

 

Thanks!

 

Kelly

Have a look at Oceanspirit website. Smaller catararam sailing boat, with motors.

On 12/9/2022 at 5:33 PM, jessandarnie said:

We have cruised a number of other cruise lines, we really appreciate ( at a substantial cost way above others), what Regent offers us..one total cost up front, knowing that we are not paying  out for additional expenses, e.g, tours, alcohol, dining, taxes and importantly gratuities.   Yes we are from Australia where we are not accustomed to tipping. We also are paying a lot more to cruise with Regent, we can do this in AUD $ here, then everything is taken care of. It is comforting know Regent Seven Seas values their crew and rewards them accordingly.
When we have cruised with other lines, we are subject to extra costs which are generally in USD, our exchange rate can vary,  between 50% to generally 80%  on these additional expenses. This has been and is always a consideration whenever we head to USA, we don’t have a unlimited budget consequently we always have to take this into account when we travel.

There are lots of opinions and viewpoints to this story.

 

 

 

 

 

We are also from Australia…like you we cruise RSSC for what it provides, all inclusive costs.

It is a relief to go on a cruise knowing we will not incur further expenses in a cocktail or 2, nice restaurants, choice optional tours, and gratuities. What is it that we then could feel that we should offer more in tips…. like some of you do on here.

If the system doesn’t work, RSSC would not work like this.

15 hours ago, GMIAC said:

I've heard great things about the Limousine Bus, but unfortunately it doesn't include trips that don't include the airport. We're arriving at Yokohama, which is quite a way away from Tokyo Disney, about 28 miles. It's at least three trains, with walking involved. 

Have a look at …Klook….downlaod app, they cover everything transport, tours etc. Japan and Asia.

We are on the same cruise, Tokyo to Vancouver, it is a little concerning to read about certain issues on the Explorer. We realise everything is not perfect all the time. This cruise is not inexpensive by no means, we are looking forward to experiencing a quality time on board with each other & enjoy what Regent promotes in their advertising. I am always positive..

Good to hear a positive report on this pre cruise inclusion. We are also on the Tokyo to Vancouver cruise in April with 3 nights in Tokyo beforehand 

1 hour ago, ggo85 said:

As I’ve already said, for me at least there is a difference between getting ready for casual and informal.  It means packing a lot of extra clothes and shoes.  It’s also an attitude. As many times as I’ve worn informal and formal in my life (and it’s a lot), I rarely feel relaxed in that dress - and I want to RELAX on vacation.  Not shorts and a T-shirt, but khakis and a polo / female equivalent.  Formal optional is ok 1-2 nights, not most of the cruise.  
 

I respect the desire of many SS aficionados to dress up every night.  We don’t have that same desire, which is the main reason we have no future cruises booked on SS.  We’ve done 3 and generally enjoyed them.  But the nonsensical application of the dress code on this recent cruise has driven us away.  That may sound crazy to some, but not to us.  Dressing up is important to really enjoying SS, and we don’t enjoy doing it 9 days of a 14-day cruise.  
 

SS isn’t going to change (for now).  So we move on.  That’s fine with us - there other luxury lines that are equally good. And one less person that the dress code lovers have to deal with.  😀
 

 

I absolutely agree with your comments. Our country club casual lifestyle is more appropriate on another luxury cruise line, our reasoning for booking with them. Find it interesting though, to read the differing viewpoints on this SS board. We also travel for more than a couple of months at a time, to pack a complete wardrobe for a few nights takes up bit of space in our suitcase. Maybe one day we will relent and enjoy a SS cruise.

We are doing a North Pacific crossing April and get to Alaska  from 24 April and head south down the coast.

what can we expect weather wise, will it be rainy? 
 

we did Alaska mid September and year ago, the rain was diabolical.

thank you for any good weather reports!

Interesting isn’t it. Our exchange rate AUD to USD Is extremely low ATM…0.62 for us for 1 USD.

this makes it an costly exercise for us to visit the US. But our purpose for this trip by cruise is to visit family and grandchildren, eliminating those long haul flights, which even in business class are strenuous.

I am not concerned whom we book with. CAD is better for us as you probably realise.

can you email me? Budbrian…at…iiNet.net.au your ta info?

39 minutes ago, 1sttimerrt said:

@jessandarnie How did you know that over 60 rooms were available?

I checked all the cabins, did a count. Odd the pricing here in Australia , got quote from a US Agent, much cheaper than currently here. Concerted from USD to AUD as well.

Seaborne and Silver Seas work out to be approx $7-9 K cheaper in US also.

Aus TA not the same deals as US

I think we will wait  loose till when full payment is due. All 3 cruises are not nearly full.

1 hour ago, mj_holiday said:

Jessandarnie - which cruise is this?

April - Tokyo to Vancouver via Alaska.

3 hours ago, cwn said:

Regent regularly does price increases. Usually the best price is when the cruise first becomes available. Sometimes they have special deals but they do not last long. 

Yes I am sure they do when they first release cruises. But, we have just started looking at this one.

There are probably about 60 + cabins available, plus 70 places on their TYO 3 night inclusive stay.

it seems a shame they have the cost of this cruise increase by another $20K AUD plus from 1 October.

those of you that have long term experience with Regent are they likely to release a cruise fare back to where it was to sell the cabins? Or so they do a sail like this half empty?

We have been considering the repositioning cruise ex Japan via Alaska to Vancouver next April. Regent did have a great incentive to book this cruise with pricing on a 2 category upgrade. We were coordinating travel from home here in Aus and also in BC to visit family & friends. Then all of a sudden the cost of this cruise nearly doubled.  The cruise is wide open in cabin availability so I am very curious as to why they would increase the cruise fare when so many cabins empty.

reservations in Sydney could not explain either.

Seaborne and SilverSeas do a very similar depart date and itinerary. Seaborne especially have great cruise deals on their cruise.

But we prefer Regent, so are in a quandary as to what Regent may do to fill up all their empty cabins, do we wait and see?

Appreciate opinions on this as we are new to Regent. We have a cruise booked with them in February and we weren’t really in a hurry to book this due to a good offer in the timeframe before this cruise or on board offer. But not at nearly double the cruise cost now!

Getting a driver in Bali is the best way to see places of interest. Please don’t think it’s expensive to do so. They are extremely inexpensive, more obliging than taxi drivers, will look after you, know all the places you should see in your timeframe. And they really appreciate your business.

We will be a Regent cruise in February. Are trying to decide whether or not to book another cruise not long after, about 2 months later.

is there any benefit of bookings whilst on board?

We are just not sure whether to do another cruise so soon, we want to check out this Regent cruise first before committing as it is a longer cruise.

11 hours ago, annmarz said:

Yes, Please research local tipping customs.  In some countries, people are actually insulted when you try to tip them.  We made the error of tipping a waiter in New Zealand - he chased us out the door and down the street to return it!

Not expected in Australia either, anywhere.

Yes that’s what happens…we prefer to get the credit and book for ourselves.

Other cruise lines have been adversely affected by these new tough hull cleaning requirements by New Zealand. Even though the cruise lines have utilised recommended contractors by NZ to complete the hull cleaning job. Unfortunately the standards have not been acceptable. 
I don’t think it’s totally the cruise lines making or fault. There are limited ports and  facilities that cruise ships can change to in this part of the world.