Pirouette

We took a cab to and from the airport. It was much cheaper than the SS transfers, about $28 from the airport to the terminal. This morning we paid $20 to the airport from the terminal. It was very quick and efficient both ways.

Malacca was the last port on this cruise. We opted for the included historical highlights tour. This was a tender port. The tour was scheduled to depart at 8 am. Unfortunately the ship was not cleared until about 8:20 am. Tour participants waited in the Athenian lounge for updates on tour departures. Staff was doing their best to keep groups together while awaiting instructions on tenders which varied in passenger capacity. It was chaotic. Our tour escort (from SS on board staff) was not particularly communicative and did not do a very good job of monitoring the group.

We were jammed into a “high capacity” tender. It was very uncomfortable and crowded to the extent that both DH and I had safety concerns. We made it to the jetty unscathed and met up with our guide for our half day tour. She was knowledgeable and had a quirky sense of humour. We were about an hour late in the start time.

Though we enjoyed seeing the highlights of this city, the tour was light on content. The guide had trouble keeping the group together, particularly before and after the tri-Shaw ride. The vehicles were not where the guide expected. When we reached the tri-Shaw area, multiple groups converged and it seemed like no one knew where to go and which units were part of our tour. We were just told to get into any one of about 30 Tri-Shaw’s. One that I selected was not part of our group tour. It was fortunate that I asked the driver before we got underway. There was simply no direction. The scene was complete chaos.

At the conclusion of the ride, 6 members of our group were missing. The ship’s escort was of no assistance. This was in contrast to an excellent ship escort on other tours who “rode shotgun” and ensured that everyone stayed together. The missing passengers were ultimately located after a brief delay. I could sense our guide’s frustration. It was very warm and the tour appeared to involve more walking than some of the participants had expected.

At the end of the tour we returned to the jetty to find multiple tour groups waiting for a tender with none in sight. Again, disorganization.....We were told that in Malacca SS was required to use a certain number of local tenders as well as its own. The tenders themselves were of varying capacity and waits were long. The timing of the dispatch from ship to shore seemed random and not coordinated with the end time of the shore tours.

Back on board in time for a nice lunch and later afternoon tea. This was the last night on board and we wanted to enjoy as much as possible. A leisurely swim at 6pm was perfect! I tried to sit in the hot tub too. There is no proper step into or out of the hot tub. DH and I are very fit and flexible but this was difficult even for us. It could be a real challenge for passengers with mobility concerns and could be a potential liability issue.

We said goodbye to a number of new found friends at the Bar and enjoyed a final dinner at the Restaurant, some Thai dishes that Chef Grant made by special request. Delicious!

Homeward bound now and back to reality. This was an enjoyable 11 day break. We wished it had been longer but our professional commitments required us to return directly rather than staying on in Singapore. I will post some final thoughts after I have had a day or two to reflect. Thanks to those of you who have joined me on this journey.

Yes nfcu, you may be correct that it is $2 per cabin. I did not keep a copy of the opt out form so I cannot verify the amount assessed.

Yesterday was a warm and calm sea day. The waters have been so calm that it remains hard to believe that we are at sea! We booked this cruise within 6 weeks of departure and there were few cabins left. We have been on the pool deck, which we normally would never consider (we always go lower and mid ship) but this has been great. The pool, bar and grill are right outside. Very convenient....we may have had a different view if the seas had been rough.

There have been a number of onboard activities to pass the time. The usual trivia, bridge, fitness classes and enrichment lectures. The lecturers on this cruise are Evelyn Evans and Ernie Rea, a former BBC radio host. We have enjoyed Ms Evans historical lectures about this part of the world. They help provide some context to the ports we are visiting. Mr. Rea’s lectures are fine but not as topical. Today he was to lecture on the roots of Islamic extremism- an odd choice for this cruise.

We found the quality of enrichment lectures on Regent to be slightly better. Our lectures have been jammed into sea days rather than spread out throughout the cruise. There are three lectures today. Spending precious sunlight hours indoors in the Athenian Lounge is not our preferred way to spend the day, no matter how compelling the topic. Others may have a different view. It would be nice to have these sessions spaced out more during the cruise.

Some of the other indoor activities have been fun. Yesterday there was a cooking contest between the food and beverage manager and the chef. ( a la Iron Chef). For those who enjoy food and wine it was very entertaining and informative. Other activities include fitness lectures on how to eat more and weigh less and how to have a flatter stomach....Not a chance after this cruise!

We attended tea time for the first time yesterday. We have done this on both a Regent and Oceania. We liked Silversea’s version: varieties of loose tea, not tea bags, individual tea sandwich and pastry tower, warm scones to die for. We have decided to eat a lighter lunch just to make room for tea a few hours later. A young guitarist played soft contemporary music throughout. The whole experience was delightful. We give Silversea the edge on this one!

We are rarely ably to get to the shows because we dine late, but there is something to suit all tastes each night. There was an old fashioned Irish sing along yesterday and today there was a traditional English pub lunch in the bar. We did not attend either but full marks to Silversea for trying different options.

There is one aspect of this cruise that came as a surprise. There is a charge of $2 pp/ per day that Silversea donates to a cancer charity sponsored by the cruiseline’s owners. Apparently they set up a foundation after losing a family member to cancer. Passengers can opt out of this charge by signing a form that was provided on either the second or third day.

The goal of this charity is laudable but many of us have experienced the tragic loss of family members from this terrible disease. We make our donations accordingly within our own community. The negative option contribution may be contrary to law in some jurisdictions. It is not something we expected on Silversea.

We went on the captain ‘s bridge tour earlier today. It was interesting to see the nerve centre of the ship. He welcomed about 20 passengers and answered questions for about 20 minutes about the inner workings of the ship and a whole range of issues raised by the passengers. He was very generous with his time.

We are off to our final stop in Malacca tomorrow. We have found 11 days too short. Not everything is perfect but after a rocky start, we have enjoyed ourselves. Much credit to the sommeliere, Karolina who is not only a wealth of knowledge, but who has done everything possible to see that our preferences and expectations regarding the wines has been met.

I will do a more comprehensive comparison between Silversea, Regent and Oceania soon. All are decent cruise lines but each have different strengths and weaknesses, at least from our perspective.

One more day, then the long flight home and back to reality.

Lowest common denominator

Oceania is more informal, good food and service with a younger passenger demographic. Regent in my experience is more sedate, great food and service and caters to a senior citizen demographic. Silversea appears to be somewhere between the two. On our present cruise there is a broader age range and passengers are more international. The food is very good and so is the service, though not as polished as Regent.

We left Myanmar late yesterday afternoon and now will have two sea days before reaching Malacca. The tour of Shwendagon Pagoda was interesting if not chaotic. The pagoda site was very busy with locals and tourists alike.

The entrance arrangements for our group were very disorganized. We had to wait for about 25 minutes for the guide’s assistant to arrange entrance tickets and stickers for everyone in the group. There are only two elevators and though they move quickly, queues formed which included others who were not part of the group.

The site itself is spectacular, even more so considering that it is 2600 years old. The group did not stay together. We were free to wander or stay with the guide. It was very hot and everyone has a different tolerance for wandering outdoors in the sun. As for any included tour, there is a certain LCD element and one or two who always seek to monopolize the guide.

We opted to wander and returned to the guide if we had questions. I expect the candlelight option for this tour would be very nice. It did not work with our other selected tours so we chose the daylight option. We finished with a brief drive through the colonial parts of Yangon before returning to the ship for lunch and some pool time. It was a fairly good tour. The bus had good A/C but unfortunately the sound system was awful and it was difficult to hear the guide.

A note about dress in this part of the world. I am no expert, but was astonished at the number of passengers wearing shorts, short pants and revealing clothing on our two tours in Myanmar. One woman leaving the ship looked absolutely lovely in short shorts that revealed legs up to her neck. It would be perfect on board but not in Myanmar!

We had a nice dinner in the Restaurant and then attended Moss Hill’s one man show. What a talent! He is a true rocker! He has quite the story to tell if you have the chance to spend some time with him.

All in all a good day: champagne, shuffleboard at sunset and cruising calm seas. More later.

We have just enjoyed a long and interesting day in Myanmar. We opted to stay in last night even though there was a shuttle from the ship into downtown Yangon. It is not a quick journey, the roads are rough and it would have been dark.

One of the boutique vendors ventured out and caught the next shuttle back to the ship from downtown. Apparently a truck broke down on the bridge and the shuttle could not pass. He said he ended up pushing the truck (a sort of dump truck) for about a kilometre across the bridge. He was the only non local and the effort was exhausting.

We chose the day tour to Bago, with stops at a number of village markets and pagodas en route. We also visited the War Cemetery. We were fortunate, our bus was modern and the guide was relatively good. Bathroom stops could have been better coordinated, but that is a small thing.

The sites were interesting but equally captivating was the opportunity to observe local life. This is a very poor country. We have travelled extensively and our observations were that life appears more difficult here than in rural India or China. We were struck by the litter that is everywhere. That being said, a smile and greeting will result in the same in return.

There are some lovely woven cottons and wood products. We noticed that the locals coated their faces in sandlewood paste, sometimes in elaborate designs. It is supposed to be a natural sunscreen and also elimates wrinkles and improves skin. For $1, I bought some! We will see if it works....

Shop keepers are very careful about only accepting new bills. They do take $US but only if the bills are unblemished.

We visited a monastery and saw the monks parade by for their last meal of the day. A Chinese tourist allowed me to participate with her in the practice of putting handfuls of rice in the monks’ bowls as they passed by. She had a plate of rice and showed me what to do. It was something I would not otherwise have experienced.

We had a nice lunch of Myanmar Chinese food in Bago. We had the opportunity to meet some of our fellow passengers and share a story or two.

After a 7:30 am departure we returned to the ship around 5:30, ready to do it all again tomorrow.

It is dinner in La Terazza tonight and a morning tour of the Schwendagon pagoda tomorrow. It will likely take more time to get there than is allotted for the actual tour.

On this cruise we have noticed that Silversea does not dock close to town. The ports are industrial and there is nothing nearby. It does not make for a very nice view from the veranda! It may be beneficial to book an included highlights tour in those ports as not all have offered a shuttle.

Off to dinner, more later or tomorrow.

I can assure you that we do not hear from Moss (or anyone) three times a day. He usually announces when the ship has cleared and advises about daily activities. Those announcements have been in the morning.

On Regent last fall we heard from the captain regularly, mostly with updates on weather and course changes due to the hurricanes he had to avoid. On Silversea we maybe hear from the captain at noon (sometimes) and once during the day. Very few interruptions here!

The cruise director is Moss. Louis, the food and beverage manager is leaving at the end of this cruise and Bianca is the guest relations manager.

Moss is great-so approachable and a great sense of humour. It is very nice to not be interrupted by repeated announcements throughout the day. If Moss speaks, it is usually important.

We had quite the welcome on arrival in Myanmar port: local musicians and dancers put on a small display for about 90 minutes. We could watch from the veranda. Very nice!

We are currently cruising into Yangon, Myanmar, the reason many passengers chose this cruise. We have had a series of enrichment lectures, one yesterday and two so far today with two more planned for this afternoon. Myanmar is unknown to most of us and the background information is interesting and helpful.

We were supposed to dock early this afternoon but the time has been changed several times already. It does not appear we will be docked until around 4pm if all goes as planned. There seems to be a degree of uncertainty with the timing. Guests with evening tours have been assured that those tours will proceed as planned.

The ship is also providing a shuttle to the train station in downtown Yangon, about 1 hour to 90 minutes from the port. We have been told that there is nothing in the port and we are not permitted to walk in the port area.

We have been forewarned that there is a lack of tourist infrastructure in Myanmar. It should be quite an adventure.

We are treating today as another sea day and are enjoying the ship. It is really too warm to sit by the pool. It is almost 100’ F and extremely humid. The seas have been very calm throughout and at times I forget that we are at sea: a sharp contrast from the roiling seas of our Panama Canal transit last September. There are many othe scheduled activities this afternoon for those who are so inclined: line dancing, bridge, yoga and bridge.

I agree with the earlier contributor who stated that the ship has “good bones”. We felt very secure on Regent’s Mariner as she navigated some very rough waters, dodging hurricanes Maria and Jose, but her layout is choppy. I really appreciate the design and airiness of this ship. It is smaller but the spaces seem larger and some of the art, the wood and glass throughout are beautiful.

The boutiques are small. The is a large selection of watches and the usual jewelry fare. The jewelry is nice but the designs are very conservative.

Our meals continue to be very good and service has really improved since the first couple of days. It is worth noting that Silversea has a very impressive cheese selection at each meal from a number of countries. This was a pleasant surprise.

The music in all venues is superior to our last Regent cruise, with selections from the 1970’ s to current. The disco was very active again last night. It is nice that Silversea has a live DJ staffing the disco and he has a broad mix of music available on request. The dance floor is large and unobstructed.

We will be off an an all day tour to Bago tomorrow. This is my first cruise where no tote bag has been provided. It is not a deal breaker but I made a conscious decision not to pack one from home believing I would receive on on board. Not! Plan accordingly....

This cruise is growing on us.

Our dinner at the pool grill last night was excellent as was the service. We did not risk grilling our own meat (who wants to ruin a beautiful filet). The chef was happy to cook and plate it for us. So far we have found the food to be very good. The portions are smaller than on Regent or Oceania and we prefer that. DH thinks that the food is generally better here. I realize that food is subjective, but with the wine issue resolved, he is no longer complaining as much. He says he may even be willing to consider Silversea again.

A note about the included wines. We have found selections that we are happy to drink, but they are limited. The included wines are not the same caliber as this offered on Regent. There are no included wines on Oceania except as part of a purchased beverage package. Those wines are also a higher caliber than the included offerings on Silversea. It is a matter of being aware and knowing what to expect. There is always an option to purchase a superior or preferred bottle. We do not like being steared in that direction given the representations in the cruise brochures and the price that we have paid for this cruise. On a more upbeat note, the champagne is always good!

We are enjoying a true sea day today. There was a very good cooking demonstration and DH has just gone to a martini demonstration. There are a host of activities today and some interesting menu options as the ship prepares for Chinese New Year.

Service in the Restaurant at breakfast was very friendly and attentive though the food was a little slow to arrive. We decided that since we have no appointments or other places to be that this was not a major issue. We often had the same experience at Compass Rose.

The ship is very concerned about guests being satisfied. The supervisors of the housekeeping and butler departments insisted on meeting with us today. We had no complaints about either, other than the paint speckled chairs on our veranda. It makes sitting outside less than inviting. The veranda furniture is being replaced as I type this.

Another formal night tonight. The second in three days. It would have been preferable to space them out, but it is nice to see fellow passengers all “suited and booted”. We really enjoy the more international clientele. It makes for a more interesting cruise experience.

Off to lunch and Pilates!

We have spent a quiet day in Phuket. There were no complimentary shore excursions offered here. We considered the tours offered and as we have been to Phuket before, we did not find anything that captured our interest.

Unfortunately we docked at Ao Makham which is in the middle of nowhere. There were taxis available at the port for self directed tours but it is really important to bargain. We were told by the local tourism rep brought on board that we should expect to pay $30-$40 USD each way to travel to downtown Phuket. It is a distance of about 7 km. We were also advised that a taxi to the beach area would be $50-$60 USD each way. Those prices are completely disproportionate and likely reflect the effects of tourism on this region.

By contrast, when we walked outside the port gate this morning, a very nice Australian gentleman, now living in Phuket, gave us some tips on hiring a taxi. He said that the fare from the terminal should be no more than $10. Another couple that we have spent some time with hired a taxi for 5 hours for $50 USD. There are options that are much more reasonable than tours through the ship, or those recommended by the local rep if you are willing to be adventurous.

I am pleased to advise that the wine list issue has been resolved. There was a meeting with the appropriate individual and we now know what is available for the rest of this cruise. That individual was proactive once our concerns were brought to his attention. We discussed some service issues and also the positive aspects of what the Silver Shadow offers. It was a good exchange and our feedback seemed to be appreciated.

We spent a lovely day doing absolutely nothing. Rare for us. The lunch at the pool grill was tasty and light. We even “imported” a pizza from La Terazza to enjoy poolside. The service today throughout the ship is much improved since Sunday.

We are off to the welcome cocktail party for first time Silversea cruisers followed by dinner at the Grill.

More later....

Thanks to all of you for contributing to this discussion. We had a lovely formal night and the servers were extremely attentive. The sommelier is very helpful and says that the F&B manager is working on a list for us. Let’s see!

As to avoiding La Terazza during busy times, impossible....it has been the only option available on returning from our morning tours.

I will post again later on today.

Hi all,

I did an extensive review on Mariner last September. We are now on Silversea and if you are interested in my observations and comparisons, feel free to take a look!

After cruising from San Francisco to New York on Regent last September, we have the good fortune to be cruising again. We chose Silversea due to the interesting itinerary that includes Myanmar and because of reviews suggesting that Silversea is a luxury brand equivalent to Regent.

We boarded on Sunday after a long flight from the west coast of North America. The embarkation was seamless. Our stateroom was available and very nice . We have a veranda suite which includes a walk in closet, shower with separate tub and shower, double sinks and four choices for toiletries. We will try them all! There is a walk in closet and separate make up table. The stateroom seems slightly larger that the stateroom we had on Regent.

We appreciate the wider corridors, airy decor and artwork. The ship is elegant in an understated way, but it is clearly in need of refurbishment. Some of the furniture is worn and the veranda furniture is speckled with droplets of dried paint. She is still a nice ship, just in need of some TLC.

The cruise includes a number of complimentary tour options which we had not expected. We enjoyed the highlights of KL yesterday and today it was an overview of Penang. Both tours were fine and there are paid options available for those who desire a more comprehensive experience. The only complaint was from today's tour. A stop at a local fruit stall was a waste of time. The available toilet facilities were among the filthiest I have ever seen: that includes comparisons to toilets in China, India, North Africa etc. Perhaps Silversea was not aware. They should be...

We are only on our second full day and it appears that Silversea does many things right. The food so far has been quite good. Room service is prompt, accurate and hot. The musical offerings are varied and modern. We enjoyed a very active disco on our first night with an international clientele of all age groups. The singer in the bar was very good too. We have yet to take in a show but the performers mingle with the guests and are delightful.

Now for the not so good. The included wine selection is not the quality we expected on this level of luxury cruise. At best, the wines are very ordinary and not commensurate with the price that we have paid. It is noteworthy that many of the included wines on Regent are on the paid connoisseurs' list on Silversea.

More importantly, there is no way to find out the included wines. Silversea "selects" what it offers each day. They will bring something different on request but only after a question and answer dance as to our preferences. We had a similar issue on Regent last fall. When we raised it, the head sommelier provided us with a written list the next day with the caveat that cellar stock could change throughout the cruise. We were happy with that.

We have been told that it is not Silversea's policy to provide this information. This is not satisfactory and we are not the only guests with this complaint. On a five star cruise passengers should be able to make informed choices about what wines are available during the cruise. After discussion with the food and beverage manager yesterday, the status quo remains. He was to get back to us. We are still waiting. This attitude is disrespectful to Silversea passengers.

Though the food is good,the service in the restaurants has been inconsistent. In La Terazza at lunch it is almost impossible to attract the attention of a server to order pasta or pizza. Service is harried and slow. We are not accustomed to being told "you already asked me for that" when following up on an ordered item that has not arrived. The servers seem disengaged with passengers and not happy. This is a sharp contrast to our recent experience on Regent where we looked forward to interacting with our servers on a daily basis. We had a similar positive experience on each of the Oceania cruises we have done in the last 5 years.

We do not cruise all the time but have done enough to know what we can and should expect. It is still early, but as of now, Silversea is falling short. Cruising is a competitive business. DH said it best at lunch today: passengers will frequent cruise lines that make them feel welcome and are genuinely responsive to passenger needs. We are not feeling good about our experence so far. I hope Silversea is able to step it up before DH's position becomes irretrievably entranched. For now I will keep an open mind.

I will share my further observations throughout. That's it for now-time to dress for formal night: tie required!

Thanks Travel Cat. Both DH and I dress in suits etc every day. Sometimes it is nice to be more casual. He usually wears a jacket for dinner no matter what, but wearing a tie on holiday-not so much! I think there are only two formal nights. Those are always more flexible for women. I might have to do some arm twisting to make him pack a suit!:)

I have searched high and low and no roll call to be found. Is this perhaps one leg of a larger cruise? I do not know where else to look!

We recently cruised from SF to NY on the Mariner and quite enjoyed the food and service. We have just booked 12 nights in the Silver Shadow from Singapore to Singapore. It is an interesting itinerary and it was the only cruise that worked with our available dates. How will it compare to Regent?

We have just signed up for our first Silversea cruise next month. We like to travel and do not always cruise. We often book our own shore excursions. Our most recent cruise was on Regent where excursions were included. We enjoyed them but many were glorified bus tours targeted to passengers with reduced mobility. Even tours described as walking tours were comprised by a number of passengers who simply did not want to walk and preferred viewing sites from the bus.

I noticed that there are some included excursions on Silversea. What can we expect? We are physically active and enjoy climbing to the tops of structures or outdoor hiking. We may supplement what we have already signed up for based on the feedback herein.

We also like to dance after dinner. Is there a lounge or dancing area on the Silver Shadow?

Thanks

We are not truly cruisers and most often do soft adventure trips, but river cruises have piqued our curiosity. We have time available in September. I have read that certain itineraries have issues with water levels and can turn into bus trips. That is something we would like to avoid. Our interests are sightseeing and culture, wine and good food.

Our few recent ocean cruises have been on Oceania, and Regent last September. Though the food and service on Regent was great, we felt at times that we were in a care home. In our late 50’s, we were some of the youngest passengers. We would prefer a mix of ages with active passengers and an all inclusive experience.

We would appreciate the expertise and experience of those who have enjoyed river cruises. We have been to France many times (and love it) but we are not as familiar with the Rhine or Danube. We are really open to anything that is active and at minimal risk of low or high waters. Suggestions? Thanks!

We have cruised Oceania four times and Regent once. Both are very good. We have sailed Oceania on port intensive itineraries and we enjoyed each cruise. Our recent Regent cruise was through the Canal and had a lot of sea days. We enjoyed ourselves but found the atmosphere much more sedate and sedentary.

The cruise experience may depend in part on the cruise length and itinerary. We found that Oceania had a slightly younger demographic and more active cruise passengers. Regent has slightly better food and service but fellow passengers were much older.

We did not find Regent to be more “social” than Oceania. Yes, there were little cliques doing puzzles, playing card games and trivia during the day, but after dark the public areas and lounges were like a morgue.

We enjoyed socializing and dancing late into the evening on all our Oceania cruises and we were not alone. Oceania in our experience has more varied music and more versatile house bands than on our recent Mariner cruise. It is unclear if this experience was unique to that cruise or if this is typical of Regent. We will have to cruise Regent again to find out!

I will say that the staterooms on Sirena are lovely but small, as are the bathrooms. We loved our cabin on the Mariner, particularly the stand alone vanity area and walk in closet. The cabins on Riviera and Marina are also very nice and the common areas are very well maintained and elegant.

You cannot go wrong with either cruise line. The costs are competitive once you factor in the deluxe alcohol package on Oceania. (At $15+ for a glass of champagne plus an 18% gratuity, the package is worth it.) The laundrette is free on Regent, a feature we took advantage of several times-it is a great place to meet and chat with other passengers! It is a modest charge on Oceania.

We always choose any cruise based on the constraints of our professional schedules ( I.e. what is available during the time that we are available), the itinerary and the cruise line. Nothing is perfect but either cruise line will offer you an enjoyable experience if you know what to expect.

I wanted to let some time pass before making my final observations and review of our cruise experience on Regent Seven Seas Mariner. We returned home just over three weeks ago and it is back to the normal routine. It almost seems as though we were never away! Life and responsibilities do that.....

This was our first Regent cruise. We have cruised Oceania four times in the last 5 years, Princess and Holland America in the very distant past. We are not really cruisers. Most of our trips are land based, soft adventure, Viet Nam and Cambodia last spring, Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia the year before, Iceland and Greenland for a quick summer jaunt. When we have chosen to cruise, it is based on the itinerary, i.e. Baltics, Mediterranean, etc.

We had long wanted to see the Panama Canal and the SF to NY itinerary fit within our vacation schedules and had the benefit of a west coast departure. We added a few days in New York at the end.

Generally our Regent experience was very good. The food and service were excellent. Our cabin was comfortable and we were well looked after by our cabin attendants. The décor is dated, but the ship is due for dry dock soon and will be updated. I only heard one complaint from a fellow passenger about the state of her cabin. She claimed that it was really run down. That was not our experience.

As I set out in my earlier observations thread, the demographic for this cruise was much older than we had expected. We are in our late 50's and I felt positively youthful during this cruise! I would guess that most passengers were 70+, many with mobility challenges and several travelling with caregivers. Our travel agent (who is familiar with both Oceania and Regent) suggested that passengers may be slightly older than us, active professionals or newly retired. Perhaps because this was an 18 night cruise, the demographic skewed about 15+ years older than us. The age factor is not in itself a problem-most passengers were very friendly and engaging, but it does affect the atmosphere and social/entertainment offerings on the ship. There are a limited number of truly active options: fitness and dance classes, deck sports and some were limited due to the rough sea conditions that we experienced. That is not Regent's fault.

We also had extra sea days as two ports were cancelled (Acapulco and Nassau) due to hurricane threats. We enjoyed these days very much, but that view was not universal. There was a group who was younger than us and they were completely bored.

We attended a couple of shows, but for the most part, they conflicted with our usual 8:30 dinner reservations. I will not repeat my complaints about the music and evening entertainment. They are detailed extensively in my earlier thread. Suffice it to say, if you prefer any musical selections post 1970, either for listening in any of the lounges or late night dancing, you may be disappointed.

What Regent lacked in entertainment and activities, it made up for in the dining and service experience. There was the occasional hiccup, but if there was an issue, it was corrected very quickly. We dined in all the restaurants (more than once) and never had any difficulty in securing extra reservations at Signatures or Prime 7 (table for 2) . Perhaps it is because we tend to dine later. We also liked the nightly menu changes in Compass Rose. They cooked special Indian meals at DH's request a couple of times and he was very pleased with them. We found the portions to be very large for most meals. We took to ordering half portions mid-way through the cruise and found them to be more than sufficient.

As to the wines, I believe they vary from cruise to cruise. We asked for a list of available selections which the head sommelier provided to us on the second day of the cruise. There were also two wine tastings which introduced some new options that we had never considered. The ship ran out of the included Chardonnay on the last day of the cruise-no doubt there was increased demand for popular selections due to the unforeseen extra sea days.

Most of the port excursions were largely bus rides. Even though tours were designated as walking tours, there were many participants who did not wish to walk. As with any group tour, the pace of activity is geared to the LCD. The one "active" tour was a forest walk in Costa Rica. It was a one hour loop trail with both downhill and uphill portions and a traverse over suspension bridges. It was enjoyable but not particularly novel or strenuous. We have always booked private port tours in the past, but this being our first time on Regent, we thought we would check out their offerings. Conclusion: private is better!

We really enjoyed the Panama Canal transit. It was the reason that we had selected this cruise and we were not disappointed. What an engineering marvel! The onboard commentary, which began just after 6 am and continued throughout the passage, was excellent.

A brief comment on the WIFI. We needed a connection for ageing parent issues at home and (regrettably) to monitor our respective offices. The internet would cut out unexpectedly at times, depending on the location of the ship and sometimes the router had to be reset. For the most part, communications were adequate and staff was helpful if there was a connectivity problem.

I suspect our cruise experience was affected by the reality of dodging five different storms/hurricanes. There were two in Cabo-one just prior to arrival and one after we left, Hurricane Max which caused us to miss Acapulco and Hurricanes Maria and Jose who did their dance in the Caribbean. The captain skillfully changed course and kept us safe throughout. He kept us well informed and we always felt that we were in very capable hands. We arrived in NY one day early as a result.

We began and ended the cruise in code red. The initial code red was lifted after a couple of days, but was reinstated for the last couple days of the cruise. I do not believe it was norovirus, but there was definitely a cold/sore throat virus that seemed to be circulating. Regent seems to take these matters very seriously.

Though Regent may not be a perfect fit for us, we would not hesitate to cruise Regent again. For us, this cruise was about relaxing-something we are not able to easily do at home due to professional and personal obligations. This was "couple time" for us and we enjoyed it immensely. DH often says that "We make our own fun". Yes, I would prefer more active options and more modern music and dancing options, but we still had a very positive experience.

I tried to post earlier but that post for some reason did not go through.

For clarity, the issue of royalties was never raised in my discussions with Regent while on board last week. The only concern was sheet music and rehearsal time for any new music. This too is a non sequitur given the fact that the band demonstrated a much broader repertoire at the Atrium party, selections which they chose not to play on subsequent evenings. This is not about royalties, but about specific choices that Regent makes as to the musical offerings on their cruises. Those choices may suit some, but obviously not all.

Flexibility is essential to accommodate Regent's longstanding clientele as well as those who are newer to the brand. They are Regent's future. Music and entertainment are but one part of the overall cruise experience. This aspect is more important to some than to others as evidenced by the varying posts on this thread.

I will now be disengaging from this thread. I thank all who have participated in this discussion. There is an obvious divergence of views and I am pleased that Cruise Critic has provided a forum for respectful dialogue.

I will do a final cruise review and summary on a different thread so that those who are interested do not have to go through 8 pages of posts for my final observations,

Again, thanks to all who have participated in this discussion. I would have no hesitation in cruising Regent again, but that does not rule out constructive feedback and room for improvement to make future cruises better and more inclusive of both older and younger demographics.

I could accept the sheet music/royalty excuse but for the fact that the band did on occasion play modern music, i.e. at the Atrium party when the whole ship, including people in wheel chairs were dancing. It is in their repertoire as they demonstrated that evening. They made choices in the face of polite requests for something different, at least for part of each musical set. If Oceania can do it, Regent can too. It chooses not to.

With the greatest of respect to TC, a business that operates only on its present clientele without an eye to the future is doomed to fail. I suspect that within the next 5 years, a large portion of the passengers on this cruise will no longer be sailing. Regent needs to build for the future and those of us who have reached a certain stage in our professional lives and who appreciate excellent cuisine and service can certainly afford Regent. I would think that we are a very desirable demographic and our suggestions and input should be embraced while at the same time Regent should continue to offer the things that appeal to their longtime and loyal passengers.

Just my thoughts...