Techno123

Thank you RetiredandTravel - basic it is 😁, following a basic economy flight over there (unless we cough up extra for an upgrade 😂😂). Do people flying from the USA automatically get Business class flights and if so, are your cruise fares much more expensive than those booked in UK as it does seem there is a different offering depending on which country you book in?

As part of our Asia cruise in 2023 we have 3 nights in Tokyo (Hilton or equivalent) and 3 nights in Hong Kong (Kowloon Shangri La or equivalent). Are these the basic rooms or slightly more luxurious (for example Hilton Tokyo access to executive lounge etc) Whilst these pre and post options are included on our cruise they are quite expensive when booked separately so hoping a bit of luxury is included 😁 Many thanks in advance for your feedback.

Thank you so much - will have a good look. Had hoped to go this year but Japan were understandably being very cautious so 🤞🏻🤞🏻next year there will hopefully be more of a degree of normality for our trip. Never mind, going on the Navigator to the Caribbean before Christmas this year so I am sure we will still have fun 😁😁

We must be hopping onboard Explorer after you at the end of October as we are doing a B2B Japan to HK then HK round trip. The good thing about doing the B2B was 3 nights in Tokyo pre cruise and 3 nights in HK post cruise being included in the price. Probably the most money I have ever spent on a holiday so I hope it is going to be worth it 😂😂 Will need to search the boards to make sure we make the most of the land segments.

But speaking as a lady of a certain age with an over efficient heating system and a little too much insulation it did the trick though 😂😂😂😂

Are you a Costco member, Flossie? They had 4 for under £80 https://www.costco.co.uk/TVs-Electronics-Security/Phones/Mobile-Accessories/Apple-AirTag-4-Pack-MX542ZMA/p/371679 need to work out how they work now 😂😂

Because we were flying independently into Basel and out of Schiphol, we arranged our own transfers. I believe passengers are met at the airport by a rep and taken by Avalon transport to the ship.

If there are spin bikes then we can download some workout tunes and do our own thing. Never been keen on the 'normal' exercise bikes in the gym but do like a decent spin. Went to a class last night at our council run gym and had 2 ice packs attached to me as that room has no air con and they aren't allowed to use their big fans because of Covid ( and in case you haven't heard, the UK is having a heatwave - it seems to be the only thing on the TV at the moment but fab news if you are cruising British waters 😜)

Maybe it is one of those things you go to ask about when you visit the different areas of the ship when you first get onboard. 😁

Thank you for your responses RetiredandTravel and GOARMY. Will contact regent directly. on our second Seabourn trip. (Prior to me having ANY interest in spinning he was using a spin bike in the ' class' area of the gym and got soundly told off as they were for classes only 😂😂

As I have banned the other half from taking his mountain bike on our two upcoming Regent cruises (yes he really does take it onboard, it has its own suitcase 😜) I was wondering about spin classes on the Navigator and the Explorer. Do they have them and anyone got any idea what time? I know there are static bikes in the fitness centre but we both prefer spinning. many thanks in advance 😁

When I worked in Scotland as a district nurse, my ability to say LlanfairPG in full was the only thing that got me across the threshold 😂😂

I am glad you enjoyed your stay. Anyone on a UK cruise this week and next is going to have fabulous weather 😁. It is a very different language (Double L is pronounced like a cl and ch as though you are clearing your throat and no K, Q, V, X or Z ) and I am very proud that despite being part of the UK our devolved government promotes the Welsh language and culture. There are many who condemn the use of bi- lingual signs etc but it would be so sad if Welsh (which is the first language of many people who live on Anglesey, Gwynedd and the rural areas of North Wales) were to disappear 😢

Just make sure you are cheering Wales on in their first match of the World Cup finals 😜😜 Cymru am byth.

Went on a nice 10 mile walk along part of the Ynys Mon (Anglesey) coastal path today and what did I see anchored just outside Holyhead harbour but the Sirena 😁. Hope you all enjoyed the beautiful Welsh weather and have all learnt how to pronounce (or at least visited) Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch? 😜😜 Holyhead is definitely not the prettiest town on Anglesey but there is some stunning scenery a stones throw away. Here are some pictures of your ship taken on my walk and a few others from the very local area from today's walk. Enjoy the rest of your cruise xx

Jean we were being sent from Manchester to Miami via Heathrow with 90mins to change terminals and catch our connecting flight 😱😱 so we are catching the shuttle down the day before, hanging onto our luggage and checking it in the day we fly. Plus I have bought some Apple itags to go in the cases too,so fingers crossed they should join us on the cruise and eventually find their way back to us on the journey home 😜

Enlighten me then. The people I am talking about are the laundry staff, the room attendants, the kitchen porters, the waiting staff - all those people who are essential to the smooth running of the ship or other hospitality industries but on land many of these people are underpaid and under valued and staff are no longer willing to accept this. Regent will, I assume, pay more than some others because of the reduced amount of tips. Having chatted with our room attendant (who came from Brazil) on a Seabourn ship, a few years back, she was very happy with her rate of pay in comparison to the mass market ship she had previously worked on, but is it enough in todays market to get the quality of service customers demand? Following a 2-year pause in service, we still expect the same quality - we don't want to pay 'top dollar' if that quality is not as good and yet the way to get the best staff is to offer them more (be that money or conditions) than your rivals - you can't reduce prices if that is what you have to do, even if your staff have much to learn. I know many owners of hotels, bars and restaurants who have really struggled to rehire following Covid - experienced staff have found other jobs with better pay and hours. Certainly, at the moment people can pick and choose and if they don't like it they walk. Air travel is also chaotic for similar reasons and I assume Regent and other cruise lines are (pardon the pun) in the same boat. Living in a seaside resort, working in hotels, bars and restaurants (for a pittance I may add but hey it was spending money) was a right of passage when I was much younger. In the UK many of those jobs then went to overseas workers (along with crop picking) who were willing to accept low pay and poor hours because it was a lot more than they earned in their own countries. Now we don't have the overseas workers and many of our non hospitality service industry are threatening strike action to improve pay and getting it because companies don't want to lose even more staff.

Is it not time that people who work in the service industry are paid a decent salary? In the UK most staff in the service industry are paid the minimum wage of £9.50 ($11.41) per hour plus tips if they do a good job (usually 😜) Just about copeable before fuel and food prices went ballistic and nowhere near enough if they live in a major city and definitely not at the moment. In the US I assume it is even less because of the compulsion to pay tips/gratuities (whether the service is good or not). Why on earth would people want to go into these industries? I don't know what Regent pay their staff but for the quality of service expected it probably isn't enough. Up the salary and the respect and perhaps people may just want to do this job again.

Snorkel lover - unfortunately, the problem with the British weather is its unpredictability (that's why many of us, pre-Covid and Brexit toddled off to Europe or had second homes over there 😁. Spring can be beautiful with temps in the mid 20 Celsius (or it can be cold and raining), summer can be beautiful with temps in the highish 20's (or it can be cold and raining) ditto re Spring for Autumn (Fall). In winter it is just cold and rains, with snow in the north 😂😂. It must be said that our climate definitely seems drier but it is rare that you can plan a BBQ for the weekend earlier in the week - it's why our land is green and pleasant but makes packing for a vacation here a nightmare 😜

I must admit our little island has areas of stunning beauty and we have been trying to visit as many areas as possible. Only problem is, you have to pack for 4 seasons if you travel in spring, summer or autumn (fall) - this morning it was beautiful sunshine, followed by a torrential downpour and now it is cool and cloudy 😂😂. You can pretty much rely that winter will be cold, wet and miserable 😜

Which ship are you on? We are on the Navigator leaving on the 12th - Caribbean has never really interested me as a holiday destination but we have booked the more active excursions and if it's not for me, well we still have a lot of the world left to explore 😁

Our travel agent told us but if you login to your Regent account, if you have added your cruise to it then go to show my itinerary and calendar view (our hotel is there on our account)

Tsunami and mrstanley you will be pleased to hear that Regent have sorted it so we are now flying to Heathrow the day before, hanging onto our bags, staying in an airport hotel then checking in on the following day to fly direct to Miami. We have a similar short layover on the way back, however arrive and leave from Terminal 5 so no racing between terminals and BA have lots of flights to Manchester so if we miss the shuttle up, another will be along very soon (I hope) 😉 I don't think there are many airports that are covering themselves in glory at the moment but Heathrow is particularly bad!

Also, have a read about the aft vibration issues on Navigator if that might be something that bothers you then look for something further forward.