Ports of Scandinavia - LIVE from the Voyager 6/28 - 7/27/2014

[flossie009]

Update from London press:

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/heathrow-baggage-chaos-to-last-for-days-9572401.html

 

Problems have probably not been helped by last weeks strike by French air traffic controllers which affected all flights across Europe.

 

 

Hope your baggage finds you soon

Edited June 30, 2014 by flossie009

[johnsburk]

I just read a news story regarding misplaced luggage at Heathrow. It seems there was an IT glitch last Thursday that has not yet been completely sorted out. Thousands of pieces of luggage are still at Heathrow. The story pointed out that the luggage was not lost it simply missed the connecting flight. BA is working hard to correct the situation. No mention of a strike. Sorry to deliver bad news TC, but don’t expect your luggage any time soon.

The cruise sounds wonderful, please continue your posts and keep us up to date.

[journeyfan]

For 5 hours yesterday at Terminal 5, BA refused to check any luggage and told passengers they could only fly with their carry-on's. As a result, most passengers cancelled their flights. This has led me to believe (maybe incorrectly) that BA flew those near-empty flights with lots of luggage from last week that was still sitting in their terminal. So perhaps this fiasco is coming to an end and maybe TC and the others will connect with their luggage soon.

[Travelcat2]

Thank you for the updates! It must have been so upsetting for people expecting to take a vacation only to learn that they must travel with carry-on luggage only. nana541, johnsburk is correct -- the luggage issue was not caused by a strike. We have heard both that it was an IT problem and that there was an equipment failure (broken conveyor belt). The "strike" I mentioned was apparently a rumor going around the ship. One good thing is that we have met a lovely couple from California that is in the same situation as we are and are taking it as well as can be expected. We have had some great conversations.

 

A crew member that we've known for a while insisted on giving me a blouse that a guest had given her that did not fit her. This is an example of the kindness and generosity that we have received on board. The blouse will come in so handy as I had two pair of slacks, one blouse and one dress (with the sandal/flip-flops). Overnight laundry has been a lifesaver.

 

I can not say enough about the officers and crew onboard. They are wonderful and very supportive. We met the GM, Andreas, for the first time on this cruise and are so impressed with his kindness, attitude and professionalism. Although he is from Oceania, he has the "Regent" attitude.

 

Since I have no additional port information at the moment, I'd like to touch on two conversations we've had about differences between Oceania and Regent as it pertains to to the officers and staff. One officer we spoke with was originally from Regent and spent 2 1/2 years on Oceania. The other officer was Andreas. The expectations of passengers on the two cruise lines is very different. On Oceania there is little interaction between guests and officers/crew. There are fewer hosted dinners, etc. This is something we definitely noticed when we were on Oceania. This is not to say that one cruise line is better or worse than the other -- they seem to target a different customer base and therefore the "feel" of the cruises are not the same. We obviously prefer the Regent culture and now understand why some officers that move from Oceania to Regent are not we are accustomed to. The feeling of one officer (who shall remain anonymous) feels that it is better not to switch staff between the cruise lines as much as they are. We agree 100%. Andreas fits in with the Regent culture quite well. Unfortunately, this is not the case with other Oceania officers that we have met onboard Regent (in my opinion, of course).

 

It is not raining this morning so we may go out this afternoon after all. While we enjoy rain, it is a bit different when I return to the suite without having the "tools" to make myself look less like a drowned rat and more like a human being:-)

Edited July 1, 2014 by Travelcat2

[Travelcat2]

Update: THEY FOUND OUR LUGGAGE -- all three pieces. Regent is monitoring all incoming flights to Helsinki. We hope to have it onboard the day after tomorrow.

 

:D :D :D :D :D

[xrvlcruiser]

Luggage found: good news!

[xrvlcruiser]

Interesting observations re: Regent/Oceania staff switching. I wonder how the people who move from Regent to Oceania feel about all of this.

 

Peggy

[lincslady]

Luggage found: good news!

 

Really hope it gets to you all before disembarkation! I have been so impressed by the positive attitude Travelcat and it seems many of the fellow passengers have taken about this problem, not letting it ruin their cruises - and also by the sound of it by Regent's onboard help.

[Zqueeze1]

TC2:

Wonderful report and kudos towards your approach about your delayed luggage problem since it would have given me a coronary. Thank God Regent has been so helpful and you've maintained your cool.

 

We are booked on a Baltic cruise in Aug 2015 and find your comments (as well as from others) regarding St. P. intreresting and somewhat of a bummer. As you said, probably a good place to visit if one has not been there before.

 

Z and TB

[LHT28]

Interesting observations re: Regent/Oceania staff switching. I wonder how the people who move from Regent to Oceania feel about all of this.

 

Peggy

Maybe people are more needy on Regent

We have sailed on Oceania several times & have never needed to meet the GM or other officers to feel my cruise experience was complete

We HAVE met the GM & the Captain but not because we requested an audience

 

to each his own

[raiderette]

I am sure many of you were aware of this but for those that were not Apollo Group bought both Oceania and Regent. The following was an excerpt from a CC article “Oceania and Regent will remain independent and separate brands. Mark Conroy will remain president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which will continue to operate from its Ft. Lauderdale headquarters; Oceania Cruises will remain in Miami, headed by President Bob Binder. Both Binder and Conroy will report directly to Frank Del Rio, who's been named chairman and CEO of PCH. Del Rio, who's served as chairman and CEO of Oceania to this point, will assume the same title with Regent by default as both lines are now owned by PCH.”

[forevertravel]

Travelcat2, didn't BA tell you to go out and buy clothes and toiletries? We were on the Baltic cruise three years ago and flew from Dulles to Copenhagen on SAS (business class which for them is first because they only have economy and business). My suitcase arrived but my husband's didn't. Fortunately we flew three days before our cruise started so we could tour the city. We arrived on Sunday and bought toiletries, underwear and a couple of shirts (luggage was supposed to arrive next day). Our cruise was scheduled to depart on Wednesday. By Tuesday no luggage so we went and bought clothes. On Wednesday morning Marriott told me our luggage arrived the prior night at midnight. We took the clothes and returned to department store (everything was in the shopping bag since we shopped the afternoon before). I filed a claim with SAS for toiletries and clothes we had to purchase. We received a check from SAS about 10 days later. I also had travel insurance but I didn't have to file a claim with them. I realize airlines usually make you wait 24 hours before you can go and buy clothes. However, toiletries are needed. It was nice Regent helped you out.

Anyway, I'm glad your luggage arrived. What a relief. Yes, we also had to show our passport, sail card and tour tickets to Russian officials before we were allowed out of terminal. Enjoy the rest of the cruise.

Edited July 1, 2014 by forevertravel

[rallydave]

Raiderette,

 

Suggest you check out your source, this happened about 7 years ago and there have since been changes to your named executives.

[raiderette]

Rally Dave, good to hear from you. We were on the same Alaskan cruise a few years back. Yes it was an old article, my point was that both cruise lines are owned by Apollo. We met quite a few of the staff who had come over to Regent from Oceania as I am sure the other has occurred.

[xrvlcruiser]

I have met a number of staff who have moved from Oceania to Regent - and are excellent additions. My question really was how does it work the other way.

 

I am a long time Regent passenger with only one Oceania cruise under my belt. On that trip, I did meet some Regent staff/friends on the Regatta. I did not have the chance to ask how they felt. I'll be on the Riviera in the fall and if the opportunity arises, I will take it.

 

And I'm sure there are "needy" passengers on every cruise line. Some lines just create a friendlier atmosphere than others.

 

Peggy

Edited July 1, 2014 by xrvlcruiser

[Travelcat2]

Again, thank you for the kind comments. In terms of Regent crew moving to Oceania, I have only spoken with the one officer. She is very happy to be back on Regent and would like to see the constant changes between the different cruise lines change.

 

LHT28: Regent guests are definitely not "needy", however, we have extremely high expectations and most of us appreciate the family feeling that Regent offers. It is not unusual for return guests to be greeted with hugs and warm smiles. The staff is really close to the guests. I noticed on Oceania (which I enjoy very much) that there was little interaction between the guests and the crew. Again, like I said, different expectations. Perhaps you should give Regent a try -- some Oceania customers really enjoy Regent while others still prefer Oceania. It is great that we have choices.

 

raiderette, your comments were right on. IMO, it is important to know the history of Regent. Although Regent has a new president, I appreciate your post:)

 

forevertravel: No one can communicate with British Airways. They are impossible to reach at the moment. However, their website does say that you can purchase "necessities" and will be reimbursed. In our case, jackets were a necessity as well as a change of clothing (cost - $100 each). Being on a cruise ship, the cost of these items was extremely high. It was interesting that when I first went to the boutique, the sizes of pants started at size 18. There were a couple of dresses small enough to fit (and I am not "small") The black dress that I found that was actually my size cost $230.

 

Zqueeze1: your post really made me laugh. Since I did not want to have a coronary, we decided to "go with the flow". We tend to be this way when we are on vacation. While our lack of clothing remains challenging, there are so many worse things in the world -- this hardly registers at all;)

 

lincslady: Fortunately we are on the 28 night cruise instead of the 12 day segment. I feel badly for passengers on the shorter cruise. While this is a hardship for all of us, these passengers are the most affected.

 

Peggy -- we are thrilled that we won't have to see you in the same clothes every day. Can't wait for you to board. We're dining with Goran on Thursday and will ask when the best day is for the M&G and also how to work the transition between him and Donald.

 

Traffic update! It was so much better today. The construction is still in effect. I am not certain why it was bad yesterday. One busload of people returned back to the ship almost 2:00 a.m. due to traffic. It will be interesting to see how traffic will be tomorrow when we go to the Gold Room.

 

Although there are many "new" ports to come that I will report on, we have cancelled our Helsinki excursion. Our top priority at the moment is our luggage. I never thought that I would want to hug my clothes and shoes but that is how I feel right now. My curling iron and rollers will be my new BFF.

 

I will report on the Gold Room tomorrow -- the luggage on Thursday and on Friday, we will be going to a brewery at 9:30 a.m. What a great way to start the day!

[RachelG]

Great news on the luggage front!

 

I absolutely agree with you about the atmosphere Oceania vs regent. We are not particularly needy people at all. But we feel like we are long lost relatives returning home when we board Regent. Nothing of that on Oceania.

 

I will be interested in your thoughts on the Gold Room. I was frankly disappointed. It was very crowded-- which I didn't expect given it was a special tour. There were multiple groups, not just ours, in a relatively small space, and you just couldn't see well unless you were pretty aggressive about pushing through.

[LHT28]

LHT28: Regent guests are definitely not "needy", however, we have extremely high expectations and most of us appreciate the family feeling that Regent offers. It is not unusual for return guests to be greeted with hugs and warm smiles. The staff is really close to the guests. I noticed on Oceania (which I enjoy very much) that there was little interaction between the guests and the crew. Again, like I said, different expectations. Perhaps you should give Regent a try -- some Oceania customers really enjoy Regent while others still prefer Oceania. It is great that we have choices.

 

 

Oh dear I hate to burst your bubble.... but we have been greeted with smiles & hugs from staff that we have sailed with in the past & comments like "we have not seen you in awhile"

We usually only cruise once a year

Some Oceania guests sail more often & always comment that it does feel like coming home when greeted by the crew

Just my experience YMMD

 

different strokes

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh dear I hate to burst your bubble.... but we have been greeted with smiles & hugs from staff that we have sailed with in the past & comments like "we have not seen you in awhile"

We usually only cruise once a year

Some Oceania guests sail more often & always comment that it does feel like coming home when greeted by the crew

Just my experience YMMD

 

different strokes

 

I guess the point is that you *earned* that, by being loyal. We've also only sailed Regent once a year, at most twice, and there are always staff who recognize us. We'd have to sail Oceania for a while before that happened, and that's an investment, isn't it?

 

(That being said, we find Regent just too pricey for us now, sadly. But if money was no object, I'd choose Regent just for that intimacy.)

[xrvlcruiser]

Jackie,

 

I promise I would never have made a comment re: clothes. I'm hardly up there in the "stylish" category.

 

Donald's name is familiar - from past Voyager trips and I know Devor. It's always great seeing familiar faces!

 

I think I remember JR - he's a singer, if I remember correctly . . . .

 

Keep on enjoying and I'm glad your things are on their way!

 

Peggy

[LHT28]

I guess the point is that you *earned* that, by being loyal. We've also only sailed Regent once a year, at most twice, and there are always staff who recognize us. We'd have to sail Oceania for a while before that happened, and that's an investment, isn't it?

(That being said, we find Regent just too pricey for us now, sadly. But if money was no object, I'd choose Regent just for that intimacy.)

 

Wendy I guess the point is it is not just one cruise line that crew may recognize their past guests

But for someone to say it does not happen on other lines is not correct

BTW

Our 1st cruise on O was in 2004 our 2nd was in 2007 & we were recognized by crew

 

Just stating my experience

 

Lyn

[Travelcat2]

Peggy, yes - JR is a singer. He will have his own show one of these evenings -- we look forward to it. There is also a destination lecturer tonight but his name is upstairs in the suite (I use the computer room as the internet connection is excellent here -- at least in St. Petersburg).

 

LHT28: I have spoken to Thierry and Andreas (both GM's on Oceania) on this topic. They agreed that there is little interaction between guests on and crew on Oceania. I'm sure that guests are recognized, etc. The reason I bring this subject up because, with the exception of Andreas, we have not met officers from Oceania on Regent that are as open and friendly as we have become accustomed to. (BTW, we adore both Thierry and Andreas).

 

Update: Last night La Veranda did not become Sette Mari. Instead a Russian buffet was set up. There were many people attending an evening event last night. The bus left at 6:30 p.m. La Veranda not only opened early, it stayed open very late. Very impressive.

 

Going to the Gold Room at the Hermitage in a few minutes. More later.

[Travelcat2]

Before posting further I would like to apologize in advance if I repeat myself. I post here, on roll call and email friends and family so I don't always remember what I written to whom.

 

I am in the computer room and the person next to me is one of 7 couples whose luggage has not been located. I feel badly for them.

 

Having been on a bus three times into the city, it is pretty clear that the new terminal is much more of a hassle than the old one. Even without traffic, the drive takes you past thousands of apartments and too much graffiti. Today we noticed that the Seabourn Quest was docked in the area near the city that is generally used for smaller ships. I do not recall the size of the Europa but it was also docked in the city.

 

The tour of the Hermitage and Gold Room was wonderful. We were there when it opened and did not have to wait too long. I must mention that the guides in St. Petersburg have been amongst the best we have had anywhere. Also, on two of our three excursions, the 30 people on the bus, were broken up into two groups with our own guides. All excursions utilized the wireless devices where you can hear the guide more easily (there is a name for these devices that escapes me at the moment). So those of you going to St. Petersburg for the first time should enjoy the excursions.

 

In terms of excursions in general, I think that Regent should always assign the buses outside of the ship instead of waiting in line in the theater. It is much more efficient (and is the method used by Silversea).

 

We depart St. Petersburg at 6:00 p.m. I am personally excited to leave since we hope to see our luggage tomorrow. And, although we cancelled our tour in Helsinki, there is a shuttle bus into town that we hope to take advantage of.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Travelcat2

[RachelG]

I agree the new terminal in St Petersburg is not nearly as convenient as the old one. At the old one, if a person had a Russian visa, they could get off the ship and walk to the hermitage if they wanted, or just walk around. You could see the hermitage from the ship.

 

In Helsinki, if the weather is nice, take the ferry over to the fortress (the one with the huge long name starting with an S that I can't spell). It is very nice for walking and exploring, but only in good weather.

[Travelcat2]

Rachel: Thanks for the tip for Helsinki. Because we have not had luggage for almost a week, we will stay in the suite and await our luggage. Once we have it and send most of it out for ironing, we'll take shuttle into town to see the market. Our luggage has become our top priority at the moment.

 

Had dinner at Signatures and tried the open faced ravioli. It was really yummy. Thank you for the suggestion. In terms of Signatures, we felt that Signatures was uncertain of its identity after Regent cancelled the contract with Le Cordon Blu. The famous mushroom soup turned into various versions of what we had previously - none very good. Tonight the mushroom soup was fabulous.... very impressed. While Signatures will never be our favorite dining venue, my DH had wonderful rack of lamb and my dish was also quite good.

 

I spoke with passengers that took the "regular" (aka "free") tour of the Hermitage and it was quite different that our experience. They were amongst the hoards of people while we were in a small group that toured with other small group. So, IMO, it is worth the money (on board credits) to go on the Gold Tour. The other two "free" tours were just fine.

 

So, I heard a huge rumor that I am hoping is true. When you read it, you may find that it makes little sense since the 2015 itineraries are out already and this would change them. Perhaps what I heard will be for 2016? Or, perhaps it is not true (did not hear this from the GM). Here it is..... (drum roll)

 

The Navigator will move to the Med. and Mariner will return to Alaska!!!!! IMO, the Mariner is perfect in Alaska for two reasons:

 

1) It has a forward Observation Lounge which gives passengers a great view.

 

2) Stars Lounge is huge and is a perfect place for the Mariners Club. Unlike the Navigator and Voyager, the space for children is very small and does not work as well as on the Mariner.

 

So whether this rumor is for 2015 or 2016, I feel that it is a great change. For those of us who do not want to sail on the Navigator, the Voyager is also in the Mediterranean that time of the year.

 

Next report from Helsinki!