Cruise virgin looking for advice

[Hertsjenny]

Hi

 

My husband and I have booked for first cruise ever with Regent Seven Seas to the South Pacific over Christmas/New Year. Really looking forward to it but wondering about the dress code - don't want to get it wrong! Went on the Regent website and their advice for men was "slacks and collared shirt" for dinner with sports jacket optional, but then went on to say on cruises over 16 nights (ours is 18) formal of semi formal wear is optional. What does this mean? Are we talking black tie, lounge suits or just jackets and trousers. It says ties are not required. Will that even apply to Christmas/New Year's Eve or do they do something special? For ladies, is it fairly low key or are we talking strappy full length dresses with some sparkle?

 

Anyone got any good advice on how to make the most of our luggage allowance and what we should definitely include/leave out? Do you make use of the laundry services?

 

Thanks for advice on this and any other information that a newbie to cruising needs.

 

Read some of the posts about flight problems and have already experienced this. Agreed with travel agent one flight but when confirmation arrived we were booked on another. Queried it and told them I expected them to honour flight we'd agreed (fortunately all written on email) and with no cost to us for change, and it has all been sorted thankfully - didn't fancy 10 hours in Los Angeles airport!

[JPR]

No more black tie or suits or ties or even sports jackets...but I generally wear a sports jacket. For the South Pacific, you could wear nice Aloha shirts! I would bring one summer lightweight sports jacket.

My wife wears nice cocktail dresses but not a formal dress.

Edited September 17, 2014 by JPR

[nuneham]

Also new to Regent and FP but we're sailing in January. I shall be reading with interest. We've been on Azamara 8 times and I'm looking forward to the larger cabins and bathrooms and the wider selection of included drinks - thank you, travelcat2, for posting that info. I've been reading through this forum and building up a picture of what to expect. One mistake I think I've already made - we've maxed out on excursions because I couldn't find any info on getting ashore if we didn't join in. Lazing on a beach sounds very attractive, lazing by the pool I'll leave for afternoons. I'll look at this again.

BTW, we have 6 hours in the airport at LA!

[JPR]

Ugh. A problem with visiting sights near LAX on layovers is that the 405 freeway is a crapshoot. You could take a taxi to the nearby In-and-Out Burger on Sepulveda Blvd; it's a Southern California institution. There is a nearby Starbucks there, with prices much lower than the Starbucks in the airport. There is also The Proud Bird restaurant close to the airport, which has its own air museum and decent food; great place to watch the big jets take off and land...

 

Unfortunately, the Theme Building restaurant has closed. There are some good restaurants in the Bradley International Terminal, however. Is that where you will be?

[nuneham]

Am awaiting confirmation of flight info but there's no way it looks inviting as we don't leave Tahiti until almost midnight having been off the ship all day. It was almost a deal-breaker and then I thought 'Poor you, you have to spend a day in Tahiti!' We just have to bite this particular bullet and get on with it. Or stay closer to home and look at pictures. Thank you for your ideas.

[TedC]

Among the many things I like about Regent is the VERY limited smoking and the relaxed dress! I don't want to look like a Maitre 'D or a penguin! ( NO offence to penguins.)

Edited September 17, 2014 by TedC

[Sunprince]

I would suggest that you dress within Regent's policy and as you are comfortable. Some people are more comfortable dressing above the dress code policy. Particularly over Christmas, you will find that people will dress up a bit, as I experienced on my last Regent Christmas cruise. For example, I wore a dark suit and bow tie for Xmas and new year's evenings. Otherwise I wore a jacket and no tie. There is no requirement to do this as I saw other men in collared shirts and no jackets. It also depends on where most of the passengers will be from on your cruise (UK vs Asia, vs North America)

Edited September 17, 2014 by Sunprince

[Travelcat2]

You could take a taxi to the nearby In-and-Out Burger on Sepulveda Blvd; it's a Southern California institution. There is a nearby?

 

Just had to mention that you just made me drool -- In-and-Out Burger is the best (raised in L.A. - transplanted to WA 12 years ago).

 

Back to the subject. As Sunprince noted, Christmas and New Year's is a bit fancier than normal cruises. We were on the Voyager for the holidays in 2013 and did see a tuxedo or two and some cocktail dresses. Mostly there were suits or sports jackets (although neither is required). Women took the opportunity to wear tops with sparkles with a skirt or pants. Most people were so into the holiday that they didn't notice what others were wearing. Before and after the holidays, passengers dressed just like they always do - "elegant casual".

 

In terms of the long wait in Tahiti, there are hotels that offer day rooms. Regent usually offers a tour after you disembark (for a cost). It's nice to tour the island and it takes up some of the day. Be prepared for very expensive prices in Papeete.

 

In terms of LAX, besides for In-and-Out Burger, the airport is very close to the water and beach communities. You could get a taxi or tour for a couple of hours that will give you the opportunity to see some of the lovely beaches.

 

You are going to one of the most beautiful spots on earth. The extra time you spend in LAX or Papeete is, IMO, worth it:)

[Caroldoll]

You are coming from an extreme time zone from Tahiti. My DH and I have done this 5 times from Los Angeles and we always go in two days before the cruise...no matter what the cost is. Maybe for you three. You need to get on that time zone or you will ruin your cruise. That is THE MOST WONDERFUL CRUISE IN THE WORLD. Do not ruin it, in my opinion, by cutting cost. It will take days to equalize. It is all worth it.

[CruisetheCs]

There are limited options for flights from Tahiti to the United States.

 

There is no way I would get off the ship in the morning and take a 11 pm flight without having a day room at a hotel. Even with a tour of the island you would have hours of time to kill.

 

One possibility is to check with Regent and see if you can leave the ship the last night of the cruise and take an overnight flight. There isn't much special about the last night spent in port as the dress code is usually relaxed to wear most anything and most people are concerned about packing clothes and getting ready to leave early the next morning. There may be some issues about customs or immigration that would need to be sorted out if you want to leave the ship early.

[Travelcat2]

Hi

 

My husband and I have booked for first cruise ever with Regent Seven Seas to the South Pacific over Christmas/New Year. Really looking forward to it but wondering about the dress code - don't want to get it wrong! Went on the Regent website and their advice for men was "slacks and collared shirt" for dinner with sports jacket optional, but then went on to say on cruises over 16 nights (ours is 18) formal of semi formal wear is optional. What does this mean? Are we talking black tie, lounge suits or just jackets and trousers. It says ties are not required. Will that even apply to Christmas/New Year's Eve or do they do something special? For ladies, is it fairly low key or are we talking strappy full length dresses with some sparkle?

 

Anyone got any good advice on how to make the most of our luggage allowance and what we should definitely include/leave out? Do you make use of the laundry services?

 

Thanks for advice on this and any other information that a newbie to cruising needs.

 

Read some of the posts about flight problems and have already experienced this. Agreed with travel agent one flight but when confirmation arrived we were booked on another. Queried it and told them I expected them to honour flight we'd agreed (fortunately all written on email) and with no cost to us for change, and it has all been sorted thankfully - didn't fancy 10 hours in Los Angeles airport!

 

Trying to find information to help you but need to know the dates of your cruise. The only Regent cruises I am seeing on the Regent website in this area are from November 19th through December 7th, and from December 7th to December 18th. Then there is a blank until January 6th. Really confused.

 

I would agree that you might want to fly back the night before everyone else disembarks. However, this is only possible if the ship overnights in Papeete. We have done this a couple of times but not in Tahiti.

 

Kindly let us know the exact dates of your cruise. Thanks much:)

[DaveFr]

Trying to find information to help you but need to know the dates of your cruise. The only Regent cruises I am seeing on the Regent website in this area are from November 19th through December 7th, and from December 7th to December 18th. Then there is a blank until January 6th. Really confused.

 

I would agree that you might want to fly back the night before everyone else disembarks. However, this is only possible if the ship overnights in Papeete. We have done this a couple of times but not in Tahiti.

 

Kindly let us know the exact dates of your cruise. Thanks much:)

TC,

 

You're not seeing the cruise between December 18 and January 6, because you were only looking at cruises in the Tahiti category. If you search for Asia/Pacific cruises, you'll find the cruise the OP is on. I am also on that cruise and it sails between Tahiti and Auckland on those dates.

Edited September 18, 2014 by DaveFr

[Travelcat2]

TC,

 

You're not seeing the cruise between December 18 and January 6, because you were only looking at cruises in the Tahiti category. If you search for Asia/Pacific cruises, you'll find the cruise the OP is on. I am also on that cruise and it sails between Tahiti and Auckland on those dates.

 

Thanks so much. So, there isn't an issue about flying out of Papeete early. The issue is the time spent in Tahiti before boarding. The OP should be able to board the ship at noon - even though the ship doesn't depart until midnight.

[nuneham]

Apologies, hertsjenny, I have inadvertently sidetracked your thread. It was very interesting to me as we're also new to Regent and FP. I wish we were travelling at the same time! I now see that you're Papeete to Auckland from mid December. We're Sydney to Papeete in mid January. We have a couple of days in Sydney and our first is a sea day so I hope we have time to acclimatise. Our wait in LA is on our return, yours on the way out. I won't say any more about our flights here - it's your thread - except that Regent did say, when asked, that they would arrange the tour and a day room - we'll see. Leaving on the previous night isn't an option as we dock at 6am.

3 things I have learned which have been helpful - the L'Occitane products supplied mean I won't have to carry shampoo, conditioner, body wash & lotion, which is great. Air Tahiti Nui isn't the same as Air Tahiti. I was seriously concerned about the restrictions for carry-ons. We've upgraded on BA for our section from LA to LHR through Regent. A good deal and worthwhile - to me.

It's quite a jaunt from the UK but we should all have a marvellous experience being pampered in a beautiful location and with so many friendly people - as shown in their responses here. I hope to hear from you on your return.

[Hertsjenny]

Thanks to all of you for coming back with some advice, all really helpful! I think I know what clothes we'll be taking and it will be a bit of a mixture!! Definitely have a bit of sparkle/bling for the big holiday evenings.

 

We've ended up with only a 5 hour wait on the way out at LAX and the same on the way home in Dubai, which is fine, but I really didn't fancy Regent's first opton for flights which was a 10 hour wait on our way out, from the UK its already the longest journey we've ever done, (previous longest 17 hours to Bali with a wait in Singapore) but as someone rightly said, to travel to this part of the world it will definitely be worth it! Its been a dream for my husband for years.

 

Because we've booked quite late (only in the last few weeks) we've found some ports of call where all/or the most attractive excursions are already fully booked - will it be easy enough to do our own thing in ports? Can you still get on the tenders ok? We're keen not to sign up for everything so that we do get some time to just laze around on beautiful beaches and appreciate the islands, but at the same time don't want to miss out on seeing all that the individual islands have to offer. Is there usually enouigh time if you do take up an excursion to still have some time on your own? A lot of landings seem to be about 9 or 10 hours and the excursions only 3 or 4 - is a lot of time taken up actually getting off/back on the boat?

 

I see Regent say you need to have a minimum of 90 minutes between excursions. If you wanted, could you go back on board and then get off again (if one was a sight seeing trip where you wanted to wear clothes and another a beach or boat based trip where you just need a swimsuit and cover up)?

 

Sorry if I'm asking a lot of really basic questions, but its great having you all to ask in advance. Many thanks again to all.

[Hertsjenny]

Apologies, hertsjenny, I have inadvertently sidetracked your thread. It was very interesting to me as we're also new to Regent and FP. I wish we were travelling at the same time! I now see that you're Papeete to Auckland from mid December. We're Sydney to Papeete in mid January. We have a couple of days in Sydney and our first is a sea day so I hope we have time to acclimatise. Our wait in LA is on our return, yours on the way out. I won't say any more about our flights here - it's your thread - except that Regent did say, when asked, that they would arrange the tour and a day room - we'll see. Leaving on the previous night isn't an option as we dock at 6am.

3 things I have learned which have been helpful - the L'Occitane products supplied mean I won't have to carry shampoo, conditioner, body wash & lotion, which is great. Air Tahiti Nui isn't the same as Air Tahiti. I was seriously concerned about the restrictions for carry-ons. We've upgraded on BA for our section from LA to LHR through Regent. A good deal and worthwhile - to me.

It's quite a jaunt from the UK but we should all have a marvellous experience being pampered in a beautiful location and with so many friendly people - as shown in their responses here. I hope to hear from you on your return.

Hi Nuneham, no problem "hijacking" the thread, and will definitely give you some feedback once we get home which hopefully will be helpful to you. You're right, its lovely having friendly knowledgeable people you can call on!

[Sekhmet]

We've ended up with only a 5 hour wait on the way out at LAX

 

If it's anything like our outbound to Papeete (from Birmingham via Paris and Los Angeles with Air France) earlier this year, about half your five hours in LAX could be spent queuing to be dealt with by Immigration and Customs, and then departure Security, so planning something outside the airport may not be possible. As my mother used to say, you have to grin and bear it, but it's all worthwhile when you get there.

 

Enjoy Polynesia!

[2old4this]

Among the many things I like about Regent is the VERY limited smoking and the relaxed dress! I don't want to look like a Maitre 'D or a penguin! ( NO offence to penguins.)

 

Stay away from Cunard, TedC, if you don't enjoy black and white in the evenings. Nearly all male passengers wear black suits or tuxes to every dinner. I have seen the staffer at the door suggest a meal at the fast food stand beside the swimming pool for one passenger. The impact of black and white dining is impressive. And the ladies come in gowns and special clothing making EVERY dinner on the QM2 a memorable night out. I knew their dress code before boarding and wondered back then if I could enjoy so many nights (I did 15) without sliding back to my natural self of being casual and laid back. I found it most pleasant. Jack