Regent World Cruises

[Wendy The Wanderer]

6 hours ago, rcandkc said:

We haven’t had an update on the world cruise in awhile.  How’s it going?  As the cruise draws to an end in 2 1/2 weeks, what is the mood like?  We get on the Navigator in NY when the cruise ends. 

 

Yes, would love some updates too!

[HotRoot]

World cruise is still fantastic.  We are anchored off the coast of Sorrento.  Seas are too rough to tendor.  We are pulling up anchor and trying a different spot.  If that does not work, we are going to Naples.  This will be the first port missed/moved since Australia so no need to complain.  Most people are tired of the food.  They offered some different items but are now back to the same old thing.  The cooks have changed and so have the recipes.  Something you liked before is now prepared differently and you do not like it.  You learn to live with it.  Rome, tomorrow, is the last leg.  We have been told the ship will be empty.  We are looking forward to it and lots of plans are being made for end of the cruise parties.  We won't exclude anybody just on for the last leg but they might feel they came to the party late.  The mood - We are Family.  Krew Kapers last night and we all had tears.  Don't know what will happen for our last Krew Kapers.  We are losing lots of crew in Rome so that could change the vibe.  After the 12 night segment, the passenger vibe went back to normal and stayed the same.  I know the passengers on that 12 night voyage will disagree with me but I can only report what I hear on the ship.  It is still referred to as that horrible leg.  As for the current mood, there is talk about maybe we should start to pack, what is the first meal you will eat when you get home, etc.  But, I really don't think the end is near mood has set in yet.  I think that will hit on the transatlantic.  Any questions, I will try to answer,.         

[rcandkc]

7 hours ago, HotRoot said:

World cruise is still fantastic.  We are anchored off the coast of Sorrento.  Seas are too rough to tendor.  We are pulling up anchor and trying a different spot.  If that does not work, we are going to Naples.  This will be the first port missed/moved since Australia so no need to complain.  Most people are tired of the food.  They offered some different items but are now back to the same old thing.  The cooks have changed and so have the recipes.  Something you liked before is now prepared differently and you do not like it.  You learn to live with it.  Rome, tomorrow, is the last leg.  We have been told the ship will be empty.  We are looking forward to it and lots of plans are being made for end of the cruise parties.  We won't exclude anybody just on for the last leg but they might feel they came to the party late.  The mood - We are Family.  Krew Kapers last night and we all had tears.  Don't know what will happen for our last Krew Kapers.  We are losing lots of crew in Rome so that could change the vibe.  After the 12 night segment, the passenger vibe went back to normal and stayed the same.  I know the passengers on that 12 night voyage will disagree with me but I can only report what I hear on the ship.  It is still referred to as that horrible leg.  As for the current mood, there is talk about maybe we should start to pack, what is the first meal you will eat when you get home, etc.  But, I really don't think the end is near mood has set in yet.  I think that will hit on the transatlantic.  Any questions, I will try to answer,.         

 

Thanks so much for reporting.  Sounds like you all had a wonderful world cruise.  We almost booked last leg for our first Transatlantic ( not first Regent) but decided on the next cruise instead NYC to Amsterdam.  We are really looking forward to it.  Hope the big crew change out goes well.  Will the cruise director change?

[HotRoot]

Jamie and Dana are off in New York.  Sara, Social Hostess, also.  All singers and dancers will leave then as well.  No idea as to who is coming on.  I will ask and let you know if I learn anything.  We missed Sorrento today.  Instead docked in Naples.  Have never been to either city so it was a win win for us.  Rumor is our original Captain will be back on in Barcelona.  If so, you will be in for a real treat.  The most visible Captain we have ever cruised with on any cruise line.  Captain Aivo Palm

[rcandkc]

Thanks for the info. I hope the new cruise director is not who we had in November on Navigator.  He was such a ghost I don’t even know his name.  We had lots of rain and it would have been nice to have had some energy from him and his staff. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

8 hours ago, HotRoot said:

World cruise is still fantastic.  We are anchored off the coast of Sorrento.  Seas are too rough to tendor.  We are pulling up anchor and trying a different spot.  If that does not work, we are going to Naples.  This will be the first port missed/moved since Australia so no need to complain.  Most people are tired of the food.  They offered some different items but are now back to the same old thing.  The cooks have changed and so have the recipes.  Something you liked before is now prepared differently and you do not like it.  You learn to live with it.  Rome, tomorrow, is the last leg.  We have been told the ship will be empty.  We are looking forward to it and lots of plans are being made for end of the cruise parties.  We won't exclude anybody just on for the last leg but they might feel they came to the party late.  The mood - We are Family.  Krew Kapers last night and we all had tears.  Don't know what will happen for our last Krew Kapers.  We are losing lots of crew in Rome so that could change the vibe.  After the 12 night segment, the passenger vibe went back to normal and stayed the same.  I know the passengers on that 12 night voyage will disagree with me but I can only report what I hear on the ship.  It is still referred to as that horrible leg.  As for the current mood, there is talk about maybe we should start to pack, what is the first meal you will eat when you get home, etc.  But, I really don't think the end is near mood has set in yet.  I think that will hit on the transatlantic.  Any questions, I will try to answer,.         

 

Golly, you've got me thinking the last leg of our WC in 2021!  I'm sure we'll be tired of the food, although I would have thought new cooks and preparation methods would actually help.  Do they ever make 'comfort food' items?  I remember reading years ago about the WC on Voyager where they did a "Denny's" night, lol.

 

I can only imagine how the emotions of getting off must be high.  For better or worse, ours ends on Barcelona after lots of Med ports, so we won't have the luxury of all those sea days to pack up!  Will be hard to adjust, with tears I'm sure.

 

Take care, enjoy.

[Sharle]

22 minutes ago, rcandkc said:

Thanks for the info. I hope the new cruise director is not who we had in November on Navigator.  He was such a ghost I don’t even know his name.  We had lots of rain and it would have been nice to have had some energy from him and his staff. 

Paul was the cruise director end of November on Navigator.  He is on Voyager now.

[rcandkc]

I just looked up to see all the places you have been. Wow!  A real round the world cruise.  All of you must have become such good friends too.  

[HotRoot]

I was told last night Ray Solarie will take over in New York.  Actually a few of the singers and dancers are staying on.  Mostly the ones that live in Europe.  They will go home from Amsterdam.  Yes, we have become friends.  We had some comfort food a couple of weeks ago.  All was appreciated.  Hopefully they will bring it back again.  Off to Rome.

[rcandkc]

How long are singers contracts?  Six months?  If so, they had just come on with our Navigator cruise at Halloween. We like Ray. 

[Kwaj girl]

13 hours ago, HotRoot said:

I was told last night Ray Solarie will take over in New York.  Actually a few of the singers and dancers are staying on.  Mostly the ones that live in Europe.  They will go home from Amsterdam.  Yes, we have become friends.  We had some comfort food a couple of weeks ago.  All was appreciated.  Hopefully they will bring it back again.  Off to Rome.

 Having sailed the full WC last year we did find the 'everyday' menu a bit repetitive by the time the last segment came around but there were enough of the daily specials on the right side of the menu to keep us from too much flavor fatigue. I tried many things I would not normally choose....especially the daily featured fish item since the variety might not be available once we left that part of the globe.  The ones I really feel for are the crew members on board for their lengthy contracts.  THEY have much more limited and repetitive choices for sure.  That's a big reason they like to get off the ship for an hour or two whenever they can....to get some 'good' food....not just for the free internet in the terminal.

[rcandkc]

On 4/29/2019 at 12:36 AM, HotRoot said:

I was told last night Ray Solarie will take over in New York.  Actually a few of the singers and dancers are staying on.  Mostly the ones that live in Europe.  They will go home from Amsterdam.  Yes, we have become friends.  We had some comfort food a couple of weeks ago.  All was appreciated.  Hopefully they will bring it back again.  Off to Rome.

How is it going with the big staff change in Barcelona?  Who is the new captain?

i would love to know what heaviness of jacket I should bring when we board once you are crossing.  We’ve never done a TA before. 

Edited May 3, 2019 by rcandkc

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 4/29/2019 at 3:03 PM, Kwaj girl said:

 Having sailed the full WC last year we did find the 'everyday' menu a bit repetitive by the time the last segment came around but there were enough of the daily specials on the right side of the menu to keep us from too much flavor fatigue. ...

 

Just wait until you get home and have to cook meals for yourself!  If I make my WC in 2021, I will remind myself of that whenever I get bored with the food.

 

Of course, you can request a special meal any time you like, so spice things up, so to speak.

[HotRoot]

11 hours ago, rcandkc said:

How is it going with the big staff change in Barcelona?  Who is the new captain?

i would love to know what heaviness of jacket I should bring when we board once you are crossing.  We’ve never done a TA before. 

 

We are back to our original Captain - Alvo Palm.  He still remembers all of our names.  New crew is broken in.  All bar staff remained.  Some food staff that started with us have come back.  Our travel agent gave us a fleece jacket we brought with us.  Onboard we received a heavier jacket.  We have been using the fleece jacket and sweatshirts.  We bought some with Regent Points.  We never used the heavier jacket but lots of people do.  You will know ahead of time about the jacket as they ask you for a size.  In the sun you do not need a jacket.  The pool is still packed.  The first time on the cruise it is difficult to get chairs in the sun.

[HotRoot]

11 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Just wait until you get home and have to cook meals for yourself!  If I make my WC in 2021, I will remind myself of that whenever I get bored with the food.

 

Of course, you can request a special meal any time you like, so spice things up, so to speak.

We are looking forward to cooking.  I already have my grocery list ready.  They have realized we are tired of the same old stuff.  Tonight is fish and chips, English style.  Last week they did Southern Fried Chicken.  They served over 200 dinners.  Passenger count is 404.  When you subtract the Prime7, Sette Mare, Pool Grill people, most everybody in the dining room had fried chicken.

[HotRoot]

We had our last World Cruise Event yesterday in Malaga.  A perfect setting in the mountains on a hacienda.  Perfect weather.  Almost too hot in the sun.  Fancy food - oxtail fritters - most of us skipped.  Great plain chicken and beef.  Entertainment was dancing horses and flamenco dancers.  A duet with a horse and a woman.  We feel the end of the cruise and it was a great sendoff.

 

Jason Montague was on board for two nights.  The group of complainers were heard.  Unfortunately, they try so hard to find something wrong they have missed a great experience.  New passengers who have joined us all seem to be wonderful.  They expressed they had some concern about coming to the party late but feel like they have been with us since the beginning.  Several have also said they are thinking about a World Cruise based on this leg.

 

Any questions?  You have about two weeks and then I am off this board.

 

[travelwell]

HotRoot, 

The idea of packing for the WC is going to be challenging for me. Do you feel you brought the clothing you needed? Anything you wish you had packed? Anything you brought that really not needed?

I appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions. It has been great following your adventures. 

Lisa

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

7 hours ago, HotRoot said:

Any questions?  You have about two weeks and then I am off this board.

 

Definitely a few questions.  I'll try asking them one at a time.

 

Are you in a standard suite?  Ah, those lovey veranda cabins on Navigator!  Given that the Mariner suite we're stuck in (ha ha) is smaller, I'm worried about storage space in the cabin.

 

Are there ways in which you maximized storage, and are there storage solutions you wished you done (specialty hangers, collapsible cloth boxes, etc.)? Are there things that you wished you'd brought, or things you wish that you hadn't?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

8 hours ago, HotRoot said:

Any questions?  You have about two weeks and then I am off this board.

 

Questions on ports.  What were your favourite and least favourite?  (I know this is subjective, and your ports are not identical to ours, plus weather mitigates.)

 

Did you do any Overland programs?  If so, were they well-done?

 

How did you handle the heat in the southern climes?

[rcandkc]

I would imagine the jackets were since it was a world cruise.  The fried chicken sounds good 😀 

[rcandkc]

Does Captain Palm give nice informative updates?  We found the captain on our November cruise very uninformative and did very few updates.  We missed our regular noon updates. 

Edited May 4, 2019 by rcandkc

[HotRoot]

3 hours ago, travelwell said:

HotRoot, 

The idea of packing for the WC is going to be challenging for me. Do you feel you brought the clothing you needed? Anything you wish you had packed? Anything you brought that really not needed?

I appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions. It has been great following your adventures. 

Lisa

 

 

We brought clothes for two weeks.  It is sufficient clothes but I am getting sick of it.  Most of the clothes we will not take home with us.  We are that tired of wearing them.  We did bring older clothes with that in mind.  That gives us room for the items we have acquired on the cruise.  We shipped four suitcases and checked one.  We will go home with the same.  This group of passengers does not really dress up.  We brought no tux or suits.  Did bring two sport jackets and have probably worn each one four times.    If you want to bring the fancy stuff, you will have lots of opportunities to wear them.  The segment people do dress up more that the World Cruisers.  I think our attitude is we are eating at home and how many times do you put on a suit to eat at home.  If I did this again I would bring enough clothes for three weeks.  I brought some high heels I never wear at home and thought maybe I would wear them.  I did not.  They will stay on the ship.  

[HotRoot]

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Definitely a few questions.  I'll try asking them one at a time.

 

Are you in a standard suite?  Ah, those lovey veranda cabins on Navigator!  Given that the Mariner suite we're stuck in (ha ha) is smaller, I'm worried about storage space in the cabin.

 

Are there ways in which you maximized storage, and are there storage solutions you wished you done (specialty hangers, collapsible cloth boxes, etc.)? Are there things that you wished you'd brought, or things you wish that you hadn't?

 

We are in a window suite on deck 6.  We have not missed a balcony.  The additional cost for a balcony was $24,000.  We are in 626 and only two doors from an outside door.  It is easy for us to check the temperature.  People with balconies have said they do not use them.  When we are moving they are too windy.  When we are docked they are hot.  Our closet is sufficient.  I did bring one of those heavy cardboard shoe box that hangs in the closet.  All of our shoes fit in it.  I was able to double up on mine.  4 or 5 pairs of flip flops fit it one compartment.  Closet drawers and shelves are full.  Nightstands are full.  I rearranged the glass storage and all of the Regent stuff is on one shelf.  I use the other three.  We traded in our wooden hangars for wire ones on the ship.  No need to bring your own.  Things we are finished with are back in the suitcases under the bed - like souvenirs.

[HotRoot]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Questions on ports.  What were your favourite and least favourite?  (I know this is subjective, and your ports are not identical to ours, plus weather mitigates.)

 

Did you do any Overland programs?  If so, were they well-done?

 

How did you handle the heat in the southern climes?

 

Getting ready for a 6 pm show.  I will check your itinerary and see what ports we have in common and then comment on those.  We did not do any Regent Overland programs.  We have been to most of the places they went to.  We have been to Bangkok and when they changed the port to the one two hours away, we planned on skipping Bangkok.  Then friends wanted to go and asked us to go along.  Regent offered a Bangkok on Your Own.  We took it to get to Bangkok but not back.  Then Regent hired us a driver and guide and van.  They picked us up at our hotel and we saw more of Bangkok than anybody on a ship's tour.  Since we did it through Regent, we could use our onboard credit.

 

We had never been to Israel so had time to arrange our own 3 day/2 night private tour with Guided Tours Israel.  That was a cheaper option than booking with Regent.  Again, we saw more than the people on the ship's tour.  They saw the wailing wall but never walked down the steps and touched the wall.  

 

We have those rags you wet and snap and put around your neck.  We have lots of fans.  We have a bottle with a sprayer.  Sometimes just pour the bottle of water over your head.

[HotRoot]

39 minutes ago, rcandkc said:

Does Captain Palm give nice informative updates?  We found the captain on our November cruise very uninformative and did very few updates.  We missed our regular noon updates. 

 

The Captain is fantastic.  Besides the noon updates on sea days and when we sail updates on port days, he is always visible around the ship.