I Am On The Regatta - Any Questions?

[LHT28]

Boreus and Carol - This is incredible - we're going directly to the sources here - thank you both!! I have a question regarding the money exchange - does the ship offer to exchange $ for rubles in Russia? I'm thinking that the ruble situation is a little more difficult?? Are there ATM machines in ENGLISH in Russia- also internet cafes with English availability?? I'm trying to learn the Russian alphabet but it's quite DAUNTING - I can just imagine the keyboard!:)

Kathy

 

Unless you are going off on your own most places in Russia will take U.S.D.

We were on a different cruiseline and you could buy Rubles but I would only buy a small amount as it will cost you a fee to exchange them back.

[2dogcarol]

I'm not sure if the ship has rubles because we never asked. You do need rubles in some of the palaces and museums if you want to take pictures. Several places charged 100 rubles for picture taking. We used an ATM in the Hermitage and it had English available. Other than that, any souvenirs we bought could be purchased with dollars or euros. As far as internet goes, we tried one in Helsinki and had such a hard time figuring out the different keyboard that we didn't try again. We used our Regatta email address and sent and received emails for $2 each. This worked out very well for us.

[kadsd]

I received an email from Oceania in mid-May that informed me that one may "...cash travelers checks on board and at this time, there is no fee. You may cash them for Euros or other currencies through the Purser or through the ambassador to a local bank that may be brought on board in certain ports....cash is limited to $500 a day."

Guess the 5% fee that Boreus mentioned has been a "recent" change?? I guess the phrase "at this time" lets them off the hook??

Kathy

[Boreus]

On the refrigerator question, there are just too many problems of finding room for a refrigerator, securing it in position in case of rough weather, and hooking it up to electricity (no baseboard outlets in staterooms) to make it practical. The ship cannot legally sell or buy roubles, and does not do so, but I am in St. Petersburg and just used the ATM machine in the Astoria Hotel, near where we docked. There are ATMs at banks, particularly along the Nevsky Prospect, and in Metro stations. They are not as plentiful as in the US but you can find them. The one I used had an English option, and the Internet cafe I am now at has keyboards in the Latin alphabet and Cyrillic. They just set mine to English. Bank representatives have not been on board to exchange currencies on this cruise, and I suspect that if you cash dollar travellers checks for dollars you will not pay a service fee, but if you buy foreign currency and have it charged to your onboard account you pay a 5% fee, the same as you pay when you deposit foreign currency for a shipboard dollar credit. I would put the average passenger age on this cruise at about 70, although we have some pre-teens and teens (all well behaved in my experience.) I have now eaten in both the Polo Club and Toscana, and prefer the latter, but the only real advangtage to the specialty restaurants is the change of venue. The food is about equally good (in the Main restaurant get loin of Tuna or duck orange, in Polo club the rack of lamb and oysters Rockefeller). The specialty restaurants offer more personalized service and specialty breads, but both are also good in the Grand Dining Room. I hope to tell you more about the ports when I am back from the trip, but now I am off to Catherine's Palace and I will not proof read this.

[kadsd]

Boreus - if you want to hang around St. Petersbury til my husband and I get there (July 27) we'd like to treat you to a shot of vodka:)

Thank you for this ON-THE-SPOT information!

Kathy

[Raphy]

I am on the Regatta, presently in Amsterdam and ending the cruise July 4 in Stockholm. If you have specific questions about the ship or life aboard I will be glad to try to answer them. I have noticed the question about pools, but the only thing I can tell you now is that it has not been warm enough for anyone go get in the pool, so I don't think it is heated. There are two hot tubs that seat several people each and are heated.

Hope that you are enjoying your cruise!

Thanks for offering to answer questions from us "soon to be Regatta Cruisers".

Does the ship offer currency exchange for all of the Baltic Ports? Also, can you use your ATM onboard the Regatta to obtain American Dollars to pay the Tour Co?

Also, what is weather like "at sea"?

Many thanks in advance for taking the time to answer.

Raphy

[sacway]

Thank you Boreus for answering questions and for other past Regatta cruisers as well.

 

Our Dec 21 trip out of Miami will be our first Oceania cruise, after a number on Celebrity and one each on RCI and Princess.

 

If we are in concierge class is there any limit to use of specialty restaurants? do the specialty restaurants have a surchage? I know food is very subjective, but what have you enjoyed most? how are any fresh fruits and veggies? the coffee service at meals or between meals? have you had room service, and if you did, how was it?

 

have you been to the gym? how is it?

 

OK, don't want to wear you out here. Have a fabulous holiday!

 

sacway

[Boreus]

I believe Concierge Class passengers get two reservations in each specialty restaurant. There is no charge for specialty restaurants. I can recommend any creamed soup. The soups are the only items served in the specialty restaurants that are not made there. They are created by a talented chef in the Grand Dining Room kitchen. Especially have the creamed potato leek soup. The fresh fruits and vegetables are good, and the strawberries and blueberries, which I am told were loaded on in Copenhagen, are superb. I have not had room service, nor used the gym, but the latter looked well equipped with treadmills, and fixed weight machines. There are also exercise classes in the gym. The ship will sell you Euros, and Danish and Swedish Krona and charge them to your onboard account with a 5% surcharge. It will also buy them back with a 5% charge. The ship will not deal in rubles which cannot be legally brought into or taken from Russia. There is no ATM machine on the Regatta, but there are ample ATM machines in the ports. The weather has been good, a few days overcast an some rain while we were in Gdansk, but you can't expect much better in the Baltic. Despite just having had three men try to open my backpack, and almost getting into a fistfight with them which was not bright of me, I am greatly enjoying St. Petersburg and trying to fit everything in. I would love to stay to July 27, kadsd, and I would probably still be trying to fit in things to see. There is that much, but I will be sailing this afternoon. I have just come from the Church on SpilledBlood and am off to Peter's Cabin, which I had not initially planned to see.

[Boreus]

I am now in Tallin and the weather is still wonderful. The ship is nearly sold out. I am given figures from 667 to 680 as the number of passengers we are carrying, and I am told that all sailings this summer in the Baltic are about as full. Last night the Grand Dining Room had venison, not gamey and perfectly cooked in a sauce similar to the one they use on duck. They could put that sauce on shingles and I would try to eat them! The ice creams served in the dining room taste home-made and include pear and last nights great, butter pecan. The baked goods are also good. The crossants, for example, are as good as I had in Paris before embarking, but strangely the brioche are not quite in the same class, but as good as you would get, say, in New York. Coffee is available between meals, but I dont at all like the coffee available in the Terrace Cafe. The restaurants are better. Coffee is available 24-hours a day. If you are taking Oceania/s tours you pay for them by charges to your onboard account, not in cash. In St. Petersburg the ATM machines at Citybank branches are in English, and there are Citybank branches on the Nevsky Prospect. Tallin is picturesque and tuned for the tourist. I will have a shorter day here which is good because I need the rest after running around St. Petersburg and still not seeing all I wanted.

[Boreus]

I am back at home after one of the best vacations of my life. I had a great time and hope to write up a longer review when I get the chance. In looking over the questions asked on this thread I can only see one that I can answer, and that is not already answered, usually by Carol (thank you again Carol): The next drydock for the Regatta is scheduled for April 2007.

[larablair]

Hi Boreus, my husband Ron and I were on the Baltic cruise with you! And we both agree with you, It was fantastic!! In fact we are trying to find another itinerary that would compare to this one. We also loved the ship, the staff and the food(outstanding), and believe me when I save we are very demanding, when it comes to restaurant food. Our fellow passengers were a wonderful mix, from honeymooners to senior citizens!! Very well traveled and interesting people. Well must close, I am exhausted!!

 

Jeanine

[Sniktaw]

Just a note about taxis in Brugge. We were just there the end of June and had made arrangements with brugge taxi to pick us up at the pier. It was 45 Euros each way and holds up to 6 passengers. You do have to give them a credit card to guarantee but they don't charge it unless you are a no show. We arranged for an 11:00Am pick up and when we left the ship there were at least 5 or 6 independent taxis waiting to take people into town and no one coming off the ship to use them. I don't know what it was like earlier when most of the people got off the ship and went into town but at that time there were plenty of cabs available for independent travelers.

Carolyn

[ClaudiaF]

wrote in part:

 

Also, can you use your ATM onboard the Regatta to obtain American Dollars to pay the Tour Co?

A

 

No ATM required to use on the ship. The ship will charge up to $500.00 per day to your onboard account ( in whatever currency you want ( as long as they have it ) ..they charge a conversion fee to do this. You charge it with your cabin key ( which is also the "money" of the ship)..as ships use a cashless system..just room charges.

[Sniktaw]

Regarding money issues, we just got off the June 20 Regatta to Baltics. They do not have Russian Roubles to purchase on board, just US dollars, Euros, Danish and Swedish money. They do not EXCHANGE money. You buy money and charge the cost to your account. They charge a 5% fee for any currency purchases. The ATM I used in Russian was just like using one at home. I only got about $20 worth. It was located inside Catherine's Palace so I would suspect many of the major attractions have them nearby their gift shop. Dollars and euros are readily accepted by most of the street vendors etc. Sometimes you might want some local change for restrooms but other than that dollars or euros work fine and most everywhere other than small street vendors accept credit cards. i got Swedish money on the ship because I was told that was all that was accepted by the taxis but ours took Euros (and probably dollars but I didn't ask) and even credit cards. Dover was the only place on our cruise that really required the local currency if they didn't accept credit cards.

[Sniktaw]

Forgot to mention that you don't have to cash in your leftover euros, etc.

Any currency that they sell can also, for no transaction fee, be applied as a credit to your shipboard account.

Carolyn

[hgatsawgrs]

With respect to the money exchange; Another issue is the exchange rate they use when they "sell" you the money charged to your account- We were on Insignia last month and besides the 5% commision they use an outlandish exchange rate- so it is always much cheaper to use a local source- As an example UK pounds were exchanged at a $2.00 per pound rate and then the 5% on top of that. So, just be aware the 5% is not the whole story.