Your advice please - Biggest Bag for the Buck

Reading all the various posts/topics have been a welcomed education. My upcoming Alaska cruise will be my first cruise in 15 years and first with Regent. I am curious the opinion of what really is the biggest bang for the buck. We have booked a Penthouse cabin and our traveling partners are in a Concierge cabin. I like the all inclusive concept. When my wife and I retired a few years ago, we did the Viking Budepest to Amsterdam river cruise with the Silver Beverage Package, money very well spent. Viking is all inclusive and other than tips (not included) we paid for nothing other than a couple of ports that were all day, on your own. From the perspective of value for the dollar, I have no beef with what Viking offered. A river vessel is night and day from what I anticipate on the Mariner.

With that said, it is my understanding that Penthouse and above provides inclusive r/t air, Business Class to Europe. Obviously a larger cabin, the butler service may or may not be all that. I am simply looking at the overall value of airfare and amenities versus Concierge level and below, what is the best value, overall? If I understand correctly, once a passenger closes their cabin door, we are all equals to everything, am I correct?

One thing I was disappointed with in booking, was the after cruise stay over option in Vancouver. I was able to get a much better price at the same hotel by self booking. Regent would not allow for air package extension unless I used their hotel extension package. So we had our airfare credited back and booked our own flights, which was really not a big deal and pricing was a wash. We did a ten day package with Parillo Tour to Italy late last year and another 20 days in France. Parillo booked our return flights with the large extension at their Business Class rate and saved me a ton of money.

Your council is appreciated.

Yes, once you step outside your cabin and close the door, everybody is the same. If you are looking at Voyager, their Penthouse Suites aren't like Mariner's from what everybody says; they aren't larger than the Deluxe Suites. We sailed Voyager twice, but we splurged and once got a Voyager Suite (for a short Western Caribbean cruise) and once a Seven Seas Suite forward (for British Isles). So look at your deck plans carefully.

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. You are going to be on Mariner--their Penthouse suites are supposed to be great. You do not get Business Air within North America so the fact that it's complimentary to Europe is not relevant.

Hotel packages are notoriously expensive when booked with Regent--other ocean lines are similar I believe. But just because you don't choose their package doesn't mean you can't use their air. If someone told you that, they are wrong. But you have to pay their deviation fee in that case. For a post-cruise stay in Vancouver with Regent Air, you would have to pay the deviation fee, currently $175 pp. So booking your own air is probably a good idea. But not obligatory

I'm not sold on the Concierge level cabins, but then the amenities don't mean much to me because I already have free internet. The cabins are the same size as standard ones, so your friends could weigh the benefits.

Like Wendy, I am not sure what you are asking. Any cabin on Regent is great.

Thank you Wendy and Rachel,

I guess what I am trying to figure out is as an example; My wife and I are interested in the Northern European cruise of St. Petersburg etc. is it worth the money for a Penthouse because Business Class is included, or do the Concierge or below and pay for the out of pocket for Business upgrade? It is my understanding that at least on the Mariner, below Penthouse, the rooms are pretty much the same and look very nice in the photographs. Do you say its worth the money for a Penthouse because of the inclusive Business Class for European trips and Penthouse amenities, OR save your money, get the regular cabin and pay for Business Class upgrade via Regent because you will come out ahead. Hopefully this will clarify my question. If you experienced folks have the inside track on room categories and air packages, it will help me decide on my next booking.

When I called Regent about the deviation, it was my understanding that it was pretty much, take our package or book your own flight with a airfare credit returned. It worked for me to book my own air because we live in Southern California, we actually obtained a closer airport and better to/from travel times.

Okay, well first thought I have is, you need to transfer your booking for Alaska, if it's not too late, to a knowledgeable travel agent who specializes in luxury cruising and therefore knows the Regent product well. And do any future bookings with that TA. He or she will not misinform you about deviations and booking air as part of the cruise or not. You will have to hunt TA's yourself, we can't help you, but there are good ones out there who will give you perks on top of the ones offered by Regent.

As for the Penthouse suites on Voyager, the ship that does the Baltic, I think they are worthwhile. But look at the suite size carefully. The PH is not a whole lot bigger than a normal suite, but is a bit bigger and nicely laid-out. In my opinion, the Business-included upgrade is not worth it in and of itself, since if you price it out, it's cheaper to just buy the upgrade usually. But your mileage may vary--each cruise is priced definitely. But you can *definitely* use the Business upgrade and still deviate with your own hotels!

As for Concierge cabins, as I said, I'm not convinced. On Voyager, I like deck 6, mid-ship. No butler, no any other special amenities. But have a look at the Concierge amenities--for some they will be definitely worth the upgrade, especially internet.

Be careful with suite sizes on Regent's various ships. Before booking study carefully the deck plans/room layouts on the Regent website.

Voyager 'basic' suites H - D are significantly larger than on Mariner

The Voyager Penthouse C is the same size and layout as Voyager Suites H - D. They are at the rear of the ship, which suffers vibration on Voyager (as does Navigator)

Voyager Penthouse A or B are slightly larger and a squarer layout (better IMO)

Hi:

You have gotten lots of good advice here, especially about an experienced TA. I did a wonderful 30 days on the Voyager in the Baltic/North Sea last year and 3 other previous Voyager cruises. We had: regular Deluxe mid-ship cabin (terrific), Regent Air with purchased Up-grade to BC; did our own hotel (much cheaper than Regent Concierge), our own airport/ship transfers (easy) on arrival and regent-supplied transfer upon departure.

Any other questions?

I chose Concierge on Mariner for our 2017 Alaska cruise for the early access to excursion reservations. Worth it? I'll find out next year.

If you are comfortable arranging your own air travel you might save money by taking the air credit from Regent and buying your own tickets. Barring a big fare increase in the next few months we will be able to save money even going first class home from Vancouver.

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We chose Concierge for our upcoming Navigator cruise mostly for the priority reservations, too. We've had butlers on three of our previous cruises and frankly, we don't think we use them enough to justify the upgrade. The quoted Bus Class air upgrade is usually less expensive than a PH upgrade, so if you want BC air and don't need a butler, Concierge is a good option, IMO.

We chose Concierge for our upcoming Navigator cruise mostly for the priority reservations, too. We've had butlers on three of our previous cruises and frankly, we don't think we use them enough to justify the upgrade. The quoted Bus Class air upgrade is usually less expensive than a PH upgrade, so if you want BC air and don't need a butler, Concierge is a good option, IMO.

Bill,

From your cruising history, you must be Silver on Regent. One of the Silver benefits is priority reservations for restaurants and excursions regardless of the suite category you book. Hope this helps in the future.

Bill,

 

From your cruising history, you must be Silver on Regent. One of the Silver benefits is priority reservations for restaurants and excursions regardless of the suite category you book. Hope this helps in the future.

Dave, I'm sure on some level I knew that (I'm sure my wife does) but you're right - we are silver and that's a concierge perk we don't need...thanks for keeping me informed!

Now if I can just figure out the levels for multiple internet logins, I'd be all set! :D

Living Life Large: The correct dimensions of the PH suites on Regent's current fleet follows:

Mariner - 376 sq. ft. plus 73 sq. ft. balcony (much larger than 252 sq. ft. veranda suite with 49 sq. ft. balcony)

Navigator - 301 sq. ft. plus 55 sq. ft. balcony (same size as veranda suites)

Voyager - PH A/B - 320 sq. ft. plus 50 sq. ft. balcony, PH C 306 sq. ft. plus 80-137 sq. ft. balcony

Note regarding Voyager. While the PH suites are only 14 sq. ft. larger than the veranda suites, the square configuration makes it seem quite a bit larger and is more comfortable than the veranda suites.

In terms of flights - it seems that you have already booked your own flights which is fine (hope you received a good credit from Regent). You do realize that you do not get transfers to and from the ship when you book your own air. For future reference, if you deviate your flights ($175/each), you can choose your flights and airlines (as long as they are contracted by Regent). When you deviate you do not lose transfers.

 

Note regarding Voyager. While the PH suites are only 14 sq. ft. larger than the veranda suites, the square configuration makes it seem quite a bit larger and is more comfortable than the veranda suites.

 

The square configuration is only true for the Voyager Penthouse A & B Suites.

The Voyager Penthouse C Suites have the same room size and layout as Suites H - D, and have the disadvantage (in some people's opinion) of the Voyager's aft vibration

We do our own air and take a credit, so for us, the least expensive cabin is totally fine.

We do our own air and take a credit, so for us, the least expensive cabin is totally fine.

Thank you all so very much. Rachel, thank you for the above as well. As with anything in the service industry, TA are a dime a dozen, some better than others. Mine was a complete train wreck, but I was able to fix the issues on my own, her loss.

Having been out of the cruise scene for so long, things have obviously changed and I'm sure the adage of you get what you pay for is appropriate. The regular cabins look very nice and seem to be a great value, although I will have to learn the viability of the different levels once I'm on board. I'm sure the Butler service is a nice amenity, but not all that necessary, however breakfast served in-cabin will be nice as well as a little cocktail party before dinner will be fun. But, I would rather go to the lounge(s) and meet folks and mingle. So experience will tell me if the PH is all that. There certainly is a significant price difference, but your guidance will help me with my European cruise decision. Rachel is getting the biggest bang for the buck.

Butler is nice, but not necessary. You can get a great room service hot breakfast in any cabin. Or a great cocktail setup if you want. So just book! You will have a wonderful time.

Butler is nice, but not necessary. You can get a great room service hot breakfast in any cabin. Or a great cocktail setup if you want. So just book! You will have a wonderful time.

Now we're talking value! I did the PH just to spoil my wife, but your input is excellent. If we can get a nice breakfast in the room, I'm sold. We prefer lunch and dinner with everyone else! I'm not paying good dough for a 5 Star cruise to stay in a room other than to shower and sleep.