Off to a bad start on Voyager!

I arrived in Singapore at 5;45 this morning to sail on the Voyager. I was told by my travel agent that I would be brought from the airport to the cruise terminal lounge area. When I arrived I was told that I would be going to the Shangrila Hotel for breakfast and would be transferred to the ship from there. Sounds nice. The breakfast was fine once they figured out what I was talking about. I was then told to go to the hospitality desk to get a transfer ticket. Unfortunately, all the people who are staying here through the cruise lines got the early bus tickets, and I can't leave the hotel until 2:45. According to the hospitality desk, I'm the only person who doesn't have a room. It's now 8am and I'm sitting in the lobby exhausted. I would have simply booked a room in advance had I known. Why not reserve the early bus for those who don't have a room. This is exactly the type of think I should not have to worry about on a luxury cruise. Now I'll be taking a cab to the airport and dealing with my own luggage so I don't have to sit here all day! Not the way I wanted to start my vacation.

I'm not sure if sitting in the hotel and waiting is worse than sitting in the cruise terminal "lounge". My recollection of the Singapore cruise terminal was that it was fairly confusing and noisy (it was upstairs inside of a mall and really is not something that I would call a "lounge" - more like an open space with seats).

First, it is great that your flight wasn't late. It is a bit risky to arrive the same day as embarkation - especially when flying so far. The best case scenario would have been to have booked a hotel room. The information that you were given by your TA was not correct - Regent never takes their guests to the cruise terminal much before noon (usually a bit after). I am guessing that Regent does not advise the local tour operator to put any guests without rooms in the first bus because this does not come up often. Actually, I am surprised that you were given breakfast at the hotel (surprised in a nice way).

As I write this I am hoping that you did not take a taxi to the cruise terminal at 8:00 a.m. and that you will wait until around 11:00 a.m. By getting there early you should be able to board before any of the hotel guests arrive by bus. Unfortunately, your suite may not be ready until 2:30 p.m. Really wish your TA had told you all of this rather than having to sit there exhausted.

Once you have had some rest, try to put this situation behind you so that you can enjoy your cruise.

Sorry you are off to a rough start. And just confirms why I always try to fly in a day or more ahead and do my own hotel and transfers.

I am hoping things improve soon. I know you are very tired. hope to hear more about the cruise when you have had a chance to recover.

I'm certain things will improve! I'm going to wait until abou 10:00 to head over. I was told there is good shopping in the Harbour Front Cruise Center. I'd much rather be at the hotel, and certainly would have booked a room if I had known the circumstances in advance. Regent booked my flights and since this was a last minute booking, this is all they had available.

kmkord, thank you for your post. I will be in exactly same situation in a few months when I arrive in Barcelona at 0845 for same day boarding on Explorer. I, personally, would be happy with breakfast and a place to sit; I have never been able to board before 1130; however, I, like you, would be a little miffed on not getting an early bus. Being a bit of a curmudgeon, I would more likely try to force the issue than getting a taxi and handling my own bags.

Hope you enjoy your cruise!!!

Marc

Things have taken a turn for the better. Made it to the cruise terminal around 11:30. $20 taxi ride was well worth it. Waited only 15 minutes before boarding. Had a drink and some lunch and met some lovely people. Hopefully, we got the hiccup out of the way early and will have smooth sailing. There is a thunderstorm right now as we sail out of Singapore, but I find that soothing.

Thanks for checking in. According to the time on the screen, it is in the middle of then night there and hopefully you are sound asleep!:)

Glad things have settled and that you are safely onboard. I do hope you will continue to post about the cruise and ports/excursions.

Irritating, but seriously?It would be nice if people gave it a day to see how things turn out before starting threads with inflammatorily negative titles. I'll bet your Voyager cruise turns out to be great, but someone seeing your "headline" and original complaint would assume it has had a truly horrible beginning...

Irritating, but seriously?It would be nice if people gave it a day to see how things turn out before starting threads with inflammatorily negative titles.

Right on the money. It would have been better to start a thread for this cruise and start it with a post about the less-than-desired start. Getting to and from the cruise shouldn't set the mood for the cruise.

Getting to and from the cruise shouldn't set the mood for the cruise.

Unless, of course, the cruise line caused a problem getting you to the cruise.

Right on the money. It would have been better to start a thread for this cruise and start it with a post about the less-than-desired start. Getting to and from the cruise shouldn't set the mood for the cruise.

Agree completely and it sounds like the OP has already put it behind them and is enjoying the cruise.

Irritating, but seriously?It would be nice if people gave it a day to see how things turn out before starting threads with inflammatorily negative titles. I'll bet your Voyager cruise turns out to be great, but someone seeing your "headline" and original complaint would assume it has had a truly horrible beginning...

I agree with your sentiments, but Regent should take note of the poor impression that their Port Agents can give Regent guests.

From our experience, 'Regent Luxury' is at all times very good to excellent when on board their ships :)

However Regent included transfers and porterage (embarkation and debarkation) varies from acceptable to very poor. I cannot remember a truly 'luxurious' transfer apart from those we arranged independently.

Some more attention to the front-end and back-end of the Regent Experience would certainly help them to positively differentiate the brand.

PS: Is it possible for the original thread title to be amended if the negative issue is subsequently corrected? e.g. "Off to a bad start..........but it got a lot better once on board Voyager"

I cannot remember a truly 'luxurious' transfer apart from those we arranged independently.

I don't know - Regent took good care of us in Barcelona last summer. Swaddled in leathery comfort in a nice Porsche Panamera for the ride to the airport. The only thing that could have made it better is if he'd have let me drive. :D

But you might have turned to your own freighter and taken the car home.

Still hope to hear from you about Greenville. Left my e-mail twice!

IMO, this was not about Port Agents (although they can be a pain and Regent has no control over them) or even about the companies that Regent uses for buses, transfers, etc. This sounds as if it was clearly misinformation from the OP's TA. Advising their client that they would be taken to the "cruise terminal lounge" could lead one to believe that there is some nice area where they can sit for 6 hours.

As has been said many times, if you are dealing with a TA that is not familiar with Regent and does not have someone they speak with at Regent, all sorts of misinformation can be relayed to their clients. I believe this is the first time I've heard of a TA giving the information I quoted above. When you have a flight arriving that early, wouldn't it be best to give your client accurate information and the best information available?

The TA could have advised the OP to arrive a day early (which would cost them an additional $175/person for deviation plus the cost of one night at the hotel). I just did a search and found other alternatives for arriving at Changi Airport in Singapore and needing a place to rest. Here is a link http://www.sleepinginairports.net/asia/singapore.htm#lounge . The key was to know in advance that you will have a few hours to wait and may end up taking a taxi to insure that you get to the port early (we almost always end up using a taxi instead of taking the bus - even though it is technically paid for).

Anyway, my point is that if I can find ways to spend a few hours before going to the port, a TA certainly should be able to figure it out and pass the information on to their client. If given a choice, we probably would have picked a lounge and paid the fee for a few hours relaxation. In any case, the OP seems to have a good attitude about it and is hopefully enjoying the cruise!

Note: Sometimes the airline you are flying has a lounge for after your flight -- something worth checking.

I don't know - Regent took good care of us in Barcelona last summer. Swaddled in leathery comfort in a nice Porsche Panamera for the ride to the airport. The only thing that could have made it better is if he'd have let me drive. :D

Excellent to hear that Regent arranged a truly luxurious transfer for you :)

Was this an 'included' transfer, secured as a Titanium privilege or arranged with additional payment? If 'included' then I am more than impressed..................and maybe just a little bit jealous ;)

PS: Where did you put your luggage??

.........Port Agents (although they can be a pain and Regent has no control over them) or even about the companies that Regent uses for buses, transfers, etc..........

When I said Port Agents I meant the agents and companies that Regent contracts with to procure and organise the porterage and transfer vehicles used in embarkation/debarkation ports.

IMO Regent should pay more attention to these services in order to ensure an end-to-end luxury experience.

Of course others may have had better experiences with transfers than us.

When I said Port Agents I meant the agents and companies that Regent contracts with to procure and organise the porterage and transfer vehicles used in embarkation/debarkation ports.

 

IMO Regent should pay more attention to these services in order to ensure an end-to-end luxury experience.

 

Of course others may have had better experiences with transfers than us.

After I made the post I suspected that "Port Agents" had a different meaning to you than to us. To us, Port Agents work for the port and have a lot to do with whether embarkation goes well or not. Miami, for instance, is notorious for making it difficult to either embark or disembark from the ship.

I agree that having an "end-to-end luxury experience" would be ideal but doubt if it will ever happen (any more than having "luxury" excursions). It seems that there are too many ports, issues with transportation in certain parts of the world, not being able to have a "Regent" representative available 24/7 at the hotel (to welcome late or early arrivals), etc. It has been our experience that anyone that arrives very late or early on the date of embarkation will be put on the last bus. I can't really argue with that if they are assigning buses based on first come - first served.

We almost always use Regent Air - usually use Regent hotels and frequently use Regent transfers to the airport at the conclusion of the cruise but do not use the transportation to the port on the day of embarkation. In almost 12 years, this has not been a luxury experience, however, Regent does make it easier than doing the whole thing on your own. For us, any time you have to get on a bus with a lot of other people, it is neither comfortable or luxurious.

For our next cruise we depart from Rome and just decided to take our own transportation to Civitavecchia (approximately $100 private transportation) and stay in a somewhat mediocre hotel rather than have Regent transport us from the Airport into their hotel in Rome and then taking a bus to the port the next day. As a side note, we are not planning any Regent excursions as we are completely over the bus situation!

After I made the post I suspected that "Port Agents" had a different meaning to you than to us. To us, Port Agents work for the port and have a lot to do with whether embarkation goes well or not. Miami, for instance, is notorious for making it difficult to either embark or disembark from the ship.

 

I agree that having an "end-to-end luxury experience" would be ideal but doubt if it will ever happen (any more than having "luxury" excursions). It seems that there are too many ports, issues with transportation in certain parts of the world, not being able to have a "Regent" representative available 24/7 at the hotel (to welcome late or early arrivals), etc. It has been our experience that anyone that arrives very late or early on the date of embarkation will be put on the last bus. I can't really argue with that if they are assigning buses based on first come - first served.

 

We almost always use Regent Air - usually use Regent hotels and frequently use Regent transfers to the airport at the conclusion of the cruise but do not use the transportation to the port on the day of embarkation. In almost 12 years, this has not been a luxury experience, however, Regent does make it easier than doing the whole thing on your own. For us, any time you have to get on a bus with a lot of other people, it is neither comfortable or luxurious.

 

For our next cruise we depart from Rome and just decided to take our own transportation to Civitavecchia (approximately $100 private transportation) and stay in a somewhat mediocre hotel rather than have Regent transport us from the Airport into their hotel in Rome and then taking a bus to the port the next day. As a side note, we are not planning any Regent excursions as we are completely over the bus situation!

Jackie, do it private less hassle and your TA can arrange meet & greet. We need a little hand holding and they zip you through customs and immigration and assist you at the club lounges and will not leave you until your flight is off the ground. Trust me it is worth it.

Jackie, do it private less hassle and your TA can arrange meet & greet. We need a little hand holding and they zip you through customs and immigration and assist you at the club lounges and will not leave you until your flight is off the ground. Trust me it is worth it.

Thanks Miles! I think that our Explorer cruises will be magnificent!!! Backing off from Regent's included transfers and excursions will give us a new and more positive outlook!

We will also do our own transport from the Rome airport to the ship. Flying in the same day as embarkation, but staying the night before in London. I do not like taking the bus transfers from the airport to the ship. It is not luxury to me.

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Excellent to hear that Regent arranged a truly luxurious transfer for you :)

 

Was this an 'included' transfer, secured as a Titanium privilege or arranged with additional payment? If 'included' then I am more than impressed..................and maybe just a little bit jealous ;)

 

PS: Where did you put your luggage??

Flossie, it was included, and we're only Silver so I don't think it was any kind of perk...and no additional payment, either.

Surprisingly, all our luggage fit in the trunk with the exception of one bag on the front seat. We were only on a 12-day, and we travel relatively light compared to others I've seen. :D

Having a fabulous time on the Voyager. Wonderful group of solo travelers on this sailing.

Service has been a bit slow in Compass Rose and setti Mari, but seems to be getting better as we go along. Only issue since boarding was an unfortunate incident in Sette Mari during dinner last night. The description on one of the pasta dishes was listed as a mincemeat ravioli. I ordered the ravioli, and started eating it when the social hostess, who has also ordered the ravioli said that it was the truffle ravioli and not the mincemeat. Unfortunately, I'm allergic to truffles, and had a reaction pretty quickly.

Prior to that happening, I has asked the server if any of the bruschetta or other items she placed on the table contained mushrooms. She said no, so I knew she was aware of my allergy. Luckily, I had only eaten a few bites. I immediately went to my room and took the proper antidote. We are in Kuala Lampur today, but I'm still feeling tired from the medication so I stayed on board. All is well now and I look forward to the final days of this sailing. I have already booked my next regent cruise on the voyager in May.

Having a fabulous time on the Voyager. Wonderful group of solo travelers on this sailing.

 

Service has been a bit slow in Compass Rose and setti Mari, but seems to be getting better as we go along. Only issue since boarding was an unfortunate incident in Sette Mari during dinner last night. The description on one of the pasta dishes was listed as a mincemeat ravioli. I ordered the ravioli, and started eating it when the social hostess, who has also ordered the ravioli said that it was the truffle ravioli and not the mincemeat. Unfortunately, I'm allergic to truffles, and had a reaction pretty quickly.

 

Prior to that happening, I has asked the server if any of the bruschetta or other items she placed on the table contained mushrooms. She said no, so I knew she was aware of my allergy. Luckily, I had only eaten a few bites. I immediately went to my room and took the proper antidote. We are in Kuala Lampur today, but I'm still feeling tired from the medication so I stayed on board. All is well now and I look forward to the final days of this sailing. I have already booked my next regent cruise on the voyager in May.

So sorry to hear about the incidents in Sette Mari. The "truffle" incident never should have happened. Just for future reference, I feel that you should share what happened with the F&B Manager. Thankfully you were able to take the "proper antidote" but some people may not be able to do that.

Hope you enjoyed Kuala Lumpur -- we have visited there a few times (land trips) and really enjoyed it.

Thanks for posting an update!:)