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New Regent Cruiser


gjkov
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I've been reading Regent (and other cruise lines) threads on CC for some time. We have done a good amount of traveling over the years, but are new to cruising. I've dreamed of a Regent cruise for years, and having found what seems like a good value, we are booked on Mariner for a repositioning cruise next April. Of course we are very excited! But I'm a little concerned with some things I read about Regent regulars getting the preferential treatment and even some comments about newcomers getting inferior service. I certainly hope that's not the case.

 

We would have liked a Penthouse suite, but only the highest level PH were available, on a higher deck than we find desirable. So we chose an E concierge suite mid ship. We also took Regent airfare, but paid the deviation fee to choose our flights (very important to me to know when/where/how I'm flying).

 

 

Choosing a luxury line is a big decision for us. We live comfortably, but are not "well heeled". We are educated people who work (or worked in the case of my retired husband) in middle management jobs. I am hoping we will feel comfortable on this cruise.

 

 

Please share thoughts from your experience and anything you think we newbies might need to know.

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But I'm a little concerned with some things I read about Regent regulars getting the preferential treatment and even some comments about newcomers getting inferior service. I certainly hope that's not the case.

As a Regent's Cruise Director, Ray Solaire, would say: "Rubbish"

No one on Regent receives preferential service, and as a newcomer you will receive the same exemplary service as all other guests.

 

As regards suite, a PH is our favourite but whatever grade you choose make sure the bathroom is to your liking. There are some with shower only (most guests preference) and others with a tub with shower over (not our favourite). Check the deck plans.

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My husband and I were first-time Regent cruisers last year and we never felt we were treated unfairly. Maybe I'm naive, but I wasn't aware of anyone getting preferential treatment. We have very limited cruise experience (one huge Princess cruise in Alaska, and an Azamara cruise from Istanbul to Athens). We love the smaller size ship, never felt overwhelmed by crowds of people. Our Regent cruise was on the Voyager and was on the Baltic Sea. Regent arranged our flights and extended stay in Copenhagen. No problems at all. We've already booked another Regent cruise in April 2018.

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i don't think you need to worry at all about getting inferior service or that others get more preferential treatment. We have always felt we were treated well and equally to others. If someone is getting preferential treatment i have never noticed it and it certainly did not impact how i felt i was being treated.

I hope you love your first Regent cruise as much as we did.

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Thanks for your comments. I'm very pleased to hear about your positive experiences. We are pretty easy going travelers and like to try and find joy in every situation. But is good to hear from those who have been there.

 

We did choose a cabin with shower only, based on many reviews. And chose our deck and room location carefully. It also seems like there are some great public areas on this ship! In our limited cruising so far, we really enjoyed sea days as much as days in port.

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First, welcome to the Regent board. I guess I would like people to know what a great crew that Regent has and the passengers are friendly and down to earth.

 

In terms of the ship, it is nice to know that you can order anything that Regent has ingredients for 24 hours in advance in Compass Rose. We used to order lobster but now it is on the everyday menu. Sometimes we've ordered Beef Wellington (usually on the menu once per cruise), an Indian or Asian dinner. The options are limitless. Speaking of food, remember that you can order an "appetizer" portion of an entree or an entree port of an appetizer. Sometimes there are two things that we really want and can't decide so we do small portions. Other times we'll order a third entree, put it in the middle of the table and split it.

 

Your second night onboard (unless the ship overnights in your embarkation port), is the Captain's Reception which is a lovely event. Following that people head off to Compass Rose which creates an overcrowding situation (unusual for Regent). The menu in CR (Compass Rose) is special on this night so people do want to dine there. IMO, it is better to leave the reception a few minutes early to be at CR at 6:30 p.m. or wait until around 8:00 p.m. to avoid the initial rush.

 

The Captain's Farewell and Crew Kapers show (not to be missed) is usually the second to the last night onboard. The same crowds happen in CR on this night.

 

No matter how full of food you are, don't miss Tea Time. While it is normally excellent, when they do "special" events like chocolate, cheesecake or other specific tasty treats, it is wonderful to attend (even if you only take pictures). Typical Tea Time will have small sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam and some tasty sweets.

 

I don't want to overwhelm you with information but did wish to share some of the fabulous things about Regent.

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That's not overwhelming at all...I appreciate your sharing! I have been "lurking" on the board for awhile, so feel I've gotten to know some of the regular contributors and appreciate all the information I have read. I tend to be a researcher when it comes to our traveling, and love first hand information the best! And being a foodie, the culinary experience is very intriguing.

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Greetings from South Beach, gikov. You will enjoy your cruise. You will receive excellent service, as does everyone else. How many times you have sailed on Regent has nothing to do with how you will be treated. It also doesn't matter what kind of suite you have. Since you will be on a repositioning cruise, I expect you will have multiple sea days. Enjoy the daily program and have fun. We enjoyed our last Regent cruise in March so much, we booked our December one on board.

Mary

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I guess you might consider us new to Regent since this will be our first Regent cruise in ten years, very pumped about our 24 day Explorer cruise in 2018 to Cape Town, the only difference for newbies is the perks only, like laundry service and internet and a few other things, but it's that way with all cruise lines, loyalty has its advantages. We are Elite on Princess and get some nice perks. When we did sail on Regent (4 times) we never felt we short schriffed and the service and food were great. The only reason we stopped I had just retired and had to cut back on spending, my investments have done very well so we can go back to Regent!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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I guess you might consider us new to Regent since this will be our first Regent cruise in ten years, very pumped about our 24 day Explorer cruise in 2018 to Cape Town, the only difference for a newbies is the perks only, like laundry service and internet and a few other things, but it's that way with all cruise lines, loyalty has its advantages. We are Elite on Princess and get some nice perks. When we did sail on Regent (4 times) we never we short schriffed and the service and food were great. The only reason we stopped I had just retired and had to cut back on spending, my investments have done very well so we can go back to Regent!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I predict that you will love the Explorer! She is an amazing ship. Any cruise that includes Cape Town is automatically wonderful in my opinion. What a great itinerary to look forward to!

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gjkov: As others have said, don't worry even for a second about newcomers receiving inferior service. Simply isn't the case. I suspect you'll love your experience; we did, right from the start and straight through.

Happy Sails!

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gjkov, it will be my first time on Regent soon. I've been reading a lot abut Regent for sometime now. I'm looking forward to the day we cruise. I think you'll be just great cruising with Regent. Part of cruising is what you make it---look for fun and good times and that is was you'll get. If for any reason something really isn't going right, talk to the proper person on the ship in charge and it will be taken care of......Don't ever forget it's your cruise and your paying for it, so enjoy!

Rick

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