Purchased Regent hotel stay

We have done something we do not usually do. We purchased our advance hotel stay in Bangkok from Regent instead of managing it ourselves as we usually do. The reasoning was based on several factors. We know we overpaid and are OK with that. Final payment has been done.

The question is how do we submit several specific requests to the hotel? Our TA is checking with Regent but I am turning to CC for realtime expert advice. This is not the "free " concierge level night. This is a pre cruise hotel stay.

While I appreciate all advice it won't help at this stage to say I should have booked it on my own.

Thanks for any help with this.

Suggest contacting the hotel directly.

Suggest contacting the hotel directly.

I second that - give them a call or shoot an email. I've had good luck in the past getting replies from the Regent contact hotels when I had any questions.

While I appreciate all advice it won't help at this stage to say I should have booked it on my own.

I'd never say that - your money, your choice. We do the same thing, quite often - to us it's worth the extra $$ for the convenience. Enjoy your cruise!!

Thanks UUNet Bill and Travelcat 2. I knew I could count on solid advice. Your suggestion mesh with what I was thinking. I will give TA a chance to reply as I made the request of her but will go ahead and also contact the hotel myself as we get a little closer.

Thanks UUNet Bill for the additional post. I appreciate the support with our decision. I would redo your post but am clueless about how to do that. The convenience factor definitely prompted our decision.

Ann

Yes, I'd handle it like any of my independent hotel reservations. I check out the hotel's web site and also the comments on Trip Advisor about things like what rooms to avoid and restaurants nearby then contact the hotel.

Have a great cruise and please post ( remember Mary and I are doing a similar cruise in reverse in November ) when you get a chance.

Jim C

In this particular case I would not necessarily recommend booking your own hotel because of the distance from downtown Bangkok to the port (which I assume is included in Ann's hotel booking). We have spent more time in Thailand (mostly Bangkok) than anywhere else in the world). It is a crazy place that we love. It did take me some time to get used to (especially when you are getting around town on tuk-tuks).

It is a great place to shop, see the sites and walk around the city. We feel quite safe in Bangkok - the worse thing that can happen (usually) is that someone will offer to help you find a place that you are looking for and you'll end at a jewelry shop where the shopkeeper will hand you an iced cold coke.

I'm writing this as if you haven't been there before...... if you have, my apologies for babbling;)

Ann we have an included Regent hotel for our cruise in May. I had a request to upgrade the hotel room, and our TA managed to do this by contacting Regent. It did take some time as the UK office then has to contact the Miami office to arrange for some reason, anyway it took a few weeks and was all confirmed and arranged as requested. Hope you and Shel have a wonderful cruise. Jean.

Thanks, T C. I always appreciate your info. We have been there before but it has been awhile. We did it through Regent because of the distance to the port and the ease of Regent transfers.

Deep Freeze I will try and post but it is not one one my strong points. I will answer any questions when we get back. We are staying in cabin on 6 and will try and ignore the lifeboat when taking photos. Will think of Mary's challenge with it.

The TA got back to me. They have reserved a block of rooms that are deluxe with river view. All is good news. The location (which wing) will not be available until 7 days prior. Will sit tight until then. We first stayed at this hotel before a Song of Flower cruise with similar itinerary. It is in a lovely location on the river. We still remember a dinner we had there on the night of our arrival on their patio.

I agree, it's your choice. But you can call the hotel yourself or use the web site to do any extras that you want them to handle for you.

Jean it is good to know you were able to upgrade your reservation. The category Regent booked sounds okay. I will wait until 7 days prior as Regent specified and then explore further options if needed. Hope you all have a lovely cruise as well.

Ronrick, I appreciate your input and will do as we get closer.

Thanks UUNet Bill for the additional post. I appreciate the support with our decision. I would redo your post but am clueless about how to do that. The convenience factor definitely prompted our decision.

Eager2, if by 'redo' you meant include the original post, it's easy - just click the "Quote" button and it'll take care of it for you.

:)

Ann

Out of curiosity which hotel does Regent use in Bangkok?

Flossie, I am not sure what their included for concierge and above hotel is but the one offered as a pre cruise purchased option is the Shangri-la. We got a refund from not taking the "free" Angor Wat or Chang Mai trips and used it instead to stay in Bangkok pre cruise. We find after very long flights and large time changes we benefit from some leisure time before fully embracing all the adventure the cruise has to offer.

The Shangri-la is an older hotel but in a lovely setting on the river.

UU net Bill, thanks for the quote info. I think I figured it out. It is much easier with the new format.

Flossie, I am not sure what their included for concierge and above hotel is but the one offered as a pre cruise purchased option is the Shangri-la. We got a refund from not taking the "free" Angor Wat or Chang Mai trips and used it instead to stay in Bangkok pre cruise. We find after very long flights and large time changes we benefit from some leisure time before fully embracing all the adventure the cruise has to offer.

 

The Shangri-la is an older hotel but in a lovely setting on the river.

Have a good time in Bangkok; we will be there (non-cruise) in December

The Shangri-la is in a good location. If you get a chance, take a water taxi for a trip around the canals & to visit the Royal Barge museum

Flossie that sounds like a great idea. We were wondering what to do as we have seen most of the sights. Will the concierge be able to advise us or should we research it ourselves first? Hopefully you see the question.

Have a good time when you are there in December. It should be cooler. We are there during there hottest month.

Flossie that sounds like a great idea. We were wondering what to do as we have seen most of the sights. Will the concierge be able to advise us or should we research it ourselves first?

The hotel concierge will be able to arrange the trip to the Royal Barges Museum and waterways for you; as the barges are stored next to one of the canals (for obvious reasons) the easiest way to get to the museum is by boat

We hired a long-tail water taxi (via the hotel concierge) to go to the museum and to tour the canals

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293916-d317720-Reviews-Royal_Barges_National_Museum-Bangkok.html

It must be an incredible sight to see the Royal Barges on the river; I wonder if they will do this for the new King's coronation later this year?

Four years ago we were on Regent's Beijing to Bangkok cruise. I arranged for a private car to meet us at the port and take us to hotel I had booked on our own. We paid less per night staying at the Peninsula than Regent's charge for a room since they charge "per person" which I think is ridiculous. The service car I used was wonderful. They picked us up in a Mercedes which was a lot nicer than going on a bus. We also hired them to take us from hotel to airport a few days later. Regent at that time was using the Sheraton which although nice does not come close to luxury hotels in Bangkok. I also hired the same company Regent used for our tour in Bangkok the day before to take us touring Bangkok. I've learned never to use Regent's hotels because of the "per person" charge. You should have a great time in Bangkok. It's a wonderful city and the sights are incredible. By the way we were there at end of March and the heat and humidity were quite high. Have a wonderful cruise.

Four years ago we were on Regent's Beijing to Bangkok cruise. I arranged for a private car to meet us at the port and take us to hotel I had booked on our own. We paid less per night staying at the Peninsula than Regent's charge for a room since they charge "per person" which I think is ridiculous. The service car I used was wonderful. They picked us up in a Mercedes which was a lot nicer than going on a bus. We also hired them to take us from hotel to airport a few days later. Regent at that time was using the Sheraton which although nice does not come close to luxury hotels in Bangkok. I also hired the same company Regent used for our tour in Bangkok the day before to take us touring Bangkok. I've learned never to use Regent's hotels because of the "per person" charge. You should have a great time in Bangkok. It's a wonderful city and the sights are incredible. By the way we were there at end of March and the heat and humidity were quite high. Have a wonderful cruise.

Greetings from South Beach, forevertravel. We rarely book the cruise company's suggested hotel through them. However, we sometimes book the same hotel. For example, on our Oceania Riviera Panama Canal crossing in 2015, we booked the same hotel Oceania was using. We arrived four days early, were upgraded to a gorgeous suite, with included breakfast and Welcome Drinks. On our last afternoon, the Oceania representative set up a desk in the lobby. I spoke to her and she was very nice. I told her what we were paying, and she said it was much less than what passengers paid for a standard room, double occupancy. Of course, they also had breakfast included and a transfer to the ship. The next day we met them again, waiting for the bus. We took a Lyft Mercedes. On this trip, we are staying at a hotel we know right across from Barcelona Cathedral, in the center of the Gothic Quarter.

In 46 days, at this time, we will be on board Explorer. It will be very interesting to meet all of you. We are looking forward to this excellent adventure.

Mary

Warburg, you will love Explorer. We loved sailing on her last November. I loved the cabins with double sinks in the bathroom and the larger walk-in closet. The service (and Regent's service has always been excellent) was beyond excellent, the food was sooo good, and the ship itself is so beautiful and elegant. Have a great cruise. We won't be back on the Explorer until 2019. We are booked on Voyager and Mariner this year.

Really think that you'd have a more authentic (and fun) experience if you used local transportation. We have used the water taxi's and they are fun (even if get a little lost like we did and a kind local was able to get us in the right direction). We also prefer tuk-tuks to cars - they get around much faster (although your hair gets blown to bits and there is the fumes from motorcycles).

Since you've been to Bangkok before, you how safe it is and how lovely the people are. IMO, Bangkok is the best place to get "local" with transportation, food, etc. (I am careful of the food but have purchased some items from local vendors and they have been fine). BTW, have you been to the department store The Central? We found it a great place to buy gifts. It's air conditioned (a big deal to me) and there is some local (safe) food upstairs. If you find yourself with time on your hands after going around the city, this could be a welcome stop.

There is an interesting night tour in a Tuk-tuk that we are thinking of doing. As it will be quite hot when we are there's being on the river sounded like a more pleasant choice in the heat of the day.

I don't remember Central department store but recently came across a bag in our travel stuff from Robeson which is where we shopped on our last visit to Bangkok.

On our last visit to Bangkok we stayed at a Regent hotel which was very close to a large air conditioned mall. It does not appear to still be there.

There is an interesting night tour in a Tuk-tuk that we are thinking of doing. As it will be quite hot when we are there's being on the river sounded like a more pleasant choice in the heat of the day.

We are hoping to do an evening 'foodie' tour by Tuk-Tuk next time we are in Bangkok - looks fun

Plus, may visit Patpong night market again