Considering Regent

Although it is about 15 months away, I am considering a Regent cruise for a Caribbean sailing in November 2017. There are a couple of things that are holding me back: negative feedback from people that were last on Regent (dating a couple of years ago) and the dull/dated look of the ship. However, it seems that the Mariner will be going through a major dry dock in early 2017, which will give it a more contemporary look that we like. Is my understanding on the dry dock correct?

There were two main negatives I heard about Regent: service is not good and food quality/selection is not very good. Friends that we met on Oceania are the source of this information but they admitted it has been a couple of years since they last sailed Regent (they used to sail Regent frequently but now prefer Oceania). Are these issues still valid?

If we do not do Regent, I am considering a Signature suite on the Celebrity Reflection. However, by the time we take this particular sailing we would already have sailed Oceania, Azamara, and Crystal. Although the suites on the Reflection look amazing, the thought of having to share the ship with 3000+ people is not very appealing. For a Caribbean sailing, I just want to kick back and relax. We are not much into the casino or entertainment. We will most likely spend our time reading (either by the pool or on the verandah), at the spa (me), the fitness area, and eating.

Any feedback on Regent and the Mariner is appreciated.

Thanks!

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Food and service are both very subjective. And to be honest, I'm not overly demanding on service, and only a little demanding on food. Pretty easy to please, in other words.

Are there glitches on Regent? Yes, on occasion. Is it an ongoing problem? Not in my experience. At times, the Compass. rose (main dining room) gets busy and service can slow down a bit. No worries, I just order more wine. Table service at the Pool bar can get slow as well. Worst case, I walk up to the bar for a drink. Some people complain about that...I enjoy my cocktail.

So I guess my answer would be "it depends." I don't know that Regent is better or worse than the other luxury lines - I've always just assumed the folks on this board are just a bit more vocal when something isn't up to their standards. :p

We have three more Regent cruises booked. That's how bad I think Regent is. :D

Food and service are both very subjective. And to be honest, I'm not overly demanding on service, and only a little demanding on food. Pretty easy to please, in other words.

 

Are there glitches on Regent? Yes, on occasion. Is it an ongoing problem? Not in my experience. At times, the Compass. rose (main dining room) gets busy and service can slow down a bit. No worries, I just order more wine. Table service at the Pool bar can get slow as well. Worst case, I walk up to the bar for a drink. Some people complain about that...I enjoy my cocktail.

 

So I guess my answer would be "it depends." I don't know that Regent is better or worse than the other luxury lines - I've always just assumed the folks on this board are just a bit more vocal when something isn't up to their standards. :p

 

We have three more Regent cruises booked. That's how bad I think Regent is. :D

Agreed - 100% correct. Well, almost, we only only have 2 cruises booked, one upcoming in just over a month. If you want to find things to complain about you will do. I was hugely impressed with the service - particularly the response to a casual remark on the mid cruise comments form. Food is exceptional in my experience, different to Cunard, not necessarily better/worse just more varied and imaginative in my view. (Never had a bad meal on Cunard either tbh.)

Not been on any other "luxury" lines, might consider others but Regent suits us. Fortunately, people have varying requirements and priorities so Regent is not for everyone - it would be tricky getting booked if it was everybody's favourite.

We find Regent's food and service to be above other cruise lines we have sailed. Although we have only sailed four times with Regent, we have had mostly exceptional meals, a couple that were OK, and one bad one which was rectified with more free wine. We also find it as a good fit for our tastes and lifestyles. Service has been outstanding with only one time having ordered a drink that was never brought while at the pool. Regent crewmembers seem to be very good in establishing relationships and rapport with customers which makes one feel very welcome. As in all cruises, we have met very interesting characters as well as a couple of putzes. The bottom line is that if service and food were so bad, then Regent would be a passing memory. Good luck.

Z and TB

Has anyone taken Regent to Alaska? We are thinking of going in 2018, but also considering other lines.

We have sailed Regent 5 times and Oceania once. We prefer the food, service, and ambiance on Regent. In fairness, the food on Oceania was very good - especially in the specialty restaurants. I was unimpressed with the main dining room. We were on the Marina which was a stunningly beautiful ship but the lounges were always sparsely populated, unlike Regent, probably because on Oceania you pay extra for the booze package or pay as you go.

We have had some poor service experiences on Regent, but that is the exception rather than the rule. People complain that the main dining room is slow, but I found it well paced for multiple courses. Dining is usually the main event for us in an evening, so we don't mind taking our time. If you want to eat quickly, I imagine you would tell your waiter and order fewer courses.

I have loved the food choices on Regent as well, especially some of the specials that reflect the region in which we are sailing.

We have sailed Voyager and Navigator. The size of the cabins are great. Oceania was much smaller but OK. I agree that the suites need updating but that is scheduled to happen in dry dock and Navigator has already been updated....thank goodness because the decor was a throwback to the '90's - odd artwork and a burnt orange color palate. Voyager was refurbished a few years back but any space that is constantly used probably needs yearly sprucing up!

Finally, passengers are lovely on Regent and we have been fortunate to meet people that we genuinely liked - intelligent, urbane and wonderful conversationalists.

Thank you. My main concern right now is the decor. As we will be spending most of the time on the ship, the decor is a factor. Hopefully the dry dock will fix that. An article I read said Regent is spending $125 million to update all their ships so that they all look similar. If the dry dock schedule holds then the ship will be redone by the time we sail.

Take a look at the pictures of Navigator post dry dock. I think that will give you a good idea of what's in store for voyager and mariner.

We were on the Mariner to Alaska in June. Loved the ship and Alaska! Our experience was that the food was very good and sometimes excellent. Service was just about perfect. We love the size and layout of the Mariner and can only anticipate that after dry dock it will be sensational. If you can, I recommend the Penthouse suites on the Mariner. Very spacious and comfortable.

Has anyone taken Regent to Alaska? We are thinking of going in 2018, but also considering other lines.

I posted last week about our Regent cruise to Alaska on Mariner earlier this month. I highlighted a few things that went well and others that did not go so well. You can find by just going back a few days.

The thread was closed because of a debate that ensued.

Note that these were MY experiences and mine alone for our cruise. You can see our demographics and expectations for our cruise, which may not be yours, but hopefully you will take away something and from the other reviews that you research.

We had a great vacation. I highly recommend that you go to interior Alaska.

We have taken two Regent cruises to Alaska - one on the Mariner and one on the Navigator - both were great cruises. We prefer to go to Alaska in May for the following reasons:

1. The season has just started and everyone in Alaska is upbeat and happy to see tourists (not that they aren't other times but the beginning of the season is always exciting.

2. As strange as it may sound, the weather tends to be better in May. We experienced temperatures in the 80's in Juneau on our first trip. This year, according to reports on Cruise Critic, the weather in May was beautiful.

3. Way less crowds and other ships. When there are a lot of ships in port (mid-June - mid-August), the Mariner may not have a place to dock and would have to tender. When some of the ports get crowded, they really get crowded (thousands of people off of the large ships). We experienced this in Alaska when we sailed on another cruise line.

4. Less children. There were under 5 children on board our May cruises. Reports during the rest of the summer range from 20-90 which, IMO, is a bit much for a small ship.

I also recommend the penthouse suites on the Mariner, however, for two people, the regular suites are fine (but they are smaller than regular suites on the Voyager or Navigator so you may need to adjust your expectations).

I'm not a Regent cheerleader, as we cruise based on itinerary, not a specific line or ship. I have cruised Regent in 2004, 2007, 2009 and just last month. We were extremely disappointed by our cruise on the Voyager last month - not only disappointed by things that happened onboard, but the fact that we never got a response from the comment cards we filled out, a letter we sent to customer service or a letter our travel agent forwarded to her Regent sales contact.

Having said that, some of the issues we had will have been resolved by the renovation of the ships. The ships will all be gorgeous once they have each been updated to the "Explorer" style. By the time you are looking to cruise, the ships will be looking like new.

Some of the other issues we had that revolved around service can happen on any line. Overall, Regent offers a solid product that is a cut above most. The food is consistently good and a well-run staff will try and make sure you have a great voyage. It's rare to be on a ship in which every crew member you pass says a genuine "Good Morning" or "Hello" with a smile, but they do on Regent.

If the itinerary appeals to you, I wouldn't avoid Regent based on negative feedback....every cruise line and ship gets negative reviews at some point. As an aside about Celebrity, their suite program is second-to-none. Luminae is one of the finest dining venues at sea. But for the Caribbean, I would go with a smaller, more intimate ship like Regent or one of the other premium lines.

Michael

We have sailed Regent 5 times and Oceania once. We prefer the food, service, and ambiance on Regent. In fairness, the food on Oceania was very good - especially in the specialty restaurants. I was unimpressed with the main dining room. We were on the Marina which was a stunningly beautiful ship but the lounges were always sparsely populated, unlike Regent, probably because on Oceania you pay extra for the booze package or pay as you go.

 

 

 

We have had some poor service experiences on Regent, but that is the exception rather than the rule. People complain that the main dining room is slow, but I found it well paced for multiple courses. Dining is usually the main event for us in an evening, so we don't mind taking our time. If you want to eat quickly, I imagine you would tell your waiter and order fewer courses.

 

 

 

I have loved the food choices on Regent as well, especially some of the specials that reflect the region in which we are sailing.

 

 

 

We have sailed Voyager and Navigator. The size of the cabins are great. Oceania was much smaller but OK. I agree that the suites need updating but that is scheduled to happen in dry dock and Navigator has already been updated....thank goodness because the decor was a throwback to the '90's - odd artwork and a burnt orange color palate. Voyager was refurbished a few years back but any space that is constantly used probably needs yearly sprucing up!

 

 

 

Finally, passengers are lovely on Regent and we have been fortunate to meet people that we genuinely liked - intelligent, urbane and wonderful

I appreciate the feedback. I pulled the trigger and booked a 10-night cruise on the Mariner. It is after the dry dock so I am looking forward to trying Regent and seeing the "new" Mariner.

Good for you! Warning, however, it can become addictive!

Good for you! Warning, however, it can become addictive!

I second that...

We were just on Mariner in April; it is still my favorite ship. I can't imagine why anyone would not like the decor?!?!?! The garden promenade is best spot on ship and is fantastic. Rooms are great. Lounges are great. Theater is great. Everything is great.

As for food; remember on Regent you can special order which you cannot do on Oceania. Service, find a waiter you like and stick in his section; sections near kitchen always a faster meal.

Never go wrong with Mariner.

Marc

PS 10 cruises on Mariner starting in 2002.

We loved Mariner to Alaska. Have done it twice. Would love to have another go. Can't imagine ever getting tired of either the ship or the scenery. I guess I'm in the minority, but I hope that Mariner never gets to look like the Explorer. Mariner is sumptuously comfortable and elegant (by our taste). Explorer seems excessive to us. I'm even half-afraid of the "new" Mariner. I guess that's why there are different color neckties.

In any case, I suspect you'll love Mariner in Alaska: it's magic.

And, for us, until the Explorer was debuted, our favorite ship was the Voyager. The Voyager is just a couple of years younger than the Mariner. Rumor has it that the Voyager fixed all of the issues that the Mariner had. IMO, the only issue the Mariner has is that the "regular" suites are too small. We have been on all Regent ships - most of them multiple times and in different suite categories. All of the ships are great but not as great as the service provided by the amazing crew onboard the ships.

Just one word of caution: if you have any mobility issues whatsoever, make sure you get a cabin that has a shower, not a bathtub. Whoever initially designed the bathrooms on Mariner made a big error. The tubs are very hard to get in and out of. They've been incrementally replacing the tubs with nice-sized stand-up showers. Many, if not most, of the regular cabins have showers now, but still you could wind up with one of the weird tubs if you don't specify.

That being said, I love the Mariner!

Just one word of caution: if you have any mobility issues whatsoever' date=' make sure you get a cabin that has a shower, not a bathtub. Whoever initially designed the bathrooms on Mariner made a big error. The tubs are very hard to get in and out of. They've been incrementally replacing the tubs with nice-sized stand-up showers. Many, if not most, of the regular cabins have showers now, but still you could wind up with one of the weird tubs if you don't specify.

 

That being said, I love the Mariner![/quote']

 

Do you know if they've changed out the tubs that are showing in the latest brochure as still being there? We're going next month and we have a tub/shower according to the brochure and I'm not sure the Regent reps we spoke to really know what's on the ship without calling someone.

 

I'm hoping they've changed out our cabin to shower only because we are on B2B and it's the only cabin we could get for both cruises.

To my knowledge, they are no longer changing bathtub/shower suites to shower-only suites - this was done a few years ago. There are some passengers that insist on having a bathtub in their suite. So, whatever the current brochure is showing should be current.

To my knowledge, they are no longer changing bathtub/shower suites to shower-only suites - this was done a few years ago. There are some passengers that insist on having a bathtub in their suite. So, whatever the current brochure is showing should be current.

OK thanks. Guess we'll have to deal with the high tub. We just had one of those on Celebrity and it wasn't all that bad but the poster was correct who said if there are mobility issues there would have been no way to get in and out of that one either.

To my knowledge, they are no longer changing bathtub/shower suites to shower-only suites - this was done a few years ago. There are some passengers that insist on having a bathtub in their suite. So, whatever the current brochure is showing should be current.

Even in handicapped suites???

Good question! Just went to the Regent website and learned that there are six handicapped suites and all of them are shower-only. It looks like there are slightly more shower-only suites than bathtub suites on the Mariner but they tend to sell out quickly.