Concierge suite vs. superior suite

Planning to book a cruise on the Explorer and would like comments on Concierge suite (D) as compared to Superior suite (F). As near as I can tell it comes down to the amenities as the suites themselves and location on ship are identical. While the pre-cruise hotel is nice it's not that big a deal. The big question is the priority shore excursions and dinner reservations. is that perk necessary? Do they really fill up?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

Welcome to the Regent board!

On Explorer, besides for amenities, the only real difference between the suites is the balcony size. Having said that, Explorer has pretty large balconies (compared to the other Regent ships).

In terms of being able to book excursions and doing reservations earlier, it pretty much depends upon the itinerary (the length as well as where the ports are located). Most Explorer cruises are full and the majority of passengers can book excursions 240 days prior to embarkation (vs. 180 days). Therefore, the likelihood of some excursions filling up is fairly high. However, again - depending upon what type of excursion it is, Regent will keep adding more and more buses until it can accommodate everyone. We have had pretty good luck getting on the waitlist for excursions but there have been times when we have not been able to clear the list*.

Explorer has Pacific Rim which is not offered on other Regent ships so it is extremely popular. Getting dining reservations for the exact day, time and table size could be an issue if you are not able to book early. If you are flexible with times and do not mind sharing a table, you will definitely be able to get a reservation in each restaurant - even if you do not book in advance.

*If an excursion is fully booked, you can go in the theater about a half an hour (or earlier) before everyone else is due to check in and get on another waitlist. If there are "no-shows", you can get the excursion. This has worked for us twice!

Thanks Cat, I appreciate the response. The reason I asked is there is a review on CC from a poster that sailed last month and literally referred to a "caste system" onboard, that strongly favored Concierge and up. I thought it was likely overstated but thought I would ask.

Thanks again.

Thanks Cat, I appreciate the response. The reason I asked is there is a review on CC from a poster that sailed last month and literally referred to a "caste system" onboard, that strongly favored Concierge and up. I thought it was likely overstated but thought I would ask.

 

Thanks again.

On Explorer we have stayed in four different types of suite - F1, D, Grand and Master. Once you step outside of your suite, everyone is treated the same. This is one of the main reasons why we love Regent.

Thanks Cat, I appreciate the response. The reason I asked is there is a review on CC from a poster that sailed last month and literally referred to a "caste system" onboard, that strongly favored Concierge and up. I thought it was likely overstated but thought I would ask.

Thanks again.

The reviewer was mistaken in their belief that Concierge Suites have priority over others when booking additional dining reservations on board.

The same reviewer did not care for the food in Compass Rose; this is very surprising as most guests find the extensive menu excellent and the dishes offered delicious.

The D, E & F suites on Explorer are very spacious and well appointed.

If I were you I would choose the Concierge; not a high premium but the advantages of better position, deeper balcony and the ability to make earlier reservations.

If you do not want the pre-cruise hotel you can ask for a credit.

Hope you have an enjoyable time on Explorer :)

We greatly enjoyed the deeper balcony in the Concierge Suites. If traveling in warm weather we would choose it. We like breakfast on the balcony on sea days.

Planning to book a cruise on the Explorer and would like comments on Concierge suite (D) as compared to Superior suite (F). As near as I can tell it comes down to the amenities as the suites themselves and location on ship are identical. While the pre-cruise hotel is nice it's not that big a deal. The big question is the priority shore excursions and dinner reservations. is that perk necessary? Do they really fill up?

 

Thanks in advance for your insights.

We have done both an E (cabin 609; Panama Canal) and F (cabin 924, TA) on the Explorer loved them both. Picked the E when we only wanted to be in the embarkation port a day early; E meant we didn't have to pay a deviation fee and we also got hotel the night before and transport to the boat. The E balcony is SUPER nice while F balcony is nice.

Didn't think that E or D got you priority timing on either excursion or dining reservations; better check that.

We have done both an E (cabin 609; Panama Canal) and F (cabin 924, TA) on the Explorer loved them both. Picked the E when we only wanted to be in the embarkation port a day early; E meant we didn't have to pay a deviation fee and we also got hotel the night before and transport to the boat. The E balcony is SUPER nice while F balcony is nice.

Didn't think that E or D got you priority timing on either excursion or dining reservations; better check that.

Could you elaborate on your deviation comment? It sounds as if you disembarked a day early and Regent permitted you to deviate by arranging your air early as well. If I am reading this correctly, this is the first time I have heard of air deviation being related to your suite level. We sailed in PH suites for years and always paid deviation (until we became Platinum Seen Seas Society members).

Thanks.

We have done both an E (cabin 609; Panama Canal) and F (cabin 924, TA) on the Explorer loved them both. Picked the E when we only wanted to be in the embarkation port a day early; E meant we didn't have to pay a deviation fee and we also got hotel the night before and transport to the boat. The E balcony is SUPER nice while F balcony is nice.

Didn't think that E or D got you priority timing on either excursion or dining reservations; better check that.

Deep freeze - if you wouldn't mind giving us your opinions of those cabins using the following template, I'd be glad to paste them into the SuiteGuru spreadsheets for others to read...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11V093wdziuyhggyWfW_OJ_gDRL_FM3Sw4GqBeOXEvNg

Thanks!

PS - from rssc.com:

CONCIERGE SUITE AMENITIES

• FREE 1-Night Pre-Cruise Hotel Package*
  
• Priority online shore excursion reservations
  
• Priority online Prime 7, Chartreuse, Pacific Rim, and Signatures dining reservations
  

• 15 minutes of FREE ship-to-shore phone time
  
• 10% discount on premium wine and liquor
  

• 5% discount on Regent Choice Shore Excursions, Hotel and Land Programs
  
• Binoculars, illy® maker and cashmere blanket
  

Could you elaborate on your deviation comment? It sounds as if you disembarked a day early and Regent permitted you to deviate by arranging your air early as well. If I am reading this correctly, this is the first time I have heard of air deviation being related to your suite level. We sailed in PH suites for years and always paid deviation (until we became Platinum Seen Seas Society members).

 

Thanks.

Sorry, I was too terse in my reply. Here was my decision thinking about taking the E vs. the F for our Panama Canal Cruise.

We always arrive at the embarkation port at least a day early and we almost always go home directly from disembarkation. This would require us to deviate if we were using Regent Air and an F or G cabin. And we usually used Hotel rewards for the night(s) before sailing and we would use a van to get from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship. For the Panama Canal cruise, we weren't interested in spending any extra time in Miami (or L.A.), so the E cabin worked better than the F. We got the same beautiful suite but a larger verandah PLUS Regent Air brought us (without a deviation fee) in the night before sailing; took us to the hotel (we take a lot of luggage); Regent paid for a very nice hotel and an OK breakfast; and the carted our gear to the boat the next day. All this for a modest price increase of E over an F.

PS as I'll elaborate later E609 (already booked for 2018 Miami to Miami) is a super location - great access, very little noise, and low in the ship for bad sailors like me.

Believe what Deepfreeze is saying is that since Concierge provides a hotel the night before the cruise, he doesn't have to pay for a deviation to arrive the day before because Regent automatically provides the flight for the day before. This saves everyone in Concierge and above from paying the $175 pp deviation fee if they only want to arrive the day before the cruise and not have a choice of flights.

So when figuring the price differential between Concierge and below have to include the $350 per couple plus of course the difference in paying for your own hotel vs. the Regent pre-cruise hotel into the equation. It is not a deviation in the sense of choosing one's flights and day of travel but, a change in arrival in the departure port to a day before the cruise departure but, Regent does choose the flights and the passenger don't have a choice of flights as paying for a deviation provides.

Sorry, I was too terse in my reply. Here was my decision thinking about taking the E vs. the F for our Panama Canal Cruise.

 

We always arrive at the embarkation port at least a day early and we almost always go home directly from disembarkation. This would require us to deviate if we were using Regent Air and an F or G cabin. And we usually used Hotel rewards for the night(s) before sailing and we would use a van to get from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the ship. For the Panama Canal cruise, we weren't interested in spending any extra time in Miami (or L.A.), so the E cabin worked better than the F. We got the same beautiful suite but a larger verandah PLUS Regent Air brought us (without a deviation fee) in the night before sailing; took us to the hotel (we take a lot of luggage); Regent paid for a very nice hotel and an OK breakfast; and the carted our gear to the boat the next day. All this for a modest price increase of E over an F.

 

PS as I'll elaborate later E609 (already booked for 2018 Miami to Miami) is a super location - great access, very little noise, and low in the ship for bad sailors like me.

Thanks much for the explanation. :D

Thanks to all for the helpful information. Just booked LA to Miami with Panama Canal transit for June 2019. Did book Concierge D as per multiple recommendations. Most importantly updated my signature. :D

We're getting ready for our first Regent cruise on the Explorer in about 4 weeks. I just checked the restaurant reservations and there is availability in almost every restaurant on almost every night. If you are willing to share, prime times are usually available. Tables for two might require a later reservation on some nights. From what I've read, Compass Rose seems so popular that people don't feel an urgency to move up to one of the specialty restaurants. Of course every cruise is different but from what I've seen, I'd suggest that specialty restaurant reservations should not be a factor in your decision making. Maybe some others can chime in if they have had a different experience.

We're getting ready for our first Regent cruise on the Explorer in about 4 weeks. I just checked the restaurant reservations and there is availability in almost every restaurant on almost every night. If you are willing to share, prime times are usually available. Tables for two might require a later reservation on some nights. From what I've read, Compass Rose seems so popular that people don't feel an urgency to move up to one of the specialty restaurants. Of course every cruise is different but from what I've seen, I'd suggest that specialty restaurant reservations should not be a factor in your decision making. Maybe some others can chime in if they have had a different experience.

I'd agree. I'd also suggest that if specialty dining reservations are important to you, you should call Regent directly and speak to a customer service rep. Our last two cruises have been with another couple (parents) and trying to get both of us reservations was proving difficult (times were showing booked, couldn't link reservations, etc.) but one 5 minute call to Regent got us set up with every reservation we wanted on every night with no problems. This was a table for 4 so it may have been easier than securing a two-top, but I stand by my strategy of speaking with them directly. :cool:

We also had difficulty with getting dining reservations with two of our four Explorer cruises. Pacific Rim seems to be the most popular dining venue on the ship (followed by Compass Rose). Many return passengers do not worry about getting dining reservations in P7 or Chartreuse. They are usually available when you are onboard (except for 7 night cruises where it can be very difficult to get a reservation on a specific night - specific time and a specific table size (on any Regent ship). Keep in mind that Chartreuse and P7 are open for lunch most of the time on Explorer so the extreme desire that some people had to dine there no longer exists.

But totally different menus at lunch. No comparison with dinners there. However, CR is so good we had no problem eating at any of the specialty restaurants whenever we wanted...

But totally different menus at lunch. No comparison with dinners there. However, CR is so good we had no problem eating at any of the specialty restaurants whenever we wanted...

Yes - the menus are different at lunch but we loved the chicken with mushroom sauce (served on the side) for lunch in Chartreuse. This was not offered at dinner. Our favorite dinner entree in Chartreuse was rack of lamb. To be honest, there was nothing on the P7 menu at night that we found that good (would have been if it was cooked the way it was requested). For lunch in P7, my DH requested grilled shrimp (not on the menu) and it came up perfectly. Really a great dish. Agree that CR is very good (perhaps too good since many people did not want to dine in the specialty restaurants during three of our four Explorer cruises)l