RSSC Proud of Highest Per Diems

This confirms why we stopped cruising on Regent:

"Meanwhile, Del Rio said Regent is performing well and 'without question, per diems are the highest in the industry.' Regent bundles more into its pricing than other brands, from airfare and transfers to drinks and excursions to gratuities and Wi-Fi.

"Prior to Seven Seas Explorer's introduction, the fleet's oldest ship—the 1999-built Seven Seas Navigator—was commanding the highest fares, last summer, $1,000 per passenger day in Alaska."

Me too - and paying for things that are lower quality than the touted luxury.

That said - I am considering booking the Fall Crossing on the Explorer for next year. No excursions. I am gold so I will grt included telephone for 4 hours.

I am gold so I will grt included telephone for 4 hours.

3 hours unless something extra is included for the suite level you book. Still one of the most valuable perks for us with an elderly mother-in-law. Also the new, slight bump for gold to one bag (?) of laundry per "seven night voyage segment." Wondering if that means that we get 1-4/7 bag on our 10 day cruise next April?

3 hours unless something extra is included for the suite level you book. Still one of the most valuable perks for us with an elderly mother-in-law. Also the new, slight bump for gold to one bag (?) of laundry per "seven night voyage segment." Wondering if that means that we get 1-4/7 bag on our 10 day cruise next April?

Oh, that sounds good! When does this start? (On Mariner in January.)

Oh, that sounds good! When does this start? (On Mariner in January.)

You're good: New Seven Seas Society® amenities begin with Seven Seas Explorer® 7/20/2016, Seven Seas Voyager® 7/23/2016, Seven Seas Mariner® 7/20/2016 and Seven Seas Navigator® 7/25/2016 voyages

from https://www.rssc.com/seven-seas-society/members-benefits/

Keep in mind that the speech the OP is quoting was from a meeting addressed to TA's. The higher the per diem, the higher the commission.

For those of you that haven't sailed on Regent lately, there are quite a few changes that bring the brand a level above the competition. The changes are evident on the Explorer and will soon be rolled out on their other ships.

Hope so, because we don't drink and tours are not that important to us. We'll take a few and if we really want to see something we'll hire a car to do what we want and end it when we want. I'm not much for long bus rides and waiting for others. That said we like the suites, service and dining options.

Rick

You're good: New Seven Seas Society® amenities begin with Seven Seas Explorer® 7/20/2016, Seven Seas Voyager® 7/23/2016, Seven Seas Mariner® 7/20/2016 and Seven Seas Navigator® 7/25/2016 voyages

 

from https://www.rssc.com/seven-seas-society/members-benefits/

That's great, good to be reminded of all the benefits, most of which we never use. But we definitely will use the laundry. And the pressing, no doubt. And the internet which we take for granted, of course.

TC, can we expect changes on the Voyager in December?

Thanks for photos and review of the new ship!

TC, can we expect changes on the Voyager in December?

 

Thanks for photos and review of the new ship!

Yes - she goes into dry dock in Sept./October (forget the exact dates). She should look amazing! I believe that the fabulous new Compass Rose menu will be rolled out and perhaps Chartreuse (replacing Signatures).

This confirms why we stopped cruising on Regent:

 

"Meanwhile, Del Rio said Regent is performing well and 'without question, per diems are the highest in the industry.' Regent bundles more into its pricing than other brands, from airfare and transfers to drinks and excursions to gratuities and Wi-Fi.

 

"Prior to Seven Seas Explorer's introduction, the fleet's oldest ship—the 1999-built Seven Seas Navigator—was commanding the highest fares, last summer, $1,000 per passenger day in Alaska."

I've stopped booking or referring Regent to friends because of the drop in service, which used to be amazing, and the cancellation of ports either at the last minute or well after payment is due.

My last cruise on the Navigator should have been a Regent embarrassment with very poor service, such as delivering a Dover Sole but not deboning it, but nothing seemed to bother the staff. Case in point, our stop at Gibraltar was cancelled 30 days after final payment so they could get the ship to Barcelona one day early to start the refit. Once we arrived in Barcelona we where given rushed tours since we arrived in port at 2PM but major attractions such as Sagrada Familia was closed when we arrived on our tour, so what was the point of stopping.:eek:

So after over 130 days on Regent I'm moving on to other lines since I can reserve the owners suite on many ships or just cruise with Silver Seas or Crystal and get what I'm paying for. I'm sorry Regent but a six star experience should be delivered without any disappointment. My last cruise was nothing but.

Yes - she goes into dry dock in Sept./October (forget the exact dates). She should look amazing! I believe that the fabulous new Compass Rose menu will be rolled out and perhaps Chartreuse (replacing Signatures).

I know not to argue with Travelcat. But the higher per diems, such as the $1,000 per day per person for a week-long Alaskan cruise, just put Regent out of our league. There are people who can afford that, and that's fine.

After 4 very enjoyable Regent cruises, we have signed up for Viking Ocean's 120-day World Cruise. Yes, the ship is larger (930 vs. 700) than our previous experiences on two Voyager WC's, but by signing up early the Viking perks and TA discounts were substantial. (Plus, it includes business airfare home from London.) And the total cost is less than our 2007 and 2010 Regent WC's of 111 and 119 days. Viking Ocean, which has received lots of accolades, markets itself as "Premium," though some say it should be "Luxury." We shall see.

Well we lucked out choosing the Miami - Lima Mariner trip in January. It includes one-way Business Air, and our bottom line, with discounts, is just over $500 per night pp.

Except for exceptional trips (e.g., an itinerary that is in high demand) I try to keep per diems quite a lot lower than that quoted $1000. First, I subtract air credit from price. I then subtract out any discount for onboard booking, SSS, or TA discount.

My goal then is to pay no more than $300 per sea day and $400 per in port day. That is valuing room, food, drinks, entertainment at $600 per night for the two of us; reasonable for a high end hotel or resort. That also values excursions at $100 per day; some are worth somewhat more but then there are days where I don't take advantage of the excursions (those days I usually drink more so maybe it is the same).

Even in today's high priced environment, I have found that I can get cruises that satisfy my criteria. Most recently 12 night Bermuda trip. The upcoming spring Explorer transatlantic and President's cruise also meets this criteria as well as the 63 night Rome to Beijing cruise next year on Voyager. Of course, some cruises are a bit more and some are a lot more; still, I find Regent can still be a good value.

Marc

Larry - I will agree with Marq that the per diems vary widely, depending upon itinerary. For example, the per diem in a G cabin on our Voyager cruise in December from Dubai to Singapore comes out to around $550 pp, including Biz airfare. Of course, that ain't exactly cheap but isn't outrageous.

A comparison that we made between Regent and Seabourn for a circle of the UK next summer resulted in per diems (accounting for the cost of Biz air for the SB cruise) that were within $10 pp/per day. The SB cost did not account for excursions; but we plan to do our own thing on the UK cruise, whether on SB or Regent. We chose SB because the itinerary is slightly longer and more appealing (e.g. overnight in Edinburgh on SB). Further, it allows us to broaden our experience in luxury cruising by learning how we might like SB as opposed to our experiences on Regent, Silversea, and Crystal.

Josephone - From examining the Voyager schedule, it appears that the dry dock will be from Oct. 14 - Nov. 9, in Barcelona. Thus, Voyager will have the 23 days of the cruise from Barcelona to Dubai to tweak any left-over issues from the dry dock before we all board in Dubai on Dec. 2.

On another thread, Randall Soy from Regent stated that, "The roll out schedule for the expanded CR menus fleet wide are mid-October for NAV, following drydock for VOY and MAR. It is exceptional. Lobster, Filet mignon or Dover Sole every night, if you desired. And the room is gorgeous." That sounds like very good news for us. As far as I can determine from posts on CC, he has not yet commented on the issue of the roll-out of Chartreuse on Voyager to replace Signatures. We are keeping our fingers crossed that that change will also be accomplished at the October dry dock.

See you on board in a few months.

Me too - and paying for things that are lower quality than the touted luxury.

 

That said - I am considering booking the Fall Crossing on the Explorer for next year. No excursions. I am gold so I will grt included telephone for 4 hours.

We are on that crossing. Quite surprised to read that after all your posts regarding Regent the past couple of years that you would consider returning to her. Sorry to read that you do feel that "things are lower quality than the touted luxury". Having just been on the Explorer, IMO, it could not be more "luxury" (despite what some feel about included excursions).

Larry, not sure what your post implies. Anyone can feel the way they want to about Regent. Sometimes, however, I do question why people that have not cruised on Regent for a few years bother to post about how their experiences on Regent when they sailed in the past. I would certainly not suggest that you would change your mind if you sailed on Regent today. However, I hope that people that left Regent for whatever reason years ago may consider giving her another chance (again, despite how you may feel about included excursions.)

While I understand that per diems on some other cruise lines may be less than on Regent, we feel that Regent (especially the Explorer) is worth every penny. While the per diems are high, I would rather take fewer cruises than save a few dollars and end on a cruise line of lesser quality. IMO, Regent has raised the bar for all luxury cruise lines. And, I can't help but wonder what Silversea's new "Muse" will look like - especially after the owner was onboard the Explorer for the Christening.

In any case, to each his/her own. We started with Regent -- tried two other cruise lines and are happy to be "home".

My goal then is to pay no more than $300 per sea day and $400 per in port day. That is valuing room, food, drinks, entertainment at $600 per night for the two of us; reasonable for a high end hotel or resort.

Using the Ritz Carlton on Maui as an example of a high end resort, the least expensive room rate on their website is $623.95 per night - and that is just for a basic room. No food, drinks or entertainment. Almost makes Regent look like a bargain.

We're returning to Regent (January 2017, Voyager Auckland to Hong Kong) after 3+ yrs exclusively sailing on Silversea.

Tho, we do have a 17 day Silversea Silver Wind Crossing from Barca to Ft. Lauderdale in November/December with doug and lynn burns (300+day sailors on Regent--who now only sails on Silversea due to the restrictive smoking policy on Regent--we give Doug a pass on his smoking as after he was shot down in his A4 in 1966, he spent nearly seven years in the Hanoi Hilton where the Viet Cong (after excruciating physical/mental torture) rewarded American POWs (incl Doug) with one cig a day)

Our per diem for this January Voyager 40 nite cruise (G suite) in January (considering SSS discount, NCL shareholder discount, air credit, land tour credit, Chase Sapphire Preferred discount ($650), TA discount) is about $420 per day (an exceptional value when you compare Oz/Asia cruises on SS, SB (over $500 per diem) or Crystal). And if you compare prices (for comparable Oz/Asia voyages) on these other lux lines with regent, the base price is more than the Regent Voyager price (and SB, SS, Crystal does not include excursions which are included on Regent). This Regent itinerary (Auckland to Hong Kong) is a winner (value, variety of ports (includes Seven NZ ports, 5 Aus ports, Bali, Saigon, Taiwan and the Philippines). As of today all suites are wait listed except 11 concierge suites and the master suite.

Larry, as you know very well our TA is a top seller of Viking #2 worldwide and explains well the Viking WC Karen and you have booked is an absolute super deal (and the ship has not even been built yet). We look forward to hearing about your third WC voyage--your Voyager WC blogs were some of the most enjoyable we've read.

But the higher per diems, such as the $1,000 per day per person for a week-long Alaskan cruise, just put Regent out of our league. There are people who can afford that, and that's fine.

Hi Larry -

We just spent a week on Mariner in Alaska. Our per diem not including airfare worked out to 488/day. We picked up a really nice last minute offer.

I have set my cutoff at 500/day. I scour the web and do find very good deals. Sometimes the timing works, most times it doesn't as I am still working.

Tina

We did do a Regent cruise last year after a gap of probably six years, and the standard was most definitely lower than it had been.

I do feel that Regent are even more over the top than the other lux lines in their claims of super luxury, which causes disappointment to many trying it for the first time, particularly if, as in our case, they are making comparisons with other lines they have cruised on. If you only cruise Regent you are not in a position to compare.

It was a shame that they had journalists on for a shake-down cruise on Explorer - I know about revenue from other passengers - but the problems which occurred made for not very flattering articles in three of the top Brit papers. IMO it would have been worth their while to save them up for a later trip when things were better sorted. Bad press is worse than no press at all, I feel.

That said - I am considering booking the Fall Crossing on the Explorer for next year. No excursions. I am gold so I will grt included telephone for 4 hours.

Kathy, I've long admired your photographer's eye, and if you do the Explorer crossing I will be looking forward to your photos of the new ship.

Interestingly, we have not seen any "bad press" in the U.S. Not sure about the TA's and/or journalists from the first cruise (all I know is that they partied until 4:00 a.m. while onboard). The journalists and TA's on the Christening cruise seemed to understand that everything was new for the crew - from menus to maneuvering around the ship -- we did not hear one complaint. Rather than complaints, we heard how happy they were to have an 8 night cruise which was long enough to enable everyone to get a good sense of the ship.

For those that have not had the opportunity to read Cruise Critic's review, here is a link http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=998

I must agree with CC's review of entertainment. The first show was well done -- the dancers and singers are, IMO, better than JAR but the shows themselves range from weird to good. I don't feel that the NCL production company understands what Regent cruisers like. The show that we enjoyed was based on the shows in the 1930 (a little too old - even for Regent's older cruisers). The Beatles show was good until they left the Beatles and went into other music. Would love to see the same performers in different shows.

And here is a quote from the "Avid Cruiser" regarding food and service:

"Of course, dining and service also make for over-the-top luxury. “The highest paid person on board is not the captain,” Del Rio said. “It the chefs. So we have to pay top dollar to recruit top talent.”

Indeed, my dinners in both Chartreuse and Pacific Rim were among the tastiest I’ve had. In Chartreuse, I enjoyed roasted milk-fed veal filet with raspberry and rhubarb marmalade accompanied by sautéed Swiss chard. Clearly, Regent is aiming to emulate Michelin-star dining found in the world’s best restaurants ashore. In total, there are five restaurants on Seven Seas Explorer."

We are on that crossing. Quite surprised to read that after all your posts regarding Regent the past couple of years that you would consider returning to her. Sorry to read that you do feel that "things are lower quality than the touted luxury". Having just been on the Explorer, IMO, it could not be more "luxury" (despite what some feel about included excursions).

 

Larry, not sure what your post implies. Anyone can feel the way they want to about Regent. Sometimes, however, I do question why people that have not cruised on Regent for a few years bother to post about how their experiences on Regent when they sailed in the past. I would certainly not suggest that you would change your mind if you sailed on Regent today. However, I hope that people that left Regent for whatever reason years ago may consider giving her another chance (again, despite how you may feel about included excursions.)

 

While I understand that per diems on some other cruise lines may be less than on Regent, we feel that Regent (especially the Explorer) is worth every penny. While the per diems are high, I would rather take fewer cruises than save a few dollars and end on a cruise line of lesser quality. IMO, Regent has raised the bar for all luxury cruise lines. And, I can't help but wonder what Silversea's new "Muse" will look like - especially after the owner was onboard the Explorer for the Christening.

 

In any case, to each his/her own. We started with Regent -- tried two other cruise lines and are happy to be "home".

Our last Regent cruise was 2-1/2 yrs ago. And I thought I was fairly clear. To each his own. I just thought Del Rio's crowing about highest per diems needed a comment. I agree, to each his own. That's why there are umpteen choices of ice cream.

And don't worry, Travelcat, I won't be commenting on the Regent board very often -- though I do look forward to hearing about my friends' Explorer inaugural season cruises and the 2017 Nav WC.

Our last Regent cruise was 2-1/2 yrs ago. And I thought I was fairly clear. To each his own. I just thought Del Rio's crowing about highest per diems needed a comment. I agree, to each his own. That's why there are umpteen choices of ice cream.

 

And don't worry, Travelcat, I won't be commenting on the Regent board very often -- though I do look forward to hearing about my friends' Explorer inaugural season cruises and the 2017 Nav WC.

As you know, anyone can post on the Regent board -- I was simply suggesting that it would be great if those of you that have not sailed for a while may want to give it another try as things have improved.

In terms of Mr. Del Rio's "crowing", again, it was necessary given his audience of travel agents. They cannot sell what they don't know about and high per diems gives TA's more commission.