Am I able to order in advance a specific brand of Spirit?

I am not sure whether this is an urban myth or is something you can do.

I have heard that if you would like a specific brand of spirit, in our case Hendricks Gin, then you can request it ahead of your cruise and they will ensure that they will stock it on board for your cruise.

Also, is it true that you can have a bottle of sprits, mixers and say a bottle of champagne in your cabin, all part of the all inclusive package with Regent.

We are two couples from the UK looking forward to our first Regent Cruise later this year, and wish to ensure we are not disappointed if such wonderful sounding service levels are indeed just urban myths.

Thanks

Neil

Good news, Hendricks is available onboard. However, before it was readily available, I requested it by contacting Regent in advance and was pleasantly surprised to find it waiting for us in our cabin.

Z and TB

Neil, it's not an urban myth, it's all part of the Regent experience which will get you hooked! Depending on the level of suite you've booked, you can either go onto the Regent website and pre-order the drinks you'd like in your fridge or when you board, you can sort it out with the housekeeping staff. Once they know your preferences, you'll find they appear automatically...for example, when we board, there is inevitably a bottle of Tanqueray, a few cans of tonic, a bottle of NZ Sauvignon Blanc and some other soft drinks plus a large bottle of water. I too would choose Hendricks over Tanqueray, but until recently it was on the "premium list" and therefore not part of the all-inclusive offer. On our last couple of cruises however, it seems to be in the "normal" bar offer though I always struggle to get the bar tender to add cucumber and not lemon! (If Gusti is on board, he makes the perfect Hendricks and tonic with cucumber, btw)

I've read here that particular drinks will be brought on board at special request, but since I don't have a special request, I've not had personal experience of that. I could well imagine it happening though - Regent staff are remarkably responsive and will go out of their way to fulfil your every need. They are not mind-readers however, so my parting shot is to say, if something isn't to your liking, then say something or request it next time. That gives them a chance to set things right before you begin to feel unhappy!

Have a wonderful cruise and I hope it lives up to (or exceeds) your expectations!

Haven't been on Regent for three years.

Do they provide the two bottles of liquor to all cabins or only select suites?

I request Titos and it is always there. Also I have everything else taken away and they get me Gatorade. We love Gatorade as we do all warm weather cruises.

Thank you for your responses. Where you make a special request, where is the request directed? Is it to a general Regent email address or does it need to go via your travel agent.

Gilly - It looks as if we have similar drinks preferences, we are also partial to a good NZ Sauvignon Blanc. Just need to see if we can get some Fever-Tree tonic sorted.

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Oh, now that will be interesting - I've never seen Fevertree on board, in fact the brand of tonic is one of my small niggles. I think it's Seagram?

Re requesting Hendricks in your suite, a couple of years ago we did exactly that (Zqueeze may remember we had a conversation at the time). Sure enough, it was there but as it was still on the Premium Spirit List, it was accompanied by a bill for $80 (I think....can't quite recall, but certainly some extortionate amount) We hastily switched our preference and decided that Tanqueray wasn't too bad after all :p These days, Hendricks has become more mainstream and is certainly available in all the bars as standard (or at least, it has been so in my experience)

When and where will your cruise be? Since we have to wait until 2018 for our next one, I have to make do with enjoying everyone else's for a while. I'm thankful for those sharing the fun, then, either here or, like me, on their own blog!

Oh, now that will be interesting - I've never seen Fevertree on board, in fact the brand of tonic is one of my small niggles. I think it's Seagram?

 

Re requesting Hendricks in your suite, a couple of years ago we did exactly that (Zqueeze may remember we had a conversation at the time). Sure enough, it was there but as it was still on the Premium Spirit List, it was accompanied by a bill for $80 (I think....can't quite recall, but certainly some extortionate amount) We hastily switched our preference and decided that Tanqueray wasn't too bad after all :p These days, Hendricks has become more mainstream and is certainly available in all the bars as standard (or at least, it has been so in my experience)

 

 

When and where will your cruise be? Since we have to wait until 2018 for our next one, I have to make do with enjoying

everyone else's for a while. I'm thankful for those sharing the fun, then, either here or, like me, on their own blog!

Gilly - We are doing a 9 night Rome to Rome in September 2017 on the Seven Seas Voyager and especially looking forward to visiting both Portofino and the Amalfi coast as well as a number of other Western Mediterranean stops. We really love the new Viking Ocean product but a friend of ours whom we introduced to cruising last year, wants to celebrate a special wedding anniversary on a luxury cruise line, so it will be interesting to see if the extra cost over the Viking product is justified. I am sure we will not be disappointed but at almost twice the cost (lowest category cabin on each - excluding flights) it will be the ability to personalise our experience and the quality of the included excursions (currently a weak point on the Viking offer) which will be a key factor in justifying the additional cost.

I will take up the challenge to get Fever-Tree tonic water on board, but will leave that until nearer the time. It is fast becoming a premium product in international markets and not just the UK. I will probably also try and get a bottle of Hendricks in our cabin as well but will need to ensure that we do not collect an $80 bill for it. That said, I have got some OBC to spend, so its one way to spend i guess.

Can you recall what NZ Sauvignon Blanc they were serving, was it Cloudy Bay by any chance?

The other gent in our party is more of a beer drinker but getting his favourite beer on board may prove to be a bigger challenge.

Neil

Note... special requests need to be made 30-90 days in advance, depending upon where the ship is located since the item requested needs to be included in a shipment from Miami to the ship.

Note... special requests need to be made 30-90 days in advance, depending upon where the ship is located since the item requested needs to be included in a shipment from Miami to the ship.

When I requested a particular wine 90 days out for a Med sailing last October, Regent told me that even 90 days was short notice and recommended 120 days.

Neil, there were several NZ Sauvignon Blancs on the inclusive list including (I think) Cloudy Bay, Villa Maria and "the one with the blue label" (!!) Can you tell how much of a wine buff I am? :o If you don't care for the featured wine on the menu, the sommelier will bring your preferred bottle (and once they get to know you, it's likely you won't even have to ask). At the end of a three week SE Asian cruise last year, the six of us dining together all had different favourites: Cue the lovely sommelier arriving with an armful of bottles as soon as he saw us arrive...

I hope you'll find the additional cost justified, though the danger is that the special "one off" becomes the norm. (Yes, speaking from experience here!) Voyager is our favourite Regent ship - she was the first Regent ship we sailed on and we were happy to be back on a cruise to the Baltic last Autumn, just before her refit. We had a wonderful time (I write a blog, so if you're interested, you can read about that cruise starting here ) but I understand she is even more lovely now and look forward to seeing for myself. (Our future bookings are on Navigator and Mariner though!)

I very much doubt that a bottle of Hendricks comes with a bill these days. Zqueeze will have the details, I'll bet.

Neil, there were several NZ Sauvignon Blancs on the inclusive list including (I think) Cloudy Bay, Villa Maria ......

I would be surprised (but delighted) to find Cloudy Bay on the inclusive list as it retails at around three times the price of Villa Maria (which is itself most acceptable!) here in the UK! :D

In which case...and most probably...I am mistaken!

Anyone know if Port is considered premium? Only lists I have seen through searching the forums is wine/beer/spirits.

~Jar

Neil,

My husband and I are also going on the voyager sept 2017 9 days rome to rome!

Jean

Anyone know if Port is considered premium? Only lists I have seen through searching the forums is wine/beer/spirits.

 

~Jar

They have several ports included in the standard fare, pretty sure Dow is the main brand, although I think I've seen several,others. And of course they'll have premium ports as well, but yes, you can get a passable port at no additional cost.

I had port with dessert this evening (yummy)

In which case...and most probably...I am mistaken!

I do hope you are not! ;)

rarin2go I'm not sure enough to put money either way - it might have been Oyster Bay which is a different kettle of fish altogether! I think the "blue label" one was Matua, by the way. Pretty, easily recognisable bottle which means fools like me can recognise it :confused: My apologies, I'm no wine buff (as you can tell) and simply find something I like. Sailing on Explorer through the Panama Canal in February, the Villa Maria NZ SB just hit the spot more often than not, whilst in our suite fridge, the bottle of Matua did nicely too. I can't recall my favourite red but it usually takes a couple of goes to find the one I like best!

rarin2go I'm not sure enough to put money either way - it might have been Oyster Bay which is a different kettle of fish altogether! I think the "blue label" one was Matua, by the way. Pretty, easily recognisable bottle which means fools like me can recognise it :confused: My apologies, I'm no wine buff (as you can tell) and simply find something I like. Sailing on Explorer through the Panama Canal in February, the Villa Maria NZ SB just hit the spot more often than not, whilst in our suite fridge, the bottle of Matua did nicely too. I can't recall my favourite red but it usually takes a couple of goes to find the one I like best!

To be honest, they're all pretty good but Cloudy Bay and Dog Point are definitely several price points ahead in the NZ SB stakes! Whether they're worth the premium ....?

On the first day, when the room steward makes his/her introductions, I request extra hangers (for all of my husband's clothes!!), only soft fruit to be left in the dish, only soda & beers in the fridge & 2 different whiskies. The hangers arrive very quickly & the rest while we are at dinner. So far, so very good.

I would be surprised (but delighted) to find Cloudy Bay on the inclusive list as it retails at around three times the price of Villa Maria (which is itself most acceptable!) here in the UK! :D

I think Cloudy Bay might be on the Premium List

Villa Maria is usually available :), but on our last three cruises Regent managed to run out of any brands of NZ Sauvignon Blanc part way through each cruise :(

We must stop drinking so much ;)

This was somewhat ambiguous on Explorer recently.

The first day on board, I looked for a form to order my two bottles. There was no form, so I asked the steward if they still did this. He kind of said no, but asked me what I wanted. I asked for and received a bottle of Glenfiddich and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. (The Sav Blanc delivered was Villa Maria, NZ.)

 

So I'm not sure if he was saying no to the form, or no to the process. Maybe it's like the secret menu at In-n-out?

If you book a Penthouse or above then you will be presented with a 'Butler Request' form on the My Account section of the website that can be filled in on-line with your specific requests (drink, bedding etc) in advance of the cruise

Otherwise you just ask your Steward (or Butler) after you board; I have never seen a 'form' used on-board, although we sometimes hand our Butler or Steward a note confirming our requests just to make sure especially if we are asking for a particularly brand of spirit or wine

So I think your Steward was saying "no form" not "no alcohol" :cool:

Neil,

 

My husband and I are also going on the voyager sept 2017 9 days rome to rome!

 

Jean

Jean,

Good news, I set up a roll call a while back but nobody else seemed to be going on the cruise. I see that there are still plenty of capacity on the cruise as only the lowest category cabin (H) is waitlisted on the UK version of the website. It will be interesting to see if the price increases on April 1st as they have indicated here in the UK , or will be reduced to boost sales.

Feel free to join us on the Roll Call

Neil

 

If you book a Penthouse or above then you will be presented with a 'Butler Request' form on the My Account section of the website that can be filled in on-line with your specific requests (drink, bedding etc) in advance of the cruise

 

Otherwise you just ask your Steward (or Butler) after you board; I have never seen a 'form' used on-board, although we sometimes hand our Butler or Steward a note confirming our requests just to make sure especially if we are asking for a particularly brand of spirit or wine

 

:cool:

Flossie - This is very helpful, many thanks.

We have two cabins, both below Penthouse level, so I will take on board your suggestion to give the steward a note of our requirements. I am sure it will all work out fine.

Neil

Flossie - This is very helpful, many thanks.

 

We have two cabins, both below Penthouse level, so I will take on board your suggestion to give the steward a note of our requirements. I am sure it will all work out fine.

 

Neil

Hi Neil

Have been on a few Regent cruises and always book an H suite (guarantee). On each cruise we have called Regent directly or our TA has called and placed our request for our bottles about 60 days in advance of the cruise. They have always been in our suite upon our arrival with our Champagne and a full fridge of beer and soft drinks.

We are cruising to Alaska in May and I just spoke to Regent the other day with regard to a change in a booked excursion. I also ordered our usual bottles at that time. So I suggest that you try calling about 60 days before your cruise.

Sharon