New to regent - questions

We have chosen to cruise the Mariner for the 2016 holiday cruise. Have now made my final payment and getting ready to book restaurant reservations and have several questions. It will be our first Regent cruise. We only sail on luxury lines and have hundreds of days.

Are you limited to the number of reservations you can make at any of the specialty restaurants? We are staying in a Seven Seas Suite if that makes any difference.

Is the Grill open for dinner?

Typically what are the operating hours of the dining venues?

Does the evening productions show start at the same time each evening?

Does Regent have guest entertainers?

Do the lounges/bars have any entertainment?

Because this is a holiday cruise, will people dress up for Christmas/New Years in more formal attire, versus the standard "country club" look?

What is it like being on board for Christmas/New Years? Any special events?Will we find many children on board?

Can you book spa appointments on line?

Is the fitness center open 24 hours?

Thanks in advance for answers to my questions. We are looking forward to our voyage, especially knowing that the ship was recently updated. If there is anything that might be of interest to a newcomer, please share.

Hi and welcome to the Regent board. I'll try to answer your questions below:

1. You are limited to the number of dining reservations that you can make online to one per dining venue (for the Mariner that would be one in Prime 7 and one in Signatures*). Once onboard, if you are fairly open to the times that you dine and the size of the table, it should not be a problem to get additional reservations.

2. There is no restaurant called the "Grill". Do you mean the pool deck where there is a grill? If that is what you are referring to, they are not open for dinner (they close at 4:00 p.m.)

3. Compass Rose opens at 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. for breakfast, noon to 2:00 p.m. for lunch and 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (not 100% sure about when they close) for dinner. Signatures and Prime 7 have the same hours but require a reservation.

La Veranda changes their opening and closing times, depending upon when excursions leave and return. Generally they are open at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast and noon for lunch (they open earlier for breakfast if there are excursions leaving early).

At night La Veranda changes from a buffet restaurant to Sette Mari - an Italian restaurant. They open at 6:30 p.m. and have a buffet antipasti bar, served soup and main course and a dessert buffet. When the ship is in port late, they may have a buffet only dinner and stay open later than normal (which I'm guessing is 9:00 p.m.)

4. The shows (production or otherwise) begin at 9:45 p.m. (generally). Krew Kapers (the show put on by the crew on the night of the Captain's farewell begins either at 6:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.)

5 Yes - Regent has guest entertainers.

6. Yes - the lounges have entertainment.

7. We have been on a holiday cruise. There were quite a few more families and children than during the rest of the year. Some people dressed up more for Christmas and New Year's. The Regent dress code is "Elegant Casual" so even when there is a "Formal Optional" night, there are some people that choose to stay with the Elegant Casual dress code while others enjoy dressing up.

8. You can book spa appointments in advance - not sure how (it is easy to book onboard). Perhaps someone else will chime in with this information.

The fitness center is not open 24 hours a day. I believe they open around 7:00 a.m. but do not know when they close.

I am a bit confused by your comment that the Mariner will be recently "updated" as it will not be refurbished until Spring of 2017. It is the Voyager that will soon be refurbished.

Suggest that you go into "My Account" on the rssc.com website (if you have not done so already) to make excursion and dining reservations. Excursions have been open for booking for a few months and dining reservations should be open now. If you wait until you get onboard, there will be fewer choices.

You mentioned that you are in a Seven Seas Suite. We were in a Seven Seas aft suite last year and absolutely loved it. It is one of the nicest suites on the ship. Hope that you have a great cruise!

The fitness center as you know is open 24hrs on Crystal. We sailed with you and your DH over a holiday cruise and you know they will have kids for sure as they did on Crystal. Holiday cruises are off our list no matter what line.

Regarding spa appointments, you can't make them online but beginning 60 days prior to your cruise you can call Canyon Ranch at 877-329-1924 and make appointments. Hope this helps.

Amazing! I just rechecked the website and they show a refurbishment in 2014 for the Mariner and we recently received an email saying all the soft furnishing on the upper suites had been redone. Confused :)

Thanks Travel Cat for the feed back.

thanks dave for the spa #

Miles, the years "ago" we had on Crystal can't be duplicated anywhere :)

Sorry for confusion. Mariner was refurbished in 2014 but will go through a huge refurbishment next year.

One correction on the Navigator this summer the shows were at 9-30, not 9-45 which does make it a rush if there are late eaters as there were on our trip. 7-30 to 8-00 was the busy arrival time in CR with many later diners, a Mexican group usually arrived at 9-00pm

None of the restaurants were busy early and empty up till 7-00, very different from Alaska when many were there for window seats by 6-35.

Maybe its location in the Mediterranean, hot weather, late excursions .

Just a couple of things to add:

As yours is only a 14 night cruise there will be no 'Formal Optional' nights; albeit many guests will no doubt wish to be a little dressier on Xmas and New Years Eve

The 9pm cut-off for the restaurants is to be seated not when the restaurant closes

Mariner is our favourite ship; the layout of the public areas is better than Voyager IMO

Have a great cruise :)

The fitness center as you know is open 24hrs on Crystal. We sailed with you and your DH over a holiday cruise and you know they will have kids for sure as they did on Crystal. Holiday cruises are off our list no matter what line.

My wife & I were on the Mariner over the 2015/16 holiday season sailing from Rio to Miami. With respect to children on board there were just 2 young boys (about 6 & 8?) and a 16 year old girl. That was it! I actually felt sorry for the two boys as there was very little for them to do. And the teenage girl spent a great deal of time on her own as she really didn't have anyone to socialize with.

 

We have chosen to cruise the Mariner for the 2016 holiday cruise. Have now made my final payment and getting ready to book restaurant reservations and have several questions. It will be our first Regent cruise. We only sail on luxury lines and have hundreds of days.

 

Are you limited to the number of reservations you can make at any of the specialty restaurants? We are staying in a Seven Seas Suite if that makes any difference.

 

Is the Grill open for dinner?

 

Typically what are the operating hours of the dining venues?

 

Does the evening productions show start at the same time each evening?

 

 

Welcome to Regent, Kar

 

 

Does Regent have guest entertainers?

 

Do the lounges/bars have any entertainment?

 

Because this is a holiday cruise, will people dress up for Christmas/New Years in more formal attire, versus the standard "country club" look?

 

What is it like being on board for Christmas/New Years? Any special events?Will we find many children on board?

 

Can you book spa appointments on line?

 

Is the fitness center open 24 hours?

 

Thanks in advance for answers to my questions. We are looking forward to our voyage, especially knowing that the ship was recently updated. If there is anything that might be of interest to a newcomer, please share.

Welcome to Regent, KaraokeQueen.

If you are particular about your beauty appointments, it is not a good idea to wait to book on board. I learned this the hard way. Passengers on Oceania and Regent are definitely spa users, and many of them book before boarding with Canyon Ranch's ship's appointment service. Here is the phone number: 1 (877) 329-1924. When you board, call the spa to confirm your appointment. This has worked perfectly for me. Enjoy your cruise.

Mary

HI Christie/Karaoke Queen, hope y'all enjoy your first Regent cruise--will look forward to reading your Regent posts. We return to Regent (after 3+ yrs, over 10 cruises) in Feb (Singapore to HK) but first we join Spinnaker2, dougburns, Silverspectre, et.al., on the Silver Wind for the fall crossing in November. Will be interesting to compare our on board experience on both lines within 75 days--will lead to our 2018 booking..

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Really disappointed to be limited to one reservation at each specialty restaurant. Have been told that based on our accommodations, we will have the ability to book more once on board. Another thing I'm disappointed about is free internet but only one sign in per cabin. This is petty. Sure hope to be wowed on board.

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Really disappointed to be limited to one reservation at each specialty restaurant. Have been told that based on our accommodations, we will have the ability to book more once on board. Another thing I'm disappointed about is free internet but only one sign in per cabin. This is petty. Sure hope to be wowed on board.

 

 

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I'm not sure who told you that you could make additional reservations based on your accommodations. We have stayed in Seven Seas Suites on both the Voyager and Mariner were not able to get extra reservations (unless they was availability or cancellations) Suite category does not give passengers extra dining reservations There is an exception to this rule on the Explorer (may be going onto other ships). If you are in a Master or Grand Suite, you get additional dining opportunities. Just about everything onboard Regent is based on "first come, first served" - regardless of what level suite you are in. Having said that, it is usually not a problem to get an additional reservation

Agree that one internet sign-on per suite can be difficult but if they offered unlimited access to everyone, many loyal Regent customers would be quite unhappy (to say nothing of how slow the internet could become with a lot of passengers trying to get online at the same time on sea days). As you may know, included internet is a perk for Regent Seven Seas Society Gold and above members only.

I'm curious how internet works on other luxury cruise lines. Have you had included internet for both of you on previous cruises? If so, how was the connection?

BTW, are you in a Seven Seas Aft or Seven Seas Forward (I'm asking because the aft has 1 1/2 baths and forward has 1).

I'm not sure who told you that you could make additional reservations based on your accommodations. We have stayed in Seven Seas Suites on both the Voyager and Mariner were not able to get extra reservations (unless they was availability or cancellations) Suite category does not give passengers extra dining reservations There is an exception to this rule on the Explorer (may be going onto other ships). If you are in a Master or Grand Suite, you get additional dining opportunities. Just about everything onboard Regent is based on "first come, first served" - regardless of what level suite you are in. Having said that, it is usually not a problem to get an additional reservation

 

Agree that one internet sign-on per suite can be difficult but if they offered unlimited access to everyone, many loyal Regent customers would be quite unhappy (to say nothing of how slow the internet could become with a lot of passengers trying to get online at the same time on sea days). As you may know, included internet is a perk for Regent Seven Seas Society Gold and above members only.

 

I'm curious how internet works on other luxury cruise lines. Have you had included internet for both of you on previous cruises? If so, how was the connection?

 

BTW, are you in a Seven Seas Aft or Seven Seas Forward (I'm asking because the aft has 1 1/2 baths and forward has 1).

We were in a silver suite recently on Silversea and both of us had separate internet access. Connection was excellent ( as if we were at home). We had absolutely no slow speed or connectivity problems even as remote as the north cape in Norway.

We were in a silver suite recently on Silversea and both of us had separate internet access. Connection was excellent ( as if we were at home). We had absolutely no slow speed or connectivity problems even as remote as the north cape in Norway.

I haven't sailed Silversea so I don't know - is internet included or is it a pay-per-use service? Seems to me that Regent's internet was faster when it was a per-minute deal...

I haven't sailed Silversea so I don't know - is internet included or is it a pay-per-use service? Seems to me that Regent's internet was faster when it was a per-minute deal...

Bill, Silversea does give included internet to guests in the top suites. The big difference is that most of the ships are much smaller than Regent ships (their largest ship holds 450 passengers). So, when you look at a small ship where only the top categories get unlimited internet, you're looking small number of passengers.

I'm not sure who told you that you could make additional reservations based on your accommodations. We have stayed in Seven Seas Suites on both the Voyager and Mariner were not able to get extra reservations (unless they was availability or cancellations) Suite category does not give passengers extra dining reservations There is an exception to this rule on the Explorer (may be going onto other ships). If you are in a Master or Grand Suite, you get additional dining opportunities. Just about everything onboard Regent is based on "first come, first served" - regardless of what level suite you are in. Having said that, it is usually not a problem to get an additional reservation

 

Agree that one internet sign-on per suite can be difficult but if they offered unlimited access to everyone, many loyal Regent customers would be quite unhappy (to say nothing of how slow the internet could become with a lot of passengers trying to get online at the same time on sea days). As you may know, included internet is a perk for Regent Seven Seas Society Gold and above members only.

 

I'm curious how internet works on other luxury cruise lines. Have you had included internet for both of you on previous cruises? If so, how was the connection?

 

BTW, are you in a Seven Seas Aft or Seven Seas Forward (I'm asking because the aft has 1 1/2 baths and forward has 1).

SS Aft :) We have sailed many times on Silversea in a Silver Suite and both of us had unlimited internet. I've never had any connectivity problems there (on any of their vessels). Have sailed many days on Crystal too and although not since they started including some internet access. The internet was always poor and from what I read on CC, that continues to be a problem.

Let me ask you another question? In Suite dining. Can you order off the menu's from the specialty restaurants or just the dining room menu?

Let me ask you another question? In Suite dining. Can you order off the menu's from the specialty restaurants or just the dining room menu?

Last cruise, as I recall, it was only from the Compass Rose menu, but CR's menu usually had one or two choices from the specialty restaurants so you had options. I'd also assume that with 24 hour notice, you could request special meals in your cabin as well - we've ordered special meals in Compass Rose before, don't see why this wouldn't apply in-suite as well.

I haven't sailed Silversea so I don't know - is internet included or is it a pay-per-use service? Seems to me that Regent's internet was faster when it was a per-minute deal...

It was included for both of us, unlimited access with Silver Suite category.

It was included for both of us, unlimited access with Silver Suite category.

When we sailed on Silversea (in a Silver Suite), it included laundry. Sadly, this is no longer the case. It is good to hear that there is unlimited access in the Silver Suite category, however, being a long time Regent passenger, we would not sails on Silversea in an upper suite again without the included laundry benefit (we could live without the internet benefit).

Thanks for posting!

This is why it's so durn tough to compare cruise lines. What's included, what's extra, how much are the necessities, etc, etc, etc. (now I'm thinking about "The King and I")

All the more reason for us to stick with Regent - it's a known quantity.

I'm not sure who told you that you could make additional reservations based on your accommodations. We have stayed in Seven Seas Suites on both the Voyager and Mariner were not able to get extra reservations (unless they was availability or cancellations) Suite category does not give passengers extra dining reservations There is an exception to this rule on the Explorer (may be going onto other ships). If you are in a Master or Grand Suite, you get additional dining opportunities. Just about everything onboard Regent is based on "first come, first served" - regardless of what level suite you are in. Having said that, it is usually not a problem to get an additional reservation

 

I have only done one regent cruise and a B2B on Oceania a few years ago. I like to know why it is so hard to get into your speciality restaurants. are they extra small. your ships are 700 people and i have found no problem on Azamara. you can only book on board . but you can get in after the first day if you are willing to eat late or very early

 

Agree that one internet sign-on per suite can be difficult but if they offered unlimited access to everyone, many loyal Regent customers would be quite unhappy (to say nothing of how slow the internet could become with a lot of passengers trying to get online at the same time on sea days). As you may know, included internet is a perk for Regent Seven Seas Society Gold and above members only.

 

I'm curious how internet works on other luxury cruise lines. Have you had included internet for both of you on previous cruises? If so, how was the connection?

everyone on Azamara gets internet. I came from Celebrity and if I went on Celebrity again i would have i think 1600 minutes per cruise-as they go by rank vs cabin class. plus free laundry.

Azamara goes by your price point of cabin. a CC suite or above gets 235 minutes per cruise per person. a normal cabin less. drops as low as 80 minutes per cruise even 16 days ones. no, I do not think it is fair. it was changed a few years ago. the loyal guests fought for what we now get . they were going to take it away.. a new perk is after some any cruises and move up in rank you get free nights against a cruise. i have free nights that i used and more in 2018.

we get free laundry after so many cruises. a bag for every 7 days.. not a fan of 10 day cruises.

how does the internet work- good days and bad.. not so good in Norway but manbe it has improved since drydock.

before i booked my next Regent i asked a lot of questions and never thought to ask about dinner. my main goal was laundry and internet.

hoped i helped.

When we sailed on Silversea (in a Silver Suite), it included laundry. Sadly, this is no longer the case. It is good to hear that there is unlimited access in the Silver Suite category, however, being a long time Regent passenger, we would not sails on Silversea in an upper suite again without the included laundry benefit (we could live without the internet benefit).

 

Thanks for posting!

Laundry is definitely included in the Silver category and above. In fact, they now include all pressing and dry cleaning.

When we sailed on Silversea (in a Silver Suite), it included laundry. Sadly, this is no longer the case. It is good to hear that there is unlimited access in the Silver Suite category, however, being a long time Regent passenger, we would not sails on Silversea in an upper suite again without the included laundry benefit (we could live without the internet benefit).

 

Thanks for posting!

When did this change come about? We love, love, love the included laundry benefit. How did you hear of this? Most distressing.

When we sailed on Silversea (in a Silver Suite), it included laundry. Sadly, this is no longer the case. It is good to hear that there is unlimited access in the Silver Suite category, however, being a long time Regent passenger, we would not sails on Silversea in an upper suite again without the included laundry benefit (we could live without the internet benefit).

 

Thanks for posting!

Not true. On our recent 14 day sailing in a Silver Suite, laundry "was" included so not sure where you are getting your information.