Dolebludger

Well, it has been a long time ago. But as I recall, the carpets, paint and furniture on the Eclipse looked new and fresh. But on the Equinox they were a bit worn, but everything was functional. This was before all the revolutionalizing stuff that made ship’s interiors look like the “Ikea of the seas”, which I might not have liked much. Instead, the Eclipse then looked classy and new.

In 2019 we cruised the Equinox in Alaska. While it looked to be near the end of its redecorating cycle. It provided a very functional experience. We could know how she would look all refreshed, as a few months before we had cruised her sister ship, the Eclipse, which had recently returned from a dry dock. Sharpe!

We had signed up for a tour of the Normandy beaches on our August Splendor cruise. It was scheduled to depart at 8:45 AM. We received an email from Regent that it was cancelled. We contacted our TA and she was informed that the tour would now depart at 9:45 AM. We are still on it. Wonder why the email said cancelled instead of simple informing us of the new time?

Good point. This would account for Regent’s failure to secure hotel and transfers in Barbados.And it had the same problem in Iceland too.

Just a guess, but it looks like Regent is having problems finding suitable providers of shorex hotels, land transportation, and all land services. For what ever reason, the end of the pandemic left us with world-wide shortages of labor, which could be the root of these problems.

Five years ago, the Retreat was real competition for the lux lines. Almost the same degree of service and inclusions but for a lower fare. Been there — enjoyed that. Now, post-pandemic it looks as if some of the former inclusions aren’t there any more, and the fares are not lower (if at all and even higher) than the lux lines. So, while the Retreat may still be enjoyable, it is no longer a “good deal” given the price. For some reason, some like a larger ship than the lux lines offer. I can’t see why. We returned from a cruise on the Regent Splendor two weeks ago. We found the service, food, and entertainment to be great. Can’t imagine what would have been better if that ship held 3000 guests instead of 750. More guests onboard would seem to be a negative factor — not positive.

This may be a bit off topic, but it is funny. A friend was asking me about cruises, and said he was tired of lines and crowds everywhere and extra cost for many things. Told him to check out Regent, which almost never has such things. He said he wouldn’t like it because their ads showed all dressed up people (coats, ties and evening dresses). I said “don’t believe all the pictures you see in ads — it’s not that way onboard” I had to show him some pictures of guests I took on the Splendor a couple of weeks ago to convince him. Makes me wonder how many people avoid Regent because they think it is too dressy.

I guess I should contact Regent and tell the folks there that their ads showing dressed up guests are DRIVING AWAY potential customers! It would drive me away too if I didn’t know better — which I do.

NCL can compete with the Retreat only on their newest, larger ships..back in 2015 we were on a music cruise in their Haven on the NCL Pearl. There was no separate dining room, no,Haven included lounges, and no included drinks on the main ship. I posted on the NCL board here to see if this were still true. I found that it is still the case. To me, the NCL haven on some of their ships is no competition for the MSC Yacht club or the X Retreat

I can only speak for Regent as it is the only lux line with which we have recent experience. For casual nights (which is all they have unless the cruise is 16 nights or more) the evening dress code is the same as Celebrity’s, except jeans aren’t allowed after 6:00 PM in restaurants and lounges, where shirts need to have collars. On longer cruises, there might be a few ‘formal optional” nights. On these, the majority of guests still do the casual thing. A few might wear a sports jacket and very few might wear a tux. I’ve cruise Celebrity and Regent. The only difference in what I take might take on Regent substitutes casual slacks for jeans.

I well recognize the bad result that can come from good reviews. When I posted reviews of our 2017 and 2018 retreat cruises on the Eclipse and Equinox, I said they were the best value at sea. And back then, they were. And other posters said the same. And look what happened. Prices doubled (or close to it). Perks were reduced. And now the retreat is no longer the best deal. I certainly hope that Celebrity finds its way back to the value position it once held

Lastdance, just week or so ago, we were on the Regent Splendor and never “dressed up” for dinner beyond slacks and polo shirt.

Cruise ship dress codes do require a bit of research to get it right. Some lines we cruised a long time ago applied their dress code only to restaurants and lounges, but shorts and T shirts were fine in the theater. Maybe some cruise lines are like that now. IDK. But, of course, we know that Regent’s “after 6” dress code applies to all public areas. But maybe some don’t understand that.

We are usually Regent cruisers, but we cruised in a CS shortly before the pandemic. We liked that cruise, so we booked another in a RS on board. We liked that one also. Celebrity suites offered much of what we were used to on Regent, with larger suites and lower price tag. Checking on cruises post pandemic, we found a reduction of perks in the Retreat and big price increases that put it at a higher cost than Regent on many cruises, with fewer inclusions. So, we went back to Regent recently, and found the experience improved. Given the diversity of things other people want on a cruise, it is of course impossible to recommend Regent to all. But for us, it is currently the best for the price.

On our last Regent cruise (Splendor — 03/24/2024 to 03/31/2024) my wife wore nice slacks, tops, and shoes. I wore non-denim slacks (different material, but same cut as jeans), a collared polo shirt, and shoes exactly like sneakers but with leather uppers. No problems, and we felt we “fitted in”, as fellow guests were dressed in similar fashion. On one evening after 6:PM, I wore a dress T with a black sports coat. No problem with that either. And I think we fitted the Regent dress code as well. We live in a very informal area where dress is concerned (Durango, CO — nobody wears a tie). And that’s pretty much the way we dress around home. So I think Regent’s dress code is very reasonable, considering that it is a “lux line” — and the best one.