Crosspost

We were actually on the Maud on 21 December 2023 when the wave hit. The captain had just changed course to turn us into waves and had suggested everyone stayed sitting down or laid on their bed. The first sign that something was not right, as we did not feel the wave break, was a long continuous fog horn - we realised it was us and when I was just googling 'what does a long continuous fog horn mean' the seven short blasts and one long one went off. Your mouth goes completely dry and you think 'this must be a mistake' but when you get to your life boat station and they are handing out survival suits and life jackets you realise it is not a mistake.

All I can say is pay very careful attention to the safety drill, how to put on the survival suit and where you need to go and be confident that the Captain, officers and crew are simply outstanding. Once the Captain had got control of the ship after about 5 hours (at one stage the rocking was so bad that all of the furniture went from one side of the room to the other, with us under it unless you found something secure to hold on to) - the Captain came to every life boat station to explain in person what would happen. This told us he was in charge and that he cared. We were allowed back to our cabin on the basis we took our survival suits and life jackets with us.

The survival suits do what it says on the tin and were very hot - especially as I had two coats on! After 5 hours the crew came round with cookies and fruit, then sandwiches, breakfast was brought to our room the next morning and by lunchtime the crew had managed to prepare a buffet - despite the whole ship being trashed.

Hurtigruten arranged flights for us back to the UK and almost all of us got back for Christmas - and within a week they offered a free cruise to the value of the last one, which they did not have to do as it was simply an act of God! We have already booked ours - but to West Africa where it will hopefully be warmer!

There were some inexperienced travellers on the ship who have never sailed before who were asking 'why were we there' but the answer is, it was December and the North Sea, we knew there was a storm coming and some passengers even got off at our last stop to avoid crossing the North Sea. The Maud is an expedition ship which sails in Antarctica and so it is built for these conditions. We were just unlucky a 30m wave hit us, but very lucky to have such amazing leadership and crew to ensure we were safe.

17 hours ago, mrstanley said:

Is Lorraine the Cruise Director?

Yes, in the show Lorraine is Cruise Director on the Splendor but the show seems fairly focused on the social hostess Lizzie

Is anyone watching season two of 'The World's Most Expensive Cruise Ship' about Regent Splendor? Available on You Tube and broadcast on a Friday night in the UK on channel 5. We would never dream of telling anyone we know socially that we have been on the Splendor once they started using this tag line - all they talk about is how much things cost and give completely the wrong idea about the type of people travelling. What was Regent thinking when they agreed to do it without the charm and down to earth approach of John Barron to water it down? This week an unshaven General Manager Franck managed to  mess up the renewal of wedding vows for a couple on board - he said that he does not like public speaking and clearly no-one had told him how to pronounce 'spouse'   - so what was he doing in the limelight in the first place! Regent needs to play to their strengths and not to the aspirations of their staff. Lorraine was lovely as ever.

On 2/3/2023 at 9:35 PM, BettyDol said:

I sure agree with "Cruiser from Maine" about avoiding BTB cruises with a 7 day segment.  Pre Covid  we were on a 17 day BTB cruise on Voyager in the Caribbean.  The first 10 day segment was a wonderful Regent experience.  On the second 7 day segment 75 passengers stayed on. The remainder of the passengers consisted of 2 corporate "incentive" groups.  Each group had 300 people. One group consisted of Realtors with families included. This group was Ok with the exception of monopolizing several public spaces.  The other group was an Insurance Company and was made up of 25 to 30ish couples.  They were a NIGHTMARE. Examples included partial nudity, vomit, broken glass and beer bottles IN  the pool.  One night in Prime 7 we were seated next to a table of 6 for a 9 o'clock reservation.  That table ordered 18 entrees for 6 people, at 9 0'clock.  We felt so sorry for the Staff.  Suffice to say none of the 75 continuing guests were happy.  I now personally avoid any 7 day Caribbean Cruise.

We were on this cruise, it was a complete nightmare. We had booked a lovely 17 day cruise and were told it was sold out, then Regent suddenly split it at the last minute and suddenly there was availability for the first 10 day leg... . When we complained to the General Manager about the fact our trip had been ruined by these people he said 'why did you book a 7 day cruise' which we interpreted to mean that everyone knows that these kind of corporate events take place on 7 days cruises - well we did not and we also booked a 17 day cruise! The insurance sales people were an absolute disgrace, clogging up the kitchen by each cabin ordering everything off the room service menu 'because they could'. Permanently drunk (including through the safety drill) and half naked most of the time and chatting through the shows like they were sitting in their front rooms watching the TV.  Jason Montague promised it would never happen again, which is why we continued to travel with Regent, but now he has stepped down as CEO...

On 4/24/2022 at 10:13 AM, lincslady said:

I have to agree with you - and think his style is more suited to Regent than Seabourn.  We met him on Seabourn some years ago, and found him to be a bit over the top, and frankly rather crude in his language when conducting the trivia quiz.   The TV shows about Regent a year or two ago show that most of the passengers on the new, very ritzy,  Regent ships seem to love him, however.

Having sailed with John many times we have never, ever found him to be crude in any way and to say so gives a completely wrong impression of a kind, gentle, hard working, family man who gives up time with his wife and two boys to work tirelessly to try and make our experiences on board as good as he can. As a Brit, perhaps has a different kind of humour than some cruisers are used to as the majority of cruise directors are from the USA.

I think we need to remember we are dealing with human beings here, not a product without feelings who is not offended by critical posts. He gives 100% every time he sails and one person is never going to please all of the people all of the time - but for us he comes pretty close to doing so - I know it is all personal opinion. But if he did not, we would not post a critical comment, we just would not comment. 

The TV show was the product of editing of hours of footage taken by the film crew and John would have had no idea what was in the final version until it was aired. As someone else has said, we need to remember to be kind, especially given everything else that is going on in the world.

John was the best cruise director that Regent had, very down to earth and very funny, as well as a great singer. Seabourn are very lucky to have him back and Regent very foolish to have let him go. We would join a cruise specifically if John was cruise director. 

John Barron is without a doubt the best cruise director in the industry. If he has gone somewhere else -  how lucky they are to have him and how foolish Regent are to have lost such a dedicated ambassador for their brand.

7 hours ago, gcorgain said:

The test that has landed me in quarantine on Regent was described as a PCR test. We weren’t given a choice as to what to take. So Regent definitely does use PCR tests in some circumstances. 
 

Greg

Hi Greg,

The current requirement to board the ship and the routine tests carried out when required to go ashore are antigen, lateral flow tests. If your lateral flow test shows as positive then they will also do a PCR test as this is much more accurate and sometimes lateral flow tests can return a false positive.

So sorry about you catching covid and your quarantine, we were really enjoying reading your posts of daily life on board. The irony is that my husband caught it from his 98 year old mother's care home. She is fine - we both got a very mild version like a cold. However, we are really forward to he Splendor on 3 February.

Best wishes

Bev

3 hours ago, TV Dad said:

I am sorry (NOT SORRY) to say we will be missing the cruise. We were signed up to go with you, but my wife got covid just after Christmas. She has recovered and back at work but will continue to test positive for covid for 12-16 weeks. Therefore, we cannot cruise. Ironic since those antibodies would have made her the safest person on board.

 

We have already rebooked a shorter, more expensive cruise, on Regent Splendor for summer 2023. 

 

I am disappointed at not cruising, but frankly I would have also been disappointed if we had cruised. The three ports I was most looking forward to have been canceled. 

 

I wish you a glorious sun filled cruise with lots of good times and new friends. Bon Voyage.

Only a PCR will test positive for that long (up to 90 days) - and an alternative to a PCR test will be accepted if you can show proof of infection. A lateral flow (antigen) test will stop being positive after around 10 days from infection (from personal experience!) and Regent only require lateral flow tests. We too have plenty of antibodies and are looking forward to boarding the Splendor on 3 February.

8 hours ago, briar14 said:

It was four ports. St. Malo and Tangier were announced before cruise began. An extra day in Bordeaux was added and a sea day for Tangier. Biarritz and La Coruna, tender ports were the other two.

It was too rough to tender into Biarritz and because of the bad weather heading to La Coruna, the captain had to take a different route which followed the coastline and was much longer, this meant that we would have been too late getting into La Coruna as some of the excursions were very long and we were leaving there that evening. We heard that St Malo wanted to impose lots of unreasonable restrictions and so we went to Bordeaux for an extra day which was wonderful - we sailed right up the river and moored up in the middle of the City. Suspect Tangiers was because of the possibility it would make the UK Red List and that would mean quarantine restrictions on our return. However, no-one on board minded, we all completely understood that in these early days of travelling opening up the ports can be very 'fluid', with additional requirements imposed. It was just lovely to be away.

Having just returned from 14 nights on the Splendor (so no formal night) I can say that the beauty of Regent is that you can dress up if you want to on any night and you get lots of appreciative looks from both men and women, and if you don't want to that is also absolutely fine. My husband always wears a sports jacket and I always wear a long dress or a jumpsuit and never feel out of place. The entertainment team and social hostess are usually dressed up and so you will never be alone! Previously on formal nights we found there were always those who wore tuxedos and long dresses on formal nights so if you like dressing up then go for it!

We were on the Splendor from 22 September to 6 October and it was amazing. The ship is beautiful, the staff amazing and the reduced capacity did not detract at all from the enjoyment. There was dancing and karaoke and trivia and loads of people took part. We felt incredibly safe - the testing of crew and passengers gave us added comfort (the Splendor travels with its own independent testing team who are very gentle and professional)  and although mask wearing is required it is just not an issue and is second nature after the first day.  The entertainment was brilliant - everyone agreed it has gone up to another level, both with the highly talented entertainment team on board and the guest entertainers. For those who have travelled before with Regent there were lots of familiar faces- John Barron was cruise director and just brilliant, Boogie and Kasia and the Regent Signature Orchestra. Great pianist in the Observation Lounge called Andrew who did a great 'Guess that Tune' a couple of times. The head sommelier Georgiana (employee of the month and amazing) did a fantastic champagne lunch with matched champagnes to the food and we did two cookery lessons both of which started with a cocktail (bit of a theme here I know).  Yes there is more chance of countries changing requirements of entry at the last minute, including testing and sometimes stops have to be missed as a result, but given that during the dark days of the pandemic most of us thought we would never be able to get on a cruise ship again, it really is a small price to pay. We were very sad to get off and will be booking another one very quickly. I would urge anyone who knows and loves Regent to have faith that they will give you the best time ever.

1 hour ago, machotspur said:

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my original post.

 

Yes - you are of course quite correct in identifying the varied impact that different type of groups can have, hence we carried out significant research to identify the characteristics of the one that was to be on our cruise. It was a leisure group,  organised by a specialist tour operator that was targeting people that had particular interests, culture and needs.   

 

Our conclusion was that they were most probably very nice people, however we concluded that the impact that this group could have on our trip was too much for us.  We were reliably informed that the group would - for an undeclared period of time - be closing down certain dining/lounge facilities and/or conducting their group activities in public areas.

 

We decided that for us at least this wasn't acceptable. Others may of course think differently.   

We would have taken exactly the same decision as you - it is very difficult when an 'us and them' situation arises, no matter how well meaning. I am so delighted that Regent has allowed you to change this. This is reflective of the Regent we have known over the last few years, rather than the one we have experienced recently. 

On 3/18/2019 at 7:45 PM, machotspur said:

 

I'm pleased to report a 'good news' story.

 

My excellent UK cruise agency, who have a very close relationship with Regent, contacted a senior person within the company and advised them of my concerns. Although they didn't fully agree with my fears about a large group they emphathised with our discomfort and within a couple of days agreed to move us to another similar cruise - no fuss, no penalty.

 

All credit to Regent -- irrespective of the T&C's for the booking they did the right thing for the customer. I am not sure that some of the other competitors would have behaved in the same way. Regent should be applauded in this instance in my opinion.          

Good to hear that Regent have done the right thing. Perhaps they did learn something from the many. many complaints they received about our cruise. They have confirmed in writing that booking two large groups on one cruise was a mistake and will never happen again, but it shows a distinct lack of control that it happened in the first place.

On 3/15/2019 at 3:40 PM, machotspur said:

We're have a booking on Voyager in 2020 for an 18 day Itinerary.

 

Whilst this is a little way off yet we have been carrying out a little bit of advance research this week. I am glad we did !

 

Purely by luck we have identified that there will be a large organised group of at least 70 people on the ship. I suspect there is every chance this could increase.

Reading their website it appears that aspects of the onboard experience is likely to be tailor made for the needs & tastes of the group. e.g. they bring their own DJ onboard to play music to their tastes.

 

Having a large group on a cruise can sometimes be intrusive, but if the onboard product is altered for a group, to the detriment of the independent traveller, then this is surely taking things to another level.

 

Does anyone out there have any views or personal experiences they would like to share ?    

       

The first thing you need to do is find out why these people are a group. It might be through a particular agent or something like that, in which case it might be less of an issue. However, if it is a 'corporate incentive trip' (alternative name 'Booze cruise')  then I would cancel now and I will explain why.  

We booked a 17 day cruise on the Voyager which started on 23 February 2019. When we booked nine months in advance there was limited availability - penthouse and above.

The original 17 day itinerary is still on Cruise Critic, when you go to write a review. However, without telling us they split the cruise into 10 days and 7 days, changed the itinerary so we had to go back to Miami and suddenly there was availability in the first 10 days.This was because 2 x groups of 250 got on in Miami for the 7 day cruise - both were corporate 'incentive' trips. 

Regent must have known they had these bookings (which company books incentive trips anything less than two years in advance?), they must know that '7 day cruising' has a reputation in the market (apparently) and as a result no-one would fill up the other cabins, so they billed this as a 17 day cruise, knowing they were going to split it. I have said this to them and no-one has denied it. Apparently there were 73 of us on board who had booked a 17 day cruise.One group was absolutely fine although ultimately were a group - wore their corporate T-shirts reminding us they were on a corporate jolly and did not join in with anything such as trivia.

The second group were a complete nightmare. They clearly had no idea about Regent or its brand. They drank most of the day, one table ordered everything off the menu on the first night (18 courses for 6 people) which slows down the dinner service, they were  inappropriately dressed, rude, talked through the shows, turned the pool deck into a no go area as they reserved all the sunbeds with books taken from the library..and took glass bottles in the pool. Trivia went from standing room only to three teams. I would never go on any ship where there was an incentive trip group booking and if we had been told that two thirds of the passengers were on a corporate incentive trip we would have cancelled. Your cruise will probably be split in two like ours was and so you will have the same shows, lectures etc and lose a day disembarking and embarking the new passengers half way through.