Snore42

Our  US based TA has very strong relationships with GMs at specific hotels around the world.   Mandarin in Miami it so happened she knew. 

Although we don't get the big refunds from our TA, like others do, our TA certainly takes care of us during our trips in other ways.  This being one example.   Upgrades like this are never expected, but certainly appreciated and valued when booking through them.   

Il Gabbiano is a very quick cab/uber from the Mandarin.   Incredible Italian with a great view right on the water, not cheap though.   It's our standard stop pre cruise.   

Last time Regent booked us at the Mandarin, our TA was able to get us upgraded to a 1br suite with a balcony at no charge.    

47 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Would I want a guided tour of Manhatten?  Yes, I think I would like that because it's been a long time since I have visited New York.  I have stayed at the New York Marriott Marquis.  As Gourmet Gal posted, there are other hotels Tauck could have chosen.  But, the price for that overnight stay might considerably increase.  There is nothing wrong with the Marriott Marquis in my opinion.  (Try to get a corner room that overlooks Times Square and the neighboring side street.)  

If you want a great NYC guide, google "Jim Dykes NYC" he's an incredible wealth of knowledge.  Many of the high end NYC Hotel concierges recommend him.   

Regent isn't testing daily on board, so any day that they don't test I'd say there is 'unknown safety" around the virus.   It seems from every Regent cruise report I've read, there are at least some passengers/crew being quarantined due to having covid, despite the ship having 100% vaccinated passengers and crew.   We go out in public every day and don't know peoples vaccination status, we must all live our lives and take the precautions we deem necessary for ourselves at this point.   People threatening to cancel their cruises won't hurt Regent much, as most cruises that I've looked at are sold out with waitlists in most cabins.  Feel free to cancel, there is a line behind you waiting to take that cabin and with the way Regent has been raising prices, they'll get more revenue from that next person as well.  

Have you checked with your TA on day rates at hotels?   In the past our TA has arranged for day visits to hotels where she knows the GM.   When she has made these arrangements, it's been free of charge other than paying for meals/drinks while at the resort.  In Santorini she set us up at Canaves Oia, which was an amazing day for us.   They also arranged transfer from the port and back.   No charges for this,  but we made sure to take care of the driver and anyone who helped us at the hotel that day.  

We used Spain Day Tours for a private tour to Alhambra.   They picked us up in a luxury van, drove us to the site, had a great tour with an easy to understand English guide and were returned to the port. Very well worth it and if i remember it was cheaper than what Regent offered for similar. 

Don't forget you can order room service from any of the specialty restaurants if you want a couples night in on the large balcony.   Also you get to have a "party in suite" that your butler can put together, but i'm not sure if this is still being offered based on Covid restrictions.

Darren, tremendous job with the videos.   My wife and I have been enjoying our weekly flashbacks to being back on Regent.    Keep up the good work, hopefully you have another cruise booked soon as we really want to see more videos 🙂

Through our butler we have requested specific wait staff for dinner and they always secured a table in that area.  Also again through our butler, we reserved the captains table one or two nights for a large group. 

Have they mentioned if they will refund port fees/taxes, for any ports missed?   Have been wondering this with all the other itinerary changes Regent has had to make lately.  

We've been in 1201 and 784, both times in the caribbean.   784 does have more space, so if you are entertaining friends/family while on board it's great to have a dinner party out on the deck.       

1201, as long as you aren't too sensitive to the ocean movement, we'd maybe pick above 784 depending on itinerary.  Being at the front of the ship as you enter or leave each port was really nice.  The master bath shower actually has a window that looks outside, don't worry they have blinds if you are in port.   The balcony did get windy at times out at sea, but being able to sit out and get some sun from the privacy of our balcony was nice.  Also 784 has solid metal railings while 1201 has glass, so the views while sitting out aren't as good.   

Lastly 1201 the location closer to the pool bar was nice 🙂.  Really can't go wrong with either though!  

Grand Suites and above allow for in room dining from all the venues course by course, if requested.  You could even do appetizers from Pacific Rim and a steak from Prime 7 for example.   We've done this several times with friends/family on our balcony.   Below Grand Suites, you still can get Compass Rose delivered to you, but not the specialty restaurants.   BUT... If you have a good butler and plan ahead,  they can sometimes make happen for you in rooms below a Grand Suite.   This all might change when Regent sets sail again though.  

FYI - regarding testing fees.   So far we have been able to get reimbursed by our health insurance for all testing we've paid out of pocket.    This includes tests we've had to take while traveling in Europe earlier this summer.    The first time we tried to submit was for a PCR test that was $250 per person, we were happily surprised when 3 weeks after submitting it to our health  insurance, we received a check reimbursing in full. 

1 minute ago, Dwtlion said:

I do not believe you loose your concierge level hotel night if you book your own air. Am I wrong?

Transfer from airport to RSSC hotel on day before departure, maybe. But can't you purchase this?

Correct you can keep the hotel if you choose not to use Regent Air.   You still get the transfer to the ship the morning of departure.   No transfer to the hotel from the airport or back to the airport after the cruise though.  

8 hours ago, Pcardad said:

I am sorry your experience was not as good as mine. I am happy to try to help if you wish but it seems your like path is consistent with your goals. I wish you better success in the future and I hope you find what you are looking for no matter what cruise line it may be. 😊

Shouldn’t this be signed “Regent Management”?

6 minutes ago, Got2Cruise said:

. Some Yankee staff tested positive, all but one that tested positive had any symptoms, and NOT ONE was critical or hospitalized. Vaccinations work.  

This wasn't a question about vaccinations working, it's about having breakthrough cases with a fully vaccinated group.    What happens in that case on board?   I would think the cruise line would treat it the same as having a covid outbreak at that point and put in jeopardy being accepted at the next port they are docking at.   

Let's assume 100% vaccinated on board.   What happens when there are "breakthrough" cases onboard?   Where everyone is vaccinated and still comes down with Covid.   The NY Yankees recently had this happen, where eight players/team personnel tested positive for Covid, despite all being vaccinated and adhering to stricter social policies from MLB.    Some had symptoms, others didn't.    I'd imagine the team travels with far fewer people than a cruise would, so if it can happen there it can happen on a Regent sized cruise ship. 

I don’t think Florida is being impacted as much as the cruise industry says.  Certainly money is being lost, but tourism in Florida has been very strong.  Ports have also been extremely busy with cargo vessels.   Airlines and hotels are raising rates and expanding supply due to the high demand, all while cruise ships aren’t sailing.   
 

Maybe I interpreted it wrong, but Del Rio was on CNBC earlier and actually supported Desantis and his actions.   He also said that for now it will be 100% vaccinated to get started, but down the road they will be relaxing this once they can get ships sailing and the percentage of those vax’d nationally increases.    Very positive interview I thought.    

Agreed

12 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

Sometimes a good TA can get you a better price and extra perks for hotels (not Regent) your TA.

Agreed.   Our TA has set us up at some incredible hotels around the world, where she personally knows the owners/management and makes sure we are well taken care of.    Several times while cruising, she's been able to get us a complimentary day room at a local resort.   Anything (hotels, cruises, tours) that we book through her, she stands behind and will fight for us if we have any issues or bad experiences.   A good TA is invaluable to a great overall vacation experience. 

Just now, Dolebludger said:

We have come to the conclusion that we should wait until Regent actually does a few cruises, and then learn from guest reviews here before even considering booking. As it is at this moment, the regulatory landscape seems to be constantly changing. We couldn’t know what we would get if we booked something now.

Totally agree here.  As much as we want to get back on a cruise, we want to understand what this new version of cruising will be.   Many times issues on board have been that a crew member was new or didn't understand the Regent way yet.  There will be a lot more of this since there will be a totally new crew on board and have been away from working on board for over a year now.    Spending tens of thousands  to not get what you are used to, would be very disappointing.    We are thinking to give it two to three months of cruise sailing, before we jump back in.   Right now we'll stick to the charters we have booked with friends/family, but can't wait to get back to luxury cruising on Regent and the other lines.   

You are forgetting Domestic airlines are US based and pay US taxes.  Also you are on the flights for a few hours vs days/weeks on cruises.  The big three cruise lines do everything they can to not pay taxes in the US and very few crew are from the US.  Because of this, the CDC/federal government has put the cruise industry in the back of the line in terms of priorities.   
 

As impacted as the port of Miami and other US cruise ports have been, the Caribbean ports depend 100% on the travel industry.   I’d look at the potential of starting a cruise in these islands, as one more thing we can do to help those who were decimated by the pandemic over the past year.  
 

Cruising from the US will return soon enough.   We should all think positively (test negative) and have patience.  🙃

I don't believe the airlines are discussing adopting a vaccine requirement.  They are discussing a health passport, where it would confirm if you had the vaccine or if you had a recent negative test.  NY State has the Excelsior pass, which does exactly this.  The airlines are in talks with Clear among other companies to do something similar.  

The Florida governors comments about a vaccine passport will have no bearing on what happens at the cruise level, out of Florida. Customs and Border Protect could require a vaccine passport through a directive from the CDC, when boarding the ship.  From my understanding, CBP must clear each cruise that leaves port from the US.   So the back and forth regarding the Florida Governors comments are mute.  

Also while NCLH is headquartered in Florida, it is incorporated in Bermuda.   The CDC hasn't made resumption of cruising a high priority, as the majority of major cruise lines aren't headquartered in the US. Unlike major airline and hotel chains.   Major cruise lines have been doing their best to avoid paying US taxes for decades, which is why in times like this, things are taking longer than we'd all like with resuming sailings.   Think we need to point our frustration more at the cruise lines themselves, rather than the CDC in this case.        

14 minutes ago, cwn said:

I must be dense today as I don’t understand your comment. The 2023 Regent World Cruise is heavily booked also. Isn’t heavy bookings a good thing  for NCL almost two years away?

Wonder how many bookings were new vs shifted for the world cruise.  If you tell me there are a majority of new bookings, I'd say it's good news.   

Has anyone heard how the cruise lines will be obtaining and distributing the vaccine to the crew?    I would think the cruise lines are very far down the priority line for these vaccines.   Might get some clarity on resuming sailings, even to nowhere, once we have an idea on that front.