papaflamingo

Actually this is not necessarily correct. Airline dependent, if the flight is booked "Business Class" from Denver to London, then any domestic leg is in First Class. You only get a coach seat if the domestic leg is on a different airlines, or includes a coach only airlines like JetBlue. But if it's "single ticketed" as a "Business Class" ticket, especially on the same airlines (or ticketed on the same airline with a "code share"), you won't be put in coach. One way to find out is simply deviate your flights up to 210 days out. You can call Regent and give them your desired flights and either get them for no up charge (contract rate) or with an up charge, and then you can decide if you want to book your own flights or not. There is that "pesky" $75 charge (single charge, not per person) but if you choose to accept a deviation and use Regent air, the $75 is "rolled" into one of the $175 pp deviation fees. But at least you'll know which is cheaper, you'll have your reservation early, and on U.S. airlines (at least) you'll have your seat assignments.

Nothing has changed other than an option of air classes. Today you can't book your flights until 210 days out and only after you've made a deposit and choose to pay the deviation fee. They've NEVER assigned flights PRIOR to making a deposit on a cruise, and unless you deviate, you don't get your flights until about 75 days out, generally AFTER final payment is made. So what do you see as changing? Otherwise the email says NOTHING about having to wait until deposit is made to get pricing with flights, if that's what you are worried about. In fact, it indicates you can price a cruise with any class air BEFORE deciding to book, all you have to do is choose the class air you want. It says: “Guests who still want to include business class air in their package can easily do so by choosing the Ultimate All-Inclusive Fare and their desired air class,"

I believe if you arrive or depart at the same time Regent would normally get you there or have you leave they will include transportation to their hotel/ship/airport. At least if you deviate (pick your own flights through them) and don't arrive early or leave late then they will. We deviated on our cruise (which I ultimately cancelled for Covid) for our return flight, but since we were going directly to the airport we would have been able to use Regent transport to the airport no charge.

Could be. Did they resupply at one of the other ports?

Likely because they're both smaller, have a more limited menu, and definitely more "paced" service because they aren't trying to turn over tables like Compass Rose. Also it could be that since the restaurants are "specialty," they put the top servers in there, but just a guess. I agree, the service was better in the specialty restaurants when we were on board in Jan. also.

Actually you didn't say "included air" either. What you said was "If it turns out that Regent charges substantially more for a business air package than they have in the past (when business air was just part of the cost of booking with Regent)." Air was never "part of the cost of booking with Regent," it was always optional. You could opt out and receive a credit for the air portion. "Part of" indicates there is no other choice. You're right, you didn't say "free." But your statement, "just part of the cost of booking," indicated to me that you believed it was never optional, so...I used "free." But I wasn't clear in my comment, so my bad, I do apologize.

You said "for three days," Is it better now or still continuing?

Regent's air cost for Business Class is, and always has, been dependent on their cost for tickets. You weren't getting "free air," you were paying for it in the cost of the cruise. Hasn't changed, never will change. The cost of air has been climbing significantly since Covid, and Business Class, the airline's premium product, has risen the fastest and highest. The flights are flying full. There is no reason to discount their premium product, that would be silly in a business sense, to lose profits so a cruise line passenger can get a better deal on a cruise. And Regent isn't going to "eat" the cost increases, they'll continue to pass it on to us. That's simply good business. As to future cruising, we all have our opinion on "value." It's personal. For me, I like cruising and will continue to do so. I will use Business Class as long as I can and will purchase my flight by the cheapest method, either through Regent or directly from the airlines, just like I have always done. Anyway.. it's simply how things are today.

You are making assumptions. You don't know if Regent contracts a flat rate from any published hub or not or how much they pay. You only know the air credit and if you don't like it, don't pay it. If you go on any airline website and put in city pairs, I looked at Atlanta to Auckland then Los Angeles to Auckland on Delta, San Francisco to Auckland on United, and American through DFW. Ironically on Delta it was about $700 MORE from Los Angeles than Atlanta (which may explain why it's hard to get Regent Air on Delta), on United about $300 LESS from San Francisco than Atlanta, and on American about $300 less from DFW than Atlanta. So really nothing significant, and leads to the possibility of a flat rate from any published U.S. hub. But even if it's city specific, so what? Some will see costs go down, some go up. But it'll still be what the airline charges Regent, it'll likely still be less than you can book yourself, and no matter what, you can always not use Regent Air and book on your own. What's the problem? It's really no different than today, so why all the anger and angst? It'll either be a better air deal through Regent or not and you can accept Regent air or not.

Why is it concerning? Regent will charge for air whatever they have to pay for air. Yes, contract rates are getting harder and harder to find so the cost is going up. We have a cruise from Papeete to Auckland next March. The air credit is $9800 per person! THAT'S Regent's cost! Prices are simply going up and beyond Regent's control. So all they're doing is recognizing that to continue to offer Business Class means pricing in whatever Business Class fare they can get. Like I said, our cruise is about $10,000 per person. To go Coach, I can do it for around $2000. That's a $15,500 savings in the price of the cruise for 2. So a $30,000 cruise for 2 becomes a $14,500 cruise for 2. This entire change is nothing more than a Marketing tool to show a more competitive price for the cruises.

Here's the bottom line. When the new pricing terms come out, look at the cruise, priced at the class of air service you want, be it economy or Business Class (or something in between). decide if Blacklane is of interest to you, see if the $500 credit is optional. Then look at the bottom line. If you can get it cheaper by purchasing your own air and transportation... then book without air and transportation. If it's cheaper to book through Regent, then book through Regent. It really is no different from what we've been doing for years. July 1 is only a few weeks away. We'll all know for sure then. Until then, ALL of this is pure speculation.

Like Rallydave said... we used Custom Air to deviate for our flight to Hong Kong in Feb. About 3 weeks after we booked the flight (through Regent) United changed the schedule to a much closer connection... which was unaccpetable to me. I contacted United and they couldn't make any changes as the flight was not paid for. I contacted Regent and we couldn't make any changes without a big up charge so I decided to keep the flight. The Regent Agent did tell me the day that the tickets would be paid for though, 60 days out. So when that date came I called United and we were able to change the tickets to leave a day earlier with a 13 hour layover in SFO and still arrive on the original date (although 12 hours earlier). There was zero cost to change those flights. I never told Regent, but on my final paperwork it showed the actual flights I had switched to so Regent was informed by United as to the changes. So, bottom line, once the flights are booked if something changes the Airlines will adjust it if necessary, but if you want to adjust it you have to work through Regent until the ticket is paid for, then, at least with United, you can call the airline itself and see if they'll make any adjustments. But YOU need to monitor your flights for changes, Regent's only responsibility is booking them for you. They don't monitor them to my knowledge.

If you choose to use Regent Air today on an International flight you are already paying for Business Class. If you choose to use Regent Air for a Domestic flight to a cruise, say Alaska or Miami, you are already paying for Economy Air. If you choose to not use Regent Air you get the cost of air reduced from the cost of your cruise. What you will most likely find is that Regent will continue to offer Contract Rates for the cruise in whatever class you want to fly. So if you want to fly Business Class you'll pay the Contract Rate just like today, and if you want to deviate you'll pay the contract rate plus any up charge if necessary, like today. If you decide you want to save money and fly to Europe you'll pay the Contract Rate for economy or premium select. Or you can simply not pay for Regent Air and buy your own tickets....just like today. Most the cruise lines offer an air option if you want. That cost of air is whatever the cruise line pays for it. Regent, as a marketing tool to differentiate from the other lines, simply include Business Class Air, but the cost of that air is about the same as you can find it on other cruise line. I compared our cruise on Explorer last Feb. to a similar itinerary on Royal Caribbean, and was able to price Business Class Air via Royal Caribbean and it was about the same cost as Regent's Air Credit. So... they all offer Contract Rates. There's absolutely no reason to think Regent won't continue to offer Contract Rates in all classes.

What everyone seems to overlook is that Regent ALWAYS offered "bundled flights" or no flights at all. All you had to do was turn down Regent's flights and receive the air credit. That isn't changing they're only offering other class air for an option.

Good question.

Honestly, I love Navigator, but I wouldn't sail her on a 7 night Caribbean unless it was a really good deal. Navigator is very limited as to activities on board. When we sailed on her it was a 40 night very port intensive itinerary. She is almost like a "large yacht" in that she's very intimate, you get to know the crew (and they get to know you), you meet or talk to most everyone on board (at least on a long cruise), but really she's great for itinerary based cruises where you really just want to unwind quietly in the evenings preparing for another day ashore. Sea days were "rejuvenating" days for us, to "catch our breath" after many days in port. Navigator has only one specialty restaurant, Prime 7, along with Compass Rose and Sette Mari. They do one show per night (which is fine, but not anywhere near the level of Royal Caribbean, etc. or even Regent's newer ships), and on our cruise some of the orchestra would come up to the lounge and play from around 10pm to midnight so you could dance or have music for late night drinks. On sea days they had all the typical "games" that the other ship have. And there was Trivia every day. But that was it for entertainment. When we go to the Caribbean we go for the "party." That means large ships with many venues and lots of entertainment choices. But that's personal preference. If you are just "trying Regent out" to see what it's like, then you will get the "Regent experience" in terms of service, food, and bars. But be aware, Navigator is the "step child" of the fleet. Totally different layout and much fewer "bells and whistles," especially when compared to the 3 new ships. And be aware of booking an aft cabin. She does vibrate in the aft section!!!!! Also keep in mind we all have our own personal opinions. This is simply my opinion and will likely differ widely from others. 😎

A few things to consider. Only YOU know if your frequent flyer points are worth $1000. No one can make that choice for you. For me, we purchase the cruise on our Frequent Flyer credit card so we get points for that. But I wouldn't pay $1000 for points, I personally don't think it's a tradeoff of value for me, but again, only you can decide about what's of value to you. As for the $75 call fee.... it's not per person, but a single fee, it's applied to the $175 deviation fee for one person, so you are still at a total of $175 per person if you deviate. Once a deviation is agreed upon and booked, any further calls about that flight, no matter the question, is free. You only get charged the $75 if you call about a NEW deviation. If you reject the deviation the $75 is non refundable and a new call would be a new deviation. As for airline pricing... these are dynamic so they're constantly changing (almost daily it seems). With Regent it's an agreed upon cost if you deviate. You can find flights at contract rates so no up charge, or you can find flights with an up charge. I look for flights that are sold at a cheaper cost, i.e. not non-stop, but with a stop that is comfortable for me. Those are usually at or closer to the contract rates. But once you're negotiating with Regent, it never hurts to ask. We've paid the up charge for non stops a couple times because for me it's worth it. But it may not be worth it to you. Again, a personal decision. As for Business Class perks, Regent books you on Restricted Business Class. As of now this is pretty much meaningless with U.S. airlines. You get all the perks of any other Business Class ticket. But some international airlines you do NOT get advance seat choice and on Qatar, no lounge entry. So look at this carefully and decide how valuable those perks are.

So sorry to hear Gray Lady. Our prayers to you and your family.

Interesting... it looks like there are significant warnings about walking around in Walvis Bay and Namibia on both the State Department and on tourism websites. Maybe this refers to those in order for Regent to protect themselves from any problems that may arise if someone is wandering on their own.

What was the port or excursions?

I would pre-book a private transfer. We've always done that and it is often, as bennett2005 said, cheaper than taking Regent's bus. Plus you will have a driver meet you at your desired time and won't arrive at the airport with 30 other people fighting to check luggage and check in. Even if it's a bit higher cost, a private ride in a car is so much more in keeping with the end of a luxury cruise, 😎

Don't be nervous, you'll have a great cruise!! We did Mariner for our first cruise in 2018. Mariner (at least at the time) was considered by most as the "best ride" among the fleet (Explorer had just come out so don't know if that has changed). Anyway, we sailed from Hawaii to Sydney so lots of open ocean AND the Tasman Sea!😱 Mariner really handled it all very well for a ship her size. So you picked a good ship for open ocean sailing. No one can predict the weather of course, but I bet you'll have a wonderful time.😎

Regent isn't "unbundling" flights, they're only offering Premium Select and Economy along with Business Class as an option. The flights will still be booked at contract rates with Regent so will still be bundled, along with addition of Blacklane for alternate transportation needs.

Fair enough. I do have a serious question though... in order to have canceled the cruise, it was necessary to go on the website and login to the account. So...is a secure login considered "adequate security?" And how did the offending party manage to get into the account to cancel the cruise? I think the article stated that the offending party set up an account and then added the booking then cancelled it. It doesn't discuss whether or not the victims ever established a login and registered the booking. If not, then how would Carnival know that the person who enters all the appropriate registration data to establish an account is NOT the actual person who booked the cruise, and how would they verify this? We had all our identity stolen in 2008. An attempt was made to get money from our accounts. The thieves had managed to change our telephone service to add "remote call forwarding," and change our billing address to a different city plus cancel email notifications, It took 2 weeks for the "change order" to be completed. When it was, they forwarded our phones to a number in another state so that when banks, etc. contacted "us" to verify change requests or money withdrawals, etc. it would ring through via call forwarding and we would not get the call and were totally unaware of any problems (just thought we had a phone issue). Luckily we were able to stop it before any money was withdrawn because they wanted a new credit card and needed my employee ID number for our employee credit union but didn't know it. The Credit union knew that was "fishy" because everyone knows their employee ID number, so called us on our cell phone, so we discovered the ID theft, but it was close. SO... who was at fault? The phone company for making requested changes from someone who had all the info needed to verify they were me? The banks (had they been suckered in)? Credit card companies for issuing new cards? So if the thief used the victims ID to set up an account, then went into the account and cancelled the cruise, is Carnival still responsible? Guess we'll see what the courts say. Anyway, thanks for the interesting discussion and exchange of view. I definitely appreciate your legal comments, and they certainly add a new dimension to this for me. Thanks. 😎

If you are using Regent for air then it's included.