papaflamingo

Thanks... Have fun on the pre-cruise. We're going 3 days early but touring on our own. See you on board. 😎

The CD does affect the mood (or vibe). Of course itinerary and passengers do also. Our first cruise in 2018 was 44 nights from Honolulu to Sydney. On the Honolulu to Aukland segments we had a CD who was widely considered the number one CD at Regent (he has since left the company, sadly). He was as energetic as the "Energizer Bunny," always about the ship, organizing things, talking to people, etc. He was.... "fun." The "vibe" was what you'd expect for a Polynesian cruise.... fun, informal, etc. In a few ports where we had overnights or late departures he brought local talent aboard to perform. In Aukland we switched CD's. The replacement, who is very highly thought of on here, was more..."stuffy" for lack of a better term. The cruise was just "different." It seemed to us to be a totally different cruise. Different "vibe." Definitely more formal and less "fun." Not that we didn't love it, we did. And going from Polynesia to New Zealand/Australia is part of it too. But the shows were more "old style," his entertainment was definitely "old style," he was not about the ship all the time and was less visible at on board activities, etc. Not that he wasn't an excellent CD, he was and is. Just a "different' feel completely. Much more of an "old school" CD than the first one was. Not bad, just different.

We will be stopping in both Israel and Egypt on our Oct. cruise. Since we'll be heading directly out on shore excursions, there is no convenient time to exchange money at an ATM. We are boarding in Athens, so we won't be traveling through an airport in either country. Has anyone been to either country and know if the ship can exchange money into local currency for shore excursion tips? Or does anyone know if there's an ATM at the port? Thanks.

Ok...sorry you find "much of the information [I've] given in the past,,,suspect." Not sure where that is coming from, I try hard to give only my experience and facts as I know them. Not sure why me being a retired Delta Pilot makes my information "suspect." Your situation, for me, is still confusing. I have deviated on both our last cruises, and just deviated on our next two. My experience has been quite pleasant and acceptable. And yes, it includes leaving early, staying late, and pre-cruise excursions. I have only been charged the $175 per person deviation fee until the $75 "contact" fee was added. Then I was charged a SINGLE $75 to book the flights or BOTH my wife and I, and when I accepted the flights, I paid an additional $100 for me as they rolled the $75 into it, and $175 for my wife so a total of $175 for each of us. Yes, I had to pay an up charge for a couple of flights, and not for a couple. But the up charge was always at my choice, as I was offered no up charge flights also. I just felt the extra charge was worth it for me. So, I am totally confused as to your situation. But since you find my information "suspect," I'll stop passing any to you. By the way, thanks for "trashing" a company that I worked at for 29 years. Nice touch. 😏 I won't make excuses for Delta other than to say I was likely NOT personally responsible for your issues with them. I know they can mess up, just like any other large corporation. But I was very proud of my career there and I am most familiar with the quality of their pilots and flight crews, their crew training requirements, maintenance programs, flight safety regulations and programs, etc. For those reason I prefer Delta to other airlines. Anyway I do hope you find an airlines that will be a better "fit" for you. Good luck.

I was wondering the same thing. Maybe just a misprint or misquote.

Your post is a bit confusing.. so here's how I read it.... the "custom air fee" to talk to them is a new $75 fee that is designed to keep phone calls down to those actually interested in deviating. In the past people would call, spend a long time exploring options then simply say "no" to any deviation. Since the airlines are constantly changing flights and schedules, the Air Dept. is overloaded, so they added the $75 fee to reduce the "window shoppers." And it seems to have worked. So, the $175 deviation fee is only charged if you actually accept a deviation. The $75 "talk" fee is rolled into one of the deviations fees so the total to deviate is still $175 per person. As for seat assignments, that is totally up to the individual airlines. We usually deviate on Delta (we live in Atlanta). Our seats are ALWAYS assigned while I'm still on the phone with Regent (I tell the agent which seats I want and the agent assigns them). I did the same for United on our upcoming cruise. This isn't a Regent policy, it's an airline policy. So if you aren't going to go on the cruise without assigned seats, then you either need to deviate on a different airline or you'll simply be missing cruises. As to your comment "this time, we were asked to pay extra for our flight in addition to the custom air fee," yes.. because you selected flights without a contract rate. So you have to pay the additional. This is happening more and more, not because of Regent, but because the airlines are flying full. They don't need to discount rates on their most popular flights. But it's dependent. We had to pay an up charge for the non-stop from Atlanta to Athens on our upcoming cruise, but the non-stop home from Rome was no up charge. And the reverse was true for our flights next Feb. So it's just a matter of your flight desires. If you ask them they'll give you a no up charge option (at least they did for me) and I was able to decide if the up charge was worth it. Sadly, this is "cruising after Covid." I'm retired airline and I can tell you that the airlines are so full and so short of crews that this is just how it's going to be.

"P" is UAL's code for "Deep Discount Business." https://cwsi.net/united.htm

Well heck...my stories aren't anywhere as good as y'alls!!! Had to cancel 2 weeks prior to a cruise out of Venice in 2011 when my Mom passed away (she was 91 so not any surprise there). Our friends went, of course, and kept sending pics from Venice with an extra glass of wine at an empty space for my wife. Yeah... they could rub it in a bit. But glad I had cruise insurance. My only other "glitch" in around 40 cruises..... last Christmas we had a pipe freeze and "take out" much of our house (luckily we could live in it though). Anyway, we had a cruise on Navigator booked in March, and the floor guys were coming in during the cruise. Since we couldn't cancel we figured we'd give them a key and just get away. Four days before the cruise, Regent sent an email looking of volunteers to push the cruise to Dec. So we JUMPED on it since it allowed us to stay home for the house repairs. That PLUS they gave us a big refund, put us on Mariner in a Penthouse A (we were in a deluxe verandah on Navigator)!! So it worked out to be a GREAT deal for us. We leave Dec. 2. Anyway... compared to many, we've been pretty. lucky. I'll be knocking on wood for sure!

I wouldn't worry about Covid if I were you. Just take precautions before boarding so you don't get it, and then if you're worried, mask on the busses. We go in 3 weeks. We're going to sort of "hunker down" for the last 2 weeks so we can try to remain Covid free, but once on the ship, I intend to enjoy my cruise and not worry much about it. Did a 40 night cruise on Navigator last year and there were some Covid cases throughout, but didn't bother or affect us at all. There is reporting requirements, especially for U.S. ports. You can look up the requirements on line but basically it's when 3% or more of a cruise ship's passengers or crew report symptoms of gastrointestinal illness to the ship's medical staff.

First, you can look on the current pricing and subtract the difference between the inclusive and non inclusive rate and it'll give you an idea of the air credit. But if you booked a year ago, you'll have to check with your TA. I tend to agree that it seems the air credit is less than what they really charge. However I "ran the numbers" for our Oct. cruise. The air credit (as I remember) was around $6000 or so. I priced business class round trip on Royal Caribbean's website (you can get their air fare without booking a cruise) and it was about $7000 round trip per person. So it's pretty close. Hard to actually say if Regent keeps some of the cost, but it is what it is. Maybe Regent gets better rates or maybe Royal Caribbean uncharges for their service. Who really knows?

At this time, Regent partners with Luggage Forward. No reason to think. that will change.

Just clearing it up for the other posters who may have considered your comment as saying the ARE permitted. Your posted list did not include AirTags however the Terms and Conditions specifically forbids them. No judgement here.

The Regent excursions are basically the same as you find on any other cruise line's excursion list. Read the description and decide if it's something you are interested in. We've done everything from a simple bus tour to snorkeling with the stingrays and sharks. We've really enjoyed most tours, some were just ok, others...meh. But the descriptions were pretty accurate. One thing you can do... take the title of the excursion and google it. Often you'll find the same exact excursion listed on other cruise websites as well as Tripadvisor, etc. So you can sometimes read the reviews and get a better feel. But we've found Regent doesn't generally over crowd excursions so they're usually not on a full bus, etc. I know that won't hold true all the time, but that's my experience. If there's something you REALLY want to do, and a small group is offered, you may find it worth the additional upcharge. But for just seeing things. Regent excursions are pretty good in general.

If you go into the Terms and Conditions page on Luggage Forward there is this specific line: "Batteries including all wet or lithium batteries including, but not limited to, batteries integrated within electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, tablets personal audio devices, and tracking devices such as AirTags"

I bring a sport coat, and will wear it on the Captain Reception night or when we dine in Prime 7 or Chartreuse. Not at all a requirement of the cruise line..... IS DEFINITELY a requirement of my WIFE! So..... "cruise line dress code"....."wife's dress code".... guess which one wins. 🤣 But the actual dress code is very simple, here it is, copied and pasted from the website. Sounds like you will have no problem meeting it. "Attire ranges from Casual to Formal Optional. Casual wear consists of resort-style outfits; some examples are jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. Casual wear is appropriate for daytime both on board or ashore. Casual wear is not appropriate after 6:00 PM. On the night prior to disembarkation, guests may need to pack their luggage early due to morning flights the next day. With this in mind, on the last night of every voyage, we will relax the dress code for dinner to Casual. Otherwise, the recommended onboard dress in the evenings is Elegant Casual. Dinner dress for ladies includes a skirt, or slacks with a blouse or sweater, a pant suit or dress; slacks and a collared shirt for gentlemen. Sport jackets are optional. Casual wear is not to be worn at dinner. Ties are not required." .

We had ours on Navigator on the side table with no problem. We did need a European adapter though. Also have your TA let Regent know and there will be a bottle of distilled water waiting in the cabin for you. If you need an extension cord the ship should be able to provide one so you shouldn't have to pack one.

Whatever wind speed the Captain decides. 😜 Actually it's probably dependent on each ship's capabilities in regards to bow thrusters, etc. Also if a tug is available. We missed a port in Iceland last year on Navigator due to high winds. We got within 100 feet of the pier, we were in a port with no tugs available, and the Captain determined that we could not safely dock without tug assistance. The problem could be either not being able to get TO the dock due to winds, or not being able to get OFF the dock due to winds. But I imagine that each ship has its own limitations. The newer ships probably have better bow thrusters, etc. than an older ship like Navigator.

No one can really tell you the actual reason for any of these situations. But likely it's how Regent contract flights go with each airline. Basically if they have contract rates available there is no additional charge. If not, then there is. So my guess is the only contract rates for you would be on Jet Blue, no matter how the airline schedules an itinerary or who they partner with. Since you requested United then likely the cost to Regent is $800 above their contract fare. Regent doesn't guarantee first class domestic, so when they price a flight, they generally can give you first class if it's on the same airlines. Otherwise you end up in coach for the domestic leg. It's all how the airline tickets the flights. Regent doesn't profit (according to them) on any additional flight charges, so the $800 is what THEY have to pay for you to fly United First Class. One other point, just because an airlines shows a specific connection, doesn't mean that Regent "sees" that. We are going UAL from ATL to HKG in Feb. Our connection time in SFO reduced from 4 hours to 1:49. UAL shows a routing that leaves the night before with a 13 hour layover in SFO. We decided we would prefer to do that and just get a hotel during the layover. When I contacted Regent they said that their system doesn't show that itinerary so we'd have to pay a "stop over" fee of $250 per person. So just because UAL shows it, doesn't mean Regent "sees" it. According to United, once the ticket is paid for, I may be able to change the flight myself. Regent says the ticket will be paid for about 60 days out so I'll try to change the flight myself. Not sure it'll work though.

I agree 100% that you definitely have to take control of watching your own flights. But, we arranged our flights a few weeks ago to Hong Kong. About 2 weeks later we got an email from Regent that one flight had a departure change that made our "turn time" from 4 hours to 2 hours. So, they WILL notify you, but I wouldn't leave it up to them. They are handling thousands of flights per year so stuff will slip through the cracks. The reason they book flights with short turn times is because that's how the airlines lists the flights and the cheapest routing (that's why the 3 versus 1 connection). It's not Regent's fault, they can't possibly review every flight that the airlines post as scheduled connections and decide if it's reasonable or not. So like you said, watch your flights closely and if you get a short turn time, call and try to change it. I always deviate just to avoid that situation. However we set our flights to Hong Kong for Feb. with 4 hours turn in SFO. Got a notice from Regent that the flight from SFO to HKG has changed its departure time and now leaves 2 hours earlier so our actual turn time is now 1:49! I called to switch to the night before departure with a 13 hour layover in SFO. Even though United shows that as a scheduled connection, Regent does NOT show it in their system so we would have to pay a "stop over" fee of $250 per person. So guess we'll do a 1:49 connection in SFO. So, it's just how the airlines list flights and what Regent shows in their system.

One of the perks of a Concierge Suite is early booking of shore excursions and dining reservations. So if your cruise is more than a year out you can take advantage of that also. You only have to decide if the upgrade cost is worth it.

We also used Luggage Forward last year. Our luggage showed up at the cabin on embarking, and the Luggage Forward agent was readily available upon clearing customs on disembarkation. Everything ran smoothly and they were very quick in answering questions and adding a bag pre-cruise. We really were happy with them. Luggage Forward is also the company that Regent uses for World and Grand cruises. They aren't cheap, but we thought it was worth it for us.

My understanding is the $75 charge is ONLY for deviating. If you have a problem it's a different situation. In fact, I had a change in schedule on the flight I deviated on (fees paid). UAL changed the turn time in SFO from 4 hours to 1:49 which is a bit too close. So when I called Regent, the prompt I chose was for an "existing deviation" (don't remember what it was, but it was obvious). So when the agent answered, we talked about my options and I chose to keep what I have. There was NO additional fees. So don't worry, you will only be charged on a NEW deviation request, not on a problem on an existing flight reservation. If you have questions BEFORE you decide to deviate, then you'll pay $75. That's sort of the point, to reduce the number of calls and free up the agents to work with those who are actually deviating. BUT if you are serious about deviation, then you call, pay the $75, ask all the questions you want, and if you deviate,..no charge. My advice to everyone is to deviate so you can have your flights 210 days out and seats (generally) assigned. I just think that is much better. But if someone has a bunch of questions, ask your TA and if need be, then ask Regent and just pay the $75.

Reducing hold times was the point of the $75 fee. If someone is serious about deviating then the fee is rolled into the deviation fee. If they are just "window shopping" flights they pay the fee. But there is also an option for a callback, just make that selection and you'll have no wait time. I opted on my first call to hold rather than a call back and I was on hold less than 2 minutes. The second time they had a recording saying hold times were "unusually long" so I left a call back number and had a call back in under 30 minutes. As for "shore side service," my experience, and I'm talking a week or two ago, has been exceptional. So I would say, I've always experienced the same shore side service as I have on board.

Well, we all have our opinions. I am fine with the $75 because when I call for deviation I have already made the decision that I will deviate my flights. So it's zero additional cost to me and prevents long hold times.

Just a comment on Regent pricing. Unless you're happy with a balcony or lower cabin on another cruise line you may find that Regent pricing isn't that much more. Example, we are doing 14 nights in Feb-Mar. 2024 from Hong Kong to Tokyo in an F-1 on Explorer. For "grins" I priced a similar itinerary on Royal Caribbean, 12 nights (2 nights shorter) from Singapore to Tokyo. Using a Junior Suite for comparison (smallest suite on RCCL), adding drink packages for 2, gratuities for 2, and Business Class air through RCCL both ways, but not specialty dining or shore excursions, the cost on RCCL was $2000 MORE than Regent! Since then I have looked for an RCCL cruise to take my grandkids on. On their biggest ships, the ones that have all the "bells and whistles" for kids, to get even into a Junior Suite, you are going to pay about what you'll pay for a Verandah Cabin on Regent. So yes, the cost is very high, but it isn't particularly more than Royal Caribbean or Celebrity if you compare cabin class and included amenities.