flossie009

Thank you to those on board who have confirmed that Mariner has not re-stocked with NZ Sauvingnon Blanc - despite the Head Sommelier's assurances.

However, his excuse behind the omission in the wine list was a good story, well told :rolleyes:

Just as with sommeliers in restaurants, if you describe the type of wine that you enjoy to the sommelier, they will try to meet your requirements. IMO, the sommelier is much better than any list.

 

In terms of the specific wine mentioned on this thread, it is possible that it is currently more difficult to obtain this wine. After all, Regent purchases hundreds (if not thousands) of bottles at a time. When one wine becomes unavailable in the quantities they need, they select another.

TC2,

During the Lisbon-Miami crossing we found it very difficult to obtain the wine we wanted from most of the 'Sommeliers', and usually had to be referred to the Head Sommelier. As referenced on some of the other threads the sommeliers and bar stewards on Mariner during our cruise appeared to be very thin on the ground and generally had no time or inclination to have an in-depth discussion on the wines available.

It would be very surprising if Regent were unable to source any of the various brands of NZ Sauvingnon Blanc. NZ exports somewhere around 130-150 million litres every year............perhaps the price is no longer within budget?? ;)

Last few cruises we were on - Mariner, Princess and Oceania - engineering came in to our cabin and asked us NOT to use a surge strip because charging ipad, phone and camera were too much draw to the power onboard.

Now I understand why the lights dimmed and the ship slowed down every time I plugged in my chargers!! :rolleyes::rolleyes:;)

Could anyone on Mariner at the moment confirm whether New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is now available?

During our recent Lisbon-Miami crossing it was unavailable. There was plenty of Californian Sauvingnon Blanc (not to our taste) and an acceptable Chilean variety. Sancerre could be obtained by pressuring the Sommeliers.

The Head Sommelier, Zhivkov (spelling?), agreed that not having a New Zealand Sauvingnon Blanc was a regrettable omission and explained that the cases had not been loaded into the Regent container shipped to Europe. He indicated that it would be available once the ship re-stocked in Miami.

Sorry to start a new thread for this query but the 'live update' thread seems to have degenerated into an off-topic spat again :confused::confused:

We have just proven the benefits of booking onboard.............. and the additional flexibility that this enables (especially for those normally booking under the Regent UK Ts & Cs).

While on board Voyager in March 2014 we booked a future cruise for Spring next year, receiving the following immediate benefits:

1. on board discount of approx 6%

2. reduced deposit (7.5% rather than 20%)

3. complimentary voyage DVD (makes a good bird scarer when hung up in the garden :rolleyes:)

4. $100 shipboard credit

Last month (Sept 2014) a flier came through for an excellent deal on a different Regent cruise next Spring. The itinerary, dates and price all now appealed to us more than the cruise we had already booked.

Because we had booked on board we were able to move our deposit to the alternative cruise without penalty and also benefited from an 'on board' discount on the new cruise :). The process was very simple through our TA and Regent UK.

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We also like the Regent Future Cruise Deposit certificates and always keep one in hand. If not used they are refundable and with present interest rates we think that an investment in our favourite cruise line and in our future cruising enjoyment makes perfect sense.

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The one group of crew members that puzzled us were those from the Ukraine, and parts of Eastern Europe. Their smiles do not come so easily

If I had family back in Ukraine I do not think I could hold a smile for too long, given the escalating troubles in that region.

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So, luggage has not arrived. Unfortunately, some guests are yelling at the crew and the G.M. I wonder if they have not read the contract that guests have with Regent. They have absolutely no responsibility for the loss of the luggage (British Airways does). However, as they often do, Regent is spending money to locate the luggage and do whatever they can to make things easier for us. Apparently, for some reason unknown to Regent, the luggage (most of it) still is sitting in Stockholm. Regent representatives continue working to figure out why it was not shipped to Helsinki.

 

Tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. the G.M. will meet with all passengers that are still missing luggage. I am hesitant to go because if anyone starts yelling or being rude, I will walk out. No matter how bad things are, IMO, there is no excuse for rudeness, yelling or threats! This is a very sensitive and difficult situation -- if Regent could snap their fingers and make it better, they would. I have no idea what some people expect. It is simply out of their control.

 

Under US booking conditions, RSSC accept no liability or responsibility for loss or damage to baggage by air carriers.

However for those passengers who booked in the UK, the Regent Terms and Conditions are very different. Under the UK booking conditions (backed by UK and EU law) a passenger who has booked their air through Regent has booked a 'package' which includes RSSC taking responsibility and liability for loss or damage to luggage caused by the airline - albeit Regent's Ts & Cs seek to limit the amount of compensation to be paid. The passenger's contract is with RSSC not with BA.

So I am sure for many of the passengers affected, RSSC certainly do have a contractual liability - and for all passengers they have a moral obligation.

None of this excuses rudeness, yelling or threats by passengers, but I can understand that tempers must be very frayed after a week without baggage.

I hope your bags arrive with you soon.

We love the layout of the Horizon Suites on Mariner - plus you can always see where you have been :D

Update from London press:

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/heathrow-baggage-chaos-to-last-for-days-9572401.html

Problems have probably not been helped by last weeks strike by French air traffic controllers which affected all flights across Europe.

Hope your baggage finds you soon

What should be one's expectations for Regent, a luxury cruise line? Does one " get what one pays for" or not? What is it that Regent cruisers get for three to eight times the price of the cruise fares of the mass market lines?

More space per passenger; higher crew/passenger ratio; better service; no extra charges..............

Also try this link for price comparisons:

http://www.rssc.com/experience/value-comparison/

But at the end of the day 'value' means different things to different people and it is for each individual to decide how he/she would like to spend their disposable income.

If the cruise you are considering is on Voyager (Barc -Ven Oct 15), then all the basic staterooms are just fine - all large and with separate bath & shower. It is really not worth the upgrade to a Penthouse unless you are desperate for a Butler.

However, Voyager does have some vibration at the stern - this bothers some but not others.

Our recent experience of a GTY was on Mariner. We only booked a few weeks before sailing and opted for a G Grade Guarantee. About a week before embarkation Regent allocated us an F Grade. Since this had a bath with shower over we rang our TA who spoke to Regent and they changed us to an F with a shower - in a good position near the front.

It is unfortunate for coffou that he/she had such a disappointing experience on Regent, albeit they still scored Service as 5 star. I certainly find difficulty in matching coffou's overall experience with our RSSC voyages. :)

Coffou quote " I would not opt for a Regent Seven Seas trip again" - This appears to be a lucky escape for the rest of us who enjoy Regent and try to avoid moaners during our vacation. ;)

How can anyone have a 'glass half empty' attitude on Regent when those nice stewards keep topping you up? :rolleyes:

Cruising (on any line) is probably just not to coffou's taste.

Rachel,

Best wishes for your cruise.

We are leaving Mariner tomorrow in Rome after an excellent week. The ship and her crew are in good shape for your voyage........enjoy.

Sorry to hear that rarin has had issues with the waiters on Mariner.

For us it has been the opposite. Excellent service in CR, LV(SM) and Signatures. We are in Prime 7 later in the week.

We were also in Signatures on Sun 8 June - for us the service, food & wine were all good. Petits fours in Signatures are always served before dessert - a little odd but not a problem. Just keep them for coffee if you can resist that long. ;)

Just leaving Kotor now - in a thunderstorm; our first bad weather this week, but do not think it will last long. Corfu tomorrow.

FDR,

Thanks for the update on Park West.

We are on Mariner at present and were very pleased to see no artwork on sale. It will be good when you have filled the empty area with something useful.

Great voyage on Mariner - officers and crew doing a really good job.

Regards

Margaret Lynn is the cruise director - doing a really good job (both with the grown-ups and the kids).

100 children and youths on this voyage - all very polite and well behaved.

'The king is dead; long live the king'

Now, more importantly, who is taking over from Mr Reynolds??

We deviate on almost all of our cruises and have not heard of this. It sounds like the whole issue of paying for the entire cruise has to do with booking seats. We have never discussed seats with Regent -- they book them automatically when they book the flights. We simply go into the website (BA is easy) and change the seats to the seats that we want. Since seats are already booked for us, there is no charge.

 

Verify that you can deviate your flights without paying the balance on the cruise. The rest of it will be easy.

 

Let us know how you do.

This may be true for Regent bookings in the US.

In our experience Regent (UK) do not pre-allocate seats on BA flights (neither european or international flights). eticket is not issued until after after final cruise payment and then we have three options:

- choose seats 24 hours before departure (free)

- choose seats 7 days before departure (free as BA frequent flier bronze members)

- choose seats further in advance (paying BA a premium for the early seat choice)

I note that the OP is based in the UK.

I think your problem may be with BA not with Regent.

BA in the UK only allocate seating 24 hours in advance of the flight unless:

- you are a member of the frequent flier club, or

- you pay a seat booking fee

These options are only available after the eticket has been issued i.e. the full airfare has been paid.

This is the case whether you book direct with BA or through an agent (e.g. Regent)

......I just want to report on the cruise not debate whether the UK is part of Europe nor how Regent approaches its marketing or growth strategy

Sorry, tallship..........:o

Looking forward to further reports and more pictures of our favourite ship :)

I find the way they offer you Shipboard credit as a way to pay for your shore excursions VERY misleading.

Who is "they"?

We have never been advised what products we should use any on-board credit for - either by Regent or our TA.

We accept it for what it is - a bonus to be used to enhance our cruise.......either in the Spa, in the shop or on a Choice Excursion.

And how did you know this? Was it in the literature? Please let us know

We knew this from previous experience, reading the excellent advice that can be found in these forums and discussing with the Destinations team on board.

As others have said there is no guarantee that you will be able to re-book with on-board credit as the excursion may be full/waitlisted. However it is always worth a try with the Destinations team (as early as possible when you get on board). Approach them with a smile.............I have seen others who approach the issue as a confrontation, which is not helpful.

Remember, like many things in life, "If you don't ask, you don't get" :rolleyes:

Personally I do not think it is a good idea to insist that RSSC to issue a written policy, as the easiest thing for them to write is "no re-booking of pre-booked excursions using on-board credit"

I believe Regent is trying to increase the number of British guests on Regent. They give incentives to get people to try the product. I recall several times when the ship was docked and people were allowed to board for lunch and a tour. This was probably a year ago.

 

My husband is British and also enjoys cruises that are diverse. I am curious how much the Baltic cruises are being advertised in the U.K. We have been inundated with emails regarding their less than full Baltic cruises.

During our recent Voyager cruise in the Far East, the passengers were from a very diverse range of countries, albeit US Nationals still outnumbered the rest.

While we were in Hong Kong (docked at the new cruise terminal - Yuk :(), busloads of locals were shown around the ship in an obvious marketing push to attract more passengers from the region.

The 'lunch & tour' marketing ploy worked for us - we did this in Southampton, UK in 2009 and have cruised with RSSC ever since :)

Had a discussion with my DH at Happy Hour tonight. His view is that the U.K. tried to distance itself somewhat from Europe when he was young (think pre-WWII). After WWII, they wanted to be part of Europe if it benefited them but not all the time. He explained that they were part of the European Union but wanted nothing to do with the Euro.

 

Regent may be marketing across Europe but the U.K. is their focus (read the document referenced above).

Thank you for the clarification that your statements regarding the UK and Europe are your DH's views rather than fact. (Also I note that England is not an island - albeit some members of our population may have insular views at times. If Scotland votes for devolution later this year we may have to re-instate Hadrian's wall......;))

I have read the RSSC Annual Report for 2013 and the marketing strategy is clear:

"Our target customer is 55 years of age or older, has a net worth of over $1.0 million, is well educated and is a seasoned world traveler"

"While our historical focus has been to serve the North American cruise market, we are expanding our focus to increase our international guest sourcing. In 2010, 20.0% of our passengers were sourced from outside the United States, which grew to 25.1% in 2013. We believe there remains significant opportunity to expand our passenger sourcing into major markets such as Europe and Australia, as well as into emerging markets in the Asia Pacific region"

Our experience on recent Voyager cruise in Far East was very straightforward.

Booked with credit card months before cruise.

When on board went to Destinations desk and asked to cancel and re-book with on board credit. This was done immediately.

Credit and Debit were shown as separate transactions on our shipboard account.

On last night of the cruise we collected the refund in cash (for 'cancelled' excursion)

The UK is definitely a significant member state of the European Union.

Regent is marketing across Europe, not just UK.