briar14

Several years ago after a wonderful Panama Canal cruise on Mariner, we had the same experience in Ft. Lauderdale. Just made it to a 1 pm flight out of Ft. Lauderdale. At that time Regent was telling TA’s to not book any flights leaving before noon.

Thanks for the pictures, Jackie. I saw some familiar faces. Hope they have the Country Fair on our crossing in April.

I enjoy reading your posts. Thank you. We did a similar itinerary in 2009 on, alas, another cruise line. It sounds like a lot has changed—smoke was not an issue; very, very large bugs were! We are glad we did it, but would have preferred the Regent experience. Love your food pics, presentation is always done so well. We are back on Mariner in April for the first cruise after refurbishment, really looking forward to it.

We were “upgraded” on a Rio-Barcelona trip in 2014 to larger suite on Deck 10. I should have checked the deck plan just as our TA should have done. We were under the pool deck, sounds of chairs being dragged around, footsteps; have never made this mistake again. Another reason why it is so important to use a TA who knows Regent really well. We are still looking and until I find a good Regent agent, I doublecheck everything.

Three4rd; Be very careful when considering a Regwent Cruise. The inherent risks you would be taking in regards to your mental health and future happiness cannot be understated. Regent is a potent drug that once you are addicted to it, there is no course of treatment to reverse the symptoms of euphoria, time dysplasia and then the sudden depression as you are caused to disembark.

Everyone thinks they can handle Regent Cruising; they start out by doing a 7-night Med Cruise, then it’s a 12-night Baltic Cruise, soon you are considering cashing in all your 401k’s and calculating how many nights you could stay aboard before the money runs out.

You learn that the Veranda Suites are more comfortable than most deluxe suites on other ships but you still want more... F1, PH2, The Regent! Who needs a Butler? YOU Do! You haven’t seen him all afternoon; you press the button on the phone, he’s at the door! How could he have known?

Where are all the passengers? You can just about choose any seat in any venue. Where’s the end of the line? Where’s the LINE? You’re all alone with your LW in the infinity pool. Crew members keep asking you questions... Do you need anything? Is everything OK? Of course it is; isn’t this how cruising should be?

Don’t risk your sanity. It’s not worth it! If you’re happy on Celebrity or Holland America don’t cruise on Regent. Once you try being a Mariner, all you can do is become an Explorer. It’ll be years before you feel that ultimate Splendor...

Proceed at your own peril! ��❤️��

Amen! Our experience exactly.

Just think that if you took a 6-star cruise line, like Regent, you wouldn’t have to be concerned about beverages, tips, tours, business class air fare, etc. Might save money, not have to sign for everything, wear a lanyard around your neck, and get superb service all the time.

After 7 Regent cruises we have never been disappointed. We have 2 more reserved, one of them is the TA on the fresh-out-of dry dock Mariner in April, which should be a lot of fun. We like the excellent, consistent service and not having to sign for everything. Several times the staff and crew have exceeded expectations by creating additional experiences for the passengers—Panama Canal lecturer was also an astronomer so had night lecture on deck; after all-day tour being welcomed back to Explorer with champagne, cool towels, band, cheering staff led by Captain Stan—making a really good trip more memorable. So, my suggestion is give Regent a try.

I share your aversion to art auctions, and I was surprised to learn that Silversea maybe introducing them. This has not been a "feature" of the line in the past. Regent had (and may still have) art auctions. They were, as you suggest, very obtrusive. It was one of several reasons I quit selling them.

 

I hope that the OP was mistaken or that this was a one off experience on Whisper. Could a current passenger let us know?

We have been using Regent since 2003 and have never experienced an art auction.

Cruise continues to go well. I will post full comments when we return home. However, I do want to say that the crew did a wonderful job last night accommodating all the passengers returning from the 12-hour tour to Hanoi. Most everyone returned to the ship around 9 pm. Compass Rose and La Veranda were open until 10 pm, with a French-themed buffet being served in La Veranda. Good service, lots of food, and plenty of wine--very much appreciated after the long bus ride!

Thank you all for your replies. Have decided to go and take lots to read on my Kindle. Really appreciate your help.

We will be in Ha Long Bay in 2 days. I would appreciate any comments on the 11-hour tour to Hanoi. Long bus tours are not my favorite thing. Thank you.

Need to apologize--I identified Executive Concierge incorrectly. Sorry for the error. Incidentally, the lecture today had excellent attendance, Constellation Theater quite full and material presented was very interesting--China's place in the world in comparison with other countries, China/Taiwan history, conflict, current issues.

Enjoying cruise. Like results of ship redo, especially color pallete. Lecturer is Hugh Neighbour, extensive background in Asia. Good first lecture. At 9 am this morning, no sun beds occupied either by humans or possessions. Still a little too chilly. I will keep watch :). Have good Trivia team, won 3 out of 3. Hope streak continues but doubt that.

All service has been excellent. Pursers office helped me out with a Chinese immigration issue, my fault, but handled very well. I saw a question elsewhere on this Board about Executive Concierge, Olga. She is on Voyager.

New artwork? The current artwork is only what, eight months old? Forget about new artwork, put that money into fixing the window seals or providing reliable internet...

 

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Amen!

Briar - nice to see a fellow Greenvillian racking up the nights on Regent. Maybe we'll meet up on board someday soon...

Would love to meet you! Love G-ville! Enjoying NCAA's! Wow, lots of exclamation points! sigh@islc.net.

The situation you encountered was extremely rare. You should not experience this in the future.

 

In terms of your room steward/stewardess, please do not sit back and say nothing. You need to either speak with the Head of Housekeeping or the General Manager. One discussion with them will solve the problem!

This is what I would do, also. After 100 nights on Regent, we have never NOT had a concern attended to promptly. We get on Voyager on the 23rd and plan to have a wonderful trip. I hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Thank you again for this wonderful thread! We are on Voyager in about 2 weeks. We lived in Japan and Korea for several years and are looking forward to visiting some favorite places and discovering new ones. Your reports have inspired us to try some more active tours that we had not considered. Luckily, Regent and our TA have been helpful in rearranging some for us. We are true Regent fans and your blog has reinforced our opinion!

We were on Explorer in August 2016. Deck area was adequate with a larger outside eating area off La Veranda than on Voyager and Mariner, which we felt was a positive change. Also, in most cases private balconies are larger. Loved the ship, have a wonderful crossing!

We lived in Japan for 4 years and Korea for 2. I think this itinerary provides a good opportunity to see some beautiful areas of both countries. Two nights in Hiroshima and Kyoto will give you a little more time to experience those two special places. Even though Tokyo is huge, it is a city of wonderful neighborhoods. If you spend any extra time there, I would recommend a walking tour or two to just a few areas to get a sense of day-to-day life.

We are on Voyager, Beijing to Bangkok in March. I have loved reading this thread! Thank you. We have been fortunate to have had many cruises on Regent, most recently Explorer in 2016. Service, attention to detail, food--looking forward to March 23!

briar14...sounds like the kinks are getting worked out. For our upcoming cruise, I stuck with the no extra charge shore excursions, since most of the choice excursions were longer (we want private time to explore the ports ourselves) and I believe involved a separate car and driver, which seemed a tad too indulgent. Reviews on these excursions have been mixed. Did you take any?

 

 

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No, we didn't take any. Other than Florence we took the regular tours or went out on our own.

We just returned from the Explorer Rome to Lisbon cruise. Had a

Penthouse Suite, 858. We are frequent Regent cruisers and were not disappointed. Excellent service and food. What we liked: deck off La Veranda increased in size, easier access to tenders, spacious fitness area, larger Canyon Ranch spa, and Pacific Rim. What we did not like: interior decoration (subjective, I know) and access to the internet which was inconsistent to say the least. Regent did a good job with tours, never crowded, always on time. We did one Regent Choice tour all day to Florence and were greeted on our return by welcoming staff, music, etc. and the Captain checking us in. Lots of quiet places on the ship to be on your own. We will be back on the ship at the end of March for the transatlantic cruise.

Thank you to both of you. We (Regent, TA) are working on a solution.

We did understand all that, paid upgrade and deviation when we booked. In the last few days we learned of passengers on this cruise (friends) booked on nonstop flights after Regent said to us that none were available. Thought we had a good TA, now not so sure. Thank you for your help.

We did pay a deviation fee when we booked the cruise in late October and requested nonstop flights! As of last week plenty of seats were available on the Delta flight in business. Not sure US Air flies nonstop anymore, will check. We are flexible on departure city and date. Have taken several Regent cruises and never had this problem.