Transatlantic crossing experiences

My wife and I will be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary in March 2019. We have cruised about 20 times since our first, when we celebrated our 25th on the inaugural Silverseas Silver Cloud voyage. What a wonderful experience, and I know those days of true all inclusive luxury cruising are mostly gone. Of our previous cruises we most enjoyed repositioning trips. I noticed Regent Voyager has two transatlantic cruises around the time of our anniversary. We did cruise Regent once, on the Mariner, and liked it very much. Our cruise experience in the past five years has unfortunately been limited to Disney cruises with our grandchildren. Considering the significance of this event, we'd like to pull out the stops and get the best luxury experience available. Can anyone comment on recent luxury lines crossing experience, especially Regent, and if possible Voyager? Experience with cabins/suites, service, food, and logistics for flights back from Europe at the conclusion would be greatly appreciated.

My wife and I will be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary in March 2019. We have cruised about 20 times since our first, when we celebrated our 25th on the inaugural Silverseas Silver Cloud voyage. What a wonderful experience, and I know those days of true all inclusive luxury cruising are mostly gone. Of our previous cruises we most enjoyed repositioning trips. I noticed Regent Voyager has two transatlantic cruises around the time of our anniversary. We did cruise Regent once, on the Mariner, and liked it very much. Our cruise experience in the past five years has unfortunately been limited to Disney cruises with our grandchildren. Considering the significance of this event, we'd like to pull out the stops and get the best luxury experience available. Can anyone comment on recent luxury lines crossing experience, especially Regent, and if possible Voyager? Experience with cabins/suites, service, food, and logistics for flights back from Europe at the conclusion would be greatly appreciated.

The Regent Explorer also has a transatlantic crossing. Beautiful new ship.

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First, congratulations on your upcoming 50th anniversary - that is quite a milestone! Second, I am assuming that you live in the U.S. or Canada. If you do not, the flight information is not accurate.

While we won't be doing a Voyager crossing until later this year, we did two Explorer crossing - the last one was March, 2017. We love crossing and the activities that Regent has onboard all of their ships - including interesting lecturers, wine tastings, a Country Fair and wonderful themed pool deck buffets (Indian, Greek, Asian, seafood, etc.). The only negative that I could say about a crossing from Miami to Europe is that you lose an hour on several nights as the clocks go back. This doesn't bother my husband but does bother me.

In terms of fights, we like to deviate (cost $175/person) in order to select our own flights. We live rather far from from Miami and do not want the coach flights that Regent offers so we deviate the international portion and take a 50% credit for the domestic portion. Hope that the makes sense.

In terms of suites, on the Voyager we avoid aft suites due to the vibration and also avoid suites under the pool deck. Any mid-ship or forward suite should be fine.

You likely already have a travel agent that specializes in luxury travel since you have sailed Regent previously. Highly suggest that you use that TA or another luxury TA so that you can get a percentage back on your cruise and perhaps some on board credits.

Hope that you have a wonderful journey!

Greetings from South Beach, Married49Years. Confratulations on your 50th. It is a stellar event. DH and I did that one and will be celebrating our 56th anniversary in March 2019. Our actual anniversary is March 9th, also my 80th birthday, but that day fell on day one of the 2019 trans Panama Canal LA/MIA. With unpacking, the muster and the general quality of life on boarding day, we thought it might not be the best choice for a celebration. Since we've done the Canal three times already, last in June of 2015, we opted for the March 2019 TA on Explorer. We will stay in Lisbon for a few days at the end of the cruise. We did the same itinerary last year, and enjoyed it enough to be repeating it next year. We like TAs and have sailed 14 so far. Our choice accommodation is PH. We booked this trip in December while on Explorer, selecting the same PH we were in at the time. There is plenty to do on sea days, and the ports are enjoyable. In truth, every dinner on Explorer is a celebration, so we will just add champagne to one. We will miss the little musical tribute in the morning, but we will survive.

The Explorer is a wonderful ship. Presently, it is our favorite. If you choose it, you will surely have a great time. If you decide on Explorer, you might like to sign on to its Roll Call. It's active.

Mary

Greetings from South Beach, Married49Years. DH and I are celebrating our 56th anniversary in March 2019. Our actual anniversary is March 9th, also my 80th birthday, but that day fell on day one of the 2019 trans Panama Canal LA/MIA. With unpacking, the muster and the general quality of life on boarding day, we thought it might not be the best choice for a celebration. Since we've done the Canal three times already, we opted for the March 2019 TA on Explorer. We will stay in Lisbon for a few days at the end of the cruise. We did the same itinerary last year, and enjoyed it enough to be repeating it next year. We like TAs and have sailed 14 so far. Our choice accommodation is PH. We booked this trip in December while on Explorer, selecting the same PH we were in at the time. There is plenty to do on sea days, and the ports are enjoyable. In truth, every dinner on Explorer is a celebration, so we will just add champagne to one. We will miss the little musical tribute in the morning, but we will survive.

 

The Explorer is a wonderful ship. Presently, it is our favorite. If you choose it, you will surely have a great time. If you decide on Explorer, you might like to sign on to its Roll Call. It's active.

Mary

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Greetings, Weeizer, from South Beach. As long as flights are international, Regent includes Business Class. We like that, too. DH and I are Diamond on Cunard because when we lived in New York City, QM2 became our ship of choice. We did seven TAs on QM2, and also thought they were exceptional. Shipboard life had so much to offer, the days flew by. Programs varied on every trip so TAs didn't get stale. Over time, it also went everywhere we wanted to go.

Regents TAs are varied, as well, and always feel fresh. Now I love Resort Casual, and back then Black Tie was fun. QM2 is not all inclusive, even in the Grills. Our first Regent cruise on Navigator was a revelation, and I had trouble spending our OBC. Well, we now feature Regent, and we got the hang of getting rid of OBC. I can hardly wait to struggle with it again.

Mary

We will be celebrating our 50th on the Voyager crossing this November. We like crossings for the relaxing, no pressure to take another tour, experience. Plus we like all the silly games. We did a west to east crossing on the Explorer, last spring, and found losing an hour almost every day not too our liking. Going the other way and gaining an hour is much better. The Explorer is a wonderful ship but we also enjoy the other ships including a recent Navigator sailing.

We would do an Explorer crossing in a heartbeat but would rather eat a snake than do a Navigator crossing. My humble opinion.:halo:

If you ever had survival training you might find a snake quite tasty.

If you ever had survival training you might find a snake quite tasty.

I’d rather eat snake than oysters.

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You guys are so funny - really gave me a good laugh. I've never eaten snake and are still trying to learn to appreciate oysters. I suspect that if I had nothing to eat, I would eat both! Thanks for the laugh:D

We have done trans-Atlantic crossings on Voyager (2006), Navigator (2009) and Mariner (I think 2012 or 13) Also on Oceania's Riviera (2015). The most memorable was on Navigator - the New York Theatre Guild were on board and provided the entertainment. They were superb. Amongst them was Patricia Neal, in a wheelchair, who spoke extremely eloquently of her career, her life with Roald Dahl and her recovery from her stroke. We also, during that crossing, re-met some friends we had originally crossed with on the Cristoforo Colombo in 1971 and with whom we had lost touch. That was wonderful - and happily we are still in touch! The ship was just fine for a crossing. My only criticism of it is that it is relatively small with few dining choices.

The Voyager - Rome to Ft Lauderdale - was a wonderful cruise. It was in early November and we were very lucky with the weather - warm and sunny all the way over. Great entertainment too but nothing like that on the Navigator some years later.

Mariner - very good too. Plenty to do, good lectures etc.

Riviera - better food but "enrichment programme" not as good as Regent's. On that cruise we also were celebrating our 50th anniversary and had the Owners Suite. Which was huge and allowed us to entertain. Through the roll call I put together a group of golfers and we had planned to golf in Bermuda. Sadly the weather put a stop to that. We had a very active roll call organised by "LouAnn" and quite a few activities were planned for the CC group on board.

Gerry - you probably knew that I would have comments about your post. IMO, the Voyager of 2006 and the Navigator of 2009 is not representative of both ships in 2018. Multi-millions of dollars have gone into both ships to fix the aft vibration (which is not fixable but at least they tried and did manage to lessen the vibration). I can imagine that the onboard experiences that you detailed would have been extremely memorable but I look at the crossing without those very special guests since they will not be onboard.

And, has been said by many Regent loyalists that have sailed on Oceania, we do not find the food better than Regent (except in maybe one of the specialty restaurants - specifically Red Ginger which is equal to Pacific Rim on Explorer and Jacques which blows any restaurant on Regent out of the water). We found the food in the Terrace Cafe (trying to be equivalent to La Veranda) horrible - so much so that we could not eat there anymore as we were afraid of the food that they were serving*. Also, having dined in their main dining room once, we did not return (unlike Compass Rose that we love).

*Think about someone trying to pry open a clam to put on a pasta dish or "cooking" pasta in cold water and serving it on a warm dish! Frightening!

If you ever had survival training you might find a snake quite tasty.

I must have had the luxury survival training. I got a rabbit instead of a snake.;p

I must be super fussy - I don't eat rabbit either. I do eat snails - does that count:halo:

Mine was hard core, we had to catch our own snake.

Mine was hard core, we had to catch our own snake.

Okay - I give up - you win - I don't catch my own snails:D

The Thread Starter must be so frustrated with us. Sorry to Married49years - but this shows how much fun can be had with Regent passengers - even when we are off topic.

I will be posting live from the Voyager beginning sometime around March 20th - even though we don't board until the 24th. We have a pre-cruise stay in Bai before we board the ship. We are so looking forward to the Voyager - it was our favorite ship for many years (only to be replaced by the Explorer).

Thanks to everyone for their input and comments. Most were very helpful and the others light hearted. All are appreciated. I'll continue to look at Regent opportunities around the time of our anniversary, and will especially look at the Explorer. Sounds like a great ship.

One more related question. In the past I have booked our cruises through cruise lines and not used a travel agent. I was thinking of doing the same this time and going directly through Regent. However, I would consider using a travel agent if there is sufficient value added considering the fees charged. Can I hear comments about recent Regent cruise experiences booking directly through Regent versus using a travel agent?

Thanks again. And now I'm going to fix breakfast - having snake and eggs today. Yum!

Thanks to everyone for their input and comments. Most were very helpful and the others light hearted. All are appreciated. I'll continue to look at Regent opportunities around the time of our anniversary, and will especially look at the Explorer. Sounds like a great ship.

 

One more related question. In the past I have booked our cruises through cruise lines and not used a travel agent. I was thinking of doing the same this time and going directly through Regent. However, I would consider using a travel agent if there is sufficient value added considering the fees charged. Can I hear comments about recent Regent cruise experiences booking directly through Regent versus using a travel agent?

 

Thanks again. And now I'm going to fix breakfast - having snake and eggs today. Yum!

No downside and considerable upside to using a TA. No upside and considerable downside to booking direct with the cruise line. A good TA will give you a rebate on your cruise fare or OBC or perhaps both. They are there working for you and NOT the cruise line and can help with any issues.

Unfortunately we cannot provide the name of these great TA's on CC and cannot even provide them via a request via email. You simply need to search for them on line or better yet ask your fellow cruisers while on board. These TA's are out there and once you find and use the benefits, you will NEVER go back to booking direct.

CC, thanks for your comments extolling the virtues of using a travel agent. While I agree in theory to what you say, my experience with identifying a competent, responsive travel agent has not been good. In fact, in conjunction with the trip referenced in my original post, I went to the Virtuoso web site and picked the name of a person who is local and who they recommended. I reached out, and three days later, no response. I don't understand this lack of customer service and unfortunately I have encountered it before. So, before I leave the details of a once in a lifetime trip in the hands of a TA about whom I know nothing, I'll handle it myself. Because, if someone I identify screws it up, my wife and I will not make it to our 50th wedding anniversary, since we'll be fighting about it for the next year. So, fellow cruisers, if you can recommend a good, trustworthy cruise expert travel agent, I'm all ears.

Unfortunately, CC rules forbid us from mentioning specific travel agents. But do keep looking--the benefits can be great. Also, you mention "considering the fees charged." It is highly unusual for a TA handling cruises to charge you anything. They get their commission from the cruise line, and you pay the same fare whether you use a TA or don't.

Our agent (whose office, by the way, is a couple thousand miles from where I live--you don't need to go local) provides the following benefits:

-On-board credits. I realize that these are less important on Regent than other lines because of the extent to which Regent is inclusive, but they definitely still have value. On a recent 14-day crossing on Explorer, my cabin-mate and I received a total of $900 in OBCs. We used them on "pay extra" excursions, spa, and the wine pairing lunch. And had some left over to do a little shopping in the boutique.

-"Rewards" check. Money given to us before boarding as a kind of loyalty credit. The amount can sometimes be substantial, and is always at least noticeable.

-Knowledge about the cruise line and ship. More than once, mine has steered my away from an undesirable cabin and toward one that will satisfy my wants. As she has gotten to know me over the years, she has been better able to tailor her advice to my peculiarities.

-Going to bat for me if things go wrong. On a Crystal cruise, she solved a major problem before we even knew that there was a problem. On a Silversea cruise, she was able to partially solve the problem. When she couldn't fix it entirely, she was fine with me having at it (it involved arguing to the cruise line the illogic of what they were doing. I'm a lawyer. I specialize in pointing out illogic). Between the two of us, we got it fully solved. So, in other words, you have two heads instead of one to work on a problem.

-Helping to navigate processes, like getting permission for someone to visit me on the ship while in port, and requesting certain items for the cabin.

-Responds rapidly to requests and inquiries. When she's out of pocket (such as on a cruise), she has someone else in the office cover her emails and respond. The person who usually does this has a good sense of when to act immediately and when to acknowledge the request and get on it later or save it for my main contact.

-Helps with over-land, multi-day trips. She actually doesn't arrange them herself, but works with an agent at another agency who does the arrangements. So far, she has arranged off-ship adventures to Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, and safari for us with private or near-private guides for much less than the cruise line charges for large group over-lands to the same places.

Not every TA will do all of these, but most will do most. I'd urge you to keep trying.

Unfortunately, CC rules forbid us from mentioning specific travel agents. But do keep looking--the benefits can be great. Also, you mention "considering the fees charged." It is highly unusual for a TA handling cruises to charge you anything. They get their commission from the cruise line, and you pay the same fare whether you use a TA or don't.

 

Our agent (whose office, by the way, is a couple thousand miles from where I live--you don't need to go local) provides the following benefits:

 

-On-board credits. I realize that these are less important on Regent than other lines because of the extent to which Regent is inclusive, but they definitely still have value. On a recent 14-day crossing on Explorer, my cabin-mate and I received a total of $900 in OBCs. We used them on "pay extra" excursions, spa, and the wine pairing lunch. And had some left over to do a little shopping in the boutique.

 

-"Rewards" check. Money given to us before boarding as a kind of loyalty credit. The amount can sometimes be substantial, and is always at least noticeable.

 

-Knowledge about the cruise line and ship. More than once, mine has steered my away from an undesirable cabin and toward one that will satisfy my wants. As she has gotten to know me over the years, she has been better able to tailor her advice to my peculiarities.

 

-Going to bat for me if things go wrong. On a Crystal cruise, she solved a major problem before we even knew that there was a problem. On a Silversea cruise, she was able to partially solve the problem. When she couldn't fix it entirely, she was fine with me having at it (it involved arguing to the cruise line the illogic of what they were doing. I'm a lawyer. I specialize in pointing out illogic). Between the two of us, we got it fully solved. So, in other words, you have two heads instead of one to work on a problem.

 

-Helping to navigate processes, like getting permission for someone to visit me on the ship while in port, and requesting certain items for the cabin.

 

-Responds rapidly to requests and inquiries. When she's out of pocket (such as on a cruise), she has someone else in the office cover her emails and respond. The person who usually does this has a good sense of when to act immediately and when to acknowledge the request and get on it later or save it for my main contact.

 

-Helps with over-land, multi-day trips. She actually doesn't arrange them herself, but works with an agent at another agency who does the arrangements. So far, she has arranged off-ship adventures to Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, and safari for us with private or near-private guides for much less than the cruise line charges for large group over-lands to the same places.

 

Not every TA will do all of these, but most will do most. I'd urge you to keep trying.

Ditto!

In addition, I always select my cruise after all the research I do myself. I book it directly with Regent. I call my TA immediately and she picks it up. Then I get all the monetary benefits including a check, and all her expertise. Why give all that up?

Ditto!

In addition, I always select my cruise after all the research I do myself. I book it directly with Regent. I call my TA immediately and she picks it up. Then I get all the monetary benefits including a check, and all her expertise. Why give all that up?

They even check on you. My husband had to get off the ship in Lisbon to have surgery. Our TA immediately called to offer help. He was with us all the way until we arrived home.

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I have been "off" these boards for a few days - returned home from Miami last Friday. So was in a fog for a bit... but honestly I think the main difference on a Trans-Atlantic crossing is the quality of the lecturers/lecture series/entertainment and not the food or whether the ship has vibrations. You have a LOT of time to read/think/listen on TA's. Regent is very very good at providing the "grist for the mill" to enable you to do this. Oceania less so.

cruiseluv - this site is run by Travel Agents which is why we are not permitted to name them as it would could be advertising agents that are not part of CC. It does make sense but is frustrating at times. We can post names of consortiums such as Signatures, Virtuoso and Ensemble.