So I have a question IE budget with Regent.

[Adri204]

I am very interested in the concept of Regent Cruising and I have been checking out there website quite a bit. I love the concept of all inclusive cruising.

 

The idea of airfare, excursions, drinks(I dont drink alcohol), tipping etc so for me that one isent as big a deal is appealing. I do understand that the spa, casino, incedentals, gift shop are extra.

 

But what is people's expierence with this? Is it budget wise better. Ive been researching various trips. What I am interested is peoples opionion who have cruised this line and others.

 

Also I am looking at the dress code and my question is. I get that no Jeans are allowed as day ware at least according to the dress code. But what about shore excursions? Can we wear Jeans on Shore excursions?

 

Also anyone who has saild solo/single on Regent is it good and whats the mark up on average? The website does not list the mark up for singles.

 

I really like a lot of the locations and am very interested. I love CC so I can ask people who use this cruise line questions.

 

Adri :)

[smilingcruiser]

Hi Adri - I don't know about the singles supplement, but I can tell you that jeans are perfectly fine for excursions (as are shorts, capris, etc.) - I think they are also ok on board before 6PM - they are my husband's daily attire.

 

We love Regent - I think the small size and intimacy of the ships, as well as the larger suites and wonderful service, is what keeps us returning.:cool:

[Adri204]

Thanks Smiling Cruiser I appreate it very much. I like so many things about Regent from what I have read. It seems like with a lot of things included thats it is in a way an excellent deal. I love that shore excursions are included and yes the smaller size appeals to me as well. Im glad to hear it about Jeans. I wear Jeans during the day as well. But of course change when its appropriate depending on the setting and whats going on and so on.

 

Adri :)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Unfortunately Regent right now is not offering lots of single deals. In many cases the singles supplement is 100% and it's rare to see less than 50%. this is a bad business I believe, but this could change.

 

Jeans are fine during the day, both on the ship and off, although they should be nice jeans, in my opinion.

[Adri204]

Unfortunately Regent right now is not offering lots of single deals. In many cases the singles supplement is 100% and it's rare to see less than 50%. this is a bad business I believe, but this could change.

 

Jeans are fine during the day, both on the ship and off, although they should be nice jeans, in my opinion.

 

 

Thanks very much for your comments. I contacted Regent and asked about a particular Panama cruise from San Fransisco to New York City. The single suppliment was 100%. I am disapointed.

 

Please dont misunderstand me anyone reading this. I have been looking at the Regents website and this would be a dream trip for me. Just once I want to try luxury cruising.

 

Im currently looking at asking friends and/or family to go with me. I find this type of cruising very appealing.

 

As far as Jeans. I think for this type of cruising I would pack nice Jeans as well as other nice clothing.

 

 

Also whats the payment schedule like? I forgot to ask the very helpful and nice man that I talked to? What about the deposit?

 

Thanks all,

 

Adri

[basedow]

Adri, Your enthusiasm is very appealing! I hope you will be able to swing this and know you will truly enjoy the experience!

 

If one approaches travelling with an open mind and attitude that things will be fun and interesting, your chances of success will be great. Something tells me you know this already.

 

As for your payment question, I believe you put down 15% a week after making a reservation and then final payment is due several months before sailing.

[Adri204]

Adri, Your enthusiasm is very appealing! I hope you will be able to swing this and know you will truly enjoy the experience!

 

If one approaches travelling with an open mind and attitude that things will be fun and interesting, your chances of success will be great. Something tells me you know this already.

 

As for your payment question, I believe you put down 15% a week after making a reservation and then final payment is due several months before sailing.

 

 

Thanks very much I appreate that. I am very enthusiastic about this. I am looking at other lines as well as its good to check around. But the more I look this is just an awesome way to travel and all inclusive to. I would happily do the shore excursions. I already looked at some that where listed and oh they look like great fun.

 

Adri :)

[rocsailor]

Thanks very much for your comments. I contacted Regent and asked about a particular Panama cruise from San Fransisco to New York City. The single suppliment was 100%. I am disapointed.

 

Please dont misunderstand me anyone reading this. I have been looking at the Regents website and this would be a dream trip for me. Just once I want to try luxury cruising.

 

Im currently looking at asking friends and/or family to go with me. I find this type of cruising very appealing.

 

As far as Jeans. I think for this type of cruising I would pack nice Jeans as well as other nice clothing.

 

 

Also whats the payment schedule like? I forgot to ask the very helpful and nice man that I talked to? What about the deposit?

 

Thanks all,

 

Adri

In the past I know if you have dealt with a Ta who has ties to Regent they could work out a better deal for singles, However this may have changed with new management and there polices, Jeans are ok for day time and side trips, by the way I give Regent great kudos for there "free" excursions. Just keep in mind that after six jeans and shorts are taboo. As far as the deposit goes I recall it was due at time of booking thru our TA. You'll love Regent so I hope you can work something out. :)

[Observer]

In the past I know if you have dealt with a Ta who has ties to Regent they could work out a better deal for singles, However this may have changed with new management and there polices,

 

I have a TA who does a lot of volume with Regent and he has been unable to get any special concessions on the new single supplements. Those supplements are 75% or more often 100% except on cruises found at this site:

 

http://www.rssc.com/specials/details.aspx?SpecialId=f2bfecfe-a9f3-4d5b-a2b7-f3f2aa6984cd

 

I am a loyal Regent cruiser and I like nearly everything about the line. However, Regent is sending away lots of loyal customers (and possible new ones) with the new supplement policy. I priced two very comparable itineraries in 2011 with Regent and Silversea. The Regent supplement was 100%, the SS was 50%. Guess which one I chose? Regent says it may reduce the supplement closer to sailing if the cruise does not sell well. I am not going to wait. I placed my deposit with SS and know I will have a fine experience on that line.

[cruzndiz]

There was a tv show recently that followed the dollar around a mass market cruise ship and on a one week sailing it wasn't until the 6th day that they finally had a CHANCE to break even if they weren't sailing at something like 110% capacity (meaning that some percentage of the cabins HAD TO have more than 3 pax).

 

I don't know about Regent's operating costs, but I'm sure they are considerably higher PLUS they don't have the opportunities for additional revenue since it's basically all-inclusive.

 

I guess that's why the single supplements are so high; especially if they believe they will eventually fill the cabins with two occupants prior to sailing.

[Travelcat2]

While I'm not a math expert. . . . the math on this is fairly simple. Regent wants to fill each suite with two people. They have been running full, or close to full, ships for some time and therefore have no incentive to discount singles. Silversea, on the other hand, has had difficulty filling their ships which is why they run specials on single supplements. From a marketing standpoint, this makes perfect sense.

[Adri204]

Thank you all I appreate it. Well its to bad that Regent does not want Singles business. I still think Regent is a great idea but to bad they dont think I am such a great idea as someone to market to. I mean I am a positive person and still think Regent is a great concept and I am not going to bad mouthe Regent after this. I am just keenly disapointed that at this time I wont be able to take a Regent Cruise.

 

Adri :)

[Observer]

While I'm not a math expert. . . . the math on this is fairly simple. Regent wants to fill each suite with two people. They have been running full, or close to full, ships for some time and therefore have no incentive to discount singles. Silversea, on the other hand, has had difficulty filling their ships which is why they run specials on single supplements. From a marketing standpoint, this makes perfect sense.

 

Is it the case that Silversea has had difficulty filling their ships? If so, I am surprised, because it is a splendid product (as is Regent!).

 

As for Regent running full or close to full: I have a Mariner cruise in July which still has lots of availability (if one can judge from the fares section of the Regent website for each cruise.) I just checked the other July Mariner sailings, and they all seem to have good availability. Yes, I understand that one cannot jump to conclusions from the site: "Availability" may mean there are one or two suites available in that category. Nonetheless, presumably most people who were going to book for July have already done so, and my quick survey indicates that my cruise and the other Mariner cruises in July will hardly be running full.

 

I booked that July cruise with a 40% single supplement (reasonable in my opinion.) I am not willing to pay 75% or 100%.

[Travelcat2]

Is it the case that Silversea has had difficulty filling their ships? If so, I am surprised, because it is a splendid product (as is Regent!).

 

As for Regent running full or close to full: I have a Mariner cruise in July which still has lots of availability (if one can judge from the fares section of the Regent website for each cruise.) I just checked the other July Mariner sailings, and they all seem to have good availability. Yes, I understand that one cannot jump to conclusions from the site: "Availability" may mean there are one or two suites available in that category. Nonetheless, presumably most people who were going to book for July have already done so, and my quick survey indicates that my cruise and the other Mariner cruises in July will hardly be running full.

 

I booked that July cruise with a 40% single supplement (reasonable in my opinion.) I am not willing to pay 75% or 100%.

 

Mark Conroy announced earlier this year that they were 75-80% booked for 2010. Regent has been doing particularly well since it went all-inclusive with excursions and airfare.

 

While I agree that Silversea is an excellent product, I'm not sure why they have difficulty filling their ships. Perhaps the addition of the new ship this year presented a challenge to them (as it seems to have done with Seabourn -- we receive emails every week with last minute deals on Seabourn).

 

In terms of Regent not wanting singles, I don't think that is the case. They spent $90 million on their three ships in the last year and a half and probably need the revenue. If the vacancy level increases, it would not surprise me to see discounted single supplements reappear.

[hondorner]

While I'm not a math expert. . . . the math on this is fairly simple. Regent wants to fill each suite with two people. They have been running full, or close to full, ships for some time and therefore have no incentive to discount singles.

TC2 is exactly right. Forget new owners or old owners or flipping the cruise line of being profit hungry or anything else, and put yourself in their place.

 

You have a cabin capable of getting, say, $12,000 in revenue from two occupants. If you see it to a single, your revenue is cut in half. Sure, you save a little money from not having to feed or water the second passenger, but that's peanuts compared to the other expenses -- you still have to have the same service personnel, the same linens, the same maintenance expenses, and the same space that you have to move from one place to another, in other words most of the same costs, with only half of the revenue.

 

If you expect to get the same space, the same service, and the same cruise as those who are paying twice as much, and you truly want the luxury experience, then you should be willing to pay as much for the space as everyone else.

 

Otherwise, it's not fair to the couples, who ARE spending twice as much for exactly the same space and service.

 

Somebody has to make up for the singles, otherwise there is no more cruise line for anyone. Why should the couples pay even more to supplement the singles?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

TC, add me to the list of folks who are skeptical about what Mark Conroy says.

 

Cases in point: As Pat says in another thread, Regent could not fill Navigator on their 20-night canal trip, even though they split it into two segments--they had to fill the ship with employees.

 

The Voyager 7-night that I've been keeping my eye on in December still has availability in all categories. Yes yes, I know, it could be just one or two cabins per category, but that's unlikely, isn't it? Since they usually fill from the bottom to the middle, and the top fills separately. I've checked other Caribbean itins and they aren't showing full either.

[Adri204]

TC2 is exactly right. Forget new owners or old owners or flipping the cruise line of being profit hungry or anything else, and put yourself in their place.

 

You have a cabin capable of getting, say, $12,000 in revenue from two occupants. If you see it to a single, your revenue is cut in half. Sure, you save a little money from not having to feed or water the second passenger, but that's peanuts compared to the other expenses -- you still have to have the same service personnel, the same linens, the same maintenance expenses, and the same space that you have to move from one place to another, in other words most of the same costs, with only half of the revenue.

 

If you expect to get the same space, the same service, and the same

 

cruise as those who are paying twice as much, and you truly want the luxury experience, then you should be willing to pay as much for the space as everyone else.

 

Otherwise, it's not fair to the couples, who ARE spending twice as much for exactly the same space and service.

 

Somebody has to make up for the singles, otherwise there is no more cruise line for anyone. Why should the couples pay even more to supplement the singles?

 

You know what I am willing to pay a supplimental fee up to say even 40-50%. But to expect singles to pay for two people when they are traveling alone is basically bad marketing in the long run. Cruiselines should market especially now days to all differnt groups regardless if that cruiseline is a premium line or not. I have no problem paying a supplimental fee and plan it for pretty much every cruise I sail single on. However I dont think I should have to pay a 100% supplimental fee. I find the analogy that one person should have to pay the same as two people faulty. I am also skeptical of the claim that Regent sails completly full each and every sailing. I still love Regent and the concept of everything included.

 

 

Adri

[Adri204]

Is it the case that Silversea has had difficulty filling their ships? If so, I am surprised, because it is a splendid product (as is Regent!).

 

As for Regent running full or close to full: I have a Mariner cruise in July which still has lots of availability (if one can judge from the fares section of the Regent website for each cruise.) I just checked the other July Mariner sailings, and they all seem to have good availability. Yes, I understand that one cannot jump to conclusions from the site: "Availability" may mean there are one or two suites available in that category. Nonetheless, presumably most people who were going to book for July have already done so, and my quick survey indicates that my cruise and the other Mariner cruises in July will hardly be running full.

 

I booked that July cruise with a 40% single supplement (reasonable in my opinion.) I am not willing to pay 75% or 100%.

 

I have no problem paying a reasonable 40-50% single supplement as well. I dont think it is reasonable either to pay higher then that.

 

Thanks,

 

Adri

[Travelcat2]

Wendy, at this point, I find the availability on the ships confusing. It appears that there are a lot of cancellations, or, possibly TA's holding blocks of suites and then releasing them as the cruise date nears. Our May 26th cruise was showing full in all categories below Penthouse for months. Then, out of no where several categories opened up. It still shows availability in a few categories. When I get on board I'll learn how many passengers are actually on the ship.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I thought Regent did not do that--allow TA's to hold blocks of cabins. Perhaps that's changed since the change in ownership, but they didn't used to do it.

 

I agree about the single supplements--we were talking to our friend Jim about it last night (he went on the PG with us). He's astounded and dismayed.

 

They could do a few special single rates, and they could be capacity-controlled. Or...if the ships aren't filling, they could have last-minute singles specials.

[wishIweretravelling]

I started on RSSC years ago in large part because the single supplement was so reasonable. And, had largely stayed away from Silversea because it had a 100% ss on most sailings. That seems to be shifting now. I usually cruise with a buddy now (who I met on an RSSC cruise), and so don't pay so much mind to the supplement now, but I would not have spent the kind of money that I've spent with RSSC over the years had that low ss not enticed me aboard in 1997. I wonder if they're not trading in their future for full suites in the present. Or maybe there's only a few like me.

[Adri204]

I started on RSSC years ago in large part because the single supplement was so reasonable. And, had largely stayed away from Silversea because it had a 100% ss on most sailings. That seems to be shifting now. I usually cruise with a buddy now (who I met on an RSSC cruise), and so don't pay so much mind to the supplement now, but I would not have spent the kind of money that I've spent with RSSC over the years had that low ss not enticed me aboard in 1997. I wonder if they're not trading in their future for full suites in the present. Or maybe there's only a few like me.

 

 

See this makes me sad in a way. I was looking at the Regents website today again. I was like Wow love the itenarys, the ships, the all inclusive nature and so on. However I cant justify paying more then a 40-50% mark up as a single I just cant.

 

Thanks,

 

Adri :)

[basedow]

You mentioned perhaps asking a family member or friend to accompany you. Any luck?

[Travelcat2]

I thought Regent did not do that--allow TA's to hold blocks of cabins. Perhaps that's changed since the change in ownership, but they didn't used to do it.

 

I agree about the single supplements--we were talking to our friend Jim about it last night (he went on the PG with us). He's astounded and dismayed.

 

They could do a few special single rates, and they could be capacity-controlled. Or...if the ships aren't filling, they could have last-minute singles specials.

 

Love the idea of last-minute specials in general, however, Regent has recently said to book early because that is when you get the best prices (can't recall where I read that). I agree that it would work well for singles. Perhaps the 100% single supplement goes along with the fact that Regent no longer has gentlemen hosts? Regent could run special single cruises (as well as adult cruises). Actually, they don't need to do any of this -- what they are doing now seems to be working well for them.

[Adri204]

You mentioned perhaps asking a family member or friend to accompany you. Any luck?

 

 

I am working on it. I am waiting to see when the 2012 cruises and fares come out. I could possibly pitch someone on say a January 2012 winter cruise to some place warm lol :)

 

Adri