Cordon Bleu Courses

[Travelcat2]

It's my strong impression that the two brands will NOT be merged.

 

Although they may grow more alike in many ways, they will always enjoy different marketing strategies. Regent, already the most inclusive of all the major cruise lines, will continue to be more so. Oceania, on the other hand, will continue to tend towards ala carte pricing.

 

There will continue to be some differences in stateroom size, with Regent continuing to be "all suite" and almost "all balcony", while Oceania will continue with standard (non-suite) balcony cabins and a scattering of inside and ocean view cabins.

 

For those (like me) who are not concerned with cabin space, who drinks little, who takes few excursions (unless they are included, then I take them all), who books inexpensive hotels at embarkation (unless they are included), and never pays exorbitant airfare for a few hours of business class, Oceania will continue to be a much less expensive alternative than Regent in most cases. Yet, it will continue to offer service, food, and more that is equal to, and sometimes surpassing, Regent.

 

Oceania's focus has made it perhaps the most successful cruise line in a fairly short period -- remember, it did not begin full service until 2003. This is entirely due to management, and contrary to popular opinion among many of Regent's "old guard", I think that management will be the key to an ever-improving Regent as many of the policies are put in place.

 

I acknowledge they (the policies) will be different, and since many guest do not welcome change, they may be slightly unpopular in the short run. Based on some of the recent glowing reports from passengers, and my Oceania experience, I think most people will be very happy in the long run.

 

Personally, I do see Regent becoming more of a different branch of the same tree, and I think that is a Good Thing. I love having the choice when I can juggle things to afford Regent.

 

I agree about Regent and Oceania. The pricing on Oceania, however, does not seem inexpensive to us. Perhaps because we are looking for a suite the same size as on Regent:) If we did select a large suite on Oceania, paid for Business Class and also had to pay for drinks & tips, it could easily become more expensive than Regent.

 

You are right about Regent guests not welcoming changes -- at least those perceived as downgrading the product. I never thought we would actually cruise on another line and enjoy it. We are now at the point that we would not hesitate to recommend Silversea (especially in those cases when the prices are lower than Regent). The one thing that Regent has is a leader with a heart and soul and one who truly cares. ;)

[flossie009]

An update on our post from last year.

This week we got our TA to double check on the availability of Le Cordon Bleu cookery courses and she has reported back that Regent Seven Seas Head Office have advised that ‘Le Cordon Bleu’ is definitely not available for 2011.:(

So that is that then...........unless anyone else has been advised otherwise by a higher authority.

 

Regards

Susan & David

(Looking forward to our cruise in March:))

[Hambagahle]

A culinary centre would be a wonderful addition to any of the ships BUT where on earth would they put it? If it were for me and me alone I would say take out the casino and put it there...but that makes money for Regent AND most people like donating to that cause! They couldn't take out suites because the revenue loss would be huge (apparently that is why they dropped the "Gentlemen Hosts" as they were occupying suites that then were zero revenue). So where?

If Mark Conroy is looking at a re-vamp of Signatures maybe it could be a demonstration kitchen by day and an open kitchen restaurant by night... but if it became a culinary centre that would imply additional cookers, sinks, worktops etc etc and there would be no hope of having it as a restaurant as well...so I am sure that is not on the cards!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Kind of sad to hear about the Cordon bleu courses, but perhaps they have become not as popular or not as cost-effective. Perhaps they want something fresh and new--let's hope they replace it with something exciting. Glad I took the CDB courses while I could, both of the ones I did were great fun.

[Travelcat2]

They couldn't take out suites because the revenue loss would be huge (apparently that is why they dropped the "Gentlemen Hosts" as they were occupying suites that then were zero revenue). So where?

 

Happy to report that the Gentlemen Hosts are back. They were quite active on our Mariner cruise:-)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

That's excellent news, Jackie. I always thought the ladies loved those guys, and not just the single ones. They were very useful at a dance class too.

[JoAnne B]

Sad to hear about the demise of CB classes. Given the ever increasing price, perhaps interest waned. I would hate to see the replacement of highly trained CB "teaching" chefs with pop instructors the ilk of Food Network.

 

I suspect this is just another example of corporate interference in a successful product in the name of cost cutting

 

Less and less impressed with Regent all the time.

[WesW]

Hi JoAnne, am now in touch with Mark Conroy about LCB on Regent..he did tell me yesterday that LCB is good through 2011, but when I pointed out that the Mariner Spring crossing next month has no LCB as an enrichment offering..he told me today he would check..when I hear back will post accordingly.

[Travelcat2]

None of the 2011 sailing have LCB. At this late date, it would be difficult for anyone to bring it back to life -- at least not until next year. Finding available chefs to do the classes would be a challenge. Also, we noticed that our class in late 2009, was disruptive to the staff of both Signatures and La Veranda (this was on the Voyager whose kitchens we were walking through and using). In addition to our running late (making it almost impossible to do their jobs for their upcoming dinner), the staff was required to prep everything for the meal we were going to prepare.

 

It isn't surprising that president of Regent is not aware of this since he has more important things to deal with. I noticed today that Oceania's Marina built a kitchen and work stations specifically desiged to accommmodate students in a cooking class. Very well thought out FDR!