Just off Voyager Western Caribbean,,,questions??

[alexandra cruiser]

Got off my first Regent cruise,,,yesterday....would rate it very good,,,but did have problems with the infamous vibration in cabin....esp. in bathroom in tub and "on the throne" plus the bed....booked sixth floor G cabin....would take another Regent but try another ship,,,maybe not as much a problem....hubby not bothered as much,,,maybe "princess and the pea syndrome"??

 

The ports were sort of sad,,,to me,,due to the poverty....but glad I went to see that part of world....helped their economy a little..right...Did the Belize airboat, ziplining,then Cozumel scuba and city tour,,,hubby did one,,,me another...Then did Santo Tomas city and boat tour,,,,Costa Maya ruins together.....

 

The food was very good and enjoyed the room service every AM...also a few lunches,,,as got back from tours after LaVeranda closed and didnt want to fight crowds at pool grill....mentioned on review that they should have more waiters esp.at lunch to get drink orders...a real hassle unless you get them yourself.....

 

The shows were fun,,,get there early for good seats and a drink....

 

The service was very good,,but was on SeaDream in July and hard to compare with 100 passengers to 700....just plan on long leisurely dinners in Compass Rose,,,faster in specialty ones ,if desired.....and same with LaVeranda....if you want to have table for 2,,get there by 7 or so....

 

May plan on Eastern caribbean next winter,,with Navigator or other....hope vibration problem not as bad on them...any specifics ,,will try to help..esp.those going Dec.10 to same area.....:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Thanks Alexandra. A question about the vibration--where was your deck 6 cabin located, was it somewhat aft? I've not experienced the vibration on Voyager except in the rear of the ship, and then never too bad.

 

Navigator, if anything, is worse, or used to be at least. There are some claims that the problem was mitigated during the last drydock. But Navigator is more the size of ship you might like, and the standard cabins are lovely.

[TedC]

Glad that overall you had a wonderfull cruise!

 

"Vibrations " - think about all the quarters you saved.

 

 

 

HAppy holidays

[MalibuCA]

There has been mention on these boards that passengers not on shore excursions were detained on board sometimes about an hour in the tender ports before getting on a tender because the shore excursion groups claim priority.

 

1) Did you find this on your cruise? Was there any issue in getting on the tenders (if you had a tender port on your cruise?)

 

2) When you went online pre-cruise to reserve your shore excursions, were you able to get everything you wanted, or were you subject to a wait list? If you were wait listed, were you able to get onto the shore excursion once on board?

 

3) You mentioned that it's necessary to dine in the Compass Rose by about 7:00 p.m. if you want a table for 2. Did this happen throughout your cruise, or just in the beginning? Do you know if that was still the case at 8:00 or 8:30?

 

4) Was there any difficulty in getting a reservation in the specialty restaurants whenever you wanted?

 

Thanks for posting and for your help. Glad you had a great cruise!

 

Shelley

[kbuck73]

We just got back from this cruise as well. We’ve sailed once before, on the Mariner, and the service on this ship did not compare to two years ago. Agree with Alexandra cruiser, drink waiters were a definite disappointment. I saw people on the pool deck flagging them down, and still no one came over, and passengers had to go to pool bar themselves for drinks. I looked for a glass or bottle of water the first morning after a run, and a waiter at the pool grill told me I had to go to the bar on the other side of the deck to get it. So I walked there and they did not have any either and had to go searching for it. It was early, 8:30 or so, but still, are you kidding? Waiters and Sommelier were great in Compass rose, but I had to ask for ground pepper at every seating and always had to ask to have water filled. These are small issues, but they added up, and became irritating and not what we expect from Regent...Empty glasses were always left around the ship, on the Horizon deck, computer room, pool area. Service is always slow in Compass Rose and La Veranda, but we expect that so it is not a problem for us. We had to wait for seating every night in Compass Rose between 8-8:30, but again we do not mind any of that, it was the lack of attention that we felt was different and we really missed it. Finally, on the 3rd to last night we got superior service in Signatures and the food was phenomenal, so we mentioned this the next day to the executive concierge and for the next two days we did feel the service stepped up a bit, but still, nowhere near what we experienced on our first cruise.

One thing we did notice, was the smoke. The moment we walked on the ship it smelled of smoke. In the hallways and outside the computer room, not just the first day, but all different times through out the cruise. There were a lot of smokers on this cruise, but I did NOT notice it in the casino and we were there every night, but I heard others complain. Talked to many passengers that were highly disappointed, and everyone recommended Seabourn, but I think Silversea sounds excellent and we may try that one day. But, also talked to many first time Regent cruisers(and first time luxury cruisers) and they thought it was great and were pleased with service, included excursions, etc. The ship was full, approximately 730 passengers, lots of children (the kids do not bother us and we did not see any bad behavior). I think they must have had a large crew change it Ft. Lauderdale and we may have experienced growing pains, which is really too bad since we know how good it can be, it just missed the mark for us on this trip. We are on Mariner in May 11' and we hope it is better, because if this was out first cruise, we would not be cruising again.

Included Excursions were not good. First one was cancelled while we waited in constellation theater 45 minutes after our appointed meet time (we did get a SBC of $50 pp the last day of the cruise- but it took all week to figure it out and I had to ask about it four times). At Amatique bay resort we waited on the pier for an hour to take the 10 minute boat ride to the “5*” resort. That was a joke and no one from Regent was there to deal with the 100+ passengers waiting on the dock. Later, when I told the excursion girl that is was not a good experience, she brushed me off saying they only had 5 boats. I told her to stagger us then, but not to make people wait in the rain on the doc for an hour. The included excursions are not something we see as a benefit. Better to pay the extra money and do a decent tour on your own. I do like the idea of all inclusive, but it does not work as a luxury experience; at least not in the Caribbean and with a crowded ship.

We left our comment card and highlighted those who stood out to us, since we wanted to be sure that they are recognized for making our trip special. We did give to the crew fund since we know how hard everyone works on the ship and felt even though some areas were severely lacking in training and service, we do appreciate the efforts of all on the ship. It was a good trip, since we have fun wherever we go, but I think the location, the full ship, and maybe a change in crew left us wanting more. Overall, it felt dummed-down from our Mariner cruise.

　

　

[ededmd]

May plan on Eastern caribbean next winter,,with Navigator or other....hope vibration problem not as bad on them.

 

Having sailed after the "fix", I can say that the aft vibration is at times noticeable on Navigator even as high as Galileo's lounge (deck 11).

 

We were midship deck nine with no problems.

 

In theory would agree that being in a cabin forward of the aft elevators should be fine.

[Corvette]

I just returned from this sailing too and our cabin was on deck 9 aft. There was noticeable vibration at all times. I thought the service was outstanding on this cruise but agree that the poor waiters are understaffed and overworked. I have been on Regent 4 times and other cruise lines about 60. I think the new celebrity ships are almost surpassing Regent in all areas. I was really shocked that the carpet was in such bad condition. Poor cleaners were scrubbing and scrubbing but a total waste of time. The whole ship was this way not just a few areas. I have never been on a ship with such worn out carpet.

[kbuck73]

MalibuCA;

 

There has been mention on these boards that passengers not on shore excursions were detained on board sometimes about an hour in the tender ports before getting on a tender because the shore excursion groups claim priority.

 

1) Did you find this on your cruise? Was there any issue in getting on the tenders (if you had a tender port on your cruise?) I think they color coded those on their own (I remember seeing red tickets) and gave numbered tickets to those on Regent excursions and tried to stagger everyone, so you sat for 5-10 min in the theater and then when they call your number you waited in line to get off the ship. There was always a line getting off, but not too bad. In the one tender port we had an early excursion at 8:15 and the boat was full, but not sure about those on their own. One thing that was a problem when getting off the ship was that they would run out of towels and they tell you to bring towels from the ship. This happened to us twice, and it got pretty jammed up. People walked up to the pool deck and got towles themselves, since it was faster than waiting around for them. Passengers were not happy.

 

2) When you went online pre-cruise to reserve your shore excursions, were you able to get everything you wanted, or were you subject to a wait list? If you were wait listed, were you able to get onto the shore excursion once on board? We were wait-listed for the discover scuba, but only becasue I decided to do it a month before the cruise, so I followed up on it the first day and we got a letter in our cabin that night saying we were added. I think they try really hard to get everyone on what they want once on board.

 

3) You mentioned that it's necessary to dine in the Compass Rose by about 7:00 p.m. if you want a table for 2. Did this happen throughout your cruise, or just in the beginning? Do you know if that was still the case at 8:00 or 8:30? We eat dinner late, so we never went before 8, usually 8:30, and we always had to wait - not long 10-20 minutes. If you do not mind sharing a table with 4 or 6, they will seat you right away, but we just went to the bar, had a drink and they came and got us when ready. Service is slow, but if you know that going in, you will not be disappointed. If the service is good, I do not care how slow it is. : )

 

4) Was there any difficulty in getting a reservation in the specialty restaurants whenever you wanted? We did not try to do this because we love Compass Rose, but other people I talked to tried and could not get in. The ship was full. We had better steak in Compass Rose and Signatures than Prime 7. Prime 7 was our least favorite meal.

 

Thanks for posting and for your help. Glad you had a great cruise!

 

Shelley

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Kelly

[Travelcat2]

Have to agree with Kbuck73 (although this is a minority opinion). . . . Prime 7 is our least favorite dining venue.

 

In terms of making dining reservations in Prime 7 on any Regent cruise, if you want a specific time or date, you had better make it as far in advance as you can. Otherwise, you will wait for a cancellation, be asked if you can share a table and may have to take a 7:00 p.m. reservation.

[MarilynA]

I just returned from this cruise also. Parts were excellent, and parts were definitely not 6-star quality. There were a lot of people on board, including a large number of travel agents. I also noticed a number of people who appeared to have an “entitled” attitude, like they should be able to sit at whatever table they wanted, whenever they wanted, and the rules didn’t apply to them – you’ve seen the type, I’m sure.

There were definitely a lot of smokers on board, and there was a problem with some of them smoking on the balconies. What was really bad, however, was Regent’s attitude when I called Reception to report cigar smoking on a balcony near me that forced me to retreat inside. After a second phone call, a stewardess was dispatched to my suite to “verify” that what I was smelling was indeed cigar smoke. That was Regent’s way of dealing with the smoking problem.

It is impossible to get a decent glass of iced tea on this ship, and I suspect this is the case on all Regent ships, as they do not brew iced tea but instead use a liquid concentrate that is purchased somewhere and has to be diluted by the wait staff. There is no excuse for this, as even fast food restaurants like McDonalds are able to offer brewed iced tea. Only one time in 7 days was I ever offered a refill on iced tea, and there were usually visible groans when I indicated I would like a glass of tea rather than water or the wine that was being poured. I usually had to go to the smoke-filled bar to request a glass of tea. Finally, I started picking up tea bags at the coffee station and sticking them into bottles of water and cold brewing tea in my fridge.

The vibration “problem” is everywhere, but it didn’t bother me; I’d classify it as a surprise that I didn’t expect rather than a nuisance. My suite was midship, deck 10 (1028). I ran into an engineer who mentioned that he’d just made an adjustment in an attempt to reduce the vibration and was surprised that I was still noticing it, so it’s something they know they are still dealing with. However, it is definitely not isolated to the aft cabins or the lower decks – it is all over the ship.

Something good that I unfortunately didn’t discover until the last 2 days is the muesli. I’d read a discussion about muesli here on one of the boards and was curious about this strange bowl of oatmeal-ish “glop”, so I finally tried it about day 5, and WOW, wish I’d tried it on day 1. Regent makes it up using natural yogurt, oatmeal (or whatever grain(s) are in muesli), and a variety of fresh berries, and it should not be missed. I am going to try to figure out how to re-create it here at home if possible.

I had no trouble switching around my excursions a couple of days when I decided I was tired of visiting Mayan ruins. Even the morning of the excursions, there wasn’t a problem. The best excursion for me was Tikal by Air in Depth, the 10-hr excursion in Guatemala. Second best was in Belize, the Lamanai Ruins and New River Cruise. We had excellent guides on both these tours, and a good guide is key to a good tour. Do not waste your time on the Highlights and Shopping tour in Cozumel. You will be taken to several tourist traps and will never get to go shopping in downtown Cozumel. In Costa Maya, I signed up for the Kohunlich Ruins tour, but Regent cancelled the tour. The people who did the Dune Buggy tour said it was the best excursion of their whole cruise. I did the Jungle Beach Break, which was okay, but the beach wasn’t the greatest. It is typical for that area of coastline in Mexico, however.

I loved Prime 7 and had no problem getting a reservation after cancelling and rescheduling while onboard, but I agreed to share a table with others. Signatures was okay but not as good, imo, as Prime 7. The filet in Prime 7 was a LOT better than the filet in Compass Rose. Compass Rose suffered when the pastry chef had to leave, unfortunately. I knew immediately the day he left, because the cheesecake went from really good to tasting like it was made from a jello mix. Regent brought in a pastry chef from “corporate” to replace the regular pastry chef for CR, whatever that means.

I’m going to be looking at Crystal’s offerings for next Spring. That’s not to say that I won’t ever cruise Regent again, but I will just be a little wiser next time.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, lots of fresh opinions coming off my favourite ship! Luckily I can draw my own conclusions week after next. I sure hope they have their act together before we board! Looking forward to a classy experience (although I have found in the past that when in the Caribbean there is a frenetic quality to the trip, don't know why.)

 

By Dune buggy, do you mean the "ATV and Beach Adventure" in Coz? Interesting, might have to book this!

 

Looking forward to Prime 7 the first night! Our friend Jim just upgraded to a PH A today, but we declined.

[Paulchili]

We too just returned from this cruise and tend to agree somewhat with kbuck 73, but are much more unhappy/disappointed. Maybe my expectations were set too high based on our prior Silversea experiences(on the Cloud and Wind), but they fell quite short of our expectations.

As mentioned by others, the service in CR was very slow. However, I don't quite understand how people can feel content with this, even if they expected it (as noted by some posters above). Not only was it slow - it was some of the worst, impersonal, uninspired, inattentive service I have experienced on just about any cruise (certainly when compared to Silversea, Oceania and even Azamara). It may be expected and acceptable to others but it was unexpected and unacceptable to us. Prime 7 was only marginally better; Signatures were the best of the three as far as service goes, but nowhere near Silversea (or Oceania).

We could not get our cabin to a comfortably cool temperature despite several visits from the engineering staff; fortunately it was not very hot, as otherwise it would be intolerable.

I also could not understand the closing of all dining venues, save the pool grill, before the majority of the tours were back (often just shortly after 2 PM). This created a mad rush, long lines and long wait times at the grill - not what I would consider a "luxury experience".

It was not a terrible cruise - it just fell short of our expectations on several levels. Maybe we expected too much, maybe this was an aberration, maybe it was a large crew turn-over in FLL, maybe this is Regent today - I really don't know. I am basing all this on my experience on this (my first) Regent cruise.

We are boarding the Spirit in AM and if Silversea on this larger ship delivers what it did for us on their 2 smaller ships, I could not see myself going back to Regent. In fact, every one of our four Oceania cruises would receive higher marks from me than this Regent cruise (other than smaller standard cabins and BR on the R ships).

I know this will upset many Regent loyalists. However, these are my personal, thus very subjective, observations.

[gillianrose]

I just returned from this cruise also. Parts were excellent, and parts were definitely not 6-star quality. There were a lot of people on board, including a large number of travel agents. I also noticed a number of people who appeared to have an “entitled” attitude, like they should be able to sit at whatever table they wanted, whenever they wanted, and the rules didn’t apply to them – you’ve seen the type, I’m sure.

There were definitely a lot of smokers on board, and there was a problem with some of them smoking on the balconies. What was really bad, however, was Regent’s attitude when I called Reception to report cigar smoking on a balcony near me that forced me to retreat inside. After a second phone call, a stewardess was dispatched to my suite to “verify” that what I was smelling was indeed cigar smoke. That was Regent’s way of dealing with the smoking problem.

 

I haven't said this before but here goes (and I expect some flames from certain posters):

 

While not all TA's are smokers, I have learned in the past few years that a much higher percentage of TA's and/or their partners/spouses are likely to smoke than their own clients. Add to that the sad fact that TA's can get onboard at a pittance of what clients pay.

 

Another group that smokes a lot (and is very accustomed to special treatment) is "interliners," (current and former airline employees, for example) and so I try very hard not to cruise where there are a large number of those offers. There is a travel website where you can find out if a cruise is at deep (very deep) discount to interliners (pretend you are one of them) and when I see this offered I either don't book, or cancel the cruise I booked if it is being offered as an "interline special" at 80% off. Of course, sometimes these offers are made after final payment deadline has been reached, but increasingly the offers are made sooner so that you can find out about them.

 

I am not saying these (TA's and/or inter-liners) were the smokers on your cruise, but it would not surprise me. That Regent permitted smoking infractions is really upsetting, because any smoker reading this thread might think they can get away with this on a future cruise since nothing was done, such as booting off the offender at their own expense. If I noticed something like this happen (smoking on a balcony, for example), I would photograph it and do my utmost to ensure that the offenders were dealt with "appropriately".

 

This is not just about smoking, though. Why should I pay "the going rate" for a cruise when these groups of people get onboard for 80% off and even much less, yet demand just as much attention as full-paying passengers and are even invited to dine at officer's tables? The TA's and interliners pay far less for cruises and yet the presence of large numbers of them on a cruise pretty much ensures that the cruise will be less enjoyable for passengers, and part of that is just the way groups of them onboard behave. They cruise very often, get to know the officers and are often treated favorably, above and beyond the treatment of regular, paying passengers.

 

I am not going to defend these statements in a future post, so whoever wants to flame away may do so, but don't expect me to defend what I have written, even though I swear (from insider knowledge) that what I have posted here is the truth.

[WesW]

Hi Paul, sorry to hear your Voyager cruise did not meet your expectations...know you are very reasonable. Fair Winds and Following seas on you Spirit cruise....please seek out and say hello to Dougburns (great guy and true American Hero)...are you going to his CC meet/mingle in suite 802, 5pm on 4 Dec. U can check out the roll call thread on the Silversea board for more details.

 

Marilyn A..absolutely agree, the muesli (either in La Veranda or CRose) is delicious.

 

Gillianrose, was curious on the #of interline fares Regent is now offering..25 (from 52% to 79% off) and the next two caribbean Voyager cruises are at

interliner discounts of 70% and 71% off.

[MarilynA]

By Dune buggy, do you mean the "ATV and Beach Adventure" in Coz?.

 

Wendy, I'm referring to the Dune Buggy and Beach Break in Costa Maya. Two different couples expressed their opinion that it was their favorite excursion of the trip, even though one of the buggies had no first gear (which appeared to add to the fun). The beach that they went to was also apparently very nice.

[MarilynA]

Marilyn A..absolutely agree, the muesli (either in La Veranda or CRose) is delicious.

 

For those on the 12/10 trip, You can also find the muesli at the coffee station on Deck 5. Just don't judge it by its looks. :)

[kbuck73]

There were definitely a lot of smokers on board, and there was a problem with some of them smoking on the balconies. What was really bad, however, was Regent’s attitude when I called Reception to report cigar smoking on a balcony near me that forced me to retreat inside. After a second phone call, a stewardess was dispatched to my suite to “verify” that what I was smelling was indeed cigar smoke. That was Regent’s way of dealing with the smoking problem.

We were in a forward cabin on deck 7 and we had some of the crew out on the deck below on the bow of the ship smoking cigarettes and cigars and the smoke drifted up to our balcony. On the second day that this happened I called and complained after I talked to our neighbor and it bothered them as well. It was dealt with immediately. I felt bad since the crew needs their break, but it was really bothersome and it was sort of a shock that it even occurred in the first place.

 

It is impossible to get a decent glass of iced tea on this ship, and I suspect this is the case on all Regent ships, as they do not brew iced tea but instead use a liquid concentrate that is purchased somewhere and has to be diluted by the wait staff. There is no excuse for this, as even fast food restaurants like McDonalds are able to offer brewed iced tea. Only one time in 7 days was I ever offered a refill on iced tea, and there were usually visible groans when I indicated I would like a glass of tea rather than water or the wine that was being poured. I usually had to go to the smoke-filled bar to request a glass of tea. Finally, I started picking up tea bags at the coffee station and sticking them into bottles of water and cold brewing tea in my fridge.

that is so funny about the iced tea! My husband drinks iced tea during the day and he had to send it back once b/c it was bad, and I can not tell you how many times he did not drink it b/c the ice melted and no one ever replaced it or thought to bring him ice to turn it back into iced tea.

[kbuck73]

I haven't said this before but here goes (and I expect some flames from certain posters):

 

This is not just about smoking, though. Why should I pay "the going rate" for a cruise when these groups of people get onboard for 80% off and even much less, yet demand just as much attention as full-paying passengers and are even invited to dine at officer's tables? The TA's and interliners pay far less for cruises and yet the presence of large numbers of them on a cruise pretty much ensures that the cruise will be less enjoyable for passengers, and part of that is just the way groups of them onboard behave. They cruise very often, get to know the officers and are often treated favorably, above and beyond the treatment of regular, paying passengers.

quote]

 

Gillianrose, thanks for writing this, because this makes a lot of sense and I think there were a lot of TA and even some Regent employees on this cruise. I do not know if this has anything to do with anything, but a week and half before our cruise all categories were listed as open or guarantee and then all of a sudden they were all "wait listed" I had called about a month before and asked how full the sailing was and they said about 60%. What is interesting is that our neighbors on board were in FL for 3 days prior to the cruise and said they saw reduced fare advertisements in the local paper. That, along with the TA reductions explains why the cruise was packed. I was also told that all the Caribbean cruises are running full and I heard this from several different crew members, but the website shows cabins available. Whatever, it's over, but I really hope our Mariner cruise in May is better.

[Paulchili]

Hi Paul, sorry to hear your Voyager cruise did not meet your expectations...know you are very reasonable. Fair Winds and Following seas on you Spirit cruise....please seek out and say hello to Dougburns (great guy and true American Hero)...are you going to his CC meet/mingle in suite 802, 5pm on 4 Dec. U can check out the roll call thread on the Silversea board for more details.

 

Thanks Wes. I too was surprised as I closely followed your wonderful reports from the TA voyage and what a good time you all had.

It had to be an aberration of some kind (maybe a lot of new staff?).

I will look up Doug and say Hi to him from you.

[Travelcat2]

I haven't said this before but here goes (and I expect some flames from certain posters):

 

While not all TA's are smokers, I have learned in the past few years that a much higher percentage of TA's and/or their partners/spouses are likely to smoke than their own clients. Add to that the sad fact that TA's can get onboard at a pittance of what clients pay.

 

Another group that smokes a lot (and is very accustomed to special treatment) is "interliners," (current and former airline employees, for example) and so I try very hard not to cruise where there are a large number of those offers. There is a travel website where you can find out if a cruise is at deep (very deep) discount to interliners (pretend you are one of them) and when I see this offered I either don't book, or cancel the cruise I booked if it is being offered as an "interline special" at 80% off. Of course, sometimes these offers are made after final payment deadline has been reached, but increasingly the offers are made sooner so that you can find out about them.

 

I am not saying these (TA's and/or inter-liners) were the smokers on your cruise, but it would not surprise me. That Regent permitted smoking infractions is really upsetting, because any smoker reading this thread might think they can get away with this on a future cruise since nothing was done, such as booting off the offender at their own expense. If I noticed something like this happen (smoking on a balcony, for example), I would photograph it and do my utmost to ensure that the offenders were dealt with "appropriately".

 

This is not just about smoking, though. Why should I pay "the going rate" for a cruise when these groups of people get onboard for 80% off and even much less, yet demand just as much attention as full-paying passengers and are even invited to dine at officer's tables? The TA's and interliners pay far less for cruises and yet the presence of large numbers of them on a cruise pretty much ensures that the cruise will be less enjoyable for passengers, and part of that is just the way groups of them onboard behave. They cruise very often, get to know the officers and are often treated favorably, above and beyond the treatment of regular, paying passengers.

 

I am not going to defend these statements in a future post, so whoever wants to flame away may do so, but don't expect me to defend what I have written, even though I swear (from insider knowledge) that what I have posted here is the truth.

 

Bravo for saying it like it is!!!!! This isn't about smoking or not. . . . . it is about following the guidelines set forth by the cruise company. Smoking is allowed in cabins and balconies on most cruise lines. . . . . Regent is not one of them. If you cannot follow the rules, stay off of the ship. PERIOD!

[Sunviking]

I'm surprised about comments about vibration. My DH and I were in 971, an aft Seven Seas Suite on the transatlantic and we had no problems with vibration.

 

We ate every night around 8:30 PM (12 nights of the 15 in Compass Rose) and never had to wait more than 2 minutes for a table, usually for two. Our service was good except for a few nights when the dining room seemed especially busy and we had slight waits.

 

Interesting about the ice tea because we are from the south, and we southerners like our ice tea. We always found it easy to get and it was perfectly fine. We didn't think the same about the coffee.

 

As for carpets and the general condition of the ship, we were aft on deck 9. The carpets looked okay to us as they did in other parts of the ship. This was our first Regent Cruise and we thought the ship was well-maintained. We have sailed on more than 30 cruises and we found this to be a lovely cruise.

[RachelG]

My husband had to instruct the waiter once regarding proper iced tea on our Norway cruise. After that, it was always done perfectly, and we are from the south as well, so we know our iced tea.

Other times on Regent ships (Voyager multiple times, Mariner, the old Diamond, and PG when it was Regent), we never had a problem. My experience is that if you want something a certain way, if you will explain to the bartender or waiter, they will remember and try to do it like you desire. You just need to tell them in a nice way.

[Travelcat2]

Sunviking (still love your avetar:-): Glad to hear that you enjoyed your first Regent cruise. Fortunately you did not have the same expectations as some repeat customers.

 

Unfortunately, the level and quality of food and service is not quite what it was a few years ago (not the last century -- perhaps back in 2006). Yes, Regent is definitely better than mainstream and premium cruiselines. . . . . just beginning to fall short of other luxury lines. I can imagine that the inclusion of travel agents would make it worse (feeling of entitlement, etc.)

 

Regent is losing their longtime, loyal passengers while gaining new ones. This is the way of life sometimes. I do wonder what they will do when the "new" passengers see the trend downwards continuing:confused: Prestige Cruise Holdings (the parent company) seems to feel that going super all-inclusive will make up for the lack of service, etc. All it has done for us is make us try other luxury cruise lines. Our January, 2011 Mariner cruise will pretty much decide our future in luxury cruising.

[OrpingtonT]

Unfortunately, the level and quality of food and service is not quite what it was a few years ago (not the last century -- perhaps back in 2006

 

Regent is losing their longtime, loyal passengers while gaining new ones. This is the way of life sometimes.

 

These are presented as facts rather than just opinions and I am afraid I have to disagree.

 

In my opinion, and I have been sailing Regent since the summer of 2006, your base year, the level and quality of the food in Compass Rose has steadily improved until on my last cruise it was consistantly superb. The service level is, in my opinion, about the same.

 

Where is the evidence that longtime, loyal customers are being lost? The number of repeat customers is astonishingly high, 76% on our recent Voyager cruise.

[Threechicks]

OT, I agree. On my Regent cruises this year the SSS Gold and up parties were packed. Also, I found the food and service to be excellent and I am picky about those things when I have paid a lot of money - but I don't go around with a checklist looking for problems. I go expecting to enjoy myself - and I do. I don't understand the one message about the state of the carpets. They were in good shape, clean and well maintained. I recall comments about funny stains last year but those stains were tricks of light hitting the nap depending on where you were standing. The Voyager and Mariner hold around 700 each. About six posters on this board state the opinions of the rest of the passengers? That wouldn't even make a good political poll.