Oct 2015 Barcelona-Venice question

[keyarra]

My husband and I are looking at the Barcelona-Venice cruise in Oct 2015. We are wanting to try a smaller line and love the all inclusive idea. We can't book until December but are wondering if booking a guarantee room is worth it if we don't mind where on the ship we are put. While I would love to book a concierge or penthouse I just don't think we can. Is there any real benefit to booking early if you don't care what room you get? Downside to just booking a guarantee room? Does this mean we get rooms with bad views? We are looking at other smaller lines but the included excursions and no smoking in rooms or verandas really has me sold on this line.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Dee

[jhp]

Keyarra, since no responses yet for your question, I will attempt to.

 

You say you cannot book until December. If you booked now, and had to cancel, you may incur an administrative fee to cancel, unless you re-book for another cruise, any cruise within a year.

 

Since you have to wait until December, you will have to wait to see what is available then. GTY cabins may or may not be available in the less expensive decks/categories. You can see what is available on the website at that point. The ships generally book from the bottom up, and the top down as a rule (that is not written in stone). H cabins always seem to book first, then G.

 

I have booked a few GTY cabins in the past. You are guaranteed at least at the level you paid for. Sometimes I have booked a G category, and ended up with a cabin with a higher category, but same stateroom on a higher deck. There are no obstructed view cabins on Regent. If you look on the rss, you will see that some lifeboats may be near certain cabins, but certainly not what I would call an "obstruction". They are never directly in front of them.

 

You will get different bennies in the non-PH levels above E, I believe. Those have never been an incentive to me, because being seasick prone, the lower the better on the ship, the more I like it.

[RachelG]

If this is on mariner, it really doesn't matter where on the ship you are. But what you need to know is that some suites have a tub and some a shower. If this is important to you, don't do a guarantee.

 

On voyager, I would not do a guarantee as the suites toward the rear have vibration which is unacceptable to my husband.

[jhp]

If this is on mariner, it really doesn't matter where on the ship you are. But what you need to know is that some suites have a tub and some a shower. If this is important to you, don't do a guarantee.

 

On voyager, I would not do a guarantee as the suites toward the rear have vibration which is unacceptable to my husband.

 

Absolutely correct, especially about the tub/or/shower choice.. I didn't know what ship she/he was on. The Mariner is my favorite ship, tub or no tub! Have never been in those back cabins on the Voyager, and have never booked a GTY on her. I agree, there is simply no bad cabin on the Mariner from what I have heard, as long as you don't require a tub. I usually book G with one when I can. I was focused on obstructions, but you bring up great points about the tub/shower thing. I don't always get them either, with my preferences, not even when I am GTY.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

We were on the Mariner on that itinerary. I agree there are no bad cabins. Mariner is my favorite ship. And most of the suites are the same regardless of category. Until you get to Penthouse or Aft or Seven Seas Suites they are all the same size. Some have tubs with showers over and others are walk in showers being retrofitted. On most cruises if there are rough seas you want to have a cabin low and center but on the Med - the seas are usually calm and the location won't matter. That itinerary is also at that time of year (shoulder season) and the last few years I have watched -not sailing at full capacity. We got an upgrade from standard cabin to one of the Aft Corner suites. We had incredible sunny weather for much of the trip and I will never forget the sail into Venice on the Grand Canal.

[xrvlcruiser]

For me, the tub cabins on the Mariner are an issue if you are either short (I'm 5'2") or have mobility issues.

 

Just a heads up.

 

Peggy

[flossie009]

If the cruise you are considering is on Voyager (Barc -Ven Oct 15), then all the basic staterooms are just fine - all large and with separate bath & shower. It is really not worth the upgrade to a Penthouse unless you are desperate for a Butler.

However, Voyager does have some vibration at the stern - this bothers some but not others.

 

Our recent experience of a GTY was on Mariner. We only booked a few weeks before sailing and opted for a G Grade Guarantee. About a week before embarkation Regent allocated us an F Grade. Since this had a bath with shower over we rang our TA who spoke to Regent and they changed us to an F with a shower - in a good position near the front.

[Zqueeze1]

Our first ever Regent cruise was in Apr 2013 onboard the Mariner also from BCN to VEN and we had booked a Cat H GTY cabin. Although our cabin was pretty forward, we were very pleased. After all, It's REGENT!:D Our second Regent cruise was onboard the Navigator and we also booked the same but jumped at an upsell opportunity due to the vessel's vibration issues. As mentioned by others, onboard the Mariner it seems that having a tub is the amin discriminator; and the Navigator's issue is avoiding the aft cabins if one thinks that the vibration may be an issue. However, both our Regent cruise experiences were so wonderful that I cannot get The Boss (my DW) to cruise on another line. We sincerely hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

Z and TB

[TedC]

Voyager standard suites are about 50 sq. feet larger than standard Mariner suites - that extra space is very welcomed- larger head (nautical term for toilet) and walk-in closet - even the safe is larger!

 

I prefer Voyager but I always try to be low and amidships - less movement,

[keyarra]

Thank you all so much!!! We are still researching but are loving this idea of an all inclusive cruise without our children.