When does Regent put poor cruises on sale?

[rarin2go]

The surefire way to spoil a holiday is to ask the person next to you how much they paid. (Especially if they are British :-)

 

We spent some time with a US based travel agent a couple of years ago and explored the possibility of booking our next Regent cruise with her, not especially to save money, but to put a little extra business her way. We soon learned that it couldn't be done and so we've continued to book directly with Regent UK (from whom we get excellent service, btw))....)

 

Every time we have looked at booking a Regent cruise, I have contacted a highly recommended US specialist TA for pricing comparison. It has always worked out the same as or more than the best price I could find from a UK TA - even allowing for rebates and OBCs - but I was never told that it couldn't be done. And we have never found the direct booking with Regent remotely competitive on price.

 

Now if we could only get UK pricing with US rebates & OBCs, we might look at Regent again but for now they are out of our reach and heading further north!.....:o

[tallship]

The surefire way to spoil a holiday is to ask the person next to you how much they paid. (Especially if they are British :-)

 

Agreed. been there, done that twice. On last year's cruise, my mom felt miserable as friends paid almost 66% less than we did after adjusting for included air, etc.

[gnomie1]

Agreed. been there, done that twice. On last year's cruise, my mom felt miserable as friends paid almost 66% less than we did after adjusting for included air, etc.

 

This may backfire big time for Regent. Before the internet and a method for the world to communicate easily, companies could do whatever they wanted without any consequences. Speaking just for ourselves, who usually take at least two Regent cruises each year, we are seriously looking at other options. There is absolutely no way we can justify paying a 60% surcharge for the same cruise as other passengers. I am sure we are not alone in our thinking. As it is, I believe the Regent is starting to price themselves out of the market, which is why we are now seeing such dramatic sale pricing on specific sailings. I know now that before booking any cruise with Regent, we will have to think long and hard - "are we getting the best price or are others getting a much better deal? We are platinum and have a long history with Radisson/Regent are are really quite saddened by the knowledge that not all passengers have been treated equally - something that we really admired Regent for.

 

gnomie :)

[Travelcat2]

From what I recall, Regent customers have never been equal in terms of fares. Air was only offered to U.S. and Canadian citizens for a long time. I am not certain if it is offered worldwide today.

 

I was sent a U.K. brochure online yesterday but have not had the time to review it in depth. I did notice that the prices (particularly looking at Baltic itineraries) listed only "Concierge" and "Veranda" suites. Assuming that the prices shown are the lowest available. As expected, the prices are lower and they offer pre-cruise hotel to all levels (assuming this to be true as it is part of the advertisement but, again, I haven't read the small print).

 

IMO, as with any program or policy Regent has had, if people living in the U.S. stop booking Regent and they cannot fill the ships with people from the U.K., they might change the policy.