Recent Price Hike??

[bluejayrover]

Is it my imagination or has Regent really jacked up it's prices for late 2105 - 2016?? I have seen many cruises now up to $2,000 per day for 2 people. Was the reason they were late publishing the new materials is that NCL wanted to take prices up after the acquisition and that took extra time? Or that they wanted to set Explorer prices super high for year 1 and have the other prices in line with that?

 

Our 30 day Indian Ocean trip was about $1,000 a day for the Penthouse C. Now that same trip is $1500 a day,

 

Am I wrong on this??

[Caroldoll]

They have made their prices unreasonable as well as their terms. I can't believe anyone would pay as much as they are charging.

[RachelG]

OTOH, we were just notified of a price reduction for our cruise in sept 2015. Since it is before final payment, our TA was able to get the reduction for us. Had it was a true reduction, not an increase on onboard spending credit or something like that.

Perhaps the cruise is not selling well because it was overpriced to begin with, and now they are having to lower the price to fill the ship. Would be better to be well priced from the get go.

[poss]

Hi Rachel,

 

Which cruise are you speaking of, please?

[poss]

Actually I believe I remember your mentioning it a year ago. I bet it's Sept 16. ;-)

[wripro]

How else are they going to give you all that supposedly "free" stuff?

[RachelG]

It is the Istanbul to istanbul cruise on Mariner, spet 16

[jillyf]

I've just checked our Dubai to Cape Town November 2015 cruise and the price has decreased dramatically.

There is availability showing on all but the cheapest suites and some higher priced suites.

We have just sent an email to our TA and hope we can pay the new fare.

We've only paid the deposit, so have our fingers crossed!

[Travelcat2]

I've just checked our Dubai to Cape Town November 2015 cruise and the price has decreased dramatically.

There is availability showing on all but the cheapest suites and some higher priced suites.

We have just sent an email to our TA and hope we can pay the new fare.

We've only paid the deposit, so have our fingers crossed!

 

That is really interesting. We thought about that cruise but decided upon the Cape Town to Cape Town itinerary that has been booked almost since the day it came out.

[gnomie1]

I've just checked our Dubai to Cape Town November 2015 cruise and the price has decreased dramatically.

There is availability showing on all but the cheapest suites and some higher priced suites.

We have just sent an email to our TA and hope we can pay the new fare.

We've only paid the deposit, so have our fingers crossed!

 

We are on the same cruise and already received the price adjustment and the shipboard credit.

 

If you read between the lines and actually do an analysis of the numbers (which I did, but then again I am a Excel geek) - only the cruises that are selling extremely well are having any increases, the others are holding their own and many have had price reductions, some quite significant depending where you live.

 

It also appears that all reductions are not the same - while there have been slight reductions in the price for the US market, the EXACT same cruises are now selling for more than 60% less in the UK market. I guess Regent stands by the old belief that Americans are much less price sensitive than other areas of the World. There is absolutely no way on this G-d's green earth that I would reserve a cruise knowing that others are able to book the exact same cruise at the exact same time for discounts in excess of 60%.

 

I also took the liberty (it is easily available if one spends the time on the internet) to see how full the cruises are for the rest of 2015. While there are a handful of cruises, specifically the Capetown to Capetown cruise that are nearly sold out, the majority of the cruises have plenty of space available. Regent needs to sell that space and they are hoping to find Americans who do not mind paying an excessive surcharge because the same cruise is being offered in other to residents in other parts of the World for significantly less.

 

gnomie :)

[mrlevin]

gnomie, a large part of that difference on how much cheaper to buy in UK and Europe is due to the dollar strength right now; they used to change rates based on changing exchange rates just once a year; don't know if it is any more frequent now. So, after next change in rates, and if dollar weakens, Europeans will be making the same complaint/comment.

 

By the way this also true with airline flights although I think they update much more frequently. I bet Europeans think fares on US airlines are low right now.

 

Marc

Edited March 15, 2015 by Marq

[rallydave]

gnomie, a large part of that difference on how much cheaper to buy in UK and Europe is due to the dollar strength right now; they used to change rates based on changing exchange rates just once a year; don't know if it is any more frequent now. So, after next change in rates, and if dollar weakens, Europeans will be making the same complaint/comment.

 

By the way this also true with airline flights although I think they update much more frequently. I bet Europeans think fares on US airlines are low right now.

 

Marc

 

Really confused by your comments Marc?? It is more expensive for UK and Euro people to buy cruises and flight now so how can they think fares are cheap now since the only difference is the strong US Dollar. People from the US get a discount on things they buy in the UK and Europe now while those from the UK and Europe pay more so why would fares be 60% less expensive in the UK?? And, as gnomie1 stated, the fares are in the range of 60% lower.

 

The dollar is stronger in the past year by about 15% so how would that be a large part of a 60% decrease even if you are right and I am wrong about the costs. Know the economists are saying that the US can import items cheaper but, exports are more expensive which negates you thoughts but again, 15% isn't a large part of a 60% decrease. Confused

[gnomie1]

gnomie, a large part of that difference on how much cheaper to buy in UK and Europe is due to the dollar strength right now; they used to change rates based on changing exchange rates just once a year; don't know if it is any more frequent now. So, after next change in rates, and if dollar weakens, Europeans will be making the same complaint/comment.

 

By the way this also true with airline flights although I think they update much more frequently. I bet Europeans think fares on US airlines are low right now.

 

Marc

 

It has absolutely nothing to do with the value of the dollar, and if it did, your rational makes absolutely no sense at all. While the majority of cruises are priced in the same price levels on both sides of the pond, there are some cruises which are priced in the UK market at less than 60% for the same cruise in the US - instead of offering the sale to US residents and upsetting those that booked initially and paid dearly, Regent is unloading slow selling cruises in Europe. This is nothing new - on our last cruise, there were lots of Brits who booked late because they were being offered an amazing deal. We were on a cruise once where there were a large number of "non-American" (I will leave it at that) passengers who were able to get amazing deals. Problem was that they had never been on an "all-inclusive" cruise before and there were more than a few people who over drank their welcome. The big discussion on the ship was that many of the passengers went to the cruise consultant to book a future trip and were truly shocked when they were introduced to the true fares.

 

gnomie :)

[pingpong1]

Dave & Gnomie - You are both correct. Europeans would find U.S. airfares (and U.S. cruise fares) to be more expensive (certainly not cheaper) at the moment with the increased strength of the Dollar (as compared to the Euro or British Pound). So if the Europeans are now getting a "bargain" on Regent cruise fares (reportedly discounts of up to 60% compared to U.S. prices) then "something else" is definitely going on here. Regards.

[TedC]

It is ALL ABOUT MONEY and Regent wants to get as much enough of it it can and also give pax a luxury experience!!

 

Prices jump around like a kangaroo so prices can make PROFIT!

Edited March 15, 2015 by TedC

[Travelcat2]

There is a recent thread discussing the subject of U.K. vs. U.S. pricing. I am interested in the subject of this thread as I am sure others are since this could affect them in terms of receiving money back on one or more of their booked cruises.

 

bluejayrover, I agree that prices have risen overall for 2016. In terms of 2015, would like to see more examples.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Travelcat2

[kennicott]

In October, on the Mariner, we really got a price shock when checking out the itineraries for a 2015 New England/Mediterranean. We like Regent and prefer booking them over others.

 

We normally book our voyages based upon three decisions, 1. Itinerary, 2. Quality of the ship and line, 3. Price. So far our expenses on our Regent cruises haven't been all that much greater than what we experience on the other two non-inclusive lines when we factor in all the nickel and dimeing associated with all the add-on charges. However, recently we have become aware that we might have just been lucky and happened on to good deals for our 120 days sailing with Regent. Regent may be slowly increasing their rates and reducing their level of service, but we are not yet certain if that is the case.

 

Wife has always wanted to visit Niagra Falls. So we began looking. Princess has a 19 day Cruise tour, beginning with five days on a coach taking in Niagara Falls from a boat, four hotels, etc with the ship portion beginning near Montreal and ending in Houston but then we could add on a back to back for a few more sea days making it 23 days in all. Regent doesn't have any advance excursions that include Niagara Falls or anything close for that matter. We played around with all sorts of ideas and finally decided we would probably book Regent on a back to back which takes in their limited New England cruise and gives us some sea days in the Caribbean, a 24 day cruise in all, and maybe book three advance days in Montreal (which we didn't cost out) and hope to run into a two day tour down to Niagara Falls when there.

 

When it got down to checking out the expenses, Regent blew our socks off. They want around 3.5 times, $23,510, more than Princess and we don't get any advance sightseeing or Niagara Falls with Regent. I can buy a lot of wine and shore excursions on board Princess for that kind of dough, so I don't get my New York Times every morning or free internet but on Princess we do get 500 minutes for free and another 500 at a very low price. Also, Princess gives us free laundry which Regent doesn't.

 

Plus, the mini-suite and balcony on Caribbean Princess is larger than the one we had on the Mariner and is a just slightly smaller cabin but larger balcony than the one on the Seven Seas Navigator, we would be on if we selected Regent.

[Travelcat2]

Very interesting comparison of fares on Princess vs. Regent. For us, however, it would take a lot for us to sail on a ship that is larger than Regent (or Oceania). I do wonder how much Regent business has been lost to Princess, HAL or Celebrity.

 

Sorry - do not want to be off-topic. Still anxious to learn which Regent cruises have increased or decreased their fares significantly for 2015.

[Caroldoll]

Regent is gouging people. And, maybe Oceania too. They got tooo comfortable. We went on Princess this past August and were really surprised at the gooooood quality of the cruise. Yes, we paid for the alternatives and YES WE CAME OUT less than HALF of what we would have spent on Oceania. NCL better re-evaluate...or the cruisers on O can R can work the numbers. Good times are over.

[Travelcat2]

Still strongly believe that if/when Regent passengers start booking other cruise lines, management will pay attention. There seems to be an across the board issue of filling ships with Baltic, Middle Eastern and some Med. itineraries. IMO, Princess is not and never will be a competitor of Regent, Seabourn, Crystal or Silversea. Princess, Celebrity and HAL have a "luxury" section but remain mainstream/premium cruise lines. Trying really hard to stick with the luxury sector although I do understand (on an intellectual level) that some people enjoy the special treatment given to passengers in upper suites on Princess, Celebrity and HAL.

[gnomie1]

Very interesting comparison of fares on Princess vs. Regent. For us, however, it would take a lot for us to sail on a ship that is larger than Regent (or Oceania). I do wonder how much Regent business has been lost to Princess, HAL or Celebrity.

 

Sorry - do not want to be off-topic. Still anxious to learn which Regent cruises have increased or decreased their fares significantly for 2015.

 

 

Since I do not know the rules for what can be posted on this board, I will provide just one example right now. Hopefully this will not get deleted, but I believe it will. Initially, I was not going to post what had happened to us, but the response that we received from the CEO of Regent was just so insulting, we felt everyone should know what is going on and make their own judgment.

 

The Voyager is leaving R/T from Copenhagen on July 6th for a 20 cruise. Right now, the price (after the recent price reduction) for a "D" category suite in the U.S. is $18,999 which includes R/T business class air. I looked into getting air on our own and from NYC, I can get R/T non-stop flights in business for $2,800, I am sure Regent paid much less.

 

THIS EXACT SAME CRUISE, which does include "first" class r/t flights b/w London and Copenhagen is currently 5,799 pounds, which converted to dollars is approximately $8,698.

 

This is not isolated - there are other cruises with the same pricing differential. They are very easy to locate, just search for overseas travel agents. I initially learned of this from family that lives in the UK - they started to forward me all the "deals" that were coming their way, some with quite significant price reductions.

 

In a nutshell, the Americans are subsidizing the vacations of others.

 

When I reached out to the corporate office, this is the response that I received regarding the pricing differential:

 

We do value all our guests equally and continually strive to find ways to ensure any discrepancies are kept to a minimum as much as possible.

 

We actually found the above statement to be insulting, as if a difference of more than $10,000 is somehow minimal - maybe in his wallet, but not in mine.

 

In all probability, our November cruise will be our last on Regent. I work in excess of 70 hours/week, week in and week out and do not mind paying a premium price for a premium product. However, I am unwilling to subsidize another passenger's holiday. I can be one of the most generous people you will ever meet, but to those that are in need of a helping hand, not for a luxury vacation.

 

gnomie :)

Edited March 16, 2015 by gnomie1

[TrulyBlonde]

Regent is gouging people. And, maybe Oceania too. They got tooo comfortable. We went on Princess this past August and were really surprised at the gooooood quality of the cruise. Yes, we paid for the alternatives and YES WE CAME OUT less than HALF of what we would have spent on Oceania. NCL better re-evaluate...or the cruisers on O can R can work the numbers. Good times are over.

 

Interesting...I want to do a British Isles cruise with a specific itinerary for 2016. I actually emailed my TA today to book us a TA from FLL to Southhampton in an aft suite on Princess. The itinerary sold us, and am looking forward to this wonderful cruise.

[sanne]

Regent are selling the 6th July 20 day cruise Copenhagen to Copenhagen on their Australian site for D cabin US$9099. No air of course but still a significant discount to their US site.

[OctoberKat]

Since I do not know the rules for what can be posted on this board, I will provide just one example right now. Hopefully this will not get deleted, but I believe it will. Initially, I was not going to post what had happened to us, but the response that we received from the CEO of Regent was just so insulting, we felt everyone should know what is going on and make their own judgment.

 

The Voyager is leaving R/T from Copenhagen on July 6th for a 20 cruise. Right now, the price (after the recent price reduction) for a "D" category suite in the U.S. is $18,999 which includes R/T business class air. I looked into getting air on our own and from NYC, I can get R/T non-stop flights in business for $2,800, I am sure Regent paid much less.

 

THIS EXACT SAME CRUISE, which does include "first" class r/t flights b/w London and Copenhagen is currently 5,799 pounds, which converted to dollars is approximately $8,698.

 

This is not isolated - there are other cruises with the same pricing differential. They are very easy to locate, just search for overseas travel agents. I initially learned of this from family that lives in the UK - they started to forward me all the "deals" that were coming their way, some with quite significant price reductions.

 

In a nutshell, the Americans are subsidizing the vacations of others.

 

When I reached out to the corporate office, this is the response that I received regarding the pricing differential:

 

We do value all our guests equally and continually strive to find ways to ensure any discrepancies are kept to a minimum as much as possible.

 

We actually found the above statement to be insulting, as if a difference of more than $10,000 is somehow minimal - maybe in his wallet, but not in mine.

 

In all probability, our November cruise will be our last on Regent. I work in excess of 70 hours/week, week in and week out and do not mind paying a premium price for a premium product. However, I am unwilling to subsidize another passenger's holiday. I can be one of the most generous people you will ever meet, but to those that are in need of a helping hand, not for a luxury vacation.

 

gnomie :)

 

Ouch.

[Travelcat2]

Is it my imagination or has Regent really jacked up it's prices for late 2105 - 2016?? I have seen many cruises now up to $2,000 per day for 2 people. Was the reason they were late publishing the new materials is that NCL wanted to take prices up after the acquisition and that took extra time? Or that they wanted to set Explorer prices super high for year 1 and have the other prices in line with that?

 

Our 30 day Indian Ocean trip was about $1,000 a day for the Penthouse C. Now that same trip is $1500 a day,

 

Am I wrong on this??

 

Not sure if you will get the feedback that you were seeking as this thread has reverted to another topic. Were you looking at prices for all Regent cruises or just the Explorer? IMO, the Explorer prices are higher than I have ever seen. It will be interesting to learn what the prices look like on the Explorer after the "inaugural season" which, according to brochures, will end November 2, 2016.

 

In terms of NCL, I seriously doubt if they had anything to do with the late publishing of new material. Since the Explorer will be under construction for the next 15 months , everything Regent prints has to be created as there are no photographs to take of the ship. I do wonder why the Navigator information is missing for the end of 2016. I suspect that Regent is still figuring out itineraries for the two ships.