Huge decline . . . .?

Travelcat2 · June 30, 2015

Wow, I have read CC a bit over the past year or so, but have almost completely refrained from posting. Just looked at the CC member reviews for the Voyager for the first time in many months, and 8 of the last 12 reviewers rate their cruise aboard Voyager 2 stars or fewer.

After having sailed on the Voyager the past three years in the Med in October, for personal and business reasons, we are strongly considering canceling our Oct cruise this year, and seeing these extremely poor ratings makes me think that perhaps this would the best course right now.

Aloha from Hanalei,

Mark

Aren't you within the penalty phase of your October cruise? I ask because our deadline for cancelling our November cruise was this week. Obviously, in order to even see a decline, you need to have a few Regent cruises under your belt to make a comparison. As you can see, most Regent cruisers are quite satisfied with their cruises and do not see a decline. As newlondon and I were discussing, there is always the "odd" cruise that does not meet expectations (although, to be fair, he enjoys every cruise - even when there are some major bumps in the road).

HanaleiSailor · June 30, 2015

Aren't you within the penalty phase of your October cruise? I ask because our deadline for cancelling our November cruise was this week. Obviously, in order to even see a decline, you need to have a few Regent cruises under your belt to make a comparison. As you can see, most Regent cruisers are quite satisfied with their cruises and do not see a decline. As newlondon and I were discussing, there is always the "odd" cruise that does not meet expectations (although, to be fair, he enjoys every cruise - even when there are some major bumps in the road).

As noted above, I have sailed Voyager in the Med in each of the last three years. I believe that we have a few more weeks before the penalty hits on our invoice. And perhaps I am just looking at a way to soften the blow of needing to cancel the cruise for personal and business reasons.

However, because we are in the Tourism and Hospitality business and own a business which is reviewed on Trip Advisor and Yelp several times or more per week, I am very familiar with how reviews work, and I basically discount both the gushing praise and the extremely disgruntled, but there is usually a good thread of truth running through the average ratings, and those CC ratings for Voyager have been really poor over the past few months. A pattern of one to two star cruise ratings on a luxury cruise would seem to indicate something is amiss. I made the posting specifically to hear from others who cruise but do not review. You can search the reviews for my review of our cruise last October. I rated the cruise very highly.

Also, I did not post my thoughts that because of the changes that Regent has made to their air program for those of us who live in Hawaii, in my view, a Regent cruise, for us, has greatly decreased in the value provided for the money we spend on the holiday. Over just a four year period, I think that we will pay between 30 to 40 percent more now for a similar experience to that of our first Regent experience (which we loved).

Finally, it has been widely reported that from the NCL buyout, there are some huge financial considerations for Regent management to find considerable cost savings in the first full year of operation under NCL, and from some of these reviews, I thought that there is a possibility that staffing, purchasing, and other areas have seen cutbacks which have affected the Regent experience.

Aloha from Hanalei,

Mark

forevertravel · June 30, 2015

Mark, we got off the Voyager three weeks ago (June 6) and had a wonderful experience. We sailed for 14 days from Barcelona to England. I also read those reviews and my reaction was "were we on the same ship?". The food, service, wine, everything was top notch as has always been our experience. I love macaroons and I noticed on the first day there were no macaroons on the sweets tray they bring at end of dinner in CR. I asked Douglas, the restaurant manager, about it. He said they have macaroons every other day. That said, he sent macaroons to our table every night. We also enjoyed Cline Old Vine Zinfandel. The wine steward heard us mention we liked it and every night we had a bottle of Cline. The Seven Seas Society parties (for Gold and above) were excellent. So again, we didn't find anything to dislike. We love the Regent experience and have always had great service. Even the tours were good. We had very good guides and the buses didn't have more than 20 to 25 passengers. So, I had a hard time understanding all the negativity. Don't give up on the Voyager or any other Regent ship because of a few negative comments. There are people you can't never please.

Forevertravel

newlondon · June 30, 2015

forevertravel, You sure do know how to hurt a guy who was already hurting:eek:

pingpong1 · June 30, 2015

I've been reading all the comments on this thread and can definitely see a bit of both sides of the conversation. Although I've only got 3 Regent cruises under my own belt, I have experienced some instances where I felt things were "less than luxurious". And then there were other cases where I thought things were really "top notch". For the record, I've never written a formal review of my cruises.

But recently, there has been a lot of discussion with respect to whether the ever-increasing prices that Regent is charging are "worth the money".

If one person goes on a cruise and has a "great time", with all the nice touches that "Forevertravel" apparently experienced, and felt that the price paid was of "no particular consequence" for the product received (not intended to sound flippant) then that is one perspective. I feel this is particularly true in the case of someone like TC, who has pretty much told us through her thousands of posts that Regent just isn't going to do anything so egregious that it would cause her to never take another Regent cruise again (case in point was her "CFH" and several poor dining experiences on other cruises where she sent the meal back). She has "invested" so much in Regent (both emotionally and financially) that when/if she has a poor experience on one cruise, she simply looks forward to the next cruise with the expectation that it will "most likely" be better.

Then there are others (including all those who have recently written unfavorable reviews) who go on the same cruise and seem to highlight the negatives. It might not necessarily mean that the negative reviewers really experienced something totally different than the "cheerleaders".

I believe what might really be happening is that the people who come back and write poor reviews, with the clarity of a couple of weeks since disembarkation are really coming to the decision that, in their own minds, the cruise was simply not worth the price that they had to pay for it. And the resulting negative review is their "rationalization and externalization" of that viewpoint.

I don't necessarily feel that their negative review, after having actually gone on the cruise, is a direct reflection of their own financial circumstances, either. Very wealthy folks, who travel in the plushest circumstances, eat at the finest restaurants, and stay in the highest quality hotels, can certainly come to the opinion that one of their travel experiences (aka Regent) was not "worth the money", when compared to other "luxury experiences" they have paid for in the past. So maybe, when a review is written that said "the steak was tough", or the "table service was slow", or the "furniture and carpeting looked dated", they might simply be comparing their expectations and actual past experience with other "luxury venues" that they've tried (and paid premium dollars for), and have come to the conclusion that their Regent cruise (touted as "luxury") did not compare favorably with past "luxury experiences" that they have paid for. I don't believe there is any intent by these reviewers to waste their time in writing a review that they don't believe to be "true".

I must admit to (recently) having some of the same thoughts that Mark (HanaleiSailor) has expressed. Specifically, is Regent now really "worth the money" (and it can only be judged by each individual) that they're charging or have they now reached a price-point that is causing many to question the same thing ("is it worth the money"), that has created this recent avalanche of poor reviews? Just my 2-cents. Regards.

newlondon · June 30, 2015

Pingpong, As usual your post is reasoned and polite. I wish to focus on your comments regarding value or worth. All cruisers when they make a selection be it Carnival or Regent have a general idea of what they are going to pay. On Regent it is far closer to actual than Carnival given the all inclusive structure. My contention is that if you know your cost ahead of time, and given that nothing is perfect (tough steaks exist, carpets do get stained) that a few glitches do not take an excellent cruise and move it to poor. TC is correct I am willing to overlook, maybe much more than most, problems if I have favorable memories of the totality of the cruise. I prefer to remember the Komodo Dragon rather than an entertainer dying in a fall. I don't forget the bad; but, I don't focus on it.

Our analysis is different because I don't feel the "value" reflects whether the cruise was good or bad; I think that is a matter of satisfaction with the experience, not was it worth it.

Imo J P Morgan had it right "if you are worried about the cost you can't afford it." I review on the experience not the value.

mcshane · June 30, 2015

Imo J P Morgan had it right "if you are worried about the cost you can't afford it." I review on the experience not the value.

Newlondon, might I equally suggest (as Oscar Wilde did) that "anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination"? :p

pingpong1 · June 30, 2015

Hi Bill - Thanks for the reply. I suspect that some of the negative reviews are coming from folks who are looking at (and evaluating) their perceived "value" of (and satisfaction with) the product delivered (including all it's "parts") rather than looking at it just as a "total "experience", as you and the more positive folks are doing.

To put it another way, some are looking at it as if it was just a lovely evening for a couple to go out to dinner after a hectic work week. The restaurant was beautifully appointed, the table was set splendidly, a small string ensemble was playing soft music, a good bottle of wine was served, and the man enjoyed the evening with his most-beloved wife of 50 years. Others however, are remembering the same occasion as the restaurant being cold, the cello player was off key, the steak was tough, they ran out of the man's favorite salad dressing, the service was slow, and the wife used the occasion to nag the man about his weight. :p Now, have both men write their own seperate reviews of how the evening went! All the best.

Travelcat2 · July 1, 2015

pingpong1: Actually, Regent could do something that would cause us not to cruise with them in the future. However, a few meals that we did not care for is not enough to take that step (although it did make us check out another luxury cruise line that was good but not quite as good as Regent).

IMO, people's expectations play into how they enjoy their cruise. Since you brought up my thousands of posts, it is due to my reading and posting on CC for so many years that has given me an insight into expectations of new Regent cruisers. IMO, I could tell with approximately 70-80% certainty whether or not a person posting on CC will enjoy their cruise on Regent.

For instance, the OP on the "Switching to Regent" thread has cruised on a premium cruise line - has done research -- is looking for what Regent has to offer (based on posts). There is no concern whether it is luxurious enough, the age of the guests, etc. As we know, Regent is too quiet/laid-back for some people but works well for others. Most importantly, the OP is seeking answers on Cruise Critic and hearing opinions from new cruisers, long-time Regent cruisers and some who suggest other cruise lines.

If someone expects the same experience as in a 5 star hotel or dining establishment on land, they may be very disappointed as I do not feel cruise accommodations or food fare can be compared to anything on land. Simply trying to provide top level cuisine on a cruise ship is a challenge given the type of equipment that is required to be used in the kitchen. You cannot get fresh fruit and vegetables daily, most meat and shellfish must be frozen, etc. A quick side story for newbies: Regent used to have Le Cordon Bleu classes that took place in the Signatures kitchen (on the Voyager - not sure about the Mariner). This was our first experience with the type of "induction stovetops" that are required on cruise ships. Cooking anything on them was difficult at best (they get either very hot or not hot enough). People sailing on the Explorer will get a taste of induction cooking if they sign up for a culinary class. Good luck!

Based on reading the boards of the four major luxury cruise lines for 10 years, it seems that most of them are quite similar. Not all of the food is great but most is. The entertainment suffers because of small theaters (exception is Crystal). Regent is different in terms of including air on all cruises (and, for those that complain about flights, we generally travel Business Class on British Airways in flatbed seats -- if you can do better than that, go for it). Many excursions are included (Silversea is now following in Regent's footsteps on this). While we do not care for included excursions, it is part of the package and we accept it. Some excursions are actually great!

Agree that Regent is not perfect (nor is Silversea or Seabourn or Crystal -- not even Regent's sister cruise line Oceania). However, if you do research and have reasonable expectations, you will be hooked on Regent as so many of us on this board are!

Edited July 1, 2015 by Travelcat2

tennisplayerlovestocruise · July 1, 2015

We were on Mariner - Barcelona to Monte Carlo late May early June this year. We had a great cruise. One of our best ever of 4 Regent cruises. Food was very good, included wines were very good, service great. We are happy people that enjoy life so maybe we see the best in everything. So glad that we do!

We did a Voyager cruise last Aug. to Baltics and we enjoyed food, wine, service,but due to weather we did not enjoy as much as this yr.

luv2c00k · July 1, 2015

IMO, people's expectations play into how they enjoy their cruise. Since you brought up my thousands of posts, it is due to my reading and posting on CC for so many years that has given me an insight into expectations of new Regent cruisers. IMO, I could tell with approximately 70-80% certainty whether or not a person posting on CC will enjoy their cruise on Regent.

So - based on my posts - will we enjoy our trip with Regent?

pingpong1 · July 1, 2015

But I thought the question from the OP was a little more "complicated". The thread or question being asked (at least that's how I originally interpreted it) was whether a Regent cruise was "good value for the money"? I don't think he was asking whether Regent was "better" than any other cruise line or whether Regent was "better" than a land-based hotel or restaurant.

My hypothetical example about the two couples in a restaurant was not about the restaurant, per se. It was about two different couples going to the same restaurant (whether it be on land or at sea). And based upon their differing "viewpoints" and "value sets" going in, which Bill (NewLondon) raised in his response to me, the two couples might be using two different sets of "values" to determine whether they had had a good experience (value for money) or not.

Thus, there might be differing viewpoints in CC reviews (one good, one bad) concerning the same exact cruise. The thread is really about the cost (value) of the experience. Not whether someone likes the meal more on Regent than at their local favorite restaurant. With the recent significant hikes in prices, the OP is questioning whether a Regent cruise is still "good value for what is being charged". And that is not judged against what other cruise lines might be charging by comparison. It's about what Regent is charging vs "what you're receiving for that money."

Travelcat2 · July 1, 2015

But I thought the question from the OP was a little more "complicated". The thread or question being asked (at least that's how I originally interpreted it) was whether a Regent cruise was "good value for the money"? I don't think he was asking whether Regent was "better" than any other cruise line or whether Regent was "better" than a land-based hotel or restaurant.

It's about what Regent is charging vs "what you're receiving for that money."

We definitely interpreted it differently. Below is the OP's original post and does not mention "money" or "value" at all. I have been responding to whether or not Regent has declined (in addition to responding to some other comments). As with most threads, there have been detours.

#1 Report Post Old June 25th, 2015, 09:24 PM