current pricing

[Travelcat2]

Most of the promotions you are talking about are cruises that are not selling very well. We have had 6 Regent cruises so far, and none have been promotion cruises. We need to book very far in advance due to our professional commitments, and have not had any special offers. We do have an excellent TA who does give us a very good loyalty discount. We get no on board credits.

Your annoyance at UK passengers is unjust in my opinion.

 

Definitely not annoyed with UK passengers -- it is some of Regent's policies that are annoying. I have seen a brochure from the UK with fares up to 50% less than we pay in this country. Those discounts do not exist in the United States - no matter how poorly the cruise is selling. Our "promotions" generally consist of upgraded included air, free internet, OBC's, etc.

 

P.S. My DH is also upset with this and he was born and raised to adulthood in London:) Regent's policies will never change our feelings for people in the U.K., Canada, Australia or anywhere else in the world -- this is simply about pricing.

[mrlevin]

My target fare for a Regent cruise is $400 per person per day for port days and $300 per person per day for sea days. I subtract air, SSS discount, onboard booking discount, TA rebate, and shipboard credit to come up with net fare. If included pre or post included i rate them at $300 per person per day but that can vary by destination.

 

I can come close to or even under these targets at times; alas, getting harder to do.

 

Marc

[flossie009]

Definitely not annoyed with UK passengers -- it is some of Regent's policies that are annoying. I have seen a brochure from the UK with fares up to 50% less than we pay in this country. Those discounts do not exist in the United States - no matter how poorly the cruise is selling. Our "promotions" generally consist of upgraded included air, free internet, OBC's, etc.

 

 

As I think has been pointed out previously on these Boards, UK customers of Regent have very different booking conditions to those in the US.

As soon as we book, our 20% deposit becomes non-refundable; unlike US customers who can cancel, move cruises, take up late offers etc at any time up to final payment date without significant penalty.

There also appear to be less instances of OBC, air upgrades or 'up-sells' in the UK. Also,for cruises in Europe, the 'included air' for UK customers is obviously going to be significantly cheaper.

So, yes we do sometimes get 'good deals' in the UK but we, and our TAs, have to use a crystal ball to try to predict on which cruises Regent are likely to make an offer and when.

 

As a business, Regent's pricing policies will be designed to maximise occupancy at the highest price-point they can achieve. They appear to be successful in achieving this aim and I would rather they maximise profits this way than by cost cutting/penny-pinching on board.

[Travelcat2]

Hi Flossie - there seems to be differences in cancellation rules when it comes to the U.K. vs. some parts of Europe. Please read post #24 on this thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2239320&page=2 . Prada Cowboy is on our Explorer cruise next year and was able to get a lower price and cancellation fee than we have in the U.S.

 

The discounts are so dramatic on some cruises that it simply does not make sense. I understand that Regent pays less air for cruises that begin and/or end in Europe (when their passengers live there). There are some cruises (few but some) that begin and end in the U.S. so the comparison is similar yet we do not see the lower pricing.

 

In the past we did not have to guess which itineraries would be discounted since none of them were. It appears that things are changing as there have been better discounts for people that book late (on cruises that are not selling well).

 

We are not looking for the exact same pricing and promotions as other parts of the world due to the differences you posted. However, a 40 - 50% discount on any cruise is pretty substantial -- something that those of us in the U.S. and Canada have not seen.

 

Guess you're right -- at the moment the grass does seem greener on the other side of the pond:o

[flossie009]

Hi Flossie - there seems to be differences in cancellation rules when it comes to the U.K. vs. some parts of Europe. Please read post #24 on this thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2239320&page=2 . Prada Cowboy is on our Explorer cruise next year and was able to get a lower price and cancellation fee than we have in the U.S.

 

 

 

Yes, I did read the the post from Prada Cowboy and was very surprised at the differences between Germany and the UK.

 

Regent needs to very, very careful as the European Commission is starting to investigate intensively any evidence of unequal pricing/Ts&Cs made available in one EU country but denied to another. They are already investigating EuroDisney for potential breaches of EU regulations:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/29/disneyland-paris-taking-the-mickey-british-german-visitors

[fairbourne]

TC2 - just a quick line to say you can rest easy about UK cruisers getting a better deal as the grass would appear to now be the exact same colour ;):).

 

I was having a quick look at next year and good grief the prices are nearly double what we have paid this year! For our first (and maybe only and last, if this is the future pricing on Regent) the price for every category of suite is just about double now to what was advertised only a few weeks ago! In fact the prices for what looks like most if not all of the Northern Europe cruises have gone up - so in this case it certainly paid to book earlier and not last minute. But it does look like these cruises are well sold, if not sold out, so I imagine Regent are maximising on last minute buyers! If those buyers are daft enough to pay those prices! :rolleyes:

[Travelcat2]

fairbourne: Thank you for the update! CC is a great way to share information and learn what is going on in the world of Regent. I do suspect that the lower prices were promotional - an attempt to boost business in the U.K. and other parts of Europe on itineraries that were not selling well. Your post also gives us a good reason to book in advance.

[wripro]

Also this year most cruises to Northern Europe which included ports in Russia reduced their fares because of the annexation of Crimea and all the subsequent turmoil surrounding that. We can't expect those prices and amenities to last.