New Suite design for Regent

[eliana]

Another oddity regarding suites. In the main brochures (U.K.) the three current ships each have a double page describing the suites with layouts of each category and another double page on the deck plans. Whereas the Explorer brochure only has deck plans. Why?

[Travelcat2]

Another oddity regarding suites. In the main brochures (U.K.) the three current ships each have a double page describing the suites with layouts of each category and another double page on the deck plans. Whereas the Explorer brochure only has deck plans. Why?

 

It is strange that there is not more information on the Explorer in your latest brochure. I'm not sure what is in the U.S. brochure as we do not get brochures from Regent - only emails. The only reason I can think of is that there is yet to be any "real" photographs of the Explorer suites - only the mock-up suites that have been built. Since the Explorer will be completed in just a few months, we should be able to see actual photos soon.

 

I know that cancellation policies for the U.S. and the U.K. were recently posted but I don't recall if the penalty for cancelling an Explorer cruise is as high as it is here (25-50% cancellation fee immediately after booking). I hope that you wait (if you can) before deciding whether or not to cancel the Explorer. IMO, no matter what the Navigator looks like after dry dock, the Explorer will be much better because the Explorer was an empty canvas - designed from the first piece of steel to the finished product. The Navigator, on the other hand, is a small, older ship with limitations that Regent can do little about.

 

In terms of "new" management, there really isn't any change in Regent management. Frank Del Rio is still in charge and made the design decisions for the Explorer before NCHL purchased Regent. He was also the decision maker for Oceania's ships - including the two new builds - the Riviera and Marina which are arguably the more beautiful ships at sea. Besides sailing on the Riviera, we toured the cabins and suites. While the closet space was compact in the lower category suites, there seemed to be plenty of room for everything.

 

Mr. Del Rio is known for his attention to detail. He personally approves every item that will go onboard his ships - he even selects the artwork and has was seen hanging artwork on the Mariner during dry dock. While he has a lot more on his plate since becoming the CEO of NCL in addition to Regent and Oceania and may not have the time to get into the trenches and work side by side with workers on the ships during dry dock, I have no doubt that he is on top of everything having to do with the Explorer (as well as other Regent, Oceania and NCL ships).

 

I do hope that you post during or after your Navigator cruise as we are all anxious to hear about her "new look:)

[gnomie1]

Before I go into dimensions, has anyone paid attention to the following note on the Regent website regarding suites on the Explorer? "Suite measurements are approximate, and those in same category may vary in size. They may also have different furniture placement than as depicted in photographs."

 

Anyway, The smallest suite on the Explorer is 219 sq. ft. with an 88 sq. ft. balcony (total 307 sq. ft.) The smallest suite on the Mariner (which is smaller than on the Voyager or Navigator) is 252 sq. ft. plus a 49 sq. ft. balcony (total of 301 sq. ft.).

 

It is obviously the intention of Regent to have a clear differentiation between suite levels (unlike their current ships). If you want the extra space, you need to pay for it. While paying extra is not within everyone's budget, I can only imagine what Regent (under PCH) thought when they considered purchasing Regent and saw that many of their current suites were the same. How were they suppose to sell category "E", for instance, when the lowest category was the same size and had the same furnishings?

 

IMO, the lower category suites on the Explorer were not meant to be as luxurious as Concierge suites. This goes back to "you get what you pay for". As long as passengers are treated the same when they step foot outside of their suite, I am happy. IMO, the days of getting the same size suite, with the same furnishings as upper suites will no longer exist.

 

I guess that I cannot get upset about any of this as we traveled frugally for many years. It not unusual to "live" out of our suitcases (and many hotels - even today lack closet and drawer space.

 

If we could only afford the lowest suite on arguably the best ship at sea -- with all of the benefits and amenities that Regent offers, I would not be complaining ........ but that is just me.

 

The above reads like a piece written by a PR agency - if one is paying in excess of $1000 per day per person, the least they should expect is a comfortable room that includes adequate seating and storage. Time will only tell what happens, but these are interesting times in the luxury cruise industry with many changes and additions expected within the next couple of years. The number of individuals with the ability to pay the high end fees charged by the luxury lines is limited so if people are not happy with the new arrangements on Regent, there will be other options to investigate.

 

gnomie :)

[Travelcat2]

Yes - there are definitely other options to investigate. Having tried other options, it made us appreciate Regent even more. There are pluses and minuses with every cruise line. Many Regent passengers have tried other luxury and even premium cruise lines - some of them return to Regent and others switch to a different cruise line. This seems to be the same - whether you are a luxury cruise passenger or a mainstream cruise passenger.

 

In terms of comfort, this does not mean the same thing to all people. I find the furniture and beds in the suites on Regent to be comfortable but do not feel the same about some of the chairs in the lounges. That does not mean that the chairs are not expensive or even luxurious - they just do not feel comfortable to me (think I'm too short for the bar stools and too tall for the chairs). For us, luxury does not include comfortability of chairs and sofas but does include service, amenities, food, attitude of everyone from crew members to the Captain and the condition of the ship.

 

I look forward to hearing from passengers on the Navigator after refurbishment and definitely from passengers on the Explorer this summer.

Edited February 5, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Anchorbuoy]

Regent,

 

PLEASE rethink the storage space on the Navigator cabins. Limiting it is going to create "issues".

 

Peggy

 

Sadly, the pictures coming from the Navigator show that the upper storage cabinets have been deleted. That means the glassware is in a lower cabinet, and the storage drawers are gone.

[Eager2Travel]

Does that mean that the only drawers and storage space are in the closet? The way I pack that will be a problem for me.

[Zqueeze1]

I am trying to be optimistic about storage and believe that we have not yet had enough pics or eyes on target to make a clear cut assessment. One would think that there exists an industry standard for amount of storage space per cabin type.

 

Then again, I could be out on left field on this one.

 

Z and TB

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited April 14, 2016 by Zqueeze1

[ladyfrog]

There have already been enough changes to make us take our cruise dollars elsewhere. That's very sad for me as I love the "old" Regent. For the price I can't afford to give it any more chances.

[UUNetBill]

Less storage =/= a good thing. The overheads were 'dead space' anyhow and were great for storing not just the glassware but our small odds and ends. Eliminating those may make the cabins 'feel' more spacious - but that feeling will be negated by the clutter and other crap piled up on the remaining desk space.

 

I suppose we'll have to wait and see, but I'm not too optimistic after the photos I've seen so far. I'd really like to have more cabinets and drawers, not fewer...

[getiton]

$32m

[WesW]

Hi Ray, nice to see you posting. Enjoy Arlene and your Explorer TA.

[newlondon]

Getiton, Very snarky. Obviously he has performed well financially, the requirement in the corporate pay sweepstakes. In addition, while there may be minor complaints about the Regent experience, the clientele don't seem to abandoning ship!

[flossie009]

$32m

 

Getiton, Very snarky. Obviously he has performed well financially, the requirement in the corporate pay sweepstakes. In addition, while there may be minor complaints about the Regent experience, the clientele don't seem to abandoning ship!

 

Was getiton referring to FDR's remuneration or the cost of Navigator's refurbishment?

[Emperor Norton]

All this cabinet/drawer space is gone now?

[ridolphi]

apparently, along with the two chairs.:(

[flossie009]

.................and the parrot? :confused:

[alainciao]

Booked for 40 nights in Jan so am very interested in this discussion. Thanks for the above pic. It seems to me that the storage space above (in the current shelving) was really only the middle area as the shelves on either side are for glasses. If we move the TV to the wall doesn't that free space on the desk equivalent to or greater than the current storage. Thanks for your thoughts.

[poss]

We always had books in those glass shelves. Very useful, out of the way space. Would be very disappointed to have a cluttered desk, as we both use the desk quite a bit.

[IndiTravler]

Capt. John, thanks for the photos. Regent, please bring back the drawers and shelves up above.

 

Ditto. My too have a hubby who has to work on trips. We need more places to stash stuff including his computer!

[alainciao]

Agree Peggy and I don't like not having side chairs, especially when having room service or when my hubby naps on the sofa, then there is no where else to sit. No side chairs definitely bothers me on the Explorer design.

 

 

Agree completely. Removing the one chair is a BIG problem. That desk chair is not for relaxing, reading while partner is on the couch. Or for dining. Regent, don't do this! It looks like a "lower the cost" directive completely ignoring the cruiser's comfort.

[alainciao]

Agree completely. Removing the one chair is a BIG problem. That desk chair is not for relaxing, reading while partner is on the couch. Or for dining. Regent, don't do this! It looks like a "lower the cost" directive completely ignoring the cruiser's comfort.

 

 

I should have pointed out that according to the discussion on the "Navigator Update" thread the chair is apparently being removed from the veranda suites on all ships during their next refurb, not just the Explorer. This is much more disturbing (to me) than the storage space.

[wavefairy]

I agree it is appalling that there are no suitable chairs in the living area and concerns expressed about storage space in the Navigator suites. If Regent wants to be considered a six star line they best heed the opinions of those who spend more for a "luxury" experience.

 

Our first trip on Regent will be in May on the the Navigator. Based on what I have been reading thus far about the refurbishment nightmare it will more than likely be our last trip on Regent.

 

Best Regards,

 

Wavefairy

Edited April 30, 2016 by wavefairy
spell check

[Travelcat2]

Is it safe to assume that posters on this board have checked out the smallest suites on Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn? If not, here are the results of my quick check along with facts that have kept us with Regent since 2004:

 

Crystal Serenity - Basic suite - 226 sq. feet. There is either one chair, one chair and one stool or possibly two chairs (difficult to tell from photo). As many know, Crystal suites are rather small. Plus, their existing ships do not have the type of open seating that Regent has. It is open dining by reservation. In other words, while some Crystal loyalists seems to find no difficulty in booking dining reservations, others seem to be stuck with set dining.

 

Silversea Shadow - 287 square feet with 2 chairs. Silversea, IMO, is the closest to Regent. The biggest negative is the formal dress code. The majority of nights have either a formal dress code or "informal" (jacket and slacks)

 

Seabourn (newest fleet of all luxury lines). 295 square feet with 2 chairs. However, from the photo, there are very few drawers. The major reason we have not sailed with Seabourn is their liberal smoking policy (smoking on balconies - half of at least one lounge).

 

Regent Navigator - 301 sq. ft. - one chair.

 

I truly cannot believe the uproar over one extra chair that you could easily request once you get onboard (possibly before boarding). To date, no one that has been on the Navigator since it was refurbished has indicated that there are not enough drawers. In fact, we have not seen a picture of the walk-in closet which typically has 5-6 drawers as well as shelves. Although our longest cruise on the Navigator and Voyager (same size basic suites) was only around 28 nights, we easily fit everything into the closets (hanging clothes - shelves - drawers). It was only on the Mariner that we had an issue.

 

I know how easy it is to criticize something that you have not seen -- I had a tendency to have some negative thoughts when I looked at photos of the PH suites on the Explorer. The photo (which obviously isn't a "real" picture of the suite) makes it look very small when actually it is 561-626 sq. feet ....... quite a large size. And, I could not see shelves in the living room. I will make a determination once we are onboard the Explorer and will post photos.

 

As you know, we have choices of several cruise lines. If one doesn't "fit", another will. It is a bit disheartening to read posts that are very repetitive and seem to be a concern to people new to Regent when you have not even been on the Navigator since it was refurbished.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Travelcat2

[UUNetBill]

Appalling? Nightmare? Has anyone even SEEN actual pictures since the refurb? Has anyone asked about having this critical second chair placed in a suite?

 

Seriously, if y'all want to abandon Regent for another line over a chair, please feel free. But just allow me to say that this is very much what I'd call a 'first-world problem'.

 

Wow.

[CruisetheCs]

 

I truly cannot believe the uproar over one extra chair that you could easily request once you get onboard (possibly before boarding). To date, no one that has been on the Navigator since it was refurbished has indicated that there are not enough drawers. In fact, we have not seen a picture of the walk-in closet which typically has 5-6 drawers as well as shelves.

 

I know how easy it is to criticize something that you have not seen -- I had a tendency to have some negative thoughts when I looked at photos of the PH suites on the Explorer. The photo (which obviously isn't a "real" picture of the suite) makes it look very small when actually it is 561-626 sq. feet ....... quite a large size. And, I could not see shelves in the living room. I will make a determination once we are onboard the Explorer and will post photos.

 

As you know, we have choices of several cruise lines. If one doesn't "fit", another will. It is a bit disheartening to read posts that are very repetitive and seem to be a concern to people new to Regent when you have not even been on the Navigator since it was refurbished.

 

Yes, indeed, repetitive posts can be disheartening. Though I suspect different readers will see different patterns of repetition that keep these threads alive

 

This whole question of chairs and space could be put to rest easily by Regent right here on this board. Why they choose to not respond is beyond my understanding in this age of modern day communication techniques that major companies routinely employ.

 

If Regent is not concerned in getting the message out to old and new travelers, then I guess both old and new travelers will continue to be concerned.