Just back from the 10 day Mariner in Alaska....

[fizzy]

What does the hotel/restaurant business "in general" have to do with the luxury cruise industry? Definitely apples and oranges. Having worked in Human Resources for many years (which is completely different than working in H.R. on a cruise ship) and I have had detailed discussions with a long-time Regent/Oceania H.R. Manager. There is one similarity between U.S. Government positions and cruise ship positions - salaries. It is not necessary to ask, for instance, what the President of the United States makes as it is public knowledge. The same is true for cruise ship positions.

.

I don't feel that these comments are verifications of anything, although I do agree that comparing cruise ship positions to U.S. government positions is indeed apples to oranges. Now there's one flying in from left field. I was discussing the hotel industry. I have allowed myself to get sucked in to this passive/aggressive nonsense once more when I should have known better.

[Pigin]

TA - Travel Agent

 

You'll also see references to the "OP" which is Original Poster. The OP of this thread must wonder what in the heck happened!

 

Travel Cat 2 we have an alliterative saying this side of the pond, "No *hit Sherlock!" TA, really! Perhaps you could explain "W Tea F" for me? :D

 

Without being rude I almost didn't read your post. Given that you post so many replies and that theres no great insight or revelations being disclosed, I tend to skip them. You do seem to keep the site going though.

 

Ill get me coat.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Pigin

[DeepFreeze63]

Hey gang, let's play nice!

I love our Regent cruises and especially enjoy the conversations with its passengers but I can't imagine being able to change their opinions or practices that they've held for along time.

[UUNetBill]

Without being rude I almost didn't read your post. Given that you post so many replies and that theres no great insight or revelations being disclosed, I tend to skip them.

 

Wow. I think you missed the 'without being rude' part.

[Suite Travels]

Travel Cat 2 we have an alliterative saying this side of the pond, "No *hit Sherlock!" TA, really! Perhaps you could explain "W Tea F" for me? :D

 

Without being rude I almost didn't read your post. Given that you post so many replies and that theres no great insight or revelations being disclosed, I tend to skip them. You do seem to keep the site going though.

 

Ill get me coat.

 

Sorry to say the so called experts or self anointed experts are on all the luxury line boards sadly.

 

When people ask a question the whole topic gets derailed or someone answers the OP question and the very same answers appear over and over.

 

Nobody will dictate to me on any board what I can and cannot do. I respect protocol but if I want to express my personal gratitude to a crew member...you will never know it. None of your business unless you pay for my next cruise. Takers?

 

Some of you need to put the shut on the up.

[lsnyder]

Absolutely fantastic cruise.

Only disappointment was Prime 7.

Shared table for 8 seated at 7pm. Main coarse arrived at 9 pm, some cooked wrong.

When one lady questioned why the creamed spinach was not hot, the waiter replied that the cream is cold when added (?)

We left at 9:30 to catch the show and the dessert menu had not yet been shown to the table. I am sure this experience was not for all but everyone we spoke to,even those at tables for 4 had the same wait time.

Signatures was a great surprise. Fabulous with incredible service.

Had a category A. Cabin was great. Changed rooms at the last minute so we would not have to step into a tub for a shower. The stand alone showers are the absolute best at sea. They replaced the tubs so take up the same amount of room. Nice bench inside.

The free internet service had started & it was fast.

If you enter the Laveranda restaurant from the right side of the pool, you will not miss the smoothie bar in the morning. In that same area is the incredible ice cream bar in the afternoon. Do not think this area is just for hamburgers & hot dogs in the afternoon. Some times they are barbecuing chicken & steaks.

The breakfast in LaVeranda was great...not a typical buffet. At the omelet station you can order things like eggs benedict, waffles, pancakes & the incredible swedish pancakes which I had several time.

Cleanest ship and amazingly you never see anyone cleaning. Not even carts in the hallways.

 

Just beginning research for an Alaskan cruise next May - considering Regent for the first time . How would you generalize the fellow passengers? Are there any teens on board (if we bring our son)? Why did you choose to go in May vs summer? I'm wondering what the benefits are and how the weather compares.

[xrvlcruiser]

Fizzy,

 

I agree: discussing pay scales would be totally out of line and also that land and sea pay scales are different.

 

My last posting on this subject.

 

Peggy

[Travelcat2]

Just beginning research for an Alaskan cruise next May - considering Regent for the first time . How would you generalize the fellow passengers? Are there any teens on board (if we bring our son)? Why did you choose to go in May vs summer? I'm wondering what the benefits are and how the weather compares.

 

May is a great month to visit Alaska, however, you may not find any teens on board since school is still in session in most of the U.S. We have sailed Regent twice in May and both times there were pretty much all adults on board.

 

With all of the climate changes, it's difficult to predict the weather. There is a current thread from the Mariner in Alaska. You may want to read it and perhaps ask the question about teens on board.

 

I'm not sure if I could generalize fellow passengers. There are more families on Alaska cruises and the age skews younger.

 

We picked May for our cruises because there are less crowds in Alaska and children aren't on board yet.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Travelcat2

[tallship]

I am disappointed by reading the squabbling and put downs in this thread.

 

Regent has a policy regarding gratuities.

It is up to you whether you abide by it or not.

 

But, there is no need to engage in the nastiness observed in several of the last few posts.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We also did Alaska in May. It's "traditionally", a good month, weather-wise, I believe. The days are also nice and long.

 

Our weather was up and down, some rain, decent temps, but not hot and sunny for sure. In Alaska, it's very unpredictable, year to year--August is not guaranteed to be warm either.

[DeepFreeze63]

Just beginning research for an Alaskan cruise next May - considering Regent for the first time . How would you generalize the fellow passengers? Are there any teens on board (if we bring our son)? Why did you choose to go in May vs summer? I'm wondering what the benefits are and how the weather compares.

 

Have done 7 regent cruises and have 3 more booked. Took a very mature granddaughter on a 30 day Northern Europe Regent cruise last summer and she loved it. Despite that, I would probably use a more mainline cruise for Alaska with a teenager - especially consider Disney (if they go there).

 

The cruises see the terrific part of Alaska south of Seward BUT Alaska is much more and should be seen by land. A week or so driving among Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, Girdwood, Seward and Homer will give your son lifetime memories.

[warburg]

Greetings from South Beach, where tipping is a blood sport. What amuses me today is that CC, a rather mild travel site for fans of, gulp, travel can get people so worked up about what is really a personal matter. We love Regent, and notice that the line does provide guidelines that answer basic questions. To tip or not to tip, that is the question. Oops. I've slipped into paraphrasing Shakespeare, speaking of hijacking a thread.

Mary

[liptastic]

Just beginning research for an Alaskan cruise next May - considering Regent for the first time . How would you generalize the fellow passengers? Are there any teens on board (if we bring our son)? Why did you choose to go in May vs summer? I'm wondering what the benefits are and how the weather compares.

 

 

There is an Alaska thread/posts on the CC. I refer to that for information and it's very helpful. Jean.

[ededmd]

Have done 7 regent cruises and have 3 more booked. Took a very mature granddaughter on a 30 day Northern Europe Regent cruise last summer and she loved it. Despite that, I would probably use a more mainline cruise for Alaska with a teenager - especially consider Disney (if they go there).

 

The cruises see the terrific part of Alaska south of Seward BUT Alaska is much more and should be seen by land. A week or so driving among Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, Girdwood, Seward and Homer will give your son lifetime memories.

 

I would not recommend DCL primarily because they do not do a true 1 way itinerary. Going RT out of Vancouver means you miss Sitka and Anchorage / Seward both of which we enjoyed.

[GrJ Berkshire]

We have to travel in the high summer owing to work commitments , still being in full time employment. The August weather was really much warmer than expected, as Brits we had a lot of layers and never used, except in Glacier bay which got fresh!!

Prior to the cruise it was shirt sleeve weather in Denali and Fairbanks which surprised us, we were expecting like Scotland , where the weather is a bonus at any time.

With Alaska its be prepared for anything, however when we next sailed Mariner the balcony got more use and al fresco dining at Setter Mari/ or breakfast at La veranda was an experience we have only had in the Mediterranean.

When we retire in a couple of years we are looking forward to being able to cruise away from high summer and Alaska again in May looks beautiful and appealing.

[RachelG]

I would not recommend DCL primarily because they do not do a true 1 way itinerary. Going RT out of Vancouver means you miss Sitka and Anchorage / Seward both of which we enjoyed.

 

Currently on a 14 day RT out of Vancouver which includes Seward and Sitka. Highly recommend, but I agree with another poster that there is lots to do on a land trip to Alaska. We did several when the boys were young.

[ededmd]

I would not recommend DCL primarily because they do not do a true 1 way itinerary. Going RT out of Vancouver means you miss Sitka and Anchorage / Seward both of which we enjoyed.

 

When I was speaking about missing the more northern ports traveling out of Vancouver, I was specifically speaking to the itineraries offered by DCL recommended by another poster.

 

Regent one ways which include the trip from Anchorage / Seward to Vancouver (or reverse) are ideal.

[Emperor Norton]

Great post and very true. I wonder why there has been so many "tipping" threads lately. It sounds as if there are more people trying luxury cruising for the first time and are determined not to let their habit of tipping on mainstream cruise lines go.

 

Some people that know better still tip. For some its genuine appreciation, for others (when done in front of staff that they arent tipping) its vindictive, for others it borders on perversion (the guy that had staff reaching into his pocket to collect their tip). Then there are those that are unaware of the crew welfare fund or those who think the person they tipped were able to do their amazing job entirely on their own without any support from other crew. Then there are the ones that do it because they are the stereotypical ugly American traveler and think that American cultural norms should be used wherever/whenever.

[mrlevin]

No, we did NOT want to get off...we were originally booked for just the 72-night grand voyage but got an "extend your voyage" offer to stay for the next 14 nights in the Caribbean...then after THAT was paid we got another offer to extend again for the next 12 nights for the Beemuda trip. Let's just say that these were offers we could not refuse as the price was right 😉 .

 

 

Kwaj, how did the offer show up? Was it offered to all on the ship? Can you tell us how good the offers were? We are on a B2B2B2B in 2017; i am thinking of cancelling the last two segments just before final payment if they aren't selling well in hopes of getting offers like you receive; but ONLY if the deal is worth the chance of it not being offered.

 

thanks,

 

Marc

[Kwaj girl]

Marq - check with the future cruise consultant onboard a week or more before the end of your voyage. But I would definitely NOT do what you're proposing in the hopes of getting a "better deal" especially if you were happy with what you are planning to pay for the 3-segment voyage.