Regent more like 3* than 6

[English Tim]

Our last cruise with Regent was on Voyager, in 2012. Standards appears to have slipped and costs cit, presumably after NCL takeover.

 

We had Dover Sole in Prime 7 and portion was very small, not like what used to cover plate. Caviar only included on Sunday's, whereas on Seabourn it's available all the time.

 

Service on open decks is very poor and staff need training in good manners and to smile, even if not feeling like it.

 

We're considering Explorer in October and if not significantly better we'll cross Regent off our list.

 

New suites are excellent and staff in restaurants and suites up to usual high standards.

[Ravenscroft]

Thanks for your comments.

We've yet to try Regent and as former Silversea and current Seabourn regulars we're always keen to read opinions of cruisers who have tried both SB and Regent more than once.

The service issues you describe would be of great concern to me.

I'll be following with interest.

[rarin2go]

Sorry Tim but it's not clear what voyage you are referring to - your footer suggests your last Regent trip was some years back.

Are you on-board now or have you recently returned?

[lincslady]

Ravenscroft - we have cruised Regent, Silversea and Seabourn, all quite a few times. We re-tried Regent last year after a 5 or 6 year gap, and from now on will only be cruising on Seabourn.

 

It is all down very much to personal taste, I realise, and I do not wish to denigrate Regent here, as I would no doubt be 'flamed' I think is the impression.

 

I could email you if you are prepared to put your address here - up to you.

[English Tim]

Sorry Tim but it's not clear what voyage you are referring to - your footer suggests your last Regent trip was some years back.

Are you on-board now or have you recently returned?

 

My signature shows 'sailed', but we are on Navigator. I am meeting with the GM later to discuss my concerns. I'll keep you posted.

[rarin2go]

My signature shows 'sailed', but we are on Navigator. I am meeting with the GM later to discuss my concerns. I'll keep you posted.

 

Sorry I missed the 'sailed' box!

We've just booked a 2017 Explorer trip so am obviously concerned that standards appear to be falling :(

[flossie009]

Tim,

Sorry to hear that you are not enjoying your cruise on Navigator; bad manners from staff is not acceptable; your rating of 3* must mean that service on-board is really atrocious, which we find very surprising for Regent

 

We have cruised with Regent (Mariner & Voyager) since 2009 and have not noticed any cuts or service slippage since the NCL takeover. Have you any specific examples of the cuts that have been made since your last cruise?

 

We have of course had occasional gripes on our cruises (as with any vacation) but the issues have always been addressed promptly when brought to the attention of staff

 

However, I should say that we do not particularly require caviar 24/7 and usually in P7 we find the portion sizes are far too large :eek:. Did you request another portion of Dover Sole if the first fish served was too small?

 

Hope your cruise improves and that the General Manager is able to address your complaints

Edited May 30, 2016 by flossie009
additions

[English Tim]

Tim,

Sorry to hear that you are not enjoying your cruise on Navigator; bad manners from staff is not acceptable; your rating of 3* must mean that service on-board is really atrocious, which we find very surprising for Regent

 

We have cruised with Regent (Mariner & Voyager) since 2009 and have not noticed any cuts or service slippage since the NCL takeover. Have you any specific examples of the cuts that have been made since your last cruise?

 

We have of course had occasional gripes on our cruises (as with any vacation) but the issues have always been addressed promptly when brought to the attention of staff

 

However, I should say that we do not particularly require caviar 24/7 and usually in P7 we find the portion sizes are far too large :eek:. Did you request another portion of Dover Sole if the first fish served was too small?

 

Hope your cruise improves and that the General Manager is able to address your complaints

 

We are enjoying our cruise, we always do! It's just that some of the service is somewhat lacking. The Philippino service with a smile has been replaced. I'd say there just aren't enough crew.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Portion size is so subjective, isn't it? I've always been happy with the moderate portion sizes on Regent, especially since you usually have multiple courses and more than enough to eat. But if you want a larger main course, you should just say so when you order.

[bigboofer]

I've noticed service had declined on my recent (March 17 to 31, 2016) crossing on the Navigator.

 

We had Dover sole one evening and our waiter didn't bother to debone it after serving but just walked off. Staff on the pool deck staff was so overwhelmed that getting drinks with lunch was very slow. I have others but on a six star cruise line anything like this is ridiculous. Regents response was they would bring it to the attention of the appropriate department heads.

 

My major complaint was the changing our itinerary, after final payment and well into the penalty cancellation period, which dropped Gibraltar and added an overnight in Barcelona. Regent was taking the ship in for a major refurbishment and wanted to get an early start since the pier was loaded with materials and dumpsters upon our arrival at 2PM. Upon returning from a shore trip all the pool and veranda furniture had removed from the ship. They called it a "Celestial Crossing" but it was all about getting the passengers to pay for moving the ship to Europe and very little else.

 

With over 100 days on Regent I'm going elsewhere since paying their prices and receiving second rate anything is unacceptable. Its just not worth the risk :mad:

[Travelcat2]

Agree with others regarding your meal in P7. Regent's portions in that dining venue were huge and there was likely a lot of wasted food. It is possible that they reduced portions or, perhaps the fish onboard were smaller than what they typically receive. I would have ordered another portion.

 

In terms of attitude of any crew members, I would have gotten their names and reported it immediately. We had one meal with poor service in P7 - spoke with the F&B Director and the service was back to what it always has been (and should be).

 

IMO, blaming NCL does not make sense since the management of Regent is the same. Also, it appears that NCHL has infused more money into Regent - not less. Under PCH ownership we waited years for a new ship while under NCHL ownership, another new ship was announced only a year after Regent was purchased.

 

You said that "The Philippino service with a smile has been replaced". Are you saying that there are less crew members from the Philippines on board than on your previous cruise? I ask because I have made that observation.

 

Please let us know what the G.M. on the Navigator has to say. Unfortunately I suspect that this is a training issue. Since 25% of the crew on each ship is moving to the Explorer (and are likely on vacation right now), there are the same percentage of new crew members onboard the Navigator, Voyager and Mariner.

[RachelG]

On board Mariner now, and have not noticed any significant decline in service. There are relatively more staff from Eastern Europe these days vs in the past when the vast majority were Filipino. They do have a different more reserved manner, but I have found that if you make an effort to draw them out, they are very pleasant and helpful. It is somewhat a cultural thing.

 

The Dover sole I had the other night was every bit as large as any I have ever had on board, and if the waiter had not deboned it, I would speak up. That is definitely a training issue. Certainly if the portion is not large enough, they are happy to bring more, but I usually can't eat everything in P7 because the portions are so large. I prefer the smaller portion sizes in CR.

[English Tim]

 

Please let us know what the G.M. on the Navigator has to say. Unfortunately I suspect that this is a training issue. Since 25% of the crew on each ship is moving to the Explorer (and are likely on vacation right now), there are the same percentage of new crew members onboard the Navigator, Voyager and Mariner.

 

It is indeed a training issue and will be addressed. I guess it's a case of watch this space.

[GrJ Berkshire]

This has not been our view at all, and compared to other main stream 3* lines , not the case. On Navigator this summer for a B2B, feel many of these are subjective, never had too little food, with multiple courses always have to ration what we have.

[UUNetBill]

Five Regent cruises for us since 2009 with 2 more booked. I've noticed the occasional 'Grumpy Gus' crew member before but I don't think I've noticed an increase in inattentive crew embers lately. I do agree, though, that getting a drink on the pool deck can be slow at times. Doesn't bother me enough to deduct three stars, but we all have our concerns and they're not always aligned.

[forevertravel]

Sorry you had a few disappointments. We have cruised three or four times since NCL took over and have not seen any cut backs. As others mentioned, if you're not satisfied with portion of dinner, ask for more. Same for deboning the fish. The crew has been as attentive and nice as always. If we are talking on ratings of 1 to 6, I will definetely give Regent 6. As everything else, cruising and cruise lines are subjective. I hope you continue to enjoy your cruise. For those considering Regent, please remember that the experience (like food) is highly subjective. Please, give Regent a chance before you decide against it.

 

:)

[toseaornottosea]

Currently on VOYAGER. Sailed on her three years ago. To put it simply service and food not up to standards then. Many fellow guests agree. Not sure I would book Regent again unless there are signs of significant improvement in service and food. Much happier with Seaboun.

[forgap]

Hmmm...we just got off Voyager a week ago and had excellent service and food, admittedly a subjective viewpoint, but I can't imagine such a sweeping negative evaluation of Regent as in the last post. I admit that we are low maintenance and don't require a red carpet laid out wherever we go, but I found the service everywhere to be friendly and efficient. Sure, there are glitches in every cruise, we're all human and, sometimes, there are just bad days.

 

I am perplexed about the negative food evaluation as 99% of our meals were quite good. We know food, we live in a big city, and we spend a lot of time in new restaurants and old favorites. It blew my mind that the kitchen could put out the variety and the quality in such volume.

 

OK! Rant finished...to each his own. We haven't tried Seaborne and I know we won't due to their smoking policy. Regent suits us - elegant, friendly, no set seating, large suites, and all inclusive!

[UUNetBill]

OK! Rant finished...to each his own. We haven't tried Seaborne and I know we won't due to their smoking policy. Regent suits us - elegant, friendly, no set seating, large suites, and all inclusive!

 

I keep saying I'm going to try another line just so I can make a fair comparison, but frankly, I agree with some others on here that Regent has a product that suits my tastes so why shop elsewhere? We were looking for an autumn getaway next year and were seriously considering Regent's London-London in September. I looked through the competitor's websites and honestly, I didn't see anything I liked better. And besides, another 10-day cruise will kick us over to Gold, so unless I find a really nice itinerary, I'm sticking with Regent.

 

I'm not a fan of the smaller cabins, nor fixed seating, nor formal nights (they can be fun, but on MY schedule), nor the a la carte pricing. I keep shopping around, and I keep coming back to Regent.

[LadyandtheTramp]

I'm not a fan of the smaller cabins, nor fixed seating, nor formal nights (they can be fun, but on MY schedule), nor the a la carte pricing. I keep shopping around, and I keep coming back to Regent.

 

We did our first Regent cruise (Voyager) a year and a half ago, the second last December (Voyager), and will do our next one in December (Navigator). Why do we do Regent? For the exact things Bill mentioned in the quoted portion: we love the all-inclusive, flexible seating, alternatives to formal nights, and that we basically don't have to get out a wallet from the time we get off the plane to when we get back on it. And I'll add that it is hard to even consider going back to the old way. (We did do a Silverseas in amongst the Regent cruises, and while close, we still had to wince when the final check came in for the excursions.)

[Travelcat2]

I keep saying I'm going to try another line just so I can make a fair comparison, but frankly, I agree with some others on here that Regent has a product that suits my tastes so why shop elsewhere? We were looking for an autumn getaway next year and were seriously considering Regent's London-London in September. I looked through the competitor's websites and honestly, I didn't see anything I liked better. And besides, another 10-day cruise will kick us over to Gold, so unless I find a really nice itinerary, I'm sticking with Regent.

 

I'm not a fan of the smaller cabins, nor fixed seating, nor formal nights (they can be fun, but on MY schedule), nor the a la carte pricing. I keep shopping around, and I keep coming back to Regent.

 

IMO, you are doing the right thing by sticking with Regent. People kept telling me to try other lines. Had I stuck with Regent, we would have been very close to being Titanium. While the other lines were fine - they weren't Regent and Regent is what suits us best.

 

I don't recall how long you have been sailing on Regent or reading Cruise Critic, but, you can go back to almost any year and there will be posters saying the same thing as right now........ food not as good ........ cutback in staff, etc. People used to blame Prestige Cruise Holdings and now blame NCHL. While some cruises are better than others, there have been very little change to the Regent product since we first sailed in 2004.

 

The one thing that is very different is the amount of posters criticizing Regent for various reasons. My recommendation to those that find Regent no longer to their liking is to try another luxury line -- just do it and see what you think. You may stick with the other line or may return to Regent. For those that have tried other lines and have returned to Regent now know that the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side.

 

For us - we appreciate Regent more than we ever have and have no interesting in trying yet another line. To be honest, there are no other lines to try -- either they have a smoking policy that is not acceptable, seating that isn't "open" and/or suites that are too small.

[GrJ Berkshire]

Fully agree with the last few posts. Having been on less glamorous ships in our youth would never do that again, the food is basic and very little choice, fixed seating at a set time is a no-no for us and we hate the nickel/ dimming add on's. Cabin luxury as well, some basic inside cabins are horrid. Then there is the smoking on balconies which rules out seaborne! But along with the superb but low key elegance is the same treatment never mind what suite you are in, not as on Cunard with it's class system

Regent for us, fits our needs.

[Emperor Norton]

Predictable thread is predictable.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Emperor Norton

[Emperor Norton]

Fully agree with the last few posts. Having been on less glamorous ships in our youth would never do that again, the food is basic and very little choice, fixed seating at a set time is a no-no for us and we hate the nickel/ dimming add on's. Cabin luxury as well, some basic inside cabins are horrid. Then there is the smoking on balconies which rules out seaborne! But along with the superb but low key elegance is the same treatment never mind what suite you are in, not as on Cunard with it's class system

Regent for us, fits our needs.

 

You're either not referring to Regent then or haven't sailed on them in a long time. Either way you're factually incorrect. Regent now (and for a number of years) has had a class system based on suite choice.

[Travelcat2]

You're either not referring to Regent then or haven't sailed on them in a long time. Either way you're factually incorrect. Regent now (and for a number of years) has had a class system based on suite choice.

 

Would love to debate that with you sometime (a friendly debate)🚢