Observations of a Mariner Newbe (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yes Lynn, thanks so much for your candid assessment.

 

All the BS about making sure you complain about problems, and get management involved means nothing. Regent is supposed to be luxury, 6-star in fact. So you shouldn't have to complain, because things should be very, very good. And consistent.

[vrhiatt]

LynnRuns- I feel your pain. I mostly gave up posting several years ago.

[UUNetBill]

Alright, I am done posting on my own thread.

 

I can now see why other posters who had shared their opinions have gotten frustrated posting their opinions. I remember thinking how odd it was.

 

I posted this thread originally to share the good and bad experiences I had on my cruise. What I got in response were the reasons why I had not done the right thing (traveled in August when kids travel, did not properly raise my concerns to the right people, did not have the right travel agent). When I shared that I did not believe those were contributing factors to my experience given our expectations for our cruise or that we handled it the right way, I got further reasons for why I was wrong. I finally go further to point out how they are wrong with data and someone has to dispute that.

 

As others have, I shared my experience. Mine and mine alone. I even said that this might not be the right travel mode for me and that I think it is wonderful that others think it was a great experience.

I found myself getting snippy (in the tone of other posts) and that made me want to sign off.

 

I hope that others will find this post and find it helpful, but suggest that you do your research elsewhere. This forum is clearly not open to all thoughts and opinions, which is unfortunate.

 

Lynn, I'd just like to add two things:

 

One, thanks for taking the time to post. I know it feels like you're getting attacked by piranhas sometimes, but occasionally people post things that others think may be a misconception, so they try to explain what they think may have happened or what should have been done. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't.

 

Either way, even though it seems contentious at times, this board DOES provide more good info than bad. And I honestly believe it lets potential Regent cruisers see both sides of the issues so they can make an informed decision that suits their needs.

 

Don't let the 'lively' discussion run you off. As much as I love sailing on Regent and would like others to enjoy it as much as I do, at the end of the day it really makes no difference to me if anyone else likes the line or not. Whether you ever book another Regent cruise will not affect my decision to sail with them. And as much as we like others to like the same things we like, well, if some people don't like sailing Regent, I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it.

 

The second thing - have you posted your Mariner review in the ship review section as well as here? I think you'd get a bigger audience and help more people if you posted it with the other Mariner reviews.

 

Thanks!

[Travelcat2]

I also appreciated your review and support your right to post your experiences. It is important as well for others to compare your experiences with theirs. IMO, the more experiences the better.

 

Not sure if you were referring to my not sailing in July or August post. That post was meant for passengers that prefer to not sail with children. July and August is just fine for families. The only downside is that the service could possibly be affected by a very full ship.

 

In terms of improving your experience (or anyone else's), I cannot say enough times how important it is to let the proper shipboard manager know if something is not right. They will fix anything that they can fix immediately (especially if it has to do with food or service in a dining venue).

 

In terms of a good TA, not sure if you received a percentage of your cruise fare back from your TA, however, IMO, having a TA experienced with Regent is a good suggestion for future bookings.

[diebroke]

LynnRuns,

I want to add my voice to the chorus of appreciation & support for your review. Here’s why it was helpful to me. I just returned from a cruise on Celebrity with my kids & grandkids. Celebrity did a great job with our grandkids & we enjoyed it overall. This was our first cruise on a premium line (or whatever they call it) after many cruises with Seabourn & one cruise with Regent. While we enjoyed the Celebrity experience & they over-achieved with the way my grandkids were treated, I missed the cuisine & lack of crowding that we experience on luxury cruises. For our next cruise with the grandkids, I’d like to find a luxury cruise line that offers a kids’ experience. Seabourn doesn’t do that & I will not take them on Seabourn even though they are well behaved.

What I learned from this thread is that although Regent markets a kids’ program, they don’t deliver on it, at least on your cruise.

I also learned from the Regent apologist that it is unreasonable for anyone to expect a luxury cruise from Regent on itineraries to Alaska in the summer because of all the kids. Perhaps, in the spirit of truth in advertising, Regent should put a footnote in their marketing that they offer a 6 star experience except on summer cruises to Alaska. The suggestion here is that they are unable to do it. I think it is more likely they are unwilling to do it. I think that by restricting the total number of passengers and/or adding staff, they could do it. Of course this would cause them to increase prices or deteriorate their financial performance. I can’t think of an excuse for the worm in the sushi, but there must be one.

 

IMHO if people think kids are inappropriate for a cruise line that specifically offers a kids’ experience, they should take their dissatisfaction up with the cruise line rather than arrogantly attacking the parents who respond to the marketing. If you don’t like smoking in certain parts of the ship, you should attack the cruise line who set the policy & not the smokers.

 

I hope you will continue to voice your opinion & be undeterred by large volumes of arrogant words from a single poster. I do think it is not useful to specifically respond to those words. It is an exercise in futility & most people see them for what they are. They will likely continue as long as CruiseCritic allows it & Regent rewards it.

[Pamela1]

LynnRuns, i would also like to thank you for your honest and unbiased review and in no way should feel you have to defend your own views.

I'm sorry you feel you are unable to comment further on your own thread but i can totally understand how frustrating it is to try and give your honest opinion on here without people picking holes in it. Hope you reconsider.

 

Pam.

[Winters Gate]

 

 

 

IMO, Alaska cruises are not representative of other Regent cruises. I suspect that the majority of people on July and August cruises in Alaska have the least amount of "regular" Regent passengers (due to children and crowds in Alaska). When we last sailed in Alaska, I felt like I was on another cruise line. The service, food - just about everything was less than we have come to expect on Regent. While not making an excuse for Regent, when you add children and families - many of whom share suites, the ship is filled beyond "normal" capacity (not above what is legally permitted on the ship). For these reasons, we will only sail Alaska in May - before school lets out.

 

How should one interpret this! Does Regent give discount on their Alaska cruises because they fill the ship beyond "normal! capacity, and therefore not able to maintain the standard of either service or food?

To overfill the ship so thats guests experience are far from the expected does not sound like luxury to me.

[englandsrose]

My son always enjoyed our Regent Cruises - we first cruised with Regent about 7/8 years ago by doing a back to back Monte Carlo to Istanbul and the same poster was dishing out the same stuff then - fortunately we ignored the negative posts and focused on the positive ones.

 

We had the most amazing time - made all the more special by the lovely people we met actually firstly via these boards. We arranged to meet up at sails way because we all had kids of a similar age and were terrified that we were going to be ostracised based on one persons comments - it couldn't have been further from the truth. The kids and us were made to feel so welcome by both the crew and other passengers. We even got a bridge tour with the Captain and dinner with both the chief Engineer and the Cruise Director on separate occasions with the kids in tow!!

 

Since they my son has cruised on Regent another twice and now at 21 is disappointed not to be coming with us on our next adventure with Regent in 4 weeks time. The bank of

Mom and dad has officially closed his account for holidays!!

 

If you have kids that need a kids club and constant entertainment for their age group then Regent probably isn't the right cruise line, but if you are a family that enjoys spending time together, seeing amazing sites and enjoying good food and drinks - then Regent is definitely the right line.

Edited August 18, 2016 by englandsrose

[UUNetBill]

Well, regardless of who posts what and how often, there's apparently some good information making it onto these boards as people keep coming back. And whether someone has 5 posts a year or 5,000 posts a year, at the end of the day it's all opinion. That's why they call it 'Cruise Critic.'

 

I think we're all experienced enough and/or savvy enough to be able to filter our information and make decisions that suit our particular situations. What works for one person may not work for another, so I, for one, appreciate having a wealth of information to help me decide on how to spend my vacation dollars. I'd much rather have an active board with many contributors than something stale and not at all informative.

 

But that's me...

[wripro]

I have two (grown) stepdaughters. When they were younger, I expected noise and was seldom disappointed. But at a young age, they learned where it was appropriate to be a kid and where to be a young adult. If I took them to Chuck E. Cheese (God have mercy) they could get as loud as they wanted. When I took them to the Penrose Room at the Broadmoor, they knew how to behave.

 

On the rare occasions they couldn't figure out which mode to be in, all it took was one glance from me or mom and they got the idea real quick. I called it 'active parenting'.

 

 

 

And that's where a good TA can come in handy.

 

That's because you're a good and conscientious parent. I find most parents who bring kids on to luxury lines are more interested in their own needs and desires than those of their children and therefore ignore the disturbances they cause.

[UUNetBill]

That's because you're a good and conscientious parent. I find most parents who bring kids on to luxury lines are more interested in their own needs and desires than those of their children and therefore ignore the disturbances they cause.

 

Thanks...we tried, and hopefully succeeded. But the sad thing to me is that it's not just on luxury lines...it's everywhere in the world these days. <sigh>

[Pamela1]

That's because you're a good and conscientious parent. I find most parents who bring kids on to luxury lines are more interested in their own needs and desires than those of their children and therefore ignore the disturbances they cause.

 

Do you have and example of how most parents are interested in their own needs?

It would be great if you shared your experiences.

 

Pam.

[LynnRuns]

Funny, I find that people who look down their noses at others and how they act, are trying to be something they are not. (and again, what I saw an experienced were extremely wonderful children). Perhaps that is what has turned me off.

 

Sorry, I am getting snippy again (and I am breaking my own rule about posting). I am not trying to be the defender of all children, but this constant barrage of children running amok, and misbehaved kids galore caused by indifferent parents is just so tiresome. This is not the majority of people that we have experienced when we travel. It doesn't mean it doesn't happen, the same way that some entitled senior can ruin the cruise for others as well. It happens, but it is the minority. Enough said already on this!

[TrulyBlonde]

LynnRuns....I would give up at this point too. We have all enjoyed and gained valuable info from your posts.

As for luxury cruises, I have read that Crystal has a popular and good program for children and young adults. You may want to check their itineraries and what they have to offer for the future.

[liptastic]

I also appreciated your review and support your right to post your experiences. It is important as well for others to compare your experiences with theirs. IMO, the more experiences the better.

 

Not sure if you were referring to my not sailing in July or August post. That post was meant for passengers that prefer to not sail with children. July and August is just fine for families. The only downside is that the service could possibly be affected by a very full ship.

 

In terms of improving your experience (or anyone else's), I cannot say enough times how important it is to let the proper shipboard manager know if something is not right. They will fix anything that they can fix immediately (especially if it has to do with food or service in a dining venue).

 

In terms of a good TA, not sure if you received a percentage of your cruise fare back from your TA, however, IMO, having a TA experienced with Regent is a good suggestion for future bookings.

 

 

I am expecting the same service whether the ship is full to the gunnels so to speak or not especially with the price I am paying. The five/ six star luxury experience should be delivered at all times not just outside school holidays?

No difference in onboard service or experience should be apparent to any guest.

[Travelcat2]

How should one interpret this! Does Regent give discount on their Alaska cruises because they fill the ship beyond "normal! capacity, and therefore not able to maintain the standard of either service or food?

To overfill the ship so thats guests experience are far from the expected does not sound like luxury to me.

 

Alaska (and Caribbean) cruises are less money than others due to the proximity to the continental U.S. "Normally" there are only two passengers per suite but during the summer and school holidays, there can be 3-4 people per suite (including children). As the OP mentioned, there were around 90 children on the cruise before hers. While the legal capacity of the Regent ship is not exceeded during these cruises, there are more passengers than usual.

 

On most of our cruises there are 70-90% repeat customers. However, during the summer in Alaska most/many passengers are new to Regent. Newbies and children can have an affect on service. In terms of children, I assume there would be more special food requests (and preparation requests) since some children might prefer a grilled cheese sandwich or mac and cheese over some of the offerings on Regent (particularly in Signatures - a French restaurant with food that my children would not have cared for). For both children and those new to Regent, more explanations may be required in terms of the food offerings and this takes time (and could slow down service). This is not something that can be predicted and it likely does not happen all of the time. And, while I do not know why the wait for Prime 7 was 25 minutes, I can state that this has not happened in our 25+ cruises on Regent. Whatever was going on was very unusual.

 

I would guess that housekeeping services would also take longer with more people in the suites.

 

People new to Regent generally love their Alaska cruises. After all, there is little to not like. However, they are not familiar with Regent cruises during the rest of the year when it is very quiet all over the ship (even the pool deck - as there are only a few people floating or doing laps in the pool.

 

Hope this explanation helps.

 

P.S. If you read the boards on the other luxury cruise lines you will see the same comments for and against children. Some people would rather eat them for lunch (okay - that was a poor joke):D

Edited August 18, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Travelcat2]

That's because you're a good and conscientious parent. I find most parents who bring kids on to luxury lines are more interested in their own needs and desires than those of their children and therefore ignore the disturbances they cause.

 

You and Bill are a breath of fresh air. wripro, I highlighted above your comment that I have read so many times on other boards (not only by you but by multiple posters). Unfortunately, the four major luxury cruise lines do not offer any "adults only" cruises but do offer some children cruises. Somehow this feels like reverse discrimination;)

[potterp]

I was where you were before our trip and starting having doubts given things I had read, but I also felt that we tend to make fun no matter what the situation. Let me say we had a really great overall trip. (The sushi issue was on last day heading towards Vancouver. If it had been the first it most definitely set me off and I would not have been pleased - especially when I got almost no reaction from the server who see the worm wiggle out of the sushi. I would have been so paranoid at every meal.) We loved the scenery, the fresh air. Could we have done it differently - most definitely. But it will be a memorable trip none the less.

 

Enjoy it and make memories!

 

Thanks and I hope we can enjoy the cruise after hearing all the negatives about Regent. It's not just what I'm reading on this thread either.

 

I did see your later comment about pulling off the boards in response to the Regent cheerleaders. Please do not pull out. I had the same problem on the Azamara board after I made comments on their re-imagined ships (cabins in particular). I was totally flamed for speaking out about what I felt was overlooked when they did their retrofit as were others who expressed anything negative.

 

This is the only forum where people speak their minds and then others can determine what to think based on their own experiences. I like it.

 

I think you did an excellent job in stating your experience on the cruise. I didn't take it as all negative and you informed the correct people about the sushi problem. That server should probably not be on a luxury line. He didn't respond properly IMO.

 

Thanks again and keep posting. :)

Edited August 18, 2016 by potterp

[LynnRuns]

I am expecting the same service whether the ship is full to the gunnels so to speak or not especially with the price I am paying. The five/ six star luxury experience should be delivered at all times not just outside school holidays?

No difference in onboard service or experience should be apparent to any guest.

 

Completely agree.