A Change in Suite Amenities – Specialty Restaurant Reservations -

[Eno-Bob]

We received a Seven Seas Society – Regent Insider e-mail today that announced: “The results are in!  Your top 3 favorite suite amenities”  The top 3 are listed as:  Butler Service, Minibar, and Dining Reservations.  I’m not sure that those would be our “top 3”, however, one item under there description of dining reservations caught our eye.  “And, when staying in a Distinctive Suite or Regent Suite, you are guaranteed a reservation every night.”

 

 

Just under the Dining Reservations info box there is a link to “Learn more about our suites” and clicking on that link takes you to the Regent website to a page labeled “Suites” which categorizes suites as – Regent Suite, Distinctive Suites, and Spacious Suites.  Again, in describing the “Distinctive Suites” they describe exclusive amenities to include, “guaranteed reservations each night at the specialty restaurant of your choice”.  Clicking on “Learn More”, they list the “Distinctive Suites” as including all of the named suites – Master, Grand, Ship (Explorer, Mariner, etc), and Seven Seas Suites. 

 

We were aware the Master and Grand suites had the guaranteed reservations for the specialty restaurants, but it now appears that they have added the Ship and Seven Seas suites for that amenity.  However, if you go back and look at the suite amenities for the individual ships, we looked at the amenities for the Explorer Suite, it does not include the guaranteed reservations – the Master and Grand Suite do include that amenity. 

 

It’s certainly confusing.  We were in a Seven Seas Suite on the Explorer in January and it did not include the guaranteed reservations at that time.

 

Has anyone else heard about this change?  Has anyone who is currently or has recently sailed in one of the “Distinctive Suites”, taken advantage of this new amenity?

[Travelcat2]

Definitely have not heard of this change.  We occasionally stay in a Grand or Master suite but more often stay in a Explorer/Splendor/Mariner suite.  On our last cruise on Explorer, we did have guaranteed reservations for each night.  However, as much as we LOVE some of the specialty restaurants, we could not do it for the 20 nights that we were onboard.

 

I compare this to staying in a top suite (Vista suite) on Oceania where the food (equivalent of La Veranda and Compass Rose) was so poor that we did in a specialty restaurant every night.

 

IMHO, on Regent, this is simply not necessary. 

[Hambagahle]

I have had the opposite experience on Oceania - the times we have eaten in the Grand Dining Room (equivalent of Compass Rose) the food has been superb.  We had the very best châteaubriand with béanaise sauce there that we have ever had!      

 

On Oceania aside from being able to eat in any of the speciality restaurants any time you choose if you are in a top suite you can also order in from those during dining hours.   Is this the case on Regent?   I hope so!

 

One amenity that comes with the "Distinctive Suites" on Regent which I like a LOT is the free laundry service.  That is truly worth having.

Edited May 30, 2019 by Hambagahle

[RJ2002]

Like Hambagahle, we also had a favorable impression of food quality in the GDR on O.  My only regret was that there weren't more offerings each night.  The CR menu on Regent has such a wide selection of choices, but it is limited on O - at least when we sailed on the Nautica last year.

 

However, I respect that Travelcat2 has a different viewpoint.  Different cruises, different experiences.   Even passengers on the same cruise can have different opinions of the same food.

 

Back to the topic at hand, I did check our upcoming Navigator sailing, and only the Master and Grand suites are listed as having "Guaranteed Reservation Each Night in Specialty Restaurant of Your Choice".  Seems like there is a bit of a disconnect between the Regent Insider email and the listings for actual sailings.

[Sharle]

They recently changed the amenities for the "Distinctive Suites", maybe a month or two ago, and this might have been one and not made it to the web site yet. I think included laundry was one .

[Travelcat2]

The new name for the top suites (Distinctive Suites) is on the website.  Regent apparently considers the Regent, Master, Grand and named suites (Voyager, Splendor, Explorer, etc.) to be "Distinctive Suites".  What is confusing is the statement on the website (quoted below)

 

"Begin your journey with priority check-in at embarkation before stepping into a truly sumptuous environment that includes all the benefits of our Spacious Suites and more. Tailor your retreat to your taste with choice bath amenities and a personal butler seeking to ensure your every need is taken care of. You may enjoy guaranteed reservations at your favorite specialty restaurants, an intimate in-suite caviar service and a full liquor bar set-up, customized with your preferred beverages. The exclusive amenities and tailored services available at this level are nothing short of the best."

 

IMO, the word "may" is key.  You definitely receive the amenities listed above in the Regent, Master and Grand suites, however, there is no in-suite caviar service, guaranteed reservations or a full liquor bar set-up in "named" suites (I checked both the Explorer and Splendor suites on the website).  

 

So, since the website has been updated to include the blurb about "Distinctive Suites", one must assume that the other information is up to date as well.

[ROLLTIDE2]

On the Regent website, "1 Sumptuous In-Suite Caviar Service" and "Personalized In-Suite Full-Liquor Bar Set-Up" are both stated amenities of the Explorer Suite.

[Eno-Bob]

There is some ambiguity in the use of “may enjoy”, they may mean that only some of the distinctive suites will receive those amenities, or they may mean that it’s your choice on enjoying those amenities.  The wording in the Seven Seas Society – Regent Insider is less ambiguous – “Dining Reservations - Savor the exclusive comfort of having preferred dining reservations at Prime 7, Chartreuse and Pacific Rim when booking a Concierge Suite or higher. Reservations are easily made on board or online prior to your cruise. And, when staying in a Distinctive Suite or Regent Suite, you are guaranteed a reservation every night.”  In this instance there does not seem to be a distinction between the “level” of distinctive suite. 

 

Sharle indicated above that there may have been changes to the amenities offered with the distinctive suites.  I don’t recall seeing anything announced.  Maybe someone from Regent could clarify? 

 

Travelcat2 – I not as sure as you that Regent keeps all parts of their website up to date.  If you look at the Splendor suites you can still see they are using a picture of the same suite for both the Splendor Suite and the Seven Seas Suite.  

 

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

And I presume that the "spacious suites are PH's.  I read "may" to mean, "you are able to if you wish".  If it said "might", then it would be weirdly ambiguous, but as is it's not, to me.

 

As someone who will never stay in one of those suites, I have no problem with this perk.  I know that the Masters have had a full liquor bar forever, even if unmentioned. And there are, after all, very few of these huge suites, so I don't feel particularly left out.  I could not eat in one of those restos every night, it would be too much.

Edited May 30, 2019 by Wendy The Wanderer

[captjohn]

Very interesting. My only question would be; would that  "guaranteed reservation"  be a shared table or can it be a table for two ?

We will have a Navigator suite for the first time next year so just wondering . Also know that on the Navigator there is only P7. Believe me I would NOT be in there every night !

[Travelcat2]

9 hours ago, captjohn said:

Very interesting. My only question would be; would that  "guaranteed reservation"  be a shared table or can it be a table for two ?

We will have a Navigator suite for the first time next year so just wondering . Also know that on the Navigator there is only P7. Believe me I would NOT be in there every night !

 

9 hours ago, captjohn said:

Very interesting. My only question would be; would that  "guaranteed reservation"  be a shared table or can it be a table for two ?

We will have a Navigator suite for the first time next year so just wondering . Also know that on the Navigator there is only P7. Believe me I would NOT be in there every night !

 

We had a table for two when we had that benefit in March. 

[Hambagahle]

I laugh when I read these descriptions that Regent produces - reminds me of "learning the ropes" when writing itineraries for group tours when I was young.  I was quickly told the HUGE difference between "see" and "visit" for example.  "You will see the Eiffel Tower" = you drive by it.  "You visit the Eiffel Tower" = you go up it!   One has to pay attention to these nuances.   So "You may enjoy" - I read as EITHER you might get this benefit if it suits us, the company OR you may or you may not enjoy it !!

 

Have been paying special attention to the choice of language since Ken and I started exploring which excursions we might be likely to want to take on our cruise in March!

 

I noticed the  confusion re the Splendour Suite this morning on the Regent site.  And for ages they have mixed up the layout between the Grand Suite and the Explorer Suite on the Explorer.  Don't know why this hasn't been corrected since it goes way back.

[flossie009]

On 5/29/2019 at 10:37 PM, Eno-Bob said:

Just under the Dining Reservations info box there is a link to “Learn more about our suites” and clicking on that link takes you to the Regent website to a page labeled “Suites” which categorizes suites as – Regent Suite, Distinctive Suites, and Spacious Suites.  Again, in describing the “Distinctive Suites” they describe exclusive amenities to include, “guaranteed reservations each night at the specialty restaurant of your choice”.  Clicking on “Learn More”, they list the “Distinctive Suites” as including all of the named suites – Master, Grand, Ship (Explorer, Mariner, etc), and Seven Seas Suites. 

 

So if I understand this new categorisation & dining reservation policy, and if my maths is correct, there will have to be at least 50 covers in the speciality restaurants on Explorer held back each evening for those occupying Distinctive Suites.

That sounds as if it will severely limit the flexibility for other guests seeking bookings in the speciality restaurants.

 

A number of questions come to mind regarding the guaranteed reservations for Distinctive Suites:

• How far in advance do you have to confirm your requirements? ..... or can you just pitch up at the speciality restaurant of your choice on the evening?
• Do you get a choice of restaurant each & every evening?
• Do you get a choice of time and table size each & every evening?

 

Some clarity on these new arrangements from a Regent representative would be useful and very welcome. 

[papaflamingo]

2 hours ago, flossie009 said:

 

So if I understand this new categorisation & dining reservation policy, and if my maths is correct, there will have to be at least 50 covers in the speciality restaurants on Explorer held back each evening for those occupying Distinctive Suites.

That sounds as if it will severely limit the flexibility for other guests seeking bookings in the speciality restaurants.

 

As much as I agree with your comments about holding out so many tables, I bet in reality it will have much less impact than it would appear.  This kind of change usually turns out to have minimal impact on others.  Plus if they are holding out tables, something I think they routinely do anyway, those tables will be available for either same day reservations or  walkups.   We did 44 nights on Mariner and never had a problem getting into Prime 7 or Chartreuse.  Admittedly we had 3 reservations in each (3 b2b cruises), but the few times we walked up, we only waited once, and that was for 15 minutes.  Just my opinion.

 

P.S. If I'm putting down the money for the Regent Suite, I not only better be able to eat in any restaurant I want, but I better be able to eat in the Captains Quarters and after dinner, steer the boat!  😜

Edited May 31, 2019 by papaflamingo

[flossie009]

2 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

As much as I agree with your comments about holding out so many tables, I bet in reality it will have much less impact than it would appear.

 

I hope you are correct 😎

Like you, we have not had any difficulties in the past securing the dining reservations we require; we are flexible on timing and like sharing tables.

 

My concern is that, using Explorer as an example, staff will need to allow for the potential of up to 31 suites requiring a guaranteed reservation rather than the 11 suites under the previous policy.

 

I have no issue with those who have paid a premium to enjoy the upper suite levels receiving additional services and perks ............... as long as it does not adversely affect other guests or create undue stress for Regent staff.

 

[ronrick1943]

They have been doing this for sometime now---it hasn't cause a problem.  People paying a higher price should get extra perks, people don't buy that price only for suite size (hotels, airlines, car rental companies do this).  I don't see the big deal about this.

[Travelcat2]

6 hours ago, flossie009 said:

 

 

 

A number of questions come to mind regarding the guaranteed reservations for Distinctive Suites:

• How far in advance do you have to confirm your requirements? ..... or can you just pitch up at the speciality restaurant of your choice on the evening?
• Do you get a choice of restaurant each & every evening?
• Do you get a choice of time and table size each & every evening?

 

 

While I am clearly not a Regent representative, we have had this perk a few times and can easily answer your questions:

 

1.  Very little (if any) notice is needed to dine in a specialty restaurant.  Our butler always asked us in the morning where we would like to dine that evening.

 

2.  Yes - you get a choice of restaurant each and every evening.

 

3.  Yes you have a choice of time every evening.  Sharing a table does not play into the scenario much unless you have friends that either are in a "Distinctive Suite" or already have reservations and you wish to share with them.  Basically, we dine alone.

 

Last, I cannot stress enough how little we take advantage of this perk.  The only time that I feel that we overdid it was on our last cruise.  Since it was my DH's birthday, he had a choice every day of where to dine.  I can't recall how many times we dined in Pacific Rim but it was a lot.

 

Rick - have to say (again) that while I agree that passengers that pay more money should get extra perks (and it has nothing whatsoever to do with what they do at hotels .... apples and oranges), on a luxury cruise line, those perks need to be invisible (i.e. benefits you receive inside of the suite).  Guaranteed dining reservations each evening is a borderline invisible perk (In my opinion). While no one can tell who has the perk, it can prevent others from making more than one reservation per cruise because the specialty restaurants are full.

 

On the other hand, now that I'm thinking about it, the same is true of priority excursion and dining reservations. People new to Regent that are not in a concierge or above suite, get the last choice of excursions and dining times.

 

In any case, for some reason we did not receive the Seven Seas Society newsletter yet so I have not seen how the benefits of the "Distinctive Suites" are written up.  From reading the website - nothing has changed other than the name of the three suite categories being called "Distinctive Suites".  If you are in a Master or Grand Suite, you have guaranteed dining reservations but if you are in an Explorer suite (for example), you do not get this perk.

 

 

 

[UUNetBill]

6 hours ago, flossie009 said:

 

So if I understand this new categorisation & dining reservation policy, and if my maths is correct, there will have to be at least 50 covers in the speciality restaurants on Explorer held back each evening for those occupying Distinctive Suites.

That sounds as if it will severely limit the flexibility for other guests seeking bookings in the speciality restaurants.

 

A number of questions come to mind regarding the guaranteed reservations for Distinctive Suites:

• How far in advance do you have to confirm your requirements? ..... or can you just pitch up at the speciality restaurant of your choice on the evening?
• Do you get a choice of restaurant each & every evening?
• Do you get a choice of time and table size each & every evening?

 

Some clarity on these new arrangements from a Regent representative would be useful and very welcome. 

As a pretty solid "Cat F to Cat A" person, this doesn't really affect me at all.  Food is one thing I've never wanted for on any Regent cruise...

[flossie009]

@Travelcat2, Thank you for the useful information on your experiences.

 

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 If you are in a Master or Grand Suite, you have guaranteed dining reservations but if you are in an Explorer suite (for example), you do not get this perk.

 

So you can confirm that the email received by the OP from Regent that reportedly  indicated that Distinctive Suites all have the amenity of "guaranteed reservations each night at the specialty restaurant of your choice" was either misinterpreted or is just misleading advertising.

 

If so my concerns about additional pressure on restaurant reservations is assuaged. 

 

However, if nothing has changed I do find the introductory paragraph to this page on the Regent website to be very confusing and liable to lead those new to Regent to the wrong conclusions as to what amenities they will receive.

Edited May 31, 2019 by flossie009

[LynnRuns]

33 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

@Travelcat2, Thank you for the useful information on your experiences.

 

 

So you can confirm that the email received by the OP from Regent that reportedly  indicated that Distinctive Suites all have the amenity of "guaranteed reservations each night at the specialty restaurant of your choice" was either misinterpreted or is just misleading advertising.

 

If so my concerns about additional pressure on restaurant reservations is assuaged. 

 

However, if nothing has changed I do find the introductory paragraph to this page on the Regent website to be very confusing and liable to lead those new to Regent to the wrong conclusions as to what amenities they will receive.

 

The email I received (which I believe is the same as the one that OP received) indicates that yes, all Distinctive Suites have the amenity of guaranteed reservations each night in a specialty restaurant. While the email does not have the definition of a Distinctive Suite it does have a link to the RSSC site to "learn more" about Distinctive Suites and Regent has provided a list and descriptions of the suites that are included in this classification. The Explorer Suite is considered a Distinctive Suite and is entitled to the specialty restaurant reservation amenity contrary to the poster's assertions above.

[ronrick1943]

4 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

While I am clearly not a Regent representative, we have had this perk a few times and can easily answer your questions:

 

Rick - have to say (again) that while I agree that passengers that pay more money should get extra perks (and it has nothing whatsoever to do with what they do at hotels .... apples and oranges), on a luxury cruise line, those perks need to be invisible (i.e. benefits you receive inside of the suite).  Guaranteed dining reservations each evening is a borderline invisible perk (In my opinion). While no one can tell who has the perk, it can prevent others from making more than one reservation per cruise because the specialty restaurants are full.

 

 

 

 

TC, kind of disagree with you on this.  Apples & Orange??? Perks are give to make people make a purchase, with it's buying a suite or a continuity program (like Regents program) to make you want to purchase additional cruises on a line or to get people to purchase a cruise.  Went I make a decision to purchase a cruise I look at the suite itself, and all additional perks I get for that cruise.  Once I decide it's for me I book move on. IMO😊

[Gilly]

@flossie009  did you get the recent Society Pages?  I have a sneaky suspicion that this was in there, but can't check as ours has been recycled....

[flossie009]

27 minutes ago, Gilly said:

@flossie009  did you get the recent Society Pages?  I have a sneaky suspicion that this was in there, but can't check as ours has been recycled....

No, haven’t seen one recently. Will have a look if/when it arrives.

Will also seek a definitive answer as to which suites get what when we are next on board, as the nuances of marketing blurb can sometimes be less than candid.

[Travelcat2]

Since I have not seen the Seven Seas Society newsletter, I cannot confirm anything.  However, I firmly believe that the guaranteed reservations every night does not apply to the Explorer, Splendor, Mariner, Voyager or Navigator suites.  As much as I wish that they were included (we are booked on an Explorer and Splendor suite in 2020), it just does not make sense.  Hopefully I will be proven wrong.

 

In any case, I feel that this is being blown completely out of proportion.  Passengers in these suites do not book a reservation every night even though they can.  Can you imagine booking Prime 7 on the Navigator every night?  It would make me crazy.

 

Lynnruns - does your post mean that you will be booking another Regent cruise for you and your children after 3 years of not sailing on Regent?  

 

Flossie - not sure why you need a definitive answer on this topic.  It is what it is and should not have any bearing on your ability to book a specialty restaurant.  In my opinion, it only affects passengers on 7-10 night cruises since Regent makes a big effort to provide passengers the ability to book one reservation in each specialty restaurant.

[LynnRuns]

2 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Since I have not seen the Seven Seas Society newsletter, I cannot confirm anything.  However, I firmly believe that the guaranteed reservations every night does not apply to the Explorer, Splendor, Mariner, Voyager or Navigator suites.  As much as I wish that they were included (we are booked on an Explorer and Splendor suite in 2020), it just does not make sense.  Hopefully I will be proven wrong.

 

In any case, I feel that this is being blown completely out of proportion.  Passengers in these suites do not book a reservation every night even though they can.  Can you imagine booking Prime 7 on the Navigator every night?  It would make me crazy.

 

Lynnruns - does your post mean that you will be booking another Regent cruise for you and your children after 3 years of not sailing on Regent?  

 

Flossie - not sure why you need a definitive answer on this topic.  It is what it is and should not have any bearing on your ability to book a specialty restaurant.  In my opinion, it only affects passengers on 7-10 night cruises since Regent makes a big effort to provide passengers the ability to book one reservation in each specialty restaurant.

 

You track which cruises I have been on? How about the cruises that I helped my inlaws with? That is just creepy.