Pre cruise hotel stay questions

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Camillus112 said:

Thanks Travelcat2... We made it to Miami, though too late at night to be able to register.  All was resolved this morning and our luggage is now en route to the ship.  We were assigned the last group for transport, so we will be on board!!  Thanks for your response.

 

So glad to learn that your luggage is on its' way and you will soon be at the ship.  Thank you for letting us know and have a wonderful cruise!

[sierrafloridacruiser]

2 minutes ago, Eno-Bob said:

I believe they usually try to start boarding at noon.  We have seen it delayed one time, but it has usually been noon.  If you leave your luggage out as required in the morning, it will be loaded and taken to the ship.  We have left the luggage go by the Regent transfer and made our own way to the ship a number of times with out any problem.  We have let the Regent contract representative know that we were not taking the bus and there has never been an issue or problem.

Thank you! 

[Camillus112]

23 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Do yourself a favor and just take a Cab or Uber to the port.  Last month all the busses from the various hotels seem to arrive at the same time and it was a zoo.  We had to take a number and waited about 45 minutes just to stand in line.  It was one of the most unorganized embarkation that I have ever experienced.  Certainly did not negatively impact our cruise.  The disembarkation was one of the best we have ever experienced.  
Enjoy your cruise.  The widest  variety and highest quality of food that we have ever experienced.  Be sure to check out the culinary experiences if they are available.  

After reading your recommendation I was ready to cab it to port, but DH said that we would meet the people rush if we went earlier, and best to be the last ones in a leisurely manner.  He was right.  We learned afterwards that lines were never-ending and people were upset.  We boarded late and hungry, but very happy!

[jagoffee]

31 minutes ago, Camillus112 said:

After reading your recommendation I was ready to cab it to port, but DH said that we would meet the people rush if we went earlier, and best to be the last ones in a leisurely manner.  He was right.  We learned afterwards that lines were never-ending and people were upset.  We boarded late and hungry, but very happy!

By leaving early, I meant to leave significantly before the first bus would leave.  You were fortunate, but arriving later is also  a good away to avoid crowds as you found out.  I am glad that it worked out for you.

In our case all (two) of the busses from the Four Seasons left at the same time.  (After waiting on the bus for around a 1/2 hour). Perhaps Regent is staggering the later buses a little better?

I know in our case, I will not be using the Regent Port transfers.

 

Have  a great time.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hmm, this makes me think that when we have the pre-cruise gala for the 2021 world cruise at the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne, that we should cab it the next day to the ship.  I wonder whether the 'normal' pre-cruise passengers (non-WCers) will be housed in the same hotel--that would make a difference.  Or if they'll treat the WC pax differently somehow.

[Gilly]

In the thread about "what first time Regent people need to know" (or whatever it's called)  my contribution was based on my own experience with Regent and most particularly on the cruise we had just disembarked.  That was that the Regent experience is not to be taken at top speed, but to be savoured and enjoyed, because everything will still be there even if you are the last in the queue or somewhat late to the party.  @Camillus112 you are absolutely spot on - why rush and get agitated by standing in a queue for ages when you can take your time and stroll on board when you are ready.  The advantages of being one of the first to board are few...I certainly don't count sitting around waiting for my suite to be ready and my luggage to arrive amongst them.  Sure, you can have a nice lunch on board, but you'll have quite a few more of those to look forward to!  Relax and enjoy the cruise you've looked forward to for so long.

[BBWC]

Wendy,

the way they treat the world cruise passengers differently is that they get to check in at the hotel in the morning rather than at the port, so when you arrive there you can head straight to the ship without any lines.

i would still recommend getting a cab or Uber, though, because the bus transportation does get a bit messy.

[Travelcat2]

10 hours ago, Gilly said:

In the thread about "what first time Regent people need to know" (or whatever it's called)  my contribution was based on my own experience with Regent and most particularly on the cruise we had just disembarked.  That was that the Regent experience is not to be taken at top speed, but to be savoured and enjoyed, because everything will still be there even if you are the last in the queue or somewhat late to the party.  @Camillus112 you are absolutely spot on - why rush and get agitated by standing in a queue for ages when you can take your time and stroll on board when you are ready.  The advantages of being one of the first to board are few...I certainly don't count sitting around waiting for my suite to be ready and my luggage to arrive amongst them.  Sure, you can have a nice lunch on board, but you'll have quite a few more of those to look forward to!  Relax and enjoy the cruise you've looked forward to for so long.

 

I was very against the pre-boarding for passengers in "some" named suites (even though we almost always stay in one).  I am not as against pre-boarding for Seven Seas Society guests in top tiers as they earned it.  Agree that taking the process slowly and savoring it is a good idea.  

 

Wendy - I am sure that you will get information on this later in the year.  Keep in mind that we are still 10 months out from the 2021 WC.  Agree with BBWC that using Regent's bus to transfer to the ship isn't the ideal way to go.  However, if you really want to know, I suggest that you post your question on the WC thread.  Someone onboard will be happy to let you know how the 2020 WC was handled in terms of the hotel, etc.

[ali1936]

On 2/21/2020 at 11:32 AM, sierrafloridacruiser said:

Thank you! 

Hotel and embarkation on 2/21/20 in Miami was appalling, not up to Regent standard. Waited for 2 hours in terminal to board the ship. Awful

 

[Camillus112]

3 hours ago, ali1936 said:

Hotel and embarkation on 2/21/20 in Miami was appalling, not up to Regent standard. Waited for 2 hours in terminal to board the ship. Awful
 

 

Sorry to hear that.  Thanks to suggestions on this board we boarded late and all was fine BUT I should have been able to board at the regular time with no problem, as I have done on other lines of choice.  The cruise, however, is wonderful!!

[Travelcat2]

8 hours ago, ali1936 said:

Hotel and embarkation on 2/21/20 in Miami was appalling, not up to Regent standard. Waited for 2 hours in terminal to board the ship. Awful

 

 

In our experience, Miami is likely the top worst place to embark or disembark.  It is not Regent's fault.  Their hands are tied by the union dock workers and other onshore staff.  Keep in mind that the people with "Regent" signs at the hotel, at the airport and even those guiding you through the airports are contractors.  When they finish with one shipload, they go on to another cruise line and work with their ship and passengers.

[ronrick1943]

Things happen, just go with the flow and don't start your trip being upset.  One one cruise we were delayed because the computers didn't work, after an hour or so they brought out sodas and cookies.  Some one asked me if this was normal, told them no and not to worry until they bring out sandwiches---about 5 minutes later they started bring out sandwiches and we all had a good laugh.  After about 4 hours, we got to board the ship.  Just remember stuff happens, but it's not the end of the world.

[orvil]

No, New York is the worst cruise terminal experience.  We were held in the "pen" for four hours waiting for the Coast Guard to finish their inspection before boarding the QM2. 

We were QG, so we were called to board first.  It took about six hours for the poor folks with the discount tickets to get on board.  Because we had to wait for the tide in order to clear the Verazzano Bridge, it delayed our sailing until after midnight.  We still made Southampton on time because she kicked it into high gear.  New York as a departure port in the winter sucks.  Miami is a cake walk.