Can You Think of a Reason not to Book a Regent Cruise?

[ChucktownSteve]

6 minutes ago, drsel said:

A) Celebrity has now become too expensive for what it's worth.

But, in the past, I always got incredible last minute price drops,  sometimes even 50%, around 45 to 60 days prior to sailing.

I would look out for such incredible last minute price drops and hope that history repeats itself.

 

B) right now MSC has got some fabulous deals in Europe, for the Mediterranean, Norwegian fjords and Baltic Cruises. UNBELIEVABLE PRICES !

But if you want to experience the best of MSC, you have to book Yacht club

 

XX was then. Those days will never return which is why I've moved upstream.

 

So if I understand you, it's all about price and any cabin to get the price?  Guess we'll never see you on Regent. 😁

[drsel]

1 hour ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

XX was then. Those days will never return which is why I've moved upstream.

 

So if I understand you, it's all about price and any cabin to get the price?  Guess we'll never see you on Regent. 😁

You didn't understand me.

read points 1 to 7 carefully

[mj_holiday]

. If you are a teetotaler or hardly drink, then paying for unlimited alcohol is a waste of money.

 

A good way to Price this comparison is to see what other cruise lines charge for a drink package or a single serving of what ever you may drink.  But for those who don't drink very much another thing to look at is if you like to have fancy coffee drinks.  I was surprised that these are extra on the couple of mass market cruises I have been on.

 

Not trying to convince anyone on a cruise they don't want, but just want people to see what each cruise has to make a comparison. 

 

It is good you can make yourself available to last minute price drops.

 

One of the many things we really enjoy on a cruise is after the days activities and we freshen up, to go to a lounge for a couple pre-dinner drinks and meet other people while waiters are walking around with some small appetizers.

[drsel]

On 2/6/2021 at 5:40 PM, ChucktownSteve said:

drsel your points are valid especially if #7 is a higher priority.

I believe the discussion really boils down to a person's priority.  I currently prefer fewer times at higher quality than quantity.

Everyone has to make the selection that best suits their priorities

Dear ChucktownSteve,

I'm glad that you find my points valid.

I was only trying to honestly answer your question.

I also respect your priorities and preference for the best quality, rather than quantity.

I'm sure that you will cherish your 3 Regent cruises and make great memories to last a lifetime!

[ysolde]

We have our first Regent cruise booked for 2023.  Having cruised a lot since I was a kid in the 70s (I first cruised on Cunard Adventurer when I was 3 or 4 years old), and having slowly watched all the changes to cruises over the decades, here's why I think Regent may end up being a good fit for my DH and me:

We like a lot of the old-fashioned amenities.  I love afternoon tea.  I love a piano player who knows the American songbook.  My husband and I can spend hours in a library or bookstore.  We love enrichment programs: lectures, classes, etc.  We love good food that is not too complicated -- give us fresh ingredients prepared well and we are happy.  Specialty coffees and good tea.  Good music in the evening.  Good views of the ocean.  Space in our cabin.  A balcony is non-negotiable.  We like to sit and have breakfast in our cabin (sometimes in the balcony, if space and weather permit) on sea days and just enjoy the fact that we are on a cruise.  Sometimes, I will go to the spa and have a massage.  My husband likes to swim.  We like knowing that, once at the airport, everything is taken care of.  

 

All those bells and whistles: Rock climbing walls and surfing and ice skating on board are a bit lost on us because we just don't do any of that.  We live in NYC, so we go to Broadway shows at home (when Broadway is open).  We don't need Broadway on a cruise. We really go on a cruise to disconnect.  We really want a sort of quiet enjoyment, a relaxation, a low-key comfort.  

 

AFAICT, Regent has many (most?) of the things we enjoy.  Afternoon tea.  Libraries with physical books.  The kind of music we enjoy.  Food we like (with no upcharge for specialty restaurants).  Large cabins with balconies, walk-in closets, and a large, comfortable bathroom.  Drinks, sodas, specialty coffees, and teas included.  Basic excursions included.  The thing that made the decision that much easier was the fact that it includes J class airfare (at least on the international portion of the trip).  My husband and I travel in business class (on longer trips, anyhow).  Having Regent take care of this part of the trip (include the expense in the ticket cost and deal with the travel arrangements for us) made the decision easy.  Call me crazy, but to me, there is something really liberating about the notion of stepping into the car that takes us to the airport, and knowing that we are pretty much all set from that point until the moment our vacation ends several weeks later.  It's not for everyone.  But we are looking forward to it.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

1 hour ago, ysolde said:

We have our first Regent cruise booked for 2023.  Having cruised a lot since I was a kid in the 70s (I first cruised on Cunard Adventurer when I was 3 or 4 years old), and having slowly watched all the changes to cruises over the decades, here's why I think Regent may end up being a good fit for my DH and me:

We like a lot of the old-fashioned amenities.  I love afternoon tea.  I love a piano player who knows the American songbook.  My husband and I can spend hours in a library or bookstore.  We love enrichment programs: lectures, classes, etc.  We love good food that is not too complicated -- give us fresh ingredients prepared well and we are happy.  Specialty coffees and good tea.  Good music in the evening.  Good views of the ocean.  Space in our cabin.  A balcony is non-negotiable.  We like to sit and have breakfast in our cabin (sometimes in the balcony, if space and weather permit) on sea days and just enjoy the fact that we are on a cruise.  Sometimes, I will go to the spa and have a massage.  My husband likes to swim.  We like knowing that, once at the airport, everything is taken care of.  

 

All those bells and whistles: Rock climbing walls and surfing and ice skating on board are a bit lost on us because we just don't do any of that.  We live in NYC, so we go to Broadway shows at home (when Broadway is open).  We don't need Broadway on a cruise. We really go on a cruise to disconnect.  We really want a sort of quiet enjoyment, a relaxation, a low-key comfort.  

 

AFAICT, Regent has many (most?) of the things we enjoy.  Afternoon tea.  Libraries with physical books.  The kind of music we enjoy.  Food we like (with no upcharge for specialty restaurants).  Large cabins with balconies, walk-in closets, and a large, comfortable bathroom.  Drinks, sodas, specialty coffees, and teas included.  Basic excursions included.  The thing that made the decision that much easier was the fact that it includes J class airfare (at least on the international portion of the trip).  My husband and I travel in business class (on longer trips, anyhow).  Having Regent take care of this part of the trip (include the expense in the ticket cost and deal with the travel arrangements for us) made the decision easy.  Call me crazy, but to me, there is something really liberating about the notion of stepping into the car that takes us to the airport, and knowing that we are pretty much all set from that point until the moment our vacation ends several weeks later.  It's not for everyone.  But we are looking forward to it.

You just said it all....we agree..

I know you will love Regent as we do!

[Steve Q]

We booked our first Regent cruise last week departing in March 2022 aboard Voyager. We actually booked a prior Regent cruise for March 2021, but it obviously was cancelled. We are hopeful that we will be able to sail as it is  our 45th anniversary. Previously, we have sailed several times with Viking Ocean, Oceania, and several of the mass market lines. We really liked Viking, but thought that we would try Regent. We booked a category G and were moved to an E Concierge suite as part of the current promotion.
Within the past year I was diagnosed with Celiac and have to maintain a gluten free diet. The Regent rep promised us that they have a great deal of experience with dietary issues and it would not present any problem. That was very encouraging as this will be our first cruise sailing since the diagnosis. We are really hopeful that sailing returns soon and are very much looking forward to Regent.

[1982CruzStart]

On 2/9/2021 at 11:21 AM, Steve Q said:

Within the past year I was diagnosed with Celiac and have to maintain a gluten free diet. The Regent rep promised us that they have a great deal of experience with dietary issues and it would not present any problem.

Though we are not celiac we have met a few people onboard who are and they were extremely happy with how Regent was handling their dietary requirements.  I think you will be well taken care of. 

[phillipahain]

Chucktown

 

We have cruised pretty much most of the lines inc Azamara , Oceania, Silver Sea,Seabourne 

And for us its Regent every time ...theres just so much thats included and it really does not matter which cabin 

Yes the 2 new ships are beautiful but the quality and service right across all 5 ships us immaculate 

Seabourne comes up a good 2nd but it does depend on the deal 

[Ken the cruiser]

Thanks to @ChucktownSteveand his posts on a Celebrity CC thread, we plan on booking our first Regent cruise on the Splendor in a E conciege cabin on a Feb 2023 7 day Caribbean cruise and have a few questions of which I dont believe I saw answered in the previous posts in this thread.

 

1. Does Regent offer a military discount?

 

2. Are the concierge D/E cabins a better buy on the Splendor than on Regent's older ships? From the way it looks, the D/E cabins are much larger than the F/G balcony cabins whereas on the older ships, they appear about the same size?

 

3. On sea days are there enrichment lectures given by professional speakers?

 

We are in our late 60s and cruise around 100 days a year under normal conditions and enjoy cruising on a variety of lines, but have yet to try Regent. Our go-to luxury cruise line right now is Crystal, but we would like to see if Regent is as wonderful as you all are saying. Your thoughts will very much be appreciated.

Edited February 21, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[GOARMY]

Ken:

 

Quick answer to some of your questions.  

 

1.  No direct Military Discount.  I have inquired on this aspect to Regent "management" on several occasions.   This is in contrast to CUNARD which does offer such--and which we have utilized while aboard two of its ships.  However--that is a relatively "small" matter given the overall superior ambience we have experienced over the past 24 years on Radisson/Regent ships.  We have a great Travel Agent who is able to obtain so-many On Board Credits that our only issue has been how to spend them.  Just-about everything is included.  

 

2.  Wish I had first-hand experience on Splendor upon which to provide insight.  Spouse and I were to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary aboard that brand-new ship at San Diego last March 14th.  Except, of course, while at San Diego on March 13th--got the word of cancelation.  Others who had the limited opportunity to be aboard Splendor on the only three segments which preceded ours will probably chime in.   Really--there are no inferior suites on any of the four other Regent ships on which we have sailed.  These have ranged from basic Veranda to Penthouse.  

 

3.  Yes, as to Guest lecturers, particularly on sea days.  Uniformly top-notch.  Amiable, approachable, and knowledgeable.  Again, given the small passenger compliment, we have often had the opportunity to invite a Lecturer to join us at a lunch or dinner.  We have enjoyed their company--particularly the ones with a military background.  

 

Overall evaluation based on numerous experiences on other 5+star lines--specifically Crystal, Seabourn, and Silversea:  Regent has become our go-to line.  Hope (after having three cruises canceled) to be aboard Mariner at Barcelona in late October for a crossing to Miami.  

 

Hope springs eternal.   And--just-got my first vaccine shot this PM!

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

[flossie009]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

2. Are the concierge D/E cabins a better buy on the Splendor than on Regent's older ships? From the way it looks, the D/E cabins are much larger than the F/G balcony cabins whereas on the older ships, they appear about the same size?

 

On Splendor (& Explorer) the room sizes and layouts for all D, E & F suites are identical; the only differences being the depth of some balconies and the suite locations.

IMO F2 normally offers the best value, unless you require the Concierge amenities offered by D & E; although with the 2-level upgrade offer you may find that  F2 upgraded to E or F1 upgraded to D is attractive to you. If so I would recommend those suites on deck 7 or deck 8 (both decks give less chance of noise from above or below)

 

Hope you enjoy your first cruise on Regent 😎 (and the 2 years of expectation & planning 😉)

Don't forget to take advantage of the Regent Ambassador Referral programme

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, flossie009 said:

 

On Splendor (& Explorer) the room sizes and layouts for all D, E & F suites are identical; the only differences being the depth of some balconies and the suite locations.

IMO F2 normally offers the best value, unless you require the Concierge amenities offered by D & E; although with the 2-level upgrade offer you may find that  F2 upgraded to E or F1 upgraded to D is attractive to you. If so I would recommend those suites on deck 7 or deck 8 (both decks give less chance of noise from above or below)

 

Hope you enjoy your first cruise on Regent 😎 (and the 2 years of expectation & planning 😉)

Don't forget to take advantage of the Regent Ambassador Referral programme

Thanks! After looking at our options, especially with the unlimited internet for up to 4 devices perk as well as being able to book excursions/specialty dining earlier, the concierge E cabin has definitely caught our interest. The additional $300 option to get the pre-night hotel also attracted our eye as we have a 1 day layover disembarking the Celebrity Equinox the day before.

 

I noticed in the Cuisine description, there appears to be 4 specialty restaurants. If this is true, do we get to make a reservation in each one if it's only a 7 day cruise? If so, that would seem to be another reason to book an E cabin, especially since we like an early seating table for 2. Which brings up another question. Is it "anytime dining" in the MDR or can you make reservations if you want to get a table for 2 when they first open up?

 

As far as taking advantage of the Referral program, unfortunately, we don't personally know anyone that has already sailed on Regent, so I guess we'll have to miss out on that $250 discount perk.

[Brownie54]

If you go up to Member Referral Credit and post your information there, I’m sure someone would be happy to “sponsor” you...

[flossie009]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I noticed in the Cuisine description, there appears to be 4 specialty restaurants. If this is true, do we get to make a reservation in each one if it's only a 7 day cruise?

There are 3 speciality restaurants on Splendor that require reservations. You can make one reservation in each speciality restaurant ahead of boarding.

 

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Is it "anytime dining" in the MDR or can you make reservations

No reservations in Compass Rose (the MDR). Simply walk in at the time you prefer and you will be seated according to your preference. Same arrangement for Dinner in Sette Mari (Italian) and the Pool Grill (casual)

 

 

This previous thread may be of use:

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Another question if I may. Does Regent offer a discount if you book back to back cruises?

[wishIweretravelling]

The $300 hotel charge you mention is, I assume, the night before the hotel night included with the concierge suite. Most of the time, the cited hotel charge is per person based on double occupancy, meaning the room would actually be $600. Unless they are running some kind of special bargain. Price-wise, you can probably do better on your own.

 

You mention that your luxury cruise go-to has been Crystal. Regent does have superb speakers, but nothing like the Crystal enrichment program. It's usually destination speakers and, if it's a theme cruise, speakers related to the theme. You only occasionally get the speakers on random topics that you do on Crystal. (Regent and Crystal are my primary cruise lines. I somewhat prefer Regent, but will happily hop on either for the right itinerary.)  So, if you're expecting the Crystal level of speakers, you won't get that. But then again, Regent's schedule for 2022/23 looks pretty port-intensive.

 

There is usually a discount for back-to-back, but not always. It's something you just need to check. Obviously, you'll be credited for the otherwise-included airfare, since you wouldn't be using half of it. But, you'd also get that credit if you did your own air.

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

9 minutes ago, wishIweretravelling said:

The $300 hotel charge you mention is, I assume, the night before the hotel night included with the concierge suite. Most of the time, the cited hotel charge is per person based on double occupancy, meaning the room would actually be $600. Unless they are running some kind of special bargain. Price-wise, you can probably do better on your own.

 

You mention that your luxury cruise go-to has been Crystal. Regent does have superb speakers, but nothing like the Crystal enrichment program. It's usually destination speakers and, if it's a theme cruise, speakers related to the theme. You only occasionally get the speakers on random topics that you do on Crystal. (Regent and Crystal are my primary cruise lines. I somewhat prefer Regent, but will happily hop on either for the right itinerary.)  So, if you're expecting the Crystal level of speakers, you won't get that. But then again, Regent's schedule for 2022/23 looks pretty port-intensive.

 

There is usually a discount for back-to-back, but not always. It's something you just need to check. Obviously, you'll be credited for the otherwise-included airfare, since you wouldn't be using half of it. But, you'd also get that credit if you did your own air.

Thanks for the info and good catch on the concierge pre-cruise hotel charge! We will definitely bypass that option now, especially since we will be driving instead of flying and were only really needed it for that overnight stay between cruises. As far as Crystal's enrichment program goes, we agree. They are pretty hard to beat, especially if there are a number of sea days on the cruise.  

[flossie009]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

The additional $300 option to get the pre-night hotel also attracted our eye

 

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks for the info and good catch on the concierge pre-cruise hotel charge! 

There is no additional charge for the 1 night pre-cruise hotel. The cost of the hotel, incl breakfast porterage & transfers, is included in the cruise fare for concierge level & above.

If you do not require this amenity you can request a credit, as you can for the air fare.

[Ken the cruiser]

17 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

 

There is no additional charge for the 1 night pre-cruise hotel. The cost of the hotel, incl breakfast porterage & transfers, is included in the cruise fare for concierge level & above.

If you do not require this amenity you can request a credit, as you can for the air fare.

Thanks! When we did another fake booking of the 7 day Feb 2023 cruise we're looking at without checking the pre-cruise hotel option this time and $150 pp was taken off the total fare amount. But I have to say it was less than the $600 I heard earlier. In addition, $300 was also omitted from the original advertised "all inclusive" fare as we did not check the Airfare requirement either as we will all ready be in the area.

[SusieQft]

5 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

$300 was also omitted from the original advertised "all inclusive" fare as we did not check the Airfare requirement either as we will all ready be in the area.

The amount of the air credit is shown on the website just below the list of prices for each suite level.  Your booking confirmation should show the full price including the hotel and air, and then subtract a credit for each of them (if you have waived them) to arrive at the final price.  I think the hotel credit varies depending on the embarkation port.  The air credit clearly does as well but it is easy to compare without doing a booking. 

 

We had a $175 pp hotel credit in LA on a prior booking, and now a $410 hotel credit in Vancouver on a new booking.  The latter may have been higher, in part, because it is a B2B booking.  Our air credit was $800.  The amounts shown online are $500 for the first segment and $300 for the second segment (round trip LA).  This makes no sense, because obviously we would have only needed the air for the first segment, just delayed until after the second. 

 

I don't know if we would have gotten a $300 air credit if we had not waived the included air.  But it was certainly not built in to the "Combination Cruise Savings" credit, or our air credit would have been only $500.  It looks like the included air (and probably hotel as well, more so than usual) are a rotten deal for back to back bookings. 

 

Perhaps we would have gotten a $300 air credit and $175 hotel credit even if we had not waived them, but it seems unlikely.  If anyone has booked a back to back without waiving air and/or hotel and has gotten a credit for the redundant unused portion, please post and let us know.  I am referring to DIY B2Bs, not Grand or World Voyages.

[BBWC]

Yes, have received credit for unused air for diy B2Bs every time we have done it. Applied automatically at booking.

[wishIweretravelling]

20 hours ago, SusieQft said:

 

Perhaps we would have gotten a $300 air credit and $175 hotel credit even if we had not waived them, but it seems unlikely.  If anyone has booked a back to back without waiving air and/or hotel and has gotten a credit for the redundant unused portion, please post and let us know.  I am referring to DIY B2Bs, not Grand or World Voyages.

I have. The bulk of the discount for the B2B was that the redundant portion of the air credit was subtracted. There was a small discount for B2B on top of that. 

[iluv2cruztoo]

On 1/31/2021 at 3:52 PM, wishIweretravelling said:

This discussion leads us back to the classic analysis that someone inserts from time to time. Today I guess I'm the one inserting it

 

To figure out if Regent (or any other cruise) is worth the price, particularly as compared to other cruise options, one must look at (1) price; (2) value to you; (3) quasi-tangibles, and (4)  intangibles. 

 

WishinIweretravelling, thank you for this great information.  Hubby and I are in the process of booking a Regent back-to-back on the Voyager:  Venice to Barcelona (May 25 to June 6) and Barcelona to Bilbao (June 6 to June 16th).  With the exception of the value for alcoholic drinks-- we may have a glass of wine at dinner-- I think Regent will be a perfect fit for us.  We are planning on being in the entry level Guaranteed Deluxe Veranda H category, and hope that our excursion choices will still be available when it is our turn. 

 

 

 

 

 

[DeweySki]

I have really been looking for a cruise to "cut my teeth on" with Regent Seven Seas.  I am a fan of all they have to offer as far as luxury and amenities, but before I invest a lot of time and money in a series of cruises I am looking for a short one to see if it is "all that" as they say and make sure the hype is not just smoke and mirrors.  The videos are amazing and have me itching, so as long as they are accurate I think I will be a huge fan.  Any recommendations for a good "try it out" cruise with Regent?