First Time

[BSR]

5 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

I wouldn't book Concierge just for the early dining and excursion booking.  But then again, I'm Gold status, so we get those things earlier than some.  Everyone is supposed to be guaranteed one visit to each specialty restaurant per cruise.  It's just a matter of getting desirable times and dates.

 

It used to be that it was recommended to stick to Compass Rose the second night of the cruise, since that's Captain's Welcome night and the menu is extra special.

 

As others have said, you can be as dressy or not-dressy as you like.  I almost always wear sandals to dinner, dressy ones.  If the capris are dressy and not too s hort, you should be fine.

 

As for the shower versus tub controversy, if you don't mind a tub, go for it.  But I can't attest to their features since it wouldn't work for us.

Thanks for the information.  I'm thinking maybe the shower would be a better choice for us.

[1982CruzStart]

23 hours ago, BSR said:

I'm assuming you can get a bottle of oj for the mini bar?

yes you can get OJ for the mini bar or have it delivered from room service when you want it.  I suspect the OJ would be fresh if delivered compared to canned or bottled if in the mini fridge.  I don't drink OJ so can't tell you for sure. 

[BSR]

22 minutes ago, 1982CruzStart said:

yes you can get OJ for the mini bar or have it delivered from room service when you want it.  I suspect the OJ would be fresh if delivered compared to canned or bottled if in the mini fridge.  I don't drink OJ so can't tell you for sure. 

Thanks.

[wishIweretravelling]

We often start out with a bottle of wine and a bottle of scotch. And the wine was replaced as often as we could drain the bottle. I assume the scotch would be too, but we (well, actually I--my friend doesn't care for scotch) never have finished the bottle. I usually pack a bottle carrier and take the leftover home.

[BSR]

What can OBC be used for?  If a TA is offering refundable OBC, can you cash it out at the end of your cruise?

[BSR]

1 minute ago, wishIweretravelling said:

We often start out with a bottle of wine and a bottle of scotch. And the wine was replaced as often as we could drain the bottle. I assume the scotch would be too, but we (well, actually I--my friend doesn't care for scotch) never have finished the bottle. I usually pack a bottle carrier and take the leftover home.

Thanks for the information.

[wishIweretravelling]

Just now, BSR said:

What can OBC be used for?  If a TA is offering refundable OBC, can you cash it out at the end of your cruise?

 

Regent Choice excursions, spa, boutiques, wines or liquors from the premium list, cooking classes on Explorer or Splendor, special wine pairing lunches. 

My TA's OBCs are non-refundable, so I've never been able to cash them out, but if yours are refundable I would think that cashing it out would be what refundable means.

[BSR]

52 minutes ago, wishIweretravelling said:

 

Regent Choice excursions, spa, boutiques, wines or liquors from the premium list, cooking classes on Explorer or Splendor, special wine pairing lunches. 

My TA's OBCs are non-refundable, so I've never been able to cash them out, but if yours are refundable I would think that cashing it out would be what refundable means.

Thanks for the reply.

[DaveFr]

2 hours ago, BSR said:

What can OBC be used for?  If a TA is offering refundable OBC, can you cash it out at the end of your cruise?

If you have refundable credit, you do not have to wait until the end of the cruise to cash it out. You can cash it out at any time during the cruise at least up till the last couple of days. There may be a limit to the amount of refundable credit you can cash out per day.

 

Dave

[BSR]

3 hours ago, DaveFr said:

If you have refundable credit, you do not have to wait until the end of the cruise to cash it out. You can cash it out at any time during the cruise at least up till the last couple of days. There may be a limit to the amount of refundable credit you can cash out per day.

 

Dave

Thanks for the information.

[Cleckie]

We will be first time Regent cruisers. Hopefully this year. We are booked on Explorer for 30 nights in November. We booked it as one cruise, but it is actually bootable as two separate segments of 14 nights and 16 nights. Based on this I assume there will be 2 formal nights. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I love getting all dressed up and would love to wear my formal dress more than 2 nights. Would I most likely be the only one doing this or do other ladies also dress formal as they wish? I'll still do it, just curious 😊

[Qld13]

Hi

 

Here is the link to the virtual tour page for Mariner on Regents website. Suites, restaurants and few public spaces.

 

https://www.rssc.com/virtualmariner

 

 

[BSR]

2 minutes ago, Qld13 said:

Hi

 

Here is the link to the virtual tour page for Mariner on Regents website. Suites, restaurants and few public spaces.

 

https://www.rssc.com/virtualmariner

 

 

Thanks for posting the link. 

[GOARMY]

Cleckie:  

 

Based on last 25+years with Radisson/Regent--

 

First, there have been changes as to how many days "trigger" optional Formal nights.  The latest (unless I have missed some very recent change) schedule is that any cruise segment of 16 days or longer will include two Formal (Optional)  nights.   The first is usually the second night on ship--incident to Captain's Reception; the second is the penultimate night (one before last night onboard prior to debarkation) incident to Captain's Farewell Reception.   

 

For persons on Back to Back (BtB) segments:  Each is considered individually.  If that first segment is 14 nights--no Formal Optional; if that second is 16-days, then, the above two Formal Nights apply.  

 

Spouse and self do observe the dress protocol.   ((NO--I am NOT going down that rabbit hole of debate.))   I take my Tux; spouse takes a gown or snazzy dress with a little extra "bling".  No-doubt, this is a habit we acquired during 28 years in the U.S. Military.  We do this in respect to Regent Officers and all Staff from Dining venues, to Suite Attendants, and the folks below-deck who keep the Boilers stoked and laundry delivered.  Simply respect the 5+star service we have always received.    

 

Until the current COVID hiatus, usually cruised at least twice yearly.  Many were BtB.  Experience noted was that guys who did not don a Tux were wearing a suit, or a conservative sports jacket, with (believe it or not)--a tie!  For some, this might seem a bit of a stretch.  But, come on.  Ladies always seemed to exceed any very-minimal guidelines as to dress.  In a word:  classy, without being gaudy.  

 

Enough said.   And, again, I will not be dragged into further debate on this.  That has been our experience.  

 

Just use common sense, with a sense of proprietary.  Dress in a manner which reflects the top-level of service you will receive.  

 

In any event:  Review your Cruise Documents.  The Dress Code--with reference to Optional Formal Nights, if any--will be specifically highlighted.  If in doubt, simply refer any questions to your Travel Agent (hopefully a TA with first-hand experience actually sailing w/Regent) or to a Regent Rep.  

 

Take care.  Mask up, and stay safe.  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

16 hours ago, Cleckie said:

We will be first time Regent cruisers. Hopefully this year. We are booked on Explorer for 30 nights in November. We booked it as one cruise, but it is actually bootable as two separate segments of 14 nights and 16 nights. Based on this I assume there will be 2 formal nights. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I love getting all dressed up and would love to wear my formal dress more than 2 nights. Would I most likely be the only one doing this or do other ladies also dress formal as they wish? I'll still do it, just curious 😊

As for formal dress, I have observed very few of what I would call gowns in recent years.  Lots of cocktail dresses, for sure.  And a tux would never be out of place, but not expected for sure.  We're the 'country club casual' types, so my husband doesn't even bring a jacket or tie any more.  And I don't own cocktail dresses let alone ballgowns, but I clean up pretty nicely, as they say.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

58 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

As for formal dress, I have observed very few of what I would call gowns in recent years.  Lots of cocktail dresses, for sure.  And a tux would never be out of place, but not expected for sure.  We're the 'country club casual' types, so my husband doesn't even bring a jacket or tie any more.  And I don't own cocktail dresses let alone ballgowns, but I clean up pretty nicely, as they say.

Agree.... we are country casual even on formal nights. We are way past the stage of dressing up! But, always neat and clean..Sheila

[JC in CA]

On 3/5/2021 at 5:47 PM, BSR said:

maybe the shower would be a better choice for us

BSR,

I am 5'9" and hubby is 6'3" - the shower was great for us.  As we understand it, if we had had the tub/shower option, my husband very well would have had to duck in the shower.

Also- we found out on our 2019 Panama Canal cruise on the Mariner that if you order orange juice in the restaurants, you will get from concentrate (we saw someone else with a darker orange colored juice than ours and asked our server about it).  You can order fresh squeezed orange juice as well - which we did and enjoyed it a lot!

Enjoy your first Regent Cruise!

Jerie

[BSR]

10 minutes ago, JC in CA said:

BSR,

I am 5'9" and hubby is 6'3" - the shower was great for us.  As we understand it, if we had had the tub/shower option, my husband very well would have had to duck in the shower.

Also- we found out on our 2019 Panama Canal cruise on the Mariner that if you order orange juice in the restaurants, you will get from concentrate (we saw someone else with a darker orange colored juice than ours and asked our server about it).  You can order fresh squeezed orange juice as well - which we did and enjoyed it a lot!

Enjoy your first Regent Cruise!

Jerie

Thanks Jerie for the information regarding the tub/showers.  I'm only 5'1" and DH is 5'11".  He may a problem, but I would be fine.  Do you happen to have a copy of the daily activities that take place on board the ship?   Any other tips can you can share with us?

[ChucktownSteve]

BSR, I would have your TA ask Regent if their OBC is refundable.  I asked my TA who then called Regent. She was told that the agent OBC would not be refundable so I requested her to send a rebate check, in the amount, following the cruise.  IMO better to be informed instead of surprised then have to scramble to spend it if it is indeed NR.

[JC in CA]

On 3/7/2021 at 2:40 PM, BSR said:

Any other tips can you can share with us?

BSR,

We have only been on one Regent cruise - although we have been on Princess, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. We REALLY enjoyed the Regent experience!  We chose to book Concierge because we wanted best chance of getting our 1st choice excursions (and we did). 

 

Tips to share - check this board - tons of good stuff!  Make sure you participate in the "block party" - a lot of fun and you do get to meet your "neighbors".  We were able to get reservations early in the cruise for both Chartreuse and Prime 7 -  we went by the reservation desk and got a same night shared table in Chartreuse later in the cruise.  It was a - as my kids would say - "meh" experience.  One of the few times we felt someone we met had to show off - talking about the business and houses they owned.  We would still do a shared table again - was just a bummer that they weren't as easy going as so many others we met!  We also received 2 invitations to dine with senior members of the staff - we accepted both.  In both situations it was with another couple (both had had hundreds of nights on Regent!) us, and the staff person. We enjoyed the experience.  My only guess is that this happened because I had set up the "roll call" here on Cruise Critic- and we may have been picked because of that.  We had a good time on the roll call - prior to boarding getting to know folks, attending the meet & greet, and seeing everyone throughout the cruise - highly recommend joining and being active there!

 

Daily activities - we had a number of sea days on our cruise - one thing that we did was take the beginning bridge lessons.  We had never played, thought it was just something that our grandmothers did back in the day, but - wow- we had a great time!  We are so glad we went, met some great people there too! 

I do have all of the "Passages" from our trip - there was usually at least one enrichment lecture, exercise classes, walk a mile, sometimes a dance class, arts and craft activity (I did origami boxes), the social hostess often puts on various other activities, and there are the games against the crew- lots of fun!  
I'm pretty sure there are copies of different Passages posted here on Cruise Critic. 

 

If its been less than 14 days since you booked - you can get a $250 savings by being referred by someone - there is info on the Regent website under Regent Ambassador Referral.  I'd definitely recommend that - our TA told us about it and helped us get a referral.  

Ask questions - lots of helpful folks here!

Jerie

[mj_holiday]

After you get in your cabin, you should be able to look on the TV and tell what OBC is refundable and which is not.  Nearing the end of the cruise, you will get a reminder if you still have some nonrefundable OBC.  One thing I noticed is, I pay for bingo with nonrefundable OBC, if I win it gets credited to my account as cash.

 

You can always use your nonrefundable OBC on any Choice excursion.  If you have already paid for it when reserving it and you get some OBC, your TA can get a refund for your Credit card and use the OBC.  This can all be done before you get to the ship.

Edited March 9, 2021 by mj_holiday
correction

[BSR]

10 hours ago, JC in CA said:

BSR,

We have only been on one Regent cruise - although we have been on Princess, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. We REALLY enjoyed the Regent experience!  We chose to book Concierge because we wanted best chance of getting our 1st choice excursions (and we did). 

 

Tips to share - check this board - tons of good stuff!  Make sure you participate in the "block party" - a lot of fun and you do get to meet your "neighbors".  We were able to get reservations early in the cruise for both Chartreuse and Prime 7 -  we went by the reservation desk and got a same night shared table in Chartreuse later in the cruise.  It was a - as my kids would say - "meh" experience.  One of the few times we felt someone we met had to show off - talking about the business and houses they owned.  We would still do a shared table again - was just a bummer that they weren't as easy going as so many others we met!  We also received 2 invitations to dine with senior members of the staff - we accepted both.  In both situations it was with another couple (both had had hundreds of nights on Regent!) us, and the staff person. We enjoyed the experience.  My only guess is that this happened because I had set up the "roll call" here on Cruise Critic- and we may have been picked because of that.  We had a good time on the roll call - prior to boarding getting to know folks, attending the meet & greet, and seeing everyone throughout the cruise - highly recommend joining and being active there!

 

Daily activities - we had a number of sea days on our cruise - one thing that we did was take the beginning bridge lessons.  We had never played, thought it was just something that our grandmothers did back in the day, but - wow- we had a great time!  We are so glad we went, met some great people there too! 

I do have all of the "Passages" from our trip - there was usually at least one enrichment lecture, exercise classes, walk a mile, sometimes a dance class, arts and craft activity (I did origami boxes), the social hostess often puts on various other activities, and there are the games against the crew- lots of fun!  
I'm pretty sure there are copies of different Passages posted here on Cruise Critic. 

 

If its been less than 14 days since you booked - you can get a $250 savings by being referred by someone - there is info on the Regent website under Regent Ambassador Referral.  I'd definitely recommend that - our TA told us about it and helped us get a referral.  

Ask questions - lots of helpful folks here!

Jerie

Thanks Jerie for all your tips and for listing the activities aboard the ship.

 

I haven't book yet and will look into the referral offer.  Most likely I will book the Concierge Suite. 

[BSR]

3 hours ago, mj_holiday said:

After you get in your cabin, you should be able to look on the TV and tell what OBC is refundable and which is not.  Nearing the end of the cruise, you will get a reminder if you still have some nonrefundable OBC.  One thing I noticed is, I pay for bingo with nonrefundable OBC, if I win it gets credited to my account as cash.

 

You can always use your nonrefundable OBC on any Choice excursion.  If you have already paid for it when reserving it and you get some OBC, your TA can get a refund for your Credit card and use the OBC.  This can all be done before you get to the ship.

Thanks for the information regarding OBC.

[xrvlcruiser]

BSR,

Or you can ask at the front desk - they'll check re: refundable credit. And answer any question you have.

 

Peggy

Edited March 9, 2021 by xrvlcruiser

[BSR]

1 hour ago, xrvlcruiser said:

BSR,

Or you can ask at the front desk - they'll check re: refundable credit. And answer any question you have.

 

Peggy

Thanks.