First time Regent cruiser (had to cancel our Crystal cruise, you know why...)- questions

[UUNetBill]

Welcome to the 'Crystal refugees' on board.  To say I was shocked by the speed of the development of the recent events would be an understatement.  Always sad when something like that happens.  But hopefully Regent can step in and meet your cruise requirements.

 

We've been sailing Regent since 2009 and when we booked our first cruise it was almost a toss-up between Crystal and Regent.  Regent won for us based on open seating times at dinner (at the time) and larger basic cabins.  We also liked the all-inclusiveness of Regent (not all do, of course).

 

Bottom line - we could very easily have been Crystal cheerleaders over the last 13 years.  That said, though, Regent has provided us with many excellent cruises over the years.  From the small, buzzy Navigator to the new Explorer-class twins (soon to be triplets) each ship has its own vibe, its own feel.  While we can't compare directly to Crystal, we can say that over the years we have experienced good service and excellent service.  Okay shows and phenomenal shows.  Mediocre excursions and mind-blowing excursions.  Great late-night parties and ships that pretty much shut down at 11:00 PM.  Incredible lecturers and ones that could cure insomnia.  So much of it depends on the itinerary and the passenger mix.  I'd guess that it was the same on Crystal - some cruises just seem to 'hit' better than others.  Hell, I've come off of cruises I thought were excellent only to find people on Cruise Critic talking about what a lame cruise it was.  Go figure...

 

Unless and until someone can revive or duplicate Crystal for you all, I sincerely hope that Regent fills your cruising needs.  Yes, it'll be different - but with an open mind I'm sure you'll find that it's really more similar than different.  Who knows, you might even find that some things are actually better on the Regent side.  😄

 

Again, welcome and I hope you all enjoy your cruises going forward.

[Stickman1990]

On 2/14/2022 at 2:35 PM, SusieQft said:

I am hoping that Regent will offer special wine tasting dinners and/or lunches similar to Crystal's Vintage Room.  If anyone knows what will be offered in that regard, more information would be very welcome

Here’s a great write up on a recent Wine/Food lunch - looks good to me! 
 

 

[ChucktownSteve]

On 2/13/2022 at 10:11 PM, PaulMCO said:

So what do most people do with their Travel Agent provided OBC.  How does Regent treat this, is it refundable in cash??

 

Our TA for Regent will mail us a rebate check four weeks after the cruise.  They give us 10% of the net cruise cost.  I was told Regent doesn't refund TA OBC.  For Azamara they reduce the cruise cost.  For Celebrity it's refundable on the last day of the cruise.

[HotRoot]

Regent refunded our TA OBC.  You take it in cash or they will mail you a check.

[wcsdkqh]

It depends on the source of the OBC provided by the TA. In some cases where the OBC source is from a special promotion funded in part from Regent or NCL or a credit card company, it won’t be refundable. If on the other hand, if the source is 100 pct from your TA, it probably is refundable. It’s all in the details. 

[rallydave]

9 minutes ago, wcsdkqh said:

It depends on the source of the OBC provided by the TA. In some cases where the OBC source is from a special promotion funded in part from Regent or NCL or a credit card company, it won’t be refundable. If on the other hand, if the source is 100 pct from your TA, it probably is refundable. It’s all in the details. 

Absolutely correct.  If the OBC comes 100% from other than the cruise line it is almost always fully refundable for cash.  This goes for almost all cruise lines.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

And note that any OBC's, at least those from Regent, can be used towards booking Regent Choice excursions.

[docmark]

Other use for OBC would be wines of higher quality for purchase, prices are very reasonable.

[PhD-iva]

8 hours ago, ChucktownSteve said:

 

Our TA for Regent will mail us a rebate check four weeks after the cruise.  They give us 10% of the net cruise cost. 

10%! I need to negotiate a little harder w my TA, but then I travel solo so maybe that affects her commission.

Could you share your stateroom level? PH, or better? Thx!

[ChucktownSteve]

14 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

10%! I need to negotiate a little harder w my TA, but then I travel solo so maybe that affects her commission.

Could you share your stateroom level? PH, or better? Thx!

It doesn't matter with my TA if I sail solo or with my spousal unit. But I would also get the same percentage on the net price regardless of cabin category.

Two are Concierge and one is Penthouse through early next January. 

[mrstanley]

I’ve been using the same TA/ Company since 2003. I’ve sent this TA so much business over the years. All we receive is 5 per cent. We have never received anything for referring new clients. These clients book multiple cruises per year and stay in

F1 and above. I would like to receive 10 per cent. Any suggestions on how?

[Stickman1990]

13 minutes ago, mrstanley said:

I would like to receive 10 per cent. Any suggestions on how?

Change TA’s - but make sure the TA is going to provide you with the quality of service you want - a good rebate is only one factor in the choice 

 

I assume you know that mentioning specific TA’s is against Cruise Critic rules so if you’re asking for a specific recommendation here you won’t get it 

[PhD-iva]

The next time you’re ready to book a cruise, ask several different travel agencies to give you a quote. Let them know they are competing with others and they should give you their best price with best benefits.
Also, the next time you are cruising, ask your fellow passengers if they’re happy with their travel agent (and why they’re happy), and could they share the contact information. 

[mrstanley]

We r happy with our TA.

The service provided is great. 
The company has never once compensated us for any business we have sent to them. 

[rallydave]

10% of net price is the going rate for some TA's and referrals depending on cruise line and length of trip.  Can't post TA's nor can you ask others or posts will be deleted.  Just have to search for the lowest cost TA.

 

Good luck,

[mj_holiday]

If OBC is given after you had booked and paid for some Regent Choice excursions your credit card will get refunded and OBC will get charged. 
Our TA does not rebate us for our Booking, but our TA does monitor specials for our booked cruises and will just send a new invoice with the special applied. We also have gotten some nice excursions sponsored by an organization the TA belongs to. 
We get excellent flights usually through Regent, but handled by TA. 
One of the most important services we get is that any time we need something on a trip, I know I will get a quick reply from TA, to a text or email and the help we need. 

[bitob]

Ask others on your next cruise. I carry my ta’s business card. Great service. Largest rebate permitted 

[PhD-iva]

15 minutes ago, bitob said: Largest rebate permitted 

Do you know the percentage? Thx!

[rallydave]

17 minutes ago, bitob said:

Ask others on your next cruise. I carry my ta’s business card. Great service. Largest rebate permitted 

There is no limit on rebates. Ther is a limit on what can be advertised. Big difference. 

[WesW]

Absolutely right Dave. 

 

And please remember it's not just about the service you get form your TA pre cruise (discount, OBC, gifts), but service they provide during your cruise and post cruise.  Dave and our TA provides one of the most generous rebates available but they also provide exceptional service during the cruise.  I was stuck for five days anchored off Capetown in March 2020,   The South Africa Government refused us permission to dock due to Covid fears, when they finally gave permission we had to go directly to the airport.    The cruise line air was swamped trying to get World cruisers home.  So, the Cruise line's air department could not work our cruise air (we had included BC) until day five.  Our TA stepped up and bought BC tickets home from Capetown on the first day at anchor.  Then monitored the situation 24/7 for five days changing our tickets every day we were delayed at anchor.

Edited February 21, 2022 by WesW

[TomTN]

19 hours ago, WesW said:

Absolutely right Dave. 

 

And please remember it's not just about the service you get form your TA pre cruise (discount, OBC, gifts), but service they provide during your cruise and post cruise.  Dave and our TA provides one of the most generous rebates available but they also provide exceptional service during the cruise.  I was stuck for five days anchored off Capetown in March 2020,   The South Africa Government refused us permission to dock due to Covid fears, when they finally gave permission we had to go directly to the airport.    The cruise line air was swamped trying to get World cruisers home.  So, the Cruise line's air department could not work our cruise air (we had included BC) until day five.  Our TA stepped up and bought BC tickets home from Capetown on the first day at anchor.  Then monitored the situation 24/7 for five days changing our tickets every day we were delayed at anchor.

Wow! Great story.  That TA would certainly have our business for life.

[marne-c]

On 2/13/2022 at 12:00 PM, flossie009 said:

(snip)

Those making their first booking with Regent can take advantage of the Regent Ambassador offer

(snip)

 

@flossie009  My wife and I are long-time cruisers but never on Regent.  We just booked a waitlist on the Navigator for this November.  As a waitlist booking, does it count as a "NEW, FULL FARE BOOKING" per the T&C's on the link you cited?

 

I have another question for you more personally.  If you feel it's safe, please email me.    Thanks!

 

--Marne

 

[rallydave]

3 minutes ago, marne-c said:

We just booked a waitlist on the Navigator for this November.  

Not flossie but, have a suggestion for a question you didn't ask.  To get priority for a waitlist to turn into a booking, suggest you put a refundable deposit on the wait list which will automatically put you above those without a deposit for getting fully booked.  Good luck

[marne-c]

1 hour ago, rallydave said:

(snip)

To get priority for a waitlist to turn into a booking, suggest you put a refundable deposit on the wait list

(snip)

 

@rallydave  That's exactly what we did.  

 

 

@flossie009  I still have a question for you!

 

 

--Marne

Edited February 24, 2022 by marne-c

[Stickman1990]

On 2/14/2022 at 4:00 AM, flossie009 said:

 

• NCLH shareholders can apply to receive on board credit for each Regent cruise

A good tip - with the NCLH share price around $19 today it doesn’t take too many cruises for a good ROI (assuming there’s no major price drop and a capital loss of course)

I have 3 future longer cruises booked - so $750 return on an investment of $1900 is a pretty good return