Am I just a grumpy old man?

[UUNetBill]

5 hours ago, carolina cruisin said:

 Meanwhile, let’s all continue to expect the most out of the life we have left while at the same time being patient and tolerant of those around us. And while we are at it, let’s think good thoughts for those that have real problems. 

Amen to that.  Hope you thoroughly enjoy your cruise, even with a few possible warts...remember, being on board a Regent ship is always better than being in the office.  🙂

[UUNetBill]

14 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

A knee jerk reaction is that the lines should lower prices to reflect this. But that is not an economic possibility because too many ships are sailing well below profitable occupancy. 

A very good point that many are overlooking right now - most cruise lines, even though they're sailing, are NOT making money - they're simply reducing the amount they're losing.  I don't know what the 'break even' point is on one of their ships, but I know they're not hitting it, at least not on very many sailings (if any).

 

I'm sure it'll be a year or two before they start making any money again.  Even with the hiccups I still think Regent delivers a great product and I'll keep leading cheers for them so maybe they can avoid Crystal's fate...

[Gpilon]

13 minutes ago, UUNetBill said:

A very good point that many are overlooking right now - most cruise lines, even though they're sailing, are NOT making money - they're simply reducing the amount they're losing.  I don't know what the 'break even' point is on one of their ships, but I know they're not hitting it, at least not on very many sailings (if any).

 

I'm sure it'll be a year or two before they start making any money again.  Even with the hiccups I still think Regent delivers a great product and I'll keep leading cheers for them so maybe they can avoid Crystal's fate...

Totally agree. Cheering hard for them to return to full profitability and success.

[carolina cruisin]

Likewise, rooting for them. Doing our part with 4 more cruises booked in next two years. Now on our first full day aboard Splendor - the one sea day on this trip. All is well - in my opinion - so far. 

[RetiredandTravel]

We went to Hawaii last November and Germany/Austria for two weeks in May.  The service and food at every hotel and restaurant was consistently exceptional, some of the best we've ever had.  Why were they able to resume to the same quality as before Covid and the cruise lines are struggling (according to many trip reports)?

[Pcardad]

14 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

We went to Hawaii last November and Germany/Austria for two weeks in May.  The service and food at every hotel and restaurant was consistently exceptional, some of the best we've ever had.  Why were they able to resume to the same quality as before Covid and the cruise lines are struggling (according to many trip reports)?

Perhaps those places hire local help vs. bringing in staff from across the world in a COVID environment?

[RetiredandTravel]

Four Seasons & Ritz Carlton?  Its also possible they they did a better job retaining top talent.  

[Dolebludger]

Our service at restaurants and hotels here in the SW US has become horrible for lack of staffing. In my mountain resort town, restaurant hours and menus offerings have been drastically cut along with quality of food and service. Customers are made to wait for a table when the place is 2/3 vacant. We took a short trip to a luxury resort in Las Vegas and service was non-existent for this reason.  But we understand that not all locations are having this degree of problem. Apparently, the cruise lines are doing slightly better than this, but not nearly up to former standards. And in some locations there reportedly are few problems.it seems to depend on location and type of business. 

[Techno123]

Is it not time that people who work in the service industry are paid a decent salary? In the UK most staff in the service industry are paid the minimum wage of £9.50 ($11.41) per hour plus tips if they do a good job (usually 😜) Just about copeable before fuel and food prices went ballistic and nowhere near enough if they live in a major city and definitely not at the moment. In the US I assume it is even less because of the compulsion to pay tips/gratuities (whether the service is good or not).

Why on earth would people want to go into these industries? 
I don't know what Regent pay their staff but for the quality of service expected it probably isn't enough. Up the salary and the respect and perhaps people may just want to do this job again.

 

 

[wcsdkqh]

You are absolutely correct, you don’t know what Regent pays their staff.

[Pcardad]

https://highseascruising.com/how-much-do-cruise-ship-workers-make/

 

[ronrick1943]

Bill, sorry but I don’t really agree.  I realize what has happen and people and corporations are going through right now.  However people have a right to except what they pay for during a cruise.  So lines did better than others.  It’s all what a person will except or what a corporation will give—once you see it you’ll stay or move on.  

[Techno123]

10 hours ago, wcsdkqh said:

You are absolutely correct, you don’t know what Regent pays their staff

Enlighten me then.

The people I am talking about are the laundry staff, the room attendants, the kitchen porters, the waiting staff - all those people who are essential to the smooth running of the ship or other hospitality industries but on land many of these people are underpaid and under valued and staff are no longer willing to accept this. Regent will, I assume, pay more than some others because of the reduced amount of tips. Having chatted with our room attendant (who came from Brazil) on a Seabourn ship, a few years back, she was very happy with her rate of pay in comparison to the mass market ship she had previously worked on, but is it enough in todays market to get the quality of service customers demand?
 

Following a 2-year pause in service, we still expect the same quality - we don't want to pay 'top dollar' if that quality is not as good and yet the way to get the best staff is to offer them more  (be that money or conditions) than your rivals - you can't reduce prices if that is what you have to do, even if your staff have much to learn.
 

I know many owners of hotels, bars and restaurants who have really struggled to rehire following Covid - experienced staff have found other jobs with better pay and hours. Certainly, at the moment people can pick and choose and if they don't like it they walk. Air travel is also chaotic for similar reasons and I assume Regent and other cruise lines are (pardon the pun) in the same boat.

 

Living in a seaside resort, working in hotels, bars and restaurants (for a pittance I may add but hey it was spending money) was a right of passage when I was much younger. In the UK many of those jobs then went to overseas workers (along with crop picking) who were willing to accept low pay and poor hours because it was a lot more than they earned in their own countries. Now we don't have the overseas workers and many of our non hospitality service industry are threatening strike action to improve pay and getting it because companies don't want to lose even more staff.

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by Techno123

[carolina cruisin]

IMHO, apples and oranges. The. Effort going into operating a hotel is a bit different than operating a very large hotel hat floats around the world. Let’s be patient and understand. We do have options on where, when, and how we spend our money. I am currently into my third day of an 18 day cruise. While all is not “perfect”, I am enjoying 5he cruise. Staff has been exceptional.  

[Pcardad]

10 hours ago, Techno123 said:

Enlighten me then.

The people I am talking about are the laundry staff, the room attendants, the kitchen porters, the waiting staff - all those people who are essential to the smooth running of the ship or other hospitality industries but on land many of these people are underpaid and under valued and staff are no longer willing to accept this. Regent will, I assume, pay more than some others because of the reduced amount of tips. Having chatted with our room attendant (who came from Brazil) on a Seabourn ship, a few years back, she was very happy with her rate of pay in comparison to the mass market ship she had previously worked on, but is it enough in todays market to get the quality of service customers demand?
 

Following a 2-year pause in service, we still expect the same quality - we don't want to pay 'top dollar' if that quality is not as good and yet the way to get the best staff is to offer them more  (be that money or conditions) than your rivals - you can't reduce prices if that is what you have to do, even if your staff have much to learn.
 

I know many owners of hotels, bars and restaurants who have really struggled to rehire following Covid - experienced staff have found other jobs with better pay and hours. Certainly, at the moment people can pick and choose and if they don't like it they walk. Air travel is also chaotic for similar reasons and I assume Regent and other cruise lines are (pardon the pun) in the same boat.

 

Living in a seaside resort, working in hotels, bars and restaurants (for a pittance I may add but hey it was spending money) was a right of passage when I was much younger. In the UK many of those jobs then went to overseas workers (along with crop picking) who were willing to accept low pay and poor hours because it was a lot more than they earned in their own countries. Now we don't have the overseas workers and many of our non hospitality service industry are threatening strike action to improve pay and getting it because companies don't want to lose even more staff.

 

Hiring issues are not because of pay (or lack of pay). It is a combination of not being able to get people from certain countries, people who left 2 years ago are now working other jobs, etc. The pay for the groups you mentioned is a little but higher than it was and is not, from what I was told, an issue.

[diebroke]

I am not loyalist or a cheerleader for any cruise line although I have experienced quite a few including Regent. I recognize there is a lot of brand loyalty among posters on all of the luxury Cruise Critic boards & a number of cheerleaders for each brand.

I agree that all the cruise lines have a good excuse for slippage in service these days. I am sympathetic to their problems & rooting for all of them to return to pre-COVID levels of service or better. However, I don’t think sympathy for their problems should stop cruisers from posting negative experiences. I use social media (TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Yelp, CC, etc.) to look at good & bad experiences so I can make decisions about the choices I have & to manage my expectations. Some cruise lines will respond more quickly to the staffing & supply chain issues than others. I’d like to know how each of them are doing in their recovery efforts. I’d like to see an honest assessment to help me make purchase decisions and to manage my expectations while on-board. If I expect prime steaks cooked perfectly & one cruise line consistently can’t deliver on that, I might like to know. If excursions are consistently over-crowded & of poor quality, I’d like to know. If a Board discourages fact based negative comments, that board is not useful to me. I hope I am intelligent enough to disregard over-the-top angry comments & negative comments about things that aren’t important to me. I can also disregard over-the-top positive experiences. I suspect all of us who lurk on these boards can relate more to some posters writing style than others & are selective about how we use the opinions.

So, I hope people will continue to post the good, the bad, & the ugly and celebrate genuine improvement in all the brands when/if it happens.

[Dolebludger]

I agree that we all need to read the truth about all aspects of cruise travel. Good and bad. One thing that keeps many from cruising is the unreliability of air travel, both domestic and foreign. And it wasn’t that great before the pandemic and labor shortage. Of course, this is not the fault of the cruise lines. Another factor is that the pandemic is really not over — even though we all wish it were. Not cruise lines’ fault. And then there is short staffing aboard the ships. I don’t know where the fault is in this. Many of us just don’t want to pay for a lux cruise that is short staffed. But those who are putting off cruising for these (and perhaps additional reasons), it is important that we learn of when correction is achieved. Most of us are eager to cruise again.

[VegasTW]

On 7/6/2022 at 1:56 PM, UUNetBill said:

As I read post after post here, I have to ask a question - am I just a grumpy old man or what?

 

We're coming off of a global pandemic where for all intents and purposes the ENTIRE DAMN WORLD WAS SHUT DOWN FOR A FEW YEARS...and we have people endlessly griping about a) Regent Air sucks, b) Regent's wine sucks, c) Regent's service used to be good...now it sucks, d) Regent's shore excursions suck, e) fill in the blank sucks...

 

For the love of Pete, people, NCLH somehow managed to survive a complete shutdown of their core business for close to two years...and then had to ramp a global operation back up amid a looming global recession, worldwide supply chain issues, a vastly changed workforce, and numerous challenges that we probably don't even know exist - and we STILL have people on here whining about having to wait on hold longer than before, not getting the flights they want (an airline problem across the globe but somehow now Regent's fault), can't get the specific bottled water they just HAVE to have or they'll just die, I had to wear a mask on a bus in Bulgaria...

 

I, for one, am very happy that Regent didn't go the way of Crystal and all things considered is almost miraculously back to very close to their pre-pandemic levels of service.  My advice to people who aren't happy with the current state of affairs:  Either take a chill pill until things smooth out, choose another cruise line, or find another way to spend your vacation time and money.  All of this carping is really starting to get old...

 

Okay, sorry for the rant.  It's just so frustrating seeing everyone think global businesses like this can just flip a switch and make everything normal...now, where did I put MY chill pills?!?

I’m 100% in agreement Bill, and glad you posted this.    I thought we would come out of this mess a kinder and more patient society.   As the eternal optimist, I have to turn off the negative.   I just read a post and looked at the photos from another first time Regent cruiser and it brought tears to my eyes … because I am so excited to get back out there and explore the world!    I don’t really care if there is a “flaw” or two on my upcoming first Regent cruise.   It’s going to be awesome! 

[Lonedaddy]

Having been on one Regent cruise so far, I would say there were a few mistakes in service and quality, but I expected that after covid.  What I do appreciate is that when there was a mistake made the staff that made the error or manager apologized and corrected the situation.  To me the fact that someone is striving to be excellent and acknowledges a mistake is the difference for a person or company that just doesn't care.    Really how many on this board can say they never made a mistake at work or could have done it better throughout your career or personal life.  The key is to own it and strive to not repeat it.   I sincerely believe that most if not all of Regent's staff and on-board managers are trying to follow that rule.

 

So I had to wait 10 minutes longer for my meal, but I had good drinks, great company and on a beautiful ship in an exotic location, better than a day working.

 

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

- Epicurus

[Aloha 1]

Our first cruise after 3/20 was Explorer in the Carib this February. From top to bottom an excellent cruise. Our worst Regent cruise was in 2017 on Mariner pre covid. Point being, you can have hiccups on any cruise for any number of reasons . The important thing is WHY you went in the first place. Was it not to relax?; Enjoy the sea and the ports?; Eat more than you should of things you never get enough of? 

 

I am simply grateful that I have the money, time, and a cruise line that I can do this on.

[carolina cruisin]

Recently completed an 18 day cruise on Splendor.  We thoroughly enjoyed the trip - despite being quarantined for 5 days with covid.  Not what we had hoped for but had a good 9 nine days prior to and some good days after the quarantine.  Regent's medical staff took good care of us.  As did the "room service" staff.  Really did not experience the "post covid" problems some encountered.  In the 18 days recall one instance that a drink order was a bit slow in arriving - but we survived.  Looking forward to our next cruise in Nov.  Speaking of people wanting to get out and cruise and what they think of 

Regent - meet a couple who were on their 16th Regent cruise and have another 8 booked.  Sincerely think the cruising experience will continue to improve - the getting to and from points of embarkation/debarkation may take a bit longer.

[Jimmcdaniel]

19 hours ago, carolina cruisin said:

Recently completed an 18 day cruise on Splendor.  We thoroughly enjoyed the trip - despite being quarantined for 5 days with covid.  Not what we had hoped for but had a good 9 nine days prior to and some good days after the quarantine.  Regent's medical staff took good care of us.  As did the "room service" staff.  Really did not experience the "post covid" problems some encountered.  In the 18 days recall one instance that a drink order was a bit slow in arriving - but we survived.  Looking forward to our next cruise in Nov.  Speaking of people wanting to get out and cruise and what they think of 

Regent - meet a couple who were on their 16th Regent cruise and have another 8 booked.  Sincerely think the cruising experience will continue to improve - the getting to and from points of embarkation/debarkation may take a bit longer.

So sorry to hear about your covid experience. It sounded (from a different one you your posts) that you were diagnosed right after we spoke on the bus in Oslo. It wasn't us!!😇 Honest! Glad you didn't have any severe symptoms. We thought that trip was great also and We will be back on Splendor in September. Four more booked after that. I am looking for things to continuously improve. Fair winds and calm seas....

 

Jim

[RetiredandTravel]

On 7/11/2022 at 5:05 PM, diebroke said:

I am not loyalist or a cheerleader for any cruise line although I have experienced quite a few including Regent. I recognize there is a lot of brand loyalty among posters on all of the luxury Cruise Critic boards & a number of cheerleaders for each brand.

I agree that all the cruise lines have a good excuse for slippage in service these days. I am sympathetic to their problems & rooting for all of them to return to pre-COVID levels of service or better. However, I don’t think sympathy for their problems should stop cruisers from posting negative experiences. I use social media (TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Yelp, CC, etc.) to look at good & bad experiences so I can make decisions about the choices I have & to manage my expectations. Some cruise lines will respond more quickly to the staffing & supply chain issues than others. I’d like to know how each of them are doing in their recovery efforts. I’d like to see an honest assessment to help me make purchase decisions and to manage my expectations while on-board. If I expect prime steaks cooked perfectly & one cruise line consistently can’t deliver on that, I might like to know. If excursions are consistently over-crowded & of poor quality, I’d like to know. If a Board discourages fact based negative comments, that board is not useful to me. I hope I am intelligent enough to disregard over-the-top angry comments & negative comments about things that aren’t important to me. I can also disregard over-the-top positive experiences. I suspect all of us who lurk on these boards can relate more to some posters writing style than others & are selective about how we use the opinions.

So, I hope people will continue to post the good, the bad, & the ugly and celebrate genuine improvement in all the brands when/if it happens.

 

Thank you for posting this. Many seem to be of  the view that no matter what Regent can do no wrong and anyone who points out a marginal experience is an entitled troll.  We're all looking for an enjoyable experience folks, we aren't out to complain but with the prices Regent charge if there is a major shortcoming in performance its our obligation to future cruisers and Regent to point it out.  That's the only way they improve and ensure quality.  Let me be clear we are blessed to be able to take these cruises, but there should be some level of expected performance.

 

 

[Dolebludger]

I agree that Regent (and other lines also) can’t be expected to live up fully to their pre-pandemic levels of service. But we should have access to both good and not-so-good reports to enable us to decide for ourselves whether we wish to resume cruising. Right now, the major factor keeping us on land is the unreliability of the airlines. Onboard issues are secondary.

[Lonedaddy]

1 hour ago, Dolebludger said:

I agree that Regent (and other lines also) can’t be expected to live up fully to their pre-pandemic levels of service. But we should have access to both good and not-so-good reports to enable us to decide for ourselves whether we wish to resume cruising. Right now, the major factor keeping us on land is the unreliability of the airlines. Onboard issues are secondary.

If you really wanted to go you could leave a day or two earlier to mitigate any flight delays/cancellations.   We get to airport early if there are issues with Security especially overseas and just hang out in the lounge.  I always did that even before all the issues.  Since we started travelling again mostly on American we haven't had any significant delays (except when they did a military flyover during the queens jubilee and shut airspace over LHR for an hour)  so the media might be overblowing some of this.