Positive Regent review from Gary Bembridge

[Pack Leader]

 

[Techno123]

I watched this then a couple of his other vlogs on YouTube. Interesting and balanced. In fairness, he did sail on the Navigator and I think 'the most luxurious/ most blingy/ most expensive (pick your label) is used more for the  (soon to be) 3 new ships 😁

Edited March 13, 2023 by Techno123

[slidebite]

I have been waiting for him to put up this video for a while now. I think he has the best general cruising channel, most others are quasi cringeworthy IMHO. His presentation style and production value are very good.

 

I think his take was interesting (and I was looking forward to seeing it) but since Navigator is a bit of a unicorn I'm curious to see others. Either way, he seemed to be very skeptical (a reasonable position) of the value of all inclusive cruises in the past, I'm interested to see how his thoughts are as he starts to compare to other lines.

[Pack Leader]

It seemed fair, like his other reviews. I think he seems to be of a similar mind to me in his outlook and expectations - neither to high nor too low so i always favour his opinion as relevant to me. Overall he was very impressed. The entertainment and daytime activities were weak but i expect that on a small ship compared to the resort type ships. He has in the past explained that the extras on other lines can make a proper all inclusive line not that much more expensive. The included tours seem to have come out particularly, well which was perhaps surprising, so looking forward to our booked included shore excursions. Look forward to his further review videos on Regent. He has booked with them again!

[fudge]

7 hours ago, Pack Leader said:

 

Thank you, very interesting. You mentioned you were sailing on the Explorer sailing to Japan, we are also on a cruise Vancouver to Japan 20th September.

[Garybem]

On 3/13/2023 at 8:34 AM, Pack Leader said:

 

Thanks for sharing

[Garybem]

On 3/13/2023 at 3:37 PM, fudge said:

Thank you, very interesting. You mentioned you were sailing on the Explorer sailing to Japan, we are also on a cruise Vancouver to Japan 20th September.

That is a great itinerary! I am on one of the round Japan ones from 9 October. I have now also booked Grandeur for December 2024 Panama Canal to get my partner to experience them too and see how their new ship changes / evolves things too

[slidebite]

Panama Canal cruise is definitely on my list. Aboard any regent ship would be great, but the newest one would just be icing on the cake.

 

Looking forward to more of your videos Gary. I am especially curious to how you compare Regent to other higher-end, luxury offerings.

[Pcardad]

39 minutes ago, slidebite said:

Panama Canal cruise is definitely on my list. Aboard any regent ship would be great, but the newest one would just be icing on the cake.

 

Looking forward to more of your videos Gary. I am especially curious to how you compare Regent to other higher-end, luxury offerings.

Panama Canal was interesting but Antarctica was so far beyond anything else that if you could only go on 1 trip ever, that's where you go.

[slidebite]

Antarctica and Galapagos are both on sort of a bucket list, but Panama Canal is something I hope to do in the medium-term. Been to Panama before and the miraflores locks, but never "thru" it 🙂

[RetiredandTravel]

We have always found the "Tips for Travelers"  by Gary to be an exceptional source of fair information on cruises. We have been on two Regent cruises one exceptional and one poor and will be interested in your future experiences. 

 

thanks

 

 

[CDR Benson]

On 3/15/2023 at 5:40 PM, RetiredandTravel said:

We have always found the "Tips for Travelers"  by Gary to be an exceptional source of fair information on cruises.

 

 

 

I couldn't agree more.  Of the handful of cruise reviewers I follow on YouTube, I find Mr. Bembridge's reports to be the most balanced and the most focused on the concerns that potential voyagers would have.

 

 

[NCCruzQueen]

1 hour ago, CDR Benson said:

 

I couldn't agree more.  Of the handful of cruise reviewers I follow on YouTube, I find Mr. Bembridge's reports to be the most balanced and the most focused on the concerns that potential voyagers would have.

 

 

 

If you like Gary's videos, you may be interested in being a part of his Saturday or Sunday LIVE shows.  There is a great community of cruisers who meet there to watch and share cruise advise behind the scenes.  I have actually cruised with three people I "met" on his live shows.  When I first started watching last year, we were a small part of the crowd, now the Regent community there is growing.

[slidebite]

I really like "Emma Cruises" style in addition to Gary's Tips, but she's more of a budget oriented traveler.

[RetroRod]

Gary’s March 25 video on YouTube “Things  that should not happen on a luxury cruise line” he wasn’t as positive re: Regent and some other lines. He mentioned pool “chairs hogs”, saving seats in the theater and lack of casual dining options in the evening to name a few. I especially liked it when he said “Money doesn’t buy you manners”. 

[slidebite]

I have yet to run into the massive chair hog issue that has been discussed ad nauseam, but I think his review was spot on based on his experience and explanation. Perhaps I've been fortunate and just haven't been on a 100% full Regent cruise yet to have it be a big issue nor have I been on Navigator for that matter. Same thing with Setti Mari and getting a table.

 

That said, another evening casual dining option other than room service would be nice.

[cAPS lOCK oN]

He also mentions that the Nav's captain left two passengers behind in St. Maarten because they were late getting back to the ship. I applaud that!