Regent flights value

[Shoreviewgirl]

Have you been pleased with your flights?  We haven't tried booking a cruise with flight and am told only the portion over water is First Class.  Is this always a good value or would it be better to book on my own.  I understand the value of having the flight booked with the cruise in the event of any flight issues but for the money, is it worth it?

[CardowMD]

I just got my flights today and was thrilled! I have a direct Turkish air flight from IAD to IST a few days before the Navigator cruise starts, then have direct United flight home from FCO to IAD a day after it ends. I gave my agent about 4 to 5 options for each segment. I do have a $500 up charge on the Turkish air flight over, but it’s direct and only 10 hours, versus 16-20 hour transit non direct. Everything included is still substantially less than just one leg of the trip had I paid myself. This was all international business class in Turkish 1-2-1 configuration and United Polaris. Neither flight offers a First class option. 
 

I would get a quote then decide what you want to do.
 

[Shoreviewgirl]

Thank you for the info.  That sounds promising even though you had to pay a bit more.   The way the rep presented this to me though made me leary.    I said I wanted to book with air which is a $6700 airfare allowance.  He said Business Class would be for flight over water only with one stop.  If I get booked on a short international flight i.e. New York to London but then have a flight from London to South Africa, I'm paying a lot for the shortest part of the trip. (I really don't want to be in main cabin for 11 hours!)   Does that happen very often?  I can't compare their rate to doing it on my own as it is more than a year until my trip.  

[Navis]

I'll start by saying our sample size is as small as possible, but if our experience is helpful to you I am happy to share!  We are about to embark on our first Regent cruise in June and are first timers navigating this included airfare option.  When we booked 1.5 years ago we opted for the credit ($3,200 pp) because (1) we live in a major hub for numerous airlines so we knew we would have options, (2) we really wanted the flexibility of booking out to London and home when we wanted (we have friends in London we expected to spend a few days with), and (3) we knew there would be many direct flight options from our location.

 

With that background, opting out and booking out own was by far the best decision we made!  The main advantage, we were able to upgrade our class of travel for a nominal amount.  When I spoke with Regent about flights, they told me that on BA, our flight would be in Club World (business class).  The confusion I had was that they were quoting us the $3,200 pp for business class when I was seeing First Class for $3,300. So long story short, we are going to be flying direct to Heathrow in first class rather than business class for only $100 more per person than the credit Regent gave us. This is a complete no brainer but I understand that our situation may be unique.  Just thought I would share as some times it pays off to look around! 

Edited April 13 by Navis

[papaflamingo]

11 hours ago, Shoreviewgirl said:

Thank you for the info.  That sounds promising even though you had to pay a bit more.   The way the rep presented this to me though made me leary.    I said I wanted to book with air which is a $6700 airfare allowance.  He said Business Class would be for flight over water only with one stop.  If I get booked on a short international flight i.e. New York to London but then have a flight from London to South Africa, I'm paying a lot for the shortest part of the trip. (I really don't want to be in main cabin for 11 hours!)   Does that happen very often?  I can't compare their rate to doing it on my own as it is more than a year until my trip.  

I think you're misunderstanding.  Regent books U.S. passengers in Restricted Business Class when flying intercontinental not just the "over water" leg.  So you will be booked Business Class  from your departure to your final destination. The only exception is if there is no first or business offered, i.e. JetBlue in the U.S., and many European airlines  "first class" is simply the middle seat being blocked out when flying intra-Europe.  If you fly domestic or to Canada then it'll be coach not First Class (unless they're doing a promotional special).  I am retired airline.  We get a 25% (or more sometimes) employee discount on any flight with my former airlines.  Except for our next cruise (my airline is offering introductory flights on this new route, so deeply discounted) I have been unable to come closer than additional $1000 per person compared to the Regent rate.  So I have always booked via Regent Air.  I highly recommend you choose to use Custom Air and deviate early.  You can book your flight as early as 210 days prior to the cruise. You can basically choose your own airline and itinerary and if Regent has Contract Rates on that flight you can book it with NO up charge.  If they don't, there's a good chance the upcharge plus the Regent credit will still be less than what you can book it for yourself.  There is a $175 per person non-refundable Deviation fee and a $75 fee (not pp) to call Custom Air, but the $75 is "rolled" into one of the $175 fees if you book Custom Air.  Anyway, what I do is research my flight options on the airlines I want to fly, come up with as many options as I can and prioritize them.  Then when I call Regent Air I can start with my first choice and if unavailable or has an up charge I can ask about my second, third, etc.  They are extremely helpful and will offer alternatives if you ask.  Once booked, you can, at least on U.S. airlines, manage your reservation as if it's yours (changes seats, etc.).  Plus you know your flights 210 days out.  Well worth the deviation. 

[CardowMD]

@papaflamingo thank you for a more detailed explanation! This was my first use of Regent air, too. I did have the option of no upcharge going thru Geneva on United, then Turkish to Istanbul, but didn’t want risk of lost luggage and extra 6 hours travel time. My original air credit was $3300, so for $3800 plus the $175, I have the flights I want for significantly less than if I had booked on my own. Also like that if itineraries get changed Regent air will make any changes. My TA has internal group that handles flight and worked directly w Regent so did not pay the $75 inquiry fee.

[Shoreviewgirl]

CardowMD Thanks for your perspective.  I hadn’t considered that Regent could change the itinerary. The cruise we are considering - Capetown to Dubai - isn’t until Feb. 2026 so I have only been able to see prices and routings for Feb. 2025. The price range now for Business Class air is huge, depending on airline and length of travel. Ranged from $6000-$14,000 and 22 hours to 40 hours travel time!! While the airline allowance is about $6400, there is no way I’m taking a routing that is 40 hours!
I’m wondering if anyone is ever happy with the initial routing Regent offers for the price, or do most people end up spending more for a better route?

What is the $75 inquiry fee?  

Edited April 13 by Shoreviewgirl

[pappy1022]

I will add that the credit that Regent was offering to arrange my own flights from Austin to Copenhagen and return from London to Austin on our recent cruise wasn’t enough to warrant taking the credit. The credit was almost enough to book a coach ticket with extra legroom, not anywhere near the cost for me to book my own business class seats. The moral of the story is that it all depends and you should look at both options to see what works best for you. If you do use Regent’s air, definitely use the air deviation process to be able to get the best itinerary for flights.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

In the 9 cruises I've done with Regent so far, I have not had an upcharge. I do the deviation at 210 days out ($175) and also fly from a non-gateway city ($250), but those are the only charges I pay. I think you have 3 days to accept their proposed route, or ask for a change.

Also, you can have them book your flight arrival up to 30 days before embarkation, and return up to 30 days after debarkation. Can even use other airports (debarked in Barcelona, flew home from Lisbon 3 weeks later).

[Shoreviewgirl]

#2012 _Alaska_bound (am I replying to you correctly? I’m new to this board). Thank you so much. That is very reassuring, and so much more information than what I was given from the agent. 

[CardowMD]

I had options for no upcharge which would have been fine, but liked the direct flight with the lay flat business class configuration better for solo traveler. Although the connections in Europe from US going to Istanbul would have worked, there was a 4.30 layover and the 4 hour Turkish air from Geneva to Istanbul was European business class. Similar to US continental first class. 2*2*2 with standards seats that didn’t lie flat. 😚
 

I also put in option for the earlier Turkish air flight, mid afternoon day earlier because of seat arrangements. Their standard flight was at 11pm but older plane .You can check Seat Guru for airlines that don’t show on their site when making dummie booking. 
 

I have learned a lot from everyone’s input on these CC sites!

[Lonedaddy]

16 hours ago, Shoreviewgirl said:

Thank you for the info.  That sounds promising even though you had to pay a bit more.   The way the rep presented this to me though made me leary.    I said I wanted to book with air which is a $6700 airfare allowance.  He said Business Class would be for flight over water only with one stop.  If I get booked on a short international flight i.e. New York to London but then have a flight from London to South Africa, I'm paying a lot for the shortest part of the trip. (I really don't want to be in main cabin for 11 hours!)   Does that happen very often?  I can't compare their rate to doing it on my own as it is more than a year until my trip.  

YMMV I was not happy with the last regent air.  You can select the regent air as a backup and if you can find better before you have to deviate - you can cancel.  if the allowance is 6700 add 175 to your cost if you want to deviate.  Thus if you want to book your own you are saving 6875.  I was able to find air using awards to SA but I also found many fare at or better than the $6675 I would have paid on RA.   for example I found united fares JNB-EWR-DFW for 2700 One way.  TK was always less and QR was near the price.  You also have more flexibility if you want to do a Stopover to break up the trip.  You will also get domestic 1st if you book your own.  Use Kayak or Google flights to track prices.  some airlines you can book 360 out vs US carriers 330, I start looking at 360 and they seem to vary quite a bit from 360 to 270 days out so you can find a deal if you diligently look or have your TA watch for good fares.  You can always fall back on the regent air if you can't find something.

Edited April 13 by Lonedaddy

[Tsunami74]

It may depend where you live.

We do not live in a hub city anymore, and to book business flights would 1/2 to 2/3 of the whole cruise cost! 

It is always way better for us to have them book, and one time the flight was cancelled at the last minute by weather in a connecting stop. Regent promptly rebooked about as good as could be at that point and rearranged transport pick up from airport.

We have never asked for deviation ahead of time and have always been pleased with flight scheduling - now airports that's another matter but out of Regent's hands

[Shoreviewgirl]

#Tsunami74, thank you for your reply.  So far, the consensus is leaning towards using them.  I love how helpful this forum is!

[Shoreviewgirl]

34 minutes ago, Lonedaddy said:

YMMV I was not happy with the last regent air.  You can select the regent air as a backup and if you can find better before you have to deviate - you can cancel.  if the allowance is 6700 add 175 to your cost if you want to deviate.  Thus if you want to book your own you are saving 6875.  I was able to find air using awards to SA but I also found many fare at or better than the $6675 I would have paid on RA.   for example I found united fares JNB-EWR-DFW for 2700 One way.  TK was always less and QR was near the price.  You also have more flexibility if you want to do a Stopover to break up the trip.  You will also get domestic 1st if you book your own.  Use Kayak or Google flights to track prices.  some airlines you can book 360 out vs US carriers 330, I start looking at 360 and they seem to vary quite a bit from 360 to 270 days out so you can find a deal if you diligently look or have your TA watch for good fares.  You can always fall back on the regent air if you can't find something.

 

35 minutes ago, Lonedaddy said:

YMMV I was not happy with the last regent air.  You can select the regent air as a backup and if you can find better before you have to deviate - you can cancel.  if the allowance is 6700 add 175 to your cost if you want to deviate.  Thus if you want to book your own you are saving 6875.  I was able to find air using awards to SA but I also found many fare at or better than the $6675 I would have paid on RA.   for example I found united fares JNB-EWR-DFW for 2700 One way.  TK was always less and QR was near the price.  You also have more flexibility if you want to do a Stopover to break up the trip.  You will also get domestic 1st if you book your own.  Use Kayak or Google flights to track prices.  some airlines you can book 360 out vs US carriers 330, I start looking at 360 and they seem to vary quite a bit from 360 to 270 days out so you can find a deal if you diligently look or have your TA watch for good fares.  You can always fall back on the regent air if you can't find something.

Lone daddy, good to know.  I didn’t know you could select as a backup and cancel if you find something better.  I need to find where all this is spelled out somewhere so I’ll check their site. 

[Lonedaddy]

4 minutes ago, Shoreviewgirl said:

 

Lone daddy, good to know.  I didn’t know you could select as a backup and cancel if you find something better.  I need to find where all this is spelled out somewhere so I’ll check their site. 

If you are using a TA they should be aware of this if not you should get a better TA.   Are you booking for dec '24 or dec '25 out of CPT?

Edited April 13 by Lonedaddy

[RELS]

47 minutes ago, Shoreviewgirl said:

 I need to find where all this is spelled out somewhere so I’ll check their site. 

 

It is on page 2 of your guest statement, under Cancellation of Ancillary Items. In case you haven't booked yet, here it is:

 

[Shoreviewgirl]

43 minutes ago, RELS said:

 

It is on page 2 of your guest statement, under Cancellation of Ancillary Items. In case you haven't booked yet, here it is:

 

Thank you for this.  I am going through their website right now and hadn't come across this yet. 

[Shoreviewgirl]

3 hours ago, Lonedaddy said:

If you are using a TA they should be aware of this if not you should get a better TA.   Are you booking for dec '24 or dec '25 out of CPT?

Our tour isn't until February 2026.  We aren't using a TA for this.  On all but one of the many cruises we have taken across a variety of cruise lines, it has just seemed easier to work with the cruise line directly.  

[-Lew-]

48 minutes ago, Shoreviewgirl said:

Our tour isn't until February 2026.  We aren't using a TA for this.  On all but one of the many cruises we have taken across a variety of cruise lines, it has just seemed easier to work with the cruise line directly.  

 

You might want to ask fellow cruisers on your next cruise about what their TA offers in value added benefits.  By dealing directly with the cruise line you may be missing out on discounts, rebates, OBCs, and other benefits.

 

I book only cruise travel with our TA.  Everything else I book myself.

[pingpong1]

47 minutes ago, Shoreviewgirl said:

Our tour isn't until February 2026.  We aren't using a TA for this.  On all but one of the many cruises we have taken across a variety of cruise lines, it has just seemed easier to work with the cruise line directly.  

As Lew just stated...If you're not using one of many TA's (specifically, the ones who give you either a percentage discount off the published Regent fare... or give you an actual cash rebate after you've paid the published Regent fare)...you're leaving a whole lot of money on the table! A "whole lot" as defined by Thousands of Dollars!  Plus OBC's that Lew mentioned.

[Shoreviewgirl]

7 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

I will add that the credit that Regent was offering to arrange my own flights from Austin to Copenhagen and return from London to Austin on our recent cruise wasn’t enough to warrant taking the credit. The credit was almost enough to book a coach ticket with extra legroom, not anywhere near the cost for me to book my own business class seats. The moral of the story is that it all depends and you should look at both options to see what works best for you. If you do use Regent’s air, definitely use the air deviation process to be able to get the best itinerary for flights.

Wow!  Again, sounds promising.  I'm still not sure I am accurate in my understanding of  how the "air deviation" policy works:

1) When first booking, you choose Cruise with Air option.

2) 210 days prior to the cruise, you contact Regent Air with flights you have found (do you look for flights that are within the allowance or do you pick any?)  You pay them $175 pp and they will see what your flight prices out at?  It sounds like they are able to do better pricing. 

If you pick that flight, they roll the $75 into the air fare? 

or, do they come back to you with other options?

 

When you do contact them and pay the $175 though you aren't aware of what they would have chosen for you at the later date, right? So, by doing it at the 210 day mark, you have a better chance of getting the flight you want?

 

So confusing.  

 

 

[Shoreviewgirl]

8 minutes ago, pingpong1 said:

As Lew just stated...If you're not using one of many TA's (specifically, the ones who give you either a percentage discount off the published Regent fare... or give you an actual cash rebate after you've paid the published Regent fare)...you're leaving a whole lot of money on the table! A "whole lot" as defined by Thousands of Dollars!  Plus OBC's that Lew mentioned.

So it sounds like I should be using a TA.  Our past experience with a few TAs is that, while we received t and  smaller perks, it was a hassle to contact the TA with questions I might have and if she/he couldn't answer them, would have to wait for her to contact Regent and get back to me rather than just going straight to the cruise line.  This could take days!

 

So, my next question is, would someone recommend a responsive Travel Agent/Company for cruising?

[-Lew-]

3 minutes ago, Shoreviewgirl said:

So, my next question is, would someone recommend a responsive Travel Agent/Company for cruising?

 

Can't do that here on CC...not allowed.  That's why I suggested you speak with fellow cruisers.

 

A good TA will likely know more about cruise line offerings than those who work there in customer service.  If you find a good TA, she will get back to you with the answers you need...and others at her agency can serve you if she is busy or out of the office.

[Shoreviewgirl]

5 hours ago, CardowMD said:

I had options for no upcharge which would have been fine, but liked the direct flight with the lay flat business class configuration better for solo traveler. Although the connections in Europe from US going to Istanbul would have worked, there was a 4.30 layover and the 4 hour Turkish air from Geneva to Istanbul was European business class. Similar to US continental first class. 2*2*2 with standards seats that didn’t lie flat. 😚
 

I also put in option for the earlier Turkish air flight, mid afternoon day earlier because of seat arrangements. Their standard flight was at 11pm but older plane .You can check Seat Guru for airlines that don’t show on their site when making dummie booking. 
 

I have learned a lot from everyone’s input on these CC sites!

I am sure learning a lot today! The people on this site are so helpful.  Thank you for your input.