iguy

I would never rely solely on anything posted to the Regent website. It is often wrong or at least updated slowly.

FYI, we were booked on the 6 Jan 2026 sailing from Dubai, which according to an official email from Regent received this week has now been moved back to 9 Jan 2026 with two ports eliminated and a 15% fare reduction accordingly to be applied. This would be the second post-dry dock cruise. The first, from Marseille to Dubai, I believe, will also be pushed back by two days, which suggests to me that the dry dock refurbishment will be longer than originally planned. Our cruise will arrive in Cape Town on 26 Jan 2026, as originally scheduled.

OK, I’ll play.

Favorites: way more than five, but if forced to choose:

Devil’s Island

Havana

Tangier

Petropavlovsk

Walvis Bay

Least favorite: not many. Most places can be interesting for some reason. But I am in no rush to return to these ports:

Recife

Rio de Janeiro

Dakar

Parintins

Havest Caye

Easy. The Mariner, because of its Horizon View suites. Love facing aft, watching the wake recede. Love the big deck. Love the space in the cabin.

I also agree but only if Regent stated that the suites were not as up to date as the other ships. Must say, though, that our 25 night Amazon cruise is an amazing bargain and the cruise before ours (we have friends on that cruise) may be the least expensive cruise that I've seen in years (likely equal to a Caribbean cruise that went to Cuba that a poster still complained about -- even at the bargain basement price point). Unfortunately, some people will complain no matter what the ship is like.

 

I will say that Dennis felt that the Mariner was in worse shape than I did. Again, it is perception and whether you are looking at the glass as being half full or half empty. While I can certainly agree that the Mariner (the ship only) isn't up to Regent standards, I do believe that you can have a great cruise on her - especially if you know what to expect. Unfortunately, some posters have a history of focusing on what is wrong with Regent which is sad because it likely makes their experience negative. On the other hand, there are many of us that understand that things simply are not perfect and look for what is right. IMO, we end up happier in the long run.

 

P.S. Having said what I did about my DH, he can't wait to board the Mariner again next month. Go figure!

And it must be noted as far as cabins go that many of the higher categories were refurbished in 2014 with the shiny black-coloured furniture. As of last April, these remain largely in good shape. Some of the other categories were not, and still have the old brown furniture. Some of these are looking a little worse for wear and tear. One's experience and perception of the state of the ship might depend on which cabin one is in.

I have been watching this thread with great interest. Although I love many different types of music, I am not a dancer. I really couldn't care less what music is played onboard or even what shows are put on, although I appreciate that to many passengers these things are important.

I find it incredulous that Regent would not play certain music because of rights fees. I would assume that the musicians play what they have been told is the music that appeals to the majority of Regent's clients. And from what I have seen on our four Regent cruises, this is largely the case.

That said, there is no doubt that Regent's demographic is getting older, and if the cruise line is to continue to attract new passengers, it will have to adapt to their musical tastes. Until it does, some folks may be disappointed, and I expect what the OP has been feeling is a reflection of that.

Or perhaps Regent is simply not the cruise line for people who like to dance to modern music.

getting on the mariner next week and i'm going to be so happy to be on the ship i don't care what they play. I always assume it will be wedding/ bar mitzvah / quincenera / anniversary music and anything more is a bonus.

+1!

I was contacted last year by my travel agent, who had a client whose husband died and the widow was forced to cancel a Regent cruise with no travel insurance in place. After some negotiation, what Regent did allow as an exception to the normal rules was to permit the TA to "transfer" the cruise to another passenger at cost.

Unfortunately, we were not able to take the cruise, but perhaps this is a solution that might work for you.

Welcome to the Regent board.

 

When you take the bus (with your luggage) to the ship, your luggage will automatically be transferred for you. We once wanted to leave our luggage with them and take our own transportation and they said that this was not permitted. Likely this is a security issue -- they do not want someone getting luggage onto the ship when the passenger isn't accompanying it.

 

Vancouver is one of the most difficult places to embark (we just did it last month). Another option would be taking a taxi to the ship around 11:00 a.m. and dropping off your luggage. Not sure why this works but a friend of ours did that and was able to go into town and board at her leisure.

 

Note: I know that my comment about security in the second paragraph doesn't exactly match up with what I said in the third paragraph but sometimes the procedure don't exactly make sense.

 

My one recommendation is to keep in mind that it could take an hour and a half to get to the ship. Passengers from all ships in port are massed together into lines that go through different places including immigration. One past immigration you are with only Regent passengers so the lines suddenly disappear. So, make sure to leave yourself enough time.

 

P.S. IMO, May is the absolute best time to visit Alaska! Enjoy your cruise (as well as the anticipation of it over the next several months).

TC2, what you say is true, but it must be pointed out that Regent does not take attendance boarding the bus and does not know if you take it or not. In theory, you could say you were taking the bus, have Regent pick up your luggage, and then make your own way to the ship. Your luggage would still arrive at the ship in a separate conveyance.

Not that we would do that, of course. In fact, we get quite nervous any time the luggage is out of our sight . . .

Our Alaska cruise on Mariner(Vancouver to Seward) in May will be our first ocean cruise. We have a Concierge suite and have decided to use the pre-cruise hotel.

 

I know that the pre-cruise hotel includes baggage transfer to the ship. I'm curious about the mechanics of getting our luggage from our possession to Regent's. We plan to leave the hotel in the morning to do tourist things in Vancouver and make our own way to the ship in the afternoon. How, and how early, can we give our luggage to the Regent representatives?

 

Thanks.

In our experience, you register with the on-site Regent representative at the hotel the night before departure and give him/her your room number. Regent will then tell you by what time your luggage must be packed and tagged and left in your room. It will be collected at that time and transported to the ship.

Regarding Canadian $ fares, just fair warning. Regent is charging a 6.4% premium over the current exchange rates. For example, a cruise in US$ is $10,599 for Cat H but Regent is pricing that same cruise/suite out at $14,149 Can $. At current exchange rates it should be $13,298 Can $. Regent is overcharging Canadian customers $851 on this cruise. I would call that price gouging and unethical. They must think we are stupid. Other luxury lines have priced under current exchange rates not a 6.4% premium! Glad we have a choice for luxury cruises. Regent has shot itself in the foot once again.

 

 

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Indeed, you have to be careful. Forex can cut both ways. When we booked our last cruise Regent offered $CDN pricing at 80 cents on the dollar at a time when the loonie was trading at 73 cents. We booked in CDN, and although the $CDN increased in value vs the $USD by the time we had to make final payment, we still saved a ton. Trying to guess what the exchange rate will be at the time you make your final payment is a risk for both sides. I assume that with this premium exchange rate Regent is betting that the #CDN will keep rising. In the short term this may make their fares uncompetitive.

Has anyone stayed on Deck 7 in SS Aft Suite on Mariner? If so, did you hear music or noise from Horizon Lounge on Deck 6? Thank you in advance[emoji12]

 

 

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We stayed in 781 on a trans-Atlantic cruise from Cape Town to Rio in 2015. Never any issue with noise or smoke. We loved this suite!

Any comments on Regent's new website? The way the "list" view appears is identical to Oceania's. I realize that how it looks isn't as important as functionality so it might be helpful to Regent if we gave some feedback.

As a Canadian, I like the fares now being quoted in Canadian dollars.

this is for anyone who may have done an Africa itinerary out of Capetown.

I'm curious how Regent may have routed your flights.

I'm in Atlanta and we are considering an Explorer itinerary round trip Capetown in December 2018.

Any advice/information would be appreciated.

We did a similar trip in 2015 from Toronto to Cape Town on Emirates. If you have not flown Emirates Business Class to Dubai, I highly recommend it. We flew Emirates through Dubai to J'burg, and then on SA Airways to Cape Town. Good connections, great service.

The main 'issues' we have had during TransAtlantics have been related to medical emergencies. Being out of range of helicopter rescue the Captain has to decide whether to return to nearest landfall or make all speed to the next significant port. We had to skip Cape Verde on one TA and Ascension Island on another due to medical emergencies; not to worry, the important thing was that the patients got to a good hospital as quickly as possible

We have been on 4 Regent cruises. The last 3 have included medical evacuations, 2 of them multiple evacuations. We missed Saint Helena as a result on the Cape Town to Rio crossing in 2015. We have come to expect it as part of Regent's all-inclusive offering.

We are considering a transatlantic cruise next February from Rio to Barcelona on the Mariner. Any comments would be helpful particularly the suitability of the Mariner for such a cruise. I should mention that the Mariner goes into dry dock immediately after this cruise.

We did a version of this itinerary in 2014, with Senegal and Tangier added as ports but no stop in Cape Verde. It was also immediately before the last refurbishment. We loved the cruise . . . but then we love sea days. Relaxing on the balcony watching the wake recede over the horizon is our thing. The Mariner has a relaxed vibe, especially on relocation voyages with many sea days, and that suits us just fine. I am sure you will enjoy it!

In addition to serving small dinner parties in your cabin (course by course or all at once, as you prefer), if you so desire your butler will accompany your spouse to the dining room (e.g. for a special occasion), or accompany solo travellers to the dining room. A small additional special touch.

Hi, Irene.

If you click on the "quote" button on the message you wish to respond to, you should see something like this appear, for example:

iguy, glad you had a good experience in April. I know that our experience was an aberration. Noticed that you quoted only a part of my post could you tell me how to do that. I've been trying and haven't been able to figure it out. My computer skills leave a lot to be desired.

Irene

You can then use your cursor to highlight the exact portions of the text you wish to delete, and do so. Just make sure to leave the

and [/quote . . . ] instructions at the beginning and end of the passage you wish to quote.

 

I hope this helps, and happy cruising!

We were on Mariner this past April. This was one of the cruises that took place after the dry dock was canceled. The ship looked beautiful you'd never guess that this ship was due for refurbishment. The service however did was not up to Regent standards.

We cruised on the Mariner in April and this was not our experience at all. We found the service levels to be just fine, as always. It just goes to show that one can be on the same ship at the same time and have quite a different experience.

I will say one thing in passing, and that is we happen to like the Mariner as is, and are not especially looking forward to it being refurbished, apparently to look more like the Explorer. I admit we have not sailed on the new ship, because we prefer the Mariner's Horizon View staterooms, but based on the descriptions and photos of the Explorer we have seen, it seems to be a bit gaudy and over the top for our simple tastes.

But to each their own!

Just returned from the April 18 sailing to Cuba, Belize, and Mexico.

All aspects of the trip were excellent for us, with one glaring exception, which has been mentioned before: the internet connection. We found that both the wifi and server connection would drop out frequently, to the point that we basically gave up trying to access the system in our suite or anywhere else on the ship except the business center. It was extremely frustrating. This has nothing to do with a moving ship trying to find a satellite, as this problem would occur while in port, too. And the problem was persistent on all devices, both phones and i-pads.

This shortcoming is not just something that will fail to attract millennials--I would imagine that cruise passengers of all ages have come to expect a consistent and robust internet connection to stay in touch while at sea, and not just to check e-mails but to post and view photos and videos. Regent is failing to provide this, IMHO. But I guess until Regent actually starts to lose passengers because of this, we should not expect any major improvements.

I should add that we have not sailed on other cruise lines to be able to compare what they are able to provide in terms of internet accessibility. We can only speak to our expectations and whether Regent met them or not. They did not.

Until Regent does away with included excursions it is certainly not the line for me. But I don't need to buy my own boat. I can very happily sail on Seabourn where I don't have to decide anything in advance with the exception of the Thomas Keller Grill which was his stipulation, not Seabourn's.

I am happy that you have found a cruise line that meets your needs. That's what it's all about.

Not sure why you felt compelled to post to a Regent message board to complain when you have already found a better fit for you, but hey, that's certainly your prerogative. Happy sailing!

Sorry, but from my perspective I am being fair. I don't like the whole idea of having to reserve anything months in advance. That's not luxury to me, it's a group tour mentality, You should be able to book restaurants on board and go whenever you want. You should be able to book excursions on board for whatever you want whenever you want. The fact that these excursions are included forces Regent to make you book way ahead. And those in more expensive cabins get to choose earlier. This is my opinion and others may disagree but I don't think I'n being unfair. Someone who books late is entitled to the same service and opportunities as those who book earlier. I don't see Regent offering a cheaper rate because nothing is available and you have to worry that it will open up.

Shortly put, Regent may not be the cruise line for you. Different strokes, etc.

Of course, you could also buy your own boat, I suppose. Problem solved. Front of the line every time. : )

And another experience to consider. We switched a cruise and booked late once, only to find that the pre-cruise experience we wanted was fully booked. We had our TA get us wait-listed. A few weeks later Regent added a new pre-cruise experience that suited us even better, and we were able to sign up for that and had a great time. Regent does occasionally change the excursions and pre- and post- offerings and your TA can keep on top of these things.

Thanks so much for this post. We are seriously considering the November 2017 itinerary. Our major gripe is the "proof of funds" for the Brazilian visa. Unfortunately, our old visas were only good for 5 years, or we could have used them.

I get it! In fact, when the 2018/2019 itineraries came out last week I asked my wife if she wanted to switch the November 2017 Amazon trip with another one that caught our eye (notwithstanding the very favourable pricing on the Amazon cruise). She said "No!" because we still have 2 years left on our Brazilian visas. Given the cost of acquiring them and now the offensive proof of funds requirement, :mad: we are not likely to ever get another. So we are proceeding in accordance with the original plan, in no small part to use the visas before they expire.:D

I'm missing some concept in understanding this comment on the epitome of first world problems. Is discussion of the Super Bowl broadcast availability different in some way from the usual discussions of things such as the decor and art onboard, the availability of a particular wine or liquor onboard, the exasperations of the Regent website and onboard internet, the length of excursions, the brand of lotions in the cabins, the size of the balconies and chairs, and the way someone's steak was prepared in Compass Rose?

 

IMO, if discussion of first world problems on Regent was eliminated from CC, there would be no posts, mine included. Or maybe some first world problems are okay to discuss and others aren't. If so, I'd like a list of acceptable and unacceptable topics. Or maybe ranking of topics is a first world problem? Just wondering or maybe just wandering. :)

No, you are correct. The whole board is about first world problems. It just struck me like the complaint about not being able to watch football games while on a cruise ship was a lot like Louis CK's bit about people flying through the air in a pressurized steel tube complaining about their wifi reception.

Oh well.

Perhaps I'd feel differently if my team was any good . . . 😭

Our tour was organized with many activities to interact with the cuban people. I found the tour educational and enlightening. Once we got to Havana, we had vastly more opportunity to walk around and experience the city. One tour stop was the Santa Clara market which is about as touristy as you can get...lots of art and nick-nacks that defined tourism.

 

It was ironic that there was a ballet festival in Havana while we were there. I had seen a photo essay of dancers in the streets of Havana and I knew that ballet was an important part of the culture. Many of us wanted to get tickets but we could not as it was not considered part of our people to people mission. Now, we could go to the Tropicana show or the Buena Vista Social Club show, but not the ballet!

 

At the airport when we were going home, we met a group of people on a trip organized by the Kansas City Ballet. They had been to the entire festival! But, their mission was a cultural exchange, ours was people to people.....No regrets, as we met wonderful people, heard fantastic music, saw incredible art, and learned about history, culture, and pros and cons of revolution. (or as our local guide kept saying, "the triumph of the revolution")

Thank you!

I have learned a few things today. One is that the “people to people” license appears to have certain flexibility or, shall I say, is open to a broad interpretation.

The other is that trying to logically understand the nuanced distinction between the Buena Vista Social Club being acceptable but not the ballet could drive one crazy!

I shall not even try.

It’s all a big adventure anyway . . . any interaction and sharing is better than isolation.