ysolde

This is interesting. And nice. We have a Christmas cruise booked on Mariner December 2025-January 2026. We booked it really early (about a year ago now) because we wanted to ensure that we got a suite with a step in shower. I have a mobility impairment and while I don't absolutely need a fully accessible suite (I'd rather not take it from someone who needs it), a step-in shower is non-negotiable. I mean, I suppose I could go to the spa to shower everyday, but I have not used a communal shower since college.

Yes, lunch at the specialty restaurants on Splendor is lovely. A limited menu (and, tbh, I had a tendency to eat an appetizer as a main dish most days, because dinners were quite extensive). But the lunch menu at the specialty restaurants is wonderful. There is always something (usually many somethings) delicious to be found.

It really looks fascinating, and beautiful, and well, perfect. I think this suite category on Grandeur will be just right for us. And it will be nice to explore a new to us ship in a new year. I think we are finding our groove.

We booked the Canal cruise out of LA in January '27. We already have our Christmas cruise on Mariner December '25/January '26. We have cruises on other cruise lines between now and then (I know, for shame, for shame), so we are all set.

Well, the issue of business class airfare certainly made it easier to book our next cruise with Regent. The next set of cruises came out today, via e-mail. We always look to book as far in the future as possible (we had booked a Christmas/NewYears cruise in the Caribbean on Mariner for 2025/2026 some time ago). So I was thinking of booking another Christmas cruise, but it looked like pretty much the same itinerary on Mariner, so that was a pass. Then I saw a Panama Canal crossing. On Grandeur. In January 2027. Well, let me start by saying DH is an engineer, and the Panama Canal is on his bucket list. The ports on this cruise are beautiful. It's a sixteen (16) day cruise, which is our sweet spot (we like fourteen to twenty-one day cruises). We have not been on Grandeur yet, and the whole Faberge Egg thing sounds too ostentatious for our taste, and some of the decor does seem a bit over the top, but the cabins have been decorated with restraint, and the color scheme is such that it does not remind me of the Middle Eastern airlines, which can really be jarring in their excess, so I think it will be fine. We booked an F2 Superior Suite, mostly because we like the larger bathroom and definitely like the walk-in closet. Our first Regent experience was on Voyager, where you take the walk-in closet for granted at any cabin level. It makes such a difference. Anyhow, it's what we have come to value on Regent, so it's what we book. When asked whether we wanted to include airfare with our cruise, I said, "No." I can find better deals by doing a bit of research on my own. On this trip, we can take the short hop to LA in economy if necessary and then fly back from Miami in the comfort of Business Class. So, will Regent become the way we travel to take Caribbean cruises and cruises out of San Pedro? Probably, if the price and itinerary are right. Will we consider Regent for travel to/from Europe again? Not likely. While DH does enjoy traveling to/from Europe on a ship rather than via plane, Cunard is more likely to get us where we want to go (Germany) more months of the year, so we have already booked that in the Grills for next year to get there (we'll fly back in time for my college reunion). If we like that, it may end up being something we do more often, but we'll see.

Question: Can we request sodas be set up in our cabin before our arrival (we are Regent people, so we are used to doing this)? We don't really drink alcohol, and we have a soda package. If we could get some sodas in our cabin, so that we did not always have to go to a bar to get one, that would be ideal.

It's clear men's body temperature tends to run warmer than women's because I always look to bring a pashmina or a cardigan to dinner with me. I never know what the temperature is going to be in the restaurant, theater, etc., and I tend to get chilly easily. Better to have it on hand and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Thanks. We are definitely going to need the mattress topper. We like a marshmallow soft mattress, and the beds on NCL can be concrete hard.

Got the e-mail from Guest Relations about concierge services. It's a little vague about what they do (except that they make specialty restaurant reservations 130 days prior to sailing). DH's response when he saw the email? "Oh, we are so getting brownies and other goodies in our cabin!" He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. 🤣

Thank you! Just made our final payment on a SI Suite on the Viva in November/December. These menus look just right for our taste at breakfast and lunch, especially if served in a quiet, uncrowded venue. Nice.

Agree with all this. The other thing DH and I do is we each pack one outfit in each other's suitcase. That way, if the airline loses one case, the one whose suitcase is lost will have an entire extra outfit to wear until their suitcase is returned by the airline.

No, I don't think it's for the Regent traveler. But I do wonder whether it will have a place among the self-funded business travelers, who are budget-conscious but need to get a good night's sleep.

Recently, I saw a review of Zipair's business class from the west coast to Japan. There's an interesting concept. For less than half the price of traditional business class, Zipair will provide you with a lie-flat seat to Japan. And that's it. No lounge. No food (you can buy food on board). But for many travelers, the savings may be worth it. I wonder if we will start to see this low-cost business class model expand? It is an interesting concept, especially for the self-funded business traveler.

That's an increase of $2,100 p/p flying in what class of travel? Flying between which cities?

So many of the decisions Regent has been making of late make me wonder whether they are trying to attract a younger, less loyal clientele. They seem to be positioning themselves to attract a 35-50 year old demographic, who prefer 7-10 day cruises. With economy airfare optional. An upscale version of the Virgin Voyages crowd. They must have concluded that the Boomers are aging and Gen X, well, everyone skips right over us, so I imagine they did, too. 🤣

That's presumptuous of Regent. What if you are pricing out and comparing different cruises? Why would you start the booking process when all you are doing is gathering information?

We were on this sailing with you and it was intense. Like you and your husband, my husband and I felt fine throughout. But I know many passengers and crew felt sick. And sitting in the Observation Deck, watching the waves hit the windows, was quite the sight. Not to mention water and soup sloshing at dinner. Or the morning my husband was washing his hands and my wheelchair began to roll precipitously into the breakfast buffet room (the maitre d' grabbed me). It was, just . . . No. Not something I'd do again.

Try Viking. Their website makes it easy and straightforward. Pick your cruise and your cabin. Then (if you are interested), add your airfare (economy, premium, or business class), based on where you are flying from. They will tell you the total cost, with and without airfare.

So the cost of air will vary depending on where you live. Hmmmm . . . Who would ever have thought that possible?

I'm sure many people prefer choices. Like the choice to buy the cheapest possible cruise package, the largest possible booze package, start drinking as soon as possible upon embarkation, become as obnoxious as possible, and expect all your fellow passengers to simply put up with you? Those are not the types of choices one generally expects to find on Regent. But then I suppose times may be changing. Stockholders, after all . . .

Yes, I'm quite sure we are all aware that you could always purchase a Regent cruise without air. What differentiated Regent, however, one of the things that made it a luxury cruise line, was the fact that, once you decided your cabin category, aside from a few bells and whistles (more expensive alcohol and excursions) all you had to do was get to the airport, and the entirety of your cruise was included (including BC transcontinental and International air). Now, as I stated in a prior post, Regent seems headed down the path of mainstream cruise lines. The only included class of air service now is the rock-bottom cheapest, keeping Regent's prices low. Thus, Regent is no longer interested in being a luxury brand. Give it a few years and they will be telling you how wonderful it is that they have a drinks package so that you don't have to hand over your card key each and every time you order a drink on board. But don't blame Regent. They will always be a luxury brand. It's the alcohols and sodas that have gotten so darned expensive. Can't blame Regent for passing on the cost to the consumer.

Does it matter whose fault it is? It is evident that Regent has decided, increasingly, to decouple airfare from its cruise product. Where it was customary to assume, when booking Regent, that the airfare was included in the cruise fare (with BC being included in all transcontinental and international segments), this will no longer be the case. Thus, Regent passengers will have to decide whether it is worth it to them to purchase the included (basic economy) airfare, or whether they wish to purchase airfare on their own, whether outright or by using miles. If they decide to use miles, the option of booking with their FF miles instead of with Regent air will allow them to weigh various options in terms of itinerary, class, etc. If they decide to book directly with the airlines, then the earlier they book, the more money they can potentially save, regardless of class of service booked.

Yes, frankly, this makes it very difficult to make travel arrangements with Regents, unless you are willing to forego the supposed inherent advantages of Regent air from the outset and book your own BC air. The new paradigm changes everything.

On trips going where we wanted to get there slowly (such as on a TA, particularly on one with ports of call we found attractive but did not want to spend four+ days) or where we wanted an introduction to a part of the world about which we were curious but unsure (such as our recent foray to Brazil), Regent is often a perfect way to get from point "A" to point "B". On trips where we want to arrive at our destination and spend four+ days at a location, then move on to the next place, a cruise, any cruise, is not ideal. We have never been the, "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium," type of travelers.

Some of us are travelers, not cruisers, by nature. Cruising is one way (and, frankly, not a preferred way) to travel. Cruising on Regent has allowed us to sample little bits of parts of the world oh so briefly in the style and comfort we enjoy travel. Ultimately, however, we are able to travel by air and rail and see other parts of the world (or even the very same parts of the world) more extensively at our leisure. Regent's pricing offered a value proposition. If that value proposition is no longer there, I have to assume those of us who are essentially travelers more than we are cruisers will fall away from Regent. We will simply go back to traveling primarily by air and rail. For example, DH and I had a lovely time this spring in the mountains of Germany and Austria (think the Interalpen Hotel in Telfs, for one).