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I remember taking our first Regent cruise in 2008. Around Mariner where they had various photos/plaques of the fleet. In addition to the ships we know and love (Navigator, Voyager and Mariner), there was a 4th somewhat peculiar ship, the Radisson Diamond. Unique for a cruise ship because it had a SWATH - style hull. E: Just remembered, the Paul Gauguin was part of the fleet at that time too! She was sold in 2005 and turned into an Asian gambling ship, but I have always wondered what it would have been like on board as a Radisson/Regent ship and how it would have handled the seas. Anyone here sail on it during the 13 year Radisson career? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_China_Star Looks like it *might* still be active as a luxury Chinese ship (according to wiki) but I don't think I'll be making that trip to find out anytime soon 🙂

Meh. As someone that's done both I feel a need to disagree here. The biggest difference/benefit of concierge IMHO is the pre-hotel and transfers which can be nice and seamless way to get from the airport onto the ship the next day. Once on board, the difference in experience is negligible and not worth the premium if the cabins are similar (of course, many of the premium suites are not). But, YMMV if that's important to you. But I'm not one that wants a butler so if that's important to you, than maybe it is worthwhile. We've done 2 generational cruises, my wife and I and her parents. Both were tons of fun and I agree 100% the "class" consciousness thing really doesn't exist. We also "tried" a Princess after our last Regent cruise just to see if we could get into a more mass market line, and it was a fail. The crowds, food, onboard experience is just night and day. Not that Princess is *bad* - it's not - but hunting for an open table at the buffet or rushing to get to the theatre to get a seat just wears thin. Also the nickel and diming/up-selling they try to do, while not in your face, happens a lot. Eating dinner and having them try to sell you a drink of Limoncello every 30 minutes became tiresome.

That was our biggest disappoint with our med cruise was missing that. When Voyager had the incident in Civitavecchia we ended up losing a day and that was unfortunately the day 😞 Oh well, and excuse to go back I guess!

Is it worthwhile going to Miami beach? We've never been to Miami before and staying an extra day ahead of time to look around.

Our first real med holiday was a cruise (Regent) and it was fantastic. Wouldn't have been to far of a stretch to call it a bucket list trip and we weren't disappointed, other than the weather which caused some port changes but even then it wasn't a massive detriment. I'll go contrary to some others here and actually say an ocean cruise is actually a good idea for a first trip because it gives you a really good taste of where to come back to and spend more time with more of a land based holiday although a river cruise would be similar in that regard. We did both west and east/Adriatic in 2 weeks which was stellar, but it wouldn't be a crazy idea to focus on West OR East (one or the other) which might give more options. Is the pricing steep? Well it's not cheap, but I think it's all about value and what you get. Go with a more mass market line, pay for a balcony suite and everything else that is an add-on, excursions and business class layflats from North America, it very quickly begins to level the playing field. I haven't mentioned the shipboard experience where you might not be able to get a seat in the theatre venue for entertainment or walking around the buffet area looking for a table which is rarely an issue with Regent. The biggest risk of going Regent as your first cruise is that is going to be the bar that other cruises will be measured.

The Tips for Travellers youtube channel fellow just got back from his first Regent cruise which happened to be on Navigator. He's going to start posting his videos about it within the next few weeks. I'm curious to hear what he says, I quite enjoy watching his videos even though they usually are geared towards the more "mass market" cruises, he has some really good observations and tips.

They turn earlier the further north you go. When I left Nova Scotia the 3rd week of Sept they really had not started turning yet. I think a week or two later would have been better (although I suspect Fiona got rid of most of them before they could turn!) Cape Breton which is famous for the beautiful foliage would be similar, it's only a couple hours further north by car... maybe a week earlier due to the higher elevation? But I think it might depend on the year - if it's a cool late summer/early fall, it might start earlier.

Well I was in Halifax/Nova Scotia/PEI this past Sept and missed the hurricane Fiona by 1 day so it can go either way, but to be clear that's very rare. I think it was Sept ...23 when it made landfall? Do not worry about scheduling your holidays around the risk of a hurricane in Canada. Just buy insurance if that's a worry (it shouldn't be). It wouldn't concern me.

To be clear a toilet issue can happen on any vessel, it's the nature of plumbing. If one guest flushes something they shouldn't, there is a high chance it can take out the toilets of a whole area of cabins. I haven't been on Mariner for many years, but I have been on Voyager just before Covid. Regent keeps their ships in excellent operating order and condition in my experience. Mrs. and I took a Princess cruise just prior to Covid on a much newer ship and were were shocked by the number of issues they had (out of order elevators, water leaks in various places) - something I have not seen personally witnessed on my few Regent cruises. Regarding food and service, if someone faults Regent food and service, I can't imagine what they would think poor is. Its always been exceptional in my biased opinion.

Our first Regent cruise in 2008 was on Mariner. I have very fond memories of that ship.

That sauce is my favorite on beef. I absolutely love it and have tried, with mixed results, re-creating it at home. That looks like a fantastic cruise! Thanks for sharing!

You know what you have to do!

OK... so it's merely 98.9% sold out 🙂

Nice!

I agree a full refund is extremely unlikely (I'd probably have a better chance of hitting the lottery) but are you sure the lines are still bleeding? Last I heard from a couple TAs I chat with is that the bookings have recovered to pre-pandemic levels of 90%+ since late last year as people are desperate to get out and vacation again?

First class *might* help, but I've heard too many horror stories of mobility equipment being damaged, destroyed or outright lost if its "loose" and checked in. That said, my wife was mobility impaired for a while and when we flew during that time we checked it in at the gate (as in, left at top of jetbridge and the ground people put it in the hold as buttoning up) and we never had a problem, although we only flew a couple times so YMMV. I also love your line on traveling first class - absolutely! You only live once and you can't take it with you. Fly first class and cruise Regent!

Laundry is great and never had an issue. They pay real attention too, my wife had a blouse that had a very small, virtually unnoticeable stain (you had to know where to look) and they enclosed a note apologizing they could not remove it. They were excellent and absolutely does help lighten the amount of packing, but they also have self service laundry machines complete with iron if you'd rather do it yourself.

Whaaaa? Talk about a slippery slope! What's next? Expect people to wait in a line?? <faints> What about at a restaurant? What if they are hungry *now* and the 3 minutes to get seated is time wasted that could be otherwise used eating??? Don't you realize when you already have a foot in the grave every second is precious? Just stop with these extreme ideas! lol Education should go a long ways. Those that don't can be dealt with individually.

I actually did know that 😉

I really like the Regent tours, I don't think I've ever been disappointed. Adriatic and Sicily in particular were standouts to me. BUT When we stopped in Rome/Civitavecchia I made a point of not doing a Regent tour and doing a personalized driver who picked us up in a car right at the pier, drove us to Rome and saw all the sights we wanted PLUS a personal tour with a dedicated guide at the vatican. Even took us to a local grocery stores for some special items I was looking for. Not exactly inexpensive, but not stupid expensive either and in all reality probably the best money I've ever spent on a vacation. It was a long day but gosh darn it was great.... although the day was topped off by Voyager crashing into the pier leaving Civitavecchia! If you want to PM I can give you specifics of the company we used for the private driver/tour but won't post as I think it's against the rules.

When you meet your room attendant (or butler, depending on class) if you mention it to them it will be done promptly. It took me a bit to get used to the stocked "bar" in the suite. About halfway through our last cruise I just mentioned in passing to ours when he asked about the bar that I enjoyed Canadian rye whisky and ginger as a highball. About 60-90 minutes later, I had a 1L bottle of Canadian Club sitting on our cabinet and a fridge full of ginger ale. Waaay more than I wanted, but its the service Regent provides.

LOL - took me a sec to realize what you're talking about. 😉 I don't think that would come into play! In all seriousness, a lot of people just do things because they can get away with it, OR, probably more likely, don't think anything of it and genuinely believe its normal and no problem. As soon as someone calls them on it or questions and brings it to attention, good chance it'll be the end of it even if they're not happy. Muttering under their breath might happen but the more insightful people reflect and understand. I know I've done it. The ones that double down can be fun though. I too am sorry we're on different cruises! I would have enjoyed to meet - I'm sure yours well be stellar, probably better without me haha. But I will miss the opportunity of you educating me on my own national sport!

He prefers it out of a fountain vs a can? Neat! I *think* a couple of the bars have soda dispensers for cocktails/highballs, but I don't know if they'd have diet on tap. Cabin will be canned for sure.

Absolutely zero problem with this policy but agree some tuning will likely be needed. Some gentle "education" might be all that's required for 99% of the cruisers, the "entitled" ones will be the problem but they'll never be satisfied if there is any rule they disagree with.. because rules are for other people to follow. That said, I've never had a problem getting a lounger but I also will wear a hat when in the sun and don't mind it. I also "plan ahead" with a lounger so if it looks like it will be in the shade in an hour or so, the better. Personally I'd have little problem noting a "reserved" chair being unoccupied for an hour and moving the "reservation" belongings to the side if a staff member is reluctant to. But I'm also the kind of guy that would empty a washing machine with clothes that have been sitting there for over 30 minutes holding up a machine if none of the others are free. Don't want me to touch your stuff? I'd rather not either, but I'm not the inconsiderate one. Want to go for lunch for 45-60 minutes or take a dip in a pool? IMHO, if you don't have a S.O. or friend there to hold it in person, it should be forfeit and that is probably the problem in a nutshell. 10, even 20 minutes to grab a drink from the bar or some food from the pool grill? That's absolutely understandable. But gone for 30+? Just so you can go to get a bite? Or even your cabin? That is part of the problem imho. 30 easily slides to 45 which slides to 60 before you know it.

I love olive oil and balsamic as well! I recently discovered white balsamic and it is fantastic. I realize this doesn't really answer your question but before you bust yourself up looking for light choices for prepared dressings, compare the "light" vs "reg" ones at a grocery store. You might be surprised to find the fat is heavily offset by sugar. A dietitian once told me, just be conservative with the dressings/condiments.A tablespoon of a salad dressing or ketchup isn't going to make a difference, especially if it helps you scratch that itch and not go overboard with something else.