BaltiGator

I'm a tad confused. For our upcoming May 13 cruise on Connie, the cost on the website at the moment for 2-device premium wi-fi is $34.99 per guest per day. This price is being shown as a 20% pre-cruise savings, with the regular on-board price being $44.19. But right now, the cost for Premium Access is $22.99 per guest per day (10% savings). And unless I'm misreading the details, that package includes 2-device premium wi-fi. Doesn't this mean that, even if we have zero use for the other perks in the Premium Access package, we might as well buy it to get the wi-fi we want at a cheaper price? Seems like a no-brainer to me. Thanks for all replies.

We just received notice that our May 14 cruise on Navigator has been canceled as well. The explanation given in the email was that Regent also canceled the prior cruise on Navigator, which was scheduled to transit the Suez Canal, and as a result, Navigator will instead sail around Africa (with no passengers) in order to get the ship back to friendly Mediterranean waters. This is completely understandable. What isn't understandable, or really acceptable to me, is that the only alternative we are being offered is a 25% discount on a "new" replacement cruise that doesn't sail until May 25 (and with a completely different itinerary than our cruise). If we don't want that, we'll get our money back, of course, but no discount - or even special assistance - is being offered on any other cruise we might want to book with Regent instead. This was to have been our first sailing on Regent. Can't say I'm impressed with their customer service. Unfortunately, I think this is becoming the norm across cruise lines. Being owned by giant corporations doesn't help.

Interesting. On our Seabourn cruise last month, Destination Services was by far the worst part of our customer service experience. Actually, it was the only bad thing on the cruise, which was otherwise quite lovely - but the DS people were really, really bad. Sounds like we might experience more of the same on Regent next year. I wonder if this is an industry-wide issue? And if so, why?

I'm afraid you and I will simply have to agree to disagree on what we consider "simple" in this regard. Moreover, "simple" alone in the context of customer service doesn't automatically imply either "sufficient" or "excellent" - at least not to me. Cheers.

Thank you both for this information. Definitely good to know! But if I understand everyone in this thread correctly, I would still need to call Regent at the 210-day mark, be prepared with options, hear what they have to offer, and hope that a suitable choice is available. Seems to me they could very much streamline this process for their customers. But I do appreciate the info!

Thanks for your comments. Two things - first, having to mark the 210-day on your calendar and call seems unnecessarily burdensome to the customer. Why not have a check box when you book your cruise saying you want to fly in earlier? Second, are you saying that when someone calls to deviate, they can request flights that arrive more than 1 day ahead of the cruise? We would want flights 2-3 days ahead.

Thanks for your comments. I'm a Regent newbie, so maybe I don't understand the process well enough. But what I'm envisioning is that you pick which day you want to fly in when you book your cruise (arrival day of, 1 day before, 2 days before, 3 days before) but you then still wait for a "blind" assignment, as you put it, for your actual flights. No phone call is needed - your selection is just part of the initial cruise booking. At the 210-day mark, if you've changed your mind about your selection, you can still begin the deviation process. If not, you wait to see what you get. There are so many people who choose to fly in a few days ahead of a cruise, not only to ensure that they don't miss the start of the cruise but also to adjust to the new time zone, see the sights in the embarkation port, etc. I would love to use Regent's air option, but we always try to fly in 2-3 days ahead of time, and from what I'm reading on this thread, that wouldn't be possible even with the deviation process. Or am I wrong about that?

We're Regent newbies too (next May) but I would say don't sweat it. The little annoyances will be there no matter which line you choose. (Though maybe different little annoyances.) You can read all kinds of horror stories on the SB and SS threads too. Part of it is that the post-Covid customer service experience is simply not the pre-Covid customer service experience. All the lines have dealt with high levels of staff turnover, just like airlines, restaurants, hotels, etc. Another part of it is that all three of these lines are owned by big cruise corporations that borrowed massively during Covid to stay afloat, so naturally the bean counters are squeezing the operating costs and as a result, a few things ain't what they used to be. Despite these factors, you will most likely still have a wonderful cruise on a line that many, many people swear by. That's why we booked a cruise on Regent. We would sail SB again too, by the way, despite the little annoyances we experienced on our cruise with them last month.

Completely agree with you, but why not take it a step further? Why can't Regent offer both options, so that for any given cruise you could choose either day-before or same-day flight arrival? No hotel included if you choose day-before (unless, as pointed out by others, you're at the Concierge level). And you can change your mind later via the same deviation process with the same fees. For that matter, why not offer 2 days before and 3 days before options as well? Someone from Regent has to book the flights no matter which option you choose, so no additional work for them. Am I missing something? Why is the policy so restrictive?

During our 20 days/nights on S's Sojourn last month, we ate at E&O a lot. The evening weather in the Mediterranean was ideal for al fresco dining, and the casual tone suited us perfectly. Having said that, I wouldn't eat there in hat & coat weather. The food was very good, but so was the food in the temperature-controlled dining room. We'll be on R's Navigator this coming May. I sure hope there's a nice al fresco dining option, weather permitting.

Thank you for asking this question. I am wondering the same thing. Was the passenger in the OP diagnosed with Covid because he sought onboard medical care? Or did he bring his own Covid test kit(s) and inform the crew of a positive result? I was under the impression that pre-boarding Covid tests for all pax are a thing of the past. Am I mistaken about that?

Thank you!

Thank you for such a sane comment. We'll be Seabourn newbies in Sept 2023. What exactly is their version of smart casual? On their website I think they refer to it as elegant casual, but the description is vague. It says men should wear "slacks" and a collared "dress shirt" or sweater. What do they mean by dress shirt? Does it have to be long-sleeved and with buttons? What about a nice short-sleeved polo shirt? Or a long-sleeved Rugby-style shirt (with collar)? And since any of that can be substituted, it seems, for a sweater, does the shirt under the sweater need a collar? I'm not trying to be nit-picky. Rather, like you, I just want to be sure we follow the code, since we also have no intention of participating in formal nights.