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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.

9 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

Destinations Services is the achilles heel for Regent. We had some recent blips with food a couple of times but the team was quick to apologize and make it right. Destination Services wouldn’t even acknowledge the problem and take responsibility, let alone do something about it. There needs to be some leadership changes in that department and some training on customer service. They must have missed that training session.

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?

1 minute ago, TheShag said:

Process is simple. Accept what they send you at the 75 day mark or call them at 210 day mark.

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.

15 minutes ago, carolina cruisin said:

You absolutely can request flights more than one day before embarking.  I recently did that for an upcoming cruise.

 

3 minutes ago, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

 

You can fly in up to 30 days before your cruise and fly out up to 30 days after your cruise. A wonderful option in my opinion. My experience (April 2022) was that they would even book me out of a different country.

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!

9 minutes ago, TheShag said:

RSSC newbie as well. You have it. If you want to deviate, then at the 210 day mark, you pay the fee and engage with Regent Air Department. Should you not go that route, then you 'get what you get' at the 75 day mark. As I trust you may already know, getting available flight options at hand before you call will expedite the process. Worked perfectly for me for my upcoming cruise with RSSC.

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.

12 hours ago, kirtihk said:

Yes.  However, with your idea a cruiser would have to call no matter what to select an itinerary initially what they want versus of how currently Regent just selects an itinerary on their own (saving time and resources of contacting).  I think the reason why Regent had the current policy is to collect the deviation fee for any change (and the majority of those who use Regent air program will deviate to avoid the obvious reason to potentially miss their cruise).  So, the only a good user’s point of a deviating for a day earlier with a fee is they can select at the same time a preferred itinerary (versus a blind one selected by Regent and revealed at the very short time prior to the cruise like in this thread’s unfortunate and unpleasant so to speak example).

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?

11 hours ago, the_dylaness said:

This is our first Regent cruise and without being too much of a downer, I have to say that most of what I'm reading on this board makes me wonder if we've made the right choice.  Jockeying to get into a Sette Mari, all the pool chair drama... was hoping that little annoyances like these would be bypassed.

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.

1 hour ago, kirtihk said:

That’s exactly my point! - What I wrote was Regent needs to change their air program to buy air ticket so a person will arrive a day earlier of the embarkation date.  I understand your unfortunate situation, and that’s why I wrote my statement. I really do not comprehend why they do not do that. If the implement such a policy, your situation would never occur.

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?

1 hour ago, Techno123 said:

Earth and ocean  on Seabourn seems to be very popular - even has people in hats and coats sitting outside eating on the colder weather cruises. Perhaps that is because S don't have as many alternative restaurants?

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.

On 8/6/2023 at 1:55 PM, Dunnedg said:

How does anyone know they have covid? There is no requirement to test anymore. You might show some symptoms which are simply a ‘cold’.

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?

25 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

 

It does not officially have to be long-sleeved or have buttons (just a collar).  A polo shirt has a collar.  I have seen many men in collared polo shirts.  Obviously they don't look as dressed up as a long-sleeved shirt with a collar.

 

Only 1 out of 7 nights is a "formal" night, so you would not have a problem -- try and get a TK grill reservation on the formal night (great food, nice casual ok)

 

 

Thank you!

On 10/21/2022 at 12:25 AM, florisdekort said:

I’m not interested at all in what other people wear or what they want the dress code to be. I’m only interested in complying with what the dress code is as per Seabourn’s website. 

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.

I've never sailed on Azamara. Usually sail Solstice Class ships on Celebrity. I'm looking at an Asian cruise on the Quest and looking at a Club Continent Suite (#8044). Just a little concerned that all of the Club Continent suites are on the deck directly below the pool. Wondering what kind of noise level we might be dealing with during the evening and night. Figure we won't be sleeping a lot during any days. Thanks for any feedback about noise or other opinions from anyone who's been in these cabins.:D

We've been on one Quest cruise, and we did experience some noise from the pool deck above. It wasn't excessive or by any means a deal killer. In fact, we are booked in CC suites for our upcoming cruises as well. But at least in our cabin last year, there was some noise from above a little earlier in the mornings than we would have liked.

I am told they do not hold any tables aside for Suite Guests. The benefit to Suite Guests is they do not pay the $25 per Guest charge.

Bonnie, thanks so much for the information. When you next speak to the "powers that be" would you kindly please pass along the notion that if this benefit is not readily available for suite customers to use at their reasonable convenience, it loses its value to those customers. And a benefit without value is no benefit at all.

Thanks, and keep up the great work!

The latter approach would stop the practice of people rather selfishly booking a table every night of the cruise upon boarding the ship, which, if enough people do it, severely limits opportunities for everyone else.

IMO there's nothing selfish about this behavior as long as the guest intends to honor the bookings.

Now, I agree it's a bit oinkish when people make bookings for every night in the specialty restaurants just so they can decide later which 2 or 3 nights they actually want to eat there, and cancel the rest at their convenience.

But personally, every night I can book in the specialty restaurants is a night I will honor my booking, because that's where I prefer to eat. It's not my job to try to calculate how my bookings may affect the overall supply and demand for the cruise. That's the cruise line's responsibility. So as long as Azamara lets me book to my heart's content, I as the paying customer will do so. If you think that makes me selfish, well, you're entitled to your opinion. But that's all it is - your opinion.

While I unsderstand it is a perk for suite guests, I have trouble believing that anyone pays the average $1000 extra for that $175 benefit, just as I'm sure the free small bottles of booze in the suite are also not the reason most people book a suite. A suite is worth it for the extra space, and perhaps to some, the Butler service, but deciding to book one or not based on the specialty restaurant availability seems like overkill.

I would say you are mostly right. Our decision to book and pay for a suite, as we did on our first Azamara cruise and also have done for our upcoming back-to-back, was largely based on the extra space in the cabin. However, for us at least, the value of a suite isn't entirely based on that one feature. Eating in the specialty restaurants with no upcharge definitely DID influence our decision. So did getting the little bottles of booze, though by a miracle of Biblical proportions we turned ours into bottles of wine. :)

The butler service, for us, does not add much. But I'm sure there are others for whom a different combination of suite amenities tips the scale, just as there are people who are not swayed to spend any more of their hard earned bucks on a suite at all.

Would we not choose a suite in the future if the specialty restaurant perk becomes harder to take advantage of? I'm not sure. More likely, we would give greater consideration to other lines altogether. Again, this is all about marketing. Azamara needs to decide which customers they are going after and how best to snag and retain them. Then the market will decide if Azamara's strategies are working or not. If it were up to me, suite guests would get at least some kind of priority in the specialty restaurants. But I'm sure that makes me sound like someone who always insists on a suite. ;)

PROBLEM 1

They try to push everyone to 6:00 or 6:30 because 7:00 to 8:30 fills quickly

 

SOLUTION 1

Reduce the price for early seatings and increase the price for late seatings, so that demand balances.

I think this is a great idea. But I'm sure someone will say everyone should have equal opportunity to dine at whatever hour they please. ;)

I think that the suggestion that only suite guests could book on embarkation day would mean that all suite guests ( who wanted to dine in Prime C or Aqualina) would automatically book every night for one or other of the speciality restaurants.

The problem that may arise is that they could cancel/not show and then other guests who might have booked would be denied the opportunity.

True, but this happens now anyway. I've been on several ships where I went to the specialty restaurant booking center on the first day of the cruise and was told that certain evening times were already booked up, only to find later in the cruise that many bookings got canceled.

Now, this phenomenon might indeed happen more often if Azamara were to give suite guests a 24-hour head start, and that might indeed lead to increased frustration of other guests. Azamara would have to weigh that against the increased frustration of suite guests who aren't able to properly enjoy their perk in the first place. Only Azamara can decide what is best for its business. And the market will decide if Azamara makes the right call.

If anything needs to be done, it should be to limit the number of reservations that can be made, so everyone has that opportunity.

This approach would yield exactly the opposite of what Azamara is evidently trying to accomplish, namely, to encourage more bookings in the specialty restaurants.

Everyone on-board should have an equal opportunity to make reservations in specialty restaurants.

Says who? This isn't a democracy, it's a business. Almost all lines have a perk of one kind or another with either limited availability, or none at all, for lower-priced cabins. An example of this is the private pool areas that some lines now offer exclusively to their suite guests. There's no "equal opportunity" there, nor should there have to be. We aren't talking civil rights here.

Now, if Azamara chooses to continue using a business model in which all guests have equal opportunity to book the specialty restaurants, so be it. And if doing so means that the restaurants get booked up too fast, to the frustration of some suite guests, so be that as well. Of course, some such suite guests may decline in the future to cough up the dough for a suite, or may take their business elsewhere. That may work out OK for Azamara. Or it may not. This simple fact remains: a perk that is difficult to cash in on loses its value to the paying customer.

There are potential solutions to this problem that would satisfy both the suite guests and the rest.

My suggestion is that Azamara should permit only suite guests to make reservations in the specialty restaurants on the first day of the cruise (the first night excepted, of course). It might be helpful to inform suite guests during pier check-in that they have an exclusive window (after which it's everyone's game) so they are advised to make their reservations that first day.

If Azamara doesn't like this particular approach, there are surely other creative ways to keep everyone happy. But giving suite guests no particular priority for making reservations, while at the same time striving to fill the specialty restaurants so that availability becomes severely limited for everyone, is not a good combination. Specialty restaurant dining is a perk for the suites; if it's too hard to use that perk, then it loses its value to the paying customer.

Can someone please tell me if you all know of any groups that will be on the Oosterdam to Alaska for the August 15, 2010 cruise? I know that the Twilight group will be on the Oosterdam to Alaska the week prior to this.

Our family specifically chose the 8/15 cruise over the 8/8 cruise to avoid that 1000+ pax group. AFAIK there aren't any groups on the 8/15 sailing. At least not anything major involving hundreds of pax (a thorough Google search would have probably revealed such a group by now).

So no worries! Have a great cruise!

No doubt a lot of cruisers would love to see that info. But evidently the business model works better for the cruise lines if they don't let everyone see how full or empty a particular cruise is. And the bottom line is it's their private information, they're entitled to do with it as they wish.

Bollinge - What great writing in your review! Are you a writer by occupation?

Boo's Mom - Thanks for resurrecting this thread. I wouldn't have seen it otherwise. Chock full of great info!