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Lorimay is correct and we also experienced many of the same issues and just hoping it is “opening day jitters”. We have never before been on such a short (only seven days) Regent cruise and the vibe is quite different than in previous cruises. Lots of new faces (meaning crew) and many seem to be learning the ropes. 

17 minutes ago, RollTide49 said:

Greetings, all ya’ll. It is my understanding that the ship will be decorated for Dec 14. Didn’t want Christmas decor for the inaugural pictures. Have to see if I wake up and have a Christmas surprise!! The Splendor was spectacular so I imagine the Grandeur will be, too. Almost time to go. Roll Tide

And don’t forget the yummy Xmas cookies - hint, if you break the cookie in half all the calories spill out!

25 minutes ago, pingpong1 said:

Pcardad - No one wants to state "the elephant in the room".

Inquiring minds would love to know!

11 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

 

From a fellow Alabamian.....not a SINGLE Christmas decorations onboard Grandeur.   Heaven forbid those decorations "mar" the all-important christening photos in the next few days 🙄

That is sad because when the ship is decorated for the holidays, it truly is magical

20 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

The 12/6 Caribbean cruise on Grandeur, as it marks a milestone birthday for me. I'd prefer a longer cruise, but I feel strongly about celebrating on the actual date, so.....it is what it is  Having said that, this cruise was included in the Black Friday Sale, so not only did they knock a bunch of money off my Category D cabin, I also got $1,000 of OBC (hence my questions about the connoisseur list). Having said that, other than the Champagnes, there wasn't much on that list that excited me...so I may be a couple of bottles of older Bordeaux/Barolo to enjoy.

I thought the December 6th cruise was for VIP's and TA's - not listed on the Regent webstie

23 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

Fellow Bergen County folks?

 

Essex and sometimes work in Morris

2 hours ago, nfcu said:

Does she have her dog with her?

Since when are dogs allowed on cruise ships? And why is a dog being allowed into CR?

I am Titatnium and have never seen a dog on any Regent cruise

9 hours ago, seasidemn said:

Good morning,

You won't see me getting off the ship with a tote bag. 🤣 I'm on the Grandeur now. I did anticipate that for the inaugural cruise ( which is what we were sold over a year ago and then they conveniently added Venice in front) would have  some special gift of remembrance for Everyone! 

I am not  Concierge level. We are already booked for this ship in Feb. I guess I'll have to bring one of my Crystal bags.

Who ever in Regent management that made the decision that only concierge level and above receive a tote bag which clearly is marked Regent cruise lines needs to retake both Marketing 101 and Advertising 101 - I'm believe they either skipped or slept through those classes.

I am surprised there was no special token for sailing the maiden voyage - yet again reinforces my above statement

When looking for last minute discounted cruise fares, Google is your friend

12 minutes ago, BBWC said:

We were in Izmir (third largest city in Turkey) on Navigator in mid October. No warnings from Regent and, IMO, would have been totally unnecessary in this case. It was a very relaxed place, nothing politically going on, people just enjoying themselves strolling along the waterfront or shopping at the bazaar.

 

In the last week, there have been a number of very ugly incidents, mostly in Istanbul but also in areas frequented by Israeli tourists, such as Antalya which is a short flight away from Israel.

I don't think that Regent would ever make such a recommendation, they would probably provide some insight regarding the current situation within each port and advice each person to use their own judgment.

Seeing what is going on in the news, esp following the foreign press which is providing greater coverage than the US press, I would not be going to Turkey right now, and Turkey is one of my favorite countries. My name easily identifies myself as Jewish and I would not want to be an easy target.

I was once employed at a multi national corporation and traveled a great bit - we were required to take security awareness classes, sometimes for specific countries and more than once my travel plans were derailed because my company did not want me traveling to areas of the world that were targeting Jewish individuals.

3 hours ago, irishwitchy said:

Really, looks they totally copied the best tote -  Longchamp.  I will use my real ones with the leather straps, they are a bit classier!  
 

The gold thing was a bit much,  sounds like I should put that up on EBay!  I will let you know when I do that! 

I totally agree - my real Longchamp is MUCH nicer, but there are occasions where one does not want to use the "good stuff" and from the looks, this one looks like it might just fit the bill. You are also from NJ where stores are no longer allowed to provide bags - it looks like this will fit onto the compartment on my car door which I can just grab when I run into Kings (a local supermarket) for a few items.

20 minutes ago, morneau said:

Oh I love the look of the new tote bag....it looks like Longchamps!

I agree, it looks like it has a zipper and can be easily folded into itself - if so, it is a keeper!

At one time the description of the suites stated that concierge and above suites received a tote bag - I am not seeing that anymore.

For those that are either currently sailing or have sailed very recently, are tote bags still being provided? I always found them useful to taking items to the pool.

It always seemed very petty to me that only concierge or above were entitled to receive a tote bag - for an item that could not cost more than a couple of dollars - seriously, for a company trying to portray a six star, uber luxury experience, not providing a tote bag for all suite categories, which in reality is nothing more than free advertising for the company seems very short-sighted.

On 10/17/2023 at 5:33 PM, Pcardad said:

I always bring a dark suit for dinner with staff. If they have to dress up, I will do them the respect of dressing up as well. Other than that, I am pretty laid back. You will never feel out of place my over-dressing although you might be asked to change if you don't meet the dress code (as you should).

We are usually invited to a hosted table at least once during a cruise and like Pcardad, we always bring one "dressy" outfit with us, not a ballgown but a nice cocktail dress. For the other nights, I either wear a simple dress with a sweater (I am usually cold) or pants with a nice top. I typically purchase clothes that pack easily and do not wrinkle (because unfortunately the wonderful Regent laundry fairies do not accompany me on business trips) At this stage of my life, comfort takes precedent over fashion.

3 hours ago, PaulaJK said:

Hello NYC. We are Short Hills Mall locale. The one you mean? Yes, very interested in Lonedaddy’s MBA mention. I guess surprised since not MBA..but I can say that world of mouth is very strong here…in malls, clubs, etc.

You are so correct regarding the power of word of mouth in this neck of the  woods , more so than other areas of the country where I have lived

1 hour ago, irishwitchy said:

Yup, Short Hills Mall in my stomping ground, also.  

 

I would have been very upset, if I needed to go on this current cruise, which has turned into a Greek island cruise.   I’m only 64,  but I think I will be sticking to land trips, that I can control instead of being at the mercy of paying for one thing and getting something very different.  

My office  is in Florham Park so when I see your location I sometimes wonder if we have run into each other 

I totally agree with you regarding land trips - there are a number of dream destinations on my bucket list and other than for Antarctica, I plan to do them all by land while I am still young enough to take such trips.

1 minute ago, Pcardad said:

I am from Harding.

Know the area very well and have dear friends who live on Sand Spring Road

2 hours ago, Pcardad said:

I hear you. The number came from a public filing from NCLH.

Is it the Short Hills Mall?

Edit - didn't see Paula's post but I grew up right there.

Yup, that is the mall - wouldn't it be funny if we all know one another

Columbia High School grad

2 hours ago, PaulaJK said:

Hello NYC. We are Short Hills Mall locale. The one you mean? Yes, very interested in Lonedaddy’s MBA mention. I guess surprised since not MBA..but I can say that world of mouth is very strong here…in malls, clubs, etc.

Winner Winner Chicken dinner - yes that is the correct mall!

16 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

Short Hills Mall! Would that be near Summit, NJ by any chance? 

Although everyone calls it the Short Hills Mall, the official name is The Mall at Short Hills (I guess that sounds fancier) and yes, it is very close to Summit, which is the next town over

17 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

I am not saying they are right. However, there are only a fixed number of cabins and they are at a projected 103% occupancy. Perhaps this is a reason they are slowly making adjustments for cancellations/FCC's.

I know you have quoted this 103% occupancy for quite some time, yet it seems that they are constantly have various promotions to sell certain cruises and selling excess capacity through discount travel websites at significantly reduced rates. I do see that the very popular cruises are waitlisted only but there are quite a few with plenty of availability. I follow a website that lists "last minute" discount cruises and there are quite a number of Regent cruises and if I had the available vacation time, I would be booking one of them in a heartbeat.

1 hour ago, Pcardad said:

On the other hand, NCLH's top priority are the stockholders. If they felt they could be more profitable in the long run by issuing refunds they would certainly do so. One can only assume that they analyzed the situation and felt it was not the path to follow at this time otherwise they would have done so. Still, as I noted in the beginning, this is a fluid process and I have seen similar situations in the past that evolved through multiple steps until finally resolved...as this one has already begun to do.

I think Pcardad hit it in the nose - within the next 30 days NCL is expected to have their third quarter earnings call and NCL has not been doing as well as their competitors and there is a great deal of pressure on the C suite to their stockholders. I am sure this is their number #1 priority - however, this may prove to be very short sighted, but when it comes to the market, that is the thinking instead of looking at the long game and the need not only to keep their current customers, but also to attract new customers. In the realm of all cruising passengers, only a very small percentage can afford to travel at the level of Regent and those that can have choices. No matter the product, almost all try to appeal to the more affluent section since this is the one demographic least likely to be affected by an economic slow down. While retail sales are hurting, there is an upscale mall near to where I live that has few few empty storefronts and is always crowded and on Sunday one has to fight for a parking space, as I just did a few hours ago (anyone living in North NJ or the suburbs of NYC know which mall I am referring to). But this segment of the overall population is quite small and are usually well educated consumers. Regent may be able to fool people once or twice,, but if too many people feel that the fancy brochure is just marketing hype and cannot deliver the product promised, they will not be able to retain their current customer base, let alone attract new long term customers. The couple I met at the diner last week is a perfect example - this would have been their first Regent cruise and the likelihood of them booking another Regent cruise is slim to none and with just a little bit of common sense and customer courtesy it did not have to be that way.

18 minutes ago, kathy49 said:

Okay so if you miss lets say two ports due to weather and instead have two sea days you get no port taxes back???? That seems really odd and different from most lines.

Regent does not list port fees and taxes as a separate line item, it is included in the "all inclusive" fare and over the years we have missed many ports and never received one penny back

On 10/9/2023 at 10:53 AM, Pcardad said:

The cruise has not been cancelled. There is no claim for the cruise solely for port changes. The major insurance companies made the call to consider this a War when Netanyahu legally declared it a War. Either way, as long as the cruise is happening, I am not sure what you are going to claim. However, if you go that route, I wish you luck and hope this situation reaches a conclusion that is acceptable to you. Personally, I am calling to see if any cabins are opening up on the 10/15 Voyager cruise...I can pack in 15 minutes.

Since you haven't posted in the last day, am I to assume that you are on your way to Istanbul?