Dolebludger

As we understand it, we can make those reservations on Dec. 24 for a cruise embarking on March 24. We are booked in a concierge suite and are SSS level gold. I will tell all what we ended up with. But this matter is not a deal breaker or deal maker for us. Because actually, we have been advised that we can only sign up for each one for one night — meaning three nights of specialty dining on a seven night cruise. But the thing is, the only specialty menu that appeals to me is that of Prime 7 and from our Explorer cruise last June, it seems that one can order from the Prime 7 menu in the Compass Rose. I don’t know about ordering from the other specialty restaurants in the CR. But the CR on Explorer class ships is certainly good enough for us. It may actually be preferable, because it is not dining at a set time. Within set hours, one just walks in and is seated and served. We like that. ,

Yes, I don’t fully understand the method Regent uses to accept (or not) requests for reservations at speciality restaurants. It needs to be more transparent IMHO. On our last Regent cruise, however, we found it fairly easy to get in to them without reservations on the first few days of the cruise. I normally really dislike MDRs on larger ships, but have really liked the Compass Rose on all of our past Regent cruises (too many to count, but we are Gold SSS members). So if we end up eating in the CR, I won’t be too upset. But if anybody has info on Regent’s selection system for taking reservations for specialty restaurants, I’d like to know about it.

Basically, the Retreat Host IS the room attendant in a SS. If these staff members are required to do nothing more than in the main ship, SS no longer offers premium service. In the past, those in a SS had the services of two people — room attendant and Butler. Now it is down to only the room attendant who provides no more service than in lower categories. So, those looking for more than “mass market service” have no reason to book SS.

Capt_D, before the pandemic we found the Retreat to be a fantastic deal for the price. Now, it is more expensive than alternatives of the same service and space levels. It does seem that the SS has been downgraded and the price increased. And CS too. In 2018 we cruised in a CS, and were free to enjoy the mini fridge contents without additional charge. That may not have been official policy. IDK. But that’s what happened.

Thanks for the posts above, because they answer a question I have had about the status with the Retreat Host (or whatever it is called).I had wondered if they are butlers who now were working in a team with room attendants still in place, or if they are renamed room attendants with added duties. Now I know it Is the latter. No comments on this from me. Facts speak for themselves. I have additional questions about the Retreat. At what suite level is an actual butler provided, in addition to the room attendant? At what suite level is use of mini fridge contents included in the fare?

I suspect the “stateroom host” was what Celebrity describes as a “retreat host”, that for SS (and CS, and above?) replaces the “butler”. I’m sure many here are just trying to figure out who staff like Kate are. Was she also the person who made up the room twice a day, or was that done by a different person?

Thanks, all, Your advice will be a great help in our scheduling. On our last cruise cruise in the Explorer/Alaska our grand daughter (age 12) was with us and took every chance to dine at Prime 7, where she ordered New York strip steak, and ate it all! She is a rather tall, slim young woman. Surprisingly, she still is slim. And I loved Prime 7 too. since I posted this, I have reviewed “sample menus” for Chartreuse and Sette Marie and couldn’t see much there that I wanted to eat. Actually, I didn’t eat in those on the Explorer for that reason. So our choices may be easy. Book all we can in Prime 7 and go to Compass Rose the other evenings. Can’t really go very far wrong on these ships.

Celebrity May think it’s competition is with land resorts, but it is not. Its competition comes from other cruise lines. And in this regard, I think Celebrity does well now, except for the Retreat level. There are cruise lines that offer AI cruises for less, that are better in many respects. Land resorts? Many won’t go there — especially in the US — because they are a rip-off and I don’t know of any that are AI. There are some AI resorts in other countries that don’t charge so much.

Actually, I think the auto tipping was started because people from other countries do not tip. And if they do, they don’t tip much. This is because service pay is relatively higher in those countries, and people are not hired and given the expectation of tips.

Oh, X is still in the running, except for those who want the accommodations and services of the Retreat (or what they used to be). That is where the price hikes and cuts seem mostly to be. For other accommodations, X seems to remain pretty competitive, and perhaps leads the competition.

I don’t know what thr recipient’s reaction might be for tips given in advance, or for those given after service, when tips are also included in the fare or are separately billed to the guest. Why would anybody feel like they should in essence tip twice?

Don’t want to hijack a thread either. The point of discussion of any other cruise line is all the posts on this thread and forum seeking an alternative to Celebrity (especially the Retreat) due to pice hikes and content reduction. Just giving one of many answers.

I can see how the web page can portray the idea that Regent is much stuffier than it is. But I have no reason to falsify what it really is. Not a lot of hard rock, though. And I wish there were.

If you are 61, you are right in the demographic of Regent, Silversea, Seaborne, and such. After around 10 - 15 Regent cruises, I’ll tell you about what to wear to “fit in”! In daytime, anything that is decent. Jeans, slacks, shorts depending on location. In the evening, lose the jeans and shorts. Slacks, shirt, shoes. That is it. Formal nights are history, replaced by ‘formal optional nights” when you can (but needn’t) wear coat and tie (men) or nice dress (women). But everybody just continues with the casual dress. Only difference between this and Celebrity is on Regent you can’t wear jeans to dinner. Fellow guests are just like those in the Retreat. The music usually isn’t hard rock. It’s more laid back, usually. The whole atmosphere is calm, casual, and laid back. And there are no lines or crowds. I’m sure it’s not for everybody, but it is really AI.

Thanks, I knew it was somewhere. We were on the Explorer (original sister ship of the Splendor and Grandeur) on an Alaska cruise last June in concierge. Older Regent ships were great on our past cruises, but the Explorer was “WOW”! We are cruising the Splendor in March 2024 in concierge. On the Explorer, we had to wait all of 5 minutes for the bar waiter to get around to us at the pool lounge! Clearly no complaint about that, and it was the slowest service we experienced. Other times, service was there as soon as we showed up in a bar or restaurant, and the ship was full. Clearly no understaffing. And on the newer Regent ships, there are suites at a lesser cost than concierge about the same size with the same perks, except for pre hotel. And cruises on older Regent ships cost even less than the newer ones, with no fewer perks.

Actually, so much is included in the fare with Regent that we have problems with figuring out what to do with the OBC. As mentioned above, it can certainly be used to upgrade from the included wines. Also, premium shore excursions (which cost extra) would be a wise choice if you see some you like, and if the included excursions are mostly bus rides (this happens in some itineraries, but not all).

I must confess that I don’t understand the matter of tipping in addition to that which is automatically added to the fare and the 20% that is added to the cost of various packages. I have never had auto tips removed from my bill, and can’t imagine how bad things would be to cause me to do so. But on the other hand, I can’t see tipping twice either.

Since I don’t smoke and don’t frequent the casino when on a Regent cruise, I can’t guarantee my answer. But yes, I believe it is smoke free. The only indoor place I know of where one can smoke on Regent is the cigar bar. And I think there is an outdoor place. Don’t know where, but it is not on the suite balconies. I don’t know about other lux lines.

Good, but I don’t consider an understaffed martini bar to be a small issue. When we cruised in the Retreat a couple of times, the martini bar was the only place on the main ship that we regularly went to. The Martini bar is sort of a Celebrity-only place, and it has been one of the main things we liked about Celebrity. When we cruise another line, the only thing we miss there is the martini bar. And I have read many posts here, and many say the martini bar is understaffed and at times unusable. It is a shame to see Celebrity degrading one of its main attractions.

Great! And Regent does have a casino. Never used it because if I want to gamble (very rarely do) I go to Vegas where it is regulated. Regent does also have entertainment and lectures. I’ve enjoyed many lectures. Never went to much of the entertainment, but what I’ve attended was good. And finding a good seat is never a problem, with no long lines to get in. What you will find is a true lux experience, without the crowds, lines, and bottlenecks that are typical on many cruise lines. We do not usually book concierge class either, but our recent past and near future cruise had a two category upgrade. Other than the pre-cruise hotel, most who have been on Regent agree that there are really no benefits in it.

Yes, and if you price a Regent cruise against one in the Retreat, remember that the Regent price includes air (credit if you want to book your own) excursions, mini-fridge use, bottle of spirits, tips, and unlimited laundry service. And for concierge and above, one night pre-cruise hotel is included (credit if you don’t want it). We are the sort that don’t want any extra on-board charges. Celebrity RS used to be close to that — except no excursions. Now I don’t know, except that we can chose Regent for less money. No butler on Regent except for the upper-upper suites, but one isn’t needed. The room steward is tasked with all the services the butler does on X, a staffing is sufficient to allow the job to be done well.

I agree with the insanity of suite price hikes on Celebrity, especially because they happened at the same time as service cuts. All we can do about this is to book on another cruise line. If enough do this, the problems may be fixed — eventually.

Well, at the fare for SS now, one can take a cruise on a different line where the mini fridge contents are included — and the selected bottle of spirits. All replenished at request to the steward, who is not overworked and only responsible for cleaning the room. And ion the other line, you get a credit, and included shore excursions. So a butler isn’t needed. SS suites on X are a rip-off in my opinion. They are worth something, but not the present price.

Well, a butler would not be worth much on some cruise lines, where the stewards have fewer rooms to service, and duties include restocking the included mini fridge and much else. The problem here is that X has cut staff so badly that one needs a butler for any services above room cleaning. So sad!

Hilton has bought up a number of historic hotels, and run them into the ground. And, in the case of Regent’s hotels for Alaska cruises this summer, their chosen Hilton hotel was highly inadequate, and the included breakfast was impossible due to lack of tables. The transport to the port was a disaster in crowded and late busses. Now, we take the transport and hotel credits, and book our own room and take cabs or whatever. Understand that this is not Regent’s fault. It is because of the world-wide collapse of the hospitality industry, and Regent can’t get decent and reliable land service under contract— anywhere. So when we embark in San Juan this March, we do our own research and book our own hotel, take cabs, and such. Doesn’t cost much more, if any. And we also take the economy air credit and book our own business class air. Now, who that cruises Regent REALLY flies economy air these days? And Regent might book us out of Denver on United. That would be unacceptable because United has become totally unreliable out of Denver, and I don’t want to pay $75 just to talk to a Regent air rep to explain this (and I do blame Regent for this charge). Regent does, and always has, provided excellent cruises. But for land transfers, hotels, and air, I think it has run into a brick wall of land and air transport inadequacy. So we arrange our own.