Concierge Vs Silver Status

We are booked on our second Regent cruise and are in Concierge class. The total days of both cruises will take us to 20 days so my first question is:

Am I right in thinking that our on our third Regent Cruise our first day will take us to 21 days so we will be 'Silver' for all of the cruise - does this status and it's 'allowances' extend to early excursion booking etc. as per concierge class?

My second question is, a clarification of the above: If one is Silver, and there are benefits such as early booking (not sure about this) what is the benefit of Concierge for Silver and above?

Many Thanks

For us the free internet is a big bonus as silver. You also get some free phone time, but we have not used that yet.

We were Silver during our Black Sea cruise last summer, and found the free Internet and one hour of free satellite phone time both to be really valuable perks. We were able to videoconference on the iPad with our kids vacationing at the same time in France, and call home to pick up messages.

At the time, there was no concierge class concept on Regent, so the early booking of excursions and restaurant reservations didn't come into play. But I see that now Silver includes the same early booking privileges for excursions and restaurants as Concierge Class accommodations. So in your case, on that third cruise when you will be Silver, I can't see any advantage to a Concierge Class suite apart from whatever location preferences you might have.

Am I right in thinking that our on our third Regent Cruise our first day will take us to 21 days so we will be 'Silver' for all of the cruise - does this status and it's 'allowances' extend to early excursion booking etc. as per concierge class?

 

My second question is, a clarification of the above: If one is Silver, and there are benefits such as early booking (not sure about this) what is the benefit of Concierge for Silver and above?

 

Many Thanks

1.) If you have 20 days when you book your third cruise, you will become Silver once you board the ship. So, no early bookings etc..

2.) Practically none....

Am I right in thinking that our on our third Regent Cruise our first day will take us to 21 days so we will be 'Silver' for all of the cruise - does this status and it's 'allowances' extend to early excursion booking etc. as per concierge class?

According to the Regent website, "if you have sailed with us before and are already a Seven Seas Society member, your new tier benefits take effect on the first day of the cruise during which you transistion from one tier to the next." So you don't get the early-booking from Silver level until you become silver.

My second question is, a clarification of the above: If one is Silver, and there are benefits such as early booking (not sure about this) what is the benefit of Concierge for Silver and above?

These are the listed benefits of the concierge program:

• Upgraded pre-cruise luxury hotel package [sSS Silver does NOT get this]

• Priority online reservations on FREE, unlimited shore excursions [same as Silver]

• Priority online reservations in the specialty restaurants Prime 7 and Signatures [same as Silver]

• 15 minutes of FREE phone calls and 60 minutes of FREE Internet access per suite [silver gets 1 hour of free phone and unlimited free Internet]

• 25% off premium wine and liquor purchases [sSS Silver does NOT get this]

• 10% off pre- or post-cruise hotel or land packages [sSS Silver does NOT get this]

• 10% off Regent Choice shore excursions [sSS Silver does NOT get this]

• Eligible for suite upgrades at time of sailing, when available with preference by booking date [Not clear whether this is special for Concierge program]

• In-suite binoculars, coffee brewer and cashmere blanket [sSS Silver does NOT get this]

• Regent Seven Seas Cruises special gift [sSS Silver does NOT get this]

That all being said, I was struck by how invisible the Concierge program appears to be on the Regent site. I clicked every link I could think of and found no reference to it. When I Googled it, I found the list above in a press release on the Regent site -- but I don't see it mentioned anywhere on the consumer part of the site. Is it possible they've quietly dropped the program for future bookings?

-- Eric

Eric, while it is very difficult to find the Concierge Program on the Regent website, it is quite obvious in their latest brochure. While not a fan of this program, it is far enough in the background that it's almost a non-issue to us.

in the past few days my husband and I have booked a penthouse c on the may 30 sailing fom Rome to Barcelona.

I have just been on line to look at excursions and saw that a number of them were listed as "concierge class and above". not sure if this means they are only available to book at this time for that group, or if it means that only that group may participate in the excursions.

thoughts anyone?

Eric, if you set up a "dummy" booking for any of the cruises and check off Cat E or above you will automatically be shown a suite with Concierge Benefits highlighted. It has not been dropped.

in the past few days my husband and I have booked a penthouse c on the may 30 sailing fom Rome to Barcelona.

I have just been on line to look at excursions and saw that a number of them were listed as "concierge class and above". not sure if this means they are only available to book at this time for that group, or if it means that only that group may participate in the excursions.

thoughts anyone?

I believe that you are seeing "concierge class and above" because you are in a concierge class suite. The pricing you see is 10% less than for non-concierge suites.

Okay, so the concierge program is still going strong. I'm just surprised that it's so nearly-invisible on the Regent website. Because of the partial overlap with Seven Seas Society silver-level-and-above benefits, this program has its greatest impact on new customers -- so I'd think this would be front and center on the Regent site. Yet there's nary a mention in the descriptions of "The Regent Experience", "All-Inclusive Value", "Special Offers", "Ship Information", not even on the Deck Plans unless you dig several clicks down. FDR, if you're reading, you're missing a marketing opportunity! ;)

-- Eric