Regent First-Timers Just Off the Navigator - our impressions.

[LordSpain]

We are four-star Mariners with a couple of hundred days with Holland America Line. Like many others here we’ve thought that HAL might be slipping a bit from its “Premium” cruise line reputation to that of a mass-market line. We’ve talked about trying other lines but have always decided to stick with HAL. We were looking for a quick getaway cruise for this fall and felt that this would be a great time to try another cruise line. We looked at Azamara, Oceania, Seabourn, Crystal and Regent Seven Seas. Long story short, we settled on an eleven day Caribbean cruise with Regent Seven Seas on the Navigator. Our TA said that we would be spoiled after this luxury all-inclusive experience. We booked our own air so we were given a slight discount.

 

We’ve been back home since the 29th and I would like to share with you our venture into the luxury cruise market and make comparisons to HAL where I can.

 

Transfer to hotel and embarkation.

 

Since we had booked our own air, the trip to the hotel was our responsibility. It was a quick 15 minute cab ride from MIA to the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables. There were about 100 folks staying in the hotel that were sailing with RSSC. The rooms were just fine but nothing special. There was a restaurant inside that served breakfast & lunch and would provide dinner for anyone sitting at the bar. We ended up eating dinner seated at the bar, and while there a few local restaurants nearby we heard a couple of complaints about the lack of a sit-down meal service at dinnertime. We had a pretty good time chatting with others who would be boarding with us the next day. Our RSSC pre-cruise hotel deal included breakfast the next morning. The breakfast buffet was mediocre at the best, with little variety. There was no bacon or pork sausage, which in our experience was a little unusual for a breakfast buffet.

 

As is the case with HAL pre-cruise hotels we were asked to have our luggage labeled and ready in our room by 9:00 AM. Our instructions were to check out of the hotel by noon and assemble in the lobby at 1:00 PM for transfer to the ship. After being bussed to the terminal we were asked to fill out medical forms and wait to get our room keys. This process was extremely fast and efficient. Were on the ship by 2:00 PM and the announcement that the cabins were ready came at 2:30 PM.

 

Summing up, we felt that the hotel and accommodations were similar to a HAL hotel. HAL definitely gets their guests to the ship earlier in the day, but the embarkation process in the terminal was much faster with RSSC – we recognized that this could be that either they are super-efficient or because HAL is dealing with four times as many passengers.

 

The Ship – Seven Seas Navigator.

 

This is a small ship when compared to any in the HAL fleet. It is beautiful and impeccably maintained. We never saw a spot of rust or a shred of threadbare carpeting. The furniture in the cabins and all public areas were perfect. Our cabin was similar to a Verandah on a Vista or a Verandah Suite on an R/S class. It was a little bit larger which allowed for two-way travel at the end of the bed. The veranda was smaller - only able to accommodate a small table & two chairs. The storage space was surprisingly large. We arrived with two large suitcases and four carry-ons and the room swallowed up anything we could throw at it – we even had several drawers left. There was a large walk-in closet with plenty of hanging space and many additional drawers. The bathroom was large and beautiful – all marble and the shower was larger than we’ve experienced with HAL. With the exception of the veranda size, RSSC wins the aforementioned areas. There are a couple of drawbacks though that tend to even the score here when comparing this ship and the HAL ships we’ve been on. The rear of this ship has a significant vibration problem and that’s where Galileo’s and La Veranda are. The vibration is present not just when maneuvering but ALL the time – docked or underway. There were times when we became so annoyed with it we left for other areas. We took a couple of short videos to show you:

 

https://plus.google.com/photos/115703190496459823290/albums/5952206754102638673?authkey=CNePt-O7uMzfeg

 

Due to the size of this ship it pitches and rolls quite a bit. We encountered some moderate seas the first day out and while this kind of thing has never bothered us, several of our new friends reported getting seasick. We do believe also that due to the size and instability of this ship, it is more likely to miss a tendering port of call than a larger ship. We missed our call in Cayo Levantado, Dominican Republic due to rough seas and they didn’t look rough at all to us. To be fair we’ve had shore excursions canceled on HAL too and we certainly would not second guess the Captain’s decision here – that’s just part of cruising. However if one is prone to motion sickness they should consider this vessel very carefully.

 

We felt that an advantage to this size of ship is a social one – with only 490 passengers, if you take a shore excursion or share a table with others during a meal, you will almost certainly run into them again. Remembering names was more important to us on this cruise and by the end we had made very many friends. Eight of us ate our Thanksgiving dinner together in the dining room having a wonderful time.

 

Activities and enrichment programs were similar to HAL. There was Trivia, Bingo, Bridge and other assorted supervised games. Guest speakers were available to provide information about the ports and their histories etc – all on a par with HAL. There was a Casino and a Boutique Shop, both understandably a bit smaller due of the size of the ship.

 

The entertainment in the showroom was done very well for such a small company of players. We enjoyed a few shows.

 

The pool lounge chairs are the most comfortable I’ve ever been in – real cushy things with a terry cover.

 

It’s difficult to compare apples and oranges in this category other than to say we prefer the HAL R/S class size (1200 PAX) over this one. I’m sure others would disagree.

 

Our Culinary Experience

 

There is an all open-seating dining room (Compass Rose), a buffet (La Veranda), A Pool Grill similar to HAL’s Terrace Grill and a Pinnacle Grill equivalent called Prime 7. Each evening La Veranda is transformed into Sette Mari at La Veranda, an Italian restaurant. With the exception of the Pool Grill all of these eateries have tables set with white tablecloths for every meal. We are of the opinion that the quality of HAL food has gone down a wee bit over the years, and we were expecting to be wowed in this area. We realize that food taste is very subjective and will offer our humble opinion - however food service can be very objective here in a nutshell is our opinion:

 

There are two areas where this this ship outshines HAL: The Italian restaurant is so much better than the one on the HAL ships (Canaletto) both in menu variety and taste. The Hotel Director, Food Service Manager and Head Chef were all Italian, and it shows in this venue. The Room Service menu is at least three times as large as HAL and is available 24 hours a day. Room service is very quick and the presentation is fabulous. They put a fake table top on the little table by the couch, cover it with a white tablecloth and set the table, just as if you were eating in one of their dining rooms – it’s just too bad they never got our orders right (more about this later).

 

We had an excellent meal in Prime 7 on day two. Other than that we were disappointed with the taste in most venues – we considered the food bland and under-seasoned. On another day we had a horrible experience with Prime 7 where we had to send our food back twice – by this time our tablemates had already finished their dinner. We don’t consider ourselves to be picky at all – if we order meat medium, we’ll take medium-rare or medium well – not a problem. They couldn’t get it right, so after two hours and three tries we left without eating. Since reservations are required at Prime 7 they knew our stateroom number but there was never any follow up by management.

 

The buffet area for lunch is a bit limited and does not include a sandwich station or Asian station as we were fond of on HAL. For lunch we could not get someone to make us a sandwich to our order. If one was not fond of what was being served in the buffet, the Pool Grill was a poor alternative because they always had the exact same menu with the exception of hot dogs & hamburgers. DW loves a good hot dog (and she claims RSSC dogs are better than HAL’s) but like everywhere else on the ship they either weren’t listening to what people were ordering or they just didn’t care. She orders a hot dog with a piece of bacon, and cheese, that’s all, nothing else. The hot dog arrives with no cheese, no bacon with onion, relish and tomatoes. We lost count how many times this happened. Twice she complained and what she got back was a cold hot dog with a cold piece of cheese and they just scraped all the condiments off. After that she quit complaining and asked to fix it herself.

 

Because the buffet is transformed into an Italian restaurant for dinner, there is no buffet option for dinner – it’s either room service or one of the restaurants.

 

We ordered room service several times and not once did it arrive correctly – it was either completely wrong, not prepared correctly or something was missing. Sometimes it’s the little things that are frustrating; a salt shaker with no salt, two pepper shakers and no salt, no spoon to eat your soup with – things like that. We complained once – by the time the correction was made was our food was cold.

 

This was the overriding theme for our culinary experience for the bulk of the cruise. For the first few days it was frustrating but by the end of the cruise it was downright comical. They. Just. Couldn’t. Get. It. Right.

 

The Staff

 

Around 4:00 – 5:00 PM each day we would go to the same bar for a drink before dinner. We usually saw the same bartenders and servers there each day. If we had been on a HAL ship, by the second day the bartenders and servers would have known our names, known what we liked to drink and they would have been asking us what we did during the day. Not once did anyone ask us where we were from, what our names were or anything else. Same for our room stewards – they smiled and said hello and they did their jobs, but beyond that everyone on the crew was a bit stiff. They were polite but they certainly weren’t personable.

 

Conclusion

 

It has been our experience that we’ve never had a bad cruise, some are just better than others – and this was no exception. We had a nice time. We belly-laughed with a bunch of new friends, swam in the blue Caribbean waters, went on some new shore excursions and ate some decent food. Most of the time we try to make our own fun and we don’t sweat the small stuff.

 

I’m not sure what the issue was with this cruise – maybe we heard too many times, “Once you go to Regent Seven Seas You’ll never go back”. Maybe we set our expectations too high going into this “Luxury Five-Star Experience”. In our humble opinion there was nothing Five-Star about this cruise except for the price.

 

The all-inclusive nature was very nice. It was pretty cool getting our drinks and shore excursions for free, and only owing $4.43 at the end of the cruise – but I think we paid for all that stuff and then some up front.

We spoke to several fellow passengers who were RSSC first-timers and they felt pretty much the same as we did.

 

We also spoke with several seasoned RRSC travelers who said that the RSS Mariner and Voyager had better service. A couple of veteran RSSCer’s even indicated they would never sail on this particular ship again.

 

If the itinerary and opportunity presents itself we would try a voyage on the Voyager or Mariner, but I’m afraid this is the last time we’ll be on the Navigator.

[debijaynes]

Saw this posted on the HAL page and commented there.

 

It amazes me that the bartenders treated you in the manner you described. Our service on the ship is as good as our Club at home--we are greeted by name and our drinks are brought to us without asking on the second day. Some days I DO confuse them and change but they always remember our first order.

 

As to the movement of the ship-pitching and rolling adequately describes the movement on many HAL ships when I have been thrown across my Neptune Suite and landed face first! What a way to wake up! The Navigator thankfully has some movement so that we know we are on a ship but we have never felt uncomfortable.

 

After being on the Voyager this past October we find that we prefer the Navigator for the small size. We are taking a HAL cruise in June--for the ports and the timing. We have booked the Pinnacle Grill for every night because of the dreadful atmosphere in the HAL MDR. And that is why we prefer Regent-- it seems as though the Regent passengers seem to have a bit more consideration for their fellow passenger. Now that's just our opinion but it is also driving our pocketbook. There is no comparison--and when all is said and done the Regent cruises are the same price as booking a Neptune Suite on HAL. The difference is the treatment of the passenger. Regent sincerely is interested is the passengers enjoyment and satisfaction, while HAL gets you from Point A to Point B--no frills, no amenities so lets get there.

 

We have come to the point in our lives where we are more than happy to pay for --and receive-- what makes us happy. The Regent experience makes us happy and going forward that line may be the only one we book for ocean cruising.

[Travelcat2]

Thank you for your balanced, in depth review. It is always interesting to hear from people new to Regent! I must admit that I am a Regent regular who no longer sails on the Navigator. There are many people who love that ship but we find that the stabilizers on the Mariner and Voyager are considerably better in rough seas and the aft vibration (which they have spent millions of dollars to fix) is a bit much for us. We love the size of the ship but find the public areas a little small and there is no forward lounge.

 

In terms of the lunch buffet, it is about normal for luxury cruise ships. There isn't enough room to do "stations" that I agree make the buffet experience better. I do enjoy the pasta station and assume that the Navigator still has that.

 

Not having a bartender remember you is out of the ordinary and disappointing to hear. The last time we were on the Navigator (right after they opened Prime 7) we had a similar situation as you did in Prime 7. In our case it was salmon that was undercooked twice. Unless a fish is "sushi grade", we need our fish to be cooked through. I hope you mentioned this on your comment card.

 

I do hope that you have the opportunity to sail in the Voyager or Mariner..... or perhaps the Explorer when it launches in 2016. That will be one beautiful ship:) Again, thanks for taking the time to post your review.

[Sunprince]

Thanks so much for your post and thoughts on the Navigator. This is particularly interesting and timely to me as I will be departing on my first Regent cruise in a few weeks on the Nav. I have read of a few of the downsides of the Nav before, and TC has been very consistent and helpful in her description/view of that ship vs. the other larger Regent ships. Your video of the vibration was sooooo helpful, i wish more people would do this instead of just trying to explain it. However, it seems like there are some reviews that report little vibration and other the opposite, so not sure whats up with that?? Your experience with the food and service seems unusual so I hope that was an exception to the usual Nav experience.

 

Perhaps just one additional question...did you find the ship crowded? In particular any issues on sea days getting a chair around the pool or other areas of the ship?

 

Ps,I guess I will get a "patch" for the seasickness, another concern of mine. I was going to go "natural remedy" but this might be a mistake?

 

Many thanks

Edited December 5, 2013 by Sunprince

[Travelcat2]

Sunprince: The vibration varies - probably dependent upon the movement of the ocean. The vibration we have felt on the Navigator was not severe. In fact, we have occasionally felt stronger vibration on the Voyager. IMO, it is simply better to recommend mid-ship suites -- just in case the seas are rough and/or the vibration is strong.

 

As a side note....... we will be in an aft suite on the Voyager later this month. This is something we never thought would happen. Due to an offer to move from our oversold cruise, we ended up in a Seven Seas aft suite. It should be interesting:o

 

Hopefully, in addition to the reasons that we no longer sail on the Navigator, I hope I have posted about how beautiful the ship is. The suites are actually larger than on the Mariner (through category "E"). If "Elvis" is bartending (he moves around the ship), recommend that you make that your bar of choice. He is not only entertaining, but he makes a wonderful drink and is so pleasant and welcoming to all passengers.

 

Please post either during or after your cruise. I will be posting from the Voyager - mainly to post menu's and activities onboard that are happening for Christmas and New Year's. This will be a new experience for us.

 

Looking forward to both of our cruises.

[RachelG]

I actually like Navigator, sun prince, so don't get too worried. Yes, there is vibration at the back, but as long as you aren't sleeping there, it shouldn't be that much of an issue. I don't even notice it while dining in prime 7 and La Veranda.

The motion doesn't bother us at all, but keep in mind we have sailed on much smaller ships. The motion is not excessive for this size of ship.

I think the OP's main issue is that they went from a very large ship with all that involves to something very much smaller. They are totally different experiences, and every person has to decide what they like most. I personally have never had an issue with the bartenders on navigator--by the second day, they know my name and what I usually order. So I am not sure what was going on with that. Very weird.

[LordSpain]

Thanks so much for your post and thoughts on the Navigator. This is particularly interesting and timely to me as I will be departing on my first Regent cruise in a few weeks on the Nav. I have read of a few of the downsides of the Nav before, and TC has been very consistent and helpful in her description/view of that ship vs. the other larger Regent ships. Your video of the vibration was sooooo helpful, i wish more people would do this instead of just trying to explain it. However, it seems like there are some reviews that report little vibration and other the opposite, so not sure whats up with that?? Your experience with the food and service seems unusual so I hope that was an exception to the usual Nav experience.

 

Perhaps just one additional question...did you find the ship crowded? In particular any issues on sea days getting a chair around the pool or other areas of the ship?

 

Ps,I guess I will get a "patch" for the seasickness, another concern of mine. I was going to go "natural remedy" but this might be a mistake?

 

Many thanks

 

 

We never found the ship crowded in any venue. We could always find a lounge chair by the pool, a seat for the show or a stool at the bar. Please don't let this concern you.

 

I can see from the other replies in this thread that others have had a different experience than ours. In fact Elvis was our our bartender every evening and he was was no more engaged with us than he was with anyone else at the bar. While polite he was stoic as he performed his duties. (He was at his best during the crew show - we enjoyed that).

 

We've been cruising long enough to know that folks can have a different impression for any cruise. We've read reviews lambasting a cruise on which we had a terrific time.

 

We can only report what happened to us and how we felt about it. Please go and end enjoy your upcoming cruise. Keep a positive outlook and I'm sure sure you'll have a great time!

 

Bruce

[makai 7]

I find this really interesting because our first cruise on REGENT was on Regent Navigator in the Caribbean in 2011, and we were hooked. We LOVE HAL and have cruised on the Noordam 3 times- our favorite HAL ship, The Rotterdam was not as good as the Noordam, in our opinion. We usually booked either a penthouse or the SZ category stateroom.

 

This summer we were on the Mariner - and we experienced all the same issues around the food and service that that the OP commented on. It was nowhere near the quality of our previous experience - and we thought it might have been due to the different ship or the lesser quality of food supplied, but now it sounds to me like Regent has been practicing the same cost-cutting as every other cruise line- and it is showing.

 

Little things- like ordering room service breakfast and not getting butter or jam for the toast...and we were in a penthouse suite where you would expect a bit more attention to detail.

 

We can't cruise for about a year due to work scheduling, but we have been leaning toward another HAL cruise just due to the 'bang for the buck'. We don't drink enough, and don't enjoy the included shore excursions enough to make up for the cost difference. The food quality is what convinced us to repeat with Regent- and it just wasn't there on the Mariner (with the exception of the Italian restaurant, which we considered superb).

 

It's too bad. We really liked their product on our first cruise.

[newlondon]

makai 7, I am stunned that you feel one mistake on jam and toast is a reason to criticize. If you spoke to your Butler about it I would be very surprised if it ever happened again. Mistakes happen, overall service is constant!

[Travelcat2]

From the sound of recent reviews, there is an issue of room service orders not being correct or, in some cases, incomplete. I would not think for a second that this anything to do with cost cutting. It sounds like training is needed in this area. I would have spoken to the Food and Beverage Manager if a room service order was incorrect more than one time. As mentioned above, a butler would also insure that this does reoccur.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Travelcat2

[makai 7]

QUOTE:

"makai 7, I am stunned that you feel one mistake on jam and toast is a reason to criticize. If you spoke to your Butler about it I would be very surprised if it ever happened again. Mistakes happen, overall service is constant! "

 

I posted a summary of our experience on the Mariner this summer on our cruise from Greece to Turkey, with details regarding our overall dissapointment in the quality of the service and the food. There were many areas where the Mariner just "DID NOT" compare the the wonderful experience we had previously on the Navigator. I also gave very specific examples of areas that we thought Regent was less than excellent on this cruise- and my TA was so appalled that she forwarded my comments to Regent (and I did get a satisfactory response).

 

If you are interested in my overall impressions of our Mariner cruise, read my original posting.

 

Our overall opinion was based on more than the one example. I did not find any reason to repeat all the comments I made previously!

[Sunprince]

We never found the ship crowded in any venue. We could always find a lounge chair by the pool, a seat for the show or a stool at the bar. Please don't let this concern you.

 

I can see from the other replies in this thread that others have had a different experience than ours. In fact Elvis was our our bartender every evening and he was was no more engaged with us than he was with anyone else at the bar. While polite he was stoic as he performed his duties. (He was at his best during the crew show - we enjoyed that).

 

We've been cruising long enough to know that folks can have a different impression for any cruise. We've read reviews lambasting a cruise on which we had a terrific time.

 

We can only report what happened to us and how we felt about it. Please go and end enjoy your upcoming cruise. Keep a positive outlook and I'm sure sure you'll have a great time!

 

Bruce

 

Thanks all for your kind words. Our #1 "rule" while on vacation is to enjoy ourselves...our #2 rule is that when something is not up to standard or there is a problem is to keep it all in perspective and having another glass of Champagne suddenly makes the little things less bothersome.

 

I will be sure to post my Navigator experience/thoughts, once I return.

[poss]

Just wondering: Is it the butler or room service that delivers breakfast to the room? I ask because if it's room service, I would hope that people in penthouses do not get some sort of special treatment.

[Patti22]

Hi, Poss

We have been fortunate to have a butler a few times and yes, the butler brought our breakfast. However, we have always found room service to be good also.

[RachelG]

I have had absolutely no issues with room service getting the order wrong on any cruise, whether on regent or silversea, with the exception of the time that I thought I ordered 3 pieces of bacon and got 3 orders of bacon which is like 12 pieces. But more bacon-- how can that be wrong?

[poss]

Hi to you and Hizzoner, Patti,

 

Thanks for answering the question about who delivers breakfast. I'm relieved. 'twould have bothered me to think that room service paid extra attention to folks in more expensive cabins, in the same way that I think that difference in treatment in CR or wherever according to cabin category would be a mistake.

[jongbj]

Thank you for your detailed review. We are 3-star mariners with HAL (7 nights away from 4) and are moving to Regent for exactly the same arguments as you did. We probably will move away from HAL perminently.

Especially your information about the transfer to the ship was helpful as I was unable to find much info on that on the net.

Edited December 6, 2013 by jongbj

[forevertravel]

I'm sorry to hear your experience with the Navigator was not up to your expectations. We cruised Alaska on the Navigator last August and had a wonderful experience. We loved the size of the ship and how easy was to get around it. We didn't experience vibrations issues except one night when the seas were rough. Although we enjoyed the Navigator we prefer Mariner and Voyager better. We didn't find the service at Navigator less than on the other ships. Our cabin stewards or butlers have always introduced themselves and been very attentive. We have never had a bad meal at any of the restaurants. We cruised with HAL last year for the first time. Never again. The crew was nice but food was mediocre including Pineapple Grill where my husband's steak was overcooked. I was surprised that even though there is an extra charge the surf and turf was shrimp and steak. I ordered steak and lobster and was told I had to pay more. I thought that was cheap. The cabins were a lot smaller and the chairs around the pool (if you could find one) were hard. The upper desk had old chairs that didn't work. Regent is not for everyone and nothing is perfect in life. Fortunately, our experiences with Regent have always been great. Try Mariner and/or Voyager and see if your experience is better. If you're fond of HAL, you should continue cruising with them.

[drcandon]

We are also HAL folks, who are now seriously considering moving away from HAL due to them going the cheap route on everything and starting to nickel and dime you to death...

 

I also agree with the comments about rocking and rolling on HAL ships , as I have mentioned and I am sure folks are tired of hearing we were literally rolled out of bed on one small stint into the Atlantic on a Caribbean cruise, and vibration on the Noordam in the rear is ridiculous, it is well known you never book any suites on the 4th deck aft...

 

Regent is trying their best in this crazy money grubbing economy to keep the cruise experience as close to luxury as possible, and I too was relieved to see a bill for only 40 some odd dollars (DW bought something over the cruise credit)..

 

I guess it is all subjective...as a HAL cruiser as well I would suggest to the poster to try the bit larger Regent ships and a mid cabin...

 

OH yea...HAL's food and the main dining room is getting to be a horrible experience...last cruise we waited 40 minutes (no I am not kidding) between the appetizer and the main course..and we only got service after I got ugly with the maitre'd..

[Lvtocruize2]

Wasn't this cruise around the time of the typhoon that hit the Philippines? Many of the crew are from that area and must have been worried sick about family and friends. Surely would explain some of the unusual occurrences, if I have the correct time frame.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[jongbj]

It is interesting to see that more and more HAL repeaters are looking into Regent. We were at a Regent presentation in The Hague and there were about 15 other couples. All at least 3 star Mariners on HAL and all disappointed in the way HAL is moving forward. I guess this is new group of people for Regent to target :)

[Travelcat2]

We saw a lot of HAL customers on Oceania. It is nice to have a choice between an all-inclusive cruise line and one that does not include alcohol or excursions but has great food and accommodations.

 

This might be a question for another thread but I wonder what HAL customers particularly like about Regent. Alternatively, what do you consider better on HAL?

[drcandon]

Travelcat2 to answer your question..

 

HAL...likes or better...if you are in a S or SA/B/C - like the suite size and amenities, especially the Neptune lounge and the dedicated concierge....gym - much bigger gym and somewhat better equipped..shows -even though they are Vegas style, then tend to be a bit more varied...food-DW and I love the Asian and Italian buffet areas, also the sandwich area has become our new best friend...also on the bigger HAL ships the walking deck completely circles the ship...I am not going into the dislikes, those things are subjective..

 

Regent..likes...all inclusive tours, drinks, special coffees, restaurants..food is generally better to much better..staff is friendlier ..there always seems to be a quite place you can find to gather your thoughts..since we always book concierge or higher, the included hotels and transfers and most but not least NO TIPPING...I know that can be a controversial point, but on HAL it seems that I always have my hand in my pocket, especially at the end of the cruise..oh yes, one last one, itineraries, Regent seems to be getting into the places we want to go...

 

So, why don't I sail Regent exclusively...cost..it is that simple...I am a working man and even though you can cost Regent out to be about the same (especially if you book S or SA/B/C cabins on HAL)..it is the initial outlay that hits me hard..

[Travelcat2]

drcandon: Thank you so much for your response which I find so interesting.

 

As someone who has sailed Regent for almost 10 years, we love the all balcony ships (Voyager and Mariner) and the fact that there is not a "class system". While there are certain amenities that are given to passengers who book the higher suites, these amenities are not visible to other passengers. When you walk outside of your suite, all passengers are treated the same.

 

I do have a negative on Regent and that is "included" excursions. Regent customers that have sailed the most nights on Regent should, IMO, have the option to opt out of included excursions. We end up paying for something we do not necessarily want. Other than that, we will sail Regent as long as we possibly can.

[jongbj]

Hi Travelcat2, its good to see everyone has their thing they likes and dislikes. The included excursions were our reason to go for Regent instead of Oceania for our next cruise in March. Plus ofcourse the itenerary and the good deal we got (at least that's what we think) on the cruise.

Although I can imagine that if you have seen most ports, you would not want to go on the included excursions.

 

Drcandon: Regarding the suite amenities. We used to sail SA suites on HAL with access to the Neptune Lounge and concierge. With Regent we booked PH C which has a butler so I will doubt we will miss that. I was a fan of the sandwich station also so, probably going to miss that. For the Gym: only came there on embarkation day to verify it was still there :)

Also, being a working man too, I like having to pay everything upfront. No surprises after the cruise. Much easier for budgetting.