Regent a tough sell

[commodoredave]

I agree that it can still be a good value when one takes advantage of the many extras included by Regent, including shorex and air. And don't get the wrong impression -- I love Regent, always consider it, and get extra perks as a Gold member when I sail.

 

But do any comparison you like and Regent usually comes out more expensive than its luxury peers based on lead in price. And for those of us who do not want the extras -- mainly shorex -- it sadly has become a tougher sell.

[cAPS lOCK oN]

Well I did do the comparison in the post above, and Regent came out ahead, so I disagree with your conclusion.

 

Frankly, I think the included shore excursions are trivial. I did some research on this, and what you get for "free" from Regent would cost $75 or less on a more typical line. And of course it costs Regent even less than that to include it. It's just a marketing ploy more than anything.

 

But there is real value to me in the included air. We added roundtrip business-class air from Phoenix for $1,398 per person, and that tipped the scales in Regent's favor. Maybe if I could do better than that on my own things would be different. But for many of us (most of us?), we can't come close to that kind of price for those flights. Certainly Seabourn's air program is far more expensive.

 

It's still an expensive proposition, but I'm unconvinced that Regent is any pricier than their competition.

[Travelcat2]

Frankly, I think the included shore excursions are trivial. I did some research on this, and what you get for "free" from Regent would cost $75 or less on a more typical line. And of course it costs Regent even less than that to include it. It's just a marketing ploy more than anything.

 

.

 

So, your research showed that if you took an excursion at every port on a typical 10 day itinerary on a mainstream line, the cost to the cruise line is "$75 or less"? While I agree with everything else in your post, I cannot agree about the cost to the cruise line for included excursions. Perhaps you are referring to one excursion that Regent shows a price of $129 for the value and offers at no cost? This would make more sense.

[WesW]

Agree with Dave's basic premise (if you do not take advantage of the air, not counting included shorex) Regent's prices generally are the highest in lux field. Caps, remember you have to had to air discount (Dave and others like him (e.g., me) (believe $1700 pp) we get for not using Regent air on this STockholm to London cruise. Then add this $1700 on top of the $699 to figure your true BC cost (believe about $3000 pp). Still RC BC air is about $1100pp better than the you find if you pay BC in the market (e.g United BC from PHX is $4159pp)--thus for many Regent cruisers (where BC air is paramount) Regent wins out in the lux cruise vs lux cruise comparison.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Colonel(Ret.)Wes

[newlondon]

Wes, I know you are on top of everything but your shorthand on your latest post confuses me. I do think the cost of Regent is high, but the dynamic pricing of all the lines makes it very with a capital V difficult to compare apples to apples.

With your aggressive use of miles and points you do far better than most, as you take a credit for many included benefits.

Even here, however, the trip matters. We were going to do the Dubai/London cruise--35 days; for various reasons we decided to change and do Barcelona/Copenhagen--26 days. The air credit on the first was $3000, on the one we are doing $4900. Doesn't make sense to me but there it is.

Bill

[cAPS lOCK oN]

So, your research showed that if you took an excursion at every port on a typical 10 day itinerary on a mainstream line, the cost to the cruise line is "$75 or less"? While I agree with everything else in your post, I cannot agree about the cost to the cruise line for included excursions. Perhaps you are referring to one excursion that Regent shows a price of $129 for the value and offers at no cost? This would make more sense.

 

What I was trying to say was that is that a shore excursion that is free on Regent would cost $75 or less if you paid for it. For example, at one point we were looking at Alaska cruises, comparing Regent to Princess. The free Regent excursions were mostly city tours that cost $75 and less on Princess.

 

But surely Princess makes a profit on their excursions. Maybe they pay the tour operator $40 per person and charge the passenger $75. So how much does Regent inflate the cost of my cruise to include the excursions? We're in port 7 days, and 7*40 is $280, not a huge number even if I skip them all.

 

That's why I said it's just a marketing ploy. The amount of money involved isn't that significant.

[Travelcat2]

Thanks for explanation. Most Regent excursions are not city tours -- although there is usually one tour in each port -- generally excursions that are wheelchair accessible. Many Regent tours (not European ones) include lunch and are full day tours to areas fairly far from the port. To be honest, I am not a fan of Regent's included tours and much prefer Regent Choice excursions that have a cost associated with them. The cost is much less than on other luxury cruise ships. For instance, an float plane excursion that includes all you can eat crab is approximately $279/person on Regent. The identical tour on Silversea is close to $600/person.

[mariners]

I think Regent has lowered the price on that excursion to $169.00. The exact same excursion on Princess is $239.00.

 

I check the costs of excursions when I am looking at different cruises. In almost all instances, a group of six with a private guide works out less per person than what it costs for the excursion through the cruise line.

 

I think that Regent has found enough customers who want the product the way that it is now that they have no need to change their marketing or the inclusive product. If, in the future, that does not hold true, people will stop sailing Regent and Regent will make whatever changes necessary to bring passengers back onboard.

 

One day, because Regent has decided to make changes that I like, I hope to be one of those passengers who sail on Regent again.:)

[Suite Travels]

$279 is reasonable. $600.on SS PP is crazy money. Why not use your TA for tours as they will shop for you and save you a few bucks and tailor the tours to your liking.

[Responder]

On a more comprehensive note I spent at least one lifetime in my businesses crunching numbers and dealing with customers and employees.

 

At this stage in our lives, both my wife and I have realized that the quality of life may be more important than the quest for more and more $$.

 

It may be true that Regent is on top of the pack in terms of charging, but you know what?? For some of us there may be more important things in life than crunching $$ to see who wins.

 

There is a certain personality and feeling and comfort we get when we are on any of the three Regent ships and we have been on them since 2004 with more to come. Regent seems to attract people we are comfortable tuning into. So what if it takes a few minutes extra to get served or if we send something back on occasion. We live like this all time and pay for the privilege at home, so why expect the experience to be different on a ship or an excursion.

 

My advice to me is so long as we can afford it and achieve comfort with Regent, we will continue. Once we put the chip on our shoulders, that means we are through. :D

[Travelcat2]

Responder -- very well put!

[wripro]

Anyone remember when Regent (well, Radisson) cost about 80% of Seabourn or Silversea yet still gave you a very similar experience?

[Emdee]

We are still taking an occasional Regent cruise when the itinerary is perfect for us but costs are unjustifiable (for me that is). We have enjoyed a Crystal cruise last year and have another booked for next year. I have a Regent future cruise option which I am going to likely cancel as I cannot find any of their itineraries that excite me at the price they are currently charging.

 

I still love Regent, the staff, the suites and the feeling of being 'home' that it gives me but for total value I prefer Crystal or Azamara. Shall try Silversea and Seabourn one of these days as well.

 

Our position as 'loyal' customers does not matter as Regent has a sufficient number of people moving over from mass market lines for the included everything to more than make up for our loss.

[newlondon]

interesting Emdee that you consider Crystal better value. Keith1010 and I talk about this frequently and although it is difficult to do true comparisons you generally get what you pay for.

Crystal's suites/cabins are small; we like large. Crystal's food gets generally better reviews, we are very satisfied by Regent. Crystal absolutely has better enrichment; not worth the extra to us.

Put it all together and each has to decide what their definition of value is; as the French say "Chac'un a son gout"

[Mudhen]

interesting Emdee that you consider Crystal better value. Keith1010 and I talk about this frequently and although it is difficult to do true comparisons you generally get what you pay for.

Crystal's suites/cabins are small; we like large. Crystal's food gets generally better reviews, we are very satisfied by Regent. Crystal absolutely has better enrichment; not worth the extra to us.

Put it all together and each has to decide what their definition of value is; as the French say "Chac'un a son gout"

 

Good one, newlondon,

We enjoy both lines very much and I tend to agree with your comparisons. Although Regent gets bashed constantly for the dreaded inclusive shore excursions, the reason we booked them for a Baltic itinerary was.....the shore excursions. To find the nice group of six to make up a private excursion isn't always so easy.....been there, done that with totally mixed results...The idea of it is terrific, but make sure you know who you're making that excursion with.......

For some trips Crystal is our line of choice, on others it's Regent. Air add ons for Crystal border on obscene, as do there shore excursion prices. Food to us is head and shoulders above Regent, but often the bottom line is that Regent is the better value. We do not have "miles" for air or lots of "points" for pre and post hotels.

We love each line, but for different things. Depends on itinerary and or ease of getting to embarkation for us. So be it.......different strokes for different folks.........

[Travelcat2]

Keep in mind that some of us who hate the included excursions just want the opportunity to opt out. That seems to be the reason why some people have decided to go to other luxury lines. For instance, on our upcoming cruise (that Mudhen will be on:-) we would opt to take the excursions even though we have been to St. Petersburg previously. Most of the ports are new to us. However, when we take a 2 week cruise to the Caribbean -- just to get away and don't want any excursions, we had to book Oceania in order to avoid paying for excursions in the cruise fare.

[Mudhen]

Keep in mind that some of us who hate the included excursions just want the opportunity to opt out. That seems to be the reason why some people have decided to go to other luxury lines. For instance, on our upcoming cruise (that Mudhen will be on:-) we would opt to take the excursions even though we have been to St. Petersburg previously. Most of the ports are new to us. However, when we take a 2 week cruise to the Caribbean -- just to get away and don't want any excursions, we had to book Oceania in order to avoid paying for excursions in the cruise fare.

 

We do exactly the same thing but with Crystal rather than Oceania. Isn't it great to have so many choices! We only use Regent when there's a lot we wish to see/do that we haven't done before.

[Travelcat2]

We do exactly the same thing but with Crystal rather than Oceania. Isn't it great to have so many choices! We only use Regent when there's a lot we wish to see/do that we haven't done before.

 

If we are able to meet on our upcoming cruise, I'd love to hear about your experiences on Crystal. We also sail on Silversea when the itinerary is right, but feel most at home on Regent.

[Mudhen]

Looking forward to meeting you as well, on our upcoming cruise!

Linda

[commodoredave]

Keep in mind that some of us who hate the included excursions just want the opportunity to opt out. That seems to be the reason why some people have decided to go to other luxury lines. For instance, on our upcoming cruise (that Mudhen will be on:-) we would opt to take the excursions even though we have been to St. Petersburg previously. Most of the ports are new to us. However, when we take a 2 week cruise to the Caribbean -- just to get away and don't want any excursions, we had to book Oceania in order to avoid paying for excursions in the cruise fare.

 

Exactly our situation. However, we are hoping to find an itinerary with Regent that makes sense for us in future.

[wishIweretravelling]

Regent (or Radisson as it once was known) was my go-to cruise line for many years. I just looked back at my history. From 1997-2003, I had 3 cruises on the Song of Flower. Before that, I didn't cruise. On the Song swan song (her last sailing) in 2003, many of the RSSC folks were onboard to court Song loyalists to try other RSSC ships and, at least with me, succeeded. I was on an RSSC cruise of some length or another every year since then (other than 2006, when I sampled Silversea) until 2012. After 2012? Nothing. Last year I was on the PG, and my upcoming bookings are on SS and Crystal.

 

Have I turned against Regent? No. I just haven't seen anything that appeals to me that provides good value for the price in a while. Yes, my last cruise in 2012 was less than stellar. The shore excursions were uninspired and the food quality had fallen off considerably. That could have been just a one-time problem or just that itinerary, except that I've been finding that the excursions do tend to be rather drab since they've gone all-inclusive on that. Yet, somehow I feel like I ought to do them and not strike out on my own because they are included. So I wind up disappointed with the experience.

 

I'm not finished with Regent. If I see an itinerary that excites me, at a time I can do it (and I have to say that my job limits when I can vacation, so the lack of good choices for my timing period is part of the issue), I will likely sign on. But I've been underwhelmed by the included excursions, and as that continues to press the price upward, it could continue to be a problem.

 

I do remember when we were all debating whether RSSC should go all-inclusive as regards alcohol. I was a proponent of that, not so much so we could all drink ourselves into oblivion, but because I felt it helped with the social situation. And, indeed, there was a real change in the life in the lounges once they did it--we all felt unrestrained to mix and mingle, and I've met many now-dear friends on those cruises. But I do wonder if the shore excursions are just an inclusion too far. Note that the other luxury lines followed suit on the alcohol inclusion--even Crystal finally went there--but we don't see the others lining up to include excursions.

 

I expect RSSC's strategy has been successful in attracting premium line customers to cross over into luxury. So I wish them well with that. But at least one of their ships (Navigator) has charms that are quirky, and so won't appeal well to most of those crossover customers. So as long as they sail the Navigator, they probably will need many of us with an affinity for quirky. But a lot of us who previously had been loyalists have been branching out, and aren't really loyalists anymore. Regent is just one of several choices, and seems to be coming in behind others on the list. Perhaps that was inevitable with the passage of time.

 

Some more inspired itineraries, some more competitive pricing, and some reinvigorated attention to the dining room could bring us back to some extent. But to a great extent, the loyalist ship has sailed. So to speak.

[commodoredave]

Regent (or Radisson as it once was known) was my go-to cruise line for many years. I just looked back at my history. From 1997-2003, I had 3 cruises on the Song of Flower. Before that, I didn't cruise. On the Song swan song (her last sailing) in 2003, many of the RSSC folks were onboard to court Song loyalists to try other RSSC ships and, at least with me, succeeded. I was on an RSSC cruise of some length or another every year since then (other than 2006, when I sampled Silversea) until 2012. After 2012? Nothing. Last year I was on the PG, and my upcoming bookings are on SS and Crystal.

 

Have I turned against Regent? No. I just haven't seen anything that appeals to me that provides good value for the price in a while. Yes, my last cruise in 2012 was less than stellar. The shore excursions were uninspired and the food quality had fallen off considerably. That could have been just a one-time problem or just that itinerary, except that I've been finding that the excursions do tend to be rather drab since they've gone all-inclusive on that. Yet, somehow I feel like I ought to do them and not strike out on my own because they are included. So I wind up disappointed with the experience.

 

I'm not finished with Regent. If I see an itinerary that excites me, at a time I can do it (and I have to say that my job limits when I can vacation, so the lack of good choices for my timing period is part of the issue), I will likely sign on. But I've been underwhelmed by the included excursions, and as that continues to press the price upward, it could continue to be a problem.

 

I do remember when we were all debating whether RSSC should go all-inclusive as regards alcohol. I was a proponent of that, not so much so we could all drink ourselves into oblivion, but because I felt it helped with the social situation. And, indeed, there was a real change in the life in the lounges once they did it--we all felt unrestrained to mix and mingle, and I've met many now-dear friends on those cruises. But I do wonder if the shore excursions are just an inclusion too far. Note that the other luxury lines followed suit on the alcohol inclusion--even Crystal finally went there--but we don't see the others lining up to include excursions.

 

I expect RSSC's strategy has been successful in attracting premium line customers to cross over into luxury. So I wish them well with that. But at least one of their ships (Navigator) has charms that are quirky, and so won't appeal well to most of those crossover customers. So as long as they sail the Navigator, they probably will need many of us with an affinity for quirky. But a lot of us who previously had been loyalists have been branching out, and aren't really loyalists anymore. Regent is just one of several choices, and seems to be coming in behind others on the list. Perhaps that was inevitable with the passage of time.

 

Some more inspired itineraries, some more competitive pricing, and some reinvigorated attention to the dining room could bring us back to some extent. But to a great extent, the loyalist ship has sailed. So to speak.

 

Well said - I agree completely.

 

Your reference to the Song of Flower brought back some great memories. She was the second RSSC ship we sailed on back in 2001 and the experience sold us on the line. We later discovered the Navigator and she became our favourite RSSC/Regent ship -- I guess we like quirky!

 

Another great memory was our second sailing on the Paul Gauguin in 2008 to the Marquesas -- it was a President's cruise with Mark Conroy. He and his wife were wonderful company and we loved the itinerary. We were sad to see the Gauguin lease expire. And very sad to see Mark leave as Pres/ceo.

 

By 2012 we had taken 10 RSCC/Regent cruises, met two Presidents, made lots of good friends, and met so many lovely crew members. So it was not easy for us to leave Regent in favour of other luxury lines, and we certainly miss many parts of it.

 

Like you, we always look at the Regent offers and hope to find one that makes sense for us versus the other luxury line options. Haven't found one yet, but we keep looking.

[WesW]

Hi Crystal, agree with Dave..very well said. Still fondly recall sailing on the Navigator with y'all seven+ years ago. Ida and I did find and book our first Regent cruise in three years, a very nice Regent itinerary (Mariner--Capetown to Capetown in Nov 2015) @ good price point.

Edited March 23, 2014 by Colonel(Ret.)Wes

[commodoredave]

Hi Crystal, agree with Dave..very well said. Still fondly recall sailing on the Navigator with y'all seven+ years ago. Ida and I did find and book our first Regent cruise in three years, a very nice Regent itinerary (Mariner--Capetown to Capetown in Nov 2015) @ good price point.

 

Wes, that's a great itinerary and price point. I am going to take a serious look at booking it as well. Thanks for the heads up.

[Travelcat2]

We are booked on that cruise as well. The pre-cruise options are amazing!