Regent a tough sell

[TPAtravelfan]

"Understand why: Apollo/PCH has announced an Initial Public Offering and is doing everything they can to make the company look better. In the process, they are discouraging quite a few of their long-term, loyal clients, as is evident from this and other threads on this site. I believe (don't know for sure) that attracting new clients is harder and more expensive than keeping existing ones, so this may become a big burden on the newly public company, a factor I don't think was clearly disclosed in the (draft?) SEC document I saw."

 

Wouldn't it be interesting if sometime after the IPO, Regent had a brand new and built-in stream of potential customers?

 

Huh... Imagine that.

Edited March 24, 2014 by TPAtravelfan

[WesW]

Dave, you're welcome. Hope you do book, we already have an active CC Mariner roll call 20 months out.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1993576

 

As TC positively notes above the almost no cost included pre cruise safari or Winelands/Wildlife (we are doing this) options cost only $499 (for a four day pre cruise) or are included at no cost if you book concierge level or above.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Colonel(Ret.)Wes

[regent traveller]

We recently cruised on Silver Sea for the first time and the itinerary was the deciding factor. I am so glad we were on Silver Sea with their pay as you go excursions because I was able to book private guides in most ports for a group of 3 or 4 for less than the group excursions. Money aside, the experiences that we had could not compare with a group of 30. We were able to really get to know the ports and the people and go to places that a ship tour would never dare to venture. People cruise for different reasons and for us a cruise is a no hassle way to see some very unusual sights. I do wish that Regent would have an opt out for Shore Ex.

[Travelcat2]

We recently cruised on Silver Sea for the first time and the itinerary was the deciding factor. I am so glad we were on Silver Sea with their pay as you go excursions because I was able to book private guides in most ports for a group of 3 or 4 for less than the group excursions. Money aside, the experiences that we had could not compare with a group of 30. We were able to really get to know the ports and the people and go to places that a ship tour would never dare to venture. People cruise for different reasons and for us a cruise is a no hassle way to see some very unusual sights. I do wish that Regent would have an opt out for Shore Ex.

 

Thanks for sharing your Silversea experience. We also sail on Silversea occasionally (when they offer itineraries not offered by Regent). What are your thoughts regarding their suites, service and food compared to Regent? Also, what ship did you sail on?

[commodoredave]

Dave, you're welcome. Hope you do book, we already have an active CC Mariner roll call 20 months out.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1993576

 

As TC positively notes above the almost no cost included pre cruise safari or Winelands/Wildlife (we are doing this) options cost only $499 (for a four day pre cruise) or are included at no cost if you book concierge level or above.

 

Well, thanks to you, we are now booked on our first Regent cruise since 2012. The Cape Town Nov 2015 itinerary and price point hit all the right buttons. We even convinced another couple to join us who have never cruised Regent before. So Wes, we look forward to meeting you in Africa next year.

[YoHoHo]

However, if you cherry pick your voyages on Regent, on rare occasion, Regent does offer a good itinerary at good value--we booked Capetown to Capetown in Nov 2015 at about $380 per diem. Regent also includes a good pre excursion coupled with this Capetown voyage (4day safari or 4 day winelands tour) for $499 pp (our Taj Mahal pre cruise on Regent in Dec 2012 was $0 (included in price), now however Regent charges $499 pp for these pre cruises) .

Has this offer past or am I missing something (i.e.air credit perhaps)? This piqued my interest so I checked their website and see a Capetown Nov 2015 return starting from $9000 or $600 per diem.

A land trip promised my DW for this Fall has been moved to next so might not be able to take it in any case but with the pre-trip excursion it is very tempting to reopen discussions.

Edited April 5, 2014 by YoHoHo

[WesW]

Great news Dave! Look fwd to sailing with y'all.

 

Mark, deal still good tho selling fast first two suite categories wait listed. Very good pre excursions 4 day Safari or Winelands trip for $499 or $0 in concierge suite and above. Our per diem is $400, hope u book

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited April 5, 2014 by Colonel(Ret.)Wes

[WesW]

Dave, please join our active roll call for Capetown to Capetown, pls see link below. If your friends register too this will make 32 Cruise critics signed up for the roll call 20 months out.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1993576&page=7

 

p.s., and Mark if u book our total goes up to 34 :)

 

p.s., and Mark know if you book you will most likely use miles for y'alls air, so u can count on $1300 pp air credit too. G suite GTY available without air for $8199 pp, with a pre cruise Safari or Winelands trip @499 pp and you get a per diem of $483pp (for 18 days).

Edited April 5, 2014 by Colonel(Ret.)Wes

[newlondon]

Wes, The only problem with Capetown to Capetown it's not long enough. Wendy and I hope they will repeat the Dubai to Capetown in '16. Great itineraries in any case.

Bill

[WesW]

Bill, add a pre & pts plus air both ways and your @ 4 weeks

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[newlondon]

True, but only 15 days on the ship.

[Friedy1]

Would appreciate opinions about this trip as my wife and I are having second thoughts after seeing a number of reviews elsewhere re this ship as well as the included shored issues. We booked early and received a number of discounts including business class air. Thanks

[Travelcat2]

Would appreciate opinions about this trip as my wife and I are having second thoughts after seeing a number of reviews elsewhere re this ship as well as the included shored issues. We booked early and received a number of discounts including business class air. Thanks

 

Hi! Voyager isn't doing a world cruise in 2015. Could you mean the 83 night Tokyo to Southampton itinerary in March, 2015?

 

Hope you do not have second thoughts about your cruise. A lot of what you are reading are posts from long time Regent customers (like myself) who are missing the old days. When Regent changed to included excursions, many loyal Regent customers were not happy but this does not change the excellent Regent Experience! We will take our 18th Regent cruise in July and have already booked our 19th and 20th. No cruise line is perfect but Regent comes close. It seems that all of them have made changes in the past 10 years or so. The Voyager is a beautiful ship. The only issue with it are aft suites due to a vibration that has been there since the ship was new. If you are in a suite anywhere else on the ship, you will not feel a thing.

 

In terms of excursions, we tend to like the ones with a cost associated with it because there seems to be less passengers signing up. Plus, the cost of the same excursion on another luxury cruise line is double what Regent charges. Some people enjoy the included excursions. They don't work for us as we have been to many of the ports previously and would rather do our own thing while in port.

 

If you have any specific questions, please ask:)

[jhp]

Would appreciate opinions about this trip as my wife and I are having second thoughts after seeing a number of reviews elsewhere re this ship as well as the included shored issues. We booked early and received a number of discounts including business class air. Thanks

 

Friedy, like Travelcat said, Regent no longer has World Cruises.

 

I'd love to hear what your concerns are. I have had many many cruises on Regent since 2000, I think it was. Over 30 cruises, most 7,10,14, 21 days. November 2014 will be my longest ever at 30 nights.

 

Don't know what you mean about reviews "elsewhere", but I have a lot of experience on all the ships. Not sure how many times "elsewhere" has been on the ships. Can you expand on that?

[rarin2go]

Friedy, just to reinforce what has been written above, the RSSC board is a real curate's egg as a source for someone thinking about taking a Regent cruise - a mix of good and bad!

 

It is an excellent source of information and advice regarding the onboard experience but it is also the place where people who have had issues come to share them - and there is often too much bickering as well. I often think that if I had visited the board as it has been recently, we might not have tried Regent - which would have been a real shame!

 

So the board can sometimes seem a rather dark place and may put people off the Regent experience but it really shouldn't - the main thing to remember is that Regent gets substantial and persistent repeat bookings and that the vast majority of their satisfied customers have never heard of CC much less posted reviews or comments here!

Edited April 10, 2014 by rarin2go
Typo!

[howardrd]

Regent made a very bold decision by going "All inclusive plus" and, as a UK based travel agent, this has resulted in a massive increase in sales. Some of this is taking market share from typically Crystal and Silversea but, in the main, is attracting new business from people who had not previously taken a cruise in order to explore a destination area. The added value of selected free tour arrangements (often a major issue in terms of the prices charged by certain cruise lines), the all-inclusive drinks and gratuities plus the start point of suite accommodation makes Regent a viable consideration for those who take a higher level of accommodation on a mainstream cruise line.

Change never suits everyone but Regent has created its own niche that has helped differentiate it from other luxury operators. A bold and highly successful marketing decision which I commend.

It is also provides positives for Regents direct competitors. Once guests have experienced this level of cruising and broken into the 6 star market, and experienced the difference, they are even more likely to book another 6 star product. One could successfully campaign that Regent is not only helping itself but is helping expand the high end of cruise industry as well.

[Travelcat2]

Regent made a very bold decision by going "All inclusive plus" and, as a UK based travel agent, this has resulted in a massive increase in sales. Some of this is taking market share from typically Crystal and Silversea but, in the main, is attracting new business from people who had not previously taken a cruise in order to explore a destination area. The added value of selected free tour arrangements (often a major issue in terms of the prices charged by certain cruise lines), the all-inclusive drinks and gratuities plus the start point of suite accommodation makes Regent a viable consideration for those who take a higher level of accommodation on a mainstream cruise line.

Change never suits everyone but Regent has created its own niche that has helped differentiate it from other luxury operators. A bold and highly successful marketing decision which I commend.

It is also provides positives for Regents direct competitors. Once guests have experienced this level of cruising and broken into the 6 star market, and experienced the difference, they are even more likely to book another 6 star product. One could successfully campaign that Regent is not only helping itself but is helping expand the high end of cruise industry as well.

 

Thank you so much for posting. It is always good to hear another perspective. I am aware that Regent's sales have increased due to included excursions which is why they will be staying around -- at least for now. However, as you mentioned, once guests have experienced this level of cruising, they are more likely to book another 6 star product. This could end up being an issue for Regent. After a few cruises with included excursions, guests could decide to leave Regent for a less expensive luxury cruise line that does not include excursions but offers the same luxury experience.

 

Only time will tell how this plays out. I'm personally not against included excursions but do want the opportunity to opt out which is not currently not offered.

[commodoredave]

As someone who has taken a lot of cruises (61 to date), including 10 on Regent and planning another for 2015, let me add my 2 cents.

 

Regent is an excellent cruise line, or we would not be rebooking. Having said that, I am not a fan of the included shore excursions. To me, it is the antithesis of luxury cruising as most experienced luxury travelers prefer the option to book their own excursions, especially in ports that they have previously visited.

 

In addition, I have found Regent to be the most expensive of the luxury lines on most itineraries, usually because they do include everything. As a result, I have opted for other luxury lines including Seabourn on a number of recent voyages.

 

However, when Regent puts together the right itinerary and prices it competitively, I don't think anyone in the cruise industry can beat it. Our 2015 cruise in South Africa is a good example; your itinerary may be as well.

 

The bottom line is that you need not worry about the level of service, food and accommodation on Regent -- it will be top notch. And occasionally it will also be the best value.

[Friedy1]

Thank you all for your responses. That would be the Tokyo to London 87 day cruise.We have not been to nearly any of those ports, but am a bit concerned too about the large group excursions. My wife is also worried about the heat in SE Asia at that time of the year.

[Travelcat2]

Thank you all for your responses. That would be the Tokyo to London 87 day cruise.We have not been to nearly any of those ports, but am a bit concerned too about the large group excursions. My wife is also worried about the heat in SE Asia at that time of the year.

 

From what I understand, SE Asia is quite warm at that time of the year but the itinerary is wonderful. It is up to you whether you can tolerate the heat or not. In terms of excursions, you have not mentioned whether you have cruised previously. Compared to most large ships, the excursions are not that large. After all, there are only a maximum of 700 passengers on the ship. Regent tends to fill the buses with 25-30 people which is not a full bus load. There could be multiple buses going on the same excursion but will not visit the same places at the same time (generally).

 

It sounds as if it may be helpful to do a bit more research on the ports that will be visited. Check out the temperatures as well as rain averages for March/April and perhaps the Regent excursions offered in these ports. If the excursions are not yet listed for the specific sailing you are looking at, check excursions on similar itineraries for this year. If there are many different excursions offered in a port, there will likely be fewer people on each excursion. :)

[Sunprince]

Thank you so much for posting. It is always good to hear another perspective. I am aware that Regent's sales have increased due to included excursions which is why they will be staying around -- at least for now. However, as you mentioned, once guests have experienced this level of cruising, they are more likely to book another 6 star product. This could end up being an issue for Regent. After a few cruises with included excursions, guests could decide to leave Regent for a less expensive luxury cruise line that does not include excursions but offers the same luxury experience.

 

Only time will tell how this plays out. I'm personally not against included excursions but do want the opportunity to opt out which is not currently not offered.

 

Excellent point TC...that is exactly my situation being new to Regent. I am currently looking at other options at Silversea, Seabourn etc as the value (and flexibility re excursions/air) is better IMO. I also recently completed a Windstar cruise (which I know many on this board will turn their nose up just on the mention of it), but i have to say for the money, it was excellent and the service better and food just as good as Regent, (although the experience overall totally different). It's great to have options and experiment.

[wripro]

I agree, Sunprince. Each luxury cruise line has something different to offer and unless there's a deal breaker like included excursions on Regent for me, I think it's good to try them all depending on itinerary.

[commodoredave]

Excellent point TC...that is exactly my situation being new to Regent. I am currently looking at other options at Silversea, Seabourn etc as the value (and flexibility re excursions/air) is better IMO. I also recently completed a Windstar cruise (which I know many on this board will turn their nose up just on the mention of it), but i have to say for the money, it was excellent and the service better and food just as good as Regent, (although the experience overall totally different). It's great to have options and experiment.

 

I also like Windstar very much and agree it is good value for money. Some don't like that booze is not included, but I just buy the drinks package and the rest is smooth sailing.

[macbest]

The Voyager is a beautiful ship. The only issue with it are aft suites due to a vibration that has been there since the ship was new. If you are in a suite anywhere else on the ship, you will not feel a thing.

 

If you have any specific questions, please ask:)

 

Travelcat2:

Several questions:

1. I have sailed on several Regent cruises and really am a Regent fan. One of the cabins we enjoy a lot on other cruise lines is the aft cabins. Watching the wake is mesmorizing. I have read all I can find that you have written about this issue. We are about to book a Scotland/Ireland cruise sailing August 17, 2015 on Voyager. We really wanted to do an aft cabin. When we raised your specific point with someone from RSSC today and they specifically said, "There are no known vibration problems in aft cabins on Voyager, Navigator yes, but not Voyager."

 

This surprised me and wonder why they would say (lie?) about that when not only you, but several others have spoken about the problems on Voyager aft. I hate to beat a horse to death on this one, but I would love it if you could give me a bit more perspective (especially since you just sailed in one) to describe when this was an issue: at port? at sea? when at sea? degree of shake/vibration while sleeping/eating etc. Again, your persepective is highly valued on these boards by me and so I'd love to request you provide a little more color.

 

If others have a perspective from experience in an aft cabin, please chime in also.

 

2. If you are one level (like silver) and the trip you go on would put you at the next number of nights (like gold), do they still bump you to that level and ammenities at the start of your trip? I thought someone mentioned they stopped doing this.

 

3. I did an extensive and exhaustive side by side comparison of 4 luxury cruise lines on the Scotland/Ireland sailing and the prices are much more comparable than you might think (internet, excursions, air, booze, transfers, first night hotel, etc). We are likely going to book with business class air and then if we can obtain it using miles once the window opens, we will drop the included air from booking.

 

There are so many advantages of Regent compared to the other lines (again, maybe having sailed with them a fair amount, this becomes a comfort factor!). i.e., Crystal makes you choose pre-set dining times or by reservation. If you choose the former, and don't have "status" on Crystal, we have found it extremely difficult to get a table for two, our preferred configuration. And i hate having to decide in advance when I will must eat on some day in the future! Further, Crystal charges you $30 after your first time in a specialty restaurant. How is that "all inclusive." I don't get hassled like that on Regent. Again, its a "comfort" factor that is hard to put a price on. My two cents.

[Travelcat2]

Travelcat2:

Several questions:

1. I have sailed on several Regent cruises and really am a Regent fan. One of the cabins we enjoy a lot on other cruise lines is the aft cabins. Watching the wake is mesmorizing. I have read all I can find that you have written about this issue. We are about to book a Scotland/Ireland cruise sailing August 17, 2015 on Voyager. We really wanted to do an aft cabin. When we raised your specific point with someone from RSSC today and they specifically said, "There are no known vibration problems in aft cabins on Voyager, Navigator yes, but not Voyager."

 

This surprised me and wonder why they would say (lie?) about that when not only you, but several others have spoken about the problems on Voyager aft. I hate to beat a horse to death on this one, but I would love it if you could give me a bit more perspective (especially since you just sailed in one) to describe when this was an issue: at port? at sea? when at sea? degree of shake/vibration while sleeping/eating etc. Again, your persepective is highly valued on these boards by me and so I'd love to request you provide a little more color.

 

If others have a perspective from experience in an aft cabin, please chime in also.

 

2. If you are one level (like silver) and the trip you go on would put you at the next number of nights (like gold), do they still bump you to that level and ammenities at the start of your trip? I thought someone mentioned they stopped doing this.

 

3. I did an extensive and exhaustive side by side comparison of 4 luxury cruise lines on the Scotland/Ireland sailing and the prices are much more comparable than you might think (internet, excursions, air, booze, transfers, first night hotel, etc). We are likely going to book with business class air and then if we can obtain it using miles once the window opens, we will drop the included air from booking.

 

There are so many advantages of Regent compared to the other lines (again, maybe having sailed with them a fair amount, this becomes a comfort factor!). i.e., Crystal makes you choose pre-set dining times or by reservation. If you choose the former, and don't have "status" on Crystal, we have found it extremely difficult to get a table for two, our preferred configuration. And i hate having to decide in advance when I will must eat on some day in the future! Further, Crystal charges you $30 after your first time in a specialty restaurant. How is that "all inclusive." I don't get hassled like that on Regent. Again, its a "comfort" factor that is hard to put a price on. My two cents.

 

Hi -- I'll be more than happy to try and answer your questions.

 

1. Yes - there is an aft vibration on the Voyager. Passengers whose suites are mid-ship or forward may not be aware of it. Don't think they are trying to lie -- just giving their experience.

 

On our last cruise we were in a Seven Seas Aft suite. Since we knew full well that there was a vibration and that it bothered some people and not others, we were prepared. The degree of noise/vibration depended upon the condition of the seas (calm vs. choppy, etc.) We also found the vibration to be stronger in the bathroom than in the bedroom. When the pods are being used (when docking or departing the dock), it was noisy. However, this didn't happen when we were sleeping. For us, the vibration was not a problem at all but that does not mean that it would not bother some people. We really enjoyed watching the sea as we sailed from Singapore to Sydney.

 

2. In terms of graduating to the next level (Bronze to Silver, Silver to Gold, etc.), I have not heard of any changes to the policy (this policy was only put into place 4 or 5 years ago). Perhaps someone else can chime in on this topic. We have been Platinum for about a year so do not have recent experience. It is great that you will achieve this major milestone on your next cruise and definitely hope that the policy has not and will not change.

 

3. It sounds like you have really done you homework in terms of comparing luxury cruise line. Wish everyone would do that. We also sail on Silversea for itineraries that Regent does not do and find it very similar to Regent in terms of service and food. Although we are not fans of the formality, it is a good alternative (occasionally:-).

 

I am a bit surprised that "status" means so much on Crystal. That is disappointing to hear. Although we have heard wonderful reviews about Crystal, we have not considered sailing with them because of the cabin sizes and the necessity to make reservations in order to have open seating for dinner.

 

It's great that you enjoy Regent. I certainly hope that you enjoy every moment of your Voyager cruise in an aft suite:)