Coffee

[O-Town Travelers]

I'm not looking to get into it with you but you need to be aware of a few things...

 

For as many years as I can remember, the coffee on Regent has been awful...for sure it'a always been on the bottom of their list..

 

Just so you know, we, as well as many others we know, both on this cruise as well as all before have complained about the coffee. There has never to my knowledge been any sort of response..However, on this cruise, they gave us the survey about 5-6 days in the 21 day sailing. I wrote my questions and that was the last of it....with one exception...The CD, Lorraine, our favorite, called to thank me for applauding the particular shows I thought were really good.

 

Not a word from Regent about the coffee complaint or about the oatmeal that tasted metallic and was not really edible. Maybe I should bring my own oatmeal as well.

 

However, when talking to a Manager to make a reservation, he dialed up my cabin and showed me where they noted on the screen that I did not like the coffee or oatmeal, and asked if it got any better.

Point is, they know who you are and treat you according to your status with them on board, but no communication from Regent....during or after...nor have they ever responded in the past. p.s....I did get my reservation. ;)

 

Rather than squabbling the important thing is to try to persuade Regent to improve their coffee beans. It is all very well reporting it on board and in the end of cruise questionnaire which we have done many times but without any effect. Somehow Regent must address the issue. After all very much all of those subscribing to this thread agree that the coffee is poor, and although we may be only a minority of those sailing on Regent we are a high sample and I suspect most of the silent majority would agree with us.

Let us all see what we can do to persuade Regent by writing to them, as I have done but so far without any response.

Rather than wait until after our cruise to complain (when the damage is already done), I have emailed Regent management stating the hundreds of coffee quality complaints (and many complaints regarding the quality of food preparation and service) I have read on CC are giving me reasons to question whether we made the right choice for our Navigator cruise scheduled to depart on March 18th. I reminded them that Regent is classed as a "Luxury Cruise Line" and we expect Regent to live up to their claim. We sailed on the Mariner in 2001 when it was under the ownership of Radisson and we are hoping the same "level of quality and service" has remained. We will see what if any response I receive.

[Travelcat2]

Having sailed under both "Radisson" and Regent before and after being owned by PCH, I can tell you that it is not the same. However, if you have read Cruise Critic during those years you will learn that none of the luxury cruise lines are the same as they were in the "Radisson" years. (Note for readers not familiar with the history, Radisson changed the name to Regent while still under private ownership. Therefore, PCH purchased Regent. PCH is now owned by NCL).

 

When PCH purchased Regent, the ships were in need of maintenance. Over a hundred million dollars were put into the ships shortly after the purchase. The ships were not running full (which many of us liked), expensive gifts were given to world cruisers, etc. It was wonderful - but, the cruise line was not making money. The year after the purchase of Regent by PCH was rough - a lot of regulars were unhappy. Then came some changes -- dress code change, "concierge" program and finally included excursions. Regent lost customers over the concierge program and the included excursion program (to be fair, the excursion program also gained many new passengers).

 

The biggest "ship" changes were to the Navigator. She had serious problems when PCH took over Regent. She was losing power at sea, listing, had an even worse problem with aft vibration that she has now. I do not recall the numbers right now, but more money was spent on the Navigator than on the other ships. The "duck tail" was added to the aft of the ship to help with stabilization and vibration, the electrical issue was fixed, an additional dining venue was added, etc. She is going through yet another major refurbishment either this year or in 2016.

 

Food is subjective. It is different than before. Expensive caviar is no longer served on Regent (or other luxury lines although I believe that Seabourn serves some type of caviar on their ships). Filet mignon is no longer on the menu daily (but is available anytime if requested 24 hours in advance -- as is lobster or almost anything else that you can think of). The fact that a few negative comments about food are posted on the boards does not mean a lot to me. The majority of passengers find food on Regent good to excellent.

 

Coffee is of particular interest to me and I'm in the process of researching it. The coffee on Oceania is better than on Regent. Regent and Oceania both use Illy beans. When we were on Oceania in November, I noted that they use "Espresso" beans. When we are on the Mariner in April, I'll check to see if the beans are also "Espresso". I suspect the difference is the coffee machines and the maintenance of those machines. The machines on Oceania's Riviera are new and a different type than on Regent. Many people have written to Regent on this issue but nothing has changed.

 

IMO, you can still have a great experience on Regent. However, if you are expecting the experience to be the same or better than when it was owned by Radisson, you may be disappointed.

 

P.S. If other long time Regent passengers find any misstatements in what I posted above, please post corrections (or additions). I am the type of person that doesn't focus on how things used to be as it is usually rather depressing.

Edited February 25, 2015 by Travelcat2

[O-Town Travelers]

Thank you Travelcat. I always enjoy reading your posts. I am a "newbie" to CC and no, the term doesn't offend me. My better-half always comments that I research too much but that is what an engineering mind does. We are always trying new venues whether it be an all inclusive resort, a mega cruiser or private yacht. I really miss the luxury cruise experience we were blessed to have on the Mariner when it was Radisson. Judging from the posts, much has changed and most, not for the better. We are traveling with a couple that has never cruised before so it should be fun and relaxing. Emphasis on relaxing. I am a coffee snob so having a good cup of Joe in the morning is something that I really look forward to. I will continue to bombard Regent management for a response on my "coffee questions". We will see.

[Travelcat2]

Thank you Travelcat. I always enjoy reading your posts. I am a "newbie" to CC and no, the term doesn't offend me. My better-half always comments that I research too much but that is what an engineering mind does. We are always trying new venues whether it be an all inclusive resort, a mega cruiser or private yacht. I really miss the luxury cruise experience we were blessed to have on the Mariner when it was Radisson. Judging from the posts, much has changed and most, not for the better. We are traveling with a couple that has never cruised before so it should be fun and relaxing. Emphasis on relaxing. I am a coffee snob so having a good cup of Joe in the morning is something that I really look forward to. I will continue to bombard Regent management for a response on my "coffee questions". We will see.

 

I think you know that I like "newbies" and didn't realize that anyone would think of it as a negative term. IMO, no one can do too much research-- the more you know the better (since I'm married to an engineer, we both seem to spend a lot of time doing research on travel, etc.)

 

How wonderful to be traveling with a couple that have not cruised previously. They will no doubt love the Regent experience (as will you). Yes - things have changed but we still enjoy Regent (even after trying Silversea and Oceania).

 

It just occurred to me that the Navigator has the special coffee machine in what used to be called the Navigator Lounge (may still be called that -- we haven't sailed on the Navigator for a while). It has been turned into something like a "Coffee Connection" -- something that was not on the Radisson ships. The coffee from that machine was wonderful. You may want to give it a try. In the meantime, if we can discover the reason for the poor coffee on the ships, perhaps Regent will listen.

 

Looking forward to more questions :)

[eliana]

Regent use Illy. However there are many varieties of Illy. Regent's mistakes seem to be that they assume one size fits all .it doesn't. They go for Espresso which is unsuitable for most of their machines and can be too strong. They also choose Robusta as it is much cheaper than Arabica nd has a bitter taste, the complaints are so manifest, Regent need to address the coffee issue and get their act together. If thy requie just one bean then why not go for a medium roast Arabic the country of origin matters less.

[Travelcat2]

Regent use Illy. However there are many varieties of Illy. Regent's mistakes seem to be that they assume one size fits all .it doesn't. They go for Espresso which is unsuitable for most of their machines and can be too strong. They also choose Robusta as it is much cheaper than Arabica nd has a bitter taste, the complaints are so manifest, Regent need to address the coffee issue and get their act together. If thy requie just one bean then why not go for a medium roast Arabic the country of origin matters less.

 

At the moment, I'm just trying to figure out if Regent uses the same beans as Oceania. Oceania customers seem to like the coffee and it is Illy Espresso (in all of their machines). If Regent uses the same beans and the coffee tastes poorly , we know that the beans are not the problem. At least it is a starting place. IMO, if Regent could get their coffee to the level that Oceania's is, most passengers would be satisfied. At the moment, I think the difference is the machines -- either the maintenance or the type - not the beans. Soon I'll know for sure.

 

Definitely not trying to bring this subject up yet again - at least not until further research is done. I have asked passengers currently on the Mariner to let us know what the specific Illy beans are used in their machines. If they do not respond, I'll check it out myself when we are on board in April.

Edited February 25, 2015 by Travelcat2

[JPR]

All espresso machines need to be cleaned regularly and flushed with descaling solution every few weeks. But this often isn't done, even by coffee chain stores...

[Travelcat2]

:)

All espresso machines need to be cleaned regularly and flushed with descaling solution every few weeks. But this often isn't done, even by coffee chain stores...

 

What you are saying makes a lot of sense. This is what I suspect is going on with Regent. I am really looking forward to learning what coffee beans they use. Once I know, I will contact Regent and hope that they can rectify the issue

[Catpow]

On the Mariner (we were on in Dec 2014 and Jan to March 2013) they use Illy whole bean medium roast and whole bean medium roast decaf for the Coffee Connection and for the in room coffee makers. Illy espresso is a quality coffee made only with Arabica beans - it is available widely worldwide - even in Costco. Any photos of the Coffee Connection I can find for any of Regent ships (Computerworks excellent photo tour of the Navigator for example) show the distinctive Illy tins so I can only assume it's fleet wide. We are serious coffee drinkers, but what we consider good coffee differs greatly from what others passengers may expect.

 

We have observed the regular coffee machine maintenance and daily cleaning. What seems to be the catalyst is who - and through that - how the coffee is made. We generally had well made coffee in the Coffee Connection after we made it clear to the barista what we wanted. Ditto in La Veranda. But on the last day we had our coffee at about 6.45 am and the usual barista was not on duty. What we were given was so awful, all the CC complaints came flooding back.

 

So the solution is: train your barista and try and get him to make it when it's not too busy so he can pay full attention to your cup.

 

You cannot expect the same level of quality for room service coffee, and frankly I have no idea what type of coffee they use for the restaurant bulk pours. But if you ask them to make you an individual coffee in any of the restaurants they are happy to oblige, but obviously there's a wait involved.

 

We found by ordering hot milk with breakfast and using the in suite pod maker, then adding the milk we could create something quite drinkable too.

[Travelcat2]

Thank you so much for the information. That blows my theory to hell (can I say that?) I cannot imagine why they would use decaf coffee in the Coffee Connection (yuck). When I do drink coffee, it is from there (French Coffee - with alcohol). I was hoping to find something that was easy to fix so that the coffee on Regent would be as palatable as on Oceania.

[Catpow]

They only use decaf if you ask for it - most people have the regular Illy - I think my post was more confusing than I'd hoped:o.

 

But try and think about what it is you like about the Oceania coffee then ask the barista to make it the same way; they love to be complimented on a quality cup. French coffee's dominant flavour is the alcohol, so if it doesn't measure up to Oceania's equivalent product, the actual strength of the coffee might be the issue for you.

[Zqueeze1]

A shot (or so) of Bailey's Irish Cream will do the trick also. My DW always gets a bottle to keep in the suite. We've actually taken it to the pool deck with us in the morning to mix with our coffee. Made quite a few new friends this way.

 

Absolutely brilliant! Plus it doubles as creamer for the coffee. I would say substitute kahlua for the coffee, add vodka and stand back 200 feet from any open sources of fire. We will be on the Navigator on 1 May and I will incorporate your recommendation into my daily repertoire right after imagining my daily work out.

 

Z and TB

[1teach53]

:p

Absolutely brilliant! Plus it doubles as creamer for the coffee. I would say substitute kahlua for the coffee, add vodka and stand back 200 feet from any open sources of fire. We will be on the Navigator on 1 May and I will incorporate your recommendation into my daily repertoire right after imagining my daily work out.

 

Z and TB

 

 

Oh, R!!!!!! What a perfect idea!!! Lovvvvvvvve!

J&K

[findacruise]

Currently on the Mariner and finding coffee experience been very good in coffee connection, where I am a daily visitor. We have Illy Expresso machine which we use every morning. Coffee in La Veranda is indescribable at times.

 

It seemed the first couple of days it was drinkable, not the best, but passable. I could do a cup.I like strong coffee, but it always seems acidic.This morning I couldn't drink it - very bitter and stale tasting IMHO I think it is both the beans and the coffee makers needing to be cleaned. I don't know their cleaning schedule, but you know they make a huge amount of coffee. I would think they need almost daily heavy cleaning - like we always did with ours and white vinegar.

 

I must drink almost primarily decaf and do find the Illy beans good in the cappacianos and other hand made drinks.

[OctoberKat]

May we turn from coffee ... to tea? I'm inordinately fond of good tea steeped loose leaf in a porcelain or crockery pot with whole milk (or lemon).

 

Which brings me to afternoon tea on Navigator. First, arrive early or seats will be scarce. I know convenience has overwhelmed the tea tradition with the tea bag. So be it. Nevertheless I expect better of a line claiming the mantle of luxury; true luxury mandates loose-leaf tea. In a porcelain or Crocker pot, not a metal travesty of same. This may seem a petty issue but, for me, it's emblematic of the flaws in Regents notion of "luxury." What Regent in fact offers is a middle-middle class U.S. Estimation of "luxury." Then there's the (dear goddess) WHIPPED cream offered with scones, yikes. Icing on the cake, as it were.

 

If we must suffer tea bags, Twinings isn't bad but Fortnum & Mason or Mariage Freres would be just the ticket.

 

The scones are quite good.

Edited March 1, 2015 by OctoberKat

[OctoberKat]

It seemed the first couple of days it was drinkable, not the best, but passable. I could do a cup.I like strong coffee, but it always seems acidic.This morning I couldn't drink it - very bitter and stale tasting

 

We had this same experience recently aboard Navigator. Our first couple of quaffings were adequate, then a rapid downhill slide to south of awful. The illy machine in our suite was inoperable. Or, we were Luddite idiots which certainly is possible.

[Travelcat2]

While we disagree about coffee and the fact that, most U.S. passengers consider Regent to be a luxury cruise line, we do agree about tea. The best way to get tea the way my British husband prefers it is to ask for 3 teabags and very hot water. Regent servers are happy to oblige. Since passengers on any cruise line have different tastes, it is very important to let your server know what your desires are. For instance, in order to get coffee that my DH prefers, he simply orders "double Americano".

[OctoberKat]

Regret to say the tea issue not only is confined to the number of tea bags, nor to the heat of the hot water but goes awry, very much so, when the "pot" is stainless steel or composite metal. Simply not how it's done. Not to mention whipped cream for the scones, seriously, we totally cracked up.

 

As for luxury, honestly, I thought Navigator was tacky, far from luxurious. Can a comfortable cruise be had on Navigator? But of course, it's an adequate middle of the middle-class experience.

[Travelcat2]

Regret to say the tea issue not only is confined to the number of tea bags, nor to the heat of the hot water but goes awry, very much so, when the "pot" is stainless steel or composite metal. Simply not how it's done. Not to mention whipped cream for the scones, seriously, we totally cracked up.

 

As for luxury, honestly, I thought Navigator was tacky, far from luxurious. Can a comfortable cruise be had on Navigator? But of course, it's an adequate middle of the middle-class experience.

 

Obviously you are entitled to your opinion. I respond in order to post the other side of the story. While we no longer sail on the Navigator as the public spaces are too small for us, we have never thought of it as a middle-class experience. Being new to cruising, you are learning that luxury is not the same as staying in luxury hotels in the states. and the food can not be compared. It should be interesting to hear your views on Silversea which is considered equal to Regent in many ways. Only two of their ships (two out of the five non-expedition ships) are nicer than Regent in my opinion and the opinion of many Silversea passengers. The food is better in some venues and worse in others. You will probably enjoy their tea as it is loose tea. BTW, most Americans do not know the difference between clotted cream and whipped cream. Even my very proper British husband accepts the whipped cream provided on ships without criticism as he understands what they are dealing with in terms of keeping things fresh on a cruise ship.

 

Back to food for a moment, Regent used to have Le Cordon Bleu classes where passengers learned from Le Cordon Bleu chefs (not from Regent - but from France, Canada, etc.). We learned first hand how different and difficult it is to cook on conduction stovetops (if you would like to learn more, here is a link http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_conduction_cooking). While chefs onboard ships are able to put out amazing food, they would have difficulty going head to head with a chef on land. You will not find Michelin star restaurants on cruise lines.

 

I am going into detail so you have an understanding of why there are differences on cruise ships than what you experience on land in the hopes that you might wait until you have tried one more luxury cruise before bashing Regent so that you have a basis for comparison. While your mediocre review on the thread your started is understandable and is what you experienced, you have yet to experience other cruise lines. IMO, it is important for the reader to know that your opinions are based on one experience. Perhaps you could add a signature using the "User CP" function above where your past and future cruises can be listed. This gives the reader an idea of your base of reference.

 

Hope this helps :)

[OctoberKat]

For Pete's sake, there's no reason on earth that scones served at sea must be accompanied by whipped cream. Doesn't take Cordon Bleu to know scones come with clotted or Devonshire cream. It's a cost issue I expect.

 

Of course cooking at sea will differ from what can be done on land. But you aren't addressing tea issues I raised: crockery or porcelain tea pots, loose tea. These have naught to do with land or sea but with cost and the quality of the experience with voyagers.

 

You've gone off on off on a tangent that addresses neither coffee nor tea.

Edited March 1, 2015 by OctoberKat

[Travelcat2]

For Pete's sake, there's no reason on earth that scones served at sea must be accompanied by whipped cream. Doesn't take Cordon Bleu to know scones come with clotted or Devonshire cream. It's a cost issue I expect.

 

Of course cooking at sea will differ from what can be done on land. But you aren't addressing tea issues I raised: crockery or porcelain tea pots, loose tea. These have naught to do with land or sea but with cost and the quality of the experience with voyagers.

 

You've gone off on off on a tangent that addresses neither coffee nor tea.

 

I said that I agreed with you about tea (look back a couple of posts). In terms of clotted cream, it takes a long time to make and has a 4-6 day shelf life ...... not something that works on a cruise ship. Truly think you need to consider what works on cruise ships and what doesn't. I am not an expert but have asked lots of questions. If you would like, I'll speak with the Food and Beverage Director, Donald, about clotted cream when we board the Mariner in a month. Not sure what they serve on Silversea, however, if it is not to your liking, you should speak to someone. As I have been told many times, it is so important to let management on board know when something is not to your liking. Once you are off the ship there is nothing they can do about it.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Travelcat2

[OctoberKat]

My dear, clotted cream can be and is jarred, for heaven's sake. Buy it at any gourmet market, off the shelf, not even refrigerated.

 

I expect most reading this thread know I am an almost-abject newbie. More important, I'd like not to wear out patience of our colleagues by squabbling. Will continue to post here but shan't be so quick to respond.

Edited March 1, 2015 by OctoberKat

[TrulyBlonde]

In our many travels, I was fortunate enough to experience real Cornish cream and warm scones in Cornwall. Yum. My all time favorite treat was when in Sicily and we stopped by a bakery for a fresh cannoli, still warm with the best ricotta cream filling. Needless to say, we skipped lunch that day after each of us devoured our own. Ahhh, the highlights of travel and why we love it.

[Travelcat2]

In our many travels, I was fortunate enough to experience real Cornish cream and warm scones in Cornwall. Yum. My all time favorite treat was when in Sicily and we stopped by a bakery for a fresh cannoli, still warm with the best ricotta cream filling. Needless to say, we skipped lunch that day after each of us devoured our own. Ahhh, the highlights of travel and why we love it.

 

Agree that real Cornish cream and warm scones in Cornwall is something that is hard to beat - we had it there several years ago. If they had it on board it would have to be the "real" stuff - not something from a jar. The next time we're in Sicily, we need to try fresh cannoli - sounds wonderful:-)

[TrulyBlonde]

Agree that real Cornish cream and warm scones in Cornwall is something that is hard to beat - we had it there several years ago. If they had it on board it would have to be the "real" stuff - not something from a jar. The next time we're in Sicily, we need to try fresh cannoli - sounds wonderful:-)

 

The "luxury" of travel for us in not the food on any ship ( we appreciate good food), but the opportunity to experience the wonderful food in different countries.

Luxury is getting off the ship in Monaco and having a Michelin rated lunch at Château de La Chèvre d'Or in Eze or the many other wonderful places we have experienced while cruising. This is how we define Luxury.