Dining Reservations upper Suites

[Travelcat2]

I agree with your post 100%. We book because we like the suite, that comes first. Say that any perk that is given is great and just adds to the trip-but that isn't the reason we book Regent (it does help-but it's not the reason).

 

 

TC2 you shouldn't worry about what others get or don't get-you should be happy with what you get. If you don't like eating the specialty restaurant(s) great, don't! If you don't want to use the Butler, don't. But don't tell me or anyone what we should like or should get as a perk----Regent makes the decision on what to offer in pricing, perks, etc--then cruisers decide what they want and make that decision for them self. And yes I think laundry should be a perk, if and when they offer it I'll take it. When someone pays for my cruise then they can tell me what to do, until that happens I'll be just fine picking the cruise company I want to go on. Right now it's Regent for my next 3 cruises. Rick

 

Rick, Regent does listen to their loyal customers which is why I stick in my 2 cents on these subjects. I'm not telling you what perks to get or to use, I'm reminding Regent of how hard those of us have worked to receive the benefits that we receive and I'm fairly certain that they "get it".

[Silver Sweethearts]

...I'm reminding Regent of how hard those of us have worked to receive the benefits that we receive...

 

With all due respect TC2, you seem to be lamenting the fact you have had to spend 375 days (or even more so now with Alaska) cruising on a Regent ship. That is work??

[Travelcat2]

With all due respect TC2, you seem to be lamenting the fact you have had to spend 375 days (or even more so now with Alaska) cruising on a Regent ship. That is work??

 

Great point! Really a bad choice of words on my part. I just thought was a bit tacky to say that we've spent tens of thousands of dollars to receive these benefits (as have others -- whether they have stayed in the highest or lowest category suite). We have enjoyed almost every moment of our 375 nights.

[Hambagahle]

Well - we've been around on this one before (when the priority boarding was mooted by Regent some years ago) and I have to say I see nothing wrong with the policy. Just as I see nothing wrong with passengers in Business or First class on a plane having a fast track to clear security and a lounge to sit in to wait for departure. In life you pay more - you normally get more. I haven't taken the time to count exactly how many Master and Grand Suites there are on Explorer - I know there is only 1 Regent Suite. if you figure that each suite involves maybe 2-4 people how many is that that are taking possible table reservations away from the rest of the passengers? Maybe 20? And they cannot eat in ALL the restaurants every night either so would be split among 3 speciality restaurants. Not worth making any fuss over I think.

 

PS - I also think Oceania's system of boarding makes sense... but let's not start that one again!

Gerry

[Travelcat2]

Agree Gerry. It took almost a year of postings to get Regent to reverse its decision on priority boarding. As you know, one major reason we do not like Oceania is the class system.

 

Some us just want to remind Regent when they are sticking their toes back into the "class" waters.

[Pies4u]

Well - we've been around on this one before (when the priority boarding was mooted by Regent some years ago) and I have to say I see nothing wrong with the policy. Just as I see nothing wrong with passengers in Business or First class on a plane having a fast track to clear security and a lounge to sit in to wait for departure. In life you pay more - you normally get more. I haven't taken the time to count exactly how many Master and Grand Suites there are on Explorer - I know there is only 1 Regent Suite. if you figure that each suite involves maybe 2-4 people how many is that that are taking possible table reservations away from the rest of the passengers? Maybe 20? And they cannot eat in ALL the restaurants every night either so would be split among 3 speciality restaurants. Not worth making any fuss over I think.

 

PS - I also think Oceania's system of boarding makes sense... but let's not start that one again!

Gerry

 

 

Agreed - 100%, spot on. If you've paid for an exclusive suite then you are entitled to exclusive benefits in my opinion. Why "loyal" customers should see themselves as more important than any potentially "loyal" ones is a complete mystery really. As others have said, if you are satisfied with what you've got why worry what anybody else is getting?

 

Pity the extra dining perk didn't stretch to 7 Seas suites - we were in one on Explorer and would have loved another evening dining in P7 and Pac Rim, although we did manage a second night in Pac Rim anyway to be fair. You can keep Chartreuse for me, it was dark, we were stuck at the back against a pitch black window, the food was lukewarm and the service was mediocre when we tried it.

 

Also note that the suite we were in is now classified as an Explorer Suite and is out of our price range, which is bad news. We loved that SS1.

 

Will be in a SS aft on Voyager next April, that will be an interesting comparison against the same suite on Mariner that we experienced in April 2016 - loved that, separate bedroom and huge lounge/sitting area.

[Travelcat2]

On longer cruisers (even some 10 night cruises) getting a second or even third reservation in specialty restaurants was easy. With the new "class" program, it will be less easy.

 

While not a criticism, people from outside the U.S. and Canada seem to have fewer issues with "class" differentiation on ships than people raised in the U.S. and Canada. Again, biting my tongue so that this does not turn into another "class oriented" thread.

 

Regent's new policy is what it is. I have voiced my opinion against it and others have voiced their opinions for it. Hoping that this won't be beat into the ground.

[ILoveMyDogs]

On longer cruisers (even some 10 night cruises) getting a second or even third reservation in specialty restaurants was easy. With the new "class" program, it will be less easy.

 

Now that explains why we were not able to get a second specialty reservation on our last cruise earlier this year. We have always been able to get an extra reservation on all previous cruises 10 nights and over . However, we we not that bothered over it as CR is so much better than it used to be. But am hoping on our upcoming TA we can get a second res in the Asian restaurant.

[towel-animal]

Hi towel-animal and yes, you are correct! We were in Suite 901, originally an Explorer Suite that was re-classified to a Grand Suite prior to sailing. We had a wonderful experience in the suite, although we have opted on our next trip for a Grand Suite on Deck 12. Suite 901 is beautiful, but the deck didn't get much sunshine because of it's location under the bridge. We were not bothered by noise from above at all and I'm a light sleeper. We loved the layout of the living room - spent a lot of time at the nice sized dining table. The bedroom has a slant ceiling and is not very large, but extremely comfortable and well appointed. The master bathroom was outstanding, and it was a great benefit to have a second full bathroom as well. Service in the suite from the attendants to the butler was wonderful. Feel free to ask any specific questions.

 

Thank you for the detailed reply! We will be in 901, so should be identical. I noticed on the web description a range in living space for grand suites between 854 and 1,013 sq ft. A Regent rep assured me 901 was a 1,013 sq ft suite, but your description of the slanted bedroom makes me think it may not be... regardless I'm sure it will be incredible. That is great to hear that you had no noise concerns. We are still hoping by some chance that one of the aft suites on deck 7 with the massive balconies become available, but if not, 901 looks like an incredible place to call home for 10 nights.

[Travelcat2]

On longer cruisers (even some 10 night cruises) getting a second or even third reservation in specialty restaurants was easy. With the new "class" program, it will be less easy.

 

Now that explains why we were not able to get a second specialty reservation on our last cruise earlier this year. We have always been able to get an extra reservation on all previous cruises 10 nights and over . However, we we not that bothered over it as CR is so much better than it used to be. But am hoping on our upcoming TA we can get a second res in the Asian restaurant.

 

Glad that you "get it". When people on the boards start complaining about not being to get reservations in specialty restaurants, I hope they remember this thread. And, although we have a Grand Suite booked on the Explorer in the future, we will keep others in mind and keep our specialty dining to a minimum. Actually, that won't be too difficult since, as you said, CR's menu is so much better than it used to be. However, I don't know how people on 7 day cruises will fare with this new, high prejudicial policy.

 

As an aside, our butler now (on the Mariner in a PH suite) is heads above the butler we had in the Grand and Master Suites on Explorer. On our last Explorer cruise, we requested a "newbie" butler "Binay" as we have no doubt that he would have given excellent service. Unfortunately, being in the top suites on Regent does not mean that you will have the best butler (exception is the Regent Suite on Explorer where Ronnie is 100% dedicated to the guests in that suite. He is amazing but I have to wonder who replaces him when he is on vacation).

[Silver Sweethearts]

On our last Explorer cruise, we requested a "newbie" butler "Binay" as we have no doubt that he would have given excellent service.

 

Do you mean you can request a particular butler if you have one you prefer?

[Travelcat2]

 

Do you mean you can request a particular butler if you have one you prefer?

 

Not really sure. We really like our butler, Ryan, he already takes care of some suites on deck 9 and we will request that he be our butler on the next cruise where our suite is on the same deck. Not sure if this is going to work or not since our first request was denied because he was on vacation and this will be our second request. I will be blogging from the Mariner in November so stay tuned!

[Hambagahle]

We were going to take a Panama Canal cruise on Explorer in 2019 and would have been in 901. That worried me because TC2 said the balcony was almost un-useable when at sea. Looking at the deck plans I spotted 784 - also a Grand Suite but in the stern and with a huge balcony. So in order to get that nailed down I moved the cruise to 2020. (talk about planning ahead!!) And now we are booked in 784. Only 2 1/2 years to go... I am a patient person!

[farthinghill]

Once upon a time Regent was going to do staggered early boarding....... the outpouring of negativity (a lot from me) was overwhelming and the "new" policy did not take effect (thankfully). When we sailed on Oceania, there were lines for different categories of "staterooms" or "suites". I hated it (I know - hate is a strong word but describes how I feel about early boarding).

 

Unfortunately, based on some weird new "guarantee" for the upper suites, there may be more than one table held back for those suites. I do like the idea of allowing passengers in these suites to order in from a specialty restaurant (this is also done on Oceania). I was just thinking about how this will affect Navigator passengers since they only have one specialty restaurant (and it isn't that big).

 

Having just returned from an Explorer cruise in a Master Suite I have recent and first-hand info on this. Embarkation at Reykjavik was a mess and having boarded a coach at the pre-cruise hotel at 11:30 (10 minutes at most from the dock) we did not get into our suite until after 2 pm. Our recent cruises have been with Oceania so we assumed that we would have priority boarding so we let our butler know about our frustration. He must have passed in on because we had a call from two senior staff (I forget their job titles) who apologised profusely and assured us that Regent would be introducing priority boarding in the near future. It was our turn to apologise for making a fuss about a perk which was not on offer.

 

We did not make any restaurant reservations before embarkation because we simply did not get around to it. I find it hard to think about where or what I want to eat even a day ahead! On board our butler assured us we could eat where, with whom and when we liked. He even reserved tables for us in Compass Rose. I had not realised we would be treading on so many toes. I do not think we inconvenienced anyone because there always seemed to be tables to spare in the speciality restaurants and we never saw a queue for Compass Rose.

 

As I broke two toes in my foot just before we left, the biggest perk we had from our “status” related to Destination Services. Because of my injury we had to rethink our excursion plans. The staff on the desk were singularly unhelpful - our only complaint about our cruise experience. Our butler went over their heads and we got everything we asked for. Again I hope we did not inconvenience our fellow passengers and I would hope this sort of consideration would be extended to anyone who is unexpectedly disabled between booking and embarking.

[UUNetBill]

As I broke two toes in my foot just before we left, the biggest perk we had from our “status” related to Destination Services. Because of my injury we had to rethink our excursion plans. The staff on the desk were singularly unhelpful - our only complaint about our cruise experience. Our butler went over their heads and we got everything we asked for. Again I hope we did not inconvenience our fellow passengers and I would hope this sort of consideration would be extended to anyone who is unexpectedly disabled between booking and embarking.

Sorry to hear about your injury - things like that can really affect a cruise. I'm surprised to hear about your problems with Destination Services, though - as someone who has had more than a few problems with DS in the past, I felt that they were drastically improved on this most recent cruise. Maybe it helped that some of them recognized me from my last cruise in April, I don't know - but they were always smiling, helpful, and very professional.

 

Guess it just goes to show that people's experiences can vary greatly even on the same cruise.

[UUNetBill]

 

Not really sure. We really like our butler, Ryan, he already takes care of some suites on deck 9 and we will request that he be our butler on the next cruise where our suite is on the same deck. Not sure if this is going to work or not since our first request was denied because he was on vacation and this will be our second request. I will be blogging from the Mariner in November so stay tuned!

Jackie, if you're talking about the same Ryan we had before (some of the staff referred to him as 'little pudgy Ryan') then you have a good one. We've only had a handful of butlers but Ryan stands out as our favorite one. I don't know if he'd remember us by name but the last time we ran into him we hadn't seen him in close to two years and the minute he saw us his face lit up and he ran over to greet us. Even though he wasn't our butler that cruise, he still set us up with an amazing Indian feast in CR - he's one of the good ones.

[farthinghill]

Sorry to hear about your injury - things like that can really affect a cruise. I'm surprised to hear about your problems with Destination Services, though - as someone who has had more than a few problems with DS in the past, I felt that they were drastically improved on this most recent cruise. Maybe it helped that some of them recognized me from my last cruise in April, I don't know - but they were always smiling, helpful, and very professional.

 

Guess it just goes to show that people's experiences can vary greatly even on the same cruise.

 

It does not excuse their attitude but the DS were at a disadvantage in not having first-hand knowledge of the excursions. They had no more information than we had, an update supplied by Regent on embarkation. This was far too cautious in terms of fitness levels so I'm glad we took a slightly more gung-ho attitude. For example, I'm delighted we did not miss the Godafoss Falls in Iceland which certainly was accessible by wheelchair or any of the small boat trips we undertook.

[Travelcat2]

Farthinghill, sorry to hear of your injury.

 

Unfortunately, whomever saved a table for you did so against company policy. It was clearly stated within the last two weeks from Regent Corporate (on CC) that saving of tables is against company policy and is not permitted.

 

Additionally, priority embarkation was implemented on Regent a few years ago and the uproar from passengers was so bad that it was cancelled after a month (thankfully). Hopefully Regent will never become what Oceania is - a class-oriented cruise line.

 

Gerry, we just booked that cruise for 2020. Too soon yet to know if we'll make it.

 

Bill, yes - same Ryan. He is delightful and I doubt if it will be a problem to have him in November as our next suite is right down the hall.

[UUNetBill]

It does not excuse their attitude but the DS were at a disadvantage in not having first-hand knowledge of the excursions. They had no more information than we had, an update supplied by Regent on embarkation. This was far too cautious in terms of fitness levels so I'm glad we took a slightly more gung-ho attitude. For example, I'm delighted we did not miss the Godafoss Falls in Iceland which certainly was accessible by wheelchair or any of the small boat trips we undertook.

Although I've seen it the other way as well - just because a wheelchair can make it somewhere doesn't mean a wheelchair should make it somewhere. We've been held back on tours in the past (usually 2 and/or 3 walker) because the entire group was always waiting for someone with a walker or a chair. I'm all for taking a more leisurely pace to allow people to enjoy the excursions - as long as it doesn't cause the rest of the group to miss portions due to excessive waiting...that's where an individual's accurate assessment of their capabilities comes into play.

 

For example, last April we took my mother to Rome - she couldn't keep up with the hills and stairs, especially when we got to the Coliseum. We simply asked the guide where the next stop was and took a taxi and waited for them there. But...not everyone is willing to do that.

[towel-animal]

We were going to take a Panama Canal cruise on Explorer in 2019 and would have been in 901. That worried me because TC2 said the balcony was almost un-useable when at sea. !

 

I think she was referring to the Grand Suites whose balconies are truly forward facing like on Deck 12. I think/hope 901 will be fine since although a forward-located suite, the balcony is still on the side of the ship. So I would imagine less wind.

[DaisyUK]

Just wondering whether anyone can give a first-hand update on the question of upper suites (Master) getting guaranteed dining reservations at a time and restaurant of choice once onboard. Thanks!

[bebop bonnie]

Just returned from Voyager in Master Suite. We had pre booked one night in P7 and one night in Chartreuse. After our third night on board, we asked our Butler if he could obtain another reservation for us in Chartreuse. We said 'any night, any time (preferring 7 to 8:00)". We received a reservation for two nights later at 7:30.:D

[DaisyUK]

Thanks for your reply. I was thinking more in terms of deciding each day where and when we want to eat and making the reservation that morning, or perhaps making 2-3 reservations at a time for the ensuing few days. That's what we're used to doing, and what I assume 'guaranteed' dining reservations means. I have asked the question of Regent but with it being the weekend I don't expect to get a response from them until Monday.

[bebop bonnie]

If I remember, our Butler said we'd need to wait til 11am each day before he could confirm our request. This was to give other guests, who have not had an opportunity to dine in one of the speciality restaurants, make reservations (which apparently they could do prior to 11). That makes sense. But, I believe, that we could have dining reservations each night....just maybe at our preferred time. I hope that explains my experience....and I hope I've recalled this correctly!!

[DaisyUK]

Thank you!