Regent Policies, Rules & Guidelines

[machotspur]

It is 9am on the first sea day of our cruise on Explorer.

 

At this time virtually all of the loungers in the shade are occupied. Unfortunately a high percentage of these are not occupied by people, but by books, hats and sun lotions. The lounger hogs are out in force today. I've counted 35 loungers being 'hogged'.

 

I had a chat with a very senior officer earlier in the cruise who assured me that this issue is policed by the deck crew and offending articles will be removed.

There is no evidence at all of articles being removed - the table for removed articles, near the bar, is empty.

 

Staff appear to be oblivious to this and as importantly I have not noticed any officer presence up on deck at all.

 

This happens all around the world, both on land and sea. Regent are no better or worse than most others.

 

I suspect the ship has been set up incorrectly from the outset. The officer told me that the designer/planners expected a high proportion of guests to use their verandas during the day on account of the increased size & quantity. In reality this doesn't happen with most people wishing to be on deck on a sea day.

 

The ship has 230 lounger spaces, for 750 guests - it doesn't take a genius to see that this isn't enough. A shortfall in loungers inevitably encourages hoggers.

 

This issue will undoubtedly influence our future intentions regarding cruising with Regent, particularly with itineraries like the Caribbean & Med.

[Travelcat2]

Really appreciating your updates. Agree that this issue will likely continue in the Caribbean and in the Med. (on sea days -- most Med. cruises are extremely port intensive). This is something that I'll be watching on our transatlantic cruises in 13 days (but whose counting:-).

 

The number of "lounger spaces" is interesting. While I don't know the number on other ships, there does not seem to be more or less on the Explorer. On sea days there are other things going on and it seems strange that so many people would even want to bake in the sun.

 

Hope that you are enjoying your cruise and will continue to do so.

[RachelG]

I don't understand the allure of baking yourself under the sun, but apparently a lot of people like to do that. I didn't think Explorer had fewer loungers available than the other ships. In fact, I thought the opposite. To me, 230 loungers for 750 passengers seems about right given the other activities going on and the large number who, like me, would never lay in the sun.

 

On Voyager, there is that nice outside area on deck 5 where there are several loungers. Not by the pool, but it is very quiet. Don't remember if there is someplace like that on Explorer. At any rate, on our recent Voyager cruise, it never seemed that all the loungers were occupied.

[rarin2go]

it seems strange that so many people would even want to bake in the sun.

.

I don't understand the allure of baking yourself under the sun, but apparently a lot of people like to do that. I didn't think Explorer had fewer loungers available than the other ships. In fact, I thought the opposite. To me, 230 loungers for 750 passengers seems about right given the other activities going on and the large number who, like me, would never lay in the sun.

 

Agreed - we do not use loungers in the sun - ever. But what worries me is that machotspur in the preceding post was referring to 'loungers in the shade' as being hogged! :mad:

[Travelcat2]

Rachel, you and I agree about the number of loungers on all of the ships. As you may recall, the Explorer has a lot of loungers on the deck above the pool deck that is shaded (depending upon the time of the day).

 

I still believe that this issue mostly occurs in the Caribbean where there are more people new to Regent than any other itinerary (except Alaska which does not have this issue for obvious reasons). I have met a lot of Regent cruisers over the years and have never seen any of them hogging a lounge (that I am aware of). However, lounge hogging is rampant on some of the larger ships (you can imagine that there are not 5,000 loungers available on a mega-ship for instance).

 

Wish that I had the nerve to remove someone's belongings from a lounge that has been vacant for a while (but I don't). On the other hand, I would have no problem discussing this with onboard management. If they say that they will enforce it and I don't see it happening, I would go back and discuss it again.

 

Since the weather is still cool, I will likely not see much lounge hogging on the Explorer (not even in Bermuda where the temperatures are in the 60's). What I will see is people (generally not from the U.S. or Canada) wearing coats and lying in the sun. This always makes me chuckle:D

[machotspur]

Agreed - we do not use loungers in the sun - ever. But what worries me is that machotspur in the preceding post was referring to 'loungers in the shade' as being hogged! :mad:

 

I think you a right to be concerned, at least on the basis of today's experiece.We too spend little time 'baking in the sun' but do like to relax near the pool, mostly in the shade.

 

To update what I said earlier :

 

- By 9am all loungers in the shade were occupied by bodies or books.

 

- by 11am all loungers, in sun or shade were occupied - again by guests or their personal belongings.

 

We had decided to listen to the mornings lecture before going on deck. At 11:15 we, along with several others wandered around seeking a lounger without success.

We retired to our verandah.

 

Irrespective of ones subjective feeling I believe that this demonstrates that on this day at least there is a shortfall in the number of unoccupied loungers to meet guests needs.

 

We have another 5 sea days to go on this cruise.

 

I need a beer :)

[Travelcat2]

A beer sounds so good:beer-mug:!

 

When you post again, please let us know how you are enjoying the cruise (food, service, suite, etc.) And, to keep this on topic, have you noticed people wearing jeans or shorts at night?

 

IMO, if people followed the rules by not hogging the lounges, there wouldn't be a problem (except on Caribbean itineraries). As difficult as this may be to believe, on most itineraries, the pool deck is half empty.

 

May I suggest that when you cannot find a lounge and there are several with belongings that have been there for a while, seek out a crew member. If he/she is not willing to take action, speak with the General Manager (his office is on Deck 5 on the opposite side of the ship from the Cruise Consultant's office). It isn't right that you want to sit by the pool (whether it be in the sun or shade) and other passengers are not present but they are hogging the space.

 

Also, have you completed your mid-cruise comment card? If so, if you did not comment on the lounge hogging situation, please ask Reception for another card so that you can comment. It is only through communication that these things can be corrected (although this should not be necessary, this seems to be a particular problem for the last couple of months).

[UUNetBill]

Irrespective of ones subjective feeling I believe that this demonstrates that on this day at least there is a shortfall in the number of unoccupied loungers to meet guests needs.

Let's not confuse 'unoccupied' with 'falsely reserved by chairhogs who probably have several chairs reserved in different areas to follow the sun because their lack of respect for others leads to antisocial behavior that causes stress in others when they should in fact be enjoying their own vacation but they're not able to because of the aforementioned chairhogs'.

 

I'd venture a guess that if someone were to keep an eye on the actual number of loungers in use vs. the number being held by inconsiderate hogs, we'd find that there are probably adequate loungers on board...

[rarin2go]

I think you a right to be concerned, at least on the basis of today's experiece.We too spend little time 'baking in the sun' but do like to relax near the pool, mostly in the shade.

 

To update what I said earlier :

 

- By 9am all loungers in the shade were occupied by bodies or books.

 

- by 11am all loungers, in sun or shade were occupied - again by guests or their personal belongings.

 

We had decided to listen to the mornings lecture before going on deck. At 11:15 we, along with several others wandered around seeking a lounger without success.

We retired to our verandah.

 

Irrespective of ones subjective feeling I believe that this demonstrates that on this day at least there is a shortfall in the number of unoccupied loungers to meet guests needs.

 

We have another 5 sea days to go on this cruise.

 

I need a beer :)

 

Did you try the deck above the pool deck which is reported to be shaded?

 

I take some solace in the thought that the weather in the seas off the UK and Ireland is unlikely to encourage many to linger too long on the pool deck in the hope of a quick tan! ;)

 

Enjoy your beer!:beer-mug:

[machotspur]

Let's not confuse 'unoccupied' with 'falsely reserved by chairhogs who probably have several chairs reserved in different areas to follow the sun because their lack of respect for others leads to antisocial behavior that causes stress in others when they should in fact be enjoying their own vacation but they're not able to because of the aforementioned chairhogs'.

 

I'd venture a guess that if someone were to keep an eye on the actual number of loungers in use vs. the number being held by inconsiderate hogs, we'd find that there are probably adequate loungers on board...

 

Bill - in my mind I dont feel that I am confused.

 

I should have stated that at 11am when I observed that most loungers were taken I should have made clear that a much smaller number were being 'hogged'. By 11am even the most brazen hog will have parked their inconsiderate bodies on 'their' lounger.

 

To be clear as a guest all I am interested in is if a cruise company can provide a lounger for us when we want one. They can achieve this by either buying more loungers, or dealing with the hogs - their problem. If they don't deal with this then the customer makes their choice on whether to return or not.

 

Based on this one issue we will certainly not return on a hot weather/ high sea day itinerary, which is a shame as we are liking much about the ship so far.

 

Oh - the beer selection is dreadful

[UUNetBill]

Oh - the beer selection is dreadful

Which to me is much more of a reason to choose another cruise line than the lack of loungers. :cool:

 

And I wasn't trying to insinuate that you were confused - I understand that when you have approximately 1 lounger for every 3 passengers, there will be times when the availability is tight. I just think that Regent needs to address the problem of people inconveniencing others due to their own selfish behavior. Obviously there will be some itineraries where a 1:3 lounger ratio will be more than adequate, and quite a few others where that falls short. Personally, I don't sit by the pool that often so it's not an issue for me (usually). But I know that having pool loungers is very, very important for some people. And since it's not feasible for Regent to crap 750 loungers on the decks, seems to me that keeping a closer eye on the handful of hogs would be a damn good start.

 

We sail in just under a month - I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the chairhogs.

[Travelcat2]

machotspur, did you know that you can request you favorite beer to have onboard? You generally have to request it 30-90 days in advance (depending upon where the ship is in the world ..... Caribbean itineraries are always in Miami so a fairly short notice would be needed).

 

 

It would definitely be a shame to lose a good customer over a policy that isn't being enforced. If I were onboard I'd go into the G.M.'s office myself and let him know how unhappy some passengers are about not being able to find an available lounge.

[machotspur]

Did you try the deck above the pool deck which is reported to be shaded?

 

The shades on the top have been rolled up for the 7 days of the cruise so far - including today with a temperature of 85 degrees and strong sun.

 

Having failed to secure a satisfactory answer from 3 different crew members I have just captured an officer, stating that a unnamed CruiseCritic VIP needs some answers ;)

 

It appears that the shades are broken, and break down frequently. The exposed position of them on Deck 12 make them vulnerable to winds. They are going to try and fix them (again) in Miami in 3 days.

 

This looks like being one of those 'seemed like a good idea at the time' designs.

[machotspur]

machotspur, did you know that you can request you favorite beer to have onboard? You generally have to request it 30-90 days in advance (depending upon where the ship is in the world ..... Caribbean itineraries are always in Miami so a fairly short notice would be needed).

 

 

It would definitely be a shame to lose a good customer over a policy that isn't being enforced. If I were onboard I'd go into the G.M.'s office myself and let him know how unhappy some passengers are about not being able to find an available lounge.

 

No - as a newbie I certainly wasn't aware of that. I've always thougt that there was an opportunity for a cruise line to distinguish themselves by stocking a wide range of craft beers on their ships. The explosion of craft breweries in the USA & UK particularly has been immense in recent years. We met with a couple from Washington State who told us that their state now had around 200 craft breweries - similar picture in the U.K. The cruise line that recognises this trend would get my vote.

 

And yes - I have met with the officer you refer to. It remains to see if this has any effect, though I fear they feel they are in a 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' situation.

[Travelcat2]

No - as a newbie I certainly wasn't aware of that. I've always thougt that there was an opportunity for a cruise line to distinguish themselves by stocking a wide range of craft beers on their ships. The explosion of craft breweries in the USA & UK particularly has been immense in recent years. We met with a couple from Washington State who told us that their state now had around 200 craft breweries - similar picture in the U.K. The cruise line that recognises this trend would get my vote.

 

And yes - I have met with the officer you refer to. It remains to see if this has any effect, though I fear they feel they are in a 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' situation.

 

There are 8-10 breweries in our city of 80,000 people (Bellingham, WA). While I don't know about breweries in other areas, the craft breweries here do not make enough beer to supply a cruise ship (not even one as small as Regent). Oregon also has some incredible beer.

 

Crossing my fingers that something is done about the "hog" situation ASAP!

[machotspur]

A beer sounds so good:beer-mug:!

 

When you post again, please let us know how you are enjoying the cruise (food, service, suite, etc.) And, to keep this on topic, have you noticed people wearing jeans or shorts at night.

.

 

I was hoping to do a 'thoughts of a newbie' type of review/comments towards the end of the cruise. Makes sense to leave it a bit as I've already spoken positively about something only to change my mind once I've had a few days more experience.

 

There is much that we find to be magnificent about this ship, some things a little off, and others dreadful, but we are in 'glass half full' mode at the moment so not to spoil our enjoyment.

 

Conscious of the interest in dress code we have kept any eye out for denim and haven't spotted any yet !

What I will say however is that I have seen some dress standards that I find to be far more offensive than a clean pair of jeans. REALLY offensive.

 

I chatted a fair bit with the Restaurant Manager - an excellent young Italian woman named Maria, and I may discuss the dress code thing with her if an opportunity arises in the next couple of weeks.

[Travelcat2]

I was hoping to do a 'thoughts of a newbie' type of review/comments towards the end of the cruise. Makes sense to leave it a bit as I've already spoken positively about something only to change my mind once I've had a few days more experience.

 

 

.

 

Hope that you will also do "thoughts of a newbie" (love the title) on Cruise Critic. Good subject for a new thread. I for one am most interested in the good and the not so good experiences that you are having. I know that you are new to Regent but would be interested in knowing other cruise lines that you have sailed so that we understand your cruising history. At this point, we have done so many Regent cruises that we tend to compare one ship to another rather than different cruise lines (although we have sailed on Silversea three times and do make comparisons with their ships).

 

Hope that the rest of your cruise goes well. Since you are doing B2B (back to back) cruises, it is possible that your experiences on one cruise will differ from the other cruise. At least this has been our experience.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm a bit confused, machotspur. Are you saying that by 11 a.m. all or most of the loungers are occupied with people lying in them? If that's the case, it's a straight shortage, which means either a misjudgement about capacity, or a physical limit to same.

 

As for beer, I'm with you all. I can understand how having draft beer is difficult, especially a wide variety across venues on the ship. But at least they could have some quantities of a variety of local bottled brews, and some nationally-available standards, other than the handful they have. We too live in Florida in a small town that now has four breweries, soon to be six!

[lprp]

We were on 14 February sailing and I was so incensed by lounge hogs I started my own thread, which many of you have commented on.

 

Seems to me that nothing has changed since that sailing when:

1. After getting no assistance whatsoever from the pool staff I moved someone's belongings on 2 loungers in the shade (to 2 loungers in the sun) after approx. 2 hours of them being empty of anything breathing. This nearly caused an international incident - and more importantly upset my husband who (typical Brit) HATES stuff like that!
   
2. I spoke to the GM who acknowledged the problem, almost with a resigned shrug. Suggested the Infinity pool (same problem), or our balcony (smallish - G2, so not a recliner and I like to be able to use the pool quite frequently). Plus, it's just shifting the resolution to guests who are being inconvenienced NOT resolving the core issue
   
3. I commented on mid and end of cruise feedback
   
4. I spoke to an officer on the pool deck - same resigned acknowledgement as GM
   
5. The daybeds on deck above pool were nearly all broken and their shades were tied with orange rope in a Heath Robinson style - is this still the case? There are photos showcasing these on the thread 'Reserved Sunbeds'
   
6. The fixed awnings on the deck above the pool cannot be used when the ship is sailing 😖. As they have to be manually installed by pool staff this seems like style over substance to me.
   
7. Many times there were no "available" loungers in or out of the shade. Who knew that books, bags and hats enjoyed lounging around a pool so much.......🙄
   

I'm still fairly incensed I think 😏

[douginct]

We were on 14 February sailing and I was so incensed by lounge hogs I started my own thread, which many of you have commented on.

 

Seems to me that nothing has changed since that sailing when:

1. After getting no assistance whatsoever from the pool staff I moved someone's belongings on 2 loungers in the shade (to 2 loungers in the sun) after approx. 2 hours of them being empty of anything breathing. This nearly caused an international incident - and more importantly upset my husband who (typical Brit) HATES stuff like that!
   
2. I spoke to the GM who acknowledged the problem, almost with a resigned shrug. Suggested the Infinity pool (same problem), or our balcony (smallish - G2, so not a recliner and I like to be able to use the pool quite frequently). Plus, it's just shifting the resolution to guests who are being inconvenienced NOT resolving the core issue
   
3. I commented on mid and end of cruise feedback
   
4. I spoke to an officer on the pool deck - same resigned acknowledgement as GM
   
5. The daybeds on deck above pool were nearly all broken and their shades were tied with orange rope in a Heath Robinson style - is this still the case? There are photos showcasing these on the thread 'Reserved Sunbeds'
   
6. The fixed awnings on the deck above the pool cannot be used when the ship is sailing 😖. As they have to be manually installed by pool staff this seems like style over substance to me.
   
7. Many times there were no "available" loungers in or out of the shade. Who knew that books, bags and hats enjoyed lounging around a pool so much.......🙄
   

I'm still fairly incensed I think 😏

I hope management reads this stuff. This thread has made me reconsider booking a Regent Caribbean cruise in 2018. May just go back to an island resort as we have done for the past 10 years or so, where I know I can get a shade hut every day right on the beach.

[Travelcat2]

It sounds like there was some damage done to the lounges on the upper deck (which is likely why they were tied up). When you sail in a forward suite (where your deck faces the bow), furniture has to be tied up every night or it gets bounced around and damaged. The awnings were up while we were sailing on the transatlantic cruise. This is one more thing to check out when we are onboard this month.

 

I do have one question about the "fixed awnings". If they are fixed, how do they remove them when at sea? Are they taking down the "slats" part?

 

In terms of chair hogging, I put the blame 100% on the General Manager. Lack of enforcement!

[flossie009]

In terms of chair hogging, I put the blame 100% on the General Manager. Lack of enforcement!

 

IMO the blame remains with the 'chair-hoggers' and their lack of consideration for their fellow travellers

[rarin2go]

IMO the blame remains with the 'chair-hoggers' and their lack of consideration for their fellow travellers

The blame is indeed theirs but the solution surely is in Regent's hands - enforce the policy!

[lprp]

It sounds like there was some damage done to the lounges on the upper deck (which is likely why they were tied up). When you sail in a forward suite (where your deck faces the bow), furniture has to be tied up every night or it gets bounced around and damaged. The awnings were up while we were sailing on the transatlantic cruise. This is one more thing to check out when we are onboard this month.

 

I do have one question about the "fixed awnings". If they are fixed, how do they remove them when at sea? Are they taking down the "slats" part?

 

It was the shade on the daybeds that were tied up. There were a couple of occasions when I watched a pool waiter make a hole in the canvas and then secure the shade in an upright position tying it to the railings or to the base of the bed itself (see photos - apologies I cannot work out how to embed them in the post!)

 

The awnings are laced or clipped to their fixed stands - these are on both sides of the deck above the pool. They were in situ when got on the ship in Miami, but were gone by the time we left Key West. The only part of the awning shade left up was a tiny triangle piece that provided shade for about 10 minutes (I didn't take photos of these, but this is a link to a CC photo http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/photos/ships/seven-seas-explorer-998/pool-298994/pool--v13636734/).

[irishwitchy]

I'm one for pushing the limit to see what happens, if you were to pick up a pool lounger and attempt to bring it to your room so you have one for tomorrow - some one would stop you - right? It makes a point and I bet if you explain why you feel that you must do this, the main problem may be resolved! I would love to hear about someone trying this! :D