Considering Regent - Please unconfuse me

[SandJCruiser]

From everything I have read, Regent includes air fare, including international business class, in their cruise fares.  Then, one has the option of taking a deviation to try to get special arrangements, or an air credit to do one's own.  However, what confuses me is that, at least as far as I can tell, there is absolutely no mention of included air on either Regent's website or in their printed materials (except one paragraph that refers to "air upgrades", but otherwise nothing).  If one Google's the topic, and goes to a page on Regent's site that supposedly deals with it, there is no longer any mention of air fare.  It seems that Regent would trumpet this as one of their "inclusions".  Why is it not apparent in their materials?  Or have they quietly stopped offering it?

 

Thanks for any help any of you can provide.

[travlr21]

I live in Canada and when I access Regent's website it is very in your face that air is included. We have done 2 cruises with Regent. We took the air credit on our first (2017)  and use a deviation for our second (2019).

[Travelcat2]

Regent still has included air (Business Class on international flights and Coach for domestic). I wanted to show you where it is on the Regent website but am having difficulty opening the website - fortunately the last poster was able to show it.

[SandJCruiser]

That explains it - I don't live in the US so I presume the Regent site is reading my IP address and switching me to non - air pages.  I'll try using a VPN and putting my IP in the US, and I'll bet the info will show up.  Thanks to you both for the prompt response.

[SandJCruiser]

That worked, and it appears all the fares went up by $2500 pp.  So, now I know what the "included" air costs.  I wonder if the air credit from them would be the same?

[UUNetBill]

48 minutes ago, SandJCruiser said:

That worked, and it appears all the fares went up by $2500 pp.  So, now I know what the "included" air costs.  I wonder if the air credit from them would be the same?

You can find out by either creating two dummy bookings, one with air, one without - or by just calling Regent if that’s an option for you.

 

 

[Travelcat2]

Oh, didn't notice that the TS was from Costa Rica (such a beautiful country!).  I do not believe that Regent has included air from most countries (except for North America and the U.K. but even the U.K. does not offer what those living in North America are offered) which is likely why it does not show up on your rssc.com website.  

[Roland4]

6 hours ago, SandJCruiser said:

That worked, and it appears all the fares went up by $2500 pp.  So, now I know what the "included" air costs.  I wonder if the air credit from them would be the same?

 

No, and it won't even be close. This "Free Air" BS has been around since Oceania started operations 12 years ago and Regent caught the "bug" when they merged ownership. It was part of Oceania's marketing; "Two For One Pricing and Free Air". Except the 2-for-1 was off the brochure price, which no one in history has ever paid, and if you don't take the "free" air, you get a credit against the price. How can something that is FREE have a credit value?? You will get a credit if you decline the air, but in 14 years as a TA I have never seen a credit that comes anywhere near what it will cost you to book the air separately.

[Travelcat2]

37 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

 

No, and it won't even be close. This "Free Air" BS has been around since Oceania started operations 12 years ago and Regent caught the "bug" when they merged ownership. It was part of Oceania's marketing; "Two For One Pricing and Free Air". Except the 2-for-1 was off the brochure price, which no one in history has ever paid, and if you don't take the "free" air, you get a credit against the price. How can something that is FREE have a credit value?? You will get a credit if you decline the air, but in 14 years as a TA I have never seen a credit that comes anywhere near what it will cost you to book the air separately.

 

You bring up good points and I did not know that "Free Air" started with Oceania.  I learn something new every day.  Do wish that Regent would state "included" air, excursions etc.

 

Unless things have changed, Oceania does not have Business Class air included.  A year or so ago, we wanted to book a cruise on Oceania, but, they wanted so much money to upgrade to Business Class that we forgot about booking the cruise.

 

One more thing....... there was one time when the credit exceeded the cost for us to book the air separately.  Three years ago we were going to Cape Town and the air credit was $6,000/person.  We took the air credit because we found flights for $4,500/person.  It was a great savings.  Since then, the air credits have decreased substantially.

[SusieQft]

30 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

You will get a credit if you decline the air, but in 14 years as a TA I have never seen a credit that comes anywhere near what it will cost you to book the air separately.

 

You are probably right in many cases, but I currently have my first Regent booking on hold (still debating pros and cons), and since I live in Las Vegas (a non-gateway city), so they added an extra $249 pp fee for Air Arrangements.  By declining air I avoid this and get a $300 pp Air Credit instead.  I can fly roundtrip to LA and arrange my own transfers for about half of the $549 pp I will save by declining the air.  Or I can drive, arrange my own hotel, and pay to park my car at the hotel near the port for about a quarter of what I save by declining both air and the pre-cruise hotel night.

[1985rz1]

55 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

 You will get a credit if you decline the air, but in 14 years as a TA I have never seen a credit that comes anywhere near what it will cost you to book the air separately.

I just priced business for my overseas flight to Tokyo on Japan Airlines, and the price was almost identical to the air credit...and I get to choose my flights without a deviation fee.  The cost of an airport transfer on our own (which would be included with Regent Air) is in the noise, and is much less than the deviation fee.

Edited September 24, 2019 by 1985rz1

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Two for one pricing goes way back, before Oceania existed.

[UUNetBill]

35 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Two for one pricing goes way back, before Oceania existed.

Two-for-one...marketing-speak for “here’s the price of the cruise because the brochure price is grossly overstated and we want you to feel good about writing very large checks made out to Regent Seven Seas Cruises so you think you’re getting a $60k Cruise for $30k when you’re actually getting a $30k cruise for $30k”.    😂

 

And yet we all still write those checks every chance we get.   👍

[orvil]

Bottom line.  You have to do the cost analysis every time you book a cruise.  Sometimes it works to your advantage and sometimes it works to their advantage.  

[angie7911922]

I believe nothing is ever for free, its most likely to be included in the total price. But is sure feels good, that when you book Regent and you get "free" business class tickets. Its a good start or any cruise and I love Regent for it! 

[cAPS lOCK oN]

On 9/23/2019 at 5:44 PM, Roland4 said:

 

You will get a credit if you decline the air, but in 14 years as a TA I have never seen a credit that comes anywhere near what it will cost you to book the air separately.

 

As a blanket statement, that just isn't true. Maybe it is on Med cruises, where Regent has great contracts. But we're investigating Australia-NZ cruises and the $7.5k credit far exceeds what we would pay out of pocket for those flights. We'll be flying from the west coast, which is definitely part of it. So it depends.

[SandJCruiser]

I lOVE your user name!