New to Regent? Some info and tips

[wishIweretravelling]

[wishIweretravelling]

[wishIweretravelling]

[wishIweretravelling]

[wishIweretravelling]

Explanation for the above 4 screens:

I have some friends who will be sailing Regent for the first time later this year. I had started jotting some notes for them in a word document. And it kept growing until it became a monster.  The it occurred to me that others may find it useful, so I thought I'd share it here. Unfortunately, the formatting in Word does not transfer well to CC, and so I've had a couple of failed attempts to do this.

Unfortunately, the above is hard to read--I'm not sure why--but I'll leave it up here. 

 

Please feel free to add, argue, question, or comment.  

[daetchief]

It's well written and not at all too difficult to read. 

 

 Hint:  In the future, the way around the removing the formatting of a Word [or other document] is to copy all the original text into either NotePad [Windows] or Text Editor [Mac] - save the file - open it again and then cut and paste the text to CC.  

 

Tank you for your time and effort.

 

Bob

Edited March 11, 2022 by daetchief

[lucinjo]

Thank you!   We are on our first Regent cruise in November and your tips will make everything easy!

[BeatlesFanForever]

This was really informative and helpful.  Thank you for posting. 

[NCCruzQueen]

Thanks, @wishIweretravelling This would make a good “sticky.”

 

@Host Danwould this be possible?

 

 

[phelios2]

Thank you.  I am on my first Regent cruise in a couple of weeks.  Your info helped to close some of the questions I still was trying to figure out.  I am very appreciative of the help from those on CC like yourself.

 

V/r

Phelios

[boblerm]

wishiweretraveling, thanks for posting this, it is very informative and certainly helpful for Regent newbies.

A few comments  - 

Incuded unlimited laundry and pressing is a new amazing perk! 

 

You can special order items in Compass Rose if, for example, you had a specialty restaurant reservation the day something great is on the menu and have to miss it. 

 

On our current Splendor cruise, Chartreuss was open for lunch on embarkation day. 

 

The internet speed on our current cruise is actually much better than anything that I've had before, maybe ok+? Also, uploading photos is very doable, even with so-so connections, provided that they are downsized, people do it all the time on trip reports. 

 

Thanks again for this very comprehensive post! 

Bob

 

[boblerm]

Delete 

Edited March 11, 2022 by boblerm
Posted twice for some reason

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Thank you so much for a complete and needed post. It's been a few years but I am headed back to Regent.

[Clodia]

Really helpful thanks. I go with Silversea at the moment but am actively considering Regent.

[sailing oldie]

A very useful guide for new Regent cruisers, I wish it had been on here before we went in February!! I can add a minor point to this resource too. When we were getting our suite cards at Miami port, we were asked for ESTA certificates, ie the visa we need to enter USA. These are electronically linked to our UK passports and are not in hard copy. Luckily, we had taken the confirmation email with us, which was accepted. Might be useful for non US residents.

[Kristal Blade]

Thanks for all these tips.

Very much appreciated by a newbie - me!

[wishIweretravelling]

I'm glad people are finding it useful. I just realized that half the dining tips didn't make it, so they are below. And, just by way of background, all of this is written from the perspective of a U.S. passenger (though I don't think any of it will differ for any other nationality), and assumes cabin levels Concierge or below. Having a butler may change some of these items a bit, and there may be tips about the benefits of the higher level cabins that I simply don't know since I usually sail in the lower-level cabins (and, by the way, find them quite satisfactory even for lengthy cruises).

 

DINING PART 2

 

**Room service often does not bring the little things you’d think would be automatic, like butter for your toast or cream for your coffee. So do remember to explicitly include these items in your order.

 

-Available lunch venues vary by ship and by whether it is a port or sea day. On all ships, La Veranda is always open for lunch, as is the Pool Grill. **They are near each other, so you can get your food in one and sit in the other if you’d like. On sea days on Splendor and Explorer (and presumably Grandeur), Prime 7 and Chartreuse usually are both open for lunch. On port days, one or the other is usually open. On Voyager, Mariner and Navigator, Compass Rose is usually open for lunch on both port and sea days. You can also do room service or pick up something light in Coffee Connection. 

 

-Between meal venue open times, you can get snacks from room service or Coffee Connection. The ice cream bar is usually open (and the ice cream is made on the ship!), and there’s usually cookies to be found in various locations. Then there’s tea time in mid/late afternoon. And, during the pre-dinner hour, waiters circulate in the bars, offering salty snacks and hors d’hoeuvres.

 

-Dinner venues that don’t require reservations are Compass Rose and Sette Mari (the Italian restaurant that is La Veranda during the day). Compass Rose’s menu has one page that contains an extensive list of a la carte items that are available every day, including items that most diners would consider a treat (e.g., escargot, foie gras, lobster tail, Dover sole, etc.) and a page of daily specials. 

 

-Seating in Compass Rose and Sette Mari is open. You just go in whenever you want during open times, and indicate whether you want to be seated with others or alone (or with a group you’ve already formed). Sitting with unknown people can be fun, and gives you a chance to get to know more people.** Regent seems to have this down, so that you don’t have to wait a long time for a table to form and everyone is being served at the same pace. There’s usually no wait, or at worst a very short wait, for a table in Compass Rose. Sette Mari can be a little harder to snag a table quickly.

 

-All other alternative restaurants require a reservation. They are Prime 7 on all ships, Chartreuse on all ships except Navigator, and Pacific Rim on Explorer and Splendor (and soon to be Grandeur) only. You can make one reservation per venue ahead of time online. **Once on the ship, you can get additional reservations if available by going to the dining reservations desk. Your chances on getting another reservation and/or getting an in-demand dining hour are increased if you indicate you are willing to share a table. 

 

-Early in the cruise--often the first sea day--there is usually a wine tasting that features a fairly extensive selection of the included wines that will be poured in the dining room during the cruise. If nothing else, it can give you an idea of what wines to request if you don’t care for what’s being featured that evening. It’s usually held around 10:00 am. Yes, you read that time right.  The head sommelier on a recent cruise claimed that this is because the palate is at its cleanest in the morning, so you get the best sense of the wine. Or something like that.

 

**If you don’t care for the wine being poured with dinner, you can ask for any other included wine. Or, if you want to pay extra, a wine from the premium list.

[Boatmans Lady]

4 hours ago, sailing oldie said:

A very useful guide for new Regent cruisers, I wish it had been on here before we went in February!! I can add a minor point to this resource too. When we were getting our suite cards at Miami port, we were asked for ESTA certificates, ie the visa we need to enter USA. These are electronically linked to our UK passports and are not in hard copy. Luckily, we had taken the confirmation email with us, which was accepted. Might be useful for non US residents.

Hi we are in the UK and you are now advised to print your Esta off once it has been authorised, but I must admit we weren't asked for ours in 2019 so it could be something new. 

[Boatmans Lady]

Really good info and I wish this had been available before we took our first cruise on Regent. 

Thank you for sharing. 

[CruiserFromMaine]

We have had one cruise canceled in 2020 then we postponed one this past January to January 2023, and are looking forward to our first cruise on Regent! This is informative, thank you! 

 

This would be great as a sticky. There was a very good on on the Crystal board that was updated as things changed, new ships added, etc. 

[CAT58]

Thank you for this thread.  It is incredibly helpful for a Regent first timer.  Could you let me know whether Coffee Connection does tea as well as coffee?? Many thanks.

[wishIweretravelling]

2 hours ago, CAT58 said:

Thank you for this thread.  It is incredibly helpful for a Regent first timer.  Could you let me know whether Coffee Connection does tea as well as coffee?? Many thanks.

I know that they serve pots of tea there, but I believe it is  made from bags and not loose tea, but I could be wrong on that. Perhaps some tea drinkers can weigh in?

 

I don't think they have specialty like Crystal (if you are a Crystal Cruises fan) used to have, but again I could be wrong on that.

[rkaratsu]

10 minutes ago, wishIweretravelling said:

I know that they serve pots of tea there, but I believe it is  made from bags and not loose tea, but I could be wrong on that. Perhaps some tea drinkers can weigh in?...

As a tea drinker caught up in a coffee drinking world, indeed both the Coffee Connection *and* the Pool Grill have a good selection of Twinings teas available 24/7.  (I prefer either the English Breakfast and Darjeeling but if you like the herbal/camomille stuff, those are available as well). 

[CAT58]

Thank you both for replying.  I am also a tea drinker in a coffee drinking world! 

[PhD-iva]

Thank you so much for posting this extensive information. It is well written and greatly appreciated!

I am booked for my first Regent cruise in February 2024! I snagged a low single supplement on Voyager, Santiago to BsAs, with a 3-day pre-cruise land tour. V excited!