Included ‘luxury hotel,.

[Scout16]

I tend to view the pre-cruise hotel stay as a way to insure that I am at the port in time for the cruise and that I have a chance to reset my body's clock to the new time zone as needed.  I also now tend to travel as a single so I do not often go far from the hotel.  If I want to tour the port that I will be leaving from I would sign up for some type of pre-tour.

[cruisevirgin24]

3 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

If you're "dreading the transfer from the hotel to the ship" why not simply set up private transfer? 

Papaflamingo, I am boarding in Miami in January, staying in the Regent provided Hotel Biltmore. After reading many stories of the nightmare bus transfers to the port, I intend to book private transfer to the ship.

Should we inform anyone of our intention? Do we take our luggage, or can we leave this with the bus luggage? Can we relax in the hotel and board a little later in the day, when the queues have decreased? Thank you!

[Mudhen]

Although this isn't written in blood, so to speak, I'd think that checking in at the Regent desk and telling them your intentions, that would be enough. I'd think if your luggage is tagged with your cabin, deck, etc. it'll be picked up as per usual the morning of embarkation and will go directly to the ship/cabin. I don't think the Regent folks would mind if you took your own transport to the ship.....less on the bus!!

[tubeamps]

I’ll be in Tokyo for a Regent 3 night pre cruise stay in a few weeks.

They have us booked in the Hilton Shinjuku.

 

Looks like a nice property in a good central location.

[Dolebludger]

Of course, some Regent supplied hotels are quite nice. The problem seems to be that some hotels (but not all) seem to have problems of inadequate staffing, neglected maintenance, and such. I hate to name names, but many of the Hilton properties seem to have these problems. And there seems to be a shortage of hotel accommodations in some locations. Reportedly, Regent is unable to provide hotel accommodations in Barbados, for example, due to shortage. And then, unreliable airline service has undoubtedly increased demand for pre-cruise hotel rooms in embarkation locations. If in any doubt about hotel accommodations, check Trip Advisor. If you find repeated complaints about the same things, look elsewhere.

[MoBro713]

When do you find out what hotel Regent is providing?  We're on the Feb 9 Caribbean cruise and Regent still shows my hotel in Miami as TBD.  I spoke to Regent a week ago and they said they're still working on it.  Is that normal?

 

Thanks

[Whinenowine]

On 10/12/2023 at 7:47 AM, jhenry1 said:

Whinewineo

 

What service did you book for the 10 hour tour from Anchorage to Seward

Sorry, it took me a while to dig this up...apparently I didn't save the receipt so I had to get the name from AMEX.  I'm sure there are other service providers but these folks were great. Large van sufficient for us and all our luggage and the ability to tailor the sites you see.  The driver is the guide and was fairly knowledgeable and friendly (he's a school teacher by trade). Picked us up at our hotel and dropped us off at the ship so no issues getting to/from the van.  The only catch is that it's a flat fee for up to, I think, 15 people; so for the 4 of us it wasn't cheap but not expensive--for 6-8 it would be perfect...and for 10 it's a bargain.

 

GREATLAND ADVENTURES

(907) 980-8179

[Whinenowine]

2 hours ago, tubeamps said:

I’ll be in Tokyo for a Regent 3 night pre cruise stay in a few weeks.

They have us booked in the Hilton Shinjuku.

 

Looks like a nice property in a good central location.

It was when I lived in Tokyo 25hrs ago!  😃

[1982CruzStart]

2 hours ago, tubeamps said:

I’ll be in Tokyo for a Regent 3 night pre cruise stay in a few weeks.

They have us booked in the Hilton Shinjuku.

When we took a cruise out of toyko (not with Regent), we stayed at this hotel and liked it very much. It is not close to walk around touristy places but has excellent subway links to everywhere. 

[Dolebludger]

For Anchorage to Seward, there is also a scenic train. We took that last June, and recommend it highly.

[Steve Q]

We are booked from Rio to Lisbon in March 2024. Regent has us booked at the JW Marriott for the night before the cruise. It looks great on the Marriott website and the reviews seem positive.

[labonnevie]

Regent had us at the Shangri La in Singapore in 2018 post cruise. A bit of a distance from the main sights, but a really excellent hotel. 

[Gilly]

16 hours ago, Steve Q said:

We are booked from Rio to Lisbon in March 2024. Regent has us booked at the JW Marriott for the night before the cruise. It looks great on the Marriott website and the reviews seem positive.

 

We too - also the JW Marriott.  We'll look forward to seeing you there!

[briar14]

46 minutes ago, Gilly said:

 

We too - also the JW Marriott.  We'll look forward to seeing you there!

Stayed at the JW Marriott in Rio before a Mariner TA. It is very nice with excellent concierge staff. Right on the beach.

[GOARMY]

tubeamps:  

 

Just-completed our Explorer Vancouver-Tokyo cruise.  Three-day Post Cruise stay was at Hilton Shinjuku. 

 

Still recovering from jet lag.  Anyway---

 

Excellent hotel experience in all respects.  Attentive Staff; great room (large, and non-smoking).  Many on-site restaurant options.  Breakfasts were included.  Full, actually, over-full buffet options.  Regent folks were seated in a separate room immediately adjacent to the main buffet dining area.  Quiet. 

 

Used the "Vibrant Tokyo" option.  Tours, once at the the hotel, were well-organized.  Guides spoke excellent English.  Busses were not crowded.  Guides kept to the schedule. Interesting itineraries.  Never felt rushed to "get back on the bus".  But, we were sure not to be the last ones boarding.  

 

So--highly recommend. 

 

------

 

Have cruised off and on with Radisson/Regent for 20+ years.  Fortunately, have had a uniformly positive stay whether for a single pre-cruise night; or during pre-cruise and post-cruise extended days.  As memory serves (and it tends to fade), these were at Sydney, Auckland, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Los Angeles, Miami, NYC, London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome, Stockholm, and Helsinki.   Have now added Tokyo to the List.   

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

  

[Dolebludger]

I think the problem is, in some embarkation locations, really good hotels that can block off enough rooms for embarking Regent guests just don’t exist. So unless Regent wants to build hotels and go into that business (I’d advise against that), Regent has to settle for what is there. When we opted out of the Anchorage Hilton (which Regent uses) this last summer due to poor reviews, we booked a small boutique hotel in Anchorage that could not have accommodated all the Regent guests. I suspect that this may be the reason that some guests find Regent’s choice for them to be sub-standard in other locations as well. Regent has to book in hotels with the capacity to take all the embarking guests — and those may not always be the best — but are in many cases.

[tubeamps]

40 minutes ago, GOARMY said:

tubeamps:  

 

Just-completed our Explorer Vancouver-Tokyo cruise.  Three-day Post Cruise stay was at Hilton Shinjuku. 

 

Still recovering from jet lag.  Anyway---

 

Excellent hotel experience in all respects.  Attentive Staff; great room (large, and non-smoking).  Many on-site restaurant options.  Breakfasts were included.  Full, actually, over-full buffet options.  Regent folks were seated in a separate room immediately adjacent to the main buffet dining area.  Quiet. 

 

Used the "Vibrant Tokyo" option.  Tours, once at the the hotel, were well-organized.  Guides spoke excellent English.  Busses were not crowded.  Guides kept to the schedule. Interesting itineraries.  Never felt rushed to "get back on the bus".  But, we were sure not to be the last ones boarding.  

 

So--highly recommend. 

 

------

 

Have cruised off and on with Radisson/Regent for 20+ years.  Fortunately, have had a uniformly positive stay whether for a single pre-cruise night; or during pre-cruise and post-cruise extended days.  As memory serves (and it tends to fade), these were at Sydney, Auckland, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Los Angeles, Miami, NYC, London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome, Stockholm, and Helsinki.   Have now added Tokyo to the List.   

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

  

Thank you for the response. Started packing today, Luggage Forward picks up Tuesday.

We haven’t been anywhere since 2019 and I forgot what a PITA packing was.

[DavidTheWonderer]

16 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

... So unless Regent wants to build hotels and go into that business (I’d advise against that), Regent has to settle for what is there. ...

Of course Regent used to be named Radisson, and changed their name so they wouldn't be associated with the Radisson hotel chain.

[Dolebludger]

tubeamps, when you are packing for a Regent cruise, remember that included valet laundry service is provided onboard now for all guests, which probably wasn't the case in 2019. This inclusion is one of the reasons we like to cruise Regent. It enables us to pack much lighter than would be necessary for a cruise with per piece pricing for laundry — which always seems WAY too high. But on Regent, you have already paid for it, so pack light and enjoy.

[jabbawocky]

 

 

Is it normal for not all passengers to get the pre-cruise complimentary hotel information if travelling concierge or above at the same time?  On the cruise from San Juan on  March 24 and no details in 'My Account' yet, whereas others have it.

Edited October 14, 2023 by jabbawocky

[Dolebludger]

I can only answer that the Caribe Hilton has several recent negative reviews in “Trip Advisor.com”.  As I have never stayed there, I can’t speak from personal experience. And I don’t know if Trip Advisor reaches Australia or not.  

[gazzer159]

We have booked our flights independently.  We have a  concierge suite booked for our Dec cruise and are booked into the Intercontinental hotel Miami pre cruise. Transfer to the ship is  included but transfer from airport is not.

[Pcardad]

They do not always put all the guests in the same hotel.

[Gpilon]

30 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

They do not always put all the guests in the same hotel.

True, it seems, for our Grandeur cruise in July. The hotel shown as the "free hotel" for guests is the Sofia in Barcelona. However, on our itinerary Regent has us at the Intercontinental. Is that because of the type os suite we have booked?

 

[PaulaJK]

17 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I think the problem is, in some embarkation locations, really good hotels that can block off enough rooms for embarking Regent guests just don’t exist. So unless Regent wants to build hotels and go into that business (I’d advise against that), Regent has to settle for what is there. When we opted out of the Anchorage Hilton (which Regent uses) this last summer due to poor reviews, we booked a small boutique hotel in Anchorage that could not have accommodated all the Regent guests. I suspect that this may be the reason that some guests find Regent’s choice for them to be sub-standard in other locations as well. Regent has to book in hotels with the capacity to take all the embarking guests — and those may not always be the best — but are in many cases.

I’m under the impression that Regent may use more than one hotel in a location but correct me if I am mistaken. Many of the hotels that board members are commenting negatively about are  located in cities with many offerings.

 

.Since Regent sells a package..and heavily advertises same..that includes a night in a hotel, perhaps they should not be scheduling embarkation where that is impossible and thus not in line w their advertisements  eg Barbados. 
 

We are platinum on R and hope to continue sailing this line but after our cruise on Mariner and reading these current issues I am thinking that R’s pr advertisements are not being confirmed

operationally. I would love R to prove me wrong.