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Kinkajou
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Doing a practice booking, there is no difference in the Concierge price whether I choose the hotel or not. If it is included instead of free, how do I determine what I am paying for the room (and transfers) if I would rather take the credit. Is there any way to find out or do I have to contact a TA? Thanks for suggestions.

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I doubt that Regent would tell you their cost for the hotel or air or tell you what you are paying for it. They get discounted rates and may or may not pass it on to customers. I just look up the hotel to get an idea of the rate. Keep in mind that it includes breakfast and transportation.

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I like that Regent has started posting what the air credit is if you don't take their air. It would be nice if they did that with hotel as well, but since it's generally included only for certain level cabins, I can understand why not. Best way to find out is to ask your TA or, if you don't have one, ask Regent directly. Not right now, of course, given that their HQ is closed for Irma.

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Our TA lists all savings on their website. In 2018, hotel credits range from $100/person* to $250/person**. Most seem to be in the $150 - $200 range.

 

*The $100/person is for hotels in Lima and Buenos Aires.

 

*The one $250/night that I noticed (could be more - I was just scanning) was in Tokyo.

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Doing a practice booking, there is no difference in the Concierge price whether I choose the hotel or not. If it is included instead of free, how do I determine what I am paying for the room (and transfers) if I would rather take the credit. Is there any way to find out or do I have to contact a TA? Thanks for suggestions.

 

 

 

One other suggestion. If you're considering choosing the hotel provided by Regent, find out what it is, and then spend a few minutes researching other travelers' opinions, the convenience of its location, and its overall rating.

 

The hotel provided by Regent in Haifa last year for a two week cruise on the Explorer was low end and quite bad, and their hotel in Reykjavik just ok , but more experienced Regent cruisers talk about the quality being higher in other cities.

 

My general impression, contrary to the assumption most people have from Regent's marketing, is that the hotel will not provide the level of "luxury" you've been encouraged to expect.

 

 

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Thought the hotel in Miami was adequate. I hadn't thought of opting out until I read that others opted out and got credit for it. Sometimes I think I might be happier with Regent if I didn't read the comments. Appreciated the answers with numbers that gives an idea of credit. In the past I have cruised Oceania, and their prices for hotels seem unreasonably high (like their excursions).

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Really hated the transfer! 4 busloads of passengers arriving at the same time. I wish I didn't remember the transfer. :(

 

And that is why we never ever, never ever take Regant on the hotels-----and if we do sometime later in life we'll always take a cab or car service to the ship......no matter what.:D

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Really hated the transfer! 4 busloads of passengers arriving at the same time. I wish I didn't remember the transfer. :(

 

Some Regent hotels are wonderful, however, we always take a cab to the ship.

 

Rick, assume that you meant that you won't use Regent hotels for your future booked cruises since you haven't sailed on Regent quite yet.

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Greetings, Everyone, from post Irma South Beach. We never take cruise line packages because they don't work for us. For example, when sailing from a foreign port, we research the hotel or hotels the line is using. Since we belong to just about every conceivable loyalty program, we figure out if booking in the same hotel using a membership would produce a better deal. I cannot remember a time when it didn't. As for transfers, we use limo service, Lyft or Uber and never have had problems. In 2015, we sailed Insignia's Panama Canal. We stayed in O's chosen hotel, Century City Intercontinental. We were booked in a gorgeous suite with included breakfast for four days prior to boarding. I spoke to O's hostess in the lobby and she was very helpful. We met several guests using O's package. They had that double occupancy deal, at double the cost of a standard room. Our loyalty rate was less than that and we also used IGH's annual free weekend night. We took Uber to San Pedro. Lovely car and just us two, Lovely time.

 

We board Explorer December 8th. No hotel needed. About Irma, we have had a unique hurricane. Our building, built to code, was finished in 2004. We remained here because my husband believes this building is hurricane resistant. He was right. We have had air conditioning, running water, light and cell provider phone service from the beginning. No wifi until this morning. True, our water wasn't hot until yesterday when the pumps went on again. No damage of any kind. Still, it was frightening to see and hear the winds. The sheets of horizontal rain were not reassuring, either. I kept expecting the power to go off, and I am still concerned. On the mainland in Miami, 50% lack power right now.

Hoping Jose stays away from the USA,

Mary

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Mary, so glad to hear that you fared so well. That was one horrific hurricane!

 

Not sure if you knew that Regent used Intercontinental Hotels for a long time. Now it seems that they aren't partial to one particular brand. I could be wrong but we stayed at a Four Seasons in Australia and will be staying at a Hyatt Regency in Miami and a hotel that looks beautiful but I am not familiar with in Bali (I did check out their website though). IMO, it depends upon where you are in the world and how easy transportation is. As I've mentioned before, a different alternative is to take the Regent hotel and upgrade yourself (by contacting the hotel). At the Four Seasons we were in one of their top suites and only paid the difference between what Regent was paying for their rooms and the suite that we upgraded to.

 

By staying in a Regent hotel, you retain Regent's transportation (which, as mentioned, we only use from the airport to the hotel and the ship to the airport).

 

I am surprised that Paul had such a poor hotel in Tel Aviv. When we were there the first time, we were put up in a gorgeous hotel in Jerusalem (I know - different place but the hotel was lovely). The worst Regent hotels, IMO, are in Rio. I suspect that it is hard to get hotel rooms in Miami since there are so many cruise ships that leave from there.

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Right I meant to say any cruise line, this will be my first Regent cruise and the hotel package to us wasn't worth the price. I could do better on my own, get the room I want, plus I can pick the location I want to stay. Also when checking out I don't want a full lobby of people going to the same place. I'm sure Regent hotels are good, but I like to pick my own. On all 3 Regent cruises we'll be on we booked are own hotel for those reasons. Rick

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Right I meant to say any cruise line, this will be my first Regent cruise and the hotel package to us wasn't worth the price. I could do better on my own, get the room I want, plus I can pick the location I want to stay. Also when checking out I don't want a full lobby of people going to the same place. I'm sure Regent hotels are good, but I like to pick my own. On all 3 Regent cruises we'll be on we booked are own hotel for those reasons. Rick

 

Thanks for the clarification. We get our can and leave three hotel long before the lobby gets filled up but I do get your point.

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Mary, so glad to hear that you fared so well. That was one horrific hurricane!

 

 

 

Not sure if you knew that Regent used Intercontinental Hotels for a long time. Now it seems that they aren't partial to one particular brand. I could be wrong but we stayed at a Four Seasons in Australia and will be staying at a Hyatt Regency in Miami and a hotel that looks beautiful but I am not familiar with in Bali (I did check out their website though). IMO, it depends upon where you are in the world and how easy transportation is. As I've mentioned before, a different alternative is to take the Regent hotel and upgrade yourself (by contacting the hotel). At the Four Seasons we were in one of their top suites and only paid the difference between what Regent was paying for their rooms and the suite that we upgraded to.

 

 

 

By staying in a Regent hotel, you retain Regent's transportation (which, as mentioned, we only use from the airport to the hotel and the ship to the airport).

 

 

 

I am surprised that Paul had such a poor hotel in Tel Aviv. When we were there the first time, we were put up in a gorgeous hotel in Jerusalem (I know - different place but the hotel was lovely). The worst Regent hotels, IMO, are in Rio. I suspect that it is hard to get hotel rooms in Miami since there are so many cruise ships that leave from there.

 

 

 

Hotel was in Haifa, not Tel Aviv, where I'm sure there are plenty of fine choices. The room was a small cement block with an old desk and chair, and 2 tiny twin beds with uncomfortable, rock hard mattresses. Aside from the bathroom, it hadn't been redone in years and years, if ever. It looked like a prison cell. The one window was broken and wouldn't latch, and with the strong wind it sounded like there was a screaming jet engine right outside.

 

Not a fun scenario to face arriving at 1 AM. We asked to move to another cell block, where the bathroom flooded at 2AM. The breakfast buffet the next morning was about as low end as they can get, and was inedibly, stomach churningly bad.

 

I cannot for the life of me imagine what Regent was thinking. If there were no rooms available in the visibly nicer hotel down the block, then they should have put us up in Tel Aviv. It created the worst possible impression for first time Regent cruisers, and cast an unpleasant shadow over the start of the cruise.

 

I still haven't forgiven them for it!

 

 

 

 

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Hotel was in Haifa, not Tel Aviv, where I'm sure there are plenty of fine choices. The room was a small cement block with an old desk and chair, and 2 tiny twin beds with uncomfortable, rock hard mattresses. Aside from the bathroom, it hadn't been redone in years and years, if ever. It looked like a prison cell. The one window was broken and wouldn't latch, and with the strong wind it sounded like there was a screaming jet engine right outside.

 

Not a fun scenario to face arriving at 1 AM. We asked to move to another cell block, where the bathroom flooded at 2AM. The breakfast buffet the next morning was about as low end as they can get, and was inedibly, stomach churningly bad.

 

I cannot for the life of me imagine what Regent was thinking. If there were no rooms available in the visibly nicer hotel down the block, then they should have put us up in Tel Aviv. It created the worst possible impression for first time Regent cruisers, and cast an unpleasant shadow over the start of the cruise.

 

I still haven't forgiven them for it!

 

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Agree - that would have been a horrible first impression. Hope that you mentioned it in your questionnaire. It does sound as if some Regent hotels are considerably worse than others. I'm keeping an open mind and, although I expect the worst, I am hoping that the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables in Miami isn't as bad as some people have reported.

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We have stayed only twice at a pre cruise hotel. One was was several years ago at the Hyatt Regency- Coral Gables, Miami Florida. It was fine, however breakfast was awful. Then the buses to the pier were late arriving at the hotel. The crowd was annoyed.

The second time was in Capetown, South Africa. That was fine.

Whenever we can, we prefer to choose our own hotels and use either taxis or private car service as transportation.

We choose a Regent for the cruise experience, which is what they do best.

Sheila and Herb

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Hotel was in Haifa, not Tel Aviv, where I'm sure there are plenty of fine choices. The room was a small cement block with an old desk and chair, and 2 tiny twin beds with uncomfortable, rock hard mattresses. Aside from the bathroom, it hadn't been redone in years and years, if ever. It looked like a prison cell. The one window was broken and wouldn't latch, and with the strong wind it sounded like there was a screaming jet engine right outside.

 

Not a fun scenario to face arriving at 1 AM. We asked to move to another cell block, where the bathroom flooded at 2AM. The breakfast buffet the next morning was about as low end as they can get, and was inedibly, stomach churningly bad.

 

I cannot for the life of me imagine what Regent was thinking. If there were no rooms available in the visibly nicer hotel down the block, then they should have put us up in Tel Aviv. It created the worst possible impression for first time Regent cruisers, and cast an unpleasant shadow over the start of the cruise.

 

I still haven't forgiven them for it!

 

 

 

 

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We have spent a great deal of time in Haifa and stayed at several different hotels. Just curious-- at which hotel did you stay??

Look forward to your answer.

Sheila

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We have spent a great deal of time in Haifa and stayed at several different hotels. Just curious-- at which hotel did you stay??

 

Look forward to your answer.

 

Sheila

 

 

 

I had to look it up because I've blocked the whole thing out of my mind. It was the Dan Panorama.

 

 

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I guess it's the luck of the draw. We've stayed in Regent hotels 3 times, One was a somewhat funky one in Stockholm....rather unfriendly, homeless in the buffet line at breakfast, endless buses, bad part of town. Don't know what they were thinking on that one. The other two were over the top wonderful. Fairmont Monte Carlo .....generous credit for dining/lounges, excellent buffet breakfast and a wonderful room. Truly "Lives of the Rich and Famous"! Most recent one was the Epic in Miami where we'll be again in Nov. Again, over the top wonderful.....

What I've been doing since the Stockholm debacle, is check to see what hotel is being used....do a little research, etc. Seems to work, at least for us.

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I had to look it up because I've blocked the whole thing out of my mind. It was the Dan Panorama.

 

 

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You sure it wasn't the Dan Carmel? The Dan Panorama is in Tel Aviv, the Dan Carmel is on the top of the hill in Haifa above the Baha'i Gardens.

 

If it was the Dan Carmel, they must have renovated recently as we stayed there last summer and although it wasn't the best hotel we've ever stayed in, it was far from a 'prison cell'. The rooms were average or a bit above, the only real downside was the dining selection.

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Hey Bill...

 

There is indeed a Dan Carmel Haifa, which sounds ok, but there is also a Dan Panorama Haifa, which "adjoins the city's upscale Panorama Mall." On the main page of their website, as I just learned, there's a small image of a jar filled with cash, and underneath it the words "Value for money." And underneath that we get further elaboration..."Great accommodation and service, at rates kind to your budget."

 

Like you, my wife and I can deal with just about anything for one night prior to embarkation. Perhaps the rooms have since been renovated, or perhaps Regent's contract with them was penny pinching enough to permit passenger placement in unrenovated rooms, or perhaps this was the quality of every single room in the hotel. Whatever the case, it was one of the worst lodging experiences of my adult life.

 

But it did benefit us in an unexpected way. Since then, whenever we check into any sort of hotel that might not match our expectations, we always cheer up by reminding ourselves that wherever we're staying is "the Four Seasons in comparison with that place Regent put us in Haifa."

 

 

 

 

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I had to look it up because I've blocked the whole thing out of my mind. It was the Dan Panorama.

 

 

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I agree with you.

The Dan Panorama is a lower quality than the Dan Carmel. Even the Crowne Plaza is nicer. Frankly, all the hotels in Haifa are not the best. The Dan Carmel is about the best. Just because it is a Dan hotel, doesn't mean it's a 4-5 star hotel. Because we must stay in Haifa to visit relatives, we do stay at the Dan Carmel.

However, the Dan in Cesearea is even worse. There are beautiful Dan hotels in Israel-- the King David in Jerusalem and the Dan in Tel Aviv. The Panoramas are a lesser quality.

Although Tel Aviv is 1 1/2 hours from the Haifa port,there are so many lovely beachfront hotel from which to choose.

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