Anchorbuoy

P.S. I failed to mention two things: 1) The Titanium luggage tags were new - have never seen them before (even though we've been Titanium for quite a while) and, 2) We received our documents for both of our November cruises on Saturday so this information is very current.

We always get one package for two passengers and this time received two Platinum luggage tags.

If you are Titanium, why did they send you Platinum tags ?

Here in the UK we have recently been sent a flyer entitled 'Exclusively for our Seven Seas Society Members' and under item #6 it says 'Plus $100 of Shipboard Credit Per Person'. This is new as in the past we have only received $100 per suite.

Interesting. Either the $200 ($100 pp) is very new (last 30 days), or another communications malfunction.

I have just received a brochure from Regent explaining in full the benefits of on board booking which from what I have read on this board have sometimes been confusing:

1. Best price guarantee up to the date of sailing.

2. Bonus savings on board that can be combined with ss savings and early booking discounts.

3. Combinable with TA incentives.

4. Reduced deposit ( except some Explorer bookings) which is refundable up to the date balance is due.

5.Change sailing once without penalty.

6. $100 shipboard credit pp.

These are UK terms and are an improvement on what has previously been shown especially the refundable deposit.

The US terms are the same.

However, item #6 is not quite right. The $100 shipboard credit is per new booking, not per person. It is OBC to be used on your current sailing, not on the new booking.

Also, add item #7: "Free" DVD for your current cruise, "Voyage Memories".

So, ok, I had determined not to ring in again on this subject since I already feel uncomfortable about all the back-and-forthing. But when I saw the recent comments from the good CC folks, I immediately called my "manager" contact at reservations. His note to me this morning was that he'd been in close touch with the GM on Explorer now (Franck Galzy) about the issue. Mr Galzy himself supposedly went and measured the beds in G and confirmed that they were 69" (like F), not 63 or 64. This information was supposedly immediately corrected on their statistic sheet (or whatever) So when I spoke with my chap just now, I said then why does the website still mention European QUEEN for G?! His answer (get ready!) was that it was because the beds in G Explorer are SHORTER than all the other beds in the fleet, NOT more narrow: shorter by more than 4 inches. So go figure. Are we having fun yet?

 

Btw, I'm tending to trust kind Anchorbuoy more than any of these other chaps.

I stand by my numbers. I had witnesses !

And we measured the mattresses at the top of the bed, not the width of the metal bed frames, which would be wider.

At the end of the day, regardless of how you stretch your tape measure, the G suites have a size.... the concierge suites are WIDER.....and the penthouse suites are WIDER still (and thicker, if the topper is in place).

I just checked the rssc web site and they now (I would swear if wasn't this way previously) describe the bed in the F1 as a European King Size and the G1 as a European Queen Size. Previous mailings that I have from Regent described them as the same - European King Size.

Good catch on your part to notice the new bedding descriptions !! On the maiden voyage, the Regent website still listed ALL suites as having the "European King-Sized Elite Slumber Bed". Yet we saw at least 3 different sizes.

Also, in the PH with the widest bed, the bottom linens did not fit adequately. They were too narrow, and would not stay tucked in. The stewards made the beds as best as they could, but as soon as you sat on the bed, the bottom sheets popped out since there wasn't enough fabric to pinch between mattress and frame.

 

Beside the major inconvenient to the passengers, and a public relations fiasco, how many millions of dollars is this going tot cost the cruise line in passenger apology money ($1,250 per cabin, minimum), loss of use of advance booking monies, and ship logistics?

j

It is more expensive than that. The Future Cruise Credit is $1000 per guest, so that means $2000 per suite in most cases. Plus the TA apparently receives a partial commission.

Here is the explanation from my TA, from an email from the EVP of Regent Sales:

"We recognize for many of our valued guests this was a cruise they were very much looking forward to, so as a gesture of goodwill, we are providing each guest currently booked on the Grand Northwest Passage itinerary with a $1,000 Future Cruise Credit".

Is there some official notification from Regent to guests booked on the cruise? or info just from the travel agent at this point? Sounds vague which is why I'm wondering what is going on?

My TA got a letter from Regent. Plus, the itineraries have been removed from Regent's web site from July 9 (Vancouver) thru August 18, 2017 (Montreal).

Regent will probably need to get the ship to Montreal to continue other itineraries. That would suggest another Panama crossing.

My TA just advised that she received a memo from Regent saying that this cruise is not happening as planned. It "might" be postponed a month, or might not go at all. I now have a FCC to book something else.

More to follow......

The stock is NCLH, not NCHL.

I wish Regent would post the "fine print" for the on board pricing guarantee - we usually always book a future cruise while on board, so I am quite interested in what it has to say, including the "legalese"

 

gnomie :)

On the Explorer last week, the Cruise Consultant gave the same wording for the guarantee as when the program was first announced. The extent of the guarantee:

-----------------------------

BEST PRICE GUARANTEE

Booking onboard always comes with our Best Price Guarantee from the day you book up until the day of sailing.

Should there be another applicable public promotion offering a better value through a combination of lower price and amenities on the cruise and category you have selected, you will be able to take advantage of this new promotion plus the added benefit of the applicable Onboard Savings. Simply have your travel agent call Regent Seven Seas to have the new promotion added to your reservation (subject to suite availability).

Should there be a price reduction after final payment has been paid, the difference will be given to you in the form of a Shipboard Credit, suite upgrade, or a Future Cruise Credit at our discretion.

---------------------------------

We will be setting out on our New York to Montreal cruise in September and will be staying overnight at Le Parker Meridien. Can any one advise as to a suitable restaurant for dinner either at the hotel or nearby. ( remembering that as we are from the UK it will be midnight to us at 7:00pm in NY so we don't want to go far! ) We prefer Italian food out of choice.

 

 

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When we stayed at Le Parker Meridien, we ate at Angelo's Pizza. It is not fancy, but the food was good and we enjoyed it. The restaurant has pizza and traditional Italian cuisine. It is just across the street from the hotel, on the 57th Street exit of the hotel. Very convenient.

Sorry Mr. Rumor, but this thread has been hijacked. It is no longer about Random Notes, from our personal experiences on the open seas.

Hopefully, you have returned to the Land of Enchantment, and will cherish your fond memories of the Maiden Voyage on Explorer. We certainly did, and now we have to wait for our return to this beautiful ship in January.

I am considering a Regent cruise next June to the Baltic. The "included" business class airfare seems very attractive on the surface - traveling to that region from the midwest is pretty expensive. Having never sailed with Regent I do not know how this program works - do they pick your flights, is it really business class/first class, can you influence choice of flights?

 

Any information is appreciated.

Check the "sticky": Regent Flights - with and without deviation.

It is the first thread on the list of Regent topics.

Really prompt follow-up, thanks. I'm saving packing the suit based on your info. Reasonable onboard price for Dolce.

 

The Gaja Promis has been an on-board staple on Oceania, usually centrally displayed in the glass wine wall in their main dining room, so surprised if not carried. Sometimes listed as some shortened version of "Gaja Promis Ca' Marcanda". If you get a chance could you see or ask if the included wine list offers any Ripasso? Not asking about cousin "Amorone" as I believe lowest one is at least $12-$15 over the cost threshold on which they operate.

 

Again, many thanks.

Ripasso is not onboard.

I have another question about the suites. In all the other Regent ships the time on the clock in the suite cannot be viewed in the dark, the illumination if there is one is not effective. As a result we always bring a portable battery operated digital one. What is the situation on the Explorer

Bring your own. The clock in our suite is the same analog clock found on all Regent ships. No illumination.

 

Can you get onboard prices for Gaja Promis [super Tuscan] and [Far Niente] Dolce. Also availability of a Ripasso on the included wine list. My recollection of Promis and Dolce is that they were priced in the $150-$165 bottle range. They cost me about $36 and $49 respectively, so worth the schlepping if that is, in fact, the price range on Regent.

 

Secondary issue re: packaging a dark suit for men. My thinking is to go with the proverbial blue blazer as my dress-up option, as I can wear it on the plane and stay light on my packing. Am I likely to feel under-dressed sans a suit in the most dressed up environs (I assume Prime 7 and/or Chartreuse)? Am I correct that there are no formal or semi-formal nights.

The reserve wine list in my suite lists the Dolce Far Niente 2010, 375ml, at $95.

The Gaja Promis is not listed. There are 8 Super Tuscans listed, from $60 to $335, most priced at the lower end of the scale.

I brought a suit and sport coat. In general most guests are leaning towards elegant casual, and I have not had a reason to bring out the suit. Everyone is dressed nicely, but not formally. Formal Option is only on cruises of 15 nights or more. A sports coat in the specialty restaurants is perfect, with or without a tie.

And the control panel of the washer...

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Here is front panel of the dryer

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It is getting late into the Maiden Voyage, and time to do some laundry. The launderettes on Explorer are nicely equipped. Each facility has either 2 or 3 sets of machines, and some decks have 2 launderettes-one at each end of the ship.

However, the machines are a bit complicated to figure out. There are no instructions, and the machines have tiny icons with no labels. After much trial, and mostly error, they do a nice job.

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One more thing - the halls are narrower than on the other ships and the stewards/stewardesses do not use the big carts but what look more like carry-ons. which they pull along the halls.

Peggy

I really like the elimination of towel carts on Explorer. The corridors are not cluttered like before, and there is no dodging to walk by. The stewards seem to have supply closets conveniently placed to retrieve fresh provisions.

Here is a picture of the new cleaning carts:

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For comparison what's the size of the concierge and F suite beds.

The penthouse bed measures roughly 76 x 75 inches. This mattress is thicker than the others.

The concierge bed measures roughly 72 x 75 inches.

The G2 bed measures roughly 64 x 75 inches.

I say "roughly" because mattresses are not perfectly defined rectangles. There are curves at the edges. But I measured all 3 styles at the same (maximum) points.

I am very surprised by the measurements of the bedding, but I saw this for myself. Had I not seen the differences, I would have assumed they would have stocked one standard size. "European King Size Elite Slumber Bedding" has a meaning that has confused me.

It was a full day for us--so full we missed not only trivia (sorry, team!) but also the Titanium, Platinum and Gold members reception .

 

Rich

Sorry you missed the TPG event. It was one on the most memorable gatherings we have experienced on Regent. Actually it was a concert, after the usual opening remarks, cocktails and appetizers. It even had a printed program with Salvo Todaro's biography and a list of music for the 6 songs. The singing was spectacular and he received a standing ovation at the end, followed by an encore.

For comparison what's the size of the concierge and F suite beds.

I will measure a concierge tomorrow and get back to you. I believe it will be the larger size.

Not sure if I can find an F, but will try.

Anchorbuoy: Thank you SO much for taking those photos and spelling out those details. As OrpingtonT (bless his soul) and others may know, the width of the bed is a major point for us. Both of us being restless sleepers, we are really uncomfortable in a queen size bed. The fact that Regent had kings in all the suites was the reason we chose Regent/Radisson to begin with; it was/is an absolute deal-breaker. (Of course we love so much else about Regent now as well.) I would not have known about the genuine down-grade on Explorer if you had not kindly noted that "detail." This much saddens me, as it means that I'd not be able to book a G category suite. Thanks once again.

First, I apologize for some of the photos. I took pictures with my iPad and posted "medium" size with the Tapatalk app. Somehow they came out different sizes.

I was surprised about the bed sizes, since I thought Regent stated that all of the bedding would be the same on Explorer across all categories. In fact, the Regent website, as of today, lists "European King Size Elite Slumber Bedding" for categories H thru Master Suite. Yet they are smaller in G , and presumably in H.

G2 bathroom

Shower

Entry area, with bathroom door mirror.

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