ysolde

48 minutes ago, jeb_bud said:

I think you’re conflating Regent’s included air, which is part of the all inclusive fare, and deviating, which is a decision the passenger makes after the booking is completed. I don’t recall reading any complaints about Regent adding a surcharge to a booking that used the included air. 
 

Deviating is harder to do without a surcharge due to issues already covered on this thread but extrapolating that to not being able to know your price anymore seems a little extreme. We have two cruises in Europe booked for next year. I’ll be interested to see if deviating or booking on my own is the best way to go by then. 

Nope.  We have deviated every time we have booked with Regent, in order to get the exact flights we want.

Regent is now setting up a new system.  When you book your cruise, you book without airfare.  Or, you add (economy) airfare, for a fee.  Or you can add business class air, for a fee.  All the other cruise lines do this.  And all of them ask where you are flying from, to, etc.  Regent's cruises are often complex in terms of flights -- our last cruise saw us flying out of our home airport to Rio then cruising to various ports along the coast of Brazil, then across the Atlantic to various ports, then on to Lisbon, from where we flew home.  The other cruise lines base your airfare on where you are flying to and from, as well as class of service.  It is not less expensive to book with them  than it is to book your own flight (except in economy class).  However, it used to be more convenient to do so (although these days, who knows?).

One of the things we liked about Regent was the fact that if we liked a cruise, we knew the price as soon as we figured out our cabin category.  It did not matter whether we lived in NYC (as we used to) or in Scottsdale (as we now do).  You booked your cruise and you paid your price.  You would get international business and domestic economy (often upgradeable, if you had status with the airline booked).  It was part of Regent's all-inclusive ethos: one fare.

Now, it seems, booking on Regent will be no different than booking on Norwegian.  Want a flight with that?  No problem!  Tell Regent where you live, and they will price out an economy flight for you.  Want business class? No problem!  You'll have to pay for that, of course.  Just as if you were cruising on NCL.  Or any other mass market cruise line.

What's next?  Drinks packages?

Count me among those who find the dress code on Regent easy to follow: DH wears a long-sleeved shirt and khakis to dinner.  I wear a dress, appropriate to the weather (from Lilly Pulitzer in the Caribbean to jersey knit on a TA crossing in the off-season).

We just came back from a European vacation, part of which was spent at an Alpine resort just outside Innsbruck.  The dining room had a similar dress code, and we dressed exactly the same as we do on Regent: DH in his long-sleeved shirts and khakis, I, this time, in light merino wool dresses, as the evenings were chilly.

On 5/18/2024 at 12:39 PM, Lonedaddy said:

You should worry anytime you go through LHR.

Wiser words were never spoken.

On 5/17/2024 at 8:14 AM, minotaur said:

We did a cruise recently on Voyager which finished with an overnight in Lisbon. Some passengers were disembarking at 2.30 am for flights, we were off by 7am. So I don't think a 6.30 start will be a problem at all.

We were on this cruise.  We had a flight at, I want to say, 7:30 am, booked by Regent.  They put us on a bus leaving for the airport at 3:30 am.  It was brutal, but Lisbon Airport is notorious for being understaffed and for having long lines every step of the way, so were were happy to make it to our flight with plenty of time to spare.

This is a bit pricey but I have discovered No. 1 de Chanel powder to foam cleanser.  It is a very mild cleanser that is exactly what it sounds like: a powder that, when a bit of water is adder to it, becomes a foam.  I am one of those people with a fairly elaborate evening cleansing routine (micellar water, cleansing balm, mild cleanser, toner, tretinoin, serums, moisturizer).  So getting that one product in powder formula was a big win.

We don't do buffets.  On Voyager, we usually have breakfast in our cabin, and lunch in CR or at the Pool Grill, which has a limited but perfectly delicious light lunch menu.  I, too, find many of. the portions served at the restaurants to be too large, but I want to taste things just the same, so I request half portions or small portions of things like desserts or starchy side dishes.  At Prime 7, I always order the small filet mignon, and rarely manage to finish it.  The staff is happy to accommodate requests for smaller portions of dishes, in my experience.

I use Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50 moisturizer by day.  It is an excellent moisturizer with an SPF 50 that works well on its own or under makeup.

By night, when I travel, I use a travel sized Charlotte Tilbury Magic Night Cream.  It is a heavier version of CT's Magic Cream, moisturizes throughout the night, and smells heavenly (if you do not like scented products, skip this one).

4 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

I don’t understand then if Regent knew way ahead of time that embarkation wouldn’t occur until at the earliest 5 pm, why did they bus those people to the terminal at 1 pm!! ?? They should have given them a bus tour or something to kill time!

I assume Regent did not have time to arrange for a last minute excursion, though I agree, in these circumstances, a HOHO might have done the trick.

Agree with @Gilly that our embarkation in Rio left something to be desired.  Fortunately, by the time we boarded the ship, DH and I felt entirely at peace.  We dropped off our bags, ate lunch with a wonderful couple, and explored the ship  It was the beginning of a wonderful cruise, with embarkation long since forgotten.

One of the easiest things in the day is to put on a dress and a pair of pumps in order to get ready for dinner.  The make up might take a little bit more time (it's amazing how much effort it takes to achieve the "no make up make up" look 😂 ).

Oh, I should add that we have a concierge doctor, and membership there reduces the price of MedJet Assist, so that's nice.  So check your doctor's website.  You never know.

We travel a fair bit (we will have a total of three cruises and two other trips in 2024). so we purchase annual trip insurance with Allianz.  We have not had to use it, but it appears to be fairly comprehensive.  We also have a multi-annual MedJet assist policy.  We also have the Citi Advantage Executive Mastercard, which has a travel insurance feature.  It covers trip delay/cancelation, lost/damaged luggage, that sort of thing.  I would have to look up which insurance covers what first.

On 4/21/2024 at 8:15 AM, Johnthesailor said:

Possibly because they might have posted in the heat of the moment out of frustration and now that they have been on the ship for a while they are having a great time and forgot all about the problem ( and the posting). Just a guess but it seems plausible and even likely.

I hope this is the case.  Count me among those who had a wonderful time on the voyage from Rio to Lisbon a few weeks ago (hello, @Gilly!).  For DH and me, it was our second time on Voyager, third time on Regent.  We love Voyager, love Regent (we have a Christmas cruise booked on Mariner in December/January 2025/2026 already, and are looking to book another cruise with Regent -- we just don't know where we want to go yet).  We feel like we have found a "home" with Regent -- the ships, the crew, and the fellow passengers are something quite special.

This thread is so wonderfully informative!  I really appreciate it.  Our cruise begins in very late November and goes into December.  We start in the Mediterranean, cross the Atlantic, then end up in the Caribbean, so we have a lot of sea days in there.  I'm thinking there will be plenty of Eggs Benedict to look forward to, and I like it.  I am also wondering whether we can request an occasional plate of mini brownies (or cookies, or something like that)  for our cabin, so that we can snack on them in the afternoon/evening while we relax on the balcony with a cup of tea, read, etc.  It sounds so idyllic.  

2 minutes ago, wcsdkqh said:

 

 

 

IMHO, it is not the responsibility of Regent to state whether you have access to an airline lounge. Regent certainly doesn't know what your airline status may be, or what credit cards you may have in your wallet. Perhaps your TA, but perhaps it's on you.

That was precisely my point.  Regent should not be telling passengers they have a business class ticket with full lounge access when a business class ticket does not always guarantee lounge access.  

We were just on Voyager, in a concierge class cabin.  They do bring in shower chairs for you, and you can make them work, but it is a bit of a squeeze.  Place the shower chair in the shower, sit and figure out the best angle.  Then step out and turn the shower on, to get the shower head going at the proper angle and height (I had DH do that for me).  Once that is done, step back in, sit down and enjoy your shower.  The next day, do it again (or, in my case, try to shower when in port or when the ship was not moving as much, and avoid using the shower chair).

22 hours ago, douginct said:

FWIW, we take the small hotel credit and book our own hotel. For our last two Regent cruises from Miami we stayed at the JW Marriott on Brickell for two nights. Nice property, smallish pool and in a great area with loads of restaurants.  Elite Bonvoy members get a very nice buffet breakfast included. And it is a very short Uber or taxi ride to the pier. (Note - not the JW Marriott Marquis - that's a different property).

The one time we stayed in the Regent supplied hotel we were quite dissatisfied.

We stayed at the JW Marriott on Brickell before our last Regent cruise out of Miami.  We loved the views from our room, loved the room itself, enjoyed the breakfast, and found it easy to take an Uber from the hotel to the pier (it was maybe 5-8 minutes).

16 hours ago, PacificView said:

And it's a bit of a nightmare for passengers (like us) already in Barcelona anticipating embarkation.  Regent sent a notification about an hour ago saying that they were working on alternate hotel arrangements and to hold tight.  For sure, embarkation will not happen tomorrow as planned. Arrived in Barcelona yesterday.  Barcelona is a magnificent City, and whatever time is spent here will be thoroughly enjoyed.  In the end it will be a great adventure no matter what.  Hey, I'm not home, and whatever happens tomorrow it's a new experience! 

DH and I love Barcelona!  We have visited several times, and cannot get enough of its architectural wonders, from the Roman to the Medieval to the playful Modernisme.  Its museums are incredible, and the shopping there is a lot of fun (the fashion often echoes the architecture).  And then there is the food.  Oh, my goodness!  From simple tapas bars to high-end restaurants, the food everywhere is delicious, made with the freshest of ingredients.  Enjoy!

On 4/1/2024 at 9:25 AM, SWFLAOK said:

We have an American Airlines Advantage membership number and have miles from several International flights on American but the lounge in Doha wanted to see an AA Advantage credit card which we don't have. But we were allowed into the Qatar Airways business class lounge with a supervisor's approval and 273 dollars. They said that they were having a problem with travel agency's booking business lite and not informing their clients. Our TA told is to keep the receipt and she will talk to Regent about The 273 only includes 6 hours of access, and Regent booked our flights with over 6 hours originally, and it grew to 9.5 hours over the months since we booked. We found out that there was a Bangkok flight at 8:10 that they could have booked us on but didn't. We would have been willing to pay for an extra night through Regent for that.  At least the terminal here is beautiful compared to the one at MIA.

We were told we had access to the lounge included on our return flights which has First class tickets from Abu Dhabi to Doha and business lite from Doha to Miami, but we only have 2 hours in between.

We will be looking out for business lite and business restricted fares in the future since we now know it might cost a lot more.

Wow.  We have the Advantage card, as well as (and perhaps more importantly) OW Emerald status, which helps grant entry to OW alliance business class lounges when flying on an alliance airline, even when not flying in business class (as long as they are not overcrowded on that day, which can be an issue).  The ME3 (the three major ME airlines), are renowned for being quite restrictive in their lounge policies, and Regent should be careful in stating whether passengers will have lounge access when clearly Regent is purchasing the most restrictive tickets for its passengers.

The days of the most luxurious cruise line in the world are long gone.  We seem to be heading down a path of, well, you are getting international business class, at least in the air.

We put in a request for Diet Coke before each cruise.  It is not in our mini fridge when we get there, but then we remind our cabin steward/ess, and the fridge is stocked and re-stocked regularly.  We don't drink alcohol (DH will have wine and/or champagne with a special meal; it is contraindicated with some of the medications I take), but we appreciate having water and Diet Coke in our cabin and available at meals, as well as tea/coffee at breakfast and after meals, so we appreciate Regent's attention to detail in having our favorite soda available when we request it.

I did notice Caffeine-Free Diet Coke regularly poolside during this last cruise, so it was available (either someone pre-ordered it or it was readily available).  IME, your best bet is to make the request ahead of time via e-mail.  They do seem to honor these requests.

We were in a G category on Splendor back in February for a one-week Caribbean cruise.  It was fine, but we found it a bit narrow.  Also, we were used to Voyager, where all cabin categories have walk-in closets.  G category on Splendor has a much smaller closet.  It was fine for a one-week Caribbean cruise, but it would have been problematic for a longer, TA cruise.  Ultimately, we realized that on Explorer and Splendor class of ships, we need to book F class and above suites if we are booking a longer cruise.

We had dinner at Prime 7 last night and our waiter, Christian, recognized us, as he had worked on Splendor until recently, and we were on Splendor in February (OK, that is a bit embarrassing to admit, but we did not plan it that way -- it was just rescheduled for us when I could not take the cruise we were supposed to take in January 2022 because I caught Covid).  Anyhow, Christian was delightful, and so happy to see us!  

The food in Prime 7 was excellent (both DH and I had filets mignons).  The service was a bit slow, though we don't mind that.  We are in vacation mode, and relaxed is fine.  The acoustics at this Prime 7 are not great: it gets loud as it gets full.  This is not a problem at the Splendor specialty restaurants.  Not sure why Voyager's specialty restaurants are so loud.

@Gilly, I thnk we may have had lunch with you and your DH yesterday.  Getting onto the ship was indeed, chaotic, what with traffic and then rather a mess at the port itself.  Sit and wait. Get ready, a shuttle is here.  No, sorry, sit and wait again.  When the shuttle finally arrived, I realized I could not physically climb into it (I have a mobility impairment and am short), so the wheelchair pusher pushed me to the ship, with my DH walking alongside us.  I think we looked dead by the time we boarded.  One funny thing: our muster station is at Prime 7, so DH joked that in case of emergency, we'll be fed well on our way off the ship.

We saw sail-away from our balcony and were asleep by 11 pm. Jet lag resolved by exhaustion.

We flew in from PHX to MIA last night, then had an 11:00 pm flight from MIA to GIG.  Well . . . 

When we boarded in PHX, we did not take off for some time.  Apparently, there was weather over GA, so we did not get clearance to take off for a couple of hours.  We therefore arrived MIA quite late.  However, our flight out of MIA was also delayed (apparently, there was a -- not a joke -- lavatory leak).  They eventually had to get us a new plane, and we did not take off until almost 2:00 am.  We arrived in GIG and were told they did not know whether my wheelchair had been loaded onto the new plane.  Welcome to Rio!  After the (wonderful) special assistance gentlemen who pushed my wheelchair and helped us get our luggage at the carousel ascertained that my wheelchair was, in fact, at the airport, we made our way to the area where the Regent folks were waiting, and what a large group that turned out to be!

We were driven to our hotel (the JW Marriott) and then we went through the pre-check-in procedure.  After that, we were given cheesy bread and coffee and then we were taken to our room.  We then spent the afternoon on a tour of Rio (Christ Redeemer and Sugar Loaf), and have spent the evening having dinner.  DH is asleep on the couch.  I am about to wash up, figure out what to wear tomorrow, and call it night.  I think we are both exhausted.

See you on board!