papaflamingo

Don't know... but likely. I turned it down and opted for the non-stop.

I can't argue with your logic at all, but the difference between "included air" and "cruise only" on line is the air credit. So if I choose to pay my own air, I can see on line how much "cruise only" will cost and it's a published rate. For example, if I look at the May, 2, 2026 Navigator cruise from Bangkok to Tokyo the "all inclusive fare" (includes air) is $19,299. The "all inclusive cruise fare" (no air) is $13099. So the air credit is $6200. If I follow it out and select "Atlanta" as my departure, the total for 2 is $37,288 and if I select Los Angeles as my gateway, the cost is also $37.288. When I select "no air" the total for 2 is $24,888 or $12,400, $6200 per person. I checked some other gateway's too (Mobile, Milwaukee, and Omaha) and the price doesn't change. I will say the "booked" cost is lower than the published fare, Don't know why, probably my frequent cruiser discount.

Actually, we are flying Tokyo to Atlanta in March. When I deviated, I called Regent (I always handle my own deviation requests) and when I was talking to the very nice agent and found that the non-stop on Delta from Haneda to Atlanta had an up charge, I asked what could I get without the up charge for the same day. She told me I could get Japan Airlines to Boston (I think) then JetBlue to Atlanta (coach only on JetBlue). So I chose the non-stop. But if you handle your own deviation, they'll tell you what flights are available on straight contract rates, so you can find out the routing they'll likely give you.

I have not been on Explorer, we go in 2 weeks so it'll be a great time to compare. But I'd like to say two things I found.... we really liked the hot tubs in the aft on Grandeur. We would go out there around 5 pm with our friends and there'd be hardly anyone there so the 4 of us would have one of the tubs all to ourselves. If anyone else was there, having 3 tubs, one very large, allowed for groups to be in their own tubs and lots of space. We really loved sitting there and "hot tubbing" after a shore excursion, watching the wake. The second comment, and this is really, for me, the biggest issue. Looking at the picture of Explorer's theater, it appears the "sofas" behind the chairs are straight where on Grandeur, in most rows, they are curved. Looks nice, but I found that the curve of the "sofa" made it quite uncomfortable and I would move to a straight "sofa" or chair. I personally think the straight "sofas" are a much better idea.

Coincidently, we sailed Mariner on Dec. 2 and Grandeur on Jan. 8. We had one day where the toilets were shutdown while we were in port so they could fix the situation. And another where they shutdown in our cabin for an hour or so, and that was on a 10 night cruise. It's a shipboard problem for sure, and I don't think anyone really knows what is causing it. BUT, at one point it was going around that there were some air leaks in seals in the system preventing the system vacuum from working and that was what they were trying to deal with. Interestingly, my son was a Navy Pilot for 20 years. He deployed on the USS Bush and the Bush had the vacuum toilet system, For the 7 month deployment the system never fully functioned. Each morning they'd announce which "heads" were available for use. They assigned some personnel to do nothing but keep toilets operating for the entire 7 months! As to the noise situation, yes, we could hear our neighbors (I was in an F-2 cabin 811). But ONLY from one side, the side with the couch. And I was sitting on the couch when I heard them. I suspect he was on his couch too, talking to his wife across the room. But it was maybe 3 times in 16 days and never when we were trying to rest or sleep. So I agree the insulation issue is there, but honestly we were never bothered by it. And we never heard our neighbors on the "tv" side of the cabin and they never heard us, we were traveling with them and I told them if the tv gets too loud let us know. They never heard it. So.... who knows.

Well, I can only comment on what I found. And since Regent's credit was actually almost exactly the same as Royal Caribbean's price for a similar routing, it indicates that if they are "keeping" any of the air cost, it's extremely small and would be no more than an administrative fee. But heck... it is what it is and I can't even come close to matching either Royal Caribbean's cost or Regent's cost and I get a 25% or greater discount on Delta via an employee discount program. But can I ask, what is your "limited experience?" I would be sincerely interested in what leads you to the conclusion that Regent is keeping some of the air cost.

My guess... it was a combination of "slipping" and Covid. There are still a lot of issues surrounding the 2 years that the cruise lines were shutdown and their recovery. Supply chains are still stressed worldwide. For example, Makers Mark bourbon had to reduce their overseas shipments, and is no longer available on Regent ships. Shore excursion companies went out of business and haven't started back up. Regent fights with all the other cruise lines for those limited tour companies. Crew members found better jobs at home as their economies began to recover and job markets opened. All the cruise lines (it seems) added ships. That created a demand for thousands of NEW crew members. Example, Grandeur alone added an additional 550 crew member jobs, and RCCL Icon of the Seas added nearly 2400 NEW crew jobs. That's 3000 NEW JOBS on just 2 ships!! So the availability of crew, especially those with the experience to deliver the service on Regent is hard to find. So yeah... it seems the ships are understaffed and availability of certain items, food, alcohol, wine, etc. is more limited. But Regent still seems to respond to any request or try to rectify any issue a passenger has. And if you compare to other cruise lines, Regent is doing as well or better in delivering their product.

I read somewhere (can't really remember where) that the air credit is the actual amount that Regent pays for air, that they don't make money off of it. I can't actually say where I read that, but last year when I booked our Hong Kong to Tokyo cruise (we leave next week) I compared a similar cruise, Singapore to Tokyo, on Royal Caribbean. When you look at Royal Caribbean cruises you can also access their Air Dept. and find out what their air costs would be. So I priced Business Class to Singapore and return from Tokyo. The cost to purchase those flights using Royal Caribbean was actually a bit MORE than the Regent Air credit. It could have been the difference between flying to Singapore vs. Hong Kong, but it was very close. So that indicates that what I read Regent about not making money on their air program is probably correct.

The cost of air is factored into the cost of the cruise, and it's based on contract rates. Maybe Regent doesn't have contract rates with Icelandic to London. Maybe you can call Regent and ask to deviate and see if they'll let you go on Icelandic for less. You might be able to get cheaper rates if you ask to be in economy or premium select too. But the advertised rate is what their contract is to that port city.

Not necessarily. We had to cancel our Oct. cruise due to Covid. The cost of the cruise, fully refunded less port fees which Regent refunded, was way more than all the premiums I've paid over 25 years and 40 cruises. We also had a claim in 2011 due to a family death. Regent cruises are so expensive, one claim and you'll be way ahead of all the premium costs of your cruise lifetime.

Actually I think you might be misunderstanding a bit. The insurance company, in fact, IS the entity that loses out. They have to pay out your total claim. They recover nothing from anyone else. So `100% of the payout is out of their coffers. The cruise line gets paid no matter what, it's the insurance company that loses the money. Travel Insurance is pretty straightforward. But I rarely use cruise company's insurance because it is usually more expensive and it doesn't cover any costs associated with pre or post cruise stays, or if you book your own flights, etc. I had to cancel our cruise in Oct. due to Covid. We had a third party company, GoReady. They covered everything except what Regent refunded (port fees), including hotel stays that were non-refundable, etc. You just have to make sure you include those costs in the amount you insure for. Regent's plan would not have covered those.

My wife is allergic to seafood and she had 2 great meals at Pacific Rim.

Delta isn't "declining" to sell open business seats to anyone. But if Regent has no contract rates at all, all they can do as act as a "travel agent" and book the flights at full price, the same price you can get for yourself. So what they'll do is only offer to put you on airlines that they have some contract rates, even if that means an upcharge (the contract rate is higher than what they charge in the advertised cruise price for air). And yes, Delta DID have contract rates with Regent, and all the other cruise lines for that matter. The report is that they are no longer offering any contract rates, but that may be overstated. It could be that they just aren't offering contract rates for certain routes. And it could be they aren't offering them for certain high time travel dates. We will really never know other than to ask for.a Delta flight and see what we can get. I am a retired Delta pilot. I can get at least a 25% discount on any Delta flight through an employee discount program. Even with this discount, it was still cheaper for me to book through Regent and pay a $1000 up charge. And I'm talking at least $1000 CHEAPER. So Regent's contract rate, even though it required an up charge, was extremely deep.

I believe Regent only charges what the airline charge to them is. So the fact that Icelandic Air is not lay-flat but actually domestic first class is already factored into the equation.

We were on Grandeur in Jan. for the Panama Canal. Yes we heard our neighbors but only a couple of times, and only on the side where the couch is. I was sitting on the couch both times and I think our neighbor was too while talking to his wife. On the tv side of the cabin, our friends were in there, neither of us heard each other or the tv. So I think the noise report may be a bit over exaggerated, or maybe it was just that when I took my hearing aids out the noise seemed to stop. 😜 Anyway, it's real, for sure, but in our case (we were in 811) just not a big deal at all. Enjoy the beautiful Grandeur and have a wonderful cruise. 😎

No. Haven't forced disembarkation for a couple of years now. Now they quarantine you to your cabin (or a separate cabin if available) for a period (around 5 days) until you test negative (I think 2 days in a row). Then, I believe, you still have to mask for a few days after you are out of quarantine. I believe they do carry Paxlovid, but from what I hear it's pretty expensive on the ship so make sure you have medical in your travel insurance. As for who can or cannot take it, ask your doctor.

I'm retired airline. The way it works is that Regent includes a specific amount in your cruise fare for air. You can see this amount on the website. This represents the ticket prices that the airlines gives Regent via "contract." Unfortunately since Covid the airlines are horribly short of flight crews so fewer flights, and so many people are traveling, so seats are pretty much a premium. Delta, apparently, isn't willing to give Regent "contract rates" anymore. So that eliminates them from the mix. That's also why so many flights have stops and undesirable times, vs. non-stop, i.e. early or late departures, short layovers for flight changes, etc. The desirable flights are selling for premium and are selling out. So, it's not that the airline policies are "interfering with Regent's advertised 'free business air," it's just that ticket prices have gone through the roof so Regent has, and will continue to have to, raise their cruise fares to cover the higher cost of airline tickets.

Yeah... don't blame you for not wanting to cal them. Good luck...hope you get it al worked out. It'll be a great cruise either way. 😎

Yeah.... My mistake. I was looking at my reservations for our upcoming cruise and got confused. What it means is that you DO have a 7:00 reservation for the 4 top, and I suspect that the only times available for a 2 top are 8:30 and 9:00, 7:00 is a very popular time. You can try a couple thing...you can select a different time and then you would definitely get the new reservation or you can call Regent and see if they can change it for you. Also, you can go to the Dining Reservation person on board and see if they can change it for you too. . Sorry for the confusion.

What you have posted shows that you already HAVE a 2 top reserved in Prime 7 for 7pm.

Thanks.... appreciate the info. 😎

You don't have to call Regent, all you have to do is open up your "Make Dining Reservations" prompt, select "NO" for "Share Table" and it switches to 2 tops available. You can look at the days for each restaurant and see if any availability exists, including the day you already have. Simply select the day and time you want and select "Reserve New" prompt the it will cancel your first reservation and give you the new one, and it'll be a 2 top (there may be a "confirm" prompt of some sort too, don't remember). You have to do each step or each restaurant, including selecting "NO" for "Share Table." But DON'T cancel your current reservation, selecting a "New Reservation" will automatically do that when you confirm your choices.

To add to what Minotaur said.... I just did this a few months ago for our Grandeur cruise that we completed on Jan. 24th. When you get into Dining Reservations, you'll see the "add another guest" prompt as. Minotaur shows. Select it, fill in the information for the other reservation, and select "NO" for "Share Table." BE SURE TO SELECT THE "ADD GUEST" PROMPT!!!! This will put you in a 4 top for the 4 of you. It will only. bring up times available for 4 top tables in each restaurant. Simply select your time and confirm you reservation (you'll see the prompt). It's also very important that the other couple doesn't try to make reservations. That'll delete what you make. You should get an email confirmation showing a party of 4.

They'll announce any changes when changes are made. I get that people would like to know what the "plan" is, but Mariner isn't even scheduled to get to the Red Sea until April 13. That's over 2 months from now. And Navigator doesn't go until May. A lot is going to happen during the next 2 months. There is a possibility, perhaps a good one based on last nights actions, that the threat will be mitigated by then. Regent probably doesn't have a "drop dead" date yet for making the decision. So they probably can't tell you when the decision will be made. The Red Sea is very important to the world economy. The world isn't going to sit back and let this continue very long. Relax and enjoy your cruise. You are headed to the most beautiful part of the world, the South Pacific! Don't worry about what's going to happen in 2 months. The worst that will happen is that they'll route the ship around Africa instead of going through Suez Canal. Seeing Africa would be fantastic in my opinion. So either way it will be an amazing cruise. I wish I was on it! 😎

If you select a night that shows "available," you will see at the top of the list "share a table" with a "yes" or "no" prompt. Click the "no" prompt and any available "2 top" times will come up. If you want one of those times you simply select the time then hit "reserve new" and your earlier reservation will be automatically cancelled and you'll have the new time confirmed.