seasickphil

5 hours ago, wcsdkqh said:

Consider yourself fortunate.

Are you seriously saying that the Miami porters/baggage staff would purposely damage your luggage if you didn't give them money, surely that happened back in the Al Capone days, wasn't it called protection money then, not a tip.

Tips are normally given to the guides if you go on any included shore excursions.

1 hour ago, Kristal Blade said:

I was hoping there would be one waiting for us. 
thanks for that insider info, Kwaj girl.

1982CruzStart, I prefer to wait till I have unpacked before I have my first glass, I would put things all over the place if I was under the influence! But a glass during the re pack is a must!

There will be a bottle of Monopole Blue Top on ice, waiting for you when you first enter your suite. 

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

And even worse in a way is seeming to say that you’ve got lots of dosh so you expect to be treated better than your fellow passengers. Actually this applies at all levels. I would not expect a passenger in a Q1 to be treated with greater courtesy and helpfulness than those in an inside cabin, and I don’t think they are.

I totally agree but if was in a Q1 and found out that i had lost my table to someone who had given a hefty or even a small tip/bribe then i would certainly be a bit miffed and would definitely let my displeasure be known to the hotel manager.

4 hours ago, swjumbo said:

Our initial table was too close to people we had absolutely nothing in common with.

Be prepared, first time Queens Grill patrons, that a sweetener, bribe, tip, whatever you want to call it might just make your cruise more palatable!

 

I can only talk about QV and QE as i have not sailed in the grills on QM2, all the tables are, shall we say cosy/close what if your window table had been close to people you had nothing in common with, would you then, after given a sweetener for the window table ask to be moved to another table.

2 minutes ago, swjumbo said:

Well you know what? 
Whatever you call it, it worked and we had a lovely time in the dining room!

I'm sure you would have had a lovely time even without having a window table. I know many people do like  a window table however.

16 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I 100% agree and would dearly hope the M'ds are professional enough to ignore such a blatant attempt to influence.

 

As an aside, we  witnessed an almost tantrum last August when a passenger  didn't get  a window seat.  Really amusing.

We have not had a window table and don't really see the need. As you know, the tables shall we say make dining somewhat cosy and therefore a view can be had from the majority anyway. Most of the time i am too busy enjoying the lovely food rather than gazing out of the window as well.

18 minutes ago, swjumbo said:

We asked regular Cunarders this very question about table selection.

 

The best advice we got was to get to the dining room early and give the Maître d’ a hefty tip.

Having a specific table might be nice but the people on the next table might not be to your taste!

 

Some people might construe that to be a bribe rather than a tip.

18 hours ago, Techno123 said:

Although we don't sail until December, based on edgee's post, will Regent accept a certified test that has not been observed ( a company in the UK called Randox offer a certifly certificate - you do these yourself and scan the results) or do you have to be observed on video or have one done 'in person'. As we fly out on Saturday and board on Monday we could get one done at the airport and be within the 3 days.

We used Randox Certify Certificate for our tests before we boarded Voyager in April this year. We used Randox after being assured by Regent that those tests were ok for travel.

lincslady

11 hours ago, lincslady said:

Sadly for anyone who has problems on their first cruise with a new line, they will almost certainly never use it again, so I really hope you will 'have a good one', unlike some recent Crystal aficionados.

That is so true, we have only cruised twice with Regent and if our experience on Voyager last month had been our first then we would not have sailed again on Regent.

When we spoke to a Senior Officer on Voyager regarding our concerns he said there had been several issues on the cruise but assured us that our next cruise on Voyager would be back to what we experienced on our first cruise with Regent.

All i can say is that i sincerely hope this is the case.

7 hours ago, Techno123 said:

mumcat I see you are in France - do you get the same deals with Regent as we do in the UK? If so, the business class air our American cousins get is only offered to us now and again as a 'special deal' so it's cattle class for us 😜😂 

 

I made a comment to someone who was worried about Seabourn which doesn't add all the extras like flights and excursions but quality is on a par with Regent food, accommodation and service and is still my preferred line but it all depends on what is on offer.

Similarly, we have only sailed once with Oceania and very much enjoyed it so would definitely sail with them again using that 'it depends' caveat 😁 For the UK market (unsure re other countries) air fare and transfers were included, they offer the O Life choice so you can choose cruise credits, a certain number of excursions or a drinks package (soft drinks, tea, speciality coffees, mocktails are all included anyway). Sometimes you get all of them as part of O Life ultimate. Gratuities are sometimes included and sometimes not - depends on the offer. So in summary, it would depend on the deal offered and the itinerary and whether you can be bothered doing the comparison. 

I have to agree with much of what you say, here in the UK the prices for Regent are now getting out of our comfort zone. Prices are now difficult to find at under £500 a night pp and many cruises rising to a very considerable £700/800 pp and this is for the lowest grade cabins. You may not always be able to compare everything like for like with other cruise lines but there comes a point when, unless you are millionaires you have to look at what you are getting for your money and on our cruise on Voyager last month i don't consider that we did.

22 minutes ago, Techno123 said:

Hope you didn't get seasick as well, Phil! Sounds like you and your wife suffered more than I did - maybe the Norovirus lowered your immune system so you suffered more? (Or was that a different cruise) What I meant was when Covid is considered to be the equivalent of a cold type virus and the quarantine doesn't happen anymore. (I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed a cruise if I was quarantined in my suite 😱)

Whilst people are still being quarantined though, I think it is important that everyone onboard wears masks, washes their hands and maintains social distancing so that they protect others. I had symptoms for 4 days before the LFT showed positive so even a negative test doesn't mean you aren't infectious.

I was thinking the same, probably my immune system was indeed a bit low and that might be why Covid seem to be affecting me more. Unfortunately on our only sea day from Rome to Palma there was a fair bit of sea swell and yes i was seasick but only for a few hours in the afternoon, recovered enough to be able to go to dinner.

On 4/24/2022 at 5:48 PM, Techno123 said:

It's going back to what I said in a previous post. The vast majority of the people I know who have had Covid since the UK lifted all restrictions have not been particularly ill and in fairness, I could have totally enjoyed a cruise when I had it. BUT even if the countries remove restrictions, whilst the cruise ships quarantine or offload people with Covid then it is important to protect each other. If they change their rules so it is no more of an issue than having a common cold then happy days.

We got off Voyager in Lisbon and travelled back to the UK on Good Friday 15th April, i tested positive for Covid on Tuesday 19th i felt rotten for 3 days and even now i feel tired and have very little taste or smell, so my experience of having Covid is completely different to yours, as i certainly would not have enjoyed a cruise one little bit. My wife tested positive this Monday and has felt pretty rough since. Also how could you possibly enjoy a cruise when you are quarantined in your suite. On our cruise i got Norovirus and we were quarantined from Monday afternoon to 2pm on Thursday and i can honestly say it was not a pleasant cruise experience at all.

2 hours ago, flossie009 said:

 

 

I thought this topic was about the reported poor service standards on board the first two Voyager cruises following restart.

Not sure how we have drifted into the unrelated subject of compensation for delayed flights.

 

 

 

Excuse me, i just responded to your post 209. You where the one talking about cancelled cruises in response to ON cruiser post, i was explaining to your point that you do not have to have cancelled cruises / flights to obtain compensation.

I do agree however as we are all now home from the first 2 cruises, perhaps it is now time move on and look into CJANDH thread Voyager cruise 3.

9 hours ago, CJANDH said:

They are playing. The first production show was postponed as one of the dancers reported sick Scared us as we obviously thought covid. But no. He had food poisoning from a trip ashore in Lisbon and is now back with the team. The postponed show goes on tonight.

There was only 1 production show on our cruise departing from Barcelona 05/04/22, don't know if it went ahead as we were quarantined when it was scheduled.

1 hour ago, flossie009 said:

I was not aware that the cruise(s) in question had been cancelled or delayed.

 

In the UK a flight only have to be delayed for 3 plus hours to be entitled to compensation, it does not need to be cancelled.

2 hours ago, CJANDH said:

I am on Voyager now for its cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona. It is day 1 . . . a sea day. So far things are looking pretty good. I will start a new thread with my observations from this cruise. Stay tuned. Chris.

Chris,

I hope and expect you will have a great cruise. When i spoke to a manager Thursday afternoon he appeared to me to be pretty confident that many of the problems had indeed been ironed out.

10 hours ago, Pcardad said:

I am sorry you were ill and that it didn't get better...we agree it should have.

Thank you. I would like say that things might well have improved significantly but because of the virus i just didn't get the chance to find out. I'm feeling much better today and will get a chance later to see if things improve on Voyager as i'm sure they will, as you have rightly said before, these issues pale into insignificance with the atrocities that are happening in certain parts of the world today, where lives will never return to normal.

33 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Perhaps instead of judging me for a couple posts on this thread, you might note that I have made over 2,300 other posts...and I have been critical where I felt it was warranted. Mostly, I just tried to be helpful.

 

I intend to buy a cruise in the next couple of weeks and see if the current Voyager experience is similar to what I know it was like based on my time with Regent or if it is different. I will then report back. Not much more i can do to rectify the situation...I already pointed this post out to Corporate.

 

I am adding this - when Regent first cancelled cruises, I was vilified for suggesting that people relax and take a deep breath and allow Regent some time to work out their issues regarding refunding money. It took a little while but they refunded it all within the 60 days they said...and that story had a happy ending. Lets all hope this one does as well. 😃 

I am certainly not judging you at all not on this thread nor any other.

Today I disembarked Voyager, but before getting off i spoke to two senior

staff managers regarding some of the issues which I and many others experienced on this cruise. Firstly both of them agreed that there had been issues from day one of Voyager’s restart. They went on to say that things had not been up to Regents required standard for their guests but had been working hard to improve on some of the issues. One asked if I had seen any improvement since the mid term questionnaire’s were submitted in the bars as they had taken extra measures to improve the service, I said unfortunately i could not say as I did not get to go into any of the bars afterwards due to getting norovirus. Both of them agreed that the high standards of Regent had not been met on the first cruise and at the beginning of this one.They were very apologetic but when you have paid a very large amount of money to take this cruise and Regent tell you that you can expect an unrivalled experience and they don’t deliver then most people would feel short changed.

There were many first time Regent cruisers on this cruise, i think Regent would have wished for a much better start for them. If I hadn’t already experienced what Regent excel at then I don’t think I would be rushing to book with them again. I’m back on Voyager for 18 nights in 2024, so hopefully that’s time enough for them to iron out these issues and get back to the value’s Regent promise.

6 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

I do not work for Regent. I am self-employed. I do not consider your statement accurate as I RAIL on Regent for a number of issues (Internet, failure to disclosure quarantine policy in writing on board, failure to enforce pool lounge policy, etc.). In this case, I feel that the expectation that first cruises post-Coiid should be just like last cruises pre-Covid is a faulty assumption. That is only my opinion. Regent doesn't agree with me as they kicked back 10%.

 

And before someone claims I am not being honest, less than 3% of my income comes from TA bookings of which Regent is a small part. Every night that I  have spent on board (approaching 500) was paid for as a full fare passage. I think they fail in areas like technology and client communication on a regular basis but giving credit where credit is due...they obviously agreed with the passengers on board who were disappointed and backed it up with $$.

 

Rather than take Regent's side, I am spending my own money and going to see for myself. Anyone else willing to do so?

I was only referring to your posts on this thread.

To be fair you need to have been on one of last two cruises on Voyager and then take another a bit later to be able to see if improvement had been made.

2 hours ago, Pcardad said:

To make a true comparison, the same person would have to compare the two. I will get on Voyager sometime in the next couple of weeks and check it out.

 

To be fair how can that possibly be a true comparison, Voyager maybe all shipshape and tickety boo by then.

Can I respectfully ask do you work for Regent in any way, as you certainly jump to their defence if anything negative is said against them.

11 hours ago, Smitty A said:

I have no intention of going tit for tat with you.   I stand corrected it was not you that expected compensation……long thread…..my apologies.    I hope your future cruises are up to your expectations.  

You certainly don’t have to apologise it is not needed. After all you got 9 likes & alidor totally agreed with what you said, so either like you they didn’t read my posts correctly or if they did then it’s obviously me that is completely wrong. I was just going by what Regent say.

Allow us to take care of every detail, every luxury included, exquisitely prepared food from around the world etc etc.

Well on this cruise Barcelona to Lisbon and by the sound of it the previous one these claims for me have not been met.

Anyway enough of this as the Doctor is soon coming to see me and take my temperature and hopefully release me from my cabin where I have been confined in from Monday afternoon with Norovirus so fingers crossed I can get ashore with my wife sometime today.

2 hours ago, Smitty A said:

You had to wait five minutes?  Five whole minutes?   Five?   That is your complaint? With all due respect, what is it you expect?    You also mentioned that “a couple of times”  your meat has been over cooked.   Three meals a day is 21 meals and “a couple of times” your meat was over cooked? ( a subjective complaint if there ever was one)  As wonderful as Regent is, it is not perfect, which is what it seems like you expect.   I know of no experience at sea that is perfect.  Your experience is what you make of it.   Having to wait a while for a drink in a lounge during the busy times before dinner?  For this you expect some compensation?   I am sad to say unless things are much worse than this, you have no sympathy from me.   Just my two cents.  I wonder what you expect as compensation IF things would really go wrong.   

I don’t know where you get 21 meals from, you might, but I certainly don’t eat meat for breakfast, shore excursions have got in the way of lunches so that leave six evening meals, two of those I had fish leaving four so 50% were overcooked, you think that is acceptable do you? 
I was talking about inexperienced staff which is what a lot of this thread has been about.I have never had a waiter take the cups off the table and then bringing them back with the pot of tea in over 20 yrs of cruising.You are right over 5 mins is not very long but we just popped in for a quick cuppa  without having food before going on a shore excursion, so not having a cup of tea was no big deal.

You are perfectly entitled to have your 2 cents worth this is a forum after all, but when having a go or as you say your 2 cents worth please make sure you get your facts right first. Please reread my post and show me anywhere you can see anything about me expecting any form of compensation.

It is our 7th day into the cruise and I’m sorry to say things have not improved much if at all. The food has been hit and miss, the wait times for drinks is patchy, only this morning at breakfast in La Veranda it was busy but was eventually found a table, it was quickly made up with all the necessary utensils, we asked for 2 teas with skimmed milk, the waiter took the cups off the table disappeared in the kitchen and over 5 mins later reappeared with same 2 cups, 2 pots of tea but no milk. We were not having any food so we could only sit and wait.

My opinion on this is Voyager did not return to service until the 26th March 2022, much later than other cruise ships and therefore all the more experienced staff had already found employment, so Voyager has many inexperienced staff and consequently are struggling. Even now many people both newbies and others who have sailed with Regent before have been complaining.

It is obviously going to take more time for them to get up to speed. I hope they can do this before our next cruise on Voyager in 2024.

On 4/10/2022 at 11:23 AM, flossie009 said:

How would they have identified your deck & suite number had you not attached your DiY labels?

Did the Regent representative at the hotel have a supply of Regent deck luggage tags?

I can only speak about our experience, we had a pre night stay at the Hotel Sofia Barcelona. We were given luggage labels by the Regent team at the hotel  to attach to our luggage ourselves, what was not good for us was the fact they wanted to pick our luggage up at 8am when we were not going to be picked up for our transfer until 12.45. We sorted it out with the hotel who told us to just ring the reception up when it was convenient.