commodore2010

We have compared Regent to both land and other cruise options. Regent has usually come out the winner.

In comparing to land vacations, a Regent cruise or a cruse vacation in general usually wins by a landslide with the exception of a few destinations.

This year we are actually taking a land vacation to India. Luxury travel in India is very reasonable.

In comparing to other cruises, by the time you add the air, drinks, excursions, pre hotel, transfers, etc., Regent is very competitive in our assessments.

Wasn't Don VIto's only on the Navigator? We thought it was fun the first time but once was enough.

I thought Don Vitos was only on the Diamond. Wasn't there some Italian singer that people liked?

Price is relative to meeting your ideal value proposition. For me, Regent is still a good value considering the other travel options.

the price has gone up substantially in the past 5 or so years, but so has the inclusions. The "all-inclusive" product appeals to us. LOVE the included excursions. LOVE the included bar drinks.

We are treated very well by the staff. We like the food. Suite size is good. We find the atmosphere terrific. The friendly nature of the other cruisers.

We haven't sailed Silversea because there is no reason to switch. Crystal was not for us.

Yes, Approx 60 days until stuff arrived at Regent HQ, then a week to get to me.

Not odd to me. You and me made the mistake of leaving stuff behind. I was very grateful that the staff was honest enough to report it lost. THAT doesn't happen very often anymore. Try leaving something in a hotel room --GONE.

I have never posted on a Roll Call even though we have done a few Regent Cruises. Not sure why, but haven't.

Also, I believe one reason is that CC posters are just a very small percent of the passengers even though many here may think otherwise.

I don't blame him for returning it. Hendricks is not considered expensive or exclusive. It is approx. $30 retail. If someone ordered Louis XIII Remy Martin then you would expect to pay big $$$$. Or pay for something like Johnnie Walker Blue.

I guess I'll find out on the next cruise.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. It was an interesting range of opinions! I'm not sure what direction we'll take at this point but the discussion has been very helpful. FYI - it is Air Canada we will be flying on.

Had my worst airline experience with Air Canada. I've flown close to 750K miles and Air Canada is on my short list of "no fly".

Other people like Air Canada but I cannot forgive them for what they did to me and to the 100 other people they stranded because of a mechanical failure in Toronto (Hub). The way it was handled was totally amateurish and should have been embarrassing for them. Unfortunately it was a two day event of management ineptitude.

Sorry for the rant. Air Canada holds a special place in my heart.

Istanbul is a top 10 city for me. I have only done the private transfer because I always stay a couple extra days wherever we disembark. If you are not staying a couple extra days, please reconsider and stay in this wonderful city.

$166 upcharge for Hendricks Gin? That's ridiculous. It's a $30 bottle.

I have asked for a specific liquor and have always been accommodated as recently as last September.

I just have the feeling that no matter what Regent did or didn't do, that some people will find fault with it.

It does get old.

A friendly reminder that originally when it was first announced that the design of the subject suites had changed, there was no offer of any refund or ability to change to a different suite.

 

It was only after an outcry that the offer to cancel without paying the deposit or changing suites was offered. While they certainly have the ability to make changes in the design of any of the suites without any legal obligation to provide compensation or allow cancellation or change without any penalty.

 

The cheerleaders on this board who are praising the offer to avoid the penalty need to understand that had there not been an outcry, there most likely would not have been any change from the head office. What is upsetting is that the home office had to be called on the table before doing the right thing when a company that really cared about more than the bottom line would have provided some sort of offer with the initial announcement.

I don't know if your narrative on this issue is correct or not. I have not seen anyone post the initial communications from Regent to the affected customers or to their TA's.

I doubt that this "outcry" thread got anything changed. Complaints via phone by those affected would.

Sometimes we tip, sometimes we don't. It really depends on the service provided. I do believe that exceptional service deserves something extra at the end of the cruise.

On our Regent Cruises, we have never felt like the butler, steward, waiter, etc. was asking or hinting for a tip. All tips have been gratefully accepted.

Have not done the Crew Fund. Something to consider, but I would still tip exceptional service as well.

While tax laws might be a very small part of why there are so few US crew membrs, the biggest reasons are the relatively low pay on most cruise lines, the lack of work effort by many US emloyees, the long hours which most US employees don't want to work the long hours required on cruise ship and the fact that many foreign workers are happy to work the long hours and relatively low pay on cruise ships.

 

For many foreign workers, the pay on the cruise ships is relatively high compared to what they would earn in their home country and their work ethic is much higher that US workers with skills needed to work on cruise ships making it a no brainer to hire mostly foreign workers on cruise ships.

 

As the Jones Act requires only US workers on US Flagged ships, when the first ships started doing Hawaii cruises several years ago with US Flagged ships, there were many issues with the all US crew with crew actually leaving the ship during cruises and it was reported that cruises were less acceptable then other cruises using mostly foreign crew. Now down to one ship doing Hawaii only cruises and things have improved so taxes are a miniscule reason for very few US crew members on cruise ships.

Very true.

I remember NCL having a heck of a time with the crew in the first year or so. If I recall correctly , they had 2 ships US flagged in Hawaii at one time.

Regent doesn't owe them anything but a full refund if they want to cancel. Regent has given them plenty of notice. SHIP happens when you are building a ship. Get over it.

The US State Department should put out a warning for Chicago. 2,700 shootings last year. One person shot every 3.5 hours.

Baghdad had approx. 1000 deaths in 2014. Chicago will have approx. 1000 homicides this year.

It just doesn't make the news.

You are approx. 25,000 more times likely to die from obesity than a terrorist. So stop eating all that food on the cruise.

You are also 2500 more times likely to kill yourself.

Therein lies the "bingo."

 

Folks who view Norwegian as something it was not designed to be ...create mammoth misconceptions.

 

You can have a great vacation if you understand the "ground rules."

 

 

 

But, as you say, the trick is to know the ship and the culture and be sure it fits.

That is the key. Yes your "all-inclusive" on NCL will be much cheaper on the Getaway, but you really cannot compare it to Regent.

The Atmosphere on the two is apples and oranges. As you say, setting expectations is everything. I have been on the Getaway in the Haven. Nice, but.......

I wonder how many people will choose the Boeuf tartare? Not something I would think would appeal to a lot of Americans - but maybe I am wrong. When it is well done it is wonderful. Anything less than that - yuck!

I have never had boeuf tartare well done. In America it is usually raw. Is that a European thing? :D

I believe GHK owns Star and now Crystal and 28% of NCL. My example was to show how these pre takeover memos can change rather quick.

 

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That is correct on the holdings.

Also the two GHK board members on NCLH resigned today... Very interesting.

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/genting-hong-kongs-lim-and-chua-resign-the-nclh-board.html

We have seen people run back to the ship to not miss a meal onboard. As you said, I would rather stay at home. You can tell those people are not well traveled. We do our research on the resturants before we leave home on Tripadvisor and read the comments and pick our dining venues carefully.

We do exactly the same thing. We also research the michelin guide for the cities that we will be in and make advanced reservations.

BTW - When I first started cruising, I was one of those who ran back to the ship for meals. :)

I don't post her very much because its the same arguments over and over and over and over. Very circular.

There are some great people I have met on Regent Cruises and even keep in touch with a couple of them.

I have sailed on Regent and Oceania and I like both cruise lines very much. Every passenger is different in their expectations and experiences. What I like, you may not and vise versa. Thankfully I do not have to choose one cruise line and we should all be thankful that we are able to live a life that allows us to travel and see the world and experience other cultures. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Like all of you, I make my decisions based on MY experiences and MY expectations and my wallet :)

We have taken two Regent cruises (one on Voyager and one on Navigator) and have booked an upcoming cruise on Voyager. We have never been sick and we have had wonderful times on both ships. We are not neatniks although we do use hand sanitizer and, of course, wash our hands thoroughly with soap and water.

 

We don't require PERFECTION nor do we require that we make life long friends nor do we require that staff address us by name. We like each other's company and a certain level of anonymity.

 

I'm not sure what's up with this forum, but the level of complaints and nitpicking is a bit much. Some are valid, for sure, but life is way too short to enter an experience primed for disappointment.

 

We have taken other cruise lines (Celebrity and Norwegion) and were so spoiled by Regent that we cant't look back, We are booked on an Oceania cruise later in the year because the dates and itinerary met our needs but I am already spoiled by the all inclusive. By the way, many posters here also post on the Oceania forum but, for some reason, it a lot less adversarial!

You are certainly like the majority of people who cruise on regent, but regrettably not like the majority of people who post here.

My daughter was not quarantined by the cruise personnel; however she quarantined herself to our cabin for about 18 hours after her 4 hours spent in the infirmary because she was still quite red and swollen from the reaction she had. Prior to the effect of the IV steroids she received, her face was so swollen that her eyes would only open a tiny slit and she had trouble breathing.

Your daughter had an allergic reaction to the shrimp. That is why she was given steroids.

I would suggest you have her tested and refrain from eating shrimp or other shellfish until she is tested.

I cannot possibly imagine spending two weeks in the Mediterranean and not eating in Italy or France. Why on earth travel halfway across the world to eat only on the ship where one is served upscale US-based institutional food? I am not saying I do not enjoy the food on Regent because I rather like it; however, I would never pass up a wood-fired Sicilian pizza in order to make it back to the ship in time for lunch in Compass Rose.

+1000

Trade a beautiful seafood lunch at Amalfi for a hotdog on the ship... might as well just stay home.

Sorry, I read the post wrong and my first answer made no sense

I ended up staying at the Hilton Molino Stuckey. Very nice hotel. The view from the roof top bar is probably the best in Venice. Upgraded for the canal view room. Not everyday your in Venice, so it was worth it. If I remember correctly, the boat shuttle across is about every 15-30 min. One shuttle directly across the canal and another to San Marco.

Our wait listed excursion in Mindelo, Cape Verde just cleared. I take that to mean that we will be stopping in Cape Verde. I am not sure what that means in regards to Dakar based on info previously posted here.

I heard they were changing that excursion for you all to go to Monrovia. :eek: