FengShui@Sea

I have read that if the cruise you are currently taking on Regent will have you crossing the threshold to your next Loyalty level that you will instantly be awarded the perks that that new Loyalty brings.  We are sailing on the Explorer in April 2024 and seven days into the 18 day cruise we will have crossed from Silver into Gold with the Silver Seas Society.  We normally sail in Concierge or above for the 4 connection wifi service, but if we can book a Superior cabin and still get that benefit it would certainly save us some money.  The wifi connections is the only benefit in upgrading to Concierge that we would enjoy on this cruise. 

The OP did mention that it was the last penthouse available.  Perhaps if they book it another 'shower only' cabin will come available.

We have disembarked in Miami many, many times in our 70+ cruises, and recently we have run into long delays more often than not.  It usually had to do with not enough immigration officials on duty.  But it can also be for any number of reasons.  Once off the ship there is a que for taxis that is usually a mile long.  Miami is the one port that I don’t utilize Uber because of the total chaos outside the terminal.  It depends where your comfort level is, but I would definitely never book a flight departing before 2:00 p.m., especially an international flight.  You may get lucky and be getting into a taxi by 10:00 a.m.  But on our last couple of entries into Miami we had’t even been through immigration before then.

There is quite a bit of information about the WC on this thread:

It is nice that they could re-do the itinerary and offer a decent alternative.  However, I would be concerned about the weather at the first part of the cruise.  Heading over towards Australia in January puts you there mid-summer.  It will be considerably cooler crossing the Atlantic in late January and visiting Europe in February.  A small price to pay I suppose if you are on all (or most) segments.  

1 hour ago, Catlover54 said:

If there are no exceptions, that must mean there will be no children under 12 on board.

You are correct.  No children under 12, because they cannot be vaccinated.  

My understanding is that there will be no exceptions, and no exemptions in the immediate future.  This may change as things progress, but right now it’s a pretty hard line.

I should mention also that while we were on the Explorer in January 2020 I was looking through the catalog for a future cruise.  Then a day or two later they brought out new catalogs with higher prices.  Even though some of the old catalogs were still on display in the Future Cruise office I was not able to book at the old price.  So the sooner you book the less chance of a price increase.  

Also, if you book while onboard you have 30 days to cancel the booking without the usual $100 per person administration fee being deducted from your deposit.

1 hour ago, alidor said:

 Cruising on Oceania is fine and you will enjoy it, but if you have a problem, watch out!  They are horrible to deal with…

I have been following this thread and your comments are some of the most useful I have seen.  When it comes to comparing food and wine it can be very subjective.  But service is a whole other thing.

In answer to the OP's question I would put Regent on top, hands down.  There is no comparison between Regent's penthouse, and the penthouse on Oceania, which is not even as nice as the Concierge cabins on Regent.  Our experience on Regent has been that the dining and service is impeccable.  It doesn't get any better than that.  When it comes to price difference I think at the end of the day you get what you pay for.

Thanks for the responses.  I think I will stay with Regent's hotel.  We depart on a Monday, so getting to the port could be an issue traffic wise.  Have done the transfer too many times on my own!  🙈

Could anyone please give me an idea of which hotel(s) Regent puts you in prior to sailing out of LA (San Pedro)?  I would prefer to book my own hotel, but getting to the port can be a challenge so the included transfer to the ship is appealing.  If I knew the type of accommodation provided by Regent it would make my decision much easier.  

Yes, don’t make the mistake I did.  We boarded on a Saturday so our first breakfast was a Sunday.  Regent had a wonderful display of various types of caviar, and offered champagne with it.  I thought this would be a daily offering so passed on it, only to learn the following day that it is only offered on Sunday.  🙈

We will be on the Splendor April 5, 2022 as our first cruise back.  We have three more on Regent in the 12 months that follow.  So great to see some light on the horizon!  

35 minutes ago, myboo said:

Sorry if this has been covered before, but I could not find in search topics.

Assuming we would have to cancel our Regent cruise, is there any way to get a full refund OR do they always keep a portion of what you deposited.

I tried reading their policy and it just confused me.

 

Thanks for your input.

They always keep $100 per person which can be credited to a future booking made within 12 months of the cancellation.  

4 minutes ago, pingpong1 said:

Feng - I'm assuming you mean a "Seven Seas" Suite on the Regent Mariner.  Not a "Silver Seas" Suite.  I know...."picky-picky".  Regards

I stand corrected.  With so many cruises booked it’s hard to keep them straight.   🙈

Wendy, thank you for the information and link.  🙏🏻

We are trying to select a Silver Seas (SS aft) suite on the Mariner, and I read that the even numbered (Port) side suites have a tub and shower, where the Starboard side only have a shower.  However, this information is over seven years old, and I wondered is anyone could confirm if the Port side still have a tub and shower, and more importantly, is it a tub/shower combination (which we hate).  It would be greatly appreciated if anyone who has more recent experience could comment, or on suite #1080 in particular.

5 minutes ago, jschoch said:

Trying to decide between limited rooms left on the splendor. 1211 is by the elevator and on the sports deck. 609 is by elevator but may quieter.  Which is a better choice   Thanks 

We had 609 on the sister ship, the Explorer, and absolutely loved it.  So convenient for going to lounges, dining room, shops, etc.  No need for elevator rides.  It also has a much deeper balcony than 1211.  

Speaking from personal experience, even the much newer Explorer ship had aft vibration issues, so I would never pin my hopes that the Mariner wouldn’t, especially if looking at at 41 night cruise.

Also, speaking from personal experience we were completely flexible with dates, times, and willing to share tables, and yet we still were not able to obtain additional reservations at any of the specialty restaurant venues.

For what it is worth I seem to be the only one replying that has had extensive experience with cruising on Celebrity ships, for comparison sake.

I have done over 70 cruises and many of them on Celebrity.  We were avid suite dwellers on Celebrity before trying our first Regent cruise, and now we go with Regent.  However we are in our senior years (67 and 76) so definitely not looking for much excitement.  

I will just give you some random thoughts, in no particular order.

If you were going to relegated to Celebrity’s main dining room I definitely say go with Regent.  But since you are dining in Blu with Aqua and Luminae with your Sky suite, you will be happy enough with those venues.  

The big plus with Regent is the free shore excursions.

41 days would be too long for me to spend in a balcony cabin.    I would recommend dropping the 12 Holy Land and just do the 29 night Med and TA on Regent in a higher category (larger) cabin.  For location on the Mariner you will want to stay away from cabins that are more to the aft as you can get some vibration.

I think the free specialty dining on Regent is a bit of a misnomer.  We were on a 10 night cruise and after our one complimentary visit to each of the three specialty restaurants we were never able to get back into any of them.  We were in a Concierge cabin, which may have had something to do with it.  I understand that if you are in a Penthouse or above your butler may be able to get you additional reservations.

Regent tends to be a pretty subdued atmosphere.  I don’t think you will find many other passengers (but lots of staff) in your age category.  However, you also won’t find all the drunks at the Sunset Bar and around the pool that Celebrity tends to attract.  If you are comfortable around older, but friendly, folks Regent will be okay.

We loved Michael’s Club on Celebrity (which would be like a mini Regent experience service wise).  However if the Reflection has the new ‘Retreat Lounge’ instead of Michael’s I’m not sure what that will be like.

Congratulations on you upcoming wedding!

45 minutes ago, fizzy said:

While I totally agree with everything that you just said, I can't imagine the enforcement  of this rule to be simple without actually removing people from the ship. 

I have been witness to what happens when cruise guests disobey the rules and it isn’t pretty.  You are confined to your cabin, usually with someone posted outside your door 24/7, and your cruise account is cut off.  This happened to a couple across the hall from us who drank too much and got into a rip roaring fight out in the hallway at 2 a.m.  They were in an inside cabin!!  😳 

As far as I know all of the major cruise line companies, and their subsidiaries have adopted the vaccination requirement for cruising in the near future at least.  I would think that the number of people that can’t/won’t get the vaccine will be extremely low given that the most vulnerable (immune compromised) people in most communities  were the first to receive the vaccine.  Although it may eliminate some potential guests I think this is a necessary first step to get us back on the ships.  It is reasonable to assume that those who choose to be vaccinated in order to cruise would do so at their own risk.

We have notice that the demand for 2022/2023 cruises are off the charts.  We tried to book the Mariner Miami to San Francisco Holiday cruise several months ago, and the availability was so limited that we ended up booking Azamara instead.  It seems that so many people have future cruise credits that they have applied to these sailing, that us regular folks (without FCCs) are scrambling to find decent cabins at a decent price.  I am very happy for the cruise industry in general.  And also happy that we made bookings as far out as we could in January, before things really went crazy.  Rest assured, the demand is there and I am sure your cruise will sail.  

2 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

 

The first post states what the issue is and is very specific. That’s what I’m referring to 

 

 

You are correct, I mentioned FCCs in my title only because my agent said that Regent are not allowing  either FCCs or Admin Fee credits (AFCs) to be brought forward into 2023.  In my case it was $600 worth of Admin fees.  On the three bookings I cancelled I correctly surmised that they weren’t going to sail, so I  pulled the plug before final payment.  As a result I have AFCs but don’t have any FCCs (thank goodness).  My point was that having done many, many booking with Regent my TA was caught off guard (as was his Regent contact) with this new ‘sail by’ restriction on AFCs.

Here is the wording regarding AFCs from Regent’s FAQ section.  It seems to contradict their new rule:

“Once a deposit is made, all reservations are subject to an administration fee for any changes or cancellations made. This administration fee may be converted to a future cruise credit redeemable on bookings made up to 12 months after cancellation and for travel any time.”

Holly

All excellent points Shiela.  I didn’t notice that the shower on the Splendor was smaller, and I do remember now that the toilet is not in a compartment as it is on the Explorer.  Also, not having a closet entrance off the bedroom (like on the Explorer) does seem weird.  It makes me reconsider booking a PH over a Concierge on the Explorer.  Thanks for your insight.

Holly