Dolebludger

Well, I don’t think I’m going to consider a YC cruise on the Seaside. It is too big, and I would never want to get out of the YC on that. I dislike crowds anywhere. But we were in YC on the MSC. Divinia which is about 2/3 the size of the Seaside, and it was really a good cruise for the price. But for us “suite cruisers” some of the smaller X ships seem to offer more in the way of “out of suite area” attractions. Let’s wait for the rest of the OP’s comparisons and see what they think. I know we would never book a YC inside room, or an inside room in any cruise. It is just not what suite cruisers or private area cruisers want. But one of the OPs wanted to test the other OP’s claustrophobia. Mine has been tested. No cruise ship accommodations under 400 sq ft. If I can’t afford that, I stay home.

I’d like to see that too. Back when we cruised the YC in the Divinia nine years ago, there were only balcony rooms in the YC, and that is what we had. As I recall, our room wasn’t as big as a SS, but much larger than the inside room shown here.

Stem to Stern, keep up the reviews. Am looking forward to the comparison with the Retreat. I read this whole thread and have one question. In the YC, were mini fridge beverages included in the fare, or were they at extra charge? And, oh yes, another one. Did the butler take care of stocking and restocking it?

The two times we have cruised the Mariner were in 2003 and 2014, there were no toilet problems then. It seems there are now, and this is unthinkable on a luxury cruise. So in answer to the OP’s question, my answer would be “or not” until this problem is fixed. There should not have to be a scheduled dry dock for Regent to fix a problem like this. It is not a “design problem” or else it would have been present in 2003 — close to the time of the maiden voyage. And also in 2014. It is clearly a maintenance problem that should be fixed before anybody puts down “big bucks” for a cruise on it.

Yes, the shower/tub combo remaining in some Mariner suites has been a problem for two decades. In one dry dock early on, some suites were converted to shower only, with a fairly nice shower stall. We cruised the Mariner before the conversion, and knew about the problem from posts here on CC before the partial conversion. I took along a small measuring tape. The problem is that there is only 6’ 2” headroom above the shower floor. Even though I’m short, I continually banged my hand on the ceiling while washing my hair. Also, the tub is narrower than a traditional residential tub, adding to the problems. Further, the tub bottom is 8” higher than the bathroom floor. This makes entry and exit difficult — even for those of us whose only disability is being old. So unless you are a fan of soaking in a tub, suites with the shower/tub combo are to be avoided.

Just a thought. Celebrity has so many packages and extra cost items that accounting must be a nightmare. Fertile ground for mistakes.

What I mean is that we found all of the steaks offered by Prime 7 on the Compass Rose menu on our cruise. That being the case, it was more convenient for us to go to the CR due to flexible timing.

We cruised the Explorer in Alaska last June. The worst problem we experienced was on the pool deck, where it took all of five minutes for a waiter to show up. Now, this is not a real problem! Everything else was outstanding. However, we were told that Regent’s land hotel accommodations in Anchorage, and transfers were lacking. But we booked our own hotel and land transfers so we had zero problems. The onboard experience was better than the many Regent cruise experiences we have had before (too many to count). I have not read any posts here that report a bad onboard experience on the Explorer.

As we understand it, we can make those reservations on Dec. 24 for a cruise embarking on March 24. We are booked in a concierge suite and are SSS level gold. I will tell all what we ended up with. But this matter is not a deal breaker or deal maker for us. Because actually, we have been advised that we can only sign up for each one for one night — meaning three nights of specialty dining on a seven night cruise. But the thing is, the only specialty menu that appeals to me is that of Prime 7 and from our Explorer cruise last June, it seems that one can order from the Prime 7 menu in the Compass Rose. I don’t know about ordering from the other specialty restaurants in the CR. But the CR on Explorer class ships is certainly good enough for us. It may actually be preferable, because it is not dining at a set time. Within set hours, one just walks in and is seated and served. We like that. ,

Yes, I don’t fully understand the method Regent uses to accept (or not) requests for reservations at speciality restaurants. It needs to be more transparent IMHO. On our last Regent cruise, however, we found it fairly easy to get in to them without reservations on the first few days of the cruise. I normally really dislike MDRs on larger ships, but have really liked the Compass Rose on all of our past Regent cruises (too many to count, but we are Gold SSS members). So if we end up eating in the CR, I won’t be too upset. But if anybody has info on Regent’s selection system for taking reservations for specialty restaurants, I’d like to know about it.

Basically, the Retreat Host IS the room attendant in a SS. If these staff members are required to do nothing more than in the main ship, SS no longer offers premium service. In the past, those in a SS had the services of two people — room attendant and Butler. Now it is down to only the room attendant who provides no more service than in lower categories. So, those looking for more than “mass market service” have no reason to book SS.

Capt_D, before the pandemic we found the Retreat to be a fantastic deal for the price. Now, it is more expensive than alternatives of the same service and space levels. It does seem that the SS has been downgraded and the price increased. And CS too. In 2018 we cruised in a CS, and were free to enjoy the mini fridge contents without additional charge. That may not have been official policy. IDK. But that’s what happened.

Thanks for the posts above, because they answer a question I have had about the status with the Retreat Host (or whatever it is called).I had wondered if they are butlers who now were working in a team with room attendants still in place, or if they are renamed room attendants with added duties. Now I know it Is the latter. No comments on this from me. Facts speak for themselves. I have additional questions about the Retreat. At what suite level is an actual butler provided, in addition to the room attendant? At what suite level is use of mini fridge contents included in the fare?

I suspect the “stateroom host” was what Celebrity describes as a “retreat host”, that for SS (and CS, and above?) replaces the “butler”. I’m sure many here are just trying to figure out who staff like Kate are. Was she also the person who made up the room twice a day, or was that done by a different person?

Thanks, all, Your advice will be a great help in our scheduling. On our last cruise cruise in the Explorer/Alaska our grand daughter (age 12) was with us and took every chance to dine at Prime 7, where she ordered New York strip steak, and ate it all! She is a rather tall, slim young woman. Surprisingly, she still is slim. And I loved Prime 7 too. since I posted this, I have reviewed “sample menus” for Chartreuse and Sette Marie and couldn’t see much there that I wanted to eat. Actually, I didn’t eat in those on the Explorer for that reason. So our choices may be easy. Book all we can in Prime 7 and go to Compass Rose the other evenings. Can’t really go very far wrong on these ships.

Celebrity May think it’s competition is with land resorts, but it is not. Its competition comes from other cruise lines. And in this regard, I think Celebrity does well now, except for the Retreat level. There are cruise lines that offer AI cruises for less, that are better in many respects. Land resorts? Many won’t go there — especially in the US — because they are a rip-off and I don’t know of any that are AI. There are some AI resorts in other countries that don’t charge so much.

Actually, I think the auto tipping was started because people from other countries do not tip. And if they do, they don’t tip much. This is because service pay is relatively higher in those countries, and people are not hired and given the expectation of tips.

Oh, X is still in the running, except for those who want the accommodations and services of the Retreat (or what they used to be). That is where the price hikes and cuts seem mostly to be. For other accommodations, X seems to remain pretty competitive, and perhaps leads the competition.

I don’t know what thr recipient’s reaction might be for tips given in advance, or for those given after service, when tips are also included in the fare or are separately billed to the guest. Why would anybody feel like they should in essence tip twice?

Don’t want to hijack a thread either. The point of discussion of any other cruise line is all the posts on this thread and forum seeking an alternative to Celebrity (especially the Retreat) due to pice hikes and content reduction. Just giving one of many answers.

I can see how the web page can portray the idea that Regent is much stuffier than it is. But I have no reason to falsify what it really is. Not a lot of hard rock, though. And I wish there were.

If you are 61, you are right in the demographic of Regent, Silversea, Seaborne, and such. After around 10 - 15 Regent cruises, I’ll tell you about what to wear to “fit in”! In daytime, anything that is decent. Jeans, slacks, shorts depending on location. In the evening, lose the jeans and shorts. Slacks, shirt, shoes. That is it. Formal nights are history, replaced by ‘formal optional nights” when you can (but needn’t) wear coat and tie (men) or nice dress (women). But everybody just continues with the casual dress. Only difference between this and Celebrity is on Regent you can’t wear jeans to dinner. Fellow guests are just like those in the Retreat. The music usually isn’t hard rock. It’s more laid back, usually. The whole atmosphere is calm, casual, and laid back. And there are no lines or crowds. I’m sure it’s not for everybody, but it is really AI.

Thanks, I knew it was somewhere. We were on the Explorer (original sister ship of the Splendor and Grandeur) on an Alaska cruise last June in concierge. Older Regent ships were great on our past cruises, but the Explorer was “WOW”! We are cruising the Splendor in March 2024 in concierge. On the Explorer, we had to wait all of 5 minutes for the bar waiter to get around to us at the pool lounge! Clearly no complaint about that, and it was the slowest service we experienced. Other times, service was there as soon as we showed up in a bar or restaurant, and the ship was full. Clearly no understaffing. And on the newer Regent ships, there are suites at a lesser cost than concierge about the same size with the same perks, except for pre hotel. And cruises on older Regent ships cost even less than the newer ones, with no fewer perks.

Actually, so much is included in the fare with Regent that we have problems with figuring out what to do with the OBC. As mentioned above, it can certainly be used to upgrade from the included wines. Also, premium shore excursions (which cost extra) would be a wise choice if you see some you like, and if the included excursions are mostly bus rides (this happens in some itineraries, but not all).

I must confess that I don’t understand the matter of tipping in addition to that which is automatically added to the fare and the 20% that is added to the cost of various packages. I have never had auto tips removed from my bill, and can’t imagine how bad things would be to cause me to do so. But on the other hand, I can’t see tipping twice either.