Current State of the 'Regent Experience'?

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**Disclaimer** - first, I'm not trying to start any flame wars! Just soliciting opinions (and I realize that all I'll get here are opinions, and I'm okay with that) and second, apologies if this has already been discussed or beaten to death, but I searched back six months or so and couldn't find any dedicated threads...thanks.

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What, exactly, is the current state of the 'Regent Experience'? We have sailed Regent three times in the past, from 2009 to 2011, and have always been satisfied with the experience. Minor issues, sure, but always had a top-notch vacation.

Recently, though, I've been reading threads comparing Regent to other luxury lines, premium lines, mainstream lines, tramp steamers, canoes, etc. and the common thread I'm seeing is that Regent isn't quite the jewel she was even a few years ago. Most issues seem to revolve around the overall state of the ships (issues with cabins, worn carpet/furniture), service, dining, and diminished shore excursions.

We're currently booked on the Mariner in August and we're looking forward to another great Regent trip, but I just wanted to make sure that my expectations are realistic. Would anyone care to chime in on any recent experiences, either pro or con? Not specifically in relationship to other lines, but compared to the Regent of old. Specific examples would be greatly appreciated.

Again, apologies if this has already been discussed (and I'd appreciate a link to any threads if they exist!) and please, PLEASE can we keep it civil? I appreciate non-confrontation. :D

Thanks in advance...

Although a year old, we were on Barcelona to Venice last and it was a lovely trip. We had an aft suite and the cabin was beyond our expectation.

We thought that the food was not as good as in the past except for Prime 7. And we thought the included excursions less than we'd have expected.

We're not the loyalists we used to be and we feel that the included everything along with increased costs and a lower budget for our travel has priced Regent out of our range. We'd up the budget if we found an itinerary to do one but the value for us is not what it was. We've also done most of the itineraries on our list that Regent offers as well.

Is it okay if I just compare Regent to a canoe? Just kidding!:D

We have sailed quite a bit on the Voyager in 2011 and 2012 with a cruise scheduled for the Mariner next month. First I would like to address the condition of the Voyager since it has been two years since we sailed the Mariner. The ships are refurbished approximately every two years -- this is more frequent than under previous ownership. In between refurbishments the ship are constantly being worked on...... the railings, painting the sides of the ship, etc.

The Voyager was refurbished in September 2011 -- we sailed on her two months later. Everything from the wall coverings to the carpeting and beds had been replaced (the new beds are really great). When we walked into the Observation Lounge, the carpeting looked dirty and stained -- just as it always does in spite of the fact that the carpet is cleaned all the time. IMO, enough carpet was purchased for at least two refurbishments of the three ships and the carpeting (hallways and public areas) was the wrong choice. Although it was "new" it looked old. According to rumors I heard onboard the Voyager in December, different carpeting will be installed when she is refurbished again at the end of this year. If I were to assign a grade to the condition of the ships, I'd give them an A-.

Not counting our first cruise on the Paul Gauguin, we first sailed on Regent (Voyager .... can you tell it's our favorite:-) in 2006. The main difference I notice in food is that filet mignon is no longer on the menu every day. The quality of the food is the same. Food is so subjective that I have raved about a meal that someone else has found poor. Some people post that there are less options in CR for dinner..... I have not counted offerings on the menu and have been quite satisfied with what they have.

Service is almost always excellent. Again, a misstep can occur on any cruise. We had to change butlers on our last cruise. Some people may have stayed with someone they didn't care for and be upset with Regent. We made the change and were happy for the rest of the cruise. Speaking up in a polite, kind way does wonders.

On the not so good side, since included excursions were implemented, excursions can, at times, feel like cattle being herded (although I do not believe that I have been a cow in this or previous lives so I'm not sure why I know how it feels). I have nothing good to say about excursions so I will leave it at that.

Communication from headquarters can also be poor as is evidenced by the fact that the Voyager was sailing with one engine not operational on the current sailing and it took a few days before it was announced to passengers.

So, IMO, the Regent Experience is still wonderful. Yes, there have been changes but the overall experience is excellent. Keep in mind that there have also been changes to other luxury lines. We just cancelled a Silversea cruise after changes were made and decided to stay with Regent. My advice to readers of CruiseCritic is to pay attention to the past cruises of a poster (wish everyone would indicate them). Past experiences do affect how you perceive your Regent cruise (IMHO). Most importantly, do not board a ship looking for problems..... go with an open attitude and enjoy the experience:)

we were on the Holiday Sailing in December - on the Navigator - while we had a nice time, it most likely will be our last Regent cruise - we've found (for US) we get better "bang for our buck" with another line -

i say this for several reasons - and again, this is just MY opinion and how i see it - the food was not great - all around i must say - we both thought that the food used to be much better -

excursions - we booked one excursion we had to pay for - $500 for 2 - a deep-sea excursion - no safety instructions, no lifejackets (well, not shown to us), no water to drink, no fishing! (we weren't to touch the lines) - and the "guide" looked to be a teenager who didn't converse at all - we did try to discuss this with destination services, but were told that we would not be compensated for this as there were no other complaints (one other passenger besides us) -

but - we found the service to be great - deck, cabin, and dining-room - just as attentive as it's always been -

so there's my 2 cents .....

We enjoyed our second Regent cruise last May and in our review the only minor criticisms - apart from the excursions which were blighted by the presence of two large cruise ships in several ports - concerned food & dining:

We complained (mildly) about the timing of room service breakfasts last year but this had not improved this year: orders for 6.30 to 7.00 were delivered between 6.10 and 6.20 often catching us still in bed! Perhaps the timing slots are meant to indicate when you want to finish eating but this is not what the order-card says. This is only a minor inconvenience of course.

The food in all the restaurants was as good as last year - apart from a filet mignon which was ordered rare and arrived medium-rare and 0rather chewy, and very strangely a Dover sole which was tough and overcooked – even odder given the fact that a thinner version served to the same table was perfect.

Our impression was that the standard of the wines was not quite up to last year. Too many rather bland Chilean and Californian varietals and requests for an alternative served earlier in the cruise were not always met with complete enthusiasm from the servers. There definitely seemed to be more pressure to accept that evening’s standard ‘pour’ than there was last year.

But we are still looking forward to our next 'Regent experience'!

UUNetBill, I sailed on the Mariner last September and loved it. I was accompanied by two daughters and we had a Penthouse C. Gorgeous suite and the service was wonderful. I had sailed on the Mariner in 2008 before the change of ownership and noticed very little difference except back then the excursions were extra. Since I have posted under another thread about the difference between Oceania and Regent you might wonder about this post. My questions about Oceania vs Regent are simply due to postings from passengers on Oceania claiming that Oceania is better. I am simply asking why since both lines are owned by the same company. I have not had any problems with Regent and look forward to sailing on their ships sometime in the future.

We were on Navigator in October and had a wonderful cruise, one of our favorites. Food was up to par if not better than some previous cruises. Ship was well maintained and clean. No complaints at all.

Bill, since you asked and at outset made it clear this is for opinions only, will share our feedback we shared with Mark Conroy in late December about our Taj Mahal pre cruise and 18 days on the Voyager. For context Bill, we were on board the Voyager in April for 24 nites and had a terrific/outstanding voyage--with no issues.

Hi Mark,

Ida and send warm Merry Christmas wishes and sincere wishes for a wonderful, safe, prosperous 2013!

It is very sad for us to realize that this is the final post Regent cruise report we will send to you Mark.

We wanted to offer our cruise feedback prior to your departure next month. I have first listed the Regent crew members in six categories who consistently went above and beyond in making our cruise a most memorable one. In general, it was another wonderful Regent cruise for the exceptions noted under the 5 downs/negatives listed below.

A. Kudos to Voyager crew members on the Mumbai to Bali journey are:

1. Dining crew members: Lei (La Veranda (LV) & Compass Rose (CR)), Cristina (LV), David (Maitre d' LV & Prime 7(P7)), Simon (LV,Signatures), Meile (Sommelier, Signatures), Douglass (Maitre d' Signatures), Ibrahim (Head Waiter/Maitre d' CR, Sette Mari (SM)), Michael (Asst Sommelier Sette (SM), Husseyin (waiter SM).

However, as a negative, we experienced a surly crew member (Julia) serving as a host in LV - breakfast/lunch. This is the first time in ten Regent cruises - most disappointing.

2. Our steward Aurelio is simply the best we've had in 14 luxury cruises.

3. Bravo to the Destinations Team, especially Nikki. They did an outstanding job on included tours, always well organized, flexible and courteous.

4. Bar staff member Nele in the Observation Lounge.

5. Deck Team: Sherwood (pool cleaner) is the hardest working deck member I observed. Also, Deck Team member Arvin who seems to do everything and an outstanding credit to the Voyager Team.

6. Lastly the Spa/Fitness Instructor: Alen is the best fitness instructor in all our cruising experiences. Alen not only brings his fitness knowledge and challenge for every fitness level, he is motivating, caring and very personable and fun.

B. 5 Ups/ Positives:

--1. Voyager Crew members (pls see above)

--2. Destinations Team, esp want to highlight Regent Host/Kathryn (asst. boutigue mgr) who was Regent rep on our Cochin excursion--quickly rendered first aid when I cut R leg stepping off bus.

--3. Specialty Restaurant execution esp Setti Mari (home run), Prime 7 and Signatures outstanding too.

--4. GM responsiveness to most of our requests(open pool half hour early, arranged for me to meet with select crew members who I highlighted and wanted to recognize in my Cruise Critic posts - (e.g., Laundry, Heave up team)

--5. Outstanding itinerary.

C. 5 Downs/Negatives:

--1. Taj Mahal Pre-cruise--overall not executed to standard we expected from Regent. One of the 3 hotels was UNACCEPTABLE (ITC Mughal). Strongly recommend Regent cap Taj Mahal pre-cruise to the first 150 people who sign-up to avoid using 2-3 star hotels as experienced in Agra, India. At the end the pre-cruise, the last six hours at the airport was extremely disorganized and there was no Regent rep to guide us/answer questions regarding the two hour flight delays, etc.

--2. As independent travelers, Regent on disembarkation treated us like orphans--there was no written guidance or Cruise Director announcements to inform us of the exit fee at the Bali Airport - A Big Surprise! This very important detail was discovered on our own and by mistake as it requires fee to be paid in cash, exact amount and in Indonesian Rupiah. Mark, this was very frustrating and wasted our time in figuring out where to get the local currency.

--3. For first time in 10 Regent cruises, we found the Compass Rose restaurant service and cuisine was problematic- overall poor. We resorted to dining in the specialty restaurants 15/18 nights. In the past we loved dining in CR for dinner, for this voyage we avoiding dining in CR for dinner. Tho lunch and breakfast we found CR the wonderful dining experience we previously enjoyed.

--4. GM/Restaurant Management (Maitre'd's) failure (repetitively in every dining venue over several different nites) to enforce Regent dress code after 6 p.m.

--5. No dedicated dance hosts and dance instructors as in the past (we sorely missed Isle and Dieter (long time Voyager dance instructors) who along with dedicated arts & crafts instructors and dance hosts no longer serve on board). There were no dance lessons provided during our six sea days on an 18 day voyage--disappointing.

We are also long time Regent cruisers...first was 2004 and we have 2 future cruises booked this year, both on the Navigator.

We all seek our comfort levels and that's why you will read many different opinions. We are very mobile 80+ and will certainly have different interests than those of other ages.

We are very fortunate to have been able to cruise for the last 45 years.

Regent, for us, has a distinct personality that suits us. We have met super nice people over the years and although we have been, some a number of times, to most of their ports that we have wanted to visit, we still continue to hang out with them.

Insofar as excursions, we do book those of interest to us, but as we sail along, we many times cancel and curl up with our books. If we really want to visit and haven't been there before, we will take the trip.

With respect to wine, and I suppose I'm a wine snob, I find the pouring wine selection to be pretty decent. If I really, as in my past, want to reach into the stratosphere for fine wines, I need the right venue, and a rolling cruise ship is not exactly right for that. I suppose I'm jaded from having spent so much time in the wine world. A few times, especially when my absolutely favorite wine sommellier, Daniela, was aboard, and when she ran out of a favorite pouring wine, would reach into the premium list for a favorite grape, and supply it for the rest of the trip at no additional charge.

Along the lines of wines you like or not, it has been my experience that your like or dislike of a particular wine at any given time has to do with your mental state, the company you are sharing with and the general atmosphere of the place you are drinking it. Wine is a sensual experience and therefore subject to where you are and with whom.

If what I said is not relative to your experiences, you are most fortunate and can therefore drink any wine at any time and anywhere.

The suites are exquisite and roomy and the service for us has always been top of the line.

As others have mentioned, food is quite subjective..It's difficult to say much more than I like it or not. The few times over the years that we ordered something we didn't like, it was graciously replaced.

And you wonder why we stick with Regent?

If you look at our signature - we had been going on cruises about every ten years until our first Regent cruise in 2007 & have been sailing on Regent at least once per year since then.

We notice a lot of bad comments on Cruise Critic before each of our cruises, BUT we have still loved every cruise.

Maybe we just enjoy, rather than just complain. But everybody has their own opinion.

We are also long time Regent cruisers...first was 2004 and we have 2 future cruises booked this year, both on the Navigator.

 

We all seek our comfort levels and that's why you will read many different opinions. We are very mobile 80+ and will certainly have different interests than those of other ages.

 

We are very fortunate to have been able to cruise for the last 45 years.

 

Regent, for us, has a distinct personality that suits us. We have met super nice people over the years and although we have been, some a number of times, to most of their ports that we have wanted to visit, we still continue to hang out with them.

Insofar as excursions, we do book those of interest to us, but as we sail along, we many times cancel and curl up with our books. If we really want to visit and haven't been there before, we will take the trip.

 

With respect to wine, and I suppose I'm a wine snob, I find the pouring wine selection to be pretty decent. If I really, as in my past, want to reach into the stratosphere for fine wines, I need the right venue, and a rolling cruise ship is not exactly right for that. I suppose I'm jaded from having spent so much time in the wine world. A few times, especially when my absolutely favorite wine sommellier, Daniela, was aboard, and when she ran out of a favorite pouring wine, would reach into the premium list for a favorite grape, and supply it for the rest of the trip at no additional charge.

Along the lines of wines you like or not, it has been my experience that your like or dislike of a particular wine at any given time has to do with your mental state, the company you are sharing with and the general atmosphere of the place you are drinking it. Wine is a sensual experience and therefore subject to where you are and with whom.

If what I said is not relative to your experiences, you are most fortunate and can therefore drink any wine at any time and anywhere.

 

The suites are exquisite and roomy and the service for us has always been top of the line.

As others have mentioned, food is quite subjective..It's difficult to say much more than I like it or not. The few times over the years that we ordered something we didn't like, it was graciously replaced.

 

And you wonder why we stick with Regent?

I agree totally.

As a Gold SS member, I have to say that I have noticed no diminution in the Regent experience over the years. In many areas there has been an improvement and though I cannot make comparisons with other lines, excpt Seabourne, another top class offering, I cannot see myself departing Regent at my advanced age

To all who replied to my open-ended and somewhat somewhat wordy question - thank you all very much for your input. I assumed that although there might be peaks and valleys in the day-to-day operations and service on board, the overall experience was still what we were expecting.

I imagine that with the current economic situation worldwide, there would by necessity be some corner-cutting in every industry - cruise ships included. I understand that a voyage like this can't be perfect to everyone all the time, and I've read the occasional rant over the last 5 years or so denigrating Regent for their sins, real or imagined. It just seemed that there were more negative posts this time than there were in the past - hence my original post.

You all have done a lot to keep my mind at ease - my wife and I are pretty laid back and don't like to rock the boat (no pun intended) but at the same time, when we vacation we like to be taken care of in a manner commensurate with our expectations. Regent has been good for us over the years and it looks like they'll continue to be our 'go-to' cruise line until we have good reason to look elsewhere.

Again, thank you all for taking the time to reinforce our decision to travel with Regent again this summer!

Bill

:D

Bill, best wishes for a wonderful cruise. I know you will enjoy it. I have cruised several times on all three ships and have always had a wonderful time. I am not currently booked for a cruise but that has to do with family events scheduled for this year. I will be back.

Threechicks - thanks! I'm sure we'll have a great time - as you may be able to tell from my signature, we, too, had to take a year off due to family issues, schedules, money, etc...so it's good to be back this year!

Looking forward to a great few weeks away from reality again.

We have cruised with Regent 10 times, the last two being back to back voyages from Singapore to Auckland in January/February of 2012. It is still one of our favourite cruise lines, but we do feel a few things have slipped a little in terms of consistency. For example, we had a lousy room steward on the first leg of our cruise, and a great one for the second leg. We'd have a great meal one night in CR, and an okay one the next. We'd ask for an alternative wine in the CR one night, and the wine steward was happy to accommodate us; the next night, a different wine steward was grumpy. And we found some of the complimentary excursions disappointing.

It was still a very good overall experience, but it was disappointing enough to take us from feeling Regent was our favourite luxury line to Regent is "one" of our favourite luxury lines. Now we shop around more and choose a cruise based on itinerary, price, timing, etc. rather than trying to work Regent into our schedule no matter what. That was a tough decision because we get free internet on Regent due to our status.

We do plan to sail with Regent again in the next year or two, and hope it will be back to the consistently great experience it used to be.

We have sailed all three ships and love them all. We were on the Mariner in 2012 after it came out of dry dock. It looked lovely and there were still painters and workers adding new carpet as we boarded. We were on the Navigator last August and it was fresh out of dry dock. No problems either. We are booked on the Voyager for Beijing to Bangkok in March. We have not found any problems with the food or menus. All restaurants have excellent food in my opinion. I think the wine is good, we do order a better wine when dining in specialty restaurants. All-in-all our experience with Regent has been excellent and we will continue to sail with them. I'm concerned their prices keep on rising and raising prices three or four times a year is a bit much. I only hope they do not place themselves out of our budget. So, as of now I continue to be a Regent fan and recommend the line to friends.

Forever travel has cruised with Regent, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean

We just got off navigator Wednesday and will be back in may for Alaska

Am currently gold status and pretty sure that is as far as I will go

We were just five weeks removed fromSeabourn and could not help to compare

Too crowded. Had to get lounges at 8am. 30 min rule was in passages but not enforced.

Not enough outside eating. We were in San Juan til 11pm, a beautiful evening yet they would not let us eat outside. I argued the weather was great but was told "bad weather coming". It didn't.

Some food good some not. Did not care for la veranda breakfast. The last night prime rib, it was ordered rare, med rare and medium. All three were the same!

Prime 7 not impressed and I won't even go into the fairness of reservations, how many times one can eat there, how the tables were handled

Wine was fine; the pastry chef was terrible for which I am grateful

Suite was nice.

Excursions. We took the high activity ones along with many who should NOT. Ruined the experience. When the person is leading the group to the gangway and says two flights down or those who have to take an elevator deck 4/5, shouldn't those not take high activity ???

Have been on regent cruises since it was radisson diamond and of course things change but we were incredibly dissatisfied this time.

I do want to say they had the best entertainment

The entertainment staff was wonderful as was the destination staff

And the pool staff--they work HARD especially at lunch

I do want to say they had the best entertainment

The entertainment staff was wonderful as was the destination staff

And the pool staff--they work HARD especially at lunch

After 33 cruises, I believe the Regent entertainment was the best ever. I just wish I knew the first 4 days that the pool grill had a menu.

After a gap of three years when i cancelled one regent cruise due to a change in policies which didn't really effect me I am thinking of returning to the voyager.

We have done a number of land trips and cruises on the pg and Azamara but this itinerary calls.

Here is a message we included with our disembarkation survey form at the end of our most recent Regent cruise:

Comments by John Michael Murray and Patricia Ann Murray, Suite 981, Seven Seas Mariner - Monaco to Rio de Janeiro, November 2012

As shown in the survey to which this is attached, we are generally well pleased with the cruise itself, (i.e., the ship, food, service, staff, etc.) Our reservations (some serious) involve the contractors selected to provide Internet, boutique, casino and destination (touring) services.

• In this day and age, Internet access is essential for many if not most people, including one of us. On this cruise, we haven’t had it, not nearly. As the Club.com attendant plainly states to all who complain about slow, unreliable, or expensive services, there isn’t enough bandwidth when three-quarters or more of the passengers have ‘free’ internet access. His candor isn’t helpful, and almost seems designed to conceal the real reason or confuse the complainant. This is becoming a real show-stopper for me, as I rely on the Internet for many things and typically spend several hours on line every day.

• Boutique offerings seem overpriced, much of the apparel available is out of touch with current styles, and some of the items (e.g., Rado watches) are offered tax-free at prices which appear to be 50% to 100% higher than at regularly taxed stores in the US. A 4G thumb drive ($19.) was almost 4 times recent US prices ($5.) for a comparable item. Even goods on sale seem overpriced, a new phenomenon for Regent ship’s shops.

• The on-board casino has been part of the ship's entertainment offerings; a place where you could enjoy games of chance while chatting with friends for a few hours without a lot of pressure, at generally reasonable cost. At times, you could even make a few bucks. Now under new management, no more $5. afternoon games, the pace of playing is picked up with dealers who go so fast you can’t let your mind wander for even a second, and it seems every trick is used to up the “house” advantage – bury 3 cards, no more “double down for less”, etc. Entertainment I used to enjoy has turned into a moneymaking trap I now avoid.

• Of the 39 excursions offered, NONE, not even one, was a seated or limited mobility tour on this cruise. Even many in the light activity category carried warnings “not available for wheelchair guests and those with mobility concerns”. Many of Regent’s guests are elderly and like me, have “mobility concerns”. I was only able to participate in one tour this entire cruise, and wasn’t able to complete that, although thankfully the guide did arrange for the bus driver to bring me back to the ship. Our fare includes the cost of some tours, yet I am unable to participate as I have peripheral neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease that limits mobility. In fairness, we must note that the process of booking and getting the excursions started each day is much improved, the staff seems better organized, more knowledgeable and much more helpful than some in the past have been.

I’ve previously criticized reduced menu selections and noted that the level of service on board had fallen from previous excellent levels, but these issues have now mostly been fixed. We’ve tried other cruise lines, but come back to Regent each time. We believe it’s the best for us. (ADDED: see below for 2nd thoughts) But recently, internet service has gotten slower and harder to use; on this cruise, it’s unusable. Tours offered seem to ignore disabled guests as well as many with limited mobility. The boutique and casino need to be completely revamped or the providers replaced, IOHO.

Mandatory inclusion of charges for something the elderly/disabled can’t use is bad, and the current internet situation is frankly intolerable.

The recent decision to drop the included pre-cruise hotel and the $999. European business class air upgrades for all accomodations below concierge class are causing us to reconsider this conclusion as I write.

While I usually agree with most everything you post, I do have a few areas where I need to comment:

1. Internet service on cruise ships is slow -- always has been. I have read several articles recently that indicate that MUCH faster internet will be available in 2014.

2. IMO, having excessive OBC's on luxury cruise lines makes no sense. Regent is already all-inclusive. The only OBC's we need is for some excursions that are not included. In the past two years, when I have been in the Boutique at the end of a cruise, it is full of people trying to spend their OBC's. Also IMO, the reason the Boutique is so expensive is because most passengers do not spend a penny of their own money there.

3. Excursions with limited mobility....... it was my understanding that excursions with titles that including the word "Panorama" were bus tours for mobility impaired. Is this not the case?

4. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I do not count the number of items offered in Compass Rose. However, there is always something that satisfies us. If this were not the case, there is the option to pre-order almost anything you like (assuming the ingredients are onboard) 24 hours in advance. This option should satisfy just about everyone.

5. I have also mentioned that I fully expected pre-cruise hotel inclusions to be eliminated when the economy improved. Guess I tend to be so happy about the economy that paying for a hotel is no big deal.

I read the Silversea, Seabourn and Regent boards. There are plenty of disgruntled passengers on all of these lines. We may hate the fact that internet is too slow on cruise ships (not just Regent as they all use the same carrier), what did people do before the internet?

I'm beginning to wonder why people spend thousands of dollars on a cruise and then get upset with something that costs $200-$500 (internet and hotels).

While I usually agree with most everything you post, I do have a few areas where I need to comment:

 

I'm beginning to wonder why people spend thousands of dollars on a cruise and then get upset with something that costs $200-$500 (internet and hotels).

TC2 - respectfully - people on these boards such as Count Florida have the same privilege and right to get upset as do you....

In my opinion, if Regent touts itself as all-inclusive then its strategy should be just that...it is now doing things that are inconsistent in terms of an all-inclusive strategy and this could possibly be the line's downfall as many say "enough" and walk away. That is too bad as folks stayed on through the price increases, the changes to air, hotel, food quality, and services only to keep finding that the deal changes often

Let me ask- Should a company retain its loyal customer base or compromise this loyalty in the hopes of chasing new customers? My observation is that Regent has been doing the latter and this may prove to be a poor strategy.

Let me share the experience of newcomers last year on our Alaska cruise. They said they enjoyed it but could have purchased a similar 7 night cruise on HAL for a fraction of the price. They found that neither the service nor the food was an overwhelming success and they stated that while they enjoyed it, they would likely not be back. So my point is, if Regent is chasing short term gains by focusing on its new customer base and ignoring its long term repeat customers, then time will tell how this will play out.

TC2 - respectfully - people on these boards such as Count Florida have the same privilege and right to get upset as do you....

 

In my opinion, if Regent touts itself as all-inclusive then its strategy should be just that...it is now doing things that are inconsistent in terms of an all-inclusive strategy and this could possibly be the line's downfall as many say "enough" and walk away. That is too bad as folks stayed on through the price increases, the changes to air, hotel, food quality, and services only to keep finding that the deal changes often

 

Let me ask- Should a company retain its loyal customer base or compromise this loyalty in the hopes of chasing new customers? My observation is that Regent has been doing the latter and this may prove to be a poor strategy.

 

Let me share the experience of newcomers last year on our Alaska cruise. They said they enjoyed it but could have purchased a similar 7 night cruise on HAL for a fraction of the price. They found that neither the service nor the food was an overwhelming success and they stated that while they enjoyed it, they would likely not be back. So my point is, if Regent is chasing short term gains by focusing on its new customer base and ignoring its long term repeat customers, then time will tell how this will play out.

I would be happy to share with you my thoughts on Alaska cruises if we meet next month on the Mariner. Basically, Alaska cruises IMO are completely different (in a negative way) to Regent's other itineraries.

I could be wrong, but I could have sworn that I saw the words "Regent Experience" on the listing of Summer 2014 itineraries. Selling cruises by being the most inclusive luxury line was, IMO, lame. For us, it is the Regent Experience that has kept us sailing Regent since 2004.

Count Florida absolutely has the right to get upset at Regent and/or his experience onboard. However, don't I have the right to disagree -- just as the majority of posters disagreed (and bashed me) because I felt that the concierge program (as originally designed) was horrible?

I fully expect people to disagree with me (as they always do). But, does this make my view less valid?

Nope....just thinking its good to just let folks have their say and leave it at that. Yes, I too look forward to finally meeting you in person having heard and read so much.

As for what Regent is doing, it looks like trying to ramp up SR profits. Perhaps folks are right who seem to think a sale is on the horizon. Not sure but in a weak economy the strategy of driving away your loyal and steady customer base seems awfully short sighted to me. Instead of clawing back on inclusions, a reasonable fare increase would make more sense and likely be better received but when you raise prices and take away benefits, then all #%!! happens.

We have nothing booked on Regent for 2014 and not sure whether we will. We booked Oceania for the Caribbean in December