Has regent quality changed??

[dugxfresh]

Recently some negative reviews have come out on the message boards and cruise critic reviews as well. They are saying that Regent service and quality as gone down hill and is not what it use to be.. while these complaints are limited over the positive ones; I was curious if anyone who travelled recently thought on way or another... thanks!

[greytstuff]

Very definitely yes, IMHO. My sister and I just returned last month from the

Panama Canal Holiday Cruise on the Mariner. We had 5 previous cruises with

Regent which we had absolutely loved. This cruise was such a disappointment

for us. The whole experience was just lack luster. The service, food, and all

around feeling just wasn't up to the past Regent standard. I posted a pretty

extensive review on this Board, as well as other passengers. You may want to

go back and pull it up. It would be under Panama Canal Holiday Cruise. I think

it's such a shame that Regent (Apollo) isn't listening to their long time customers. At the rate it's going, Regent will soon be just another mass market

line. Makes me want to cry. I, for one, will move on to another line, probably

Silversea, at least give it a try. Everyone's expectations are different, but mine

have been dashed with Regent.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm on the fence. We had a very enjoyable 14 days on Voyager in December, but we felt that the bloom was off the rose, a bit. It's tough to be objective--it may just be that I'm jaded, or just tired of the whole cruise rigamarole. But the dining was spotty and the service in the dining room spotty. Still a really great experience overall, but just a little off.

 

It's the first time in a long time that I haven't had another cruise booked. Part of that is financial, but part is a lingering doubt in my mind. But then again, I look back at Voyager fondly and can easily see booking her again.

 

Just one little anecdote, which I don't believe has been reported elsewhere: first night, our cruise friends had invited 3 guests onboard for dinner. We had a large table for 7 in the corner near the door at CR. The guests were late getting onboard because of the terrible traffic. The waitstaff started to get antsy at 8:30 or so. They told us that our guests had better hurry up and arrive because the kitchen closed at 9 and we would not be able to order food after that. I heard mutterings at the wait station, and at one point I guess I glared somewhat pointedly at the waiter, who grinned and shrugged, and then went back to being polite. Wine service was slow as well. In the end, the guests arrived in time, but we closed CR, along with one or two other tables.

[Travelcat2]

We were on the cruise before Wendy's and also were on the Voyager two months prior to that. The South Africa to Rio cruise in Nov./Dec. was the best one we have had on Regent. The service was exemplary and the food was tasty and well-presented.

 

If you go back in the archives of CruiseCritic (before the purchase of Regent by Apollo), you can find almost identical comments to what you are seeing now. I can look back at our eight cruises and find a couple that were lackluster -- food was off -- service in some venues not up to par, etc. For some reason, our best experiences have been on the Voyager -- the issues have been on the Mariner and Navigator (the PG was great -- but does not fit into this subject as it was not owned by Regent).

 

I have read reviews on other luxury lines and see times when the service and/or food slipped. While we would love to think that there is a perfect cruiseline somewhere -- we have yet to find it. What we are hearing a lot is that cruise lines -- across the board -- are making cuts in areas they hope will not affect customer satisfaction. It is also known that there are shortages in staff which is causing problems for many cruise lines.

 

Although we are currently looking at another cruise line for 2011, it has nothing to do with Regent's service or food. . . it is simply that the itineraries are too long and not in areas we are looking at cruising (specifically Asia).

[RachelG]

We have had one "off" cruise with Regent, and it actually was not one of our recent cruises. Food just wasn't that good, staff seemed short at times, hotel director was down right rude to me when I complained about the vibration in our cabin. (He seemed to think I should have been aware of it and not booked that cabin if we were bothered by vibration. This was in my pre-CC days, so I had no warning. He refused to move us, even though there were clearly empty cabins.)

However, I am glad I returned for another cruise (actually several) as things have markedly improved, at least for us.

[dugxfresh]

I appreciate all the info... we are sailing on our first regent cruise this April; and the reason we finally upgraded to a Luxury line was for all the things I never liked on the mass market ones... I was hoping they were not following me onto Regent... Yikes!

[Island Cruiser]

Don't worry about your April cruise. I think you will be delighted. Look at the review section on CC. For every negative review you'll find nine positive ones. For me, I've seen some improvements in Regent since we started cruising with them in 2003--smoking policy, all inclusive, all casual chief among them. Yet, I have seen declines in quality too. No more officer greeting you as you board and smiling waiter standing by to pour your champagne (sparkling wine). The two cabin attendants per cabin are history so getting your cabin tended to early is much harder. No more fresh flowers everywhere. And more frequent inconsistent service in the dining rooms attributable, I think, to staffing cuts. On our second to last Regent cruise service in our area of Compass Rose wasn't poor, it simply disappeared. And Wendy pointed out the terrible experience we had on the first night of our December Voyager cruise where the staff was downright surley (and it included one of our favorite waiters we have cruised with since 2003). We were unavoidably "very late" but we were determined to place our orders before the galley closed and did and the wait staff made no effort to hide their ire. Nonetheless, most aspects of our recent cruise were most enjoyable and we have two more Regent cruises planned for this year. I think Wendy is right. The bloom is off. But part of that may just be because luxury cruising is no longer for us a delightful discovery and we look at it all with the seasoned eye of 94 days of experience. Pat

[tallship]

Don't worry about your April cruise. I think you will be delighted. Look at the review section on CC. For every negative review you'll find nine positive ones. For me, I've seen some improvements in Regent since we started cruising with them in 2003--smoking policy, all inclusive, all casual chief among them. Yet, I have seen declines in quality too. No more officer greeting you as you board and smiling waiter standing by to pour your champagne (sparkling wine). The two cabin attendants per cabin are history so getting your cabin tended to early is much harder. No more fresh flowers everywhere. And more frequent inconsistent service in the dining rooms attributable, I think, to staffing cuts. On our second to last Regent cruise service in our area of Compass Rose wasn't poor, it simply disappeared. And Wendy pointed out the terrible experience we had on the first night of our December Voyager cruise where the staff was downright surley (and it included one of our favorite waiters we have cruised with since 2003). We were unavoidably "very late" but we were determined to place our orders before the galley closed and did and the wait staff made no effort to hide their ire. Nonetheless, most aspects of our recent cruise were most enjoyable and we have two more Regent cruises planned for this year. I think Wendy is right. The bloom is off. But part of that may just be because luxury cruising is no longer for us a delightful discovery and we look at it all with the seasoned eye of 94 days of experience. Pat

 

Pat - well said

[jhp]

I'm about to board the Mariner in Rio in a few days. Hope it will be a great cruise!

[WesW]

Olivia, hope you have a wonderful Mariner cruise...Fair Winds and Following Seas!

Please send seamail.

 

best, Wes

[Travelcat2]

Don't worry about your April cruise. I think you will be delighted. Look at the review section on CC. For every negative review you'll find nine positive ones. For me, I've seen some improvements in Regent since we started cruising with them in 2003--smoking policy, all inclusive, all casual chief among them. Yet, I have seen declines in quality too. No more officer greeting you as you board and smiling waiter standing by to pour your champagne (sparkling wine). The two cabin attendants per cabin are history so getting your cabin tended to early is much harder. No more fresh flowers everywhere. And more frequent inconsistent service in the dining rooms attributable, I think, to staffing cuts. On our second to last Regent cruise service in our area of Compass Rose wasn't poor, it simply disappeared. And Wendy pointed out the terrible experience we had on the first night of our December Voyager cruise where the staff was downright surley (and it included one of our favorite waiters we have cruised with since 2003). We were unavoidably "very late" but we were determined to place our orders before the galley closed and did and the wait staff made no effort to hide their ire. Nonetheless, most aspects of our recent cruise were most enjoyable and we have two more Regent cruises planned for this year. I think Wendy is right. The bloom is off. But part of that may just be because luxury cruising is no longer for us a delightful discovery and we look at it all with the seasoned eye of 94 days of experience. Pat

 

Pat: I do agree with you and Wendy. . . . after a while the luxury of luxury cruising becomes ordinary -- something to compare to a previous cruise and possibly pick apart. We fondly look back at the days when every experience was new and wonderous. What remains interesting and a bit puzzling is that approximately two weeks after a cruise, the desire to book another one increases and keeps nagging at you until another one is booked. ;)

[cruzndiz]

To the OP: you sound just like me a little over a year ago!! :D I had booked a Mariner cruise because we were looking for something a little more upscale ~ little less mass market. After plunking down a considerable amount of money, I started reading some negative comments on some of the boards and started having some MAJOR misgivings. TG for Jackie (travelcat), Wendy, Pat (islandcruiser) and so many others who pointed out all of the good things and assured me that my cruise would be wonderful and I'd be back to book again. They were right!!!!

 

Some of the things that past RSSC cruisers are critiquing you probably won't even notice because they are comparing their experiences with Regent while you will be comparing your Regent experience with OTHER cruise lines .... believe me when I tell you that REGENT will always come out ahead.

 

check out my blog below -- the one that says RSSC MARINER SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN -- and read some of my early posts. I bet you will recognize yourself ;)

[hondorner]

...Yet, I have seen declines in quality too. No more officer greeting you as you board and smiling waiter standing by to pour your champagne (sparkling wine). The two cabin attendants per cabin are history so getting your cabin tended to early is much harder. No more fresh flowers everywhere.

Pat, after just one Regent cruise, I can't compare to the ways things were in the past. But, if your future experience is like ours on Navigator in January, you're going to be pleased again!

 

In addition to all the good things you mentioned, we were greeted upon boarding by an officer (actually, several). Sparkling wine was poured as we boarded. After the announcement that our cabins were ready, as we left La Veranda, a passing crew member offered to escort us to our cabin.

 

We saw an assistant working with our cabin attendant on several occasions. Our problem wasn't getting the room done early; it was that we (late risers) rarely got out of the cabin as early as the stewardess would have preferred -- after the third morning when we were still abed at 8:30 AM, she learned to skip us until later.

 

We had flowers in our cabin and on every table in Compass Rose, as well as around the ship. They weren't changed every day, but they were real flowers and remained fresh, and we delighted in watching the blooms progress from buds on the dining room tables.

[dugxfresh]

Thanks everyone for such great information; we feel better after hearing from the voices of reason... I love everything I read about regent and what it has to offer... One of the reasons we picked Regent is because everthing on a mass market cruise is a charge. I wanted to have dinner when I wanted to and not when the ship wanted me to. Plus I like the inclusive feature and not always thinking about how much something cost.

 

Does Regent still pour champagne upon rival?

[WC11]

After somewhat of a rocky start on the WC with the the laundry etc. It's all fixed. We had the huge Barbecue on deck with music and dancing. There is just nothing to complain about. This is the cream of the crop, it doesn't get any better in this game. I've been on a enough of these things I think I know what I am talking about.

[dugxfresh]

Thanks "cruzndiz" I really enjoyed reading your Blog... The closest cruise we went on to Regent would be Celebrity in Alaska... we are going on the Monte Carlo to Venice... and feel much better after reading your info..

[hondorner]

...Does Regent still pour champagne upon rival?

Now, before answering this, I want to say, I know it was a typo -- and goodness knows, I've created hundreds of typos in my time. But, none quite so amusing as this one. I'm tempted to write, "I don't know what Regent pours on rivals, but it's probably not champagne..." ;)

 

Seriously, Regent does pour champagne on arrival -- but technically, it's not champagne, it's sparkling wine. Tastes the same, to me.

[commodore2010]

Yes, we are all paying top dollar and expect great service, but we all have different definitions and expectations of great service.

 

To me great service means don't bother me. Do your job and do it well. Let me relax and unwind while eating superior food and drink.

 

To others it means do every little special request that I have and wait on me hand and foot.

 

Both are valid expectations, just remember that everyone has thier own perspective.

[OrpingtonT]

Seriously, Regent does pour champagne on arrival -- but technically, it's not champagne, it's sparkling wine. Tastes the same, to me.

 

Just a quickie, but if you specify on your form that you want "real" champagne on arrival in your xuite, you will get it. We got Verve Cliquet.

[dugxfresh]

Now, before answering this, I want to say, I know it was a typo -- and goodness knows, I've created hundreds of typos in my time. But, none quite so amusing as this one. I'm tempted to write, "I don't know what Regent pours on rivals, but it's probably not champagne..." ;)

 

Seriously, Regent does pour champagne on arrival -- but technically, it's not champagne, it's sparkling wine. Tastes the same, to me.

 

That is so funny!! I did not read if after I wrote it! that is a good one.. thanks for pointing that out.... I just had a really good laugh!

[dugxfresh]

Yes, we are all paying top dollar and expect great service, but we all have different definitions and expectations of great service.

 

To me great service means don't bother me. Do your job and do it well. Let me relax and unwind while eating superior food and drink.

 

To others it means do every little special request that I have and wait on me hand and foot.

 

Both are valid expectations, just remember that everyone has thier own perspective.

 

 

superior food and drink sounds just perfect to me!

[dugxfresh]

Just a quickie, but if you specify on your form that you want "real" champagne on arrival in your xuite, you will get it. We got Verve Cliquet.

 

 

Your kidding? that sounds great! how do you specify that before

you go? and they dont charge you for that? first time on regent..

[Travelcat2]

Your kidding? that sounds great! how do you specify that before

you go? and they dont charge you for that? first time on regent..

 

You can request it in advance if you are in a Penthouse suite or above. For regular suites, just ask your Stewardess when she comes by. They no longer serve Verve Cliquot -- just ask for champagne rather than sparkling wine -- they will bring it to you. There is no charge unless you are ordering a specific brand that is not on their complimentary list. I cannot recall the name of the champagne that is complimentary -- however, it was quite good:-)

[dugxfresh]

Pat: I do agree with you and Wendy. . . . after a while the luxury of luxury cruising becomes ordinary -- something to compare to a previous cruise and possibly pick apart. We fondly look back at the days when every experience was new and wonderous. What remains interesting and a bit puzzling is that approximately two weeks after a cruise, the desire to book another one increases and keeps nagging at you until another one is booked. ;)

 

Its so true; However, I travelled on the mass market cruises and everytime we go we have a great time; but its never a incredible time; its ok; we may see family on board etc.. but its always missing something; and what I really cant stand is the nickel and diming every second.. I was in the st. thomas and we were on RCCL; it was 90 degrees; the water was 3.50 a bottle and a 15% gratuity!! can you imagine a gratuity for a guy standing in front of a wagon filled with water to hand out at $4 a pop.

[Travelcat2]

Its so true; However, I travelled on the mass market cruises and everytime we go we have a great time; but its never a incredible time; its ok; we may see family on board etc.. but its always missing something; and what I really cant stand is the nickel and diming every second.. I was in the st. thomas and we were on RCCL; it was 90 degrees; the water was 3.50 a bottle and a 15% gratuity!! can you imagine a gratuity for a guy standing in front of a wagon filled with water to hand out at $4 a pop.

 

Think you will have that "incredible" experience on Regent. They put out hundreds of water bottles near the exit of the ship when you are going ashore. They also have soft drinks, juice and water set up in the computer room and other places where people gather -- just in case your thirsty. It is also refreshing to see the staff being helpful and friendly without the expactation of a tip (fortunately they are paid a good wage -- something that mainstream cruise lines should be doing).

 

Please remember to post a review after your cruise. We look forward to it.