Regent Buffed up Ships & Peak Year

[WesW]

fyi, nice news release at link below..Mark Conroy extensively interviewed

(a lot of this information was passed along by Larry 1365 on his MC Townhall summary post). MC talks about the possibility of a new ship coming from Oceania's third new build option, Regent pricing logic, and the Nav refurb.

 

http://www.cruise-community.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2722:for-regent-buffed-up-ships-and-a-peak-year-&catid=910:featuredstories&Itemid=69

[nana541]

fyi, nice news release at link below..Mark Conroy extensively interviewed

(a lot of this information was passed along by Larry 1365 on his MC Townhall summary post). MC talks about the possibility of a new ship coming from Oceania's third new build option, Regent pricing logic, and the Nav refurb.

 

http://www.cruise-community.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2722:for-regent-buffed-up-ships-and-a-peak-year-&catid=910:featuredstories&Itemid=69

 

Help lately I have been a bit protective of my personal info and this link wants me to register with personal info before I can read the article....is this a for real link or is this a dangerous site!

Forgive me for being cautious but I want to read what should be an informative article and interview with Mark Conroy.

Kathleen

[WesW]

Seatrade Insider is a well know cruise industry site. Have registered over

two years ago and also get their daily tweets..good/breaking cruise industry news.

Can't cut & paste article (against CC rules and copy right). Check the this

Luxury Cruise Bible link that shows cruise industry magazines and publications.

Note Seatrade Insider link is there. This is where I go dialy for most of my cruise

industry news.

 

http://www.luxurycruisebible.com/links#Magazines-Newsletters-Cruise-Related

[nana541]

Thanks for getting back to me! :):)

[Travelcat2]

You do have to join in order to view articles which is why many links don't work. It is an interesting website that many of us subscribe to.

[cruiseluv]

This is so strange... earlier I clicked on the link and was able to read the article. Now I tried again and got the message that I had to register.

[txladycruiser]

This is so strange... earlier I clicked on the link and was able to read the article. Now I tried again and got the message that I had to register.

 

 

Same here. I read the whole article earlier without registering.

 

 

Karen

[Hambagahle]

Even though I registered I could not access the article...too bad!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It's all just marketing puffery anyways.

[Hambagahle]

I spoke too soon -- I had to activate the account, which I have done...and read the article. Actually I found it bery interesting. Thanks Wes!!

[Portolan]

I couldn't access the link earlier in this thread so maybe what I have to report isn't news, but it was to me.

Today, on the Voyager in the Baltic, they had the Titanium-Platinum-Gold event which was a sail-away cocktail reception outside the Horizon Lounge which I thought was really lame (previous events were, indeed, special)...this wasn't. However, the cruise consultant said that in the next few months Regent (which is running at 90% sold-out for all of 2010 and expecting to go higher with additional bookings on the remaining cruises fro the year) will--finally--announce a new ship build. Minimal details: 800 pax, movable dome over the pool to provide all-weather use of the space, more specialty restaurants to allow more than the typical one meal per each venue per week, and some singles cabins to allow lower fares for singles all the time.

 

If this isn't news, then maybe it is reinforcement. IMHO they despearately need another ship or two to keep the interest up for their long-time cruisers since so much of the current calendar has the three ships doing the same Alaska-Baltic-Med intinerary over and over. We can only hope.

[Travelcat2]

I couldn't access the link earlier in this thread so maybe what I have to report isn't news, but it was to me.

 

Today, on the Voyager in the Baltic, they had the Titanium-Platinum-Gold event which was a sail-away cocktail reception outside the Horizon Lounge which I thought was really lame (previous events were, indeed, special)...this wasn't. However, the cruise consultant said that in the next few months Regent (which is running at 90% sold-out for all of 2010 and expecting to go higher with additional bookings on the remaining cruises fro the year) will--finally--announce a new ship build. Minimal details: 800 pax, movable dome over the pool to provide all-weather use of the space, more specialty restaurants to allow more than the typical one meal per each venue per week, and some singles cabins to allow lower fares for singles all the time.

 

If this isn't news, then maybe it is reinforcement. IMHO they despearately need another ship or two to keep the interest up for their long-time cruisers since so much of the current calendar has the three ships doing the same Alaska-Baltic-Med intinerary over and over. We can only hope.

 

Thank you for posting this. It reinforces what has been said recently. I, for one, am glad to see that Prestige Cruise Holdings held back a bit with Regent. The three ships needed the major overhauls which is completed, and the ships have been running fairly full. When I think about the fact that Regent prices their cruises slightly higher than Silversea and Seabourn and still keep the ships full, it's quite amazing. Someone has been something right up at the top.

 

I have to assume that management is aware of just how full their competition is -- especially Seabourn with their ever growing number of ships. While I'm only guessing, it seems that they have had to heavily discount their cruises (65%) in order to fill their ships.

 

It would be nice to see a new ship in the future. But, I respectfully disagree that this is something that is required is the near future.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow that's interesting news about the new build!

 

(Gee, I hope my first ever Gold event in December isn't too lame!)

[Travelcat2]

Wow that's interesting news about the new build!

 

(Gee, I hope my first ever Gold event in December isn't too lame!)

 

Our first wasn't exactly lame, but, it wasn't as good as I hear they used to be. There was a cocktail party outside of La Veranda with the officers. What bothered me was seeing people who were not "Gold" there. I knew at least one couple with only 2 Regent cruises that dropped by to participate.

[PaulaJK]

I agree that the earlier special events were more interesting....but at least you had an event. My last 2 Regent cruises they didn't have one...or they forgot our invitation as indeed they also did once for the society party! Unless they make them special, they might as well do without one.

Perhaps they need a 'private party sign' and monitoring staff member?

[Travelcat2]

I agree that the earlier special events were more interesting....but at least you had an event. My last 2 Regent cruises they didn't have one...or they forgot our invitation as indeed they also did once for the society party! Unless they make them special, they might as well do without one.

Perhaps they need a 'private party sign' and monitoring staff member?

 

They did have a "private party" sign. Had a staff member been there -- just to write down suite #'s, it probably would have kept crashers away. Did you mention to Regent that you have not been receiving invitations to the events?

[traveller333]

Isn't that a lot of people to lump together for 1 event ? I remember one cruise where Titaniums had their own special private event. Gold and Platinum were combined but it was a special dinner. Without changing nights required to reach current tier levels, eventually most everyone on board will qualify for upper tier event. Perhaps this is what is already occuring.

[Portolan]

I forgot to mention the timeline for the new build: start construction in 2012, first sailing in 2014, so don't hold your breath.

 

WRT T-P-G events, this was our third cruise as Golds. On the first, a Panama Canal New Year's 2008-2009 cruise, there were over 200 T-P-G's on board (!) as it was the de facto first leg of the world cruise that year. On two successive nights they did "Dinner and a Show" (first time they'd done this on any cruise...it has been repeated a few times since from what I've read). This was a special menu dinner in Signatures (it was closed to others for the two nights they needed to handle the whole group. It was followed by a special show (female singer) in Horizon Lounge which was also exclsusive to the T-P-G event. This felt special.

 

Last summer on Mariner in Alaska, they opened the crew observation "bridge" which spans the front of the ship a few decks below the true bridge. I never even knew it was there. The event was having access to this observation point while approaching Hubbard Glacier. It was great and much better than moving from side to side of the ship around the Observation Lounge. Hot drinks were served as well. This felt unique.

 

This cruise, having a cocktail party on the fantail behind the Horizon Lounge, albeit with a dedicated waiter and some food, did not fell special or unique. We could replicate the same experience on our own tomorrow except we'd have to carry our drinks and munchies out from the lounge. The only "special" aspect to this event is that we were told that we were hearing the new ship information a day earlier than it will be announced tomorrow at the Seven Seas party. After Regent went all-inclusive for drinks, all of these parties have lost most of their purpose and direction. We go to the Captain's Reception because it gives us a quick run-down on who is on-duty for the cruise. Other than that, not much attraction to any cocktail reception.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

We were gold on the 2007 Voyager Crossing and we had cocktails at the Bow of the ship with Caviar and other appetizers as we crossed. They positioned us to take a group photo. It was right before lunch so no one wanted to drink and it was hot and sunny - terrible for photography at high noon. Oh - it was easily 100 people.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

They did have a "private party" sign. Had a staff member been there -- just to write down suite #'s, it probably would have kept crashers away. Did you mention to Regent that you have not been receiving invitations to the events?

 

You can't report not getting an invitation to an event when you don't know when it is. This happened to us once over the SSS party, and we would have missed it if friends hadn't told us. When during a typical cruise does this tend to happen?

 

On the subject of "crashers", if the event is not that special, who cares if there are crashers? I can't imagine someone writing down stateroom numbers and checking! This sounds very tacky. Obviously a dinner where there would be names at the tables would be different. But a cocktail party, I don't really care who is there, truly.

[PaulaJK]

Well, perhaps I'm not great at self advocacy TC. I just sort-of, kind-of noticed that there was 'no special event'. Of course 1 of these times it was the 'd+++ pod cruise and everyone was fairly shell shocked or discombobulated [?sp] anyway. Re: the SSS party, I was seated one evening at the HM table for dinner and in a conversational mode chatted on about being surprised that there was no SSS party this cruise. When his face fell, I realized something was wrong and he filled in the missing piece. Mind you I survived these very well, thank you kindly. In between my non-events, we have rec'd invitations... so again, no big deal.

 

I do feel that they should do it well or not at all. We have twice been invited to those Signatures dinner-Horizon shows as the special event and thought they were excellent ideas. A bloody mary gathering in Horizon w. some music/ young entertainers would also serve. Frosty drinks & caviar on the bow would also appeal. Standing outside of La Veranda would not! I had found the laundry tour to be interesting although realize that below decks is now off limits.

[mariners]

Because we choose longer cruises, we have never participated in a unique event as the Regent special events on our segments are the "exclusive activities". On the Regent website, it states that: " The exclusive activities offered for Gold, Platinum and Titanium members may be combined with special events already incorporated in our longer voyages." This has included such activities as "Dinner under the Stars" in Namibia", and a polo match in Barbados that had to be cancelled due to the weather.

 

The biggest difference that I have noticed in terms of perks was last year on our Discovery Cruise segments, Regent no longer provided special gifts. Previously, we had received received gifts for segments such as beach bags/travel bags and binoculars. Last year, from my understanding, Regent gave a gift to the full cruisers at the beginning of the full cruise.