Will Regent become a two class cruise line?

[Goofyisme]

Unfortunately this just adds another reason to the list of why I don't sail with Regent anymore. I disagree with so many of the changes implemented by the new ownership that I just will not give them any more of my money. It is really too bad since we have had so many wonderful sailings with Regent, but I know I would just be annoyed too much by the differences to be able to fully enjoy. I know others are not as bothered as me and I am sure most will have a lovely cruise with Regent, it's just not for me anymore.

 

I continue to monitor this board in hopes that some things will change. Between this site and the barrage of Regent advertisements I get thru email and snail mail I am sure we will learn when and if Regent becomes a choice I can really enjoy again.

 

Just my point of view. Wishing all who sail, no matter which line, a wonderful experience.

[WesW]

HI Goofy..nice to see u post here...

 

Speaking of Regent's competition, just in Crystal going all inclusive Spring 2012:

 

http://www.cruisereport.com/crNews.aspx?id=1490

[Travelcat2]

1. When we sailed on the QMII to Europe, we did not, at all, feel like members of a lower class because we were not in a grill suite. Actually, when we sneaked through the Queen's grill dining room, we thought how much prettier the Brittania dining room was and the food basically comes from the same kitchen.

 

 

I had to laugh about you sneaking into the Queen's grill dining room. My DH came to the U.S. (originally) on the Queen Elizabeth. He was in "steerage" and snuck into "First Class" only to find that it was really boring up there. In fact, many people from First Class were partying down in steerage:)

[Emdee]

Interesting news about Crystal... now if only they will take away the formal wear requirement!

[AWED23]

Very well stated by both Freddie and SanFran

Have you checked out the amazing pricing on Seabourn for the Baltics this summer?

.....It makes me wonder why they feel it necessary to make such deep discounts.

[smilingcruiser]

TC - As far as we could see on the QMII, while of course the rooms in the Queen's and Princess suites were MUCH nicer than the standard ones, that was the only difference. And I am sure your DH had a much more fun time in "steerage" than he would have in first class.

 

My first cruise, many years ago,k was on the old SS France (then it became the Norway and was then taken out of service). We were not in first class, because we couldn't eat in the fancy dining room, but since my children were with me (it was a Christmas cruise). we were all much happier in the other dining room, and the food was fabulous.

[poss]

Picking up on what Wendy said (I've been thinking same): Is there not a way to get these opinions (which I strongly share) over to the Regent Powers? E.g. what about folks who have TA's that seem to be closely involved with Regent? What's the talk been like there? How do the main Regent TA's feel about these changes? If those TA's "get" the disgruntlement and disappointment, are they passing these thoughts along to Regent?

 

So sad....

[AWED23]

HI Goofy..nice to see u post here...

 

Speaking of Regent's competition, just in Crystal going all inclusive Spring 2012:

 

http://www.cruisereport.com/crNews.aspx?id=1490

...:) Now they are trying to catch up. We have 2 upcoming Crystal cruises, 4/24 LA-Hawaii-LA (2 weeks) and then Copenhagen-London by way of the North Cape and Spitsbergen. (2 weeks in July)....And no free wine or Gin except for a complimentary one time set up in our cabins wet bar....Ya think maybe Regent has been getting some Crystal passengers to switch? I wonder about shore excursions?....:cool:

[Island Cruiser]

Until now, Regent has always attempted to differentiate itself from the mass market lines. This policy change represents a turn in the opposite direction. Regent is moving in the direction of becoming a mass market line I presume because that's where the new future passengers are. Lets face it, 98% of the cruise industry sails using a class structure. I can pay Regent prices on any mass market ship and get a nicer larger cabin, butler (a perk I value little), a separate dining room for breakfast and lunch, priority boarding and disembarkation, priority access to tenders, preferred seating in the main dining room and much more. And I can gain some distinct advantages over the luxury lines by booking mass market: a larger selection of alternative dining venus, a larger variety of entertainment options, better shows among them. Silversea, Seabourn and now, to my surprise, Crystal are looking better than ever. I haven't left Regent. Regent has left me.

[Snackdaddy]

Greetings,

In an effort to surprise my wife with a 30th wedding anniversary cruise in 2012, I have been researching luxury lines, especially Regent, for quite some time. We have 33 cruises on mass market lines, mostly on Royal Caribbean International (RCI) where we have enjoyed the family-oriented atmosphere and activities. We are also Diamond Plus members in RCI’s Crown and Anchor loyalty program. While we enjoy many of the perks that come with our Diamond Plus status, my wife in her egalitarian mind-set, has often remarked how much she dislikes the way the loyalty program creates a class system that causes some folks, in the higher tiers of the program, to think and act that they are better than others. Hence, that’s why Regent is/was so attractive to me. What a surprise for my wife a Regent cruise would be! An egalitarian culture on a luxury cruise ship would be one of the many positive attributes we both would enjoy the most. Do you think this new policy will impact the egalitarian culture on Regent cruises that much?

[wripro]

The analogy to first class on an airline simply does not hold water because Regent advertises itself as all first class. That means that there is no business class or coach. Until now.

[OrpingtonT]

HI Goofy..nice to see u post here...

 

Speaking of Regent's competition, just in Crystal going all inclusive Spring 2012:

 

http://www.cruisereport.com/crNews.aspx?id=1490

 

Very interesting, Wes, but no prices yet. (in the UK anyway)

[Travelcat2]

poss: Think my TA will just book other luxury lines -- particularly Silversea since several key management people moved from Regent to Silversea. They are beginning to get their smoking under control. If Regent customers could look at the more formal requirements on Silversea as a game -- just playing dress-up, they will find a cruise line very similar to what Regent used to be.

 

The Crystal changes were inevitable -- they either switch or continue to lose money. They still have not proven (or mentioned) open seating. Rumor has it that they cannot accommodate open seating. The closest they have come is making reservations in advance if you do not want set seating. Do not believe you can just walk in to their main dining room and be seated at a table size of your choice.

 

This is an interesting crossroads for two luxury lines. Regent passengers are not happy with the changes. .. . . Crystal passengers are not happy with the upcoming changes. It is really the perfect time for Silversea and Seabourn to take advantage of the situation.

 

Snackdaddy: I am not familiar with the loyalty programs on RCI, however, on Regent, the loyalty perks are not noticeable to the rest of the passengers. While we may talk about it on the boards, no one on the ship does. The only time we have mentioned it on a cruise was on our last cruise when an Australian couple were desperate to reach their family after devastating floods, etc. I told them that they could use our phone whenever they want since we have free use of the phone. The fact that most passengers on the ship receive free internet and some phone usage is not obvious.

 

From what I read, premium cruise lines and some mainstream cruise lines already have "class" systems on board so this will not seem odd. Once again it appears that Regent is targeting non-luxury cruisers. And, until their ships are no longer running full, they just won't "get it".

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Pat,

 

You said it so well - Regent has left me.

 

All that said - I like Oceania. The Concierge Class cabins are the minimum on the old R Ships I would consider on any cruise. Why pay Regent Prices to cruise on Oceania except for the SSS benefits which are almost the same as the Concierge class.

 

I think many of the Regent loyal have been on many of the itineraries. We have been to quite a few and have been considering other kinds of travel since you can only see so much via ship's tours. For us - this is probably that push. We always do some land at the ports on either end.

[Host Dan]

The analogy to first class on an airline simply does not hold water because Regent advertises itself as all first class. That means that there is no business class or coach. Until now.

Well said Henry...

 

Host Dan

[Island Cruiser]

Snackdaddy, Regent's new policy is a step in the direction of encouraging the snob element. They are everywhere to some degree, even on the luxury lines. But until now, everyone on a Regent ship has been treated equally outside of their cabins. I've occupied the Master Suite and standard cabins on all decks except 10. I liked the equal treatment very much occupying both the cheapest cabin on deck 5 on Navigator and Master Suite 1101 on Voyager. Under the new policy, passengers not booking premium cabins will stand in the back of the line for restaurant reservations and be placed in a new "coach" line for boarding and disembarking the ship. A very small change in once sense. But a huge departure from the norm in another. The other luxury lines haven't done this--yet. I'm going to vote with my feet.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Pat, I agree, but it might be nice to tell Regent how we feel. Not sure how.

 

Snackdaddy, any change will be gradual, I'm sure. We've got a 2012 Regent trip booked, as many who post here probably have, and I don't expect any big change right away.

 

Kathy, good for you. I agree that there are lots of attractive ways to travel aside from luxury cruising--at this point, when we cruise, at least part of the destination is the ship itself, not the ports.

[AWED23]

Greetings,

In an effort to surprise my wife with a 30th wedding anniversary cruise in 2012, I have been researching luxury lines, especially Regent, for quite some time. We have 33 cruises on mass market lines, mostly on Royal Caribbean International (RCI) where we have enjoyed the family-oriented atmosphere and activities. We are also Diamond Plus members in RCI’s Crown and Anchor loyalty program. While we enjoy many of the perks that come with our Diamond Plus status, my wife in her egalitarian mind-set, has often remarked how much she dislikes the way the loyalty program creates a class system that causes some folks, in the higher tiers of the program, to think and act that they are better than others. Hence, that’s why Regent is/was so attractive to me. What a surprise for my wife a Regent cruise would be! An egalitarian culture on a luxury cruise ship would be one of the many positive attributes we both would enjoy the most. Do you think this new policy will impact the egalitarian culture on Regent cruises that much?

:) Do not form an opinion based on the posters on this board who are probably less than 5% of Regent's passengers. We cruise different lines for many different reasons. Regent is at the head of our list. The lowest snob factor of any of the "Luxury" lines and yes we have been on Seabourn and SilverSeas etc......Multiple times. You will find a really great demographic of passengers on beautiful ships getting great service all at the same time...:D

[ChatKat in Ca.]

:) Do not form an opinion based on the posters on this board who are probably less than 5% of Regent's passengers. We cruise different lines for many different reasons. Regent is at the head of our list. The lowest snob factor of any of the "Luxury" lines and yes we have been on Seabourn and SilverSeas etc......Multiple times. You will find a really great demographic of passengers on beautiful ships getting great service all at the same time...:D

 

And will you be able to say that if you don't do Concierge in 2012 on a Regent Ship, because Oceania there is a definite difference on their sister line?

 

And for your statistics of this being 5% of R passengers here at CC, can you tell us how you arrived at that number, because, as someone with an advanced degree in stats and math, there is actually no way to determine how many people frequent this board and report their findings.

[Responder]

:) Do not form an opinion based on the posters on this board who are probably less than 5% of Regent's passengers. We cruise different lines for many different reasons. Regent is at the head of our list. The lowest snob factor of any of the "Luxury" lines and yes we have been on Seabourn and SilverSeas etc......Multiple times. You will find a really great demographic of passengers on beautiful ships getting great service all at the same time...:D

 

Good post....I couldn't have said it better...

[Snackdaddy]

AWED23, Wendy The Wanderer, Island Cruiser and Travelcat2:

 

It looks like I have stumbled into a very passionate issue here. :( I just want to say thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. :)

 

All the best,

[Travelcat2]

What AWED23 says is true. However, Regent changed it's dress code by a vote of the 5% of us on this board and one other very small cruise board. Also, I know as a fact that CruiseCritic is read by management -- all the way up to Frank Del Rio. So, while we are a minority, we are a fairly strong one.

[Emdee]

I am with ChatKat on this one.

 

I will also bring to posters notice what happened on the RCCL board where the company was trying to limit liability on their repeaters program and decided to make amendments. People were very vocal with both words and feet cancelling reservations so the line made some serious amendments/improvements to the program.

 

There is no way to say how many Regent regulars/lurkers/ future regent cruisers are on the board. Only a reduction in revenue and a lot of noise from posters who stand up from their beliefs will tell a story.

 

I have to admit that I enjoy the posts from Azamara's Chief Blogging Officer and his honest attempts to tackle problems and issues. He very quickly responded on what Azamara's policy was with respect to cruises going to Egypt. They have taken what we were used to getting from Mark Conroy ( dont see him on the board that often now!) to the next level.

[Hambagahle]

I may be stupid, but I really do not see how this "new" Concierge class" is different from what is happening now... it just formalizes things, with the exception perhaps of early boarding... but note, Regent does not in this announcement define what "early boarding " is. (11.30 instead of noon? Noon instead of 12.30?? you cannot board the ship before the departing passengers have left it!)

 

People who choose Butler suites - and obviously pay more for them - have always been able to get a second restaurant reservation, on a space available basis, by asking their Butler once onboard. AND SSS members, until quite recently, were also supposed to have "Priority restaurant reservations" once they got to Gold Level. This sort of evaporated...

 

Getting binocluars - how is this different from getting an iPod when you have a Butler suite now?

 

Regent is NOT - as far as I can read anyway - suggesting something similar to the different dining rooms that Cunard has, depending on what you pay for your suite. And what is wrong for getting a better suite, with some additional perks attached, if you pay more? We have sailed in "normal" suites and "Butler" suites. And we have met, and soclialised with, people in suites in a lower category than the one we were curerntly occupying, and with those in much higher catgories. I do not see how this new "Concierge Class" will change anything... it is "Butler suite" revisted, and as such, in my book, a marketing tool... Perhaps "Concierge" sounds a bit more exotic than "Butler"!!

 

Oh! And in re-reading the original post I see that a "complimentary Regent tote bag" will be offered as well... OK - on many cruises - around Latin America, World Cruises etc - Regent has long offered a special jacket or something similar to those who book the entire cruise.

 

Why on earth get all "class conscious" about this - it doesn't merit it, IMO!! The silly person who suggested that he or she "bow" to someone going to a suite on Deck 11 is far more "class conscious" than Regent!

[Travelcat2]

I may be stupid, but I really do not see how this "new" Concierge class" is different from what is happening now... it just formalises things, with the exception perhaps of early boarding... but note, Regent does not in this announcement define what "early boarding " is. (11.30 instead of noon? Noon instead of 12.30?? you cannot board the ship before the departing passengers have left it!

 

People who choose Butler suites - and obviously pay more for them - have always been able to get a second restaurant reservation, space available by asking their Butler once onboard. AND SSS members, until quite recently, were also supposed to have "Priority restaurant reservations" once they got to Gold Level. This sort of evaporated...

 

Getting binocluars - how is this different from getting an iPod when you have a Butler suite?

 

Regent is NOT - as far as I can read anyway - suggesting something similar to the different dining rooms that Cunard has, depending on what you pay for your suite. And what is wrong for getting a better suite, with some additional perks attached, if you pay more? We have sailed in "normal" suites and "Butler" suites. And we have met, and soclialised with, people in suites in a lower category than the one we were curerntly occupying, and with those in much higher catgories. I do not see how this new "Concierge Class" will change anything... it is "Butler suite" revisted, and as such, in my book, a marketing tool...

 

Oh! And in re-reading the original post I see that a "complimentary Regent tote bag" will be offered as well... OK - on many cruises - Around Latin America, World Cruises etc - Regent has long offered a special jacket or something to those who book the entire cruise.

 

Why on earth get all "class conscious" about this - it doesn't merit it, IMO!! the silly person who suggested that he or she "bow" to someone going to a suite on Deck 11 is far more "class conscious" than Regent!

 

Thank you so much for that post. I have been rethinking the whole situation for the past hour or so. Now, the biggest thing concerning me about the new way of doing things is the priority boarding. The rest of the items can be fairly invisible. . . . including priority dining reservations since most of it is done online. As Island Cruiser mentioned, they have been in a Master Suite, regular suites and those in between. We have as well and have not acted any differently towards anyone. Many of us on this board are Gold or above. . . . this is also not something we talk about when we are sailing.

If Regent loses everything it was based on, it will be a sad day. Wish Regent would just make all the changes they plan to make for a year and allow us to decide if we can live with it. For the past 2+ years, we keep waiting for the next shoe to drop.:(