Concierge questions

[Swelldame]

Having sailed HAL and Silversea, DH and I are considering giving Regent a try for a 21-day this fall. I see the concierge-level cabins allow priority bookings for dinners and shorex; how valuable is this service? If I don't book concierge, do I run the risk of being shut out of either?

 

Many thanks!

[Travelcat2]

That is not an easy question to answer. In my opinion, the Concierge Program is the worst program ever implemented by Regent. But, if having dinner reservations on a specific night for a specific number of people is important to you, it may be worth the extra money. Getting a dining reservation is not a problem -- but a specific night could be. Most excursions will expand (by adding more buses) to accommodate all passengers wanting that particular excursion.

 

Hope this helps.

[Swelldame]

That is not an easy question to answer. In my opinion, the Concierge Program is the worst program ever implemented by Regent. But, if having dinner reservations on a specific night for a specific number of people is important to you, it may be worth the extra money. Getting a dining reservation is not a problem -- but a specific night could be. Most excursions will expand (by adding more buses) to accommodate all passengers wanting that particular excursion.

 

Hope this helps.

 

It does! Thanks so much, Travelcat2; that's exactly what I needed to know. I think the extra $$ would be better spent on the pre-cruise trip, given that the suites are otherwise the same.

[Swyre]

Last year we were in a penthouse on Mariner which is concierge, in August we're "roughing it" in an ordinary cabin on Voyager.

 

I've booked all the excursions I wanted although one is earlier in the day than ideal so you do have to get in there as soon as bookings open.

 

I feel disinclined to pay extra money for more expensive soap and internet connectivity so I think I'll be perfectly happy in my standard cabin and as regards restaurant bookings, I'll let you know when bookings open.

 

If you book a "guarantee" which is what I did last year, you may get an upgrade to a concierge suite at no extra charge.

 

Take care

 

R

[HanaleiSailor]

Aloha,

 

We were sold an upgrade to concierge at a really good price last year, and even with the Concierge-level ability to book early restaurant reservations--we tried online early on the first day--we were still unable to get an early evening seating for two in both Prime Seven and Signatures, but we did get later seatings on the days we chose.

 

However, onboard we cancelled these reservations and just went to Sette Mari these nights, both because we wanted to eat early, and because we really liked Sette Mari.

 

We were able to book all of the shore excursions we wanted with no trouble. On board, we did not hear any grumbling from passengers who could not get on excursions, so I think most everyone was accommodated, Concierge or not.

 

With a 21 day cruise, I believe that you should get one reservation in each specialty restaurant each week, so there really should be no problem getting into these venues if you are flexible with days and times.

 

Would love to do a 21 day trip--still too busy working!!!

 

Aloha from Hanalei.

[Travel2Learn]

I find the cabin locations and the espresso maker are reasons to book concierge. Also, single supplements are priced differently, so a concierge level cabin can be a better buy.

[HanaleiSailor]

I find the cabin locations and the espresso maker are reasons to book concierge. Also, single supplements are priced differently, so a concierge level cabin can be a better buy.

 

I will second T2L's comments. My wife really needs to be as close to mid-ship as possible for prevention of possible motion sickness, and there seem to be more mid-ship possibilities with the Concierge cabins, and she also LOVED having the ability to prepare single shots of espresso in the cabin early in the mornings for her "pre-coffee coffee."

 

Aloha

[Swelldame]

Great information! Thanks, everyone.

 

We don't mind rockin' and rollin', and are very flexible with dining, usually preferring later times unlike most cruisers. It sounds like the restaurant situation will turn out fine.

 

So glad to hear the shorex situation is a good one; it'll be our first time in the Middle East/Holy Land, and would be crushed to get all the way there and not see everything we wanted.

 

Booking a guarantee at the lowest price will certainly keep DH (aka: Mr. Fiscal) a happy cruiser! :D