Do you remember when?

[Jeronimo]

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN?

 

It occurred to me after my last Regent cruise how much the Regent brand has changed since my first cruise with them some eight years ago. I used to really look forward to the next cruise and always booked this whilst on the boat.

 

For the first time I have not booked another one. I started to list how things used to be and it amazed me to see the continuous but slow drop in quality, for me, of the Regent offering.

 

• Do you remember when the grapefruit juice served in La Veranda for breakfast was freshly squeezed? I remember being told there was a member of staff who would squeeze the juice overnight. Now it’s just re-constituted stuff from a packet. This deterioration occurred maybe 4 years ago. I know they will macerate a fruit for you but it’s full of pith and not very pleasant.

 

• Do you remember when the orange juice was freshly squeezed? Not anymore, my last cruise introduced the same packet concentrate stuff.

 

• Do you remember when there used to be a cheese trolley in Compass Rose? Now it’s just a plate with 4 slivers of cheese with no choice as to what they are. This deterioration occurred maybe 5 years ago.

 

• Do you remember when you were greeted at the entrance to Signatures with an aperitif? Not anymore.

 

• Do you remember when boarding the boat after an excursion, staff would stand aside and let you board first? Whilst many continue this courtesy it now doesn’t always happen.

 

• Do you remember when all the food was delightful and freshly cooked? Not any more, much of it is now the “cook chill” type which extracts a lot of the taste.

 

• Do you remember when day after day new dishes were prepared to tempt your palette? Once you have been on-board for about two weeks those same dished just keep coming round and round.

 

• Do you remember when the internet on-board, whilst slow was useable? Not any more; for much of the time it is so slow that connections keep dropping out and you have to go right back to the beginning.

 

• Do you remember when all the staff you saw were smartly presented? Not any more, some serving staff have the top button of their shirt undone and their tie part way down their chest.

 

• Do you remember when the embarkation process went quickly and smoothly? My last two have involved over a 30 minute wait in a snaking queue, then being presented with a thimble full of warm, flat sparkling wine.

 

• Do you remember when the cabin staff met you by the lifts and showed you to your suite after embarkation once your suite was ready? Not any more; I helped many first timers wandering about lost on my last cruise.

 

I have more than 200 nights under my belt but the erosion in standards has now got too much for me. A “six star” experience it certainly is no longer.

 

I am saying farewell Regent.

[Travelcat2]

We have cruised Regent 10 years -- also with 200+ nights. I do remember some things but our recollections on some items are a tiny bit different.

 

I remember when they served sparkling wine when we boarded. This changed to real champagne a year or two ago (but is many times flat and warm:-)

 

Definitely remember (and miss) the cheese trolley.

 

My memory of the embarkation process is different than yours. We do not encounter any lines because we do not take the bus transportation to the ship (prefer to go on our own and miss the crowds).

 

We definitely miss some of the items you mentioned and also questioned whether to continue cruising (not only with Regent -- cruising at all since standards have slipped on other luxury cruise lines as well -- if you believe what is posted on Cruise Critic). We gave this serious consideration and concluded that the world changes -- things change -- we change (at least our expectations do) and wondered if there was anything that we could do instead of cruising that would be as satisfying.

 

Our conclusion is not the same as yours as we will continue cruising Regent as well as Oceania and Silversea. I would miss waking up almost every morning in a different city (or country) with new places to explore -- new cuisines to sample and new people to meet. We would miss the faces of the crew that, in some cases, have been with Regent longer than we have -- miss their smiles and how they will do almost anything to give you the best experience possible while onboard the ship. I would miss sitting on the balcony -- with no sounds other than the sea -- the solitude -- the comfort.

 

It is nice looking back at how things were but it is also nice to be able to look forward.

 

Thanks for your post -- it did put a smile on my face:)

[Zqueeze1]

Interesting to see the different perspectives. As Regent newbies, we see the levle of service as a definite step up from our usual Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Celebrity cruises. Our recent Regent cruise impressed us with its excellent service and enhanced personal detail to the point that now The Boss will not consider any other cruises unless it is with our friends or at a similar level as Regent.

 

I agree with TC2 that the world has changed. There are also many other venues out there whose definition of service continues to evolve.

 

Z and TB

[Mudhen]

I enjoyed reading your post, Jeronimo. A lot of your references, we're familiar with, others, not so much. We've cruised Regent since the late 90's, I'm guessing. I'm pretty sure the Diamond was still in the fleet, whenever that was. We started when Regent was NOT all inclusive. Some seem to think it always was....it wasn't. It was pricey, (for us) as we'd always done middle upper premium lines.....HAL, Windstar,Sun Line (yeah, I'm that old!), etc. We had a hiatus from Regent for a long time, but then did a long transatlantic on the Mariner two years ago, and most recently my daughter and I to Alaska on the Navigator.

Fresh juice was not in evidence, but you could ask for a hand crafted, blended juice concoction on the lido. My daughter loved it, I would've been really happy with a good, fresh juice Mimosa.

The "champagne" thing.......I agree about the half glass of warm bubbly. Although I do love my champagne thing, just because it's CHAMPAGNE, doesn't mean it's good. I'd go for a cold, full glass of a quality sparkler any day, over warm, REAL champagne.

Cheese trolley......OMG, now a travesty, not deserving to be called a cheese plate. White plate, 4 cheeses( don't ask your server what they are, no knows, or worse they guess...."ah, I think that's Brie......or maybe it's Ementhaler........." garnish is 6 red grapes in the center.

Really miss the real thing.

Shown to suite......nope, but then almost no one, save "the other line" seems to do that anymore......I don't think that's a Regent exclusive.

Probably one of my biggest disappointments was on the Mariner (20+ days) where we only had one crew service person remember our names, other than our cabin steward. Probably because we were not in a penthouse or world class suite.

All of this aside, we still like Regent, and we're cruising with them in the near future. There were many nice things that they do that we enjoyed. We also like "the other line " a lot, and will cruise with them too. Now if we could just meld the two of them together..........haha!

[Travelcat2]

Interesting to see the different perspectives. As Regent newbies, we see the levle of service as a definite step up from our usual Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Celebrity cruises. Our recent Regent cruise impressed us with its excellent service and enhanced personal detail to the point that now The Boss will not consider any other cruises unless it is with our friends or at a similar level as Regent.

 

I agree with TC2 that the world has changed. There are also many other venues out there whose definition of service continues to evolve.

 

Z and TB

 

Good to hear that you are impressed with Regent -- we are to -- even though we forget sometimes how fortunate we are to be sailing on such a wonderful cruise line. I wanted to comment on the "cheese trolley". While it was a wonderful touch, you can still get a variety of cheeses at lunch or dinner.

 

At lunch, in La Veranda, there is an assortment of 5-6 cheeses that you can slice yourself so you can have as much or as little as you wish. In Compass Rose, simply ask your server what cheeses are available that evening. While the tendency is to give you small portions (after the huge dinner you just completed:-), as with any food served on Regent, just ask for the amount you would like and you will get it.

[Mudhen]

I don't think I've ever had a problem with "not enough" on ANY cruise line! It's usually way TOO much! Will have to check out the cheese in La Veranda. At least then I'd know what I'm getting! The lack of knowledge on cheese in Compass Rose isn't a deal breaker. We're easy. I'm just surprised how little any of our servers knew.....and not just one night. It's ok.......maybe we can teach Them! They did always offer a glass of port to go with the cheese service.......nice touch. Now if we could just get them to know our names and serve some COLD,quality bubbles, we'd be cookin'.......haha!

[RachelG]

I have to agree about the cheese trolley disappearance. Very disappointing, especially when the waiter can't tell you what the cheeses being presented are. Much prefer to pick my own.

 

As far as fresh squeezed OJ or grapefruit juice, it is available on the pool deck, as well as any other freshly made juice concoction you might fancy.

 

I have been sailing on Regent since the old Radisson days, and I never remember being greeted with an apertif in Signatures. I guess I must have missed that.

[cotto22]

We are considering two possible cruises this fall on Radisson, after sailing on Regent just prior to the switch, when it served wine with dinner, but was not totally all inclusive and did not have shore inclusions included. Most recently we have been on Seabourn and Silversea, and particularly enjoyed Silversea but for the time period we needed, we did not want to repeat the same ship and same experience.

 

Both Silversea and Seabourn ships were much smaller, so perhaps that may have something to do with the personal recognition. Truthfully, I almost felt smothered on the Seabourn. Each time I rose from a chair, a staff member rose to escort me somewhere. It would be different if I needed the help, either because of advanced age or alcohol consumption! But I am middle aged and most times I was pretty sober!

 

I would like to be pampered on our cruise, and I am sad to here that standards are not up to what others have experienced. But for our time period, it is either one of two Regents or a back to back Azamara, and I have no experience with that line.

[poss]

Our "remember when": When we thought cruise ship cruising was definitely not for us.

Having been sailboat cruisers (mostly a deux) for many decades, we could not fathom how we could possibly enjoy the other kind of cruising. Folks who loved it kept saying to just give it a try. Once doing our own thing became too problematical, we gritted our teeth (not really) and took the plunge-- with Radisson (after doing a whole lot of homework). And we've been happy campers ever since. I do think that there've been some slips (cheese trolley :-), but oh, how fortunate we feel! (At this point, we're even among those folks who are grateful for included excursions.)

[imcpa]

I don't "remember when" because I only started doing luxury cruises in 2010 (Silversea in 2010, Regent in 2011, Paul Gauguin in 2012 and Crystal in 2013).

 

While they were all awesome, what I don't like is that, IMO, none live up to what they advertise. They all advertise as if every whim and desire is immediately satisfied above expectations and you can "have it all". This just is not possible and based on my 4 cruises, it felt there was class warfare on 3 of them (concierge/butler service vs not, beer/water in suite vs whatever liquor you wanted, etc.). The Silver Cloud was the exception, but I think it was also due to it being the smallest.

 

What I would like to know from those who do "remember when" and think the experienced has really declined is how have the prices have changed. Were the normal prices really twice what they now advertise since they sell it as "50% off%"

[Sunprince]

I can't comment on how it used to be since we are new to Regent, but it is interesting to read. Loyalty aside, which I know is important the question for me is of value. If standards are decreasing with price increasing then that is not a good trend. You can disguise it with supposed clever marketing to "reduce the fare by 50%", but the key question...is there good value for money spending on average $2000 per night, especially given many don't want the included excursions and need to spend extra to upgrade the business class air?

Edited February 19, 2014 by Sunprince

[SuzK]

Well, yes, things are down. The hors d'oeuvres are more on par with something you would see at Costco now, not the wonderful things we used to see. I think that the staff is still good and we see many who have been on for years so they must be happy with their jobs. Some of the seafood, my favorite in the past is sadly cheaper. We've also been put off by the so called concierge level. If someone books a larger stateroom once, are they worth more to the cruise line than a Titanium and Gold with several cruises a year? Apparently they are now.

[555lavan1t]

I've been cruising on Regent since the Radison days and have never been disappointed or felt service was lacking on any cruise or any ship and I've been on all of them. It seems to me that many people on these boards, especially the Regent board are way too focused on what they don't get or what they think they should get rather than just enjoying their cruise. Maybe it's my age and the changes I've seen in all aspects of my life, but why would anyone expect that things would not change. It's a challenge for any company to stay in business, especially during the last 10 years and I'm happy that Regent has responded to a changing economy and is continuing to provide great cruises for me to enjoy. So what if it isn't the same as it was 10 or 15 years ago, it's still the best for me and I intend to enjoy every Regent cruise on which I am fortunate enough to be on.

[newlondon]

Absolutely agree 555. The thread on this board about internet is a perfect example of over expectation and not enough enjoying what is available.

While we love Silver Whisper most; Voyager is only slightly behind.

[tallship]

We've also been put off by the so called concierge level. If someone books a larger stateroom once, are they worth more to the cruise line than a Titanium and Gold with several cruises a year? Apparently they are now.

 

Agree with this.....loyalty counts for nothing now as the free internet is offered for free with most cruises

[DrHemlock]

Totally agree with Mudhen and TC2 regarding that celebratory refreshment upon boarding. Give me a cold, (mostly) full glass of prosecco or California methode champenoise any time over the two sad fingers of warm "real" champagne resting forlornly in the bottom of a (mostly) empty glass upon boarding our most recent RSSC cruises.

 

Mind you, I'm quite agile at taking my libation, heading to the elevator, scarfing the liquid in one swallow, leaving the glass and returning directly to the welcome tray. No shame in that -- hey, it's all-inclusive Regent, right? -- but the wine is still warm and often flat.

 

Oddly, they didn't seem to have that problem when champagne flowed at a Seven Seas Society reception or the Krew Kapers. Nice cold, full glasses then. Yum.

 

Also agree about the cheese. The trolley in Signatures started out well enough on our recent Mariner cruise, even featuring my all-time favorite époisses, but that disappeared quickly and we reverted to the usual brie, camembert, chèvre, etc. Oh well, at least we're paying a lot more for it….

 

One more suggestion for Jeronimo's list: I remember berries at breakfast. In fact, I remember reading discussions of berries right here on CC, though it's been a few years and it may have been on the Oceania board.

 

Oh sure, Mariner had cut up strawberries most mornings (until they didn't), but we never saw a raspberry, blueberry or blackberry offered on the fresh fruit table. Yes, a few more exotic options like mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit and unripe papaya finally showed up but not until about a week into the cruise. They were mostly delicious and much appreciated by the more adventurous among us, but there's just something about fresh berries that really makes one's day. Surely they could be provided at least until the exotic local produce makes its appearance. But then, it's so much less expensive to offer the usual cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi and unripe fresh pineapple, n'est-ce pas?

 

None of which, I should add, either by inclusion or exclusion, spoiled our cruise in any way. Truth is, it probably would not have occurred to me to add this little "remember when" comment if this had been our first RSSC cruise. But we've been around enough that we do remember when.

 

Best wishes to the crew of Mariner who took care of pretty near our every wish. We miss them already and hope they miss us, even if they didn't learn our names. Why should they? With the exception of our cabin stewardess, we didn't tell them our names and we don't wear tags! We find that "Madame" and "Sir" work perfectly for us.

 

That's my two cents.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Jeronimo!

 

I completely agree. I have no plans to sail Regent again; The line no longer fits my profile of what I want in a cruise. I am Gold and miss some of the finer touches on board. We were on maiden season sailings of Mariner and we were totally blown away but the elegance.

 

That said - the focus has move to Oceania for PCH and I have moved also and while it's close to perfect it's not the Radisson of yore.

[Responder]

This increasing criticism concerning Regent is hard to figure out.

 

If they are really failing in some areas, and one would think, if these CC posts are meaningful, that Regent would surface-recognize those failings and restore it as many from the past would like to see it done. Whatever that means. The speed with which the world is going, one needs to run just to stand still.

 

On the other hand, so long as business is good and they can continue to increase prices and old timers such as myself continue to sail, who can sort this out.

 

Sure, nothing can be the same as we remembered from years ago. Maybe the newer ships resemble the new broom speeps clean concept, and that lasts till the next new broom comes along.

 

I don't disagree that Regent has a few ups and downs, but I experience this in every moment of my life. Restaurants are not what they used to be...now all is showtime along with designer chefs and designer menus at ridiculous prices and mostly shoddy service...so we pick and choose from among what is out there.

 

With cruising...some go for ports....some for food...some for exclusivity...some for price..some for name recognition and on and on.

So what if I have to wait a few extra minutes for my serving or so what if it is not 100% to my liking. We can't even hit home runs with everything at home, and that's my own broom..

 

 

I must give Regent credit for being able to retain their following...just consider the huge repeat customer turnout at the cocktail parties aboard.. They must be doing something right.

For us, there is a feeling and environment that totally pleases us. Can't really explain it...maybe they attract those seeking what we seek.

 

Just thought I would express how we see Regent and their broom closet. :D

[TedC]

I REMEMBER when past cruisers got a 10 percent discount for next cruise! While researching a cruise to Antarctica it came down to Radisson, now Regent, or National Geography Lindblad ship.

 

What swayed us to Radisson was the discount and the wonderful blogs Petlover (Marcie) wrote on her world cruise.

 

Of course when we booked a Radisson cruise the discount had disappeared!

 

Despite that we've been happy on Regent since.

Edited February 22, 2014 by TedC

[RachelG]

TedC, I remember that 10% discount too. Part of what got me addicted to cruising on Regent.

[tallship]

And no Concierge BS

[Travelcat2]

Double emphasis on last post!!!!!!!!

[RachelG]

ditto!

[newlondon]

Last three posts, I absolutely do not understand the resentment against a passenger who pays more getting more. Jacquie, you in particular have been favored by Regent, rightfully so since you are platinum and lead cheers on CC, would you give up all your perks earned over the years?

[Eager2Travel]

If I may chime in here the difference with being Platinum or Gold is that those benefits were earned with loyalty not paid for with money. I know that I am a naive idealist but I like to believe that not everything boils down to having the extra money to pay for things.