Regent is changing...and not for the better

[hamasgirl]

My DH and I have been fans of Regent since they wereRadisson Seven Seas.We were extremelyexcited to have the opportunity to sail on Explorer for an itinerary that wewanted to do….Reykjavik to Copenhagen. But our experience last month on thiscruise indicated to us that ‘passenger spend’ or ‘passenger suite level’ isinfluencing how Regent now operates.

 

We were one of the early bookings for this cruise.Since my DH is sensitive to seasickness webooked Deck 6, midships, to limit the ‘motion of the ocean’ like we normallydo. We booked Concierge as usual, bookedour flights through Regent with no deviation and took advantage of the ‘free’pre-cruise 1 day stay in Reykjavik.Ourtravel agent told us he had stayed in the Radisson Blu and that we would enjoyit when Regent booked us there as he had been told they would.

 

Paperwork arrived and we were not staying in Radisson Blubut in Hilton Nordica which is well outside of downtown Reykjavik.Icelandair flight to Reykjavik (arranged byRegent) arrived at 6:15 am but the hotel told us that the Regent rooms wouldnot be available until 2 pm even though folks from other tour groups that wereon our flight were given rooms as they checked in with us.Not a good start.Once we got keys to our ‘deluxe room’, we hada lovely view of the tar roof that covered all of the lobby rooms that was approximately6 inches below our window sill and had quite an interesting assortment ofnative plants growing out of the cracks.

 

Next morning, there were 2 buses for transfer to the ship andwhen we arrived at the ship there was a line of buses waiting to drop offpassengers.We were the last two busesto arrive and when we finally offloaded we got to spend 40+ minutes waiting onthe dock in a long line of passengers to get on the ship.And our luggage was the last to be loaded onthe ship so we didn’t get our luggage until 6:30pm!

 

Overall, while not happy, we figured that our experience wasa result of Reykjavik being a relatively small city and port so Regent did thebest that they could for everyone. Until, that is, we spoke with some lovelyfolks at dinner who had arrived in Reykjavik at the same time that we did butwere taken to the Radisson Blu and were given rooms as soon as they arrived. Inspeaking with them we learned that they were in a suite on the upper decks. So,we decided to visit the on-board concierge to try and understand how decisionswere made as to where Regent guests were housed.Rudely told that we would not be receivingany compensation from Regent as the first response (we never asked for that)she then offered to ‘check into it’.After 3 days of no update from her we stopped by her desk again.Her final answer, while again telling us thatthere would be no compensation from Regent, was that there were 6 hotels usedby Regent in Reykjavik and assignment was random. Hmmmm!!

 

On the morning of disembarkation, I spoke with a fellowpassenger who told me how much she enjoyed the Butler service on thecruise.In further discussion, I learnedthat she lived a few towns over from me and was returning to the same airport asI was.She said that she had been in Copenhagenmany times and wasn’t all that excited about the ½ day tour that Regent wasproviding because of her 6PM flight out.I told her that we were leaving earlier but that I was concerned aboutthe tight connection time that we had in Heathrow for our Newark flight.She said that she had a direct flight…noconnection.I asked if she had arrangedthe flight but she told me that Regent had given them that flight.

 

My only conclusion, based on this experience, is that theamount of money you spend for your suite with Regent matters.Lower- level suites get poorer hotel choicesand less-convenient flights.While wedid not feel treated less well on board I fear that similar kinds of changesaren’t far off.

[Travelcat2]

Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience on the Explorer.

 

Have to agree with you about some hotels but, from our experience, which hotel you are put in is rather random. We book upper suites, will become Titanium on our next cruise and have been assigned a hotel in Miami that people complain about frequently (Hyatt Regency Coral Gables). We will be in a Mariner suite for that cruise -- not the top suite but certainly not the lowest either. When we booked a Master Suite on the Explorer, our hotel assignment was no better or worse than others on our same cruise.

 

It seems that the more inclusive Regent becomes, the more there is a crowding issue. The transfers from the hotel to the ship can definitely be horrendous. While this should not be necessary, we take a taxi from the hotel to the ship - even though it is included. Not sure how Regent can efficiently move 500+ passengers from hotels to the ship without creating the chaos that currently exists. Agree that this is an issue. There is obviously no excuse for the attitude of the Executive Concierge and I do hope that you mentioned this in your final questionnaire as Regent does take those questionnaires seriously.

 

From my perspective, Regent is having difficulty handling some of the all-inclusive portions of the Regent Experience -- specifically things that are provided by contractors (hotels, airlines, etc.). In terms of flights, unfortunately, one has to deviate in order to get the best flights. It seems that so many of us book 270 days in advance of the cruise that Regent has few contracted seats one flights seats left for the passengers that do not deviate. I suppose that it is possible that flights that Regent selects a couple of months before sailing may start with guests in the higher suites but, again, IMO, the only way to insure that you get the flights that you want is to deviate.

 

Hope that you enjoyed the onboard experience on Explorer. We are currently on the Mariner and really missing Explorer.

[flossie009]

The transfers from the hotel to the ship can definitely be horrendous. While this should not be necessary, we take a taxi from the hotel to the ship - even though it is included. Not sure how Regent can efficiently move 500+ passengers from hotels to the ship without creating the chaos that currently exists. Agree that this is an issue.

Fully agree that transfers to the ship is one of the key areas where Regent needs to try to improve the 'luxury experience'

 

IMO this could be improved by better planning & co-ordination of assembling guests and loading the buses. This requires people to carry out the task which neither Regent, the hotels or bus companies seem willing to supply.

Rather it often ends up with a melee of guests, all in the hotel reception at the same time with maybe one or two virtually invisible and ineffective 'co-ordinators'

 

Transfers from the ship to airport or hotel usually seem to be organised much more efficiently

[nigelc]

- Poor fights

 

- Lower standard hotels

 

- Poor included excursions

 

- Poor transfers to the ship

 

Sounds like cost cutting to me and hardly the 6 star experience promised in the Regent promotion materials.

[Travelcat2]

Not cost cutting. Rather, Regent is spending more money to make their product more inclusive. Unfortunately, no matter how much a passenger pays, better excursions are not available. They need to book hotels that can accommodate hundreds of passengers and passengers are unwilling to pay a small amount of money to get get better flights.

 

OTOH, if you want better excursions, pay for them. IMO, this is better than Regent having to raise their fares even higher to give customers the more pricey excursions.

 

In terms of the hotel, take the $300 credit and book your own. Perhaps if more passengers did that, the crowding would disappear.

[mrlevin]

I don't usually take Regent air and hotel so don't have these issues; however, when I have taken advantage of that day tour and trip to airport years back; it was pretty bad. Maybe if FDR drove pax to airport (not a problem in Miami) and saw the wait and stop and lines; he would put resources into fixing the problem.

 

Marc

[nigelc]

Not cost cutting. Rather, Regent is spending more money to make their product more inclusive. Unfortunately, no matter how much a passenger pays, better excursions are not available. They need to book hotels that can accommodate hundreds of passengers and passengers are unwilling to pay a small amount of money to get get better flights.

 

OTOH, if you want better excursions, pay for them. IMO, this is better than Regent having to raise their fares even higher to give customers the more pricey excursions.

 

In terms of the hotel, take the $300 credit and book your own. Perhaps if more passengers did that, the crowding would disappear.

 

Oh my, more excuses for Regent - in fact the same old excuses you put forward to a post that criticises Regent. Well sorry but they do not wash. A person that books with Regent is entitled to and should get what they are promised - a luxury experience. They book a package and should not have to take credit for flights and hotels to get it - it really is simple as that. Lets take the Miami hotel (Hyatt Regency Coral Gables) as an example, Regent promise a "luxury"/"World class" hotel - well a 4 star hotel with not great reviews hardly fits into this category. Are you really saying that this is all that is available in Miami ? I think that it is more of a cost cutting exercise. In relation to flights, why bounce a customer from one airport to another, turning a simple 9hr flight into 15hrs, when there is a direct flight for very little extra - yes, cost cutting again.

[Travelcat2]

I don't usually take Regent air and hotel so don't have these issues; however, when I have taken advantage of that day tour and trip to airport years back; it was pretty bad. Maybe if FDR drove pax to airport (not a problem in Miami) and saw the wait and stop and lines; he would put resources into fixing the problem.

 

Marc

 

Good point but the President and CEO of Regent is in charge of these matters now - not FDR.

 

nigel, looking forward to your posts when you try another luxury cruise line that would have to be better than what you have experienced on Regent. As you may know, we temporarily left Regent and came back. The grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.

[nigelc]

Good point but the President and CEO of Regent is in charge of these matters now - not FDR.

 

nigel, looking forward to your posts when you try another luxury cruise line that would have to be better than what you have experienced on Regent. As you may know, we temporarily left Regent and came back. The grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.

 

The "grass may not be greener", but that is not the point - the argument is about getting what is advertised and what you pay for. I was looking forward to how you could argue that a 4 star hotel fell into the advertised "Luxury/World class" category - but I guess you are not going to address that comment.

 

In relation to other lines, I have been on a number of different ones and as with Regent, I judge them on what they promise, rather than on what labels others put on them.

[Travelcat2]

Still hope that you enjoy Silversea and whatever cruise line that you sail on in the future. Regent is not for everyone and some people don't "get" the type of advertising that is done by U.S. companies. What Regent does is pretty mild compared to most companies.

[nigelc]

Still hope that you enjoy Silversea and whatever cruise line that you sail on in the future. Regent is not for everyone and some people don't "get" the type of advertising that is done by U.S. companies. What Regent does is pretty mild compared to most companies.

 

I presume from that comment that you agree that the Six Star experience offered by Regent is on paper only and not what is offered in practice.

[Travelcat2]

I presume from that comment that you agree that the Six Star experience offered by Regent is on paper only and not what is offered in practice.

 

Sorry, did not mean that at all. I actually feel that Regent is a small step above Silversea (particularly in the area of food). We also do not dressing "formal" or "semi-formal almost every night. Lastly, we find the passengers on Regent more low key and friendly than on Silversea.

 

What I meant is simply that there are many cruise lines out there and people must determine which is better suited to their needs. We are happy with Regent - pay no attention whatsoever to their ads - our travel agent takes care of that for us.

 

I certainly do not expect everyone to agree with what we like but I do speak up so that people new to the Regent board are not put off by some negative comments that I personally feel are not warranted or even true in some cases. I also speak up when something is not being handled correctly -- such as a tiny part of what is being discussed by the TS on another thread.

[DavidTheWonderer]

I too go back to the Radisson days with this line. I certainly will not be defending Regent and this particular cruise: the OP's experiences are what they are. But to label the thread "Regent is changing ... and not for the better" argues from a particular experience to a general conclusion. I've sailed on Radisson/Regent when things were less than perfect, although in my experience those have been very rare. But our recent Mariner cruise in January-February from Miami to Lima was as close to perfect as I can ever expect.

[rcandkc]

I was on this cruise. Our precruise experience was rather rough. Instead of expected radisson blu we got the Natura. I do believe Iceland is having more of a tourist boom than they are ready to handle. Also, the temperament of the people is rather "chill" so they don't understand many of our concerns. So their blood pressure is better:D. I wasn't happy at the time but I'm not totally blaming Regent either. Why some got the better hotels, I don't know. Our luggage got on the ship early, I saw it go by us while we were line. We got our luggage at 6. We weren't worried...we saw it head for ship. Have to say we won't ever arrive at 6 am precruise day and not have a room ready. We will pay extra. I have some medical issues and I was starting to get seriously ill due to not sleeping overnight and adrenal glands not kicking in during stress. This is my personal problem and now know I just have to travel differently. Maybe you should also consider paying for extra night if it is critical.

[mbzbear]

We were on the same cruise and experienced lots of problems with the repetitious, poor quality food especially in Prime Seven. T-bone steak was inedible, and we were surprised when the chef came out and explained to us that he was only able to buy non-prime cuts of meat.

[RachelG]

We always do our own air and hotel so as not have to deal with this sort of thing.

 

That said, we stayed at the Hilton Nordica in Reykjavik 2 weeks ago at the end of our Silversea cruise, on our own dime. We arrived at 10 am, were told our room would not be ready till 2 pm, which we were expecting. We are Hilton Gold. Don't understand why one would expect the hotel room to be ready early. If it is, great! You got lucky. But if it is not, don't blame the cruise line or the hotel. The hotel clearly says when check in time is. If you want to check in earlier, you have to pay, in advance.

 

We just had them keep our luggage and went out touring on our own till the room was ready.

[jarconthemighty]

We were on the same cruise and experienced lots of problems with the repetitious, poor quality food especially in Prime Seven. T-bone steak was inedible, and we were surprised when the chef came out and explained to us that he was only able to buy non-prime cuts of meat.

 

Sounds like a pretty serious supply issue if that is the case. You would think a chef wouldn't serve at that point, especially considering the dining experience that is expected.

 

~Jar

[ronrick1943]

Wow I'm kind of surprised with this post. First of all you can't make any statement with one cruise about the company as a whole, things happen-sometimes they over deliver, sometime under deliver. But to judge a company like this really isn't fair. I'd be surprised if the Chef really said that, he could only buy non-prime. That type of purchase is done at headquarters, and the meat would be waiting for the ship. With the aging alone you have a good supply of meat on the ship. On the hotel and air things do happen, I would think Regent does use a list and working that list their best customers, highest paid suites and down the list. That said, what they advertise should be what they deliver. After all you should get what you pay for, nothing more-nothing less. If they can't meet that goal at the time an OBC should be given to the customer for the misgivings that happened. Also if your not happy with transfers and air do your own, I realize I won't be happy with the air, timing, etc. So I book my own air a few days early coming in, I know what I like in a hotel so I book that, and I just won't get in a bus to go to the ship. I want to pick the time I want to arrive at the ship-so I'll hire a car or taxi to go when I want to go. Once I get to the ship-then I expect Regent to take over.

We've cruised for years, maybe 35plus cruises. Have we had not so good service, YES we have but I can say and being honest most of the time it's no big deal. Went we did have a big deal, tell them and it was taken care of right away. I'm just not going to let the little things upset my vacation (now retired so I guess it's not a vacation anymore), my get away. I wish during my life these little things would be the only problems we've had during our life and we'd be happy people. Life is just to short to worry about little things.

[Caroldoll]

So we always do our own as that is the only way you can be reasonably sure of quality.

 

However, several months ago we booked Regent from Rome to Venice. Because a lot of people are reluctant to go to the Med, this was attractive.

 

We DID take the Regent transfer from the airport in Rome to the hotel which is in Rome city overnight and the transfer to the ship, which many of you know is FAR.

 

We will be letting you know about the quality of the experience. We did pay our own air so we are not on a Regent carrier and we will just see!

 

Waiting!

[UUNetBill]

Having just returned from a Regent Cruise a few days ago (Copenhagen-Stockholm on Explorer) I can agree somewhat about the crowding on embarkation/disembarkation day...but frankly, I don't see how to fix it, especially in smaller ports where manpower may be limited. I mean, you're moving between 500-750 people OFF of a boat and another 500-750 people ONTO that same boat and doing it in about a 6 hour span. At the same time you're cleaning said ship from top to bottom and turning 250-375 suites as well as reprovisioning the ship's stores.

 

It's a logistical nightmare.

 

And making the problem worse (something that no one has mentioned yet) is the passengers making the problem worse. I can't tell you how many people I've seen cutting lines, telling the Regent reps that 'we need to get on board NOW!", trying to get on earlier busses, heading out before their group is called, etc. Drives me nuts...

[JPR]

We were on the same Reykjavik to Copenhagen cruise on Explorer last month, in an F1 Superior Suite. We also go back to the days of the Radisson Diamond and Paul Gauguin, and are RSSC Gold level.

 

We have almost always handled our own air and hotel arrangements, this time to avoid long-haul flights on IcelandAir, which has an antiquated first/business class with no lie-flat seats. We preferred to take United's excellent new Polaris Class to London, stay a few days there going to the theater and museums, and then take the less than three hour Icelandair flight to Reykjavik--in their very good Premium Economy section, where the seats are blocked off on either side of you and all you lose is free had liquor (who cares at 11 am?). The flight attendant even went to the Saga Class section to make me an espresso!

 

As for the cruise itself, we loved it! This suite is our "sweet spot". E Concierge suites are identical except for a larger verandah (not uses on this itinerary) and some minor amentities that don't add up anywhere close to the price difference, particulary since several duplicate Gold level amenities. We do not care for Penthouse or Explorer suites. (Our favorite reasonably priced suites are the PHs on Oceania Riviera and Mariner or on Regent Mariner).

 

My most significant criticism is that I like to take a sauna before dinner, particularly when it's been a cold day, and the infrared sauna isn't nearly hot enough. The cooking classes could be a bit more sophisticated but they're fun and the setting is dramatic, with floor to ceiling windows giving a great view of the ocean. We enjoyed all of the restaurants (La Verandah/Serre Mari the least), the cigar lounge, the coffee bar, the pool and well-heated and covered jacuzzis, the infinity pool, the putting course, and the various bars. We generally skip the show, but the British comedian was very good. And having a very personable and knowledgeable trivial group made for fun afternoons...and eventually a dozen Regent golf balls, the most useful Regent points award ever!