San Francisco to New York-Pirouette's observations

[ronrick1943]

Pirouette, thanks for great posting, enjoyed all of them. I agree with you---the classics are great for - but why not a mixed set so all can enjoy. Most likely those that want classics won't be up later in the night so whats the big deal to have dance music for those that are still up. Even as Regent has a older cruise, looking at those brochure doesn't show they aren't after the younger group. So all we can do is hope Regent listens to all not a few. Rick

[SGolffan]

Pirouette, thanks for great posting, enjoyed all of them. I agree with you---the classics are great for - but why not a mixed set so all can enjoy. Most likely those that want classics won't be up later in the night so whats the big deal to have dance music for those that are still up. Even as Regent has a older cruise, looking at those brochure doesn't show they aren't after the younger group. So all we can do is hope Regent listens to all not a few. Rick

 

 

 

Great postings! Kudos and agree.

 

 

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[Pirouette]

Our last dinner and time to finalize our packing. We went I search of entertainment at about 10:30. Everything was dead, the Jukebox was not working and we learned that some of the house band members had gone to to a jam session in Greenwich Village as opposed to staying on the ship . Ahh- the benefits of arriving one day early!

 

Immigration was a nightmare. The process began at 4pm and did not conclude until just after 7pm. The whole ship had to evacuate and wait until everyone had done so before the ship was cleared. We waited more than three hours before the process was completed. Everything was delayed due to a couple of passengers who did not disembark as required. We had to wait three hours in a holding area before reboarding. Long lines had formed and Regent had clearly lost control of the situation. There was no effort to keep passengers informed.

 

The crew did their immigration process in the Constellation Lounge. They did not disembark and it appeared much more efficient.

 

We will be staying on in New York for a few days. No doubt we will miss the pampering and service offered by Regent! Despite some negatives, we would have no hesitation in cruising with Regent again.

[RachelG]

I don't understand the immigration procedure. Why did you have to get off the ship? We have gone through immigration onboard many times. It makes no sense to make everyone wait in a big warehouse for 3 hours. Could you go out into the city during that time if you wanted? If so, I guess I would have been ok with it, but just waiting around for 3 hours would not cut it.

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks Pirouette for taking so much time to tell us about your trip. I thoroughly enjoyed reading both the good and maybe no so good parts. Enjoy your time in NYC, great city.

[1982CruzStart]

Pirouette, thanks for great posting, enjoyed all of them. I agree with you---the classics are great for - but why not a mixed set so all can enjoy. Most likely those that want classics won't be up later in the night so whats the big deal to have dance music for those that are still up. Even as Regent has a older cruise, looking at those brochure doesn't show they aren't after the younger group. So all we can do is hope Regent listens to all not a few. Rick

 

I agree with you. A good mix of music gives everyone what they want. I like the 60's stuff but a steady diet of it is too much of a good thing. Variety is the spice of life and doesn't hurt anyone to enjoy a bit of change now and then. As everyone is a paying passenger, Regent should be trying to accommodate everyone's wishes as much as possible. I understand catering to the majority but that doesn't mean you ignore the minority.

Happy sailing all.

[ronrick1943]

I agree with you. A good mix of music gives everyone what they want. I like the 60's stuff but a steady diet of it is too much of a good thing. Variety is the spice of life and doesn't hurt anyone to enjoy a bit of change now and then. As everyone is a paying passenger, Regent should be trying to accommodate everyone's wishes as much as possible. I understand catering to the majority but that doesn't mean you ignore the minority.

Happy sailing all.

 

Agree 100%, BALANCE is everything! Rick

[Travelcat2]

Actually, the music on Regent goes way back - to the 30's, 40's, 50's and beyond. This is the music that is still being played today on television (Dancing with the Stars), in fine dining restaurants and of course, cruise ships. I have nothing against music (except rap) from this century other than the fact that you really can't do the lovely dances to the music. Regent is going to play what is asked for their customers -- it is as simple as that IMHO.

[RachelG]

Actually, the music on Regent goes way back - to the 30's, 40's, 50's and beyond. This is the music that is still being played today on television (Dancing with the Stars), in fine dining restaurants and of course, cruise ships. I have nothing against music (except rap) from this century other than the fact that you really can't do the lovely dances to the music. Regent is going to play what is asked for their customers -- it is as simple as that IMHO.

 

 

Agree! At my son and daughter-in-law's wedding 2 years ago (they were 29 and 28 at the time), most of the dance music was from the 40's, 50's and 60's with a little more recent stuff thrown in. Their dance was to "Unforgettable". So some younger people do like the classics, especially for dancing.

[Pirouette]

As you may have gleaned from my name, I am a dancer and can dance to pretty much anything. That does not change my view that variety is essential, especially when responding to the needs and desires of varying age groups. Regent falls short in this regard.

[Pirouette]

Wow! Just under 9000 views since I started this journey 18 days ago. Thank you to all who have come along with me for the ride. We may not all agree but the wide discussion and sharing of perspectives is interesting and enlightening.

 

I will be relaxing in NY until the weekend. I will post some final thoughts once I return to reality and my regular life at home. Again, thanks to everyone who has participated in this thread and safe travels to those on Mariner who are continuing on to Montreal- a vibrant and fabulous city!

[RJ2002]

Very much enjoyed your postings Pirouette. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on the Mariner and Regent. We board the Mariner in November, and your observations were very helpful.

[liptastic]

Pirouette thanks for your honest and refreshing posts from Mariner.

I would agree with you re the choices of music and entertainment Regent offer. I think a lot of the time it depends on the age dermographics of the passengers onboard. Last year on Mariner Vancouver to San Francisco cruise the music and entertainment was really varied and we had many a late night dancing on a full dance floor in Horizon lounge, great fun.

This year on Explorer we had a fabulous evening with the house band and CD John Barron singing in the Atruim and the improvised floor again was full.

It's nice for the entertainment staff to see the passengers enjoying and all interacting to the music.

Other cruises have been like you described.

Enjoy the few days you have end of cruise, and thanks again for your posts. Jean.

[Hambagahle]

 

Immigration was a nightmare. The process began at 4pm and did not conclude until just after 7pm. The whole ship had to evacuate and wait until everyone had done so before the ship was cleared. We waited more than three hours before the process was completed. Everything was delayed due to a couple of passengers who did not disembark as required. We had to wait three hours in a holding area before reboarding. Long lines had formed and Regent had clearly lost control of the situation. There was no effort to keep passengers informed.

 

The crew did their immigration process in the Constellation Lounge. They did not disembark and it appeared much more efficient.

.

 

In 1962 when my mother arrived from the UK on the Queen Mary this was the way the Immigrattion proceeded. All passengers and luggage off the ship and THEN, and only THEN, they started with their "inspections". My father and I waited and waited and waited. Maybe four hours (so they seem to have speeded up a bit!). WHAT is their problem? And why is this not fixed. ??

 

Pirouette - thank you so much for "taking us along for the ride". I really enjoyed your posts.

[flossie009]

Pirouette,

Thank you so much for your very interesting & enjoyable observations ................ and well done for not being side-tracked by the various digressions during your blog.

[SGolffan]

Wow! Just under 9000 views since I started this journey 18 days ago. Thank you to all who have come along with me for the ride. We may not all agree but the wide discussion and sharing of perspectives is interesting and enlightening.

 

I will be relaxing in NY until the weekend. I will post some final thoughts once I return to reality and my regular life at home. Again, thanks to everyone who has participated in this thread and safe travels to those on Mariner who are continuing on to Montreal- a vibrant and fabulous city!

 

 

 

Great posts and looking forward for our journey on to Montreal! All the best!

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

As you know, I also appreciated your blog and especially appreciated your invitation to go off topic. It allowed us to explore a couple of side issues more in depth!:D

[Pamela1]

As you may have gleaned from my name, I am a dancer and can dance to pretty much anything. That does not change my view that variety is essential, especially when responding to the needs and desires of varying age groups. Regent falls short in this regard.

 

 

Thank you for your wonderful observations and really glad you enjoyed your cruise. Hope your hubby is none the worse after it.

I agree that variety is essential on music tastes and Regent should accommodate all clients needs.

Pam.

[visagrunt]

We were told it would cost the band/ cruise line money to obtain the sheet music for more modern selections???????

 

Quite the contrary.

 

Performing more contemporary music requires the payment of royalties to composers.

 

When you're on land, most countries have what are called "Performing Rights Organizations" which collect blanket royalties for the performance of recorded music and distribute them to their members. There are, however, fundamentally different systems in the US and the UK, and most countries follow systems like the one in the UK.

 

When you're at sea, however, the vessel may be in a situation where it has to pay royalties multiple times to the PROs of the various countries to which it calls as well as to the PRO of it's country of registry (if one exists).

 

By focussing on music that is either in the public domain, or in which the performance royalty is fully paid with the acquisition of the sheet music (typically from deceased composers who are not members of organizations like ASCAP or SOCAN), the people who programme live performance are able to significantly reduce the intellectual property licensing costs.

[Travelcat2]

Quite the contrary.

 

Performing more contemporary music requires the payment of royalties to composers.

 

When you're on land, most countries have what are called "Performing Rights Organizations" which collect blanket royalties for the performance of recorded music and distribute them to their members. There are, however, fundamentally different systems in the US and the UK, and most countries follow systems like the one in the UK.

 

When you're at sea, however, the vessel may be in a situation where it has to pay royalties multiple times to the PROs of the various countries to which it calls as well as to the PRO of it's country of registry (if one exists).

 

By focussing on music that is either in the public domain, or in which the performance royalty is fully paid with the acquisition of the sheet music (typically from deceased composers who are not members of organizations like ASCAP or SOCAN), the people who programme live performance are able to significantly reduce the intellectual property licensing costs.

 

Very enlightening post. Thank you!

[Pirouette]

I could accept the sheet music/royalty excuse but for the fact that the band did on occasion play modern music, i.e. at the Atrium party when the whole ship, including people in wheel chairs were dancing. It is in their repertoire as they demonstrated that evening. They made choices in the face of polite requests for something different, at least for part of each musical set. If Oceania can do it, Regent can too. It chooses not to.

 

With the greatest of respect to TC, a business that operates only on its present clientele without an eye to the future is doomed to fail. I suspect that within the next 5 years, a large portion of the passengers on this cruise will no longer be sailing. Regent needs to build for the future and those of us who have reached a certain stage in our professional lives and who appreciate excellent cuisine and service can certainly afford Regent. I would think that we are a very desirable demographic and our suggestions and input should be embraced while at the same time Regent should continue to offer the things that appeal to their longtime and loyal passengers.

 

Just my thoughts...

[Travelcat2]

Pirouette, as you well know, Regent is not the same as Oceania (nor do Regent passengers want it to be -- it is something that many Regent passengers have fought against for many years. It should also be said that Oceania passengers would rise up against Oceania if Oceania became more like Regent. They are two separate/different cruise lines that happen to have the same owners.

There are many repeat passengers in your age group, younger and older on Regent that have never mentioned the music (actually, this topic is a rarity). Having said that, since Regent corporate does read these threads, IMO, it would take a whole lot more CC'ers as well as passengers comment cards indicating the desire for more recent music before they would consider a change.

I respect dancers such as yourself and feel that your desires may be different from the majority of Regent passengers (not all based on a handful of comments on this thread). In fact, there was a recent thread where a poster was looking for a luxury cruise line that had ballroom dancing. Regent does have ballroom dancing but likely would not meet that poster's desires either. Regent does try to appeal to all age groups but, from a financial standpoint, cannot ignore hundreds of thousands of past guests.

The one point you may be missing in terms of gaining new passengers (which Regent is excellent at doing - simply by their all-inclusiveness) is that people like yourselves like Regent and could very likely be sailing them when you are in your 60's, 70's and beyond. The same can be said for current passengers in their 30's and 40's. While Regent is proud of the percentage of repeat passengers, many cruises (particularly Alaska, Caribbean and Mediterranean) have a very high percentage of new cruisers. I would estimate that Alaska cruises have 80% new cruisers. So, Regent is definitely addressing the future but may not be addressing the music for whatever reason (most likely, the lack of requests for something newer).

For now, it is fine to agree to disagree. :D

 

P.S. I am assuming that this is your first Regent cruise (I forget and am too lazy to go through this entire thread to find out). It may surprise you to hear from this long time, loyal Regent customer that the cruise prior to yours was one of the worst that we have ever experienced on Regent (for reasons that I have stated on previously - on another thread). The fact that you enjoyed Regent - on a ship that is in dire need of refurbishment, had mediocre food (but excellent service) goes to show how good Regent really is.

[fizzy]

Thank you Pirouette for your fabulous sail along. Despite the usual severe editing of the thread, we found your observations to be very much the same as ours. The cruise was rather lackluster for us but we also felt that the staff was overworked and harried at times so that slow service was not because of lack of effort. And of course, the music thing.

[staysealee]

I could accept the sheet music/royalty excuse but for the fact that the band did on occasion play modern music, i.e. at the Atrium party when the whole ship, including people in wheel chairs were dancing. It is in their repertoire as they demonstrated that evening. They made choices in the face of polite requests for something different, at least for part of each musical set. If Oceania can do it, Regent can too. It chooses not to.

 

With the greatest of respect to TC, a business that operates only on its present clientele without an eye to the future is doomed to fail. I suspect that within the next 5 years, a large portion of the passengers on this cruise will no longer be sailing. Regent needs to build for the future and those of us who have reached a certain stage in our professional lives and who appreciate excellent cuisine and service can certainly afford Regent. I would think that we are a very desirable demographic and our suggestions and input should be embraced while at the same time Regent should continue to offer the things that appeal to their longtime and loyal passengers.

 

Just my thoughts...

 

I have followed this thread as my wife and I will be on our first regent cruise this weekend on the Voyager I am bringing my bose sound bar. I really enjoyed your observations and appreciate youre posting. I hope that we aren't the youngest of the cruisers..but they say I am an old soul.

[LynnRuns]

Pirouette,

You are not alone in your thinking about the line needing to become more contemporary. We are in that younger category as well and felt similarly about the selection of music played (among other things). Certainly sedate lounge music is lovely while conversing over pre-dinner cocktails and perhaps over coffee. But later at night, it is much more fun to let loose and dance up a storm!

I am sure there are many others who support you, but like me are hesitant to get into the fray as we all know what happens then.

Glad that you tried to make fun anyway!

Lynn