Top Tips for Regent First Time Cruisers

[Travelcat2]

9 hours ago, Gilly said:

 

Which you can have on any night you wish, if ordered in advance.

 

Yes, however, in order for it to be prepared properly, it takes 3 days.   

[flossie009]

4 hours ago, orvil said:

Don't take a shower when anchored.  The drain won't work properly.

🤔 ???

 

 

24 hours notice for most special order dishes; Miso Glazed Sea Bass requires 48 hours notice to allow for marinade.

[Ladys Mom]

We found if they are busy in Sette Mare (the Italian restaurant where the buffet is during the day) you can given them your name and tell them which lounge you are going to, and they will call you when your table is ready. We are not heavy drinkers, except for wine, and are used to avoiding the lounges on other ships.  On our second Regent cruise Sette Mare sent us to one of the lounges and we discovered how enjoyable they can be, and that a little libation before dinner can be quite enjoyable.  Your room refrigerator will be stocked with soda, wine, and beer.  If anything is not to your liking, tell your room steward what you would like and magically they will appear.

Above all, as everyone said, relax and enjoy the experience.  The pampering can really spoil you.

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, flossie009 said:

🤔 ???

 

 

24 hours notice for most special order dishes; Miso Glazed Sea Bass requires 48 hours notice to allow for marinade.

 

I just said that in the post before yours - guess it doesn't hurt to read it twice.  When one person asked for a special order, they were told the day that it would be on the menu.  Having said that, we have pre-ordered it and it worked out fine.

 

Not sure what the taking a shower in port means.  We have taken showers in port many times without incident.

[Kwaj girl]

4 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

I just said that in the post before yours - guess it doesn't hurt to read it twice.  When one person asked for a special order, they were told the day that it would be on the menu.  Having said that, we have pre-ordered it and it worked out fine.

 

Not sure what the taking a shower in port means.  We have taken showers in port many times without incident.

 I think it said "Don't shower while anchored.". But I don't get that, either.

[Travelcat2]

9 minutes ago, Kwaj girl said:

 I think it said "Don't shower while anchored.". But I don't get that, either.

 

Thanks for the correction ...... it really doesn't make sense - whether anchored or docked.  Perhaps the poster had difficulty with the drain in their shower.

[newcruzer]

Hello! Here's a possibly silly question, but for first time RSSC cruiser on Mariner out of Alaska, when you are sent your nice packet in the mail with your ticket & luggage tags (the ones that are stickers which state which deck you are on, i.e. 10)... what do you do when you upgrade your suite and are on a different deck, i.e. 8 but too close to cruise time for them to send you new "luggage tags/stickers"?

 

Do you just go to the port to check-in and ask the porters for new ones?? How would you check-in without these? We've only taken one other cruise on Royal and they send you the tags via email and you have to print and staple on the luggage, etc, etc.

 

Any advice is appreciated!

[Mystictraveler]

Sorry for this granular question, but I am borderline diabetic. Can anyone tell me if RSSC (Voyager) stock diet tonic (to go with my Vodka) of their ships? We have not sailed with them in several years and it was not a concern back then.

[Kwaj girl]

8 minutes ago, Mystictraveler said:

Sorry for this granular question, but I am borderline diabetic. Can anyone tell me if RSSC (Voyager) stockw diet tonic (to go with my Vodka) of their ships? W have not sailed with them in several years and it was not a concern back then.

 

That's what we drink, too.  Just ask and your butler or room stewardess will stock your fridge.  It's also available in the lounges.  Canada Dry in little bottles IIRC

[JMARINER]

On 5/10/2019 at 10:42 PM, czardas said:

Sorry for the dumb question but how do you access your cabin, if you don’t have a card?

It is not a dumb question. If you want to use a lanyard, go ahead. The front desk (Purser) will even punch a hole in the card for you. But the only time you need your card is to get into your room, and to debark and embark the ship, and even then if you forget your card at the gangway security will just look you up.

 

As has been said above, if anything is not to your liking ask/tell somebody right away and they will gladly fix it.

 

J

[JMARINER]

1 hour ago, newcruzer said:

Hello! Here's a possibly silly question, but for first time RSSC cruiser on Mariner out of Alaska, when you are sent your nice packet in the mail with your ticket & luggage tags (the ones that are stickers which state which deck you are on, i.e. 10)... what do you do when you upgrade your suite and are on a different deck, i.e. 8 but too close to cruise time for them to send you new "luggage tags/stickers"?

 

Do you just go to the port to check-in and ask the porters for new ones?? How would you check-in without these? We've only taken one other cruise on Royal and they send you the tags via email and you have to print and staple on the luggage, etc, etc.

 

Any advice is appreciated!

Don't worry about it. You can just take a pen and put the new suite number on the existing luggage tag. Remember your on a relatively small ship. One the luggage is onboard they will figure it out. Best not to involve the dockside porters.

 

J

[czardas]

A question on suite upgrades; do these offers go out to only previous passengers, or do new cruisers also get a chance to upgrade to a higher suite?

 

or can I call Regent and request a suite upgrade if available?

How far out before the cruise do they offer upgrades?

Edited May 13, 2019 by czardas

[Travelcat2]

Regent does "upsells" rather than upgrades.  They typically contact your TA a couple of weeks prior to the cruise with the offer(s).  It is up to your TA to contact you ASAP as these offers go fast.  

 

Assume that they don't care if you are a new customer or not.  The puzzling part for some people is that some of us have received offers several times and other have never received an upsell offer.  It may depend upon your TA or whether or not they pass the information on to their customers.  This is why it is so important to have a TA that regularly books Regent cruises.  

 

The one warning about upsells is to make sure that you know the ship (or have a deck plan in front of you because some offers are for suites that you may not want).  The first upsell that we accepted ended up being under the swimming pool on the Voyager (never will do that again).  I would also be leery of aft suites on Voyager or Navigator or any suites under a restaurant, lounge, gym or other noisy areas.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

 

[amusea]

On 5/11/2019 at 5:26 PM, ArtsyCraftsy said:

My first Regent cruise was last fall: 28 days from Vancouver to Miami via Alaska and the Panama Canal on the Mariner.  I read the boards here mostly -- and I've read the responses here so far and agree with them.  

 

DEFINITELY attend the block party.  I travel solo and I'm a bit of an introvert, so meeting people can be a little tricky.  Not so on Regent.  Folks are friendly, and it's easy to get to know people in a smaller group setting.  You always have options -- in seating, food/drink, etc. -- just ask.  

 

The size of the ship means that there won't be an overwhelming "horde" of people all trying to get to the same place at the same time.  (I've also cruised on Holland America on their "mid-size" ships -- ~1400 passengers -- and the difference in size is major!).  

 

I did not use a lanyard although I DID use one on my Holland America cruises.  I just kept my key card in its holder in my pocket and made sure I put it in the same place every time I re-entered my cabin (I have a tendency to ... lose things ... if I'm not careful to get into a habit of putting them in specific places ... ).  

 

There's just a nice comforting elegance about the Mariner (and I suspect all RSSC ships) -- nicely laid out, easy to get around, and a sense of "we're here to take care of you."  I had such an amazing time on that first RSSC cruise that on day 12 of the 28-day itinerary, I visited the future cruise consultant and booked the 2020 World Cruise -- same ship, same cabin even.

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

 

Hey Lana. 

I was on the 28 day HAL Eurodam cruise with you in March/April this year.  I couldn't agree with you more.  There were 2,000 passengers and that is just too many although in today's market that is considered a mid-sized ship.  I only opt for HAL if there is a unique itinerary which was the case with the Eurodam in March since HAL has the only ship that sails to Polynesia round-trip from the USA.  I think I would have a hard time being lured back to HAL again even though I booked a Neptune Suite just as you did.

I had taken a 64 day cruise on the Amsterdam in 2007 and it was a totally different atmosphere.  Great food, fabulous service and much more formal (twice a week) although I don't think that is necessarily an asset.  And the ship only accommodated 1300 passengers.  But I fear that sticking with smaller ships, especially Regent, guarantees a much better cruise as you can see by my future sailings below (Azamara, Crystal, Oceania and Regent).  We were on the Mariner in 2002 when it first sailed. 

I am sure you will have wonderful time on the 2020 World Cruise!

[orvil]

I'll explain about the shower.  

 

We were at anchor.  They were running tenders into the port.  Due to the pull of the anchor line, the ship listed to port at a very noticeable angle.  Our cabin was on the port side.  I got into the shower and started it up.  The drain was in the corner of the of shower base.  Once enough water had flowed, there was a sizable amount of water in the shower pan.  It was going to slop onto the floor and run onto the cabin carpet before it ever reached the drain.  Pure physics.

 

Interestingly, the tub wouldn't drain at the same time while at anchor.  If we had been anchored to starboard, the shower drain would not have been a problem.  In order for the drain to work, it needed to be on the downhill side.  Once the anchor was retrieved, equilibrium returned, the drains began to work as expected.

 

 I asked about this at the customer services.  They weren't surprised.  The customer service representative said to wait until we were underway.  Just be aware.  It came as a surprise.

Edited May 13, 2019 by orvil

[Travelcat2]

I would be concerned if the ship was at a "very noticeable angle".  In that case, of course the water would want to flow to one side.  What ship was this on?  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

17 hours ago, newcruzer said:

Hello! Here's a possibly silly question, but for first time RSSC cruiser on Mariner out of Alaska, when you are sent your nice packet in the mail with your ticket & luggage tags (the ones that are stickers which state which deck you are on, i.e. 10)... what do you do when you upgrade your suite and are on a different deck, i.e. 8 but too close to cruise time for them to send you new "luggage tags/stickers"?

...

 

As others have said, they will have blank tags at the dock, that can be hand-written at the time.  No worries.

 

On 5/11/2019 at 5:58 AM, HotRoot said:

We actually use the key card holder as a wallet when we go assure.  It will hold a credit card and some cash.  We also keep both of our key cards in the same holder.  One less thing to lose....

 

Yes, and no lanyard required unless you want one.  I carry mine in my pocket, or at night in my little purse.  Husband's is in his shirt pocket.  Hardly ever use them except to get into the room and getting on and off the ship.  I can't imagine having one of us carry both cards, since we're too independent of each other.

Edited May 13, 2019 by Wendy The Wanderer

[ArtsyCraftsy]

11 hours ago, amusea said:

 

Hey Lana. 

I was on the 28 day HAL Eurodam cruise with you in March/April this year.  I couldn't agree with you more.  There were 2,000 passengers and that is just too many although in today's market that is considered a mid-sized ship.  I only opt for HAL if there is a unique itinerary which was the case with the Eurodam in March since HAL has the only ship that sails to Polynesia round-trip from the USA.  I think I would have a hard time being lured back to HAL again even though I booked a Neptune Suite just as you did.

I had taken a 64 day cruise on the Amsterdam in 2007 and it was a totally different atmosphere.  Great food, fabulous service and much more formal (twice a week) although I don't think that is necessarily an asset.  And the ship only accommodated 1300 passengers.  But I fear that sticking with smaller ships, especially Regent, guarantees a much better cruise as you can see by my future sailings below (Azamara, Crystal, Oceania and Regent).  We were on the Mariner in 2002 when it first sailed. 

I am sure you will have wonderful time on the 2020 World Cruise!

 

I'm with you 100%.  I still look at HAL for their interesting itineraries (I have an upcoming 35-day cruise from Seattle to San Diego via Ecuador & Peru - "Incan Empires"), but after my experience on the Eurodam, I will NOT sail on anything larger than the Amsterdam.  I never really felt "comfortable" on the Eurodam - too many people, too many lines, too much "marketing" of jewelry, photography studio, spa, etc.  My cabin was OK (smaller than the Neptune Suites on Amsterdam and Rotterdam and rather oddly laid out), but it was just too much "crowd overload' for me.

 

My cruises for 2020 are booked -- all Regent, including the 131-day World Cruise -- over 200 days in total.  In my opinion, for my needs, for the price, Regent just offers a much better experience, even in a smaller cabin (I book Concierge on Regent).

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

[UUNetBill]

On 5/13/2019 at 9:45 AM, orvil said:

I'll explain about the shower.  

 

We were at anchor.  They were running tenders into the port.  Due to the pull of the anchor line, the ship listed to port at a very noticeable angle.  Our cabin was on the port side.  I got into the shower and started it up.  The drain was in the corner of the of shower base.  Once enough water had flowed, there was a sizable amount of water in the shower pan.  It was going to slop onto the floor and run onto the cabin carpet before it ever reached the drain.  Pure physics.

 

Interestingly, the tub wouldn't drain at the same time while at anchor.  If we had been anchored to starboard, the shower drain would not have been a problem.  In order for the drain to work, it needed to be on the downhill side.  Once the anchor was retrieved, equilibrium returned, the drains began to work as expected.

 

 I asked about this at the customer services.  They weren't surprised.  The customer service representative said to wait until we were underway.  Just be aware.  It came as a surprise.

 

On 5/13/2019 at 1:10 PM, Travelcat2 said:

I would be concerned if the ship was at a "very noticeable angle".  In that case, of course the water would want to flow to one side.  What ship was this on?  

It actually doesn't take much of an angle for the water to flow away from the drain - we had issues with proper drainage on our last Voyager cruise whether anchored or underway.  Nothing major, we just always rolled a towel up at the base of the shower and it sopped up the overflow.  Minor annoyance, nothing more - and barely a blip on the radar in the grand scheme of things.

[vegasdriven]

Yes, we too had this issue on Voyager,we loved it by swishing the water over to the drain as we were showering- still had some water left in there when done, but very little ended up on the floor.

Didtalk to others who ended up with a slight flood, and saw some equipment outside neighbors door for cleaning up the water. We did try to keep shower time to a minimum, as well. Maybe others didn't think to use these methods.

 

It was just that once, but I wonder if this tends to be the case any time at anchor? I tend to think not, or I think we would hear a lot more about it. We were on the same cruise as uunetbill.

[Travelcat2]

On 5/10/2019 at 10:42 PM, czardas said:

Sorry for the dumb question but how do you access your cabin, if you don’t have a card?

 

Have to somewhat disagree with a previous poster.  Yes - you can use a lanyard but will identify yourself as mainstream cruiser since luxury cruisers do not use lanyards.  

 

After reading a rather contentious thread from a year or so ago, where someone wanted to purchase a gift for a friend that would be sailing Regent for the first time wanted to give them a lanyard.  I told them that we rarely see lanyards on any passengers.  Since then I have made a point to notice who was actually wearing these things.  I would guess that 3-5 passengers (out of 700) were wearing lanyards.   So, the choice is yours.

[czardas]

5 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Have to somewhat disagree with a previous poster.  Yes - you can use a lanyard but will identify yourself as mainstream cruiser since luxury cruisers do not use lanyards.  

 

After reading a rather contentious thread from a year or so ago, where someone wanted to purchase a gift for a friend that would be sailing Regent for the first time wanted to give them a lanyard.  I told them that we rarely see lanyards on any passengers.  Since then I have made a point to notice who was actually wearing these things.  I would guess that 3-5 passengers (out of 700) were wearing lanyards.   So, the choice is yours.

 

Oh my goodness this made me laugh..........heaven forbid that I dare look like a mainstream cruiser, even though I can afford to be on a luxury line...........

who cares what I look like or anyone else if they prefer to use a lanyard. Will nobody speak to me because of it? Sheesh!

 

 

 

 

 

[Travelcat2]

9 hours ago, czardas said:

 

Oh my goodness this made me laugh..........heaven forbid that I dare look like a mainstream cruiser, even though I can afford to be on a luxury line...........

who cares what I look like or anyone else if they prefer to use a lanyard. Will nobody speak to me because of it? Sheesh!

 

 

Some cruisers that are new to Regent do care about how they dress, etc. as they do not want to stand out.  My point was simply that only a handful (one hand) of Regent cruisers wear lanyards.  This is to say that you cannot wear one - only that they are not common.  My experience has been that passengers on mainstream cruise lines (NCL for instance) tend to wear lanyards, and, a lot of people of premium cruise lines wear them (Celebrity is an example).  On Regent, I purchased a small shoulder bag that fits my keycard, money (for shopping on excursions) and a few other items.  My personal preference is not to wear a lanyard but you certainly can do what you wish to do.

[shuguley]

When you would like to have a special meal, such as sea bass, to whom do you make the request?

[Travelcat2]

39 minutes ago, shuguley said:

When you would like to have a special meal, such as sea bass, to whom do you make the request?

 

The Dining Room Manager in Compass Rose.  If you ask your server, he will have him/her stop by your table.