Top Tips for Regent First Time Cruisers

[UUNetBill]

11 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!

Well, I for one would NEVER speak to a lanyard wearer.  Oh, the fashion faux-pas!!  Unless someone is clad head to toe in designer duds and wearing at least five figures worth of jewelry (six figures is better) they're not worth my precious time.

 

The only reason I wear cargo shorts, t-shirts, a baseball cap and an Apple Watch is to catch the lanyard wearers unaware, whereupon they attempt to engage me in conversation and I reply with derisive laughter and finger-pointing, thereby cementing their status as a mouth-breather who is reaching well above their station in life.

 

Of course, if you believe any of this you've obviously never met me nor read any of my posts.  I honestly couldn't give a rat's patootie if someone wears a lanyard, or socks with sandals, or stripes with plaid...just be cool to me and I'll be cool to you.  :-)

[Travelcat2]

Bill, unless you were wearing a lanyard, socks with your sandals, a backwards baseball cap and a striped shirt with plaid cargo shorts, I would likely not speak to you.

 

On the other hand, we have never met so the only way that I would recognize you is if you were dressed that way!

[Pinksunset]

Bill, I cannot stop laughing! You have brightened my day!  It would be a pleasure meeting you!🤣

[czardas]

4 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

Well, I for one would NEVER speak to a lanyard wearer.  Oh, the fashion faux-pas!!  Unless someone is clad head to toe in designer duds and wearing at least five figures worth of jewelry (six figures is better) they're not worth my precious time.

 

The only reason I wear cargo shorts, t-shirts, a baseball cap and an Apple Watch is to catch the lanyard wearers unaware, whereupon they attempt to engage me in conversation and I reply with derisive laughter and finger-pointing, thereby cementing their status as a mouth-breather who is reaching well above their station in life.

 

Of course, if you believe any of this you've obviously never met me nor read any of my posts.  I honestly couldn't give a rat's patootie if someone wears a lanyard, or socks with sandals, or stripes with plaid...just be cool to me and I'll be cool to you.  🙂

 

Well I’m heading out to buy the loudest lanyard I can find and then pimp it up a bit. Dimnontes and feathers should do it.

 

Thanks for a good chuckle Bill. 

[Travelcat2]

26 minutes ago, czardas said:

 

Well I’m heading out to buy the loudest lanyard I can find and then pimp it up a bit. Dimnontes and feathers should do it.

 

Thanks for a good chuckle Bill. 

 

Well, at least we could recognize you!

[frankdp]

Hi Czardas!   Just read this thread and I can safely say, everything you need to know about enjoying a Regent cruise has been covered.   You will find a very interesting and friendly, maybe just a bit quirky, group of shipmates.  

 

Looking forward to your review!  

[CruisetheCs]

I was almost afraid to wear my lanyard yesterday at a business meeting because I was almost certain someone would identify me as a mainstream cruiser.  😋  (Of course I don't fully understand what the problem is with being a mainstream cruiser, but I'm sure I shall learn that on CC eventually when I withdraw from all mainstream cruises and expedition cruises.)

 

Somehow in all my days of cruising on Regent about the last thing that would occur to me on seeing someone with a lanyard is that the guest is a mainstream cruiser.  In fact I may even be in UUNetBill's camp of not giving a rat's patootie (if only I knew what that means-- Maybe he will elaborate?). 😋

 

I can't help but wonder whether the topic of the significance of wearing a lanyard on Regent is beyond a first world problem?  A future world problem?  A titanium world problem?  I'm sure someone can come up with some world that this problem belongs to.

[Travelcat2]

Wearing a lanyard is definitely not a first world problem.  However, many/most people that will sailing Regent for the first time are interested in "fitting in" which is why they ask questions on Cruise Critic.  My response about lanyards has simply been to let newbies know that 99% of Regent passengers do not wear them.  Perhaps it is because of what. you indicated - having to wear them at work.  

 

In any case, we have sailed on mainstream, premium, premium plus/luxury lite and luxury cruises and lanyards seem to be popular with mainstream and premium cruisers.  While I have no idea why....... it is what it is.

 

 Obviously, anyone can do what they want to do but wearing a lanyard is something that you rarely/never see on Regent (or Silversea).  I only look for them because of comments made on CC.  So, when we board Crystal in September, I'll check that cruise line out as out as well.

 

P.S.  As an aside, have you ever seen an advertisement for any luxury cruise line where the models are wearing a lanyard?

 

P.P.S.  - we have seen (thankfully only once) where people were wearing things (hats, necklaces, etc.) that glowed - on and off in Compass Rose for dinner.  Not sure what message they were trying to send but they were the joke of the cruise (and not in a good way).

Edited May 23, 2019 by Travelcat2

[czardas]

4 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

P.P.S.  - we have seen (thankfully only once) where people were wearing things (hats, necklaces, etc.) that glowed - on and off in Compass Rose for dinner.  Not sure what message they were trying to send but they were the joke of the cruise (and not in a good way).

 

Oh lighten up a little, perhaps these people were doing something outrageous, like celebrating and having fun, on a trip of a lifetime . Good for them and hopefully they didn’t hear from stuffed shirts that they were the “joke of the cruise”.   I hope they’re on my trip and I will join them with my lanyard. Oh what fun we will have!

 

 

[mj_holiday]

Don’t hesitate to have coffee delivered to your room. We will order breakfast and coffee with the door tag if we have an early excursion. If no morning schedule I will call for coffee when I get up and it is brought in less than 5 minutes. 

[fizzy]

Oh no....not the lanyard thing again! Yes some people use lanyards...so what? And people decorate their doors. Many of us have tattoos.  Some use collapsible canes as an aide, Some wear polyester with sparkles. Some people love to be able to watch live sports on the TV. Visually fitting in?  The models paid for by Regent marketing are less likely to fit in! Some...us....enjoy the privacy and serenity of the private islands. Yes...beach oriented cruises! There will be people dressing up for Halloween. There will also be very few, if any, snoots on board who would be easy to avoid. What you will notice is that you will feel much less crowded. You will most certainly enjoy your Regent cruise....no doubt about it.

[orvil]

Bill in sandals and socks.  It's burned into my retinas.  

[MalbecWine]

9 hours ago, czardas said:

 

Oh lighten up a little, perhaps these people were doing something outrageous, like celebrating and having fun, on a trip of a lifetime . Good for them and hopefully they didn’t hear from stuffed shirts that they were the “joke of the cruise”.   I hope they’re on my trip and I will join them with my lanyard. Oh what fun we will have!

I doubt you will see lanyards on Crystal and it certainly would not in the least bother us.  Now some people during holidays including Carnival or Mardi Gras or Australian day may adorn some fun things to celebrate.  None of this would bother us.  

 

The reason lanyards are worn on mass market and premium lines is they have to show their card at bars and shops constantly.  On the luxury lines you don’t.

9 hours ago, czardas said:

 

 

[Travelcat2]

10 hours ago, czardas said:

 

Oh lighten up a little, perhaps these people were doing something outrageous, like celebrating and having fun, on a trip of a lifetime . Good for them and hopefully they didn’t hear from stuffed shirts that they were the “joke of the cruise”.   I hope they’re on my trip and I will join them with my lanyard. Oh what fun we will have!

 

Once you have sailed on Regent you will likely understand my comments a bit more.  Keep in mind that this thread is asking questions of people that have sailed Regent and we are responding in the most honest way possible.  It may not be what someone wants to hear but this is our experience over the past 15 years sailing with Regent.

 

When people have celebrations all of the time on Regent and they are done quietly and sedately and generally in one's suite where your butler or stewardess may have decorated your suite for the occasion.  

 

There are times and places on the ships that you can laugh, be loud and have a good time (thinking of the Country Fair that is held onboard some cruises as well as the games that are played on the ship on sea days).

 

Suggest that you read all the comments on this thread and wait and see how all of this comes together.  Getting upset with opinions is not going to improve your cruise in any way.  If you do not agree with my posts, just ignore them.

 

I do hope that you have a good experience on Regent - whether you wear a lanyard or not.  

 

 

[ronrick1943]

Bill, OK but if you take the socks off one would hope you at least you would use some of your OBC for a Pedicure, and yes even dressed like that I'd meet you and have a drink at the bar.  On this last cruise yes we saw jeans after 6 around the ship and in the dining rooms----and no they were not designer jeans (yes, Levi's was the brand on some).

On a Regent cruise before this last one they had a bridge club and all 35+ guest had lanyards on most of the time, and yes we had lunch a few times with a very nice couple----really it's not a big deal to us.  

 

I idea is to forget what other people thing and enjoy your cruise after all it's your time to relax and have fun within reason😁

 

[MalbecWine]

4 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

Bill, OK but if you take the socks off one would hope you at least you would use some of your OBC for a Pedicure, and yes even dressed like that I'd meet you and have a drink at the bar.  On this last cruise yes we saw jeans after 6 around the ship and in the dining rooms----and no they were not designer jeans (yes, Levi's was the brand on some).

On a Regent cruise before this last one they had a bridge club and all 35+ guest had lanyards on most of the time, and yes we had lunch a few times with a very nice couple----really it's not a big deal to us.  

 

I idea is to forget what other people thing and enjoy your cruise after all it's your time to relax and have fun within reason😁

 

 

I agree with you.  If a celebration is going on at a table in Compass Rose why should they be relegated to their room to have cocktails or dinner there?  Let those people have a night to celebrate a holiday or special occasion.  If we were seated close by we would raise a glass of something and toast them.  We have met some really nice people during their celebrations.  Some have party gifts to the guests and some might be wearing something flashing or the dreaded lanyards from a group of bridge players.  If the party is dressed to Regent standards at dinner who cares what they adorn as fun jewelry flashing or not.  If it bothers someone sit elsewhere.

[Travelcat2]

No one is saying that passengers are "relegated" to their suites for celebrations.  For those of you that have sailed on Regent, you may be aware that when you have a special celebration (anniversary, birthday, etc.), and let Regent know about it, they decorate your suite which is why so many of us have a party there.  While, in our 33 Regent cruises I have not seen CR decorated for a birthday or other celebration, it likely does happen upon occasion - just not the typical thing that Regent does.  

 

On our last cruise, it was my DH's birthday and the suite was tastefully decorated and we had people in for cocktails and hors 'oeuvres (misspelled as usual).  We obviously could not have had a cocktail party in CR.  Small groups do meet in the lounges and our last Meet and Mingle had people wearing Mardi Gras beads which was fun (did not wear them to dinner - our choice).

 

As has been said, as long as you follow Regent's dress code, you can do what you want ....... as long as you are not disturbing the people dining around you.  

 

What may sound like snobby behavior really isn't.  A lot of us have "been there - done that" when it comes to sailing on party ships and sail luxury lines because we can still have fun without going overboard or being too loud (usually when you hear someone speaking loudly at a table, it is because they are hard of hearing........ that is likely because people over 60 are the largest demographic on luxury cruise lines).  

 

Everyone should be able to enjoy themselves without affecting others.  Lanyards does not fall under that category.  Geez, all I was sharing is that most passengers on Regent do not wear them.  

 

 

[czardas]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

What may sound like snobby behavior really isn't.

 

Everyone should be able to enjoy themselves without affecting others.  Lanyards does not fall under that category.  Geez, all I was sharing is that most passengers on Regent do not wear them.  

 

 

 

It’s all good and said in jest Travelcat2. Perhaps an Aussies sense of humour isn’t translated easily here. We certainly don’t get our knickers in a knot over small stuff.

Having a good laugh and a fun life is very much on my agenda. I certainly won’t be loud and obnoxious around other diners/passengers but you will see me having a wonderful cruise and enjoying every minute. 

 

Now back to Top Tip questions - can you bring your own travel coffee cup and get Coffee Connections to fill it? I’d love to have a warm cuppa up on deck whilst watching Alaska pass by. 

Edited May 23, 2019 by czardas

[wcsdkqh]

And, of course, the reason the vast majority of Regent guests do not use a lanyard is because the only time your ID is used is when you leave the ship or return, and when you enter your suite. ID is not needed for anything else since everything is included and swiping of card is not required 

[ronrick1943]

55 minutes ago, czardas said:

 

It’s all good and said in jest Travelcat2. Perhaps an Aussies sense of humour isn’t translated easily here. We certainly don’t get our knickers in a knot over small stuff.

Having a good laugh and a fun life is very much on my agenda. I certainly won’t be loud and obnoxious around other diners/passengers but you will see me having a wonderful cruise and enjoying every minute. 

 

Now back to Top Tip questions - can you bring your own travel coffee cup and get Coffee Connections to fill it? I’d love to have a warm cuppa up on deck whilst watching Alaska pass by. 

😂Funny And about the coffee, yes you can-we bring one just for the suite because the cups Regent use are just to small for morning coffee👍

[1985rz1]

1 hour ago, czardas said:

Now back to Top Tip questions - can you bring your own travel coffee cup and get Coffee Connections to fill it? I’d love to have a warm cuppa up on deck whilst watching Alaska pass by. 

 How about a lanyard coffee cup holder?

 

https://www.4allpromos.com/product/beer-taster-coolie?

 

Better yet, a lanyard wine glass holder?

 

https://www.brilliantpromos.com/ap/lanyard-with-wine-holder-550395448?

Edited May 24, 2019 by 1985rz1

[CruisetheCs]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 Geez, all I was sharing is that most passengers on Regent do not wear them.  

 

I think there was a wee bit more than that on the topic of lanyards that was shared--in how many posts?

 

46 minutes ago, czardas said:

 

It’s all good and said in jest Travelcat2. Perhaps an Aussies sense of humour isn’t translated easily here. We certainly don’t get our knickers in a knot over small stuff.

Having a good laugh and a fun life is very much on my agenda. I certainly won’t be loud and obnoxious around other diners/passengers but you will see me having a wonderful cruise and enjoying every minute. 

 

Now back to Top Tip questions - can you bring your own travel coffee cup and get Coffee Connections to fill it? I’d love to have a warm cuppa up on deck whilst watching Alaska pass by. 

 

You can definitely bring your own travel cup and get it filled (but not sure what happens if you wear a lanyard when you bring your own cup 😊).  

 

And definitely bring your sense of humor.  There are lots of fun and interesting people on Regent cruises, a fact that may not always be reflected in the sometimes contentious never-ending debates on these boards.  

[SWFLAOK]

On our first cruise, which was on the Paul Gauguin, I brought a lanyard, along with other things that I hope no one saw in my suitcase since I never brought them out (magnet hooks for the wall, an overdoor shoe holder, battery operated tea candles, and other things I'm ashamed to admit). They were all recommended in an article that I read on the internet. It might even have been linked to cruise critic. But luckily, I kept them in my suitcase under the bed until I determined if they were needed. By the time I took my 4th cruise, which was my first on Regent, I knew that the recommended list was not for the type of ship that I cruised on.

However, on my Regent cruise to Alaska in late August, I did bring plenty of socks, and on board, I needed to wear socks with my sandals on a few cold mornings (they didn't work with my flip flops). Our Florida feet don't like closed toes, so we only wear those for excursions that call for sneakers, or when we dress up for dinner.

[Travelcat2]

46 minutes ago, CruisetheCs said:

 

I think there was a wee bit more than that on the topic of lanyards that was shared--in how many posts?

 

Are you seriously counting posts? Are you also counting how many were done in jest?  

[ArtsyCraftsy]

1 hour ago, CruisetheCs said:

You can definitely bring your own travel cup and get it filled (but not sure what happens if you wear a lanyard when you bring your own cup 😊).  

 

And definitely bring your sense of humor.  There are lots of fun and interesting people on Regent cruises, a fact that may not always be reflected in the sometimes contentious never-ending debates on these boards.  

 

 

I have never laughed so much as I did on my RSSC cruise last fall.  

 

I participated in the "Solo and Social" group during the last half of the cruise, and it was a blast!  I'm pretty sure some folks thought we were having FAR too much fun, but I've never been around a group of folks who were so warm, friendly, and down-right funny.  We usually ended up in Compass Rose, but near the end of the cruise (when we trying to outrun hurricane Michael) we ended up in Chartreuse for dinner.  

 

The group included a lovely lady from Montreal, a couple of sisters from different parts of the US, and a delightful Scottish woman (took us about 3 dinners to finally understand what she was saying most of the time -- she had similar issues with one of our group who had a distinct southern "drawl").  And the block parties!  I'm your basic textbook recluse, and I had a fantastic time with the block parties.  I have no idea who was in what category of cabin because IT DIDN'T MATTER.  We were all equal in RSSC's eyes.

 

Honestly, I was NOT expecting this overwhelming friendliness of the passengers (you want to see "pretentious," go on a HAL cruise where there's a large organized "outside" (not cruise related) group --  who think they have first dibs at everything onboard, who elbow their way into any and all lines because they're part of "that group" and should have "priority."  Ugh!)  It's not intrusive (as I said, I'm a textbook introvert), but genuinely friendly and interested in your "story" as much of it as you want to share.

 

This is why I felt so comfortable booking so much time on RSSC for next year (over 200 days).

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA