Top Tips for Regent First Time Cruisers

[Travelcat2]

2 minutes ago, newcruzer said:

Not sure if to post here, but on Regent, since gratuities are included, do guests still tip your butler and housekeepers? (for great service, etc.)? Is this routine or not done at all?

 

Is it okay if I beg you not to bring up this subject?  If you do a search on the Regent board you will find many, rather contentious threads on this topic.  There will never - ever be an agreement on this topic so it is best to read the tipping policy on the Regent website and interpret it whatever way you wish.

 

Not trying to be unkind - just attempting to prevent another angry thread from starting.  

[newcruzer]

30 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Is it okay if I beg you not to bring up this subject?  If you do a search on the Regent board you will find many, rather contentious threads on this topic.  There will never - ever be an agreement on this topic so it is best to read the tipping policy on the Regent website and interpret it whatever way you wish.

 

Not trying to be unkind - just attempting to prevent another angry thread from starting.  

No offense taken, I appreciate the advice. Thank you! Any idea how to delete my post? LOL

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, newcruzer said:

No offense taken, I appreciate the advice. Thank you! Any idea how to delete my post? LOL

 

I'm sure it is fine and is well hidden in this thread.  Hope that whatever cruise you take, you have a wonderful time!

[CruisetheCs]

3 hours ago, newcruzer said:

Not sure if to post here, but on Regent, since gratuities are included, do guests still tip your butler and housekeepers? (for great service, etc.)? Is this routine or not done at all?

 

To summarize, if you read some of the tipping threads on CC you will find posters who tip and posters who traditionally do not tip.  For those who give tips, some give tips directly to crew, some do it through the Crew Fun. I know of no way to determine what percentage of guests tip, certainly it can't be determined from the CC website.  

 

Regent's management does not prohibit tipping. Regent's statement on tipping is what it is and you can interpret it as you wish.

 

I would think that new cruisers should not have to subject themselves to the torture of reading tortuous threads about tipping.  😊

[flossie009]

6 hours ago, CruisetheCs said:

 

I would think that new cruisers should not have to subject themselves to the torture of reading tortuous threads about tipping.  😊

 

................. nor should they be told what they can/cannot post and ask questions about 🤨

 

(unless they are inadvertently  straying from CC guidelines)

[UUNetBill]

Although it IS true that most (if not all) threads that introduce the tipping question tend to devolve quickly.  @newcruzer - please don't think you're being singled out - we've all gotten into the tipping debate at least once before.  Travelcat2 is right, though - there's no right or wrong answer...it's good advice to read Regent's policy on tips and take from it what you will.  I don't think the staff onboard would refuse a tip any more than they'd expect one...you'll find people on here who say they always tip and others who say they never tip.  And I don't think it affects the level of service one bit.

 

Bottom line - do what you're comfortable doing and enjoy your cruise.   

[newcruzer]

thanks for the advice everyone. Sorry to bring up a touchy subject!

[UUNetBill]

5 hours ago, newcruzer said:

thanks for the advice everyone. Sorry to bring up a touchy subject!

Lots of touchy subjects on this board.   😂

 

But also lots of camaraderie, good information, and chuckles.  Fortunately the good far outweighs the bad.  I guess that's what happens when you get a lot of passionate people together.

[czardas]

What’s the latest time you can disembark, (before they kick you off) when you have your own travel arrangements? 

[Travelcat2]

1 minute ago, czardas said:

What’s the latest time you can disembark, (before they kick you off) when you have your own travel arrangements? 

 

Generally it is 9:00 am.  You need to get out of your suite at 8:00 a.m. However, if you are disembarking in Miami (the worst port to disembark in my opinion), you may not get off of the ship until after 9:00 a.m.  They really need the time to clean the ship since new passengers embark at noon.

[czardas]

4 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Generally it is 9:00 am.  You need to get out of your suite at 8:00 a.m. However, if you are disembarking in Miami (the worst port to disembark in my opinion), you may not get off of the ship until after 9:00 a.m.  They really need the time to clean the ship since new passengers embark at noon.

 

Thanks. We disembark at Seward. We don’t catch the train until 6pm, so was hoping to stretch the morning out.  We have a helicopter flight at 12, so we can easily fill our time off the ship in after leaving the ship. 

[Travelcat2]

4 hours ago, czardas said:

 

Thanks. We disembark at Seward. We don’t catch the train until 6pm, so was hoping to stretch the morning out.  We have a helicopter flight at 12, so we can easily fill our time off the ship in after leaving the ship. 

 

Have a great cruise🌊

Edited June 5, 2019 by Travelcat2

[Reef Knot]

Hi everyone, 

We are very new to cruising only 2 so far, a Cunard transatlantic 10 years ago and a Silversea trip in March but after our recent voyage I can say that we have definitely caught the bug.

I'm keen to try Regent next to compare. This forum is proving invaluable to my research. Very useful info about shore excursion restaurant booking and suite grades .

Just a couple of questions, 

What are the chances of getting your preferred choice of shore excursion, do they get booked up very quickly ? 

Is there a definite advantage to booking a concierge suite when it comes to shore excursions and restaurant reservations.

I see that in all suites the fridge is stocked with beer/soft drinks and water. Can we request wine/gin to be stocked or is that only available in the public areas?

There will be more questions I'm sure but as I said this forum is a font of info.

Thanks for any feedback,

 

 

 

 

[Boatmans Lady]

Reef Knot, we were in your situation last year and had the same concerns.

We weren't in a concierge suite and when we booked our tours, we were waitlisted (had to ring to get waitlisted) for four tours, as they were showing full. We cleared the waitlist before we travelled for three of the tours. The fourth wasn't a big deal and just before our date they added a couple more tours and one of them suited better. 

So do keep checking back as we were never informed that we had been cleared, they just appeared on our itinerary and we weren't told extra tours had been added.

 

Secondly, our suite stewardess asked if she could leave us a nightcap. On returning to our suite we had two bottles of the liquor we had requested, so yes to the drinks.

 

Like you, I found this forum to be a wealth of information and we had a great cruise.

What was going to be a one off has now become two as we have a cruise for 2021 booked.

So be prepared for repeat bookings!!

[Reef Knot]

Thanks Boatmans Lady, 

 

Thats good to know about the Excursions , and also nice to know that we can get a bottle of wine/gin in suite.

Now back to the brochures !

 

[UUNetBill]

3 hours ago, Reef Knot said:

Thanks Boatmans Lady, 

 

Thats good to know about the Excursions , and also nice to know that we can get a bottle of wine/gin in suite.

Now back to the brochures !

 

Just an FYI - the 'real' people on Regent don't look like the 'brochure' people on Regent.  🙂  We're all a lot more 'normal'.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

Definitely request whatever you would like to drink in your stateroom once you board (if you have a butler, then you can fill out a form before you board, I believe).  I usually take out the things from the refrigerator that we won't drink, and ask (or leave a note) our room host for what we would like.

[mj_holiday]

If you do not have a butler, you can call Regent a couple of months before your cruise and let them know what you want in your bar set up (liquor, wine, beer, soda).  When we have done this it shows up the afternoon we board.  When we tell our attendant when we first meet we will get the bar set up by the next afternoon.

[1982CruzStart]

If the cost of booking a concierge suite is not too much more taking into account the included hotel and the transfers to and from the hotel, you may want to book one to get early access to the shore excursions and dinner reservations.   Sometimes it depends on the itinerary and how important the shore excursion choice is in the ports you are visiting. If this is a cruise with ports where you definitely want to go certain places and there is a chance those excursions may be capacity controlled you might want to consider the earlier ability to book.  If there is a big difference in price it might not be worth it and you can take your chances. Often waitlists clear. 

You are also then guaranteed that you are arriving in port a day early if you are using Regent air. If you are not deviating and using Regent Air you will booked on flights to arrive the day of embarkation on lower suites.   I recommend deviating regardless but that is a different discussion. 

As many on this board have pointed out regarding dinner reservations, if you want a table for 2 at a preferred time it may be slightly harder to get your first choice if you have to wait to book. 

Good luck with your search. 

[Ladys Mom]

Just as others have pointed out, just ask your Room Steward what you would like to drink and it will "magically" appear.  It your choice of beverage involves beer or soda, once your RS knows what you want, they will keep your fridge stocked.  My husband would also leave little notes if he wanted certain fruit in the fruit basket or he wanted his shoes shined, and it always would be done promptly.  As far a Concierge suites, we choose to book them because we still are not Gold on Seven Seas Society (the Regent affinity program) so Concierge allows us to have four internet accounts instead of one.  It keeps us from quibbling with each other as to who can go on line when.  As far as the specialty restaurants, you can get a reservation almost any time if you are willing to share with other guests.  Some of our best evenings have been spent getting to know new people.

[birthdaygal]

Going on Explorer in January, Regent first timers, wondering if there is a quiet room with chaise lounges to read.  On Celebrity they have the room near the Spa where you can read your Kindle while looking out at the ocean in air conditioning and I am looking for where we can do similar on Regent.  Am booked in Concierge Suite if that makes any difference at all.  I know balcony depends upon the sun and the temps.  I know usually there are library areas but wondering if somewhere with the chaises in the AC with a view and pretty music playing.....Thanks and am sure enjoying reading the thread here.  Did I mention I was thinking of wearing a feather, rhinestone encrusted lanyard while reading????

[camnjoss]

On 5/10/2019 at 7:11 PM, ronrick1943 said:

For boarding the ship do it as soon as you can to enjoy your first day.  We always do are own Car or taxi to the dock to avoid all the crowds.  We always take late flights out so we usually get off last, again to avoid the crowds and the mess in general.

You don't need a lanyard because you don't need to show your card except for getting on or off the ship. Only the spa and gift shop needs to see it.

Room Service is like any hotel room service.  Entertainment isn't much, nice cocktails and nibbles passed around.  I think the most important thing is to enjoy yourself and relax, don't let the little that may go wrong trouble you-life is to short for that. Always😊

So

the room key is not the same as the boarding card?

[RJ2002]

9 minutes ago, camnjoss said:

So

the room key is not the same as the boarding card?

 

Yes, it is the same card - used for getting on and off the ship, and into your suite.

 

edit:  and for purchases onboard, if any

Edited July 29, 2019 by RJ2002

[camnjoss]

4 minutes ago, RJ2002 said:

 

Yes, it is the same card - used for getting on and off the ship, and into your suite.

 

edit:  and for purchases onboard, if any

 

4 minutes ago, RJ2002 said:

 

Yes, it is the same card - used for getting on and off the ship, and into your suite.

 

edit:  and for purchases onboard, if any

So folks need to a carry it with them.. So I see a need for a lanyard. Right.

[Travelcat2]

11 minutes ago, camnjoss said:

 

So folks need to a carry it with them.. So I see a need for a. Right.

 

Out of a full shipload of passengers, maybe 5 wear lanyards.  This is done more on mainstream and premium cruise lines.  I keep my keycard either in my husband's pocket or in a very small handbag that I wear with the strap across my chest so I don't have to carry it.  In my opinion, lanyards are pretty much last century.

 

Hope that you have a wonderful cruise and enjoy every moment of your birthday.