Included ‘luxury hotel,.

[swansong]

Twice this year, Miami in February and Monaco this week we have stayed in the included pre cruise overnight hotel. The hotel in Miami, AKA Brickell was anything but world class as described and we complained. This week the Columbus Monaco was equally not world class or anything approaching luxury by our standards. The room for breakfast was woefully inadequate with people having to carry food out to find a seat somewhere else in the hotel to eat it. We gave it up as a bad job. There was no bottled water provided in the room and whilst there were tea and coffee facilities there was only one portion of each!

 

The hotel normally doesn’t offer dinner but had put on a menu ( poor) for our benefit. Again it was packed with a queue waiting for a table. Fortunately we had reserved a table at a local restaurant (Gratziellas ) which we can highly recommend.

 

The room itself was pretty basic with a very small bathroom with nowhere to place items. The shower was in the bath and difficult to access if you were not as nimble as you might be. We have had better in a (UK) budget hotel.

Reception during checkout and the wait for coaches to the ship was chaotic as the arrival of disembarking passengers ( at least 100 by my estimation ) mixed with an equal number waiting to embark. People were queuing out to the pavement.

We gave this up and got a taxi to the ship. Fortunately the luggage went by truck.

 

This will be our last time using Regent transfers or hotels and we are amending all our future bookings. Being herded like cattle is not a luxury experience in our book and contrasts unfavorably with the excellent on board experience. 
 

 

 

 

 

[lastchamp64]

We cruised on the Splendor out of Miami this past March and were very pleased with the InterContinental on Biscayne Bay that we were placed in. As for the transfers, I do have to agree. It was a complete cluster mess with packed buses, late buses, and just total disorganization. Part of the confusion and late buses may be in part because when we were there the World Baseball Classic was also taking place and many of the players (mostly MLB players) were also staying at our hotel. We kept hearing the excuses that the chartered buses were transporting the players first. After our bus was 1 1/2 hours late and sitting around in the lobby, we ended up Ubering over to the port. 

Edited September 22, 2023 by lastchamp64

[swansong]

That’s good to know about the Intercontinental as we have booked that hotel independently for next year. At least we can have a civilized breakfast and transfer!

[papaflamingo]

As I have read posts on hotels over the years it seems that the satisfaction is hit or miss.  It seems it's really dependent on city, availability, and personal expectation. The one thing most people agree on, though, is that it's much nicer to take private transportation to the ship. We generally take the hotel credit and find our own way to the ship.  It really isn't that much and worth it for the convenience of having control of pickup time.  

 

[douginct]

We mostly take the credit and book our own hotels. Last year, in Miami, we stayed at the JW Marriott  (Brickell) for two nights pre cruise. It was excellent. Great location. As a Marriott elite, we receive full breakfast daily. The area was loaded with restaurants in easy walking distance. We are staying there agin for our next Regent cruise in March. And the port was a short Uber away.

[CDR Benson]

2 hours ago, lastchamp64 said:

We cruised on the Splendor out of Miami this past March and were very pleased with the InterContinental on Biscayne Bay that we were placed in. 

 

Like swansong, I am also glad to hear this.  The InterContinental Miami is where Regent has booked us also for the day before our cruise on Mariner in November.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by CDR Benson

[jet65]

We just got back from cruising aboard the Mariner, which began for us in Rome.  We also opted for the Regent hotel program.  They used the Westin Excelsior, near the Spanish Steps, which was a convenient location.  At one time this hotel was probably very nice.  Unfortunately the rooms were in terrible shape.  Damaged furniture, stained worn out carpeting, threadbare drapes, and rusted bathroom fixtures, some falling off.  Fortunately there were good restaurants within walking distance.

 

the transfer to the port was just as chaotic as described above.  There were at least 5 buses used that we had to wait for to return from the port which is about 90 minutes away.  Needless to say we boarded an hour later than our scheduled time.

[DavidTheWonderer]

In January we sailed Splendor out of Miami and the included hotel was the Biltmore. Fabulous in every way. The 1920's vibe made me start looking around for Greta Garbo.
We drove to Miami from our winter home in Dundedin.  Then we had the hotel ship our bags to the ship, and we drove over and did long-term parking at the dock. Everything about the experience was splendiferous.
It was our first time on Splendor, which is now our favourite ship that isn't the Paul Gauguin.

[-Lew-]

We've cruised out of South Florida many times and have never paid for a hotel.  We always decline the included lodging and find picking our own and using a taxi or Uber much more convenient.

 

We always stay at a Hyatt on points...transferring what we need from our Chase Sapphire Reserve account to Hyatt.  Last winter we stayed three nights at Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami before boarding the Splendor and it worked out very well.  We're doing the same again in January 2024.

[ivyleaguegent]

What hotels does Regent utilize in San Juan?

[czardas]

14 hours ago, CDR Benson said:

 

Like swansong, I am also glad to hear this.  The InterContinental Miami is where Regent has booked us also for the day before our cruise on Mariner in November.

 

 

 

 

That’s interesting as we are also sailing on the Mariner in November and Regent have booked us into the Mandarin Oriental in Miami. 

[bookbabe]

8 hours ago, czardas said:

That’s interesting as we are also sailing on the Mariner in November and Regent have booked us into the Mandarin Oriental in Miami. 

We're on the same cruise as @CDR Benson and are also at the Intercontinental, so I'm guessing they must have different hotels for different departure dates.

[Whinenowine]

When is the latest you can get the hotel credit?  Does it have to be before they book you, or can you wait until you see which hotel it is and then ask for the credit if the hotel isn't to your liking?  

[Techno123]

9 hours ago, czardas said:

That’s interesting as we are also sailing on the Mariner in November and Regent have booked us into the Mandarin Oriental in Miami. 

We stayed in the Mandarin Oriental last December prior to our Regent Caribbean cruise. The room was lovely and view was gorgeous, breakfast was a bit disorganised as they changed the original time to a later one - it was held in a large conference type room rather than the dining room. The coaches were pretty well organised as you were given a time for your coach but it did mean that 40 or so people all arrived at once.

[Gilly]

Our experience of the Miami MO is proof that not all MOs are created equal! We received a credit for two of our three nights there 🙄  

[bebop bonnie]

I agree with swansong…For the past many years, almost every pre cruise hotel has been seriously underwhelming!  And the included transfer to port was such that we now Uber to the port, or arrange a private car.  It is a shame as it does not reflect the outstanding experience once on board Regent!

[ernieb]

21 hours ago, ivyleaguegent said:

What hotels does Regent utilize in San Juan?

We are booked in the Caribe Hilton for our cruise departing 3/24/24.

[czardas]

7 hours ago, Gilly said:

Our experience of the Miami MO is proof that not all MOs are created equal! We received a credit for two of our three nights there 🙄  

Oh dear that doesn’t sound promising, sorry you experienced that, but we are there for only one night, so fingers crossed.

[bitob]

On 9/22/2023 at 1:03 PM, douginct said:

We mostly take the credit and book our own hotels. Last year, in Miami, we stayed at the JW Marriott  (Brickell) for two nights pre cruise. It was excellent. Great location. As a Marriott elite, we receive full breakfast daily. The area was loaded with restaurants in easy walking distance. We are staying there agin for our next Regent cruise in March. And the port was a short Uber away.

I do the same 

take the credit

that jw is indeed great

[Dolebludger]

On 9/23/2023 at 11:12 AM, ernieb said:

We are booked in the Caribe Hilton for our cruise departing 3/24/24.

We are booked on that cruise, and have no idea what hotel Regent will chose for us. How did you find out? 

[Dolebludger]

And I must note that the travel rating sites do not speak favorably about the Caribe Hilton in San Juan.  This coupled with reports of sub-mass market ground transportation via Regent have lead us to consider taking what little credit that is offered, and booking our own hotels, and paying our own cabs. I don’t blame Regent for problems with ground accommodations and transportation. We live in a Colorado tourist  small city, and service personnel are difficult to find. When we were on the Explorer in June, 2023, we booked our own hotels and transportation from Anchorage to Seward, and all was great. Those who took Regent’s hotel and ground transportation have posted that it was horrible. I am certain that Regent is doing the best it can. But it is not able to service those who cruise Regent very well  as to land accommodations and transportation.

[Camillus112]

While in San Juan, we stay at the Condado Vanderbilt.  Although ocean front, guests use the beach at the neighbor hotel La Concha.  It has two pools and three excellent restaurants.

[bitob]

7 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

And I must note that the travel rating sites do not speak favorably about the Caribe Hilton in San Juan.  This coupled with reports of sub-mass market ground transportation via Regent have lead us to consider taking what little credit that is offered, and booking our own hotels, and paying our own cabs. I don’t blame Regent for problems with ground accommodations and transportation. We live in a Colorado tourist  small city, and service personnel are difficult to find. When we were on the Explorer in June, 2023, we booked our own hotels and transportation from Anchorage to Seward, and all was great. Those who took Regent’s hotel and ground transportation have posted that it was horrible. I am certain that Regent is doing the best it can. But it is not able to service those who cruise Regent very well  as to land accommodations and transportation.

Silversea uses captain cook

only good hotel there

 

[Whinenowine]

12 hours ago, bitob said:

Silversea uses captain cook

only good hotel there

 

Yes, and a fantastic restaurant on the roof, Crow's Nest.  Great views when the weather permits.  We booked our own private guided 10hr tour from Anchorage to Seward last summer.  Got to design where we stopped and what we saw and traveled at a leisurely pace.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Whinenowine

[Dolebludger]

Well, I was asking about San Juan, not Anchorage, about a good pre cruise hotel to book. We booked our own in Anchorage in June (can’t recall which, but it was fine) and booked the train to Seward. But now I’m asking about a hotel in San Juan that is better than what Regent provides (the Caribe Hilton, which doesn’t rate well). Just looking for a place to spend a pre cruise night that has good plumbing, AC, and well maintained rooms. From my research, the Caribe Hilton isn’t it. And what I read on this board about Regent’s transfers from hotel to embarkation, that isn’t what we want either. Crowded busses that aren’t on time. Don’t put up with that at home, and certainly not on vacation. Not looking for a “resort”. We will get our “resort” onboard. I don’t blame Regent for this, as they must rely on local contractors for these services, and in many tourist locations, local service providers are now very deficient (see my post #21 above).