? For Recent Cruisers.

[Leejnd4]

I'm not questioning the second hand reports of the last poster. . . . I am curious, however, when this cruise took place. The Mariner is scheduled to do the Panama Canal April 30th for the first time in 2008. I haven't seen the winter 2007 Mariner schedule. Was this cruise late in 2007?

 

This was the 2007 holiday Panama Canal cruise on Voyager, so it was about 3 mo. ago.

 

I have to agree Travelcat2.... I have to give only so much credit to a second hand post.. Sorry LeeAnne!

 

Host Dan

 

Sorry for what? Disbelieving me? I'm simply reporting what my friends reported (in great detail) to me. You have the option of thinking that it's all a bunch of poppycock, of course. But you actually do know this person (who has posted regularly in here in the past), and neither she (nor I) have a reputation for Regent-bashing, or posting balderdash just to get a reaction. This is a real report of a poorly-handled cruise, and they weren't the only people on that particular cruise who were dissatisfied. Take it for what it's worth - it was one bad cruise, which I'm sure we all hope was an aberration, including them. But the report was bad enough to steer me away from Regent - for now, especially given their new owners.

 

Remember I have no agenda here. Hey I've been accused of being a Regent "cheerleader" in the past - I've been known to discount bad cruise reports when I thought someone's complaints didn't hold a lot of merit (i.e. complaining about ship movement in heavy seas - yer in the ocean for pete's sake!) I don't sell cruises, I have no axe to grind - I'm just sharing what I know with other cruisers, so hopefully folks in here will take it this way - passing along info to help others get a clear picture of this cruise line. I do understand the desire to rip people to shreds who have the gall to say anything bad about your favorite cruise line, though. I must admit to feeling that way myself in the past :D

 

Personally my Regent cruises have been among the best vacations of my life! I am definitely heartened by all these glowing reports, and I too am looking forward to hearing how the new owners may impact Regent going forward.

 

Re chair hogs: my friends did, in fact, complain about this on the early comment card, and it was right after that that they started doing something about it. So the moral here is that complaining about it seems to work.

 

I have never experienced chair hogs on Regent, but I sure have on other lines! It's funny - I never felt any compunction against moving a chair hog's belongings on the mass-market cruises, but I too would feel uncomfortable doing so on Regent. Part of it is that on a huge ship I wouldn't care about pissing off a couple of inconsiderate passengers among 2000 others - but I wouldn't want to cause conflict on a much smaller ship, where I'm more likely to encounter the offenders in the future.

[cruiseluv]

I have no problem whatsoever accepting LeeAnn's recount of the experience of her friends. I much rather accept a post from a regular poster like LeeAnn, even if it is second hand , than posts by posters that have never posted here and have no history to judge them by.

[canadagal]

Actually, I did not ask my initial question accurately. It was not sufficiently specific, and I appologize for that.

 

What I really meant to ask is whether there have been any signs of reduction in service, amenities, and general qualities since the sale of Regent by the Carlson Companies. I had heard a few "snippets" of information (second and third hand, and therefore not always reliable) that there had been some "lapses" since the sale. That sale took place only a few weeks ago, I think, so what I was (and am) asking concerns experiences on very, very recent cruises.

 

Richard, seeing as Apollo only took over Regent not very long ago I personally would think that it will be a wait and see type of scenario for evidence of any reduction in quality. I can't see things changing that quickly if indeed they are going to change negatively and it may take a while before any reports start coming back to us. I'm really hoping that the Apollo take over will either mean the status quo or even improvements. I would think that over the next year we will get a pretty good idea of what direction things are going and it's just too soon to tell yet. I will be keeping tabs on reviews coming in over the next several months as I have final payments coming up for next year and I too am waiting to see if the takeover has had any adverse effects. The execs for Apollo were on the first part of our Mariner March 04/08 cruise checking the ship out so I hope it was to see how things operate and to make suggestions for improovements and not reductions.

Pat

[Leejnd4]

I tend to agree that it will be some time before we know the impact. And I too hope that there will not be a management decision for wholesale cost-cutting. We're planning on doing Asia/Far East sometime after our Middle East cruise, and I'm hoping to do it on Regent...provided it remains the Regent experience we know and love.

 

I just learned that Silversea no longer offers free caviar - this was a big disappointment for me. On Regent we had to pay $25 per serving, which we did a few times, but I was really looking forward to our Silversea cruise having a standing order of a nice little caviar set-up every afternoon during the many sea days of this itinerary. Now I'm being told that it's $60 a pop! Ouch. So I guess cutbacks are happening everywhere. If they drop the free-flowing foie gras I'm packing up my sand toys and going home! :P

[johnnycruise]

Re chair hogs: my friends did, in fact, complain about this on the early comment card, and it was right after that that they started doing something about it. So the moral here is that complaining about it seems to work.

 

I have never experienced chair hogs on Regent, but I sure have on other lines! It's funny - I never felt any compunction against moving a chair hog's belongings on the mass-market cruises, but I too would feel uncomfortable doing so on Regent. Part of it is that on a huge ship I wouldn't care about pissing off a couple of inconsiderate passengers among 2000 others - but I wouldn't want to cause conflict on a much smaller ship, where I'm more likely to encounter the offenders in the future.

 

LeeAnn,

 

You made me laugh with your logic!:D But it's true that you'd surely run into the perps later in the cruise!

 

I wish all the cruise lines would proactively make "chair clearing" part of the deck stewards normal routine rather than waiting for a comment/complaint.

 

johnny

[Leejnd4]

All this talk of chair hogs reminded me of the time a number of years ago when we did an RCI cruise (this was before we discovered, or had the means for, the luxury lines). I'd printed up some little cards that said something like this:

 

"Chair Hog: someone who attempts to block the use of a lounge chair by placing inanimate objects upon the chair for long periods of time. Royal Caribbean policy states that pool chairs cannot be saved for longer than 20 minutes. This chair was observed to be unoccupied for longer than one hour, and has been released for use by others. You will find your belongings by the towel stand."

 

I only used it once, handing one out to a couple of women who came to claim their chairs literally three hours after I'd moved their stuff. They just read it and walked away, mumbling to each other. I'd given a bunch of them to our table-mates, who evidently ended up using quite a few of them, some with much more raucous results than ours. We had some pretty lively dinner conversations over those encounters! :D

 

One of the reasons I switched to the luxury cruise lines is so I wouldn't have to deal with that kind of cr*p anymore.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

For the first time we had lots of chair hogs on Voyager last December. I think in part people just left their old towels on their chairs, even after they had left. Thoughtless, really. The staff were pretty good at trying to find a spot for you--shade spots were particularly tough to find.

 

20 minutes seems a little draconian. I've spent longer than that in the pool or the hot tub.

[regent traveller]

We were on the Mariner from BA to Manaus in February. The service was great. Yes, there were a few chair hogs but there were always enough chairs. One positive I didn't expect was the fabulous haircut by Dominic. Does anyone know where he will be in April? I agree with the person who filled out the comment card. We were on the Baltic about 4 or 5 years ago and there was a very large group that was out of control. Things did change. You have to let them know. BTW, we had about 4 caviar servings on the Mariner. Maybe they do it more often on Circle cruises?

[hockey13]

We have been fortunate enough to travel all over the world with Regent. Our first time on the PG was early March 08. We travelled with over 80 guests in our group, so you know that the company you travel with is half the fun of enjoyment on any trip. Of all the ships, I would say that the PG is definitely by far the least up to date. It is old and doesn't come close to the other ships. The food was wonderful, the service was perfect and out stateroom was fine. (8th deck) We had a wonderful time. We took advantadge of some excursions, ventured out on our own a few times and found the most wonderful pearls to bring home.

The only problem we encountered was when the staff made dinner reservations for us in Bora Bora and reserved us a taxi. She actually handed us confirmation she had printed out for us. Well, we took the ride to the dock, and waited 40 minutes for the taxi. After finally getting through to the restaurant, they had no reseervations for us and there was no taxi for us. We went back to the ship, had a wonderful dinner still the same. We were told there was a mixup and that was it. It was disappointing, but not enough to ruin our cruise.

Not sure if I would choose the PG again, as this was a business/pleasure trip and planned for all of us. Although the company and all things on the ship were ok, I much more enjoy a newer and more luxerious one.

Just my thoughts.

[cruiseej]

Here's what makes messages on these boards so interesting. We were on the same Voyager Panama Canal cruise LeeAnne's friends were on -- and had a totally positive experience. I'm not doubting LeeAnne, nor her friends. But we either had vastly different experiences on the same cruise, or vastly different perceptions of the same issues.

 

Did the ship feel crowded? Not much to us. Yes, when all the passengers gathered in the main lobby for New Year's Eve, I suppose it felt crowded, but that wasn't a negative. There were occasional lines for the pool deck lunch buffets, but they weren't terribly long, and there were always some food stations without a line. Were there delays getting into Compass Rose? Yes, if you went shortly after the Seven Seas Society cocktail party let out and hundreds of people hit Compass Rose at once. So? We gave our name to the maitre d', walked 50 feet down the hall to the lounge, and had another drink until he came to fetch us. (We were never hungry enough on the cruise for this to be a problem! And it's not like we were on a tight schedule to get in or out of dinner.)

 

We never experienced an impatient waiter. We never received a wrong order, or had a course skipped. Chairs at the pool were sometimes a little scare on sea days -- but it should be noted this was the cruise before all the deck furniture was replaced (it came aboard the next to last day in LA), and there was a pile of broken lounge chairs that probably had things a bit below full capacity. But a friendly word to one of the staff would always result in them finding some chairs and setting them up for us. Cabin service was fine; it may not have been made up every time we were out for a morning excursion, but it was never an annoyance and never took all day. Shampoo and conditioner weren't replaced daily, but were when the bottles got low. And really, on a luxury cruise like this, is having to ask your stewardess (who you typically see a few times a day) for a new bottle of shampoo really something to get bent out of shape about?

 

Yes, this was the cruise before the World Cruise, but we didn't notice any negative impact on our cruise. Nothing was shut down early to inconvenience the rest of us. (The pool deck was closed the last day for them to put out the new furniture, but it was cold, cloudy, rockin' day that wasn't conducive to sitting at the pool anyway.)

 

Again, I'm not trying to dispute LeeAnne's friends' account of their trip -- I'm just pointing out that we were on the same ship on the same cruise and had a wonderful, positive, luxury experience from beginning to end. No one should jump cruise lines because of a few isolated reports of problems, unless such reports start becoming a steady stream.

 

-- Eric

[Leejnd4]

Eric (Cruiseej) – thanks for your feedback on the PC holiday cruise. It’s definitely good to know that my friends’ experience was not universal. It sounds like you experienced a few of the things they did, but on a much smaller scale.

 

One thing I want to point out is that in a situation such as this, it can be very easy to inadvertently come across as if you are suggesting that someone else’s negative reports are not so much bad service, as unreasonable expectations or excessive pickiness…although I’m quite sure you didn’t mean it that way.

 

For example, you described how the crowds didn’t particularly bother you. That’s fantastic, but note that my friends had a different experience than you in this regard, particularly one night in which they weren’t even able to get into Compass Rose at all. Naturally they didn’t go hungry – I don’t think it’s possible to go hungry on ANY cruise – but when you pay top dollar for a luxury cruise, it’s definitely NOT a luxury experience when you get all dressed up for dinner and can’t go to the main restaurant due to overcrowding. Unfortunately I don’t know the specifics, so I’m not going to speculate (and they're not here right now for me to ask for details). But I can tell you that they wouldn’t have told me about it if it wasn’t a pretty major annoyance for them that night.

 

Please know that they are both very reasonable, actually quite laid-back, people, who would not get "bent out of shape" over something so trivial as having to wait a little while for a table right after a cocktail party. In fact I’ve waited with them for a table in Compass Rose right after the Captains Welcome party, on a full Med cruise, and we all patiently hung out till a table was ready, with nary a negative word. If they say they were unable to get into Compass Rose one night, I assure you it’s true. All I can say about that is that I’m glad that didn’t happen to you…assuring us all that it wasn’t a universal experience.

 

It’s also good to know that you apparently had different waiters than they did. That, however, does not invalidate what happened to them. Again, knowing this couple, I assure you that they would not have a problem with the occasional human error. But when you have your dinner order botched repeatedly…well, the most reasonable person’s patience can run thin. And when you pay top dollar for a cruise, you should have the right to expect fewer of these incidents than you might experience on a mass-market cruise, don’t you think?

 

As for their dissatisfaction with their room attendant, again it’s good to know you didn’t have the same problems. And I (and, I’m sure, they) would have no issues if the situation was as you described. But that was not what they described. It sounds as if they actually RAN OUT of supplies, repeatedly. And when you are on a cruise with a lot of port stops, you may not encounter your stewardess very often in order to remind her. I can tell you that if I was to find myself without shampoo on a LUXURY CRUISE, that would simply not be acceptable service…for a LUXURY CRUISE.

 

I also would not find it acceptable to come back to my cabin at the end of a long day in port and find that it hadn’t even been touched…not just on a luxury cruise, but on ANY cruise – or in any hotel, for that matter. But again, it sounds as if that didn’t happen to you, so that’s gratifying to know that it wasn’t universal.

 

Then there was the situation with the tour desk. When you have someone mess up a tour for you, and then behave as if they really didn’t care or want to rectify the situation, again that’s just not what we should expect from Regent. Having spent years in customer service roles myself, there is a way in which good customer service people are trained to act - and that's what I've seen from everyone I've ever dealt with on board a Regent ship. In fact that’s exactly what my friends said about it – that it was odd and not at all what they were used to.

 

Look, any of the less-than-perfect situations that they experienced would, on their own, probably not be worthy of comment. Certainly I’ve had individual incidents on every cruise I’ve ever been on, which probably annoyed me for about a second before I moved on to the next wonderful moment. But when so MANY of them happen, on just one cruise…especially one for which you paid the highest price…well, I personally think it’s completely understandable to feel like you did not get the value for your money that you deserve. I mean, what are we paying top dollar FOR, if not to guarantee fewer of these? I think their dissatisfaction is entirely justified.

 

In any case, I acknowledge that I have the advantage of knowing this couple well enough to know their issues were real, and valid. Given that, I made my personal choice to pass on Regent…for now. But I agree that one bad cruise does not a trend make.

 

But it certainly makes me pay closer attention to everyone else’s reports. I’ll be reading in here regularly, and keeping my fingers crossed for more glowing reviews. :)

[Iamboatman]

I think the important point is that there is clearly a lack of consistency in the product. Ideally it should be the same product for everyone. Fortunately, though, the inconsistencies seem to be less frequent and the issues seem to be less severe most of the time. That is good.:)

 

While crowds of any sort should be eliminated from a luxury product (save an event causing a rush to a dinner seating, for example), it is the little things that can readily make the difference between what has been called a "premium" product and a "luxury" one.

 

Stay at a Regent hotel and your shampoo is refilled or replaced every day; your room is made up quickly (and convenient to you); an error with a tour is treated as an important issue and dealt with immediately; service in the dining room is consistently excellent, etc. That is why you stay at a Regent or St. Regis or Raffles.

 

To be sure, the issue is not whether those things bother a particular person, but whether they happened. And if they happened (and they obviously did) a luxury product has not been provided...even if it didn't ruin one's vacation.

 

Personally, I am fascinated how these failings are excused as if it was one's close relative needing protection. They should not be excused IMO, but they should also be kept in perspective. I have said for years that by taking a realistic view of what Regent provides (as opposed to an idealistic one) another cruiser is able to make an honest evaluation of value for money and what to expect.

 

Regent has a very good product; one of the best out there. It is just not consistently the Nirvana that is marketed or pressed.

[Charsie]

Pat, I had the same experience on the Navigator in February...the pool attendants were constantly walking around taking towels off chairs that were clearly being "held" for long periods of time, by mystery passengers who were not present - particularly in the prime shaded areas (not many of those on Navigator). The look on some of the faces when they returned 2 hours later and "their" chair was taken was priceless. I don't think they'd ever experienced it before. I enjoyed the show!!

 

On the original question of service, I must say, however sadly, that on this particular cruise, our stewardess wasn't up to par. First time for everything. I know she was overworked, they've really cut down on the staff, but there wasn't a day when our rooms were cleaned/finished before 2 p.m. And we had to ask several times for simple things...for example, on the first day we asked for 3 towels instead of 2. And also on the 2nd day. And third day...in fact, every day we had to ask for this!! Also, I missed the Aveda products, the new soaps and shampoos and lotions (no name brand with a big R on the bottle..) were horrible. I had to buy toiletries ashore, for the first time ever. So, those changes weren't pleasant.

 

Everything else was just as always, great wait staff, great officers on board, great food, wonderful time.

[Iamboatman]

Dolebludger,

I think everone "told you its isn't so.."! :D

 

Host Dan

 

No offense, but it takes some time for those of interest to comment since most are not on the board every day. It is why I hate the jumping to conclusions based upon only a few comments. So unfortunately it seems most things are improving, some are slipping, but the conclusion is "It is sometimes so."

[mikenbob]

The funny thing about experience is that the perception of the service is all in the mind of the person being served. What might be perfectly wonderful to me could be considerably less than wonderful to you. In addition, our awareness of service is heightened immediately after a bad experience. Therefore, if one runs out of shampoo or some other item, he or she is more likely to notice the next slip up in service and further slip ups pile up to create a dreadful situation. Case in point, if my laundry/dry cleaning is delivered later than promised, I am much more likely to notice a cracked button than if everything had been handled per my expectations. That is why it is essential in any service business, especially one that plays in the luxury arena, to adapt quickly to the client's expectations and provide service that exceeds those expectations. However, we must also remember that Regent employees are not mind readers...so, if service is sub-par the appropriate people need to be quickly notified so that the situaiton can be corrected and not repeated.

[Dolebludger]

Thanks to all who replied to me in this thread.

 

For what it may be worth, it sounds like the same cruise experiences I had on Regent/Radisson 2 1/2+ years ago. Nobody has responded that the change in ownership has had any real effect yet. In the "old days" like 2002, Regent/Radisson always seemed at its best when the ship was not at all full. At full occupancy things would become "inconsistent." From the responses above, it sounds like this is still the case. Still, we had some great times on this line. Hope those who feel the new owners will work to fix the "glitches" are right.

[goldenrod]

Being brought up in South Florida and now living in Phoenix Az. I have had enough sun to last me for three lifetimes. We have cruised for 35 years and rarely if ever used a deck chair so enjoy i'll be somewhere else, where it's cool with no sun.

Jerry

[Leejnd4]

Regent has a very good product; one of the best out there. It is just not consistently the Nirvana that is marketed or pressed.

 

Boatman, I think you hit the nail on the head. It's all about expectations - and given what I receive in my mailbox on a weekly basis from Regent, they work very hard at setting some pretty high ones.

 

Given the enormous price differences that you generally find between the luxury cruise lines and the *other* lines, I've been wondering lately what I should expect for that money. But I'm thinking that's a topic for another thread...which I'm going to post shortly, as I would love to get some of your opinions. :)

[JoAnne B]

I don't know about the Voyager or Mariner, but the Navigator has a logistics problem when running full. There are simply not enough accommodations to stafff the ship to the level needed to keep services up to standard. The trickle-down effect impacts every level of service, from room stewardesses, to kitchen staff, to bar staff, to waiters. Staff was exhausted after the heavily booked summer season, which led to other dissatisfactions as well. There is a big risk that the "family" atmosphere of the ship will suffer as well since several cruiser favorite staff told us that they will probably not renew their contracts. I have never before heard such staff grumbling on a Regent ship.

 

And to top that, there simply isn't adequate dining space on the Navigator to meet the needs of a full ship. It was so bad on the last crossing, that the (rather large) guest band was kicked out of the Portofino's dining room at lunch. We even offered to let some of the band members sit at our table, and they were told to go outside (where all of the tables were also occupied). Dinner was also a problem for them. One night they were told they couldn't eat in the Compass Rose, and were escorted through the dining room, upstairs to Portofino's where a separate table was set up for them outside the dining area. It was a real double bind...they aren't allowed in the crew mess, but weren't welcome in the dining rooms. It was embarrasing for them and a negative reflection on Regent.

 

I don't know how the new owners will address this problem. Of course we all want Regent to be a successful line, and that means full ships. I hope they can get their ducks in a row.

[Iamboatman]

JoAnne,

 

The problems you observed were the same problems I observed the summer of 2007. The crew and staff on Navigator just aren't happy. Some other reports seem to confirm your point that the issue is full-blown when the ship is full.

 

Ironically, you don't get a discount on a full sailing, but rather are pretty much assured of higher prices (i.e. no specials), so ultimately you pay more for less service and more issues. Something is very wrong there!

 

(P.S. I would be mortified if I saw anyone being dis-invited. I appreciate that staff must make way for guests, but for it to be handled so poorly is just unacceptable.)

[Waynegoat]

Ok, now I have to ask: How full (crowded) are the Regent ships for TA sailings?

[Iamboatman]

They usually are not near capacity. The same is true for almost every crossing on most every line.

 

It is hard to assure it, though, for if there is one sailing that tends to get last minute deals, it is a crossing.

[JoAnne B]

Spring crossings are not usually fully booked, especially for the first leg. However, fall crossings are more in demand, maybe because of the gaining of time rather than shortened nights. Last fall the Navigator was fully booked for both segments. As a result, many of the activities we look forward to on the crossing were nowhere to be seen, i.e. the ultra lavish luncheon "market days" buffet, lunch in the galley, the country faire, etc. Every day was "nice" (how could it not be at sea on the Navigator), but not quite as "special".

 

JoAnne B

Houston

[Wendy The Wanderer]

So because the ship was full, there were few activities? Implying that they weren't trying as hard?

 

I would love to try a crossing some day, but with the popularity I'm not sure--a spring crossing would be a lot easier for us, despite the time disadvantage--there must be some advantage to going east. At least you face the jetlag when you get home, not when you get on the ship, for example. If you did a post-cruise stay, you'd be in Europe at a very nice time of year, and be refreshed and relaxed.

[cruiseluv]

Ok, now I have to ask: How full (crowded) are the Regent ships for TA sailings?

 

We were on the TA on Voyager in November 07 (and the segment before) , and I think it was full. They had the Country fair . Service was good in both segments.