Let me start out by stating if you want to enjoy the Mediterranean, going on a Regent cruise is a pretty wonderful way to do so.

My wife and I just returned from our cruise on the Voyager from Barcelona to Rome. We were also fortunate to spend an additional 3 days in Rome after we disembarked.

As this was only our second separate cruise—the first being on the PG in Tahiti in 2005—we don’t have much to compare the experience. We did realize that although both ships are first rate, they have different personalities; more about that later.

FLIGHT AND EMBARKATION
We flew into Barcelona on Monday morning, the day of embarkation. As seems to now to be a trend, our flight wasn’t without its own bit of adventure. I won’t bore everyone with the details, but if you ever look at JFK’s Terminal 2, you’ll notice that gate 6 and gate 24 are on completely different ends of the terminal. However, we proved that it is possible to sprint from one gate to the other in less than 10 minutes—even dragging to carry-on bags.

We arrived in Barcelona at about 7:30 in the morning. Greeting us at the baggage carrousel was a Regent representative who quickly gathered our bags and brought them through customs. On the other side of customs, were two other Regent representatives who showed us to our bus transfer to the Hotel Majestic where we were provided breakfast and a place to relax until our transfer to the Voyager. We were able to take advantage of the time to trek up to the Gaudi Cathedral which was only a 15 minute walk away. Barcelona, by the way, proved to be a beautiful city with tree-lined streets and interesting architecture.

At about noon, our transfer bus arrived after a bit of a delay, and we were moved to the port to board the Voyager. The embarkation process was just as we anticipated. We were shown our way into the Constellation Theater where we were provided a glass of champagne, had our boarding portrait taken, received our ID cards, and we were off on our journey. Our room, a D Category upgrade on the 9th deck (943), wasn’t going to be ready until 3:00. This was no surprise to us as this was explained in our pre-departure information mailed to us. We used this time to get acquainted with the ship and get lunch in the Compass Rose.

At 3:00 it was announced that we could move into our rooms. The only disappointment was the time it took four our luggage to arrive. It wasn’t until nearly 5:00 that our bags arrived. I understand that there are over 650 other passengers, but as Regent had our bags (including our carry-on luggage) in their possession since 8:00am, I actually anticipated they would be in the room when we arrived at 3:00.

PORTS OF CALL
Our first port of call was supposed to be St. Tropez. We anchored off of the coast as scheduled, however the rough seas forced the Captain to cancel tendering into port. We watched the crew attempt to recover the initial tender they had launched and after seeing them struggle for nearly an hour to bring it in, we knew the Captain made the right call. Disappointed in missing our first port of call, we actually found it to be a blessing as we experienced our first sea day as the Captain decided to slowly cruise along the French coast up to Monte Carlo. It gave us time to relax from our flight and get to enjoy the ship’s hot tubs and lounges.

That evening we sailed into Monte Carlo. The next morning we took the ship’s excursion, Four Countries in a Day. We were surprised when only one other couple showed up for the excursion. We were fortunate that the excursion was not cancelled, especially as it turned out to be among the best excursions we’ve taken. We first drove through Monte Carlo (Country #1) which was in preparations for the next week’s Grand Prix. We then stopped in the heights over Monte Carlo to take in the view (France, Country #2). We then journeyed to San Remo, Italy (Country #3) where we spent several hours. Due to our small size, our tour guide Danielle, first took us to a pizzeria for some spumante and pizza to get us into the right spirit. After an orientation of the town, we were left to spelunk around the town by ourselves. Truly a beautiful town on the Med. We then traveled to Seborga (Country -yes, country- #4). Here we were served by the principality’s Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Walter Ferrari. Seborga is a beautiful, peaceful place that won it a place in our hearts. After lunch and a personalized tour of the principality by the prime minister, we returned back to Monte Carlo and the ship.

That evening we sailed to our next port of call, Livorno. In Livorno, we took advantage of a complementary excursion through our travel agent and visited the ancient walled city of Luca with lunch at Buca S. Antonio’s . Luca’s many piazzas and beautiful churches make this a wonderful destination.

Corsica was next. For those who had wished take the Overland excursion starting in Golfe de Porto had a disappointment as once again, the seas proved too difficult to tender safely. For us, we planned no excursions as we decided to explore Ajjacio on our own.

The next two days was in Sorrento which proved to be our favorite port. Anchoring in the late morning, we took an afternoon excursion to Pompei and was taken by the ancient city. We made it back to the ship in time to change for a Seven Seas Society function at Parco dei Principi for snacks, wine, and a performance by three tenors. It is these small touches that will keep us coming back to Regent.

The next day we took the “Capri and lunch at the Quisisana” excursion. Capri is fascinating and is a must do. However, although not necessarily disappointed by the excursion, we realized we probably could have done the same on our own much cheaper. I’m sure that the bulk of the excursion’s expense was due to the lunch, but we so much great food on board, we could have been just as content with a pizza.

The next day we sailed to Rome for disembarkation.

SHIP, CABIN AND COMMON AREAS
The ship is very well maintained from what we were able to see. We thought the main staircase/elevator ties the ship together very nicely. Everything seems to branch from this open area moving from one deck to the next.

The Observation and Horizon Lounges are wonderful, each with wonderful panoramic views of where you are going (Observation Lounge) or where you have been (Horizon Lounge). The Voyager Club is smaller, but comfortable on the 4th deck. I was disappointed with the Connoisseur Club. Unlike the PG’s old Connoisseur Club which had great views and a bartender, the Connoisseur Club is arranged so that the furniture has the windows to your side or back and they are small to boot. The idea of having to call someone for a drink (or walk across to the Voyager Club) was disappointing.

I’ll tell you that the rooms on the Voyager are wonderful At over 300 square feet, they are quite comfortable and nicely appointed The walk-in closet had more than enough room for our hanging clothes, although we wished they had a bit more drawer space. From our time on the PG, we remembered to order an egg crate mattress as soon as we got to our room. With it, the bed was fabulous. The bathroom is spacious and we loved the separate shower. The balcony proved once again to be wonderful, especially as it was the only other place on board that I could smoke a cigar outside of the already discussed Connoisseur Club.

The ship’ gym was small and seemed stuffy. We did however, enjoy the jogging track on the 12th deck, with 7 laps to the mile, we watched the ship’s entry into several ports while doing orbits attempting to burn off the previous evening’s meals.

DINING
Overall, the ship’s food was wonderful. We tried each of the ship’s four restaurants. Our surprising favorite was Latitudes. Of all of the venues, it had the most personality and the food was incredible. However, the fixed menu and mandatory reservations make this a once-a-cruise experience.

Our second favorite restaurant was La Veranda. Some are turned off by descriptions of the restaurant being a buffet, however only the appetizers are buffet. The food is as elegant as anywhere on the ship. The wait staff tended to be much more personal/fun than the other restaurants. We couldn’t help to think that this had something to do with the maitre’d who we had sailed with when he was on the PG.

Signature’s is a wonderful restaurant with impeccable food, although the atmosphere was not nearly as romantic as the PG’s French restaurant, La Veranda.

The Compass Rose was the only disappointment. Not that the service or food was not fantastic, it was. Just compared to the L'Etoile, it didn’t have that care-free, fun attitude that we were anticipating. We also thought that L‘Etoile was better appointed.

Room service was prompt, usually right at 30 minutes from call to bite. We also tested their flexibility by ordering anything we felt hungry for; never once consulting the room service menu. As we thought, everything we ordered was delivered hot and delicious. Yes, you can have lamb chops every morning for breakfast and popcorn at midnight with not one unpopped kernel.

SERVICE
It is here that the difference between the PG and the Voyager were most striking. Don’t misunderstand me, with only one exception, the service on the Voyager was friendly and attentive. We just found that the personality of the PG was much more carefree and personalized. On the PG, we were being addressed by name by the second day. We had multiple examples of crew going out of their way to make our cruise a special experience. On the Voyager, the personality was a reserved, conservative style of excellence.

The only true disappointment we had from a Voyager crew member was the cruise consultant. Now, we may have completely misunderstood what the cruise consultant was supposed to do. We thought that she might be on board to consult passengers on future cruises. Apparently, we were mistaken, her actual responsibility is to simply hand out itinerary listings and remark that each cruise is “wonderful.” In contrast, we found that the head waitress on the La Veranda during our last morning on the ship provided more information in 10 minutes on various cruise options the cruise “consultant” did on the three attempts we made to speak to her. My wife and I are in our late 30’s and work hard for our opportunities to sail. I don’t think anyone who have met us would consider us “high maintenance customers”. However, sometimes we like to have someone sell us on their product, take some time to get us excited about what options there are and help us select the one that best suits us. We went on and booked a “place-keeper” cruise for the Caribbean in December 2008. However, it surely was in spite of the cruise consultant than because of her.

ROME
OK, this is a cruise review and not a vacation review. But just a few lines on our post-cruise experience in Rome. We did arranged our 3 nights in Rome independently from Regent, but had a wonderful time. We stayed at a small boutique hotel called the Inn at the Roman Forum. It was SPETACULAR!!! It is a small hotel that opened just last year. It only has 13 rooms, but each is magnificently appointed. The location is one of the best parts about it. It literally is only 30 meters away (65 paces by my count) from the Forum of Augustus and ancient Rome. It is a 5 minute walk to the Coliseum, and a 15 minute walk to the Pantheon or Bernini Square. A 25 minute walk will put you in the middle of Villa Borghese. In 30 minutes, you can be in the Vatican.

Our first night we ate at Guilio’s. It was a quaint restaurant with a wonderful food, although the pasta was a bit al dente for my taste. The second night we tried the restaurant at the Eden Hotel. Fantastic view with incredible food. No wonder it is a Michelin rated restaurant. The last night we ate at Marcello’s. It is an open air restaurant with great antipasta and pasta. The entrée was OK. Nearly selection was veal, which we are not crazy about so we ordered one of the few non-veal entrée’s. Go figure that it wasn’t that great.

For those who are military or retired military, check out the USO near Vatican City. They offer a superb 3 hour tour of the Vatican. The tour guide has her PhD in archeology and is fantastic.

OK…long review. I know.

Bottom line, would we do this cruise again? Absolutely with no regrets.

v/r

Jan and Tracey

YOUR POST IS MUCH APPRECIATED AND VERY GOOD, FULL OF GREAT DETAIL.

HOWEVER, I DID EDIT THIS POST TO TAKE OUT THE SPECIFIC NAME OF THE CRUISE CONSULTANT. ONE OF THE ONLY RULES HERE IS "NO NEGATIVE COMMENT ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON". IT IS OKAY TO MENTION THIS NEGATIVE IN GENERAL BUT NOT THE PERSON SPECIFICALLY. THIS APPLIES TO ANYONE NOT JUST ANOTHER POSTER.

KEEP POSTING PLEASE, I KNOW YOU MEANT NO HARM WITH THIS POST - I AM JUST VERY STRICT ABOUT THIS POLICY.

I love "long" thanks for your review!!!! We love the Voyager but have not been on the PG - I sent it to friends who will be with us on the V in May 2008 -

So glad that you had such a great cruise. I have not been on the PG but know from other posters that it is very special.

I have made a note of your hotel in Rome. Sounds very special.

Interesting your comment about the cruise consultant. I had a similar experience with the cruise consultant in my last Regent cruise. I had barely sat down in her office and had not even opened my mouth , when she abruptly said to me "I am not sure if I'll be able to help you" Hello???? Is this any way to entice you to book a cruise?
Like you say, I booked a cruise in spite of her. Not sure why they would have those kind of personalities in such an important PR job.

Thanks for the great report!

HI MARIA.

KNOW YOU MEANT NO HARM HERE EITHER BUT I DID EDIT THIS JUST TO REMOVE THE INDIVIDUAL CRUISE CONSULTANTS NAME.

Thanks for the excellent review, Jan. I enjoyed all the details.

I haven't sailed on the PG but have been on the Voyager and perhaps the geographical location is the difference. I would think Polynnesia fosters a different type of atmosphere than Europe and the Med. And, size of the ship makes a difference too.

I bet if you sail on Voyager again, you will be pleasantly surprised at all the staff who remember you from your Med cruise. That has been our experience. I'm always amazed that with all the passengers they see each year, that they can remember us.

Sorry about your experience with the onboard consultant. I know of one (although her office is on land and she happens to sponsor this board) who gives excellent advice and is willing to state her opinion. She never steers me wrong.

That hotel looks fabulous, and is also pretty reasonable based on the hotel prices in Rome these days. I am going to do a post under hotels so we dont lose that recommendation. THANKS

No problem Ngaire, no harm meant. I totallY understand!

Ngaire...I understand why you've edited the posts, but I hope with your connections at Regent that you might at least let them know that passengers are frustrated with the onboard consultants - we don't have any personal experience but I heard some grumbling on our cruise on the Mariner in April - same approach - the individual wasn't very pro-active when potential cruisers entered his office.

I know this inidividual is a veteran employee - I was surprised by the report. Perhaps the goals of the position have changed - book less?????? Maybe they don't want to discount future bookings?

Thanks for the great review! I really loved Voyager, don't get me wrong, but as a PG fanatic, it does my heart good to see someone comparing the two and having the PG come out on top. Too bad about the cruise consultant, but I've usually found they are best equipped to serve those who already know what they want. But I have never had one who was not polite and helpful.

Actually the person this poster was talking about is quite new to Regent - about six months but I think you were talking about the Mariner consultant and YES he is a veteran.

The last time I was on the ship on TAP the cruise consultant had people waiting at least 3 -4 deep all the time. Everyone was frustrated. I think there needs to be a better system where people make appointments when they want to discuss things and that there is a reasonable time limit on that appointment. Then also those that know what they want just fill in a request form so the consultant can process those requests after her office hours.

We saw one couple on TAP that were in the cruise consultants office for well over an hour and everyone waiting outside was really irritated.

A system is what is needed here to make it work for everyone.

The cruise consultants are there primarily to book cruises. They also have a host of other duties and perhaps this load should be lightened as well.

I have actually already mentioned the issue to Regent after seeing the situation on TAP and will bring it up again.

Just saw Wendys post and she is 100% accurate.

Although some have seen a lot of cruises without taking anything away from their expertise I do think they are primarily order takers and simply dont have the time to spend to advise and help people decide on cruises. With some type of time management this could improve the situation for everyone. The consultant would have more time to assist and advise, and the guests would not have to wait extreme lengths of time.

That person was on Voyager when we were on for British Isles in August of last year; she does wear her clothes well. I knew what I wanted, she did it, I left, so I didn't have any other experience with her.

The poor guy on Navigator in February was sweating bullets trying to get two bookings set in place for us.

Just have to stick in my two cents. The Cruise Consultant on the Navigator in April, 2007 was wonderful. He assisted us in picking our suite -- was very enthusiastic and helpful. To our surprise, he saw us the following day and greeted us by the suite # we will will be in next year. Really a great person!

Also, "Joannapv", just curious what cruise you are booked on in May 2008. We are on the Voyager -- Monte Carlo to Venice departing May 19th.

Delighted to hear that Travelcat.

On TAP this girl was so busy I would not have liked to have had her job, it was a tremendous amount of pressure. I had not met her before and had hoped to visit with her but it was impossible she was always swamped. This is a very important role on the ships and the cruise consultant needs the time to spend with the guests.

I assume you meant Monte Carlo to Athens unless you are planning on staying onboard for the next segment - Athens to Venice. We, along with Joanna et al, will be getting onboard in Athens on 26 May for two weeks; all the way to Monte Carlo.

If you are staying onboard through Venice, you need to check out the threads regarding "B2B," the name of this escorted cruise.

I am eager to try the PG again. If it is equal to the Voyager or better, it must now be really superb (we just got off the Voyager when Jan got on). Also, we also loved Latitudes and never felt that way about it before. I think they have really upgraded it. I also heard great things from others about La Veranda for dinner.

Thanks for the great review.

Ngaire,

My apologies on the name thing...I overlooked that when posting.

I also realized that at several points during the cruise, "she-who-must-not-be-named" did indeed have a line out her door. If our experience with her was during one of her busy periods, I wouldn't have ever paid notice. However, we specifically went by when there were no other customers waiting and were met with a dismissive attitude.

During our second visit where no one was waiting, she seemed more interested in her email than she was in us.

Likewise, you do not have to spend much time to make your customer feel appreciated. As I mentioned before, the head waitress at La Veranda (don't remember her name, but she's from New Zealand) in the time just a few minutes gave us wonderful suggestions about Alaskan and Pacific cruises.

Let me please try and put this in perspective, we acknowledge the lack of service by the cruise consultant as one very isolated issue. It certainly isn't an issue that is going to keep us from sailing Regent.

v/r

Jan

Donna,

I think you are exactly right as to why the PG and Voyager have different personalities.

By the way, I truly feel it is a difference in personalities and not one of quality or value. Both are wonderful ships. Nor did we leave the ship disappointed. Quite the contrary, we would quickly sail on the Voyager again. In fact, our next cruise we booked (albeit as a place holder) is on the Voyager.

One thing we noticed was that with the PG, the cruise was more about WHAT YOU DO. On the Voyager, the cruise was more about WHAT YOU SEE.

As an aside, one thing we noticed about the Voyager was that the caviar was flowing almost as much as the champagne (OK, not quite, but close.) Tracey loves caviar and quickly noticed it was featured several times on the restaurant menus and was often in the canapes that were served. Tracey will keep coming back to the Voyager even if it is only for the caviar.

v/r

Jan

JanR thank you for understanding my need to remove the personal reference.

I am sorry you had that situation with the cruise consultant and do not want to negate your comments in any way. This was exactly as you experienced the event and there is no problem with you sharing that information here.

My concern is really more for the passengers than the cruise consultant. Spending an hour of your valuable vacation time waiting or having to constantly go to check to see if a person is free is not a good situation. I just think there has to be a better way. It may not solve the problem you had but it could improve the whole process.

Darlene, is the head waitress from New Zealand. She is truly wonderful. (Personal positives we can scream loudly, it is just the personal negatives that we need to be aware of in a public forum). I always enjoy seeing Darlene onboard and of course we are fellow New Zealanders. She used to be a waitress and then she got promoted and this was well deserved.

Re the cruise consultants:

Don't they give timed appointments anymore? When I was in NINJA, you had to sign up for a time slot. I don't recall how long were the time slots, maybe 15-20 mins apart?

I agree the cruise consultant/onboard booking procedure needs attention. It is a big revenue producer for any cruise line and Regent should put their best sales people in that position and also make it easy for people to make their bookings.

When we were on the Voyager two years ago a "he who shall remain nameless" was less than helpful or interested in most of the passengers, with the exception of some he liked and knew. And often he wasn't in his office during his "office hours." The icing on the cake was when he made a snide comment to me that I was just "parking" my booking.

Why don't they do one hour or so group "pitches" on sea days in one of the lounges - the consultant could cover Asia cruises one day, Alaska, the Med etc. on other days. They could have forms to fill out for those who are ready to book and then follow up that way.

That is a good idea Leslie. Focused groups so that the information on that destination can have more coverage. In the long run it would save the consultant time not to have to go through it a million times.

I also think an assistant to handle the back up paperwork might be helpful. There is a ton of that to do and it is very time consuming. They send in email requests to Omaha who fill the requests and then send the bookings back. Then all those bookings have to be checked.

Interesting Maria I never remember a sign in sheet for appointments. Perhaps that was tried and did not work so they stopped doing it.

Great idea Leslie. Talk about "killing two birds with one stone".

Ngaire, I remember because the only appt. I could get was like at 8 PM the day before the end of the cruise! I had to organize my dinner that night around that time slot. Maybe she only did that system for the last couple of days of the cruise? Don't know.

Leslie and I dealt with that same cruise consultant and it was not a pleasant and/or encouraging experience. The same snide "parking your booking" comment was made to us and it didn't set well.

Great suggestion, Leslie. Hopefully, there are some powers-that-be Regent "lurkers" who can pass your excellent suggestion along.

I remember when we were on Navigator in 2004, the onboard cruise consultant had a sign up sheet. I stopped by one day to pick up a couple of brochures so we could look at them and discuss what we wanted to book for 2005, and ask her a couple of questions. THis particular consultant was not very friendly at all, and I took somewhat of a dislike to her. We did do an onboard booking, at our alloted time of course, but we knew exactly what we wanted, and I asked her to price two different categories so we could compare, but overall our experience with her wasn't great. Now other times we have had positive experiences with the consultants, including dealing with the veteran consultant discussed.

Buy it does seem as though some kind of system would be more efficient and certainly a sign up sheet seems like a good solution. Perhaps they could also put brochures outside the office (and sometimes they do) so that people could take them back to their cabins and get an idea of what they might like, specific area, type of suite, time of year, etc, then when they do meet with the consultant, they can focus on what they are interested in, and the consultant might be of more help then.

When we returned from the Navigator this past Christmas, I wrote a letter to Mark Conroy listing the people who were spectacular as well as those who were not. I received a prompt answer, so maybe it did some good. I should think that people who have a less than excellent experience with a cruise consultant (or anyone else, for thatmatter) should write and complain and perhaps give their suggestions for improved service.

Nini

Ngaire/All,

I expanded my review of the Inn at the Roman Forum in the "Hotels" forum for any who might find it helpful.

Jan

Jan,

Inn at the Roman Forum is on the 2007 Hot List, Conde Naste.

When we sailed the PC cruise on Mariner in April 2006, the consultant used a sign-up sheet.

On the WC segments in 2006, I think I remember a presentation in the Constellation theater about future cruise destinations but it wasn't focused, more of an overall picture.

Ngaire, was Darlene part of the Compass Rose wait staff on Mariner in 2006? If so, she provided excellent attention, especially to my MIL. Even went so far as to "save" us our favorite table on formal night knowing that we would be slow making our way into the dining room. Always offered to send MIL off to the evening entertainment with a "care" package of truffles. How great is that? Can't wait to sail with her again.

Editing to add: We've never had that great of an experience with any of the cruise consultants. Sometimes, they are just swamped with business and working quickly to move you out and bring the next customer in, which is understandable. But, there is a general sense of stand-offishness that makes me uncomfortable with most of them. I can't say I've had a bad experience but it would be nice if they were friendlier. Perhaps they are afraid that will lead to longer stays in their office; however, there are ways to act friendly and still do business quickly. Also, some of them come from other cultures so maybe it is a misconception on my part

Gudrun had an appointment book right outside her office during the WC.

I also found if you had a quick question, picking up the phone was an easy way to get an answer. Clearly NOT for making big booking decisions.

Gudrun resolved a major booking problem for us shortly after we boarded in January - it took a while with lots of correspondence between the ship and Omaha but she got it done efficiently and couldn't have been nicer and more cooperative.

Clearly I can't speak to the issue of the current cruise consultant but the ones on various World Cruises have been helpful and friendly in and out of the office.

Peggy

Gudrun is a STAR STAR STAR. She used to be a Cruise Director. I hope they never lose her. I think you have the best of everything on the world cruise.

Amazingly I dont remember any of the appointment books but obviously this system has been used and on many sailings. Perhaps each cruise consultant can do it with their own system. I really know very little about how they all work, obviously I dont use them personally.

I have just always suggested to people if they know what and there is a big line that they want to leave a note at reception to save everyone time.

These are very important positions and any system that can help both the passengers and the consultants would be helpful.

Darlene has been on the Mariner, we saw her there on our November cruise in 2006. Lovely girl with a great attitude.

Ngaire,

Yes, Darlene. I was pretty sure that was her name, but wasn't completely sure. She is WONDERFUL.

In fact, after talking to her about various cruises, including her native New Zealand, she came back to our table with a slip of paper with her handwritten must-do locations to visit in New Zealand.

You could just sense the excitement ebb off of her when talking about not only New Zealand, but other possibilities that Regent can take you.

Unfortunately, my one paragraph on "she-who-must-not-be-named" in my review has captured the bulk of the discussion. The reality is that there are so many more "Darlenes" that we have met on our 21 days on Regent than the one individual cited above.

v/r

Jan

Ngaire,

Gudrun (she is a STAR) was thinking about going back to school at one point during the WC. Selfishly, I hope she'll be back in 2008.

Did I read in one of your recent messages that the Cruise Consultants get a commission on the cruises they book on board? I read through this thread and couldn't find it.

I agree - Darlene is terrific - she was in the CR during the WC and couldn't have been nicer.

Peggy

You are right, Peggy. Gudrun is wonderful and works very hard on the WC because there are so many bookings. I will never forget the morning Capt. Dag announced his second homecoming cruise (our FJORDS) and standing in the long line waiting to book. Gudrun did a fabulous job that day.

I find it interesting that this subject prompts such interest. I've now dealt with Gudrun, "he who is not to be named," and one other whose name escapes me. All of them have done their job for me. All have struck me as very unremarkable. They went through the process efficiently and effectively. Period. Their presentations were correct but nothing to write home about. They seemed a bit rushed when I was dealing with them. That's because they probably were rushed. "He" chided me about parking my booking. And he was right. I was doing just that. I haven't seen any of them exhibit anything more than the behavior of a ordinary functionary. So they really haven't been on my radar. As long as I get my booking done, I'll be happy.

Patrick

Peggy, I do not know the inner workings of Regent but I would assume as sales people that a commission would be involved.

We got spoiled by Lauri (Lori?) on our first Voyager cruise, then were thrilled to see her on our first Navigator cruise. I was hoping for her when we were on the last two, but didn't see her. Daniel (I think) on Navigator this last time was incredible. He was just plain fun, and he even had time to sit and chat for a few minutes about Regent cruises in general. So he spoiled me, too.

I've just had the three cruise consultant experiences, and since the one who hasn't impressed people was my "hit and run", I've been happy. But I do remember sign-up sheets in the past, just don't remember which cruise(s) I saw them on.

I would like to add my two cents here and build on Leslie's suggestions.

1.One thing that is missing is that the brochures are not readily available to review. You must go into the cruise consultant's office to get them...at least on our last trip on Voyager. The trips by ship with prices should be left out at all times outside of the cruise consultant's door.
2. There should be a form to complete if you want an appointment with a cruise consultant. This form should indicate some tentative information, i.e., ship, destination, time of year, or unsure and amount of time needed for the appointment.You should be able to complete these forms and leave them outside of the office for a future appointment. Appointments should have a start and end time. This would assure those requiring in depth attention get that attention. There could be pre-set appointment times on certain nights and ad-hoc meeting times with the cruise consultant on other nights. The ad hoc meetings could just be for clarifying questions or for someone who didn't have the time or foresight to set up a meeting in advance.

3. If you do not want or need an appointment with a cruise consultant and have an idea of the cruise you may want to take, you should indicate the cruise and the cabin or cabin category desired on a form or directly into a computer system. Multiple cruises could also be noted. You could also note if you have a travel agent and who that is or if you need one assigned. The cruise consultant should notify you when this has been confirmed and this nofication should be sent to your cabin. You should sign a form and submit to the front desk as confirmation. This procedure could also be automated as part of our Regent profile and automatically deduct discounts for past cruisers and special cruise discounts. It could potentially save the cruise consultant and Regent a tremendous amount of time.

Jan...I'm so sorry we've hijacked your review....but...

I have a suggestion - I'll be happy to sail on any Regent cruise and help others choose their future cruises - I don't expect to be paid, but I would like a nice cabin - I'l work on sea days and evenings(booking all of those cruises). Just a few shore days will keep me happy - and I'll host a dinner table antytime!

Unfortunately, Tom is not interested in this arrangement :(

I've been on cruises where the CC has an appointment log to sign on outside the door, but unfortunately some guests without an appointment will hover outside the door and go in as someone leaves and jump the queue. The CC needs to have a copy of the log at the desk and control who comes in.

Should we move some of these posts to another thread and hope that Regent reads these suggestions?

Seems to me Regent needs to have two cruise consultants on each ship. The cruise consultants on Seabourn always spend plenty of time with each passenger and you can either walk by their office or make an appointment but the the ship never holds more than 200 people!
I stood outside the CC's office on the Navigator because no one else was in line. After 1 hour I gave up. The same couple had been in there for over an hour.