Report from Mark Conroy at the Gold, Platinum, Titanium event on Navigator:

This was from CC; will be interested in my mother's impression after I talk with her later this week.

Their strategy appears to be high pricing to give the image of a luxury line and high discounting to move rooms when necessary instead of fair pricing and low discounting. It's a marketing strategy that I personally don't like.

Feedback from meetings can be mixed we all hear things slightly differently depending on our own personal situations - human nature. I have had feedback from clients on board and it is a little "all over the place". No one is wrong it is just how the message is interpreted.

On the subject of raising prices and then discounting later I can add some light on that and from a perspective that I see in action in the way things have been done and the message that RSSC gives to TA's in this regard.

They may be raising prices as cruise lines tend to do every year BUT their focus is truly on LOWEST prices at the opening and then raising them as the time progresses. This is the reason for the quarterly increases and in this last October 1 increase over 80% of cruises increased in price, some for a second time as they have reached high occupancy.

Only a few cruises have gone down from their initial rates. These have been handled in most cases by adding a value package. Free 3 night programs etc. Any reduction in fares or added benefits has to this point ALWAYS been honored for previously booked cruises so that anyone who booked early got the benefit of the either added amenities or the lower fares. So anyone that booked early did as well or better than anyone booking later.

They do NOT want to discount any cruise later they want to encourage as early booking as possible. Discounting late simply defeats that primary goal.

Do you remember those cruises on the Diamond years ago when they drastically reduced the price and offered "kids sail free" they had all those problems with the some of the guests. One of the great benefits on Regent and other luxury lines are the other passengers. They want to maintain that regular luxury passenger and highly discounted pricing can detract from that goal as well.

I also got some reports from the town hall meeting and I heard that he said the Navigator would NOT be sold IF they got the new ship. They are putting 32 million into the Navigator so highly doubtful that they would do that it they were going to sell her.

Also the new ship is NOT A FOR SURE again I heard that they were going to decide whether to do a new ship by the end of the year. We have heard this before it keeps getting pushed back.

So reports are just that - reports from a individual person's perspective. The person who posted this might be right the new ship is going forward or the person who reported to me it was not for sure yet may be right. TIME WILL TELL

Ngaire, thanks. The only "new" information I found in the report from CC was a date for Seven Seas Explorer; in the past, it has not been very definitive.

BTW, I was on one of those discounted Diamond cruises and had a fantastic time; each cruise was different.

Absolutely Marc not all the Diamond cruises had problems but quite a few did and the fallout was not pretty. I guess I remember has I had some clients that threw a fit about one cruise in particular.

What was the date you are talking about for the Seven Seas Explorer?

The original post stated that Mark Conroy stated 2014 as debut for newbuild; I added the "planned name" Seven Seas Explorer. ;)

AH sorry I have Silver Explorer on my mind these days missed the "Seven Seas" Explorer. Slap me into the water like that little penguin above.

All sounds fascinating to me! A new ship (maybe), a renovated Navigator in 2012 (for sure, apparently!). What I hope they come up with is some new itineraries. They haven't seemed to vary much in the last couple of years.

Maybe more will be revealed whent the "October Announcement" is made??

Did Mark say anything about the future of Signatures??

As I mentioned in another post, when we were on the Voyager in August, Franck Galzy (General Manager) indicated that Signatures was not going to change.

I will add, however, that we had two excellent meals there, which was not the case last year, when one of the meals was very bad.

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Eugene

I hope that the tentative new ship does indeed make single cabins that are not closets. I would come back in a NY minute.
Lynn

Lynn, I think lots of people feel the same way...I think Regent is listening.

I am looking forward to a new ship
since I can only get Jan to go on the Mariner or Voyager.