Archive for the 'Regent Cruises' Category

An unforgettable sunset on seldom visited Bequia

By WALLACE IMMEN for The Avid Cruiser

All right, so you’re an experienced Caribbean cruiser.  Read more... (956 words, 3 images, estimated 3:49 mins reading time)

Can a cruise line with no newbuilds in sight compete with ones taking on dazzling new ships every year? Can a luxury line compete on service alone when its rivals are taking part in a wave of new construction?

The lines on the non-newbuild side of the equation say yes, and in fact, they contend that they offer their guests an advantage: Instead of investing in newbuilds, they spend resources keeping their current fleets fresh.  Read more... (449 words, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

A Regent Seven Seas cruise represents a luxury vacation for people who prefer the finer things. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has been chosen as the world’s top-rated cruise line by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazine and is a leader in the six-star luxury market.

These People Will Love Regent Seven Seas
 Read more... (594 words, 1 image, estimated 2:23 mins reading time)

We all know how kid-friendly the mega ships are, but there are some smaller ships that deserve some credit too. For families that like taking the road less traveled, here are some atypical offerings from a handful of small-ship adventure and upscale lines.

Read more of Heidi Sarna’s report at our sister site, Family Cruise Advisor.

One standard for measuring service aboard cruise ships is the crew-to-passenger ratio. Theoretically, the more attractive the ratio (i.e., the more crew serving a single passenger), the better the service. It stands to reason that luxury ships would have the most attractive crew-to-passenger ratios, followed by premium category ships and mass market ships.  Read more... (144 words, 1 image, estimated 35 secs reading time)

Luxury, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and while cruise vacations are inherently luxurious, some are more luxurious than others. To an increasing degree, luxury is available from the major cruise lines who also cater to the hoi polloi. They are stratifying their ships with exclusive tiers, like private sun decks and V.I.P. pools, and offering shipboard services and shore excursions for those who prefer not to share and are willing to pay.

For instance, Cunard, which operates the legendary Queens, is taking the class divisions further. The ship’s top dining rooms are already reserved for guests in the so-called Queens and Princess Grill Suites. On Queen Victoria guests staying in those top suites will get their own elevator to take them to dinner, so they won’t have to rub elbows with the underclasses.  Read more... (257 words, 1 image, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)

Most of us understand that you get what you pay for in life. If, for instance, you find something in the bargain bin, you are not entirely surprised if it doesn’t stand up to hard scrutiny or use. Well, times being what they are, we have had to readjust some of our thinking on the values that are now available in the luxury cruise market. We would never equate a vacation with Regent Seven Seas Cruises with a found item from the bargain bin, but we would say that the incentives that Regent is offering are some of the most attractive we’ve ever seen for a luxury cruise.  Read more... (537 words, 1 image, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)

With the dollar gaining strength on European currencies, it’s a good time to book a European cruise. Pricing is unprecedented, and your dollar will go much further ashore than it did last summer.

Some of the deals:

Crystal Cruises offers an onboard credit of $2,000 per couple on European sailings. And some of Crystal’s cruises begin at a little more than $3,000 per person, so it’s like getting 1/3 off.  Read more... (251 words, estimated 1:00 mins reading time)

I’ve just been looking over a press release about all the good cruise values being offered. There’s two-for-one pricing, kids sail free, early-booking offers — and more.

Personally, I think it’s a great time to latch on to some of the bargains and plan a get-away for the spring or summer. Following is a sampling of the offerings. Check with your cruise consultant. He or she may have even better value offerings.  Read more... (669 words, estimated 2:41 mins reading time)