The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007 - (Page 15)

ship review Sharma, head butler on Seven Seas Voyager are there to make your life easier. They can do everything from help you with your high-tech equipment — digital cameras, iPods and so on — to making tender reservations for going ashore. “You can never define the role of a butler,” Sharma says. “It is so elaborate. Probably the most handy thing a butler can do is help you host a cocktail party in your suite.” Sharma’s most unusual request: the guest who wanted a suckling pig served in his suite. The wish was fulfilled. Sometimes, however, butlers cannot meet a guest’s request, such as the passenger who wanted bananas when the ship ran out during a crossing. The butlers got creative, however, and brought the guest pancakes made with frozen bananas. Free Booze Seven Seas Voyager is truly all-inclusive. Fares include beer, select wines and spirits served throughout the ship. Regent only began offering free alcohol in January, and the new policy has been widely applauded. I talked with one widow who said her husband would have loved the new policy. She said he was kind of “thrifty” and that each time they went to the restaurant for dinner, he would ask if she wanted a glass of wine, secretly hoping that she didn’t. Now, she can have all the wine she wants — with no guilt. Hotel Director Engelbert Lainer-Wartenberg says the new policy has changed the social dynamic of the ship. Instead of enjoying a cocktail in their staterooms or on their balconies, people are gathering in the public areas. Passengers invite other passengers for drinks without worrying who will pick up the bill. “It’s nice not to have to sign when you order a drink,” one passenger told me. On my cruise from Rome to Nice, there were quite a few passengers who had cruised with Regent multiple times — and for good reason. The cruise line’s loyalty program is one of the industry’s best. Victoria Gallegos, a cruise consultant on Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager, says there are five tiers of the program, known as Seven Seas Society. Those who have sailed 2174 nights, in the Silver category, receive complimentary internet access, one hour complimentary phone time and more. Platinum members who have sailed 200-399 nights receive all the perks of the previous categories plus an additional six hours of phone usage, air deviation, pressing, laundry services and more. Those who have sailed 400 or more nights receive everything from the previous tiers plus transfers to and from their homes and dry cleaning on board ship. Best Value I talked with George Burke, an accountant who developed an Excel spreadsheet comparing the value that individual cruise lines offer relative to the fare paid. His conclusion: The lead price point for Seven Seas Voyager and other ships in the Regent fleet may appear higher than the fares on premium-category vessels or other luxury ships, but the picture changes once you factor in all that you get on Regent. Regent was actually cheaper on a per-square-foot basis than other premium and luxury lines in Burke’s analysis. And he did his work before Regent changed its policy to include alcohol free of charge. You won’t need to dig into your pocket for gratuities either, which are included in the fare. Add to that the perks for Regent repeaters — free internet access and phone usage and did we mention free booze? But it’s not just the free bubbly that make Regent’s guests so ebullient. The overall high standard of service and the value of the Regent experience itself gives good reason for cheer. For videos from Seven Seas Voyager, click on www.avidcruisertv.com FALL 2007 Avid Cruiser 5 http://www.avidcruisertv.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007

The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007 Contents The Poop Deck Cruising, Back to Back At The Piazza SeaDream Yacht Club Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager The ‘New’ Crystal Symphony Bay of FUNdy Long Weekend Getaway Silversea Cruises: Silver Whisper Cruising Southeast Asia ‘Awesome’ Alaska Sacred Moments In South Georgia Two Years With A Princess Of Days Gone By

The Avid Cruiser - Fall 2007

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