sobe531

REGENT GRANDEUR HORROR
Seven Seas/NCL Horrific Management

We paid for a Seven Seas Suite on the brand new Regent Grandeur's two week transatlantic NYC-BCN voyage. Our suite was effectively uninhabitable! The veranda door had an air leak so loud it sounded like a whistling train. Their idea of fixing it was to duct tape the door shut. Thus, no more use of the veranda. Several curtains/shades kept falling off and had to be repaired several times through out the cruise. Closet and bathroom doors would not stay closed or latched during the night and would make noise as they opened and closed, until we got rubber door stops to keep them open. Worst of all, the walls of the bedroom made such loud banging and creaking noises that it sounded like someone was hammering inside the walls. All four Seven Seas Suites are at the front of the ship on the slope of the bow leading to the bridge. We spoke to others in the same suites and they also were experiencing these issues. While we were on a "crossing," the seas were never "rough" by any means, at best moderate 6' swells. Every time the bow hit a swell, the banging of the hull against the wave carried straight into the suite. Coupled with the banging and creaking of the wood walls, it made it impossible to sleep. Regent staff on board provided us with a concierge D cabin to sleep in (a cabin valued more than $10,000 less than what we paid). So, every night we had to pack a bag and move from one cabin to the next, then reverse the process the following morning. If we forgot anything, we'd have to wake up in the middle of the night, get dressed, and return to the other cabin to get it. That said, my compliments to the onboard crew (executive concierge and general manager) for being understanding and equally appalled as to what we were experiencing. Several days later, the executive concierge reported to us onboard that Regent was offering us a $2,500 credit towards a future cruise while we were on board, which we felt was an insult as to what we had to endure for the two weeks. Apparently, the executive concierge felt the same, because she said "Please don't shoot the messenger." Other than that, the executive concierge and general manager said we had to deal with Regent corporate upon our return, which we did. Needless to say, we heard back from NCL/Regent today with an increased offer of a $5000 credit towards a future cruise to be used within the next year based on availability! Again, what an insult for all the inconvenience we experience on board their "brand new luxury ship." I know Regent has made a name for itself and has no problems filling their ships, but I'll tell you two things. We are a "younger" couple in our 50's and 60's who are the next generation of cruisers and should be the focus of filling their ships. We have met many wonderful people on board Regent, many having hundreds and hundreds of nights on Regent and one thing they ALL agreed on and shared with us is that Regent is not what it once was. They observed that management (not onboard customer service) has gone down hill as of late and appears to be continuing on a down hill slide. Regent is not by any means the only high end cruise game in town and for us, sadly, we will never use Regent again. I think the saddest and most infuriating thing is that it is obvious that Regent demands and trains its employees to be excellent and of the highest standard (and they are), but when it comes to corporate management, the standard is completely different.

schmerl

Sadly, I think you will find the same issues at the management level of many cruise lines. Yes, even the so called "high end" cruise lines.
The management level only seems to care about the mighty dollar.

jacketwatch

I am very sorry to hear of your terrible experience, especially with a so-called high-end cruise line for which you paid a lot of money.

Like any reasonable person I would’ve expected much more.

I have found that while the onboard service for the cruise lines we’ve use has always been very good. Follow up about issues afterwards through Customer Service has been difficult at times. And that’s being polite. Sometimes the people you deal with there just are seemingly uninterested and inclined to just say no and have you get out of their way.

I did follow up problems. I’ve had going up the ladder until I got somebody to listen to me, and then after that, the compensation given was quite good. However, doing so was a headache, but I felt very good. Somebody finally listened and acted.

Again, very sorry to hear of your troubles.