We cruised from Venice to Monte Carlo on Mariner last spring and had a pretty good experience. When we found this amazing 14-day itinerary from Istanbul to Luxor with an included post-cruise tour of Egypt we decided to give Regent a chance to wow us and they delivered on every level.
Overall we thought the service level had been kicked up a notch from Mariner and the staff were warm, attentive, and reliable. Several staff members used our names consistently, something that really makes a difference to us. The food was very good. Sette Mari is a nice alternative to Compass Rose and we also enjoyed Signatures and Prime Seven. Coffee Connection and the Pool Grill both shined.
Lissan kept our suite spotless, Nyoman was very attentive in Compass Rose, and Umberto did an A-plus job leading LaVeranda/Sette Mari. (After long tiring excursions, Umberto waited at the gangplank to let all guests know they could come right up for dinner without a need to change clothes first.)
783 - noise and vibration from engine very unpleasant, moved to another suite