Deal alert: Major cruise line offers $1,000 ship credits to boost bookings
It looks like Regent Seven Seas Cruises is ready to play "Let's Make a Deal" with three soon-to-depart sailings that haven't sold out.
The Miami-based luxury line has launched a very short-term but enticing promotion that will give cruise fans who book one of the three voyages a massive $1,000-per-cabin credit to use during the trips.
In addition, Regent is doubling the savings that higher-tier members of its Seven Seas Society loyalty program will get when booking one of the sailings. Diamond- and Commodore-tier members of the Seven Seas Society normally get 5% and 10% off the cost of a cruise, respectively.
The line is also throwing in double loyalty night points toward Seven Seas Society status for anyone booking one of the trips.
Most passengers on Regent sailings normally earn 1 loyalty night point for every night they sail. Solo passengers (who pay higher per-person rates) earn 2 loyalty night points for every night they sail. However, for the current promotion, passengers will earn twice that amount.
In a final perk, the line will give customers who book one of the sailings a free Briggs & Riley carry-on luggage piece that it values at $700. Cruisers will receive one such luggage piece per cabin.
The Double the Joy offer, as the line is calling the promotion, is available for bookings made by Jan. 6 on the following three sailings:
- Caribbean Coast and Ancient Ruins: The seven-night voyage departs from Miami on March 6. The round-trip sailing on Seven Seas Navigator brings stops at Roatan, Honduras; Harvest Caye, Belize; and Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. Fares start at $5,099 per person before any Seven Seas Society savings.
- Casa Rosada to Sugarloaf: The 10-night voyage departs from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 5. The one-way sailing to Rio de Janeiro on Seven Seas Voyager brings calls at Montevideo, Uruguay, and Brazil's Rio Grande, Porto Belo, Santos, Ilha Grande and Buzios, and an overnight stay in Rio de Janeiro. Fares start at $12,899 per person before any Seven Seas Society savings.
- Bermudian Traditions and Celebrations: The 14-night voyage departs from Miami on April 5. The one-way, transatlantic sailing to Barcelona brings visits to Bermuda, as well as the Azores, Portugal, and Cadiz, Spain. Fares start at $8,699 before any Seven Seas Society savings.
While high, Regent's base rates include not just accommodations and meals on ships but unlimited shore excursions, transfers between airport and ship, round-trip airfare, business-class airfare on international flights, valet laundry service, Wi-Fi and gratuities.
Regent passengers staying in Concierge-level and above suites also get a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay included in their fare.
Related: TPG's ultimate guide to picking a cruise line
The fares are among the most all-inclusive in the cruise business.
The new promotion is the second major offer Regent has made in recent weeks to boost last-minute bookings on its ships. In November, the line announced it would offer free land tours worth thousands of dollars to customers who booked select Europe sailings in 2023. That offer is still available.
One caveat with the new offer: It is "capacity-controlled" and may be withdrawn at any time, according to the line.
Many cruise lines have struggled to get occupancies on ships back to normal levels since they restarted operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In lieu of discounting fares, some have been offering "value-add" freebies to customers, including onboard credits, free shore tours and other free perks, such as drinks packages, Wi-Fi packages and gratuities.
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Cons
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- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month