All of those 'included excursions'

It not just about the ship experience when they are selling you and charging you for a "package". I agree that its about choice's, but there's not much choice when they have your cash and then start messing you about. Just saying too.

Regent is selling you a "package" based on the U.K. definition of the word - not the U.S. or Canada's definition. Apparently the U.K. has laws about this.

For the most part Bill and Bellaggio Cruisersi are stating the same things that I feel. If you feel that Regent is messing you about, don't cruise on their ships. It is really as simple as that. Perhaps what you perceive as Regent's "advertised standards" is not the same as what others perceive their "advertised standards" to be. In a recent interview, Frank Del Rio (CEO of NCHL) stated that "luxury is in the eyes of the beholder". This is true of fights, excursions, hotels and the onboard experience.

I feel that what Bellaggio Cruisers posted bearing repeating: "I'm sorry you didn't get it--- it's about the cruise ship experience. I think Regent does it best. I don't pay attention to hype advertising. They are all the same.

I believe I get my money's worth on Regent. You may not agree. That's why we have choices.

Just saying--"

Additionally, what flossie said bears repeating and is pertinent to this thread: "Personally, I find this thread intriguing as in 8 years of sailing with Regent in various parts of the world, we have never failed to get onto the excursions we wanted, albeit we sometimes had to join a waitlist in the first instance.

Most of the excursions have been good; some have been exceptional; very few have been poor."

It not just about the ship experience when they are selling you and charging you for a "package". I agree that its about choice's, but there's not much choice when they have your cash and then start messing you about. Just saying too.

nigelc, so that some of us can better understand the issues, could you explain in what ways Regent are messing you about?

On a previous thread you reported that you thoroughly enjoyed your first cruise with Regent and on that basis booked another for this November.

Regent air department initially booked you on a poor routing, but have since corrected this to your satisfaction.

What other issues have you encountered?

Presumably you will still be going on your cruise in November and will set out to enjoy it.

Hope you have a good cruise and that you will report back on your experiences (both good & bad)

It is unfortunate that Regent has a marketing/communications department that creates expectations that Regent sometimes does not fulfill. Regent's service doesn't always live up to its hype.

I posted on another thread the example of Regent’s more or less superlative description of its internet while Oceania paints its internet as realistic (speed will vary and certain websites are blocked). Regent’s sales hype of free unlimited excursions is misleading or untrue depending on the interpretation of "unlimited". Passengers are limited to a list of certain "free" excursions among those offered by Regent. Only if passengers pay extra can they have access to what might be labelled as an “unlimited" list of Regent’s excursions. And of course, everything "free" on Regent is actually paid for in some manner. Doesn't sound accurate to me.

It is not surprising then that the marketing hype and the branding of the “luxury" label lead to expectations that are not met.

Unfortunately what happens on these threads is that someone inevitably feels it is necessary to explain (often in great detail and over and over) why Regent can’t or didn’t provide excellent service. If there are ports in which Regent can’t provide certain topnotch experiences, then Regent should have a qualifier on those excursions or ports that indicate the limitations.

People have different tolerance levels for similar events. For example, some people don't like loud background music. Others barely notice it. One frequent response to complaints on CC is some version of "we don’t let the little things bother us, we just enjoy the cruise". The dismissive implication is that the posters' complaints are really of little consequence and/or the individuals are some kind of wimp for complaining. There are also the grilling questions that appear to attempt to show that the complainer is at fault. Then there is the axiom that all cruise lines have problems, an argument suggesting Regent is indeed mediocre just like other cruise lines. And finally there is the "if you don’t like Regent then maybe you should leave” statement.

Though I have sailed with Regent for several years because the onboard experience is generally very good, the flim-flam marketing and poor communication is a big negative. I no longer have the same trust or respect for the brand that I used to have. Many people, myself included, don’t really want to leave Regent, but I do want them to address the quality concerns when service falls short of their marketing hype.

CruisetheCs - true hope that you try Oceania (for a variety of reasons). IMO, it will put things into perspective. BTW, the internet on Mariner has been the best we have ever experienced!

CruisetheCs - true hope that you try Oceania (for a variety of reasons). IMO, it will put things into perspective. BTW, the internet on Mariner has been the best we have ever experienced!

It is awesome knowing that someone would hope the best for me.

Glad to hear that the internet worked on the Mariner at least for a few days . Every step forward counts. When other posters start saying the same thing about the other ships and other locations, I'll have more confidence that Regent meets the standards that they claimed to have reached months if not years ago. That will be a milestone.

As I reported previously on another thread the internet on our August Voyager cruise was good

If I book a cruise that offers unlimited free (another BIG joke) excursions and am paying for them upfront in my fare it is not my problem to worry about availability or possible cancellations no matter when I book. IT IS REGENT'S OBLIGATION to make sure I can get what I want when I want and if they have to add ten more buses, well, that's the price they have to pay for their advertising as they do.

Our experience has been that Regent often do add extra buses, and extra tours, in order to clear excursion wait lists.

wripro, to help this debate perhaps you could share details of your own experiences with booking and partaking in Regent excursions

Although I agree that Regent's up front marketing hype is often OTT, the excursion Ts&Cs, clearly stated on the excursion tab of each cruise, are very clear:

"Free Unlimited Shore Excursions are for full fare guests only, capacity controlled and subject to availability. Requested excursions may not be available at time of booking. Supplement will apply on Regent Choice excursions (indicated by the above) and excludes Private Arrangements and all Adventures Ashore programs. Concierge benefits do not apply to Executive Collection private cars or other private arrangements. In order to ensure quality guides and sufficient transportation, we must provide the tour operator with passenger counts at least 36 hours in advance. Therefore no refunds will be given within 36 hours of tour departure for cancellations or no-shows. Please pay special attention to scheduling and tour lengths when booking your shore excursions. In many cases, it is not possible to participate in more than one tour per day in a given port. Tour Departure times are subject to change so please reference your actual tour ticket for the correct departure time. Tours operate rain or shine. Minor children under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a an adult parent or guardian on all shore excursions. Tours require minimum participation levels to operate so please sign up as early as possible. Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Prices, Itineraries and General Information shore excursion prices are subject to change to meet unexpected cost increases or currency fluctuations. Please consult the Destination Services Desk onboard for information. During local or national holidays, access to certain facilities (such as museums or archaeological sites) may be limited or denied. In such instances, adjustments will be made to minimize inconvenience to guests. Some tours have limited availability. Tours are generally available for reserving 180 days prior to the beginning of a cruise. Please sign up early to avoid disappointment. ...................."

At the risk of over-posting, let me give an example of a Regent excursion experience on our recent (Aug 2017) cruise in the Med

We booked the cruise late but most excursions that we were interested in were still available.

However the best looking included tour for Gibralter (Gibralter Delights) was sold out.

We booked an alternative (Upper Rock Walking Tour) and rang Regent to be put on the wait list for Gibralter Delights.

Two days before reaching Gibralter we were told the wait list had cleared. An additional afternoon departure had been added for Gibralter Delights and the timings meant that we could go on both tours.

In the event we thoroughly enjoyed the walking tour which turned out to be a better experience than Gibralter Delights.

Both tours were 'included'

CruisetheCs,

As I read this thread, I was composing a post in my mind to respond to some of the things being said by others. I was starting to get pretty hot and then I read your post and I thought you had been reading my mind.

I have cruised Oceania, AND I have cruised Regent (Explorer, as a matter of fact) and I have no interest in cruising Regent again, mostly because of the points you have made. And, just to answer the question before it's asked, the additional reasons are the cost for what is delivered, and the bone-headed decision (IMHO) to close off the Veranda buffet and make it a dedicated Italian restaurant, thus taking away a wonderful dining venue and replacing it with a mediocre (again, IMHO) faux-Italian one. I, for one, find The Terrace on the 'O' ships an excellent dining experience.

I now have 3 O cruises booked and will be booking 3 more in December will aboard the Marina's TA.

Thanks, CruisetheCs, for so eloquently putting forth my views.

CruisetheCs,

 

As I read this thread, I was composing a post in my mind to respond to some of the things being said by others. I was starting to get pretty hot and then I read your post and I thought you had been reading my mind.

 

I have cruised Oceania, AND I have cruised Regent (Explorer, as a matter of fact) and I have no interest in cruising Regent again, mostly because of the points you have made. And, just to answer the question before it's asked, the additional reasons are the cost for what is delivered, and the bone-headed decision (IMHO) to close off the Veranda buffet and make it a dedicated Italian restaurant, thus taking away a wonderful dining venue and replacing it with a mediocre (again, IMHO) faux-Italian one. I, for one, find The Terrace on the 'O' ships an excellent dining experience.

 

I now have 3 O cruises booked and will be booking 3 more in December will aboard the Marina's TA.

 

Thanks, CruisetheCs, for so eloquently putting forth my views.

Okay - finally I understand the pro Oceania comments (nothing wrong with that but it sounded like you were unhappy with Regent and perhaps needed to make a change.) As you know, we prefer Regent to Oceania for reasons that I've listed on Oceania/Regent threads. The one thing I will say is the The Terrace Cafe on Oceania, IOO (in our opinion) has a huge display of lower caliber food that looks good and is prepared poorly. We would not step foot in that cafeteria if we were to sail on Oceania again.

Hope that you enjoy your future Oceania cruises!

Okay - finally I understand the pro Oceania comments (nothing wrong with that but it sounded like you were unhappy with Regent and perhaps needed to make a change.) As you know, we prefer Regent to Oceania for reasons that I've listed on Oceania/Regent threads. The one thing I will say is the The Terrace Cafe on Oceania, IOO (in our opinion) has a huge display of lower caliber food that looks good and is prepared poorly. We would not step foot in that cafeteria if we were to sail on Oceania again.

 

Hope that you enjoy your future Oceania cruises!

P.S. Flossie, thanks for your excursion posts. Hopefully some posters will read it and understand how the "included" excursions work.

Sorry - just realized that I completely messed up a couple of posts. It was golfguyhhi that said that they sailed Oceania - not CruisetheCs. Wish I could delete my own post.

I've been following this thread as we are looking at an Asia cruise with RSS. Are the regent choice excursions subsidized/discounted as opposed to book a similar excursion on your own? I am all in for trying regent as opposed to a celebrity suite. I don't mind paying more for a PH suite on regent so long as I get value for it and I realize there are other parts to the value on regent besides the shore ex., that said part of the big value prop is the "free excursions" and if I don't get the one I would like I want to make sure that value is transferred to another option such as a choice option. thank you for your responses.

I've been following this thread as we are looking at an Asia cruise with RSS. Are the regent choice excursions subsidized/discounted as opposed to book a similar excursion on your own? I am all in for trying regent as opposed to a celebrity suite. I don't mind paying more for a PH suite on regent so long as I get value for it and I realize there are other parts to the value on regent besides the shore ex., that said part of the big value prop is the "free excursions" and if I don't get the one I would like I want to make sure that value is transferred to another option such as a choice option. thank you for your responses.

The short answer is 'Yes', at least for the ones I've looked at and priced out.

But there are exceptions - Regent (like the other luxury lines) sometimes has 'exclusive' excursions that aren't available to other lines. These generally cost a bit more. But things like helicopter tours, food tours, etc. will have an upcharge cost that is less than the independent booking cost through a third party company. Usually.

Lonedaddy - if you book a PH suite you will have the opportunity to book excursions early (240 days prior to the cruise). If you get online as soon as excursions open, you are likely to get exactly what you want.

Agree with Bill in terms of the excursions themselves.

Just off the Explorer, 2-19 through 3/1, in the eastern Caribbean. On each of our 3 excursions there was at least one Regent personnel with us to do a critique of the overall experience. Maybe Regent is listening to it's guests comments!

In St. Kitts we did a ziplining adventure that was very, very good. We had 2 full busloads (16 per bus) and Regent added a 3rd bus when demand exceeded supply. Driver / guide was excellent and gave great commentary on the 30 minute ride from the pier to our destination. The ziplining personnel were all about safety, safety, and then safety. They also were very knowledgeable about their island and the rain forest we were in. Moderate hiking required between zip lines but well worth the effort.

In St. Lucia (2 busloads), we combined the aerial tram with a different type of zip lining, platform to platform. These zip lines were much shorter than the ones in Antigua. The personnel at the facility were again all about safety. We had a guide who had encyclopedic knowledge of the rain forest that we were in. Lots of fun for everyone!!

In Nassua we had an easy excursion to the Zoo and Gardens. It was just okay. Should have done lunch at Graycliff on our own instead.

In St. Barts and Anitgua we did our own excursions (shopping!!!!).

Others in our party did more water related excursions. There was not one negative comment from anyone on a Regent sponsored tour / excusion.

Also interaction with Destination Services was very easy. A cooking class that DW had signed up for had to be cancelled due to the market being closed o a Sunday. They gave us additional options or the choice of a refund.

Our experience of cruising is extremely limited compared to others on here, whose posts I always read with interest. But here is a point of view from someone who has done one Regent cruise in the Med and has another booked on the Explorer in September. The included excursions were a huge draw for us, as newbies - and we enjoyed all of them, though obviously some more than others. Some of that was down to the quality of the guides, some down to the places we visited and some down to the other passengers we travelled with. We got all the excursions we wanted, although had to clear the wait list for one. For me, the magical memories from those excursions will never be forgotten - in ten days to have seen trullis in Italy, visited Pompeii, sailed on Lake Bled, seen the waterfalls in the Krka National Park, explored Taormina, shopped in Sorrento - wonderful. Not to mention the places which we explored on our own - Amalfi and Kotor. Can't wait for September.....

Lonedaddy - You can have Regent email you a PDF file showing all the excursions on your cruise. It also shows both the cost of tour, as well as the "retail" price. It varies, but in general the tour price is around $150 less than the retail price, meaning any tour that retails at $150 or less is included.

BTW - We haven't found that choice excursions are necessarily better than included ones. They are often longer, or include a meal, but some of our favorite excursions were included ones.

First, I have no personal complaint about Regent's shore excursion program. On our last two Regent cruises, we were unable to book much before the cruise but got pretty much what we wanted once onboard -- without even needing to go to the theatre. But I know it doesn't always work that way.

When Regent first announced FREE UNLIMITED SHORE EXCURSIONS I could foresee many problems with their follow-through on this claim due to logistic limitations in the number and capacity of excursions available in each and every port. Didn't have a problem with the word "FREE" (though "Included" would have been better) but I could see no way that the excursions could be "UNLIMITED" because availability in each port IS limited. While Regent does mention that excursions are "capacity limited", calling them UNLIMITED in the "large print" is confusing and misleading. Advertising the excursions as "INCLUDED AND SUBJECT ONLY TO AVAILABILITY" would be a better way to describe this program in the large print in the ads I receive from Regent in the mail on a daily basis!

We always get the excursions we choose. Sometimes we are waitlisted but 100% of the time we find tickets to any waitlisted excursions in our suite when we board.

It does seem that Regent's ad agency (whether in-house or outside) use typical verbiage and put what they want you to see in large print and important things in very small small print. I'm super aware of this every day when I watch television (when I can't fast-forward the commercials). Unless/until the pubic (or in this case Regent customers) complain about it enough, it is unlikely to change.

As almost everyone knows, I have never been a fan of included excursions and wish that we could opt out. The included excursions are great in terms of getting people to try Regent but some long time customers really do not want these excursions - especially in ports that we have visited numerous times. A good example of this is Bermuda. We have taken every possible excursion in Bermuda an will be there yet again at the end of this year. Sometimes itineraries go mainly to places where you want to go but hit a few repeats (we have also been to Barcelona, Funchal and Livorno too many times).

On some itineraries we would be willing to pay for excursions as the places of interest in many ports are far. However, most of the time, we spend too much time sitting in the theater waiting to be called while other go ahead of us and sit in seats that are suppose to be reserved for disabled people. For some reason, this does to seem to happen as frequently on Regent Choice excursions (which we much prefer).

With the exception of Alaska excursions last September, most excursions feel like a cattle call. I said that years ago and still feel that way.

We enjoy the excursions on Regent, both included or choice. It's really not the way to visit places. Nothing like spending time, by land, seeing so much more. But cruising has become our way of life, because I can not pack and unpack and fly from one place to another easily anymore.

Which brings me to TC's point about the buses. Since I have special needs and require the front row on the bus because of my oxygen. I tell the Destinations desk when we first board. They are very accommodating and place a Reserved sign on the seat for me. Half the time, someone is in the seat when I get to the bus. Sometimes even my suite number is on the sign. Some people are so rude. They will not budge out of the seat. I become very frustrated by the inconsideration.

So there, I complained. Hope the rude people are reading this post!

Sheila

Sheila, no worries no complaining, you're just stating an awful experience with inconsiderate, selfish and very rude fellow guests. Pisses me off reading your experience. If I was there, strongly believe I would confront the selfish individuals and ask them to move, if not, (tho would be tempted to take matters in hand) would immediately go to security at top of gangway and explain the situation for their (hopefully, immediate) corrective action. Also, if there is a Regent escort on your bus next time this happens--you could ask for his or her assist.

I have no problem with giving front seats to disabled people. We had a disabled child. But, we did a 12 day trip to Alaska. One woman had a walker and always sat in the front seat. On Day 10 the guide apologized to her that she would not be able to go to the sled dog show because it was a half mile walk on a gravel road from where the bus could park. The woman walked the half mile with no assistance. If you can walk a half mile on a gravel road, you should be able to walk to the sixth row on a bus. Just an observation.

This issue has been going on for as long as I can remember. Regent cannot force anyone to move from the front seats and, as frustrating as it may be (and I have seen a lot of abuse), there are disabilities that are not visible. Using force in any way, is not the way to handle the situation. In the U.S., with the American with Disabilities act, anyone that claims to be disabled has to be accommodated. In the workplace (and some other places), proof may be required but this is not the case on a cruise ship.

While people may explain to the people in the front seat why they should move - it is really up to them. We can give dirty looks all we want, but going further than that is, In my opinion, could be worse than the people that look fine, sitting in the front seats. Think about how you would feel if you were disabled but it was not visible* and how embarrassed you would be that you are sitting in a disabled seat that you need. On the other hand, Regent could remind the people in the seats that they need to make a reservation (for lack of a better word) in order to have those seats.

*When I had knee replacement surgery, I looked fine but had real difficulty negotiating the stairs and walking very far (I took a Regent cruise a bit too soon after surgery). While I did not take the front seats, I did have a "handicapped" plaque for my car and had a nasty fall on an excursion when I tried to go up one simple step that had sand on it.

So, as much as we can get very upset with what appears to be well bodied people taking the front seats, I still believe that one should not judge - lest you be judged.

JMHO!

P.S. Perhaps disabled passengers should be given the opportunity to pre-board. While it won't stop the problem completely, it might help.