landingsduffer

Great, thanks for the information.

On 11/13/2019 at 9:54 PM, IndiTravler said:

I’ve done privates both thru Regent and on my own but not in No or Australia.  Regent is always more expensive, sometimes significantly.  

The pros to a Regent private

• The guides are outstanding.  
• The drop off pick up at the gangway is super nice
• If you want something really off the beaten path that requires advance booking, it can’t be done. 
• You get “the ship won’t leave without you” guarantee.   

 

 

We booked all our excursions before we received a large OBC. Can you book the private car while onboard or does it have to be done before sailing? Do you have to tell your driver/guide what you want to do or will they just recommend locations to see?

We are anxious to read the comments in this thread. We are anticipating a large OBC and trying to figure out how to spend it. Has anyone done private car tours specifically in Australia/New Zealand that they could recommend.

11 hours ago, jmalux said:

 

Bali is a wonderful place, but the airport lounges are not. Emirates use the Premier Lounge in Bali, which is not a place you would want to spend much time. The lounge is used by many airlines and is often crowded and too warm. 

Sounds like the best option is to look for an air conditioned room somewhere before our flight. Thanks for the information.

19 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Not sure where you live but I've heard that Air Emirates may have a surcharge for those of us on the West Coast of the United States.  Will be crossing our fingers when we book flights in February.  Agree that the VIP should be great.  Also agree that taking an excursion in the extreme heat of Bali might be uncomfortable.  We did a 3 night pre-cruise in Bali (love Bali) but it was so hot that by the 2nd day of touring, half of the passengers elected to stay at the air conditioned hotel.  

 

This 3 year old hotel may be of interest https://topbali.com/bali-airport-hotel/. It sounds as if it is in the airport.  The price sounds ridiculous (798,000 Indonesian Rupiah) but it is only around $56 U.S. dollars!

 

P.S.  Just noticed some conflicting information at the bottom of the page for the hotel.  I would contact them directly if you are interested.  

 

If that doesn't work, here is another link https://www.sleepinginairports.net/guides/bali-airport-guide.htm#hotels

 

Thanks for the information. We live on the East Coast and paid for an air deviation with Regent. Was the surcharge you mentioned for access to the VIP lounge or are we looking at additional costs for our return flights?

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

Regent generally offers excursions for those with late departures.  It helps break up the day.  However, if a dayroom were available, I'd take that (especially if it was in the airport).

I think I am tracking with you TC. An excursion in Bali before some really long flights might be uncomfortable. We haven't flown Air Emirates before but gotta think that their VIP lounge would be pretty nice.

Our upcoming New Zealand/Australia cruise terminates in Bali. We did an air deviation and our departing flight doesn't leave until 7:50pm. According to Regent Air, most flights from Bali to the US leave late in the day. Since we have to disembark by 8-9am, I was wondering if Regent would provide an excursion or a hotel room to kill time for those of us that have evening flights.

On 5/29/2019 at 8:33 PM, Travelcat2 said:

 

Agree with you.  And, supposedly, passengers on Regent are very well traveled which, at least to me, means that they don't need to take a Regent excursion in the afternoon (even though they likely will be offered ....... plus many morning excursions take the full day).  

 

If we did not "do our own thing" in many ports, we would have missed so much of the local life.  I guess that I can't wrap my head around anyone enjoying being on a bus for hours - with people that hog seats (sitting in disabled people seats when they are clearly not disabled) and staying in places for too long (or too short).

 

Rather than being upset, do some research for what you can do on your own.  JMHO.

I have been away for a few days and didn't have a secure internet connection to respond to this. I appreciate all the constructive comments to my post however this one, I feel, was insensitive and rude. A big part of the appeal of a Regent cruise is,for us, it's the all inclusive nature (which includes excursions). And why do I need to do a lot of research for an all inclusive vacation. We mostly like to take the included excursions or, at least, would like the option to take them. I didn't say that I "enjoyed being on a bus for hours", who would? Nor do we rush to board a bus first or take seats designated for disabled people. I know you are a Regent cruise "expert" and have seen most of the ports numerous times so maybe "doing your own thing" works for you. Not so much for us. And that is JMHO!

We are on the 1/21-2/11/20 Auckland to Bali cruise on the Voyager. We were notified a few weeks ago that the stop at Newcastle was cancelled but that we were getting two days in Sydney. Sounded good to me. We arrive in Sydney at 11am on 1/29 and depart at 8pm on 1/30. Much to my surprise, when I went online to book the excursions there was nothing listed on 1/29/20. Figuring that there was a mistake I contacted Regent this morning and was told that their tour operators only schedule excursions in the morning. It seems pretty lame to me that we lose a cruise stop and have most of a day in Sydney with no excursions. Anyone else run into this problem in Australia?

So we are booked on a Voyager cruise that was supposed to stop there next February. Will Regent just add an extra sea day or  arrive early in Bali?

I just received a "notice" from Regent for my upcoming cruise, 365 days from today.

We are booked on a Mariner cruise in November 2018. My wife has had some medical issues lately and we are not sure if we will be able to make the trip. In hopes that we will be going, I plan to book excursions, including paid ones, when they open up at the end of this month. Has anyone had problems getting refunds from Regent for paid excursions when canceling their cruise prior to making final payment?

Sorry, on closer inspection, the catalogue only goes through April 2019.

I received the new catalogue in the mail yesterday.

This is why we do private but you get what you pay for.

We are going to Iceland 4 days ahead of an Explorer cruise in August. We have booked several days of private photo tours with an individual. The tours are very expensive. Should we tip him as well?

In July this year we took a 14 day cruise on the Explorer but having just looked at our list of past cruises I am surprised to find that this is still showing as "Ship n/a" !!

We have contacted the UK Office twice about this through their 'Contact Us' form but have not received any reply.

 

Has any one else had problems with their Explorer cruise not being properly recorded ?

We have done three cruises on Regent and are booked on a fourth. None of our "past cruises" are listed.

I want to give the Officers and Crew currently onboard the Explorer the highest kudos. They are amazing. This morning we attended the Meet and Greet that F&B Director Daniela put together with her staff (with the help of Zqueeze1). In addition to high attendance by CC members, the event was attended by Captain Stan, Staff Captain Abhi, General Manager Massimo, Cruise Director John, F&B Dir., Daniela of course and I am probably missing someone (apologize if I am).

 

The sangria was better than any that we had yesterday. They also served Bloody Mary's and lots of little canapes. It was amazing! I'm very happy that some of the officers will soon be on vacation and will be back on the Explorer when we sail again in March. They are an top notch team!

 

The seas remain choppy and should be that way for the next 24 hours. As everyone knows, this is the first crossing for the Explorer so it will be interesting to see how the she behaves in varying sea conditions.

 

Hopefully "Z", Mr. Rumor and others will chime in. Tomorrow is Funchal after which the "crossing" will officially begin.

 

Wishing an early Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Sounds like you are having a wonderful cruise. I still have air deviation questions and wonder if you could email me at your convenience so I don't keep horning in on your thread. My email is landingsduffer@yahoo.com. Thanks...

It doesn't really matter where in the U.S. you are located. Working with your TA via internet works just fine. It has been my experience that the TA's that give the highest % of rebate do not give the most personalized service. While this may not matter to some people, it means a lot to us. They keep track of price increases/decreases on a daily basis and insure that you get the best "deal" possible. They also work with us and Regent to insure we get the flights that we want.

 

Our TA gives between 5 and 7 1/2% of the cruise fare (before the cruise) but also offers on board credits on many cruises. IMO, you should not discount OBC's. Regent requires you to book excursions in advance. "Regent Choice Excursions" have a cost (and are much better than "included excursions" for the most part). As an example of how to use your OBC's, you could book an excursion that costs $300 for both of you. Once onboard you can cancel and rebook the excursion using on board credits and you will receive a refund of your $300 in cash.

 

Hope that this information helps!

Travelcat2 - Unfortunately I use a TA who does rebate a good percentage of the cruise but whose personal service is lacking. I have a few questions that I hope you will take the time to address. We are booked on Explorer next August from Iceland to Denmark in an F-1 suite. We are considering going early to see some of the area around Reykjavik. How much is the deviation fee? Will we receive credit for the pre night hotel if we don't use it? Will Regent still do the transfer from our hotel to the ship? Can we book our flights now or do we have to wait til Regent assigns flights and then try to change them at that late date. I know this is a lot of questions but know that you are very knowledgable about the process. Thanks ...

I agree, the leaflet definitely states $100 per person. We leave tomorrow for our next journey and are planning to book on board for the next trip and will be expecting that obc. If it is refused there could be an issue! I shall try to get in writing exactly what the price promise is on any future possible price reduction. We would expect a refund of the difference.

 

As was mentioned in another post the rules in the uk about offers are very strict and as we pay in the uk I guess they may well apply.

 

Hope to post our experiences of our New York to Montreal cruise if the Internet behaves.

 

 

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We will be on your NY-Montreal cruise and are from the US. The flyer we received with our cruise docs states "enjoy a $100 shipboard credit on your current cruise when you book your next voyage onboard".

I did look at the 3-day pre-cruise. But after finding a very highly touted tour company on TripAdvisor that basically does the same thing in two days of tours, I am going with them instead. Btw, the cost is much less even when factoring in a hotel.

Would love to know the companies name if you are allowed to provide it.

Thanks, everyone, for the input. This cruise will be a second cruise for us next year - with both of us still in the workforce, doing a second cruise has always been tough. We may not even be able to make it work, as much as we'd love to.

 

If we do go, we're going to be limited on time, so staying a few extra days in Iceland isn't going to work (especially since we embark in Reykjavik) but we're trying to squeeze in a day or two pre-cruise to check things out.

 

Keeping my fingers crossed...

Have you looked at the three day pre-cruise land program? Looks interesting to us and, if we book this cruise, we will probably do the land program as well.

First, anything you book onboard goes automatically to your TA on record (or another TA if you wish). In addition to having a price guarantee (in case prices go down - highly unlikely) you will receive a booking credit.

 

The amount varies depending upon both the itinerary and your suite category. For the itinerary being discussed on this thread, you would receive a $400/person booking credit for the lowest two categories, $475/person for F1-F2 categories, $500/person for categories D-E, $600/person for A-C and it goes up to $2,000/person for the Regent Suite!

 

IMO, booking onboard is a nice benefit.

Do you know if, while on board, you can book a specific suite for a future cruise or just a suite category?

Thanks to everyone for the input. Wes, thanks to you for the links to your previous posts. We have until mid-July to decide (so we can book on board) but as of right now we're leaning toward the Norway side of things.

 

But we're also thinking about SS for something a bit different, too. 😜

We are also considering the Norway cruise you mentioned. What is the advantage of booking on board? We are on the Mariner (NY-Montreal) in September and could wait to book til then. If you receive a better deal by booking on board could I still transfer the booking to my TA?

The issues we have had with the Navigator are:

 

1. Does not take rough seas as well as other ships (the only ship he got seasick on was the Navigator but we were on deck 11 forward - it is better mid-ship and on lower decks).

 

2. Small public spaces.

 

3. Only one reservation restaurant - P7.

 

4. No forward lounge

 

The Navigator is a beautiful ship (even more beautiful now from the photos I've seen). The regular suites are larger than the Mariner (same as Voyager) but the PH suites are no larger than regular suites.

 

There are a lot of people that love the Navigator and some that chose not to sail on her.

 

Our favorite ship is the Voyager but the Explorer may topple the Voyager off of her top spot:)

Thank you for the information and your prompt response.

Always tempted by the Explorer but it takes a lot to make us travel in the summer (too crowded at airports, kids on the ships, etc.) The Navigator will be there in mid-late August and early September next year which, IMO, is a bit better than July. My DH may change his mind about the Navigator........ time will tell. I'll be sharing information from this thread with him.:)

We have done Voyager and have a Mariner cruise coming up. We are looking at a Navigator cruise around Australia/New Zealand in 2/18. Am curious to know your opinion of the Navigator and why your husband doesn't like it.