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Back to Back Cruise With Cabin Change


Linda VH
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We booked a cruise with our gourmet group on Explorer from Lisbon to Southampton. On board Explorer we booked Barcelona to Lisbon (we love Barcelona) and will meet our friends in Lisbon. However, we were unable to get the same cabin on each cruise. I'll ask onboard but.....how is it handled - do we have to debark and then go through the embarking scrum or will they give us our sea cards before we go to have lunch in Lisbon? If anybody knows how this works it will be appreciated. TIA, Linda

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We have done this a couple of times. Although Regent will do most of the moving, we tend to pack things from our drawers and bathroom and let them move the clothing.

 

Lunch in Lisbon sounds great but, if there are enough passengers doing B2B, Regent will offer you an excursion. You won't know until you are onboard the ship.

 

It was so easy that I'm trying to recall exactly when we received the key to our new suite. In any case, you can debark when you want and return when you want - bypassing passengers that are embarking. You will find it all very simple.

 

Enjoy!

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It is totally your choice as to how you spend the turnaround day in Lisbon:

  • You will not have to disembark at the same time as other passengers, but obviously your room stewards would appreciate it if you do not vacate your first segment suite too late as they will need to prepare it for guests on the next segment.
  • Regent staff will assist with your move to your suite for the next segment. Clothes on hangers will be moved without needing to be packed. You will take care of your valuables.
  • As TC2 said there may be a complementary excursion offered by Regent for changeover day.
  • Reception will give you new cruise cards for the second segment on changeover day (after the previous guests have vacated). If you are going ashore it is preferable to pick up your new cruise cards first, to avoid any potential difficulties with port security when re-boarding. Also, try to avoid re-boarding during peak time for new guests arriving (Noon to 1:30pm) as there could be security queues.

Suggest you check the exact details with Reception and the Executive Concierge when you are on the ship.

Hope you have an enjoyable time.

 

PS I see this cruise is being offered both as two cruises (7 nights and 9 nights) or as a 16 night cruise, so there will not be a full changeover of guests in Lisbon; I suspect that many others will have opted for the full 16 nights.

Edited by flossie009
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Agree that there will likely be many people doing B2B sailings as the Med. is not a popular destination right now (for people in North America for obvious reasons) but they are a heck of a good deal. I suspect that most passengers will be from the U.K. and Europe as this is a "cheapo" area for them to cruise with the devaluation of the Euro and GBP and the cost of flights to embarkation ports and back home.

 

For those of you that have not been to the Med. too many times as we have, there are some great deals out there!

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Agree that there will likely be many people doing B2B sailings as the Med. is not a popular destination right now (for people in North America for obvious reasons) but they are a heck of a good deal. I suspect that most passengers will be from the U.K. and Europe as this is a "cheapo" area for them to cruise with the devaluation of the Euro and GBP and the cost of flights to embarkation ports and back home.

 

 

 

For those of you that have not been to the Med. too many times as we have, there are some great deals out there!

 

 

 

Curious as to why the Med isn’t a popular destination especially for those in North America?

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Curious as to why the Med isn’t a popular destination especially for those in North America?

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Part is my opinion and part are articles that state that some cruise lines are having trouble booking the Med. - not just now but for the past few years. My reasoning is:

 

1. The ports in Istanbul were dropped (a very popular destination).

 

2. Due to immigrants arriving in Greece, some of those ports were changed as well.

 

3. Terrorist attacks. When we were on the Explorer christening cruise (1 1/2 years ago), the Nice attack occurred (12 miles away from the ship). Continuing attacks in crowded areas of London as well as in other cities.

 

Regent has needed to discount cruises and make special offers to get their ships filled. They discounted cruises dramatically for the past couple of years for people in the U.K. since it is close enough that it doesn't require expensive air to arrive at the ports. This year they have new incentives.

 

Many Regent cruisers (myself included) have gone to the Med. numerous times and, while I do not fear going there, other places are a bit more interesting to us at the moment. Even my DH who was born and raised in London has no desire to hang out in the city.

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Agree that there will likely be many people doing B2B sailings as the Med. is not a popular destination right now (for people in North America for obvious reasons) but they are a heck of a good deal. I suspect that most passengers will be from the U.K. and Europe as this is a "cheapo" area for them to cruise with the devaluation of the Euro and GBP and the cost of flights to embarkation ports and back home.

 

For those of you that have not been to the Med. too many times as we have, there are some great deals out there!

I was not aware that either the Euro or the GBP had been "devalued". Following the UK's decision to leave the European Union the value of the GB Pound dropped against the dollar, leading to increases in Regent fares for UK residents and also an increase in flight costs (airlines buy their fuel in dollars).

 

Both segments of the particular cruise on which the OP is booked are a very high cost per day for those booking in the UK (with or without flights). However, the full 16 night cruise is waitlisted throughout.

 

 

The factors given in your post #8 may be contributing to a lack of uptake on some Mediterranean cruises, but in my opinion it is mainly a result of over-capacity in the cruise-line market.

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I'm trying to figure out where the "deals" are.

 

If LindaVH is on the 2018 sailing it is as Flossie said waitlisted and heavily sold on the individual itineraries but even Cat H comes in at $1000+ per diem.

 

Not sure if Regent heavily discounted Med. cruises for residents of the U.K. this year but they did the last couple of years. There were some threads about this from people that could not take advantage of the "deals" because they live in the U.S., Canada, etc. This year's deal seems to be the include laundry - a big draw for sure but one that some of us aren't too pleased about but at least the promotion is offered in North America as well as the U.K. In any case, don't want to get into the laundry "thing" again.

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Travelcat2. Thanks for your thoughtful response to my question. We are scheduled for a 24 day Barcelona to Southampton in May 2019 on the Explorer. Like you, we aren’t too skittish about traveling in mildly unsettled areas. Our last trip to the Med included being in the middle of a riot in Athens that closed down access to the center of the city. Got some good pics though with a thousand of my closest friends!

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