Confused / Disappointed

[Travelcat2]

Looked at that page and noticed that there are asterisks by air and several other lines but, none by Unlimited Free Excursions. The missing asterisks are missing in everyone of the other locations where Unlimited Free Excursions are mentioned. Do you really believe that all these missing asterisks are really an oversight??? Don't think many people agree with that!!!

 

Legalize always has lots to read and lawyers are on staff to make sure everything necessary is included in all public documents. Have to wonder how this got by the legal department all these years since excursions were included??

 

You are correct - I did not notice. It does say under the "Terms and Conditions" tab that " FREE Unlimited Shore Excursion reservations are on a first-come, first served basis and are subject to availability." And, if you look at the "gobbledygook" under the Ticket Contract" tab, you will see that Regent is legally covered for most things that may happen (as are other cruise lines). However, as said by another poster, this is not an issue for the majority of Regent customers.

 

Sunprince: I would love to comment on your post but would get bashed unbelievably:o You make good points!

[UUNetBill]

This is not the thread to go into detail, but since we are on the subject - we have actually witnessed passengers get on the bus, see the handicapped reserve sign, remove it and then sit in the seats. When the handicapped person enters the bus, these same individuals claim that there were no reserved seating. This is not an isolated incident.

 

gnomie :)

 

That's pathetic that someone would do that. The sense of entitlement and 'all about me' attitudes that are so common today make me want to scream...what happened to civility and manners?!?

[xrvlcruiser]

The only time it's acceptable for someone other than an "assigned" person to sit in the front seats is if the escort says - after everyone is ON the bus - that the seats are empty and would someone like to move up here?

 

Also, it seems to me that it is polite for the "assigned" person to wait for the rest of the passengers to leave the bus before getting off since my assumption is that s/he moves slower and will delay everyone by insisting on being first.

 

Maybe I'm old fashioned.

 

Peggy

[Travelcat2]

Peggy and Sunprince make a good point about people that have difficulty getting off of the bus waiting until everyone else has gotten off. After all, courtesy works both ways. When we see a bus with a back door, that is where we head. We much prefer sitting close to the rear door since there may be "drama" going on in the front of the bus. Unfortunately the buses in Africa did not have back doors so we sat towards the front and witnessed the things that I wrote about above.

 

Our future booked cruises on Regent go to places where we will not be taking any of Regent's included excursions If we find a good premium excursion, we will be happy to pay for it. While I realize that we are paying for included excursions in our fare, we have had enough aggravation with passengers acting selfish and rude on these excursions. Add that to the problems with Destination Services and it is enough to make some people leave Regent (actually, many have - over included excursions). On the other hand, we still love the Regent experience and are no longer looking at any other cruise lines for future sailings.

[UUNetBill]

I can't add much to this thread as all of our cruises so far except one have been with Regent...and I think I'd also like Seabourn or Oceania or perhaps Crystal - but since my wife and I both still work, our free time and vacation dollars are limited, and at the price of these vacations I honestly prefer to go with what I know and enjoy.

 

Until Regent gets to the point that I no longer feel like I'm maximizing my enjoyment, I'm going to stick with them. Perhaps if I find that perfect itinerary or find a deal I can't resist, I'm going to be a Regent fan-boy, and I'll gladly admit that.

 

That's not knocking any of the other lines, as I'm sure they're all perfectly nice cruises as well, but if I'm dropping that kind of coin on my annual vacation and I've been happy with Regent, I see no need to step outside of my comfort zone. Yet.

 

:-)

[newlondon]

Bill, I expect to spend some time in your lovely city over the next four years.

Eldest granddaughter was accepted by Furman with a very generous grant.

Any recommendations as to staying or eating gratefully accepted.

wsloan.nlatgmail.com

[xrvlcruiser]

Included tours: I have not had any issue with them - I sailed with Regent before they were instituted. I don't see any difference between the the tours then or now.

 

And as a single, it is good way to see a port.

 

Peggy

[newlondon]

Hi Peggy, Happy New Year. Agree that the tours are much the same, this goes for O as well. To me the key is the attraction, one can get a poor guide for lots of money, as we did in the Scavi at the Vatican; or a terrific one at a ridiculous price as we did in Halong Bay

[xrvlcruiser]

Ah . . .Halong Bay!

 

Happy and Healthy New Year to you as well.

 

Peggy

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Not one iota of a Regent excursion experience is luxe!

Paying extra and more than double to get on a bus with 50 others?

Waiting in line, waiting months, waiting lists and that word FREE which is not free - merely included. 50 people on a bus?

[xrvlcruiser]

Kathy,

 

I'd love to know what tours - and where - you had 50 people on a bus. That has never been my experience. Just curious.

 

The only time I've seen a full bus is a shuttle to/from town.

 

Peggy

[BeginTheBeguine]

I can't add much to this thread as all of our cruises so far except one have been with Regent...and I think I'd also like Seabourn or Oceania or perhaps Crystal - but since my wife and I both still work, our free time and vacation dollars are limited, and at the price of these vacations I honestly prefer to go with what I know and enjoy.

 

Until Regent gets to the point that I no longer feel like I'm maximizing my enjoyment, I'm going to stick with them. Perhaps if I find that perfect itinerary or find a deal I can't resist, I'm going to be a Regent fan-boy, and I'll gladly admit that.

 

That's not knocking any of the other lines, as I'm sure they're all perfectly nice cruises as well, but if I'm dropping that kind of coin on my annual vacation and I've been happy with Regent, I see no need to step outside of my comfort zone. Yet.

 

:-)

What a lovely way to express what I feel. It's all about what you enjoy. :)

[Travelcat2]

Kathy,

 

I'd love to know what tours - and where - you had 50 people on a bus. That has never been my experience. Just curious.

 

The only time I've seen a full bus is a shuttle to/from town.

 

Peggy

 

Peggy, we actually had closer to 70 of us on a bus in Africa. It was not a long tour - only a long shuttle (that was part of the excursion). Still, there were a ton of people on this "combined" excursion. This was at a tender port and it took forever to get 70 passengers into and out of the tender and then in and out of the bus:-( Note: This cruise was the first time that I saw Destination Services combining two groups into one. We were sitting close enough to the front of the theater to hear a member of Destination Services suggest "let's combine the two groups". I believe that we went on at least two (possibly three) combined excursions. This is one reason that I stopped discussing Destination Services on the thread regarding our cruise.

 

In terms of people who don't want to pay for included excursions in their fare, suggest you sail on another cruise line as I do not expect Regent to make changes any time soon. Unless you want to go on a less than luxury cruise line or select a smaller suite than Regent offers, it is difficult to meet Regent's price. I have priced out Crystal numerous time and find their pricing outrageous (comparing larger suites on Regent to Crystal).

Edited January 1, 2016 by Travelcat2

[RachelG]

I have only been on a completely full bus once, and it was more of a shuttle to get to the excursion. Once we got there, we were divided into smaller groups.

[xrvlcruiser]

OK, I stand corrected. It's been a while since I've been to Africa with Regent . . as I said, it never happened to me.

 

Jackie, I agree - Regent is not going to change it's policy of included tours.

 

Thanks for the update.

 

Peggy

[Suite Travels]

First of all, we stopped the cattle busses years ago we now do private tours you get to do what YOU want. All of this can be arranged on board with the cruise line or your TA. As for Crystal pricing, I disagree. Some fares on Regent are higher on comparable sailings.

 

Crystal is growing so fast in the luxury travel market it is mind blowing. Two new ships coming and three riverboats plus an already in possession 787 Dreamliner, I forgot the Espirrt Yacht that goes into service in the next few weeks. It remains to be seen how all this pans out.

[Travelcat2]

I do keep track of what Crystal does because I know people that cruise on Crystal and really enjoy it. Time will tell how competitive Crystal will be once they everything in place. At this point of my cruising life, it would take a lot to entice us to try another cruise line. We are staying put - at least through the first quarter of 2017.

 

P.S. I do not doubt that there are some Crystal itineraries that are less money than Regent -- just not the ones we have looked at. Happy New Year!

[Suite Travels]

Jackie, Happy New Year to you as well. Let's just enjoy cruising anywhere. A few weeks away from home is luxury to me land or sea.

[newlondon]

I think it is missing the forest for the tree to say any high end cruise line sends out full buses; if you have only experienced one or two. DH and I have never experienced a full bus in 10+ years of cruising. I am sure it happens, but so far not to us.

An example of when a cruise line tour is more than worth it. We were in Indonesia and had approximately an hour's drive to our destination. Regent had arranged for a police escort to take us down the middle of the road to avoid what would have been at least an hour more sitting in traffic. A private tour can not equal that. I know traffic can be a real problem as on the same cruise we spent at least 3 hrs fighting Chinese New Year traffic going from Saigon to the Mekong delta and return.

ChatKat, Every time 50 on a bus? I doubt it.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I think it is missing the forest for the tree to say any high end cruise line sends out full buses; if you have only experienced one or two. DH and I have never experienced a full bus in 10+ years of cruising. I am sure it happens, but so far not to us.

An example of when a cruise line tour is more than worth it. We were in Indonesia and had approximately an hour's drive to our destination. Regent had arranged for a police escort to take us down the middle of the road to avoid what would have been at least an hour more sitting in traffic. A private tour can not equal that. I know traffic can be a real problem as on the same cruise we spent at least 3 hrs fighting Chinese New Year traffic going from Saigon to the Mekong delta and return.

ChatKat, Every time 50 on a bus? I doubt it.

 

In Italy to Florence our bus was completely full. In Sorrento from Naples - full buses - 4 of them. All arriving at the same time to a public restroom with 4 stalls. This caused our tour to be 45 minutes and not 2 hours.

It used to be about 35 on a bus max. Just did a Crystal Cruise all all Crystal Excursions. Max we had on any bus was about 30. Delightful.

[Travelcat2]

Although included excursions drive me a bit crazy at times, I must agree with newlondon -- full buses are not the "norm". It is good to know that Crystal has a max of 30 (still too many IMO - 25 or less is better). I do realize that other luxury cruise lines may have better run excursions but we are not willing to trade larger suites for smaller ones (Crystal), completely open dining in two restaurants, smoking on balconies (Seabourn) just because some excursions on Regent are not to my liking. We sail on Regent for the total Regent experience ....... excursions are just a bit of a nuisance that we plan on mostly avoiding in the future.

[Suite Travels]

ChatKat who was a Regent cheerleader and maybe still is loved her Crystal experience from what I read during her cruise. You don't know a line until you try it.

 

Regent is a close competitor to Crystal but Crystal will have the largest suites with the new builds forthcoming and more dining venues. SS, forget it.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I thought fixed seating was a deal breaker for years. But regardless, on board experience exceeds all my expectations and all inclusive except excursions. Small cabin equal to a Navigator cabin. Entertainment and programming spectacular.

[Travelcat2]

I thought fixed seating was a deal breaker for years. But regardless, on board experience exceeds all my expectations and all inclusive except excursions. Small cabin equal to a Navigator cabin. Entertainment and programming spectacular.

 

Confused by your post because the Navigator and Voyager have the largest suites on Regent (Mariner has the smallest). I checked out the suite sizes on Crystal's current ships and they are quite tiny compared to Regent. In fact, unless I misread the information, the Crystal suite (which is large enough) does not even have a second bathroom!

 

Suite Travels: I do not disagree with you but, as I've said, we did not sail Crystal due to the suite size, cost of upper suites and the not exactly open seating. Agree that the new builds will be a game changer.

 

I cannot speak for ChatKat but the posts she has made about Regent have not been positive in the last couple of years. On the other hand, comments regarding Oceania were quite positive. We have sailed both cruise lines and "like" Oceania but definitely prefer Regent. Different strokes for different folks:)

[liptastic]

Peggy, we actually had closer to 70 of us on a bus in Africa. It was not a long tour - only a long shuttle (that was part of the excursion). Still, there were a ton of people on this "combined" excursion. This was at a tender port and it took forever to get 70 passengers into and out of the tender and then in and out of the bus:-( Note: This cruise was the first time that I saw Destination Services combining two groups into one. We were sitting close enough to the front of the theater to hear a member of Destination Services suggest "let's combine the two groups". I believe that we went on at least two (possibly three) combined excursions. This is one reason that I stopped discussing Destination Services on the thread regarding our cruise.

 

In terms of people who don't want to pay for included excursions in their fare, suggest you sail on another cruise line as I do not expect Regent to make changes any time soon. Unless you want to go on a less than luxury cruise line or select a smaller suite than Regent offers, it is difficult to meet Regent's price. I have priced out Crystal numerous time and find their pricing outrageous (comparing larger suites on Regent to Crystal).

 

Was the bus holding 70 passenengers a double decker bus? I thought coach style buses had a maximum of 56 passengers.?