Another New to Regent Post

[ano]

So we have been on a bunch of cruises, but only from the US on Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, Princess, and Celebrity. We also have been traveling a bit overseas, but never a cruise. Having come back yesterday from Japan in economy, I will say I will never do that again. So the included business air, and free excursions have got our attention. We've looked at Regent before, but for whatever reason we haven't gone on a cruise. So most of what Regent offers is self-explainitary, but I'm more interested in the asterisks. So here are the questions....

 

FREE Roundtrip Business Class Air* on Intercontinental Flights

-What is an "Intercontinental Flight?" So if a cruise goes from Honolulu to Tahiti and I live in California, is that Business class from Tahiti and not to Honolulu? Intercontinental is between continents, but I'm hoping someone can explain this better. Please excuse my geological dumbness. So where does the next "continent" start? Do I need to go to Japan before it starts? China?

 

FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions

-OK that sounds good, but it seems there is more than first meets the eye. So lets assume I am in the cheapest room which is likely a suite, which is probably more true than anything. So what kinds of excursions am I going to be able to get? I tried finding these online but wasn't very successful. Is there a place to see these BEFORE signing up, and any general observations on how likely they are to be available?

 

FREE Transfers Between Airport and Ship*

-Even this one seems a bit confused. So if you read the fine-print it says "FREE Roundtrip Air includes ground transfers between airport and ship and applies to coach, roundtrip flights only from the following airports ATL, BOS, CLT, DEN, DFW, DTW, EWR, FLL, IAD, IAH, JFK, LAX, LGA, MCO, MDW, MIA, MSP, ORD, PBI, PHL, PHX, SAN, SAV, SEA, SFO, TPA, YUL, YVR, YYZ."

 

Hmmm, So these are US and Canadian cities, but it says transfers from "airport to ship." So at first I thought this means the transfer from your arrival airport to the ship. Then I saw Phoenix on the list, and I can swear, there are no ships leaving from Phoenix, so does this mean they will pick me up at my house and bring me to the airport? Then it says it applies only to "coach, roundtrip flights" so "coach" usually means economy airfare, so does this not mean business class?

 

Sorry maybe this is obvious to some, but not me. Can someone explain better where transfers are provided to and from?

 

Thanks. I know anyone should be able to understand this, but I don't. Either I'm a moron or the person writing this doesn't have a grasp of 4th grade English.

Edited March 29, 2018 by ano

[Travelcat2]

So we have been on a bunch of cruises, but only from the US on Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, Princess, and Celebrity. We also have been traveling a bit overseas, but never a cruise. Having come back yesterday from Japan in economy, I will say I will never do that again. So the included business air, and free excursions have got our attention. We've looked at Regent before, but for whatever reason we haven't gone on a cruise. So most of what Regent offers is self-explainitary, but I'm more interested in the asterisks. So here are the questions....

 

FREE Roundtrip Business Class Air* on Intercontinental Flights

-What is an "Intercontinental Flight?" So if a cruise goes from Honolulu to Tahiti and I live in California, is that Business class from Tahiti and not to Honolulu? Intercontinental is between continents, but I'm hoping someone can explain this better. Please excuse my geological dumbness. So where does the next "continent" start? Do I need to go to Japan before it starts? China?

 

Your first question may be the most difficult to answer. If you are flying from California to Japan, your flights would be Business Class (unless you have a stopover somewhere in the continental U.S.). While Hawaii may be a different scenario (don't know since we have never flown into or out of there for a cruise on Regent), I think of international Business Class air as being anywhere you fly outside of the continental U.S.

Note about air: Do not want to give you too much information at once, but f you fly from California to Dallas on your way to South America on the same airline, sometimes you can get Business Class the entire way (vs. coach to Dallas and then Business to South America). You can also book air 240 days prior to your cruise. This is called "deviation" and costs $175/person. The benefit is that you can select your flights as long as Regent has contracts with the airline and you are booking months before anyone else so it is easier to find flights that are not full.

FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions

-OK that sounds good, but it seems there is more than first meets the eye. So lets assume I am in the cheapest room which is likely a suite, which is probably more true than anything. So what kinds of excursions am I going to be able to get? I tried finding these online but wasn't very successful. Is there a place to see these BEFORE signing up, and any general observations on how likely they are to be available?

 

First, with the exception of a few suites on the Navigator, all Regent ships are all suite - all balcony. Regent differentiates between "concierge and above level suites" and entry level suites (they don't call them "entry level" - on most of the ships (except Explorer) they are referred to as Categories D - H). If you stay in a D-H suite you are not eligible for the pre-cruise hotel and cannot book excursions until 180 days prior to the cruise (note: we are currently on the Voyager cruising in Asia so if I make an error on the timeline, someone will correct me ...... I'm pretty sure about the 180 days but not positive). Since concierge and above level passengers can book 240 days prior to the cruise, some excursions could show full and you can get on the waitlist. Waitlists clear 90% of the time (my guessitimate). The same issue occurs when it comes to booking dining reservations.

 

The easiest way to see the excursions for a cruise that you are interested in is to go to the rssc.com website, click on "find a cruise" and once there you'll find a Excursions section (hopefully). I would give you a link if I were at home but might lose this post if I try to do it while onboard the ship.

FREE Transfers Between Airport and Ship*

-Even this one seems a bit confused. So if you read the fine-print it says "FREE Roundt Air includes ground transfers between airport and ship and applies to coach, roundtrip flights only from the following airports ATL, BOS, CLT, DEN, DFW, DTW, EWR, FLL, IAD, IAH, JFK, LAX, LGA, MCO, MDW, MIA, MSP, ORD, PBI, PHL, PHX, SAN, SAV, SEA, SFO, TPA, YUL, YVR, YYZ."

 

Hmmm, So these are US and Canadian cities, but it says transfers from "airport to ship." So at first I thought this means the transfer from your arrival airport to the ship. Then I saw Phoenix on the list, and I can swear, there are no ships leaving from Phoenix, so does this mean they will pick me up at my house and bring me to the airport? Then it says it applies only to "coach, roundtrip flights" so "coach" usually means economy airfare, so does this not mean business class?

 

Sorry maybe this is obvious to some, but not me. Can someone explain better where transfers are provided to and from?

 

Okay - so we will go back concierge and above suites first. These passengers fly in the day before embarkation. A Regent representative will pick you up at the airport where your ship is departing from and take you to the hotel. The next day, you will be taken by bus to the ship at a time assigned by the Regent representative.

 

If you are in a D-H suite, Regent provides transportation from the airport to the ship on the day of embarkation.

Some of the gobbygook that you read is even difficult for me and we have over 400 nights on Regent. Not sure what they were thinking.

 

The list of airports that you indicated is where Regent flies into and out of in the U.S. and Canada. So, if you lived in Santa Barbara, you'd have to get to LAX, San Diego or SFO.

Thanks. I know anyone should be able to understand this, but I don't. Either I'm a moron or the person writing this doesn't have a grasp of 4th grade English.

 

Hi Allen and Pam,

 

You definitely are not morons - this stuff takes a while to absorb. I'll try my best to answer your questions above in red (under the question).

 

It is important to have a TA that regularly books luxury cruises - Regent in particular. These TA's are not only invaluable in terms of being able to answer questions to things you may have even thought of but many provide you with a percentage back on your cruise fare and give OBC's on many itineraries. So, this is definitely something to look into.

 

Hope this made some sense. I'm typing quickly as I need to get ready for dinner. Regent is a great cruise line -- we are having a marvelous time in Asia!

Jackie

Edited March 29, 2018 by Travelcat2

[DeepFreeze63]

So we have been on a bunch of cruises, but only from the US on Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, Princess, and Celebrity. We also have been traveling a bit overseas, but never a cruise. Having come back yesterday from Japan in economy, I will say I will never do that again. So the included business air, and free excursions have got our attention. We've looked at Regent before, but for whatever reason we haven't gone on a cruise. So most of what Regent offers is self-explainitary, but I'm more interested in the asterisks. So here are the questions....

 

FREE Roundtrip Business Class Air* on Intercontinental Flights

-What is an "Intercontinental Flight?" So if a cruise goes from Honolulu to Tahiti and I live in California, is that Business class from Tahiti and not to Honolulu? Intercontinental is between continents, but I'm hoping someone can explain this better. Please excuse my geological dumbness. So where does the next "continent" start? Do I need to go to Japan before it starts? China?

 

FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions

-OK that sounds good, but it seems there is more than first meets the eye. So lets assume I am in the cheapest room which is likely a suite, which is probably more true than anything. So what kinds of excursions am I going to be able to get? I tried finding these online but wasn't very successful. Is there a place to see these BEFORE signing up, and any general observations on how likely they are to be available?

 

FREE Transfers Between Airport and Ship*

-Even this one seems a bit confused. So if you read the fine-print it says "FREE Roundtrip Air includes ground transfers between airport and ship and applies to coach, roundtrip flights only from the following airports ATL, BOS, CLT, DEN, DFW, DTW, EWR, FLL, IAD, IAH, JFK, LAX, LGA, MCO, MDW, MIA, MSP, ORD, PBI, PHL, PHX, SAN, SAV, SEA, SFO, TPA, YUL, YVR, YYZ."

 

Hmmm, So these are US and Canadian cities, but it says transfers from "airport to ship." So at first I thought this means the transfer from your arrival airport to the ship. Then I saw Phoenix on the list, and I can swear, there are no ships leaving from Phoenix, so does this mean they will pick me up at my house and bring me to the airport? Then it says it applies only to "coach, roundtrip flights" so "coach" usually means economy airfare, so does this not mean business class?

 

Sorry maybe this is obvious to some, but not me. Can someone explain better where transfers are provided to and from?

 

Thanks. I know anyone should be able to understand this, but I don't. Either I'm a moron or the person writing this doesn't have a grasp of 4th grade English.

 

WOW! Where to start? TC2 and others will chime in with good explanations but let me offer:

Regent Air offering of Business Class is GREAT but the degree of its advantages depends a lot on your home location, your vacation plans and the itinerary. A travel agent familiar with Regent is a super help. Mine has guided us through 13 Regent cruises where we have probably used every combination of use, non-use, and partial use of Regent Air. Furthermore, it seems to me that Regent has (again) recently modified the air program.

[papaflamingo]

I am also new to Regent, but not other cruises (30 so far). So here's my experience for our cruise in Nov. Air Deviation opens up 270 days prior to the cruise, not 240. We live in Atlanta and are cruising Honolulu to Sydney. As mentioned, it is Economy Domestic and Business for the intercontinental portion. So, since we are going early to Honolulu and staying in Sydney, 270 days out I contacted RSSC Flight Department. The are remarkably nice there! I needed my TA's authorization to work with them, or I could have simply had my TA book my flights. So, I got authorized and called back. The agent was very nice, even remembered me from the day before! I had read on here that if you fly Business to the U.S. then change airlines, you will possibly end up in economy for the domestic leg. I am retired Delta and wanted Delta all the way. I had my desired flights from Sydney ready and gave them to the agent. She checked and booked them with a 48hr hold for my review. Before I was even off the phone with her, the flights showed up in my Delta Reservations page with seat assignments in Business to LAX and First Class to ATL! The cost of deviation is $175 per person and well worth it to pick your own airline and flights. I will add, that Regent must have contracted seats on the flight available. A better option popped up for the LAX to ATL leg (777 with Delta One seats). But Regent didn't have any contracted seats on that flight so we kept our original.

 

As for the ATL to HNL leg, since it is ECONOMY as it's considered "domestic," I took the Regent credit and was able to get First Class ATL-HNL on my own for about the same as the credit I received from Regent. This was done through an employee discount fare, but I feel if you shop around, you might be able to find a good deal. Don't know if Regent offers a First Class upgrade for Domestic.

Anyway, hope this helps. I'm also new and don't know what I'm doing, but thanks do the sage advice from many here, I am very excited about everything. Also we are in a PH suite so we were able to book our Shore Excursions 240 days out with no problems. However since we are on 3 segments, we have to book each segment 240 days from the start of the segment. Have done two segments, and will book the third next week.

Edited March 29, 2018 by papaflamingo

[Travelcat2]

Thanks for correcting me on the 240 days ...... I definitely know better. It must be the sea air and being on vacation that caused the lapse.

 

I'm extremely surprised to hear about Hawaii since it is an over the water flight. However, as I mentioned, we have not had a reason to fly into or out of Hawaii on any Regent cruise.

[wishIweretravelling]

You've gotten some good answers so far. I'll try some more. My responses in color below your questions (I'm omitting the first question, because I just don't know):

 

 

FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions

-OK that sounds good, but it seems there is more than first meets the eye. So lets assume I am in the cheapest room which is likely a suite, which is probably more true than anything. So what kinds of excursions am I going to be able to get? I tried finding these online but wasn't very successful. Is there a place to see these BEFORE signing up, and any general observations on how likely they are to be available?

There are included excursions for every port at which excursions are possible. There usually also are some for which you pay extra, though less than what would be charged on other lines. Your level of cabin is irrelevant to what excursions are available to you (though you may get a discount on the pay-extra excursions if you're in one of the top suites).

When you open a particular cruise, you will see four tabs across the top. Select the second tab: "Free Excursions & Onboard Activities." Then select the tab under that for Ports & Excursions, and click on the black box "Select a Port." This will give you a list of ports, and you can select a port from it to see what excursions have been offered in the past for that port. When the time comes to sign up for excursions, some of these may not be offered, and new ones may be on the list. But, in the meantime, this gives you a good representative list. Note that if the excursion has a binoculars icon in the Activity Level box, this means that it's a pay-extra excursion.

 

FREE Transfers Between Airport and Ship*

-Even this one seems a bit confused. So if you read the fine-print it says "FREE Roundtrip Airincludes ground transfers between airport and ship and applies to coach, roundtrip flights only from the following airports ATL, BOS, CLT, DEN, DFW, DTW, EWR, FLL, IAD, IAH, JFK, LAX, LGA, MCO, MDW, MIA, MSP, ORD, PBI, PHL, PHX, SAN, SAV, SEA, SFO, TPA, YUL, YVR, YYZ."

 

Hmmm, So these are US and Canadian cities, but it says transfers from "airport to ship." So at first I thought this means the transfer from your arrival airport to the ship. Then I saw Phoenix on the list, and I can swear, there are no ships leaving from Phoenix, so does this mean they will pick me up at my house and bring me to the airport? Then it says it applies only to "coach, roundtrip flights" so "coach" usually means economy airfare, so does this not mean business class?

 

Sorry maybe this is obvious to some, but not me. Can someone explain better where transfers are provided to and from?

Not a model of clarity, is it? The listed airports are gateway airports, for which you do not need to pay extra if you are flying from them. However, if you are flying from smaller airports, there is an add-on charge. I fly from RDU, and I seem to recall that an extra $150 is added for that. So that list has nothing to do with the airport-ship transfers. If you use Regent air, and aren't coming in early or leaving later and arranging your own hotel, the transfer is included.

[UUNetBill]

Everyone has already answered in greater detail than I could but I'll add a few of my observations. One, when we lived in Colorado we flew out of Denver, usually through Chicago, Atlanta, or NYC. The business class air was from our connecting city to our European port of entry; the Denver to ORD/ATL/EWR legs were usually in economy - BUT - when you're on the same airline the entire trip, say United from DEN to ORD and then ORD to whichever European airport, we'd often get Domestic First Class from DEN to ORD, then International Business Class on the overwater portion. Seemed like the luck of the draw sometimes.

 

Excursions - we've rarely not been able to get an excursion we wanted. The only exceptions are usually on the 'capacity limited' tours which are usually extra cost. Examples might be the Private Tour of the Vatican or Glacier Helicopter Tour or something similar. Those can fill up simply because the venue can only support so many people. On the other hand, we've had one or two not go because of too few people. Rare, but it happens. I'd almost agree with Jackie that 90% of waitlisted excursions eventually clear (our experience has been more like 95%). But be aware that if you have one or two 'must-do' excursions that there is a chance you won't get them. We've been on waitlists that didn't clear until the night before the excursion - if there's one that's very important to you and it waitlists, be sure to stop in and visit Destination Services the day you get on board. We've been known to be the 'squeaky wheels' in the past. ;p

[ano]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Great information. Sometime what you first read something as, turns out to be quite different when you dig in. Finding this info in advance from real customers is so helpful. With business airfare (on longer flights) and included excursions really Regent looks like a good value when these are added to other cruises, so we will definitely have to check it out. Thanks.

[papaflamingo]

Thanks for correcting me on the 240 days ...... I definitely know better. It must be the sea air and being on vacation that caused the lapse.

 

I'm extremely surprised to hear about Hawaii since it is an over the water flight. However, as I mentioned, we have not had a reason to fly into or out of Hawaii on any Regent cruise.

For the record, make sure you verify my information before making any decision. I talked with a Regent agent, but he seemed "cautiously confident" in his information. So for anyone going to Hawaii, check first. You might get First Class. From Atlanta to Honolulu, Delta offers a Delta One seat on a non-stop. I doubt Regent would book that. Likely they'd book a multi-stop flight. So just that convenience and the great seat is worth the bit extra that it cost me.

[ano]

I just wondered from Hawaii because I just got back from a ground tour of Japan. It was great, but the flight in economy, not so much. Hawaii is not so bad. (I was going to cruise around Japan instead, but in hindsight, I'm glad we made it a ground tour because SO much to see there.)