Regent transportation

[malily]

Hi Folks,

We are on the May 20th Barcelona to London cruise. Usually we book our own air but this time we used Regent. We are going from Southampton to London for a few days rather than directly to Heathrow. Does anyone know if Regent would provide this transportation as they would provide our ride to Heathrow or would we have to make our own arrangements? Any suggestions on best way to provide our own, if need be?

[Travelcat2]

In the situation that you described, you would need to do your own transportation arrangements.  I'm sure that there will be suggestions as to reputable companies that you could use to get to Southampton.

 

I'm a bit confused as to why you are going from Southampton to London.  Aren't you arriving at Heathrow and then going to London and then to Southampton?  

[Travelcat2]

I saw you (think that it was you) asking the same question on another site.  I misunderstood what you were doing.  Yes - Regent will take you to Heathrow but you would need to get transportation to your London hotel yourself.

 

[malily]

As I mentioned in my post, we are on the Barcelona to London cruise, ending in Southampton. Then, we are going to London. 

[rcandkc]

I believe unless your post visit to London is booked through Regent, they probably would not transport you into your London hotel post cruise.  Not certain....you should ask your TA or call Regent. 

[PaulaJK]

Malily, 

I doubt that Regent would be transporting you to your hotel unless it is their recommended post cruise hotel. Even then, I would double check.

 

Taking  a transfer from Regent to LHR would probably not be helpful as The airport is far from the city.

 

We have hired a private car transfer..there are lots of agencies advertised for this service....You can transfer directly to your hotel or you can plot out some stops along the way. Enjoy London. It’s a fabulous city.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Depending on how mobile you are, you could take the provided transport to Heathrow and then take the train into London. The Heathrow Express, for instance, goes to Paddington Station.

[Mark99]

If you have Regent air and the included transportation back to LHR then that is by far the best option. It is possible to get direct "private car" transportation but that must be ridiculously expensive for something you've already paid for. Getting from LHR to downtown is super easy. If you are mobility challenged then you could just get a cab from the airport. If you are a bit more mobile but not adventuresome you could take Heathrow Express to Paddington station and then a cab to your hotel. You might save a bit of $ but maybe not so much to justify the logistic issues of getting to the Express station and then still having to get a cab after you exit the Express. If you are traveling light and/or can handle your suitcase up/down escalators, like adventure, and want to save $,  then you should take the Underground (the "tube")- get on the Piccadilly line (the only one at the airport) and you can connect via the tube system to the station closest to your hotel. You will undoubtedly use the tube to get around in your few days in London so this would be a good introduction. In any case you should get Oyster card(s) to use on the tube (one for each traveler) on-line before you go and have them mailed to you so you can use them right from the start. Charge up each to about $30-40 and that should be enough for the airport trip and a few days (they can be topped-up at the tube stations using cash or credit cards). There are abundant signs at the airport on the arrivals level of all of the terminals near baggage claim/ customs exit points that lead you to Heathrow Express or the Underground. Have fun- London is a great city!

Edited February 10, 2019 by Mark99

[mimi.pow]

We heard Regents and Oceania were great all-inclusive cruises, after having 3 fabulous luxury cruises on Crystal.  So we booked and splurged getting 1/2 off of a 25- day European transAtlantic cruise in November 2019.  Six months prior we wanted to book our airline to get business class out of LA or west coast.  They asked for an additional $175/person non-refundable to book earlier than 60 days prior to sailing.  By then, best flights are filled and you may have to fly longer and more difficult routes.  

Then, if we wanted to go in 1 day early to arrive in plenty of time and not miss the ship, they would not pay for our transfers!

We booked this luxury cruises hearing that it's 1st class from your home door to home again.  Not really true, unless you go by their book.  We were paying $29,000 and they still wanted more for day prior transfers, early booking, and now cancellation fees of $100/person.  Greedy line!

 

Cancelled!  Going back to Crystal!  

Too much greed in America and with cruise lines nickel and dining you after paying a fortune!

Fondly,
J/B

[wcsdkqh]

Let me get this straight.... you are spending the better part of 30k on cruise and you are complaining about a few hundred dollars to get the exact flights you want??  You can always take the air credit and book yourself, but may find you can’t come close to booking the flights for the same amount, even with the extra air deviation charge.

[daetchief]

Mimi.pow,

I'm sorry you couldn't get Regent to bend and sway to your whims.  Although they are usually very accommodating, they are a business providing a service - not a service looking for business.

If you are arriving even two days prior to your embarkation and have booked a Regent pre-cruise hotel, Regent will have someone (or two) at the airport baggage claim asking to carry your luggage to your Limo/Bus.  Similarly if you book an after-cruise stay at their Regent offered venue, they will take you there in style and a suitable vehicle will be there the morning you checkout to make sure you get to the airport.  

Of course you should have Regent or your TA arrange these excursions well before your cruise; but not before you are set on your details.  There is a cost to these services but other than the Air Deviation fee(s) they are built into your itinerary.

As a business, Regent sells transportation services either within an excursion (i.e. Regent Air) or separately from the ship prior to disembarkation.   If you go-it-alone, you are in command of your own destiny. 

Now, all the above so stated, most TA's can arrange everything Regent does - often less expensively - and it won't hamper your vacation.   It's not Greed.  It's just Business...

[UUNetBill]

And I’m sure the included flights and transfers on Crystal are all taken care...oh, wait, Crystal doesn’t include that...oops...