Question on Booking Excursions

[mj_holiday]

My memory may be letting me down, but I just finished booking excursions for a cruise in 2022.  For one short excursion with several different start times, one of the times had a note about being full.  The note went on to say something about if you choose waitlist for this, RSSC will automatically put you one that excursion if/when the waitlist cleared.  

 

I do not remember this type of info from previously booking excursions (but that was 2 years ago).  I did not select this item, and maybe someone else can give us their experience, but it may be that you can get on a wait list without calling RSSC, like I have done in the past.

 

Also, I noticed that after I booked one excursion for the port, I was looking at others for that port.  There were notes by several of the other excursions that these could not be booked because they were too close in time to the one I had booked.  I thought you would only get that note after you tried to select it.  But again maybe my memory is letting me down.

 

Or, maybe RSSC has made improvements to this tool.

[Scout16]

I know that the system did this when I signed up for a 2020 cruise, which was cancelled.  I am not sure if it did this in 2019. 

[Lonedaddy]

we booked to SG Pompeii tour first which was waitlisted.  then we booked the regular Pompeii tour since we were only waitlisted on the other.  I don't thinl the system lets you do it in reverse.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, I'm surprised that you can book excursions for 2022!

[Portolan]

With respect to getting the notice of a conflict: been this way for many years.  Makes sense to me for them to tell you that there is a conflict before proceeding farther.  If you cancel the other tour, the conflict will go away.  One related item: the size of the buffer required between excursions has changed from (as I recall) 75 minutes to now (I believe) 90 minutes.  However, the on-line bookings have, on occasion, been improperly coded and show a conflict for what should be mutually compatible excursions.  A call to Regent has always gotten this resolved with the second excursion added.  If both the excursions you want for the same day are each offered at morning and afternoon times, one combination may be legitimate while the other isn't due to their respective lengths.  If possible, I recommend choosing the excursion you most care about for the morning as it is possible that some delay in finishing that excursion may not get you back in time for the second.  Hasn't happened to us, but there have been a couple of close calls. 

[Fairfield Nana]

We have not been on this CC website for over a year since we cancelled our Regent Navigator cruise to Canada for Sep 2020. Have now re-booked for Sep 20, 2022 and was looking for some info I recall from a couple of years ago about tips to book several shore excursions for this cruise. Can't locate it anymore. So, if anyone could direct me to where I might find some details on when we can start to call or go online with Regent, and other great tips on how best to come away with a successful venture in booking, I would be very grateful.  Thanks..

[mj_holiday]

When I want to do some preplanning on excursions, I go to the cruise we will be on through "Find a Cruise" and click on the various ports, and each one will have the excursions for the cruise, but that can change, but this will get you started looking at what is available.  Just be sure to review all of them the day or so before you can book the excursions, in case some new ones showed up that you may want.

[Fairfield Nana]

Thank you very much, will do this.

[Jlhalldc]

I just encountered this very problem on our upcoming transatlantic on Splendor in April 2022. Realizing folks sign up for excursions early, I made the mistake of *waiting* until 8am to book my excursions and the tour of Alhambra was already full. My TA told me to go ahead and sign up for it AND a back-up and if someone drops it, we will automatically get the wait-listed excursion. The Regent site did indeed allow me to wait list, then book another tour. Pleasantly surprising.

 

For the second half of our back-to-back, I got up at 2am(!) and booked and secured all of our preferred excursions. 

 

Regent folks are nothing if not expedient and competitive. 😅

[Jlhalldc]

If you change your mind and want to switch excursions, you must call Regent -- cannot do this online. But I have to give props to Regent -- I got through to an operator right away and they were able to do this quickly. Needed the "Booking Number" and the changes were made on the spot. 

 

Others may know this already, but thought I'd share my experience. 

[Fairfield Nana]

Good info-- will make a big note to set my alarm for 11:00PM as I'm on California time. We had been on the same Canada itinerary or Sep 2020 and had to cancel. Seem to recall making my initial contact with Regent around midnight on the evening of the day before bookings were to open and got all of our choices. Not sure if I did this online or by phone--problem of getting more years is tend to forget some things.. Oh well, makes life more exciting. Be safe and thanks for the great tip!

[Ladys Mom]

On 4/19/2021 at 7:35 PM, Jlhalldc said:

I just encountered this very problem on our upcoming transatlantic on Splendor in April 2022. Realizing folks sign up for excursions early, I made the mistake of *waiting* until 8am to book my excursions and the tour of Alhambra was already full. My TA told me to go ahead and sign up for it AND a back-up and if someone drops it, we will automatically get the wait-listed excursion. The Regent site did indeed allow me to wait list, then book another tour. Pleasantly surprising.

 

For the second half of our back-to-back, I got up at 2am(!) and booked and secured all of our preferred excursions. 

 

Regent folks are nothing if not expedient and competitive. 😅

There is something about tours of the Alhambra that make it sell out almost immediately. We have potentially been on three cruises that included the Alhambra (only one took place) and even at midnight we were not able to book the tour.  We were given the same advice as you were -- to book it anyway -- but we are still waiting to see it.

[CarrieAP]

While not a Regent tour, for Alhambra perhaps consider using Spain Day Tours? Our last cruise was an NCL TA Nov 2019 during which we had a number of outstanding tours with them. Our day visiting the Alhambra is a precious memory.  

[1982CruzStart]

22 hours ago, Fairfield Nana said:

Good info-- will make a big note to set my alarm for 11:00PM as I'm on California time

i live on the west coast as well and i always book my shore excursions at 9 pm the day before as booking opens at midnight EST so out west we get to do it 3 hours earlier. 

 

11 hours ago, CarrieAP said:

While not a Regent tour, for Alhambra perhaps consider using Spain Day Tours? 

I agree.  We used them when we were on a different cruise line and i am so glad we went.   If memory serves you can always cancel the Spain Day tours if you are subsequently able to get on the Regent tour as long as you find out before the cancelation date. 

[Dwtlion]

3 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

i live on the west coast as well and i always book my shore excursions at 9 pm the day before as booking opens at midnight EST so out west we get to do it 3 hours earlier. 

 

I agree.  We used them when we were on a different cruise line and i am so glad we went.   If memory serves you can always cancel the Spain Day tours if you are subsequently able to get on the Regent tour as long as you find out before the cancelation date. 

The real question is: will Regent even allow passengers to use independent tours when they start back up? No one knows, but the betting is on a negative answer.

[wishIweretravelling]

On 4/22/2021 at 12:48 PM, Ladys Mom said:

There is something about tours of the Alhambra that make it sell out almost immediately. 

What I was told by someone in Destination Services is that Alhambra allocates only a fixed number of tickets per day to any one operator, so once Regent's number is filled, that's it. She mentioned the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam as another destination with that limitation. So, the numbers are already limited and once the excursion is filled, that's it. They can't add another group or an additional time. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

2 hours ago, wishIweretravelling said:

What I was told by someone in Destination Services is that Alhambra allocates only a fixed number of tickets per day to any one operator, so once Regent's number is filled, that's it. She mentioned the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam as another destination with that limitation. So, the numbers are already limited and once the excursion is filled, that's it. They can't add another group or an additional time. 

I believe that it's an absolute limit to tickets for that day, not per operator.

[wishIweretravelling]

I was told per operator per day, but of course haven't independently confirmed that.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

3 hours ago, wishIweretravelling said:

I was told per operator per day, but of course haven't independently confirmed that.

Okay, well perhaps it's changed.

[Just2guys]

Regarding excursions.....we are looking at a Splendor sailing in 2022 where all that is available is an F1, so we would not be able to book shore excursions or specialty dining until after concierge and above have done so (do not have enough nites on board yet to where we can do the early excursion / dining reservations regardless of cabin booked).

 

It seems that in many instances, if an excursion is full and people wait list, that often times Regent adds more buses for that particular excursion and the wait list clears.  Of course, this whole situation may change post COVID --- especially if only cruise line excursions are allowed in ports and private tours are not -- and depending upon where one is on the wait list.

 

We are not too concerned with the specialty dining situation as we know that we will have to be flexible.  However, in reading this and other threads, it seems that even Concierge and above some times have trouble getting their desired excursions even when bookings first open --- or is  this usually only in instances where there are group limits (Alhambra, Anne Frank House, etc.?) 

 

Could some of you more experienced Regent folks give us some information  based on your experiences with the more general  type tours in various ports.  Did you clear any wait lists?  Did Regent add more buses for your desired excursion?  Do you think having to wait for the second round of booking excursions (after Concierge and above) means it is less likely we would get the excursions we want?

 

Thank in advance for any information you can provide.

 

[mj_holiday]

In our 5 past cruises with Regent, we have never not gotten on an excursion we wanted.  The waitlists that we got on have cleared.  The last time I had a waitlist was when you had to call to get put on.  It looks like now that is done while booking excursions.  I always found out the waitlist cleared when we got into our cabin and looked through the excursion tickets in our cabin.  I would suspect that you may be able to tell if the waitlist clears by looking at your account (not sure and hopefully someone else will chime in).

 

As for specialty dining, yes, it is very nice but it is not a big deal for us.  I plan on one night each.  The Compass Rose is so very nice with a great menu.  A couple times we needed to book sharing since we prefer earlier times.  At least one of those times, we ended up  by ourselves. There are a couple things at each restaurant that you cannot get in the CR, and I would recommend you understand what they are.  In Prime 7 the ice cream/caramel popcorn, chocolate sundae is very good.  Along with the crab legs, they will remove the shells for you. 

[florida tennis]

Just booked my excursions - first time on Regent.  I couldn't find this tip anywhere - sorry if double posted. 

You will need the Name of the Excursion to find it among the list of available ones.  I only had the number and it was a challenge.  The number does appear in the details when you select it (helpful as some of the titles had changed).  

Once you select it and confirm it you can no longer change it online - a call to Regent or TA is needed.