Shore Excursions…so disappointed!

[Roccaforte]

Being first time Regent cruisers we were drawn in by the brochure advertising FREE  unlimited excursions.  What isn’t mentioned is that when you sign up and make your non refundable deposit you find out that since you are nine months out and others signed up one year out - all of the good/interesting excursions are totally booked.  We wait listed but nothing cleared.  Although we visited the destination services desk almost daily, nothing changed.  We took some rather dreary long bus rides to boring locations.

Not what I was thinking when we decided on Regent.  Since we otherwise loved the cruise the lesson learned is - get a premium suite and sign up early.

Prior to this we always sailed Oceania.  I did lots of research on Trip Advisor, etc. and arranged some really outstanding excursions on our own.  Guess I should have done this on Splendor.

The OPs story is just so sad.  I would have been in tears.  I hope Regent makes an abject apology and gives her lots of OBCs.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Sheila, that would have driven me to tears as well, believe me.

 

We were on Splendor with you in January. And although neither of us yet require mobility devices (perhaps a cane once in a while), we are both mobility-challenged. It was disappointing how little accommodation was made for people like us off the ship, considering the number of mobility devices onboard!

 

My husband took no excursions at all, partly because of the heat, but also because of long piers to walk down even to get into the little towns to sit in the shade or people-watch.  No help available in any of these. I took two excursions, although I really wanted some easier snorkeling trips that didn't involve deep water and climbing ladders in and out of dive boats. Of the two excursions I took, one involved quite a long walk through a resort to a boat, and one bus trip that was quite easy except for the waterfall down a flight of about 50 steep stairs. I did manage the long walk and even the steep stairs, but it was a struggle.  I could of course just have stayed on the bus for the latter.

[mnocket]

4 hours ago, mj_holiday said:

And the tour boat captain should have been able to trust Destination Services to know they wouldn't bring someone for the tour that wasn't capable.

How so?  Does Destination Services meet with each customer to assess their fitness for the tour? No, in fact as has been pointed out, Destination Services doesn't even seem very knowledgeable about the specifics of many tours.  

 

The ultimate decision regarding permission to board is the Captain's.  Period.  Regent has no control over that - nor should they.  What Regent does have control over is how they treat their customers.  After having a disappointing experience does Regent respond with compassion and empathy?  In this case it seems they did not and the OP's response to this failure is understandable imho. 

[cruiseluv]

On 3/15/2023 at 1:38 PM, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

We are on Splendor. I am some mobility issues. I can walk, but not too far and can do some steps. . So I visit the Shore Excursions desk the day I board to work out all our tours. We were aboard six weeks ago, as well. We worked out our excursions with Joanne..Excursions Manager. That trip was mostly successful. 
this sailing…not so much. Finally met with Joanne yesterday. Today was St. Barts. A young man..Gersson was at the pier. I spoke with him before. He has no patience with anyone who has issues. He was also with us last sailing. Same problem. . We had booked a boat to sail around St. Barts. We tendered to the island. He advised us to just wait. Then everyone boarded the boat. Some woman then told us they would not let me board. It looked like every seat was now taken. BTW.. she kept my tickets so they will be paid. Now.. I was advised to return by tender to the ship. So much for our visit to St.. Barts. So disappointing!
One would think that Regent would try to arrange for folks like us to take tours. They are “included” for everyone except those with some mobility issues. 
Everyone knows that I am a cheerleader for Regent, having sailed with them since 1992 on Raddison Diamond. Perhaps, it’s time for a new direction. 
sheila

Sheila, I find this appalling! Not that it matters, but was this a paid excursion? 
Did you register your displeasure with the Excursions Manager? Frankly, I would go higher

[cruiseluv]

On 3/15/2023 at 1:55 PM, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

I have no advocate for me on Regent! I was in tears this afternoon. 

sheila

I’m reading this on a plane, on my way to PR, and I find myself getting really angry at Regent. I’m so sorry this happened to you, I hope you escalate it and give them hell

[cruiseluv]

On 3/15/2023 at 2:43 PM, pappy1022 said:

The rumblings about Regent excursions keeps getting louder and louder and I hope that Regent looks at this area and improves upon it. To place the entire blame on the tour providers is a cop out. Regent needs to take part of the blame and understand that for many of us, the destination is as important as any on ship service or accommodation. I for one won’t make Regent my top choice if I find that the excursions aren’t to my satisfaction. We are paying for this service although it is advertised as being “free”. Since we tend to travel with other couples, it is easy to justify private tours and be at a reasonable cost per tour per person. 

I’m also getting sick and tired of seeing many people unable to book excursions because they booked the cruise “late”. These excursions are supposed to be paid as part of the cruise price , if Regent can’t deliver then they should not bundle excursions or at least offer a credit to those of us that don’t care to partake. The few excursions  I got while on my Caribbean Splendor cruise this past January were mediocre at best

[cruiseluv]

On 3/15/2023 at 6:27 PM, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

I do not mean to extend this discussion…however… this is what happened…

I met with Joanne the day before to review my remaining tours. I do not slow anyone down. 
St. Barts….. I was to board the catamaran..five steps. Which I can do..

stay on the boat until we return. Then, disembark same steps and board the tender, located directly next to the boat. 
easy..peasy. 
I was told to wait until everyone boarded the catamaran by Gersson from Shore Excursions. . I did. I was then told the captain rejected my boarding. Problem was… he couldn’t see me where I was sitting. He had no idea who I was or what my capacity was. There were some who boarded with canes. The woman who collected my ticket never told me there would be a problem. Gersson,from shore excursions, would not pay any attention to me or my issue. After, he just said to get back on the tender. I was left in tears and returned to the ship….

I know I should just let go,but, I have never been so insulted or hurt. Shame on the Regent folks. Time to seek other options….

sheila

No, you shouldn’t let it go , this is outrageous behavior, especially from that guy Gersson. I wonder if he’s the one I interacted with at the Destination Desk in January, he was full of himself and nasty

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

39 minutes ago, mnocket said:

How so?  Does Destination Services meet with each customer to assess their fitness for the tour? No, in fact as has been pointed out, Destination Services doesn't even seem very knowledgeable about the specifics of many tours.  

 

The ultimate decision regarding permission to board is the Captain's.  Period.  Regent has no control over that - nor should they.  What Regent does have control over is how they treat their customers.  After having a disappointing experience does Regent respond with compassion and empathy?  In this case it seems they did not and the OP's response to this failure is understandable imho. 

Yes.. I met with the manager of shore excursions when I boarded. I do this every time we sail. I reviewed all my tours with her..we changed one but this one was fine with her. This is my own personal experience. I don’t speak for everyone. 
I was not treated well!

sheila

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

2 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

No, you shouldn’t let it go , this is outrageous behavior, especially from that guy Gersson. I wonder if he’s the one I interacted with at the Destination Desk in January, he was full of himself and nasty

He was there in January. Same cruise as you. He was obnoxious then and even more cocky now!

sheila

[cruiseluv]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:49 PM, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

Franck is not onboard. He was here on our last sailing end of January.

I don’t know this new guy. And, I don’t want to spend the rest of this cruise tracking him down.  But thanks for the good advice. 
sheila

Sheila , I think you have to reach out to a high level person on Regent and I would get Pavlus involved too

[cruiseluv]

3 minutes ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

He was there in January. Same cruise as you. He was obnoxious then and even more cocky now!

sheila

Sheila, please also post about this on the Regent Facebook page, it’s THEIR page so they monitor it

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

1 minute ago, cruiseluv said:

Sheila, please also post about this on the Regent Facebook page, it’s THEIR page so they monitor it

I just did…

[cruiseluv]

6 minutes ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

I just did…

Yes, just saw it and commented, good ! You have no idea how angry this makes me

[mnocket]

44 minutes ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

Yes.. I met with the manager of shore excursions when I boarded. I do this every time we sail. I reviewed all my tours with her..we changed one but this one was fine with her. This is my own personal experience. I don’t speak for everyone. 
I was not treated well!

sheila

I agree you were not treated well.  My point was that for the most part Destination Services does not meet with and assess each passenger for their fitness for a particular tour - and as your experience demonstrates even if a passenger meets with Destination Services they are not particularly knowledgeable about the tour specifics.   I doubt they know more than what the tour description says - if that.  So the Captain can not rely on prescreening by Regent and must make his own judgement as to who is allowed to board.  He may very well have made an uninformed decision in your case and that's on him.  Regent's failure, as I have said, is how they treated you.  I was not disagreeing with you.  I was disagreeing with the notion that all guests arrive at the tour operator prescreened and deemed fit for the particular activity.

[RetiredandTravel]

This is true mnocket but Sheila met with Regent excursion people to discuss the excursions when she boarded.   Sheila took the appropriate and reasonable action.

 

When Sheila arrived at the excursion boat she should have 1) Been one of the first people to board the excursion boat or 2) People from the excursion ship should have nicely apologized that the boat ride was too demanding.  Maybe the Regent excursion person apologized to her later? Taking her tickets then making her wait until everyone had boarded and then telling her she couldn't board just isn't acceptable.

 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

3 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

This is true mnocket but Sheila met with Regent excursion people to discuss the excursions when she boarded.   Sheila took the appropriate and reasonable action.

 

When Sheila arrived at the excursion boat she should have 1) Been one of the first people to board the excursion boat or 2) People from the excursion ship should have nicely apologized that the boat ride was too demanding.  Maybe the Regent excursion person apologized to her later? Taking her tickets then making her wait until everyone had boarded and then telling her she couldn't board just isn't acceptable.

 

You are so correct. That’s exactly what should have happened…but didn’t. I was left totally helpless and had no control of this situation..BTW.. no apology from anyone involved at the time. 
sheila

[gcorgain]

I am really sorry to see this. Sheila, while we have never met, I have always appreciated your knowledgable and balanced posts. I am so sorry to hear about your unacceptable experience and hope that somehow Regent makes things right.

 

Greg

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

54 minutes ago, gcorgain said:

I am really sorry to see this. Sheila, while we have never met, I have always appreciated your knowledgable and balanced posts. I am so sorry to hear about your unacceptable experience and hope that somehow Regent makes things right.

 

Greg

Hi Greg

Thank you so much for your encouragement and kind words. 
sheila

[flossie009]

On 3/17/2023 at 7:19 AM, welshfamily said:

And if Regent does monitor these boards. Please put this right for Sheila.

It is impossible for Regent to put this right. The damage is done.

All senior management can do is meet with Sheila, acknowledge her complaint, issue a fulsome apology and take the necessary action to ensure this type of incident does not happen again in the future.

 

 

16 hours ago, AtA said:

What's sad is before they started including tours in the price, none of this ever happened. They used to have truly excellent tours, with half filled busses, etc.

Regent have been including excursions in the price for 15 years. In that time we have had many truly excellent tours and have met some very hard working, friendly & efficient members of the Destinations team.

 

16 hours ago, mrstanley said:

I’ve found the staff working in the Destination Department to be clueless

Damning all members of a Regent department because of the shortcomings of some is grossly unfair.

I also disagree with those who choose to name individuals on social media. IMO the correct course of action is to discuss issues with their manager so that corrective action can be taken; if necessary escalating up the chain of command.

 

[wcsdkqh]

Yes, Destination Services has room for improvement. Don’t we all. Certainly Sheila’s treatment was abhorrent and should be corrected, but to condemn everyone in that organization is ridiculous. To think that an onboard staff of a couple people should be able to answer specific questions about specific excursions is absurd. Think about it, a single cruise with 8 or 10 ports with multiple excursions at each one. No one could possibly have detailed information about all of them. 

[Pcardad]

1 hour ago, wcsdkqh said:

Yes, Destination Services has room for improvement. Don’t we all. Certainly Sheila’s treatment was abhorrent and should be corrected, but to condemn everyone in that organization is ridiculous. To think that an onboard staff of a couple people should be able to answer specific questions about specific excursions is absurd. Think about it, a single cruise with 8 or 10 ports with multiple excursions at each one. No one could possibly have detailed information about all of them. 

Destinations uses a shared database that all the ships can access.

[papaflamingo]

23 hours ago, Roccaforte said:

  What isn’t mentioned is tofhat when you sign up and make your non refundable deposit you find out that since you are nine months out and others signed up one year out - all of the good/interesting excursions are totally booked.  

For future reference, if you want to know what shore excursions are available to book and you're within the year, you can put a 7 day hold on a cabin,  That will give you a booking number and you can enter your cruise in your account.  You can then go into the "customize" section and see what shore excursions are available and what are waitlist only.  If you decide to take the cruise, you can pay the deposit and then be able to book the excursions.  But at least it'll give you an idea of what';s available and what's not. 

[Roccaforte]

Very helpful information.  I was unaware that I could put a seven day hold on a cabin without making that preliminary deposit.  Can I do this on-line or through my TA?

Thanks!

[papaflamingo]

2 minutes ago, Roccaforte said:

Very helpful information.  I was unaware that I could put a seven day hold on a cabin without making that preliminary deposit.  Can I do this on-line or through my TA?

Thanks!

I'm not sure about on line as I have always used a TA. But when she puts the cruise on a 7 day hold she sends me a booking confirmation that includes a booking number and when I enter it the cruise shows up like it's booked.  So I can go in and look at all the available information including shore excursions and their availability  if they've opened for booking.  Of course this only works if the shore excursions are open for booking.  If you decide not to go you can either let the TA know or just don't put down the deposit and it'll expire and come off your account.  

[curmudgeon98]

Was this the excursion that has the following note under "disclaimer"?  It does seem that tour options in St Barts are currently rather limited, but many catamaran sailing trips are oriented towards physically active participants as there is potential for a rougher ride and need to scramble about if the wind comes up.

..............................................

This tour includes a moderate amount of activity and requires using a dive ladder to enter and exit the water. Participants should be good swimmers and in good physical condition. The tour is not available to wheelchair guests or to those with mobility concerns and may not be suitable for guests with back or neck problems. Guests must be at least 21 years of age to drink alcoholic beverages, which will only be served after the water activities are completed. Guests who take part in water activities do so at their own risk and responsibility and may be required to sign a liability waiver. The vessel and crew are not dive or snorkel certified. The catamaran has a toilet and an outdoor freshwater shower.