Excursion suggestions for Regent

[flossie009]

There have been a few threads recently which include criticism of Regent’s excursions.

We have enjoyed many of the destination offerings and we like Regent’s all inclusive business model.

 

However, now we are drawing away from the difficulties of the pandemic, it is maybe time for Regent and its tour operators to review what is on offer in some ports.

Regent started to offer a few new ideas pre-pandemic with their go-local & small group offerings. Hopefully they can come up with a few more new ideas.

 

Many of the tours offered are historically themed (lots of churches & temples). Nothing wrong with that but often we like to choose something a bit different.

Discussion in the bar on our recent cruise brought forward the suggestion of more tours about the present and the future. For example, technology & manufacturing based excursions. Since the cruise was in the Far East, the possibilities seemed endless.

The only manufacturing tours we remember seeing on Regent cruises were to breweries & wineries. How about visits to car or aerospace factories? or food manufacturing plants or the cosmetic industry?

 

Any other suggestions for Regent as to how the content of their excursions could be refreshed?

[papaflamingo]

I think the problem would be getting the manufacturers to agree to let a large group to tour their factory.  Many places simply aren't set up for such a tour.  

Also if you research other cruise lines you'll find that most the excursions to a particular port are the same as Regent excursions.  Especially NCL.  There are only so many things to see and so many companies that'll be available for a cruise line like Regent who often visit a port once or twice a year as opposed to the major lines that visit the same ports every week with 1500-7000 paying passengers.  

But I like your idea of technological tours where possible.  I enjoy seeing the historic side of a port stop, but would love to tour Toyota or Honda in Japan.  

[mj_holiday]

There are many manufacturing complexes that are set up for tours.  This is a great idea.

 

Another idea would be in an area where there is a special type of food, a tour to do with the manufacturing of the food, dessert or what ever.

[Gilly]

I was so hopeful on reading the "new" categories of tours that were being developed for Regent pre-Covid.  We were fortunate to experience a "Go Local" tour in Istanbul which we loved and we looked forward to more, similar opportunities.  We simply walked with a local woman; she happened to be a professional tour guide, but for the morning, she took us on a typical Saturday morning walk through her neighbourhood.  As we walked (wearing earbuds connected to the Regent app) she talked about life in Istanbul, she pointed out a few places, we rode a tram with her and waved to her florist, her hairdresser, bought bread from a street stand which we took to enjoy with our coffee, sitting in a park with the locals.  Our tour finished with lunch in a restaurant and having walked through the market, bought turkish delight and had a short time to ourselves, we returned to the ship.  That's the kind of "real" experience that I value.  I don't particularly want to visit artificial tourist attractions and whilst in some cases, I'm eager to visit places of historical interest, if I'm returning to a port for a second or third time, I want to learn more about the place and do something fresh.

It doesn't have to be complicated.  Everyday activities are fascinating when seen from a different point of view, especially in an unfamiliar setting.

And yes, food is always a bonus 😉

Edited March 20, 2023 by Gilly
typo/slip of the finger!

[slidebite]

As someone that works in industry as my day job, with everything to food production to resource extraction equipment, I think its great idea and I'd be 100% on board because that would be right up my alley.

 

But I think the practicalities of most commercial operations (especially a large one) that simply are not already designed for public tours might make it challenging.

 

Liability aspects, proper PPE that is pretty much universal in most "factory" operations (safety equipment like proper closed and steel toe footwear, eye protection, head protection, hearing protection, long sleeves) and potential liability aspects would probably make it unpalatable to most operations. Many commercial operations (especially in Europe in my experience) do not even like photographs to be taken. I was in Germany for a business meeting back around 2008 and I took my camera out for a photo at a V-belt manufacturer I was visiting and I thought the Spetznatz were going to rappel out of the ceiling for me lol.

 

Would it be possible? As mentioned, some facilities do allow for public tours but I don't think the cost/benefit would work to their benefit 99% of the time for those that aren't specifically built for that purpose with dedicated walkways and infrastructure, away from the "floor" of the operations. I can say that the factories I deal with, while some might allow for public tours, they are very few and far between with very, small numbers.

 

But heck yeah, going to the Ferrari factory in Italy would totally be my thing and potentially visiting factories that are set up for it would 100% interest me for sure!

[flossie009]

3 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

Also if you research other cruise lines you'll find that most the excursions to a particular port are the same as Regent excursions.

I understand that and I suppose my thoughts are directed at the tour operators who service most of the major cruise-lines.

As a loyal Regent customer I chose to share ideas on the Regent Board in the hope that it might be read by someone in RSSC with influence. After all, the parent NCLH has powerful buying power in the cruise tour market and the new President, Harry Sommer, has always impressed as someone who is keen to listen to customers and push forward new ideas.

 

 

3 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

I think the problem would be getting the manufacturers to agree to let a large group to tour their factory.  Many places simply aren't set up for such a tour.

 

42 minutes ago, slidebite said:

But I think the practicalities of most commercial operations (especially a large one) that simply are not already designed for public tours might make it challenging.

Many manufacturers are already set up for tours and are keen to market their products.

The question is whether the cruise tour operators are sufficiently innovative to approach companies in order to include such tours on their menu of offerings to cruise lines. In many ports it seems that they find it simpler to just hire local guides to herd all cruise passengers around the same itinerary of historic landmarks.

 

Regent could further set itself apart from the mass market by offering small group tours to those companies who do not want to open up to large groups on a regular basis.

 

 

[slidebite]

3 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

Many manufacturers are already set up for tours and are keen to market their products.

The question is whether the cruise tour operators are sufficiently innovative to approach companies in order to include such tours on their menu of offerings to cruise lines. In many ports it seems that they find it simpler to just hire local guides to herd all cruise passengers around the same itinerary of historic landmarks.

 

Regent could further set itself apart from the mass market by offering small group tours to those companies who do not want to open up to large groups on a regular basis.

 

 

I think many is relative 🙂

 

I work in and with industrial production and manufacturing facilities daily. It's literally been my entire professional career since I was a young man. I have been to many industrial facilities in North America and Europe over my 30+ years in industry. I'm actually leaving in 20 minutes to go to one as I type this 🙂 And many of them are fascinating and I'm sure would be very interesting for some to go to. But, public tours are just not as prevalent as you seem to be under the impression that they are. Maybe a little more so just 10 years ago when things were a little more laissez-faire than now... but today with safety, security and liability in the western world, it's just a can of worms most places have no interest in dealing with. Perhaps some places in Asia (as you mentioned) that maybe don't have the safety mindset? Maybe? I genuinely don't know about there but I can't help but think even there in the technology sector the bar is going to be fairly high with safety, proprietary IP and contamination worries.

 

I'm on side with you, I think it's a nifty idea but the type of tours I think you are looking for is just not something that places are set up for, nor would they have much interest to do so. There are several very good reasons not to and only a couple of small, limited reasons they would. Exposure and marketing products to small groups of people is just not that great of a "pro." Places that even deal with consumer goods generally don't want the consumer visit their facilities. They are just are not set up for it. Setting up to be suitable to the general public/cruise crowd (including senior citizens) would require significant investment to keep everyone safe and not interfere with the facility.

 

There are exceptions, especially those in places without strict laws (or with lax enforcement), those would be interesting to include and it's a great thought. A consumer direct "factory" - like jewelry, alcohol or some type of collectible (for example, the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa was kinda neat as was Murano Glass in Italy) but I don't think that's the kind of thing that is being discussed here? And in all fairness, once you've seen one or two distilleries or breweries, they're not that different.

 

In a modern production facility, it's really just not that common unless it's designed for it. Now, with that said, even if there were just 1 at a port that they could arrange something to get into, I do think that would be a worthwhile and would be something different than the norm.

[Ladys Mom]

I agree that it is time for Regent to step up with a greater variety of tours.  That being said, in many large cities there are famous museums and/or sights that Regent seems to forget about.  Instead, people like me are going to the sight ourselves because the Regent ones don't interest us at all.  Some examples on our Grand Voyage this coming summer are the Tattoo and the Ship Britannia in Edinburgh, the Slavery Museum in Liverpool, and the Rykesmuseum in Amsterdam.  It seems like there have been fewer museum tours generally in the last few years.  Many people still enjoy museums if they have a knowledgable guide to explain things to them.

[Parapara]

34 minutes ago, Ladys Mom said:

I agree that it is time for Regent to step up with a greater variety of tours.  That being said, in many large cities there are famous museums and/or sights that Regent seems to forget about.  Instead, people like me are going to the sight ourselves because the Regent ones don't interest us at all.  Some examples on our Grand Voyage this coming summer are the Tattoo and the Ship Britannia in Edinburgh, the Slavery Museum in Liverpool, and the Rykesmuseum in Amsterdam.  It seems like there have been fewer museum tours generally in the last few years.  Many people still enjoy museums if they have a knowledgable guide to explain things to them.

I agree. We haven’t sailed with Regent before but overall are rather disappointed with shore excursions on offer. Being in port over night in Edinburgh when the tattoo is on I would have thought that would have been an option. In fact there are very few excursions offered in Edinburgh over the two days.

 

[Kwaj girl]

2 hours ago, Parapara said:

I agree. We haven’t sailed with Regent before but overall are rather disappointed with shore excursions on offer. Being in port over night in Edinburgh when the tattoo is on I would have thought that would have been an option. In fact there are very few excursions offered in Edinburgh over the two days.

 

 

Interesting....we were on a similar summer itinerary in Summer '18 and an overnight trip including the Tatoo was an optional (purchased) tour.  Maybe Regent could not get tickets this year to offer such a program. 🤔

[welshfamily]

Lady’s mom

Just  for your information.

I know Liverpool well.

The slavery museum in Liverpool  is free. The Museum is on the third floor of the Merseyside Maritime Museum. It is located on Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock, at the centre of a World Heritage site and only yards away from the dry docks where 18th century slave trading ships were repaired and fitted out. 

I believe it a short walk from where the ship will dock and easily done on your own.

if you want any further info on Liverpool just post and I will do my best to help you.

 

 

[welshfamily]

We have yet to sail on Regent. We have booked quite a few tours for our summer cruise. Some of the tours are obviously the same as Oceania as we recognised the descriptions and are familiar with them. We were disappointed to see many of the same tours offered. Obviously the parent company NCL is using the same tours regardless of the  ship.

We are well travelled in Europe and would put our vote into the Go local tours. We would also like to have seen more unusual  tours. Places like Civitavecchia ( port for Rome). There are lots of places of interest within driving distance other than Rome itself.  

 

Better descriptions particularly distance from port ( travel time ) would also help. 

We had the misfortune to go to Avignon from Marseille last year on an Oceania excursion. I really wanted to see the famous bridge from a childhood song. The same is offered on our cruise this year with Regent. The journey time was 1hr.30, the tour guide stopped at a motorway service area for a toilet break for 20 mins. We had to walk from outside the city where the coach parked ( 15 mins)  had a hours walking tour cut to 30 mins, had 30 mins on our own and then back on the coach. The coach took well over 2 hrs to get back to the ship. Of the 5 /6 hour excursion  we saw very little of Avignon itself. Tour guides attitude ….. cruise company knew as a second afternoon tour was also going from the same ship. Cost $180 each. 

 

Needless to say … we have googled travelling distance ourselves this year before selecting any excursion and paying for a tour to Avignon ( with Regent ) to actually make it to the bridge. 
 

 

[pappy1022]

I would like Regent to do 2 things with shore excursions. #1, provide more options for those who want to do more active excursions. Sitting in a bus looking out the window and making a 15 minute stop to take a picture (it turns out to be 45 minutes by the time you unload and load the bus) offerings are way too many. #2, monitor the excursion providers and hold them accountable for not providing what’s in the description of the excursion that Regent provides. In other words, quality control. If Regent is going to provide a 5 Star experience, they need to up their game when it comes to shore excursions.

[papaflamingo]

I have actually found nothing wrong with most of the tours we've booked through Regent.  Yes some tours are mediocre at best, but most have been pretty good.  However I read the descriptions and have realistic expectations.  If it's a "Panoramic Tour" it's going to be a bus ride around the sites.  If that's not what someone likes, pass on it.  If it's a "Hike" or "Snorkel." it's going to involve walking or swimming.  If you can't do those things then pass on it.  

But many Regent cruise only visit a port once or twice a year.  Sure during the winter they do Caribbean cruises and during the Summer, Alaska.  But so does everyone else, and those others come in with 1500-7000 passengers.  How does a small town or island provide "interesting" tours for 10000 people?  They can't.  So having a bunch of individually tailored tours for a small ship of 700 in every port is simply not possible, and in the fight for tour companies with all the other cruise ships certainly is a difficult constraint on Regent.  If I was a tour company and had to choose between 30 people off Regent or 300 people off Wonder of the Seas, there's no contest.  Go with the large ship that comes into port every week and sends me 300 people for my limited tour company.  

 

[mrstanley]

I agree with welshfamily. Provide information on distances travel time involved. I’ve actually called Regent to get this information only to be told we don’t have it. They do as they do almost the same excursions on their itineraries.

Its vital to me when I’m selecting shore excursions as I’m not interested in sitting on a bus for 2-3 hours to see something.

 

The Destination Department has not been very helpful regarding this information.

[pappy1022]

Regent does say in the details of an excursion how much time to expect walking and at what level. It’s safe to assume that if an excursion is 4 hours with 1 hour of walking, you are probably going to have 3 hours on the bus and/or waiting for people to get back on the bus. At least that is how I interpret Regent’s information.

[slidebite]

4 hours ago, welshfamily said:

We had the misfortune to go to Avignon from Marseille last year on an Oceania excursion. I really wanted to see the famous bridge from a childhood song. The same is offered on our cruise this year with Regent. The journey time was 1hr.30, the tour guide stopped at a motorway service area for a toilet break for 20 mins. We had to walk from outside the city where the coach parked ( 15 mins)  had a hours walking tour cut to 30 mins, had 30 mins on our own and then back on the coach. The coach took well over 2 hrs to get back to the ship. Of the 5 /6 hour excursion  we saw very little of Avignon itself. Tour guides attitude ….. cruise company knew as a second afternoon tour was also going from the same ship. Cost $180 each. 

 

Needless to say … we have googled travelling distance ourselves this year before selecting any excursion and paying for a tour to Avignon ( with Regent ) to actually make it to the bridge. 
 

 

I did an included Avignon tour with Regent a couple years ago and it was excellent. A ton of walking around on your own time after the guide did the initial introduction. Almost too much free time lol.

[maryogreen]

@flossie009 This is a terrific conversation-starter! I found myself nodding "yes" as I read each comment. Our last Regent cruise was Barcelona to Dubai in late 2019, and the excursions couldn't have been better – some small group tours, fabulous overnight in Luxor and Bedouin dinner under the stars at Wadi Rum. I hope these types of memorable experiences will continue to return post-pandemic.

 

@papaflamingo and @slidebite I loved your suggestions on factory tours. My husband and I will be in Hamburg in a couple of months before a cruise and have booked a tour of the Airbus factory. I'm guessing established tours like this could accommodate small groups and could be offered by Regent at an additional cost rather than as a "free" included excursion. My husband is especially excited about this one 🙂 

 

Mary

Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

[Eno-Bob]

Just one word of caution on included factory tours.  We took an excursion that included a tour of the LLadro Factory in Valencia, Spain last October, and it cost about $2,500 before we left.  Don’t think we could afford a Ferrari Factory tour…  

[mrstanley]

Pappy1022,

 

Your excursion tour tickets and other information is in your suite when u board.

There is a complete booklet of all the tours that are offered on your cruise.

In this packet is a precise description of each excursion… with exactly how much time traveling from place to place.

 

This information should be included in the description of the shore excursions online when you are deciding what to do.

 

 

 

[labonnevie]

I often check Google maps before booking a tour to understand driving times from port to points of interest. Yes, it’s not perfect, but we have rejected numerous tours based on this information. 

[mrstanley]

Labonnevie:

 

I do the same thing. Regent should be providing that important information needed when selecting a shore excursion.

I just canceled a shore excursion due to the amount of time spent on a bus to get to the destination.

[papaflamingo]

10 hours ago, maryogreen said:

My husband and I will be in Hamburg in a couple of months before a cruise and have booked a tour of the Airbus factory.

I'm retired Military/Airline Pilot (38 years of flying).  I would LOVE to tour the Airbus factory!   Have a wonderful time and take pics and post them...please?  😎

[slidebite]

On 3/21/2023 at 3:06 PM, labonnevie said:

I often check Google maps before booking a tour to understand driving times from port to points of interest. Yes, it’s not perfect, but we have rejected numerous tours based on this information. 

Absolutely. Before we book excursions, Mrs. and I spend an evening going over the offerings and relation to the port.

[1982CruzStart]

I looked through some possible shore excursions for our 2024 Grandeur cruise and thought the offerings below were different than what i had seen before and might be of interest as a trend to doing more inventive tours on Regent.  These are just a small example of what i think are out of the box from the regular bus and walking tours. 

 

SALINAS CHICLANA ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE

HIGHLIGHTS

Visit a protected coastal reserve for birds that was once a salt works .

Gain insight into how the wetland was transformed into a more eco-friendly habitat .

Discover how fish are raised and collected there using a traditional, sustainable method .

Sample a selection of local wines after touring an environmental resource center .

 

DESERTIFICATION PROJECT, SOIL RECOVERY

HIGHLIGHTS

See how desertification is being reversed through sustainable agriculture at Danyadara .

Discover how the farm promotes better water usage and helps to retain carbon in the soil .

Become inspired by Danyadara’s hopeful environmental messages .

 

FENWAY PARK & PUB CRAWL

HIGHLIGHTS

Take an insider’s tour of Fenway Park, the oldest baseball park in America.

See iconic features of the park such as the Green Monster and Pesky’s Pole.

Stop for a drink in as many as four pubs in neighborhoods surrounding Fenway Park.

 

BOSTON & VIP GAME-DAY FENWAY TOUR

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a panoramic driving tour through Boston as a prelude to your time at Fenway Park. • See areas of Fenway Park that are

only shown on private VIP tours. • Observe America’s oldest baseball park as it is being prepared for a game.