On-Line Reservations? How Successful Are They?

[Aloha Cruiser]

Having made reservations on-line for both the Excursions and the Restaurants on the Mariner, I'd just like to know what has been your experience with these?

 

Did you get the excursions you wanted, and were your restaurant reservations in order when you got on-board?

 

Just curious, thanks!!

[joannapvb]

100% for us

[greytstuff]

100% for us also. We booked the first day they were available on line. That way you can be really sure you will get what you want, especially the land tours, as some will fill up pretty fast. When we got on board, our tickets for tours were waiting for us as well as confirmation of restuarant reservations. When you book, you will receive email confirmation so take that with you also.

[BBfromCA]

I have also received 100% of what I asked for, and was able to make adjustments once onboard without any problems (ie: excursion change, and adding extra restaurant reservations).

[Ste. Michelle]

Yes.

[NCCruzQueen]

We've had no problems with online reservations for excursions or dining.

 

If problems occur with your excursions, just take them to the Tour Desk. They are quick change artists!!

 

Changing dinner reservations may be more difficult, depending on the number of passengers booking in the speciality restaurants and your evening preference. Just see the maitre de' or bulter, if you have one.

[Pincus]

We have no experience with booking the excursions, but our restaurant reservation requests were honored.

 

When we entered our cabin, the confirmations were waiting for us.

 

Regent does well with this service.

 

Pincus

[Jim B]

100% here!

[HollDoll]

Hate to be the odd man out here, but our excursion reservations were a disaster. However, I must explain, there were three women in a suite, each of whom did their own online excursion reservations. They were totally wrong, in every way. I think Regent's computer system doesn't understand anything but two people in a suite doing the same thing. Then I think you'll be fine. I'm pretty sure our restaurant reservations were okay. As we were in a Horizon suite we had a butler and he sorted everything for us very quickly, and it all turned out A-OK!

[comettgirl]

HollDoll, it's always nice to have someone have a problem with the situation being discussed. I is almost MORE important to know how they handle mistakes!!! And as you experienced, they took "totally wrong" and made it A-OK in short order!!!

[Aloha Cruiser]

Many thanks to all of you for your replies.

 

Just as I suspected, Regent just keeps getting better and better!

 

One less thing to think about, and I hope it makes it a bit easier for the crew on-board the Mariner to not have the crush of passengers all trying to make dinner reservations immediately after they embark.

 

:)

[micked10@earthlink.net]

This is a little off topic but I read yesterday on one of the threads that breakfast and lunch were all buffet. Is this true?? Can you order off the menu? I am not particulary fond of buffets and really like to sit down and be served. Maybe I'm a little spoiled! We sail on Sept. 1st on the PG and I guess I had never thought of this before and just assumed, like on other cruises, there would be both choices. Please let me know so that we will be prepared for this.

Micked10

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You can have a sit-down breakfast in La Verandah I think it is. And a sit down lunch there as well (I think.) Someone who remembers better can clarify I'm sure.

 

Breakfast and lunch at Le Grill are both (very nice) buffets. They also cook omelettes to order.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Thanks Wendy for your response. If I can have my omelet I will be a happy camper!

Micked10

[Aloha Cruiser]

You can order breakfast from Room Service too, which we do virtually every day we are on-board. It is so fun to sip coffee on your lanai/balcony and watch the world go by.

 

We usually put the card on the door the night before if we have an early activity the next day (and they are always very prompt), otherwise we just call when we wake up and are ready for breakfast.

 

The Room Service folks are great, and if there is something special you want which isn't on the menu, (I like fresh mixed berries and my DH like Eggs Benedict on occasion), you can just make the request and they will be happy to oblige.

 

Honestly the only bad thing about sailing with Regent is the fact that when you get home there isn't anyone to call for breakfast service!! :)

[wishIweretravelling]

Most mornings they also serve breakfast in Compass Rose. The banana pancakes are delicious.

 

On room service, you can also write your special requests on the door hanging menu and they'll comply if they can.

 

Re reservations on line, I've done it many times and only had a problem once--there were two tickets rather than one waiting for me when I boarded. Took a few seconds to get the second one off my bill.

[micked10@earthlink.net]

Thanks aloha Cruiser and Crys,

I forgot about room service--that is an excellent option. Crys--those banana pancakes sound yummy. Thanks for the quick replies. We leave a week from this Mon. to go to LA to visit our son and then onto Tahiti! Boy, am I excited!!

[cruiseej]

Returning to the original topic of online tour reservations, I have a related question: is it normal for the tours to be offered not to be posted prior to the opening of online reservations? We're booked on the Voyager for a December 21 cruise with my parents, and I was hoping we'd be all be able to review the offerings before online reservations open. But online reservations start in just a few days (August 23) and the Regent site still shows only "typical shore excursions for this port of call; actual tours offered may vary", with no prices or times. Is it normal for the actual tours not to be listed until the moment reservations open? If so, I guess it means we'll have a busy day Thursday! (I know, there are about a million and one worse problems one could have!) Thanks.

 

-- Eric

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hi Eric,

 

I believe in general you can trust the listings pretty well, but you just can't see the prices. They often add or remove an excursion or two when they actually post them.

 

Our excursions opened up last Thursday, for the December 14th cruise, and I booked them today. No particular surprises, although they did add one tour, subtract another, and alter a third somewhat.

[JoAnne B]

Excursions, no problem. The tickets have been in the cabin on embarkation or that night. But I've never had a problem booking onboard either.

 

Restaurant reservations are only a problem when they change the formal nights. I like to do Portofino's on the Navigator on formal night because I like their lobster better than the main dining room. But, I've had surprises when I embarked. Never a problem to switch, though.

 

Not sure how easy that will be on the fall crossing, which is fully booked. Hopefully, they'll be accomodating where possible. It's not like the Voyager where the alternative restaurants are in such demand.

 

Counting the days. I just found out that I can only carry 20 kg from Innsbruck, total. I tried to talk hubby into driving, but lost the fight. Looks like I'll be shipping ahead and taking my chances.

 

JoAnne B

Houston

[egret]

Our reservations for our May 07 trip to Alaska on the Mariner were pretty good. The only hitch was that we found out our ATV Adventure in Sitka was sold out when we got on board. Later in the week they informed us that two slots opened up, however we were a group of four so we passed.

We only made one dinner reservation ahead of time, that was fine.

[englishlee]

We are just back from the Mariner, Seward-Osaka and we did have a problem with our reservations. Our excursion reservations were confirmed and tickets were waiting for us in our cabin when we got on-board.

 

The restaurant reservations were however a bit more problematical. We had requested (reserved) on-line, one night in Latitudes and one night in Signatures. A few days into the cruise we also added another night in Signatures for a couple of days before the end of the voyage. The day of our dinner in Latitudes we received the confirmation card for our reservation that night (as is usual) and all was well. On the day of our dinner at Signatures there was no card by early afternoon, but we weren't really worried as we know that they must have received the reservation as it was on the same res request that Latitudes was on and that had been received.

 

My wife is a worrier and so she insisted that when Signatures opened we went to reconfirm the res for later that night. I was not a little surprised to be told by an officer at the door that the restaurant was in fact closed that night for a private function, and that I should speak to the Maitre' D who was standing close by. This I did only to be told that yes the restaurant was closed and after explaining that we had a reservation he informed me that I did not in fact have a reservation, that I had been advised when I boarded this was the case, and that he had also sent a reminder to my cabin to this effect. By this time I was very upset as this evening was special to celebrate my wifes birthday that night. Rather than raise my voice (there were many others around whose evening I did not wish to spoil) I asked the M'D to sort something out. He said that there was nothing he could do for me that evening which I reluctantly agreed was the probably the case, but he then refused to take care of rebooking me for a later date but that he would do so after the restaurant had closed that evening but that in any case he had already rebooked us for the 24th which was not the case as I had booked that as an extra date a few days earlier and he had had nothing at all to do with it.

 

In the end I realised that I wasn't going to to get anywhere that night so we ended up in the Verandah (we had sort of lost our appetite by then). I waited to see if I would in fact hear from him that evening or the following morning regarding rebooking and was not surprised when I didn't. So I rang him shortly after midday the next day, he remembered me by name (no surprise given the 'discussion' the previous night) apologised for the problem the previous evening although not for not getting back to me. As we were now only a few days before the end of the cruise I asked him to arrange a table either that night or the following. He couldn't book that night because yet again it was closed for a private function, so I opted for the following night and canceled the additional reservation I had made a few days earlier for the 24th as I did not wish to eat in Signatures twice in three nights. He said that he would send a confirmation card to our cabin the following day - which never turned up!

 

When we turned up at Signatures the Maitr D met us again and apologised as he showed us to our table, and that was the last we saw of him that night.

 

Low and behold on the 24th (the reservation which we had previously canceled) we received a card confirming the reservation. We called to let them know we had already canceled (just in case there was a waiting list). The next day (the 25th) and the last night of the cruise we received another card confirming a reservation for that night, this time it was complete mystery why as at no time had we ever requested or been offered that night. So all in all Signatures messed up in everything they seemed to try to do.

 

We still have not got to the bottom of why we didn't receive any notification at the time of boarding that our res at Signatures on the 20th was canceled, nor why we apparently didn't receive any follow up card which the M'D said was sent. Nor why we were not sent a confirmation when the new arrangements were made. And we still don't know why were sent a confirmation for a reservation we had already cancelled and a confirmation for a reservation that everyone denies any knowledge of making.

 

I accept that venues are sometimes taken over for private functions (although I don't like it), but having made the original reservation on 15th August for 20th September, they had plenty of time to contact me to let me know, especially as they knew it was a special occasion. As it was the night was ruined.

 

To be fair this was the only service issue that we encountered, and the cruise itself was great (apart from the weather), in our opinion overall this was probably the best service we'd had on a RSSC cruise. Although it did become a running joke between my wife and myself just how many mistakes Signatures could make with what was a very simple reservation !