pappy1022

Thank you for your honest opinions and you are correct, you will get some flack from some. I will be sailing on Splendor for the first time this coming September and will form my own opinions from my personal experiences. Opinions are just that, opinions based on experiences and expectations. I for one like reading about varying experiences as long as they are well articulated and thoughtful and you have done that.

Reading through these comments, it feels sad that some people just need to do things like reserve chairs or be first in line for something and just have no consideration for others. It is a selfish act. I applaud Regent for taking action but it is sad and disheartening that it requires any action other than people being kind and courteous. I hope those folks who practice chair hogging, read these boards and take a look in the mirror and realize how selfish they are and decide to make an change.

I would expect that tender ports are most vulnerable to cancellation for weather related rough seas but are there specific ports that are more susceptible to cancellation? I’ve read where St Peter Port is especially vulnerable to rough seas and it’s a tender port. Our tender ports are Edinburg (New Haven), Ullapool, Waterford and St Peter Port. Invergordon, Kirkwall, Killybegs, Belfast, Glasgow, and Liverpool where we are docked. I ask because although we are taking mostly Regent excursions, we are looking at options for private tours for a couple ports and want to make sure we completely understand those cancellation policies. I would assume that Regent will wait until the last minute to cancel a port. True?

I would hate to miss Edinburgh. What month did you cruise?

I would expect that tender ports are most vulnerable to cancellation for weather related rough seas but are there specific ports that are more susceptible to cancellation? I’ve read where St Peter Port is especially vulnerable to rough seas and it’s a tender port. Our tender ports are Edinburg (New Haven), Ullapool, Waterford and St Peter Port as well as Invergordon, Kirkwall, Killybegs, Belfast, Glasgow, and Liverpool where we are docked. I ask because although we are taking mostly Regent excursions, we are looking at options for private tours for a couple ports and want to make sure we completely understand those cancellation policies. I would assume that Regent will wait until the last minute to cancel a port. True?

Although COVID symptoms are often fairly mild, it is still very very contagious, so it’s definitely best to be isolated.

You would hope so but there are people who act like this in all walks of life. Sometimes the so called privileged are the worse when it comes to common sense and common courtesy.

Only you can decide on must see ports. Many cruise lines offer cruises to/from Southampton, so your choices are many. I would look at all options for the timeframe you want to go and then compare itineraries. Most 10-12 day cruises in the British Isles stop at the same major ports and only vary slightly on the other ports. If you have a must see port, e.g. Liverpool or Dublin, make sure the itinerary you choose has that port(s). Once you decide on a specific cruise, look at what your ship has to offer as far as port excursions and also look on the internet for private or group tours at each port. Also, once you know your itinerary you can ask specific questions on these boards about specific ports and excursions. I know this answer is a little vague but asking such a general question is like asking what’s your favorite number. There are too many variables and perspectives. I am going on a British Isle cruise in September 2023. It was important for us to go to Edinburgh (most major cruise lines will stop there) and Liverpool, so I found an itinerary that had those ports and I researched all the other ports that were included in the itinerary I chose. Good luck.

As far as control, are you asking about seat assignments? If so, our recent experience is that we were able to change our own seats on Virgin Atlantic a few days after Regent booked the tickets after we deviated flights (270 days out). On British Airways, we were able to change seats via our TA talking to Regent.

Something for Regent to improve upon. The “luxury” experience needs to extend beyond the “most expensive ship” mantra. After all we are paying for all those services on and off the ship. I understand that Regent doesn’t totally control all of the excursion providers but they do have influence on them and they can expect a quality product.

For me, the destination is equal to or more important than the on board experience. I travel to see the world and the itinerary is paramount to me. I have a short list of cruise companies that I am willing to sail with and if one itinerary is superior to another itinerary, I will pick the one with the better itinerary. All things being equal, I will go with Regent. I haven’t been on Regent or any other cruise line for a few years now, so my net experience with Regent in September will determine whether i see value in Regent included excursions.

A rating system would be wonderful for both us and for Regent to see what is working or not working. Feedback is always good if you take it with the perspective of continuous improvement. Of course people with have different opinions but if you get a big enough sample size you can figure out if a product or in this case an excursion is right for you.

It could me more intuitive but I never had an issue finding prices. I have never been a fan of Regent’s website but I must admit it’s gotten better vs a couple of years ago.

I am a little antsy about taking the Regent shore excursions be it the normal or small group size. I understand that the quality of the shore excursions are dependent on the location, the specific guide, and type of excursion one takes. For our British Isle cruise we will stop at the following ports: Edinburgh, Invergordon, Kirkwall, Ullapool, Killybegs, Belfast, Glasgow, Liverpool, Waterford and St Peter Port. For those of who you have visited some or all of these ports with Regent, can you identify where you had a great shore experience or even a bad shore experience using Regent tours? I am trying to get a sense as to what to expect and whether we should look more at private tours, which would obviously add to the cost. We currently have a mix of regular sized excursions (6), small group tours (3) and private tours (1). Our 1 scheduled private tour is in Belfast where we felt strongly that splitting a private guide amongst 3 couples added a lot of value.

I’ve read in some posts about wine tasting on Regent cruises where there is an opportunity to taste the available included wines and also some specialty wines for an up charge. When and where does that normally happen (I would assume early in the cruise) and how do you sign up to participate in that activity?

OK papa, we are good. I take responsibility for my part in this heated debate and apologize for my part in stirring the pot. I do have a pet peeve about people on this board who will defend Regent no matter what the situation is and no matter what another cruiser experienced that wasn’t up to expectations for a luxury cruise line like Regent. I gotta get better at controlling my thoughts and reactions when that happens. As you said, we all have opinions and we won’t always agree. If we always agreed the world would be boring. But there is a right way to disagree and we shouldn’t look to our politicians for advice on how to handle disagreement. 😀

I didn’t say that Regent didn’t try. They did try. Whatever they did, didn’t work. That doesn’t relieve them from their responsibility. I certainly don’t look to chat boards to make me happy. Life is too short and too precious to find happiness in these insane debates. I’m done with this topic and won’t add any more comments. You are welcome to the last word since that seems to be important to you.

We have several small group tours scheduled and a couple of private tours in ports where we felt it was an advantage to have more time on a tour than the 3-4 hours that Regent tours seem to be. The private tour company we chose allows cancellation up to the time of the tour start time in the event we can’t dock or tender. You are right, some of the smaller ports have very limited tour options and some don’t offer any small group tours. We also chose Regent tours that were not just sitting on a bus looking out the window. We shall see. As many of the Regent tours are short in duration, we do intend to do things on our own as well.

None of the quoted examples reflect conspiracy. Should Regent have known the rules, yes. Did they fail to pass inspection, yes. Was it under their control, yes. Was it their responsibility, yes. I am not in position to comment what the compensation should be. I do take exception to the comment about telling fellow cruisers on Regent to go cruise with some other cruise line if we don’t agree with Regent’s actions and stance on resolving this issue.

The facts are pretty clear, Regent failed the inspection. Do I think they didn’t take action to clean the hull on purpose, no, so drop the conspiracy theory. That’s a defense people use when they have no other logical argument. You weren’t there and I wasn’t either. It’s Ok for a passenger to have a complaint about something Regent did or didn’t do well. Your example about missing ports for weather is not even a valid argument in this case. Weather is something Regent can’t control. Having a hull that passes inspection IS something they do control. Terms you used like “I imagine” and “I don’t know for sure” tells me that you don’t have the facts. Only 1 fact matters, they didn’t pass inspection and it was their responsibility to do so.

Doesn’t sound like much fun to me, sorry to differ. I want to see the natural beauty and experience and understand the history and culture of a country that I visit. Just the logistic of herding 60 people on and off a bus would be exhausting and not much fun. I hope that is not our experience on our next Regent cruise because that would change my view of the value provided by Regent.

Well said pingpong. This issue was totally controllable by Regent. All they had to do was comply with the laws in place. They didn’t, yet some will defend Regent no matter what the issue or circumstances. This would be a once in a lifetime cruise for me. I am not familiar with this itinerary to judge the value of each port or day at sea but I sense that the ports and/or activities missed may have been the major one’s for some passengers.

We did a Mediterranean cruise a few years ago on Oceania from Rome to Spain. It was port intensive and we very much enjoyed the beauty and sites of that region. It gave us a good general understanding of the region as it was our first ever trip to Europe. I thought it was a great introduction to the area. We did all private tours and I will say the exceptional tours we took were the difference between a very good cruise and an excellent cruise. The interaction with the guides and their knowledge of that region enhanced our understanding and enjoyment. I will say that port intensive cruises can be exhausting and you should plan some time some to just chill out. In our case, we took at cab at one port and went to the beach and just relaxed for the day. I have a Regent cruise booked for the British Isles and this is the first time I’ve cruised with Regent since excursions were included (not free as advertised) in the price of the cruise. We have taken a hybrid approach to shore excursions for this port intensive cruise. We have a mix of large and small group tours with Regent where we felt a small group tour would be most beneficial. We use shipboard credits to pay for the small group tours. We also have a couple of private tours booked in ports where we felt we wanted to see more than any individual Regent tour would offer. In our case, we have 6 people (3 couples) so private tours become a bit more cost effective when each couple only has to pay 1/3 of the tour cost. You may want to consider some private tours in ports that are of most interest to you. I am curious as to the quality of the Regent tours. There seems to be a mixed bag as far as reviews. I have no doubt that the onboard ship experience will be great, just a little uneasy about the “included” shore excursions.

Even if you get a flight “reservation” and you are happy with the arrangements it could change prior to your cruise. Airlines often change schedules and routes especially when you are talking about making flight reservations 7-9 months before traveling. So, you might feel good about your flight plan when you first deviate but it could change and has changed prior to your trip. This isn’t Regent, it’s the airlines and would still be a risk if you planned your own flights. It happens more than anyone would like it to happen.

OK, that’s 4 out of 800 passengers that agree, so we only need 4 more to complete the 1% list. 😀