Cruisermann

We're on the Hong Kong to Beijing trip coming up and the Signature restaurant shows up as unavailable every night. Thus were only able to book two reservations rather than the allowed three. Any suggestions would ne appreciated.

I used CIBT for my China visa which came back within 2 weeks after the app was submitted. My impression is that Regent also uses CIBT or one of their affiliates as well.The visa applications can be somewhat tedious so ask as many questions as necessary when filling out the forms to avoid delays. For example, I recall that the China app required "capital letters" only.

We're doing Voyager Hong Kong to Beijing in March. Does anyone recommend particular vaccinations to deal with any special health risks relating to China, Japan or Korea, which are the ports on this trip?

Spoke several times with InsureMyTrip which is where I received my information. Agree with the comments on Medjet but they cover transportation and not medical but perhaps I'm wrong on all counts.

Here is the dilemma as I see it. Medjet will get you home but offers no medical coverage. The standard travel policies offer medical coverage but will not necessarily get you home. It seems like you need two policies to be fully covered get you to a hospital at home in the event of a serious illness or accident.

Most plans I've seen include some form of medivac coverage that gets you to the "closest facility". Anyone know of a plan that will get you back to a US hospital?

I know about Medjet but do any of the traditional travel policies get you "home" as opposed to the "closest facility".

Are there any -plans available that provide for transfer to a hospital in the US as compared to most who provide for transportation to the "closest facility"

I think that it was an added $15 or so to register with the US Embassy presumably so that they can locate US citizens if needed.

Recently received my China Visa and Embassy Registration. However, I have now changed my Beijing hotel from the one listed in the application. Does it matter or is additional notification required?

I noticed that Regent is now offering a $2000 air credit on our Hong Kong-Beijing cruise, up from $1200 previously. Since we have already booked our air through Regent, are we entitled to any credit?

We're booked on the 16-day HK to Beijing cruise in March. Any suggestions or recommendations for shore excursions by anyone who has been on this cruise.

At least in our case, we booked our business class air through Regent at a savings of at least $1400 per person over the same flight shown in Kayak. That is meaningful to me in any comparison analysis.

Anyone have a guess as to what percentage of Regent cruisers are repeat travelers? What proportion are Silver or above? I assume it varies by itinerary but that would be interesting to know as well.

Suggest you stay at a "downtown" hotel. Most of the GBR trips from Cairns leave from a pier that is in walking distance from the major hotels, which are very close to the water. We stayed at the Shangri-La several years ago and it was a short walk.

I know that the first day in Russia was marked with significant delays to get through immigration. Just curious if we faced a similar situation in China.

Booked on a Regent China cruise ending in Beijing for March and have my visa. However, I was curious as to whether to expect any unusual delays in exiting or returning to the ship due to visa checks?

Probably not a problem since the ship will be cleared on its first day in the port of Tianjin but, as others have advised, check with the Regent office

 

From a previous thread, I thought you were opting for the included 3-night post-cruise land program in Beijing............or did you change to the Hong Kong pre-cruise land program instead?

Do not miss out on a few days in and around Beijing; it is a fascinating city with many iconic sightseeing opportunities

If you would like a superb Chinese meal in convivial surroundings try the 'Black Sesame Kitchen' http://blacksesamekitchen.com/

We're doing the pre cruise in Hong Kong. We plan to leave the ship at a leisurely time on March 22. We'll spend the rest of the day on our own and book a 3 day tour for the balance of our stay. We have preliminary approval from Regent and I assume others will be asking as well.

Anyone have experience in leaving prior to debarkation. We are on the Hong Beijing cruise for March and are considering debarking a day before the cruise actually ends. We didn't think it made sense to drive back and forth into Beijing to just pack up and leave the following day. Not sure about special requirement if you leave the ship early and particularly how to make arrangements with customs. Thoughts would be appreciated.

A key element for me in considering a Regent Cruise is its all inclusive nature, including excursions? However, I've read on several occasions the difficulty in booking a free (and desirable) shore excursion. Are free excursions actually available or is this in reality a marketing tool to upsell for excursions that require additional payment? Any thoughts?

The trip that is reference is not shown as a pre or post cruise option but rather is shown as an optional inclusive 2 night shore excursion at the end of the cruise. It's confusion because of the dates shown as October 2010.

Considering Hong Kong to Beijing for March 2017. Noticed that the free excursions include a 2-night option to Beijing beginning March 22. However, the website further shows the dates as October 3 and 4, 2010. Anyone know if this excursion is still available?

This is an obvious ripoff off that occurs regularly and you are better off booking on your own. The only problem is that you will have separate reservations and may have to check out and check in but a small inconvenience for the price difference.

Can someone explain what is "free" about this offer. I have the brochure for 2017-2018 and it clearly shows an additional cost to go business class.

Live in South Florida and booked on a Regent cruise from Hong Kong in 2017. Regent wants an additional $4000pp to upgrade to business and offers a $1200 credit if you don't take their include coach fare. That's a total of $5200pp round trip. However, in checking fares it looks like I can book a business class fare direct for about $4200pp resulting in a big savings over the Regent price. Did I miss something?