All of those 'included excursions'

This post is quite similar to one by me last year. In late August we booked a January Caribbean Explorer cruise.

Of course, every tour that we have the greatest or slightest interest in is already fully booked. Yes, I know about signing the wait list, going to the theater early,etc............and yes, I realize that many people are able to book early. This IS early for us. All of these factors noted, I continue to feel that it is disingenuous for a cruise line to

heavily promote/tout its free/included excursions and then have no availability more than 4.5 months in advance.

Paula, as you likely know, most people that are waitlisted end up getting the cruise. Also, IMO, it is not reasonable to assume that 500 guests can go on the same excursion. Even when Regent can accommodate 500 guests on one excursion (and it has happened), who would want to be on an excursion with bathroom stops, etc. with that many other people. Regent can and almost always does deliver on their promise but it ends up being disappointing to their customers.

Most importantly, Regent's literature is very specific in stating that some excursions have limited availability.

I'd be interested in knowing the average numbers of people who take which tours in the Caribbean. It's been my experience that a lot of people just want to either go to the beach or find a nice tropical bar and drink rum drinks with umbrellas - or even stay on the ship and enjoy the relative solitude. I'm sure there are some scuba/snorkeling/sailing types of things that are popular, but you can probably run 3-5 of those per port call I'd think...

The problem with "included" excursions is that there is no incentive for Regent to ensure that the quality is high or there is room for everyone who wants to go on the trip - after all, we have already paid for them even if we do not get a place to go. As TC2 argued in one of her posts on another "thread" "... some people don't "get" the type of advertising that is done by U.S. companies. What Regent does is pretty mild compared to most companies." Clearly, Regent promises the world to get your money, but does not necessarily feel the need to deliver.

IMHO, Regent definitely has an incentive to get it right. If customers are unhappy with their cruise (and excursions), they will go elsewhere to spend their hard-earned dollars.

IMHO, Regent definitely has an incentive to get it right. If customers are unhappy with their cruise (and excursions), they will go elsewhere to spend their hard-earned dollars.

Clearly there is an incentive to get it "right", but this of course, needs to be balanced against cost - IMHO there is less incentive for Regent to provide high quality excursions', with high availability, because it is not another income stream which they have to sell to their customers to generate - we have already purchased them in the "all inclusive fare". This balancing act appears to result in "ok" trips that most people can accesses, but clearly not what their marketing material advertises e.g:

"Only Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers FREE UNLIMITED SHORE EXCURSIONS in EVERY port of call. And unlimited means you can take as many excursions in a day and during your entire voyage as time and your penchant for adventure allows."

I am with Nigel on this. I am paying Regent a personal Fortune for what has been advertised as a Luxury 6 Star Experience. Reading these boards has made me skeptical that I will get what I paid for. I expect the Excursions and ALL aspects of this cruise to be top notch.

TC, We are on the cruise.

As usual it is all of these free unlimited shore excursions that is the issue. I sincerely doubt that the vast majority of Caribbean ports offer a tour that calls to 500 people...a rather disingenuous detour that.

Once on board last year we did waitlist for 3 or 4 tours ..no helicopter, sky diving specials...and we cleared only one. That is not delivering. That is disappointing.

I am writing only about advertising and charging for things are are unavailable ( not tour quality) . Imagine if they had limited availability on steak, lobster and all of the other included menu items!

Clearly there is an incentive to get it "right", but this of course, needs to be balanced against cost - IMHO there is less incentive for Regent to provide high quality excursions', with high availability, because it is not another income stream which they have to sell to their customers to generate - we have already purchased them in the "all inclusive fare". This balancing act appears to result in "ok" trips that most people can accesses, but clearly not what their marketing material advertises e.g:

 

"Only Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers FREE UNLIMITED SHORE EXCURSIONS in EVERY port of call. And unlimited means you can take as many excursions in a day and during your entire voyage as time and your penchant for adventure allows."

When we first started with Regent we could do 2 excursions in a day, morning and afternoon. That has not been the case recently.

I'd be interested in knowing the average numbers of people who take which tours in the Caribbean. It's been my experience that a lot of people just want to either go to the beach or find a nice tropical bar and drink rum drinks with umbrellas - or even stay on the ship and enjoy the relative solitude. I'm sure there are some scuba/snorkeling/sailing types of things that are popular, but you can probably run 3-5 of those per port call I'd think...

Right you are, UUNetBill. On our recent TA on Explorer, we cancelled the excursions we booked to do our own thing. Even though we know the Caribbean quite well, we did book a few on our next cruise. We did that because they are included, and we paid for them. Maybe we will take these, although we don't really like excursions on buses, even small ones. We understand that nothing is free on Regent or any other cruise, and that is fine with us. The two-for-one pricing is also a gimmick, and a stale one. We just ignore it.

Mary

A lot of Regent regulars do not even want included tours but stay with Regent for other reasons. If people left Regent because of tours, maybe Regent would get the message. IMO, no company can provide the type of excursions that some people expect from Regent. Many places (African continent, South America, etc.) simply do not have the type of excursions that people want - they have old buses, tour guides with language difficulties, etc. I happen to love these type of excursions but have seen Regent passengers refuse to get off of the bus because they didn't want to be around the area that they could see from the bus (very embarrassing -- really makes people that sail on Regent look bad -- this was in Namibia -- some people that got off of the bus turned up their noses as if the people digusted them).

Passengers book Regent excursions and never show up. They book excursions that they haven't read about and then complain when it is exactly as described. Passengers with disabilities join excursions that are clearly not right for wheelchairs, walkers, etc. So, when they book an excursion and happen to show up, they complain about it. Why should Regent even bother?

You can do "free" excursions in every port - no one says that you can't but most people understand that there are capacity limits (it is in Regent ads). And, Paula, we have been on an excursion in Africa with over 500 passengers in attendance. Although this is sadly no longer offered (due to washed out roads to the site where 'Dinner Under the Stars' - also in Africa - took place).

We have choices, there are luxury cruise lines that do not include excursions ........ luxury cruise lines that do not include air ......... luxury cruise Iines where you can pay $60/person for two of their dining venues, etc. If Regent if so disappointing, I'm not sure why people continue to cruise it. Interestingly, this current cruise is almost full (650 passengers). Our next cruise on the Mariner in November has been full for months. So, there are plenty of people that either don't care that excursions are included, like included excursions or pay for Regent Choice excursions to fill up their ships most of the time.

Note: In the Amazon, 5 of us booked a private excursion simply because we didn't want to be amongst the crowds. It costs less money than many Regent Choice excursions and gets high ratings. However, for those of you looking for luxurious excursions in the Amazon, it may be a good idea to look elsewhere as this excursion will be quite primitive (as will Regent's).

nigelc: I applaud you for booking another luxury cruise line due to your disappointment with Regent. Hope that you enjoy it. If not, you may end up back at Regent with a different viewpoint.

Clearly, Regent promises the world to get your money, but does not necessarily feel the need to deliver.

I don't necessarily agree with that - true, it's sometimes difficult to get the excursions you want without waitlisting or maybe making a phone call, but I can't think of any excursions we've wanted to take that we couldn't get. In fact, the few times we've had excursions cancel it was for lack of participation, not an excess of people.

That's been my experience anyhow,

OK, I have only posted on non-controversial threads since I posted my review last year. As a caveat --- this is my own experience, so please do not try to tell me why I am wrong about what I personally experienced.

On our cruise last year, we waitlisted for excursions for 3 different days and only got one which changed our start time by an hour (and we really wanted a wholly different excursion that never cleared). We did not have the opportunity to book more than one per day (not unlimited).

Of the 4 excursions we were able to do: 1- Kayaking was mediocre at best and could have been in my neighborhood pond, 2- Super long hike which was really, really good with an excellent guide, 3- a hike and rafting with some folks (who did not have visible mobility issues) really struggling with the hike that made it VERY slow going. Not bad per se, but not necessarily what were hoping for, 4 - that was pretty intolerable but could be because it was a downpour the entire time. We bailed on that one to try and walk in town, but were just so wet.

We are not cruisers so we had zero expectations for excursions really. And I would say we were 1 for 4 on them. The one big positive is that we because they were all Regent cruises we never had to worry about making it to the ship in time. (and with a DH who loves to squeeze every minute in, that can be a huge stressor that was nice not to have to worry about with the included excursions).

This post is quite similar to one by me last year. In late August we booked a January Caribbean Explorer cruise.

Of course, every tour that we have the greatest or slightest interest in is already fully booked. Yes, I know about signing the wait list, going to the theater early,etc............and yes, I realize that many people are able to book early. This IS early for us. All of these factors noted, I continue to feel that it is disingenuous for a cruise line to

heavily promote/tout its free/included excursions and then have no availability more than 4.5 months in advance.

Two years ago, we were offered a nice bonus to switch our Caribbean cruise date on the Navigator. It was for the same itinerary, same suite category, but only 6 weeks away. We quickly accepted the offer.

However, we needed to totally rebook our already selected excursions. Shore excursions are listed for selection between 240 and 180 days. There were three that we really wanted that were already filled. So we selected some alternates and waitlisted for the ones we wanted.. we were very disappointed.

Once onboard, in our suite, we found two of the three we wanted in our excursion packet. We got the third a day later, while on board.

We usually book our cruises early and select our excursions as soon as they are listed.

Also, remember sometimes excursions are cancelled while onboard. That happened to us on our South African cruise on the Mariner last year. After clearing a particular excursion we really wanted, the ship could not dock due to weather problems ( Richards Bay).

I can offer several other stories on our cruises that disappointing things happened.

We plan and G-d laughs.

BTW- the Explorer is magnificent. Three of our five future cruises are on the Explorer. All on Regent. Enjoy your cruise. Hope you get all your waitlisted excursions. I know you will enjoy the ship.

OK, I have only posted on non-controversial threads since I posted my review last year. As a caveat --- this is my own experience, so please do not try to tell me why I am wrong about what I personally experienced.

 

On our cruise last year, we waitlisted for excursions for 3 different days and only got one which changed our start time by an hour (and we really wanted a wholly different excursion that never cleared). We did not have the opportunity to book more than one per day (not unlimited).

 

Of the 4 excursions we were able to do: 1- Kayaking was mediocre at best and could have been in my neighborhood pond, 2- Super long hike which was really, really good with an excellent guide, 3- a hike and rafting with some folks (who did not have visible mobility issues) really struggling with the hike that made it VERY slow going. Not bad per se, but not necessarily what were hoping for, 4 - that was pretty intolerable but could be because it was a downpour the entire time. We bailed on that one to try and walk in town, but were just so wet.

 

We are not cruisers so we had zero expectations for excursions really. And I would say we were 1 for 4 on them. The one big positive is that we because they were all Regent cruises we never had to worry about making it to the ship in time. (and with a DH who loves to squeeze every minute in, that can be a huge stressor that was nice not to have to worry about with the included excursions).

I just have a couple of questions and comments:

1. Did you know that if you try to book a private Alaska excursion that it is difficult to do because Regent and other cruise lines utilize just about every tour company in Alaska? There are few choices and I wonder if Carnival, Princess, HAL or Celebrity (the ships we have been in port with) have better excursions...... less people on excursions, etc.

2. Do you feel that Kayaking would have been better if you booked it yourself or rented a kayak (based on the water levels, etc.)?

3. What were your expectations for a hike with a group of individuals that you had never met? Do you feel that there is something that Regent can do to insure that everyone can keep up with one another?

4. Do you know that it rained just about every day on most sailings in Alaska this year? I can't help but think about people returning from an excursion in Sitka in the pouring rain. A landslide and tree blocked the road. It took some passengers 3 hours to return to the ship and they were completely drenched (had to return to the ship by a boat that Regent somehow managed to get a hold of). I overheard some officers discussing this and one assured the other that passengers cannot possibly blame Regent for this. The look on the other's person's face indicated the answer.

I am the last one to stick up for Regent excursions but sometimes things are truly not within their control. This is why I keep asking Regent to consider allowing passengers to opt out of excursions for a credit (as we do with other things that take place off of the ship). While this would not have helped you in Alaska, it could help in other places.

In terms of doing more than one excursion in a port, this assumes that you take two short excursions. If you take short excursions (some are as short as 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours), you can certainly do more than one in a day. However, the ship is only in port for a limited number of hours and there needs to be a couple of hours (could be less) between excursions.

So, while I understand disappointments, one must also think about what is reasonable to expect as well as where we are in the world, what is available and how much time we have in port.

P.S. I tried and tried to get a certain excursion in Ketchikan to do on our own and learned that there was absolutely no way as Regent had it booked all day (three groups of excursions booked for that excursions -- at different times).

P.S. Sheila - you really made me laugh ........ so true!

Not sure, but what if Regent let each (meaning 2 tours, one for each person) suite/cabin book only that one tour per day before the ship sails. Once on the ship any tour that is open is up for grabs, first come first served. In addition any person that books a tour and doesn't cancel 24 hours before is charged 50% of the real cost, no shows are charged 100%.

That would be fair and people would book what they wanted to really go on.

It's the same when people book a suite to hold it, but aren't sure they want that cruise---and change later. That suite is taken out of inventory. Their should be a high penalty for this. I once wanted a suite type and it was sold out, when final payment was due--yes that suite was up for sale and I got the call, had to say no because I made other plans.

Just and idea. Rick

Thanks Jackie! Glad you laughed because anyone who cruises on a regular basis, has encountered issues.

We plan and plan and then something goes wrong. Flights changed or cancelled. A sudden illness. Hotels not up to expectations. Suites needing restoration. A meal lukewarm. Excursion times changed or cancelled. Getting stuck in the ship elevator for 15 minutes. Etc. and etc. Everyone of the above has happened to me.

My advice -- let it roll. Enjoy the moment and hope the next moment is better.

We still cruise on Regent, not just because of our status, but because we love the crew who cares and takes such good of us, and because some of the most interesting people we have ever met.

Sheila

My. Moments below but do not continue to question how I experienced this.

I just have a couple of questions and comments:

 

1. Did you know that if you try to book a private Alaska excursion that it is difficult to do because Regent and other cruise lines utilize just about every tour company in Alaska? There are few choices and I wonder if Carnival, Princess, HAL or Celebrity (the ships we have been in port with) have better excursions...... less people on excursions, etc.

I did not book a Carnival HAL or whatever cruise. I booked Regent an "all inclusive luxury cruise."

 

2. Do you feel that Kayaking would have been better if you booked it yourself or rented a kayak (based on the water levels, etc.)?

I have kayaked in Alaska before with a tour that I booked a number of years ago when My girlfriends and I flew between locations.

 

3. What were your expectations for a hike with a group of individuals that you had never met? Do you feel that there is something that Regent can do to insure that everyone can keep up with one another?

 

We have booked group hikes in many locations around the world that been excellent. In fact just days earlier we hiked with a group in Denali. It was terrific and we saw an abundance of animals and all could keep pace.

 

4. Do you know that it rained just about every day on most sailings in Alaska this year? I can't help but think about people returning from an excursion in Sitka in the pouring rain. A landslide and tree blocked the road. It took some passengers 3 hours to return to the ship and they were completely drenched (had to return to the ship by a boat that Regent somehow managed to get a hold of). I overheard some officers discussing this and one assured the other that passengers cannot possibly blame Regent for this. The look on the other's person's face indicated the answer.

 

The quality of our excusion had little to do with weather. It just meant than we decided to bail on the excursion we weren't up for trying to make lemonade in the town but didn't because of the weather.

 

I am the last one to stick up for Regent excursions but sometimes things are truly not within their control. This is why I keep asking Regent to consider allowing passengers to opt out of excursions for a credit (as we do with other things that take place off of the ship). While this would not have helped you in Alaska, it could help in other places.

 

In terms of doing more than one excursion in a port, this assumes that you take two short excursions. If you take short excursions (some are as short as 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours), you can certainly do more than one in a day. However, the ship is only in port for a limited number of hours and there needs to be a couple of hours (could be less) between excursions.

 

I don't think there was much opportunity to do more than one with the exception of Juneau because of Regents requirement of 90 minutes between 2. I just think they should be more transparent. That they might be able to guarantee one per day but really unlikely to provide "unlimited" excursions as they claim.

 

So, while I understand disappointments, one must also think about what is reasonable to expect as well as where we are in the world, what is available and how much time we have in port.

 

Perhaps my expectations were indeed set too high. After doing my research and reading all of your posts in advance about how amazing it all is (outside of your disdain for included excursions) I expected a truly luxury experience. As I mentioned in my review we had a lovely trip. Some good things, some not so good and some down right awful and not at all handled in a "luxury" way.

 

P.S. I tried and tried to get a certain excursion in Ketchikan to do on our own and learned that there was absolutely no way as Regent had it booked all day (three groups of excursions booked for that excursions -- at different times).

 

P.S. Sheila - you really made me laugh ........ so true!

Not sure, but what if Regent let each (meaning 2 tours, one for each person) suite/cabin book only that one tour per day before the ship sails. Once on the ship any tour that is open is up for grabs, first come first served. In addition any person that books a tour and doesn't cancel 24 hours before is charged 50% of the real cost, no shows are charged 100%.

That would be fair and people would book what they wanted to really go on.

It's the same when people book a suite to hold it, but aren't sure they want that cruise---and change later. That suite is taken out of inventory. Their should be a high penalty for this. I once wanted a suite type and it was sold out, when final payment was due--yes that suite was up for sale and I got the call, had to say no because I made other plans.

Just and idea. Rick

It is a good idea and this has been discussed at Town Hall meetings. Regent refuses to charge their guests anything for "included" excursions. BTW, I assume that you know that Regent has the same excursions as Oceania (but Oceania passengers pay a heck of a lot more). However, people don't complain as much as Regent guests.

Sometimes I wonder Regent gets so tired of guests complaining about things that are beyond their control that they take the complaints with a grain of salt. Perhaps a poster on the Regent board could find the perfect excursion for 300+ guests in a port and the information to Regent. Let's see, that would mean 8 or so buses so the restroom stops would need to accommodate lots of women. The buses had better be top notch - with air conditioning and a tour guide that speaks English. If the excursion requires a lot of walking or steps, guests may need to be tested to insure that they are physically able to take the excursion. The tour mustn't be too long or passengers cannot book a son tour (which they may or may not show up for).

BTW, it should be mentioned on this thread that if you go to where the tours are gathering (not in the theater - at least not in Alaska), you can get on a waitlist for the excursions. When it is obvious that people aren't showing, they begin taking people from the waitlist. We have gotten onto excursions twice this way.

Rick

I agree with you that there are some people who are just rude and don't bother to cancel a tour, if they are not going. They may change their mind or other circumstances. I don't know the solution to that issue, but if there is a particular excursion I want, I follow up-- even going to the showroom to catch an availability at the last moment. I usually have something else booked and so many tours leave the ship at the same time. So most of the time I get what I want.

As far as a booked suite, we book the ship and/or itinerary we want, and early. We book the best available suite in our category. Then I watch and check all the time. An example, we are booked in an Explorer Suite for the November crossing. It was not our first choice, but booked it. Lo and behold, the Explorer suite I really wanted became available a couple of weeks ago. So I switched. Wouldn't miss a cruise I want to take because of availability of a particular suite.

Look forward to seeing you in November.

End of story.

Rick

I agree with you that there are some people who are just rude and don't bother to cancel a tour, if they are not going. They may change their mind or other circumstances. I don't know the solution to that issue, but if there is a particular excursion I want, I follow up-- even going to the showroom to catch an availability at the last moment. I usually have something else booked and so many tours leave the ship at the same time. So most of the time I get what I want.

 

As far as a booked suite, we book the ship and/or itinerary we want, and early. We book the best available suite in our category. Then I watch and check all the time. An example, we are booked in an Explorer Suite for the November crossing. It was not our first choice, but booked it. Lo and behold, the Explorer suite I really wanted became available a couple of weeks ago. So I switched. Wouldn't miss a cruise I want to take because of availability of a particular suite.

Look forward to seeing you in November.

End of story.

Would you mind telling me which Explorer suite you will be in? I'm interested as we booked an Explorer suite a few days ago. Thanks much!

Would you mind telling me which Explorer suite you will be in? I'm interested as we booked an Explorer suite a few days ago. Thanks much!

Hey Jackie

Have you booked this cruise?

We are in 918.

I think the only reason people complain is due to the way Regent touts them as free, free, free in advertisements. We all know that given the outrageous rates it isn't free, though. I've only been on one Regent cruise, and never did get booked on one excursion that we wanted. Yes, we were waitllisted. However, I was pleased with the others we did and also enjoyed just doing our own thing without taking any. As mentioned, things happen. Also, I know to read the 'fine print'. They don't guarantee you every choice.

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We are in the .Caribbean....not .Alaska, not Russia ( where you might find 500 pax who wished an assortment of tours)...we are not seeking multiple tours in one day ( nothing wrong w that except timing challenges). Missynessy if (&they are not) they are not free, and you are paying for them, why do you not receive them .

This is not my definition of things happening. Storms happen and we miss ports,etc. This problem is 5 months in advance. I think think is ethically wrong.

Lynn

If you read my posts on this subject, I think I offered a bit of insight about some of us who are Regent cruisers.

Yes, there are lots of screw-ups, some have easy solutions, some are harder, some have no solution.

You posted to vent and we listened. We are sorry your experience was not good.

We all must do what makes us happy. That may be different for each of us. Life is too short.

I don't disagree that stuff happens. And if you read my response (and my original review last year, which I know was a long time ago in thread history), we had a lovely trip. We pretty much always make the best of whatever happens and we have had our share of mishaps on trips over the years.

This was a thread on excursions and someone mentioned waitlisting and how easy it is to get off the waitlist. I shared what happened to us and what we perceived of the excursions we did end up doing. The posters who are looking for information will get lots of different persepectives and I think that is a good thing. Hopefully someone benefited from knowing these differing experiences and were able to make informed decisions.