Wait list an Excursion

Just booked an almost last minute cruise and missed the opportunity to get in early and book excursions. No worries there are still lots to choose from [emoji106]

However the one that really caught my eye is no longer available. (Of course). I’ve read on these boards that one can be wait listed and even have good odds of success

Looking at the booking page, I don’t see an option that would allow me to be added to a wait list. Do I have to call Regent directly

With thanks for your assistance

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Yes

TC, excursions were included on our first Regent cruise...Jan 2011. But it was fairly new benefit.

Surprisingly out of close to 90 tours we have done with Regent, we have only had two really bad ones, both on the world cruise, one a Regent choice which we got some money refunded and the other a free one yesterday in Tobago and we bailed on that one.

irenedee, call to wait list, but pick and book an alternate just in case. All our tours have cleared, but one didn't until after we got on the ship. You can always cancel the alternate even at the last minute. You can also do a stand by incase someone doesn't show up.

Have a good cruise!

Thank you all

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TC, excursions were included on our first Regent cruise...Jan 2011. But it was fairly new benefit.

 

Surprisingly out of close to 90 tours we have done with Regent, we have only had two really bad ones, both on the world cruise, one a Regent choice which we got some money refunded and the other a free one yesterday in Tobago and we bailed on that one.

 

irenedee, call to wait list, but pick and book an alternate just in case. All our tours have cleared, but one didn't until after we got on the ship. You can always cancel the alternate even at the last minute. You can also do a stand by incase someone doesn't show up.

 

Have a good cruise!

Thanks so much for giving us the approximate date when included excursions began. It has been 7 years - wow! Unfortunately, most of our included excursions were disappointing - not because of the tour operator or the places that we stopped but because of other passengers. We don't do well with busloads of people (even when the buses are not full). Dealing with people that are not disabled removing the "disabled" placard on the seats infuriates me (and I don't get angry easily). Then, when disabled people are given the front seats (which they deserve), they feel that they also deserve to be first off of the bus and then hold-up the rest of the bus (unless there is a back door which is where we prefer to sit). Then there are the people that do not return to the bus on time.

Just writing about it is upsetting. We generally book excursions in most ports and then cancel most of them. On the other hand, most Regent Choice excursions are much better (most - not all) and we enjoy them very much.

Thanks so much for giving us the approximate date when included excursions began. It has been 7 years - wow! Unfortunately, most of our included excursions were disappointing - not because of the tour operator or the places that we stopped but because of other passengers. We don't do well with busloads of people (even when the buses are not full). Dealing with people that are not disabled removing the "disabled" placard on the seats infuriates me (and I don't get angry easily). Then, when disabled people are given the front seats (which they deserve), they feel that they also deserve to be first off of the bus and then hold-up the rest of the bus (unless there is a back door which is where we prefer to sit). Then there are the people that do not return to the bus on time.

 

 

 

Just writing about it is upsetting. We generally book excursions in most ports and then cancel most of them. On the other hand, most Regent Choice excursions are much better (most - not all) and we enjoy them very much.

TC, are you saying that Regent Choice does not have the same type of inconsiderate people, or are they all private in terms it’s just you two?

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TC, are you saying that Regent Choice does not have the same type of inconsiderate people, or are they all private in terms it’s just you two?

 

 

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No - they are not private tours but there are less people. We tend to take tours that are for able bodied people which alleviates the problem of people sitting in handicapped seats (does not alleviate it completely as some people ignore the recommendations). Instead of six or eight buses doing the same excursion, there is usually only one or two buses and they are not full.

We study the excursions pretty carefully before taking them. Unfortunately, we do not know the real details until we get onboard the ship. Then we can see how long they will be spending at each stop. If it doesn't sound good, we cancel immediately. There are only two Regent Choice excursions that we thought were really bad. (one is no longer offered). We also take non-Regent "small group" excursions and enjoy them very much. Sometimes we take an excursion to one place - let the tour guide know that we are leaving the tour and will find our own way back (this happens if the excursion isn't working out well or if we want to do our own thing).

Note: We are comfortable doing our own thing in most places after having spent 18 years doing international travel on our own. We learned how to deal with local transportation, etc. Short story..... When we first traveled to what I thought was a scary city - Bangkok (back in 1987), we would tell the tuk tuk driver (motorcycle with two seats on the back) where we wanted to go and always ended up at a jewelry shop. Then I learned to negotiate. He took us to a tailoring shop where we needed to stay for 10 minutes so that he could get free gas. Then he took us exactly where we wanted to go. So, the more you travel, the more you learn in terms of negotiating and appreciating the country/city that you are visiting.

No - they are not private tours but there are less people. We tend to take tours that are for able bodied people which alleviates the problem of people sitting in handicapped seats (does not alleviate it completely as some people ignore the recommendations). Instead of six or eight buses doing the same excursion, there is usually only one or two buses and they are not full.

 

We study the excursions pretty carefully before taking them. Unfortunately, we do not know the real details until we get onboard the ship. Then we can see how long they will be spending at each stop. If it doesn't sound good, we cancel immediately. There are only two Regent Choice excursions that we thought were really bad. (one is no longer offered). We also take non-Regent "small group" excursions and enjoy them very much. Sometimes we take an excursion to one place - let the tour guide know that we are leaving the tour and will find our own way back (this happens if the excursion isn't working out well or if we want to do our own thing).

 

Note: We are comfortable doing our own thing in most places after having spent 18 years doing international travel on our own. We learned how to deal with local transportation, etc. Short story..... When we first traveled to what I thought was a scary city - Bangkok (back in 1987), we would tell the tuk tuk driver (motorcycle with two seats on the back) where we wanted to go and always ended up at a jewelry shop. Then I learned to negotiate. He took us to a tailoring shop where we needed to stay for 10 minutes so that he could get free gas. Then he took us exactly where we wanted to go. So, the more you travel, the more you learn in terms of negotiating and appreciating the country/city that you are visiting.

I agree with you, however for us very often it is a question of fitting the most in a fairly limited time, so often having an organized excursion works best. When we first went to Italy for a couple of weeks, we did the Trafalgar bus tour and realized that there was no way on Earth we could squeeze that much on our own.

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Short story..... When we first traveled to what I thought was a scary city - Bangkok (back in 1987), we would tell the tuk tuk driver (motorcycle with two seats on the back) where we wanted to go and always ended up at a jewelry shop. Then I learned to negotiate. He took us to a tailoring shop where we needed to stay for 10 minutes so that he could get free gas. Then he took us exactly where we wanted to go. So, the more you travel, the more you learn in terms of negotiating and appreciating the country/city that you are visiting.

Really enjoyed your sharing this experience!!!!

Well this thread has been blown totally off course from the original question that was answered succinctly and accurately in post #2.

Anyway, to satisfy TC2's curiosity, we first sailed with Regent in October 2009 and that cruise included excursions. We first started looking at the cruise around May 2009 and booked it in June.

So we can confirm that Regent has been offering included excursions for at least 9 years.

The all inclusive nature of Regent was one of the attractions of the cruise line and we have enjoyed many excellent experiences on Regent excursions ever since :)

We were on Voyager in Summer 2003 and excursions were included. Trip was Copenhagen to Stockholm. Guide in St. Petersburg was superb. First Regent cruise, totally sucked in to the Regent Experience!

My recollection is still that they were introduced in 2011 - after the downturn of the economy in the U.S. - when cruise lines were doing things to encourage those of us in the U.S. to book. Our first. Radisson (Regent) cruise was in 2004 and they did not have included excursions. Our second was in 2006 - around the time they introduced included alcohol but there were no included excursions (I remember that quite vividly). briar14 - not trying to disagree with you -- perhaps they had a special with included excursions in 2003 but that was before our time.

My point was not to satisfy my curiosity but rather trying to see how many years Regent has been mismanaging included excursions (which does have to do with the subject of this thread since passengers are still having difficulty booking them!!!!!) Whether it is 7 or 9 years, one would think that they would have it figured out by now ....... that we could cancel and change excursions online as we do with dining reservations ........ that excursions would be on the website when they are supposed to be....... that passengers would not have to sit in the theater endlessly before they are herded to the buses, etc.

We seem to be entering into a new phase of passengers that have taken included excursions since the beginning and are now a bit fed up with them (as evidenced by a few threads about excursion issues fairly recently). Perhaps Regent will rethink the opt out option for the growing number of passengers that really do not want to pay for excursions in the cruise fare. Again, this would not affect passengers that enjoy them but would give passengers that prefer to do their own thing an incentive to still book Regent - despite included excursions.

P.S. Just had a short but very interesting visit to the archives and yes, included excursions began in 2011. More interesting, however, is that posters were discussing the same issues in 2011. So, again, why are the same problems happening????

Just my 2 cents

It may well be that not only TC2, but other posters are right too. It might be that prior to 2011 free excursions were offered as an incentive on some cruises, rather than an outright inclusion on all - just a thought.

More to a point 7 years should be enough to get the issues sorted:)

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Another point of reference. Did our first Regent cruise in 2009 and tours were included in all cruises at that time. We also did Regent cruises in 2010 and 2011 and tours were included at that time as well. They were similar to today in that they had the included ones at no extra cost as well as extra cost ones all 3 years. A big difference from current is that the vast majority of tours were included with only about 20% being extra cost.

And, yes similar comments then as now about tour problems, poor customer service from Destinations as well as complaints about the tours being mostly unanswered. Can't answer to prior to 2009 but, they have been included for at least 9 years and went back into my records to confirm this

IMHO the included tours probably started after the huge decrease in the Stock Market in 2008 but, cannot confirm that.

Tours were included in our 2009 Mariner cruise

I did acknowledge 2009 in my prior post (in the P.S.) and also mentioned that it was implemented due to the downturn in the U.S. economy. In terms of cost, what wasn't less money 9 years ago???

kiwifromkiev - you are likely correct about promotions that may have happened before "included" excursions were rolled out. Two questions for you: 1). Did you enjoy excursions on your first Regent cruise, and 2) Was included excursions one of the reasons that you booked Regent? I apologize if you discussed this after your cruise -- just trying to refresh my memory.

 

 

 

kiwifromkiev - you are likely correct about promotions that may have happened before "included" excursions were rolled out. Two questions for you: 1). Did you enjoy excursions on your first Regent cruise, and 2) Was included excursions one of the reasons that you booked Regent? I apologize if you discussed this after your cruise -- just trying to refresh my memory.

1) our first Regent is only booked and we are yet to take it , so I cannot answer your question:)

2) if it was one of the reasons- it certainly was not the decisive factor. For us the main combination is the time when we can travel+the itinerary +the cruise line

Hope I’ve answered your question? [emoji4]

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2009 or 2011? Don't remember any more. I know that in 2008 you still had to pay. I started Regent (Radisson) in 2001.

As to the quality of the excursion before they were included, IMO they are about the same. The buses were not quite as full maybe 60% on average. People back then still over-rated their ability levels, people still moved the handy cap seat signs, people still were late rejoining the bus. And as far as the destination services back then, they still did the best they could with what they had. One thing they did do back then was on a long excursion send a crew member with a backpack with a first aid kit and portable two way radio.

But I too would rather have the old system back of paying for all the tours, and hopefully have a lower upfront cost. BTDT in too many places.

J

1) our first Regent is only booked and we are yet to take it , so I cannot answer your question:)

2) if it was one of the reasons- it certainly was not the decisive factor. For us the main combination is the time when we can travel+the itinerary +the cruise line

 

Hope I’ve answered your question? [emoji4]

 

 

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Thank you so much. Not sure why I thought that you took your first cruise already. I don't like to write negatively about excursions to people new to Regent. It generally takes a while before passengers get tired of included excursions. Depending upon the port, there are some good excursions that are offered. In our case, we have been to several ports multiple times so have little interest in going on a bus excursion. Regent is really a great cruise line (and I mean that). Hope that you enjoy it as much as we do:D

Thank you so much. Not sure why I thought that you took your first cruise already. I don't like to write negatively about excursions to people new to Regent. It generally takes a while before passengers get tired of included excursions. Depending upon the port, there are some good excursions that are offered. In our case, we have been to several ports multiple times so have little interest in going on a bus excursion. Regent is really a great cruise line (and I mean that). Hope that you enjoy it as much as we do:D

TC2, there is a difference between a constructive criticism and criticizing for the sake of it! You are a great advocate for Regent , but that does not mean that you can’t see ways for improvement :) I think is is good for a “newbie” to have adequate expectations, and I always try to expect less and rather be surprised than disappointed [emoji4]

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TC2, there is a difference between a constructive criticism and criticizing for the sake of it! You are a great advocate for Regent , but that does not mean that you can’t see ways for improvement :) I think is is good for a “newbie” to have adequate expectations, and I always try to expect less and rather be surprised than disappointed [emoji4]

 

 

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Business 101 under promise and over deliver and that’s what brings customers back and loyalty.

Business 101 under promise and over deliver and that’s what brings customers back and loyalty.

[emoji106]

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As to the quality of the excursion before they were included, IMO they are about the same. The buses were not quite as full maybe 60% on average. People back then still over-rated their ability levels, people still moved the handy cap seat signs, people still were late rejoining the bus. And as far as the destination services back then, they still did the best they could with what they had. One thing they did do back then was on a long excursion send a crew member with a backpack with a first aid kit and portable two way radio.

 

But I too would rather have the old system back of paying for all the tours, and hopefully have a lower upfront cost. BTDT in too many places.

 

J

What you posted is so true. When I went back into CC archives to look for when included excursions began, many discussions were identical to the ones going on today. Also agree that it would be nice to have the old system back.

I guess we are in the minority as we like the included excursions and it was one of the factors for why we started with Regent. We were still working when we took our first Regent cruise and it was great to not have to spend hours trying to research and book private tours.

As we don't have the opportunity to cruise as much as some we are still cruising to new places and still enjoying the included excursions. Most have been very good, a few not so much but overall we are happy with them.

I can certainly understand why some want to be able to opt out.

Regent tested the "free Excursion" Market on select voyages in the spring of 2009 for the summer 2009 season. By July 2009 they were advertising "Free unlimited shore excursions" on all 2010 sailings.

FREE UNLIMITED SHORE EXCURSIONS (Spring 2009)

We are pleased to announce FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions during select 2009 Cruises. Simply book by March 31, 2009 and you will receive access to complimentary, award-winning shore excursions during your voyage. This is in addition to the all-inclusive cruise experience you have come to expect from the World's Best Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

(JULY 2009)

Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers FREE Unlimited Shore Excursions on each and every 2010 voyages. Receive access to complimentary, award-winning shore excursions during your voyage, in addition to the all-inclusive cruise experience you have come to expect from the World's Best Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

While there are numerous FREE Shore Excursions in each port, below is just a small sampling of those available in some of our worldwide destinations. Be sure to click on the Ports & Excursions tab of any voyage for a complete list of available tours.