Regent customer/communication skills lacking

[rpjsaj]

We are booked on the April Bermuda cruise on the Navigator. I have been checking every day for a month looking for the shore excursions to be available for booking (180 days was in October). Regent gave no explanation on their website as to why they weren't available. Then, miraculously, they appeared on Wednesday!! BUT, every shore excursion at every port showed the following message: "Unfortunately this excursion time is currently sold out. .......". I couldn't believe that all shore excursions were sold out on the first day they were available, so I called Regent. The Regent person knew nothing! She did say she would send a message to the technical people and get back to me next week. Oh, and one of the ports (Nassau) wasn't even listed? No explanation here either.

 

Regent does a really inadequate job when it comes to keeping their customers informed. When the shore excursions were not available 180 days prior to sailing, Regent should have posted an explanation on the "Book Excursions" website. If shore excursion descriptions are available, but are not set up for online booking, Regent should post an explanation. I shouldn't be wondering if the shore excursions are sold out (I sure hope they aren't). This situation is just another instance of poor website skills. I depend on the CC forum for most Regent information!

 

Fortunately once you get on a Regent ship, their skills improve greatly, which is why I keep coming back.

[hondorner]

Odd -- I was pretty sure the shore excursions are not supposed to be available until 120 days prior to sailing. How many days prior to sailing did they appear? If it was greater than 120 days, it might have been a test posting, and the report that they were all fully booked was intended to prevent anyone from trying to book until the 120 day mark.

[rpjsaj]

Regent changed the online shore excursion booking period to 180 days prior to sailing several months ago. But, apparently that's just approximate.

[hondorner]

Regent changed the online shore excursion booking period to 180 days prior to sailing several months ago. But, apparently that's just approximate.

I wasn't aware of that, and apparently they weren't, either -- my excursions for our Jan 13, 2010 cruise appeared right on schedule on September 14, 120 days prior...the RSSC web site is also apparently not aware of a change. This is from the "Cruise Questions" section of the site:

Q: Do you offer shore excursions?

A: Beginning in 2010, all Regent Seven Seas Cruises feature Free Unlimited Shore Excursions, which are available for reservation online generally beginning at least 120 days before sailing...

[hoosier74]

We still don't have excursions for one port and we're inside of 120 days; the others went up about 3 weeks ago.

 

As I think I opined before, I would guess it's more complicated to schedule excursions in a port that Regent ships visit only once or twice a year, so I'm still a little sympathetic, but I would be less so had I not been able to book any at this point.

[ededmd]

I wasn't aware of that, and apparently they weren't, either -- my excursions for our Jan 13, 2010 cruise appeared right on schedule on September 14, 120 days prior...the RSSC web site is also apparently not aware of a change. This is from the "Cruise Questions" section of the site:

 

No shock here but it seems the website is out of date.

Excerpted from an email from RSSC to me via my TA:

 

November 4, 2009

...

Dear Guest:

...

Effective immediately, shore excursions will be available for booking 180 days prior to

sailing date. At midnight Eastern Standard Time on the 180th day prior to the ship’s departure,

the “Book Excursions” button will automatically appear on your Booked Cruises under My

Account at http://www.RSSC.com <http://www.RSSC.com>, and at that time the tours can be chosen

and added to your reservation.

...

 

[rpjsaj]

For a January cruise, your 120 days would have been in September, which was before they changed the policy to 180 days, which is probably why you didn't know about the change.

 

The 180 days policy was posted on the website some time ago, and also appeared on the "Book Excursions" page for a booked cruise.

[hondorner]

...Regent does a really inadequate job when it comes to keeping their customers informed.

Obviously, this is one place upon which we agree, or I would have known about the 180 days. It would also seem that they have internal communication problems -- obviously, someone in the Regent IT department has not heard about the new policy, or the 120 day period would have been changed. I searched the "already booked" section fairly thoroughly and could not find a mention of the advance period.

 

I'm still at a loss for some other explanation of why they would all appear as "sold out". I agree it is unlikely that every excursion at every port would be sold out. That's why I proposed the theory that it might be a test posting.

[PaulaJK]

Hondorner

 

'sold out' appears to be one of Regent's [ telephone] consultants favorite lines/answers/excuses for not looking into the matter. A number of us tired to book dining reservations the day they opened...some at 20 minutes post opening and some within a few hours. Only 3 out of the 13 cruise days appeared for booking. I telephoned and received a variety of 'answers' which included 'oh they didn't want to open dining for New Year's Eve' [huh??] and 'the rest of the nights are sold out'. ..in 2 hours lady??

 

If you wish to make reservations for a tour I suggest you enlist your TA or call for a Regent supervisor. It is highly unlikely that everything is sold out. Of course [per my experience] you may still have to weed thru mistaken postings and tours that are no longer operating.

[sundial]

Shore excursions just became available for our May 28 Mariner cruise last night but they all appeared to be sold out. I checked again this morning and I was able to book them except for two ports in Israel where no excursions are shown yet. Regent seems to have a lot of problems with its website and internet capabilities. Maybe they should just wait to closer to sailing to allow you to select excursions and do it right the first time.