First cruise in 3 months, wanting to book another?

[czardas]

Hi, I’m doing my first Regent cruise to Alaska in June and also wanting to book another for Tokyo for 2020. 

Should I wait until on board the first cruise to book the next cruise for a better discount? Not sure how the previous passenger discount works etc. 

Also the Tokyo cruise is showing all cabins as waitlisted, what’s with that when the cruise is so far out?

i don’t want to risk missing out on my cabin choice, if I need to wait 3 months. What should I do?

[Travelcat2]

Typically, the best way to get a discount is to book while onboard the ship.  Having said that, Tokyo itineraries are "HOT" right which is why all suites are waitlisted.  I would get on a waitlist for the category of suite that you are interested in ASAP.  If you put a deposit (refundable) on a suite category, you stand a reasonably good chance of getting what you want.

 

We booked a cruise for late in 2020 and it is now waitlisted.  Popular itineraries tend to sell out very early and the only way to have a chance on sailing on that cruise is to waitlist with a deposit.

 

Note:  Your Alaska cruise, if booked in June - mid-August will likely be completely different than a cruise to Tokyo as there are more families/children.  The Tokyo cruise should be amazing!  Hope that you are able to get a suite.

[czardas]

Oops sorry I meant we are looking at a 2021 Tokyo cruise, not 2020. 

[flossie009]

You do not have to wait until you are on board to receive the on-board booking benefits.

You can now book up to 30 days before your cruise to receive the on-board benefits (so in your case sometime in May)

 

I am assuming this arrangement is available to you in Australia, but check with your local Regent office.

(Note: When the 30 day prior on-board booking system was introduced not that long ago we and our TA did have a few issues with some reps in the UK Regent Office not being quite up to speed with the revised booking arrangements, so persevere if at first you get knocked back!)

[Travelcat2]

Czardas - I did notice that one of the three cruises that include Japan in April, 2021 is completely waitlisted.  Assume that this is the cruise that you are interested in since you mentioned that it was waitlisted.  

 

Not sure that someone can book a cruise onboard (or 30 days prior to the cruise) if there is no availability.  You need to find out if getting on a waitlist will get you the benefits of booking onboard.  Since we are talking about 2021 rather than 2020, you likely could wait until you get onboard the ship in Alaska and speak with the Cruise Consultant.  You should have plenty of time for a waitlist to clear. 

[lynsy]

Czardas,

 

While I agree that wait lists usually clear, the Japan cruises seem to be very popular.  To wit, when we were on our last Regent cruise in June 2018, we tried to book the 2019 RT Japan cruise.   The cruise consultant was very helpful, but, apologetic when he told us that the ship was fully booked with over 600 people already on the waiting list so they were not even taking any more deposits for that sailing.  When the 2021 itineraries were first announced this February we quickly booked the 2021 RT  Japan cruise and only a month or so later saw that it was already almost completely waitlisted.  While there is an advantage to booking on board, I think if you really are keen on the itinerary and the deposit is refundable  you should get on the waitlist as soon as possible.  We can't wait for the 2021 cruise and hope you will will have success to book your cruise.

 

 

[lynsy]

Hi again Czardas,

 

I just checked our records and found that we actually booked the 2021 Japan cruise in Nov. 2018.  it was a back to back that we added in Feb. so  and it was as early as November 2018 that that the waitlist was filling up. 

[czardas]

Thank you for all the responses. Wow that is definitely a popular location, I didn’t realise how fast it would wait list. 

Just out of curiosity, what type of discount would I expect if booking onboard? Is it a % discount or a set rebate of a token amount?

[Travelcat2]

25 minutes ago, czardas said:

Thank you for all the responses. Wow that is definitely a popular location, I didn’t realise how fast it would wait list. 

Just out of curiosity, what type of discount would I expect if booking onboard? Is it a % discount or a set rebate of a token amount?

 

The amount varies by length of the cruise and your suite category:

 

2021 Onboard Booking Savings

Please note: Retro Onboard Savings does not include shipboard credit offer.

Sailing length	Penthouse Suites and Above	Concierge Suites	Veranda, Deluxe Veranda & Deluxe Window Suites
0-14 days	$275 pp	$200 pp	$150 pp
15-29 days	$400 pp	$325 pp	$250 pp
30+ days	$1,000 pp	$750 pp	$500 pp
Instant Shipboard Credit	$200 per booking	$200 per booking	$200 per booking

[czardas]

travelcat2 thank you for that. Hardly worth waiting for, so I will jump on a waitlist now. I just have to work out which concierge cabin type. Hoping for Seven Seas Suite but really don’t know much about the ship, so I better quickly do some research. 

[flossie009]

@czardas,

Probably the right decision in your case of a very popular cruise to waitlist immediately with a deposit.

However, for future reference the Regent on board booking programme has other benefits as well as the discounts:

• reduced deposit
• price guarantee
• ability to move the cruise
• shipboard credit of $200 per booking

[Gilly]

We booked our 2019 Tokyo to Vancouver cruise whilst on board Explorer on the morning the itineraries were announced in, I think 2017.  Our appointment with Gudrun was at 11.30 am and she had already booked four couples on that same itinerary already. 

 

This part of the world is indeed popular, although Regent have just announced changes to some itineraries which initially included China in 2020  and the Chinese ports appear to have been replaced by more ports in Japan.  Some booked on those cruises are unhappy (reasonably so, if they wanted to visit China) so perhaps you might find some Japan-focused itineraries opening up if they change their minds.    @czardas it's the additional benefits that @flossie009 outlines that make the most difference to us when we book onboard (or immediately pre-cruise - we are about to book our 2021 jolly!)

Edited March 28, 2019 by Gilly