Pre-Cruise Regent Experience

[RetiredandTravel]

14 hours ago, rallydave said:

In reality you did pay for the pre-cruise.  No doubt everything listed as free is for sure included in the price you paid for your cruise just like the "free" air or "free" hotel advertised as free yet if you choose not to use them you get a credit in cash.  Nothing is free, the correct term is included.  Unfortunately had you not taken the included pre-cruise you would not have gotten any credit just like not taking any of the "free" excursions on your cruise.  Simply more profit if you don't take all that is included.

 

 

I wrote in another thread my wife gets a good laugh at the Regent use of "free" in its literature.  Included in the price would be more appropriate in most cases.   In my case in Tokyo the pre-cruise package being "free" makes sense because subsequent similar Tokyo cruises were the same price (or higher) I paid for a concierge suite and the pre-cruise package was $3600 additional for two.  So apples to apples I paid $3600 less.  Call it free, promotion or included doesn't really matter, I paid quite a bit less when including the pre-cruise package.

 

That being said $3600 for 3 nights (with breakfast, excursions and transfers) is outlandish.  The Hilton Tokyo is $400-500 a night and the excursions you could easily do on your own or buy separately much cheaper.  I understand Regent needs to make money but when I asked them to add a day at the Hilton they quoted a price of $800-900, I booked it myself for 450.