Booking Excursions for a Future Cruise While Onboard

[-Lew-]

This January and February I was in Maui when booking excursions for a B2B2B cruise on the Splendor in 2023.  I logged in a little after 7:00pm HST on three separate occasions to trudge through Regent's extremely slow booking process.  After spending an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes for each segment, I finally succeded.

 

That was this year.  Next year I'll need to do the same for a B2B2B in 2024.  This time, however, I'll be on the Splendor with its reportedly slow Wi-Fi and internet connection...it could take all night, if at all.

 

To Regent veterans I ask how you would accomplish booking excursions while onboard?  Do I attempt a repeat of this year...at midnight; give my choices to my TA for her to do; request a Regent rep shoreside or onboard to do it on my behalf?  Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[Portolan]

Interestingly enough, I have the same issue coming up.  I'll be on Splendor on 14 March when I can book excursions for our March 2023 Tokyo-Tokyo cruise on Explorer.

 

You can ask your TA to do this for you and that's probably the safest bet.  However, I'm a hands on kinda guy and will attempt to do it myself, but with a list prepositioned with my TA so if it just isn't working out too well, I can call her (lots of phone time as Platinum) and ask her to do it.

 

The other unknown in this whether the new web site design is better or worse than the old for making the bookings.  I won't be examining the individual details on-line...just trying to directly book the tours we want.

[briar14]

I think the Cruise Consultant on board will help you.

Edited March 2, 2022 by briar14

[boblerm]

15 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

This January and February I was in Maui when booking excursions for a B2B2B cruise on the Splendor in 2023.  I logged in a little after 7:00pm HST on three separate occasions to trudge through Regent's extremely slow booking process.  After spending an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes for each segment, I finally succeded.

 

That was this year.  Next year I'll need to do the same for a B2B2B in 2024.  This time, however, I'll be on the Splendor with its reportedly slow Wi-Fi and internet connection...it could take all night, if at all.

 

To Regent veterans I ask how you would accomplish booking excursions while onboard?  Do I attempt a repeat of this year...at midnight; give my choices to my TA for her to do; request a Regent rep shoreside or onboard to do it on my behalf?  Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Lew,

Do you anticipate that the excursions that you have in mind will be so in demand that they warrant attempting to book them precisely at midnight the day that they become available?  In my experience, that has never been necessary.

But I think that attempting to do that on board is likely to be a very frustrating experience.

 

If you have faith in your TA, and find them to be very accommodating, that would be the easiest for you.

 

Another option, assuming that you have SS Society status, I assume that you do considering having done B2B2B is using your free phone time to call Regent.  They are very helpful in arranging excursions.

[Eno-Bob]

We went through the same thing back in the good old days - 2019 BC (Before COVID).  Tried to book excursions myself and it was hell.  Went up to the Cruise Consultant's Office when she opened and asked if she could book the excursions - it took 2 or 3 minutes.  That's my plan if it ever happens that way again... 

[Portolan]

Of course, the wifi is likely to be pretty good at midnight...

[Eno-Bob]

2 minutes ago, Portolan said:

Of course, the wifi is likely to be pretty good at midnight...

That's only half the problem -- you're still dealing with the Regent website...

[-Lew-]

Thanks to all for some excellent suggestions...

 

I'm a belt and suspenders kind of guy so I'm thinking of providing a list to my TA before boarding as backup.  I can text or call her pretty quickly if all else fails.

 

By the way,  we've been able to use AT&T Wi-Fi calling on other cruise lines.  Does anyone know whether it will work with Regent's Wi-Fi? 

 

We board on January 21st and I need to book my first 2024 segment on the 26th.  That will give me time to touch base with the Cruise Consultant onboard.  If I get a good feeling, I'll give the consultant the go-ahead to do the bookings.

 

Of the 17 bookings we made for our 2023 cruise there were maybe 2-3 that might be in heavy demand.  Since we have done many of them with other cruise lines and again in 2023, missing them in 2024 will be something we can live with.

 

 

[-Lew-]

1 hour ago, Portolan said:

Interestingly enough, I have the same issue coming up.  I'll be on Splendor on 14 March when I can book excursions for our March 2023 Tokyo-Tokyo cruise on Explorer.

 

I'd be very interested in your experience.  If you would be kind enough to report back here it would be greatly appreciated.

[Ladys Mom]

In November I was on the Splendor and needed to book shore excursions for a cruise next November.  I spoke with the Concierge.  He printed off the descriptions of the shore excursions.  My husband and I selected the ones we wanted.  We returned the list to the Concierge, and he sent the list to Miami where all of our selections were entered.  Easy peesy!!

[-Lew-]

50 minutes ago, Ladys Mom said:

In November I was on the Splendor and needed to book shore excursions for a cruise next November.  I spoke with the Concierge.  He printed off the descriptions of the shore excursions.  My husband and I selected the ones we wanted.  We returned the list to the Concierge, and he sent the list to Miami where all of our selections were entered.  Easy peesy!!

 

Excellent option!  Thank you...

[Portolan]

2 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

I'd be very interested in your experience.  If you would be kind enough to report back here it would be greatly appreciated.

Will do.  We already have a hard-copy so if the internet isn't up to it, we'll give it to the Concierge per Ladys Mom.

[RELS]

23 hours ago, Portolan said:

The other unknown in this whether the new web site design is better or worse than the old for making the bookings.  I won't be examining the individual details on-line...just trying to directly book the tours we want.

 

I just this morning booked some excursions, and the website today seemed to be identical to the the one I used in 2017 to book excursions. As far as I can tell, once you log into your account to manage your booking, the website hasn't changed at all.

[RELS]

22 hours ago, Ladys Mom said:

In November I was on the Splendor and needed to book shore excursions for a cruise next November.  I spoke with the Concierge.  He printed off the descriptions of the shore excursions.  My husband and I selected the ones we wanted.  We returned the list to the Concierge, and he sent the list to Miami where all of our selections were entered.  Easy peesy!!

 

I will remember this! we will be on board the Splendor in December 2022 when the time comes to book our excursions for a December 2023 cruise. Thank you for letting us know about this option!

[Portolan]

6 hours ago, RELS said:

 

I just this morning booked some excursions, and the website today seemed to be identical to the the one I used in 2017 to book excursions. As far as I can tell, once you log into your account to manage your booking, the website hasn't changed at all.

Good to hear.  I thought it might be like the way excursions are accessed from the new itinerary listing.

[Portolan]

I should have reported back on my experience.  Despite the notoriously slow Internet connections from the ship, I booked all the excursions for a 14-day cruise (11 days in port, excursions every day) on a Kindle Fire (as in, the smallish screen didn't make this any easier).  It took about an hour.  So, asking the Cruise Consultant to do this is not the only option.  Since we also dealt with the CC to book another cruise, we found we were getting about a 2-day turn-around on a series of requests through him.  I wasn't prepared to wait since the cruise I was booking the excursions on was a twice postponed cruise in Japan which sold out quickly the third time with, based on past experience, a population of high status Seven Seas Society members who'd likely be booking at the same point as us.  I got everything I wanted except for one waitlist...which cleared 6 weeks later.

[-Lew-]

2 hours ago, Portolan said:

Despite the notoriously slow Internet connections from the ship, I booked all the excursions for a 14-day cruise (11 days in port, excursions every day) on a Kindle Fire (as in, the smallish screen didn't make this any easier).  It took about an hour. 

 

An hour is not bad at all...much better than my experience booking 19 excursions on a B2B2B for the Splendor in winter 2023.  We were in Maui at the time so I was able to book at 7:00pm the evening before excursions opened.  Although the three itineraries were combined into one, I was able to book excursions for each segment on their respective opening dates.

 

Unfortunately, due to Regent's convoluted booking process and their slow servers it took me an hour plus to do the bookings each time...a total of more than three hours.  I'm not looking forward to staying up until 1-2am, depending on time zone, on three separate occasions to book the 2024 excursions.  I may just let the concierge take care of it for me.

[Sailor Sam 407]

On 3/2/2022 at 2:36 PM, Ladys Mom said:

In November I was on the Splendor and needed to book shore excursions for a cruise next November.  I spoke with the Concierge.  He printed off the descriptions of the shore excursions.  My husband and I selected the ones we wanted.  We returned the list to the Concierge, and he sent the list to Miami where all of our selections were entered.  Easy peesy!!

I can confirm that our experience on the Explorer this past November was the same as Ladys Mom. The Concierge handled our excursions for next November and gave us a printed copy of the confirmation. Shortly thereafter we received our confirmation email from Regent. As was said, Easy peesy!!