Cape Town - Regent Pre & Post cruise offerings

[flossie009]

Looking at two Voyager cruises in 2025 and surprised to see no pre or post cruise offerings in Cape Town

https://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY250516/summary  (final segment of a Grand Voyage)

https://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY250604/summary

 

This seems unusual & Regent (Southampton) confirm that this is not just a website glitch. 

 

Any thoughts as to why nothing is available through Regent for this popular location?

 

 

[Johnthesailor]

I suspect that there will be pre and posts out of Cape Town  but they will not be posted until some later date.  This is probably a similar situation to excursions not being a posted for some voyages or all being posted as going at 8AM.  Likely due to staff cutbacks and outsourcing resulting in significant delays in getting the proper information.  Of course, I may be totally wrong but the pre and post excursions are almost certainly profitable for Regent, gives Regent increased flexibility in booking air, and also likely increase bookings so it makes little sense that they will not be offered.

[mrlevin]

Susan, these cruises were just announced a few weeks ago; I am sure that anything that was offered to World Cruisers this year with exact same itinerary changes will be offered to those of us on Voyager.  We are on Auckland to Lisbon, will you and David be on for one segment or two?

 

Marc

[flossie009]

5 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

We are on Auckland to Lisbon, will you and David be on for one segment or two?

TBD 🤔 

Decisions, Decisions !!

 

8 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

these cruises were just announced a few weeks ago

We hadn't realised that; makes sense now that we didn't spot them before. Was this a re-routing to avoid the Suez Canal?

[mrlevin]

15 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

 

We hadn't realised that; makes sense now that we didn't spot them before. Was this a re-routing to avoid the Suez Canal?

Yes.  We added Cape Town to Lisbon and then cancelled fall Grand Voyage on Navigator as that became totally redundant.  

[papaflamingo]

On 5/2/2024 at 3:43 PM, flossie009 said:

Looking at two Voyager cruises in 2025 and surprised to see no pre or post cruise offerings in Cape Town

https://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY250516/summary  (final segment of a Grand Voyage)

https://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY250604/summary

 

This seems unusual & Regent (Southampton) confirm that this is not just a website glitch. 

 

Any thoughts as to why nothing is available through Regent for this popular location?

 

 

We are on the Grand Cruise and they notified us about the final segment change on Apr. 17 so only about 3 weeks ago.  I keep watching the cruise for shore excursions and post cruise excursions but...no joy.  Anyway, called Regent last week and they weren't sure when they'd be posted, but my guess is, at least the shore excursions, will be available May 16, one year prior to the final segment.  As to pre and post excursions, my guess is they'll be similar to the re-directed World Cruise, as well as other cruises that go to Cape Town.  But rest assured, they'll be posted at some point.  Our plan is to pick excursions based on what they show in each port (when you select the port) and have 2-3 choices prioritized so when they are ready for selection we'll be ready to select.  

We are also going to do some sort of Safari in Cape Town after the cruise. There are many...many options and they're mindboggling.  So we are researching them and will compare to whatever Regent offers based on what they offered on other cruises, then decide. 

[GOARMY]

As to pre-cruise Regent offerings at Cape Town:  

 

Mariner Pre-cruise.  Camp Figtree British-themed Lodge perched high on Zuurberg Mountain above  Addo Elephant National Park/Game Reserve.. 

 

Do a Google. 

 

About an hour's flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.  Then, a 1.25 hour van ride to Lodge.  TA advised us to request "roughing it" [NOT} in one of about 10 tents adjacent to Main Lodge buildings. Some tent.  Hardwood floor; luxury carpets; hot shower; 24-hour lights. Hot water and coffee/tea set-ups awaiting us each morning at our tent.  Along with great vista views from our perch above the Reserve. 

 

Food prepared by Port Elizabeth locals pared with South African wines.  Gourmet in every respect.  Knowledgeable Guide/Game Wardens assigned to two 6 to 8-person Range Rovers for travel down the hillside to Park.  

 

Every detail taken care of.  

 

There were many memorable moments when up close to wildlife.  One stands out.  My wife took a 30-second video of a BIG bull elephant who met us on a dusty side road one afternoon.  Range Rover stopped. Warden turned off the motor.  The big fella gave us the eye as he softly walked by.  Upon review of that video--which due to passage of time [it was pre-COVID] we have not been able to retrieve to relive the moment--he took up the entire field of camera view during that brief, but meaningful encounter.  

 

Three days, and many up-close views of Reserve animals later, back to Airport.  Return flight to Cape Town; direct van transfer to Mariner to start the cruise. 

 

--------- 

 

One other thought, particularly relevant if this would be one's first visit to Cape Town.  Even if Concierge with a pre-cruise one-day hotel stay:  Go earlier, at-least three days early.  Again, took our TA's advice.  We were booked at Victoria&Albert Hotel located at Waterfront area a few kilometers from center of town. [That area is also where Regent's ships dock.] Wonderful restaurants both at Hotel and nearby.  Pleasant stay to take care of jet lag.  Concierge arranged visits to the usual tourist spots.  Like Table Mountain.  

 

Then, to Regent's hotel in center of town on 4th day for the Concierge night before flight to Port Elizabeth.  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

[Lonedaddy]

Question as it relates to CPT.  Is the regent port by the VA waterfront area?  We are doing the pre-cruise regent tour and also a couple of days on our own pre-pre-cruise.  I noticed their is a bus ride to the port on embarkation day, but not sure I want to take the scenic route to the port if it is close to the regent hotel.   Since we will probably already seen most of the sites on the bus ride thought it would be more relaxing to sleep in and lounge until checkout time.    Will regent transport your baggage to the port on the bus even if we just want to skip the tour and uber or do we have to bring our bags with us?

[GOARMY]

Lonedaddy:

 

Quick answer is Yes at the Waterfront as to where our Mariner ship awaited our arrival.

 

Cautionary Note:  Our experience was shortly before the Pandemic.  So--others might comment as to more-recent post-Pandemic experiences. 

 

As to other aspects of your Post:  Our additional luggage (those not-taken on the pre-cruise Safari described in Post #7) had been dispatched from Regent's assigned downtown-area hotel where we stayed the night before beginning the Safari to somewhere--I known not where--while we were at Camp Figtree.  

 

Whatever--the point being those bags were there for us to unpack when we entered our Mariner Suite.

 

Regent is responsible for luggage you tag at Regent's assigned hotel and leave for pick-up by hotel staff from your room on day of hotel departure. This has never been an issue.  

 

An aside:  We could see our Victoria & Albert Hotel (see Post #7 for context) at the Waterfront Port upon return from the Camp Figtree pre-cruise Safari and subsequent to boarding Mariner.  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

[Lady Meer]

I think it’s the Victoria and Alfred Hotel! Albert was Victoria’s husband, Alfred was their son! Confusing, or what?

[GOARMY]

Lady Meer: 

 

Well, actually, No.  The Queen's husband was Prince Albert of Sax-Coburg and Gotha. For obvious reasons, that Cape Town hotel shorted his name to Albert.  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

 

[flossie009]

1 hour ago, Lady Meer said:

I think it’s the Victoria and Alfred Hotel

You are correct

https://newmarkhotels.com/accommodation/the-victoria-alfred-hotel

 

………… the hotel and V&A Waterfront are named after Queen Victoria and her second son Prince Alfred

 

[GOARMY]

Well, ladies:  

 

I will gracefully fall on my (sheathed) sword.  At-least I had the correct family.  

 

GOARMY!

 

[mj_holiday]

We did Cape Town to Cape Town Dec 2022, right after things opened from pandemic

 

If you do Victoria Falls precruise (I highly recommend it) you will fly into Johannesburg, and then fly to Cape Town the night before embarking.  All things having to do with Victoria Falls was pretty well organized.

 

Everything having to do with Cape Town (before and after cruise) was not very organized except the excursions to wine tasting.

• Getting to the hotel from airport from Johannesburg (flight delayed 3 hours) got us to the hotel as the employees were getting ready to leave.  Bar/restaurant closed.  Had to ask many questions to see if we could get room service, which we did get. We were told to meet our bus at 7am (we just started ignoring them after that)
• After a nice breakfast we took our time getting down to see about taking the bus to port.  It was chaos, no one to help with luggage. Just stood in the chaos until a bus was ready to load. You had to point to your luggage to get it loaded.

What I am trying to say is, while we enjoyed out pre and post trips, I am not sure how to avoid some of this chaos, unless the agencies providing this gets more organized.