Are the excursions as good as they “sound” in the description?

[Georgia_Peaches]

We are preparing for our first RSS cruise on Grandeur next April. We are eligible to select our excursions in a week or so. I’ve been pouring over the 45 page document detailing all the available excursions and have a few questions:

 

1.  The variety seems pretty great. Do you have a strategy for getting the excursions you really want?  We don’t have any priority when it comes to when we pick.

2. We are mid fifties and in good physical condition. Do the less strenuous excursions tend to fill up faster than the rest?

3.  We have a ton of nonrefundable obc and are open to upgrading some excursions. Are the upgraded excursions generally worth the upgrade fee?

And finally,

4.  What’s the general size of an excursion group?  Small group is up to 16 which makes me wonder how big are the regular sized groups?
 

Our itin is Venice to Rome via Croatia, Greece, and Sicily. 
 

I know it’s a lot so thank you! 😊 

[mikenbob]

1. Book as early as possible. Waitlist excursions that you want that are already filled…very good chance that openings will happen.

2. No, easiest excursions tend to book first. The most strenuous as very do-able.

3. Definitely look at the upgraded options, especially small group excursions. Well worth it.

4. Depends (duh!), but I think that small groups are capped at 16ish. Less strenuous generally are on tour buses with far more people.

 

FYI, we are Georgians, too. Live in Atlanta (Buckhead), have traveled on multiple Regent cruises (our favorite line), and next cruise will be in September on Splendor.

[RELS]

5 minutes ago, mikenbob said:

1. Book as early as possible. Waitlist excursions that you want that are already filled…very good chance that openings will happen.

 

Waitlist first, then book your back up. If you book your backup first, you can't waitlist without calling Regent.

 

If there's something you really want, go to that port first and go through all the step from selection thru confirming your choice to grab that excursion. It's a multi step process -- check the box, go to check out, check out, and confirm.  You can go back and do the other ports immediately after (in fact, you can customize your shore excursions up to 7 days before sailing).

 

7 minutes ago, mikenbob said:

4. Depends (duh!), but I think that small groups are capped at 16ish. Less strenuous generally are on tour buses with far more people.

 

They often break the large groups into bus-loads (you stick with your bus and guide for the whole tour). In my experience those bus-loads are around 30 or 35 people.

 

In South America and Alaska (our most recent tours) Regent and their shore-based guides didn't have anything like a Whisper or other headset system, so even the not small groups can't get too big.

 

Shore guides and drivers are not Regent employees. Regent hires their company, and they can be hit-or-miss. They're more likely to be "hit" if they are leading one of the paid excursions.

[2SailingNomads]

Our experience has been a couple have been great, most barely ok, and a few poor.  We usually do our own thing private but since some Regent tours sound interesting have tried them. 

[Catlover54]

We've had base bus excursions with well over 40 people packed in, but that trip was pre-Covid.  In general I did not like Regent excursions as much as excursions on Silversea or even Seabourn.

We're doing more private excursions in recent years, or non-included excursions, which tend to be better (life is short). 

 

[daetchief]

The excursion selection bookings open at Midnight EST on the day it starts.  If you are concerned, you can stay up late - or get up early to be head-of-the line.

Generally the most popular tours - regardless of intensity - fill most quickly.   Aim for your desires.  You should find room if you don’t wait for days.

We’ve had outstanding tours and memorable tours.  Never a bad tour unless we decided ourselves that there was nothing of value; and that meant we didn’t want to find the value.  (Zen!)

Of note, once or twice our guide was a graduate professor who was restating a historic lecture that wasn’t the groups passion.  Rather than letting it spoil the afternoon I asked her a question regarding “How was life here during the Second World War?” Which got her out of her syllabus and into her heart.  The tour - with a different premise - was enjoyed by most or all.  
‘The things like Weather, Traffic, and ‘unknowns’ which are out of Regent’s control usually blamed but are never the reason for a bad excursion.

[ChucktownSteve]

Don't be overly concerned if you find the excursion you desire "sold out."  Besides being on the wait list, if you show up early in the excursion gathering location, you can put yourself on their handwritten list.  You'll probably wind up going.
 

Once they get close to excursion time, the crew will be able to determine the number of no shows.  Many people who don't pay for excursion don't feel the need to cancel but just change their mind. Thus you're very likely to get the slot.

[DeepFreeze63]

Good advice above.

I have been able in the last year to book at 8 Pm ET on the day they open up for me (indicated on "MY Account" page for that booking).

[Georgia_Peaches]

6 minutes ago, DeepFreeze63 said:

Good advice above.

I have been able in the last year to book at 8 Pm ET on the day they open up for me (indicated on "MY Account" page for that booking).

Yes, my booking times 8 pm. Thank you!

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

9 hours ago, mikenbob said:

Waitlist excursions that you want that are already filled…very good chance that openings will happen.

Great tip!  I would have gone with my second or even third choice!

9 hours ago, mikenbob said:

FYI, we are Georgians, too. Live in Atlanta (Buckhead), have traveled on multiple Regent cruises

Hello, neighbor...Midtown here!  How did Regent handle your air from ATL...did they schedule you on some crazy flight plan causing you to deviate or is ATL big enough to get a more direct flight?  I'm expecting to have to fly domestic to JFK or something nearby and then on to Venice....just based on what I've read.

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 hours ago, daetchief said:

The excursion selection bookings open at Midnight EST on the day it starts.  If you are concerned, you can stay up late - or get up early to be head-of-the line.

Will I be allowed to book prior to my given 8 PM time?

 

4 hours ago, daetchief said:

Of note, once or twice our guide was a graduate professor who was restating a historic lecture that wasn’t the groups passion.  Rather than letting it spoil the afternoon I asked her a question regarding “How was life here during the Second World War?” Which got her out of her syllabus and into her heart.  The tour - with a different premise - was enjoyed by most or all.  

OMG the last thing I want is to be guided by a professor who wants to lecture his/her syllabus.  I will have no patience for this.  Thanks for the tip!

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, ChucktownSteve said:

Don't be overly concerned if you find the excursion you desire "sold out."  Besides being on the wait list, if you show up early in the excursion gathering location, you can put yourself on their handwritten list.  You'll probably wind up going.

Excellent!  Thanks for the tip!

 

7 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

Our experience has been a couple have been great, most barely ok, and a few poor.

Most...barely ok.....yikes!  This is exactly why I posed so many questions.  My fear is going all the way to Europe, not to mention spending a ton of money, only to be stuck in a tour that's barely OK.  

[Portolan]

8 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Will I be allowed to book prior to my given 8 PM time?

 

No.  Regent chose the 8 PM time a few years ago to level the playing field since a midnight opening was difficult for some to manage.  8PM works pretty well for all in the US (and not so well for Europe and Asia).

 

We have also found most to be OK or better (not barely OK).

Edited Thursday at 12:27 PM by Portolan

[mikenbob]

21 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Great tip!  I would have gone with my second or even third choice!

Hello, neighbor...Midtown here!  How did Regent handle your air from ATL...did they schedule you on some crazy flight plan causing you to deviate or is ATL big enough to get a more direct flight?  I'm expecting to have to fly domestic to JFK or something nearby and then on to Venice....just based on what I've read.

We nearly always use Regent Air for our flights, but use their deviation service to ensure we get on the flights that we want. Otherwise, Regent is going to pick the most economical (for them) route, which may involve multiple stops/layovers. Delta is our preferred airline and their capacity for most routes (especially to Europe) is still lower than pre-Covid. Therefore, you will likely have to pay an upcharge to get the flights that you want. It is worth it to use, but others will surely disagree. FYI, when you use Regent Air to deviate on Delta and the flight schedule (even with stops/changes of plane) is continuous, you will be booked on First Class domestically and then Delta One on the international portion. 

[irishwitchy]

Also,  once you get on the ship,  review all your excursion tickets, times and descriptions.   You will find that you thought an excursions was going to be at 10:00am and has been moved to 7:00am, which may not be relaxing!   THe descriptions on the ship go into more detail, for example the bus trip to do X,  also will stop at A, B and C (stuff you don’t care about) and you will only be at X for 30 minutes.   We have bailed on a excursion or two when we realized we have an hour on the bus and limited time at the main event.  
 

However,  we normally have made bad excursions into better ones or at least have a great laugh at them.  

[DeepFreeze63]

11 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We are preparing for our first RSS cruise on Grandeur next April. We are eligible to select our excursions in a week or so. I’ve been pouring over the 45 page document detailing all the available excursions and have a few questions:

 

1.  The variety seems pretty great. Do you have a strategy for getting the excursions you really want?  We don’t have any priority when it comes to when we pick.

2. We are mid fifties and in good physical condition. Do the less strenuous excursions tend to fill up faster than the rest?

3.  We have a ton of nonrefundable obc and are open to upgrading some excursions. Are the upgraded excursions generally worth the upgrade fee?

And finally,

4.  What’s the general size of an excursion group?  Small group is up to 16 which makes me wonder how big are the regular sized groups?
 

Our itin is Venice to Rome via Croatia, Greece, and Sicily. 
 

I know it’s a lot so thank you! 😊 

Thanks for your questions; they got me thinking about my excursions.

I had reserved excursions for our 8/24 cruise in 8/23 (and was happy with them). Today, I revisited the options and found Regent had added (sometime in the past) to the original offerings! I changed 5 to those more appealing for DW, a photographer.

Tip: Revisit periodically to see if any have been added that may be of greater interest.

[2SailingNomads]

Do your research and see what you can  book on your own vs. what the ship tour is.  I love the Regent experience but that has nothing to do with the included port tours.  I am paying for them but I do not need to take them unless they appeal to me. I would rather have a private tour that I  arranged. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 hours ago, 2SailingNomads said:

Do your research and see what you can  book on your own vs. what the ship tour is.  I love the Regent experience but that has nothing to do with the included port tours.  I am paying for them but I do not need to take them unless they appeal to me. I would rather have a private tour that I  arranged. 

Great advice!  We are not tour bus sort of travelers. We have poured through all 45 pages and were cross-eyed by the end. We finally decided to make a list (sometimes short) of what we wanted out of each stop. Then we looked for an excursion description that might fit. Some didn’t so we are looking at other options. 

[DaisyUK]

The short answer to your question, IMHO, is a resounding NO! We love Regent and have sailed with them on many occasions, but the shore excursions for us have been a universal let-down. I would say that 20% have lived up to our fairly low expectations and the rest have fallen below. It's a huge shame and I understand how difficult it is for Regent and, indeed, any cruise company, to keep standards high because so much depends upon the individual guide and the transport options available. I don't think the other lines we have sailed with (Crystal, Oceania and Cunard) have offered anything better, but neither were they worse. For the most part, we now prefer to do our own thing in port.

[Georgia_Peaches]

29 minutes ago, DaisyUK said:

but the shore excursions for us have been a universal let-down.

May I ask what aspect let you down...transportation, quality of guide information, points of interest?  Did you find the excursions that had an additional fee to be any better?

 

We are looking at a Food & Beverage tour in Sicily. It's 8 hours...I would hate to be stuck on an 8 hour tour that felt like a let-down...

 

Here's the description:  Sounds great on paper...what would be the reality?

 

Duration: 8.00 Hrs CTA-014 TAORMINA & VILLAGRANDE WITH ETNA DOC WINES Tour Price: $269.00 Retail Price: $459.00 Date: May 06, 2025 09:15 AM Regent Seven Seas Cruises is proud to partner with Food & Wine Trails, America’s foremost culinary travel company, in the offering of this tour. F&WT tours are always kept intimate and visit sites not typically offered by mainstream travel suppliers. Their tours are always led by a knowledgeable, English-speaking sommelier, wine or food expert, cooking instructor or chef, who enjoys introducing visitors to some of the best and most authentic food and wine of their region. Indulge in the wine and food of the Mount Etna region alongside a charming, local sommelier who will gladly share their passion for the treasures found in this corner of Italy. In Taormina, which perches on a rocky terrace high above the Ionian Sea, enjoy a guided walking tour past landmarks including the exquisite 15th century Palazzo Corvaja, the bustling Corso Umberto and the marvelous 3rd-century BC Greek theater. You’ll appreciate time on your own to sit in an inviting café or further explore the town’s palaces, squares, staircases, and small side alleys. Learn from your sommelier guide that the Mount Etna appellation is a surging wine region, with ample praise heaped on its vintages by Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Food & Wine magazines. Upon arrival at the cellar doors of the venerable Barone di Villagrande estate, you’ll receive a warm welcome from a member of the Nicolosi family. You’ll hear the Nicolosis have been making wine on the fertile slopes of Mount Etna for ten generations. Savor a four-course Sicilian lunch paired with four Villagrande wines followed by a tour of the estate grounds and underground wine cellar, a fitting finale to your palate-pleasing adventure.

[DaisyUK]

Well, first off, we loved Taormina although the excursion we had there was disappointing in itself. It was not the excursion you mention above. We actually left our guide (along with several others) and did our own thing and ended up having a very enjoyable day.

To answer your question : transportation has generally been very good to excellent; no complaints there at all. Obviously, it varies by location and good quality coaches are harder to come by on some islands but I think Regent get the cream of the crop.

The problem for us has been the hyperbolic way of describing excursions which raised our expectations to a level which simply were not met. Where food was provided as part of the excursion, it was disappointing in every case. Guides have been inconsistent in quality; some good, some bad, some dreadful. The problem is you just don't know until you are there.

The excursion you have detailed above looks amazing and perhaps it will be. I am just very cynical these days about Regent's (or any cruise line's) ability to control quality.

It seems to me that there are potentially 2 issues; one is that a great guide can make or break any excursion and the second is that some of the places are simply not that great in the first place and however good the guide is, it's impossible to overcome that. 

We have found that the above applies, both for paid for and included excursions. 

We did love Taormina though!

I hope this helps and I really don't mean to be a Debbie-downer, but equally wanted to share our experiences.

[irishwitchy]

I always do a bit of research if I get the name of the lunch included in the description.   In this case  Barone di Villagrande has a 5 course lunch for 70 euros a person.  Wines aren’t very expensive,  so they may be just good, not great.    Property looks rather nice.  
 

I have been in this area before and I’m sure you will enjoy, no matter what you pick.  Getting out to the Mount Etna To enjoy wine is an excellent idea.     It is also very easy to hire a guide, but I’m thinking the Regent price point isn’t so bad.  Best of luck.  

[The Hudson Co. Landlubber]

4 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

May I ask what aspect let you down...transportation, quality of guide information, points of interest?  Did you find the excursions that had an additional fee to be any better?

 

We are looking at a Food & Beverage tour in Sicily. It's 8 hours...I would hate to be stuck on an 8 hour tour that felt like a let-down...

 

Here's the description:  Sounds great on paper...what would be the reality?

 

Duration: 8.00 Hrs CTA-014 TAORMINA & VILLAGRANDE WITH ETNA DOC WINES Tour Price: $269.00 Retail Price: $459.00 Date: May 06, 2025 09:15 AM Regent Seven Seas Cruises is proud to partner with Food & Wine Trails, America’s foremost culinary travel company, in the offering of this tour. F&WT tours are always kept intimate and visit sites not typically offered by mainstream travel suppliers. Their tours are always led by a knowledgeable, English-speaking sommelier, wine or food expert, cooking instructor or chef, who enjoys introducing visitors to some of the best and most authentic food and wine of their region. Indulge in the wine and food of the Mount Etna region alongside a charming, local sommelier who will gladly share their passion for the treasures found in this corner of Italy. In Taormina, which perches on a rocky terrace high above the Ionian Sea, enjoy a guided walking tour past landmarks including the exquisite 15th century Palazzo Corvaja, the bustling Corso Umberto and the marvelous 3rd-century BC Greek theater. You’ll appreciate time on your own to sit in an inviting café or further explore the town’s palaces, squares, staircases, and small side alleys. Learn from your sommelier guide that the Mount Etna appellation is a surging wine region, with ample praise heaped on its vintages by Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Food & Wine magazines. Upon arrival at the cellar doors of the venerable Barone di Villagrande estate, you’ll receive a warm welcome from a member of the Nicolosi family. You’ll hear the Nicolosis have been making wine on the fertile slopes of Mount Etna for ten generations. Savor a four-course Sicilian lunch paired with four Villagrande wines followed by a tour of the estate grounds and underground wine cellar, a fitting finale to your palate-pleasing adventure.

 

Hi - just did exactly this excursion with Regent in May and loved it, despite the extra cost.  There's a full morning with a guide to explore Taormina (our guide Martine was wonderful but we peeled off to do our own thing).  Then you meet at the square and the bus drives you up Mt Etna.

 

Villagrande is the oldest winery on Etna, and the wines are excellent (I had 2 cases shipped home).  It's a beautiful setting and view, and a sommelier comes along (Mariella - also excellent) and you sit for the lunch where the wines are poured FREELY - no stingy 1.5 tastes here.  Whatever you like is refilled, regardless of pairing.  Food was excellent as well, more homestyle than haute cuisine, with a homemade rigatoni being my favorite.

 

I had not had any Nerello Mascalese wine before this trip and it has become a favorite.  Kinda like Italian Pinot Noir.  Can't find Villegrande near me but I found other Mt. Etna reds I liked as much, (maybe better) from nearby Gambino vineyards.

 

We had other excursion "blips" on the cruise but this one was perfect and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Last tip: You must - MUST - go to Roberto's on Corso Umberto and get 2 Cannoli.

 

Why 2? He will not let you buy just one.

 

You will be glad you did. 

 

I hope this helped and enjoy your trip!

 

HCL

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 hours ago, DaisyUK said:

I hope this helps and I really don't mean to be a Debbie-downer, but equally wanted to share our experiences.

Extremely helpful...not Debbie-downer at all.  As this is our first Regent cruise...half a world away, no less...I just don't have much of a frame of reference for what to expect.  My husband and I are generally go-it-aloners but wanted to at least give some of the excursions a try because it's part of the package.  That said, I'm not prepared to go all the way to be let down by the experience.  As others have suggested, I think lots of research is definitely the key!  Thank you so much for your perspective.

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, The Hudson Co. Landlubber said:

Hi - just did exactly this excursion with Regent in May and loved it, despite the extra cost. 

Thank you for the great detail!  Your experience makes me feel even more excited about this excursion.  I don't mind paying extra for the experience because it's likely the only time we will ever be in this region.  Great to know they will ship their wines...