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

[The Hudson Co. Landlubber]

21 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

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...

 

My pleasure.  Shipping was a reasonable 75€/case and the wines themselves were all under 30€ or so (did not buy the riservas because I had not tasted them).  These are wines produced for Italian consumption and they are priced accordingly but quite excellent.  All dry farmed (or you can't put the Etna DOC label on them, I was told when I asked.  Proof there is such a thing as a dumb question!) Here is their website:

 

https://www.villagrande.it/en/barone_di_villagrande_en/

 

I couldn't find too many pictures since I guess I was busy... umm.. "tasting" but here are a few.  I'll look and see if my wife has better ones.  She always does!

 

 

Those barrels are 250 years old, and no they don't use them any more.  There were more of them and they used the wood to make the tables you'll have lunch on.

 

I hope you enjoy as much as we did!  Goditi il vino!

 

Edited June 30 by The Hudson Co. Landlubber

[Redking]

Great thread. Thank for posting @Georgia_Peaches We too have our first Regent cruises in October and November. B2B from Tokyo to Honkong and then Hong Kong to Bangkok. We've set our excursions expectations bar very low. As other reviewers have said, the excursions seem to be Regent's weakest link.

 

Our Regent agent has been fabulous in getting us confirmed for almost all of our tours in Japan which were originally all waitlisted (we booked late). We're very comfortable touring independently and have only ever booked two ship tours both of which were cancelled (from our Celebrity days). It's good to have the peace of mind that we have something organised from which we can deviate if we wish.

 

Happy to come back on here at the end of November with impressions from a first time Regent experience perspective.

[chamima]

4 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

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.

 

We will also be on our first Regent cruise in Sept.

We have never used ship's excursions on our other cruises in the past and I've always spent hours and hours researching private excursions.

One of the draws of Regent was the included shore excursions.

 

I have some similar questions as @Georgia_Peaches.  Are the small group excursions better?

Also, my husband is a vegan and I am vegetarian (but we both love wine!)  so, while the tour described above sounds great, our food restrictions mean I usually avoid excursions involving meals. @The Hudson Co. Landlubber - would you still recommend it if we can't eat the meal?

 

 

6 hours ago, The Hudson Co. Landlubber said:

 

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

 

Where is Roberto's ? (City)

 

****

Edited June 30 by chamima

[papaflamingo]

11 hours ago, chamima said:

I have some similar questions as @Georgia_Peaches.  Are the small group excursions better?

As you'll find, enjoyment of excursions are like dining...very subjective.  For us, if there is something we really want to see, and a small group excursion is offered, we will book it.  But it has to be something where the guide narrative is important.  Most of the excursions we have been on have been fine.  Usually a large bus about 1/2 full so maybe 30 or so.  The small groups we have done are advertised for a max of 16, but we have only ever had maybe 10-12, so they've been great.   But for us, if the excursion is a tour followed by a stop where we tour on our own, no real advantage to the small group.  But an example where we LOVED the small group was in Liverpool. Did "In the Footsteps of the Beatles" small group.  About 10 of us.  The guide was fascinating and it was really nice not having to deal with 30 or so getting on and off the bus, and the personal interaction with the guide really enhanced the tour.  

On the other hand, we did a tour in Asia that went to Osaka Castle.  Basically we got a narrated tour enroute, escorted to the castle, given an entry ticket, and then toured on our own at our own pace.  I don't think a small group would have enhanced that as it seemed touring the castle isn't easy for a group of 12-16 together.  So for us, we look at how important is the guide and how much do we really want to see the venue, etc.  

 

[The Hudson Co. Landlubber]

12 hours ago, chamima said:

 

We will also be on our first Regent cruise in Sept.

We have never used ship's excursions on our other cruises in the past and I've always spent hours and hours researching private excursions.

One of the draws of Regent was the included shore excursions.

 

I have some similar questions as @Georgia_Peaches.  Are the small group excursions better?

Also, my husband is a vegan and I am vegetarian (but we both love wine!)  so, while the tour described above sounds great, our food restrictions mean I usually avoid excursions involving meals. @The Hudson Co. Landlubber - would you still recommend it if we can't eat the meal?

 

 

 

Where is Roberto's ? (City)

 

****

 

I can't remember every course of the meal but the pasta was probably vegan-compliant (southern Italy with EVOO as lipid of choice rather than dairy).  There was a fish course, salad and bread also as I recall,,, but maybe a private excursion to a winery with no meal is a better choice?  There are many wineries nearby and I remember there was a second excursion that went to a different winery as well.

 

Here is the card of the somm we had.  I bet you can contact her for a private tour and maybe hit a few?

 

 

Roberto's is in Taormina (as per the excursion listed) and while I still recommend you try it I think it is clearly a "vegan's nightmare" of ricotta.  And BTW that recommendation is your typical "I had one cannoli in Sicily and you must have the same one!" type, I am sure there are plenty of good ones.

 

Enjoy!

 

Edited July 1 by The Hudson Co. Landlubber

[Georgia_Peaches]

I just wanted to follow up and report that we chose our excursions yesterday at 8 pm EST. I really appreciate all the feedback from this board as it helped us strategize. 
 

Upper suites could select excursions 365 days from embarkation and lower suites like us, 360 days. Our sailing is sold out as were a few of our desired small group excursions. Per recommendations, we wait listed one of them. 
 

Our Intenet was slow, or perhaps it was Regent’s site but each excursion transaction took 3-5 minutes to lock into place. 
 

Prior to selecting, we ordered the excursions available in each port numerically based on what we wanted the most. DH likened it to the NFL draft 😊. When the window opened we went directly to the port and excursion we most wanted. We did not go in order of the itinerary. In all we snagged 4 of our first choices, 3 second choice, a wait list and 1 3rd choice. For not having any selection priority, I was pretty pleased with what we were able to secure. 
 

I hope this helps other Regent newbies like us wade through the process when the time comes!  
 

Thanks for all the help!

[The Hudson Co. Landlubber]

On 6/30/2024 at 7:46 PM, chamima said:

 

We will also be on our first Regent cruise in Sept.

We have never used ship's excursions on our other cruises in the past and I've always spent hours and hours researching private excursions.

One of the draws of Regent was the included shore excursions.

 

I have some similar questions as @Georgia_Peaches.  Are the small group excursions better?

Also, my husband is a vegan and I am vegetarian (but we both love wine!)  so, while the tour described above sounds great, our food restrictions mean I usually avoid excursions involving meals. @The Hudson Co. Landlubber - would you still recommend it if we can't eat the meal?

 

 

 

Where is Roberto's ? (City)

 

****

 

I was telling my wife about this thread yesterday and because she is so much smarter than I am when I mentioned the vegetarian/vegan thing she quickly replied "Just tell them, they'll do something to accommodate".

 

She is not only a genius, she has much more natural confidence in humans than I do! But I agree it is worth emailing them and asking.

[cAPS lOCK oN]

Last week we took a Regent tour that stopped in a taberna in Bilbao for pintxos. This was a colossal seven course serving of local specialities. There was a vegetarian in the group and for each course she was served a separate pintxo from the rest of us. I'm sure Regent made special arrangements for her.

Edited July 3 by cAPS lOCK oN

[ljsanantonio]

I think the quality of tours will vary with the part of the world.  We were disappointed on most of the ship's tours on our back to back from Auckland to Singapore January and February 2024.  We will set our expectations lower for our Buenos Aires to Rio to Lisbon next year.  I learned:  ships tours sound better than they are;,11.  the description and time will probably change upon embarkation, 2. you will have to bear a tour of the city by bus that is not included in the description (e.g., our Sydney opera house tour of @ 3 hours increased to 5+ hours to include a beach and a long drive through Sydney); 3. we will NOT go on a tour that is more than 5 hours and even then it needs to be something we really want to see (unless we book a private tour on our own).  As far as the tours that are at an extra cost, you can probably find a private tour that is the same price and much more enjoyable than the ships tour, e.g. we went to the Seven Apostles in Australia, and the ships tour advertised as same did not really go there).  Be sure to contact the tour provider directly even if you find it on Tripadvisor or Viator, usually less expensive and the tour provider benefits as well.  

However, book every tour you want in every port as soon as they open up, and you can always cancel (deadline for canceling paid tours normally 6 pm the night prior).  And toward the end of a cruise, many passengers are tired and turn in their tickets as they have had enough bus rides!

[RachelG]

We have over 250 nights on Regent.  We are very fit, and like to do the more strenuous excursions in general.  We have a many great ones, mostly pretty good, and a few terrible.  Here are my words of wisdom:

 

book as early as available.  You can always change later.  Don’t be afraid to wait list.  Most of the time it clears.  As soon as you get to your suite onboard, check all your excursion tickets and make sure they are what you booked and at the correct times.  Read the detailed descriptions as soon as you are on board. They may be very different than what was described online.

 

beware of anything that says “Panoramic “.  That is code for bus tour.  Also if it says leisurely drive, that means long bus drive.  We try to stay away from those, but sometimes where we really want to go involves a longish bus ride.
 

mostly we stick with the 2 or 3 walking man tours, but sometimes the 1 walking man tours give opportunity to just go off on your own and we do those.  Just tell the guide and be back at the bus or meeting point on time. Sometimes, we just use the bus portion as a means of transportation to get where we are waning to go.  

[cAPS lOCK oN]

4 hours ago, RachelG said:

beware of anything that says “Panoramic “.  That is code for bus tour.  Also if it says leisurely drive, that means long bus drive.  We try to stay away from those, but sometimes where we really want to go involves a longish bus ride.

 

Another term that tour description started frequently using is "gaze in awe." It's used in regards to churches, Roman ruins, museums, etc. Actual example: "Gaze in awe at Aviles’ International Cultural Center." 

 

It means you're not going in.

[DeepFreeze63]

Good advice above.

 

Based upon our almost 500 nights with Regent, I would also add:

Check that the venue (museum, store, church, market, etc.) you are interested in is open on the day of the week that you are there - many close 1 or 2 days a week. Regent's "Disclaimer" in the excursion description sometimes highlights this BUT not often enough. I pour through TripAdvisor and the venue's website (if they have a website).

Do your homework on the details of what you are going to visit. Don't rely on the tour guide; their company is hired by NCLH for their 3 brands, Regent, Oceania, and Norwegian. Quality of the guide is the luck of the draw within the tourist resources of the port. Regent tours rarely use "whisperers"; so you may miss a lot of what the guide says. We essentially rely on Regent tours only to get us to/from what we want to see.

Regent provides shuttles to "town" in almost all ports. Having done our research, these have been terrific in several ports as alternates to organized tours or where we can leave the tour to stay for a while on our own. We only use private tours where are sure to be able to return to the ship on time

Don't be reluctant to call Regent (# in excursion selection page) to change tours. It's easy and fast (have Booking # handy); I do it often.

[Port Power]

On 7/3/2024 at 9:39 PM, The Hudson Co. Landlubber said:

 

I was telling my wife about this thread yesterday and because she is so much smarter than I am when I mentioned the vegetarian/vegan thing she quickly replied "Just tell them, they'll do something to accommodate".

 

She is not only a genius, she has much more natural confidence in humans than I do! But I agree it is worth emailing them and asking.

 

I am coeliac and rarely have a problem.  I don't do chef tours or market food tours though.  The ship has my dietary need on file and puts that in place for the lunch on any excursion.  I always then double check with shore excursions when I board the ship.  In a very few instances there were no alternatives, so I usually carry a gluten-free muesli bar just in case.  Coffee stops where a local specialist bakery item is provided, I miss out, although sometimes will be given a piece of fruit if I ask.  With so much food on the ship, I don't feel that I "miss out" by not eating a pastry!

Edited July 8 by Port Power

[irishwitchy]

7 hours ago, Port Power said:

 

I am coeliac and rarely have a problem.  I don't do chef tours or market food tours though.  The ship has my dietary need on file and puts that in place for the lunch on any excursion.  I always then double check with shore excursions when I board the ship.  In a very few instances there were no alternatives, so I usually carry a gluten-free muesli bar just in case.  Coffee stops where a local specialist bakery item is provided, I miss out, although sometimes will be given a piece of fruit if I ask.  With so much food on the ship, I don't feel that I "miss out" by not eating a pastry!

I was going to point out that the muesli bar from the ship would be a problem in Australia or New Zealand, but I see that you are down under.   You can’t take any food from the ship.  Is there a secret to doing so?  

[Port Power]

11 minutes ago, irishwitchy said:

I was going to point out that the muesli bar from the ship would be a problem in Australia or New Zealand, but I see that you are down under.   You can’t take any food from the ship.  Is there a secret to doing so?  

I would never try to sneak food from the ship!  There is no way I am going to bring potential destructive insects, grains or diseases into Australia that could affect local agriculture and fauna.  
 

These types of excursions I’ve only experienced on transatlantic cruises from Europe to USA, like in Grand Canary.  In Australia I might bring my own commercial muesli bars bought from a local supermarket, so I know they are safe.  Otherwise I just go without. I’m hardly likely to starve on a 4-hour tour! 😂. Actually, I very rarely eat a morning snack or biscuit anyway.  

[Catlover54]

1 hour ago, irishwitchy said:

I was going to point out that the muesli bar from the ship would be a problem in Australia or New Zealand, but I see that you are down under.   You can’t take any food from the ship.  Is there a secret to doing so?  

 

1 On our Australia trips (2, though not on Regent), we were advised by those in charge that we could bring *packaged* , unopened energy bars and other *sealed* items that had been *made in Australia* with us out on to excursions. 

This was an important option for some people with various medical problems where they would have to go many hours on an excursion without access to food or opportunity to go to a shop to quickly buy something to tide them over while on an excursion.  Of course the cruise lines try and feed their guests at reasonable times, or provide opportunity to feed themselves when on excursions , but sometimes there is a traffic jam, or something else happens that delays access to calories.  

Pax were also allowed to bring glucose or sugar tablets, e.g., to treat dangerously low blood sugar drops in a diabetic, often on insulin. 

 It's not a matter of whether or not someone "is likely to starve" to death within a few hours,  it's an issue of avoiding loss of consciousness or other dangerous consequences from severe  blood sugar drops (this does not apply to most pax, but does apply to some).

We were also allowed to bring our Australia-made *sealed*  little jars of jam and jelly and honey (often sold as gift packs at tourist stops) which in a pinch can be busted into when out on a delayed excursion to get a glucose fix). 

 

However, there was inconsistency in the education of the port people who routinely dug through pax purses and backpacks looking for contraband, and frankly it got a bit ridiculous (e.g., I remember in Melbourne a port agent hostiley confiscated breath mint candy  from an old man who'd been munching on those candies while standing in a very slow-moving understaffed immigration line, which had to be bypassed pre-excursion, as we were coming from New Zealand).

 

For most people the ability to timely control one's food and beverage intake isn't an issue as they are healthy enough to accomodate to unexpected waits and delays, but for some, it is. 

 

2.  Related is that toilet access on bigger group excursions can  be an issue at times, though they  are more of an issue in older towns than those in Australia, e.g., where a bus with 35 cruisers pulls into a "lovely medieval town" after close to 3 hours  on the road, and there is only 1 toilet with borderline plumbing and everyone is standing in line impatiently, especially the women. This can cause reluctance to "enjoy a coffee or glass of local wine" in the limited time you have before you're supposed to climb back onto the bus.

 

There's a lot to be said for private excursions as an alternative (depending on the number in your group, either cheaper or more expensive than the cruise line options) , where you are more in control of when and where you can stop for food, toilets, photos, or to "gaze in awe" once you start, not to mention how high the air conditioning in the vehicle is set to run.

 

The older I get, the less tolerance (physical and mental)  I have for ship-organized excursions (some exceptions), though they sure are convenient, and in third world areas, *might* be safer. 

Unfortunately it's hard to find an organized set of reviews for specific excursions on small luxury lines like Regent, SS, and Seabourn as there is a small "n" of those willing to spend time reviewing.  On mainstream lines like HAL, so many people cruise that it is easier to find reviews (but of course they have other problems) . 🙂

[pooleman]

On 6/27/2024 at 9:02 AM, DeepFreeze63 said:

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.

 

Thank you for jogging my memory! I rechecked the excursions for our 10/2 Lisbon- Barcelona cruise and found they had added a great Catamaran cruise in Cadiz (instead of a "Panoramic Tour"). 

[RELS]

6 hours ago, pooleman said:

Catamaran cruise in Cadiz

 

Alliteration for the win!

[RetiredOnVacation]

On 7/6/2024 at 7:07 PM, RachelG said:

beware of anything that says “Panoramic “.  That is code for bus tour.  Also if it says leisurely drive, that means long bus drive.  We try to stay away from those, but sometimes where we really want to go involves a longish bus ride.

That's good advice - I'd add that very often there may be an unscheduled stop at a random shopping outlet, aledgedly under the reason of a comfort stop, but cynically more that the tour company is getting a commission for sending a tour group there.  This exact thing happened on our recent Edinburgh visit. 

 

I'd say that Regent are in the hands of local contracted tour companies, but RSSC don't seem very good at oversight and updating of their database of tours, hence differences between the website at point of reserving, and onboard tour synopsis (including some very differing timings - don't book anything else within 2hrs of the expected tour end, eg spa treatment. You may miss it especially if tendering!). 

 

I'd recommend to everyone to always feedback tour discrepancies to Destination Services on board by way of complaint, or in the mid or end-of-cruise surveys, otherwise they won't realise they're differences! 

[fruitmachine]

3 minutes ago, RetiredOnVacation said:

This exact thing happened on our recent Edinburgh visit. 

This should never happen.  What was the cruise line and tour?  I'll feed back to the appropriate Shorex manager.  I don't need a ship or date.  The guides themselves are subcontracted, so if there is any culpability it'll be them, not the tour company.

[RetiredOnVacation]

1 hour ago, fruitmachine said:

This should never happen.  What was the cruise line and tour?  I'll feed back to the appropriate Shorex manager.  I don't need a ship or date.  The guides themselves are subcontracted, so if there is any culpability it'll be them, not the tour company.

Regent - 'Leisurely Edinburgh'. Thanks - I also fed back directly onboard and via end of cruise survey. It was also an hour shorter than advertised and totally omitted the photo-stop opportunity on Arthur's Seat! 

Edited July 24 by RetiredOnVacation
Missed a word!

[RELS]

5 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

This should never happen.

 

Tell this to every tour guide in Kusadasi and Tunis. You can't escape either rug weaving demo. Tunis (port of La Goulette) was the worst! All tours ended in one specific shop. They hated me because I was a very good bargainer. Nice ceramics, though.

[RetiredOnVacation]

8 hours ago, RELS said:

 

Tell this to every tour guide in Kusadasi and Tunis. You can't escape either rug weaving demo. Tunis (port of La Goulette) was the worst! All tours ended in one specific shop. They hated me because I was a very good bargainer. Nice ceramics, though.

Yes it's common practice in many places. Happened to us in Istanbul too 

[curmudgeon98]

On 6/26/2024 at 6:45 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

 

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. 

Others have covered a lot of the ground.  Waitlisting for excursions is often rewarded as slots come open (especially around final payment date) or groups may be added.

 

Our Western Med excursions tended to have 25-30 in the group, about half a bus.  Not bad, but still susceptible to the occasional stray or lagger.  Guides seemed to be luck of the draw from the local tourist agencies.  All knew their material at least OK, but some were much better than others at handling the group and being interesting in their commentary.  More that a few times we broke away from the tour early and just arranged to meet at the bus for transport back to the ship.  We made a point of avoiding anything with long bus rides.  Everyone is different, but we found that signing up for excursions in each port was a bit more than we wanted.  Sometimes just exploring on your own, poking through small shops, and enjoying a relaxed local meal beats seeing yet more historic buildings/ruins and hearing more historical facts. 

 

Many of the ports in the Eastern Med are well suited for exploring on your own and just walking off the ship.  There are a few ports where it definitely pays to have something arranged, though, whether included excursion, upgraded smaller group excursion, or private guide from something like getyourguide.