"FREE Comprehensive Visa Package"

[mrlevin]

Removed from Grand Voyages as of 1 July 2024 update.  Don't know if this is on purpose or a quirk of the pricing updates.  Hopefully find out soon.

 

Marc

[papaflamingo]

2 hours ago, mrlevin said:

Removed from Grand Voyages as of 1 July 2024 update.  Don't know if this is on purpose or a quirk of the pricing updates.  Hopefully find out soon.

 

Marc

I just looked at the 2025 Grand Voyage from Auckland and also the 2026 Grand voyage also from Auckland and both show "Comprehensive visa package," under "LUXURIES INCLUDED IN ALL SUITES:"

[mrlevin]

7 minutes ago, papaflamingo said:

I just looked at the 2025 Grand Voyage from Auckland and also the 2026 Grand voyage also from Auckland and both show "Comprehensive visa package," under "LUXURIES INCLUDED IN ALL SUITES:"

Fantastic!  I am on the Mariner in the UK so I only get the British Regent site.  I guess Brtions don't get visas so it is not listed; glad to know it is stil there for Americans.  On our Grand Voyage next year with you we need New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India visas (or other approvals) and a visa on arrival in South Africa.  I sure hope Regent either handles or provides us with a link to a visa service to handle these.  I know I will have to get all the West Africa visas on my own.

[papaflamingo]

38 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

Fantastic!  I am on the Mariner in the UK so I only get the British Regent site.  I guess Brtions don't get visas so it is not listed; glad to know it is stil there for Americans.  On our Grand Voyage next year with you we need New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India visas (or other approvals) and a visa on arrival in South Africa.  I sure hope Regent either handles or provides us with a link to a visa service to handle these.  I know I will have to get all the West Africa visas on my own.

We show this on our Booking Confirmation: 

 

"Other Items

Visa - New Zealand-Us 0.00

Visa- Vietnam - All Nationalities 0.00

Visa- Cambodia - All Nationalities 0.00

Visa- India E-Visa - Us 0.00". 

So they are all included.  

 

Are you starting the Grand Spice cruise in Auckland in March, 2025? 

  

[mrlevin]

1 minute ago, papaflamingo said:

We show this on our Booking Confirmation: 

 

"Other Items

Visa - New Zealand-Us 0.00

Visa- Vietnam - All Nationalities 0.00

Visa- Cambodia - All Nationalities 0.00

Visa- India E-Visa - Us 0.00". 

So they are all included.  

 

Are you starting the Grand Spice cruise in Auckland in March, 2025? 

  

Yes to Auckland; have you heard which hotel we are staying at?

What about Australia and Indonesia?

 

Marc

[flossie009]

On the UK site all offers of "free" (inclusive) pre and post cruise tours have disappeared on all cruises.

Is this the same in North America?

 

[DaveFr]

1 hour ago, flossie009 said:

On the UK site all offers of "free" (inclusive) pre and post cruise tours have disappeared on all cruises.

Is this the same in North America?

 

In the June 11 webinar, it was stated that “free” included pre-and post cruise tours would no longer be offered after July 1 except during promotions. No geographical restriction was mentioned. Can you say hidden price increase? 🤑

 

Dave

[Gpilon]

5 minutes ago, DaveFr said:

In the June 11 webinar, it was stated that “free” included pre-and post cruise tours would no longer be offered after July 1 except during promotions. No geographical restriction was mentioned. Can you say hidden price increase? 🤑

 

Dave

Now that would be a surprise!!

[DaveFr]

23 minutes ago, DaveFr said:

In the June 11 webinar, it was stated that “free” included pre-and post cruise tours would no longer be offered after July 1 except during promotions. No geographical restriction was mentioned. Can you say hidden price increase? 🤑

 

Dave

 

18 minutes ago, Gpilon said:

Now that would be a surprise!!

Not sure if you are being properly sarcastic. I hope so. To add some context to my post, if you declined an included pre-or post land tour, you received a fare credit of $750 per person. I doubt that any price increases were decreased by $750 to account for the lack of included land tours. In the past, all suite categories were entitled to a pre-cruise hotel night. When that benefit was restricted to Concierge class and above, there were no decreased fares for those categories losing the benefit. I see the same thing happening now.

 

Dave

[Gpilon]

37 minutes ago, DaveFr said:

 

Not sure if you are being properly sarcastic. I hope so. To add some context to my post, if you declined an included pre-or post land tour, you received a fare credit of $750 per person. I doubt that any price increases were decreased by $750 to account for the lack of included land tours. In the past, all suite categories were entitled to a pre-cruise hotel night. When that benefit was restricted to Concierge class and above, there were no decreased fares for those categories losing the benefit. I see the same thing happening now.

 

Dave

Sarcasm is my middle name. We were twice on Splendor in a Grand Suite over the past 2 years and never received all the listed amenities for that suite. We will be on Grandeur in a GS in 3 weeks time and will insist on amenities listed on Regent’s website….we definitely have noticed a “reduction” in the “all inclusive” fares. As well as significant price increases. Perhaps time for land based vacations? We are off to Ireland (lived in Dublin for 5 ½ years) the end of August to play some golf and general buffoonery. If food, excursions, and overall satisfaction do not meet expectations (and we are low maintenance) on upcoming cruise our trips may very well be land based in the future. 

[flossie009]

2 hours ago, DaveFr said:

I doubt that any price increases were decreased by $750 to account for the lack of included land tours.

 

We have checked our future bookings against today's price changes.

 

A cruise in early 2026 has today decreased in price by just over £1000pp, but the pre or post landtours are no longer included. The landtours are still available but with an extra price ranging from £900pp to £1400pp

 

So it does appear that account has been taken of the removal of included pre/post landtours ............. at least on some itineraries.

 

 

Edited Monday at 07:17 PM by flossie009

[charltonkerry]

In the UK for a grand cruise, we used to get ‘free visa package and business class” travel, both of which has now been removed if you purchase after 1st July. The minimum cost (ie no flights, transfer etc) is approximately the same as we paid when we booked about a year ago. There’s also no indication of the ultimate cruise cost is, you have to ring to get costs. Think the grand cruise we got booked will be our last, which is a great shame as we enjoyed them.

 

Must admit I’m feeling disappointed and a bit of a second class customer especially when our American friends are getting other things included as standard such as the visa package.

[DaveFr]

2 hours ago, flossie009 said:

 

We have checked our future bookings against today's price changes.

 

A cruise in early 2026 has today decreased in price by just over £1000pp, but the pre or post landtours are no longer included. The landtours are still available but with an extra price ranging from £900pp to £1400pp

 

So it does appear that account has been taken of the removal of included pre/post landtours ............. at least on some itineraries.

 

 

I hope you’re correct. At the present moment, I don’t have any cruises with pre or post cruise land tours so I can’t do a comparison there. However, a couple of weeks ago, I booked a Rome to Miami cruise in an F1. The cruise takes place in October 2025. The original fare for two, without air, was $40,498. Today the fare is $44,698. So, an increase of $2100 per person. Most of my cruises were booked a year or two ago so an accurate price comparison is difficult to make.
 

If someone previously booked a cruise with a pre-or post land tour, I wonder if the tour still exists or if a $750 discount per person will be applied to their invoice?

 

Dave

 

 

[flossie009]

1 hour ago, DaveFr said:

If someone previously booked a cruise with a pre-or post land tour, I wonder if the tour still exists

For the cruise referenced in post #11 the pre & post tours are still available to those booking now, just not included in the cruise price.

 

[papaflamingo]

22 hours ago, mrlevin said:

Yes to Auckland; have you heard which hotel we are staying at?

What about Australia and Indonesia?

 

Marc

I have not.  Since we are going to actually start the cruise in Papeete, we'll be on the ship already and won't be using the hotel.  However we may try to come to the pre-cruise dinner so we can meet some of our fellow Grand Cruisers.  So will certainly be watching for where that will be held. So if you get any info.... pass it on. 😎

As to Australia, I think that we have to get our own Electronic Visas, that Regent cannot do that for us. Also looks like we need to get a Sri Lanka transit visa.  But doesn't look like we need one for Indonesia.  Here is another list I found further down on our booking confirmation: 

 

"VISA REQUIREMENTS

New Zealand - New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) & International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL)

India - Tourist Visa Required

Sri Lanka - Transit ETA Required for All Nationalities

Australia - Electronic Travel Authority/Authorization (ETA). Must be secured directly through mobile application.

Vietnam - Transit Visa Required for Most Nationalities

Cambodia - Transit Visa Required for Most Nationalities"

[Pcardad]

18 hours ago, charltonkerry said:

In the UK for a grand cruise, we used to get ‘free visa package and business class” travel, both of which has now been removed if you purchase after 1st July. The minimum cost (ie no flights, transfer etc) is approximately the same as we paid when we booked about a year ago. There’s also no indication of the ultimate cruise cost is, you have to ring to get costs. Think the grand cruise we got booked will be our last, which is a great shame as we enjoyed them.

 

Must admit I’m feeling disappointed and a bit of a second class customer especially when our American friends are getting other things included as standard such as the visa package.

That's a government issue. You are entitled to massive consumer protection laws that we only dream of here in the USA.

[charltonkerry]

26 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

That's a government issue. You are entitled to massive consumer protection laws that we only dream of here in the USA.

Sorry perhaps I didn’t make my point clearly, I appreciate we in the UK have better consumer protection which is probably why our large deposits are not generally refundable unless it’s covered by the consumer protection laws, but the consumer protection also require a package to be supplied which comprises of a cruise (or hotel) plus flight.
 

However the point I was trying to make is that we are booked on the January 2026 grand Asian 61 night cruise, which include all business flights, transportation between airport hotel and ship, then ship to airport, and a full visa package. For all new UK passengers booking from 1st July ‘24, Regent UK have removed all flights (unless you book the ultimate package then you get economy flights), all transportation between airport etc (unless you book the ultimate package) and there’s no option for the visa package other than do it yourself. Oh and there’s no pricing for the ultimate package, you have to ring up Regent UK for that and if you want to upgrade to business I presume you have to ring up once flights are bookable. 
 

On grand cruises it used to be that it didn’t matter wether you booked in the UK or America you were treated the same, (apart from the cost 😀) so we all got the same perks, now it appears that policy has altered, hence my annoyance, obviously this might just need clarification from Regent UK.