Wait list for ship's tours

[ILoveMyDogs]

After a marvelous time on our first Regent cruise last month, we just booked the PG for October 3rd. I went on-line to just start " thinking " about which tours to book. It looks like most of the tours are already full. Any suggestions? My travel agent gave me a # to call to get on a wait list. Has anyone had much success with this in the past?
Thanks, Lisa

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, fully booked already! No, I don't think anybody will have had this experience, since the booking system has just changed. Wow, that's very surprising. By all means get on as many waitlists as you can, people will probably change their minds to some extent. Have a great time on the PG in any case.

[Rally]

After a marvelous time on our first Regent cruise last month, we just booked the PG for October 3rd. I went on-line to just start " thinking " about which tours to book. It looks like most of the tours are already full. Any suggestions? My travel agent gave me a # to call to get on a wait list. Has anyone had much success with this in the past?
Thanks, Lisa

Yes, call for sure! Regent's website has been, shall we say? suspicious for many months now. Just because the website says an excursion is sold out doesn't mean it really is (and just becasue it will take your booking doesn't mean it really will =) Call that number now! (well, within Ft. Lauderdale business hours, of course =)

[mikeIam]

If you are on a wait list do not wait to be contacted once you are onboard. We were on a waitlist for one excursion and found out that there was space by checking with the travel desk the day before - we were not contacted. In the future, I would keep checking.

[Travelcat2]

Seriously, how many of us knew this was going to happen? (Wish there was a smiley with its hand raised) Not only did Regent introduce "free" excursions, but, they allowed them to be booked months in advance (even though their policy is to book 120 days in advance). As Rally said, Regent's website has been suspicious for months.

This is no surprise . . . and, it is sad for many people.:(

[Hambagahle]

Personally I think they have made a huge mistake in including the tours in the fare. It can only lead to unhappy passengers! People will, inevitably, sign up for lots of tours,even those of marginal interest to them since they are free. The tours will then list as full, so there will be a wait list to manage! And in the end many will not bother to show up for the tours they signed up for since they are not loosing any money.

For 25 years I ran study abroad programmes with two major US organisations. We found out early that it made a lot of sense to make students pay a little towards the excursions/cultural events etc when they signed up. We had the option of including all of them in the cost of the programme and when we did, students simply failed to appear at the appointed time! Once we started charging a little - 10% of cost for example - students came because they had "paid" for it. The fact that they had paid for it anway with their programme fee for the semester or year or summer didn't occur to them. It was that token sign up fee that got them to the bus/opera/event on time.

I think Regent has opened a can of worms!!

[gfranzen]

If Regent is allowing booking before 120 days, what is the allowed advance booking date?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I agree that having a token payment, i.e., vastly decreased prices, would be better. Amazing what people will do to save a dollar.

As for the 120 days, I believe that this is supposed to be the norm. But with Regent's website problems, they have loaded excursions earlier in some cases. Too bad, since it's not fair.

[ILoveMyDogs]

The ship's tours that I am on a wait list for are for the OCt 3 PG and they are not free or included tours. I was able to book 4 tours w/o getting on a waitlist .

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Right, sorry about that. The only thing I can think is that because they demand payment upfront for excursions, that TA's are ensuring their customers are going online and booking them immediately when the open up. A shame really, the old system was laissez faire and relaxed, but everybody pretty well got what they wanted.

[hillorama]

After a marvelous time on our first Regent cruise last month, we just booked the PG for October 3rd. I went on-line to just start " thinking " about which tours to book. It looks like most of the tours are already full. Any suggestions? My travel agent gave me a # to call to get on a wait list. Has anyone had much success with this in the past?
Thanks, Lisa
We are on that exact same cruise and have the same problem. We have a hire car in Huahine, (we could share--we're going to take it to a snorkeling site at some pensione in Huahine)--we hired l'excursione bleue in Raitea, we hired Patrick for a snorkel tour in Bora Bora on the second day, it's a lobster barbecue on a motu and he'll go anywhere we want (very expensive) but we would be willing to share there, too, and we have nothing for the second day in Moorea. Didn't know you could call and get on a waiting list.
Elena :confused:

[ILoveMyDogs]

Elena,
We are very interested in sharing some tours with you. Email me at my hotmail address : lisadavismd@

[hillorama]

Elena,
We are very interested in sharing some tours with you. Email me at my hotmail address : lisadavismd@

I will e-mail you! but I need the following the @
I am hillorama@sbcglobal.net:D
Elena

[dlalpw]

We were originally told excursions for the Nov 18th SYD/AKL wouldn't be avaiable to book until July 15th-received this info from both our TA and Regent. When checking our booking on line in late June I was surprised(and dimayed) to see that on one day excursion bookings were not yet avalable and the next day or so they were and a number of them were fully booked! I notified Regent and my TA and we were put on the "waiting list" (not #1 on that either). Apparently you have to check everyday as policys seem to change overnight-so we've had to book private tours for 2 ports and are watching everyday re dining reservations which aren't supposed to open up until 30 days before sailing. As to the 'free excursions" which is an obvious draw for Regent either the capacity is greatly diminshed or there was some poor planning. That being said we are very much looking forward to being "Down Under" on the Mariner