First Cruise with Regent

[Wayco]

We will be on the Voyager for a Med cruise in October (Monte Carlo to Athens). This is our first cruise on Regent as well as 1st in the Med. Would like some insight regarding the quality of the Ship's Excursions. I gather a lot of people arrange private tours but since this is our first time and everything is new, we are considering the free ones. Is this a good choice?

Thanks, Wayne

[Travelcat2]

We will be on the Voyager for a Med cruise in October (Monte Carlo to Athens). This is our first cruise on Regent as well as 1st in the Med. Would like some insight regarding the quality of the Ship's Excursions. I gather a lot of people arrange private tours but since this is our first time and everything is new, we are considering the free ones. Is this a good choice?

Thanks, Wayne

Well, you can't beat the price of Regent excursions:) However, private and/or semi private tours are the best. Most people on Regent use their included excursions. Many of their tours are quite good. Even when they have 3-4 busloads of passengers, they try to arrive at the destinations at different times. When Regent ships are in port with several larger ships, it is more difficult for them to compete for tour operators since the tour operators would much rather do excursions for 2000+ passengers rather than 500 ot 600.

Some ports in the Med. are easy to explore on your own. Have you checked to see if there is a Roll Call going on for your cruise? If so, other passengers might want to join up and do some tours together. Another place to look for general information on ports is the "Port" section of CruiseCritic.

If you give us your itinerary, we can give you some tips and pointers for the specific ports.

Welcome to Regent and the Regent boards:D

[Island Cruiser]

Wayco, your sure picked a hot button topic for this thread. Lots of us have strong opinions on this subject. I am among those who would prefer Regent NOT build the cost of the excursions in the cruise price (nothing is really free) because we often prefer to organize our own shore tours usually with one or two other couples. We thereby have our own private guide and we tour in a mini-bus rather than a full size bus. That way we can dictate the agenda and the pace of the tour. For us, no shopping stops, short lunches to see more, and if something is particularly interesting or uninteresting we can make adjustments on the spot. By including the excursions in the cruise price Regent boosts the price of booking independent excursions for us. Ouch!

But we have always often opted for ship excursions in lieu of independent ones. We find Regent's excursions to be generally quite good. There are notable exceptions but generally we have been pleased with the product. In my opinion, Regent's excursions used to be better when you paid separately for them because they loaded fewer prople on each tour bus. Now the busses are generally fuller. But as long as you don't have Jake Snake from Serpent Idaho on board, the tours usually go quite well. (Jake and his lovely wife arrive at the bus long after the appointed time requiring all to wait and the tour to run late. They complain loudly on the bus about aspects of the tour that fail to meet their expectations. They ask endless mundane questions of the guide, questions nobody is interested in hearing the answers to. And if things aren't going well they are inclined to lobby the guide for an early return to the ship regardless of the wishes of other passengers. Our independent excusions are always Jake free!)

[alexandra cruiser]

get to area,site,etc....you want to see,,,such as city tour ,,,stop in city center,,,then tell guide you re going on own,,,use your guidebook,etc..and see it yourself and get own ride back to ship....we do this a lot,,works out fine,,,great combination...remember,,up to YOU to get back to ship ON TIME>..they WILL leave without you....
We love FREE tours,,,,esp.like this....on some we stay on WHOLE time,,then walk off ship after and explore on own..lots of options....:)

[Wayco]

Thanks for the responses. Travelcat2, I did try the roll call but didn't get any responses. Maybe we are the only ones on this particular cruise. Based on responses, we will probably take mostly ship tours except for Amalfi and Sorrento. Would rather arrange a private tour at these ports.

Thanks again, Wayne

[Travelcat2]

Thanks for the responses. Travelcat2, I did try the roll call but didn't get any responses. Maybe we are the only ones on this particular cruise. Based on responses, we will probably take mostly ship tours except for Amalfi and Sorrento. Would rather arrange a private tour at these ports.

Thanks again, Wayne

Give the Roll Call a few more months. It tends to get more active a couple of months prior to the cruise. Don't worry, you won't be the ones ones on the cruise:)

[lisa225]

hello regent cruisers,
i am considering a birthday present (for myself!!!!) by booking the 22 day mariner cruise from rio to ft. Lauderdale, 2/25/12 (which just happens to be my birthday). I have cruised many times but always on mainstream lines. Rccl, ncl, princess, celebrity etc.. I have mostly cruised on rccl as my son, who is now 20, has been on most of the cruises with me and he loves royal caribbean. I also like royal, but i am considering this cruise just for myself. I am an active person who enjoys sports, meeting new people, discovering new places and while i am not a particularly "late night" person i do enjoy socializing and visiting night spots in the evening. Do you think this cruise line will be a good fit for me or will i feel "out of place" as a single, i lost my husband five years ago and have not been able to convince any of my friends to take a 22 day cruise! I think the itinerary is wonderful, but want to really enjoy myself. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,lisa

[Travelcat2]

hello regent cruisers,
i am considering a birthday present (for myself!!!!) by booking the 22 day mariner cruise from rio to ft. Lauderdale, 2/25/12 (which just happens to be my birthday). I have cruised many times but always on mainstream lines. Rccl, ncl, princess, celebrity etc.. I have mostly cruised on rccl as my son, who is now 20, has been on most of the cruises with me and he loves royal caribbean. I also like royal, but i am considering this cruise just for myself. I am an active person who enjoys sports, meeting new people, discovering new places and while i am not a particularly "late night" person i do enjoy socializing and visiting night spots in the evening. Do you think this cruise line will be a good fit for me or will i feel "out of place" as a single, i lost my husband five years ago and have not been able to convince any of my friends to take a 22 day cruise! I think the itinerary is wonderful, but want to really enjoy myself. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,lisa

Lisa, it sounds like you picked the perfect cruise! Regent has special breakfasts, dinners and other events for singles. They also have Gentlemen Hosts on most itineraries who really enjoy dancing with women (single or not:-) You will meet people on excursions, in the lounges. . . almost anywhere you go. Regent passengers are laid back and friendly. As corny as this may sound, Trivia in the afternoon brings lots of people who form teams and play every afternoon after tea, scones, little sandwiches and decadent desserts. On our last Regent cruise we sat at the bar one night and met a wonderful group of people who were in the Observation Lounge just the same time we were every night.

It is a great environment. . . . thnk you'll love it!

[TheSeaAroundUs]

Lisa, you should treat yourself. You will have a terrific time, and make friends starting with the very first time you sit down in a bar, lounge, at a show, whatever. (The atmosphere is conducive to that.) There is plenty to do, and there are plenty of wonderful people who will enjoy your company and whose company you will enjoy in return. You'll probably meet some with whom you keep in touch for years afterward. I myself am not very social, believe me ... but, it just happens!! Enjoy!!!

[Threechicks]

I have travelled alone on all three ships and have had a wonderful time. There is a solo program each evening that is always listed in the daily program. You can meet and mingle, dance or not, and then go for dinner with a group is you so wish. If you don't like the group you can leave. You are not obligated to go to every event. You will have a good time.

[journeyfan]

Lisa,

I think you would very much enjoy this cruise. I'm a single also and have booked this cruise. In fact, if you decide to book, let me know before you do it. I'll give you my e-mail address and will sponsor you under the Regent Ambassador program and that way, each of us can get a $200 onboard shipboard credit.

Marcia