Just booked Tropical Tango 12-6-12

[lapeter]

Just booked Tropical Tango on Mariner 12-6-12 Buenos Aires to Rio. Have never been to South America. Just curious if there are any reviews of this trip around? Also thinking of a couple of extra days before and after. Any thoughts on hotels in the mid price range? Looking for Hilton type and not the Ritz Carlton.
Thanks.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh nice, would love to do this one! When we were in Rio a couple of years back, we chose to stan in Ipanema. It's a bit further away from the ship, but it's a very nice area, nice hotels, safe. We were in a mid-range hotel that we liked quite a bit. I can look up the name if you're interested.

Rio is a wonderful city--by all means stay a while.

[lapeter]

Yes please, if you could look it up.
Thank you.

Oh nice, would love to do this one! When we were in Rio a couple of years back, we chose to stan in Ipanema. It's a bit further away from the ship, but it's a very nice area, nice hotels, safe. We were in a mid-range hotel that we liked quite a bit. I can look up the name if you're interested.

Rio is a wonderful city--by all means stay a while.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It was:
Promenade Visconti
Rua Prudente De Morais 1050
Rio de Janeiro 22420-042

It was a couple of streets back from the beach, quiet but close to lots of bustle and shopping. We enjoyed our stay very much, not a pretentious place, but very well run. I believe they've opened a subway stop in Ipanema since our visit as well.

If you're going to stay in Rio, I suggest splurging on a private guide--we shared one with friends, and it worked out very well. If not, perhaps you can arrange a driver to get you to your hotel at least.

[lapeter]

Thank you Wendy. My wife was born in Sarnia, Ontario, close to you I think.
Al


It was:
Promenade Visconti
Rua Prudente De Morais 1050
Rio de Janeiro 22420-042

It was a couple of streets back from the beach, quiet but close to lots of bustle and shopping. We enjoyed our stay very much, not a pretentious place, but very well run. I believe they've opened a subway stop in Ipanema since our visit as well.

If you're going to stay in Rio, I suggest splurging on a private guide--we shared one with friends, and it worked out very well. If not, perhaps you can arrange a driver to get you to your hotel at least.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Thank you Wendy. My wife was born in Sarnia, Ontario, close to you I think.
Al
Yes, Sarnia is abt 4 hours west of us, near Detroit.

[lapeter]

Just realized I can get a great rate at the Marriott's in both Rio and Buenos Aires. We do business with the Ritz Carlton. Has anybody stayed at either one of these hotels. Also what is the credit from Regent if you don't take the "free" hotel and transfers?
Thanks.

[RachelG]

You get a $300 pp credit. I can do a lot with $300 pp!

[lapeter]

Great news. The Marriott Buenos Aires is only $160 a night. Decision made. Thanks.
You get a $300 pp credit. I can do a lot with $300 pp!

[philham]

Am thinking about booking this cruise. But, won't be on Regent until March and then for the first time. I won't know until then if I like Regent enough to rebook. Also, I believe there is a further discount if you book on ship. I am still looking at all the variables. Maybe we will see you yet.

[SanFranCruizer]

You can also book now and then get the discount when on board. We have done this twice. Better to book now and get the category you want and cancel later than wait to get discount on higher category room. My 2 cents.

[lapeter]

Just want to clarify- We booked Tropical Tango when first available. We are on the Mariner on 12-4-11. Are you saying that I go to the cruise consultant on board and ask for the on board booking discount? Also how much is the on board discount?
TIA

You can also book now and then get the discount when on board. We have done this twice. Better to book now and get the category you want and cancel later than wait to get discount on higher category room. My 2 cents.

[lapeter]

I did a search and I may have an answer,but not sure. In the past, if you booked a cruise say a year from now and went on another cruise next month, you could try to get the on board booking discount if your category was still available for next years cruise. That makes sense to me. My H category is now sold out but I will still try to get the discount but it may not work. Any other opinions?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It is my understanding that you can get an onboard booking discount applied retroactively to a cruise already-booked. You can do this while you are on the ship, and sometimes it can be handled separately by your TA. Not sure what the individual situations are with TA's--asking yours is the best bet.

As for the amount, it's small, and they are different for different cabin classes and cruises. My TA has a list of these thru 2012 on their website, but I'm not allowed to post the link.

Philham, keep in mind that there's a cancellation fee if you book that second cruise now and then decide to cancel because you don't like Regent. So keep this in mind when weighing the onboard booking amounts.

[Knighton]

I'm also in the "thinking about it" stage as far as booking this cruise goes. I've never been on Regent. Has anyone found out how much credit you get for booking your own airfare? I'm not sure I would do it that way, but if it's a big difference, I might think about it. (Trying to avoid calling them-I've already got one of their PVC's bugging the heck out of me-:rolleyes:)

[RachelG]

Amount of credit given for booking your own airfare varies depending on destination. Usually around $800 to 1000 pp.

[philham]

Wendy-I booked the cruise through my TA. I had my TA check the booking discount advice you offered. You were right, but only up to January 2012. Starting in January, Regent wll no longer be doing it the way they used to. Their rates are going up on 80 percent of their cruises. Only if the cruise you want to book and which you already booked with your TA has not changed rate wise, can you get a further discount. Still, my plan is to be on the Navigator in March and Tropical Tango in December 2012.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wendy-I booked the cruise through my TA. I had my TA check the booking discount advice you offered. You were right, but only up to January 2012. Starting in January, Regent wll no longer be doing it the way they used to. Their rates are going up on 80 percent of their cruises. Only if the cruise you want to book and which you already booked with your TA has not changed rate wise, can you get a further discount. Still, my plan is to be on the Navigator in March and Tropical Tango in December 2012.

Sigh. Another cash-grab at our expense. It used to be like this in the Radisson days, I believe.

[joelmomma]

DH and I booked this cruise yesterday. I didn't see a roll call, so I just started one. Looks like an amazing trip.

[Travelcat2]

:)I'm also in the "thinking about it" stage as far as booking this cruise goes. I've never been on Regent. Has anyone found out how much credit you get for booking your own airfare? I'm not sure I would do it that way, but if it's a big difference, I might think about it. (Trying to avoid calling them-I've already got one of their PVC's bugging the heck out of me-:rolleyes:)

First of all, tell who ever is bugging you to stop. Then, do a search on the web for TA's (travel agents) who specialize in luxury cruising. They will not only answer all of your questions, but may have some other incentives that will make the cruise even more affordable (percent back, etc.) This is a great first step for those who have not yet sailed on Regent.

[Colonel(Ret.)Wes]

Ida and I are booking this South American Temptations (BA to Miami). Air credit is $900 if u do you own air (we do) and on board booking discount is $500. Plus, this is a playbill voyage

http://www.playbillcruise.com/

Look fwd to meeting you lapeter and philham..will check out the BA Marriott. My only minor concern with this being over the holidays is how many children will be on board.
Regent told me they did not think but a handful as they are not offering Club Mariner (Regent's children's program) for this voyage.

[joelmomma]

My only minor concern with this being over the holidays is how many children will be on board.
Regent told me they did not think but a handful as they are not offering Club Mariner (Regent's children's program) for this voyage.

I wouldn't think there will be that many either. With the air travel it's really from 12/4 - 12/17. Too early for winter breaks and too long to pull kids out beforehand. Around here classes go until 12/16. Of course I'm not sure about South American schools/Europe, etc.

[lapeter]

Thanks for the link. Looks like some good shows. We were going early and now have decided against. We will see.

Ida and I are booking this South American Temptations (BA to Miami). Air credit is $900 if u do you own air (we do) and on board booking discount is $500. Plus, this is a playbill voyage

http://www.playbillcruise.com/

Look fwd to meeting you lapeter and philham..will check out the BA Marriott. My only minor concern with this being over the holidays is how many children will be on board.
Regent told me they did not think but a handful as they are not offering Club Mariner (Regent's children's program) for this voyage.

[joelmomma]

Has anyone used Regent for foreign visas before? When we booked we were aware that Brazil requires a visa and the Regent rep quoted $300+ to take care of it. When I checked the Brazilian consulate website here in Chicago, the price is $160 if a third party files it for you. I can't believe that the line would charge that much over to handle it!

[rallydave]

Has anyone used Regent for foreign visas before? When we booked we were aware that Brazil requires a visa and the Regent rep quoted $300+ to take care of it. When I checked the Brazilian consulate website here in Chicago, the price is $160 if a third party files it for you. I can't believe that the line would charge that much over to handle it!

Pretty sure neither Regent nor other cruise lines get foreign visas for their passengers. They refer you to a company that gets visas for all types of reasons. Think Regent uses ZVS for visas. Wouldn't doubt that Regent gets a piece of that $300+ but, most of the money does go to the visa getting company. Nothing stops you from getting one yourself or using your choice of companies which can be find by Googling them.

It's really no different than extra cost excursions where Regent at times charges more than the retail excursion price. Regent is a profit making company and since so many things that other cruise lines charge for, there appear to be times that Regent charges much more than their costs which increases their profit margins.

Go to the Brazilian Embassy yourself and you only pay $140 pp. Others who don't live near an Embassy will need to use a visa service and can find the one with the best pricing. Just checked at ZVS.com and their price to the public is your quoted price of $160 plus a $99 service charge so is cheaper than using Regent to refer you to ZVS or whoever they currently recommend.

[joelmomma]

Thanks for the input. We'll definitely handle it ourselves. No problem going downtown for the day, and I'm sure we will find better uses for the $300+ we will be saving.

[rallydave]

Thanks for the input. We'll definitely handle it ourselves. No problem going downtown for the day, and I'm sure we will find better uses for the $300+ we will be saving.

Good idea joelmomma,

We will be needing a Brazil visa in about a year and will take the same approach. Was able to find the Regent account on ZVS and appears that Regent has changed their visa policy since a year ago. A year ago when we needed a China visa for a Regent cruise, Regent directed us to the ZVS website and our cruise was shown and we could use ZVS and pay their nominal charges direct to ZVS. Now, it appears from reading the Regent info on the ZVS website Regent is selling the visa package directly to passengers as the ZVS site indicates that no money is required as you will pay Regent directly.

FYI, this means that now Regent is collecting an additional fee for making the payments directly to ZVS. This explains the $300+ for the Brail visa thru Regent vs. the $259 price by going directly to ZVS.

For everyone needing visas, beware of paying Regent for your visa. You will obviously pay more than either going directly to the embassy or going to ZVS or another visa company than going thru Regent. And, while going thru Regent is simplier than going directly to the embassy, going directly to ZVS or another visa service is identical to paying around $100 per couple to include the costs on your Regent invoice vs. going direct.

Thanks,

[Colonel(Ret.)Wes]

Thanks Dave for sharing your Visa advice. We also plan on going to the Atlanta Brazilian Embassy in the Spring to get our Brazilian Visa's.

btw Kudos to Paige on her upcoming retirement and you for booking your first World Cruise.

[joelmomma]

This is just one of the many reasons I love CC! Besides meeting such wonderful people when we cruise, the information gained through posting is invaluable. Thanks again Dave for the research and info.

Jo