Question About Excursions

[clydesdalecharlotte]

Hello,

My husband and I will be taking our first cruise (ever) on Regent May 2012 (Vancouver to Seward). I have been looking over the excursions and I'm all set to book em! I did see online I cannot book until December. I was curious what time you can start booking the excursions the day they are available? Are the most popular ones likely to fill up the second they become available?

Here are the top excursions on our list for each port, are they good ones? If not, please do suggest another. We only want to pay for one excursion since they were advertised as free.

Ketchikan- Cruise George Inlet
Tracy Arm- Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer
Juneau- Flavors Of Juneau
Skagway- White Pass Scenic Railroad
Sitka- Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest


We also are going to reserve our dining when the time comes, which of the resturants is most recommend to eat in more often?

Any tips or just general information would be terrific, I am learning as much as i can before we go :D

[Travelcat2]

Welcome to the Regent board! The Alaska cruise on Regent is a perfect place to start for those new to Regent. The ship is smaller and easier to get around.

In terms of excursions, while most excursions do not fill up quickly, it is a good idea to book as soon as you are able to (first day is good). This way you will be able to select the time that you prefer.

The same holds true for Prime 7 -- the only reservation restaurant on the Navigator. Passengers can make one reservation online in advance and can hope for a second opportunity if someone cancels. The restaurant is small and Regent wants to make sure that all passengers have a chance to dine there once. By booking as soon as it is available, you can select the date and time as well as the size table you wish.

In terms of which excursions to do, it really depends upon what you enjoy as well as whether you are looking for something with a lot of activity (walking, hiking, etc.) or a more sedate excursion. Everyone loves the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest as well as Tracy Arm.

There is another active thread on this page that discusses the best Regent excursions in Alaska. You may want to check it out.

[ginny123]

Welcome!! We also took our first cruise ever, on Regent, and on the Navigator, just like you! It was in the Carribean so while I can't answer about your excursions, I can say that the first available time for booking is at midnight Central time, 1am EST on the day of booking. That has worked for us twice, once right at 1am (since we are East Coast) and the other about 1:20am. The most popular do fill up fast, especially if there is one you're interested in that only has room for 6 - 8 people. Most tours are larger but there are several small ones on each trip.

Most people seem to prefer Prime 7 over Signatures, although you have fans of both. The best thing you can do is read, read, read these boards and ask any questions you have. There is a search this forum box at the top right hand side of the main Regent Cruise Forum page and I use it first anytime I have a specific question. I always open a Word document and copy over specifics I find interesting from the boards, then go back and review all of it several times before we leave for our trip. I know I won't remember everything and that has really helped me in planning.

Our favorite thing about Regent was the in-room dining. You can order a meal, course by course, in your room anytime Compass Rose is open, or you can order off the room service menu. They come in, set up a nice table, and leave the food for you. Breakfast was our favorite and if you find something you really like something, you can always ask for two. (Hint, Banana pancakes) There are more things I'm sure other will post, but just wanted to get you started. If you'd like my current Word list of items, just email me and I'll send it as is (cele4711 at gmail dot com). You will love Regent!

[ginny123]

Sorry, forgot you're on Navigator so no Signatures restaurant.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Right. I believe by the time you do your cruise, La Veranda may be a specialty restaurant that requires booking. And since it will be new (after a drydock in May), no one can comment on that. Apparently it will be Italian.

Perhaps someone who knows can confirm that it's a reservations-only restaurant.

I'll be doing Alaska prior to the refurb, when there's only a Prime 7--I like it a lot, although I haven't done this on Navigator.

Some of the excursions I'll be booking next week look the same as yours. If you read a thread nearby entitled something like, "Best Alaska Excursions", you can see experienced folks comments about the different ports. So much to choose from!

[HotRoot]

Everybody raves about the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest but that was the most disappointing shore excursion we have ever taken. We did not see a live animal and the hike on the animal trail was not fun. You had to constantly look down so you weren't walking in poop. I even rate our Sunset Beach excursion in Mykonos over the Wildlife Quest and they took us to a beach on the EAST side of the island.

[Travelcat2]

Everybody raves about the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest but that was the most disappointing shore excursion we have ever taken. We did not see a live animal and the hike on the animal trail was not fun. You had to constantly look down so you weren't walking in poop. I even rate our Sunset Beach excursion in Mykonos over the Wildlife Quest and they took us to a beach on the EAST side of the island.

Your excursion sounds quite different than what we experienced. We were on a boat that went out to where the otters, whales and eagles were. Maybe they have changed it in the past year and a half:confused: There was no walking involved.

[xrvlcruiser]

I took most of the tours listed by the OP - not the one in Juneau so I can't comment on that one. - and loved every one.

Our Sea otter tour was on a boat as described by TC . . over this past summer. Terrific!

Peggy

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Our sea otter excursion description doesn't mention hiking at all.

[HotRoot]

Hopefully they have changed the program for this excursion. We took it about 5 years ago. We started on a boat. Then "docked" on a beach and hiked.