What Gives FREE Shore Excursions Booked Out.

Just booked on Seven Seas Voyager 11 day cruise Bali to Melbourne departing Bali 19/12/12 . In a Concierge Suite. Tried to book shore excursions on line, but they are all booked out !!! two months prior to departure. How can unlimited FREE Shoreex be booked out ?

I must also say that the RSSC website is not very user friendly . It has managed to lose my identity and booking details twice already. It is extremely user unfriendly and clumsy to use .

Hope the quality of cruise is better than their website and Shore Excursion availability .

Just booked on Seven Seas Voyager 11 day cruise Bali to Melbourne departing Bali 19/12/12 . In a Concierge Suite. Tried to book shore excursions on line, but they are all booked out !!! two months prior to departure. How can unlimited FREE Shoreex be booked out ?

 

I must also say that the RSSC website is not very user friendly . It has managed to lose my identity and booking details twice already. It is extremely user unfriendly and clumsy to use .

 

Hope the quality of cruise is better than their website and Shore Excursion availability .

I am getting ready to leave on the Mariner in a few weeks. I had the same experience with our cruise. I booked what I wanted, but was wait listed on many trips. When I called Regent directly, I was assured that I would clear every trip. They only open a about 40 slots for online advance booking. Then they look at the waitlist. That helps them tell their tour operators how much interest and how many vehicles may be needed. Honestly, we have been on 6 Regent cruises, and I have never been closed out of a tour. People get on the boat and change their minds, new tours are offered when you get onboard, etc. Also, I cancel some of my "free" tours and use shipboard credit for some of the paid tours. If you book those in advance, you have to charge them. If you wait to book them onboard, you can use shipboard credits....which is what we do. I've never been denied one of these trips either. So don't worry. We are huge Regent fans, onboard, "no" is not part of their vocabulary.

People book these excursions months in advance so it is not unusual to see them full. Get on the waitlist and, as you have been advised by Regent, you will get on the excursion (they simply add another bus:rolleyes:).

Agree that Regent's "new" website is still having some issues. Fortunately, everything is fine onboard the ships. Enjoy your cruise:)

Hi: I too have had issues with Regent's web site performance (even with the renewed site) BUT we adored the on-ship experiences. We've had excellent help from the on-ship Excursion Desk personnel; go there as soon as you board (or after lunch). I just hand them a list of my remaining preferences and acceptable alternates.

For the up-coming cruise, we are wait- list on two excursions even though I applied within minutes of the first availability! I have confidence that well get an acceptable resolution.

Thanks guys for your words of thanks and encouragement.

Their new website is a shocker viz:

- No ability to cancel / amend your shorex bookings

- No obvious tab to continue booking shore ex when you have booked the first one

- Senseless confirmation e-mails that are blank and convey no staus info at all are sent for each enquiry

- Checkout does not operate as it should with a review of all shorex booked requests as one list .

We're on this cruise too. We've booked tours via our TA as I gave up with the mostly useless Regent website. There's a very limited choice anyway due to the comparatively small ports of call (except Fremantle/Perth) so maybe that's why the tours are so full? I wouldn't worry too much; if you're waitlisted, it's amazing what they can do once you get on board.

BTW, I read somewhere the ship will be docking in Geelong, not Port Melbourne, which is handy for Kuldalai but not for those of us who live on the other side of the bay! Anyone know?

The original itinerary had Voyager calling at Geelong in lieu of Melbourne, but that has now been ammended to Melbourne probably as original sector was Bali _ Auckand; but now also offered as Bali _ Melbourne, wherein Station Pier Port Melbourne can provide Immigration for incoming pax disembarking ex Bali . PMA website shows as 30/12/2012 arrive and depart from Outer West Station Pier _ Port Melbourne.

Thanks. Handy for us but not for you! I reckon this cruise was very undersold before they decided to tempt more Aussies, or Victorians anyway, with a full embark/disembark in Melbourne, us included!

I imagine they will eventually work out the kinks out of their booking site. I booked my excursions this morning for my June cruise and it was not working all that great.

They get 90-95% of the guests on the excursions they want, so you have a really good chance of seeing everything you want.