makai 7

Years ago my former TA accidentally sent their invoice to me, and it showed commissionable vs non commissionable portions of the charges.

included air did not generate any commission.

After the end of a cruise from Rio, we spent two nights in Valparaiso and hired a private guide for 3 days ( this was probably 10 years ago).  Toured the coast and Valparaiso, went to several vineyards in different regions, ate in some wonderful restaurants.  It was a great way to finish the trip.

first time we started in Santiago and spent one night pre cruise there, and had a local tour prior to going to the port.  Also very nice.

i can share more info if you like.

20 hours ago, mrstanley said:

We have done 4 Regent cruises since September 2021. Post Covid.

 

The excursions are hit and miss. Some have too many passengers on the buses.

Some require lengthy bus rides. Some guides are not great. Too many mobility impaired passengers doing excursions they shouldn’t be doing. Too much time to board and off load the buses while on excursions.

 

 

 

 

This sounds no different than our experiences pre Covid.  The excursions both pre and post have ranged from excellent with a reasonable size group to poorly executed with dismal stops and bad guides, overcrowded and with people who did not meet the mobility requirements.

all with exceptionally poor service by the shore excursion department.

my expectations are low, and I hope that I may be pleasantly surprised with some tours on my next two cruises.

13 hours ago, flossie009 said:

For our 3 day post cruise we opted to upgrade to the “Tokyo & Hakone” itinerary, which seems to be more interesting & includes lunch & dinner on 2 out of the 3 days. 
For us it seemed to offer a better experience & better value than the included “Vibrant Tokyo”.

We are also doing this upgraded post cruise tour in April - looking forward to hearing about your experiences, and thanks in advance!

It seems that everyone has a different perspective on what is an acceptable risk to them.
 

In case it has been forgotten, at the time of final payment for the next two March cruises out of Tokyo, Japan was still closed to tourism.  There was no Guarantee that the cruise would even take place.  Many people chose to cancel at that time.

if you didn’t cancel then, you (I) were willing to take a chance.  No one knew at that time what the entry requirements would be for a cruise.  There was no way for Regent to tell us.  Japan has been changing rules every few weeks.  They could change again depending upon how things play out.  No one knew if the cruise would exist.

so, if the uncertainty of testing requirements and the chances of getting Covid are an issue for you, then you should simply find a different travel option where you have more control over everything.

Most of the hotels have been similar to what we would book on our on, except for the Conrad (now Brickell) in Miami.  That was awful and we told our TA so.

some of the buffets for breakfast and dinner were not as good as could be expected, but mostly due to fellow passengers who were gluttons or couldn’t make a choice and completely blocked the buffets for others.

 Not quite the answer you are looking for, but you can decline the pre-cruise hotel, get a credit, and ask for a post cruise hotel, then apply the credit towards the cost.  The cost will most likely be higher than the credit.

I don’t recall the room,it was probably a standard with a queen bed.  I do remember that it was comfortable, clean, and quiet.  We booked an extra night before the 3-day pre cruise winelands and wildlife tour, and we were checked in immediately upon arrival around 10 am.  Make sure that Regent adds the extra night to the tour, otherwise they try to put you in a different hotel!  It depends how early you arrive, and if you are part of the large group to determine if you need the extra night/day.

make sure you keep the contact number for the tour company handy, as we had significant delays due to BA late arrival and luggage handling, and our “meet and greet “ was nowhere to be found.  A phone call resolved the issue and we were taken to the private car for the transfer.

tip… join the southern sun rewards program and you get a discount at the bar and restaurant on site as long as you pay directly - do not charge to your room.  Their little restaurant next to the pool was excellent to grab lunch and drinks, very reasonably priced and they honor the discount.  The food was tasty and the drinks were cheap!  I didn’t care about earning points, but improved Wi-Fi and the discount was worth it.  

https://www.southernsun.com/frequentguest/hotel-rewards/join

The hotel shuttle to the V&A waterfront was handy.  We also hired an awesome private driver/guide after we disembarked in Capetown but you won’t need that…

I was told by my TA that they pay/ticket at 45 days.

Enjoy the cruise!  We will be on splendor in October, and I can’t wait!
I never thought to make the crabcakes a main.  What a fabulous idea!

FYI it is $600 per cabin, not per person for the anniversary ob credit.

If you are using Regent transfers, make sure you bring the document with the LOCAL emergency contact information.  No on was there to pick us up at Cape Town either, and when I called the number, there was someone there within about 10 minutes to get us to the car and to the hotel.

the local company in Cape Town (Akorn) was awful all the way around.  Disorganized, confused, late, chaotic, etc.  We complained to our TA and Regent, and never received an appropriate response other than a “we will tell head office “.  

We have only had one upsell offer.  Our TA knows that we are willing to accept them, but I think RSSC is not being as generous with them as they were before Covid.

We purchased “to go” cups from the on board shop (on Voyager ) and they were great to use on board.  Will be packing them to use on our next cruise.

they were a little hard to find, up on a top shelf near the Regent logo wear, and pricey, but what else do you do with on board credit 😊?

If there are cabins available, you can ask your TA to find out how much the cost would be to upgrade the cabin.  We recently did this for an upcoming cruise.  It was slightly less than the current price difference shown on the website, and if you do not take the pre-cruise hotel you receive a discount for that.  Additionally, any purchased excursions will be repriced based upon the PH discount, so you might get a little bit back on your ob credit.

I have never seen either Prime 7 or chartreuse open for lunch, most recently on the Voyager.  Maybe I am not looking at the right section in passages?  If someone could share a snapshot of this option I would appreciate it!

2 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

Are you sure you mean Cairns? There hasn’t been any changes to the port facilities there. I believe you mean Brisbane where one of the cruise terminals has been closed by the authorities - and getting access to the other terminal which is already heavily booked has proven difficult. That’s hardly Regents fault

Yes, sorry, you are right- Brisbane.  And I did say that they were probably not able to get a berth at the other terminal.  I did not blame Regent.  I simply said that I had a bad feeling about the cruise and chose to cancel it.  There are other places I want to go.

We canceled a 2024 NZ to Bali before all this latest debacle unfolded.  They had already changed the itinerary to remove Cairns because the old port closed and I suspect there were no berths available at the new cruise port.  Something just didn’t feel right about the cruise.  Now I am relieved that we won’t have to deal with a changed or canceled cruise.

Will do.  Thank you!

Hi Mike

you have been so helpful with issues with the website, I hope you can help with another issue.

On an upcoming booking, I had booked an excursion that used on board credit.  Due to the port change, that excursion was cancelled by Regent but my on board credit was not restored.  How do I resolve this, or will they fix it once I am on board?

It’s a round trip Tokyo in March…

I am booked on an upcoming cruise that is labeled “2023 Reunion cruise”

What does this mean?  Is it similar to the 30th Anniversary cruises where there are a few little gifts left in your cabin?

I’m curious to hear the answer.  We are flying to Tokyo in March, no flight information yet, and also in an F1 so no precruise hotel.  Wondering what RSSC will end up doing….

No.  I have never seen real maple syrup on a Regent ship.

We have used Larry’s Limo many times.  Always a pleasure.