This cruise was my fourth. I've sailed Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean. I'm an avid traveler and chose this cruise based on the terrific itinerary. My DH and I traveled with my parents who have sailed on Regent Seven Seas Mariner five previous times. Bottom line: The wonderful ship environment was not matched with equally above average excursions. Since the excursions were included in the price, we felt that we should take the offered excursions. Regent did not offer a credit for any excursions not taken. I selected this particular cruise because of the outstanding itinerary, but the excursions left so much to be desired that I will search for an upscale cruise that doesn’t include the excursions in their prices. I want to use Cruise Critic and TripAdvisor to find better quality independent excursions. In general, the tours were too crowded to be effective.

We planned a pre-cruise excursion in Rome and Venice and did not use Regent for hotel or air arrangements.

Embarkation: Regent was unable to tell us the terminal area in Venice until the very last minute. As we were to depart Venice on a major holiday, the ship was directed to a different port on the outskirts of Venice. (Port Marghera). Three days before departure, they informed us we were to go to the usual terminal (Port Maritima) and then take a bus from there. As a result, my privately arranged transfer had to be re-arranged due to the late notice. There was no way to drop off luggage and return to Venice without paying the exorbitant Venice transfer fees. The Embarkation process was quick and easy, with buses waiting for the 45-minute drive to the other port. Read more