First Voyager in the Med, now Mariner in the Pacific....great deals for those that book late. Why should I bother to book 18 months out and give Regent 15% deposit? :mad:

So much for the ships being full. ;)

I am cancelling my cruise booked for next year unless the price drops (or they add benefits) and pick up a cheap discounted cruise instead. No longer will I be held hostage to booking the first day the itineraries are listed.

Any others mad?

Brian, O'Brian, future cruise consultant at that time told Stan and me that Regent would match any price reductions offered.

Ardis

Ardis, part of the problem is that the offers are for combinations that are not advertised initially. Therefore, you can book a wonderful cruise for May only to find that you could have had the cruise for half as much in October. Or, you have booked your Asia flights for your two segments only to find that they are the wrong segments that are discounted. Of course, by the time these specials come out, you are in the severe penalty period on your booked cruise.

Ships must not be full, or those offers would not be out there, Mark. If you are talking about the deals later in the year (for Asia/Australia), I did brief math, and could not see the benefit, given B2B bennies already built in, air credit for one since it is B2B, and SSS credits. I figure no F categories are available anyway, since ships sell from the bottom up.

Editing to say that unbelievably, we are all posting within minutes of each other!

Olivia, I just looked at Singapore to Auckland.

Current price without air is $16445 minus 5% combo savings for a total of $15,623. One segment has SSS for $400. That lowers cost for SSS members to $15,223 if you take air credit for both cruises.

The new price is $14,295. I assume no SSS savings on top of that. Still, you save almost $1,000 ($1,400 if not SSS member). On top of that, you can get coach air for $750. The miles you earn will be worth more than that.

This is a big savings over the current pricing. As I still want/need to take these two segments, I wish I had the time and money.

edited to add: If you can get a Cat H initially, this will be cheaper than a Cat F at this time; barely. The actual benefit is the cheaper air and the shipboard credit. So, this deal isn't as good as the Autumn Sojourn deal in the Med.

Marc,

The new offer also says $450 PP shipboard credit. Was that also offered previously?

Old shipboard credit offer was just $100 per person shipboard credit.

I'm really sorry this is screwing you up. I'd feel the same way.

But I am breathing a sigh of relief in that we may be getting a handle on these outrageous prices. Gosh I sure hope so. Between my first RSSC cruise and my second, I had to save 2 and a half years. Between number 2 and number 3 (coming this August) I had to save over 3 and a half years. At that rate my next RSSC cruise will be late 2013 and that just bums me out.

What's the great deal on the Asia/Pacific cruise? I got the one about the Med, but I can't find anything new for Asia/Pac.

I was wondering when this would come up. I am booked on the Prinsendam for the European Grand Farewell, but would have considered the Voyager seriously if it had been offered before I set up all the independent tours and stuff.
I am with Marc, and quite upset that Regent is doing this.
Lynn

Marc, You are the bomb! You make everyone think. We already booked a back-to-back for 10/09.I don't think we are getting any special deals by booking so early. But, the ones we booked are supposed to be the most popular. I bet they will have extra cabins available when we sail. Marc, one is Dubai to Mumbai. You are a world traveler; what do you think of India? Will we hate it? We want to see the Taj Mahal but the Regent post cruise is so expensive. We are doing the Athens to Dubai and supposed to go on to Mumbai. Having only seen Europe; what is your opinion seeing that part of the world? I was very apprehensive about Moscow and ended up loving it. Now, we are apprehensive about India. We value your opinion. Judy

Judy, it has been a long time since we have sailed together. :(

Sorry, I have never been to India; however, there are many on this board that have been there. Might be good to start a new thread with questions?

Judy, going to India in that circumstance, on a cruise, with an escorted tour up to the Taj Mahal is certainly the right way to do it.

I have not been to the Taj Mahal, but everybody who has been there, and in that area of India certainly thinks it is worth it.

I spent a week in Mumbai, and hated most of it; it's a terribly congested city full of poverty and dirt. But the downtown part where you will no doubt be located has its charms. And I still believe that the country as a whole has much to offer--I intend to go back some day.

I believe they have improved the Mumbai airport. If you're flying Business, they have a fairly nice departure lounge--departing from that airport is much easier than arriving.

Stepping outside of our comfort-zone and seeing how some of the rest of the planet live is an enlightening experience. Go for it!

Judy, We spent 3 weeks in northern India last February. We loved it and you will too if you can overlook the grinding povery, crowds & filth everywhere you go. Look beyond this & you will see a fascinating country with a complex history & much beauty.

Judy and John:

Penny and I were fascinated with India, Dubai, etc. and we were awestruck with the Taj and the hotel we stayed in Agra. We only wish we could have had more time to enjoy the amenities of the hotel in Agra.

India is fascinating even though parts of it assault your senses, poverty, etc. but we are so glad we saw what we did as it is doubtful we will ever be back because there are so many other places we have not seen.

The only part of Mumbai that we saw was during our bus ride to and from the airport and as a result, I had to borrow some photos from friends to fill in my album.

Traveling is becoming more difficult and we truly believe in seeing what we want to see NOW.

If you'd like to take a peek at my album, click here:

http://Ray-Penny.smugmug.com/

I have featured some galleries I thought you'd like to see but if there is another port you're interested in, click on World Cruise 2008 and take a look. (Jordan, Petra, is another never to be missed destination when in the area -- in my humble opinion -- but I couldn't feature it as Smugmug allows only 4 featured galleries.)

Cheers and happy, safe, travels wherever you journey.

Ray & Penny

Thank you everyone. I don't think we would stay in Mumbai. Probably get picked up at the ship and fly to whereever the Taj is. Regent doesn't sound to definite on there plans and Ngaire suggested we contact the Safari travel people as they arrange tours for India maybe less than Regent. What is the name of that hotel in Agra? The part of our trip does goes to Jordan, Petra. Would to see those photos. Judy

Ray & Penny, Great photos! Loved the camels in Dubai too. Looks like fun! Judy

Here's the hotel:

http://www.oberoihotels.com/en-US/Index.aspx
Look for Agra, India

Have now featured Aqaba/Petra as well as Cairo on above Smugmug link.

Glad you liked the photos.

Cheers! Ray & Penny

Marc, I refer to your statement " You can book a cruise for May......half as much in October."
Is a refund of the difference available to those who booked in May ?
Just received Silverseas 2009 book. Way too high. I am ruling out Europe due to the high cost of the Euro and planning on Central and S. America.
But I will hold out on booking since my time is flexible. Do you think that RSSC will discount closer to sailing ? Perhaps the giant ships.