carlylecat

Sorry all - 

I think DJT just answered my original question - dedicated cruisers will cancel when they believe they can’t get back home - Unclear what will happen if you try to fly back through London when originating in Europe - what a mess!  

Does Travel Insurance Cover Coronavirus?

Currently, if you are looking for trip cancellation coverage because you are concerned about the coronavirus (COVID-19), you will now need to purchase a plan that includes Cancel For Any Reason since the travel warnings are now foreseen. This benefit is time-sensitive and has other eligibility requirements, so not all travelers will qualify. Please be sure to read the plan details carefully before purchasing.

Remember that travel insurance only helps to cover unexpected events. The coronavirus became a named event on January 22, 2020. Similar to a weather event, once an event becomes a "known" event, it may not be a covered reason for cancellation if a traveler books a trip after that date.

For most travelers who purchased their travel and insurance prior to January 22, 2020, benefits included in comprehensive coverage may apply in the following scenarios:

• Trip Cancellation: a traveler gets ill and must cancel a trip or a traveler must cancel a trip because a travel companion or family member gets ill.
• Emergency Medical Coverage: a sick traveler must see a doctor and/or go to the hospital during a trip.
• Emergency Medical Evacuation Coverage: in rare cases, a sick traveler requires an emergency medical evacuation to the nearest appropriate hospital or back home for recuperation.

Thanks Travelcat but if you look at what I said you will see we agree -

I said,  "... anyone but the most dedicated cruisers would redirect energies" -

my post is wondering what it would take for the dedicated cruiser to stop sailing - and trying to envision how bad that would be and hoping it will never happen. 

We will have to wait and see, there is a set of cruisers like those above who will equate the risk of going on a cruise right now to past experiences and risks they take daily and assess what they will or should do.

If this virus is something very unique and different than what people have experienced before - and there are plenty of indicators it is - then those correlations will be shocked in a way that will fundamentally change those assessments creating a dramatic impact on this industry until a resolution is found 

Right now it seems that  anyone but the most "dedicated" cruisers will most likely redirect energies elsewhere until that happens 

What will need to happen to shock the "dedicated" ones to create new behavior is not clear - reading the responses above it seems that some think that cleanliness will save them - but unfortunately there is no indication it will or that a lack of cleanliness created any of the challenges Princess cruisers experienced

If the Princess Japan experience and the constant and rapid progress of a lethal virus with no known cure or preventative measure does not scare them off, I am not sure what will  -  we can only hope and pray that whatever that is, it never, ever happens -  it will be horrible to watch and even worse to experience firsthand, locked up on a ship with a lethal virus being controlled by a government that is not their own.

I can not imagine anyone getting on a cruise ship anywhere right now for three reasons:

1) watching what happened in Japan

2) seeing cases spread to the middle east and europe

3) the cdc warning yesterday that it will hit the US, saying it is not a question of if but when 

One of our favorite places on Explorer is this pool - the water is far from warm unless the sun is shining directly on - I was in this pool almost daily and there was a good 20 degree change in the pool temp from the weather - one downside is no alcohol is allowed on the area - so no children and no drinks makes it quiet and peaceful - there are loungers about the pool that provide both shaded areas and opportunities for full sunning - It is easy to access from the men’s and woman’s spa areas but as stated above on Explorer you can walk around the ship from the coffee connection to the pool area.  Hope you enjoy this spot as much as we did. 

WE had blackjack tournaments on sea days in the afternoon on the holiday cruise - about 8-10 people - lots of fun 

I have absolutely no idea if there is any cause and effect here but colder common areas make it harder for bacteria to grow - I will take a sweater over bacteria any day

Sorry I did not play poker - but overall I thought the odds in the casino are very fair - 2X odds everywhere on the craps table - some really big paydays on our cruise - over $10k slot payout - I made a new friend at the crap table after dinner one night and over 5 nights we both had not only a great time but were rewarded well for our efforts  - I think Michael the casino manager on Explorer is a complete professional and manages his team and the games incredibly well - the blackjack tournament was a lot of fun - and over three days of Blackjack the ladies bested us gentlemen in two of the three events!

I really do love this forum - we can complain about anything - maybe I can supplement retirement as a guest lecturer on board  - I can work on a few themes - "How to control your coughing in 7 easy steps" - maybe a second part with a practical on "Sprinting off the bus for the mobility impaired" and then of course the follow up  - "Tolerance - what is it good for? (absolutely nothing... say it again!)"

Highly recommend the F1 w/larger balcony / the balcony difference is impactful with no add’l cost - just came off F1 cabin 875 and would highly recommend 

1 hour ago, rcandkc said:

I’ve always wanted to go on a Regent cruise over New Years Eve but after reading this thread, I will avoid holiday cruises like the plague.  How long was this cruise?  I’m wondering if it was a 7 day cruise. 

12 nights of pure fun

BTW you don't need to go into the spa to get to the aft pool on 5 - you can walk from the coffee connection  to the aft pool on the outside of the ship - and Mr Snorkel Mask had his mother firmly attached to his side the entire time to prevent anyone from saying anything  

The show with the crew was at 6 PM but there was also a 9:30 show that evening

7 PM reservations gave us a good amount of time in the casino before dinner - but we always ate as a twosome - if you have a larger group and like to linger 7 PM is fine - we made 9:30 shows with a 8 PM reservation  every time

2 hours ago, tripperva said:

"nor any kids upstairs on the 12th floor deck"

 

Wrong! Absolutely wrong. Plus the loud noise from deck 11 kiddy camp in card room came up into the rooms on 12. The poster who keeps arguing for children on Regent could make a lot of people happy by going elsewhere. Just look at  the posts.

Westmont - most of us are trying to trying to help you here but you keep burying yourself

5th floor coffee station become the preferred kids breakfast dining hall on Tuesday to Thursday,  I don't really know how you can explain the 12 year old with the snorkel mask swimming in the AFT spa pool each day when you say there were no kids on the 5th floor.... 

If they are in a named suite - just have mom call the butler and have him get you a message - service you are certainly paying for!!!

Sorry if I fueled this with my stories -  my point was not to complain but just share - if wripro was on our cruise with their children all in all they were great - all of the children were - even Mr. Bread Overboard sat and played with his video device for an hour or so bothering no one after his parents discovered what he was doing - it was a holiday cruise - there more than likely will be family groups with children - we expected it and were overall pleased with sharing the ship with them - not so sure about asking me to wear sound deafening devices to enjoy my cruise -  maybe that is equivalent to me asking that there be an age limit to the specialty restaurants -  but I think my point was that we understood the environment we were headed into - it really did not disturb our holiday that much at all - but some of the behavior may have had more of an impact to others which is why I outlined it so those that may become upset understand what they would have gotten into if they joined Explorer over the holidays   

We came off Explorer last week and while not perfect, both my wife and I were able to keep up with work each day, I was even able to download a book in less than 3 minutes

Please do not get me wrong - there is no reason why it could not and should be great service - and if I was to grade teh service it would be a 3 or 4 out of ten -  but it was not as bad as I expected it after reading all of the posts about the poor service - 

If you are a US ATT customer - please do call them beforehand and let them know you will be on a cruise ship - they carve their international plan out of cruise ship access for some reason and make you buy a separate $100 package - annoying but better than getting a surprise bill for data services while you are asleep and cruising past Cuba or somewhere with your phone left on ( I know I should turn it off but I have a global business and worry something will happen) 

We learned pretty quickly on the cruise to not engage with the parents or grands about their children's behavior - we watched others and it was not a pretty sight - and to clarify the overboard bread did not fall onto our table but on to the adjacent booth which was unoccupied - we were at a two top next to the unoccupied booth

I can add that we brought a half dozen bottles on board with us in Miami - 3 great 20+ year old Bordeaux and 3 15yr+ Napa wines - the experience with the wine staff on board Explorer was tremendous - they always decanted our wines in the late afternoon and had them ready for us when we arrived at the restaurant - they loved seeing new wines and talking about how they opened them  - and of course enjoyed tasting them with us - some they had heard of but never drank or had even seen - one of the highlights of the cruise for me!  

On 1/10/2020 at 9:43 AM, tripperva said:

A recent cruise on Explorer was marred by the many young children yelling and running around the ship. Several large families brought kids, from infants to teenagers, and they certainly effected the high quality normally expected on Regent. This may be unique to the holiday season cruises, but many guests were unhappy with the noise and disturbances. Imagine dining in the Compass Rose with screaming infants nearby. Or reading at the pool area with young kids constantly running past and jumping around. Regent organized supervised activities for the children on the upper decks and also turned the card room into a play camp which effected guests in the suites above on 12. Is Regent encouraging children on their cruises by offering free fares and organized events ? I hope not, because it diminishes the otherwise excellent Regent experience.

We were on the holiday cruise with the large families with nannies in tow - we expected children as it was a holiday cruise -  and only a few times really were affected by the families/ children on board - but we also avoided Compass Rose at all costs as the large family tables were hell to sit close by to - also the area of the pool opposite the hot tubs became a playground and just needed to be avoided as well - my only real eye brow upturns were the mother who kept bringing her 12 year old son to the infinity pool aft of the spa (how did she get him there and why I have no idea but he was quiet and kept to himself - maybe he needed relief from the other kids!);  the one nanny who decided to let a toddler play with his grandfathers crutches for a half hour during breakfast at La Veranda - and the five year old who kept peaking over the booth at Prime 7 tossing his bread "overboard"- this is my only real objection, we only got one reservation at Prime7 and I had to share it with a 5 year old, not fun - I would restrict the specialty restaurants to 12 and over if it was my call, they are too good to be spoiled    

Has anyone used a Skyroam device aboard Regent - I assume it is helpful on port days - does it help with connecting to ship wifi as well?

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

This is one of a few areas where we disagree (so nice to disagree respectfully and still like each other).  Perhaps if/when Regent has a many “Code Red” days as Oceania, it may be something to think about (however, it will not work on Explorer’s or Splendor’s La Veranda as you will learn in 98 or so days).  There are about 4 stations in the middle of the food area with no one to stand in the middle serving guests.  My photos will show this.

 

Speaking of photos, when someone asks about our kitties, I can’t resist trying to post their photos.  I’ll give it a try and won’t mind if it takes an hour because I’m finishing up the packing.

 

 

absolutely gorgeous  animals. Thx for sharing!!!

I can’t believe travelcat2 and crew are still on board the ship - this has been a great board/blog - really getting us excited for our trip in a few weeks - can’t wait for the pics from Vancouver (a photo of those precious kitties welcoming you home would be great) - thx for all the posts over the past few weeks - enjoy your sea day today and I hope everyone’s travel home is safe and timely - wow - when I think back on everything that has happened to us - Work, Thanksgiving, beginning of  holiday parties more work travel - since you boarded on November 23 - just crazy - thx for getting us excited for our trip!