lesliebe

Thank you Regent..we did not get email (our cruise 5/4) but have faith they are doing this 30 days at a time.  Not sure how they could even get us to our flight with all Lufthansa's cutbacks.

Hope everyone stays safe and healthy.....and look forward to cruising when all is well

I wish Regent would follow the examples of other cruise lines as halt service for a short time.  As all 5 of us (3 booked rooms) fall into "vulnerable".....T1D, 86, asthama..............not getting anywhere near a long air flight (if flight is still flying) or a cruise ship.

To all who cruise, stay healthy.

Here's hoping 5/4 gets cancelled/I want cash back rather than a credit with Regent for 2 years

7 minutes ago, BarbarianPaul said:

My wife and I are postponing two back to back cruises we had planned for May. For us, it’s not as much the fear of contracting the corona virus, since we’re both healthy and on the younger end, as it is having to deal with a potential nightmarish quarantine. Knowing what we all know now, If we wound up being stuck on a ship, confined to our cabins, we would have only ourselves to blame.

 

 

Amen!  ANd I would be in divorce court 😞

18 hours ago, captjohn said:

We are in our mid 70s and good health. Our concern was that we could get " Trapped " on board in our cabin for 2++ more weeks. ! We were booked on the April 1st cruise  but sadly have now canceled.

Amen..noone seems to talk about that.  If my husband and I were 'trapped' IF I made it off the boat alive, I would be going straight to divorce court.  Not worth it!  (ps he still works and is a T1D)

I understand that this crisis is NOT of Regent's doing.  Their updated cancellation/rebook policy, IMO was too late in coming.

All that aside, I just paid Regent $26000 and change as final payment for a 5/4 cruise that the TA said we had to pay on time (Feb 4th).  Additionally my sister paid the same amount and my mother, as a single, slightly less.

I appreciate the ability to delay by journey until 2021 or 2022, but WHY does Regent get to keep ALL MY MONEY for what could be up to 2 years??????????   No Interest?????????  I would feel comfortable with them keeping our initial deposit, but IMO I figure the chances of the cruise lines recovering from this in tact is not 100%........    Am I the only one who feels this way???  (And yes, my husband and I will not be traveling on 5/4 and I do not believe my traveling partners will either.

19 minutes ago, taxare said:

 

Effective immediately, Regent Seven Seas Cruises is providing you and your clients greater confidence with Regent Reassurance. For all voyages beginning April 3, 2020, through November 1, 2020, your clients can now cancel up to 30 days prior to sailing and receive a 100% Future Cruise Credit, which can be applied to a new booking within one year on any 2020 or 2021 Regent voyage. Regent Reassurance begins today and applies to all existing bookings plus new bookings made by April 30, 2020, on all voyages from April 3, 2020, through November 1, 2020. For those clients who took advantage of our previously communicated final payment extension period to 60 days1, nothing more needs to be done. Once final payment is received, they, too, can take advantage of Regent Reassurance. For those who cancel prior to 60 days, they are still entitled to the 15% Future Cruise Credit we communicated previously. Our top priority continues to be the safety, security and well-being of our guests, partners and team members. We have proactively implemented a comprehensive set of preventative measures and continue to consult with the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control. For the most updated information and an update to our COVID-19 protocols, please refer to https://www.rssc.com/coronavirus-statement. Our aim is that through Regent Reassurance, this temporary change in policy will enable you to maintain your existing Regent bookings and drive new ones with confidence. Thank you for your support. We will thrive together. We have an amazing business in a resilient industry with incredible people and partners. Sincerely,

Taxare thank you so much for sharing!  I have forwarded to my travel agent to confirm, and know I now have about 3 1/2 weeks to decide.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/amtrak-waives-change-fees-due-153721697.html

How long before this makes it way to cruise industry?  Airlines..Amtrak...............

I don't want to hear fighting over Regent/Viking. My cruise is on Regent. 

So the CLIA is adding more countries/regions to the Do Not Board List.

When my cruise has 12 stops and we plan to be off the ship at each stop, how does one protect themselves from coming in contact with outside people who have been to these regions?  YOU CAN'T!  You can practice healthy habits abroad as at home...but my bottom line question, and only WE can answer is Are those RISKS worth taking?

I just wish Regent gave me some options other than just walking away.......I'd be happy to consider rebooking in the future...Guess it is just a waiting game.  Stay healthy and y'all enjoy your cruises!

When we opted to 'self insure' it was months before this situation...who ever heard of quarantine, skipping ports and possible cancellations ONCE YOU WERE ON BOAT.  How do we get our input to Regent?  I would like to do that.

Some of Regent's passangers are on the younger side of the demographics.....they have jobs to go back to in order to pay for the cruise!  My mother is 86........do I think SHE should be going........well it is up to her.

IMO as airlines and other cruise lines start to offer OPTIONS, any carrier that does not do that will lose MY business, as well as that of others.  Personal for all of us, and NOONE deserves to be judged.

Well they may not want to lose revenue, but I'm sure they will lose future cruisers.  😞  Losing the money won't change my life; losing my husband to divorce would!  lol

17 minutes ago, eliana said:

Just read the letter from Viking, letting all those who have booked a cruise and are thinking of cancelling an option of receiving a voucher for a future cruise within two years. Although we are not sailing until May we are getting very concerned as our Prime Minister has just announced that in the UK the number of cases is likely to reach epidemic levels. Are Regent likely to follow Viking's lead?

THey BETTER!  How can we pressure them via Social Media?  GIVE US OPTIONS!!!!!!!  My husband has hated our 2 prior cruises..Celebrity and maybe Princess.  He was PRESSURED to go on our 5/4 upcoming Regent Cruise by me....if I force him to go now (he is diabetic and fearful of being quarantined and has job to come home to) it will end in divorce court!  I was told REGENT was the best and Explorer is amazing....not impressed at all as of now.

(saw a headline on our local news that a fight broke out a a cruise ship as it was not allowed to dock due to a few sick people..)

23 minutes ago, Shippy said:

Interesting discussion on the news last night.

Becoming more and more a scandal about the lack of testing kits in the U.S.

A man whose company has a new, he says better testing kit, has it held up by the FDA.

The newscaster asked if he thought that the U.S. government was doing that on purpose because if were able to test the masses.....we would then have to report the  

‘real’ numbers of those that test positive, which is great.

I had never thought of that but it makes sense.

Here in California there is now a case where a woman was sick for a week before she went to the hospital. She was there for a few days before anyone thought to test her.

She was positive. Now transferred to a different hospital where they say she is on a respirator and not doing well.

How many people do you think she came in contact with? 
Test kits ?

My doctor says her (my) hospital is not allowed to have them. They would have to take a swab and send it to the CDC.

 

and TIming of primary elections?   IMO    Switzerland cancelling meetings over 1000?  My cruise doesn't go there, but what does that fortell?  Maybe I am better to wait and see for the May 4 cruise.......maybe Regent will take actions deemed appropriate by then.  (now doing cruise to cruise?)

8 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

If you are entering or leaving Schengen at Frankfurt be prepared for a messy connection!  The airport is not well signposted and you have to change terminals.  Entering and leaving you go through Immigration there as well.  If both flights are intra Schengen then the airport is relatively easy.  

Germany doesn't (as of this morning) have any cases of the virus.  That will change sooner probably than later.  We now have 2 here in Switzerland.  We are, of course, closer to Italy...

Schengen I assume is EU?  The flights are LAX/Frankfurt Frankfurt/Lisbon.  Does that mean terminal change and immigration?  I would 'think' Lufthansa planned enough time as both flights are theirs...........

I just wish I could make decision/past 100% refund time/now have til teh 4th can cancel at 50%. 😞

"If you have stopovers or layovers on the way to your destination, you should also visit the website of any airports you'll be passing through to understand mandatory screenings or checkpoints that may cause delays."...Conde Naste Traveler 2/26.   More food for thought.....we connect via Frankfurt but both flights are on Lufthansa

40 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

 

I understand what you say that reading these and other boards can add to your anxiety, I'm about to take a sabbatical as I think the situation is getting close to a collective hysteria . I doubt anybody here is better equipped than you to decide what's best for you and your family in terms of safety. You say your 86 mom is in the group, that would certainly give me pause . Have you already made final payment? If not maybe you should consider canceling

Yes, final payment was due February 4th, before this got crazy

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Lest we buy into more fear....... there was a fairly good reason why the ship was denied at Grand Cayman (they had 1 case of seasonal virus onboard which is as easy to spread as coronavirus)..  Here is the article https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-mexico-idUSKCN20K2S9

So if ONE person has flu/noone allowed off boat?  Not even sure I can express how I would feel if I were on that boat, having spent thousands and thousands of dollars...........   

Maybe I shouldn't be reading this board as it is adding to my anxiety!  We are 3 groups on the 5/4 Lisbon - London cruise, including my 86 year old mother.  Noone is talking about this part of Europe/Great Britan.  We chose to 'self-insure' and just use the Chase Sapphire Insurance.  Regent is overwhelmed, I get that, but their information is at least a week old.

Anyone else concerned?  I don't want to travel if I have to become a germ-ophobe...something I am not now and never have been.  I don't want to wipe down EVERYTHING I may touch from the minute I leave my house to the minute I get back.

I'm new to Regent, and have only taken 2 cruises years ago. 

Do we just wait it out and see what happens or what????????????  Thanks in advance for listening to my concerns

I was calming down about our May 4 cruise but now not so sure again..hearing nothing YET from the ports on our Lisbon-SouthHampton cruise.. but it is stilll 2 months away.  Don't know if the 'heat' is enough by then to help kill it off

On 2/9/2020 at 4:44 AM, Portolan said:

 

Something sounds wrong here.  We're on the Explorer cruise starting in Lisbon on 4 May.  We'll be in Le Havre on 17 May.  Here are our prices for the tours you mention in USD:

 

 

 

D-Day Landing Beaches (Regent Choice)

 

Approx. DURATION: 10.5 Hours

 

Tour Code: LEH-005

 

$159.00

 

 

 

Walking Tour of Le Havre (no small group option offered for our cruise)

 

Approx. DURATION: 3 Hours

 

Tour Code: LEH-011

 

FREE

 

 

 

However, there are a couple of very high priced offerings...are they possibly the tours you are pricing?:

 

 

 

Accessible Honfleur Harbor and Town Center

 

Approx. DURATION: 4 Hours

 

Tour Code: LEH-AC1

 

$1849.00

 

 

 

Accessible Normandy D-Day Beaches and WWII Cemetery

 

Approx. DURATION: 9 Hours

 

Tour Code: LEH-AC2

 

$2249.00

 

 

 

These seem to be a ridiculous surcharge for using smaller, wheel-chair lift equipped vehicles.

 

Look forward to meeting you! 

On 2/9/2020 at 3:24 AM, Belfast Taxman said:

I am thinking that there is something wrong with the UK Regent website. Either that or the cost of some trips has become extortionate. I have been looking at the Explorer cruise leaving Lisbon in early May.

Here are a couple of examples

(1) The last day of the cruise sees Explorer in Le Havre. One of the suggested excursions is a small group tour of Honfleur, which is a 30 minute bus ride away, and consists mainly walking round this undoubtedly scenic town ( been there several times and it is lovely). The suggested price £1,445 per person - eek!

(2)Another suggested excursion that day is to some of the D-day beaches, the memorable US cemetery and Bayeux (but not including the Tapestry museum). The stated Price is £1,775 per person which seems really strange given that a visit to the Canadian landing beaches is free.

 

other cruise ports appear to have a mixture of free or seemingly reasonable excursions and then one or two others at eye-watering prices for no apparent reason. I am hoping that this is just a case of the decimal point being put in the wrong place and I seriously hope that no-one has actually paid these prices.

Are you on the cruise? I am!!!  Regent told my sister that that is probably the cost for the ENTIRE group...and not individual.  Hope to meet you if you are on board.....I am so looking forward to our stop in Belfast...and thanks I booked a private (4 people) black cab political tour in the morning.  They will pick up/return us to boat in time for afternoon tour.  So worth the money

Depending on how long you will be gone and how much on land you will use your phone, Verizon also has monthly plays that were less than the $10 day/30 days.  THe day (or I believe 24 hours) starts from your first use that day...so if you don't use..no charge

4 hours ago, Portolan said:

 

No charge in my experience.  I don't think you can go too crazy like requesting an Abbey ale that's very expensive or rare.  I've asked for and received widely available craft beers.

 

On one memorable cruise, I mentioned to the F&B manager that while the food was great, the best selection was very limited (no IPAs).  She arranged to purchase some Sierra Nevada at the next port and contacted me to advise that the bar staff would have them available if requested by name.  This was in Europe, so it would have taken a bit of effort.

 

Subsequently I've put in a request in advance.

 

Who do you contact/ask for specific requests?

On 2/7/2020 at 7:38 AM, Portolan said:

Favor to ask of those onboard Explorer: what beers are on offer (excluding Bud/Miller/Corona/Amstel)?

 

We'll be on Explorer in May and am debating putting in a special request for beer since past experience has been uneven (like sometimes Sierra Nevada IPA or equivalent or no IPAs at all).  BTW, on our recent (first) Viking Ocean cruise, there was an extensive beer menu including 2 Belgian Abbey ales and 4 Norwegian beers (one of which was a really good IPA).  It would be nice if Regent gave the same support to beer aficionados as they do for wine connoisseurs. 

 

 

Portolan, just help my poor brain understand.  When you put in the special request for beer, do you PAY for that?  Still hoping the wine is better than we think/not excited with the list/offering I was given by Regent for the CA red wine I can have in suite that is being served in restaurants.

If not too late would love if someone posts the Red Wine lists of bottles available for upgrade..

So if you took the example above and too 100% future cruise credit..you have to pay air fare 2nd time?  Would that mean I could still use my air if I wanted?  loll  to Lisbon home London, not a bad trip!  lol