FL Wolfpacker

14 minutes ago, papaflamingo said:

Did you request the flights you tried to deviate on and were they on the same day as Regent's flights?  That may be why.  Also, when I deviated I asked the Agent for an example of a routing with no up charge.  She told me... I paid the up charge. 

I gave them several flights and they indicated none of them would work. They put me on hold for about 25 min and came back with the “best they can do”.

The only thing I can come up with for the better result is they must have gained a better contract after my first call. 
 

ETA: The best no up charge flights were 3 stops. 

11 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

Just wondering why you're trying to fly on an international flight out of RSW since you are from Toronto. We live in Fort Myers, and we never, ever book flights from Regent, or any other cruise line out of RSW. We made that mistake on our first cruise on Regent. They gave us a Delta flight to Atlanta with a 30 minute connection to a flight to Vancouver. We complained about it, but they would not change it. As it turned out, the same flight crew was connecting to the Vancouver flight, so once we boarded they assured it we would make the flight even with a short delay in our arrival. But that's not something I want to worry about when going on a cruise.

Since then, we have never asked any cruise line to book flights for us out of RSW. We would rather drive to MIA or FLL, and get a direct flight that gets us to our destination with as few connecting flights as possible. We just flew to Bangkok from MIA with one stop in Doha, and returned from Abu Dhabi to MIA with one stop in Doha. On a Regent cruise pre Covid, we flew from MIA to Dubai to Singapore, and returned at the end of the cruise from Sydney  to Dubai to MIA.

I tried deviation out of RSW for our trip. The connections were poor (best they could do were 2 stops and short layovers for an additional +$2K/pp charge). I figured it couldn’t get worse so I declined the option. 
When Regent gave us the flights 75 days out they were one stop flights with good layovers. Can’t explain why but I’m glad we passed on the deviation 

2 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

We depart Sept. 5th.

So should I wait to see what Regent books for us before I ask for a deviation or is it better to be proactive and do it now?

 

***

If you wait you are stuck with the flights they provided most likely. I think you are within the 210 day time period so give them a call. They will charge you $75 and will work with you on your desired flights. If you want non stop flights there will more than likely be an additional charge 

34 minutes ago, chamima said:

I'm reading this thread and trying to get a feel for what to expect. We've cruised a lot but have just booked our first Regent cruise. I loved the "all-inclusive " aspect as a respite from all of the research I've always had to do for previous cruises but now I'm worrying about whether we should have booked the air portion ourselves. We will be flying Detroit- Rome and Monte Carlo- Detroit. We are supposed to get business class air.

I usually try to get non-stops but does Regent booking our air preclude that?

How far in advance will we know what our flights are? 

If I decide to get a deviation how will I find out what portion of our new flights will be covered by Regent?

Anything else I should know?

Thanks in advance.

I think I’m on the same sailing as you if your departure is 7/1/24.  If so, you should have already received your flight info from Regent.  If your sailing is later you can deviate 210 days from departure.

Just received the seat assignments for our flight in late June (Ft Myers, FL to Rome and return Nice to Ft Myers).  Three legs are in business class and the Newark to Ft Myers is in first class.  These were handled by Regent and without deviation. 
Very surprised they gave us first class seats domestically.

8 hours ago, Oregonangelwings said:

Is there anyone on here, who went ahead and waited for Regent to do the air at 75 days, and were happy with the results? Just curious. Do they really make it so bad that people regretted having Regent choose the flights? Also, if Regent flies people in the morning of the cruise,and one of the flights is late, does Regent take the responsibility of getting the people to the ship?

I tried deviation early and the connections and timing were poor. Waited for Regent to do the flights and they look good. 
 

My travel is the end of June so hopefully they work out

2 hours ago, Lonedaddy said:

It looks like discover is a lufthansa partner for lower cost older planes like the A330 that lufthansa didnt need anymore.  Similar to scoot airlines (SQ asia partner airline.) since you are in business you can use the Lufthansa business lounges in FRA.

 

try to get middle pair seat if its a night flight as they have multiple configurations.  It looks like the june 29 flight is the a330-200 but that could chnage.  You get there a day early it seems so that is good in case of cancellation the airline  will route you on UA or Lufthansa most likely.  

 

4Y Airbus A330-200 - aeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans

others

4Y Airbus A330-300 type 1 - aeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans

4Y Airbus A330-300 type 2 - aeroLOPA | Detailed aircraft seat plans

I added an extra day prior to the ship’s departure in case of airline issues. As a result our flight leaves on June 28th

43 minutes ago, rallydave said:

Discover is a low cost airline with very few aircraft do you risk gettin on your cruise before departure as no deviation means arrival on day ship departs.  Any delay leaving no other way to get to ship. Return likely transfer to jet blue coach in New York 

 

not the best flights by far and remember Regent though they might help with flight issues are not responsible to take care of travel delays. 
 

good luck as you will need it. 

Unfortunately Discover was the carrier that was offered thru deviation.  Fortunately they are only on the outbound leg

Just received my flights for our July 1st sailing from Rome.  I contacted the air desk at the 210 day out time period and was told the best they could do was a deviation with 2 stops (flying out of Ft Myers, FL) with short connection times and +$2K pp charge.  I decided to wait and see what they would come up with at the 75 day time period.

Without a deviation fee they scheduled a one stop flight (thru Frankfurt) on the way out and a one stop thru Newark on the return (and both have very good layover times).  The flights are operated by Discover Airlines so that may present some issues but I am very surprised/pleased otherwise.

On 2/28/2024 at 10:49 AM, Gpilon said:

Z....we are on Grandeur in July.....4th seat from left at Pool Bar is mine. Will look for your imprint when we board.

Are you on the Rome to Monte Carlo tour?

We are booked on that one, which will be our first Regent cruise, so we are hoping it’s a good experience.  

1 hour ago, Lonedaddy said:

I would agree - depending on the flight time drive  to MIA, TPA or MCO and stay the night as many hotels have park and fly deals and shuttle to the airport.   You return will most likely arrive in the late afternoon so stay another night at the same hotel.   It will make the travel days a lot easier and most certainly cost less than 2K pp.  

I think the best option will be to add another day at the hotel prior to the cruise.  That will be less expensive than flying out of one of the gateway airports.

Regardless I will investigate other cruise lines and compare them to Regent minus the air component before I make my final decision.

We are looking into that.  What prompted us to try this cruise was the inclusion of business class airfare.  Now it appears that comes with some significant restrictions.

I plan to compare the Regent cruise with others excluding the airfare to get a better feel for the overall value.

Booked our first cruise for next July from Rome to Monte Carlo.  Called the first of December to get the flights.  Every one of my requests required at least a $2K pp fee.  The best they would offer without a fee is a 2 stop flight via Swiss Air arriving in Rome near midnight.

We are flying out of RSW (Ft Myers FL).

Totally disgusted with the whole process.  Thinking of cancelling the cruise and trying the new Ritz cruise.