flossie009

@Critically Cruising, What you describe regarding rebates is I understand a normal arrangement for cruises booked in North America. However, in the U.K. TAs usually offer their discounts up front so the customer receives the full benefit at final payment stage, some months before the cruise. Maybe I should have said ……. it sounds like an odd arrangement for a U.K. travel agent to offer .

We have enjoyed a few Holiday cruises on Regent ships. Below is a link to our live blog from last Christmas / New Year:

Are you saying that your TA discounted the cruise fare but has told you that you cannot have that discount until after the cruise? If so it sounds like a very odd arrangement 🤔

Explora, and their owner MSC, are both registered with ABTA and ATOL (as are most cruise companies); so no less protection if the credit card payment is processed by the cruise line rather than a third party If your TA took your credit card payment and has not yet provided you with the refund that is overdue, I am not sure why you are reluctant to raise a credit card chargeback or section 75 claim. How & when your TA recovers the money from Explora is not your problem.

Not all U.K. TAs operate in that way. With ours, although we ring our TA to process payments, the credit card entry is shown as direct to the cruise line. This makes it simpler & quicker when refunds are due (evidenced during the pandemic) In the case of a dispute it can be difficult to make a successful credit card claim if payment was made via a third party. Hope you get your refund soon and that you are successful in claiming any extra expenses you incurred as a result of the late cancellation. Have you contacted the cruise line direct, with a formal complaint & claim, rather than just through your TA? I am somewhat confused as to why anyone needed your bank details if your payment was made by credit card? Hope that your experience doesn’t indicate evidence of “style over substance” with Explora.

Just make your specific requirements clear to Regent well in advance of the cruise.

There is no need to wait until after your first reservation. In our experience the Dining Reservations staff sometimes like to ensure that all guests have at least one reservation before opening up for further bookings; especially on shorter cruises. We have often managed to secure an additional reservation for the first night on board, especially as we are always willing to share a table. Flexibility is the key to securing additional reservations - day, time & size of table. As @cwn says it is easier on longer cruises.

You are in the Regent Suite ............... you can request anything 😉 Have a fabulous voyage 😎

Sounds like you already have the visa situation sorted. We did the "Visa on Arrival" which was reasonably quick & straightforward (Regent did not pay for the required visa) The other thing you have to do is an electronic customs declaration, which you can do just before travelling or on arrival - see tip #3 on this website: https://www.baliholidaysecrets.com/arriving-bali-airport/

For those of us in the UK the new layout of pricing is much clearer. The previous "up to" credit for flights could be misleading on some cruises as Regent pricing in the UK only includes Business class flights on PH & above and only on cruises that begin and/or end in Europe. The new layout of pricing allows us to see clearly the credit available for each suite grade. Thanks @Mike Moore 🙂

In February, Regent gave us a very good price on Business Class flights to Bali (long layover in Doha, but no hardship). We love flying with Qatar. BA no longer fly their non-stop Heathrow to Bangkok and I think with Qatar you would be changing planes in Doha, but haven’t checked. For our return from Tokyo we booked our own flight with Avios on BA; direct non-stop Tokyo to Heathrow. Flight was good but it was BA’s old seating configuration rather than the new Club Suites. Best would be to contact Regent to see what options they can offer you for the outward and return flights.

Not sure what the problem is. I have just looked up a cruise and there is a clear explanatory note in the Ts&Cs at the bottom of the page explaining the difference between the two pricing columns: "Advertised fare includes air-related government taxes, surcharges and fees. Standard and Featured Offer Fares include flights, hotel and transfers, where applicable. Standard Cruise Fares and Featured Offer Cruise Fares include applicable credits for guests arranging their own pre- and post-cruise flights, hotels and transfers" Presumably most customers would simply ask Regent or their TA for clarification if they had any confusion over what the pricing included or excluded. ............. but I am sure @Mike Moore will take on board any constructive comments as to how to make the Regent website as clear as possible without a plethora of footnotes, additions & subtractions.

What is the basis for your reasoning?

I assume that Regent booking conditions in Belgium are similar to those in the UK. It is unlikely that you will be able to make seat reservations until the flights have been ticketed, which will be after you have made your final cruise payment to Regent. Your TA should be able to confirm this with Regent. Regent should supply you with a flight locator which you can then use to reserve your seats on the airline's website. Note that some airlines do make a charge for advance seat reservations. For the long flight to Rio you could ask your TA to obtain a price for Business Class from Regent; their pricing is often very reasonable. Which airline are Regent proposing for your flight?

I am sure that is correct The luggage tags supplied by Regent are durable (similar to airline tags). The type and number of tags supplied in the mail has not changed. They just do not come in a pleather wallet, and all other documentation (cruise summary, boarding passes) are only sent by email. Early in the 2022 “trial” of the new “eDocs” arrangements, Regent(UK) did experiment with only issuing luggage tags on arrival at the embarkation port. This was not a success and they reverted to sending luggage tags by mail.

He didn't say ............... and he has since retired so we cannot ask him 😉 You will of course note that he said "...........we see this as a positive step forward for Regent" not ".......... for Regent's customers" 🤨 Certainly in the UK we understand that one of the drivers for dispensing with hard-copy documentation by mail was the lack of staff members available in the Southampton office post-pandemic to handle & despatch complete document packs.

Welcome to our world. As @cwn says, the Regent document packs in Europe disappeared early in 2022, with all documentation being issued by email. After some early issues, Regent reinstated the sending of luggage tags only by mail. When we asked Regent about the withdrawal of the full document pack early last year the U.K. MD told us in writing that it was nothing to do with cost: “There are a many reasons why we see this as a positive step forward for Regent, cost cutting does not feature in the study” ………….. and of course we believed him 🙄 🤣

Restaurant details & times are shown on the back page of Passages, which are not shown in the above images. It looks like there was a Sunday Sea Day Brunch on Sunday November 27 since the daily schedule shows a meet up of Solo & Social Travellers for brunch at 11am in Compass Rose. We have seen this on previous TransAtlantics; and the images posted above indicate Dance Classes on most sea days. Yes, that is our experience. One Sunday Sea Day Brunch per cruise segment even if there is more than one Sunday at sea.

I am pleased to see that NW has confirmed my initial interpretation of the insurance coverage (post #5) and that the scaremongering warning of no cover given in some social media posts was incorrect. At least those with NW Travel Insurance choosing Ambassador now know not to bother paying for the optional additional cover offered by NW/UKI. Presumably those that feel they were previously mis-sold the additional cover will seek reimbursement of the premium.

Sorry, no regular Sunday Sea Day Brunch on Mariner; only Explorer & Splendor. However, champagne & caviar will be available with breakfast in Compass Rose and La Veranda every Sunday 😋

See my post #5 from 3 months ago 🙄

The Edinburgh tram system has recently been extended to Newhaven, offering a quick & easy way to get to/from the centre of Edinburgh. https://edinburghtrams.com/plan-journey/trams-newhaven The CC thread below gives more information:

Is it that popular? IMO it makes for good photos in the brochures, but is a waste of space on most cruises I have never seen the Pool Deck pool overloaded on any of the Regent ships Totally agree. Hopefully they will put in some comfy chairs to mimic the area outside the back of the Horizon Lounge on Mariner & Voyager.

If you check-in using only one credit card (in one or other of your names) then the on-board accounts will be linked. Simple to check by looking at your on-board accounts on the TV screen in your suite part way through the cruise. Any issues, then simply call by Reception and they will sort for you.

That is potentially bad news, as you have effectively booked with, and paid, a third party rather than the cruise line. With our U.K. TA the payment always shows as direct to the cruise company. During the pandemic, cancellation refunds that had to come via TAs were very slow, If the TA goes bust then there also could be a problem. Finally, credit card companies are less willing to deal with disputes where payment was made to a third party. With what is going on with Explora you are right to be concerned.