toolworker

7 hours ago, GMIAC said:

At this time, App functionality isn’t very robust. You cannot access the App unless connected to the ship’s WiFi. You can, however, download Passages and save it to your device for viewing at any time. 

Well, that's a start. But it ought to download the day's Passages (and menus) automatically, without the pax having to do anything, and keep them until at least midnight. Otherwise it just replaces having to remember to photograph Passages with having to remember to do the download.

The Google Play store allows leaving a review, but doesn't display them. So I guess it's finished enough to show that Regent has an app like all the other cruise lines, but not enough for user comments.

Have I missed something? There's an app up now on Google Play. It loads, but says it requires ship wifi. I wonder if it's functional - there was one up last year that wasn't. Anyone tried it onboard?

The home screen says "Once on board, use this app to explore daily Passages, dining menus and more." The screen shots show Passages and booked excursions.

I hope that content stays viewable once disconnected from wifi. It'd save us the trouble of taking photos of Passages before leaving the ship.

What'd really be useful would be the ability to book and change excursions with an app. That'd liberate us from the limited hours at the Destination Services counter

On 9/5/2023 at 6:41 AM, pappy1022 said:

It sure would enhance the shore excursions if you could listen to the guide via your mobile phone and ear buds. I think they tried that and for some reason pulled the plug on it.

They had that on Scenic river cruises a few years back. It was more of a distraction than a help. Wifi range was too limited and it kept disconnecting. Then it took a long time fiddling with it to reconnect. Viking uses Quietvoxes - easy to use, longer range and reliable. On our last Regent cruise, one of the guides brought his own Quietvoxes!

5 hours ago, jclinard said:

How long did it take for them to pay your claim?

I didn't cancel, so didn't file a CFAR claim.

My other Travelguard claims were paid promptly, except for a Trip Interruption claim for which they needed documentation from the cruise line. They paid the cruise fare for the five days I was quarantined for Covid, as well as the medical bill.

Insurers vary. I have had excellent experience with TravelGuard. Their definition of a pre-existing condition is:

"Pre-Existing Medical Condition means an Injury, Sickness or other condition of the Insured, Traveling Companion, Family Member, Host at Destination, Business Partner, Pet or Service Animal for which care, testing or treatment was given or recommended by a Physician, within the 180 day period immediately preceding
and including the purchase date of this plan."

Nothing about stable - the word doesn't appear in their policy. This exclusion is waived if the policy is purchased within 14 days of first deposit or payment and if all trip costs are covered.

You have to pay extra to include problems with your pet as a covered reason.

I've had excellent experience with TravelGuard, and the increased premium for CFAR is not overwhelming IIRC.

Two comments in addition to the 14 - 21 day window for purchasing: CFAR expires two days before departure, so if something comes up in the last couple of days it won't apply. And you'd have to cancel the entire trip - all arrangements. We were on a cruise out of New York, and I inquired about canceling the cruise and just going to New York to visit family. CFAR wouldn't pay off unless we canceled everything including the flights.

(This is for TravelGuard - other companies may have similar restrictions.)

We handled the problem, which was jury duty - a covered reason under both Trip Cancellation and Trip Delay.

But there's a big Catch 22. If there's a covered reason that you expect is going to go away in a few days - like jury duty, or getting Covid a few days before leaving - you can cancel under Trip Cancellation. But if you want to catch up to the cruise once able (and the cruise line allows it), that would have to be under Trip Delay. And the effective date of that benefit in this policy is the date of departure. So it's a covered reason but not Unforseen, because it happened before the effective date of the benefit.

So bottom line - if you are sick or for some other covered reason can't leave on your trip, you've got two choices: Cancel the entire trip and get a refund, or change the departure date on your policy, and eat the cost of the lost vacation days and changing the travel arrangements.

I thought I understood all the ways something could fall through a loophole, but this one had me gobsmacked - and TravelGuard is a good company too.

A TravelGuard agent confirmed this, but I'm not sure she understood the question - and they don't always give the right answer, or the same answer. But this is how I read the policy.

1 hour ago, hernandk said:

Thank you "toollworker".and "Smbruner"!  I can relax now.   I got the evisa for Vietnam online.(I wish Regent had told me the same, ugh!  🙄)

Yeah. Regent just sent detailed instructions for Indonesia and Australia, for at least the second time, for the previous leg. Dunno why they aren't doing that for this leg, or why @Smbruner got a notice and I didn't.

BTW on a recent Silversea cruise, Silversea just got Vietnam visas for everyone and charged us the same $25 as the government. Maybe Regent will do that too when they become a luxury cruise line - although to match Silversea they'd also have to cut prices by about 30%. But I digress.

This was posted in the Roll Call for Regent Explorer sailing from Singapore on Feb. 7. I'm on the same sailing, but didn't get this. But a phone agent told me we could get the Vietnam and Singapore visas on board, or pre-order them.

On 1/8/2024 at 2:18 PM, Smbruner said:

I just heard back from my TA who said this about our Cambodia visas - no mention yet of the cost but at least this resolves having to obtain visas at the Sihanoukville port.

 

Regent is aware of the circumstances around Cambodian eVisas not working for Cruise Itineraries and that there is currently a shortage of physical Visa Stickers worldwide for Embassies and Third-Party Services such as Gen Visa or Visa Central. Because of this Regent is arranging to have a representative on board and available during your Cruise that is dedicated to helping guests secure a Tourist Visa Upon Arrival.

 

Once you complete your embarkation, Regent asks that you check in at the Guest Relations desk, where they will have you fill out your appropriate paperwork and payment information so that they can procure a Tourist Visa on your behalf.

 

Regent does ask, just for ease and convenience, that all passports be valid for up to 6 months after the end of your cruise and that two passport-style photos per guest be available to avoid a potential additional fee with the Cambodian Issuing authority. Once processed, you will receive your visa and be free to explore Cambodia. Please let us know if you have any questions or need further assistance with this itinerary.

We have a TravelGuard Preferred policy (California) covering a cruise trip. Suppose one of us gets sick a few days before leaving, and our physician advises us not to travel. If we wait until they're able to travel, and then fly out to join the cruise ship, will TravelGuard cover (1) the increased cost of that flight, and (2) the cost of the missed cruise days?

5 hours ago, yamanid said:

 

When we visited Sihanoukville Princess took care of the Visas foe us both times.  Which cruise line are you sailing with? 

How much did Princess charge for the visa? 

On 12/1/2023 at 12:17 PM, davela2 said:

We just got off NCL.  The ship took care of the Cambodian Visa for $30 pp

Lucky you. Regent wants $99.

On 10/22/2023 at 8:52 AM, Aulanis said:

iVisa.com  have this on their website
Cambodia Transit Visa (D): In 2023, the Royal Government of Cambodia announced

the short-term transit visa (D category) to tourists visiting the country on a cruise ship.

It allows you to stay in the country for up to 96 hours.

You can apply for this visa through a consulate or authorized travel agencies.

Has anyone found any place to apply for a D visa? The U.S. Cambodian Embassy website lists several visa types but not D. I see nothing on the web.

iVisa also says you can apply for a visa on arrival, but getting on a line for visas while trying to make a ship's tour doesn't sound appealing. I may be stuck with Regent's $99.

Maybe gullible isn't the right word, but if I booked another Viking cruise today I would feel they were taking unreasonable advantage. It wouldn't have bothered me a couple of years ago, but with current interest rates it amounts to a substantial price increase. And it seems a bit smarmy of them to bury that effective increase in the prepayment date instead of just upping the price and having shorter final payment dates like other lines.

But as @mariners indicates, you've got to evaluate the whole package and decide if it's worth it, including the bad taste that some of the terms leave in your mouth. Even with the stealth price increase from prepayment, Viking is a pretty good value.

Looking at the Viking travel plan, their vouchers are non-refundable and non-transferrable, and must be used within 12 months. That said, if the alternative is to get nothing, they're better than that. But another alternative is to buy a better policy from another insurer, with cash CFAR.

A Travel Guard agent told us that they would reimburse a voucher in cash (if otherwise covered) as long as we had originally paid cash that got turned into the voucher.

Agents don't always give the correct answer. FWIW I heard this from several TG agents.

Travel Guard IMO is one of the best insurers. I've had several claims and never had a problem. Compare the details of their policy - we get the Preferred - with other insurers'.

So if we cancel the cruise, but keep and use our own arranged air from home to the debark port, CFAR will not pay, correct?

On 7/16/2023 at 2:31 PM, FetaCheese said:

Agree, on V you'll find many refugees from the cruise lines mentioned.  In my opinion, V provides a fine total experience, so much different than the others.

 

Happy we tried it.  Booked on 3rd later this year.

 

Perhaps you can be placed on a wait list for your preferred cat.  Cabins do open up, so worth a call to V, or a quick email to Tellus.

Agents will say they put you on a waitlist for a cabin class change. Don't hold your breath.

I've had success with several cruise lines by keeping an eye on the Suites listing on the web page. If your class suddenly becomes available, call quick. Many lines clear waitlists manually, even the waiters for bookings. On one cruise, all of a sudden a bunch of sold out classes became available. Maybe a block reservation cancelled or expired.

We care about cabin location, not just class. If we're in a bad location, every so often I go through the online booking process to cabin selection, and sometimes get lucky. Calling an agent might be just as fast.

And re total experiences - not naming lines, but one we sail on waitlists for shore excursions and almost always adds enough capacity to accommodate everyone. But it costs more than Viking. Everyone's got to find their balance of experience and value.

22 hours ago, Lexus550 said:

We have always been able to make our final payment 6 months out whether we have another cruise booked or not.  If it was further out than that, I doubt we'd book.  With their current promotion of $25 down (although in some cases the penalty is $100 for cancellation) and with payment 6 months out, we think it's a good deal.

Exactly what is the current policy? This blog post, dated April 6, 2022, says in part:

• Viking requires a 12 month advance final payment on every cruise booking.
• If a person is a past guest and has a sailing scheduled already within one year, and makes a request for payment delay, they can have a 6 month advance final payment.

It also says deposit time may be longer on some special cruises, and shorter if a guest has a promo code. And Viking can change the policy at any time.

Holding the booking for $25 or $100 may work if you don't need insurance or are willing to take Viking's. We're older, and always buy a superior TravelGuard policy with included pre-existing condition coverage and reasonably priced CFAR (cancel for any reason). To get either of these, the amount paid needs to be insured within 15 days of initial payment. So we pay about $1000, nonrefundable, to hold a booking.

On 6/21/2023 at 6:45 PM, FlyerTalker said:

Hope you get the Hello Kitty aircraft.

On 6/21/2023 at 6:48 PM, QueSeraSera said:

 

Wow - awesome! Unfortunately, those planes currently fly from Taipei only to Bali, Sapporo and Chicago. But I'll watch their Hello Kitty routes page in case that changes.

BTW if you're interested in EVA Air - which is Star Alliance and rated 5* by Skytrax - booking online is easy, but to cancel or change call their Taipei Hotline during office hours Taipei time. They have excellent agents fluent in English. Don't bother with any U.S. numbers.

Why I Hate Silversea Air (Spoiler alert: Price gouging)

We're saving $2,900pp by booking our own refundable Business air.

On our cruise to Asia, Silversea purports to offer "Business Class upgrade at reduced rates." Their idea of reduced rates is a $7,000pp supplement.

I booked us on EVA Air for about $5,600pp, refundable less about $150pp, saving $2,900pp including the $1,500 Economy air allowance.

We could have saved more if Silversea had offered Port-to-Port on our itinerary. But they don't.

I've had excellent experiences with Travel Guard. They generally pay promptly and I've always gotten what I thought was due.

And sometimes more. For several medical claims, despite telling them to hold off, they sent me a check for 100% of my medical expenses. Then when my primary insurance paid 80% I had to figure out how to pay Travel Guard back. That's the sort of problem I like.

I was quarantined in the cabin one day for flu, and on another cruise five days for covid. In both cases they reimbursed the cruise fare for those days.

As people have said, the devil is in the details. One devil is that all of these policies pay only for a list of events, and some insurers cover more events than others. And sometimes the devil is in the definition.

For example, they all cover trip delay or cancelation because something happens to a Family Member or Traveling Companion. The definitions of "something," Family Member and Traveling Companion differ. Here's Travel Guard Preferred Policy (CA)'s definitions:

• Family Member means the Insured’s, or Traveling Companion’s spouse, child, parent, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, daughter/son-in-law, brother/sister-in-law, step-child/sister/brother/parent, parent-in-law, civil union partner, Domestic Partner, step-grandparent/grandchild, aunt, uncle, step-aunt/uncle, niece, nephew, legal guardian, Caregiver, foster child, ward, or legal ward; and the spouse, civil union partner, or Domestic Partner of any of the above. Family Member also includes these relations to the Insured’s or Traveling Companion’s spouse, civil union partner, or Domestic Partner. If the Name Your Family upgrade is elected and any required cost is paid, Family Member also includes the person listed on the application.
• Traveling Companion means a person or persons with whom the Insured has coordinated travel arrangements and intends to travel with during the Trip. A group or tour leader is not considered a traveling companion unless the Insured is sharing room accommodations with the group or tour leader.

I've never seen another policy with such an extensive definition of Family Member. I've seen some where a Traveling Companion has to be on the same booking or ticket, or travel on the same dates; Travel Guard doesn't require that.

I used to compare coverages and Travel Guard has always had the same or better coverage, definitely compared to the cruise line's insurance and also to other providers. I no longer bother comparing; I just buy Travel Guard.

On 5/22/2023 at 8:18 AM, flygirl8 said:

We have used Tours by Locals (book with a local guide with whom we can correspond ahead of time) in cities and on shore excursions for years-never an issue, always a great experience. They are fanatics about getting you back to the ship on time. You can buy cancel for any reason insurance if needed and if you take the tour, the company refunds your premium as a credit for a future tour. The guides are vetted and they like working with Tours by Locals. Although it is pricey, when we have traveled with other couples and split the cost, it is not that much more than the per person ship offered excursion and we get all the benefits of a private tour-can customize, flex the time, don't have to wait for a large group to use the rest rooms, have the opportunity to eat in local places, etc. I would not recommend booking any tours or shore excursion if you can't book and communicate directly with the guide.

We've used ToursByLocals in the past. There are reviews of the guides, so you get an idea of who you're getting. Then once you book you're in direct touch. And always buy the Cancel for Any Reason so you can back out if you sense a problem. We did, and I just used the credits for our next tour - so you keep using the same CFAR payment over and over until you use it.

But - the prices are through the roof - especially when you're just two people. There are two young guides in Halong Bay still looking for their first review, charging around $400 + $80pp for a half day private boat tour. I priced one guide in Taipei for half a day - $800! If we were a larger group it'd be more reasonable, but this trip's just the two of us.

If you're more than two people the numbers work better, as @flygirl8 said, and otherwise ToursByLocals is a great experience.

But it might not matter. See my post just above:

9 hours ago, toolworker said:

One website (so far) posted today (May 30) that a new policy approved last week provides for a $5 landing slip issued on arrival on cruise ships.

One website (so far) posted today (May 30) that a new policy approved last week provides for a $5 landing slip issued on arrival on cruise ships.

This was posted 7 hours ago on "a commercial website, NOT the official website of Vietnam government or affiliated with Vietnam Government." [Edit:] I don't see other mentions of the $5 landing slip so far, but news stories from last week report other tourist-friendly changes to Vietnam's visa policy. 

The post says that "cruise passengers will pay a US$5 visa fee each, instead of a staggering US$45, when they go ashore for a local tour." "Immigration officers would issue a landing slip for visitors upon arrival at a fee of US$5 if they want to go ashore for sightseeing."

When Northern Lights were visible, did the ship turn off any outdoor lighting to provide dark viewing areas?

We are first-time Seabourn cruisers and would much appreciate a referral. Please email voyager@toolworks.com. Thanks!

On 10/22/2022 at 10:33 AM, roberts2005 said:

On Marina now.   Almost Impossible to send an email with with multiple photos attached

Have you reduced the size of your file before sending it? Photos from my phone can be as large as 3.5 Mb, and from my camera 4.5 Mb. Those will take a while to send, and can time out before finishing.

I right-click (in Windows) and resize the photo to 1920 x 1080. That's plenty of resolution for sharing, and reduces the file size down to a few hundred K, which will go out a lot faster.

If you're sending out more than 5 or 6 photos, even downsized, break the batch into multiple emails.