Air Deviation

[EAGLESLOVER]

Can someone please explain to this first timer exactly what air deviation is and how it works . Love reading all the posts by you experienced Regent cruisers!!

Thanks

[rallydave]

Can someone please explain to this first timer exactly what air deviation is and how it works . Love reading all the posts by you experienced Regent cruisers!!

Thanks

 

I'll try and sure other will chime in.

 

1. You need to take Regent Air, either one way or round trip either included coach air or Business upgrade.

 

2. You need to want to deviate from allowing Regent to specifiy your airline, flight times, flight dates, etc.

 

3. You pay a non-refundable $125 pp and are then allowed to choose the days you will fly, the flight times, and the airline.

 

4. In many cases, that's it, Regent will accept your choices and the $125 pp is all you will pay over and above your original cruise price.

 

5. In some cases, Regent will ask for additional money for the flights you have chosen as they will cost Regent more than what was included in your cruise fare.

 

6. Regent gives you a choice of taking the add'l price flights or others of their choice that nearly match your requested date and time. You don't pay the deviation fee until you agree with one of the choices so no risk to you if you would rather stay with what Regent will choose.

 

7. It is best to begin the deviation process 270 days prior to your latest flight date as that is when Regent will start talking to you or your TA regarding deviations. You can't get what flights Regent will choose included in your fare until about 30 days prior to your cruies.

 

8. Deviations are most often used by people who want to fly in early or home late. You have to pay the deviation fee in order to extend your vacation/holiday.

[azgkrudi]

The only problem with booking your flights 270 days out is that airlines often change their schedules. If you book the flights you want and pay the deviation fee, then the airline changes their schedule so that it no longer suits you, you will have to pay another deviation fee to again request the flights that suit you. Someone correct me if I'm wrong...but this is my understanding. To me, it's a roll of the dice.

 

We have just trusted in Regent and taken their air (when doing Med cruises) and it has always turned out well. I always pay close attention to any changes the airline might make and notify my TA if, say, a layover is no longer long enough. If you ask nicely :) they will accommodate a change.

[rallydave]

The only problem with booking your flights 270 days out is that airlines often change their schedules. If you book the flights you want and pay the deviation fee, then the airline changes their schedule so that it no longer suits you, you will have to pay another deviation fee to again request the flights that suit you. Someone correct me if I'm wrong...but this is my understanding. To me, it's a roll of the dice.

 

We have just trusted in Regent and taken their air (when doing Med cruises) and it has always turned out well. I always pay close attention to any changes the airline might make and notify my TA if, say, a layover is no longer long enough. If you ask nicely :) they will accommodate a change.

 

Don't think you are quite correct. If you are happy with the way Regent chooses your flights and you don't want to extend your vacation, you are absolutely correct.

 

As far as booking as early as possible, that is bacause Regent only has a limited number of seats on any flights so the longer you wait to deviate, the better chance your choice is gone or Regent won't be able to accommodate you.

 

As far as flight changes, once an airline books you on a flight and then changes the schedule, if it were me, I would go directly to the airline and make them adjust the flights so that you arrive relatively close to your original time or you don't have an extremely long or short connection time. Relatively sure you can avoid the deviation fee by going direct to the airline. If you aren't satisfied with what the airline is willing to do, next would have my TA work with Regent to fix the flights as I didn't get the flights I wanted and paid for. Of course, you might have to live with the change or pay another deviation fee.

 

Remember, Regent didn't change your flights, the airline did and usually when they make the change, they will be willing to adjust your flights to your satisfaction at no additional charge.

[EAGLESLOVER]

I understand completely thanks to your explanation. Since we will be staying a few days in Rio post cruise looks like we will have to deviate. Thanks again.

Sharon

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Does anyone know whether Regent is still charging a deviation fee to fly into the embarkation port the day before the cruise? I.e., if you're opting out of the included pre-cruise hotel?

 

I have found Regent Air has worked very well in general for me. Sometimes within North America I find I can get better deals, and even to Rio I found us a more pleasant alternative than flying straight to Sao Paolo then onto Rio. We broke the journey from Canada by staying overnight in Miami, then flying Copa Airlines to Rio, with a change in Panama. We flew Business at a reasonable price, although the seats were more like Business seats on a domestic plane, no lying flat or anything, but we got that extra few inches. Copa wasn't a perfect airline experience, but I'd definitely try them again if I wanted to fly to Rio again.

[kvisf]

Here's one more thing to consider. Taking an air deviation may cause you to lose the free, Regent-provided transfers from airport to hotel/port outbound and from ship to airport inbound.

 

On our July cruise, we deviated to arrive in Athens a day early. No problem here, because we just booked at extra night at the Regent-provided hotel, made sure the hotel knew that the second night was part of the Regent deal, and were provided with the complimentary breakfast and transfer to the port (lots of people and buses, but it all went off pretty smoothly).

 

At the end of the cruise in Istanbul, we planned to stay for several days, so no free transfer from Regent. We just assumed it would be easy to walk off the ship and get a taxi to our hotel. Wrong! The taxi scene at the Istanbul cruise terminal was chaos, with different men walking around yelling into their cell phones and waving at taxis and each other, no signage or English directions. Fortunately, some of our party spoke enough Turkish to know that nothing sinister was going on, but if we hadn't had that knowledge it might have been cause for extreme concern. It took almost half an hour to finally get into a taxi.

 

My suggestion would be that if you do decide to deviate (and I'm glad we did because it made both beginning end ending of the cruise much more convenient and enjoyable), think through the transfers question well in advance. In Athens, from airport to hotel we booked and prepaid online through a Greek taxi/tour company that was mentioned in several posts on the Athens port thread, were met at the airport outside of baggage/customs, and had a painless and reasonably inexpensive transfer to the hotel. In hindsight, we should have done the same in Istanbul. (But, as a sidelight, the taxi driver who took us from the cruise terminal to our hotel turned out to be a delightful young man with good English. We took lots of taxis in Istanbul, with never a bad experience.)

[Palmetto Lady]

Here's one more thing to consider. Taking an air deviation may cause you to lose the free, Regent-provided transfers from airport to hotel/port outbound and from ship to airport inbound.

 

On our July cruise, we deviated to arrive in Athens a day early. No problem here, because we just booked at extra night at the Regent-provided hotel, made sure the hotel knew that the second night was part of the Regent deal, and were provided with the complimentary breakfast and transfer to the port (lots of people and buses, but it all went off pretty smoothly).

 

At the end of the cruise in Istanbul, we planned to stay for several days, so no free transfer from Regent. We just assumed it would be easy to walk off the ship and get a taxi to our hotel. Wrong! The taxi scene at the Istanbul cruise terminal was chaos, with different men walking around yelling into their cell phones and waving at taxis and each other, no signage or English directions. Fortunately, some of our party spoke enough Turkish to know that nothing sinister was going on, but if we hadn't had that knowledge it might have been cause for extreme concern. It took almost half an hour to finally get into a taxi.

 

My suggestion would be that if you do decide to deviate (and I'm glad we did because it made both beginning end ending of the cruise much more convenient and enjoyable), think through the transfers question well in advance. In Athens, from airport to hotel we booked and prepaid online through a Greek taxi/tour company that was mentioned in several posts on the Athens port thread, were met at the airport outside of baggage/customs, and had a painless and reasonably inexpensive transfer to the hotel. In hindsight, we should have done the same in Istanbul. (But, as a sidelight, the taxi driver who took us from the cruise terminal to our hotel turned out to be a delightful young man with good English. We took lots of taxis in Istanbul, with never a bad experience.)

 

Interesting! We returned from Istanbul a couple of weeks ago. We found the situation at the port completely organized and controlled. We walked along the dock area until we came to a sign that said "Taxi" . They opened a gate and we stood with other people as thay brought up taxis and assigned them to us in order. We had to wait for several minutes until it was our turn.

[RachelG]

Interesting! We returned from Istanbul a couple of weeks ago. We found the situation at the port completely organized and controlled. We walked along the dock area until we came to a sign that said "Taxi" . They opened a gate and we stood with other people as thay brought up taxis and assigned them to us in order. We had to wait for several minutes until it was our turn.

 

I have taken a lot of taxis in Istanbul on 3 separate trips, and never had a problem. Now there are some CRAZY taxi drivers in Istanbul, but never have felt ripped off. When you walk out of the cruise terminal, there is a sign that says Taxi, and you just wait there till they bring up a taxi for you. Yes, sometimes in Istanbul there is a lot of "yelling", but I think a lot of that is perceived as you can't understand what they are saying and it is their way of communicating.

[gbp]

I have taken a lot of taxis in Istanbul on 3 separate trips, and never had a problem. Now there are some CRAZY taxi drivers in Istanbul, but never have felt ripped off. When you walk out of the cruise terminal, there is a sign that says Taxi, and you just wait there till they bring up a taxi for you. Yes, sometimes in Istanbul there is a lot of "yelling", but I think a lot of that is perceived as you can't understand what they are saying and it is their way of communicating.

We took a number of taxis in Turkey and had only one problem: our trip to the Grand Bazaar. Before even getting in the cab, we negotiated a fare (in USD) to get us not just there, but to a specific location. I even had a map with our drop off point clearly marked.

 

I knew we were in trouble when he said something like: "Yes, I take you to the Grand Bazaar and I kept saying: "No, not just to the Grand Bazaar, but here (tapping the exact point on the map I was showing him)." I explained to him (and showed him) that my wife had a cane and wasn't up to walking great distances. Nonetheless, he attempted to drop us off somewhere else. "It's only 300 meters", he said.

 

It turned out he had no idea where we wanted to go and had to talk with someone on the street to get directions. Then he said to us, "It's only 500 meters." That was an uphill 500 meters. So I argued with him, explaining what we had agreed to at the very start and that he made a commitment to taking us where I had indicated. Eventually, he relented.

 

In the meantime, my wife and son were so embarrassed by my getting into an argument with the driver, they had left the cab, and when I turned to them to say that it was OK, the driver would take us where we wanted to go, they had disappeared down the street leading into the Bazaar! So I ended up sending the driver on his way (and paying him).

 

We eventually found the section of the Bazaar we were looking for, and that taxi driver's bad attitude was much more than made up in full when we were lost in the Bazaar, desperate to get back to the ship, and were helped by a young man, who not only lead us out of the Bazaar and took us to the train terminal, but got on the train with us, accompanied us off the train and led us to where the ship was docked.

 

He wouldn't take any tip at all for his time and trouble (he worked at a grocer in the Bazaar and received permission from his boss to help us), so we just exchanged names and he went back to work.

 

So that's my one bad taxi story in Turkey, but as you can see it was nothing next to the help we received from that young man.

[Travelcat2]

Rallydave's list is very good. I would like to add a comment about the airlines you request. It is helpful to your TA and Regent if you give them two (or three choices). For instance, they use Lufthansa on many European/Mediterranean flights. They fly at odd times and at good times. Some layovers are 10 hours while others are 2. Find the specific flight you want and submit:

 

Lufthansa Flight #XXX, departing XXX 4:55 p.m. arrive Frankfurt 9:00 a.m.

Depart Frankfurt 11:00 a.m. on Lufthansa Flight #XXX -- arrives Istanbul 5:00 p.m.

 

I just had a similiar itinerary approved by Regent very quickly.

 

Rumor has it that Regent will not use Turkish Air -- even though they are Star Alliance. We know that they use United frequently.

 

They have limited seats on British Air. We have paid extra twice in order to fly BA.

 

If you pick an airline that Regent has contracts with and book early enough (as the seats go quickly), you can usually pick your flights with no problem.

 

I would to address the Turkish cab drivers. We speak to them in English or give them written information in English. Most read only Arabic. We asked a lovely cab driver to drive us to a hotel downtown that was next to a specific restaurant. We had the address as well as a map. He couldn't read the map or even the name of the place since it was in English. He consulted with hotel personnel as well as other taxi drivers. On the way he pointed out places of interest and stopped a couple of times to get more help. We arrived on time -- his attitde remained warm -- he did not overcharge us. It was a lovely experience. Think for a moment if someone from Turkey needed a ride somewhere in your city -- he spoke only Turkish and handed you directions in Arabic. :confused:

[gbp]

Does anyone know whether Regent is still charging a deviation fee to fly into the embarkation port the day before the cruise? I.e., if you're opting out of the included pre-cruise hotel?

 

We flew in a day early to Istanbul, opted out of the pre-cruise hotel and were told we'd have to pay a deviation fee. That was OK, because we were staying a couple of extra days in Athens, which would have required a deviation fee anyway. Since we made pre and post-cruise flight arrangements at the same time, we just paid the deviation fee once.

 

With a credit of $300/adult for opting out of the pre-cruise hotel, making our own arrangements for that one night stay was will worth it, even though we also lost the free transfers to the ship. At the conclusion of our private tour, the guide dropped us off at the ship, luggage and all.

[LindaM]

Don't think you are quite correct. If you are happy with the way Regent chooses your flights and you don't want to extend your vacation, you are absolutely correct.

 

As far as booking as early as possible, that is bacause Regent only has a limited number of seats on any flights so the longer you wait to deviate, the better chance your choice is gone or Regent won't be able to accommodate you.

 

As far as flight changes, once an airline books you on a flight and then changes the schedule, if it were me, I would go directly to the airline and make them adjust the flights so that you arrive relatively close to your original time or you don't have an extremely long or short connection time. Relatively sure you can avoid the deviation fee by going direct to the airline. If you aren't satisfied with what the airline is willing to do, next would have my TA work with Regent to fix the flights as I didn't get the flights I wanted and paid for. Of course, you might have to live with the change or pay another deviation fee.

 

Remember, Regent didn't change your flights, the airline did and usually when they make the change, they will be willing to adjust your flights to your satisfaction at no additional charge.

 

I just found out from Delta that they can change the time of your flight by NINETY minutes, without offering to change your flight without penalty. That really floored me. They changed our FLL flight by 15 min. and couldn't understand why that wasn't acceptable. We booked an 11:30 flight because that was the only nonstop available at that time until 5:30. We were taking a chance, but I did not want to push our luck. They did agree to change us to a 1:00 flight without penalty, but said it was a one time change.

[rallydave]

I just found out from Delta that they can change the time of your flight by NINETY minutes, without offering to change your flight without penalty. That really floored me. They changed our FLL flight by 15 min. and couldn't understand why that wasn't acceptable. We booked an 11:30 flight because that was the only nonstop available at that time until 5:30. We were taking a chance, but I did not want to push our luck. They did agree to change us to a 1:00 flight without penalty, but said it was a one time change.

 

First probem is that you are flying Delta. That IMHO is a problem that we avoid as much as possible. Didn't know about the 90 minute rule but, threre rarely is another flight sooner unless a busy route. Airlines always have the right to change flights as necessary without compensation other than scheduling you on another flight to your destination.

 

As to the 15 minute change; in the big scheme of things IMHO that is a minimal delay, kind of like a needle in a haystack. Airlines consider their flights "on-time" if they are within 15 minutes of scheduled time.

 

As to your 11:30 flight, don't know how it was changed but, they did accommodate you at no cost on the 1 PM. Not sure what they tried to change you to as your description lacks some details.

 

Since most people on cruises book flights very early, the likelyhood of flight changes is much greater than Regent who doesn't pay until 30 days prior to your cruise. Remember, if you do your own flights to save money or get the flight you want, you have assummed the risk for changes and delays. Sometimes it is better to use Regent where much (but not all) of the risk is on them.

 

It is said that the best way to fly is to schedule early departures so that there are options if there are issues with your flight. Worst is to take the last flight of the day. If you are traveling on embarkation day, make sure there is another flight or connection that will get you to your port in time for your ship.

[jhenry1]

We have booked a cruise in May from Barcelona to London. Does anyone have any experience with Regent provided air to and from these locations. I called my Ta today and we decided to wait a little longer to see what they will put us on. We have paid extra for business class but iZ certainly do not want a lot of stops and long lay overs. Trying to decide if it is to early to pay the deviation fee and try to book the flights we want.

 

We will be flying from Austin texas and had to pay extra for doing that. Some airlines have a lot of stops from Austin to anywhere.

 

Those of you what would you suggest?

 

Kandy and Ron from Texas

[Eager2Travel]

We arrange our air with deviation early on. As we know that we will want to leave a few days early we know that we will need to pay the deviation fee. This enbles us to pick out the flights that we want. It also has enabled us to choose the arriving and departing flights even though we only are needing the deviation for the start of the cruise.

[rallydave]

We have booked a cruise in May from Barcelona to London. Does anyone have any experience with Regent provided air to and from these locations. I called my Ta today and we decided to wait a little longer to see what they will put us on. We have paid extra for business class but iZ certainly do not want a lot of stops and long lay overs. Trying to decide if it is to early to pay the deviation fee and try to book the flights we want.

 

We will be flying from Austin texas and had to pay extra for doing that. Some airlines have a lot of stops from Austin to anywhere.

 

Those of you what would you suggest?

 

Kandy and Ron from Texas

 

Well, I live in Houston and I'm on a Regent cruise ending in Barcelona in early April. My DW and I are spending an extra few days in Barcelona so we had to deviate. Requeted Continental thru Newark and on to Houston. Got the flights without any extra costs.

 

My suggestion is that you pay for the deviation right now as Regent won't provide you your flight info until about 30 days prior to your departure and at tht point you will probably be too late to deviate. You could drive to Houston to save the $195 pp and then pay the $125 pp Deviation fee and still save $140 total which will pay for your gas and then some.

 

Suggest you fly a day early out of Houston to make sure you get there on time via. Continental with a plane change in Newark. Flights leave IAH around noon so you would need to leave about the same time as flying out of Austin.

 

For the return, both Continental and British Air fly non-stop to Houston out of Heathrow so easy again. If you wait until Regent gives you your itinerary, highly doubt you will get anything like these flights. Of course you can connect from Austin to IAH easily for the flights I am suggesting.

 

Hope you have a great trip and easy flights.

 

Dave

[alidor]

I did an air deviation for an upcoming March cruise with Regent and specified the actual flights I wanted and got them all, including one on Singapore Air that normally carries a premium. Confirmation was IMMEDIATE and I called the airlines involved to do my own seat selection and to get their record locators.

 

I would suggest telling them what flights you want rather than have them assign them.

[jhenry1]

Thank you I will go ahead and choose the flights.

 

Appreciate the help. If you pay to request a different flight are the transfers still included?

 

Kandy and Ron

[alidor]

I think if you are coming in a few days early, I'm pretty sure they are not. It's not really a concern of ours and it's usually no big deal to take local transporation.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We arrange our air with deviation early on. As we know that we will want to leave a few days early we know that we will need to pay the deviation fee. This enbles us to pick out the flights that we want. It also has enabled us to choose the arriving and departing flights even though we only are needing the deviation for the start of the cruise.

 

I agree with Shrinkann, with the proviso that freedom to choose is limited when you've upgraded to Business Class. There are only certain airlines that they have agreements with. They like Star Alliance, or did.