Voyager itinerary dep 12th March totally changed

[jabbawocky]

Horrified to see when I looked at the RSSC website online today and then checked on my account that our 10 day Carribean cruise (with all our tours booked) has now become a Cuban immersion cruise. No one has contacted me yet about this change. The original cruise itinerary is available in February but we have air tickets booked that will be subject to change fees and possibly higher fares. Assume demand must have been low for the originial itinerary. Anyone have experience of this and was any compensation offered if the booking changed, We are travelling from Australia. Thankyou

[RachelG]

I am surprised your TA has not notified you. I would be calling them first thing Monday. If you booked directly with Regent, wait till Tuesday to call as Monday is Labor Day in the US, and they will be closed.

 

You have not made final payment yet, so should be able to get all your money back so far as the cruise itself. I would even make an argument for the non refundable portion back if the itinerary is totally different. The air is a different issue if you did it on your own.

[Travelcat2]

I am also surprised that your TA hasn't notified you as they are the people that typically do. If you do not like the new itinerary I suggest that you cancel and book something else.

 

I understand what you are feeling as Regent changed our Explorer cruise to a Splendor cruise (actually I was not upset but surprised). IF the fares on the "new" itinerary are higher, Regent will likely not charge you any more money (at least they didn't in our case).

 

It seems that some itineraries have been done so many times that customers are losing interest (the Caribbean and Alaska are examples). From what I have seen on the website, neither itinerary sells that well. Adding Cuba, In my opinion, is a big plus. We've been there twice and loved it!

[fizzy]

I would like to answer the OP by saying that the EXACT same thing happened to us 2 years ago. We were not interested in hearing the opinion that we should be delighted to visit the warm and friendly Cuban people or that Regent beach vacations do not attract the usual "type" of Regent passengers that is often given as advice here. Our agent was incredulous that she had not been notified that our cruise had been changed to a Cuban cruise. I came upon the info here on Cruise Critic and we were furious. At the time, they had also added a couple of hundred dollars of charges to our acct. for required visa or paperwork type stuff and the requirement that we sign something attesting that our reason for visiting was for educational reasons----which it was not..They did try to offer a different sailing that was totally unacceptable with air tickets and vacation time already set in place. Clearly, if this had been a natural act of God problem, the discussion would be a moot point......but it was not. They wanted our cabin as they had drastically jacked up the cruise price after announcing it was mostly a Cuban itinerary IF they would have agreed to a full cash refund with all other costs included, we would have accepted and made other plans for those dates...but they would not. I don't know how your jurisdiction handles this stuff but it caused a decent fuss at boarding when we reused to pay the added fees and refused to sign the document as required for our reason to visit. They were flat out demanding that we falsely sign a govt. form. I wish you good luck and doubt that you will get anywhere but it left us with a very sour and wary view of this business practice. We are long time Raddisson/ Regent customers.

[mrlevin]

jabbawocky, regent has full right to change ports; in fact, if they don't change dates, embarkation, or debarkation ports they don't anything or even have to make an effort to help you out. Of course, that is based on US contract; I have no idea what Australian contract looks like. The only reason they will do anything is to keep your business and not get bad publicity.

 

I like approach fizzy took; maybe based on the scurrying that it sounds like Regent had to do with refusal to sign or pay for visa, you might be able to get somewhere with Regent paying for changes to air and an upgraded cabin on other itinerary.

 

Our Oct 2019 changed long ago to a Cuban itinerary that is fully waitlisted. As I don't need to make air far in advance, I am holding onto that booking for a potential good payout from Regent to get us to switch.

 

Good luck in your negotiations; actually, your TA is the one that should be negotiating for you.

 

Marc

[rcandkc]

jabbawocky, regent has full right to change ports; in fact, if they don't change dates, embarkation, or debarkation ports they don't anything or even have to make an effort to help you out. Of course, that is based on US contract; I have no idea what Australian contract looks like. The only reason they will do anything is to keep your business and not get bad publicity.

 

I like approach fizzy took; maybe based on the scurrying that it sounds like Regent had to do with refusal to sign or pay for visa, you might be able to get somewhere with Regent paying for changes to air and an upgraded cabin on other itinerary.

 

Our Oct 2019 changed long ago to a Cuban itinerary that is fully waitlisted. As I don't need to make air far in advance, I am holding onto that booking for a potential good payout from Regent to get us to switch.

 

Good luck in your negotiations; actually, your TA is the one that should be negotiating for you.

 

Marc

 

Changing a port or two is one thing....changing to all Cuba is drastic. I would be very unhappy. I do not want to go to Cuba. If for a day I would stay onboard the ship. All Cuba cruise would be out of the question for us. I hope the op can work something out.

[jabbawocky]

Thankyou everyone for your input-really appreciate it I did understand that cruise lines have every right per their contact to change destinations but was not expecting such a big change from the Carribean to 6 days in Cuba only 6 months out from our sailing date-it’s a very port intensive cruise which is not what we really wanted.

Thankyou fizzy for detailing your experience-doesn’t sound promising for us! As in your case the fares have gone up substantially so will be interesting if we get the same request. It’s still early here but I will be on the phone this morning to speak to our travel agent and work out our options. Thankyou again everyone.

Edited September 2, 2018 by jabbawocky
knocked an emoji accidentally

[1982CruzStart]

Good luck. I hope it works out for you. I would also be quite put off if my cruise was changed substantially from what i booked. Regent may have the RIGHT to change ports but that doesn't make it right.

Have you looked into other cruise lines that might fit your timing and the itinerary you want? Maybe you can find something else that fits your timing so you aren't out any other travel costs.

[fizzy]

Hi Jabbawocky........ I'm hoping that you will come back to this thread to fill us in on any information you may have gotten regarding your booking issues. Good luck!

[Phillygirl3]

I can't imagine spending that much time in Cuba. While you can go from one end of the island to the other, visit various beaches and see some different towns, the infrastructure for tourism is still not ready to handle cruise ships and the numbers of people that will disembark. While things have probably changed in the last few years, I can't imagine that it is so much better than when we went the year before travel restrictions were lifted. You may be able to use your credit cards, but not much to buy beyond simple souvenirs. We loved our trip to Cuba--very eye-opening but 5 days, 4 nights were more than enough time. Good luck!

[jabbawocky]

Hi Jabbawocky........ I'm hoping that you will come back to this thread to fill us in on any information you may have gotten regarding your booking issues. Good luck!

Hi Fizzy,

Our travel agent hadn’t been notified of the change either and totally understood we were shocked. A cancellation charge (reasonably small) will apply if we cancel and will be credited to our next cruise if we book within 12 months. Our cabin and contract are still valid so we do not need to pay the higher fare now applicable. Interestingly many categories of cabins are now showing as waitlisted when they weren't a week or so ago.

As our long haul flights are booked and the timing of the cruise fits perfectly with our work commitments we think we will probably go ahead and visit Cuba on the revised itinerary. We were really keen to enjoy the boat and will still be able to do that, just not cruising along as much as we would have liked.Thankyou everyone for your input.

[kmcqueen]

My wife and I were also booked on this cruise. Our TA let us know of the change about 10 days ago. We were definitely not interested in an all-Cuba cruise, and our TA was able to switch us to a different cruise (at a completely different time of year) at no additional cost.

 

Kent

[Dolebludger]

I understand that this would be a source of consternation for anyone whose cruise was changed to "all Cuba". In talking to friends who have been there and are frequent cruisers on lux lines, Cuba is a very controversial destination. The majority of these friends said don't go there! Oh, one port stop there would be fine (they said) but not your whole cruise. As was pointed out above, the infrastructure isn't there (even now) for a large number of tourists. And I was told the place is shabbier than Vietnam! So this itinerary change was a radical one -- not the kind of change contemplated by Regent's contract.

 

We have been searching for alternative cruise lines after having been mainly Regent/Radisson cruisers for almost two decades, in an effort to find more spacious accommodations than Regent's lower level suites we have been booking, and without loosing an unacceptable amount of inclusions and service. After reading this, our search will continue.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

I understand that this would be a source of consternation for anyone whose cruise was changed to "all Cuba". In talking to friends who have been there and are frequent cruisers on lux lines, Cuba is a very controversial destination. The majority of these friends said don't go there! Oh, one port stop there would be fine (they said) but not your whole cruise. As was pointed out above, the infrastructure isn't there (even now) for a large number of tourists. And I was told the place is shabbier than Vietnam! So this itinerary change was a radical one -- not the kind of change contemplated by Regent's contract.

 

We have been searching for alternative cruise lines after having been mainly Regent/Radisson cruisers for almost two decades, in an effort to find more spacious accommodations than Regent's lower level suites we have been booking, and without loosing an unacceptable amount of inclusions and service. After reading this, our search will continue.

 

Many people may not want to visit Cuba, thats up to them. We sailed on Regent to Havana on their first trip there, last year. We overnighted in Havana on the ship. I found our tours very interesting, one of the old city and one out to the countryside, and we did a taxi ride on our own. In addition, we spent the evening at a Havana night club and show..all tours by a Regent except the taxi ride. I know I would not want the whole cruise to be just in Cuba. Except for Havana, it’s like every other Caribbean island.

BTW- we visited VietNam ten years ago and found it was fascinating. It’s is not a “shabby” country at all.

Hope you find a better luxury line for your needs. We will stay with Regent. Best bang for our buck.

Sheila

[CruisetheCs]

IMO, any major change such as this should be accompanied by a refund to any passengers who want to opt out. There should be no cancellation fees and Regent should cover other fees that guests might have occurred such as non-cancellable airfares, insurance, etc. (I am assuming this change was initiated by Regent and under Regent's control)

 

Regent needs to be transparent about a major alteration in the product that it sold. A failure to do so is an example of a serious communication error that should not happen with any cruise line, and particularly one that tries to sell itself as "luxury".

 

Questions for Regent management: What is the explanation for the way this was handled? How did this change come about? How was it communicated to booked guests? What are the guests options for those who do not like this major change in itinerary?

[Dolebludger]

IMO, any major change such as this should be accompanied by a refund to any passengers who want to opt out. There should be no cancellation fees and Regent should cover other fees that guests might have occurred such as non-cancellable airfares, insurance, etc. (I am assuming this change was initiated by Regent and under Regent's control)

 

Regent needs to be transparent about a major alteration in the product that it sold. A failure to do so is an example of a serious communication error that should not happen with any cruise line, and particularly one that tries to sell itself as "luxury".

 

Questions for Regent management: What is the explanation for the way this was handled? How did this change come about? How was it communicated to booked guests? What are the guests options for those who do not like this major change in itinerary?

 

Cruise the C's,

 

Exactly! The clause in cruise ship's contracts is intended to allow for itinerary changes necessitated by natural disasters and civil unrest in the originally scheduled ports. Like a cruise we took with scheduled port of St. Lucia where the seas were too rough so we went to Martinique instead. Obviously, Regent management does not know the sea and political conditions in all the originally scheduled ports many months in advance of the sailing! People like the OP here paid for the original itinerary. If Regent is unable or unwilling to do the cruise anywhere close to the published itinerary, the people who booked the cruise should be made whole for anything they necessarily spent for the cruise -- no penalty, no exceptions. I had a situation where we were treated unfairly by Regent a little over two years ago. I won't go into detail because it would be way off topic. Suffice it to say that stories like this one make it less likely that we will cruise Regent in the future.

[Travelcat2]

This happens on cruise ships more often than we hear about and has been said, Regent has the legal right to do it (but it is not going to make them popular with Regent passengers).

 

Simply cancelling and booking another itinerary is likely the best way to go and is what we would do in the same situation (even though we have been to Cuba twice - do not find it run down in most places and have spent a week there - in Varadero - and loved it).

 

Thankfully it is far enough in advance that cancelling and rebooking should not be a huge deal. I am surprised that all TA’s have not been advised. That is quite unusual - based on our experience with Regent.

 

P.S. I still would have your TA speak to Regent about change fees in your flights. While Regent may not do it for passengers that book their own air in the U.S. and U.K., unless things have changed, people in the Australia still have to do their own air so there could be compensation due - not sure.

[cruiseluv]

Sorry, I dont care what the "contract" says, perception is important. And as Dolebludger says, the "right" of cruise ships to alter ports is really intended for force majeure kind of events, not because the original cruise itinerary is not selling and you feel you can upsell the cruise if you go to the new "hot" destination, Cuba. I would have been fit to be tied to have booked the original cruise, just to find that it was being changed to an all Cuba cruise. Cuba is nothing more than an apartheid country, where their citizens enjoy less rights than the tourists that visit it. Oh, and just editing to add... please, dont tell me how you saw all the people playing music, dancing on the streets, so happy.... they're playing a role!!!

[fizzy]

This happens on cruise ships more often than we hear about and has been said, Regent has the legal right to do it (but it is not going to make them popular with Regent passengers).

I am sincerely interested in learning about this practice. What cruise ships does this happen on often? Obviously, weather, civil unrest etc. can derail a prepaid itinerary and cause disappointment but a blatant redo of a cruise seems quite arrogant. How could one hear about it in order to be wary in advance of a booking?

[papaflamingo]

I am sincerely interested in learning about this practice. What cruise ships does this happen on often? Obviously, weather, civil unrest etc. can derail a prepaid itinerary and cause disappointment but a blatant redo of a cruise seems quite arrogant. How could one hear about it in order to be wary in advance of a booking?

Actually, although I would hesitate to say "all the time," if you read other boards you find that cruise itineraries are changed frequently. In fact there was a very recent thread on Royal Caribbean about them actually cancelling the Cuba stop and substituting Cozumel (I think). The passengers are just as livid, demanding full refunds for all expenses, etc. BECAUSE Cuba was cancelled.

I certainly sympathize with the problem. In Regent's case it wasn't cancelling one port, it was changing the entire itinerary to a very specialized cruise. I wouldn't be happy either. I definitely support the notion that Regent should offer either free cancellation, or application to a different cruise with no penalty. As for airfare, etc...well...not sure how I feel about that. Maybe an additional refund of Regent's air credit could be given. That seems fair to me. But I agree with TC, that itinerary changes on cruise lines happens more often than one would suspect. As for how does one hear about it? Well, you need to watch your cruises. We had a port changed on one (I know, it was only one port), and there was no notification sent out (this was on RCCL). I found it looking at pricing to see if it had dropped and realized a port had been substituted. I do have to say, a complete itinerary change should be made known to Travel Agents and passengers via email. Wouldn't be that hard.

[Travelcat2]

papaflamingo, it is helpful that you are familiar with different cruise lines. It helps you to see similarities as well as differences between cruise lines. One cruise line that we have sailed on cancels cruises during the year because they suddenly get a charter which is also very frustrating.

 

It would be nice to see Regent offer a change in cruises without penalty.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

It was wrong for a Regent to change an entire itinerary. Some compensation should be made. My opinion is that the TS contact Regent and see if other accommodations can be made regarding the flights. Did the TS use mileage? If so, Regegent should offer the cost of redeposit. If paid for, was it a refundable ticket?

Might insurance cover the cost?

Just some suggestions.

Sheila

[Catlover54]

Sorry, I dont care what the "contract" says, perception is important. And as Dolebludger says, the "right" of cruise ships to alter ports is really intended for force majeure kind of events, not because the original cruise itinerary is not selling and you feel you can upsell the cruise if you go to the new "hot" destination, Cuba. I would have been fit to be tied to have booked the original cruise, just to find that it was being changed to an all Cuba cruise. Cuba is nothing more than an apartheid country, where their citizens enjoy less rights than the tourists that visit it. Oh, and just editing to add... please, dont tell me how you saw all the people playing music, dancing on the streets, so happy.... they're playing a role!!!

 

Well-stated.

My blood pressure would have surged to stroke range if a cruise line took my luxury Caribbean cruise money and without my clear consent and understanding channeled it over to in part help support that regime, the same kind of regime my family fled from, and made sure I knew why, in great detail.

 

This was not a decision based on a natural disaster, ongoing war, or terrorism attacks. A full refund should be offered here, if pax want it, as the decision arguably materially and substantially and unilaterally altered the original contract.

[cruiseluv]

Well-stated.

My blood pressure would have surged to stroke range if a cruise line took my luxury Caribbean cruise money and without my clear consent and understanding channeled it over to in part help support that regime, the same kind of regime my family fled from, and made sure I knew why, in great detail.

 

This was not a decision based on a natural disaster, ongoing war, or terrorism attacks. A full refund should be offered here, if pax want it, as the decision arguably materially and substantially and unilaterally altered the original contract.

 

Absolutely! And Cuban Americans should be aware that while in the jurisdiction of Cuba they're considered Cuban Nationals, not US citizens. Therefore, while there, they will have zero protection from anything the Cuban government may want to concoct about them. The US Consulate in Cuba will not be able to provide any assistance.

[Dolebludger]

I'm glad to see others supporting my position that a cruise line does not have the right to change the ENTIRE itinerary without reason other than their own profit, and fail to refund the entire amount paid to them plus whatever non-refundable charges they have incurred with airlines and hotels.I do not believe regent's position would hold up in court. In any event it should not. And I (for one) will not book them again unless they fully resolve this situation.