What is being done about coronavirus.....

[btreklaw]

Both United and American are already offering no change fees for flights thru April 30 for most of Italy. Also offering a future credit good for 24 months instead of refunds. Check the websites for more details. It's at the top of the landing page.

[btreklaw]

United is fee waver is for travel thru June 30 departures.

[Kiwifromkiev]

4 hours ago, cruiseluv said:

So does this mean that Regent is scrapping any stops in Italy?

I've just looked up - it appears that currently only 10 municipalities are on the "prohibited" list as CLIA refers to the Italian MoFA site

[fizzy]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

If I find something to be critical about (other than notices on Regent's website), I'll post about it.  Right now I'm much more critical of how the U.S. is not handling the situation.  

In your opinion......what should the United States be doing that  is causing you to be critical and upset?

[dabarton]

3 hours ago, forgap said:

I think our only option at this point is to wait and see what Regent does.   We leave from Venice on May 11th but we are scheduled to arrive in Italy on May 6th.  We bought regular trip insurance before the epidemic was declared so we should be good for trip cancellation or interruption.  For us, the ball is in Regent’s court.  For what it’s worth, we are in the higher risk demographic although we have no underlying conditions and hearty immune systems.  

We are leaving May 12 from Venice also and arriving in Venice on the 9th.  We also bought regular trip insurance before the Coronavirus was declared.  I understood that trip insurance would not be valid just because of fear othe virus- that you had to have a real medical reason for you or you family. Is there something I don't know?  We are mid-60's and my husband has heart issues. We would love to have an option other than to be completely at Regent's mercy.  Has anyone out there heard or have past experience with what Regent will be willing to do in case of cancellation of the cruise or changes in the itinerary?

[Kiwifromkiev]

I am not posting this quote to start a new debate about Regent vs other ships. Just a food for thought - found in another forum whilst looking on something about ports in Italy

 

"I hadn’t canceled any cruise, but it looks as if the cruises will cancel under me! We are booked on a Silverseas cruise (a company under the RCL umbrella) just expanded the restrictions of boarding from the 3 northern Italian Regions and made all of Italy as restricted. You are restricted from boarding a Silverseas ship if you have traveled or visited (or flown into) Italy 15 days prior boarding, which kind or makes it interesting for my 23 April departure out of Rome and visiting many Italian ports of call. Waiting to see what the options of cancelling and getting full refund, and FCC." 

[rallydave]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Exactly what they are doing (except I'd update the website more frequently - even though the information would likely not be what passengers want to hear ....... they want answers that no one has).  Since the situation changes almost daily, it would be too easy to give information to passengers that is correct today but may not be in two weeks.  I'm sure we all recall when Regent sent passengers through Hong Kong airport ....... before they knew that it was closing. Two weeks ago we all thought that Italy was a fairly safe to go...... look at where they are now.   I don't think that Regent want to jump the gun again.

 

P.S.  If your question is also about cancellations/cruise changes, etc., I would like to see all cruise lines have a better cancellation/change policy.  The policy now sends passengers to insurance companies - many of whom do not want to insure people over a certain age.  If they do insure, you pay top dollar.  There needs to be a better way.  

The question I asked has absolutely nothing to do with what cruise lines do or not do.  The question about what would you do applies to your statement "Right now I'm much more critical of how the U.S. is not handling the situation. "

 

i.e. what would you do if you were in charge of the government response to the Coronavirus problem. 

[dabarton]

20 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

I doubt if there is anything that you can say to Regent about their "SHIPS" that they do not already know.  For years I have advised people that really want to visit a specific port to not cruise as there are so many reasons that the port(s) can be cancelled.  IF you were on a Regent "SHIP", and it was determined that the balance of the cruise should be cancelled, IF you brooked Regent Air, they will rebook all of your flights, even put you up in a hotel if necessary.  They would get you home, and you would receive a partial refund.  

 

In my opinion, there is absolutely no reason why your mother should not be going on a cruise (depending upon the itinerary). However, since you self-insured, you likely were aware that there are risks to doing so.  

 

Regent is offering options for cruises that the WHO deems to be at risk (i.e. China, Hong Kong, Iran, parts of Italy, etc.).  No one is judging you.  Those of us that have sailed Regent for years are simply trying to let you know how Regent will take care of their passengers, to the best of their ability.

What "options" is Regent offering for the Venice port of Italy?  We have yet to hear from Regent about our May 12 Mediterranean cruise that flies into Venice then leaves from Venice.    What options???

[RJ2002]

3 hours ago, forgap said:

I think our only option at this point is to wait and see what Regent does.   We leave from Venice on May 11th but we are scheduled to arrive in Italy on May 6th.  We bought regular trip insurance before the epidemic was declared so we should be good for trip cancellation or interruption.  For us, the ball is in Regent’s court.  For what it’s worth, we are in the higher risk demographic although we have no underlying conditions and hearty immune systems.  

 

Hopefully Regent will make a decision on its upcoming Italy sailings soon.  In the meantime, you might want to confirm with your travel insurer about your coverage as it relates to this situation.  Even though you purchased your insurance some time ago, you may not be covered.   Best to check with the insurer.

[Fran&Steve]

18 minutes ago, rallydave said:

The question I asked has absolutely nothing to do with what cruise lines do or not do.  The question about what would you do applies to your statement "Right now I'm much more critical of how the U.S. is not handling the situation. "

 

i.e. what would you do if you were in charge of the government response to the Coronavirus problem. 

With 29,500 CC posts, this person is obviously is letting the VP rent space in her head for whatever reasons.  I think the current guberment is doing pretty well given the toxicity represented by political comments. Time to move on and be hopeful unless one’s resume upholds criticism   

[Kiwifromkiev]

19 minutes ago, dabarton said:

What "options" is Regent offering for the Venice port of Italy?  We have yet to hear from Regent about our May 12 Mediterranean cruise that flies into Venice then leaves from Venice.    What options???

The last 15 or so pages of this thread discuss/speculate what Regent may/will do. At this point in time there is no further information apart from cruises cancelled in Asia.

As much as it pains me to say - you, and us, just have to wait and see. My DH and I in a "similar boat" (no pun intended) as we are ending our trip in Italy (plus 3 ports there on Regent) on 6 May (think you must be on the next cruise on Voyager after us?)

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Kiwifromkiev

[Kiwifromkiev]

3 hours ago, forgap said:

I think our only option at this point is to wait and see what Regent does.   We leave from Venice on May 11th but we are scheduled to arrive in Italy on May 6th.  We bought regular trip insurance before the epidemic was declared so we should be good for trip cancellation or interruption.  For us, the ball is in Regent’s court.  For what it’s worth, we are in the higher risk demographic although we have no underlying conditions and hearty immune systems.  

+1 - the same, we are on 20 April to 6 May cruise

[Travelcat2]

22 minutes ago, Fran&Steve said:

With 29,500 CC posts, this person is obviously is letting the VP rent space in her head for whatever reasons.  I think the current guberment is doing pretty well given the toxicity represented by political comments. Time to move on and be hopeful unless one’s resume upholds criticism   

 

Being unkind is not going to help the situation.  What has been your experience with Regent in difficult/crisis situations? Has Regent failed to do something for you or your family that would make you feel that they are not doing the best that they can do under the situation? My comments are based on my experiences with Regent - nothing more - nothing less.  

 

rallydave - I should have clarified what I meant by the government.  I mean the federal government.  Many states are doing things to help their state but from what I've seen/heard, nothing has been done yet (but they now have money allocated ...... what took so long?). One thing that I would not do is hold political rallies with thousands of people in close contact of each other.  Switzerland enacted a new rule about gatherings larger than 1,000 people weeks ago.  Sports managers are doing more than the government to protect their players and fans.

 

Yes - we have gone on for pages and pages and pages with people wanting immediate answers.  I've answered questions so how about all of you?  How many cases of coronavirus will there be in 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, etc. and where will the majority of the cases be?  There are not enough testing kits to test people that are sick and could potentially have or spread the virus too how would you control the spread of this disease?  Would you block travel?  If so, to what countries (base on what you feel will be the situation a month or two months from now)?

 

When anyone can answer those questions accurately, then perhaps you can share this with Regent so that they predict the future (something that no one has been able to do thus far).  My biggest question (and I have asked it before) is how on earth can Regent know where the most dangerous areas of the world will be in April, May and beyond when doctors and scientists do not know - they can predict but I did not see what is occurring in Italy coming and I wonder if those that are studying the virus knows.

 

We are sailing on Regent in a little over a week and understand that our cruise could still be cancelled (unlikely but the virus does not know borders).  

[Kiwifromkiev]

4 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Being unkind is not going to help the situation.  

Thank you and I could not agree more! this is neither time nor place. People are looking for answers (albeit in vein so far), we are all glued to the CC for a reason. Neither of us knows what happens next, however just to be among people who understand your anxiety and dilemma is a little comforting. There is no reason for snarky comments as these really distract from the topic. 

[dabarton]

50 minutes ago, Kiwifromkiev said:

The last 15 or so pages of this thread discuss/speculate what Regent may/will do. At this point in time there is no further information apart from cruises cancelled in Asia.

As much as it pains me to say - you, and us, just have to wait and see. My DH and I in a "similar boat" (no pun intended) as we are ending our trip in Italy (plus 3 ports there on Regent) on 6 May (think you must be on the next cruise on Voyager after us?)

 

We are on Splendor starting in Venice- ending in Rome. 9 nights. 

[Kiwifromkiev]

Just now, dabarton said:

We are on Splendor starting in Venice- ending in Rome. 9 nights. 

ops sorry, of course - wrong date (I am blond 🙂 )

[Pcardad]

From looking at their past actions, it is far more likely they will change an itinerary then cancel an entire trip.

[rallydave]

5 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

What has been your experience with Regent in difficult/crisis situations? Has Regent failed to do something for you or your family that would make you feel that they are not doing the best that they can do under the situation?

 

I can go back a few years to a situation where Rgent did not do their best.  When Regent had us sitting almost still for about 7 hours in Beijing on a bus and after finally getting to our hotel with most of the Destinations and entertainment staff present they totally ignored the problem and said or did absolutely nothing about the situation.   oThen when I sent email to Regent after getting home there was no response and after I further put some charges in dispute with my credit card Regent's response to the credit card company that they are required to do or the dispute is settled in the customers favor disagreed by saying that the tour was "free" so no reimbursement.  Well, much like included tours, air, hotel. etc. all of the items Regent advertises are actually included in the cruise fare and far from free.  You asked for examples and here is one. 

 

5 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

rallydave - I should have clarified what I meant by the government.  I mean the federal government.  Many states are doing things to help their state but from what I've seen/heard, nothing has been done yet (but they now have money allocated ...... what took so long?). One thing that I would not do is hold political rallies with thousands of people in close contact of each other.  Switzerland enacted a new rule about gatherings larger than 1,000 people weeks ago.  Sports managers are doing more than the government to protect their players and fans.

I knew you were talking about the federal government and mentioned all of the things the federal government is not handling the situation.  You have provided one thing about banning large gatherings of people.  Would have thought you would have a lot more things you would do to better handle the situation as I believe they are doing all they can with a very fluid situation.  Please provide what you would do if President that he is not doing.

[Fran&Steve]

25 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Being unkind is not going to help the situation.  What has been your experience with Regent in difficult/crisis situations? Has Regent failed to do something for you or your family that would make you feel that they are not doing the best that they can do under the situation? My comments are based on my experiences with Regent - nothing more - nothing less.  

 

rallydave - I should have clarified what I meant by the government.  I mean the federal government.  Many states are doing things to help their state but from what I've seen/heard, nothing has been done yet (but they now have money allocated ...... what took so long?). One thing that I would not do is hold political rallies with thousands of people in close contact of each other.  Switzerland enacted a new rule about gatherings larger than 1,000 people weeks ago.  Sports managers are doing more than the government to protect their players and fans.

 

Yes - we have gone on for pages and pages and pages with people wanting immediate answers.  I've answered questions so how about all of you?  How many cases of coronavirus will there be in 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, etc. and where will the majority of the cases be?  There are not enough testing kits to test people that are sick and could potentially have or spread the virus too how would you control the spread of this disease?  Would you block travel?  If so, to what countries (base on what you feel will be the situation a month or two months from now)?

 

When anyone can answer those questions accurately, then perhaps you can share this with Regent so that they predict the future (something that no one has been able to do thus far).  My biggest question (and I have asked it before) is how on earth can Regent know where the most dangerous areas of the world will be in April, May and beyond when doctors and scientists do not know - they can predict but I did not see what is occurring in Italy coming and I wonder if those that are studying the virus knows.

 

We are sailing on Regent in a little over a week and understand that our cruise could still be cancelled (unlikely but the virus does not know borders).  

 

[Kiwifromkiev]

11 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

From looking at their past actions, it is far more likely they will change an itinerary then cancel an entire trip.

If this is the case, maybe we go to Adriatic instead? or cruise Greek islands?... 

[Fran&Steve]

Unkind? I'd consult a mirror.  My comment was a reference to your distainful comment, for whatever reason, about a public official out front in Washington who you obviously have political animus for at a time of national crisis.  As for my Regent experience, I was on a cruise in Southeast Asia a little over a week ago that was aborted by Regent. We were in Bangkok and had already learned that our original disembarkation in Hong Kong had been changed to Manila. Before leaving for Cambodia and Vietnam the cruise itinerary was busted and 400+ passengers were on their way home withing 24-36 hours with promises of a full refund and future cruise credit.  I can't say enough about how Regent handled a very dynamic situation (our trip that started in Bali was on the cusp of what was becoming a full-blown cruise crisis).  In sum, the crew was cool as cucumbers at a time when there was much going on behind the scenes in the wheelhouse, while striving to not upset passengers. Regent must still be in crisis mode, but I can assure you it will be our go-to cruise line forever when the dust settles on this difficult time for this industry.

[forgap]

2 hours ago, dabarton said:

We are leaving May 12 from Venice also and arriving in Venice on the 9th.  We also bought regular trip insurance before the Coronavirus was declared.  I understood that trip insurance would not be valid just because of fear othe virus- that you had to have a real medical reason for you or you family. Is there something I don't know?  We are mid-60's and my husband has heart issues. We would love to have an option other than to be completely at Regent's mercy.  Has anyone out there heard or have past experience with what Regent will be willing to do in case of cancellation of the cruise or changes in the itinerary?

You cannot cancel because you are afraid of covid19, you must be sick with something, verified by an MD.   But, if you purchased trip insurance before January 20th, and contract covid 19, trip insurance kicks in because you purchased the insurance before the epidemic was a known entity.  So, we are just in a  waiting mode until Regent decides on the course of action as they did in Asia. 

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, rallydave said:

 

I can go back a few years to a situation where Rgent did not do their best.  When Regent had us sitting almost still for about 7 hours in Beijing on a bus and after finally getting to our hotel with most of the Destinations and entertainment staff present they totally ignored the problem and said or did absolutely nothing about the situation.   oThen when I sent email to Regent after getting home there was no response and after I further put some charges in dispute with my credit card Regent's response to the credit card company that they are required to do or the dispute is settled in the customers favor disagreed by saying that the tour was "free" so no reimbursement.  Well, much like included tours, air, hotel. etc. all of the items Regent advertises are actually included in the cruise fare and far from free.  You asked for examples and here is one. 

 

I knew you were talking about the federal government and mentioned all of the things the federal government is not handling the situation.  You have provided one thing about banning large gatherings of people.  Would have thought you would have a lot more things you would do to better handle the situation as I believe they are doing all they can with a very fluid situation.  Please provide what you would do if President that he is not doing.

 

Actually, I asked another poster but your comments are also welcome.  Most of us are aware of why you left Regent.  I am the first one that speaks out against Destination Services.  It should be noted that when you last sailed on Regent, it was under different ownership.

 

I am not criticizing any particular politician - just stating that it would be nice for the federal government to come out with procedures (besides washing your hands) - they are all doing nothing.  My point was that no one in the world (AFAIK) knows what will occur next but some Regent passengers think that they should know more than 

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Fran&Steve said:

Unkind? I'd consult a mirror.  My comment was a reference to your distainful comment, for whatever reason, about a public official out front in Washington who you obviously have political animus for at a time of national crisis.  As for my Regent experience, I was on a cruise in Southeast Asia a little over a week ago that was aborted by Regent. We were in Bangkok and had already learned that our original disembarkation in Hong Kong had been changed to Manila. Before leaving for Cambodia and Vietnam the cruise itinerary was busted and 400+ passengers were on their way home withing 24-36 hours with promises of a full refund and future cruise credit.  I can't say enough about how Regent handled a very dynamic situation (our trip that started in Bali was on the cusp of what was becoming a full-blown cruise crisis).  In sum, the crew was cool as cucumbers at a time when there was much going on behind the scenes in the wheelhouse, while striving to not upset passengers. Regent must still be in crisis mode, but I can assure you it will be our go-to cruise line forever when the dust settles on this difficult time for this industry.

 

I would make the same exact statement no matter who is in office. The blame for inaction is not about one person - it is about all of them.   This is not a "national crisis", it is a global crisis.  There are people on this thread that need to know that Regent does, in fact, take care of their passengers.  You made my point!  Perhaps we can now get on to other news and not bash each other!

Edited March 5, 2020 by Travelcat2

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Kiwifromkiev said:

If this is the case, maybe we go to Adriatic instead? or cruise Greek islands?... 

 

Love that idea!  I much prefer Greece anyway!   Those of us that regularly cruise understand that things can change.  We had a port change the last time we were in the Med. due to refugees crowding the island of Lesbos.  We missed a port in Africa that we had hoped to see and had changes in Israel due to missiles aimed at the water.  This is the life of cruisers.  

 

We have cruised long enough to understand that a cruise line isn't going to suddenly allow cruise changes or give refunds.  It takes a major crisis for cruise lines to even consider this.  Regent took the high road with Asian cruises.  And, if it is necessary to change the itinerary or cancel cruises in Italy, they will do so.  However, changes to February itineraries were made around mid-January, so one would expect April itineraries (that go to Italy) to be announced within the next two weeks.  Personally, I hope that they change itineraries rather than cancel cruises.