New Regent Protocols as of 1 June 2020

[SusieQft]

1 hour ago, Dolebludger said:

If Regent would finalize their onboard rules BEFORE trying to sell us cruises, we could analyze the situation and make an informed decision. If we booked, we are agreeing to the rules, and must follow them. But now, it is asking us to book and pay without informing us of the rules and restrictions. That’s just wrong for so many reasons,

Ideally, that would be great.  However, many (probably the majority) of people booked on cruises in the upcoming months were already booked before anyone heard of COVID-19.  On top of that, Regent can't finalize their onboard rules without coordination with the CDC, and Regent does not control the time table for that, at least not right now.  So what you are asking is impossible. 

 

Those without a booking can just sit on the sidelines if they want.  Those who already have bookings will have to either cancel them (with variable adverse consequences) or go with the flow and see what happens.

[cwn]

1 hour ago, CruisetheCs said:

Speaking of following policies, another question is what medical protocol will be instituted for passengers who become symptomatic with mild symptoms that could be a cold, for example, or mild GI symptoms or early signs of Covid infection?  Suppose staff or other guests notice someone who seems to be coughing or sneezing on occasion?  If someone develops a slight cough or a sore throat is the guest supposed to self-report to someone in the medical department?  Will guests be reluctant to self-report minor symptoms because of the potential protocols that might be enforced.

 

Under what circumstances would someone be quarantined in a suite?  What kind of testing for Covid will be available?  How quickly will results be available?  And what will happen if someone actually tests positive for Covid-19?  

 

Seem to me that acceptable protocols will take some time to develop in conjunction with government agencies, likely.  Then I think Regent will have to give adequate notice to passengers before a cruise takes place.  Will be interesting to see what protocols are put in place and what the threshold will be for following them or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masks or no masks and social distancing are really minor concerns when cruising begins again. The medical protocols on board if some one should get sick are much more concerning, especially if you or your roommate is the one who is effected. But  IMO the real elephant in the room is what will happen to the ship with a covid patient   on board as far as being able to dock at ports of call.  It would be no fun on a Ghost ship!  

We have a cruise on the Splendor in Feb. We would like to go, as it has been booked for almost 2 years....but some of the things being talked about here are non starters for us. We still have time to see what will happen.  

Edited June 15, 2020 by cwn

[rallydave]

3 minutes ago, SusieQft said:

Those without a booking can just sit on the sidelines if they want.  Those who already have bookings will have to either cancel them (with variable adverse consequences) or go with the flow and see what happens.

 

Everything you said Susie makes sense especially since the T's and C's pretty much give Regent the right to change almost anything however, since it is expected that the change will be so substantial would hope Regent and all the other cruise lines would take that iin consideration and along with all the COVID changes, make changes to the cancellation policy especially for those for which the changes will so change the cruise and experience.

 

Considering the fact that cruising at this time and for the foreseeable is a life or death decision  there really needs to be a way that people can opt out especially since they booked under different Rules, terms and conditions, cruise policies, etc.

[mrstanley]

On my last cruise I complained to an officer and the Captain about the chair hogs. They told me there was nothing they could say to those passengers. Handle health issues? Become the Regent Police?

 

[CBWIR]

43 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

And, I know many on this board are tired of me posting about this, but we must spend many hours on airlines and in airports to even get to and from any Regent cruise. What sort of distancing do airlines and airports have?  Almost none. The airline lobby has pressured the TSA to take the temperature of all who are to board an airplane. Oh, joy, more lines and crowds in the TSA line. And aboard the plane, it will still be the overcrowded condition as before the pandemic. Most domestic airlines will still fill the damnable “middle seat” if booking requires it, instead of putting additional planes into use. And if the middle seat were required to be eliminated, it would be less than 3’ distancing. That’s no good. And even in domestic first class, the distancing is not the generally accepted 6’. 
 

So to take a future cruise, we fear both over regulation on board, and under regulation in air travel getting to the ship. Apparently the same governments that have banned Regent from cruising didn’t recognize how much distancing Regent had before the pandemic, and how little the airlines had for those getting to the cruise.  Instead of banning Regent cruises, they should have grounded the airlines, and required them to provide the distancing Regent always had on its ships.

Took a long time but somehow I knew we would get back to airlines. Anyone suprised?

[Dolebludger]

Well, sir or madam,

 

How the heck can we get to a cruise from Durango Colorado without flying commercial?  But let me leave that subject, though I shouldn’t need to because most of us have to do considerable flying to get to/from a cruise. But I’ll post about something else. Now the subject has been raised of those who booked a cruise long in advance, before the pandemic for a cruise date in 2021 or 2022. What can they do if Regent’s anti-pandemic measures  (when announced, if ever) are too strict or too lax for them to cruise in comfort and confidence? Has Regent announced any refund or FCC measures for them? Has any cruise line? 
 

This is a major issue that all here should respect (i hope). We all chose Regent over other lines because we liked conditions onboard, right?  And we agreed to pay more for those conditions than we would pay to cruise on other lines where conditions onboard were not as much to our liking, right?  So what if Regent changes the onboard conditions after we have paid at least some money, and then Regent changes conditions of onboard life not to our liking?  Maybe Regent requires guests to wear masks when not in the suites, and a booked and paid guest doesn’t want to cruise with that condition. Or what if Regent does not require this, and a booked and paid guess does not feel comfortable with that. In either situation, I wonder what Regent will do. And nobody knows. We know that Regent has to get CDC approval for any docking in the US, and approval from other countries to dock there. But at least we are all entitled to know what Regent is proposing, in detail, don’t you think?

 

Now, finally, why is poor airline services”off limits” on this forum? And who made that so?  Booking a Regent cruise gets you business/first class only outside of North America. Otherwise, you get the cheapest class of basic economy within North America. Not upgradable with cash or points. And what Regent cruiser would want to fly like that?  Until a moderator or administrator of this forum orders me to stop, I will continue my hatred of domestic airlines, especially their basic economy class.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2020 by Dolebludger

[Travelcat2]

Some of the concerns are quite strong. If anyone is that concerned, or cannot abide by protocols, perhaps you should wait a while before taking a cruise.  We are prepared to do whatever it takes to safely cruise as soon as Regent relaunches.  We trust Regent and their ability to keep their passengers and crew safe.

[SedonaJoel]

2 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I am very concerned about the protocols for taking a cruise before a vaccine is developed and readily available. Now, in my community, one must wear a mask in stores and restaurants (unless seated and eating or drinking). And on the sidewalks where crowds do not allow 6’ distancing, one must wear a mask.  We comply with the law, and call out tourists who do not. But will I wear a mask on a cruise any time we are out of our suite? No, but we will not break the rules — we will just not cruise under those rules. Wearing a mask for a short time is fine, and we will obey local law. But for most of the time on a 14 night cruise? No! Again, we will not book and disobey — we will just not go! 
 

Our main problem is cruise lines, like Regent, are taking people’s money for bookings now. But they aren’t telling us the conditions under which we must cruise. Now we have no respect for those who violate our local laws (and have actually called the police on some). And we have no respect for those who violate cruise line rules IF they are informed of the rules before they pay.  Indeed, I don’t see how a cruise booking is even a valid contract, until these matters are revealed. 
 

Here’s  an example.  Suppose I offer to sell you a used car for $20K, but won’t tell you the model, year, condition, or mileage. And suppose you actually pay me! And suppose I deliver a rusted out 1960 Ford Falcon that won’t even run. Can you repudiate that contract? You bet you can! 
 

If Regent would finalize their onboard rules BEFORE trying to sell us cruises, we could analyze the situation and make an informed decision. If we booked, we are agreeing to the rules, and must follow them. But now, it is asking us to book and pay without informing us of the rules and restrictions. That’s just wrong for so many reasons,

 

It's even worse than you describe.   Regent won't even tell you whether your ship will depart on schedule and which ports you will visit or skip.  We have a booking for Jan. 31, 2021 from Buenos Aires  to Lima.  The only way I can get a full refund  is to pay in full in August and then get FCC if I decide to cancel

 

Joel

[DaveFr]

1 hour ago, CBWIR said:

Took a long time but somehow I knew we would get back to airlines. Anyone suprised?

Nope. With apologies to Ben Franklin, I guess there is at least one certainty in life in addition to death and taxes.

 

Dave

Edited June 15, 2020 by DaveFr

[SedonaJoel]

2 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

Some of the concerns are quite strong. If anyone is that concerned, or cannot abide by protocols, perhaps you should wait a while before taking a cruise.  We are prepared to do whatever it takes to safely cruise as soon as Regent relaunches.  We trust Regent and their ability to keep their passengers and crew safe.

 

You are naive.

[DaveFr]

13 minutes ago, SedonaJoel said:

 

It's even worse than you describe.   Regent won't even tell you whether your ship will depart on schedule and which ports you will visit or skip.  We have a booking for Jan. 31, 2021 from Buenos Aires  to Lima.  The only way I can get a full refund  is to pay in full in August and then get FCC if I decide to cancel

 

Joel

You are not correct. Since you are in the US, you could cancel your cruise tomorrow and receive a full cash refund of your deposit less a $100 future cruise credit pp that can be used within 12 months to book another cruise. If the booking was made on board a previous cruise, you would also have to repay any shipboard credit you received for the onboard booking.
 

Dave

Edited June 15, 2020 by DaveFr

[Travelcat2]

Just now, SedonaJoel said:

 

You are naive.

 

You are entitled to your opinion even though I do not agree.  Knowing some things about Regent that others do not know gives me an understanding that gives me confidence. s

 

I find it interesting that people that appear afraid to cruise want to negate the feelings of those that are anxious to resume cruising.

 

 

[Dolebludger]

First, I abide with protocols every day here in Durango CO. But there is a difference in wearing a mask for an hour while in a store and wearing one for many hours per day on a cruise. And, yes, we have no cruise booked, and will not book one until we are bindingly informed of the onboard conditions,  it is my strong opinion that most cruise ships need to work on reducing capacity, as a first step. But Regent ships are never crowded, and I see no need for it to do much. NCL, on the other hand, is a “floating mob” that needs to reduce capacity to 1/3 to allow proper distancing. 
 

And yes, Regents’ inclusion of only basic economy air for North American legs in its “free air” inclusion is contrary to  the type of guests Regent wishes to attract. I have yet to hear from a moderator or forum administrator ordering me to cease mention of  Regent’s included air in North America, so I will continue to do so. It isn’t worth a hoot, and we won’t use it.

 

The poster above who said we shouldn’t book a cruise until Regent gets its act together was totally correct, and we will not. And we feel for those who have already paid for cruises that probably will not go, but yet have to wait until Regent cancels to get a cash refund instead of a FCC.  That is a poor policy, when the CDC warns against going on a cruise ship. 
 

I hope nobody thinks we are anti mask, because quite he opposite is true. We wear masks, sometimes gloves, in all places required by local law. But we don’t go everywhere as much as we did pre-pandemic, because compliance i uncomfortable for long times. And that is one thing we don’t want on a cruise or on long flights. 

[sanne]

At this stage we have cancelled all our future cruises with Regent until there is more certainty  what health policies and T&C Regent makes. Plus a vaccine. That is not to say we’d love to get back on a Regent cruise. We are Titanium and have been all over the world with this great family and planned for many more years to come. 
 

However much inside information you or others may have,  there is no way known at this stage to 100% prevent an asymptomatic person or crew member being on a ship. No amount of cleaning or fogging staterooms and public areas will stop an airborne virus from infecting others more than 6 feet away when laughing. And this becomes problematic in the dining room or at the bar when masks are off. 
 

It only takes one person. On a ship, on a plane, on a coach. 

 

 

[Dolebludger]

Yes, we can’t book a Regent cruise (or any cruise) until we find out what the rules are. And we won’t fly anywhere until distancing rules are applied to airlines. It seems odd to me that the cruise lines (that received no bail out money) need to come up with rules while airlines (that did get bail out money and are subject to Federal regulation) are allowed to play it by ear.

[cruiseluv]

6 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

 

But I did get some valuable responses to my question. They were that "nobody really knows" how  Regent will handle the MDR post-pandemic. It is important information to us, because it is our policy not to put any money down on anything unless we know rather well what we are getting. In other words, we don't want to buy "a pig in the polk", which is another Western saying.

 

I think that's a smart thing to do, exactly the reason why I canceled the two bookings I had , one for October 2020, the other for May 2021. No point having my money parked with them, having no idea what a cruise is going to look like.

[cruiseluv]

5 hours ago, docmark said:

--"Being on a ship with 700 passengers and crew is a disaster waiting to happen.  "'

 

That is why it is "imperative' not to have a "full' capacity, and reduce the number considerably, in the near future crusing

I think if the protocols established by Regent are draconian, they will have no problems in sailing with a much lower number of pax

[cruiseluv]

4 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I am very concerned about the protocols for taking a cruise before a vaccine is developed and readily available. Now, in my community, one must wear a mask in stores and restaurants (unless seated and eating or drinking). And on the sidewalks where crowds do not allow 6’ distancing, one must wear a mask.  We comply with the law, and call out tourists who do not. But will I wear a mask on a cruise any time we are out of our suite? No, but we will not break the rules — we will just not cruise under those rules. Wearing a mask for a short time is fine, and we will obey local law. But for most of the time on a 14 night cruise? No! Again, we will not book and disobey — we will just not go! 
 

Our main problem is cruise lines, like Regent, are taking people’s money for bookings now. But they aren’t telling us the conditions under which we must cruise. Now we have no respect for those who violate our local laws (and have actually called the police on some). And we have no respect for those who violate cruise line rules IF they are informed of the rules before they pay.  Indeed, I don’t see how a cruise booking is even a valid contract, until these matters are revealed. 
 

Here’s  an example.  Suppose I offer to sell you a used car for $20K, but won’t tell you the model, year, condition, or mileage. And suppose you actually pay me! And suppose I deliver a rusted out 1960 Ford Falcon that won’t even run. Can you repudiate that contract? You bet you can! 
 

If Regent would finalize their onboard rules BEFORE trying to sell us cruises, we could analyze the situation and make an informed decision. If we booked, we are agreeing to the rules, and must follow them. But now, it is asking us to book and pay without informing us of the rules and restrictions. That’s just wrong for so many reasons,

 

I agree 100% with you, but I'm not going to criticize  Regent for taking people's money. Nobody is forcing them to book and put down money. There're people, we have some on this board, that will cruise regardless of the protocols that Regent demands, so they don't mind  booking now, because they know, that unless Regent cancels the cruise, they'll go. 

[cruiseluv]

3 hours ago, mrstanley said:

On my last cruise I complained to an officer and the Captain about the chair hogs. They told me there was nothing they could say to those passengers. Handle health issues? Become the Regent Police?

 

Ive had the same experience, "Sorry, we can't do anything"

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, SedonaJoel said:

 

It's even worse than you describe.   Regent won't even tell you whether your ship will depart on schedule and which ports you will visit or skip.  We have a booking for Jan. 31, 2021 from Buenos Aires  to Lima.  The only way I can get a full refund  is to pay in full in August and then get FCC if I decide to cancel

 

Joel

 

I am curious as to how on earth you feel that any cruise line could know in June 2020 what will be happening in January 2021!?  No one knows what the CDC is going to do - which ports will be open (and if they are open, will they be open to people from the U.S.). People in the world cannot guess what is going to happen next month since the pandemic is not predictable and does not care what is going on in the world.  Your cruise is over 7 months away.  Why not cancel - take the $200 cancellation fee (that will be applied to your next booking) and then you don't have to worry about it.  When things become more clear, if you want you can rebook the cruise (but the fare will likely be higher)

 

NCLH, Carnival and RSSC (the three biggest cruise lines) are not to blame for any of this.  The only blame (if a blame must be assigned) goes to the pandemic.   

[flossie009]

3 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

What can they do if Regent’s anti-pandemic measures  (when announced, if ever) are too strict or too lax for them to cruise in comfort and confidence? Has Regent announced any refund or FCC measures for them? Has any cruise line?

Yes

With Regent it is the Regent Reassurance scheme.

[tubeamps]

One thing that has not been mentioned is the amount of time that a passenger would be required to wear a mask while in transit.

 

Arrive at departure terminal 3 hours before flight, 10 hours airborne, 2 hours connection time at another terminal, 2 hour flight to embarkation city.

Thats approximately 17 hours of wearing a mask. And that’s for an easy flight from east coast to Europe.

 

Not going to do that.

 

Ship board protocols seem easy compared to that.

[fizzy]

7 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

You are entitled to your opinion even though I do not agree.  Knowing some things about Regent that others do not know gives me an understanding that gives me confidence. s

 

 

 

 

I would imagine we should feel safe. Somewhere way back,  didn't Del Rio say something to the effect that he wouldn't send his ships out until he could tell his grand kids that it was safe to sail?

[rallydave]

11 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

 

Here’s  an example.  Suppose I offer to sell you a used car for $20K, but won’t tell you the model, year, condition, or mileage. And suppose you actually pay me! And suppose I deliver a rusted out 1960 Ford Falcon that won’t even run. Can you repudiate that contract? You bet you can! 

 

While this is a great example of shall we say baid and switch, unfortunately in the cruising world all of the cruise lines including Regent have included in their T's and C's terms that allow the cruise line to revise most anything originally planned without recourse by the paying customer.  Consumer laws protect in the example of the 1960 Ford Falcon while in cruise contracts the ability to get a full refund when things change after payment has been taken from the paying customer

 

It is completely a let the buyer beware in the cases of any changes to what you think you bought when going on a cruise with all cruise lines.  That said there are times when the cruise line does accommodate people who want to opt out of changes that are not acceptable to them and there are people who are willing to cruise no matter the changes.

[mrlevin]

Can someone explain to me the efficacy of repeatedly checking temperature when returning from shore?  If I am on a boat and beach all day I would think I would be warm; maybe even close to heatstroke if I overdo it.  Why would they take your temperature returning from all shore excursions?  Even if you picked up the virus ashore, it wouldn't manifest itself for some number of days?  If it is just to monitor your temperature, they can install noninvasive temperature readers at entrances to restaurants and catch you multiple times per day.

 

Just wondering,

 

Marc