WC 2022 itinerary still up in the air?

[Kwaj girl]

Back in June Regent sent out a notice regarding the ability to cancel later-than-normal without penalty as follows:

 

To offer you more confidence and flexibility, Full World Cruise guests may cancel by August 8, 2021, which is 150 days prior to cruise departure date, without penalty and receive a 100% Refund on amounts paid** at time of cancellation. Refund requests will be processed within 60 days of receipt. 

 

As of right now - there have been no additional details as to whether or not the cruise will be cancelled (as they did last August for WC 21) or how the itinerary may be changed especially in light of the issues with Australia/New Zealand still not being open for travel when the ship is due in their ports. I understand they don't want to jumo the gun as with the current change out/change back of Splendor's September voyage but many travelers booked this cruise specifically for the imclusion of those 2 lovely country destinations.  This means that those booked must make a 'blind' decision in the next couple of days as to whether they want to stay with a potentially unknown itinerary OR just go for the penalty-free refund.

 

It's a shame that Regent would not offer something a bit more palatable as Crystal is doing right now for their WC 22 cruise.  This is what was sent to their booked guests (highlight added for emphasis)

 

Dear Valued Guest,

Our hearts were heavy when Covid necessitated the early termination of our 2020 World Cruise and, subsequently, the cancellation of the 2021 World Cruise. As we continue to relaunch our cruise operations and look once again to boldly explore this wonderful world of ours, so many countries remain uncertain in their recovery and ability to fully welcome cruising back at this moment in time. These are the untested waters we find ourselves navigating as we consider plans for the 2022 World Cruise. We do know with near certainty that many of our planned calls will not be available including those in Australia and New Zealand.

Nonetheless, we are planning to provide you with an amazing Crystal Grand Voyage that showcases the world’s treasured places and allows you to reconnect with our Officers and staff as well as your friends from prior cruises.

Therefore, we are developing two potential alternative Grand Voyages:

• An updated Pacific Rim itinerary that would connect with Crystal Serenity’s planned call in Istanbul on April 16, 2022.

OR

• An eastbound European Capitals itinerary that would also connect with Crystal’s Serenity’s published itinerary in Istanbul on April 16, 2022.

We hope to share our best and most enriching 2022 Grand Voyage itinerary with you in September, and at that time also unveil the itinerary for our 2024 World Cruise.

Although our current published cancellation penalties begin in mid-September, under no circumstance will we impose any cancellation penalty prior to giving you, our most valued guests, an opportunity to consider both the 2022 Grand Voyage and the 2024 World Cruise.

Thank you for being a member of our Crystal Family. We look forward to connecting with you soon and hopefully welcoming you back onboard in the coming year.

Regards,

 

At least that would give our WC 22 hopefuls a chance to make an informed decision.

[mrlevin]

Sandy, Regent (NCLH) is not being forthcoming at all; hopefully they announce Friday (before 7 August deadline for cancelling) but given FdR track record they may announce next Monday.  I have almost 160K sitting at Regent and I am getting more pessimistic every day.

 

Marc

[Pcardad]

We have $300k ON 1 LEG of the WC....I would love to hear what the plan is myself.

[Kwaj girl]

Oh...and the "cancel by August 8" also rots....that's a Sunday and I don't think Regent res is open on the weekend....so that forces a final decision by Friday the 6th.

[Ladys Mom]

Sandy you are totally right.  We all had to make our final payment by early July, after receiving a non-informative letter stating that the 2022 World Cruise would take place and the Regent had the right to change the itinerary any way they wanted without informing the guests ahead or time or giving guests any kind of compensation.  As others have said, the deadline to cancel without penalty is August 8th (I way off by a day).  We are proceeding with the assumption that Regent will come up with something better than going around Hawaii for 120 days.  Otherwise they are going to have a large number of very unhappy guests who will, in all probability, never cruise Regent again.

Marc and Mr. Cardad we too have a lot riding on this WC.  We also have given them around $160K and another $42K for the deposit on the 2024.  We would much rather Regent cancelled and gave us back everything than create a totally unacceptable cruise.

[loriva]

We have a tiny fraction of what others have riding on this cruise.  But this would be our first cruise with Regent--bad luck in timing as we decided to try them just before COVID-19 hit and have had the first three we booked with them cancelled.  We hope this will not be the fourth, but if the itinerary is significantly changed we, too, would rather see them cancel.  Our experience with Regent--again in an unprecedented time for any and every cruise line--has not been great.  (Thanks to CC.com, I've learned the pre-cruise communication from Regent has always been much below the on-board experience.  So we're hoping to reach the point where we can enjoy the latter!) 

 

Maybe it's time for Jennefer Teegen, Director of Guest Experience at Regent, to see this concern among Regent clients--both those with lots of cruises under their belts and those hoping to join the family--and either weigh in directly here or send updates to those on the 2022 WC and its segments.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

A very sad situation indeed.  As a casualty of the 2021 WC, commiserations all around.  Too bad you can't cancel en masse and send Regent the message that this is unacceptable.

 

I can completely understand their wanting to "wait and see", but it's clear that at least Australia and New Zealand will NOT be opening in that timeframe.  And who knows what other countries will still be iffy in six or seven months?   Regent should either cancel the whole thing, allow cancellations closer to sailing, or give everybody a huge discount for the uncertainty.

[gb58]

For this cruise, the ship spends almost a whole month doing Australia & New Zealand. I know it's comparatively simple to skip/change a port here & there, but a month's worth??

[Kwaj girl]

HOT OFF THE PRESS......Email just sent by Regent.  Note the "date of issuance" as yesterday though it was not sent out until 821am today (highlight added for emphasis):

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR UPCOMING CRUISE DATE OF ISSUANCE: AUGUST 4, 2021

 

Dear Valued Guest and Travel Advisor*,   On behalf of all of us at Regent Seven Seas Cruises, we hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well.   We would like to provide a brief update regarding your 2022 World Cruise aboard Seven Seas Mariner®, Navigate the World.   Based on our published 2022 World Cruise itinerary, the timeline of our scheduled ports of call, and our requirement of 100% vaccination of all guests and crew, we are confident that we can deliver an exceptional experience. Therefore, on January 5, 2022, Seven Seas Mariner® will embark on her 120-Night World Cruise as planned, sailing roundtrip from San Francisco. The entire Regent family is eagerly anticipating your arrival.   As we prepare to welcome you aboard, we remain mindful of the global health environment and will communicate updates as needed. We do anticipate that a measure of flexibility will be required to operate a voyage of this breadth and scope. If we are unable to visit a specific destination due to travel or safety restrictions, we will notify guests as soon as possible and will make every effort to replace ports of call.   To offer you more confidence and flexibility, Full World Cruise guests may cancel by October 7, 2021, which is 90 days prior to cruise departure date, without penalty and receive a 100% Refund on amounts paid** at time of cancellation. Refund requests will be processed within 60 days of receipt.   Please be advised that we will not be offering any refunds related to itinerary adjustments or missed ports of call that may be necessary. As noted above, guests have up until 90 days prior to cruise departure to cancel their booking and receive a full refund**.   SailSAFE™ Global Health and Wellness Council We are expertly guided by our SailSAFE™ Global Health and Wellness Council which will ensure the implementation of our enhanced SailSAFE Health and Safety protocols, such as fully vaccinated guests and crew, and controlled guest occupancies. These and other requirements will be in place until a time when we can confidently adjust our protocols and we will constantly monitor the global health environment to ensure the well-being of our guests, crew and the communities we visit.   If you have questions regarding your upcoming cruise, please contact us using the phone numbers below.   Thank you for your patience and loyalty as we manage through this evolving situation. We look forward to welcoming you aboard Seven Seas Mariner for a long-anticipated and well-deserved World Cruise.   Best wishes,   Regent Seven Seas Cruises

 

 

[Ladys Mom]

I received it too, a few minutes ago.  I forgot you and Dana were going to be on the 2022 with us.  This gives us some breathing room before we have to bite the bullet.

Norma

[Wuzzle10]

We are on the segment Sydney to Singapore , we want to visit Australia, so the email sent isn’t very helpful as doubt they will visit Australia! But where will it go instead? 

[pingpong1]

25 minutes ago, Wuzzle10 said:

We are on the segment Sydney to Singapore , we want to visit Australia, so the email sent isn’t very helpful as doubt they will visit Australia! But where will it go instead? 

Hi Wuzzle - I'm sure you know this already but for you, It will be just as relevant to follow Australia's own visitor policy at the moment for travel to "OZ", where  you are presently expecting to meet your cruise.

 

As it stands right now, "Oz" has once again become a "prison colony"...and I say that as a "half-Australian" myself, with aunts/uncles/cousins living over their.  My Mom was an Australian "war-bride".  One of my cousins, who has been desperately trying all means to leave Brisbane for the past year to come back over the U.S. (she lived here for 15 years) to visit us is absolutely unable to do so.  She, along with all other Australians, are in a complete "lock down mode".... by her own government.  No one can come in or out of Australia/New Zealand at the moment.  And the lockdown is now supposed to continue through 2022.   Australians love to travel and this has become a huge "trying time' for many of them.

 

There is no "Constitution" or "Bill of Rights" in Australia, as we Americans enjoy and live under.  The only "right to travel" for Australians (even within their own country) is only that which their government officials specifically "allow".  At the moment, the "Oz" government is relying on a "Zero-Covid" policy, rather than carrying out a robust and aggressive Vaccination policy.  It's going to ultimately fail, but for now and for the foreseeable future, there isn't going to be any travel into/out of Australia/New Zealand "bubble".  Regards

Edited August 5, 2021 by pingpong1
spelling

[Derosja]

I really wish Regent wouldn't wait until the very least second to send out updates regarding deviations/change in cancellation dates. 

 

We have been agonizing over this decision all week.  It would have been much more Guest friendly and Respectful if they could at least give one weeks notice in this situation as not much is changing for the better at this time.

 

Hoping when October comes, they either extend cancellation again or just cancel with an earlier heads up.

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2021 by Derosja
Spelling

[loriva]

7 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

HOT OFF THE PRESS......Email just sent by Regent.  Note the "date of issuance" as yesterday though it was not sent out until 821am today (highlight added for emphasis):

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR UPCOMING CRUISE DATE OF ISSUANCE: AUGUST 4, 2021

 

Dear Valued Guest and Travel Advisor*,   On behalf of all of us at Regent Seven Seas Cruises, we hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well.   We would like to provide a brief update regarding your 2022 World Cruise aboard Seven Seas Mariner®, Navigate the World.   Based on our published 2022 World Cruise itinerary, the timeline of our scheduled ports of call, and our requirement of 100% vaccination of all guests and crew, we are confident that we can deliver an exceptional experience. Therefore, on January 5, 2022, Seven Seas Mariner® will embark on her 120-Night World Cruise as planned, sailing roundtrip from San Francisco. The entire Regent family is eagerly anticipating your arrival.   As we prepare to welcome you aboard, we remain mindful of the global health environment and will communicate updates as needed. We do anticipate that a measure of flexibility will be required to operate a voyage of this breadth and scope. If we are unable to visit a specific destination due to travel or safety restrictions, we will notify guests as soon as possible and will make every effort to replace ports of call.   To offer you more confidence and flexibility, Full World Cruise guests may cancel by October 7, 2021, which is 90 days prior to cruise departure date, without penalty and receive a 100% Refund on amounts paid** at time of cancellation. Refund requests will be processed within 60 days of receipt.   Please be advised that we will not be offering any refunds related to itinerary adjustments or missed ports of call that may be necessary. As noted above, guests have up until 90 days prior to cruise departure to cancel their booking and receive a full refund**.   SailSAFE™ Global Health and Wellness Council We are expertly guided by our SailSAFE™ Global Health and Wellness Council which will ensure the implementation of our enhanced SailSAFE Health and Safety protocols, such as fully vaccinated guests and crew, and controlled guest occupancies. These and other requirements will be in place until a time when we can confidently adjust our protocols and we will constantly monitor the global health environment to ensure the well-being of our guests, crew and the communities we visit.   If you have questions regarding your upcoming cruise, please contact us using the phone numbers below.   Thank you for your patience and loyalty as we manage through this evolving situation. We look forward to welcoming you aboard Seven Seas Mariner for a long-anticipated and well-deserved World Cruise.   Best wishes,   Regent Seven Seas Cruises

 

 

 

That is something, at least, for the full WCers.  But agree Regent should have sent it sooner to alleviate concerns.

 

Regent has not sent anything to those of us on segments of the WC.  For our Papeete to Auckland leg, our final payment date is still the 26th of August.  So we will be making final payment (or not) likely without any clarity on the itinerary--beyond knowing we won't be going to Auckland.

 

We completely understand many things will need to change on this itinerary--most, if not all of which, will be out of Regent's control.  But there appears to be no realistic chance New Zealand or Australia will be open for this cruise.  Shouldn't Regent be announcing changes for those segments affected by these closures before the final payment date for the segments?

[Pcardad]

I have this question repeatedly and been told there is no information available.

[loriva]

 

1 minute ago, Pcardad said:

I have this question repeatedly and been told there is no information available.

 

Which, given this statement from Crystal on its 2022 WC--"We do know with near certainty that many of our planned calls will not be available including those in Australia and New Zealand."--appears completely disingenuous on Regent's part.

[Ladys Mom]

A memo came from Regent today that said that for any cruise departing before Dec. 31, 2021, except the world cruise, the final day one can cancel without penalty is 60 days before embarkation.  This gives us some breathing room before we have to make a final decision to fish or cut bait.

[Turn 8A]

A useful tool to calculate the date for 60 (or any) days before embarkation ... https://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html

[rallydave]

5 minutes ago, Turn 8A said:

A useful tool to calculate the date for 60 (or any) days before embarkation ... https://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html

Also to insert date in excel or other spreadsheet and subtract 60 from the date. No need for internet

[Turn 8A]

 

11 minutes ago, rallydave said:

Also to insert date in excel or other spreadsheet and subtract 60 from the date. No need for internet

Of course. But everyone reading this forum can use the link, but some will not have Excel 😀

Edited August 5, 2021 by Turn 8A

[Turn 8A]

2 hours ago, Ladys Mom said:

A memo came from Regent today that said that for any cruise departing before Dec. 31, 2021, except the world cruise, the final day one can cancel without penalty is 60 days before embarkation.  This gives us some breathing room before we have to make a final decision to fish or cut bait.

Do you have a link to the memo?

[mrlevin]

If you have an applicable cruise booked you should have gotten an email forwarded by your TA.

[SusieQft]

The Calculator app that comes with Windows 10 also has a date function that will easily tell you when is 60 (or other number of) days from any date.

[Portolan]

2 hours ago, SusieQft said:

The Calculator app that comes with Windows 10 also has a date function that will easily tell you when is 60 (or other number of) days from any date.

Who knew?  (I didn't)  Have been using the internet or Excel for years....

 

Thanks.

[travelwell]

I feel for you all with so much money on the line. As you know we backed out of WC 2022 about 7 weeks ago. The problem with waiting for a  Regent decision is beyond the angst of the where you are going. You also lose the advantage of moving your reservation out and have any availability on a 2023 itinerary as others are trying or have already done the same thing.To grab a 2023 itinerary we wanted we snagged the last veranda room on 2 segments of Seabourn’s 2023 WC with a waitlist for a penthouse. Seabourn had some of their 2023 available and with pent up demand and few rooms available anywhere we pieced together a 90 day cruise with 2 Seabourn ships and 1 Windstar. Yes a logistical pain. Regent’s 2023 itinerary’s that we were interested in were totally waitlist or had no itinerary out yet. With the remainder of Regents 2023 coming out soon, the October timing is terrible for trying to decide on whether to move to another cruise with such high demand in taking a cruise.

On a positive note we got 100% refund credited to our AmEx in 3 weeks. I am personally happy with Regent. We hope to be back in 2025 but with a shorter cruise. I will be following your adventures where ever you end up.