Please help me with this!

[nonu731]

36 minutes ago, pingpong1 said:

I have not read any posts from anyone on this forum who has said they were going to "refuse to wear a mask", when or where required to by Regent.  All that some folks have said, which is certainly their right to say, is that until masks are no longer mandatory on board (or on sponsored excursions)....that they will delay their cruising plans until masks are no longer required.  That should not be construed by anyone as being unruly, immoral, stubborn, non-conformist (or whatever other adjective one might choose).  Regards.

You two are going to veer into politics eventually I fear, which isn't allowed. 

 

Best to stop the discussion on the qualities of individuals wearing/not wearing masks for both of you. 

Edited September 28, 2021 by nonu731

[RetiredandTravel]

2 hours ago, forgap said:

I’m sure if someone showed up in his underwear at compass rose there would be a collective outcry and he would be summarily escorted out and to his cabin.  

 

Not necessarily forgap.  That decision might depend on who he or she was. 🥳

Edited September 28, 2021 by RetiredandTravel
typo

[Gpilon]

We fully understand, respect and would abide by mask requirements. However, for me, there is another concern. Having a severe hearing impairment and as someone who reads lips, masks would make it impossible for me to “communicate” with fellow cruisers, so given that, we will wait until a time when masks are no longer required. 

[cwn]

We are in the group that will wait until the masking on board is dropped. We have been cruising since 1984 and since  we retired have done several long voyages,  a WC and two other combined cruise and land segments for 4-5 months trips around the world. We definitely like to travel and do enjoy cruising.
We are also pushing 80 but have no desire to spend the cost of a Regent cruise especially a long one having to wear a mask on the ship. We do have the  Navigator June Viking cruise and the Mariner 2024 WC booked. Will probably cancel the June one in Jan because we don’t think things will improve enough for cruises. (Testing, Tours, mask requirements on land and sea and uncertainty about what happens it a case of Covid hits the ship or us) Regent canceled one cruise on us and Holland America canceled the 2022 WC on us and we canceled the 23 WC because they  changed the ship. We also lost 2 Queen Mary sailings and a month in England in the past 19 months. But we have not stayed at home either.

We have not worn a mask since we were fully vaccinated last Feb except to the Drs or in a federal building. We have had two wonderful long  trips in our RV one out west last Fall (the leaves were as beautiful as I have ever seen) and one to the Gulf Coast and Blue Ridge this spring….avoiding places with mask requirements and crowds. Since the vaccine, things are more or less back to normal at least for us. We go out to eat, travel and visit with friends. We do not feel like we are really wasting time. More like we are enjoying the time we have (without having to deal with the mask anymore that absolutely necessary. Bottom line I guess…to each his own way.

[cwn]

We see

[wcsdkqh]

From my observation only, the mask requirement is Regent’s rule. Masks were not required in the UK, but Regent still required them. While in international waters, masks required, and enforced. Just had another antigen test this morning in order to enter Portugal tomorrow. Portugal seems to be more restrictive than France and Spain. Guests are allowed to go ashore only with Regent excursions and not allowed to wonder around and explore on their own in Portugal. 

[Pcardad]

Can you blame them? They are scared to death to have an outbreak.

 

The excursion thing is new - we TA are being told it is OK to wander around.

[wcsdkqh]

You won’t be wondering around in Portugal, at least for the immediate future.

[Pcardad]

I have a fundamental issue with being told bad info...

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

54 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

I have a fundamental issue with being told bad info...

 

What does that mean?

[wcsdkqh]

Right Wendy. What exactly is pcardad trying to say? 

[pingpong1]

2 minutes ago, wcsdkqh said:

Right Wendy. What exactly is pcardad trying to say? 

"WCSD,,,,"  I really appreciate you taking the time to keep us informed on what's going on during your cruise.  We've all had "cruise withdrawal syndrome" for so long and we're all wanting to know "what's happening" on these first Regent cruises, right down to the "last detail" - particularly for those of us who are eagerly anticipating are own "first cruises" in the next few (early) months after resumption.

 

I'm sure that Regent really is "scared to death" of having any type of "outbreak" whatsoever on any of their first cruises, and knows that such an occurrence would be greatly amplified in the national press, if the opportunity presented itself.  They're probably being "hyper-careful because of this, if for no other reason. But by operating fully-vaccinated ships, I think most of the "risk" has been mitigated.

 

Is it safe for us to assume that you are enjoying and experiencing the same normally provided level of service and meal quality that we've always enjoyed on Regent in the past? Regards.

[Sunprince]

This is interesting about Portugal…it is one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world.  Perhaps Portugal is being overly cautious with cruise ships for now.  
 

Because Portugal is highly vaccinated we were recently considering a land trip there instead of a cruise.  Sounds like it is easier to visit Portugal as a regular tourist arriving by air, than by cruise ship. 

[wcsdkqh]

Absolutely enjoying this cruise even though a couple ports have been canceled due to weather and another (Tangier) cancelled due to “operational “ issues. As far as food and service goes, never been better as you might imagine given the ship is at 50 pct capacity, and staff is at full capacity. 

[Pcardad]

3 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

What does that mean?

It means I don't like asking a question and getting materially different answers in writing from different Regent employees...it makes life confusing. 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Haven’t read anything new….same old, same old, rehashed by mostly the same folks. 
One person won’t cruise until the pandemic is over and masks are gone, another says he will cruise as long as Regent is sailing, no matter the rules. 
Each of us has our mind made up…we do….you all know our opinion…won’t rehash. 
Hope those who have given theirs, end the discussion.. until you have something new to offer. 
sheila

[jeb_bud]

On 9/28/2021 at 7:13 AM, Wendy The Wanderer said:

My sentiments exactly!  We have to decide about our July cruise in February, and the big decision won't be whether the ship requires masks (see above about eating and drinking), but the airlines.  Wearing a mask for 8 or more hours is the biggie for us, and we'll have to decide.  Somehow with flatbed seats I imagine it might be easier, don't know.

We're on the same cruise as you Wendy, but starting on the West Coast so even more time on airplanes.  We don't look forward to hours on a plane masked up, but with an 18 night cruise I feel like we have time to recover from the trauma and still have a good time.

[rallydave]

On 9/29/2021 at 12:07 PM, Pcardad said:

It means I don't like asking a question and getting materially different answers in writing from different Regent employees...it makes life confusing. 

Have you hear the credit card churners term HUCA meaning hang up call again.  This is because most customer service is so bad with incorrect answers like you have been getting so that you really need to call are write multiple times until you get quite a few of the correct answer so you know the truth and not what many of the agents think.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

2 hours ago, jeb_bud said:

We're on the same cruise as you Wendy, but starting on the West Coast so even more time on airplanes.  We don't look forward to hours on a plane masked up, but with an 18 night cruise I feel like we have time to recover from the trauma and still have a good time.

I agree, really looking forward to it.  I've already made our hotel ressies in Copenhagen and Stockholm, and got my bid in for preferred flights through Regent when they open up.  My heart is set on flatbed.

[melbox4]

On 9/27/2021 at 8:30 PM, DatawCruiser said:

I am on the 2/3/2022 Splendor cruise in a PHC Suite.  I have another 8 days until final payment.  I am having a hard time justifying this cruise, primarily because of the masking requirement.  I have cruised on Regent before and actually cancelled a previous Mediterranean cruise in September because I thought things would have settled down by next February.  My issue is with the all encompassing mask requirement onboard.  I am not willing to pay the premium prices for Regent if I have to wear a face covering on a 100% vaccinated guest and crew population. I understand there is a risk of excursions causing the possibility of a breakthrough infection.  But I take that risk every time I go grocery shopping even though I mask up for that (because there are no vaccination guarantees  for grocery shopping in SC).  I am on the fence as to whether to cancel.  Any thoughts?

 

Thanks.  Be gentle.

 

Andy

I find the mask issue perplexing. Cloth masks give 0 protection, surgical masks provide 11% protection and a correctly fitting N95 is 95% effective and very uncomfortable...why are we masking when we are fully vaccined and pre-testing negative...why? 

[mumcat]

On 9/28/2021 at 5:34 PM, Steve Q said:

Our first Regent cruise is in March 2022. We did just complete a Celebrity 12 day cruise in the Caribbean. We booked it at the last minute as we just wanted to go somewhere. Vaccinations and pretesting were required. There were, however, no masks required while sailing. The cruise was at about 45% capacity, so there was no issue with congested spaces.

I think we will make our final payment for the Regent cruise and take our chances. Hopefully, the regulation will be history by then. 

I am interested in your cruise experience on Celebrity as we are booked on a Regent Caribbean cruise in December. How often were you tested on board? The 9 countries on our cruise each require a negative PCR test to arrive by air but none mention arriving on a cruise ship. Were you able to use the result of your tests for more than one port? I don't fancy having to be tested every day!

[Wuzzle10]

On 9/28/2021 at 1:30 AM, DatawCruiser said:

I am on the 2/3/2022 Splendor cruise in a PHC Suite.  I have another 8 days until final payment.  I am having a hard time justifying this cruise, primarily because of the masking requirement.  I have cruised on Regent before and actually cancelled a previous Mediterranean cruise in September because I thought things would have settled down by next February.  My issue is with the all encompassing mask requirement onboard.  I am not willing to pay the premium prices for Regent if I have to wear a face covering on a 100% vaccinated guest and crew population. I understand there is a risk of excursions causing the possibility of a breakthrough infection.  But I take that risk every time I go grocery shopping even though I mask up for that (because there are no vaccination guarantees  for grocery shopping in SC).  I am on the fence as to whether to cancel.  Any thoughts?

 

Thanks.  Be gentle.

 

Andy

We were on a Seabourn cruise around the Greek islands in August, no mask wearing for guests, shared tables, no social distancing, completely normal cruise, could go where you liked when you got off to visit the islands, if you are worried move to Seabourn, it was fabulous you would barely have known there was a pandemic, obviously there was tests to get on and double jabbed 

[TomBeckCruise]

On 9/29/2021 at 12:07 PM, Pcardad said:

It means I don't like asking a question and getting materially different answers in writing from different Regent employees...it makes life confusing. 

Ha, As a CPA our saying was, "Call the IRS with your tax question. If you don't get the answer you want call back until you do."

I guess some things never change.

[Pcardad]

5 minutes ago, TomBeckCruise said:

Ha, As a CPA our saying was, "Call the IRS with your tax question. If you don't get the answer you want call back until you do."

I guess some things never change.

A better analogy is like calling the CPA's office (Regent) to get a list of what is required in order to have them do your taxes (go on a cruise) and having different CPA's give you different answers. 

[nonu731]

2 hours ago, TomBeckCruise said:

Ha, As a CPA our saying was, "Call the IRS with your tax question. If you don't get the answer you want call back until you do."

I guess some things never change.

 

I work at a bank and the joke around here is that those who can't become bankers become accountants. 😉