We decided to postpone our January 2022 cruise on the Splendor

[CruiserFromMaine]

Well, it was quite a day yesterday for my wife and I. Given all that was going on in the world I sent our TA an email in the morning with three questions about our January 6 cruise on the Splendor. 1/ Are there any reasonably priced upgrades available? 2/Conversely, has Regent loosened its cancellation policy? and 3/Can you please reschedule a few shore excursions to ones with shorter bus rides?

 

We were planning to go, even if with more resignation than anticipation. That’s why I asked about upgrades and shore excursions. I had posted earlier that we were planning on going and even tried to cheer up a couple cruisers who were feeling uneasy.

 

In the background to all this, one of our friends tested positive for Covid and we know he’s vaccinated and boosted and quite cautious. He had mild symptoms.

 

The answers from our TA came back quickly. 1/No, the ship is full and waitlisted 2/You can’t cancel or get an FCC but you can replace your cruise 3/Excursions rescheduled.

 

Answer 2 was, frankly, a game changer for us. Also, our friend’s news brought Covid’s contagion close to home. We were already somewhat nervous and were feeling like right now is the eye of the omicron storm. We’re not worried about getting sick from Covid but rather getting quarantined or off-loaded somewhere. And also about having a less-than-Regent introduction to Regent, for the price we’re paying. We had already changed some of our first-choice excursions.

 

What Regent allowed us to do was move our cruise to another 2022 or 2023 cruise and pay whatever fare difference there is.

 

Then after we’d made that decision we saw the CDC’s recommendation to not cruise.

 

So, we’re now on a January 2023 back-to-back on the Splendor. Once again, we have a Splendor Inaugural Season case (we were booked in April 2020 too) without having set foot on the ship and we’re once again unsecured creditors of Regent.

 

It’s a personal decision and I was frankly surprised how much the dollars affected our decision.

 

This morning I was wondering how I would feel if we were still going and the answer is “stressed” and now it’s a mixture of sad and relieved.

 

With all that, I hope everyone on the cruise has a great time and makes us jealous!

[mrlevin]

Writing from the Splendor I definitely understand your decision.  BTW, ALL January cruises except Mariner transatlantic are waitlisted; not because they are necessarily full but because Regent has decided not to sell any additional cabins.  

[Nachosdelux]

I sure hope Regent improves their change policy (like a FCC) rather than just re-booking, due to the recent change in CDC guidelines.  My guess is there will be another round of cancellations or a temporary cruise shutdown, to let the Omicron wave pass.  Not sure how the cruise lines can operate safely in this environment.

[Lonedaddy]

55 minutes ago, CruiserFromMaine said:

 

 

 We’re not worried about getting sick from Covid but rather getting quarantined or off-loaded somewhere. And also about having a less-than-Regent introduction to Regent, for the price we’re paying. We had already changed some of our first-choice excursions.

 

 

That sums up the biggest issue - it isn't getting omicron and having mild symptoms if any.  It is the stress of getting a positive and having your supposedly " stress free " and high $$$ vacation blown out of the water.  I feel your pain and have gone through already on a land trip.  Supposed to go on splendor May 17th and have doubts about that already for the same reason as above.  The panic and insanity continues.....

[kjbacon]

1 hour ago, CruiserFromMaine said:

Well, it was quite a day yesterday for my wife and I. Given all that was going on in the world I sent our TA an email in the morning with three questions about our January 6 cruise on the Splendor. 1/ Are there any reasonably priced upgrades available? 2/Conversely, has Regent loosened its cancellation policy? and 3/Can you please reschedule a few shore excursions to ones with shorter bus rides?

 

We were planning to go, even if with more resignation than anticipation. That’s why I asked about upgrades and shore excursions. I had posted earlier that we were planning on going and even tried to cheer up a couple cruisers who were feeling uneasy.

 

In the background to all this, one of our friends tested positive for Covid and we know he’s vaccinated and boosted and quite cautious. He had mild symptoms.

 

The answers from our TA came back quickly. 1/No, the ship is full and waitlisted 2/You can’t cancel or get an FCC but you can replace your cruise 3/Excursions rescheduled.

 

Answer 2 was, frankly, a game changer for us. Also, our friend’s news brought Covid’s contagion close to home. We were already somewhat nervous and were feeling like right now is the eye of the omicron storm. We’re not worried about getting sick from Covid but rather getting quarantined or off-loaded somewhere. And also about having a less-than-Regent introduction to Regent, for the price we’re paying. We had already changed some of our first-choice excursions.

 

What Regent allowed us to do was move our cruise to another 2022 or 2023 cruise and pay whatever fare difference there is.

 

Then after we’d made that decision we saw the CDC’s recommendation to not cruise.

 

So, we’re now on a January 2023 back-to-back on the Splendor. Once again, we have a Splendor Inaugural Season case (we were booked in April 2020 too) without having set foot on the ship and we’re once again unsecured creditors of Regent.

 

It’s a personal decision and I was frankly surprised how much the dollars affected our decision.

 

This morning I was wondering how I would feel if we were still going and the answer is “stressed” and now it’s a mixture of sad and relieved.

 

With all that, I hope everyone on the cruise has a great time and makes us jealous!

I’m on The Explorer now and I believe that you have made the right decision. We went from 1 case to 3 cases, etc, and now we are now at 18 cases. I have good intel that there are more new cases today. Also, passengers are getting snarky with each other. 

[flossie009]

18 minutes ago, CruiserFromMaine said:

You can’t cancel or get an FCC but you can replace your cruise

That is a very generous offer from Regent so close to the embarkation date; I can understand you taking up the option with your concerns at this time.

[FengShui@Sea]

I also think you made the right decision, as painful as it was.   I too was one of the people with rose coloured glasses on yesterday, until I saw busloads of people returning in Barbados and no one from the cruise line insisting they sanitize their hands before re-boarding.  I estimate that less than 50% used the hand sanitizer stations at the end of the gangway, and today so many are out and about with 'colds'.  We are not boosted yet, so even with exercising every precaution I think we are quite vulnerable.   

[poolechick]

We were scheduled to sail on the Splendor February 3rd and had many of the same concerns as CruiserfromMaine. On Tuesday we found out that Regent was generously offering to reinstate their Reassurance program for January and February departures. We took advantage. We found another voyage, exact same itinerary on the same ship departing virtually one year later. Our TA made the switch easily and even offered to cover the cost difference. We are sad but relieved and looking forward with hope to our next scheduled voyage, the Mariner in October. 

[RachelG]

The Jan 6 Splendor cruise is for sure not "full".  It is waitlisted because they are sailing less than full.  I got an upgrade offer yesterday.  Still planning on going and keeping fingers crossed for no positive covid tests.  

[ysolde]

We really are thinking of postponing, somehow. We just don't know what to do.  Suspect our January 6 cruise is not going to happen, one way or another.  But even getting ahold of our TA right now is not easy.  This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation after a stressful season.  Now, just added stress.

[mrstanley]

Our TA said they did not reinstate the Reassurance plan for January and February cruises. She said it’s case by case.

 

We also fear being told to isolate in a small room. 

[Huggsy]

3 hours ago, CruiserFromMaine said:

Well, it was quite a day yesterday for my wife and I. Given all that was going on in the world I sent our TA an email in the morning with three questions about our January 6 cruise on the Splendor. 1/ Are there any reasonably priced upgrades available? 2/Conversely, has Regent loosened its cancellation policy? and 3/Can you please reschedule a few shore excursions to ones with shorter bus rides?

 

We were planning to go, even if with more resignation than anticipation. That’s why I asked about upgrades and shore excursions. I had posted earlier that we were planning on going and even tried to cheer up a couple cruisers who were feeling uneasy.

 

In the background to all this, one of our friends tested positive for Covid and we know he’s vaccinated and boosted and quite cautious. He had mild symptoms.

 

The answers from our TA came back quickly. 1/No, the ship is full and waitlisted 2/You can’t cancel or get an FCC but you can replace your cruise 3/Excursions rescheduled.

 

Answer 2 was, frankly, a game changer for us. Also, our friend’s news brought Covid’s contagion close to home. We were already somewhat nervous and were feeling like right now is the eye of the omicron storm. We’re not worried about getting sick from Covid but rather getting quarantined or off-loaded somewhere. And also about having a less-than-Regent introduction to Regent, for the price we’re paying. We had already changed some of our first-choice excursions.

 

What Regent allowed us to do was move our cruise to another 2022 or 2023 cruise and pay whatever fare difference there is.

 

Then after we’d made that decision we saw the CDC’s recommendation to not cruise.

 

So, we’re now on a January 2023 back-to-back on the Splendor. Once again, we have a Splendor Inaugural Season case (we were booked in April 2020 too) without having set foot on the ship and we’re once again unsecured creditors of Regent.

 

It’s a personal decision and I was frankly surprised how much the dollars affected our decision.

 

This morning I was wondering how I would feel if we were still going and the answer is “stressed” and now it’s a mixture of sad and relieved.

 

With all that, I hope everyone on the cruise has a great time and makes us jealous!

I really admire your decision; obviously not an easy one to make - damned if you do, damned if you don't. We're due on Splendor 17th Feb and since this has all kicked off once again, I've been trying to get hold of my TA but that's not easy at this time of year. I can't make up my mind what to do for the best and we could be in this same dilemma months down the track.

For now, to all fellow cruises wherever you are, I'd like to wish you a very happy and safe new year. 🥳

[CruiserFromMaine]

1 hour ago, RachelG said:

  I got an upgrade offer yesterday. 

Maybe that was our suite? You’re welcome! 😄😄

[macbest]

On 12/31/2021 at 8:54 AM, poolechick said:

We were scheduled to sail on the Splendor February 3rd….We took advantage. 

With the ship sailing “full”, what kind of cabin did you give up? Wondering about what kind of cabin upgrades when it gets closer. 

[poolechick]

50 minutes ago, macbest said:

With the ship sailing “full”, what kind of cabin did you give up? Wondering about what kind of cabin upgrades when it gets closer. 

Penthouse A on deck 12.

[Dolebludger]

It is difficult for any of us to know what “full” means to Regent. There has been no news that I have seen that Regent is limiting guests to a certain percent of capacity. In any event, the OP made the right decision. Airlines have cancelled more than 13,000 flights from Dec. 23 and Jan 1. Reportedly, this problem is not expected to subside soon. 

[CruiserFromMaine]

Thank you all for the words of support and encouragement. I expected as much but you can never predict what happens on Cruise Critic!

 

In response to a couple questions...

-We had a Concierge E suite on deck 6.

-I don't know what Regent meant by "full" but I suspect they meant "no more beds available given what we have to set aside for isolation."

-With regards to flights, we're going to Miami three days early, originally to avoid weather issues from flying down. That ended up forcing our hand sooner than it might for other people though. I feel nervous for people flying in just a day ahead.

[Ozzmund]

We have also decided to postpone our January 6 cruise on the Splendor.

 

The anticipation of our first Regent cruise has been overshadowed by the concern for:

possible cancelled/delayed flights

pre-cruise testing

quality of the onboard experience

 

We still look forward to our first Regent cruise, it just won't take place on the 6th.

[pappy1022]

Smart move to cancel your trip. You made your decision so don’t look back or second guess it. To me, the risk is too high right now with the current variant. Having certified vaccinated people on board isn’t going to keep COVID from happening and once it does it will spread quickly. The risk is real and even though you may not get extremely sick, you will be quarantined in a small room and pay a lot of $$$ to do so. Not my idea of money well spent. I salute you for doing the sensible thing. I too am waiting for things to settle down before booking a long anticipated cruise with Regent. 

[crispy46]

For those of you who have cancelled, what arrangements did you have with Regent? FCC, book another cruise immediately and pay the difference, if any, or just "eat" the cost yourself?

[CruiserFromMaine]

I had to have a replacement cruise booked to move the paid fare, rather than an FCC that has more flexibility. We found a cruise that costs more, actually, so the fare difference is on us. Not sure if we booked a cheaper cruise what would have happened but I suspect the paid fare would have been lost. 

Edited January 2, 2022 by CruiserFromMaine
Expanded answer.

[crispy46]

Thanks Mr. "C."

[funcruzer1]

I tried to call Regent this morning about our options for our January 13 cruise but they are closed so have call in to our TA. I see that the new NCL cancellation policy (NCL owns Regent but do often have different policies) allows future cruise credits for cancellation and those credits must be used by end of 2022.

[cruiseluv]

1 hour ago, crispy46 said:

For those of you who have cancelled, what arrangements did you have with Regent? FCC, book another cruise immediately and pay the difference, if any, or just "eat" the cost yourself?

We also moved a February 2022 cruise to a similar cruise 2023, the new cruise is more expensive so we will need to pay the difference when final payment time comes. If we wanted a FCC we would be limited to selecting from 2022 cruises

[DatawCruiser]

34 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

We also moved a February 2022 cruise to a similar cruise 2023, the new cruise is more expensive so we will need to pay the difference when final payment time comes. If we wanted a FCC we would be limited to selecting from 2022 cruises

What would prevent you from cancelling the 2023 cruise for a full refund?