Israel Next week Voyager

[Pcardad]

6 minutes ago, kathy49 said:

I take it same cancel/change options? There could be more changes to come. Good luck to all

[cruiseluv]

52 minutes ago, loriva said:

Regent is currently calling pax to inform them this sailing will no longer be stopping in Egypt.

The only sane course of action. Im glad they awoke from their stupor 

[Pcardad]

5 hours ago, kathy49 said:

There is absolutely no guarantee that Egypt will stay on the itinerary...those decisions are day to day and sometimes hour to hour.....the big unknown right now is the magnitude of Isirael's response and what impact this has on the region in general. Anyone going on the cruise has to be prepared for port changes.

You called it. 

[Pcardad]

Also...

[mrlevin]

So, big changes to the 10 Nov Istanbul to Dubai itinerary.  Probably three more Med stops before going through the canal.  I hope they keep Luxor as they have maintained that stop even when Egypt was having their own internal problems.  

[Texasrocks]

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

is the tram open?  If so you can take it to the Sultanahmet and then just walk around to the sites.

good idea unfortunately not.   Wish we would have an overnight in IST.

[Texasrocks]

Be nice for us at least to have a stop in Athens, an overnight in crete would also be nice as there is a lot to see there.

[CrushIt]

We sat patiently for two days, only hearing from our travel agent to be patient with re-route to Istanbul. Perfectly understandable. Only clue was a short email from United about a booking. Then, found out it had not been ticketed yet. Wednesday morning, I called Regent Air directly because we had paid about $2K for custom air. On hold for 90 min before connecting with a totally incompetent agent. Agent said the UAL flights had been CNX’d. Then, after three more holds, told it was back on. However, the res was for a day earlier (today). Then, when I asked him to look for something on Friday (our original departure day), I was cut off and he never called me back. Our agent got involved and had us on a three-way call with Regent’s air department and then with a Regent agent who deals with travel agencies. Bottom line was that they had ticketed us on a flight that was way below the service level we had paid for and that was just tough luck. It became increasingly obvious during the conversation that Regent was not offering any cancellation refunds, credits or re-bookings. No incentives, shipboard credits. No guarantee that Regent would do anything other than charge us an additional $2k+ for their trouble in case we cancelled.

After checking all the news feeds this morning and having no confidence that Regent’s priorities were in any way aligned with ours, we contacted our travel agent early this morning and cancelled. 

We have blocked all charges on the credit card they have on file. Hoping they come to their senses and get their priorities straight. Not their fault that a war rages on. But, they are evaluated on the way they handle adversity.

[Joanandjoe]

17 minutes ago, Texasrocks said:

Be nice for us at least to have a stop in Athens, an overnight in crete would also be nice as there is a lot to see there.

Or even Rhodes or malta, since we are already going to Crete.

[Kwaj girl]

1 hour ago, mrlevin said:

So, big changes to the 10 Nov Istanbul to Dubai itinerary.  Probably three more Med stops before going through the canal.  I hope they keep Luxor as they have maintained that stop even when Egypt was having their own internal problems.  

 

Have you received confirmation of specific itinerary changes for that Navigator voyage?

[mrlevin]

No, and I'm not on it; I am Grandeur at that time.

[Kwaj girl]

Just now, mrlevin said:

No, and I'm not on it; I am Grandeur at that time.

 

Oh.  The itinerary you noted looked like Navigator 

[mrlevin]

Just now, Kwaj girl said:

 

Oh.  The itinerary you noted looked like Navigator 

It is; I just was following on to the statement that NCLH was going to cancel all stops in Israel through the end of the year; I knew Navigator was planning on going to Israel in November.

[stanleyheller]

We, too have cancelled and have contacted American Express for a charge-back of the cost of the Cruise.

[CJANDH]

On 10/9/2023 at 10:34 AM, Pcardad said:

Another question is why the guests did not get Cancel For Any Reason Insurance...then they would be covered for a port change on a cruise that is still going forward. 

Have you looked at the cost of that insurance?

[labonnevie]

1 hour ago, mrlevin said:

So, big changes to the 10 Nov Istanbul to Dubai itinerary.  Probably three more Med stops before going through the canal.  I hope they keep Luxor as they have maintained that stop even when Egypt was having their own internal problems.  

We are on that cruise and have an overnight/overland excursion to Luxor with a flight to Cairo for a visit to the Pyramids and Sphinx. Without the three days in Israel and if the overland to Luxor/Cairo, were to be canceled, this becomes a pretty unexciting itinerary. 

[Goingplaces12]

I really don’t want to go on this cruise especially after Egypt was taken off the itinerary. I don’t want to be at sea 5 days. 

[Texasrocks]

1 hour ago, Joanandjoe said:

Or even Rhodes or malta, since we are already going to Crete.

I doubt they would go to malta since there will probable keep the crete onward schedule but I'm up for most anything

[Texasrocks]

58 minutes ago, Goingplaces12 said:

I really don’t want to go on this cruise especially after Egypt was taken off the itinerary. I don’t want to be at sea 5 days. 

I suspect they will add 2-3 ports or 2 with overnight

[Texasrocks]

 

I guess the found out about the bike race

 

 

Dear Valued Guest and Travel Partner,   We look forward to welcoming you aboard Seven Seas Voyager on Sunday, October 15, 2023, in Istanbul, Turkey.   Please allow us to inform you of a change that may affect your plans on embarkation day.   We have been advised that due to the International Turkey Cycling Tournament’s Final Stage, which has resulted in all the roads to/from the pier being closed to traffic, guests will not be able to embark Seven Seas Voyager until after 3.00pm.   To make embarkation as smooth and comfortable as possible our teams have been working hard to make the following arrangements.   ·          Pre-Cruise Hotel Guests - InterContinental Istanbul   Guests staying at the InterContinental Istanbul, will be transferred directly to the ship in the afternoon.   Hospitality accommodations have been arranged for guests to relax in after checking out of their rooms and will also receive breakfast and lunch.   Further details about your transfers to the ship will be provided during the hospitality accommodations at the hotel.     ·          Pre-Cruise Hotel Guests - Swissôtel The Bosphorus Istanbul   Guests staying at the Swissôtel the Bosphorus Istanbul, will be transferred directly to the ship in the afternoon.   Hospitality accommodations has been arranged for guests to relax in after checking out of their rooms and will also receive breakfast and lunch.   Further details about your transfers to the ship will be provided during the hospitality accommodations at the hotel.     ·          Guests with a Regent Package Arriving in Istanbul on Embarkation Day   Guests who have purchased a Regent package arriving in Istanbul on embarkation day will be transferred to the InterContinental Istanbul and will have access to hospitality accommodations prior to being transferred to the ship.     ·          Guests with Independent Travel Arrangements on Embarkation Day   Guests with independent travel arrangements are welcome to travel to the InterContinental Istanbul, arriving no later than 2.00pm, and will have access to the hospitality accommodations prior to being transferred to the ship.   The full address of the InterContinental Istanbul is:   Gümüşsuyu, Asker Ocağı Cd. No:1, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye   Phone: +90 212 368 44 44   Turkey Visa Reminder   Most nationalities (including U.S. and Canadian) will require a Turkish Electronic Visa (eVisa) prior to arrival.  The eVisa can be secured by visiting https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/.  The completed visa should be printed and available to present upon arrival.   Thank you very much for your understanding and for choosing Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Your Regent Seven Seas Cruises Team Regent Seven Seas Cruises Reservations Phone Numbers:

[kathy49]

12 minutes ago, Texasrocks said:

 

I guess the found out about the bike race

 

 

Dear Valued Guest and Travel Partner,   We look forward to welcoming you aboard Seven Seas Voyager on Sunday, October 15, 2023, in Istanbul, Turkey.   Please allow us to inform you of a change that may affect your plans on embarkation day.   We have been advised that due to the International Turkey Cycling Tournament’s Final Stage, which has resulted in all the roads to/from the pier being closed to traffic, guests will not be able to embark Seven Seas Voyager until after 3.00pm.   To make embarkation as smooth and comfortable as possible our teams have been working hard to make the following arrangements.   ·          Pre-Cruise Hotel Guests - InterContinental Istanbul   Guests staying at the InterContinental Istanbul, will be transferred directly to the ship in the afternoon.   Hospitality accommodations have been arranged for guests to relax in after checking out of their rooms and will also receive breakfast and lunch.   Further details about your transfers to the ship will be provided during the hospitality accommodations at the hotel.     ·          Pre-Cruise Hotel Guests - Swissôtel The Bosphorus Istanbul   Guests staying at the Swissôtel the Bosphorus Istanbul, will be transferred directly to the ship in the afternoon.   Hospitality accommodations has been arranged for guests to relax in after checking out of their rooms and will also receive breakfast and lunch.   Further details about your transfers to the ship will be provided during the hospitality accommodations at the hotel.     ·          Guests with a Regent Package Arriving in Istanbul on Embarkation Day   Guests who have purchased a Regent package arriving in Istanbul on embarkation day will be transferred to the InterContinental Istanbul and will have access to hospitality accommodations prior to being transferred to the ship.     ·          Guests with Independent Travel Arrangements on Embarkation Day   Guests with independent travel arrangements are welcome to travel to the InterContinental Istanbul, arriving no later than 2.00pm, and will have access to the hospitality accommodations prior to being transferred to the ship.   The full address of the InterContinental Istanbul is:   Gümüşsuyu, Asker Ocağı Cd. No:1, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye   Phone: +90 212 368 44 44   Turkey Visa Reminder   Most nationalities (including U.S. and Canadian) will require a Turkish Electronic Visa (eVisa) prior to arrival.  The eVisa can be secured by visiting https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/.  The completed visa should be printed and available to present upon arrival.   Thank you very much for your understanding and for choosing Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Your Regent Seven Seas Cruises Team Regent Seven Seas Cruises Reservations Phone Numbers:

Honestly those people working on this departure must be going crazy....as if not enough change then they get hit with a major big race...seems something like the Tour de France.

[Texasrocks]

3 minutes ago, kathy49 said:

Honestly those people working on this departure must be going crazy....as if not enough change then they get hit with a major big race...seems something like the Tour de France.

I imagine they must be making an special arrangement to bus people to the airport early.  I don't think the race hits the area until the afternoon so the hopefully can get out.

[Joanandjoe]

An interesting question is how they will provision the ship if their supply trucks can'tr get to the pier.  I guess they will have deliveries earlier than usual.

[Texasrocks]

13 minutes ago, Joanandjoe said:

An interesting question is how they will provision the ship if their supply trucks can'tr get to the pier.  I guess they will have deliveries earlier than usual.

might have overnight there

[carMOM]

2 hours ago, labonnevie said:

We are on that cruise and have an overnight/overland excursion to Luxor with a flight to Cairo for a visit to the Pyramids and Sphinx. Without the three days in Israel and if the overland to Luxor/Cairo, were to be canceled, this becomes a pretty unexciting itinerary.