Tucruisers

It's not just the additional cost of the taxi transfer, it's the fact that those affected paid the substantial extra cost of Concierge for no benefit, the cost of the taxi from the hotel to the ship ( I do not think there is any public transport) and the hassle of having to make our own arrangements when we had paid Regent for this.

As stated, the legal and consumer rights position differs between the USA and the UK as does the role of the TA. This is sold as a package holiday in the UK and the customer is entitled to a full refund if Regent fails to deliver any element of the package. I guess this is why they are offering the Courtyard by Marriott, they will say this fulfils the promise of a pre-cruise stay, even though it is 50km from Reykjavik.

I think things must have changed a lot in Regent since we last cruised with them pre-covid. 

Best wishes to those continuing to battle for a fair outcome on this, I feel a little guilty about abandoning the fight! In the end, it was relatively straightforward to book hotel and taxi transfer from the airport (booking.com) but of course we will still have to arrange and pay for the taxi transfer from the hotel to the ship. Quite apart from the fact that this cost more than £300 even with pre-paying we paid unnecessarily for the much more expensive Concierge level precisely because of the promised pre-cruise night in Reykjavik. 

Best wishes too for those on the Airport Shuttle bus. I am sure it will be fine but is not for us and I do not agree that this is an adequate replacement for the meet on arrival, door to door transfer promised by Regent.

It may be different for US customers, but my experience in the UK is that it is terribly difficult and slow to deal with Regent. In effect, our TA gets in touch with the Regent UK Office, they have to get in touch with their bosses in the US Office and every iteration takes a week with the date for final payment fast approaching.

Volcanoes permitting, I hope we all make it on board. Let's get the cruise director to put on a cocktail party named "Cancelled pre-cruise cross people". I am sure it will be packed!

Thought I should just update on how things concluded for us. Regent did indeed propose to put us in the Courtyard by Marriott with transfers. This is an airport hotel outside Keflavik some 50km from Reykjavik with no public transport links so far as we could determine. Regent has us booked on a flight scheduled to arrive Keflavik at 9.30am so we would presumably get to the hotel mid-morning. Regent declined to arrange early check in or any other transport or activity so we would have presumably just been stuck in the hotel lobby much of the time. So long story short we made our own arrangements for a ore-cruise hotel (the Alda) and taxi transfer from the airport. The cost is of course much higher than the £300 "gesture of goodwill" from Regent.

We are already booked on Grandeur later in the year. After that, we will be Regent ex-customers. Hope others make arrangements to their satisfaction and again, thanks for the interest and support on these boards.

10 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

In our experience the Miami office of Regent has no knowledge or interest in UK consumer laws and never bother to read the UK version of their own Ts&Cs.

However you booked with Regent(UK) through a UK Travel Agent.

Suggest you avoid "banging your head against a brick wall" at this stage and just express your rejection of their "offers" and then proceed as posts #56 & #60

 

Try not to let this poor decision by Regent spoil your cruise or its anticipation.

 

Good advice not to let all this spoil our cruise but for me it would do just that were we to be keeping receipts with the anticipation of subsequent claims against Regent which would have to be backed up by threats of action. I also wonder if we would be deemed to have accepted the change to terms by going ahead and accepting the £300 and OBC. So for us, it looks to be either agree to stay in an airport hotel in Keflavik (if this is even offered) or cancel and seek a refund. I wonder if someone in Regent thinks this is a good way to promote what is supposed to be a premium brand?

13 minutes ago, DaveA said:

I have had the following response from my (UK based) TA. Needless to say I’m not at all happy!
 

“I have had a call from Regent this afternoon to advise that the US office have been in contact and they will unfortunately not able to offer any additional funds. They have given two options:

 

1. - they can look to offer a hotel which will be at the Courtyard by Marriott next to the airport. This is currently on a request basis at the moment.
2. - Regent can look to see if we can offer flights the day of the cruise.

 

These are both subject to availability and are on a request basis. If you choose the hotel you would no longer be entitled to the on board spend of credit for the hotel.”

We have had the same "offer" I guess we have the same TA. The emphasis from Regent is that neither of these options is guaranteed. 

Latest from Regent is that this has been referred up the line, the can't either give a decision on what to do about (lots of) unhappy pax or even when they might get to a decision. This is a bit of a problem in the UK at least as under our booking conditions it seems pretty clear that as this is a package and Regent are not fulfilling their promise people are entitled to a full refund and the date for final payment is fast approaching. As to the airport shuttle bus, really? Once an hour from the airport, limited to one bag then transfers to vans or walk with luggage to hotels. Even then the cost with hotel is way in excess of Regent's "gesture of goodwill".  If Regent sat there and thought what was the best way to stop people booking with us ever again they could not have come up with a better plan.

Thanks to Pcardad for the post and information though some of the hotels are not in the centre of Rejkyavik (the 201 Hotel for example is 7 kilometres outside, Hotel 201 2 kilometres outside)) and when you go to the websites for the other hotels you get specific B and B prices (well) over £250 per night for 14 July, at least from here in the UK. It is also true that there is an airport bus that runs once an hour to central Rejkyavik which allows only I suitcase per person and only goes to specific locations at a cost of approx £55 for two people. Is this the same as the promised Regent hotel transfer? I am afraid our days of managing cruise luggage on airport transfer busses are long gone.

Thank you to everyone for the interest, support and advice. Flossie's observation about the extra cost of Concierge over F Grade is spot on. In fact we are now in a worse position than we would have been with an F Grade booking in that we don't even get transfers! We would genuinely welcome advice on hotels and transfers. The cheapest pre-booked airport transfer I can see is 156 euro (£133) although even that was not confirmed and extras sometimes appear when you book. A google search warns of higher costs than this by getting a taxi from the rank at the airport.

The cheapest room at the Konsultat mentioned by Iprp is £417 inc breakfast for 14 July and all 4 star hotels that I can see through booking sites online are £250 plus, if anyone has any different information or suggestions these would be most welcome. The taxi from the hotel to the cruise terminal would be on top of this.

So, still waiting to hear back from our TA and Regent. I know that in a way these are first world problems and we are fortunate to be able to bear any extra costs without this impacting anything other than our kids inheritance but I must say that it is irritating! We pay pretty much top dollar to Regent for things to go smoothly, not to be endlessly cross with them!

This cruise was booked on the basis that it included a pre-cruise hotel in Reykjavik and transfers. Regent are now seeking to withdraw that element of the contract with passengers and give £150 pp as compensation. First, it is unacceptable that they should behave in this way. It is still perfectly possible for them to book and pay for hotels and transfers even if this may take a little more administrative effort on their part. Second, the additional cost to us of making our own arrangements wold far exceed the amount offered. 

So lets's see what they do. Our TA has gone back to Regent and we wait to see what they say. We will then assess our options which should include cancellation and full refund (this is a significant change to the arrangements booked) or we may still proceed but Regent will surely have lost us as future customers. I should say we have coming up to 200 nights with Regent but this would be our first cruise back with them since Covid. In the meantime, we have had good experiences with Seabourn and Scenic but thought we would give Regent another go because we were interested in the itinerary for this cruise. We aren now regretting this.

Yes, we received notification this morning as well. We have gone back to our TA to say this is not acceptable to us. We also booked Concierge level for the pre-cruise hotel and transfers. Regent use this port regularly and they point out in their own communication that there are lots of hotels. Unfortunately, they cost more than the compensation being offered. For example, the Hilton at the cruise port is more that £300 for the night in question without transfers.

This was to be our return cruise with Regent after 5 years, during which we have sailed with Seabourn, Scenic and Viking. The outcome of this will determine whether we book Regent ever again.

We booked today fro the 29 May sailing and it is great to have something to look forward to at last! Having previously enjoyed Viking River cruises it will be interesting to experience Viking Ocean, although not sure Portsmouth to Portsmouth would be the ideal choice. Having sailed lots with Regent and Seabourn it will be interesting to compare, although will take fully into account the limited itinerary.

I wondered how Viking will crew the ship given restrictions on international travel? Still, that's their problem and although I appreciate all the potential problems it seems an awfully big adventure!

2 hours ago, John117 said:

We have a cruise in June booked as a package with a UK TA which calls at 8 Italian ports. As your cruise itinerary has been significantly changed including the start and finish points you should have been entitled to a full refund of all monies paid under the Package Holiday Regulations 2018. We are hoping to have a full refund at a later date.

The cruise was from Venice to Haifa, then changed to depart Athens with the first part sort of killing time before returning to Athens and the original itinerary. This is still a significant change and we should be due a full refund under Regent's own terms as well as the regs you quote. We would have been up for a change to the Explorer British Isles cruise at the end of May but Regent wanted ££££ for this so we went for the full refund instead. If the Explorer cruise goes ahead (a big "if" I think) then I would think the price might come down and we will consider booking.

If not, maybe a UK canal boat trip is the only option!

We have cancelled our planned Voyager cruise originally from Venice on 11 May in favour of a refund rather than FCC. This is under Regent's T's & C's rather than Regent Reassurance. Hoping it will not be too long before we get the refund. At least we will be richer (or less poor) if not happier. Where shall we go instead? Southend or Blackpool?

10 minutes ago, forgap said:

We are also on this cruise and agree with your disappointment.  The website is confusing but I believe we leave from Athens on the 11th.  Here is what my TA sent us:

Your new itinerary is below:

 

Date	Day	Port	Country	Arrival	Departure
11-May-20	Mon	Athens (Piraeus)	Greece		6:00 PM
12-May-20	Tue	Gythion*	Greece	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
13-May-20	Wed	Katakolon*	Greece	8:00 AM	7:00 PM
14-May-20	Thu	Corfu*	Greece	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
15-May-20	Fri	Cruising the Mediterranean Sea	At sea
16-May-20	Sat	Heraklion (Crete)	Greece	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
17-May-20	Sun	Santorini	Greece	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
18-May-20	Mon	Athens (Piraeus)	Greece	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
19-May-20	Tue	Ephesus (Kusadasi)	Turkey	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
20-May-20	Wed	Rhodes	Greece	6:30 AM	3:00 PM
21-May-20	Thu	Limassol	Cyprus	11:00 AM	7:30 PM
22-May-20	Fri	Jerusalem (Haifa)	Israel	8:00 AM	Overnight
23-May-20	Sat	Jerusalem (Haifa)	Israel

the US website does say the trip is from Gythion to Haifa  but the departure date remains May 11th.  It looks like whoever is responsible for the website is not very detail oriented. 

 

Thanks very much for this, very useful. The UK site now says the same thing. We will wait to see what Regent and our TA say and indeed see how the situation develops before taking a final decision.Better Athens than Gythion but this does seem to us a fundamental change and a less attractive cruise which we would not have booked had we known the itinerary. Incidentally, our TA said today that although Thea are awaiting final details from Regent we would get a FCC of 25% of the cruise only fare if we go ahead.

We will see! I should say that although it is all a bit confusing I do sympathise  with Regent staff and indeed others in the travel agency whose livelihoods and not just holidays may be affected by developments. I am sure they are doing their best!

We are UK customers booked on the Voyager 11 May Venice to Jerusalem (Haifa) cruise. I see from the Regent website that this will now start in Gythion (?) and spend the first part of the trip in Greek waters rather than the Adriatic as planned making it a much less appealing cruise. Presumably it means flying to Athens and a long bus journey (4 hours?) from there to pick up Voyager in Gythion. This seems to me to be a pretty fundamental change so I am hoping that we will not have to rely on Regent Reassurance but should have the option of a full refund. Waiting for our TA and or or Regent to confirm. I do understand their logistical problems but I hope they do this quickly. Thanks, flossie for the useful analysis.

I  just wanted to ask a question about the application of Regent Reassurance to US customers and in particular what it does and does not cover. Regent has just released the same or similar offer for FCC in the event of customer cancellation wef 3 April - November requiring 30 days notice. They are at pains to stress that this covers the "cruise only" element of the costs and they would deduct airfare and "concierge benefits" by which I think they mean cost of the one night pre-cruise stay. This is a little odd as the fares advertised in the UK include these elements, indeed I do not think I have seen cruise only fares advertised. 

Is this the same in the US and would you expect the full costs to be refunded in the event of cancelation? Grateful for any feedback. I am not sure we would want to cancel for FCC in any case but it is difficult to see our cruise on Voyager from Venice in April going ahead if for no other reason than the current Regent terms seem to say that anyone who has been in the Veneto within 30 days of the cruise will be denied boarding!

We, too are booked on the 11 May Voyager cruise from Venice and are still hoping for the best. News of the "Regent Reassurance" offer seems to be slow in reaching the UK with nothing (that I can see) on the RSSC UK website but I cannot imagine that the offer would be confined to US customers. I have asked my TA to chase but we would want two see how things develop before taking any final decision.

We were in Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore (with Scenic) in February and had a wonderful holiday. Interesting to see swift and effective measures being taken in Singapore in particular which do seem to have been effective.

Sounds like a reasonable outcome. In our experience, the UK office can be helpful on things like shore excursions but anything to do with money has to go back to the US. Put aside the money "saved" and if you enjoy the cruise next year book another one while you are onboard. You then get a price "guarantee" (although this does not apply automatically) and you can also get it referred back to your TA who should apply their normal discount.

We have been in this position and although as has been noted under the UK T's and C's the customer would seem to have no redress I would say it is certainly worth pushing Regent through your TA. Although unlikely that they will offer a cash refund, we have obtained upgrades, OBC and future cruise credits in various combinations but not without a struggle. Regent want people to book early and they also value repeat bookings so I would hope that they will make an offer acceptable to you. Best wishes for a satisfactory outcome and keep us posted!

1 hour ago, fizzy said:

One episode was enough for me. Did the corporate people have a say in the final edit? I wonder if they are changing their marketing strategy to appeal to the "not our kind, dear" crowd or people who are impressed with " The real housewives of anywhere" clientele? I think we love the Navigator for a reason and have never felt that vibe on board but I guess a company has to go in the direction that will bring them the highest yield.

I understand that Regent had no control over the final edit. I agree with many of the critical comments about the programme above but that says more about TV than it does Regent, except that Regent marketing does focus too much for my liking on the expense of everything.

Although we were interested to see the programme and recognise some things (and people) overall we did not think it was a true reflection of life on board a Regent ship and certainly not why we continue to sail.

Understand also that the UK office has been getting lots of calls after each programme, so maybe we will see Hyacinth B on board one day!

Jason Montague did not say anything about competitions or draws, he just invited suggestions for the name for the new ship which I passed on. He said that the "er" or "or" endings was for continuity, not because of different spellings in UK and US English.

I think everyone realises that Regent is US based and it is entirely up to them what they do but when invited to express opinions equally valid to say that some spellings will jar and look odd to some of us.

In any case, I guess they will be very much engaged with the Splendour, sorry Splendor launch next year.

For what it is worth, I got the strong impression Regent is committed to the name ending in er or or so that would rule out Endevour, and Endevor would be a bit ridiculous. Still, I thought that about Spledor (still do) but it would not stop me sailing on her.

i had forgotten all about the earlier discussion on names so I guess all legal and decent suggestions were covered and maybe also some that don’t fall into those categories. 

For what it is worth my best effort is “Adventurer”. This ends in the approved er format, starts with a different letter than the rest of the fleet, and injects a (probably unjustified) element of excitement.

Jason M made no mention of prizes or reward for winning suggestion!

We were a bit concerned about returning to Navigator for the recent NY to Montreal cruise which ended last Friday after a break which included most recently two Explorer cruises. Disappointed to miss three ports of call (Bar Harbour, St Johns and Halifax) but happy with the way the Captain and Officers dealt with the situation and pleased overall with Navigator. I know she does not suit everybody but we enjoyed the smaller scale, excellent theatre layout and more intimate feel.

We were joined by Regent President and CEO Jason Montague (although he was delayed because of Dorian) and RSS Society Head Jason O'Keefe for this cruise. Both were visible and approachable and JM did a "Town Hall" event where he presented on Regent plans and took questions and contributions and also showed pics of Splendor's  progress in construction. We liked the lighter tones planned for Spledor, always thought Explorer too dark (and horrible "art" on the walls).

Also, a new ship planned but no name yet so JM invited suggestions, with Endevour (or Endevor) being most backed. What do you think? I wondered about "Intoxicator"? Apparently must end in "er" or "or".

Some changes coming with removing plastics, using smart devices for tours etc. Bring it on I say! For what it is worth (not much) my suggestions were to focus more on the quality of third party suppliers for transfers etc and also to try to get better docking locations. For example, we were docked at Pier 103 in Quebec City which is a bus ride out rather than in the City Centre Dock, lots of other location examples I could give. Makes a big difference to the cruise experience.

Final shout out to pianist Clive Carrington who was onboard. A star!

Thanks for the good wishes. Yes, looks like Dorian is passing through more quickly, nice day in Halifax predicted for tomorrow now! 

Agree better safe than sorry and comms from Jamie and Capt good. Sorry to miss Halifax, St John and Bar Harbour. Perhaps another time, though not in Autumn!

Just to update on the original q. Halifax now cancelled, the port is apparently closed tomorrow. Finally left Boston last night and just arrived Portland with an extra sea day tomorrow which we are not looking forward to at all.

Wise after the event but in the light of these experiences  I would now avoid the eastern seaboard during hurricane season.