wristband

Same here - frustrating speaking with Regent phone reps telling us inconsistent and contradictory information call after call.  I gave up.  Like Katy, we filed a dispute with our credit card bank.  Refund was issued a week after filing. 

Perhaps the two were unrelated. But it was a constructive step rather than relying on Regent on the whereabouts of our refund.

Putting aside our fond memories and the likely lack of a vaccine for a long time (Merck CEO today says 2-3 years at earliest), the lack of candid & consistent communication on this important matter is an incentive for us to not book any time soon. 

Sail date: 1/4/21

Cancellation date: 4/2/20

No refund as of 5/10/20 

Filed credit card dispute: 5/5/20

SusieQ thank you!  Refund received today 5/19/20. 

Coincidence or causal effect after we filed dispute with our credit card 2 weeks ago?

Simple: we provided an interest free loan to NCL which NCL will repay on its own terms in its own time.

As for soliciting bookings for Regent cruises in July & August - even though no one in their right mind believes these will occur - the practical effect is refunds for those cruises will not be an obligation until Regent officially announces cancellations.

In other words, moving cruise "start up" dates incrementally is how NCL is managing cash flow.  As well as managing customer expectations.  Caveat emptor.  

Airlines & masks aside, I am curious about Frank's vision of life onboard.  Specifically, elevators.

Having been on many Regent cruises, all of us here know how small ship elevators are and how crowded they can be - packed like sardines throughout the day, esp during meal times, to attend lectures & evening shows, Captain parties and Trivia, when going for excursions.  Many passengers are elderly with mobility concerns - they depend on ship elevators to get from deck to deck.

How will social distancing 6 feet possibly be enforced? Standing shoulder to shoulder in elevators, waiting for an elevator, lining up to enter dining venues... I can't visualize how this can be policed - if it is to be policed - to ensure our health and safety. 

Personally, my concern is transmission of the virus - elevators are enclosed units, people sandwiched in close proximity to each other - an ideal setting for the virus to breed.  Unlike a packed plane, of course, an elevator ride is of a much shorter duration.

Curious how others think about this.  

I find this discussion very interesting but depressing.  As a poster above said, one goes on a Regent cruise for upbeat, fun and five star reasons - not to experience a mortuary.

I wear N-95 masks and gloves when in public and I avoid grocery stores (home delivery) as a recommended precaution.  I do so willingly at home.  But I can't imagine paying full fare to be on Mariner where I must wear a mask all day and adhere to social distancing of 6 feet everywhere on board.  How would this offer me a great vacation experience? 

Aside from removing your mask in Compass Rose, what about the various bars, tea time, lunch at the poolside grill, swimming in the pool, at the gym and sauna or playing Trivia? 

And what about those free excursions which start with us ducklings walking down the gangplank then boarding a tour bus?

I am not mocking the necessity to enforce health protocols on board.  But I do wonder how enjoyable life will be onboard.

Hello Bellaggio - this is off topic so I apologize.  I have been curious...

You and your husband were on Navigator NY - NY (as was I) 2 years.  In Murmansk, you had a great difficulty getting help to go up the gangplank with your scooter in the late afternoon.  After you boarded, port went dark - no police, no Russian port crew, gangplank was raised but Navigator did not depart as scheduled.  That evening, the captain announced we would not depart for Solvestsky - instead it would remain overnight in Murmansk and no one could get off (no taxi there anyways!).  Reason given was "weather related" but the sea was calm in late July and the next day was sunny and pleasant.

I am not faulting the decision but curious if you know the reason to eliminate Solovetsky?

Sail date: 1/4/21

Cancellation date: 4/2/20

No refund as of 5/10/20 

Filed credit card dispute: 5/5/20

Why not cancel now, get your cash back, then wait & watch for much lower fares in 4Q?  More than likely,  demand will be anemic to get on a cruise ship headed for ports which are questionable in terms of their welcome.

Have you seen how Oceania is now deeply discounting its fares?  Regent will likely have to follow to fill excess capacity. 

Add me to that lifeboat.  We took FCCs rather than face a total loss.  We knew we were not going last month and thought the cruise would cancel.  But we were not comfortable playing chicken to see if who would jump first.

The trip overseas was no go for us so, again for us, it was not a wrong decision.

We don't blame Regent - we did it knowing the rules at the time.  Which changed when the cruise cancelled...after our decision.

As someone pointed out, NCL is not incorporated in the US and is therefore likely outside the jurisdiction of US bankruptcy courts.  Which may mean an entirely different set of rules would apply in a foreign court if bankruptcy were to happen.

The biggest concern we have is what amounts are the credit card companies holding back from passing along to NCL companies?  The credit card issuing banks are clearly concerned and will protect themselves from sending too much in advance sales revenue (is there any these days?) to Regent.  But that depends on how much they are holding on to now with so little coming in compared to how much is going to have to be refunded to customers.

As I type, 70,000 crew are still stranded on cruise ships in US waters which are still not allowed to dock in US ports.  Would it be a good idea to first have a plan how the cruise lines will remove the crew on land and send them home, then sanitize the ships with a new crew brought on...before allowing new passengers to board in 7 weeks?

What about the CDC "no sail" order for ships in US ports until at least August?  And who in their right mind will board a cruise ship in July with Covid-19 spreading and spiking like wildfire in Texas and Florida (projection today: 3,000 US deaths in May)?

As Jackie Gleason would say, "This is crazy, man, crazy!"

Dole - customers who paid cruise fare, cancelled and await refunds...if there is a Chapter & or 11 bankruptcy filing, we would be classified unsecured creditors.  Which means we are at the back of the line. 

Secured creditors - lenders, banks, preferred shareholders, construction companies with liens - enjoy priority over consumers seeking refunds for their cruise fare.

If it should occur, the bankruptcy court (a federal judge) has jurisdiction over the company's business affairs, use of remaining cash to pay creditors, and must follow the statutory scheme which prioritizes the payment of payroll, vendors and creditors.

FYI: Chase Bank has the same 60 day window as does Citi on filing disputed claims on credit card charges. 

Cancelled January cruise April 2nd. 

Regent's policy is to "take up to 90 days" to credit the refund amount to our credit card.

Almost 2 weeks passed - no refund as yet.

Caroldoll's hope to have a vaccine before year end...I truly hope that proves to be so.

But I am skeptical.

There is no vaccine for HIV, SARS, MERV etc despite years of effort.  Hoping for an approved cure for COVID-19 within the next 9 months is awfully optimistic.  I hope that optimism rules the day for all of us! 

Today, Wimbledon & the Edinburgh Festival (draws hundreds of thousands) were cancelled.  Both were July - August events.

The concert and festival business and Broadway shows are cancelled through the summer and will likely expand that to the fall.

Virginia's Governor ordered, starting today, state residents must remain sequestered at home until June 10 (ten weeks!). 

Bill makes a good point - there is no way cruise ships will be gassing up this summer.  Sensible adults are not going to board a cruise ship over the next four - six months.  Look at the terrible situation right now passengers are in on the two Holland America ships off Florida.

I may not have been clear Wendy.  My concern if WE cancel before July 9th.  That's a personal decision - not NCL.

Your invoice page 2 has the "Guest Cancellation Schedule" when a pax cancels. See "terms & conditions" on the rssc site (specifically referred to on p. 2).

My point: our cruise contract is silent on the form a deposit refund will take if a passenger cancels. 

I infer a refund will be in the form of FCCs - or cash - based solely on what NCL decides in July.

further to Tubeamps point - who would want to board a cruise ship in June or July? 

The country is going to be shut down well beyond April and the spread of COVID-19 will not be staunched by Memorial Day.

Wendy, carefully read the fine print on your WC invoice.  There is NO requirement NCL/Regent must fund to your credit card vs. their option to issue FCCs for the fare you paid via the card.  That ambiguity has me very very concerned.

I would want my pre-paid WC fare refunded in full to the credit card used - now. Not maybe we shall see what we shall see in 90 days.  NCL might argue should a passenger cancel the pre-paid amount will be refunded only in FCCs.  Even if the day before final payment you canx, a lot of money will be held by NCL...likely only refunded as a chit - not cash.

A reasonable assumption: NCL tightly holding cash to pay overhead, debt, operating costs.  Almost no revenue is coming in - no new bookings, customers cancelling are pushed to rebook on a 2021-22 cruise with a distant final payment date which means the only revenue flowing in are final payments - as yours will be in 2 months. 

Its crunch time.  Which will likely worsen for NCL as it becomes apparent cruises cannot occur in May or June...or later.

I second Travelcat's negative points on Navigator.  Having had a multi-week cruise, I would not return for the very reasons she cites along with the cramped beehive "intimacy" at the buffet for lunch and dinner that others seem to enjoy. 

Do note cabin size on Mariner is smaller than Navigator.  When first in the Navigator cabin, I did not believe that could be so until I saw the dimensions on paper.

Mariner, for us, is a far better choice. 

Add: cruise lines do NOT pay US taxes. 

Bailing out cruise companies is politically untenable - ships are flagged in Liberia/Panama & operate outside the jurisdiction of US laws, majority of employees are not US citizens and don't pay US or state income taxes, and the companies do not comply with US labor laws. 

Despite Mickey Aronson's chummy relationship with Trump, cruise companies are not vital to the well being of the US economy.

Agree with Wendy - I am not now comfortable taking the bet.  Should NCL fail - after the full fare is paid - she becomes an unsecured creditor.  Will there be many new bookings from April to Dec. to offset NCL's lost revenues?  Nope. 

Cruising has all the appeal of Joe Camel now and will for months to come. Going to take time to change negative perceptions.

We expect credit card issuers/banks to promptly refund to card holders.  But: how long it will take to get that refund...esp if the economy continues to crater...how much money did banks advance NCL from cc payments for future cruises...what if NCL argues (as they have) refunds will be only by future cruise credits - not cash?  I would want my money back - not FCF.

The cancellation policy on invoices is loosey goosey - cash refunds are not specifically stated nor expressly required.

On the other hand, if final payment is due 3 months from now much can change.  For better or worse.

Key words in today's notice: "new bookings."  We can cancel a current booking and apply that fare - no cash refunds - to a "new booking"...but does this mean if you have another booking on a second future Regent cruise you can apply the paid fare for a canx cruise in April 2020 to, say, a second cruise booked with a deposit paid for 2021?

The second cruise is not a "new booking" but it is within the time frame in today's  notice.

I am sure TAs are having a tough getting through to Regent.  Understandable with so much uncertainty and questions about today's policy notice.

We plan to be in Italy for a full week prior to boarding in late April.  I will not rely on Regent for guidance on taking the cruise or staying put.  Its not an economic issue - no trip insurance on our end -  more a common sense health concern.

I have been on cruises with TravelCat and Caroldoll with severe outbreaks on board.  Not pleasant - gastro viruses spread quickly from passengers who refuse to follow hygienic practices or who board with the virus.  I have seen up close & personal the "problems" & ended up infected several times.  Obviously, noro is a different cat than corona. 

My point: viruses spread rapidly in confined settings like a plane or ship - despite hand washing frequently, Purell use and carefully cleaning table tops etc.  Flying to Rome, wandering around the city, in and out of hotels, restaurants, buses and the subway, museums and public sites is not something I can dismiss with "you gotta live your life." 

BTW Greykitty, I also have several close colleagues who travel overseas frequently.  They and their companies have put the kibosh on all foreign travel - esp to Europe - until May at the earliest.  Using Skype to conduct business. 

Italy now Level 4 this afternoon:

"In a press conference Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the US has raised the travel warning to level 4 — its most severe warning — regarding travel to affected areas of Italy and South Korea. "

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2020/02/29/coronavirus-trump-adds-travel-restrictions-italy-south-korea/4914822002/

CDC site still has Italy at Level 3:  https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/warning/coronavirus-italy   

CDC statement:    "CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Italy."

I also recommend Caesarea.  But I suggest including (its not far) a visit to Akoo /Acre.  Acre is an ancient city with restored tunnels, very good restaurants, it overlooks the water from an old citadel, several good museums, an interesting history & strategic location dating back to & before the Crusaders' occupation.  .

Caesarea requires "oh I guess that's what it must have looked like" as an archaeological and historical venue of importance.  Acre is the real deal preserved as it once was, a living breathing small city with people zipping around like they did centuries ago. 

I found Acre fascinating.