katykrol

Thanks for the replies. I’m hoping he gets picked too. 

We are going to be sailing in the Prima in January for my husbands birthday. He watches the Price is Right every day at home. I’ve read a little bit about it in the boards but I don’t know how you get selected to be a contestant. That would make his year if he would be selected. Can anyone help me understand the process?  Thanks! 

I can’t find anywhere is the current threads, how much does it cost, per day, to upgrade your beverage package under simply more. ? Does anyone know? 

I know this has been asked many times and answered but it still seems very fluid. The brochure that cruisenews posted says the elite package is 15 drinks and unlimited zero proof drinks. Then I read that the elite pkg changed and it was 15 drinks total, including zero proof. Can someone comment that has sailed recently? 

I just upgraded from from classic to premium for a 7day cruise on the reflection. I’m elite and my TA called for me and for 2 it was $134.00

We are on this same cruise and the only shore excursions I see when I look at my account are in Bonaire and Half moon Cay. Does anyone else have this same issue? I was going to call HAL, but dread the eternal hold. 

We are on a Holland America ship stopping in October. It’s been several years since we were here and are interested in trying a new beach. Has anyone been there recently that could comment on these 2 options and let me know if there are chair rentals available? Thank you 

Well I guess no Sunday brunch for us since we don’t have any sea days at all. I was hoping that they would have it for Mother’s Day, but I guess not! Thank you 

Hi! Can someone let me know what time the Sunday brunch starts? Trying to schedule shore excursions! Thanks! 

I am using an iPad and my screen doesn’t look the same as yours. I have a blue box with a magnifying glass but it doesn’t give me an option to search this forum. 

Hi. We are currently book in. F2 which only allows for one device. I’d like to add another device and pay for it, but I can’t find info on pricing. I’m going to contact my TA to find out, but it seems silly to bother her when the info should be readily available online.

and my 2nd question is I assume this information must be somewhere in these boards, but for the life of me I can’t figure out how to search just regent anymore and when I tried to search how to search I got a bunch of nonsense. Any help here would be appreciated 

I saw a flight from Atlanta but the connection time was only 40 minutes which was way too short for my comfort zone. 
 

I did see a nonstop from Miami and Newark to Barcelona Been to the Miami airport countless times but never Newark.  Connection times vary between 1 hr 30 min to 3 hr 30 min. I am petrified to miss the connection. 
 

on the way home, Turkish air has a non stop, but not sure is regent contracts with them or not. Weirdly, on the itinerary we arrive in Istanbul at 1:00 pm on 5/13. And it shows departure on 5/15 at 12:00 am. I’m assuming they aren’t kicking us off the ship at midnight. All the other flights leave like at 6:30 am with connections in either London, Paris, Frankfurt or Amsterdam. Glad to know about Amsterdam,  that will be my 2nd choice. 
 

8 hours ago, mrstanley said:

Katy:

When flying to Europe I always try to find a direct flight from Atlanta.

I can’t fly international from my city.

I try to avoid changing planes in Europe.

 

There are many European cities that require a stop in Europe to get to.

For example: Copenhagen 

 

I would advise you to fly from Houston to Atlanta and then get on a direct flight to Barcelona.

 

Do you research regarding Istanbul back to the US. 
 

I have found changing planes in Amsterdam is the easiest. No terminal change… just a long walk to the new gate.

We try to avoid the Paris airport and 

Heathrow. 

I see United and delta but for some reason the delta flight is so much more expensive. There is a Lufthansa flight (that says operated by United) that is the same time as the United flight but like thousands of dollars more which I can’t figure out. 
 

I am considering this Barcelona to Istanbul  cruise next year. I really dislike flying, which has kept me from doing this type of cruise, as we typically leave out of Florida. However, an opportunity has presented itself so I’m considering for the first time. Business class air is included and I have read all about the air deviation from reading almost the entire deviation sticky note. I found some good day before hotels thank to the note as well. 
 

There are not any non stop flights from Houston to Barcelona. So my question is, most people are saying do not connect in the U.S. so question is why? I get that the domestic flight won’t be in business class, I can handle a 3 hour flight in economy. I will more than likely pay the deviation to get what I want (or attempt to). But, for me, it seems less confusing to fly to Houston to Newark, then just a 7 hr 45 min flight straight into Barcelona. Flying into Frankfurt (which I read is a bit of a nightmare) or London, I worry about missing the connection. 
 

also I know my TA is supposed to provide my requests to regent air, etc, but for me to look I know there were also discussions what carriers regent has contracts with and who doesn’t. If I call regent will they provide that info to me so I can decide if this is something I want to do? 
 

and oh… leaving out of Istanbul. There is one direct flight on Turkish air to Houston. Anyone flown that airline and does anyone know if they are on the approved list. 
 

and for the life of me I can’t figure out how to search this forum. It used to be so easy. 
 

thanks for any insight and help.

Yes I won’t cancel myself, I’ll let celebrity cancel me. I just thought after carnival and Norwegian cancelled through may last month that celebrity wouldn’t be far behind. 

But, back to my issue.... what will the CDC propose with vaccines being so readily available to cruisers? The date is up to the CDC. Not you or me. 
Thats been my point all along. Sorry to those who were confused.
 

shelia, this is my concern as well. I don’t understand why the CDC hasn’t updated, released or provided any other information as to sailing requirements since the vaccine is becoming widely available. We are going to have to live with covid one way or another, so i don’t see why no one seems to be doing anything about this. It’s not just that I want to sail again, but this is a huge economical factor as well. 

I’m sure I’m being naive, but the longer it is before celebrity cancels may the more hopeful I am. When I pull up the deck plans it looks like whole sections on each deck have empty cabins, which I have never seen before. Calling my TA tomorrow before I book my flight to see if he has any new intel. 
 

has anyone else heard any news? I can’t find anything new from the cdc and I know a lot of states are opening up more. This is NOT a political statement but I can’t find anything from the new administration regarding cruise travel either. 
 

Just wanted to let everyone know I got my refund last week. I need to add it all up because it came in bits and pieces to make sure it was all there. I have no idea if my dispute helped move it along or what the deal was.  But I did get my money back. Thanks for all the support here. Much appreciated 

6 hours ago, orvil said:

katykrol,

 

Here is a link to an article about a cruise reservation cancellation issue that you might find illuminating.

 

https://www.elliott.org/cruises/coronavirus-cruise-cancellation-too-soon/

 

While it doesn't directly address your particular situation, it does advise that all contact with NCLH and RSSC be done in writing in the future.  You need a paper trail.  It will protect you in case you decide to go to the next step.

 

If you do have a telephone conversation with any company representative at any level, insist on a contact email address.  Upon conclusion of the telephone conversation, write a quick email confirming the conversation, highlight the points of conversation covered.

 

The Elliot Advocacy group emphasizes that the bottom line, it's you against a huge corporate behemoth. 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for that information. I do have the letter that was placed in my stateroom telling us our options when our cruise was cancelled. No form was mentioned. I do have the one communication I received from Jason montague, no form mentioned. I do have an email from a really nice rep at rssc confirming our conversation and acknowledging the mix up. Sadly, last week, both the rude rep and the supervisor told me that it didn’t matter that I had that email. My refund could still be denied. I printed all the emails between myself and my ta because they discuss the phone calls she made.

I have all the “proof” I need and mentioned to the supervisor but he said too bad. I think I will send that email and bullet point the facts. Can’t hurt 

thanks to all who have supported me. Life shouldn’t be this hard. 

Hi there. I knew when I made this post my TA would get bashed. It’s the first time I’ve used her and she only books with regent and other luxury cruise lines so I expect she has some good experience there. She said she hasn’t had a situation like mine, so I might be a one off and just have plain bad luck when it comes to the information that we have received. I trust that she did what she says she has done and the notes when I call seem to back that up. 
 

what I an understandably upset about is that my claim could be denied. I do not want fcc. I have terminal cancer, this was a bucket list trip for me. They promised me a refund. I asked repeatedly for written confirmation of my request and they refused to provide. I work in compliance at a wealth management firm and I would be fired if I treated our clients the way I’ve been treated or refused to provide a written confirm of a financial transaction. 
 

So yes I think I have the right to be upset. I paid for a service that did not occur. If you prepaid to get your house painted for instance and the painter showed up one day then never again, wouldn’t you expect to get your money back? 
 

I know there are people on here who just love love love Regent and good for you. My 2 days onboard on a 1/2 filled ship didn’t really give me much perspective on the brand, but I just can’t believe that anyone logically thinks that this is ok? 

My one and only Regent cruise was cancelled on March 13th one day after leaving port in Miami. We requested a full refund through our travel agent. I called the week after we got back and confirmed they received on March 17th. I called again approx March 29th and asked if I could get written confirmation (no) but they assured me it was on file and should receive 60 to 90 days. Called again mid April to check, yes it was in the works, be patient. Again I asked is there anything I need to do and the answer was no. I saw on cruise critic info regarding a form, checked with the travel agent, she called and they said no, not for my sailing.  I called at the end of April, they said I elected a fcc and I said no I didn’t. They looked at all the notes and put me on a very long hold. Came back and said that I was supposed to complete a form but realized that it was never sent to me, saw the agent had called. They submitted my refund request. Again, asked for written confirmation and no but ge did send me an email recapping our conversation. 

 So today I call again to check because I have seen on fb and here people getting refunds for sailings past mine. The rep who answered the phone was SO rude. Again I was told I requested a fcc and I said oh no let me tell you... and he interrupts me and says yes that’s what is on your account and there are no notes. I explain what happened, and read him the email I read in April and he said well you may have gotten an email but that doesn’t mean anything was actually done and puts me on hold. When he returns he tells me that my refund request is sitting on Jason montague’s desk to be approved or denied. I said what to you mean denied? He said you didn’t return the form. I said I never got it, and I’ve called and called. He said well that’s all I can tell you. So I said why would a promised refund be denied. Same answer. I did get frustrated at that point and said this is so ridiculous and he said don’t attack me. So then I asked for his supervisor.

who gets on the phone and tells me the same thing. I said ok what is the timeline for this approval or denial. He said he’s a very busy man I don’t know. So I said well who does? He said I’m not privy to his schedule. So I said at this point I’ve lost confidence in anything anyone from your firm tells me. The customer service is appalling and I need to protect myself.  I’m thinking I should contact my credit card company to ask them what my options are. He said if you file a dispute your refund will be rejected for sure. I said are you threatening me? He said no but I’m telling you if you contact your credit card company you won’t get your money back. 
 

I am just astounded. I will never ever ever ever sail with regent again.  I feel completely helpless. I did call my credit card company and went through the whole exchange with them and they agreed I need to protect myself so I have filed a dispute. 
 

Here was my experience today with Regent customer service. I was on the 2 day explorer cruise that left Miami March 12th and returned on March 14th. I contacted my travel agent same day we turned around (March 13th) which she immediately contacted Regent and notified them I wanted a full refund. They “received” it on March 17th. I called Regent around approx April 10th, after checking with my ta that I didn’t need to do anything else ( she called them again, yes they had my request for refund, but, you know, it could take up to 90 days).  When I called Regent, they verified what my ta said, I wouldn’t get anything in writing until it was processed.

ok, fast forward to today. I’m 7 weeks in and starting to get a bit nervous. I know there has been a lot of here about the affordability, but I was a first time Regent cruiser, saved for a couple of years, and this was a big deal for us. My husband got laid off at the end of March (who knew that oil was going to hit the skids), so getting our refund is not chump change for us right now. 

So so I call again. First person I talk to says yes your refund is being processed, it will take 90 days. So I say ok, just making sure I don’t need to do anything else. Nope he says. Ok thank you. So then I think I’d really like to get SOMETHING in writing so I call back and get a new person. I give him my booking number and he says, oh you didn’t ask for a refund but a FCC. I said no sir, I can assure you I didn’t. He said that’s what your booking says. So by now I’m thinking the other guy never even pulled up my booking, just gave me standard company line. So I go through The Whole thing with him and he said I do see notes here can you hold a minute. I said sure. 

He he comes back on after about 10 minutes and said, well you should have gotten an email confirming that you wanted a refund. I said I never received an email. He said no that’s what I was researching. We never sent it to you. But because we didn’t receive it back from you, we automatically changed your refund to a fcc. I said well can that be fixed because I definitely don’t want the fcc, I have terminal cancer. He put me back on hold to talk to a supervisor. He came back on and said it had been corrected. I asked for something in writing. He sent me an email confirming what was discussed.

the morale of the story is that if I had not been persistent, I never would have received a refund, and would have had a FCC that I probably wouldn’t live to see. I wonder how many people this happened too. 

I still think 90 days is unacceptable because if they can process our payments in a timely manner then they should be able to process a refund same way. I have no idea what they mean when they say they are being done manually, but I do know from what the customer service rep said today is that a supervisor has to approve each refund, maybe that’s what’s manual. 

Anyway thought I would pass my experience along 

I have been watching all these posts with great interest. We are scheduled to sail on the explorer on March 12th. I know this is a serious issue. But I just have to think common sense would prevail. If ports start closing to cruise ships because of fear, are they going to eliminate all travel to that country. It seems to me that the risk from people flying in would be either the same or a larger risk as passengers on a cruise ship. I have cancer and a broken leg and I’m still going on my cruise. Believe me, I’ve realized life is too short to live in fear. Again, common sense, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough and wash your hands. Considering the world population, and I don’t know the stats or percentages, it seems to me in general, the amount of cases are very low. 

Ive been stuck at home for 2 months recovering from chemo and my leg and watch a lot of tv. The media is just crazy on this subject (among others as well).

just my 2 cents for whatever it’s worth. 

Thank you for the prompt reply. I’m so excited for our first regent cruise.