SellaVee

In reply to various questions and suggestions, yes, I do have travel insurance, but I won’t be claiming for the extra costs because that would push up my premiums in the future.  I disagree that $200 in on board credit is adequate compensation since a) it won’t pay for my transfers, and b) there is nothing else on board that I would need to spend it on.  It's money that just goes back into a Regent's coffers.

What Regent has disregarded is the UK package holiday regulations, and as they are members of ABTA, I am able to refer them to their regulations, once I know how much more money I need to cover expenses.
 

I don't know if not providing the hotel is sufficient to cancel the holiday, and in any case we are celebrating an anniversary on this cruise.

Like @Grandma Gilly, I didn't get the letter until I asked my TA who had to contact Regent.  Had they informed us when we booked, hotels would have been cheaper.

@Bruce61, this isn't just a problem in Iceland.  I think Barbados and possibly Lisbon have also been affected.

We had no hotel allocated for our July trip to Iceland.  We did, though, get a letter, out of the blue, saying they wouldn't be providing hotel and transfers and it was up to us to organise it ourselves.  We had a £150pp "goodwill gesture", which will cover the hotel but not the transfers too, and there is $200pp on board credit, which is about as much use to us as a chocolate teapot.  Had we known this when we booked a) I wouldn't have booked concierge, and b) The cost of booking a hotel would have been less.  Regent are unwilling to cover any extra costs we incur regarding transfers.  The letters were sent out a few days after the window for a full refund closed.  They really couldn’t care less.  It's our first cruise with Regent, and probably our last, as I'm seriously unimpressed.

Just now, Pcardad said:

You are in the UK - you can get a full refund if the cruise is materially different than what was advertised, yes? 

I don’t know if losing the arrival hotel and transfers counts as a material difference.  However, we are entitled to any out of pocket expenses cause by a failure to supply any element of the package.  I'm considering seeking advice from the travel section of one of our national newspapers about how to go about this.  I need to know if I should seek redress before we travel, or wait until we get back. 
 

I can't believe Regent are being so intransigent about covering our costs.  They could have turned this mess into a goodwill opportunity, for very little extra, in the great scheme of things.  Their existing talk of a goodwill gesture is nonsense.

There is a dining and tour benefit, but the tour benefit is only of use if you book a year in advance, which we didn’t.  From what I’ve read, the Compass Rose gets better reviews than the specialities, and the bigger balcony is moot in Iceland.  There is a  WIFI related benefit, but my existing shipboard credit would have covered that.  The main draw for us in choosing concierge was the included hotel and transfers.  The difference between F2 and Concierge is over £2000 for the pair of us at brochure prices, so we are paying heavily for something we aren't getting.  Not a mistake I will make again.

The volcano won’t make the cruise impossible, unless there's an ash cloud or something that stops people flying anywhere.  Only a fraction of the cruise is in Iceland, so Regent would have to either start it late, or, more likely, start it somewhere else.

l believe Splendor is docking at the container port.

Apologies for the bullet point - they crept in while I wasn’t looking!

• The trouble with exploring other options, other than cancelling, is that the longer we wait, the more expensive/scarce hotel rooms become.  The Courtyard by Marriott makes a mockery of what they claim to offer, viz. a "luxurious hotel at the heart of your embarkation city".  I've not been offered that, as far as I know, all I've seen is the original letter, but this was causing me so much stress, that I have also booked the Hotel Alda.
   
• This cruise was sold in the UK as a package, and as such there are regulations with which it must comply.  Regent may also fall foul of UK  Trading Standards laws regarding the hotel offered.  I've left this with my travel agent but if they have the same luck as everyone else I will be taking it further myself.  I will be recommending Regent to no one.
• 
  This is our first, and almost certainly last, cruise with Regent.  It would almost certainly have been worth the actual goodwill, not their "imaginary" goodwill, to offer everyone a bit more so no one who pays the kind of money we are paying ends up out of pocket.  Shipboard credit doesn't count when a)you already have plenty shipboard credit, and b)the cruise is all inclusive.   The phrase "bait and switch" just popped into my head as I was writing this.

Oops, I need to correct myself as I found this in the glossy bit of the website under "WHAT'S INCLUDED”, while I was looking for shopping options to spend the on board credit.

From Concierge Suites and above, arrive refreshed and relaxed to your destination as part of our INCLUDED Air Programme and then unwind at your luxurious hotel at the heart of your embarkation city. We select each world-class hotel, for your included pre-cruise package, for its superb location, ambiance, standards of service, cuisine and amenities. Plus, your package includes transfers, breakfast and porterage.

Given that one of the Hotels Regent was in the habit of using in Reykjavik was The Grand, I think they might need to check out the Trade Descriptions Act!

Something to be aware of is that Regent offers a "free hotel and transfers" to Concierge passengers, and there is a tiny asterisk beside this information.  I have tried several times to look at the terms and conditions on the UK website and I always get an error message.  I think in court they might argue that this offer has no monetary value, which is obviously nonsense, considering how much more we're paying for concierge.  Had they added the OBC to the amount of hotel credit, it would have cost them a bit more, but their passengers would have been much happier, and may even have chosen to cruise with Regent again.  This cruise will have to be amazing for me to ever consider Regent again.

On the other hand, the flight, hotel, transfers and cruise, all obviously form a package under ABTA rules and therefore we should be able to claim any out of pocket expenses, which, of course, there will be.

We cruised seamlessly in and out of Barbados with Windstar years ago, no problem with Virgin flights from Manchester.  We enjoyed it so much we did it again the following year, our of Barbados’s on a different route.  Both times we hired a car for our last day and toured the island by ourselves before leaving the car at the airport.
 

Where @Dolebludger  has a point, is the increase in mass market tourism to Barbados.  A friend who loves Barbados recently told us he won’t be going back as the airport was chaos.  I think some of the other passengers were, shall we say, cross.

As for Regent being unable to provide the hotels and transfers we've already paid for,in several locations, yet, ironically they expect passengers to be able to organise these themselves, I think they are taking the proverbial.

@DaveA mine says round trip flight to Manchester, but I know that isn't true, because Regent thinks once we disembark in Southampton we're home. 

Before this fiasco, if I looked at my itinerary there was an entry for 24th July, with flight and hotel TBA.  Now there is absolutely nothing on that date and my itinerary starts on the 25th.  Do any UK passengers have their flight details listed?  I was quoted a particular flight when I booked, and my TA mentioned that Regent often used The Grand Hotel in Reykjavik, so they have run cruises from Reykjavik before, as mentioned by @lprp

I wouldn’t hold my breath on Regent doing the right thing.  Like @DaveA booked a Concierge cabin to take advantage of the included hotel and transfers.  It is also our first cruise with Regent, and I think their attitude is a appalling.  I didn’t even get the letter, and had I not checked in here I'd be none the wiser.  I rang my travel agent this afternoon and she checked for information from Regent - there was none, so she put in a call to Regent and I've now received the same letter.  I don’t know how long I would have waited  if I hadn’t had the heads up.

I was only saying the other day that I'd booked a "one click holiday", ie pay Regent a shed load of money and they take care of everything.  At least that's what their advertising led me to believe.  The irony is I usually book flights, hotels and excursions separately from the cruise.  I won't be trusting Regent again.

15 hours ago, Harters said:

I think that may have been me. I get more forgetful by the day. 

Welcome to my world.

22 hours ago, beaujolais said:

 

 

  Where ?

35 minutes ago, Harters said:

Certainly in travel agent advertising that I've seen. It's partially what prompted us to think about Regent and for me to start this thread. 

Also, someone mentioned in Waitrose magazine, and on The World's Most Expensive Cruise Ship TV series, there is a lot of emphasis on the food offering.

22 hours ago, bitob said:

My 2 cents

15 cruises on Oceania and I will never go back,

 

Once I switched to the Old Crystal (never going back there either) I will now only sail Regent, silversea and Seabourn.  I witnessed the food on O deteriorate over the years.  The main dining roomon O is to be avoided at all costs.  Compass Rose is better than the specialties on Regent.  IMO there is no comparison at all.  I just spent 30+ days on Grandeur.  Divine.

BIB, I have to disagree with this.  We spent 15 days on Marina last July/August and apart from one entrée, the food in the MDR was superb.  I'm hoping Regent will be just as good this summer, as this will be our first cruise with them.  They are certainly promoting their food offering in the UK.

I posted the news that Regent was running a "kids sail free" promotion, and I was concerned.  The majority of respondents said that most kids that came in board were very well behaved.  I've seen children on both Windstar and Oceania who have been beautifully behaved.  Looking at the ages of yours, and the fact that you have grandparents on board too, I don't see any problem.

There will always be people who don't want kids on board.  I had a friend say recently that she thought children were a necessary evil.  I haven't been in touch since.  The only problem arises if there are lots of children on board, because then they can cause a disturbance just by being kids.  Being an Alaskan cruise, there may well be other children on board, hopefully similar in age to your,

1 hour ago, Jane Mitchell said:

I know that Star Clippers had a cruise that linked with the Ryder Cup in Italy last year (I wasn't on it).  But I think these tie-ins make a lot of sense.  I'd certainly look at combining a cruise with a major sporting event if something came up that fitted my interests.

The Royal Liverpool hosted the British Open last year and it's very easy to get to the course from The Pier Head.  The river is tidal, but otherwise I don't think there would be a problem, apart from the event being a sell out months in advance.

3 hours ago, Pcardad said:

I think it is Windstar. Their Dir. of Marketing lives there and is married to a senior Regent staff member.

That's interesting.

I think it was Windstar, but I could be wrong, that used to have a cruise that let you go to the Monaco Grand Prix.  We never did that, but when we cruised SE Asia and disembarked in Shanghai, I’d already booked a hotel for 2 nights when my DH found out that the Shanghai Grand Prix was on at the same time.  He bought his ticket online before we left the UK, and took the tube to the circuit, while I went to a calligraphy class and a cooking class by taxi.  We both had a great time.

So far i haven't mentioned the Aston Martin connection.

3 hours ago, cruisevirgin24 said:

The UK/US prices are not comparable.  US prices include Business air fare  for international flights as standard. The UK prices include economy flights as standard, with Business upgrades at a supplement.

Additionally, discounts are offered at different times to each market. Presently the kids travel for free offer is not available on the UK website.

BIB, Oh yes it is!  (Panto season has started early).  You just need to look for it.

I'm interested in this topic too, as we are refugees from Oceania since the arrival of Simply more.

Regent are certainly plugging their food offer.  I chose to cruise on Splendor before I discovered it was the vessel on "The Worlds Most Expensive Cruise Ship".  Catch up TV let me watch the programme, and they were certainly emphasising up the food on board.  We've still to travel so I can't comment, though not all reviews are complimentary..

We cruised on Marina for 15 nights last year, and apart from one entrée the food we ordered was really great.  Their bread and butter was so good that I often felt  I'd be happy with that and a glass of chilled white wine 😆.  It definitely felt like fine dining.  Oceania have trademarked "the finest cuisine at sea" and I don't know how true it is in every case but it certainly suited me very well.

5 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Seems Regent is searching for a new identity.  Has to choose which way it wants to go.  Only sure no kids is Viking and they have some issues as they all do.  I am in the no kids camp but enjoy Regent when it is on its game.

There is a British based line called Saga.  You have to be 50 or over to sail with them.

@NYC-London  I think you are spot on in terms of the attitude and behaviour of adults towards children, which is why I think children thrive where they can relax.  I've heard adults complain about children enjoying themselves in the pool on Riviera.  They weren’t misbehaving but there was some splashing.  The complaining adults weren't even in the water.

On a trip to Sorrento and in a mini bus with our boys we overheard the comment "Sorrento is no place for children".  No, it's only got Pompeii and Herculaneum up the road and Vesuvius to climb, plus a hotel with multiple swimming pools, tennis courts and an ice cream kiosk.

I'm sorry you encountered such a frosty attitude towards your sons.

I've been on a cruise with an officer’s toddler on board.  She charmed everyone, partly because she was the only child present.