New with MANY questions!

[beachprincess23]

My fiance and I are trying to plan our honeymoon cruise. We found an itinerary we LOVED on a Regent cruise so I called to book... well, apparently the cruise is sold out. The cabin we wanted is 'closed,' so we took the next one that says 'waiting list.' The guy over the phone said if I put 1k down we have a better chance, but there are still a lot of people on the wait list. We did this and I'm just looking for some more info....

 

1. If we find another cruise we like (even if it's on a different line) can we get our 1k back? Obviously, if we don't get on the cruise I'm assuming we will get it all fully refunded?

2. This whole 'foreign transaction fee' I just read in the info he sent me to confirm my 1k deposit got me a little nervous... am I going to be charged extra??????

3. So it says airfare is included... if we get on the cruise how does that work? Do they just ask what airport we're leaving from and book it?

 

Thanks for hanging in there with all my questions... I feel a little silly for giving this deposit without fully understanding how this line operates!

[Longhorn1]

Hi...just who did you give the deposit to? Directly to Regent?? Or some kind of broker? Avoid the international charge by using American Express rather than Visa or Mastercard. Regent, or any other cruise line, has not control over the charge...

[beachprincess23]

Hi...just who did you give the deposit to? Directly to Regent?? Or some kind of broker? Avoid the international charge by using American Express rather than Visa or Mastercard. Regent, or any other cruise line, has not control over the charge...

 

I did it through Regent over the phone. Ugh I wish I knew that I would've used my Amex then!! :(

[Kwaj girl]

...but if you're using a Visa or Mastercard from a US bank & you have a US residence address, there shouldn't be any "foreign transaction fees." I use my Chase Visa all the time for deposits/final payments/shipboard charges & have never had any "fee" added by Regent or my credit card company.

I saw the other thread in this forum - maybe it's a recent turn-of-events?

[beachprincess23]

...but if you're using a Visa or Mastercard from a US bank & you have a US residence address, there shouldn't be any "foreign transaction fees." I use my Chase Visa all the time for deposits/final payments/shipboard charges & have never had any "fee" added by Regent or my credit card company.

 

Yeah I'm using a US bank and have a US address... I used a Citi Mastercard... I guess I'll end up seeing what happens when it posts to my account.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

If you change your mind, you get your deposit back minus $200.

 

If you choose included air, Regent books the flights for you. If you want to arrive early, doing a few days before/after the cruise, you pay a $100 per person deviation fee that gives you the right to request specific flights. You won't always get them, but will get some control over your itinerary.

[DaveFr]

If you change your mind, you get your deposit back minus $200.

Wendy,

 

I wouldn't think Regent would charge a cancellation penalty on a wait list deposit but who knows? Stranger things have happened.

 

Dave

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh sorry, I missed that, you're probably right. On a normal deposit, they do charge a non-refundable fee.

[lkakers]

...but if you're using a Visa or Mastercard from a US bank & you have a US residence address, there shouldn't be any "foreign transaction fees." I use my Chase Visa all the time for deposits/final payments/shipboard charges & have never had any "fee" added by Regent or my credit card company.

I saw the other thread in this forum - maybe it's a recent turn-of-events?

 

Kwaj, yes, this is a fairly new thing. As I understand it, when Apollo took over ownership of Regent last year, they eventually switched their banking to a bank in Ireland (the same one that Apollo has used for their other ventures). Some credit card issuers (and more and more now that the economy has been so bad, especially for banks), have instituted "foreign transaction fees" for any monetary transaction in a foreign country, regardless if it's transacted in US dollars. :eek: It used to be that banks would only charge the fee for having to exchange currencies, but now it can only be considered a cash grab by the credit card company.

 

My main Visa cards are issued by Bank of America, and until this year (2009), they would only charge the fee for transactions conducted in a foreign currency, but recently changed their policy to be the "3% charge on any transaction that takes place in a foreign currency" thing. So if I paid a Regent payment with my Visa, I'd be charged an extra 3%, :mad: even if it all happened in US dollars, simply because the bank is in Ireland. (Asinine.) From what I hear, Chase and Citibank already have this policy in place, so you'd have to pay the foreign transaction fee with them, too.

 

I understand that if you are charged such fees, you should let Regent know and they will credit you the amount of the fee. I, however, will just be sure to use my Amex, and avoid the fee altogether.... Regent doesn't get any kick-back from the credit card company from the transction fee (it all goes to the credit card company) so I don't think it's right that Regent should have pay it out. So I am "punishing" the bank by not using their stupid card! :o

[Dreps]

If I were you, I would do some investigating and find a travel agent (TA) that handles a lot of Regent cruises and have your booking transferred to that TA. First of all, you might save some money. Secondly, while Regent has pretty good in--house agents, most of us think you are better off dealing with a knowledgeable independent TA who will have your interests at the forefront.

 

We are not allowed to provide TA recommendations, but if you do a little leg work, I'm sure you will be successful. Since this is such a special occasion, I know you want everything to go smoothly.