Deposit, Final payment for Explorer

[Pam]

I love cruising and I love Regent. But there is no way I'd put down a high deposit and know it was non-refundable. Every day they do something that makes me shake my head.

[mcshane]

I love cruising and I love Regent. But there is no way I'd put down a high deposit and know it was non-refundable. Every day they do something that makes me shake my head.

 

As a new cruiser, I suppose I originally thought it might be normal...and quickly realised not!

 

I checked the T&Cs again and as far as I can see, they still extend only to 2 November 2016. I need confirmation from Regent before booking - definitely don't want to pay 20% if it should be 15%, just because of an unsure employee.

 

And I know I could ring them again...but I don't want to risk another "opinion" - I want the official, documented response!

Edited April 23, 2015 by mcshane

[Anchorbuoy]

Well, maybe Regent actually does monitor CC.

 

Today, the Ticket Contract has been updated.....but the Terms & Conditions are still out of date and contradict the Ticket Contract.

 

If you are an attorney, maybe you can sort out if the transition between old and new Contracts is good or bad for you. The NEW wording on Ticket Contract is:

 

6. CANCELLATION POLICY

.....

The following cancellation penalties apply only to the Seven Seas Explorer Inaugural Season August 3, 2016 – December 28, 2016

Suite Category: RS MS-SS2 A-H

Time of Deposit – 151 days prior to departure 50% 25% $200*

150 – 121 days prior to departure 50% 50% 15%

120 – 91 days prior to departure 50% 50% 50%

90 – 76 days prior to departure 75% 75% 75%

75 - 0 days prior to departure 100% 100% 100%

 

28. AMENDMENTS AND MODIFICATIONS

In the event amendments or modifications to this Ticket Contract are required they may be added by the Carrier by means of attached form and will be considered an enforceable part hereof.

 

Ticket Contract 20150423

 

http://www.rssc.com/media/hostedfiles/legal/USTicketContractJanuary2015.pdf

Edited April 23, 2015 by Anchorbuoy

[Travelcat2]

Well, maybe Regent actually does monitor CC.

 

Today, the Ticket Contract has been updated.....but the Terms & Conditions are still out of date and contradict the Ticket Contract.

 

If you are an attorney, maybe you can sort out if the transition between old and new Contracts is good or bad for you. The NEW wording on Ticket Contract is:

 

6. CANCELLATION POLICY

.....

The following cancellation penalties apply only to the Seven Seas Explorer Inaugural Season August 3, 2016 – December 28, 2016

Suite Category: RS MS-SS2 A-H

Time of Deposit – 151 days prior to departure 50% 25% $200*

150 – 121 days prior to departure 50% 50% 15%

120 – 91 days prior to departure 50% 50% 50%

90 – 76 days prior to departure 75% 75% 75%

75 - 0 days prior to departure 100% 100% 100%

 

28. AMENDMENTS AND MODIFICATIONS

In the event amendments or modifications to this Ticket Contract are required they may be added by the Carrier by means of attached form and will be considered an enforceable part hereof.

 

Ticket Contract 20150423

 

http://www.rssc.com/media/hostedfiles/legal/USTicketContractJanuary2015.pdf

 

Thank you for posting the rules regarding the Explorer. Actually, we have not been confused at all as this has been explained by our TA. If you do not have a TA that regularly books Regent cruises, suggest that you get one. There is no need to try and figure out the legal gobbly-gook -- simply let your TA do it for you (and you $$$ and benefits not offered when you book directly with Regent). :)

[Anchorbuoy]

There is no need to try and figure out the legal gobbly-gook :)

 

Everyone is bound by The Contract, regardless of who your travel agent might be, or what she thinks she knows.

 

The simple fact is that The Contract was not changed until yesterday. It says what it says, and it is binding. Regent changed the definition of "Inaugural Season" several weeks after new Explorer itineraries were added.....which created the confusion and discussion on this thread.

 

The ticket contract covers the cancellation policy. The Terms and Conditions specify the deposit policy. On the US website, that has NOT been updated, and presumably will be corrected at some point. The definition of Inaugural Season on T&C ends November 2, which contradicts the revised Ticket Contract.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Anchorbuoy

[Travelcat2]

Everyone is bound by The Contract, regardless of who your travel agent might be, or what she thinks she knows.

 

The simple fact is that The Contract was not changed until yesterday. It says what it says, and it is binding. Regent changed the definition of "Inaugural Season" several weeks after new Explorer itineraries were added.....which created the confusion and discussion on this thread.

 

The ticket contract covers the cancellation policy. The Terms and Conditions specify the deposit policy. On the US website, that has NOT been updated, and presumably will be corrected at some point. The definition of Inaugural Season on T&C ends November 2, which contradicts the revised Ticket Contract.

 

Did not mean to imply that our TA isn't bound by the same contract that everyone else. My point is that TA's are able to get information in advance of it being publically announced. Many times a TA knows about a change before the customer service representatives.

[machotspur]

Has anybody from Europe or the UK made a booking yet?

 

I phoned today to enquire about a G2 suite on the transatlantic sailing on 16 November 2016. The lady in Regent told me the deposit was 20% and would be forfeited in full if the trip was cancelled. This doesn't seem to fit with anybody else's experience!

 

I have consulted the UK terms and conditions and it seems to contradict the "no refund at all on cancellation" quote...and perhaps I'm being blind, but I can't seem to find any details on deposit. Plus, as a previous poster mentioned, it hasn't updated beyond early November.

 

To clarify, we are looking to book through the UK office, but are based in Ireland and are choosing the euro (no flights included) package as it is much cheaper. There is no specialist travel agent in Ireland that I could identify, so hence booking directly.

 

Any advice/experience welcome!

 

I was about to make a booking on Navigator yesterday but then went into a lengthy investigation with my Travel Agent on what the cancellation terms were.

 

In short, the deposit & cancellation terms are different for each market would you believe :

 

In the UK it is a 20% NON REFUNDABLE deposit !

In the USA the cancellation penalty is just $200 at least 151 days out.

 

Nice to see Regent are so welcoming to non US customers.:(

 

I was about to book one of the large suites but have now decided to look elsewhere.

[beaujolais]

I have sailed with RSSC since 2003 and since 2007 however whenever I have sailed with RSSC I have always sailed with USA T&Cs. Originally my TA contacted the Southampton office and requested these conditions. I do live full time in the UK. Like Machotspur I do find it rather concerning their treatment of non USA customers in the T&C's department

[wripro]

machotspur,

 

I think you will find that all cruise lines have nonrefundable deposits when booked with UK TAs. It's A UK policy, not the cruise lines. However, many people seem to prefer UK agents because they receive much larger commissions that US agents and therefore are able to rebate to the clients.

[Travelcat2]

As wripro mentioned, the fact that deposits are non-refundable is not dictated by Regent but rather by the country in which you live. The U.K. rules are more stringent in some areas and less in others. The one thing that is different (in the U.S.) about the Explorer bookings through next year is that the refund penalties are higher - especially in cases of the higher suites.

[machotspur]

machotspur,

 

I think you will find that all cruise lines have nonrefundable deposits when booked with UK TAs. It's A UK policy, not the cruise lines. However, many people seem to prefer UK agents because they receive much larger commissions that US agents and therefore are able to rebate to the clients.

 

Thank you so much for your insight into UK policy on this matter.

 

There is of course a difference between the size of the deposit and what is refundable in the event of a cancellation.

 

In the UK, with some cruise operators the level of cancellation penalty up to a certain number of days out is relatively modest, say $100 or so - Silversea and Oceania to name but two.

 

Others, for reasons I do not understand, but have discussed at length recently with our TA, choose to apply much more significant penalties. Seabourn and Regent are prominent examples.

 

An obvious example that I have experience of recently is that Oceania and Regent share the same parent company but apply wildly different cancellation penalties.

 

I would value your further informed insight at to why this is of the UK's making, as opposed to a commercial decision of a cruise company.

[JMARINER]

As wripro mentioned, the fact that deposits are non-refundable is not dictated by Regent but rather by the country in which you live. The U.K. rules are more stringent in some areas and less in others.................

 

The way I read what is written above Regent has to make the deposit non-refundable under UK (or US) law. That is not true. Those Government dictated rules are to place maximum limitation, not to set minimums on/for the Cruise line.

 

In this case the 20% penalty for UK customers would likely be the maximum they could legally charge. So if Regent wanted to make it less or or full refund (or only charge $200) for those in the UK, Regent is free to do so.

 

If I was a UK customer I would be PO'd at Regents policy too.

 

j

[machotspur]

The way I read what is written above Regent has to make the deposit non-refundable under UK (or US) law. That is not true. Those Government dictated rules are to place maximum limitation, not to set minimums on/for the Cruise line.

 

In this case the 20% penalty for UK customers would likely be the maximum they could legally charge. So if Regent wanted to make it less or or full refund (or only charge $200) for those in the UK, Regent is free to do so.

 

If I was a UK customer I would be PO'd at Regents policy too.

 

j

 

Thank you JMARINER for your succinct and accurate post - I 100% agree.

 

I was trying to say the same thing in my post above but perhaps excessive English reserve hid this a little (or maybe subtle sarcasm :eek:).

 

If this had the slightest thing to do with UK law then why do different companies behave so differently, including those with the same parent !

[JMARINER]

Thank you JMARINER for your succinct and accurate post - I 100% agree.

 

I was trying to say the same thing in my post above but perhaps excessive English reserve hid this a little (or maybe subtle sarcasm :eek:).

 

If this had the slightest thing to do with UK law then why do different companies behave so differently, including those with the same parent !

 

Yes, some companies try to obfuscate their consumer polices by intimating that there is some legal requirement, when if fact the exact opposite is true. (I do not think Regent is trying to do this.) Regarding travel consumer protection I think that the UK and EU laws are better than what we have in the USA.

 

BTW where in the Cotswold's are you. I used to stay in Chipping Campden. Bought a thornproof tweed jacket there many years ago that is still a favorite.

 

j

[Travelcat2]

Apparently I have been under this misconception for a number of years!

[Host Jazzbeau]

F W Maitland, the English legal historian, famously said "The law is a seamless web." That's relevant here because people are trying to pick one strand out of context. British consumer protection laws are different from those in the US, and apparently stronger -- they therefore have an added cost to cruise lines, who across the board seek to limit this liability by restricting other things that are left to their control. Thus even if Regent isn't required to have a 20% penalty, they feel compelled to use their right to do so to compensate for other areas where their British customers have greater rights.

[Travelcat2]

Thank you for the very informative answer. This makes a lot of sense:)

[machotspur]

F W Maitland, the English legal historian, famously said "The law is a seamless web." That's relevant here because people are trying to pick one strand out of context. British consumer protection laws are different from those in the US, and apparently stronger -- they therefore have an added cost to cruise lines, who across the board seek to limit this liability by restricting other things that are left to their control. Thus even if Regent isn't required to have a 20% penalty, they feel compelled to use their right to do so to compensate for other areas where their British customers have greater rights.

 

Thank you for your informative post. It may or may not be true that a cruise company is choosing to make a higher cancellation penalty to compensate for other legal pressures they are facing.I am not in a privileged position to know this.

 

What is apparent is that various cruise lines are choosing to structure their business models in very different ways, even when they share the same parent. As I have said some companies feel they do not need to inflate the cancellation penalties - others do.

 

That's fine and the customer can choose what they do & do not like.

In my case the 20% non refundable deposit has resulted in me pulling out of a booking as parts of the itinerary I was considering are still not fully confirmed. $8,000 is far too much for us to risk if there is any chance that the end product has a chance of not being what we expected.

 

Customer choice I guess.

[machotspur]

BTW where in the Cotswold's are you. I used to stay in Chipping Campden. Bought a thornproof tweed jacket there many years ago that is still a favorite.j

 

Hello JMARINER - hope the Mods don't kick me out for going off topic - I will be quick.

 

I'm in the opposite corner to Chipping Campden - about 45mins away - but I do visit it. Very pretty place on the Cotswold escarpment, near one of the finest gardens in Europe - Hidcote.

If you are a fan we are in the district used for the village externals of the Downton Abbey series.

 

To get back on topic - I can't afford to live here any longer because of the cancellation penalties these US cruise companies want to charge us :rolleyes:;)

[OctoberKat]

 

I'm in the opposite corner to Chipping Campden - about 45mins away - but I do visit it. Very pretty place on the Cotswold escarpment, near one of the finest gardens in Europe - Hidcote.

 

And Hidcote is just across the lane from another spectacularly charming garden: http://www.kiftsgate.co.uk

 

Deposits and cancellation fees may be less onerous in the U.S. but, boy howdy, do we pay out the wazoo for trip insurance.

[Caroldoll]

And I felt the cruise was slightly high, but I felt that the cruise I picked was just exactly what I wanted. And yes, the travel insurance is enough to make you gag! LOL. You have to be very committed these days.

 

I am afraid because of some of which I feel are unreasonable terms and deposits, etc., we will no longer be cruising after 2016. There are other things to do that are far less stressful.

[machotspur]

And I felt the cruise was slightly high, but I felt that the cruise I picked was just exactly what I wanted. And yes, the travel insurance is enough to make you gag! LOL. You have to be very committed these days.

 

I am afraid because of some of which I feel are unreasonable terms and deposits, etc., we will no longer be cruising after 2016. There are other things to do that are far less stressful.

 

OctoberKat & Caroldoll

 

As a matter of interest I had a heart issue some years back and have a defibrillator fitted in my chest - as a result obtaining travel insurance is often a challenge. A joint policy for my wife and I is around $400 p.a. for multi trips worldwide inc N.America. - that's health cover, cancellation & baggage. How does that compare to the USA ?

 

And yes - Kiftsgate, just a mile or so from Hidcote is equally pretty - we are blessed around these parts ! :D

[OctoberKat]

Hi Machotspur, our next cruise is aboard Silversea Whisper Barbados / Amazon / Barbados in November; the trip insurance cost is $4,400 for the two of us in a Royal suite.

 

Hey, you take care of that ticker, hear?!

Edited June 4, 2015 by OctoberKat

[Travelcat2]

OctoberKat & Caroldoll

 

As a matter of interest I had a heart issue some years back and have a defibrillator fitted in my chest - as a result obtaining travel insurance is often a challenge. A joint policy for my wife and I is around $400 p.a. for multi trips worldwide inc N.America. - that's health cover, cancellation & baggage. How does that compare to the USA ?

 

And yes - Kiftsgate, just a mile or so from Hidcote is equally pretty - we are blessed around these parts ! :D

 

Keep in mind that the cost of travel insurance varies and that the cost increases with age!

[rallydave]

OctoberKat & Caroldoll

 

As a matter of interest I had a heart issue some years back and have a defibrillator fitted in my chest - as a result obtaining travel insurance is often a challenge. A joint policy for my wife and I is around $400 p.a. for multi trips worldwide inc N.America. - that's health cover, cancellation & baggage. How does that compare to the USA ?

 

And yes - Kiftsgate, just a mile or so from Hidcote is equally pretty - we are blessed around these parts ! :D

 

Close to free compared to what we pay in the US.