Need help - price for a cruise has dropped by 30%

[Balian65]

Last year we have booked a cruise on Explorer for the Baltic Sea ( July 2nd - July 12th). We have done that through a German representative for Regent/Oceania and have paid a 20% deposit. We are Regent first timers but have sailed several times with SS.

 

Meanwhile the fare for that cruise has dropped by 30% and we are still in the period where we can cancel without any costs. Any attempt (via mail or telephone) to reach that German representative has failed. I have no idea if that lady is still active for Regent and Oceania. My questions are: what can we expect if we not cancel and re-book the cruise and who would be the right addressee to reach for.

[cruiseluv]

 

Are there other people that work in the office of this representative that you could reach?  Have you used this person before? If no communication can  be established I would be contacting Regent directly and ensure first of all you have a valid reservation with them . It would make me very nervous to have this lack of feedback from the agent. 

If you dont do anything (ie cancel and rebook, or request a price adjustment) I doubt Regent will spontaneously reduce your fare.

[UUNetBill]

Agree with cruiseluv - I'd take whatever documentation you have and contact Regent.  I don't know how long you've been trying to reach the representative in Germany, but honestly, any delay of more than a few hours during normal business hours would have me nervous and seriously looking for a new reputable TA.  No excuse for that, IMO.

 

I'd be on a two-pronged attack - one prong trying to find out what happened to the company you worked with and second prong reaching out to Regent letting them know what happened.

 

Keep in mind that depending on what country you're in right now (Germany?) the consumer protection laws can be quite different.  Good luck and keep us posted on your progress...

[crickette]

I have access to a site that tracks price changes.  I don't see a 30% price drop,  It started Aug 2017 at 11.5 (cat H) and is now 11.9.  Is there any chance that your "new" fare does not include air?  Air saving is 2700.

[JMARINER]

I think your stuck. Sorry 😞

 

Effectively what your asking to do is cancel and rebook at the lower price. From what I read in Regent's booking terms of service (TOS) any cancellation from booking date to 90 day before sailing is a 20% penalty, which was your deposit.  Here is a link to the GB TOS. I think  that the EU version of the TOS is exactly the same.

 

If the new price is really 30% less for the exact class suite and amenities, then you might still want to cancel. You could  still make 10% on the deal.

 

J

 

[flossie009]

Regent(UK) is running a promotion at present which headlines up to 35% savings on 9 European cruises in 2019, including the 02-12 July Explorer Baltic sailing to which the OP refers.

(Looking at the advertised prices today, and the availability of suites, IMO the originally marketed prices must have been highly inflated)

 

I do not know which Ts&Cs Regent applies for customers in Germany.

Agree with others that the OP should contact the nearest Regent office with their very valid concerns.

 

Very glad that we tend to take advantage of the onboard booking “price guarantee” and low deposit so that we do not have issues with matching new offers; particularly with the “draconian” Ts&Cs applied to bookings made in the UK.

[Travelcat2]

It is important to carefully compare the cruise before the price drop and insure that it still includes everything that was included before.  Our TA keeps an eye on the changes and often the lower price is different.  Having said that, the Baltic is not selling well and there certainly could be a price reduction in Germany.

 

When it comes to issues such as this, it can become confusing as most Regent passengers (80%) are from the U.S. and Canada and we (CC members) are not familiar with all of their rules/restrictions (and visa versa.) For instance, if someone from the U.S. books a cruise onboard, there is a “price guarantee” but it only works IF there is still availability in the suite category that you booked.

 

 

[Balian65]

Thanks for all the replies. My biggest concern is that it seems the German office does not exist anymore, no way to get in contact with them neither via phone nor via mail. That German representative had been our only contact. But obviously no one knows what has happened to Regent's German desk.

 

So it seems I have to go through the British office which might be a little difficult as my whole documents are in German language. The package is completely the same - we arranged all the pre and post cruise traveling ourselves. And no - we did not pay the original prices but 2k more per person for G1 than we would do now.

 

Probably the legal situation can be compared to the UK, but as we booked before July 2018 we still can cancel the trip without any fees until 120 days in advance.  And even if we are used to travel with a vast majority of Americans in this case it makes a huge difference when you belong to a small minority. So I will try my luck with the British office.

[UUNetBill]

I think my question here is whether you were going through an agency (like Vista Travel or similar) or if Regent actually had an office in Germany.  I'm not sure where all Regent has offices; I wasn't aware of one in Germany but that doesn't mean there wasn't one - but I think it's more likely the OP was in touch with a third party who is no longer seeking contact with customers.  Maybe someone in Europe, like say Switzerland or somewhere, could chime in?

 

If it were me, I'd try and contact Regent directly via rssc.com or even via telephone just to make sure that I did, in fact, have a booking on the cruise.  If I did, I'd try and change the booking to a reputable TA in my home country.

 

But I really don't completely understand what the situation is here...seems odd to me...

[Balian65]

We sure we do have a valid booking, we can book excursions on the official Regent website. And we do have all the documentation including contracts. Our contact was working exclusively for Regent and Oceania and had an official Regent mail address.

 

There are no Regent offices in the smaller European countries so I will contact the UK office. To find an experienced German TA who works regularly with Regent is gonna be hard, we even failed to find one for Silverseas.

[cruiseluv]

Balian, what a hassle!!

 

Question for anybody that knows: can people living in Europe buy from a USA based TA?

[rallydave]

7 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

Balian, what a hassle!!

 

Question for anybody that knows: can people living in Europe buy from a USA based TA?

Know some people in Switzerland who buy from a US TA and know people in the US who have bought from a UK TA.  Have heard this isn't allowed but people have gotten away with it but, have heard if they get caught, they might lose the cruise and their money??  A lot really depends on what the Terms and Conditions say in the country where the people live.

[trvlrs]

On 2/14/2019 at 6:09 PM, crickette said:

I have access to a site that tracks price changes.  I don't see a 30% price drop,  It started Aug 2017 at 11.5 (cat H) and is now 11.9.  Is there any chance that your "new" fare does not include air?  Air saving is 2700.

Would you be able to share the site where you track price changes? Thank you...

 

[Balian65]

Short update: one day after the discussion started here, i received a call from a German agent of the UK office. Within one further day they adjust our price completely to the special offer price which means 4k savings for us. The whole discussion was much smoother than I ever expected it.

Edited February 19, 2019 by Balian65

[UUNetBill]

Balian - thanks for the update.  Did they ever say what happened to the German office?  Still seems odd that it would just shut down with no messages or anything...

 

Anyhow, glad you got your updated fare - that's a good savings!

[flossie009]

Good to hear that Regent "did the right thing" in making contact and matching the price of the new offer 😄