What is being done about coronavirus.....

[Sharle]

several US airlines have cancelled flights to Hong Kong, and yet Regent is silent on changes to the Hong Kong trips this and next month. It is very frustrating.

[Dorl]

40 minutes ago, Sharle said:

several US airlines have cancelled flights to Hong Kong, and yet Regent is silent on changes to the Hong Kong trips this and next month. It is very frustrating.

I  hope,  along with listening to the health organizations, Regent reads these comments on Cruise Critic  so they actually listen to their clients’ concerns. 

[Dorl]

So now there are 2 ships in quarantine one of which has confirmed passengers with corona virus off loaded to hospital. Same ports Regent Voyager is heading to. What is RSSc waiting for to give an update and change routes!!

[Dorl]

So now there are 2 ships in quarantine one of which has confirmed passengers with corona virus off loaded to hospital. Same ports Regent Voyager is heading to. What is RSSc waiting for to give an update and change routes!!

[Mystictraveler]

Voyager customers received an email this morning from Regent telling us they would NOT be going to HK because the port is currently closed due to the quarantined ship. But they don't know where they are going. This situation changes daily. They need to do the right thing, think about the impact on future bookings and offer passengers the option to cancel for future cruise credits. 

[Dorl]

2 minutes ago, Mystictraveler said:

Voyager customers received an email this morning from Regent telling us they would NOT be going to HK because the port is currently closed due to the quarantined ship. But they don't know where they are going. This situation changes daily. They need to do the right thing, think about the impact on future bookings and offer passengers the option to cancel for future cruise credits. 

AGREE, AGREE, AGREE! AND TELL US NOW!  2 DAYS TO PRE-CRUISE. SOME OF US LEAVING TODAY! IF NOTHING ELSE OFFER US OPTION FOR FUTURE CRUISE BOOKINGS AND KEEP OUR MONEY. ANY CHANGE IN ITINERARY WILL NOT BE WHERE WE MAY WANT TO GO.  

[Travelcat2]

Good to hear that Regent ships will not be going to Hong Kong at the moment.  In terms of giving options for future cruise bookings, etc., it is not reasonable to give that to every passenger that may have a problem with the changed itinerary (changes in itineraries happen all of the time for various reasons).  There could be passengers that decide that they do not want to visit the U.S. due to the handful of cases that we have here.  It doesn't make sense for Regent to do this.  

 

In my opinion, all cruise lines are facing a dilemma and are looking for ways to deal with it.  Cruise lines watch not only illnesses but political issues going on in or near a port that they will be visiting.  They get their information from the highest sources and always look at the safety of their passengers, crew and ships when making decisions.  However, no system is perfect (as is evidenced by two symptomatic passengers that arrived on a plane in New Jersey).  

 

Really hope that people that were scheduled to stop in Hong Kong on their cruise will stay healthy and will enjoy whatever other stop they decide to make.  I actually wondered why Hong Kong was still on cruise line itineraries since they have been having riots/demonstrations for months now.

 

[Dorl]

18 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

"There could be passengers that decide that they do not want to visit the U.S. due to the handful of cases that we have here." 

IS THIS RESPONSE FROM THE CRUISE COMPANY ITSELF?

This is a ridiculous statement. How do you compare what is going on in the entire region of southeast asia to afew cases in the entire US. Besides if there was an extensive outbreak in the US I would hope they would be very concerned as well.

With 2 ships in quarantine in varying ports this cruise itinerary is covering, maybe it is very wise to err on the side of caution.Have you read what the passengers onboard the  quarantined ship are going through? 

I

 

 

[Travelcat2]

I am certainly not representing the cruise company(s).  While on the surface, what I wrote about the U.S. may sound ridiculous but only a few of years ago there were 2 cases of a highly contagious disease in a country that Regent planned to visit.  Passengers that go onto Cruise Critic almost went ballistic because Regent wasn't canceling the port (I believe that they did cancel and the country did not have any additional cases of the disease).  

 

While I certainly understand not going to Hong Kong since it is a part of China but has anyone checked to see where the coronavirus has shown up in Asian countries?  If someone is flying into the U.S., it would behoove them to learn exactly where they have found people with the virus.  The same should be done for other countries.  In some Asian countries, the few cases they have may be hundreds of miles from the port that Regent is visiting.

 

I'm all for taking precautions but am not afraid to travel (at this point).

[Dorl]

I am concerned enough that there ought to be an option for those of us who are supposedly going on what was meant to be  an enjoyable vacation but are entirely stressed under the circumstances.  Not to mention by the protocols put in place for monitoring us which by the way, don’t  seem to work. Have you thought about when you get back and will your friends and family want you around for 2 weeks?

[rcandkc]

Medjet has just suspended services to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau due to corona virus. 

[Travelcat2]

44 minutes ago, Dorl said:

I am concerned enough that there ought to be an option for those of us who are supposedly going on what was meant to be  an enjoyable vacation but are entirely stressed under the circumstances.  Not to mention by the protocols put in place for monitoring us which by the way, don’t  seem to work. Have you thought about when you get back and will your friends and family want you around for 2 weeks?

 

For better or worse, port changes (for any reason) does not trigger options for passengers.  If you booked through Regent, they will change your flights (at no cost).  However, if Regent caused the problem (as was the case when the Voyager could not continue its world cruise due to a pod being entangled in a fishing line), they will put you up in a hotel and take care of just about everything for you.  Regent backs their company/ships when it is their issue.  However, in the 16 years that I've cruised on Regent (34 cruises), if there is an outbreak of any illness, or if ports need to be changed, they have no responsibility to do anything.  I do remember a case where a Regent ship missed several ports (due to various but serious reasons) and they did give a future cruise credit to passengers.  This is rare but does happen (and the future cruise credit would not cover the cost of another cruise).  

 

Try to take some deep breaths - make sure that you are prepared if there are people coughing, sneezing, etc. (this is always the case during winter cruises).  Wear a mask or somehow find a way to not touch your face after touching other surfaces.  Wash your hands frequently and have hand sanitizers (gel) as well as wipes.  You should be fine.  

 

P.S.  To answer your question, I will see my family after our flight to the ship.  They will board the ship with us to have dinner and see the ship.  So, no, I have no concerns about being around them.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Travelcat2

[Dorl]

"Try to take some deep breaths - make sure that you are prepared if there are people coughing, sneezing, etc. (this is always the case during winter cruises).  Wear a mask or somehow find a way to not touch your face after touching other surfaces.  Wash your hands frequently and have hand sanitizers (gel) as well as wipes."

 

Sounds like fun!

[Pcardad]

Sounds like every other Regent cruise I have been on. Take precautions on them all or you will get sick. The older customer base if more susceptible to illness and there is always something being passed around on board.  

[Travelcat2]

51 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Sounds like every other Regent cruise I have been on. Take precautions on them all or you will get sick. The older customer base if more susceptible to illness and there is always something being passed around on board.  

 

Agree 100%.  We were getting sick on every winter cruise that we took (think that most of it came from flying).  However, I tried taking zinc (not the type that you suck on that tastes horrid).  Both my husband and I felt 100% fine during our flights and cruise (using precautions as you mentioned). The cruise was in late November - early December, 2019.   There is little that we will do differently on our upcoming cruises.  

[btreklaw]

Totally agree with taking precautions. We traveled to Israel & Egypt in December. One woman arrived in Israel with a nasty cold. She gave it to 20 more guests by the time the trip ended. Hubby and I never got sick. Hand washing, wipes, did not sit with anyone coughing at meals or on any transportation. Keep your fingers out of your nose, mouth, eyes and you will be fine.

After you touch the utensils at any food lines, wipes or wash your hand before eating.

Don't stress out everyone. Simple basic hygiene is all you need to stay healthy. Enjoy your vacation!

 

[ronrick1943]

Just remember, take wipes and wash, wash, wash and wash your hands over and over again.

[JMARINER]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

I will see my family after our flight to the ship.  They will board the ship with us to have dinner and see the ship.  So, no, I have no concerns about being around them.

Maybe not applicable to your cruise, but currently most ships are prohibiting all guest and non essential personal visits. Sorry

 

j

[rcandkc]

2 minutes ago, JMARINER said:

Maybe not applicable to your cruise, but currently most ships are prohibiting all guest and non essential personal visits. Sorry

 

j

I think the key here ...is this an Asian, Panama Canal, Caribbean....cruise?  I’d feel fine going on some but more worried others. 

[Travelcat2]

17 minutes ago, JMARINER said:

Maybe not applicable to your cruise, but currently most ships are prohibiting all guest and non essential personal visits. Sorry

 

j

 

Thank you for your input.  Our cruise departs from San Diego and goes through the Panama Canal to Miami.  At this point, it is unlikely that the Splendor will be affected.  This particular cruise will have a lot of "guests" onboard for the day (mostly TA's). While we cannot predict what the situation will be in 5 weeks, we are hopeful that they will be able to come onboard.

[mrstanley]

We just ordered 6 packages of 

Clorox disinfecting to go wipes on Amazon along with hand wipes.

We may order clear plastic gloves to wear while using serving utensils at breakfast buffet in La Veranda. Also updated our over the counter medications. Decided to take additional prescription medications in case we get quarantined in San Diego after our Splendor cruise... Yikes!!!

Hopefully our cruise will be SPLENDID!

 

[Dorl]

Sounds like a fun trip!!

[Pcardad]

Dont worry so much. I am in bali and I am not sweating it...aside from the heat. If they dont let us board due to Regent flying us through HK they will refund the trip and I get free vacation in bali. Life is short...be prudent but dont forget to enjoy every day.

[flossie009]

On 2/3/2020 at 10:13 PM, boblerm said:

Crystal has changed the embarkation/disembarkation ports that included Hong Kong to Taipei. 

 

On 2/5/2020 at 10:34 AM, JMARINER said:

Crystal has canceled ALL Hong Kong port calls for at least next 2 month and instead going to Taiwan.

 

With hindsight, Crystal's change to Taiwan was not such a good move according to this Reuter's report

 

[boblerm]

This situation is going from bad to worse by the minute.  The Crystal Symphony was scheduled to arrive in Manila tomorrow, and in Taipei (changed from Hong Kong) Feb 15 for disembarkation, flights have been rearranged.  They will not be able to dock in either.  There was a Manila to Taipei leg of this cruise which has been cancelled.  It is not clear as of now where the passengers disembarking on the 15th will be getting off the ship.  It is also likely that some passengers were planning on disembarking in Manila tomorrow, I have no idea what they are going to do.  What changes Regent will be making, whether it be changing of itineraries or cancelling of cruises is anyone's guess.