Voyager Cruises in Asia; Feb & March 2020

[flossie009]

I thought it might be an idea to start a new thread in order for Regent cruisers to share information regarding forthcoming cruises in Asia.

 

I am sure that Regent staff are working very hard to address the extremely difficult logistical challenges for forthcoming cruises, but guests booked on Voyager through to the end of March are right to be very concerned about their holiday plans.

In particular those who have arranged their own flights and pre- or post-cruise accommodation will be fretting about any changes they need to make

 

Regent’s communications are somewhat sparse at present and Regent’s UK website has no relevant or up-to-date information. 

IMO it is very important that Regent keep its customers informed, even if just to say “we are working on x, y, z options”. No information or lack of transparency simply leads to unnecessary stress and the sharing on social media of potentially incorrect or incomplete information.

 

On the Regent website, the itineraries for Feb 12, Mar 1 and Mar 13 still show Voyager visiting Hong Kong and Taiwan, even though significant changes will have to be made. Not even a simple rider such as "Cruise under review" has been added to the relevant web pages. The itineraries for the three cruises are attached below; the itineraries for the Mar 01 & Mar 13 cruises had already been modified last year to remove mainland Chinese ports because of “operational difficulties”.

 

As regards the financial impacts on guests I see no reason why there should not be full transparency as to the principal refunds, compensation & expenses being offered by Regent to all affected guests. Obviously there will be case-by-case extras that individual guests may need to negotiate because of specific expenses incurred and those are matters that would not be shared. 

 

Just to make our own interest in this matter clear, we are booked on the March 27 forty night sailing out of Bangkok on Voyager. We are hopeful for no disruption to that cruise but will obviously be following developments during February and March with great interest.

 

 

 

[flossie009]

So, what have we learnt from RSSC and these CC Boards thus far:

 

05 Feb: Regent confirm that Feb 12 & Mar 01 cruises will not be visiting Hong Kong (Regent statement)

06 Feb: Itinerary for Feb 12 itinerary being modified to remove Hong Kong (Regent statement)

06 Feb: Guests connecting through Hong Kong airport will be able to board the Feb 12 cruise (Regent statement)

07 Feb: Itineraries for Feb 12, Mar 01 & Mar 13 cruises being modified (Regent statement)

07 Feb: Guests connecting through Hong Kong will be denied boarding (Regent statement)

07 Feb: Guests  denied boarding will be issued a refund (Regent statement)

07 Feb: Regent offering 25% refund plus 25% FCC for Feb 12 sailing (Regent statement) whether boarding or cancelling (CC post)

07 Feb: Regent offering 25% FCC for those booked on 01 March sailing (CC post)

08 Feb: Regent refunding 100% including a “big credit” for those denied boarding (CC post)

08 Feb: Voyager being re-routed to Japan from Bali ready for the Mar 1 sailing (CC post)

09 Feb: Regent offering 100% FCC for cancelling Feb12 cruise (CC post) 

10 Feb: Feb 12 cruise, the Regent offer is 25% refund (cruise only fare) plus 25% FCC (cruise only fare) if sailing or 100% FCC if cancelling (CC post) 

 

If anyone feels that the above is incorrect or incomplete then please chip in.

 

As more information comes available I am sure that others will add to this thread.

Obviously we would welcome any information that Regent representatives may wish to add.

[WesW]

Well Done flossie009/Susan &David

[Gilly]

@flossie009 you must have been reading my mind.  We are joining Voyager in Abu Dhabi in mid-April and I have been following the progress with interest.  Clearly, we don't have quite the same need for information as those whose planned cruise is within the next couple of weeks and since our itinerary doesn't include any ports in South East Asia, we're not overly concerned about that either.  Still, I like to keep up to date with what's going on so have been reading threads here and there with snippets of information.

 

Last evening, I thought how useful it would be if CC collated all the varied information sources in one folder, enabling us to gather all the latest accurately sourced news without the need to scroll through - how can I put it? - other conversations.  Thank you - you've gone one better and collated just the relevant Regent information, which is clearly what interests me most.  It must have taken you quite some time to do that and I just wanted to say "thank you".

 

Looking forward to seeing you on board Voyager, when I can thank you in person!

[Kitekat]

We live in the UK and are booked on 13 March Voyager sailing from Tokyo to Bangkok.

I contacted our TA this morning to find out whether they had any updated information on our cruise - we like to be prepared. Late this afternoon the TA called me back. The only changes they confirmed were, as expected, to Hong Kong, which was cancelled. Any new ports would be advised on board.

[Pcardad]

Hong Kong out...Manilla in. As per Regent. 

[Pcardad]

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR UPCOMING CRUISE

 

Seven Seas Voyager® Departing Feb. 12, 2020

 

 

Dear Valued Guest and Travel Partner,

 

Below is the modified itinerary for your upcoming Regent Seven Seas Cruises^® voyage embarking on February 12, 2020 from Bali, and now ending in Manila, Philippines. Our port operations team has been working to secure ports and berthing arrangements as quickly as possible.

 

If you booked your air travel with Regent Seven Seas Cruises, our air team is already working on changing your return flights from Manila. Once changed, you will receive your new itinerary. If you booked your air separately, please contact your carrier to make the necessary changes.

 

Regent Seven Seas Cruises will provide a 25% refund of your paid cruise only fare per person as well as a Future Cruise Credit of 25% of your paid cruise only fare per person.  This credit can be used toward any Regent Seven Seas Cruises voyage booked during the next year and sailing within the next two years.  Please advise our Reservations team or your Travel Advisor that there is a credit in your name when you reserve your next Regent voyage.

 

Your modified itinerary is below:

 

Date	Day	City	Country	Arr	Dep
12-Feb	Wed	Bali (Benoa)	Indonesia		6:00 PM
13-Feb	Thu	At Sea	At sea	--	--
14-Feb	Fri	Semarang (Java)	Indonesia	7:00 AM	5:00 PM
15-Feb	Sat	At Sea	At sea	--	--
16-Feb	Sun	Singapore	Singapore	9:00 AM	8:00 PM
17-Feb	Mon	At Sea	At sea	--	--
18-Feb	Tue	Ko Samui	Thailand	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
19-Feb	Wed	Bangkok (Laem Chabang)	Thailand	8:00 AM
20-Feb	Thu	Bangkok (Laem Chabang)	Thailand		3:00 PM
21-Feb	Fri	Sihanoukville	Cambodia	9:00 AM	8:00 PM
22-Feb	Sat	At Sea	At sea	--	--
23-Feb	Sun	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	8:00 AM
24-Feb	Mon	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam		3:00 PM
25-Feb	Tue	Nha Trang	Vietnam	11:00 AM	8:00 PM
26-Feb	Wed	Hue/Da Nang (Chan May)	Vietnam	2:00 PM
27-Feb	Thu	Hue/Da Nang (Chan May)	Vietnam		6:00 PM
28-Feb	Fri	At Sea	At sea	--	--
29-Feb	Sat	At Sea	At sea	--	--
1-Mar	Sun	Manila	Philippines		6:00 PM

 

The safety, security and well-being of our guests and crew is Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ number one priority. We have proactively implemented several preventative measures due to growing concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus from China. These measures include:

 

·        Any guest that holds a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport will be denied boarding on any Regent Seven Seas Cruises ship, regardless of residency.

 

·        Guests who have traveled from, visited, or transited via airports in China, Hong Kong, or Macau, within 30 days of their voyage embarkation, regardless of nationality, will be denied boarding on any Regent Seven Seas Cruises ship. The standard incubation period recognized by the World Health Organization and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for coronavirus is 14 days.

 

Guests who are denied boarding because of the above two criteria will be issued a refund. Please contact your Travel Advisor or Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Reservation Department to assist with modifying your travel arrangements and/or canceling and refunding your cruise.

 

We have been closely monitoring the coronavirus situation in China and continue to update appropriate actions as necessary based on the evolving situation. We apologize for the inconvenience for any guests affected by these measures put in place to ensure the safety, security and well-being of all our guests and crew. Thank you for your patience as we manage through this evolving situation. We will continue to consult with The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and take appropriate additional action as needed.

 

Thank you for choosing Regent Seven Seas Cruises. We look forward to welcoming you on board.

 

Sincerely,

 

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

 

[Belfast Taxman]

I have found this thread very interesting and useful as it has stuck to facts so far. I do not want to cause distress to any potential Voyager passengers of the near future by introducing “opinion”, so let me be clear, I am only giving an opinion here.

It strikes me as somewhat risky that cruise ships are continuing to call at Singapore, which now has almost 50 confirmed (and still growing)  cases of novel Coronavirus, and is now the confirmed origin of the majority of all cases involving UK citizens. I am not sure I truly believe that there are no cases in Indonesia and I doubt if we have a complete picture for Vietnam either. 

Whether any of those “thoughts” are relevant to near future “Voyageurs” or Regent is hopefully a no. Another factor which is perhaps more relevant is that, so far, it seems that the vast majority of people who have caught the virus do survive, indeed most recover quite quickly it appears. 

Nevertheless it is clearly important to reduce, as far as is possible, the spread of the virus. It just seems to me that allowing cruise ships to use ports where the disease is clearly present is high risk.

just an opinion and I truly hope all cruise passengers enjoy their cruising 

Edited February 11, 2020 by Belfast Taxman

[piscean]

Thank you Flossie009 . We are on the March 27th cruise with you and have been following events in the news and on CC with interest and some concern.

Below is a screenshot from today’s BBC news app.

 

[piscean]

Sorry...should have read the March 27th Roll Call first and your response Flossie 009. 
thankyou.

[flossie009]

Regent have updated their virus protocol:

https://www.rssc.com/coronavirus-statement

 

A bit rough for those guests with Chinese, Macau or Hong Kong passports who are living elsewhere.

Edited February 11, 2020 by flossie009

[flossie009]

According to the relevant roll-calls Regent have now updated the Mar 01 and Mar 13 Voyager cruises, with Tokyo still being the turnaround port between the two segments:

 

 

There is some confusion over cancellation terms for those who wish to forego their cruise commencing Mar 01; different agents in different countries appear to be offering varying interpretations of Regent’s policy for that segment.

Hopefully Regent will clarify by communicating with all their guests shortly.

 

 

[flossie009]

On the roll call, @Mike&Patty have kindly shared some information regarding the Feb 12 cruise (18 nights Bali to Manila) that set sail yesterday.

Apparently about 270 customers opted to cancel, so Voyager is cruising with approximately 400 guests on board (80 of whom continued from the previous voyage).

 

[flossie009]

On 2/10/2020 at 3:12 PM, flossie009 said:

On the Regent website, the itineraries for Feb 12, Mar 1 and Mar 13 still show Voyager visiting Hong Kong and Taiwan

Disappointed to see that the itineraries for the Mar 01 and Mar 13 cruises have still not been properly updated on Regent's website (the version we see here in the UK).

Plenty of availability in most suite categories 🤨

[Kitekat]

They have been on our TA's website (UK) if you want to join the cruise, and on a certain well known consolidator website. However, I am waiting for my TA to contact me to tell me about the changes to the itinerary. I seem to be doing most of the investigating and phoning so far. Will be ringing them this afternoon.

 

There has been a lot of availability on 13 March cruise since we booked last year.

[mrlevin]

17 minutes ago, Kitekat said:

 

 

There has been a lot of availability on 13 March cruise since we booked last year.

 

See this thread from last year:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2649451-major-itinerary-changes/

 

Regent was very lucky to have removed mainland China given current situation; still, this itinerary (even before the recent changes) is not one of the best Asian itineraries; I am not surprised that there has been availability.

 

Marc

[Anchorbuoy]

6 hours ago, flossie009 said:

Disappointed to see that the itineraries for the Mar 01 and Mar 13 cruises have still not been properly updated on Regent's website (the version we see here in the UK).

 

They are correct on the USA version.  They have 2 entries: one for the original port and one for the new port:

 

[flossie009]

Hi Jim,

Below is what we see on the Regent UK website for the March 01 cruise:

 

 

Although the map is correct there are still the following confusing errors:

• Title should read "Manila to Tokyo"
• Itinerary still lists Hong Kong and Taipei, but does not list Salomague
• Featured Offer still includes a 3 night pre-cruise in Hong Kong

 

[BBfromCA]

Now it's almost right. They are missing March 2nd.

[mrlevin]

Just saw on NCL CC board that Jade 17 Feb cruise has been cancelled with reason being that Vietnam has closed their ports.  Jade is unique in that they have had people that transited through Hong Kong onboard (offloaded in Thailand) so maybe NCL isn't being totally accurate.  If the Voyager March 13 itinerary is forced to cancel Vietnam that becomes a cruise to nowhere.

 

Marc

[Belfast Taxman]

Vietnam have, per Reuter’s, now banned several cruise ships on the apparent basis that within the last 30 days they have been in one of a number of destinations and not just China and Hong Kong but also Manila and Singapore, which kind of puts the forthcoming Voyager cruises in serious danger, destination wise.

The position in Singapore is also becoming a lot worse as several Govt ministers have indicated that a similar ban on cruise ships is likely, with a very significant spike in the number of Covid 19 cases.

i can only recommend that future Voyager cruisers keep a very close watch on events.

[flossie009]

Yes, this is the Reuter's report.

 

Also here is a summary from CC about port closures caused by fears of virus spread

 

[mrlevin]

Voyager will be in Singapore on Sunday.  As this is probably a major resupply stop, I cannot imagine Regent skipping Singapore even if it means losing Vietnam ports.  

 

Anyone onboard Voyager that can report in?

 

Marc

[flossie009]

4 hours ago, mrlevin said:

Just saw on NCL CC board that Jade 17 Feb cruise has been cancelled with reason being that Vietnam has closed their ports.  Jade is unique in that they have had people that transited through Hong Kong onboard (offloaded in Thailand) so maybe NCL isn't being totally accurate.

 

Letter issued to guests on board NCL Jade:

 

As you say, Vietnam may have been particularly wary of accepting NCL Jade because of the Hong Kong connection.

 

Voyager has 3 ports in Vietnam starting a week on Sunday (including 2 overnights), following its scheduled calls into Singapore and Thailand. So we shall soon see whether Vietnam's policy is more general ............. which could make future cruises even more problematic.

[Emma Chisit]

4 hours ago, Belfast Taxman said:

i can only recommend that future Voyager cruisers keep a very close watch on events.

Referencing your recommendation above, believe me I am.

We are on the1 March Manila to Tokyo Voyager cruise.  This was always a mostly Japanese cruise - which is why we chose it.  Two ports, the original departure port of Hong Kong as well as Keelung,Taiwan  were not in Japan and have now been cancelled.  

This link below is from NHK World Japan about which Wikipedia  says - "  NHK World-Japan is a Japanese state-owned international broadcaster owned by NHK. The service is aimed at the overseas market, similar to BBC World News ...".  

For those who may not be able to access the link below it reports that the first death from coronavirus has occurred in Japan, a woman in her 80s who reportedly had not been outside the country.  Her son-in-law, a taxi driver, also has the coronavirus. 

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200214_15/

I saw this last night just before going to bed.  This morning it is on other media like Japan Times .