The Future of Luxury Cruising (from a Regent-lover's point of view)

[Guerncruising]

Well all very good for US people, what about the rest of the world?

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

15 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

 

You do remember that Renaissance went bankrupt, right?

Mark

I think their prices were ridiculously low. We would fly 1st class and sail with them and could not imagine how they would survive. 
As I have said, charge whatever is necessary, within reason.

Jackie is right. There are so many planes idle today. 
sheila

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

18 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

With so many planes going unused, and with some pilots and flight attendants laid off, this is a good (if not great) idea (until they need their planes and crew back).  Now, if we could just figure out the hotel thing.

 

Marc - we were posting at at the same time.  Did chartering planes contribute to the demise of Renaissance?  I know little about that now defunct cruise line other than there was an issue with trying to cut travel agents out (not a good idea) and building too many ships too soon.  Just curious.

Hi Jackie

We flew directly to the European destination, and were transported to the ship. When we flew to Athens, we were all put into the same hotel. It was the Hilton. 
I agree that the TAs should never have been cut out. I really don’t know why they went backrupt, but their cruises were so cheap. We stayed in their penthouse category and it was cheaper than a regular cabin on all the mainstream cruise lines. Some of their ships are today Oceania ships. 
sheila

[alidor]

Azamara uses the old ships and I believe Princess still uses one.

[greykitty]

Perhaps somewhat relevant article on demand for private jets of late.  It is a month old. But would be interesting to see how any of the cruise lines/airports/major air carriers would structure more or less private airlifts to various port cities.  Also, where passengers would draw the line at cost.  

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/private-jet-travel-surge-evacuate-coronavirus-outbreak-covid19-travel-aviation-2020

[Wendy The Wanderer]

2 hours ago, alidor said:

Azamara uses the old ships and I believe Princess still uses one.

 

Not Princess any more.  Oceania has a bunch of them.

 

I too thought their prices were ridiculously low back then.  We thought of trying them out, but fortunately stuck with the Paul Gauguin.  We saw one of their ships in Bora Bora the first time we were there.

[Travelcat2]

3 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

Hi Jackie

We flew directly to the European destination, and were transported to the ship. When we flew to Athens, we were all put into the same hotel. It was the Hilton. 
I agree that the TAs should never have been cut out. I really don’t know why they went backrupt, but their cruises were so cheap. We stayed in their penthouse category and it was cheaper than a regular cabin on all the mainstream cruise lines. Some of their ships are today Oceania ships. 
sheila

 

Hi Sheila,

 

Yes, most of Oceania's ships are the old Renaissance ships (the two newer ones are not).  In a round about way, Renaissance brought us to Regent.  We received constant mail from Renaissance and, although I wasn't into cruising, the prices and ships looked good and I was always showing the ads to Dennis.  By the time we were ready to try a cruise, they were out of business but the PG was around and it looked good as well (Regent took such great care of her).  So, since we could no longer cruise on Renaissance, we tried the PG.

 

To be honest, I have a real fear of small planes but if Regent chartered some larger planes, I'd be all in (depending upon the cost).  Didn't Regent do some charters to Tahiti (Wendy would likely know)?

 

Jackie

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Jackie

These were not small planes. They were wide bodies. We were in first class, the old fashioned kind. I think there were at least two flights, as I remember. 
Sheila

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

Jackie

These were not small planes. They were wide bodies. We were in first class, the old fashioned kind. I think there were at least two flights, as I remember. 
Sheila

 

Okay - that would be fine for me.  While I am trying not to  post negativity on this thread, news today (cases going up rather than down) is disappointing.  When will people realize that social distancing and wearing masks will save lives (and the lives they save may be their own)?  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

4 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Didn't Regent do some charters to Tahiti (Wendy would likely know)?

 

I think they have in recent years at times when they were doing the French Polynesia circuit, but not back when they ran the PG--they used the national airline, ATN, a regular route.  I've taken Air France there in recent years.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 When will people realize that social distancing and wearing masks will save lives (and the lives they save may be their own)?  

 

Your government, both federal and in some cases state, are giving the population mixed messages, so it's no wonder if compliance is uneven.  The crisis is not being handled very well by the U.S., let's face it. 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Wendy The Wanderer

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Your government, both federal and in some cases state, are giving the population mixed messages, so it's no wonder if compliance is uneven.  The crisis is not being handled very well by the U.S., let's face it. 

 

Agree with you 100%.

[mrlevin]

7 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Your government, both federal and in some cases state, are giving the population mixed messages, so it's no wonder if compliance is uneven.  The crisis is not being handled very well by the U.S., let's face it. 

 

Nor in Canada.  Both countries consist of states/provinces wherein the disease has attacked differently.  Manitoba and Saskatchewan want to open up mores than Quebec and Ontario.  PEI would just like to get tourists in.  Same attributes are found in many of the states.  Do you think NYC would close down if half of Montana became ill?

 

Let's keep politics off this board.

 

Marc

Edited May 5, 2020 by mrlevin

[Wendy The Wanderer]

1 hour ago, mrlevin said:

 

Nor in Canada.  Both countries consist of states/provinces wherein the disease has attacked differently.  Manitoba and Saskatchewan want to open up mores than Quebec and Ontario.  PEI would just like to get tourists in.  Same attributes are found in many of the states.  Do you think NYC would close down if half of Montana became ill?

 

Let's keep politics off this board.

 

Marc

 

It wasn't political, Marc. Canada's response is not perfect, but there is very little discord among the provinces, and much better federal control of the situation.  Yes, the provinces are deciding differently on opening up, but even Saskatchewan and Manitoba are being very cautious.  We'll see how that goes in a week or two.

[wcsdkqh]

Norwegian Cruise Line says there’s ‘substantial doubt’ about its ability to continue as a ‘going concern’

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/05/norwegian-cruise-line-says-theres-substantial-doubt-about-its-ability-to-continue-as-a-going-concern.html

[pappy1022]

Personal responsibility is the key. It's up to every individual to take this seriously, even as we open up a bit, to get us back to a new normal. It is a tough balance but we will go backwards if people don't start "getting it" and if that doesn't happen this will get much worse. If it gets worse then we can forget about cruising for a long time. I don't know if the people in countries that are a democracy can handle this responsibility. Unfortunately, so far the evidence doesn't support that many of them they can.

[mrlevin]

20 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

It wasn't political, Marc. Canada's response is not perfect, but there is very little discord among the provinces, and much better federal control of the situation.  Yes, the provinces are deciding differently on opening up, but even Saskatchewan and Manitoba are being very cautious.  We'll see how that goes in a week or two.

 

Us Americans are an independent sort; especially westerners.  50 different states with their own governments and own constitutions.  50 state health departments and thousands of county health departments; all doing the best job they can.  No Queen, no Governor General, no other country looking over our shoulder.  Yes, your comment was political.

 

Just my four confederate sense,

 

Marc

 

Edited to add:

 

Here is the famous radio broadcast made by Gordon Sinclair in Toronto in 1973:

 

The United States dollar took another pounding on German, French and British exchanges this morning, hitting the lowest point ever known in West Germany. It has declined there by 41% since 1971 and this Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least-appreciated people in all the world.

As long as sixty years ago, when I first started to read newspapers, I read of floods on the Yellow River and the Yangtze. Well, Who rushed in with men and money to help? The Americans did, that's who.

They have helped control floods on the Nile, the Amazon, the Ganges and the Niger. Today, the rich bottom land of the Mississippi is under water and no foreign land has sent a dollar to help. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy, were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of those countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.

When the franc was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. And I was there. I saw that.

When distant cities are hit by earthquake, it is the United States that hurries into help... Managua Nicaragua is one of the most recent examples. So far this spring, 59 American communities have been flattened by tornadoes. Nobody has helped.

The Marshall Plan... the Truman Policy... all pumped billions upon billions of dollars into discouraged countries. And now, newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent war-mongering Americans.

Now, I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplanes.

Come on... let's hear it! Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tristar or the Douglas 10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all international lines except Russia fly American planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or a woman on the moon?

You talk about Japanese technocracy and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy and you find men on the moon, not once, but several times ... and safely home again. You talk about scandals and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even the draft dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are right here on our streets in Toronto, most of them... unless they are breaking Canadian laws... are getting American dollars from Ma and Pa at home to spend here.

When the Americans get out of this bind... as they will... who could blame them if they said 'the hell with the rest of the world'. Let someone else buy the bonds, let someone else build or repair foreign dams or design foreign buildings that won't shake apart in earthquakes.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both of them are still broke. I can name to you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble.

Can you name to me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbours have faced it alone and I am one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their noses at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles.

I hope Canada is not one of these. But there are many smug, self-righteous Canadians. And finally, the American Red Cross was told at its 48th Annual meeting in New Orleans this morning that it was broke.

This year's disasters... with the year less than half-over... has taken it all and nobody... but nobody... has helped.

ORIGINAL SCRIPT AND AUDIO
COURTESY STANDARD BROADCASTING CORPORATION LTD.

Edited May 5, 2020 by mrlevin

[mrlevin]

13 minutes ago, wcsdkqh said:

Norwegian Cruise Line says there’s ‘substantial doubt’ about its ability to continue as a ‘going concern’

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/05/norwegian-cruise-line-says-theres-substantial-doubt-about-its-ability-to-continue-as-a-going-concern.html

 

Is anyone surprised?

[wcsdkqh]

Not surprised at all, but there are a few people with their heads in the sand who need a reality check.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

4 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

No Queen, no Governor General, no other country looking over our shoulder.

 

No one is looking over Canada's shoulder, believe me.  That's it, I'm not commenting on this any more.

[greykitty]

13 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

 

Is anyone surprised?

I set up a separate topic since I understand some posters would prefer not to see pessimistic or depressing talk.  Just a note.  

No, I don't think anyone really is surprised, do you? 

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

No one is looking over Canada's shoulder, believe me.  That's it, I'm not commenting on this any more.

 

Sorry that your thread has become what it is!  Hard keep to keep threads reasonably on track.  The article needed its own thread.   

[Travelcat2]

Maybe we can discuss what we are doing with the information that we have from Regent and how we will proceed.  One can only hope that there will not be snarky remarks based on whatever decisions we make.

 

I have communicated with some cruising friends and, so far, we are in agreement.  We were going to cancel and rebook our most expensive cruise since we have it almost paid off.  However, a stockbroker said that if Regent comes up with the money, they cannot turn around and immediately file for bankruptcy.  

 

We have decided to do nothing at the moment.  If everyone cancels and asks for a refund, it would further hurt a company that is doing their best to have enough money to be able to weather the next 12 months - even if they cannot sail (worst case scenario).  This decision may not work for everyone but it does for us.

 

In the meantime, I am thinking of what people at Regent are going through,  I am not bothering them with questions but have sent people that I know simple one sentence emails - sending positive and calming vibes.  Everyone needs that once in a while.......

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

6 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

Maybe we can discuss what we are doing with the information that we have from Regent and how we will proceed.  One can only hope that there will not be snarky remarks based on whatever decisions we make.

 

I have communicated with some cruising friends and, so far, we are in agreement.  We were going to cancel and rebook our most expensive cruise since we have it almost paid off.  However, a stockbroker said that if Regent comes up with the money, they cannot turn around and immediately file for bankruptcy.  

 

We have decided to do nothing at the moment.  If everyone cancels and asks for a refund, it would further hurt a company that is doing their best to have enough money to be able to weather the next 12 months - even if they cannot sail (worst case scenario).  This decision may not work for everyone but it does for us.

 

In the meantime, I am thinking of what people at Regent are going through,  I am not bothering them with questions but have sent people that I know simple one sentence emails - sending positive and calming vibes.  Everyone needs that once in a while.......

You are so right!!!!

Agree with everything you said.

I could not have said it as well as you did!

Keep up the postings. 

sheila

[Pcardad]

Not cancelling anything.