Regent No More

[pappy1022]

35 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Nope - not the receipt. When Regent actually puts through the credit, it will appear as such on your account and they can send you a screenshot to prove it.

 

No screenshot = they didn't do it.

 

But you must ASK for it.

They haven't done it yet. I spoke to a very nice and responsive customer service person today. At first she couldn't reconcile what was going on but she didn't give up and eventually confirmed that they have my cancellation and the refund is for the correct amount but she didn't know when it would be sent to my credit card company. She did say that she would watch out for it and email when Regent released the refund. 4th try but I finally got someone at Regent to do the research and give me an answer. At least I know that is now in their queue vs. what previous agents/supervisors were telling me. Next posting on this board will be when I get my money back. Otherwise ....................... just cricket mode

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Pcardad said:

Nope - not the receipt. When Regent actually puts through the credit, it will appear as such on your account and they can send you a screenshot to prove it.

 

No screenshot = they didn't do it.

 

But you must ASK for it.

 

You mentioned this informed comment earlier and I thought that you were also getting crickets.  I’m glad to see that you received a response a few minutes ago. As expected, the TS received incorrect information.  Thanks to you, the TS is aware of what is going on.  Your posts are so appreciated by many of us!

 

1 hour ago, flossie009 said:

As far as I am aware the first cancellation of a Regent cruise due to Coronavirus was that scheduled for March 01 (the Feb 12 Voyager cruise having been curtailed on Feb 21)

 

 

On March 13, 2020, at noon (Pacific Daylight Savings Time in the United States), the President addressed the nation but did not mention cruises.  Posters in the U.K. Warned us that morning that cruises were reportedly going to be cancelled.

 

One hour later, (1:00 p.m.), we received a notice from Regent that our cruise for March 14th was cancelled.  I will remember that date and time forever as we were due to leave for the airport in 18 hours).  Most other passengers that were due to sail with us were either in San Diego or on their way.  

 

 So, March 14th was the first future cruise to be cancelled while prior cruises  (February for instance) were retroactively cancelled and ships either returned to the U.S., or the closest port available.  

 

This information can be verified by Regent and/or the passengers booked on that cruise.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by Travelcat2

[greykitty]

If I remember correctly, from reading these boards, about that Splendor cancellation was that Regent cancelled the March 12 two day 'friends and family' Splendor cruise  rather abruptly and without saying 'why'. I remember the speculation on the board. 

 

Even at the time I think most  readers knew that the March 14 cruise was definitely cancelled, just based on the friends and family cancellation.   I know even I, as a newbie, wondered that Regent didn't ensure earlier cancellation notification to those travelers.  I would think as of March 11, for sure, Regent knew Splendor was a no-go for any future cruises.  Even a few hours' extra notice might have helped a lot of travelers.  

 

That said, I guess one must honor Regent employees for adhering to the slow walk refund system...every minute they can drag out a refund helps the cash flow situation.  And, while I would think more highly of any cruise line that just came out and said they were going to announce cancellations very slowly, again to achieve cash flow gains for the cruise line and, maybe, ease workflow, strain I guess they choose to think clients don't realize what's going on.  

 

I was just thinking - even when a company says they're going to reduce headcount by 20% or go to a four day workweek, that doesn't have to mean every single department is cut equally.  For example, refund departments could be kept at full strength and days, or even at overtime!, while, oh, marketing takes a bigger cut.  Not sure which way Regent really went.  

[Pcardad]

March 12 and March 30? were TA cruises...

[flossie009]

17 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

So, March 14th was the first future cruise to be cancelled while prior cruises  (February for instance) were retroactively cancelled and ships either returned to the U.S., or the closest port available.  

 

This information can be verified by Regent and/or the passengers booked on that cruise.

The Voyager cruises scheduled to depart on March 01 and March 13 were both cancelled by Regent on February 19.

This information can be verified by Regent and/or the passengers booked on those cruises; easiest way to check is to read the later posts on the relevant CC Roll Calls.

 

I have no idea why we are debating this .............. but I do know that you profess to be a stickler for accurate information on these Boards

[Maxmann65]

44 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

 Otherwise ....................... just cricket mode

Seems to be the best way to avoid some of the nastiness. Although crickets do make a noise when the temperature is just right 😉

[SusieQft]

10 minutes ago, Maxmann65 said:

Seems to be the best way to avoid some of the nastiness. Although crickets do make a noise when the temperature is just right 😉

Sometimes nastiness is the only way some people can think of to entertain themselves.  Many more constructive entertainments have been curtailed.

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, greykitty said:

If I remember correctly, from reading these boards, about that Splendor cancellation was that Regent cancelled the March 12 two day 'friends and family' Splendor cruise  rather abruptly and without saying 'why'. I remember the speculation on the board. 

 

Even at the time I think most  readers knew that the March 14 cruise was definitely cancelled, just based on the friends and family cancellation.   I know even I, as a newbie, wondered that Regent didn't ensure earlier cancellation notification to those travelers.  I would think as of March 11, for sure, Regent knew Splendor was a no-go for any future cruises.  Even a few hours' extra notice might have helped a lot of travelers.  

 

 

We truly did not know that the March 14th cruise would be cancelled.  Kindly see the thread that I just started about when Regent began cancelling cruises.  While not a big deal, it puts things into perspective a bit more and I felt that it was off topic on this thread.  You do make good points but are a little off base on this one.  

[greykitty]

But don't you agree that Regent certainly knew they were cancelling the March 14 Splendor cruise on March 11 at the latest?  And I do think even a few extra hours/days would have been received gratefully by passengers needing to rework travel arrangements. 

 

Otherwise, why do you believe they cancelled the March 12/13 friends/family/TA cruise?  Sure, we'd probably have to have access to corporate emails, but to a point, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck - probably isn't a zebra.  

 

I mean, I totally thought that March 14 cruise wasn't going anywhere the second it was mentioned on the forum that the 'show off the ship' March 12 cruise was cancelled.  

[Travelcat2]

14 minutes ago, greykitty said:

But don't you agree that Regent certainly knew they were cancelling the March 14 Splendor cruise on March 11 at the latest?  And I do think even a few extra hours/days would have been received gratefully by passengers needing to rework travel arrangements. 

 

Otherwise, why do you believe they cancelled the March 12/13 friends/family/TA cruise?  Sure, we'd probably have to have access to corporate emails, but to a point, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck - probably isn't a zebra.  

 

I mean, I totally thought that March 14 cruise wasn't going anywhere the second it was mentioned on the forum that the 'show off the ship' March 12 cruise was cancelled.  

 

Definitely agree that Regent knew and it would have saved a lot of people heartache if they were able to cancel their flights rather than flying to San Diego.  We were so fortunate that we were planning to make the 3 hour trip from Vancouver on the same day as it sailed (it was not due to sail until midnight which would have given us wiggle room in case our flight was late).

 

Yes - I was concerned with the March 12th mini-cruise for TA's being cancelled.  However, prior to that, visits from family members were cancelled (and our children and adult grandchildren had planned this for over a year).  We felt that Regent wanted to be cautious and not have a shipload of unknown TA's or families onboard.  

 

On the 13th, I remember doing our final packing in slow-motion.  Something in my brain made it not feel right.  By the time the announcement came out, I simply moved our luggage into a bathroom that we do not use and it remains there today.  It is very unusual for me not to unpack and put everything away in an orderly fashion.  For some reason, I just cannot face it.  While I remain positive about future cruises, I need to look forward and not backward.  I'm sure that everything in our luggage is just fine ...... just a bit wrinkled.  When I know for certain that we will be on another cruise, I'll be happy to unpack.  

Edited April 29, 2020 by Travelcat2

[cruiseczarina]

13 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

Fizzy, 100% agree with you. Some of us are not wealthy and a Regent Cruise is a special treat for us. In my case, a 50 year anniversary. Several thousand dollars is not chump change. Yes, I don’t need the money right now to survive but to me it’s a matter of principle at this point. I want Regent to do what they say they would do. Actually do what they say they already did in my case. 

pappy1022 -  Congratulations on your 50 year wedding anniversary. It is an extraordinary milestone. My husband and I are also celebrating 50 years on May 3.  We were on the May 11 Navigator in a large suite.  I would prefer not to give many thousands of dollars to Regent, having sailed with them several times before in smaller accommodations.  I will be patient.  I have already alerted my credit card company as the first step with a note in my account.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

2 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Yes - I was concerned with the March 12th mini-cruise for TA's being cancelled.  .....  We felt that Regent wanted to be cautious and not have a shipload of unknown TA's or families onboard.  

I agree...I think that unless you were booked on that Splendor cruise (3/14), you were not emotionally involved. 
So many of us booked that cruise almost two years earlier. It was originally booked as an Explorer cruise, but was changed to Splendor. We were delighted to be on one of the inaugural sailings. 
Perhaps we did not want to face the facts..however, it was really officially canceled on Friday, 3/13.

Let’s move on. We also have all this money at risk. We cant do anything about it so I will put on rose colored glasses, and look forward to our next Regent cruise. 
BTW: We are both over 80 and hope Regent lets us sail again. We also hope that Regent sails again...

Sheila and Herb

[Travelcat2]

So we'll said Sheila (and so true). 

 

Flossie, in case you missed my thread, DaveFr pointed me to the Roll Calls for the two cruises.  The Feb 12 cruise did cancel on the 10th day of the cruise due to port issue s and March 1st was cancelled as well. it is a shame that those of us on the March 14th cruise didn't get a heads up.  It would have saved many people from anguish.  In any case, I owe you an apology.  I am truly sorry for questioning your post!

[forgap]

19 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

The last that I heard, Regent had three people processing refunds/FCC's.  This is not a job that one can teach in a short period of time (without taking at least one person away from processing and put them in a training position).  

Help me understand why this is a difficult job and why 3 people would not be able to handle the refund load in a timely manner?   Our accounts are computer generated and tied to a booking number.  When I look at my invoice all the numbers are clear as well as payments made.  Regent has our credit card on file.  Seems like all the refund people need is a list of booking numbers that are requesting refunds, load the list into the system and the refund is put back on the credit card on record.  
 

I think the issue is actually managing cash flow.  My travel insurance company took 3 days to issue a refund, my Airbnb, took 24 hours, and united airlines refunded points and taxes immediately.  We requested a refund from Regent 15 days ago.  If some major companies (like airlines) can manage this, why can’t NCLH?  

[Pcardad]

Because their software wasn't designed for this and they are doing it by hand. Each credit has to be verified because of the initial error rate (very high). I do not believe this is a cash flow thing because the turn time is fluctuating.

[CruiserFromMaine]

55 minutes ago, forgap said:

 

I think the issue is actually managing cash flow.  My travel insurance company took 3 days to issue a refund, my Airbnb, took 24 hours, and united airlines refunded points and taxes immediately.  We requested a refund from Regent 15 days ago.  If some major companies (like airlines) can manage this, why can’t NCLH?  

Exactly.
 

We had to cancel several hotels, tours, a rental car, train trips and flights for a March-April trip centered on the April 1 Splendor cruise. ALL were refunded or cancelled without penalty in a few days, EXCEPT Regent. I’ve read the various excuses/explanations about why Regent is taking so long but if Delta and Amtrak can do it with a phone call and a few days (Delta) or a few minutes (Amtrak) then I see no reason why Regent should take a few months. They know how much it is, to whom it belongs, and what card to refund it to. The only reason I can come up with is that they’re saving cash, hoping for a cash influx for new cruises and stretching out refunds for 90 days. 

[forgap]

9 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Because their software wasn't designed for this and they are doing it by hand. Each credit has to be verified because of the initial error rate (very high). I do not believe this is a cash flow thing because the turn time is fluctuating.

OK, so if it has to be verified by hand, you look at the invoice, look at the amount to be refunded based on the payments made, press enter if it adds up, put aside if it doesn’t.  I imagine you could complete one a minute....OK, even if it takes 10 minutes, that’s 6/hour x 8 hours x 3 people x 5 days = 720 refunds a week.    Not every passenger is taking a refund, either.  

[Pcardad]

Just saying..NCLH has enough cash for 12 months at current burn rate...delaying your refund for a couple weeks doesn't make any sense in the big picture. They know what is being said, they read these forums. They are not playing games...these people are working their backsides off to get these out. If there was a policy in place to hold them all for 45 days then they all would take 45 days (or whatever). Some are faster, some are slower and the turn-time is varying, not fixed. This is indicative of normal work flow, not a conspiracy. I speak to some of the Regent employees outside of work...they are honestly doing their best.

[mrlevin]

pcardad, you are misreading, NCLH's financial reporting, they specifically exclude customer refunds from their cashflow analysis.

 

Quote

Taken together, the aforementioned cash conservation measures and the potential deferral of near-term debt amortization and newbuild related payments¹, the Company now estimates its cash burn to be on average in the range of, approximately $110 million to $150 million per month during the suspension of operations. This includes ongoing ship operating expenses, administrative operating expenses, interest expense and expected necessary capital expenditures and excludes cash refunds of customer deposits as well as cash inflows from new and existing bookings.

 

And they reported $1.8B in booked cruises but $850M in cancelled cruises and that a cash refund has been requested on half of those; that is over $400M in cash they need to refund in near future.

 

edited to add:  those are booked cruises and value of cancelled cruises; since all cruises cancelled had passed final payment the cash refund amount should be close.

 

Marc

Edited April 29, 2020 by mrlevin

[greykitty]

But it's fascinating how across all the cruise forums, very similar comments about slow walking of refunds are being made.  Guess they all have similar, turtle-like refunding departments.  And/or cannot get the concept of a task force assigned to get refunds out now.  

 

If cruise lines are both aware of the comments and worried about their customer service reputation in regard to comments about incredibly slow refunding, shell game FCC pushes, and the dribbling out of cancellation dates, I'd think they'd make more of an effort to reassure their most fervent, loyal customers as to what exactly they're doing, and why, and really start pushing these refunds out, like other entities in the travel industry.  After all, these are the customers most likely to want to cruise 'after'.  If they are treated well now.

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by greykitty

[Pcardad]

I have 7 figures worth of booked cruises for my clients. I feel like Regent is taking excellent care of them. I believe what I am hearing from Regent and the service has been exceptional. I track every FCC and every Refund (running about 80% FCC to 20% refunds) with regular emails to my contact person. I have been told why refunds are taking longer and it is a viable reason. I always ask what the current turn time is and is always varies a little bit. I am watching for something to be amiss and if I see it I will share it here but I haven't yet.

 

Regent is still getting future bookings with both new money and FCC's. I can understand why they are not in the analysis. I also believe that NCLH will secure an outside financing package that will see them through this without impacting the cruise line we love.

 

My clients are quite astute and they are comfortable with taking FCC's (for the most part).

 

I hope I was able to differentiate between opinion and fact in this, and in every post, I make and that these are helpful. Apologies for any confusion.

 

 

[forgap]

A software savvy poster said earlier that tweaking the software program was not that difficult.  Obviously this is not my expertise but it seems that this Solution should be on the front burner for Regent.  I think I remember people saying there are issues with included air and port taxes but I believe these issues were when people cancelled within the penalty period not when Regent cancelled the entire cruise.   In this case, wouldn’t we get back what we put in?  

[flossie009]

23 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

pcardad, you are misreading, NCLH's financial reporting, they specifically exclude customer refunds from their cashflow analysis.

 

 

And they reported $1.8B in booked cruises but $850M in cancelled cruises and that a cash refund has been requested on half of those; that is over $400M in cash they need to refund in near future.

 

edited to add:  those are booked cruises and value of cancelled cruises; since all cruises cancelled had passed final payment the cash refund amount should be close.

 

Marc

........... and the majority of the 1.8bn in booked cruises will not have had final payments made; only deposits. So it seems very likely that the negative cashflow will soon outstrip any positive income, even with the artificially slow refund process.

[ddsun1]

40 minutes ago, CruiserFromMaine said:

Exactly.
 

We had to cancel several hotels, tours, a rental car, train trips and flights for a March-April trip centered on the April 1 Splendor cruise. ALL were refunded or cancelled without penalty in a few days, EXCEPT Regent. I’ve read the various excuses/explanations about why Regent is taking so long but if Delta and Amtrak can do it with a phone call and a few days (Delta) or a few minutes (Amtrak) then I see no reason why Regent should take a few months. They know how much it is, to whom it belongs, and what card to refund it to. The only reason I can come up with is that they’re saving cash, hoping for a cash influx for new cruises and stretching out refunds for 90 days. 

Cruiser from Maine,

Exactly the same for us as we had planned several days in/around Miami with back to back tours, excursions, etc. prior to our April 1st Splendor cruise.  All refunded, including hotel and flight.  Waiting for our Regent refund as proof needed to submit to insurance company for refund (insurance company will not refund unless full refund amount shown on credit card statement).

[forgap]

3 minutes ago, ddsun1 said:

(insurance company will not refund unless full refund amount shown on credit card statement).

Our insurance company only required the screen shot that the refund was requested and the screenshot of the verification email from Regent that the refund was being processed.  Our travel insurance company was IMG.