Regent dropping Covid vaccination requirements

[Screasy]

I just got an email from Regent Seven Seas stating that they would be allowing unvaccinated passengers effective September 3rd.  Regent will require unvaccinated passengers to embark with a negative antigen or PCR test taken within 3 days prior to embarkation.  Vaccinated passengers will not need to test prior to embarkation.

[wcsdkqh]

Another thread for Dan to lock. Not sure why some posters feel they need to post yet again the same info that has already been posted multiple times.

[Screasy]

6 minutes ago, wcsdkqh said:

Another thread for Dan to lock. Not sure why some posters feel they need to post yet again the same info that has already been posted multiple times.

So sorry.  I am new to the site.  I looked around for this information, but didn't see it.  I would gladly accept some direction if you would be so kind as to offer it.

[PhD-iva]

7 hours ago, Screasy said:

So sorry.  I am new to the site.  I looked around for this information, but didn't see it.  I would gladly accept some direction if you would be so kind as to offer it.

Screasy, welcome to Cruisecritic! Most of us don’t bite. 🙃

[Screasy]

15 minutes ago, PhD-iva said:

Screasy, welcome to Cruisecritic! Most of us don’t bite. 🙃

Thanks!  Some.  SOME of you don't bite!  😉

 

[asnaleah]

I wonder why this decision was made. Are there scads of people wanting to cruise who wouldn’t get vaccinated?

[ChatKat in Ca.]

4 hours ago, asnaleah said:

I wonder why this decision was made. Are there scads of people wanting to cruise who wouldn’t get vaccinated?

Or what about the vaccinated pax who don't want to board with a ship of unknown safety?  We were already hesitant to book with all pax vaxxed.  Now we probably won't book another with these new protocols.

[Snore42]

Regent isn't testing daily on board, so any day that they don't test I'd say there is 'unknown safety" around the virus.   It seems from every Regent cruise report I've read, there are at least some passengers/crew being quarantined due to having covid, despite the ship having 100% vaccinated passengers and crew.   We go out in public every day and don't know peoples vaccination status, we must all live our lives and take the precautions we deem necessary for ourselves at this point.   People threatening to cancel their cruises won't hurt Regent much, as most cruises that I've looked at are sold out with waitlists in most cabins.  Feel free to cancel, there is a line behind you waiting to take that cabin and with the way Regent has been raising prices, they'll get more revenue from that next person as well.  

[DeepFreeze63]

We're vaccinated, double "boosted" and have had COVID recently (mild cases).  I think that Regent was unwise to follow NCL's lead and allow unvaccinated passengers. Unvaccinated persons of Regent's demographic are demonstratively more likely to have severe symptoms rather than mild cases of the more active, younger NCL patrons. Last thing Regent (and the passengers) need is more frequent medical emergencies that disrupt  itineraries.

[Pcardad]

1 hour ago, DeepFreeze63 said:

We're vaccinated, double "boosted" and have had COVID recently (mild cases).  I think that Regent was unwise to follow NCL's lead and allow unvaccinated passengers. Unvaccinated persons of Regent's demographic are demonstratively more likely to have severe symptoms rather than mild cases of the more active, younger NCL patrons. Last thing Regent (and the passengers) need is more frequent medical emergencies that disrupt  itineraries.

I am sure Regent didn't have a say in the matter...they did whatever FDR told them to do.

[Lonedaddy]

8 hours ago, asnaleah said:

I wonder why this decision was made. Are there scads of people wanting to cruise who wouldn’t get vaccinated?

That would be a resounding yes.  

[Lonedaddy]

4 hours ago, ChatKat in Ca. said:

Or what about the vaccinated pax who don't want to board with a ship of unknown safety?  We were already hesitant to book with all pax vaxxed.  Now we probably won't book another with these new protocols.

As was said to those who didn't want to get vax "your choice don't go"    Now the shoe is on the other foot....

 

Frankly covid is so dumbed down and weakend it isnt a big threat. Even with or without a vax you can carry it and have no symptoms.  To those at risk get vaxed, mask up.  I'll be more worried about the flu or norovirus ruining my vacation than a cold or covid.    And I got the vax so I could travel even though I had covid before the vax and surprise twice after.  All were mild and I probably had it more just didn't know.

Edited August 10, 2022 by Lonedaddy

[asnaleah]

@DeepFreeze63I was also wondering about unvaccinated passengers getting very sick while onboard, although the current variant doesn’t seem to be as virulent as earlier variants. 

[Portolan]

While not happy to see this development, it may be some time before there is much impact.  I'm assuming that unvaccinated folks haven't been booking Regent cruises in the hopes that the policy will change.  If that's the case, then they will not likely be a large part of the passenger loads immediately as many of the near-term cruises are heavily booked so it'll be a while before there are masses of the unvaccinated, IMHO.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

6 hours ago, Lonedaddy said:

As was said to those who didn't want to get vax "your choice don't go"    Now the shoe is on the other foot....

 

Frankly covid is so dumbed down and weakend it isnt a big threat. Even with or without a vax you can carry it and have no symptoms.  To those at risk get vaxed, mask up. 

Sorry to tell you my Step Daughter Died of Covid earlier in the year. Not everyone gets it mild. She was 4 months in the ICU.  I won't be booking future Regent Cruises under the new policy.   A friend of mine just was very ill in the hospital - no immune compromised conditions and fully vaxxed.

 

This is not like a cold/flu but you can have your own opinion

 

[Nuka]

11 hours ago, ChatKat in Ca. said:

Or what about the vaccinated pax who don't want to board with a ship of unknown safety?  We were already hesitant to book with all pax vaxxed.  Now we probably won't book another with these new protocols.

I cancelled my cruise as I didn't feel comfortable for myself and I didn't like an elevation in risk for all that I didn't agree to or have any input on.

 

They wouldn't refund the 'admin' fee on my deposit which I think was petty on their part.  As far as I am concerned, there are lots of other cruiselines to spend my monies with - I can hold a grudge as a consumer.

Edited August 11, 2022 by Nuka

[papaflamingo]

9 hours ago, Nuka said:

They wouldn't refund the 'admin' fee on my deposit which I think was petty on their part.  As far as I am concerned, there are lots of other cruiselines to spend my monies with - I can hold a grudge as a consumer.

You're going to "... hold a grudge..." over a $100 per person admin fee that is available as Future Cruise Credit because Regent has followed the lead of most the rest of the cruise industry, and you call Regent "petty?"  

Edited August 11, 2022 by papaflamingo

[carolina cruisin]

Feel like I need to jump in and offer some observations.  First, we all need to understand that each of us have a risk tolerance, usually supported by personal experiences.  We need to accept that and make our own choices.  DW and I recently completed a cruise where everyone was "reportedly" vaccinated and had to test negative to get on-board.  We wore masks most of the time and tried to observe recommended precautions.  Looking back - can see where we "let our guard down" now and then.  So - we contracted covid and was quarantined.  We were treated extremely well by Regent - to include receiving paxlovid.  Upon returning home, we were some of the 10-15% to experience a rebound from the medication and went through it again.  Both times, relatively mild symptoms. We are quite aware that different people are impacted differently by the illness.  We also know that when we go to a store, a restaurant, etc. - there is no way of knowing who is vaccinated and who is not.  We all have our thoughts as to why some people will not get vaccinated or choose not to wear masks.  Again, we have to accept.  For us - we have missed out on about 2.5 years of our lives and we are not getting any younger.  At this point - we have 4 more cruises booked over the next couple of years and plan on going on all of them.  We plan to get any/all boosters made available.  We plan to try and be careful when we are out and about.  And we will do our best to accept the decisions made by others.  Happy cruising.

[mj_holiday]

Knowing people who are unvaccinated by choice, I suspect some of them also wouldn't want to take a COVID test to get on a cruise ship.

I concur with Portolan above in that those unvaccinated people that want to cruise will not be on the upcoming cruises but will look to cruises further in the future.

The SailSafe program that Regent has established has some medical experts that I respect and expect them to make the safest decision.  It was Regent (NCL) that decided in the beginning that the entire ship had to be vaccinated while other cruise lines were allowing a certain percentage to come aboard unvaccinated.

[Nuka]

16 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

You're going to "... hold a grudge..." over a $100 per person admin fee that is available as Future Cruise Credit because Regent has followed the lead of most the rest of the cruise industry, and you call Regent "petty?"  

Yeah..that is how I roll. I wasn't impressed with the policy change...maybe I am petty.

[papaflamingo]

5 hours ago, Nuka said:

Yeah..that is how I roll. I wasn't impressed with the policy change...maybe I am petty.

Yes, I would have to agree with you, you may be petty.  But I suspect you're going to find similar "pettiness" on most other cruise lines, and that their deposit is greater than $100 and does not become FCC like at Regent..  But good luck in your future cruising. 

Edited August 12, 2022 by papaflamingo

[cruiseluv]

Yet everyone jumping ship , so to speak, due to the change in policy are ok with sharing close quarters in planes for hours with people with unknown vaccination status 🙄 Makes sense…

[Wendy The Wanderer]

34 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

Yet everyone jumping ship , so to speak, due to the change in policy are ok with sharing close quarters in planes for hours with people with unknown vaccination status 🙄 Makes sense…

Well, yes that's true.  Although we've carefully chosen to stay close to home so we can drive to cruise, the need to be at sea outweighing the need for exotic destinations.  Obviously most don't have that luxury.  But again, we have to shop in stores where most people are unmasked and some unvaccinated.  

 

Our final payment date is about 6 weeks from now.  We'll have to reassess then.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

We made final payment and we are not flying to our sailing.  We won't cancel but we will limit our onboard socializing just because even people who board and get covid won't isolate and report for quarantine.  There is where the no testing is going to hurt and possibly backfire.  Since you had to show proof of vaccination to board and be tested under the old rule, most of the passengers on our sailing will have lesser cases if they do get sick. 

 

A friend of mine was just on an Alaskan sailing on one of the mass lines. Her friend told her to self test because if she got sick, they'd remove her from the ship if she tested positive via the medical center.   We live in a world that cares not for others, apparently.

[carolina cruisin]

Sad to think that some would contract covid but not report it or quarantine.  I do believe this happens however.  My DW and I became ill on a recent cruise.  We self tested and tested positive.  We reported it and spent 5 days in quarantine.  Regent treated us very well and we still had an enjoyable cruise.   I would like to think that passengers would show some respect for their fellow travelers but sadly, that is not the world we live in today.