Israel Next week Voyager

[Sunprince]

6 minutes ago, melbox4 said:

The after hours air department is not really helping. They just gave me the number for Lufthansa and asked me to call Lufthansa. I called that number and it is for a closed office till Monday. My flts were booked with Lufthansa. Lufthansa has now canceled my return flt from Rome. I am told by Lufthansa I can fly to Istanbul and then to Athens to catch the ship. But I must pay for the flt from Istanbul to Athens. They say because Athens is more than 250 miles Lufthansa won’t pay for it. Isn’t Haifa more than 250 mile from Istanbul where my original flt was to start.  That makes no sense. 

What a disaster! And embarkation is tomorrow! Have you tried calling Regent customer service and insist on talking to a supervisor.  Ask for cancellation and full refund.  See what they say? 

[NYC-London]

23 minutes ago, olga1900 said:

We cancelled because we couldn’t face changes and cancellations as you have. We are both mid 80s and paid for direct comfortable flights. Now we lose everything.

Larry

I would try to contest the charge with your credit card company and be sure to have the Regent brochures marketing this as a "Holy Land Tour" - you may or may not be successful. I would also file a complaint with the BBB of Florida.

 

Although Regent was in their right to stick by the contract, they may not want negative press and it is known that consumer reporters follow BBB complaints to get stories.

 

If so inclined, I would also contact your local news consumer reporter - there were many ways to handle this situation - Regent took the one that harmed the consumer the most, just because they can doesn't mean they should.

 

I pick my cruises solely on the destination and I was actually looking at this cruise but the timing wasn't right - but I would have wanted to be in Israel to visit family. I would never book another Greek isles/Turkey cruise (except for Istanbul) because I have been there numerous times (yes, I know, first world problems) and I only get a limited amount of vacation time and do not have excess funds to throw away on a vacation that I have very little interest in.

 

I have been on a number of cruises where ports have been missed, once we had eight straight sea days due to port cancellations. However, the overall theme never changed and booking a "Holy Land" (I do not like that phrase) cruise and ending up with a Greek Isle cruise is in my opinion a completely different vacation.

 

I now know of two top producing Regent agents who are so disgusted with how Regent treated their customers that they are seriously considering not booking any additional cruises with them until things get better. Apparently there have been a number of issues that I am not privy to.

 

I truly believe that if Jason was still running the ship (no pun intended) things would have been much different - the current management team seems to be completely tone deaf and only thinking of the immediate moment and not long term.

 

Although I am Titanium, this entire scenario really has been thinking regarding future cruise purchases - maybe it is time to try Silver Seas, I have heard many positive things and  they purchased the Crystal expedition ship. I am also curious how the Crystal operations are going - previous to the shut down, we had taken a few Crystal cruises and  enjoyed them very much.

 

BTW - I have family members in Israel, some of whom are involved in the tourism industry. One of them is a private guide who is usually booked up at least one year in advance. When she contacted those that are scheduled for the next few months, she did the right thing and offered full refunds, even though her contract specifically states no refunds and in the event tourism is halted, the funds can be used for future services either by the original purchaser or anyone else. Almost everyone (92%) told her that they do not want the money refunded, that she should keep the money and be safe. She told them that when they do come to Israel, they have a prepaid tour guide waiting for them and to her surprise and amazement, almost all said that was not necessary. There are many good and kind people!

[NYC-London]

12 minutes ago, melbox4 said:

The after hours air department is not really helping. They just gave me the number for Lufthansa and asked me to call Lufthansa. I called that number and it is for a closed office till Monday. My flts were booked with Lufthansa. Lufthansa has now canceled my return flt from Rome. I am told by Lufthansa I can fly to Istanbul and then to Athens to catch the ship. But I must pay for the flt from Istanbul to Athens. They say because Athens is more than 250 miles Lufthansa won’t pay for it. Isn’t Haifa more than 250 mile from Istanbul where my original flt was to start.  That makes no sense. 

This is completely unacceptable - I thought that the one of the  main reasons for using Regent Air was so that if there were any problems, they would stand by and assist you. 

 

Did you use a TA or book directly with Regent?

 

I know that this is a very stressful time for you - but this is important. Right down the name (if they will provide it to you) and the date/time of anyone you have spoken to. Be sure to record the telephone number that you called and take notes of the conversation. This will all be very helpful when you need to start the process of getting a refund either directly from Regent or your credit card company. Take the notes immediately after the conversation because in situations such as this, it is easy to later confuse and forget things.

 

 

[melbox4]

9 minutes ago, Sunprince said:

What a disaster! And embarkation is tomorrow! Have you tried calling Regent customer service and insist on talking to a supervisor.  Ask for cancellation and full refund.  See what they say? 

They told me I must call Monday to request a refund. 

[NYC-London]

On 10/9/2023 at 10:53 AM, Pcardad said:

The cruise has not been cancelled. There is no claim for the cruise solely for port changes. The major insurance companies made the call to consider this a War when Netanyahu legally declared it a War. Either way, as long as the cruise is happening, I am not sure what you are going to claim. However, if you go that route, I wish you luck and hope this situation reaches a conclusion that is acceptable to you. Personally, I am calling to see if any cabins are opening up on the 10/15 Voyager cruise...I can pack in 15 minutes.

Since you haven't posted in the last day, am I to assume that you are on your way to Istanbul?

[zak477]

We too love a few sea days to enjoy the ship. Sadly your itinerary now has none. Look at a port that you have already visited and don’t need to see again. Do as we do and stay onboard, while most others are touring. The ship is quiet and relaxing and the crew are even more attentive than usual.

[CrushIt]

2 minutes ago, NYC-London said:

Since you haven't posted in the last day, am I to assume that you are on your way to Istanbul?

No. We cancelled on Thursday morning. By then, it was obvious that Egypt was next on the chopping block and the air department was making no efforts to improve the travel itinerary. After the three-way phone call with us, our TA and RSS, our confidence in RSS was very low. We have no expectation of a positive outcome for us and wish all who have decided to board the cruise the best of luck and smooth sailing. 

[giustot]

2 hours ago, Joanandjoe said:

 They're offering a 25% future cruise credit,

 

 

It’s good to hear that Regent is at least offering some compensation. 
 

I wouldn’t look at 25% as a final offer. Passengers should continue voicing their concerns and perhaps the offer will increase. 
 

It’s still difficult for me to understand how badly Regent handled this, forcing passengers to take a cruise that was nowhere near the one they signed up for. This has done irreparable harm to the Regent brand. 

[kathy49]

12 minutes ago, giustot said:

It’s good to hear that Regent is at least offering some compensation. 
 

I wouldn’t look at 25% as a final offer. Passengers should continue voicing their concerns and perhaps the offer will increase. 
 

It’s still difficult for me to understand how badly Regent handled this, forcing passengers to take a cruise that was nowhere near the one they signed up for. This has done irreparable harm to the Regent brand. 

agree 25% better than nothing. We are not talking a cheap cruise here...for many of us this is big money..

[Pcardad]

42 minutes ago, NYC-London said:

Since you haven't posted in the last day, am I to assume that you are on your way to Istanbul?

I've been posting every day...thanks for thinking about me!

[Pcardad]

1 hour ago, melbox4 said:

They told me I must call Monday to request a refund. 

That is better then saying "No refund!" I've also heard they are issuing FCC now.

[Pcardad]

28 minutes ago, giustot said:

It’s good to hear that Regent is at least offering some compensation. 
 

I wouldn’t look at 25% as a final offer. Passengers should continue voicing their concerns and perhaps the offer will increase. 
 

It’s still difficult for me to understand how badly Regent handled this, forcing passengers to take a cruise that was nowhere near the one they signed up for. This has done irreparable harm to the Regent brand. 

I think the final offers will be much improved. Just opinion.

[melbox4]

14 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

That is better then saying "No refund!" I've also heard they are issuing FCC now.

FCC ?

[Pcardad]

1 minute ago, melbox4 said:

FCC ?

Future Cruise Credit.

[kathy49]

12 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

I think the final offers will be much improved. Just opinion.

I agree....too many with flight issues and clearly a very different cruise...I would not just walk away from this one....contract or no contract.

[melbox4]

18 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

I've been posting every day...thanks for thinking about me!

Pcardad we will have to reschedule our cocktails on board. 

[melbox4]

19 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Future Cruise Credit.

Thank you 🙏 I ❤️ the friendly Pcardad version. Seriously ty

[Sunprince]

1 hour ago, melbox4 said:

They told me I must call Monday to request a refund. 

So am I understanding this correctly? On a Saturday, there is no one in any position of authority at Regent that cannot deal with a customer in crisis mode, or offer solutions, or cancellation/refund options? Perhaps their regular hours should have been extended to the weekend in this situation.

 

Or are they really saying: “we deserve a day off today because we worked so hard this week to reschedule a cruise that no one signed up for, or wanted, while giving customers bad flights, with no flexibility or regard for what the customer actually wants”.

[Pcardad]

15 minutes ago, melbox4 said:

Thank you 🙏 I ❤️ the friendly Pcardad version. Seriously ty

Apologies and I will do what I can to share info that is more helpful.

 

[kathy49]

15 minutes ago, Sunprince said:

So am I understanding this correctly? On a Saturday, there is no one in any position of authority at Regent that cannot deal with a customer in crisis mode, or offer solutions, or cancellation/refund options? Perhaps their regular hours should have been extended to the weekend in this situation.

 

Or are they really saying: “we deserve a day off today because we worked so hard this week to reschedule a cruise that no one signed up for, or wanted, while giving customers bad flights, with no flexibility or regard for what the customer actually wants”.

I think what they are really saying is we are rethinking this whole deal.  I can understand they have people at airports and a ship to get off tomorrow. I think anyone calling on Monday will have better response if you have cancelled.

[pingpong1]

4 hours ago, Sunprince said:

If you used Regent air and they cannot get you to the port of embarkation on time, then are they offering you a cancellation/refund option? What does the contract say for this circumstance? I would think if they can’t fly you into Istanbul on time, then a refund should be offered.  I would not join the cruise at a secondary port…too complicated and you are losing your cruising time!

Sunprince - I absolutely agree with you.  And Melbox4 - I think this is a really important point!  Ever since I first joined CC and in particular, since following along on all the Regent Forum discussions for those years...the constant/consistent/never ending/"written-on-a-stone-tablet" justification for using Regent Air (rather than "going it alone") has always been that if there's "Ever Any problem at all" with your air transportation (arranged/booked paid for through Regent)...Regent was always going to be your "best buddy", that they'd move heaven and earth for you, and that they would provide immediate hands-on assistance...no matter what...to "get you to that ship - come heck or high water!"

 

And so now Mel is telling us that they seemingly have just "cut him loose" and told him to call Lufthansa on his own.  And to add the final insult...gave him a Lufthansa "non-weekend" phone number to call... that won't even be answered until 2 more precious and time-critical days have elapsed?

 

Tell me again (anyone) why I should ever rely on Regent Air to get me to/from the ship, rather than arranging my own flights - personally and directly - with my own favorite choice/s of airlines?  Did I also understand (from one of the previous posts) that Regent Miami was "finding it difficult" to contact the Voyager in order to "see if it was okay" for the delayed passenger/s (delayed through no fault of their own) to board the ship in a subsequent 2nd/3rd port, if they couldn't make it to Istanbul before the ship left (which the now won't)?!  "Asking Permission", really?!  Boy, I really don't understand "that one!"  🤔

 

By this time (actually way before now), someone way up the Regent "food chain", and in an actual "decision-making position", should have been offering these major-affected folks a full refund PLUS FCC's to use towards a new/later/future cruise!  In the "big scheme of things", that goodwill compensation would be a tiny fraction of their gross yearly revenue!

 

Maybe I need to stop posting on this thread...it's cranking up my BP way too high! Time to pet the cat! 😺    Best Regards to all.

Edited October 14, 2023 by pingpong1

[cruiserchuck]

3 hours ago, Sunprince said:

If you used Regent air and they cannot get you to the port of embarkation on time, then are they offering you a cancellation/refund option? What does the contract say for this circumstance? I would think if they can’t fly you into Istanbul on time, then a refund should be offered.  I would not join the cruise at a secondary port…too complicated and you are losing your cruising time!

 

Out of curiosity, I looked at the Terms and Conditions in the Contract, and they appear to make Regent responsible in a situation like this.  Section 4c provides in part:  

 

c. If the scheduled port of embarkation or final destination is changed, We will arrange transportation to the new port from the originally scheduled port.

 

 So it appears that Regent has assumed responsibility to get the passengers to the new port of embarkation.  If they failed to do so, it appears that they are not in compliance with the Contract.  

[cruiseluv]

As long as Regent has cruises operating during the weekend, and for which they have contracted with passengers to transport them to embarkation port, it seems to me they need to provide service during those weekend hours. If they can’t they shouldn’t offer air as part of their so called services 

[roninman]

3 hours ago, jjs217 said:

I think you mean "comprehend", not "apprehend", but then I'm a weird consumer.

in response to:  "Consumers are weird, in that they tend to apprehend this as one sided."

 

That is, "apprehend" in the sense of "to understand or perceive."

 

And I'm an even weirder one!

 

[rallydave]

On 10/13/2023 at 10:19 AM, kathy49 said:

They will automatically get port fees refunded less cost of new.  That is quite an assortment of ports some I have to wonder what they will put together for excursions. Clearly my guess is for at least 1/2 of the travelers on the Oct. 15th voyage the highlight and reason for booking was Israel and Egypt including overnights. Outside of "cancel for any reason" insurance nothing covers itinerary no longer appealing. Maybe that should be included...over 25% of itinerary changed = refund. Never happen

Regent does not refund port charges for missing ports nor add  port charges for new more expensive ports since port charges are not separately listed in the booking.  That is what has historically occurred and doubt any changes for this change.

 

Plus as far as looking at SEC reports to see if cash flow problems for Regent, that simply won't work as Regent is under the NFLH banner and reports are only for NCLH as the parent of Regent, Oceania and NCL.

Edited October 14, 2023 by rallydave