Regent unable to provide Reykjavik hotel and transfers

[Pcardad]

Out of curiosity, I looked up a taxi ($125) and a 4 star hotel ($175 to $250) for July in Iceland.....it looks doable to me but I am sure your TA would know for certain.

[Tucruisers]

This cruise was booked on the basis that it included a pre-cruise hotel in Reykjavik and transfers. Regent are now seeking to withdraw that element of the contract with passengers and give £150 pp as compensation. First, it is unacceptable that they should behave in this way. It is still perfectly possible for them to book and pay for hotels and transfers even if this may take a little more administrative effort on their part. Second, the additional cost to us of making our own arrangements wold far exceed the amount offered. 

So lets's see what they do. Our TA has gone back to Regent and we wait to see what they say. We will then assess our options which should include cancellation and full refund (this is a significant change to the arrangements booked) or we may still proceed but Regent will surely have lost us as future customers. I should say we have coming up to 200 nights with Regent but this would be our first cruise back with them since Covid. In the meantime, we have had good experiences with Seabourn and Scenic but thought we would give Regent another go because we were interested in the itinerary for this cruise. We aren now regretting this.

[Dolebludger]

Please keep us posted. According to Picardad’s figures (which are going to be pretty spot on) it’s up to probably $375 USD to get from the airport and book in the hotel. And I’ll bet it will take more than $5 to get from hotel to pier. And Regent’s hotel and transfers includes breakfast, and that will cost extra. And there is the inconvenience to the guest in having to arrange things that Regent was paid to do. 
 

From what I can see, Regent is having  these problems in small embarkation port cities, like Anchorage, Bridgetown, and Rekyjavik. On our Explorer Alaska cruise last summer, we booked concierge, but learned that Regent’s hotel in Anchorage (Hilton) had some bad reviews. So we took the credit and booked our own. In reading reviews of our cruise on CC after our return, we learned that the hotel was indeed poor, as were the transfers. We found a small boutique hotel and did our own transfers (not in a crowded bus) and all was good. I note that there have been some more minor complaints about Regent’s hotel choices in some larger port areas, but nothing as serious as the problem here. 

[flossie009]

IMO, the £150pp being offered in lieu of Regent’s cancellation of this element of the booked package is derisory, and to call it a ‘goodwill gesture’ is misleading.

 

Also I note that all the July Splendor Reykjavik cruises are still being  falsely advertised on the Regent(UK) website as including the pre-cruise hotel for Concierge suites:

“CONCIERGE SUITES AND HIGHER INCLUDE: Included 1-Night Pre-Cruise Hotel Package and more”

[flossie009]

@DaveA & @Tucruisers,

 

Just a thought that you may wish to put to your TA and Regent:

You have paid a premium to book a Concierge suite rather than an F grade. F suites are exactly the same size & layout and give the same access to all services on board; the principal advantage of booking a Concierge suite being the pre-cruise hotel & transfer.

The premium you have paid for booking Concierge is probably around £800 - £1000 per person.

[lprp]

This might be useful if you do end up booking your own hotel:

https://www.headforpoints.com/2024/03/02/review-reykjavik-konsulat-hotel/
 

We stayed in the Reykjavik Grand last year and I can’t recommend it based on our stay. I liked the look of the Edition (Marriott), but HFP don’t recommend it due to the high price and the fact that it’s surrounded by building works. These were my comments from the blog I did last year:

 

[Tucruisers]

Thank you to everyone for the interest, support and advice. Flossie's observation about the extra cost of Concierge over F Grade is spot on. In fact we are now in a worse position than we would have been with an F Grade booking in that we don't even get transfers! We would genuinely welcome advice on hotels and transfers. The cheapest pre-booked airport transfer I can see is 156 euro (£133) although even that was not confirmed and extras sometimes appear when you book. A google search warns of higher costs than this by getting a taxi from the rank at the airport.

The cheapest room at the Konsultat mentioned by Iprp is £417 inc breakfast for 14 July and all 4 star hotels that I can see through booking sites online are £250 plus, if anyone has any different information or suggestions these would be most welcome. The taxi from the hotel to the cruise terminal would be on top of this.

So, still waiting to hear back from our TA and Regent. I know that in a way these are first world problems and we are fortunate to be able to bear any extra costs without this impacting anything other than our kids inheritance but I must say that it is irritating! We pay pretty much top dollar to Regent for things to go smoothly, not to be endlessly cross with them!

 

 

[Pcardad]

54 minutes ago, Tucruisers said:

Thank you to everyone for the interest, support and advice. Flossie's observation about the extra cost of Concierge over F Grade is spot on. In fact we are now in a worse position than we would have been with an F Grade booking in that we don't even get transfers! We would genuinely welcome advice on hotels and transfers. The cheapest pre-booked airport transfer I can see is 156 euro (£133) although even that was not confirmed and extras sometimes appear when you book. A google search warns of higher costs than this by getting a taxi from the rank at the airport.

The cheapest room at the Konsultat mentioned by Iprp is £417 inc breakfast for 14 July and all 4 star hotels that I can see through booking sites online are £250 plus, if anyone has any different information or suggestions these would be most welcome. The taxi from the hotel to the cruise terminal would be on top of this.

So, still waiting to hear back from our TA and Regent. I know that in a way these are first world problems and we are fortunate to be able to bear any extra costs without this impacting anything other than our kids inheritance but I must say that it is irritating! We pay pretty much top dollar to Regent for things to go smoothly, not to be endlessly cross with them!

 

 

A very quick search of hotels on the night you wanted, at 4 stars or above and including breakfast yields the following......and note that a Regent equivalent transfer (shuttle bus) can be had for about $35 dollars.

[pappy1022]

How far in advance does Regent normally book hotel rooms for people who choose to do so through Regent? I would expect them to have to do this far in advance of a cruise.

[Tucruisers]

Thanks to Pcardad for the post and information though some of the hotels are not in the centre of Rejkyavik (the 201 Hotel for example is 7 kilometres outside, Hotel 201 2 kilometres outside)) and when you go to the websites for the other hotels you get specific B and B prices (well) over £250 per night for 14 July, at least from here in the UK. It is also true that there is an airport bus that runs once an hour to central Rejkyavik which allows only I suitcase per person and only goes to specific locations at a cost of approx £55 for two people. Is this the same as the promised Regent hotel transfer? I am afraid our days of managing cruise luggage on airport transfer busses are long gone.

 

[Pcardad]

3 minutes ago, Tucruisers said:

Thanks to Pcardad for the post and information though some of the hotels are not in the centre of Rejkyavik (the 201 Hotel for example is 7 kilometres outside, Hotel 201 2 kilometres outside)) and when you go to the websites for the other hotels you get specific B and B prices (well) over £250 per night for 14 July, at least from here in the UK. It is also true that there is an airport bus that runs once an hour to central Rejkyavik which allows only I suitcase per person and only goes to specific locations at a cost of approx £55 for two people. Is this the same as the promised Regent hotel transfer? I am afraid our days of managing cruise luggage on airport transfer busses are long gone.

 

It sounds like your pricing is different that what shows on Expedia. I ran then as 4 star with breakfast for one night (July 14 - July 15). Hopefully your TA can make some headway with the Regent Sale Rep assigned to her. The two times I have been to Rejkyakic, we were in tiny hotels that were unremarkable. Some ports are very difficult to source rooms and if a single large hotel goes offline it can cause havoc.

[highlandshores]

Hello all, I am in the US and 3 days ago we got the letter that they cannot do the Hotel.  They are giving us $200.00 pp and $200.00 pp shipboard credit.  So the $400.00 US will not be enough for a room and transportation from the airport.  

 

I have traveled many times on Regent and this has never happened.

 

I am not happy at all about this.  

[Bruce61]

We booked concierge without the “free” hotel night as we are going two nights and I wanted to avoid uncertainty in where we would be staying.    I heavily researched hotels and transportation and found (for our dates which are about a week after yours) that the “best deal” was the Hotel Borg with rates starting at $350 (a better room was almost $500 with taxes).  The Canopy Hilton many have recommended started around $550 when you factored in taxes.  We booked the Borg and then changed to Edition (I won’t even post what it cost but pretty crazy).  

 

The private shuttles all seem to be about $150-$175 per person.  There is a bus shuttle that is around $30/pp but it only seemed to go to a central bus station in the city center, from which you’d presumably take a taxi (or a pretty good walk with suitcases).

[hamasgirl]

Dave A....Just a thought (and nothing more than that).  Regent may be encountering some sort of event going on in Reykjavik the day before embarkation that may be causing the difficulty with room reservations.  We were in Reykjavik in August one year where they were having some sort of celebration...Reykjavik was mobbed all day and the parties and noise went on well into the early morning hours.  We were happy for the revelers but really not appreciative of our lack of sleep.  We had done our own pre-cruise hotel arrangements so we don't know if Regent did this same thing then.

 

Just a couple of quick notes.  If you have never stayed in hotels in Reykjavik, there is no such thing as air conditioning.  We have stayed in multiple 4 star hotels and all of them had small windows that you could open to cool down the room.  The airport is a significant distance from downtown Reykjavik, so a transfer from there will cost.  The transfer from the hotel (if staying in Reykjavik) to the port will be relatively cheap since the ship will dock basically downtown.  We have stayed in Hilton Nordica and The Grand (both are the hotels that Regent uses) and were not thrilled with either one.  The food was much better in Nordica.  Both hotels are within walking distance of each other but well outside of Reykjavik.  We did stay in a hotel in downtown Reykjavik years ago (can't remember the name at this point) which gave us access to some wonderful restaurants in the surrounding streets.  Reykjavik is small and walkable so I recommend that you try to get a hotel in Reykjavik.

[mnocket]

23 hours ago, Pcardad said:

you get a credit back for the room AND a credit of £150pp

I don't think this is what the OP reported.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think OP said there was any credit for the room - just a 150pp credit and some OBC.

[BBWC]

1 hour ago, Bruce61 said:

The private shuttles all seem to be about $150-$175 per person.  There is a bus shuttle that is around $30/pp but it only seemed to go to a central bus station in the city center, from which you’d presumably take a taxi (or a pretty good walk with suitcases).

We are not going until next year, so I cannot cite an actual experience, but my understanding is that the bus goes to the central bus station and then you will be transferred to smaller vans that will take you directly to your hotel ( all included in the same price).

[Pcardad]

35 minutes ago, mnocket said:

I don't think this is what the OP reported.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think OP said there was any credit for the room - just a 150pp credit and some OBC.

The miscommunication was that the actual letter said this...

"As a gesture of goodwill, we have added a hotel and transfer credit of £150 per guest to your account. "

 

My follow up comment said its a bit suspect that refunding the cost of the hotel that Regent couldn't provide is hardly a gesture of goodwill. The OBC is the gesture and is insufficient, IMO. If I were the TA for this gentleman, I would be on the phone with my account rep at Regent and they would make it right.

[pingpong1]

11 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

"...The OBC is the gesture and is insufficient, IMO. If I were the TA for this gentleman, I would be on the phone with my account rep at Regent and they would make it right..."

PC...I'm wondering how you know for sure that "Regent would make it right"?  It looks to me like Regent has only "made things right" for their own corporate accountants/balance sheet.  This significant change, turmoil, and major inconvenience and additional expense to their passengers (along with the short notice given AFTER final payments have been collected) has certainly/already NOT made things "right" at all for their customers.  Regards 

[Dolebludger]

We are very interested in the outcome of this matter as we are booked Regent Splendor concierge later this month Caribbean and the same for Europe in August. We have the hotel, transfer, and flights set up, at least as of now. But travel has been a mess since the pandemic, and we never know what might happen. We have trusted Regent for decades to do the tight thing. Now, we wonder.

[cruisevirgin24]

Dave, why don't you cancel your booking and re-book a Superior Suite on the same cruise? It will save you about £1,000 each and the suites are the same size. Apart from the pre-cruise hotel, there is very little difference this close to the cruise. The Illy coffee maker is definitely not worth the extra expense!

If you don't want to lose any excursion or dining reservations, try telling Regent of your intention and the offer may be increased.

 

Edited March 2 by cruisevirgin24

[Pcardad]

25 minutes ago, pingpong1 said:

PC...I'm wondering how you know for sure that "Regent would make it right"?  It looks to me like Regent has only "made things right" for their own corporate accountants/balance sheet.  This significant change, turmoil, and major inconvenience and additional expense to their passengers (along with the short notice given AFTER final payments have been collected) has certainly/already NOT made things "right" at all for their customers.  Regards 

Agreed. I do not think the $150 pounds per person to replace transfers/breakfast/hotel is sufficient. I would argue for more for my client and would fund it personally if Regent didn't agree...but the Account Reps have budgets for things like this and usually accommodate reasonable requests.

Edited March 2 by Pcardad

[Mahogany]

22 hours ago, Pcardad said:

Out of curiosity, I looked up a taxi ($125) and a 4 star hotel ($175 to $250) for July in Iceland.....it looks doable to me but I am sure your TA would know for certain.

I am paying Euro 375 without breakfast, the Marriott Edition was close to $1000. If you want something downtown, you'll pay more than $250, and doesn't Regent normally provide 5*, not 4* hotels?

[Pcardad]

11 minutes ago, Mahogany said:

I am paying Euro 375 without breakfast, the Marriott Edition was close to $1000. If you want something downtown, you'll pay more than $250, and doesn't Regent normally provide 5*, not 4* hotels?

They provide the best class within their budget but not promised to be 5 stars. As I have said, I think the offer was light and should be adjusted. Running transfers as well would make it comparable as I can book a decent hotel for the credit they are offering via a public website.

[flare3192]

we are coming in early cruise and got a hotel room at Hilton Iceland Parliament for about $465 including breakfast. That is for July 20.  We also booked two nights July 23-25 Center Migdargur for about $350 a night but these have been booked in January. I do not think a 4 star hotel centrally located in Reykjavik can be had for less than $400-$500 a night. '

I always book cancellable pay at hotel rates. If you prepay and have no cancellation or changes allowed you can save about $50.

We debated Concierge but we are doing our own thing pre and the extra wifi wasn't worth the cost.

I do  think what they are doing is crappy. They should find you a room.

[Pcardad]

10 minutes ago, flare3192 said:

we are coming in early cruise and got a hotel room at Hilton Iceland Parliament for about $465 including breakfast. That is for July 20.  We also booked two nights July 23-25 Center Migdargur for about $350 a night but these have been booked in January. I do not think a 4 star hotel centrally located in Reykjavik can be had for less than $400-$500 a night. '

I always book cancellable pay at hotel rates. If you prepay and have no cancellation or changes allowed you can save about $50.

We debated Concierge but we are doing our own thing pre and the extra wifi wasn't worth the cost.

I do  think what they are doing is crappy. They should find you a room.

Posted today for July 14...and they should do more but booking a few rooms here and there isn't feasible. A larger credit and transfers would be something they might agree to. If I was the TA, I would subsidize the room as well....the client is worth it.