Regent- Stranded! Last minute change 🙀

[rcandkc]

6 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

I see absolutely no evidence that Regent wants guests to book anything on their own. The only difference now is that air prices are a separate line item. It makes zero difference to me when booking...it is still a single transaction. The airlines are such a mess these days that allowing guests to see the variation in their pricing is just good business. 

Well, I have a different opinion but that is what makes the world go around. 

[Hambagahle]

The contract all passengers sign with Regent is totally clear.  Regent reserves the right to change ports as it wishes.   Nothing you can do about it except deal with it and forget it.  Regent won't reimburse you - they do not have to...

[Pcardad]

5 minutes ago, rcandkc said:

Well, I have a different opinion but that is what makes the world go around. 

They say "follow the money" and Regent makes more when you book air and hotel with them....companies don't like to leave money on the table. But neither do they want the blame for 3rd party vendor shortcomings. Things certainly are different post-Covid.

[rcandkc]

1 minute ago, Hambagahle said:

The contract all passengers sign with Regent is totally clear.  Regent reserves the right to change ports as it wishes.   Nothing you can do about it except deal with it and forget it.  Regent won't reimburse you - they do not have to...

Changing a port during cruise  is different than changing where you embark. 

[minotaur]

Does anyone know why Regent is making this change so late?

 

Also where are they accommodating guests in Concierge and higher who get a 1-night pre cruise package?

 

I'm just curious!

[fizzy]

Why is it unreasonable, short of war or weather, to expect to receive what has been advertised and  PRE paid for? Why do you need to have a good travel agent to endlessly go to battle for the clients to sort this stuff out? I don't want to shell out an extra $700 or $50 for problems I didn't create. I don't want to spend thousands for extra extra travel insurance for sadly anticipated mishaps created by the company that has sold me a product. I don't want to use my precious free time with endless phone calls and surprise e-mails. Would people still buy this product if costs and itinerary were simply an estimate to be determined at time of final payment? I don't want to be cheerily advised to make lemonade out of lemons.  I don't want to always be reminded that the onboard experience is so great. So far it has been and that is what I expect it to be because that is what has been advertised and that is what we have PRE paid for. If that were to change would the regular customers take an "oh well" attitude?

[Dolebludger]

1 hour ago, minotaur said:

Does anyone know why Regent is making this change so late?

 

Also where are they accommodating guests in Concierge and higher who get a 1-night pre cruise package?

 

I'm just curious!

Just a guess, but Regent may use the Anchorage Hilton for this package and bus the guests to Whittier. In the past, Regent used this hotel as long ago as 2002 and as recently as last year.  However, this may not be the end of the problem. Guest ratings of this hotel on TripAdvisor and here on CC have been pretty dismal. And there really aren’t sufficient hotel rooms in Anchorage to accommodate guests who do not have this package. And Whittier is a tiny town with a population of 272 in warm months and 220 in the winter. Not many (if any) hotel rooms there. 
 

I hope the OP will report here on how this mess turns out. My casual observation is that the entire hospitality industry has not fully recovered from the pandemic — and this includes Regent and others with whom it contracts. We are lucky in that our two post-pandemic Regent cruises were free of problems that we felt were major. But others haven’t been lucky, and luck can run out. We are locked in to 0 cruises at the moment, and will stay that way until Regent (and similar lines) return to the seamless experiences of the past.

[Dolebludger]

2 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

The contract all passengers sign with Regent is totally clear.  Regent reserves the right to change ports as it wishes.   Nothing you can do about it except deal with it and forget it.  Regent won't reimburse you - they do not have to...

Read post #8 above. Regent’s right to change ports with no responsibility does not apply to embarkation and final destination ports.

[mj_holiday]

I feel bad for those of you caught up in this.  Please make sure to let us know the outcome.

 

As several have said here, contact your TA for help. Keep all receipts of extra costs, including tips

 

A couple years ago, DH and I were in a difficult situation when we learned at 9am our flight that evening had been cancelled.  Talking with Regent they said they would rebook us on a Business class flight with another carrier, but found out later it was not Business Class.  I called my TA who found a flight and told Regent to book it (it was for the next night)  Got to the airport the next evening and at checkin found that Regent had not paid for the tickets.  Again contacted TA (I could not get ahold of Regent) and was told "pay for the tickets, don't lose those seats" and let insurance/Regent work it later.

 

The end result was I got reimbursed from insurance for everything I spent (additional hotel night, food, taxi and tickets) TA did help me with insurance.  The insurance company got the original cost of the ticket reimbursed to them from Regent..

[Hambagahle]

According to the ticket contract I have for my 2025 cruise Regent does reserve this right.

 

However I read through the entire contract - again (read it before I signed it) - and see that under 4 (c) it says

"If embarkation port is changed we will arrange transport to the new port from the originally scheduled port"

 

The OP should check his contract.  If it is the same he should bring it to Regent's attention in writing.

Edited August 24 by Hambagahle

[Hambagahle]

2 hours ago, minotaur said:

Does anyone know why Regent is making this change so late?

 

Also where are they accommodating guests in Concierge and higher who get a 1-night pre cruise package?

 

I'm just curious!

Contract says that Regent reserves the right to change both the embarkation and disembarkation ports...

[Sunprince]

22 hours ago, DaveFr said:

Regent should provide transportation to Whittier. Section 4c of the Ticket Contract provides: "If the scheduled port of embarkation or final destination is changed. We will arrange transportation to the new port from the originally scheduled port."

 

Dave

Am I the only one who finds it funny (not in a joyous way) that Regent is very quick to enforce the contract when it's in their favour But when it's in the customer favour then Regent is silent! If I were the OP, I would definitely hold them to their contract terms.

[CascadeLakeGirl]

2 hours ago, minotaur said:

Does anyone know why Regent is making this change so late?

 

Also where are they accommodating guests in Concierge and higher who get a 1-night pre cruise package?

 

I'm just curious!

We are in a Grand suite and no accommodations are being made. I am still hopeful Regents will do the right thing. Discussions with our Regents representative have not been fruitful. 

[SellaVee]

@fizzy I agree with everything you say.

 

@Pcardad Remember the Reykjavik hotel and transfers that people were told were now down to the passengers to sort out.  Someone has now been given the same instruction for a cruise that's a year away.  So I do think they are trying to provide less.

Although they will follow the money, when the going gets tough, they pass the buck.

 

@1teach53  I think Regent are behaving disgracefully.

 

 

[Pcardad]

11 minutes ago, SellaVee said:

@fizzy I agree with everything you say.

 

@Pcardad Remember the Reykjavik hotel and transfers that people were told were now down to the passengers to sort out.  Someone has now been given the same instruction for a cruise that's a year away.  So I do think they are trying to provide less.

Although they will follow the money, when the going gets tough, they pass the buck.

 

@1teach53  I think Regent are behaving disgracefully.

 

 

While it may seem i am defending one company...i am trying to explain changes affecting the entire industry as that is what i see. Most companies are stuck inbetween choking debt and maintaining precovid levels of holiday. It doesnt always go the way we all want it to.

[majcigar]

Good Morning All,

My wife and I are caught up in this mess too. We were supposed to be getting off the Explorer in Seward and then we were staying overnight in Seward and picking up the SilverSeas Silver Muse the next day. 

Here is what we have to do now! Getting off in Whittier, booked the Regent Bus to Anchorage Airport @ $119.00 per person. Then we have to take an Uber to our new hotel in Anchorage. Hotel is a wash for pricing. Then we have to take the Alaskan Railway on the 12th to Seward for $200.00 per person. Total out of pocket is $638.00. Seems to me Regent could have waited till next years Alaska Cruises to make this change. They advertise themselves as the most exclusive cruise line. Well, for me this is definitely not a great start to my first Regent experience!!

[SellaVee]

18 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

While it may seem i am defending one company...i am trying to explain changes affecting the entire industry as that is what i see. Most companies are stuck inbetween choking debt and maintaining precovid levels of holiday. It doesnt always go the way we all want it to.

Which is why it makes sense for Regent to move away from providing things that they are having difficulty providing.  Before cruising with Regent I booked all flights, hotels, and transfers myself.  As it was a special occasion, I wanted Regent to do everything.  I’d have felt less let dow if they'd provided adequate compensation.

[1teach53]

37 minutes ago, majcigar said:

Good Morning All,

My wife and I are caught up in this mess too. We were supposed to be getting off the Explorer in Seward and then we were staying overnight in Seward and picking up the SilverSeas Silver Muse the next day. 

Here is what we have to do now! Getting off in Whittier, booked the Regent Bus to Anchorage Airport @ $119.00 per person. Then we have to take an Uber to our new hotel in Anchorage. Hotel is a wash for pricing. Then we have to take the Alaskan Railway on the 12th to Seward for $200.00 per person. Total out of pocket is $638.00. Seems to me Regent could have waited till next years Alaska Cruises to make this change. They advertise themselves as the most exclusive cruise line. Well, for me this is definitely not a great start to my first Regent experience!!

Wow!! Bad situation for you for sure! 
Great question!!! Why didn’t they wait till next year!?!?! 
RSS hope you are reading this!!? 
Not the Regent of past years!!

Wont be booking anymore with them!!!! 
This messiness seems to be a trend!! 
Very unhappy customer!!

[bissel]

All our Platinum points were made on pre-pandemic cruises. After reading of the experiences on flights, hotels and general hospitality we have decided to wait it out until the old ways return.

If they never do then we have our memories. And they are such good ones!

[Dolebludger]

I did a bit of research, and learned that HAL uses Whittier, AK as an embarkation and final destination port on some of their AK cruises. I don’t know how it handles the logistics. But it even offers shore excursions there. 
 

I can’t fully describe how disappointed I am when I read stories like this about Regent. I have recommended it to so many, and wish it were possible to contact them all and retract. We just returned from the Splendor’s London to London. No major problem, but not quite the experience it once was. When we booked it, there was an extra cost bus tour to and from Paris, which was cancelled last minute. Many were very disappointed, understandably. The cost was refunded and the reason was given. I checked it out and the reason was valid, but it did indicate poor planning by Regent. We are not upset, for the sole reason that in reviewing that excursion’s details more completely than when we booked it, we realized that it involved too many hours on a crowded bus, and we shouldn’t have booked it in the first place. Paris was not a prime reason we booked the cruise, but it was for others. But now, Regent is changing embarkation port with no given reason, and neglecting to live up to its contractural duty to provide transport to the new port. If there is no report of its handling of this situation properly, it will be a cold day in you-know-where when we cruise it again.

 

 

[Mystictraveler]

What Regent is doing, or should I say not doing, is absolutely appalling. They could easily provide bus transportation for those affected directly at minimal cost, especially compared to what some of the posters are paying. Do they not understand the concept of Goodwill? Or do they selectively enforce the contracts as some have suggested?

And for all the Regent defenders, what would you say if Regent changed the embarkation port from Seward to Juneau or Skagway or Vancouver? 

[rcandkc]

First passengers in Iceland are told..oh sorry you need to do your own hotel and transfers within weeks of embarking …then this…it’s a bad trend and makes one lose condidence. 
 

[rcandkc]

13 minutes ago, rcandkc said:

First passengers in Iceland are told..oh sorry you need to do your own hotel and transfers within weeks of embarking …then this…it’s a bad trend and makes one lose condidence .. 
 

I’m going on my 14th Regent cruise tomorrow.  So, I’m speaking from the heart.  I have 3 more booked. I so not want to lose my confidence in Regent. 

[Dolebludger]

I don’t think anybody posting here wants to lose confidence in Regent. But, at some point, it becomes impossible to ignore the events others post here. Do I believe the posts? Yes, because several people post about the same problem, and many posters have posted here for a long time. And, you just can’t make this stuff up! 

[Hanoj]

Is this type of disruption part of the “sacred cows” now being slaughtered that was announced by NCLH CFO Kempa at the end of May in a WSJ article about company management “maniacally focused on” deleveraging the balance sheet (debt creep during pandemic) by reducing costs and eliminating waste across all three lines? Apparently, RSSC is lowering its bar to deliver merely rivaled experience. So instead of “THE WAY CRUISING WAS MEANT TO BE” - from brochure -  it is how cruising is now: guests are expendable.

 

I haven’t sailed Regent, yet, but that was until reading this thread. I’ve been getting frequent brochures since first sailing on Oceania a year ago, and today’s mailing included a January 2025 itinerary with some appeal, enough so that I compared it with a similar cruise offering from Viking. But what is being described on this thread is not a luxury experience, and I won’t pay a premium when I can be mistreated for less on a competing cruise line. Henceforth, RSSC mailings will be deposited directly into the recycling bin.

Edited August 24 by Hanoj
Correct typo