Regent- Stranded! Last minute change 🙀

[cruiseluv]

On 8/23/2024 at 6:23 AM, 1teach53 said:

We are booked in Seward AK for four nights before our cruise.( Explorer 9-11-24. ) Last minute email today, 8-23, changing embarkation from Seward to Whittier AK. It is almost impossible to get from Seward to Whittier directly. At this point it looks like we would have to take a bus back to Anchorage and then another  bus to Whittier! 
Many hours and many extra dollars! There is virtually no lodging in Whittier.  I am also pretty sure that we aren’t the only people staying in Seward the night before the cruise. Regent needs to step up and provide transportation from Seward to Whittier. 
Regent help us out please!! 

Sorry about that but may I ask why are you staying 4 nights in Seward?? 

[Dolebludger]

Actually, problems (contract breaches?) by cruise lines (and all in the hospitality industry) are not confined to Regent. We live in a tourist town (Durango Colorado) and services for these tourists have not recovered from the pandemic. It is hard to find a restaurant open regular hours. Hotel services are still limited. I doubt that we will have the tourist influx next summer (good in a way, because we are not dependent on tourist revenue). So Regent’s shortcomings are merely a part of an industry wide problem. Thus, my travel will be confined to a one day driving range from where I live until the whole tourist industry “shapes up”. Fortunately for us, that includes many great areas.

[1teach53]

Very interesting!! 100% agree!! Yep ,this will be our last RSS cruise, and we are Platinum so have experienced RSS a few times ! This is not just because of this incident but a slippage of quality over time as their prices have risen! 

[Dolebludger]

10 minutes ago, 1teach53 said:

Very interesting!! 100% agree!! Yep ,this will be our last RSS cruise, and we are Platinum so have experienced RSS a few times ! This is not just because of this incident but a slippage of quality over time as their prices have risen! 

We are only well into the gold SSS level, but even that means we have cruised Regent a lot. I am glad that you brought fare increases into the discussion, as well as service unreliability post pandemic. Surely, at current RSSC fares, it should be able to provide pre-pandemic service and reliability. But the case in this thread is a bit more severe than the Iceland and Barbados messes that preceded it. In those earlier cases, Regent was (arguably) protected by its self serving TC. But in this case, Regent is in blatant violation of its own TC (see post#8 above). Now, Regent is protected only by the part of the TC that limits suits against it to Florida courts — and most of us don’t live there!  But this case remains the most unforgivable of all similar situations. So unless Regent does some corrections, we’ve had our last Regent cruise.

[CruisetheCs]

11 hours 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.

Regent, NCL and other major companies are quite willing to continue paying multi-million dollar salaries for upper management and CEOs. So much for cost-savings!

 

Changing an embarkation port on short notice without making arrangements for all guests is nowhere near Regent's promised level of "luxury" service.  If Regent is concerned about the bottom line then maybe it should fulfill its promise of "luxury" cruising.  

 

It is incidents like this that occur without adequate explanation from Regent and without a satisfactory resolution that makes me and others less likely to begin or get back to cruising with Regent. 

[2012_Alaska_bound]

22 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!

They do pre-cruise hotel in Anchorage and then bus to Seward morning of embarkation. Should be same going to Whittier. 

[jjs217]

This is so distressing, and I'm not involved.  I enjoy Regent every time I'm on board, but my husband is a hair's breadth away from saying, "No more Regent."  As soon as it became official the ship would be dis-embarking and embarking in Whittier, they should have been booking busses to make the road trip between the two cities.  How absurd not to do that.  Yes, it would cost money, but what they are losing in goodwill far exceeds the cost of renting some busses.

[pingpong1]

1 minute ago, jjs217 said:

This is so distressing, and I'm not involved.  I enjoy Regent every time I'm on board, but my husband is a hair's breadth away from saying, "No more Regent."  As soon as it became official the ship would be dis-embarking and embarking in Whittier, they should have been booking busses to make the road trip between the two cities.  How absurd not to do that.  Yes, it would cost money, but what they are losing in goodwill far exceeds the cost of renting some busses.

Perhaps Regent's accounting department has a difficult time assigning an actual dollar value to goodwill or customer loyalty?  In their accounting ledgers (either left or right sides), there's probably no column with those headings?  Regards

[jjs217]

15 minutes ago, pingpong1 said:

Perhaps Regent's accounting department has a difficult time assigning an actual dollar value to goodwill or customer loyalty?  In their accounting ledgers (either left or right sides), there's probably no column with those headings?  Regards

I'm sure you are correct.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Has anyone confirmed that Regent is in fact not offering help to those customers stuck in this situation?

[1teach53]

10 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Has anyone confirmed that Regent is in fact not offering help to those customers stuck in this situation?

Yes! Talked to two “supervisors “ at RSS as mentioned in one of my earlier posts!! I asked that they escalate this & it was no. Pay up front for transportation and then submit to our travel insurance. 

Now that was last week, after we got the email so it might be worth calling again this week. 
 

Edited August 25 by 1teach53

[forgap]

You might try contacting Jennifer Teegan at headquarters in Miami.  She has been very helpful when I have had issues in the past.  Here is her contact info:

 

Jennefer Teegen | Director of Guest Experience and Loyalty
P: +1 954.940.7217 | 😄 352.870.8279

jteegen@rssc.com| www.rssc.com

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

7300 Corporate Drive, Miami  FL 33126

 

On another note, my calls to Regent in Miami have been less than good.  Different agent…different answer in my experience.  

[Pcardad]

Just to be clear...

Regent change the port of embarkation from Seward to Whittier on the 9-11-24 cruise.. People who bought air and hotels through Regent are not being accommodated for the port switch? Or is it just the people who bought air and hotels on their own that are not being accommodated?

[CascadeLakeGirl]

1 minute ago, Pcardad said:

Just to be clear...

Regent change the port of embarkation from Seward to Whittier on the 9-11-24 cruise.. People who bought air and hotels through Regent are not being accommodated for the port switch? Or is it just the people who bought air and hotels on their own that are not being accommodated?

It affects the 9-4 and 9-11 sailings. It's the people who had other transportation from or to Seward. We are on the 9-4 sailing and had purchased (at the recommendation of Regents) train tickets from Seward to Anchorage. We have had to scramble to rebook and no option for luggage storage for 10 hours while in Whittier. The Whittier depot does not provide this service as the Seward one did. It would have been fairly simple to transport passengers to Seward or arrange luggage transfer/storage from Whittier. 

[1teach53]

6 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Just to be clear...

Regent change the port of embarkation from Seward to Whittier on the 9-11-24 cruise.. People who bought air and hotels through Regent are not being accommodated for the port switch? Or is it just the people who bought air and hotels on their own that are not being accommodated?

We have our air through RSS & hotel on our own. 

[1teach53]

34 minutes ago, forgap said:

You might try contacting Jennifer Teegan at headquarters in Miami.  She has been very helpful when I have had issues in the past.  Here is her contact info:

 

Jennefer Teegen | Director of Guest Experience and Loyalty
P: +1 954.940.7217 | 😄 352.870.8279

 

jteegen@rssc.com| www.rssc.com

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

7300 Corporate Drive, Miami  FL 33126

 

On another note, my calls to Regent in Miami have been less than good.  Different agent…different answer in my experience.  

Thanks SO much for passing on this information!! Really appreciate your help! 💗💕👍🏻

[Pcardad]

14 minutes ago, CascadeLakeGirl said:

It affects the 9-4 and 9-11 sailings. It's the people who had other transportation from or to Seward. We are on the 9-4 sailing and had purchased (at the recommendation of Regents) train tickets from Seward to Anchorage. We have had to scramble to rebook and no option for luggage storage for 10 hours while in Whittier. The Whittier depot does not provide this service as the Seward one did. It would have been fairly simple to transport passengers to Seward or arrange luggage transfer/storage from Whittier. 

OK - ty. So Regent swapped a port and is saying that people who did their own transport/hotels/transfers are on their own to adapt to the new port?

[1teach53]

4 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

OK - ty. So Regent swapped a port and is saying that people who did their own transport/hotels/transfers are on their own to adapt to the new port?

Yup!!! 

[CascadeLakeGirl]

4 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

OK - ty. So Regent swapped a port and is saying that people who did their own transport/hotels/transfers are on their own to adapt to the new port?

Yes, I understand itinerary may change but not generally starting and ending points. 

[jeb_bud]

I wonder if Port of Seward decided to start construction on the new pier early and gave Regent the boot. That would be out of Regent’s control but it shouldn’t absolve them of the requirement to get passengers to the proper port, if the contract clause in post #8 is on point. 

[Dolebludger]

For those who haven’t cruised Regent in Alaska recently, Regent - provided hotel and land transfers are far from great. Even before the embarkation port change, Regent’s hotel (Anchorage Hilton) is to be avoided. And the transportation to Seward (when that was the port) is by crowded and cramped bus which may or may not run on time. Most people who would cruise Regent would prefer to book at a small boutique hotel and arrange transport by train, which is a comfortable and scenic ride. So most people just take the credit for the hotel and transport, and I’m sure it knows that.  It also knows that changing the embarkation port three weeks before sailing would cost its guests money and inconvenience. Very sad.

[SellaVee]

I wouldn't even consider allowing Regent to book my hotel and transfers after this year, so I’m guessing we won’t be cruising with them again.

 

Last year's cruise to Norway with Oceania had something that made me feel happy pretty much every day.  This years cruise with Regent, although it had many great features, had too many niggles, like being told we were losing 8 1/4 hours in port because of a minor problem with Splendor, then missing our entry to Honfleur because despite cutting short our time in Antwerp, we didn't get there on time.

[forgap]

I posted this on FB but thought I would post it here too.  
 

The most distressing thing about this whole thread is how cavalier Regent is being with information.  No explanation (which IMO would be helpful to understand the switch), and no effort to help customers change their plans.  The response to take it up with travel insurance is just plain disrespectful and lazy and absolves them of any responsibility.  

It’s like booking a flight and the airline saying that even though the ticket is from Atlanta to Boston, your flight is now leaving from Chattanooga (two hours away).  Good luck!  Take it up with your travel insurance!

[1teach53]

2 minutes ago, forgap said:

I posted this on FB but thought I would post it here too.  
 

The most distressing thing about this whole thread is how cavalier Regent is being with information.  No explanation (which IMO would be helpful to understand the switch), and no effort to help customers change their plans.  The response to take it up with travel insurance is just plain disrespectful and lazy and absolves them of any responsibility.  

It’s like booking a flight and the airline saying that even though the ticket is from Atlanta to Boston, your flight is now leaving from Chattanooga (two hours away).  Good luck!  Take it up with your travel insurance!

Yes! 100% correct! 

[H2O Polo Willie]

We were also on the cruise from Reykjavik to Southampton last month.  The really disappointing feature of that cruise was the issue with Honfleur.  In spite of leaving Antwerp an hour earlier than the original itinerary, the captain was unable to get us to Honfleur on time in the morning.  Due to tides (and yes tide timetables are out there for 100 years give or take) we sat waiting for a pilot until about noon and finally got to the port at about 2 PM.  Suffice it to say we had booked a trip to the American Normandy beaches - a once in a lifetime experience which we missed due to the late arrival.  And given that it is high season and the end of the Olympics, our tour company could not accommodate us the next day.  There was really no good explanation about why this happened by Regent.  We are now dealing with a travel insurance claim to try and recover 1,200 Euros.  And they cancelled the next port post Honfleur which gave us a full day in that port which was a Sunday with most things closed and obviously had no excursions on offer since they had not planned to be in that port that day.  Not the kind of experience we expected from Regent.  If we want to see Normandy we will now have to book another European trip and that was to be the highlight of this cruise!