Regent- Stranded! Last minute change 🙀

[ysolde]

2 hours ago, majcigar said:

Having worked for an airline for 14 years, you need to know this service you received from Singapore Airlines is HIGHLY unusual in the industry. When weather causes the cancellation, the airline is not responsible to provide any rooms or meals. Glad to hear it worked out for you.

This happened in 2012, and EU 261 has been in force since 2004, I think.  Although SQ is not a European airline, we were flying from Frankfurt, so EU 261 and its duty of care provisions applied.  There were four large groups at our airport hotel: Lufthansa passengers, Air Canada passengers, Delta passengers, and Singapore passengers.  Each morning, we checked in with the customer service tables the airlines had set up in the lobby (much as Regent sets up a table in the hotel lobby prior to a cruise, but much less fun) to find out if there was any news on the East Coast airports.  When there was none, we would then make plans for the day: go into town for lunch and a day of sightseeing, spend the day in the Fraport Mall, that sort of thing.  It was something of an unearthly time, like being in limbo, never knowing when we would go home, and, knowing how bad the news was in so many places, what awaited us when would arrive.  Fortunately, for us, it was nothing too terrible.

[MamaFej]

7 hours ago, ysolde said:

  Mistakes happen.  It's how they are handled that keeps or loses the customers.  And we remained loyal to SQ's business class for many years after that.

The part I’ve bolded sums up much of this thread. The part that follows reiterates it. 
 

Whether SQ had to or not, it appears they decided to make an impression on their customers by proactively making the best of a bad situation for them. 
 

 

It appears that RSSC had an unusual circumstance pop up. They had the opportunity to handle it well or handle it poorly. They went with poorly, whether intentionally or accidentally. Once this was brought to their attention, they had another opportunity to handle that well or handle that poorly. From the information in this thread, it appears they are handling it well for at least one proactive passenger. However, it also appears that RSSC has not proactively reached out to all passengers affected. 
 

I’ll reserve judgment until later. For now, I’m not as impressed as I’d like to be. 

[Hoo27]

3 hours ago, flossie009 said:

What more do you need to know from Regent regarding your specific travel arrangements ?

 

I've only been told by Regent that there will be no transport from Seward to Whittier and I should make my own arrangements for transport to Whitter. Based on the information provided by Ms. Scheer to one poster but not yet shared with all passengers, it appears that there will be transport from Seward to Whittier. I would have liked to know of that option as I'm in the process of changing my transportation arrangements to get to the ship.

 

The email from Ms. Scheer also suggests that the arrangements for transportation will depend on demand, but if the majority of passengers haven't been told that this option is available it will be difficult for them to determine demand.

[Dolebludger]

36 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

 

 

It appears that RSSC had an unusual circumstance pop up. 

That may appear to be the case, but Regent hasn’t shared the reason for the port change with any of us. as I see it. If it was circumstances beyond any control by Regent, I think we would be more understanding about handling about pot handling of it.  Now, all Regent has to do to gain this understanding is to tell us about those circumstances. 

[Hoo27]

I'm very happy to say that I just received an updated email, which looks like it went to all passengers.  The updated information states as follows:

 

***UPDATE***   IMPORTANT EMBARKATION INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR CRUISE SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER® DEPARTING SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

 

Dear Valued Guest and Travel Partner,     ***Update - Guests with Pre-Cruise Travel Arrangements in Seward***   Any guests with independent pre-cruise travel arrangements in the originally schedule embarkation port of Seward are welcome to reserve a complimentary transfer (available at 11:30am and 1:30pm) from Seward to Whittier by contacting our reservations team on the below phone numbers.   We look forward to welcoming you aboard Seven Seas Explorer.

[Pcardad]

31 minutes ago, Hoo27 said:

I'm very happy to say that I just received an updated email, which looks like it went to all passengers.  The updated information states as follows:

 

***UPDATE***   IMPORTANT EMBARKATION INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR CRUISE SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER® DEPARTING SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

 

Dear Valued Guest and Travel Partner,     ***Update - Guests with Pre-Cruise Travel Arrangements in Seward***   Any guests with independent pre-cruise travel arrangements in the originally schedule embarkation port of Seward are welcome to reserve a complimentary transfer (available at 11:30am and 1:30pm) from Seward to Whittier by contacting our reservations team on the below phone numbers.   We look forward to welcoming you aboard Seven Seas Explorer.

Happy to see this ends well for all guests. Sometimes it just takes a little time for a large company to do what you or I could do in minutes.

[majcigar]

14 hours ago, Pcardad said:

Happy to see this ends well for all guests. Sometimes it just takes a little time for a large company to do what you or I could do in minutes.

Or a Group of pissed off Cruise Critic members! 😉😉

[Pcardad]

4 minutes ago, majcigar said:

Or a Group of pissed off Cruise Critic members! 😉😉

They caught this internally - see post #115.

[majcigar]

9 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

They caught this internally - see post #115.

Who do do think made the phone calls! ME and other Cruise Critic members!!! 

Edited August 29 by majcigar

[majcigar]

Good Morning All,

 

For those of us on the 4th of September sailing, let me know if you would like to get together for a cocktail and a toast to our accomplishment? Jeff (Majcigar)

[Dolebludger]

Still, I wonder why the embarkation port was changed three weeks before embarkation.  Why do I wonder about this? Well, if it was something forced on Regent, it will not give me concern about booking with it in the future.  If is was something in which Regent had a choice, it just might.

[Pcardad]

45 minutes ago, majcigar said:

Who do do think made the phone calls! ME and other Cruise Critic members!!! 

Did you even read my post? I specifically mentioned phone calls - although more came from FB than here.

 

"A customer service supervisor caught the error (based on phone calls) and escalated it to a level where it was corrected."

[forgap]

1 hour ago, Pcardad said:

They caught this internally

This is the source of the confusion.  After impacted customers called, were given misinformation then forced the escalation through several supervisors until one brought it to the attention of upper management who corrected the issue.  This was hardly  “caught” internally.  More likely damage control.  

[Hanoj]

49 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

Still, I wonder why the embarkation port was changed three weeks before embarkation.  Why do I wonder about this? Well, if it was something forced on Regent, it will not give me concern about booking with it in the future.  If is was something in which Regent had a choice, it just might.

 

Same here. The best companies do not rely on contract terms with customers to disclaim responsibility for delivering services which fall below expectations; T&Cs have historically been used by the best companies to mitigate severe losses, especially when caused by circumstances beyond control of both customers and the service provider. And there have been many fine examples of the best companies going well beyond T&Cs to accommodate customers. I had hoped Regent is a best type of company. But there seems to be some doubt about this based on the accounts of events presented here. Is Regent joining the trend of using T&Cs to eschew responsibility contributing to customer dissatisfaction? If so, then now perhaps more than ever, the ancient "caveat emptor" applies. 

[Pcardad]

10 minutes ago, forgap said:

This is the source of the confusion.  After impacted customers called, were given misinformation then forced the escalation through several supervisors until one brought it to the attention of upper management who corrected the issue.  This was hardly  “caught” internally.  More likely damage control.  

Caught = identifying the problem and bringing it to the attention of someone who can correct it.
Damage control = what they do about it.

Edited August 29 by Pcardad

[forgap]

41 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

more came from FB than here.

I remember a similar thread on FB but can’t find and the search icon is not cooperating.   Did Regent pull the thread?  
 

[Pcardad]

6 minutes ago, forgap said:

I remember a similar thread on FB but can’t find and the search icon is not cooperating.   Did Regent pull the thread?  
 

They don't usually pull threads for complaints - they pull for breaking group rules. They are more likely to delete specific replies than initial posts.

[Dolebludger]

Please let me clarify my concern. If Regent had been forced by some entity or event out of its control to change the embarkation port on short notice, I can forgive the mistakes it made As a result — and then corrected. That is something that doesn’t impact a cruise line very often — I suspect never. But if Regent changed this, or was a party to the change, I have to do some rethinking of future cruise plans. 
 

I don’t think the contents of the T&Cs were a factor in any of this. In fact the T&Cs here clearly REQUIRE transportation when the Embarkation (or final destination) port is changed — as happened here. It looks like Regent acted without reading its own T&Cs. But if the embarkation port was changed last minute due to forces totally beyond its control, that’s understandable. If the change was in any way within its control, it is not.

[Hanoj]

54 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

Please let me clarify my concern. If Regent had been forced by some entity or event out of its control to change the embarkation port on short notice, I can forgive the mistakes it made As a result — and then corrected. That is something that doesn’t impact a cruise line very often — I suspect never. But if Regent changed this, or was a party to the change, I have to do some rethinking of future cruise plans. 
 

I don’t think the contents of the T&Cs were a factor in any of this. In fact the T&Cs here clearly REQUIRE transportation when the Embarkation (or final destination) port is changed — as happened here. It looks like Regent acted without reading its own T&Cs. But if the embarkation port was changed last minute due to forces totally beyond its control, that’s understandable. If the change was in any way within its control, it is not.

 

I share the same concern, though I have only been contemplating booking with Regent. I was offering a plausible explanation for what may be a cultural shift in the way Regent conducts itself, at least regarding communication or lack thereof. I admit this is speculative. But if Regent doesn't explain the reason for these embarkation changes affecting these two cruises, I am less likely to consider sailing with Regent, especially since NCLH CFO Kempa has indicated there are "no sacred cows" across the three lines as management seeks to "eliminate waste from the business."

[mj_holiday]

On 8/28/2024 at 10:27 AM, flossie009 said:

If Regent have your correct contact details, why should you ?

No one has been “stranded” on the cruise in question.

We won't know if anyone is "stranded" either getting off the first cruise that changed ports, or wanting to embark the second cruise to change ports.  DH and I are people that often extend a cruise (before or after) to places (and this recently happened) where internet is not always available and we are not the type of people who check our devices during trips.  I am a doubter as to whether this is going to end smoothly.

[CruisetheCs]

The longer this goes on the more astounded I am that someone in management has not issued an explanation for the changes and has not apologized for the late and inadequate initial notification.  This thread goes on and on day after day presumably alerting a widespread audience to Regent's failed communication. (Yes, I see it as failed when there are so many people questioning the episode.  And if this had happened to me I would be very unhappy with Regent.)

 

Not only is this scenario widely visible online, I'm sure that the criticism will spread around the ship to those who were not directly affected or concerned.  It will be interesting to see if anyone from management on the ship discloses what is really going on.

 

None of this makes Regent look good.  And it could have easily been fixed with a simple explanation an apology (which still needs to happen), and an offer to make up for any additional expenses that guests encountered due to the late change.  This kind of communication failure can impact the bottom line that shareholders and management care about.

[DaveFr]

My brother and sister-in-law are on the September 4 cruise. They booked with a Regent agent and when they got the email about the port change, they called the agent. He told my brother that the port authorities were the ones who decided to make the change at the last minute. According to the agent, the change was made for the opening of phase one of the new cruise terminal in Whittier. The Alaska Railroad Company (ARRC) owns the cruise terminal in Seward and I believe it has at least a partial ownership interest in the cruise terminal in Whittier. Apparently the port in Seward was closed on the 11th so that the Explorer would go to Whittier. It is certainly in AARC's interest that both cruise ports prosper. The Explorer was the only ship in Seward on the 11th and there were no cruise ships due in Whittier on that date.
 

There are cruise terminal and docking projects ongoing in both Whittier and Seward. It appears that the project in Whittier is partially financed by NCLH while the project in Seward is partially financed by Royal Caribbean. Consequently, NCLH ships will have priority in Whittier and Royal Caribbean ships will have priority in Seward. I checked port schedules for 2025 and 2026. NCLH has switched to Whittier for NCL and Oceania ships. Holland America and Princess will continue to use Whittier. All Royal Caribbean line ships will use Seward. I speculate that Regent will switch to Whittier once phase 2 of the project has been completed.

 

i'm happy that Regent is now doing the right thing for its passengers on the 11th. My experience has been that it usually does the right thing eventually although at times Regent needs to be dragged kicking and screaming to the correct position. If nothing else, Regent needs to read and comply with its own ticket contract before making decisions such as here.
 

Dave

Edited August 29 by DaveFr

[Dolebludger]

Dave, did the Port Authority make the port change mandatory, or merely make a request? 

[flossie009]

16 hours ago, CruisetheCs said:

The longer this goes on the more astounded I am that someone in management has not issued an explanation for the changes and has not apologized for the late and inadequate initial notification.

Two weeks before the cruise (not “last minute”) Regent has emailed all guests informing them of the port change and has offered transport between the two ports to those requiring it.

Not sure why anyone thinks that Regent should do any more; and certainly no reason for them to communicate directly with anyone other than those booked on the affected cruises.

 

20 hours ago, mj_holiday said:

I am a doubter as to whether this is going to end smoothly.

A sadly pessimistic view. Hopefully the OP and others will report back on their experience next month.

I hope everyone has trouble-free travels and a great cruise.

 

[Hoo27]

4 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

Two weeks before the cruise (not “last minute”)

Just wanted to point out that I had already received my boarding pass from Regent listing Seward as the embarkation port prior to this change bring announced.  Although this is not literally "last minute," it is very late in the process and late enough that Regent had already confirmed everything and issued boarding passes.

 

This is not a complaint, it's just for everyone's information.  We're fortunate that we were able to change our transportation to Whittier with minor inconvenience and cost.  I'm glad that Regent is offering transportation from Seward for anyone who needs it and, at least for us, I expect this will end up being a small frustration in an otherwise wonderful cruise.