Gray Lady

Frankfort wasn’t our first choice for a connection, but they didn’t have any contracts through Munich. I insisted on a long connection time. We have a 3 hour 15 minute connection, but more importantly, there are three flights on Lufthansa to Barcelona later than ours. If we miss one, there is always the next one. Hopefully it won’t be too bad on a Wednesday, but you never know.

You never know until you ask. And then, you can always say no. Our flight home on ITA was very expensive to buy on our own, yet Regent had a contract.

Could you get a Delta flight to Barcelona with an upcharge that is decent?

Yes, that is the same cruise. We are flying United to Frankfort, then Lufthansa to Barcelona. Flying home we doing ITA. We could have had Air Canada/United through Toronto, but preferred to get to Europe first.

I paid when I called. They had a recording asking if you know about the new policy first. Because I did know, I went straight to a representative. She did reiterate that I needed to pay the $75, and charged me right then. Afterwards, I confirmed that I wanted the flights and she charged the rest of the deviation fees. I couldn’t have done this without all the wonderful info and tips I have received on this forum!

I want to let everyone know about my experience this morning with the Regent Air department. I was out of bed early to call right away when they opened. We live out West, and it was 210 days out for our cruise. I called right when the clock turned over at 6 AM. The phone was answered immediately and I was connected with an agent. I had done lots of homework on flights thanks to the cruise critic community. I was asked which airline/flights I preferred. She offered me one that had no up charge right away. She then looked through many other flights to find one that had a small up charge ($400) with a good layover time. It goes directly to Frankfort from SFO and has a 3 hour layover/cushion before going to Barcelona. She worked diligently to find us this itinerary with good arrival and departure times. On the way back, we were able to book the one nonstop flight from Rome with no up charge. She was very patient and our interactions were wonderful! I was immediately sent an email confirming our flights and seats. I can’t say enough about how great she was. My experience was awesome!! Kudos to the air department!!

Does anyone have any experience or any insights into Regent booking round trip flights with the same airline? Does anyone know if this is an advantage or not? I will be prepared for deviation with routes for each leg of the trip with different airlines, but have noticed a BIG reduction in cost if booked round trip on the same one. Just curious to know from other’s experiences. Thanks!

We are doing the Western Mediterranean. I just keep my fingers crossed that the cruise gods favor us to make this cruise. I like the idea of people posting pictures. I think I will start that thread in January when the weather is bleak to prepare us for the sunnier vistas ahead. Thank you, welshfamily, for the wonderful and pleasant thought!

We decided in 2021 to take our first cruise to Alaska in the summer of 2022. We were going to celebrate my retirement, 20th anniversary, and hubby’s 75th birthday. We booked with Holland and added a 7 day land tour before our cruise. I read all about Alaska, including James Michener, researched all of our cruise ports, and paid for great excursions. We flew in a day early to Fairbanks, and it felt wonderful to be doing something after the long COVID lockdown. Restrictions had just been lifted on masks in airports and tests to re-enter the US. We enjoyed the midnight sun and had a great excursion of the area surrounding Fairbanks, including panning for gold. We then went to Denali for 2 days. Hubby wakes up and says he had night sweats. Omicron was surging, but we had worn masks in airports, planes, and all public areas. Sure enough, he had it. We knew we had to be tested before boarding our cruise because Canada required a negative test at that time. I went and told them at the desk. They canceled our tour and cruise immediately. We were put on a black bus to Anchorage on our wedding anniversary, no less! The “Black Death” bus went to all the Princess lodges on the way to Anchorage picking up “positive” people. Our trip took almost 6 hours. We were taken to a hotel in an unsavory part of town overlooking a Home Depot parking lot and charged $550 a night! We were quarantined for 5 days before we could go home. We couldn’t leave our room at all! We had to have food delivered to the front desk, then a special employee would bring it to our room. When we landed at SFO, we wanted to kiss the ground! It took us 6 months to get all of our money back from Hollland and trip insurance. As an aside, hubby had told me I was crazy to buy that expensive insurance, but he was sure glad that I did! Moral of the story: we have still never seen a glacier or been on a cruise, but that refund is allowing us to book our first cruise on Regent Splendor this next April in Europe. First time going there too! Can’t wait!

One more question about Regent Air. I understand that our TA has to call to give us permission to talk to Regent Air so we can deviate. Can he do that now or does he have to do it when we are exactly 210 days out? Thanks!

Would like to ask if anyone has any restaurant and/or flamenco suggestions for Barcelona? We will be there next April for 3 days and would appreciate all suggestions.

Yes, we are staying for the three day post-cruise package. We are also going in a day earlier than our pre-cruise tour. I have been reading the Matrix and trying to pick out decent flights. I agree with you on wanting to get to the EU before transferring for a short flight. I know that segment will not be in business, but is a short flight. Thank you for info on Air Canada and letting me know that Air France is okay. I haven’t read a lot of good about them. LX and LH both code share with United, so hopefully Regent has contracts with one of them. Returning is not so much of an issue. Our vacation is over and it is easier to deal with a hiccup. I would just like to not have to go through customs until we reach SFO. Thank you for your insights.

I was under the impression that domestic flights are in economy, and international in business class. Also, flying direct from SFO would give us more time to sleep on the plane. Coming back we want to avoid going through customs and having to recheck our baggage and being in domestic seats. I will look at the scheduling for Delta and see what times they have on their schedule. Thanks

Hopefully this will be my last ask about airlines and airports before our deviation window opens. I need to hear your opinions and experiences, since I have neither. Next April we are flying from SFO to Barcelona (changing planes in Europe both ways 🤞) and then home from Rome. I have listened and will try to avoid the worst airports and Air France. I have looked and found acceptable (to us) flights, but before I dive into each one and find out about non refundable seats, I have some questions. Inquiring minds want to know. I have looked at flights that allow 2 hours or more for transferring, and airlines with partners/code shares. 1) How is the Zurich airport and Swiss Air? 2) What about the Istanbul and Turkish Airlines 3) Is Copenhagen a decent transfer airport? 4) Is Air Canada a good option with transfers in either Toronto or Montreal? 5) Is it doable to go to Madrid if we have to change terminals, but are on the same airline for the next leg? 6) I gather Frankfort is the “best of the worst” transfer airports: how long would we realistically need there to change planes? Four hours? 7) In case the above options are up-charged a ridiculous amount, which airport on the East Coast is best for transferring (going, not coming back): Newark, JFK, or Atlanta? Thanks, everyone. I will let everyone know how it goes. Incidentally, we cleared the wait list for an extra night in Barcelona. Cindy

We were caught earlier this year in an off-line maintenance scenario while trying to book shore excursions. I know 4 AM is inconvenient, but has no one else gotten up early to check-in on Southwest or purchase something when it goes live at a weird time (Prime Day, maybe)? West Coast has benefits for some things, like NFL football start times, and not for others. It is only two times that one needs to wake up early, if so inclined, to make reservations for dining or excursions. Myself, I prefer to wake up early rather than face the frustration of trying to book something and then being unable to due to maintenance issues. Thank you, Mike Moore, for making the change.

I have a few questions about calling Regent for flight deviations. I will have some flight options researched, but would like some more details from fellow posters who have navigated these waters (pun intended). 1) Is there a dedicated number for Regent Air or do I call the main number? 2) If all of my preferred flights have an up-charge, will Regent give me one or two that don’t? 3) Does anyone know if Regent prefers round trips on the same airline or is each segment independent of the other? Just wondered if they get a better price for “round trips”. 4) Do they need flight numbers when you call? 5) Many flights are code-shared. Do I need to give them this info in case they have a contract with one over the other? Thanks in advance for the info.

Do you know if they make a French 75 cocktail on Regent? Best of two worlds….gin and champagne!

My suggestion would be to call them back. First, ask for a claim number. If they don’t have one to give you, then ask what you can do to resend it (such as to a certain individual, etc) because if you don’t get something back soon, your attorney will be contacting them next. Just be very matter of fact about this, but firm. Also tell them that you will call the Washington State Attorney General’s office to file a claim with their consumer affair’s department if it isn’t handled promptly. It took us six months to get our money back, and we received it after saying we would contact the state attorney general. I didn’t want to follow through on that, but I would have if necessary. I found nice, firm, and patient to be the winning combo. Good luck!

Did you turn in your claim to HAL for hotel reimbursement and per diem? Did you have insurance insurance at all? With more information, I may be able to give you some advice.

Due to the wonderful information obtained here from fellow travelers, I booked a refundable hotel in Barcelona for one night before our pre-cruise tour. I was able to book a Le Meridien about 10 blocks from the Gran Calderon for $400 US. If we don’t clear the waitlist, at least we will have a place to stay for one night. One more thing checked off of my list!

Thank you. I will for sure in the future. I do appreciate everything I have learned from my new friends on CC. Now we just have to decide if we want to try to book another hotel, hoping we can get into this one, or just fly in on the 11th before our “deviation day”.

Maybe a Taylor Swift concert??? Lol!

Yes, it doesn’t make sense. Oh, wait, it is that dynamic pricing that is used everywhere to get the most they can when they can. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Our cruise starts April 14, 2024. Pre-cruise tour has us flying in April 11th to start. We want to fly in on April 10th through deviation for “insurance” for arriving and to rest up.

Right now the description says NH Gran Calderon or similar hotel. I priced the Gran Calderon. I will have my TA contact Regent and see if he can get a definitive hotel. If that is the price, I will need to research some other places to stay for a night. And here I thought bacon was expensive!!