mrlevin

Just curious about past experiences. Sister-in-law died over the weekend. Funeral 1 Nov in Orlando which happens to be same date we are/were scheduled to board in Civitavecchia. Found out through travel agent that Princess allows mid-cruise embarkation but you need to fill out a form and they need three to five business days to process the form. Cruise leaves in four business days. We have asked to board in Athens on 5 Nov (Guy Fawkes Day). Can I assume that Princess will eventually approve this so that I can get flights and pre-cruise hotel night? Or, does Princess ever deny? Do they ever deny when it is a major cruise port? Travel Agent is escalating but looking for a "warm fuzzy" or "we/re screwed" input from past cruisers. thanks, Marc

Susan, ask Luke if he may be on Mariner with us over Christmas?

Moderator please remove thread; answer received.

Just realized I was about to board plane and I have not seen anything about printing luggage tags. How can I do it from app or website? thanks, Marc PS I know this must have been answered 100 times but a bit frazzled right now.

The ability to have room service delivered anywhere is the one perk on silversea. In 21 years on radisson/regent they have always said no to room service except to rooms. It is real bad on explorer/splendor where the only bars open before 1700 on port days are on deck 11. I would love the ability of room service to deliver me a Bloody Mary while working on the puzzle.

Zak, truly only five categories open, E and F guarantees are for those that don't want to pay D prices. Your real issue won't be Luxor or Jordan; to me the only real concern is Strait of Hormuz if Iran gets active. They would have to change debarkation port to Mumbai. I did this itinerary on Voyager in 2017 and loved it and never were planning to go to Israel or Cairo; you will have a great time.

I wish Regent had done this when they canceled St Petersburg from our Baltic itinerary; prices "were" much lower for trips that did not include St Pete.

On Voyager, recommend you keep your cabin room ajar with the trash can; a lot of Voyager's problems stem from poor wiring. Best place I found for connectivity was observation lounge.

I have seen a lot of words here but have people reported to their consumer affairs department of local TV stations? I have yet to see a Special Report on ABC regarding this lack of customer service. We had an issue with Silversea Expedition six years ago and the front office handled the situation horribly; we have refused to travel Silversea again. I don't think they miss us; however, if. it. had made local. or national news we might have gotten what we requested.

In the past, during Arab Spring and other riots in Cairo, cruise lines still went to Safaga for Luxor albeit with armed guards. Who knows what the future will bring but there is a past data point wherein Cairo and Alexandria were not visited but Luxor was. As for my other comment; I was just naive. Marc

It is; I just was following on to the statement that NCLH was going to cancel all stops in Israel through the end of the year; I knew Navigator was planning on going to Israel in November.

No, and I'm not on it; I am Grandeur at that time.

So, big changes to the 10 Nov Istanbul to Dubai itinerary. Probably three more Med stops before going through the canal. I hope they keep Luxor as they have maintained that stop even when Egypt was having their own internal problems.

32 Regent cruises and we have never used Regent air; just took the credit. We have used included hotel only once; last year at the Plaza before Grand Voyage. Regent is a damn good cruise line; why would anyone expect they are great at hotels or air just because they are great at cruising? Marc

Why don't you get to the Indonesian Consulate in New York City: https://kemlu.go.id/newyork/en/kontak-kami I have found best to go to consulates (when convenient) than using mail order or online. Marc

Texas, you so eloquently stated the problem; sanity is not part of the decision process. They need to spend five minutes on the phone with each client (how many can there be on Regent air) to discuss before finalizing. This is the exact reason that I have not been using Regent air.

Next June will be first time of 32 trips I have ever used Regent air. When I was stuck in Athens because of cancelled cruise Regent stepped up and got us home. In this current situation, I think it would be easier if you were NOT using Regent air; ONLY because Regent air doesn't have the time (apparently) to work with you. Of course, I have status with Delta/Skyteam so I have never been stranded anywhere. Marc

And in this case it is moot as the airlines will let you change your flights for free; or, if not, blame the airlines and not the cruise line. Marc edited to add: We were on Voyager in Athens in 2010 where the cruise was cancelled within 24 hours of boarding. Regent worked very hard getting us flights out of Athens but it still took them over a week to get us all out. I can understand Regent wanting to transfer some of this burden to the airlines (for those that booked directly with the airlines).

Or come out of your pocket if you don't have trip interruption insurance or choose to self insure.

I would imagine Israel will mop up Hamas pretty quickly and the Palestinians in West Bank will cower. After that, it will be time for Israel to finally attack Iran. I can't imagine that Jordan and Saudi Arabia will stand in Israel's way (overflights are important to cut down the distance).

Recent update on El Al website: Updates following the current events Last update: October 7, 2023, 6:40 P.M (Israel time) EL AL Airlines operates in accordance with the instructions of the Israeli security forces, and is in ongoing, direct contact with them. Flight Schedule EL AL is adding flights according to the following (all times are in local time): Flight LY575 from Tel Aviv to Bucharest will depart tonight (Saturday) at 10:15 P.M (local time). Flight LY2525 from Tel Aviv to Prague will depart tonight (Saturday) at 11:55 P.M (local time). Flight LY2526 from Prague to Tel Aviv will depart tomorrow (Sunday) at 4:10 A.M (local time). Flight LY541 from Tel Aviv to Athens has been extended and will depart tomorrow (Sunday) at 5:25 A.M (local time) with 100 additional seats available. Flight LY542 from Athens to Tel Aviv has been increased and will depart tomorrow (Sunday) at 9:10 A.M (local time) with 100 additional seats available. Our regular flights are operating as scheduled. In addition, starting tomorrow (Sunday, October 7, 2023), all EL AL flights scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 will be moved to Terminal 3. We remind you that there is a dedicated emergency line for those who wish to change their flight ticket or purchase flight tickets, you can find the details at the bottom of the page. Changing and canceling flight tickets In light of the situation, we are enabling the following concessions for our customers: Passengers who already initiated their travel wishing to advance their return until Friday, October 13, 2023 (inclusive), may do so without being charged with the "Change of Reservation" fee and/or difference in fare, if applicable, for the same cabin. Passengers who already initiated their travel, where their return flight is on/before October 13, 2023, may postpone their flight to Israel, without being charged with the "Change of reservation" fee. Difference in fare is due, unless they wish to travel on/after Friday, October 13, 2023. Passengers who have not yet started their journey, and where their departure date is on/before October 13, 2023, may change or freeze their tickets. No "Change of reservation" is due, Difference in fare, if applicable, is due, unless they wish to travel on/before Friday, 13.10.2023. Alternatively, the ticket may be substituted for a voucher, at no additional cost. Request for a voucher online 24/7 >> At 4 P.M today (Israel time), a dedicated emergency line will be opened for the benefit of those who wish to change the date of their flights due to the situation: Phone: +972-3-9404040 You can also contact us via Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp at: +972-3-9771111 Other issues are handled on EL AL's usual service channels.

Why not? The war is in the south. Marc

Yes.

Portugal is on BST (GMT+1).

In USA I get sizable kickback from my TA AFTER I book onboard and then get it transferred to my TA. Please do an apples to apples comparison.