Voyager is SCREWED in Athens - Cruise CANCELLED

[Sunviking]

ps..latest update is the Voyager is sailing to Marseilles (vs Genoa) for drydock repairs at about 14 knots..should arrive Marseilles about Sunday. We will not

know how extensive the pod repairs are until the pod repair assessment is done...Regent is planning now for the Voyager to rtn to service for the 27 Oct cruise. If you recall at the end of Paula's WC segment last year, once the Voyager got to Mariotti Shipyard, repairs to the pod in Genoa took almost four weeks. I fervently hope the Voyager returns for the 27 Oct cruise.

 

I've been puzzled that Regent hasn't posted any information on their website at all. Princess (with whom we have sailed most often in the past few years) was severely criticized for not putting information up quickly on their website when the earthquake in Chile caused disruption of cruises. I realize that this is not comparable to an earthquake, but in terms of cancellation of cruises it is. Is there a website which has up-to-date information?

 

On another note, I can totally understand the unhappiness and frustration of people whose cruises were canceled. My husband still works and we schedule vacations a year in advance. Changing is not a good option for us. Add to that the disappointment of traveling to get to a destination to board a ship and then having your voyage end before it begins and I would be an unhappy camper. I understand that there are circumstances beyond anyone's control, but that wouldn't make me less unhappy.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I know I'm not directly involved with this, but I feel there's some over-reaction. Isn't Regent doing a pretty darned good job here? I'm confident that Regent will compensate passengers fairly, but give them more than a few days.

[WC11]

Wendy it depends if your a part of it by being there or sitting like us being the armchair quarterbacks. It's time that Regent stands up for themselves. Not listen to me or you on how to fix this.

 

A much needed explanation is in need from them on how they improve their record of keeping schedules. No one wants to travel all that distance just to go right home. For whatever the reason.

 

That's their problem.

[PaulaJK]

Wes,

 

Thank you for your kind and understanding note.

 

It really is one of those situations that may to be difficult to fully comprehend unless you have been there, done it. Wendy, have you scheduled a work vacation...blocked out your time....spent your vacation days for that year....dreamed for a year and or a half...flown half way around the world.........and returned in 4 days, sans cruise???

 

At the same time that I understood our & other pax disappointment, we did not blame Regent. We understood that most of their personnel were doing their very best to help us get settled....but there was room for better communication,etc. The crew remained wonderful even though they were concerned about their own future/income and we did our best to bond together and have a decent time.

 

But for many, it was not really lemonaide time.............but not coolaide time either!!

[ChatKat in Ca.]

The reality is that we all have options.

 

Friends of ours on the cruise had post cruise plans. I haven't spoken to them, but they emailed me to tell me that they left the ship and went to their post cruise destination early. I don't know if Regent got them there or not.

 

I can say that if I was already in Athens, I had planned two weeks off already with all that it entails, I would not leave my destiny in Regent's hands to send me home. To hop a plane to another city within Europe isn't that difficult. Hotels are available at all price points.

 

We all have choices. Maybe mine would cost me out of pocket, but if I went to all that trouble to get there and have time away from my business, I would not let my time be wasted.

[Travelcat2]

I must agree with Wendy at this point. This subject is being overblown. It sounds as if this happens to the Voyager every week. The fact is that this is a rarity. The issue last year had nothing to do with the ship. Rather, it had to do with the fishing lines. The Mariner and Voyager have had two (one each since they were built) pod issues (unless my memory is missing one somewhere. . . . and I'm certainly not counting the fishing line incident).

 

Prestige Cruise Holdings has been infusing money into the ships as if it were a water faucet. They are being proactive (IMO) and are certainly affected as much as the passengers and crew of the Voyager. If you go to the airport to catch a flight and it is cancelled due to mechanical problems, it is a pain in the butt, but, people do not blast the airline for a week because a part isn't working properly.

 

The information flying around this thread is inaccurate at best. The Voyager is not being towed anywhere. It remains unclear as to whether it is going to Genoa or elsewhere and whether the failure is minor or major. I am deeply saddened by what this unforeseen problem has done to the passengers and crew that were scheduled to sail this week and on October 17th.

 

I urge Regent to keep passengers up to date on the progress of the Voyager as communication is the best way to stop the rumors and to calm passengers who are uncertain as to whether or not their cruise will be cancelled. For the rest of us, it may be a good idea to listen to what is going on rather than bashing Regent. I am really stunned by the hostility shown on this thread. The well wishes for the affected passengers and crew, however, is heartwarming!

 

P.S. For some accurate information, I have the following tracking information (although the Voyager is currently out of range). The Voyager is currently on it's way to Marseille:

 

Last Position Received

Area: Mediterranean

Latitude / Longitude: 36.34097˚ / 22.07119˚ (Map)

Currently in Port:

Last Known Port: PIRAEUS

Info Received: 0d 9h 22min 59s ago

Not Currently in Range

Itineraries History

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Voyage Related Info (Last Received)

Draught: 7 m

Destination: MARSEILLE/PBG

ETA: 2010-10-10 14:00

Info Received: 2010-10-07 15:43 (0d, 10h 54min 3s ago)

[JLC@SD]

post deleted

[Shipless in Seattle]

Surely not. You also must wish that the pod problem disappears and no-one else goes through what you and others went through.

 

Wripro wasn't being heartless to wish that.

 

...perhaps took the comment the wrong way so apologize if I did. Just got off the ship a couple days ago and still scrambling in Europe so fuse is a bit short. I don't want this issue to be forgotten too soon since we have yet to receive compensation or even a cruise refund. I'm sure everyone feels bad for the situation (as I would)...but sure is odd being on this side of the coin.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

. It sounds as if this happens to the Voyager every week. The fact is that this is a rarity. )

 

Jackie - For one cruise line to have multiple cruises cancelled in a two year period of time - finishing line or not - has a major design flaw.

 

If rumors are flying, they have a PR Problem. That will hurt them far more than any cancellations. They have 700 passengers that missed a cruise and 700 more who have had a future cruise cancelled - 1400 people plus crew are impacted! Two years ago the world cruise was cancelled - that is their most loyal base of clients. 4 years ago a pod had an electrical issue and spent an entire season limping on the Mariner and caused many ports to be missed.

 

For Regent - and Mr. Del Rio or Mr. Conroy to come on the boards and post would have been one of the best moves that Regent could have made to dispell any rumors and eased the discomfort of their passengers would have cost them nothing. If nothing else but to let people know they cared about the situation.

 

To put it another way, I have loved my time on the Voyager and the Mariner. I sail on Navigator in a few weeks. My husband had a beloved 12 year old car too. I didn't take it on a 2000 mile car trip because I was concerned it would have a mechanical issue. How many people are going to pay top dollar to sail on a ship with the potential to break down and cause a trip they've dreamed of get cancelled - again.

[tallship]

Jackie - For one cruise line to have multiple cruises cancelled in a two year period of time - finishing line or not - has a major design flaw.

 

If rumors are flying, they have a PR Problem. That will hurt them far more than any cancellations. They have 700 passengers that missed a cruise and 700 more who have had a future cruise cancelled - 1400 people plus crew are impacted! Two years ago the world cruise was cancelled - that is their most loyal base of clients. 4 years ago a pod had an electrical issue and spent an entire season limping on the Mariner and caused many ports to be missed.

 

For Regent - and Mr. Del Rio or Mr. Conroy to come on the boards and post would have been one of the best moves that Regent could have made to dispell any rumors and eased the discomfort of their passengers would have cost them nothing. If nothing else but to let people know they cared about the situation.

 

To put it another way, I have loved my time on the Voyager and the Mariner. I sail on Navigator in a few weeks. My husband had a beloved 12 year old car too. I didn't take it on a 2000 mile car trip because I was concerned it would have a mechanical issue. How many people are going to pay top dollar to sail on a ship with the potential to break down and cause a trip they've dreamed of get cancelled - again.

 

 

Really agree with your post. I went through the ash cloud situation, did the air on my own and felt there was a lack of communication/support throughout the crisis for many of us. I have come to accept that now but it was pretty tough at the time.

 

Good communication is what is needed in a crisis and yes, rumors and emotions run awry when there is uncertainty regarding future cruises, compensation, etc. I think there should be some formal statement or indication of support provided on this board or on the website.

 

This is not the time/place for some to grandstand about how much they are "in the know" but rather provide support for those in the midst of this tragedy.

[PaulaJK]

Wendy,

Are you reading the other board where this pretty happy [affiliated] group of travelers are recounting their rebooking and flight home experiences?

 

I just think that there is tremendous difference between the fact that a cruise needs to be cancelled [and will undoubtedly be compensated] and how it actually goes down for those on board the ship. I strongly agree that good and frequently updated communication is very important to those on board....

 

Again, I wish Voyager,one of my favorite ships, and her crew a speedy return to service. Paula

[WindrunnerII]

Really agree with your post. I went through the ash cloud situation, did the air on my own and felt there was a lack of communication/support throughout the crisis for many of us. I have come to accept that now but it was pretty tough at the time.

 

Good communication is what is needed in a crisis and yes, rumors and emotions run awry when there is uncertainty regarding future cruises, compensation, etc. I think there should be some formal statement or indication of support provided on this board or on the website.

 

This is not the time/place for some to grandstand about how much they are "in the know" but rather provide support for those in the midst of this tragedy.

 

Maybe y'all need to read the NEWS section of CC? They have posted at least two stories/updates that I have read?

 

And while I feel for all those whose vacations were cancelled, they are afterall vacations, so I would hardly label that a "tragedy".

 

Maybe we all need to look at the bright side and how lucky we all are to be able to take these types of vacations and count our blessings.

 

I don't mean to sound cold and I am not trying to be, I just think we all here need to keep this in perspective.

[Observer]

It is (to my mind) remarkable that there is nothing on the Regent website about the situation. At least nothing I could find. The most recent press release posted there is a June release announcing the one year anniversary of Prime 7.

 

Full, candid communication is essential at a time like this -- even if it is to recite the "known unknowns" (to quote Secretary Rumsfeld). Posting updates on the website is not rocket science -- or should not be.

[smilingcruiser]

Travelcat - How on earth can you compare a canceled flight to a canceled cruise? Some people work and have to plan their vacation time for a year in advance, and thus will have to wait another year before they can take advantage of the generous offer (that I hear) Regent has made to them. A flight, if canceled, will be rescheduled and becomes only an inconvenience. A cruise, while not a "tragedy" in its true sense, cannot.

 

I guess you would call us Regent cheerleaders (my husband refuses to even consider another line) and I feel terrible for what has happened - both for the line and for the passengers. However, I also feel that if people, who have been directly affected need to let off steam, they should not be criticized for doing so.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yes, I'm reading both boards. And I agree that communication needs to improve, at least on the ship. And air arrangements definitely leave something to be desired, from what I have read. But not sure I agree about communicating on the boards--how would that help right now?

 

Regent has certainly had its share of bad luck--I don't think you can say that the fishing line incident is bad design. And of course the original incident that damaged Voyager was not a design issue either, but bad luck or bad piloting (under Dag's watch, I might add.)

 

I also agree with Kathy--if I was stuck in Greece with 2 weeks or so on my precious vacation, I'd be out enjoying the islands in a flash, not flying home. Just saying.

 

How can I say this without offending? In the grand scheme of things, this is small stuff. Very annoying yes and disappointing, but not life-altering or threatening.

[ridolphi]

Its just not that simple. There was little time to decide what you wanted to do, try and salvage something out of it and if so what......go home and regroup. They cancelled the cruise on Monday morning, and we were told they would accommodate us until noon on Wednesday, thats 48 hours (turns out they let the last groups stay on until Thursday morning) but think about it....there you are, you've just heard your cruise has been cancelled. Your first reaction is you are stunned, then you kind of shake your head and say to yourselves "what should we do?" Some tried to get on the Nautica, berthed next to us and I heard that a few did, though I don't know that for a fact, but basically it was sold out.

 

We sat down and tried to regroup, should we fly to Madrid and do our two planned days there, should we fly to Venice and do a couple of days there? I'm a TA, you would think I would come up with something, anything, but the disappointment factor got in the way, and we finally decided to just come on home and re-evaluate when our heads were clear and we had gotten over jet lag, lack of sleep, etc. instead of just making a rash decision that we might regret later. We didn't particularly want to go somewhere by ourselves, we spend everyday by ourselves, we went on this to be with friends and have some time with people we enjoy. So we came home. I talked to Regent yesterday and the offer is the full refund, with $1000 per person FCC, OR one of the move overs, a straight move, same level cabin, if you did Regent air then that would be included at the level you originally booked, if you didn't do air with them, then you could purchase air and that amount would depend on where you needed to go to get your alternate cruise, in that case no refund and no FCC's. The options are somewhat limited, and we didn't really see much that was of interest, or the timing was wrong as most of them are in the next month or so, or early in 2011. Hopefully some people will find something to move to, but as many have said, not everyone is that flexible, many are working and have to schedule vacation time months in advance.

 

We are lucky, we are retired, but I'm not going to just jump on something just to do it. We only have until Oct 15 to make a decision, after that they will do the refund and FCC and the move offers go away. I personally don't think that is much time for many to try and figure out what they can or cannot do, get home, check to see if you can now move time off, rethink the whole cruise you are going to do, etc. etc.

 

Stuff happens, life is unpredictable, but that is little consolation for those of us who planned and dreamed of this cruise for a year or more. The engine breaking down isn't anyone's fault, and I will say again, in general the staff onboard did a remarkable job, they kept smiling, they had little sleep, they were patient, at times it was chaos at the reception desk and destination desk, they were working 24/7 and maybe they didn't do everything exactly right, but trying to get 800 passengers off the ship, get them flights home, or to alternate destinations if they wanted, not to mention having to make decisions regarding what to do with staff and such was a nightmare at best. Nobody was happy, some were really unhappy, some were rude, difficult and just plain angry and everyone was hugely disappointed.

 

But you have to put it in perspective. We were in Athens, which made it easier to get everyone off the ship and to get flights. It could have happened while at sea, and that might have really been a situation I don't even want to contemplate. It could have happened in one of the smaller ports. Everyone was safe, everyone finally got home or to somewhere, even though in some cases it was rushed, or not in the class of service they wanted -- and believe me, I had my tears over this, but being a cancer survivor, one gets a whole new perspective on life and how precious everyday is, and this is just a bump in the road and we will have another cruise (one consolation is that we have one planned in Jan and one in Oct 2011) and when we pick one it will be what we want, and we will plan and dream for that one as well.

 

I do agree that Regent could have tried to communicate better, both onboard and from the head office, but again, decisions had to be made and they had to concentrate on getting everyone off the ship, and none of it was an easy task.

 

OK, will get off the soapbox, didn't mean to go on so long, nor did I intend to sound preachy, having been there, I have great sympathy for those who were also there and feel the same disappointment, depression and sadness.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Very good post Ridolphi, thanks.

[Host Dan]

Thank you for your perspective on this situation Joann. Beautifully written.

 

Host Dan

[mimito4]

My daughter was diagnosed with an aggressive, inoperable brain tumor a year ago. While she's currently doing OK, her prognosis is grim, to say the least. This has undeniably become my new barometer for any issues I encounter, but I recognize that it is not others' measuring device. Therefore, I always feel others are entitled to sadness, disappointment, and anger when things go wrong. . .things that according to my barometer are not tragic.

 

I feel terrible for all these disappointed passengers, and I also feel terrible for Regent, and what they are going through as a company and the PR nightmares they have and will continue to encounter.

 

So, here's a novel idea. Why don't we all try hard to refrain from offering advice, defending Regent, or even criticizing Regent (unless you were directly affected, and then you have every right), and simply let those affected vent, worry, overreact. . .whatever. I never cease to be amazed on any discussion board how a few monopolize because they always "have all the answers."

 

"Listening" (aka reading in this case) is the helpful skill to have in times like these, not "talking."

[vandco]

Where can we find information about the status of future cruises? We're on the Voyager on October 27!

[mariners]

JoAnn,

Thank you so much for the heartfelt post. Though it could never replace the cruise you had planned, if you choose to take the Auckland to San Francisco cruise this December or the Safaga to Barcelona (or Safaga to Fort Lauderdale) next November, we'd love to meet you.

Caroline

[peteropny]

I'll weigh in with my thoughts on the situation.

 

We were on the Voyager for this "cruise to nowhere" also. And also have been on 2 past Regent/RSSC cruises that were changed due to mechanical or schedule changes. We were on the Mariner in 2006 in Alaska when the pod went out and we were delayed by one day - they had us redo our own return changes and fortunately that was pretty easy to do although we missed a day that we were planning on spending in Seattle. Back in 2003, they kept the Diamond longer in the Carribean so that our cruise from Venice to Rome was changed to Nice to Rome (which we had done a couple of years earlier). The notice that was sent to us was "oh we've changed your cruise to this wonderful itinerary" was pretty bad since it was not an itinerary that we wanted to redo in that short period of time. We were able to change to the Voyager for the same itinerary a couple of months later and that worked out fine even though the cost was very slightly more.

 

While I don't necessarily hold Regent responsible for the "event" of the pod malfunctioning, the response from Regent is pretty far from adequate.

 

When it was announced on Monday morning that the cruise was cancelled, we thought about going somewhere else in Europe at least for a few days to at least have a mini-vacation also. However, the internet not working (I'm aware of the discussion in another thread about the reasons why it may not have been working), really hindered researching any other options. Also, it was not clearly communicated (only heard it from some other friends on board) that Regent was going to arrange to fly us home from whatever destination we chose but we were responsible to get there ourselves. We weren't going to go and blindly say fly us home from city X on date Y without knowing our options to get to that city X or the hotels available there (especially the cost) etc. Probably the worse part of the ordeal, next to the cancellation and ruined vacation itself, was waiting in limbo as to what is happening (when we'd get off the ship, flight arrangements etc).

 

The air rebooking department as far as I'm concerned didn't do an adequate job (although our arrangements personally worked out fine). Rebooking 700 passengers (probably 350 itineraries) is a relatively large job but not really huge. I could have done it in less time than they did. Some friends still don't know their flight arrangements back home as of last night. An example of flight arrangements that I found when the internet went back up was that flights back from Istanbul (and from Athens to Istanbul which while is a bit of backtracking but relatively short) were wide open in all classes of service and fare buckets. While some people I'm sure were overly demanding, the attitude left a lot to be desired (for example when they called the suite to let us know our return flights, I said that it should be fine but I will confirm with my SO and would let them know if its not, the attitude I was told that it would HAVE to be fine not simply that we are limited with changes that we might be able to make and that was with my initial statement that it should be fine). While they cannot accommodate endless changes to the air arrangements that they've made, they can do some. Also, notifying someone at 1 AM that their transfer to the airport is at 4 AM is pretty bad - not us but some friends on board.

 

As of right now, we have not heard from Regent either personally or notified on their website anywhere what our options are. Only our TA had confirmed via a message on "the other board" that the post elsewhere here on CC is correct in terms of options - while I'm sure it is correct it still isn't quite the same as something directly from Regent. Furthermore, for those people who did their own air arrangements for the trip, how is that going to be handled? I'm assuming that people who choose the refund option with the $1,000 FCC and had their air handled by Regent, the refund would include the air. Our air arrangements were paid for at a cost slightly less than Regent's option with the upgrades.

 

In the end Regent has done an adequate job with "compensation" but not without prodding.

[ridolphi]

mimito4 - God bless your daughter and your family. Heartfelt prayers go out to you.

[WesW]

T, exceptionally well said and I also echo JoAnn's post (sincere wishes & prayers go

to your family & your daughter) for the best recovery possible.

[wripro]

ShiplessinSeattle,

 

Sorry you interpreted my post to mean that you should disappear. And thanks to the others who realized I only meant that I hoped the pod problem disappears as quickly as it appeared.