Voyager is SCREWED in Athens - Cruise CANCELLED

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I'd say that Regent owes Kristen a completely free one for all she's been through.

 

Olivia - you've had your fair share of interruptions but also some incredible times and excellent service. Not to mention that we will forever laugh at the Bread for Lunch Episode that was memorable.

[jhp]

OMG Kathy, that was so funny, that lunch! The only chance I ever had to sit down and "break bread" with you and Frank! A new cruiser might never booked again after that experience! It was a comedy of errors I have NEVER again experienced in CR at lunch. They had no idea then just how "patient" we were being! But for me, overall that was a great cruise, in spite of our problems arriving a day late. I got reimbursed for every penny of our delay of a day of getting back to port, the airfare thing. Regent was great about it.

 

For me, I'm going to try to work it out with Regent. We'll see what happens, as I have a LOT of time and money invested in this line, and they have never let me down.

 

I will tell you that from the minute I got on the ship till the minute I left, and until I got on the plane, it was Regent service. I just don't want anyone to think things have gone downhill other than the pod doing whatever it does, up or down.

[Jim00]

Just following the Voyager because I have nothing better to do. Seems like she is headed for Monaco unless she turns southwest pretty soon. I presume there isn't any drydock for her in Monaco.

 

It appears that the Voyager is now under way. It's possible to follow her track at this website

 

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?zoom=10&mmsi=311513000&centerx=23.39875&centery=36.62175

...

[jhp]

I was told by a bartender before we got off the Voyager that she is headed for Marseilles. Of course, this was NOT officially from the captain, but seems to be confirmed by your information.

[CruisinGerman]

Dear friends:

 

Any simple legal analysis, without entering into the argument of EU travel protection laws vs. U.S. travel protection laws or the lack thereof, would lead to the conclusion that, because this was Regent's fault, in returning passengers to their point of departure and refunding their cruise, the passengers should be left in the original, or better, financial position, than when they booked the cruise.

 

By flying you home and refunding the cruise portion only, they are not leaving you in that position.

 

At the very least, they must fly you home, and refund all air and other costs.

 

For those who booked with unreturnable frequent flyer points, I think there is a case for Regent giving you free business class air on your next Regent booking.

 

Even if you don't have the same protection laws in the United States as we have in the European Union, Regent must think of its customer goodwill and brand protection.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[OrpingtonT]

Just following the Voyager because I have nothing better to do. Seems like she is headed for Monaco unless she turns southwest pretty soon. I presume there isn't any drydock for her in Monaco.

 

The destination is shown as Monaco. Very strange. Perhaps stopping for fuel?

[Sunviking]

The destination is shown as Monaco. Very strange. Perhaps stopping for fuel?

 

I noticed that as well, but she's now past Monaco and running along the coast near Antibes.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yes, she's obviously not heading for Monaco. Perhaps she was in Monaco to refuel and the destination hasn't been updated to, presumably, Marseilles.

[WindrunnerII]

I am one of the passengers from the cancelled Voyager trip. All I have asked them for is a complete refund, including the Regent insurance they sold me. They refuse to refund me the cost of their own insurance. Somehow I am out the cruise, the cash to rebook something immediately, (they promise a refund after the 18th) and several thousand dollars because I bought their insurance.

 

Why should I lose money because their ship is impaired? I am not asking for any damages, just a complete refund.

 

They have a terrible situation here, but I should not pay for their problems. Shame on them. They have turned me off to their entire company. I will never cruise with them again. I do not trust them to respect their passengers.

 

Dear friends:

 

Any simple legal analysis, without entering into the argument of EU travel protection laws vs. U.S. travel protection laws or the lack thereof, would lead to the conclusion that, because this was Regent's fault, in returning passengers to their point of departure and refunding their cruise, the passengers should be left in the original, or better, financial position, than when they booked the cruise.

 

By flying you home and refunding the cruise portion only, they are not leaving you in that position.

 

At the very least, they must fly you home, and refund all air and other costs.

 

For those who booked with unreturnable frequent flyer points, I think there is a case for Regent giving you free business class air on your next Regent booking.

 

Even if you don't have the same protection laws in the United States as we have in the European Union, Regent must think of its customer goodwill and brand protection.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

 

Thank God the lawyers have arrived, albeit from the EU! :p

[Crazy Gramps]

I have friends on this cruise and haven't been able to contact them.

I don't know if they are wending their way home or what.

Any PAX know what Ron and Linda are up to?

 

Thanks,

 

Gramps

 

 

Found them.

 

Gramps

[mrlevin]

Voyager is in Cannes (or the vicinity). Too bad we couldn't stay on for the last three days. Whoever was passing rumours of a six day transit were a little off. Ship was making 14+ knots.

 

Regent has handled this as well as could be hoped. We have decided to take the 25 day Sydney to Beijing as replacement; now we just need to figure out how to get reimbursed for our air to Athens.

 

marc

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Right, so they're docked in Cannes. Taking on fuel one would expect, and perhaps sending more staff home from Nice.

[ridolphi]

Hope you and Arlene enjoy Kangaroo Marc. We thought about it, but Frank just wasn't that excited about some of the ports, and its a waste if we both don't love the itinerary. Guess we will just let them refund and add the FCC's to our account, might use them or some of them towards CANADA.

 

Tell Arlene to check her email, I sent her one yesterday.

 

Good luck, hope it works perfectly for you and you have a great time.

[Anna B.]

Regent has handled this as well as could be hoped. We have decided to take the 25 day Sydney to Beijing as replacement; now we just need to figure out how to get reimbursed for our air to Athens.

 

marc

 

Glad you have made your choice, Marc. Just curious... what made you decide to take this one? I would like to be convinced because I know it's a great value, but right now we're thinking more like JoAnn and Frank are....just not loving the itinerary or the ports. (Hi to Arlene!)

 

Kathy

[overthebar]

Also on cancelled Athens Cruise and have been offered Dubai to Cape Town Nov 8th which is ok but not my first choice. Also have neen told we must pay for our return airfares even though Regent had booked our outward journey to Athens. The airfares are $3000 so am not sure if it's worth it.:rolleyes:

[cruiseluv]

Also on cancelled Athens Cruise and have been offered Dubai to Cape Town Nov 8th which is ok but not my first choice. Also have neen told we must pay for our return airfares even though Regent had booked our outward journey to Athens. The airfares are $3000 so am not sure if it's worth it.:rolleyes:

 

Could you please clarify, what do you mean by" have been told we must pay for our return airfares even though Regent had booked our outward journey to Athens" ?? Does it mean that you have to pay regent the cost of the ticket to fly you back home form Athens???? Also, what about your flight to Athens, they are not reimbursing you that?? That wouldn't seat well with me.

[ogie58]

Just returned from "cruise to nowhere" and I have several observations

 

First - the crew and staff of the Voyager did everything they could to help the passengers deal with the disappointment of the canceled cruise. They were helpful, patient, and professional in making the three days we stayed on board fun and the three days we moved to the Intercontinental hotel interesting. They kept us informed, arranged several tours, and gave us an adequate per diem for meals. I would give them a +

 

Second - the air arrangements were not done very well. There was misinformation and inconsistency in arranging transportation back home. For us, we were put on a flight to Frankfurt, routed through Washington DC, then on to Seattle. I checked other options and the same airline had a flight to Frankfurt and then a direct flight to Seattle with several business class seats available. The difference in time and lay-overs stretched our travel time from 15 to 16 hours to nearly 30 hours. I notified the crew and they e-mailed the air deviation department early in the week but we never heard back concerning any changes. I realize they had a major task in scheduling but a little flexibility and taking input from passengers would have improved things. I would rate them a big -

 

Third- The jury is still out on how we will be compensated. I have been told we will get a full refund and then some options for future cruises. My questions are, will we be given our trip insurance premiums back, how much with be credited towards future cruises, and when will we be officially contacted by Regent? One rumor I heard is that we will receive $1,000 toward a cruise in 2010 or 11. Since we make our travel plans far in advance we already have trips scheduled for those years and would not be looking to cruise again until 2012, so I hope they would extend the use of the credit. In addition I would hope the company would offer more credit towards a future sailing considering the amount of time and planning we put into this cruise and the disappointment and inconvenience we dealt with. We have been on 20 cruises but this is our first with Regent and how they deal with my concerns will determine our future planning with their company.

[cruisebugbit]

Just checked our American Express account and we were refunded Friday for what appears to be the full amount. I'm going to contact TA Tuesday to get details as well as info for future credits, etc.

[mrlevin]

 

Glad you have made your choice, Marc. Just curious... what made you decide to take this one? I would like to be convinced because I know it's a great value, but right now we're thinking more like JoAnn and Frank are....just not loving the itinerary or the ports. (Hi to Arlene!)

 

Kathy

 

Although the first few Australian ports don't look that interesting, we have never been to any of them. Then the last half dozen ports do look quite good. A full day tour in Bali with an evening ashore, too. Manilla I will take a tour to Correigador. Taipei, we have never been. In Seoul, they have a tour to the DMZ (will try to get to the NK side of border for another country ;)).

 

Besides, with Antarctica in Jan 2012, we will then have visited all seven Continents.

 

We considered WINES but have sailed in Europe last four years and six of last eight. It is time for a change. Now, if I can figure out what to do with all the Euros I bought in Athens. :D

[overthebar]

We only booked flights with Regent to Athens, we looked after our own return flights from Venice with our TA as we wanted a stopover. When the cruise was cancelled our TA booked us return flights. Now we wonder if we should be asked for full fares to Dubai and return from Cape Town. The extra for fares is adding quite a bit on to our holiday and also we have a lot of other expenses due to the cancellation. I know the new cruise is a lot longer but as I said this is not by choice. I feel Regent should pay the airfares.

[cruiseluv]

We only booked flights with Regent to Athens, we looked after our own return flights from Venice with our TA as we wanted a stopover. When the cruise was cancelled our TA booked us return flights. Now we wonder if we should be asked for full fares to Dubai and return from Cape Town. The extra for fares is adding quite a bit on to our holiday and also we have a lot of other expenses due to the cancellation. I know the new cruise is a lot longer but as I said this is not by choice. I feel Regent should pay the airfares.

 

IMO, at the very least Regent should reimburse 100% of the airfare to Athens and back home . After all, nobody would have gotten on a plane to Athens if the problem had been found in advance.

[peteropny]

Just checked our American Express account and we were refunded Friday for what appears to be the full amount. I'm going to contact TA Tuesday to get details as well as info for future credits, etc.

 

Did you already tell Regent that you wanted the refund & FCC rather than a "substitute" cruise - our AMEX does not show a refund.

[wripro]

If anyone chooses the option of booking one of the cruises Regent has offered in exchange imo Regent should pick up the airfare as well. It's not just a financial issue but one of making good the emotional stress caused by the cancellation and interruption of long planned trips. They need as much good PR for the Voyager as possible now.

[cruiseluv]

If anyone chooses the option of booking one of the cruises Regent has offered in exchange imo Regent should pick up the airfare as well. It's not just a financial issue but one of making good the emotional stress caused by the cancellation and interruption of long planned trips. They need as much good PR for the Voyager as possible now.

 

Agree 100%. I am currently booked on a Voyager cruise for later in 2011 and I'm paying attention to how Regent is handling this part of the equation.

[Anna B.]

Although the first few Australian ports don't look that interesting, we have never been to any of them. Then the last half dozen ports do look quite good. A full day tour in Bali with an evening ashore, too. Manilla I will take a tour to Correigador. Taipei, we have never been. In Seoul, they have a tour to the DMZ (will try to get to the NK side of border for another country ;)).

 

Besides, with Antarctica in Jan 2012, we will then have visited all seven Continents.

 

We considered WINES but have sailed in Europe last four years and six of last eight. It is time for a change. Now, if I can figure out what to do with all the Euros I bought in Athens. :D

 

Thanks, Marc. I certainly understand your reasoning. Good luck getting over that border :D