Regent unable to provide Reykjavik hotel and transfers

[DaveA]

Regent have now removed the pre-cruise hotel for Concierge suites on their website for the two July 2024 Reykjavik cruises.

[fizzy]

Were these cruise still being sold as advertised prior to the removal of the Concierge benefits?

[Grandma Gilly]

3 hours ago, fizzy said:

Were these cruise still being sold as advertised prior to the removal of the Concierge benefits?

Yes. They were.

[Dolebludger]

Yes, and they were being advertised AFTER the removal of the Concierge benefits.

[Dolebludger]

Does anybody know how much of an increased fare there is going from category F to concierge? The suites are identical, and the only concierge benefit has been taken away. 

[Pcardad]

11 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

Does anybody know how much of an increased fare there is going from category F to concierge? The suites are identical, and the only concierge benefit has been taken away. 

Part of said benefit is prefered cabin location on the ship.

[jeb_bud]

7 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Part of said benefit is prefered cabin location on the ship.

Also the concierge balcony is larger than almost all of the F balconies. 

[cwn]

59 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

Part of said benefit is prefered cabin location on the ship.

Isn’t there still a Wi-Fi related benefit  for cruisers with less SSS days? Of course it doesn’t matter at this point but isn’t there dinning and tour benefits for early booking at that level? At least the website has caught up with the reality of the current situation. 

[SellaVee]

There is a dining and tour benefit, but the tour benefit is only of use if you book a year in advance, which we didn’t.  From what I’ve read, the Compass Rose gets better reviews than the specialities, and the bigger balcony is moot in Iceland.  There is a  WIFI related benefit, but my existing shipboard credit would have covered that.  The main draw for us in choosing concierge was the included hotel and transfers.  The difference between F2 and Concierge is over £2000 for the pair of us at brochure prices, so we are paying heavily for something we aren't getting.  Not a mistake I will make again.

Edited March 20 by SellaVee

[Pcardad]

8 minutes ago, SellaVee said:

There is a dining and tour benefit, but the tour benefit is only of use if you book a year in advance, which we didn’t.  From what I’ve read, the Compass Rose gets better reviews than the specialities, and the bigger balcony is moot in Iceland.  There is a  WIFI related benefit, but my existing shipboard credit would have covered that.  The main draw for us in choosing concierge was the included hotel and transfers.  The difference between F2 and Concierge is over £2000 for the pair of us at brochure prices, so we are paying heavily for something we aren't getting.  Not a mistake I will make again.

You are in the UK - you can get a full refund if the cruise is materially different than what was advertised, yes? 

[SellaVee]

Just now, Pcardad said:

You are in the UK - you can get a full refund if the cruise is materially different than what was advertised, yes? 

I don’t know if losing the arrival hotel and transfers counts as a material difference.  However, we are entitled to any out of pocket expenses cause by a failure to supply any element of the package.  I'm considering seeking advice from the travel section of one of our national newspapers about how to go about this.  I need to know if I should seek redress before we travel, or wait until we get back. 
 

I can't believe Regent are being so intransigent about covering our costs.  They could have turned this mess into a goodwill opportunity, for very little extra, in the great scheme of things.  Their existing talk of a goodwill gesture is nonsense.

[Pcardad]

2 minutes ago, SellaVee said:

I don’t know if losing the arrival hotel and transfers counts as a material difference.  However, we are entitled to any out of pocket expenses cause by a failure to supply any element of the package.  I'm considering seeking advice from the travel section of one of our national newspapers about how to go about this.  I need to know if I should seek redress before we travel, or wait until we get back. 
 

I can't believe Regent are being so intransigent about covering our costs.  They could have turned this mess into a goodwill opportunity, for very little extra, in the great scheme of things.  Their existing talk of a goodwill gesture is nonsense.

Agree - they should have kicked in at least $500.

[asnaleah]

We have not received the “goodwill gesture”, only the hotel credit. 

[Bruce61]

I am quite happy that we booked Concierge for location (mid ninth deck with a large balcony), the four device WiFi which I need to do a little work, and for the advance status booking excursions and dinners, but got a credit for hotel when we booked.   We had no status in the “society” as we only had seven nights before this booking on Regent.

 

Rather than looking for the negatives like so many are doing where the hotel is such a small fraction of the overall trip costs, I am looking forward to a fabulous 18 night cruise with no drama.  Sure, I paid a bit more for a hotel and I will likely do a private transfer to avoid lugging a number of suitcases to separate busses.  But, I will not complain and I don’t have to pontificate on a breach (that in my opinion did not happen) or other nefarious activities.     

 

I say let this thread die a peaceful death and let’s all enjoy a cruise!

[Dolebludger]

Would it be possible to take the bus to the station and call a cab for the short distance to the hotel? Shouldn’t cost much, and the cab will go direct from bus station to your hotel, whereas the shuttle bus would likely stop at several hotels.

[GMIAC]

5 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

Would it be possible to take the bus to the station and call a cab for the short distance to the hotel? Shouldn’t cost much, and the cab will go direct from bus station to your hotel, whereas the shuttle bus would likely stop at several hotels.

Absolutely. We're going to do just that, and we're also going to get a cab back to the station after we disembark. 

[Bruce61]

So, while everyone is planning their transit to the City, is anyone else on Icelandair 451 on 7/23  (arriving around 3:30 pm) who may want  to split a private shuttle to Reykjavik?

[highlandshores]

12 hours ago, Bruce61 said:

I am quite happy that we booked Concierge for location (mid ninth deck with a large balcony), the four device WiFi which I need to do a little work, and for the advance status booking excursions and dinners, but got a credit for hotel when we booked.   We had no status in the “society” as we only had seven nights before this booking on Regent.

 

Rather than looking for the negatives like so many are doing where the hotel is such a small fraction of the overall trip costs, I am looking forward to a fabulous 18 night cruise with no drama.  Sure, I paid a bit more for a hotel and I will likely do a private transfer to avoid lugging a number of suitcases to separate busses.  But, I will not complain and I don’t have to pontificate on a breach (that in my opinion did not happen) or other nefarious activities.     

 

I say let this thread die a peaceful death and let’s all enjoy a cruise!

I agree!  There is nothing we can do about this, so get your hotels booked and transportation and look forward to a wonderful vacation

[Pcardad]

13 hours ago, asnaleah said:

We have not received the “goodwill gesture”, only the hotel credit. 

You got an OBC that was the goodwill gesture...

[Pcardad]

13 hours ago, Bruce61 said:

I am quite happy that we booked Concierge for location (mid ninth deck with a large balcony), the four device WiFi which I need to do a little work, and for the advance status booking excursions and dinners, but got a credit for hotel when we booked.   We had no status in the “society” as we only had seven nights before this booking on Regent.

 

Rather than looking for the negatives like so many are doing where the hotel is such a small fraction of the overall trip costs, I am looking forward to a fabulous 18 night cruise with no drama.  Sure, I paid a bit more for a hotel and I will likely do a private transfer to avoid lugging a number of suitcases to separate busses.  But, I will not complain and I don’t have to pontificate on a breach (that in my opinion did not happen) or other nefarious activities.     

 

I say let this thread die a peaceful death and let’s all enjoy a cruise!

Exactly! Pls have a wonderful cruise!

[asnaleah]

“You got an OBC that was the goodwill gesture...”

 

We have not received any OBC beyond what we already had for booking onboard. My TA just checked yesterday.

[Pcardad]

37 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

“You got an OBC that was the goodwill gesture...”

 

We have not received any OBC beyond what we already had for booking onboard. My TA just checked yesterday.

Here is the letter that Regent sent out...The OBC is defined in the letter. $200 per guest.

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR PRE-CRUISE HOTEL AND TRANSFERS IN REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

 

Dear Valued Guest and Travel Advisor,   We regret to inform you that we are unable to arrange your pre-cruise hotel and transfers in Reykjavik, Iceland. This is due to the limited availability of hotels that can accommodate the desired number of guests, while meeting the required standards that Regent is known for.   We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. As a gesture of goodwill, we have added a hotel and transfer credit of £150 per guest to your account. This credit can be utilized towards making independent travel arrangements for your pre-cruise stay.   There are several excellent hotels in Reykjavik to choose from which you may review and reserve online or by contacting your travel professional.   In recognition of this inconvenience, we will also apply a $200 USD shipboard credit per guest to your onboard account. This can be spent on treatments in Serene Spa & Wellness, Regent Choice shore excursions, in the ship’s boutique, or on a special bottle from the Connoisseur wine menu.   If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor or Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Reservation Department. We look forward to welcoming you aboard Seven Seas Splendor. Regent Seven Seas Cruises

[Dolebludger]

I wonder if travel insurance might cover what  a guest pays for hotel and transfers in this case, minus any Regent reimbursement. On one occasion United cancelled a booked flight Denver to Boston, and couldn’t get us on another for days, so we asked to be flown home to Durango, after one nights hotel in Denver. Our AmEx Platinum at least reimbursed us for the hotel.

[asnaleah]

@Pcardad, thank you very much for posting the letter. I forwarded it to our TA.

 

As @Bruce61wrote, I am now going to happily anticipate our cruise and stop aggravating myself! 

[Pcardad]

2 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

I wonder if travel insurance might cover what  a guest pays for hotel and transfers in this case, minus any Regent reimbursement. On one occasion United cancelled a booked flight Denver to Boston, and couldn’t get us on another for days, so we asked to be flown home to Durango, after one nights hotel in Denver. Our AmEx Platinum at least reimbursed us for the hotel.

Depends on the TA and the customer. I have one client who spends 7 figures a year - I do whatever they want.