IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Regent is now REFUNDING EVERYONE for TUT. Those that move over to a "replacement" cruise will still get the fare they paid for TUT honored for the replacement cruise. For whatever reason this is the way they are doing it now. You just need to let me know by the deadline if you want a replacement cruise.

I also need to let you know that Regent refunds in a strange way. You may find some of your payments hit your credit card and others do not. It can take a couple of days for everything to get applied. Just wait a few days - add it up and be sure you got all your money back. Any problem just email me.

I love LCT as a way to communicate, I can adjust a post but once an email goes out you have to go back and send a new email if you think of anything else.

One of the benefits of refund and rebook even if we are taking one of the replacement cruises is that we get another Amex SBC. :D

The refund and rebook makes everything much simpler and far better for the clients and the agents. For the clients the AMX for sure and the appropriate shipboard credit for that sailing.

Plus with a new booking there will be some commmission paid to the agents and that means now there WILL be BK rewards as well.

I'm sure Regent is doing it this way to "simplify" their "business interruption" claim to their Insurance carrier.

I am sure you are right Peter but it is still the best way to handle it for the clients and the agents. Far less confusing.

INSURANCE ISSUES.

We have been trying to get clarity on the insurance issues with CSA and Travlex. As I mentioned we were told that CSA will allow the transfer of the policy to another trip if no claims are made. Travelex said it could not be transferred but we are still working on that with people higher up the food chain.

What we do know is that CSA and TRAVELEX will NOT COVER THE AIR COSTS as the air was used to get to Athens. I was hoping that they would cover this but unfortunately we have a pretty definite answer that they will not. I thought you all should know this fact.

Really? Wow, we needed that covered. So can we file with Regent for reimbursement? Gar O'Neill? Guess we need a notice from CSA first that they won't cover. Wow. Probably never convince Frank to get insurance again.

Ngaire, any word yet on a "deadline" to get the "reduced" fare for the 6/2011 TUT-redo? We're interested but need to decide soon.

We didn't have insurance but mailed our out of pocket receipts/info to Mr. O'Neil today...now the waiting game begins, hope we're beating the rush.

Ngaire, does it even matter to submit to CSA? I am concerned about a Catch 22. If we submit for CSA, even if they don't reimburse, are we then not able to transfer the policy to replacement cruise?

Marcie, did you use snail mail or scan and email? Did you include hotel, transfers, and Athens meals?

Marc, you are exactly right! I had a long talk with CSA today. They said I could submit a claim for the hotel in Paris for 434 euros or keep the trip insurance intact and use for a cruise within the next 18 months....kind of a no-brainer! So instead I emailed Regent guest relations with a plea for reimbursement. Good luck!

Kathy, was that for the hotel on the way home? I wonder if CSA would even reimburse for hotel in Athens pre-cruise.

When it comes to insurance all I can do is pass on what we have been told. I am not the authority on insurance and often you hear conflicting information.

However, it appears the AIR will not be refunded as it was used then it stands to reason they wont refund hotels or any other expenses pre cruise. Once the cancellation of the cruise was announced Regent put us all up on the ship or in a hotel paid for everything including our food expenses and flew us home.

What of any value is left to claim? To file a claim for a small amount makes no sense when you can transfer this policy to another trip. Why take the risk of filing and losing the transferability of the policy.

All that said it would not shock me if someone applies to an insurance company even CSA and even gets the air back. Claims go to different underwriters some may approve and some may not.

Yes it was on our way home. When they gave us our flights home they had given us a layover in Paris without any hotel arrangements. Not sure about pre-cruise hotel. They might reimburse, but guess you have to weigh that cost against purchasing new insurance. One thing I know for sure.....they will try to talk you out of making a claim!

The deadline date to make the transfer to the June 17th trip has been extended to November 19th.

All other cruises offered as replacement cruises must be booked by October 15th.

Ngaire, thanks. I guess we should just contact Gair O'neil then. If Regent is refunding the air and precruise hotels for those that used Regent air and precruise hotels, they should also reimburse for us. Only problem is their letter said to submit to insurance company first.

Ngaire, you are absolutely correct. CSA told me I could file a claim for anything I wanted to above and beyond the cost of the cruise. They might pay and they might not.... they just wouldn't guarantee that we would be reimbursed for air portion. Since our insurance was cruise only I saw no point in pursuing a claim when it would void the ability to use the same policy for another cruise.

Regent always wants people to file a claim with the insurance first it is each persons decision to handle this any they wish.

I am late to this discussion but Ngaire did you mean ins will not cover POST (vs pre) hotels and meals?? I know Regent kept us on ship and paid for post Athens hotel and meals but what about our pre hotel and meals? We would not have come in early and incurred those costs except for joining TUT?

Thank you - this gives us some breathing room since 11/19 is a month plus away - gives us time to see what Regent will do with our air expenses - that is the only thing we've submitted to Regent for reimbursement. No receipt available for the GB since I did a really convoluted Starwood scheme for redemption (receipts that I might be able to come up with would show Phoenix stays in May & June - somehow I don't think that will work).

Suzanne, can you chime in here? I seem to recall you had a cancelled cruise where you rolled over the insurance to the next cruise. A situation arose on the second cruise, so you applied for some reimbursement to insurance. You learned, because the insurance technically started with the former cruise, you could not collect. I think this was a Silversea cruise .. or maybe the cruise where the ship was damaged in docking in the Carribean?

Cheers, Anne

Joanna I believe that they wont cover PRE hotels and air as you got to use those, you used the air and the hotel and I understand that you would not have done those things if you knew the cruise would be cancelled but this is how the insurance company looks at things. YOU USED and got the benefit of those pre expenses. Not me saying this, I understand your point of view but I am not the insurance company.

Any reasonable and necessary expenses you have AFTER the event of cancellation of the cruise would be covered. Not sure if they will cover you flying to Singapore as a replacement vacation this you would just have to file a claim and see what happened. POST would be covered for what they deem necessary and that is open to the interpretation of the insurance adjuster.

Here is paste of the CSA trip interruption language:

It is pretty clear that the insurance won't cover our pre-cruise expenses, whether they be air, hotel etc., which CSA and Travelex have confirmed to B&K.

Regent is refunding the cost of the cruise so we don't have any UNUSED "water arrangements' and they paid for our tickets home, so we didn't incur any EXTRA expenses in getting home, like change fees or new plane tickets, etc. It probably would cover Kathy's hotel in Paris on the way home, but hopefully Regent will step up and refund that along with everyone's air, transfers and pre-cruise hotel night, like they are doing with their air-sea passengers.

_____________________________

Post-Departure Trip Interruption Benefits

We will reimburse you, less any refund paid or payable, for unused land or water travel arrangements plus one of the following:

1. the additional transportation expenses by the most direct route from the point you interrupted your Covered Trip:

a) to the next scheduled destination where you can catch up to your Covered Trip; or

b) to the final destination of your Covered Trip; or

2. the additional transportation expenses incurred by you by the most direct route to reach your original Covered Trip destination if you are delayed and leave after the Scheduled Departure Date.

However, the benefit payable under 1 and 2 above will not exceed the cost of a one-way economy air fare (or first class, if the original tickets were first class) by the most direct route less any refunds paid or payable for your unused original tickets.

3. your additional cost as a result of a change in the per-person occupancy rate for prepaid travel arrangements if a Traveling Companion's Covered Trip is interrupted and your Covered Trip is continued.

Yes, snail mail. I included all our pre-cruise expenses including hotel and dinner, all with receipts (the transfers were email confirmations stating price, time etc.) Also included the cost AA charged us to redeposit our return/1 way f.f. miles.

One hour after I sent email along with scanned credit card receipts and transportation receipts (thank you Stelios) to Gair O'Neill he has responded stating that he has reviewed We should have the check in two to three weeks. :)

FANTASTIC customer service!!

:lct:

:lct:

That is encouraging Marc. I just faxed over a request for reimbursement of our outbound air, I didn't even bother with the hotel or transfers, if they cover our air, I will be one happy camper. The rest will just chalk up to a nice long weekend in Athens.

Uh-Oh! I emailed Gair O'Neill yesterday morning and have not heard a thing! JoAnn, how did you get a fax number? I can't find one. Could you either post it or email it to me? Thx!

Kathy

I emailed everything on Saturday and no word back yet, but I am very encouraged that you have received a response, Marc.

I feel guilty. I followed all the recommendations of everyone else and must have timed it just perfectly when Mr. O'Neill was reading email.

I hope EVERYONE hears back ASAP.

:lct:

Marc, don't feel guilty - feel lucky ;)

I think it is luck on timing but also if it is a complete request, receipts attached, a simple issue within a certain refund parameter it gets faster service. This way they can get a lot of people done quickly and work the more complex requests afterwards. I know I have a tendency to do that.

Marc, Kathy, Leslie: Did you submit to your insurance first and then Regent??? How'd you get such a quick "no" from CSA etc?

Joanna, once we learned (here) that CSA would not provide anything, we decided to try to transfer our insurance over to next trip and go direct to Regent.

JoAnna, I called CSA first. They took my policy number and looked up my contract. Basically, we insured our cruise for the cruise portion only (total cruise fare plus overnight in Cairo). Since Regent is refunding the total amount, I was told I really had nothing to claim. When I told him we were forced to spend a night in Paris on our way home he told me that I could submit a claim and would definitely be reimbursed for that. HOWEVER, the value of transferring the policy over to a new cruise far exceeded the value of our one night stay at the airport Marriott. That's when I decided to write Regent and very nicely ask if there was anything they were willing to do for me. Good luck!

Thanks Kathy..I talked to CSA when we had no luggage for 48 hrs they told me to submit claim $200 for policy guess I will...or could use it for Canada with no claim...deal with this stuff once we're back in US

Anne,
Just now reading this. My situation was a little different.

A couple years back I booked a Silversea and took their cancel for any reason insurance. No refund, but you could apply the $$ spent toward another cruise within a year. I cancelled for personal reasons and rebooked the following year, this time taking CSA as I was sharing a cabin with Crystal. The insurance I purchased for the original cruise did not carry over, just the $$. That cruise I had to cancel for a medical reason which left Crystal as a solo.

Even though Silversea kept my $$, they now charged Crystal a single supplement of 100%!!! Because my cancellation was a medical claim CSA reimbursed me and Crystal was able to file a claim which covered the additional cruise fare for the single sup.

CSA was easy to work with once they received all the documentation they needed. I think I had to prove that my prepaid hotel was non-refundable and stuff like that.

Silversea made out like a bandit :mad:

Hey Ngaire,
Made it home safely. Bummed we didn't get to enjoy a cruise and the group, but had some fun in the Greek islands.

Just got off the phone with CSA (Edgar #2311 was the rep). He has no knowledge of any offer to transfer the policy to another cruise if no claims are made. I had explained all but he seemed surprised this had been offered to anyone.

Is there someone specific we need to speak with on this option?

Has anyone else had luck with this and can give me a specific person to speak with?

This is being handled by Brown and Keene for everyone who bought insurance through us. I know people got the same response when they called individually. You did buy through us and therefore all you need to do is tell us what trip you want this transferred to and we will get that done for you.

Anyone on TUT who bought CSA through us we will be following through with you on this matter. Most invoices have not been finished by RSSC yet for new bookings but Lisa has started the process on the few of you that (a) have a new cruise booking deposited and confirmed (b) have a future cruise we can transfer the policy to and have taken your $1000 FCC and the money has been applied.

IF the cost of the insurance is higher on the transferred booking you we will need to pay the extra premium immediately.

Some bought insurance through us with companies you preferred to use rather than CSA. No other companies have responded to our appeal to transfer the policies. At this time ONLY CSA will transfer the policies. They truly are the best company to use.

Whether CSA will transfer policies for people who bought individually I do not know.

We have been made completely whole -

Thanks Regent, Ngaire, and CSA :lct:

Received refund check for our deposit yesterday (assume that charge was too old to be reversed) and check for all of our incidentals today.

Good job, Marc! Still waiting on one of our payments (ours go back a very long time, too). Susan W is on Regent's accounting dept. and they said they'd get us a check this week.