Regent cruise curtailed

To celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, my wife, Anne, and I signed up for the “2020 World Cruise – Navigate the World,” Jan. 5-May 17, with Regent Seven Seas Cruises (844/473-4968, www.rssc.com). After we had sailed aboard the Seven Seas Mariner for most of January, February and into mid-March, however, the rest of our 4½-month cruise was canceled, as so many ports were closed due to COVID-19.

Our world cruise package had come with a particularly convenient perk. Before our embarkation date, at no extra charge, the cruise line transported two pieces of luggage per person from our home to the ship so we wouldn’t have to bother with them on our flights to and from Miami.

After the cruise was canceled, we were told by Regent that not only was the company going to take care of two pieces of our luggage per person, they were picking up the cost of shipping up to four bags each to our home. Really cool.

The caveat was that at our last port, Perth, Australia, there were at least two other ships disembarking passengers at the same time, with a massive amount of luggage, and with airlines cutting way back on air freight, the movement of cruise line luggage was not a priority.

We unloaded our bags from the ship on March 17, and they weren’t put onto a plane until April 30. The bags arrived at our home on May 5 or 6, but I must say that the company Regent used, Luggage Forward, did an excellent job of keeping us informed as to the status of our luggage all through the nearly seven weeks we waited.

DALE WILSON
Paris, KY