Paul Therault

I am extremely proud of our industry. We have finally brought Ren. to it's knees. <BR> <BR>I knew that no cruise line could exist without travel agents and I was correct. I took quite a bit of bashing in this forum concerning my downgrading of Ren. and my legion to my industry. <BR> <BR>The new co-Ceo Frank Del Rio agreed with the other board members that their behavior was "stragically and tactically wrong." He also stated "I deeply regret any and all inconveniences we have caused you." <BR> <BR>You see, the line could not exist without travel agents. They have too many new ships coming on line. Their sales staff could not possibly fill all their new ships. <BR> <BR>I wrote a personal letter to Mr. Del Rio and told him of the concerns listed by the majority of the passengers on this forum. He wrote back and stated the Ren. policies will, in the future, become passenger and agent friendly. A special travel agent sales force will be coming on line to address passenger grievences. <BR> <BR>Of course, now they will have to raise their prices, but, as I said in the past, you pay for what you get. <BR> <BR>They will, in the future, be offering air from passengers home city. This will solve the passenger dilemma of being stuck in airports if connections are not made. <BR> <BR>They have initiated an insurance program. Now passengers will not lose all their money. <BR> <BR>You can continue to book with them directly but the price will be the same if you book with a travel agent. Now you will be able to take advantage of possible a travel agent discount and take advantage of the savy of a travel agent. <BR> <BR>Ren. is initiating a new Travel Agent Advisory Board. <BR> <BR>You see not only have we won our battle, you, the consumer has also. <BR> <BR>Happy Cruising....the best vacation value. <BR> <BR>Paul Therault <BR>

Gail

I am a travel agent and called to book a cruise only cruise with Renaissance but was informed that their Cruise/Tours included air so my clients would end up having to pay for air they wouldn't use. I hope this will not remain their policy.

Paul Therault

Message to Gail: <BR> <BR>This was another of their negative policies to get the most money from their passengers, along with so many others too numerous to bring up on this forum. This one really did not make any sense since they were losing sales to passengers who wished to purchase their own air but they had policies that were written by their one-time president who had his head under water. They could not stay profitable and their stockholders let the company know. <BR> <BR>Once Ren. posts their one million security bond with ASTA, I imagine most travel agents once again will become their partners. There will be some who have been treated so badly they will not return. <BR> <BR>All negative issues will be discussed at the meetings with the travel agent board members and principals of the company. <BR> <BR>Another point of interest, when a customer calls to book with them, the res agent will ask them for the name of their travel agent just as all cruise lines do now. They will pass the booking along. <BR> <BR>Another point of interest. Customers will still be able to pay up front and receive the savings but will be able to purchase insurance to cover their loses if they ever have to cancel for medical reasons. Their policy will be written by Berkely Care, a reputable company. Customers will also have the option of purchasing their own policy with their choice of companies (if the company will accept a Ren vacation). <BR>Most, at this time, will not. <BR> <BR>That is all for now. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR>

tommi

They certaily better improve their relations with customers as well! A friend's husband died 3 days before sailing date in a tragic car jacking...even with death certificate etc. she was not refunded 1 penny nor was she allowed to reschedule within a year or two, nothing! Ren needs to gain compassion and common sense to survive! Hopefully, this will change with the new CEO. Tommi

Paul Therault

<BR>Dear Tommi, <BR> <BR>Of course Ren. must improve it'e relations with the public. <BR> <BR>The goal of us travel agents is to make our valued customers feel safe and secure on their vacations. <BR> <BR>We have let Ren. know of the problems that our customers have been having. <BR> <BR>I am sorry to hear of your misfortune. I doubt if you now have any recourse. <BR> <BR>We always strive to tell our customers the value of insurance. It is a small price to pay for piece of mind. <BR> <BR>You see, the cruise lines sail a foreign flag (except for American Hawaii). This makes it extremely difficult to sue a cruise line. <BR> <BR>To all future passengers: You MUST attempt to receive compensation while you are ON THE CRUISE. After you get home it is much harder to get anyone to listen to you. <BR> <BR>Paul

Greg

Congratulations on your big win Paul! I hope you don’t get arthritis from patting yourself on the back. Oh, and thanks very much for being responsible for the fare increases on Ren. <BR>Cheers <BR>

Paul Therault

<BR>Thanks Greg for the congratulatory message. <BR> <BR>Maybe your head is in the sand but would you rather the higher rate then with you holding a ticket when the line goes bankrupt? Or maybe you should read the posts of all the disgruntled passengers. Our industry does not need this. We want everyone to enjoy their cruise without nightmares. Ren. was ruining the industry and they have admitted to the fact. <BR> <BR>You do realize with 1.6 billion of new ships coming on line you will have a choice of extremely exotic itineraries. <BR> <BR>Time to take your Edsel out for a drive. <BR> <BR>Paul

Greg

Good Morning Paul, <BR> I find continuing dialogs to be counter productive on forums such as this, consequently this is my last post on the issue. <BR>1. I have been monitoring this forum for 18+ months and have read your repeated bashings of Renaissance. You've offer sympathy and consolation to everyone who has experienced problems with Ren, but never seem to comment on the many posts by satisfied Ren cruisers, myself included. <BR> 2. I was unaware that Ren was, or could be, facing bankruptcy. <BR>3. Most of the complaints voiced, concern Ren's refund policies. I wonder Paul, as a professional TA, don't you recommend travel insurance to all your cruising clients? Travel insurance would have solved most of Ren's unhappy cruisers' problems. And yes, you do have to expend some effort to find insurance carriers that cover Ren, but there are some out there. <BR>4..The only other Ren complaint I've read about is the varied pricing for the same accommodation on the same cruise. As a TA, I'm sure you work hard to get the best prices and value for each of your customers. I think we all attempt that regardless of what we're spending our dollars to purchase. There are some little-advertised bargains on Ren and you do have to work hard to find them. I bought my last Ren cruise at auction (egghead.com) for 1/3 of Ren's published fare for a B cabin. <BR>5. In your post you state 1.6 billion cruise ships will be coming on line. Last year the world's population was estimated at 6 billion people. Even if you were off by a few zeros in your estimate, that means there will be - well you can do the math. <BR>6. As for the Edsel, I wish I had one. Serious car collectors will pay top dollar for an Edsel in cherry condition. <BR>Cheers <BR>

JP

Renaissance was ruining the industry? Maybe you mean the travel agency industry. If you mean the cruise industry, then I wish a few more lines would set about ruining the industry the same way (casual, non-smoking, beautiful ships to interesting destinations). My R3 cruise last December was my first Renaissance cruise (out of 27), and my best yet. I specially appreciate the way that they have packaged affordable air with their cruises.

Paul Therault

<BR>I have sailed a Ren. ship before their policies went haywire. <BR> <BR>My past posts have praised the ships for their beauty, size of staterooms and cleanliness. Also the service and food is average. <BR> <BR>Their policies are what was ruining the cruise industry. Many more customer complaints than the average cruise line. The new CEO admits to this....it's not only us travel agents. I am only a little pea in a pod, there are thousands of travel agents. I was, and will, only state the facts that are known to me. <BR> <BR>Now to address Greg: Sorry buddy, you came down on me therefore I came down on you. And p-l-e-a-s-e the 1.6 billion ships was a typo (you know that). I neglected to place the dollar sign. It is 1.6 billion dollars in new shipbuilding. They do have a very strong bank backing them, but for how long? <BR> <BR>I know it was a nice cheap (shouldn't say cheap) cruise and was in the past before they started to revise the industry standards. It is too bad they now have to raise their rates. I lost a viable cruise line. You see, the name of my agency is Affordable Cruises & Travel therefore most of my customers call me with $500 in their pocket. <BR> <BR>Thinking of changing my name to Elite Cruises & Travel, but I do this more or less as a hobby, it is a whole lot of fun. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR>