orvil

I've got a neighbor who just sailed on the Scenic Eclipse.  They loved it and recommended it to us.  They are luxury cruiser types.  

I decided to remove my post.

Ask for a table in the back and to the right as you enter, aft port.  The height of the ceiling drops, it's much quieter and there is less traffic.

There is no vaccination for Coronovirus.  So, that possibility is out.

You are far more likely to get Norovirus.  It's going to look similar at the outset.  You will be quarantined aboard the ship.  That sucks. I was really happy to see Germstar in the dispensers aboard Explorer last week.  This is about the only thing that I know of that will kill Norovirus.  I carry it with me in a spray form when I travel.  I spray down surfaces in my cabin as a matter of course.  I don't know if Germstar will kill Coronovirus.  It probably hasn't been tested against it. 

In my opinion, they should make temperature testing before we board every cruise a standard procedure.  I was pleased to see the hand washing stations in LaVeranda.  I used them, but most people blew past them.  Regent should also stop self-service in LaVeranda and the Pool Bar.  Staff should plate all items.  Sharing serving spoons is asking for trouble.  This would help us avoid a lot of nasty bugs.

I've used Viator.  You can book single and small group tours with a guide through them.

We didn't travel in a Concierge suite.  We travel in your basic F1 or F2.  I suggest you tell your stewardess upon introduction what you would like.  It will typically appear sometime that evening.  Understand that embarkation day is very busy.  If it doesn't appear that night, call her on her phone and repeat the request.  

In our case, we didn't request any liquor.  We tend to do our drinking in the bars and restaurants.  Our travel partners did request Maker's Mark.  They got it.  We requested extra bottles of water, tonic water and cokes.  I removed all of the other stuff in the refrigerator and put it on the counter.  It was gone when we returned and our requested drinks were in the refrigerator.  We also requested only oranges and plums for fresh fruit.  That's what we got.  

I seem to never miss afternoon tea and the scones with clotted cream and jam.  Therefore, I don't need canapes.  I probably don't need dinner, but that doesn't stop me from eating it.  Five pound gain.  Working it off right now.  This dieting thing  tends to make me grumpy.    

I liked the dragon in front of Pacific Rim.

I predict that will be the place where everyone will have to have their picture taken.

Hey, Mercedes used Naugahyde in their cars.  If it's good enough for Mercedes-Benz, it's good enough for me.  

No Nauga's were killed in this effort.  They regenerate.

14 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

What is "GF" and "DF" . ??

Gluten Free and Dairy Free.  You Swiss need to get out more😀

DH (Dear Husband) is so thrilled with the specialized food service that he has received on Regent, he is refusing to try Seabourn because he is afraid it will be 10-12 days of misery.  It makes such a difference to me when he is happy.

If you are in Southampton and don't want to go to Stonehenge, consider the Titanic exhibition at the City Hall.  If you are hardy, you can walk it.  Otherwise, take a cab.  It's self-guided.  There is a small charge.  This is where the inquiries were held into the incident.  The crew came primarily from Southampton.  You can do it in an hour or so.  Then, go to lunch in town.

Just got off Explorer.  The Osso Bucco was the only bad meal that I experienced.  The Osso Bucco was so salty that it was inedible.  It was perfectly tender.  Conversely, the risotto Milanese had zero salt.  We ate with another couple traveling with us on another night in Sette Mare and one of them ordered the Osso Bucco.  It was perfect.

We ordered an off the menu special meal for my GF and DF spouse.  The chef did a fabulous job.  Otherwise, he is limited to salad in Sette Mare.  It was a simple grilled chicken breast with a lemon caper sauce on GF pasta.  It looked really good.  He was thrilled.  We made certain to speak to the chef and thank him profusely for his efforts.

You win some and you lose some.  What was a loss, turned into a win.

You will walk down a long pier.  It's covered most of the way.  They have golf carts that can transport you down the length of the pier.  At that point, you enter the village.   There are maps available.  I believe there are lockers, but we didn't use them.  Bring money.

You have to walk through the village past the shops to get to the small dock where they launch the excursions.  If you are on an excursion,  you will have to take a ferry to the mainland to board the buses.  It takes 25 to 30 minutes from Harvest Cay to the buses.

The zip line was not operating the day were there.  There is a pool.  There are chairs on the beach with umbrellas for shade.  There is an activity involving a floating pedal bike device that is free with your key card.  There are private villas that you can rent for the day.  You will bring your own towel from the ship.  

The problem with Harvest Caye is you have to share it with other NCL ships.  One of the monster ships was tendered off of the Caye when we were there.  Explorer got the pier. The clientele of the other NCL mega ship was loud, obnoxious, and a lot of alcohol was being consumed.  It was a stark reminder of why we pay extra money for a luxury experience.     

There was some confusion on our part as to what is included and what requires cash.  We had been to Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas last year.  At that stop, Regent sent their own people with supplies to the island on a tender.  As we remembered, there was no additional charge for anything on Great Stirrup Cay.  This is why we left the ship in Harvest Cay without any money.  We were expecting a similar setup.  

We wanted a soda and a water at the beach.  There is a charge.  Our companions wanted lunch and discovered that there is a charge.  We all left and went back to the ship.  The poolside on the ship was much better.  

I will note that the lifeguards were plentiful at the beach and very active.  Some yahoo picked up a starfish and was abusing it taking selfies.  The lifeguard jumped on that and put a stop to it pretty quickly.  The beach area was cordoned off with floating barrier.  The beach area was very clean.  

Just off Explorer.  I didn't tip.  I received the excellent service that I expected.  I doubt there is a picture of me on the wall in the crew spaces saying she's a PITA.

I did tip tour guides and drivers.  I brought money for this purpose.  I gave one of the bus drivers a generous tip.  I observed the conditions that he was safely driving us in and decided that he was going above and beyond.  Drivers and tour guides often live in very poor countries.  It seemed to be the gracious thing to do.  It wasn't much, but it added to their total compensation.

We were in 831 on Explorer.  I think it's an F1, but I can't remember for certain.  Very nice location.   Just aft of the slightly larger balconies.  Nothing objectionable above us to make noise.

I suffer from sea sickness.  This cabin was perfectly stable.  The TV pivot system worked well.  Just be careful at night if you get the side of the bed by the wall.  If you get up in the middle of the night, it's easy to smack into it if you forget.

I use an airport parking lot multiple days each month.  I always tip the drivers for handling my bags.  It's what I do.  

Because I use their services so often, I get to know the names and backgrounds of the drivers.  Their jobs are usually one of three part time jobs that they work.  The other day one of the drivers told me that they make minimum wage.  The employer is having difficulty finding reliable people to do the job.  The employer required all of the drivers provide the totals of their daily tip receipts.  

I was outraged on their behalf.  It's really none of the employer's business.  It's between the driver and the IRS.  To my way of thinking, the employer is simply trying to justify not raising their wage by using trying to justify depressing their wage by factoing tips.  I can assure that they don't make that much in tips, either.

Tip if you want.  Don't feel bad if you don't.  Just try to be discreet when you do it.  If you do tip, take the time to write up the outstanding employees, too.  From the examples given in this thread, it can really help someone progress in their career.

If a family group wants to travel in luxury, they can book one of the upper levels on any number of cruise lines that have children's programs and are set up for children.  It's not fair to the kids to expect them to act like well behaved adults.  They must be bored out of their minds.  Rather, put them in a situation that has age appropriate children programs, equipment and staff to handle them.  

Regent is not one of those lines.  Why not Disney?  It's what they do.  I have friends who sail on Disney for the very reason that there are children's programs.  They have told me what a good time the entire family has because there is something for everyone, even grandma and grandpa.

I travel on Cunard upon occasion.  While you don't see a lot of children aboard expect during holidays, they provide a children's section where they are sequestered from most of the ship.  The luxury lines with smaller ships simply cannot provide these services.  

I toted our luggage off of Voyager last January in Miami.  All of my bags have wheels.  It wasn't a problem.  I've always taken my bags off of other lines, too.  I plan on toting it off later this month upon arrival in Miami.  

This is, of course, because I am fully capable of doing this and it is my preference. If I had any infirmities, I would put it outside the night before and let the staff handle it.

As a couple, we typically take three bags on a cruise.  I also take a tote bag for my makeup and book as a purse on the airplane.  We carry on two of the bags as rollaboard bags.  The larger third bag is shared between us and is usually filled with shoes, suits, dresses and evening wear, if required.  We check this third bag.  We are certain that the two rollaboard bags will reach the final destination.  We take a chance with the third bag.

When we go aboard the ship, we put all three bags in the bin at the dockside.  I still carry the tote bag on myself.  My makeup and medication is much harder to replace than anything else.  I wouldn't hesitate to dump the rest of my bags into the bin.  Do be certain to carry your passport and tickets  in your purse/tote.  I put them in my rollaboard one time and only realized it as I walked away.  I had to go bag bin diving with the burly longshoreman in Brooklyn.    

Remember that when you board ask where the luggage check area is located.  RSS will have a designated area for tote bags.  They will give you a check ticket for however many bags you check.  One of the ship's crew will have them in their custody until you return from lunch to retrieve them prior to going to your cabin if you choose to check them upon boarding the ship.  

Try a different web browser.  I had this problem and changing to another browser did the trick.  It's worth a try.

Bottom line.  You have to do the cost analysis every time you book a cruise.  Sometimes it works to your advantage and sometimes it works to their advantage.  

Just show up.  It's not a formal affair.  Everyone is always welcome.

Darle has a fan club.  She is delightful.  Such a nice person.

The reason why they have gone to the electronic survey format is two fold.  One, they are cheaper.  Two, they get more responses, particularly the critical ones.

I worked for a major airline.  They would provide a packet of surveys to pass out to particular seats aboard the airplane.  These were completed by customers and returned to the packet.  That should have been the end of the story.  But, we would go through the paper responses and remove the ones that affected our personal performance.  That's human nature.

If you aren't able to complete the survey, send a personal letter.  I bet you get a much more personalized response to a real letter than you ever will to an electronic survey.

If you are in a "named" suite, you will be able to dine in the specialty restaurants as much as you desire.   If not, you get the basic allotment.  There may be unexpected openings.  But, those are not guaranteed and will only be available once aboard .

My opinion only, I could dine in Compass Rose every night and not feel deprived. 

We travel with another couple.  We book our own excursions and sometimes they overlap.  If they overlap, we turn in the tickets at the same time and go together.  I don't know of any way you can link them at booking time.

As much as I like my friends, sometimes it helps to go on different excursions.  It gives the relationship a break and you have something to talk about at dinner.

Air deviation, yes, probably.  You can non-stop on AA out of DFW.  Otherwise, you may get stuck with three flights with a truly strange itinerary. 

Regarding your plans in London, it depends on where you are staying.  My guess is you won't be staying in Southampton.  It's a two hour minimum drive without traffic from Central London to Southampton.  Because of this, they will probably schedule your pickup for embarkation between 9 and 10.  They will be waiting for you at the docks to take you back to Central London upon arrival.  You will be in London for lunch after disembarkation.