orvil

I am the Scarlett Woman who dared to wear red to the ball.  I suppose this makes me the village tart.  Evidently all that my outfit was missing was the Scarlett "A".  BTW, it was Armani.  After a turn or two around the dance floor, I left the others to their amusements.  I returned upstairs to the Queen's Grill and had another cocktail.

I met or exceeded every published dress requirement.  It was not my first trip on Cunard, rather one of many.  On that particular trip I even had a black evening gown in my luggage. It was a lovely Oleg Cassini.  I chose not to wear it that night because I wasn't in the mood for it.  I was feeling red that night and I looked fabulous. 

Get over it.  

Bill in sandals and socks.  It's burned into my retinas.  

No disrespect intended.  I just happened to wander past the Queen's Room.  I didn't stay long.  I doubt anyone cared.  I know Mr. Armani didn't care.  

Call me a rebel.  I love to dress for dinner.  But on the night of the Black and White ball, I wore bright red chiffon.  It was fun amongst all those beautifully black and white clad people in the ballroom.  Someone had to make a statement.  

I'll explain about the shower.  

We were at anchor.  They were running tenders into the port.  Due to the pull of the anchor line, the ship listed to port at a very noticeable angle.  Our cabin was on the port side.  I got into the shower and started it up.  The drain was in the corner of the of shower base.  Once enough water had flowed, there was a sizable amount of water in the shower pan.  It was going to slop onto the floor and run onto the cabin carpet before it ever reached the drain.  Pure physics.

Interestingly, the tub wouldn't drain at the same time while at anchor.  If we had been anchored to starboard, the shower drain would not have been a problem.  In order for the drain to work, it needed to be on the downhill side.  Once the anchor was retrieved, equilibrium returned, the drains began to work as expected.

 I asked about this at the customer services.  They weren't surprised.  The customer service representative said to wait until we were underway.  Just be aware.  It came as a surprise.

Travelcat2,  That's what I thought when I saw them.  They don't look as sturdy, but they look as if they would provide the same utility.

Alternative wines are always available.

I'm so glad someone on this board told me about the miso glazed sea bass.  It was lovely.

The block party is good fun.  Be sure to participate.

The staff is well trained and filled with really nice people.

Don't take a shower when anchored.  The drain won't work properly.

If you need any special accommodation with diet, go to the reservations desk.  They will create a standing order.

Don't be in a hurry to do anything.  There's plenty for everyone.

Now is the time to experiment with unfamiliar cocktails.  DH has discovered that he likes Cosmopolitans.  

There are chair hogs on Regent and I still don't know how to deal with them.

It's hard to spend money aboard ship.

Having been an employee of an airline in a past life, it is very hard to find the correct cause for a delay or an action by a large company.  You don't want to lie to a customer and you want to help them with their problem.  But, the decision is many pay grades above your level.  You usually don't have the complete picture of the situation, just a small portion.  It's frustrating for everyone involved.  Patience is indeed a virtue. 

I previously started a thread about Anti-motion sickness glasses.  I did have a long wait to get the glasses from Boarding Glasses and they were very expensive.  I just came across another competitor/supplier.  I wanted to provide the link to those who are in need of a little extra help.  They advertise that you only need to wear them 10 minutes.  Boarding Glasses suggests 20 minutes.  I'd go with the 20 minute option just to be certain. 

https://eyesonboard.com/

I've used these successfully.  I can still recommend the Travel Shades.  https://www.travelshades.com/

I hope these help.  If anyone uses them, please report back.  Others will benefit.

I'm the Queen of Mal de Mer. 

You can use Bonine, Dramamine, Relief Bands, ginger, and scopolamine patches.  I really don't like the side effects of drowsiness and thirst.  The others don't work for me. 

I my case, my seasickness is caused by poor depth perception and a lack of visual convergence.  I suggest that you take every opportunity to stare at the horizon.  Walk the promenade often.  Here are some other items that may help:

https://www.boardingglasses.com/

https://eyesonboard.com/

https://www.travelshades.com/

I have both the Boarding Glasses and the Travel Shades.  To date, I've only used the Travel Shades on a ship.  They worked for me on my last cruise.  But, we had very calm seas.  I wore them intermittently.   I always wore them on the tender and made certain I was seated facing forward, in the middle, and next to the open side.

I haven't had the opportunity to use the Boarding Glasses.  The Eyes On Board appear to be a knock off, but they should work.  These are worn for 20 minute intervals as needed.  You don't have to worry about looking like a cartoon character.  Just wear them in the cabin each morning when needed.

I've never taken a warm cruise.  It's always been in cold weather.  So, the delights of the terraces elude me.  I guess I'll have to take one for the team.

Go to the Grill's Lounge.  There is usually someone at the bar.  They will make you whatever you want.  I'm not a coffee drinker, but I have seen others doing this.  No charge.  

We got off early in Port Canaveral, FL, USA instead of Ft. Lauderdale.  We just let Cunard know in advance of our plans.  There were about 20 of us doing this.  It wasn't a problem.  We did eat the extra day.  That was okay with us.  After a TA spent skirting a hurricane, we were ready to get off. 

FYI, when we were aboard Regent's Voyager this past January, they told us that the rules had changed at the beginning of January.  Life jackets were now stored in lockers on deck.  We did not have life jackets in the staterooms anymore.  Also, we did not have to demonstrate use of the life jackets.  We just watched a demonstration.  Just like the airlines.

A previous post discussed command communication during the crisis.  In aviation, the rule is aviate, navigate and communicate.  That means fly the plane, know where you are going, then advise authorities of your problem.  All the while you are working a solution to whatever problem you have encountered.

The Sky's Captain and technical crew were doing something very similar.  First, they were trying to not hit the lee shore.  They dropped the anchor. (I'm still amazed the anchor bit and held.)  Next, they were trying to restart the generators and establish propulsion.  As ChengKG75 says, it takes time to reestablish power.  It's an involved process and they use very complex checklists.  They practice this all the time.  But, it takes time to accomplish.  After all of this was done or in final process, the Captain could then communicate with the emergency personnel.  Last, he could communicate with the passengers and order the evacuation.

I practiced this.  Waiting for communication and waiting for the call for evacuation seems to take days.  But, it's really only minutes and in some cases seconds.  Time expands and compresses in the strangest ways.  It's a phenomena that has be to experienced to be believed.  It takes a lot of training and discipline to not react and wait for instruction.

The crew appeared to be well-trained, disciplined and competent.  They did their job under pressure.  People are alive today because of their professionalism.  It's easy to be an arm chair quarterback.  It's a lot harder when you are in the situation.

I've never sailed with Viking.  Given the circumstances as I currently understand them, I wouldn't hesitate to sail with them.    

There was a video that showed one of lounges with a piano bolted to the deck. Furniture was moving and potted plants were rolling.  I remember thinking at the time that the safest place would be in one of the corridors where there was less chance of being hit or crushed by moving debris.

A few hours later, I saw a video of the same lounge and the piano had broken free from its attachment, turned on it's top like a turtle and slid across the floor.  

As a former flight attendant, we were taught to always be aware of our surroundings.  In an event such as this, you have to think about your safety and protect yourself from injury.  Once you are injured, you are not able to help yourself and must rely on others.  I would have left that lounge asap.  All you need during this incident is to break a wrist or leg and try to evacuate or swim.  It won't have a happy ending. 

Jumping into one of these slides is a blast.  But, I'd hate to have to do it for real.  Any exposed skin will burn because of the friction.  Siting in an open raft in a swimming pool is sporty.  I'd hate to have to do it in open ocean.  

Letting go an anchor is going to be expensive.  The lines alone are expensive.  

Still, it was a good show of seamanship to get that anchor to take a bite and hold in those seas.

I'm glad that ChengKG75 is here to not only explain potential scenarios, but also to pop the balloon on some of the more wild speculation.  

At first, I had read that the ship was encountering a bombogenesis weather phenomena.  It turns out that the weather conditions do not appear to have been particularly nasty.  Just sort of nasty.  They were definitely within the reasonable range of the ship's capabilities.

While weather was one of the contributors to the event, what made it spectacular and potentially dangerous was the wind blowing a large sail (The Sky) into a lee shore and the ability film it.  But for the proximity of the shore, this would have been a minor event and soon forgotten once all the generators were back on line and the ship on it's way.

I'd like to thank ChengKG75 unintentionally explaining to me what I had encountered on Cunard's Queen Victoria a few years ago.  We encounter a winter hurricane crossing the Atlantic off of Ponte Delgado.  We made best possible speed and skirted the worst of the weather, but kept getting hull slapped pretty hard by the following swells.  These were enormous, random booms on the hull.  This now makes more sense as to why this would happen.  As a personal note ChengeKG75, I spent four days wishing I was on the QM2 instead of the QV.  I know she would have handled beautifully in these conditions.

Having sweated anchorage in sailboats, I was very impressed that the Sky was able to successfully drop that anchor and find a spot to hold it.  That was pretty impressive and a little lucky.

The world of aviation has a lot of similarities to the world of maritime.  The loss of generators and propulsion is generally more quickly disastrous than in the maritime world.  But, both are unforgiving if not handled properly.  I can assure everyone that these crews spend a lot of time honing the skills necessary to keep everyone safe.  It's good to see when all of the precautions and practice work the way they are supposed to work.

Our travelling companions would often ask for other varietals than the ones offered on a particular evening.  The sommelier was happy to arrange something that they would like.  He indicated to us that it an alternative was no problem.  We simply had to ask.  Some nights, we would order off the premium menu.  We did this to use up some OBC.  I have to comment that the standard selection was excellent. 

I would advise you to take a travel mug and fill it at Coffee Connection.  

We hire a car from Smith's For Airports.  Reliable.  And, you only have to drag your luggage once.

I prefer to do my own laundry.  I don't want anyone to deal with my tighty whiteys.  Regent has two washers and two dryers on each deck.  Plus, TV and ironing boards.  It's a very nice set up.  There are plenty of units given the total number of passengers.   

We went to Veranda and had a very nice, leisurely breakfast.  We waited in Veranda until they called our group.  Once released to disembark, it took us maybe 10 minutes to find our bags, clear customs and exit the building.  If felt like much less than that.  We called an Uber and were at MIA within 30 minutes of stepping off the ship.

We had a 1:00 flight.  We could have made the 11:00 flight with plenty of time to spare.  Except, there were no seats.  So, we just waited for the flight.  I wouldn't book anything before noon.  It's not worth the stress.

As a retired airline employee, I can assure you that airlines will not transport you if you are on a stretcher or unstable.   Airline employees travel a lot.  I've got a million stories of fellow employees accidents that required special care returning home.  I've also got a lot of stories about people who broke something and had it set in a far-flung country that went very badly.  The good news is my particular airline will transport my remains for free, but only on the mainline service.  Of course, at that point I won't care.

You want to get home, asap. 

Will a commercial airline let you on?  Break an arm and wearing a sling, probably.  Break a leg and can't bend it to fit in a seat, doubt it.  Heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, or broken back, nope.  Bedridden, no way!  They don't want you because you are high risk.  They don't like stopping short to drop you off.  It pisses off the other customers and costs the airline money.

Then, there's the transport of your luggage, ambulance service to and from the airport, check in and out services, and your spouse's transport.  Do you really want to try to arrange this from a foreign country where you don't speak the language?

At the bare minimum, if you are traveling to any country where medical services are limited or suspect, you want evacuation insurance.  Whether you insure the trip itself, that's a separate discussion.  These discussions are as individual as the person making them.

I checked out the Medjet.  That's something that is worth considering.  Thanks for the information.

There are two types of insurance.  One pays for the lost trip.   The other pays for medical and transportation expenses.  You can buy this through Regent's insurance provider or you can buy this from an insurance company that writes these policies.  

As a U.S. citizen, I don't purchase the Regent sponsored insurance.  It's way too expensive.  As the middle man, Regent gets a cut.  That comes out of my pocket.  If I had a serious medical issue I would consider the Regent policy as the underwriting requirements aren't as stringent.  You pay for that.  

What do I purchase?  I purchase only medical and evacuation coverage.  As I get older, my trips get longer and more expensive, I suspect that I will start insuring the trip, too.

I went on line and searched travel insurance.  There were two or three brokers that advertise on line.  I submitted a brief application with one and an agent called me.  We custom designed my coverage based on what I thought I would need and nothing more.  She provided some assistance and advice.  I got good medical coverage and plenty of money for air evacuation coverage.  One of Warren Buffet's companies underwrote the policy.  I figured he was good for it if I made a claim.  The cost difference between Regent and this company was significant.  Plus, I got coverage for my priorities.   

All it takes is a slip and fall.  Cruise ship medical facilities are designed to provide basic services and get you to a shore side facility asap.  They will off load you and sail away without looking back.  Out of sight and out of mind.  These shore facilities are often questionable and located in remote parts of the world.  I want to be stabilized and evacuated.  That's expensive.  Thus, the evacuation coverage.  I know people who were otherwise healthy that ended up using it.

Good piece of information that I learned from the ship's staff last trip.  Every port a cruise line visits has a port agent.  If you get left behind or are off-loaded, get this name, address and number.  This is your go to contact.  They will help you get to where you need to go.   Good thing to know if you miss the ship.