aungrl

If your niece is anything like you and Mike, she would not only completely understand, she'd be the first to encourage you to celebrate with her when you're back!

This is so exciting! Really glad to see that you guys are about to pull the trigger on this. I know it's been on the bucket list for awhile now. Good luck with your cabin selection.

I had no idea. I've always heard it used in relation to hurricane season. thanks for clarifying.

So what does the "September remember" part mean, in that case? That it's important to remember that September is the worst month for hurricanes?

This just breaks my heart. That was a special tree. (Along with everything else that has been lost, of course.)

I like that explanation!

What does the "September remember" mean? I've been meaning to ask this every time I see it pop up in a thread!

On World cruises, I've read other posters who have noted that there are optional events on shore at some of the ports that require sports coats. I think the suggested packing list might have been developed with that in mind, but without clarifying why the jackets were being suggested.

We've sailed Viking and it's worth you checking into further, I think. There are so many useful threads over on the Viking board that would help you determine more specifically if this is the right line for you. From this thread, I think you'd be very happy with it, but because it does command a premium price, I'd recommend investigating further. It has no casinos, no kids under 18, no formal nights, and a very spacious passenger to space ratio. There are some downsides; you'll see that many people are unhappy with the paid-in-full requirement, which is generally 12 months in advance and sometimes longer unless you have another cruise booked. Things like food and entertainment are so subjective that my opinion on these doesn't matter at all; that said, we've found the food in all venues to be anywhere from very good to outstanding. There have been some post-Covid hiccups, but that's true of all lines, it seems. Good luck in finding the right line!

I use Babyganics SPF 50 mineral sunscreen. It goes on like a treat - not 'tacky' or hard to rub in - and it has never stained anything I've worn over it so far. Note: It DOES leave a residue on leather car seats, which can be removed with some effort, but it's better not to wear it on your legs and then get into the car in shorts.

Couldn't agree with this more! Some of my favorite photographs are from the Sound, although I don't have anything that is this spectacular.

We were very lucky, it seems, on our In the Wake of the Vikings cruise on Sept. 4, 2018. We made all the ports, including Faroes, Shetland Islands, Iceland, and the Greenland ports. And it was sunny and warm for two days in Bergen.

You just need to find a way to keep posting this photo periodically, since it's the best photo ever! 😊

Yes, my mental picture of Norse Air was much more "lean cuisine" - or bag of chips - than what you guys experienced. Doesn't sound like you got lucky, either; sounds to me more like this is standard operations for them. Of course every flight can vary, and maybe this WAS one-off, but I'm glad that it was so positive for you both to end your trip on a high note.

Very glad to hear this detail on your flight. Much more positive than I would have expected, given other reviews, etc. I agree, those prices across the Atlantic to Europe in old-style business class seats are very reasonable!

All of the above. And you would be great at this! I hope you pursue it.

Which cruise line was it? I've never heard of any cruise line requiring the use of a Travel Agent.

Loved all the photos of Greig's estate. It brought back lots of memories of our visit there a few years ago. At that time, the concert hall was undergoing some minor renovations, so our concert was held inside the house, on the piano in the living room. It was early September and the weather was gorgeous, but warm. By the time everyone crowded into the room, even with the windows open, it was pretty uncomfortable. But the pianist was amazing, and made it easy to (almost) ignore the temperature. Thanks again for posting so many pictures and doing such detailed posts of your trip so far. Looking forward to hearing more about Oslo!

I haven't been on RC or Celebrity in many years, but we cruised with both of them several times, several years ago, so take my comments with a large grain of salt. I don't think I'm qualified to comment in real detail, given how long it's been, but I'm happy to give you my overall impressions. The first thing I think is different between those two and Regent is the overall size, as well as the passenger-to-space ratio. The Regent ships have far less passengers than the other two lines, and they also allocate more space/passenger overall. To me, this makes the Regent ships seem very open and uncrowded, even at popular times in popular venues (restaurants/lounges). Regent is also pretty much entirely all-inclusive. There are a few optional excursions for which you can pay extra, but most of the excursions are included in the cruise fare. Regent also includes airfare, but will give you a credit if you elect to book your own air - which we've always done, so far. The food - and this is highly subjective - is of much higher quality on Regent vs. the other two lines. We've rarely experienced any lines for anything on a Regent ship, were always able to find a lounger by the pool, and found other passengers to be warm and welcoming. Another major difference was in the type and variety of entertainment on board. Regent tends towards quieter, less splashy entertainment in the evenings, whereas my memory of the other two lines is of big production-type shows on most evenings, with lots of cast members, costume changes, and a full light/sound system. In addition to differences in the evening entertainment, the larger ships of both RC and Celebrity have a wider variety of things to do, i.e., multiple pools, rock climbing walls, and - on the newer and bigger ships - many more choices. This is a generalization, but my experience with Regent is that the demographics skew older, with (far) fewer children, than on either RC or Celebrity. Something you might want to do is read several posts on the Regent board, which will likely give you a pretty good feel for what a cruise on that line would be like. We've really enjoyed all our cruises over the years, and would still sail on any of these lines as well as others, depending on itinerary, if friends asked us to take a cruise with them. That said, as we've gotten older, we've sailed primarily with Oceania and Viking - as well as Regent. All three of these lines have their pluses and minuses, with 'smaller ship size/better passenger to space ratios' being the most common denominator across them, in my view.

Yes, I have, although not in the Caribbean. Happy to answer any general questions if that would be useful.

Gorgeous photos, especially that first one! Thanks for taking the time to post.

Thank you. Very pretty! Are they shipping it to you or are you carrying it home?

Picture of the pelt?

We did the Tulum Mayan ruins excursion with a different cruise line before we discovered Viking, and the description above is basically identical to the one we took. So while I don't have direct experience with the Viking excursion, if it's as described, this was one of the best excursions of that entire cruise. Of course, YMMV regardless of cruise line, since so much depends on the quality of the guide.

This was our first Chef's Table menu several years ago and we loved it. I'm glad you got to experience it and enjoyed it, too!