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I'm curious about this as well, since DW recently went gluten free. All I know is I get to eat all of the salt sticks, but there's much more to learn I assume.

We started by looking at flights on our own so were prepared. There weren't a lot of choices from Lisbon, especially after noon, but we found a couple. Then we talked to Regent's air dept. and they offered the flights I mentioned above. They also offered some other options that had an upcharge, but the AC flights were fine for us.

It's not an exact match, but we are flying home from Lisbon in June. Regent put us on Air Canada to Toronto, and Air Canada Rouge from Toronto to Phoenix. It's business class with no upcharge and a reasonable layover in YYZ.

Agreed. Related, on our last two cruises we stopped by the restaurant office on embarkation day to see if anything was available that evening. Both times we were offered Pacific Rim, which we happily took.

Depending on the cruise's duration you'll probably eat a lot of dinners Compass Rose. If you find a waiter/waitress and location that suits you, ask to be seated in that station when you check in for dinner. We prefer a quiet spot off to the side, and once we found a waiter in that area that we really liked we asked for him every night.

The club house in Heathrow was really cool, so I'm hoping the JFK will be too.

FYI - You're also able to use Virgin Atlantic's club house in JFK. It's supposed to be a better choice than Delta's lounge. We've got a long layover in JFK en route to our cruise in June and we'll have time to check both of them out.

In fact, the Meridian Lounge on the news ships offer a Zacapa old fashioned, made with their 23 year old rum. But it's $29 and I decided against having one.

That Japan cruise actually appeals to me. I like the idea of spending 2 full days in each of four major cities in the region. If we didn't already have a cruise scheduled that month I'd consider it. What I don't understand is the Splendor cruise next August that spends 3 of its 8 days in "Paris" (actually Honfleur). I like the concept of a floating hotel, but I'd prefer one that isn't a 5+ hour round trip from the featured city.

Here's Grandeur's California Cab selections from the reserve list. The prices are quite reasonable imho.

Totally included.

Yes, but it's really an espresso maker. Illy is the brand.

We travelled with family members in an adjoining suite on Splendor in March and asked our attendant if she could open the balcony dividers between the two. She said that it's not allowed company wide (not sure if that meant Regent or NCLH). She attended to our needs perfectly otherwise, and was really bothered that she had to say no to us, so I believe it is their policy.

I know that band! Their song "Way Down We Go" pops up in movies and TV shows.

We used to call those things "USB condoms." I guess they cleaned up the name a bit, 😁

I think it's for all categories. We were in a Superior Suite in March, and I asked for single malt Scotch and received a liter of Macallan.

Given that the spa and casino are run by external contractors, does extra activity there add anything to Regent's bottom line?

The Calling All Ports Youtube channel has 5 or so videos about their holiday Trans-Canal cruise. This one specifically focuses on the holiday experience. They've got other vids on food, their stateroom, etc.

Another "trick" is to stop by the dining reservation office when you board. They will often have availability that night. On our last two cruises we were able to dine at Pacific Rim the first night.

They will always say subject to change just as a CYA. But Amber Cove is Carnival's private "island" in DR, so you will definitely dock at Taino. From cruisehive.com: "This private 30-acre retreat is exclusively offered as a port of call to cruisers with Carnival and its sister companies."

And I seem to remember that Amber Cove was built exclusively for Carnival.

Our Splendor cruise in March docked at Taino.

We spent 10 days in the Caribbean on Splendor this year. While the loungers in that area were very popular, the infinity pool was basically unused. Occasionally someone would use it for photo opportunities, but that was about it. I trust Grandeur will make better use of that space.

And I'm pretty sure they didn't have a leisurely Pacific Rim dinner at 8:30 and still make the 9:30 show. But it was still an enjoyable, well done, video. I've got 11 months until my next cruise and I'm always glad to see one of those.

We priced out some Northern Europe cruises for next year, and Splendor suites are in the neighborhood of $5000 per couple per day, maybe just a little less.