knotheadusc

What a pity you missed Visby! It's a really neat town. We managed to visit there last week. It sounds like you're making the best of things, though!

I found some locals unfriendly last time we did a Caribbean cruise on SeaDream. I guess I could understand why they were unfriendly… we were showing up on a fancy ship, and they were living in a place where people were struggling. I didn’t realize it when I booked, but I did when we went on the island. I am sure many locals love the money generated by cruises, but I would not assume they all do.

And what a pleasure it was to see you and your lovely wife again! ❤️

Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I am pretty sure I read somewhere that most cruise lines have policies against transporting pregnant passengers beyond a certain point in their pregnancies, because they don’t want them giving birth on board. I think I read about people lying about how far along they were and either getting discovered somehow and disembarked, or actually giving birth prematurely. But… I don’t remember being asked that question on SeaDream or Hebridean Island Cruises.

I read an account from one person who said they were on a MSC ship with 6500, and it was “absolute bedlam”. Yes, they had enough beds, but every spot was crowded. But some people think that that’s “cool”. Give me a ship where my waiter knows I prefer sparkling water to still.

I can’t imagine enjoying a ship with 7500 people on it. It honesty sounds like hell to me. But I know the new ships have all kinds of cool surprises on them that some people love.

Well, Hebridean Princess started as a car ferry in 1964, so she doesn't have new fangled stabilizers. 😉 Most of the cruises they do are usually confined in very calm waters, but that particular cruise went over the top of Scotland. We had heard it was going to be rough going, and it definitely was! Nobody was at breakfast! 😮 They gave us seasickness meds on Hebridean Princess that were incredible. They were like magic. We read that they don't sell them in the US. We may give Silversea a whirl at some point, mainly due to an unusual itinerary they offer. But those ships are probably too big for me, too!

Well, someone asked me that in France in 2014, and it really pissed me off. But this time, I figured it was just some kid doing what he was told he had to do. He looked like he was all of about 19 years old!

Yeah, Bonine worked on SeaDream for me, too. It was just nice not to need it this time. Our last cruise before Splendor was on Hebridean Princess, which is a tiny and very old ship. When went through Cape Wrath in Scotland, I thought I was going to die! Worst seasickness ever! But, I love Hebridean Princess anyway, for reasons similar to why I love SeaDream… very personalized service, and probably as all inclusive as Regent is. It just doesn’t have as many amenities. Splendor wasn’t crowded. I saw areas where there were hardly ever any passengers, like the cigar room. It’s funny when people refer to it as a mega ship, when there are only 750 people on it. It seemed huge to me, but then I read about ships that have 6000 or 7000 people! Seems like a nightmare.

it’s interesting to notice how diverse people’s tastes are. Some people love the big ships because they have so many amenities. They are more concerned with balconies, square footage in their staterooms, and having a bunch of restaurants to choose from. The cruise worked well for us and our goals for that trip. Regent was going to a place where I never see SeaDream going, so we pulled the trigger. But given a choice between SeaDream and Regent in, say, the Caribbean or the Med, I think I would choose SeaDream, if they were going the same week and had similar itineraries. One plus for Regent is that I didn’t get seasick at all! 😄

There were a few notable great crew members on Splendor. Two of them actually remembered our names, which was very impressive on a ship that big. But I have fond memories of having actual conversations with crew on much smaller ships, like SeaDream. Also, it seemed to me like the crews on smaller ships (including Hebridean Princess) seemed happier and more relaxed. Our stateroom was gorgeous and very comfortable, and the muster drill was a breeze. But, it was kind of a challenge to get around easily. I like to take photos, and Splendor didn’t have as many easily accessible outdoor areas in public areas. That was less of an issue in the Baltic Sea, since it was fairly cool there. Anyway, this cruise was very good, but it confirmed to me that I think small ships rock!

My husband Bill and I just enjoyed our very first Regent Seven Seas cruise on Splendor. We did a week in the Baltic Sea on this beautiful, but huge ship, with about 740 other people. And it made me realize something very important. I am a confirmed small ship lover! Don't get me wrong. We really enjoyed ourselves on the Splendor, and I would book it again if the price and itinerary were right. It's a magnificent ship, all inclusive, with lots of amenities and a hard working crew. BUT... I could not help but remember how much I enjoyed our cruises on SeaDream and the wonderful, personal touches we got from the staff, as well as the ease of meeting new people. It was actually kind of HARD to meet people on Splendor, although one plus was that we also weren't constantly running into anyone with whom we didn't mesh. I really, really missed SeaDream's piano bar, too. Splendor just had one karaoke night. It was only 90 minutes and very loud and crowded. It was fun, and there were some very talented singers there, but I really missed the camaraderie of singing with George while sipping champagne and cocktails. I think I prefer SeaDream's food, too. So... I am keeping my eyes peeled in hopes of finding my next SeaDream cruise. Cheating was (kinda) wrong, and now I'm ready to repent. 😄

Actually, I volunteered that information.

When we embarked on Splendor on the 23rd, we were asked if we were vaccinated for COVID. I was also asked if I was pregnant. Since I just turned 51 three days prior to the cruise, I was rather amused by that question! I don’t think being vaxxed was required, but they did ask.

The CD was Jude. I don’t know who the asst. CD was. I may have that info picked in the luggage.

Yesterday, we went on our final excursion to Bornholm, an island off of mainland Denmark. Once again, it was a place I'd never heard of, and since we were pretty tired and a little burned out on bus tours, we almost skipped our 4 PM excursion. That would have been a mistake. I ended up enjoying Bornholm the most of all of our stops on our cruise! We visited a cool round church called Osterlars, a cute little waterfront town that looked a bit like Cornwall, castle ruins, and a restaurant/museum fish smoker which is the only smoker facility that still smokes fish over an open fire. Bornholm has many places where they smoke herring, but all but one of them use modern methods due to the food safety risk. The place we went calls itself a "museum" so that it can continue to use the old fashioned method. We got to try the herring and wash it down with excellent Danish draft beer. Where Visby was very historic and well preserved, it was quite overrun with tourists. Bornholm didn't feel that way at all. I will be looking into booking a land based trip there sometime. After our excursion, we had our last meal in the Compass Rose restaurant. I had lobster ravioli and a rib eye steak and a baked potato. My husband had lobster bisque and followed with Thai red curry with rice and spinach. We also had lunch in Prime 7, which was very tasty, as expected. We were waited on both times by a waiter named Billy. My husband's name is Bill, so at dinner, we laughed when Billy called my husband "Mr. Bill". He had never heard of the Saturday Night Live character from the 70s. We gave him a brief education about Mr. Bill, as well as the reason people call my husband that. When my husband was teenager, he was actually run over by a car. Yes, he was injured, but not permanently so. Ever since then, when people call him Mr. Bill, it actually fits. Oh nooooo! ;) Then, this morning, it was time to disembark. Our plans involve hanging out in Copenhagen for a couple of days, so we were among the last to leave the ship. Check in was at 3PM, but we were lucky enough to get early check in. I'm glad, because I need a nap to recover from our week of tours! I was impressed by how well organized disembarkation was. We left Regent Splendor with good impressions. While I think I still prefer much smaller ships, if the right opportunity presented itself, I would book again and recommend the line to others. It was a real treat to get to spend 16 nights on vacation in such a unique part of Europe. We hit Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Denmark, and Estonia, and we even ventured into Lithuanian waters for awhile. I'd say we got a lot of bang for many, many bucks! Thanks to everyone who has been following along with me! It's been fun to share this experience with those who can really appreciate it. Here are some photos from yesterday's excursion!

To me, the salmon pieces were slightly less smoky. I don’t post on Cruise Critic very often because we don’t cruise much. But I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the live posting!

My husband has gotten very used to being photographed whenever we go out! I put it all in my travel blog! I almost went for the duck last night. It looked really good, too! I just packed most of my stuff for tomorrow’s disembarkation. Now, we’re sitting on the balcony, drinking some of the beer we requested earlier in the week. This cruise has been great, but it’s time to go home and rescue our sweet dog and find him a playmate. We lost our other dog on St. Patrick’s Day, and wanted to take a vacation before adopting another. Now that we’ve done our vacation, it’s time! Plus, I have a burning desire to make some new music! Vacations are so inspirational!

Last night we got to try the much vaunted Pacific Rim restaurant. My husband said it was his favorite of the three specialty restaurants. Service was excellent, and the food was top notch. I enjoyed Pacific Rim, too, although Asian food isn't necessarily my favorite (too many mushrooms!). I got a kick out of watching my husband try the edamame and crackers. I had never had it before, but was always curious about how it tasted. Now, I know! As my started, I had a lovely assortment of sushi, while my husband went with the sashimi option. Both were very fresh and beautifully presented. Then we had the miso soup, which was comforting and seemed like one of the healthiest things I've eaten all week! 😉 For our main courses, I had Chinese barbecue ribs with a side of Regent Fried Rice (duck, vegetables, and egg). My husband had King Prawns with bok choy and a side of stir fried Asian greens. Then for dessert, he had Tres Leches coconut and I had Mochi for the very first time in my life. The Mochi was basically sticky rice that reminded me of marshmallow, with little dollops of ice cream inside. I had three; one with chocolate, one with green tea, and one with passion fruit ice cream. It was very interesting. I especially liked the green tea version. Naturally, everything was washed down with wine... We went with a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, but they also had a semi-sweet German Riesling and sake, among other varieties. We also visited the Meridian Bar for the very first time last night, and we tried a few of their artisan cocktails, which were fun and delicious. I liked the Meridian Bar a lot, and wish we'd gone in there earlier in the week! I especially enjoyed the jazzy music they were playing. Oh well. That's another reason to book another cruise, right? Here are a few photos from last night.

Today's excursion was to Liepaja and Karosta in Latvia. We had to change clocks again for the third time this trip, and tonight we'll be going back an hour, since tomorrow we will be in Denmark. I was looking forward to the visit to Karosta Prison, because years ago, I had read about how they had turned it into a B&B, where people could book a stay and be treated like a prisoner during the Soviet era. I first read about this in 2009 or so, when my husband was still in the Army and we were living in Germany for the first time (as a couple-- he lived in Germany before he knew me, too). We had to move back to the USA before we could visit the area; then we never got around to arranging a visit when we moved back to Germany in 2014. What can I say? Too many much more comfortable places to see, I guess... Then came COVID. To be honest, I doubt I'd want to book a night there now, as I'm not so young anymore, and I've had my fill of cheap thrills on vacation. 😉 But I did still want to check out the prison, so it was a treat to go there today and take a quick tour. The Karosta Prison tour can include a "reality" segment that lasts three hours, complete with a local who acts like the warden. We did see a group getting lectured as we were passing through. Our tour guide did the talking when we visited, and I'm not sure we saw the whole thing. Nevertheless, I have now seen enough. We visited the Orthodox church in Karosta, which is very beautiful, and was for years used as an entertainment center/movie theater for Soviet soldiers and sailors, rather than for its intended purpose of worshiping God. We also visited the beach in Karosta, as well as the one in Liepaja, the new Amber Center in Liepaja which is a performing arts venue, and a park with beautiful trees and many monuments to local musicians. Liepaja is apparently where the most musicians come from. I am a musician myself, so this was interesting to me. I told my husband I could foresee coming back to Liepaja, booking a hotel room, and just enjoying the laid back beach and beautiful tree filled park. We also visited a beautiful Lutheran church where two ladies were singing acapella. I'm not sure if they were rehearsing or it was their regular duty, but they sounded so beautiful and it was a very peaceful experience going into the church. Liepaja really is a very nice town. Although the tour started off with sunny skies, the heavens opened up as we were finishing the tour. Consequently, no one was really up for the very short "free time" we were allotted. We went back to the ship and the driver pulled up very close to the gangway, sparing most of us from getting completely soaked! After lunch in The Veranda, we ordered a bottle of red wine from room service. Then, I promptly fell asleep and took a 45 minute nap. When I woke up, the sun was shining. We finished the wine on the balcony and now we're waiting for our 8:30 reservations at the Pacific Rim. Tomorrow is our last full day on Splendor. When we disembark on Friday morning, we will go to a hotel in Copenhagen and spend a couple of nights, then return home to Germany on Sunday. I actually kind of look forward to it, because I look forward to writing a very detailed travel blog about our whole trip (which started in Norway on June 16th). Below are some photos from today's outing!

Last night, we tried Chartreuse. My husband was especially looking forward to it, since he loves cheese. We live in Germany and have the ability to go to France pretty often, so we've dined at many French restaurants. Chartreuse is more of an American style French restaurant, if that makes sense. But we still very much enjoyed the menu. I especially liked the French wines that were offered, a Muscadet and a Bordeaux, both of which were of excellent quality. We started with hors 'd oeuvres-- smoked salmon with blinis for me, and steak tartare for him. They were a lot bigger than I was expecting, which turned out to be a good thing. My salmon was very fresh and delicious. I didn't try his steak tartare, but he said it was excellent. Next, we had soup... lobster bisque for me, and mushroom veloute with truffle and garlic confit for him. I do not eat mushrooms at all, so that was a pass for me. He liked the soup very much, calling it rich and "very nice". I also had lobster bisque in the Compass Rose restaurant earlier in the week, with a much simpler presentation and less lobster and potato. For dinner I had lobster tail with asparagus and scallop mousse. My husband had halibut with braised fennel, lemon artichoke tapenade, and green olives. I couldn't finish the lobster, because I was looking forward to dessert. Halibut was a treat for my husband, because we don't often get it where we live now. Both dishes were well presented. We also ordered sides-- mashed potatoes and haricot verts (green beans) for me, and pommes gaufrettes (basically waffle fries) for him. Finally, at the end of the meal, I enjoyed a lemon Bavarian cream with fruit. My husband oohed and ahhed over a selection of French cheeses. He made some faces that I usually see in the bedroom, if you catch my drift. 😉 Today, we are visiting Liepaja, and our excursion will include a stop at Karosta Prison, a place I've been curious about for years. I'm looking forward to it. Below are some photos from Chartreuse...

The tour itself was great. Our tour guide, Raul, was very knowledgeable and hilarious. He was by far the most entertaining of all of our guides! So far, anyway… The beer tasting wasn’t a true tasting, in terms of talk about the beers. We went to a restaurant, where there were two small glasses of beer, not quite full. One was a cherry kriek like beer. The other was a light lager. We ate sausages and dark bread, then they brought around a round of dark beer in a goblet. I liked all of the beers, but not everyone did. I think a lot of Americans thought the cherry beer was weird. I loved it. The sausages were very fresh and pretty good. But no one talked about the beers, really. We just drank them, and ate cake with berries afterwards. Tallinn is wonderful. We need to stay there and explore more!

We did speak to the head housekeeper about it. He was very apologetic and seemed surprised. It wasn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things, as no harm was done. But we have absolutely no idea how long the door was open. The suite next to us is a master suite. I imagine if it had been their door left open, heads could roll. It just seems like a quick walk past the suites after turndown might be a good idea. I am so glad you’re enjoying my posts! I will be writing a very detailed blog series about our whole trip when we get home Sunday! I hope some of you might check it out. I have a lot to say. 😉

We are now back from our tour, Medieval Visby. I knew nothing at all about Visby before this trip. It's an island off of Sweden and it has a fascinating history, as well as a well preserved wall that surrounds the old town. Our guide was very informative; I heard her say that she taught at a university, but she is also a native of Gotland. The old town in Visby is charming, and our guide told us some interesting stories about the houses constructed there. They are all historic; so they're all very small and the local preservation society/museum dictates what homeowners can do to their houses. I thought the neighborhoods were beautiful, but I think it might get old having large tour groups walking around, looking in the windows! My favorite part of the tour was probably the botanical garden, as the trees and flowers were all so fragrant and well tended. Our guide said they don't get much snow in Visby; when it does come, it's usually after December for a few days. I'm sure climate change has made snow even less common. She also mentioned that Visby gets the most sun in all of Sweden during the summer months. We just had lunch and will be trying Chartreuse tonight at 6:30. I think we'll just relax a bit until then. We've had to change our clocks three times on this trip, and will change them again tonight, because we're going back into Latvia tomorrow. Here are a few photos from today... As you can see, we shared Visby with Oceana Marina and an MSC ship that was tendering in people.

Last night's tasty roasted quail with mashed peas in the Compass Rose... Carvings in Latvia's "largest cave" in Sigulda. We did dip our fingers in the water in the hopes of scoring eternal youth/good health. 😉 A beautiful old church at the castle ruins site. Riga's town hall square.