TahoeTraveler
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Posts posted by TahoeTraveler
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21 hours ago, rallydave said:
Unfortunately most if not all cruise lines including Regent write their terms and conditions as unilateral not requiring your agreement and without any time limit on changes. You are stuck with whatever changes they choose with no prior notice and no ability to disagree. You agree to all of this by booking your cruise and giving them money. This is unfortunately from a cruisers point of view but, the facts.
If they don't require my agreement, why are they asking that we check the boxes saying we approve of the new terms regarding Covid protocols? I absolutely have the ability to disagree and refuse to check those boxes. The question then is, how will Regent handle it? Will they claim I cancelled because I refused to agree to their new terms, and therefore charge the penalty? That seems to be the route they are taking, or at least trying to, despite the fact that they changed the contract, not me (I have never heard of a business that can enter into a contract with a customer and then change it and penalize the customer). I have a feeling that before this is all over, they're going to have a whole bunch of customers who don't feel that constant testing and wearing masks anytime you are outside of your cabin are the definition of "luxury" (regardless of how necessary those actions may be), and who will refuse to agree to the new terms. We are waiting until final payment day to see how the T&Cs change yet again (as they are quite likely to do)...but I have my doubts that we will be taking that cruise. Or any other, for that matter. Far too much money to invest in something that really isn't "luxury."
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2 hours ago, Aubie59 said:
It is glaringly obvious Regent has lawyered up and those of us with future cruise credits are at high risk of losing our money. We have been cancelled twice and because we were paid in full we could not get a cash refund. Now we are 2 years older and my husband will be 85 when we are scheduled to cruise early 2022. Plus no one knows about booster shot requirements now that most of us have reached our 6 months since fully vaccinated. What a mess and I have a feeling Regent will wind up with all our money and we will have no cruise.
I fear you may be right. I had my TA contact Regent regarding the new T&C's and the fact that they changed them well after we had booked our cruise for next year. Regent informed her that we could cancel if we don't like them, but they'll still charge us the penalty...despite the fact that THEY were the ones who changed the contract terms. I'm not at all happy with how Regent has handled this (especially sneaking the new T&C's in without any prior notice). I hope you get to take your cruise or get your money back...it's all just such a mess.
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16 hours ago, MMDown Under said:
It is five years since I cruised to Antarctica etc., yet every time I see that you have posted Tahoe Traveler, I am excited to read your latest post. As well as sharing your experiences, you have brought a lot of pleasure to a lot of people. Thank you!
That has to be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me! THANK YOU!!
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Sorry, no clue why my last post was duplicated!!
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21 hours ago, dreamercruise said:
We did not get to keep the orange rain jacket. It was loaned to us, because our parkas were stuck at Customs. Scenic diligently tried and later succeeded in obtaining replacement parka for us to wear and keep. I do not care much about the replacement parka, because I prefer the original one that probably has the Scenic Eclipse logo (and may be of higher quality material). I prefer the rain jacket, because I do not need another winter jacket, and the rain jacket s suitable for the expedition weather. The cut of the rain jacket is not tailored fit, so there is room for me to tug my binoculars and iPhone inside the zippered jacket, thereby shielding them from water droplets while doing zodiac cruising.
Oh no, it sounds as if Scenic is still having reprovisioning issues. We had hoped that with the problems we had getting items delivered to the ship, the logistics would have been worked out on the following cruises. Sounds like there are still problems. Most likely not Scenic's fault...as I mentioned in my posts, the Chilean government apparently created massive issues for Scenic getting provisions and support, and it sounds as if it's not much better with Argentina. I will say that Scenic did a great job of trying to "make up" for any lack of supplies they were expecting on our cruise...and apparently they did the same with you on yours. And yes, our parkas have been stored in our closet ever since we got home, and we live in Northern Nevada where it gets extremely cold in the winter (it was 4 degrees Farenheit when we woke up yesterday!!!)...I just don't see us using them again.
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21 hours ago, dreamercruise said:
We did not get to keep the orange rain jacket. It was loaned to us, because our parkas were stuck at Customs. Scenic diligently tried and later succeeded in obtaining replacement parka for us to wear and keep. I do not care much about the replacement parka, because I prefer the original one that probably has the Scenic Eclipse logo (and may be of higher quality material). I prefer the rain jacket, because I do not need another winter jacket, and the rain jacket s suitable for the expedition weather. The cut of the rain jacket is not tailored fit, so there is room for me to tug my binoculars and iPhone inside the zippered jacket, thereby shielding them from water droplets while doing zodiac cruising.
Oh no, it sounds as if Scenic is still having reprovisioning issues. We had hoped that with the problems we had getting items delivered to the ship, the logistics would have been worked out on the following cruises. Sounds like there are still problems. Most likely not Scenic's fault...as I mentioned in my posts, the Chilean government apparently created massive issues for Scenic getting provisions and support, and it sounds as if it's not much better with Argentina. I will say that Scenic did a great job of trying to "make up" for any lack of supplies they were expecting on our cruise...and apparently they did the same with you on yours. And yes, our parkas have been stored in our closet ever since we got home, and we live in Northern Nevada where it gets extremely cold in the winter (it was 4 degrees Farenheit when we woke up yesterday!!!)...I just don't see us using them again.
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49 minutes ago, dreamercruise said:
RockyandMoose, May I offer some answers to your questions? I was on the Dec 29, 2019 - Jan 16, 2020 Antarctica cruise (included Falkland Islands and South Georgia). The boots provided by Scenic are waterproof Muck boots (long boots which end below knees). I wore two pairs of merino wool socks (one long pair and one short, below ankle pair) underneath. The layering kept my feet comfortably warm for a 2-hr excursion on land or in zodiac cruising. Some people found it helpful to wear 2 pairs of socks, so their small feet could fit comfortably inside boots.
In terms of trekking poles, Scenic provided plenty onshore. I brought my own, but used it only once in the beginning, but found it cumbersome boarding and disembarking the zodiac. Scenic’s trekking poles are good quality kind. There is no need to bring your own. Save your luggage room.
Agree entirely with TahoeTraveler about the parka. I never wore the provided parka, because I did not need warm jackets. Instead, I wore the orange rain jacket provided by Scenic. The multi, thin merino layering was sufficient to keep me warm. The rain jacket or parka was good for waterproofing and wind proofing purposes. What I found necessary to bring are waterproof or water-repellent pants, head/neck coverings, and waterproof gloves. I wore thin waterproof pants in Falkland Islands and the northern-most parts of South Georgia, and insulated Gortex pants in Antarctica, both with merino baselayer pants underneath.
Scenic did a good job guiding us to/from airport (from hotel and ship). Any long wait problems had to do with Argentina airport system. For example, it took us three hours to go through immigration when landing Buenos Aires from US. Expect 45-min to an hour’s wait for luggage in Ushuaia, if you are lucky to find your luggage arrived on the same flight.
Do not worry about any minor problems. Just relax and enjoy. My expedition cruise was on the top of my list of wonderful and memorable trips, thanks to Scenic. Attention to details is evidenced in Scenic’s excursions, which focus on safety and enjoyment (with pampering and enrichment). Kayaking in Antarctica waters filled with frozen ice pieces surrounded by serene, snow/iced covered shores/hills was an amazing experience. Helicopter ride provided a different perspective of viewing ice landscape and whales from above. Lastly, the many visits to colonies of penguins (various species) were amazing. I kept using the word “amazing”, just like my fellow Scenic guests.
Lastly, I want to thank TahoeTraveler for her fantastic, detailed review. I kept referencing her thread to prepare for my trip.
Thank you for the kind words. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing our experiences with everyone. And yes, "amazing" is a word we used a lot as well. But I have to ask...what orange rain jacket????? Sounds like after our cruise, Scenic figured out that the heavy parka was too much for many days, and added a rain jacket. Sure wish they'd had that on our cruise!!! Did they let you keep it, or was it just "borrowed," like the boots?
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5 minutes ago, Amber66 said:
Hi - about to leave tomorrow! Just wondering about the quality of wifi - any problems uploading photos, for eg? Thanks
WiFi was great...best we've had on any ship. No problems at all uploading photos.
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9 hours ago, RockyandMoose said:
In catching up on some of the postings on scenic eclipse cruisers on Facebook and here on Cruise Critic we are getting inconsistent messages about what is and is not provided for the Antarctic cruisers. Are trekking poles provided For use during the cruise? Or do you need to bring your own? Also are the boots which are provided for use during the cruise insulated or lined or are they just rubber boots? Any clarification would very much be appreciated.
You have to remember that we were on the very first cruise to Antarctica, so things may have changed somewhat since we were on the ship. The polar boots were insulated...I wore ski socks and my feet and legs were never, ever cold. As for the trekking poles, I would highly recommend that you bring your own. The ship did have some for people to borrow at each landing, but unfortunately, some people apparently felt that meant they were free and clear to just take them with them back on the ship and hold onto them, so others could not use them. There were certainly not enough for 100 people at one time. Plus, they were getting pretty beat up, and it was just the first cruise. Depending on the condition they are in now, they may or may not be worth using. It is in no way the ship's crew's fault...there are just some very inconsiderate people in the world, sadly. Had I thought about it, I would have brought ours with us.
I hope this helps! And again, the trekking pole situation may have changed since we was on board. The boots will most likely be the same ones used over and over again for many seasons...but they were quite sufficient. Czardas is boarding the ship today, and hopefully will start a new thread to keep us advised...it might be a good idea to ask her any questions as she'll have the most updated info.
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We were on the Eclipse in Nov/Dec, for her first trip to Antarctica. There were a lot of logistical problems with getting the ship restocked, so our experience probably wasn't the norm. However, here's what we found:
1 - The ship ran out of French champagne immediately (as in, right after we left Lima), so I cannot say what the normal champagne it.
2 - The shampoo, condition and lotion are all in large, refillable bottles, and to be honest, if the name was written on the bottle, I didn't notice it. It was all quite nice and "luxurious." Hopefully Czardas can let you know when she boards.
3 - Yes, you can dine outside on Deck 5 behind Azure, but the experience is marred by the two plunge pools behind the spa on Deck 6 splashing down all over the Azure deck whenever the ship is moving. It is a serious design flaw of the ship. Azure is the more casual restaurant, with light fare like soup, salad and small sandwiches for lunch (or you can order pizza!), and tapas at night.
4 - You can order room service 24 hours a day; the menu is somewhat limited, but if you order during normal dining hours, you can have whatever is on the menu at the main restaurant, Elements (that's not advertised anywhere, but they will do it).
5 - The gym is very good, especially for a ship of this size. There is one recumbent bike, an elliptical machine, two or three treadmills (sorry, I can't remember how many!), and I believe a standard bike. They also have free weights. In the yoga room across the hall, they have classes as well as a small room off the back where you can do your own yoga, aerobics (I have my aerobics DVDs loaded on my iPad to use that way), meditation, etc. One negative is that when they are doing weight training classes, the guests will use the free weights from the gym, so if you happen to in there during that time and want to use the weights, you're out of luck until the class is over. That small room off the yoga room could easily accommodate another set of free weights, and they would be wise to do that.
The ship is quite beautiful and very, very well equipped for one of that size. It's truly amazing how much they fit into her!!
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6 hours ago, k_sheep said:
Thank you for the reply! As long as it's waterproof then it'll be fine, got plenty of layers on underneath. If not, then time to go shopping 😄
I will say that even though the boutique onboard the ship is rather small, it was very well stocked with items people might need on a polar cruise...wool caps, sweaters, gloves, etc. So if you did forget something, or realize, as I did, that the headgear you brought just wouldn't cut it on those zodiac rides, you can most likely depend on the boutique for having something that will work for you. Not cheap...but not outrageous either.
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6 minutes ago, czardas said:
We have booked the owners penthouse and I rang Scenic to see if we could upgrade to business class and was told charter flights are only one class, so I’m not going to be happy if this information isn’t correct.
Looks like I’ll be be back on hold with “annoying voice” again, straight after the holidays.
You crack me up every time you talk about "Annoying Voice" you know!!! I cannot imagine that you are in the Owners Penthouse and they won't put you in business class (I think Argentenia Aerolineas calls it "Premium Economy" but it was what we Americans would call Business Class). I wish I had taken a picture of that cabin, so I could have posted it and you could have used it for your argument that you should be given that class of seats. Feel free to quote me and this blog if you want to when you call them though...I know Scenic most definitely was reading it while we were sailing, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to them that TahoeTraveler is stirring up the pot again!!!!!
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5 minutes ago, Vpilon said:
Hopefully somebody reads this and takes notes. - scenic is truly amazing but if your last impression is not good - then it goes down from there- if I was in the bis - I would make sure people would go out with a bang! I’m very much looking forward to my second cruise with them next year. Thank you again for your time. Hopefully somebody will take over !!
It was a sad ending, but honestly, it didn't really diminish the absolute wonder of the cruise for us. But we try to find the positive in everything, and again, I'm sure a lot of it was due to it being the second time they'd done this (the first was when we lost some passengers from the first leg of the cruise at our first time in Ushuaia, and I have no idea how their flight was to BA). Time will tell if Scenic can make the ending a bit better for the passengers. And yes, I do hope others will pass along their impressions and experiences on the Eclipse!!!
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34 minutes ago, Vpilon said:
How was that flight from Ushuaia to BuenosAires
About as one would expect. I've already posted how utterly disorganized the whole "get your baggage and check in" process at the airport was, but again, I would imagine it will improve over time as Scenic becomes more familiar with the procedures there in Ushuaia.
The flight itself was about 3 hours long, and we had no say in the seats we got. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to how the seats were assigned...people on Deck 7 were in the last row in front of the bathrooms (and they could apparently hear everything through the walls!!) and a handicapped man was actually assigned the exit row!!! Mike and I switched with him and his wife (we were behind them), so our flight was much more comfortable than others'. But I would have thought that the higher level cabins would have been placed closer to the front of the plane; it just didn't make a lot of sense how the seats were assigned. There was a small business class section (I think it had 8 seats), and it was obvious the really high payers were in those.
We all laughed about "Oh how the mighty have fallen" when the flight attendants came by with the "lunch." It was an absolutely horrible ham and cheese sandwich that was so dry it was inedible. It was just a funny way to end such a luxury cruise.
It took probably 45 minutes to get our bags in BA. I have no idea what the hold up was, but it seemed like it took forever for our bags to arrive in the baggage claim area. The transfer to the hotel was a bit of a mess as well. Everyone was just milling around and there wasn't a lot of direction. We ended up being in the very last group to board a bus, which was fine by us...we didn't have anything planned that afternoon and had no desire to get in the mad rush to get checked in at the hotel. But again, it was kind of a sad way to end everything.
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6 hours ago, k_sheep said:
A question if I may
This cruise will be the first stop on our round-the-world trip. We will be heading to the arctic afterwards and will be skiing in Finland. How warm is the expedition parka? Is it a waterproof outer shell? Down?
Just wondering if we can get away with not packing our ski jackets!
I cannot answer regarding the Arctic or Finland, but I can say that the parka was more than sufficient for the Chilean Fjords and Antarctica, when we layered. The outer shell is quite waterproof...the water would literally shed right off it when shaken. The inner liner on the women's parka is not down (it is a thin fleece of some sort with a smooth outer layer). The one on the men's parka is more like a bubble jacket, but I do not know if it is down or not (I tend to think not). However, again, when layering, both parkas were excellent at keeping us warm, even when we were sailing through rainy, stormy and very windy conditions (as we of course just had to head to the bow of the ship outside the Observation Lounge for pictures!!!). I personally would not waste the space or weight to pack a ski jacket.
Have a great trip!!! Round-the-world? I am quite jealous!!!
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14 hours ago, k_sheep said:
You've convinced me, booked!
Outstanding!! You will be so glad you did!!!
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7 hours ago, czardas said:
Also did you fly home straight after the charter flight, or opted to stay the night?
scenic say not to book an onward flight until after 8pm, which we did at 11:45pm, only to notice yesterday that our trip personaliser shows that our charter flight gets in at 10;10am. What on earth do we do for 12 hours? We won’t be able to check in for our onward flight so early. I’m thinking that we have no choice but to stay at an airport hotel for 10 hours. If I’d know I would of come home the following day.
Good Lord, if you land in BA at 10:10am, that means you have to be flying out of Ushuaia around 7:00am (it's about a 3 hour flight). Meaning, you have to be off the ship by 5:30am!!! Obviously the plan is to dock the night before, as we did. Anyway, to answer your question, they did offer a city tour of Buenos Aires for anyone with a flight after 8:00pm. However, I know of at least two people who booked a room at the airport Holiday Inn because they had such a late flight (I believe it might have been the late one you are booked on) and just wanted to rest up before the ordeal. To be on the safe side though, I'd definitely ask Scenic the question regarding the city tour, as it might not always be offered, especially if there were any hiccups with doing it with our cruise and they decide it's just not worth dealing with.
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15 hours ago, k_sheep said:
Thanks for the reply! Oh I didn't think about the 'other' landings, I was more worried about only leaving the boat 3 times in 6 days! No that sounds way better, you haven't put me off at all!
Now I have to choose cabin! I can get 717 (or several around that), 528 or 533 all at a similar price. I know deck 7 is meant to be a step up in the brackets, but I very much like your reasons for staying on deck 5, and they look like they will be far enough from the theatre not to cause issues.
Personally, I'd go with 528. It's on the port (left) side, and for whatever reason, I always choose port if available. 528 is very close to the elevators and stairs, so it's an easy walk to anything on the ship (and it's as close to Azure and Lumiere as you can get). It is also more mid-ship (less movement) and is not anywhere near the theater (it is over the Reception area) so you won't have any issues with noise from the theater.
There were a lot of folks on our cruise commenting about how great Deck 5 was...and several of them were staying on other decks, including Deck 7. I think as the word starts to get around about how Deck 5 is every bit as good as any other deck, and in some ways preferable (motion and convenience to amenities), it is going to start becoming more difficult to get into. For us "regular" folks, that is. Those who want a spa suite or for whatever reason want the "prestige" of being on a higher deck will obviously never book Deck 5. But on our cruise at least, Deck 5 had a really fun group of people to hang out with!!!
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8 minutes ago, czardas said:
Indeed you did help me, again thank you. One last question, how did you go with luggage limits on the charter flight ?
Well, here’s where it gets interesting. Aerolineas Airlines had told us point blank on the phone that no bags over 50 pounds (23 kilo) would be allowed. So, we carefully weighed our bags and realized that we would have to just carry a third bag and pay the extra baggage fee. Our two big bags were just at 23k, so they were fine. But when we went to pay for the third bag, they waived the charge because Mike is an Elite Plus member with the Sky Team (Delta, Korean Air, Air France, Aerolineas and several others). I honestly don’t know if they would have charged us for that bag if Mike hadn’t had status, because we talked to several other people who had large carryons that the airline allowed them to check in, without paying for (even though they already had two bags). It seems that, because Scenic had literally bought up all the seats on the flight (it wasn’t technically a “chartered” flight, because it is a regularly scheduled flight...but Scenic owned all the seats on it that day), they were very lax on the luggage requirements. However, on future cruises, who knows? I wish I could be of more help, but honestly, it was the biggest goat rope I’ve been through in a very long time. The luggage arrived at the airport well after we did, even though we had to have it outside our suites by 9:30pm the night before, the line to get checked in was horrendous because everyone was there at the same time (I think the original plan was to stagger us all, but because the luggage was delayed, we all ended up trying to check in at the same time) and trying to get the luggage at Buenos Aires and onto the bus to the hotel was simply painful. It was just a terrible way to end such a wonderful cruise (it really did seem as if once we stepped foot off the ship, that was it, and we were on our own, even with the transfers). I think it is a learning curve, and will improve dramatically with future cruises. But as far as luggage allowances? I think you can probably work just about anything out as long as you’re not trying to check in a bag weighing 70 pounds. We just opted to take a third bag, just to be safe (because we knew we could add a third bag for a fee).
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4 hours ago, k_sheep said:
I created an account purely to say thank you for this amazing fly-on-the-wall review!
I'm tossing up going in 2021 - but it's looking like you actually only had really limited time on the continent? Whereas I know many other ships will do their best to get you off the boat twice a day if they can.
You are too kind! Truth be told, I really enjoy doing a travel blog, especially if it can help fellow travelers.
As for continental landings, we had three, which is quite good. However, we also had several landings on Antarctic islands, such as Livingston Island, Astrolabe Island and Paradise Bay. It was, honestly, exhausting, especially after having already been on the ship for 20 days! They do have the days split into two, with a landing or zodiac cruise in the morning, and another in the afternoon. The preference is, of course, for a landing, but sometimes the conditions just don’t allow for it (for example, if the landing area is too covered with sea ice to be safe to approach in a zodiac). Trust me...those guys will get you off the boat twice a day if it is humanly possible!
The only reason I distinguished “continental” landings is because Mike and I were determined to actually step foot on the continent. Most people agree that the Antarctic islands are part of Antarctica, but some purists such as we are feel that unless you step foot onto the mainland, you haven’t stepped foot on the continent. Probably a silly sentiment, but we wanted to do it all on this trip. And we pretty much did!
I’m sorry I made you question your decision to book this cruise. It is WELL worth it, and I can promise you that the Eclipse does it first class all the way and that the Discovery Team will almost perform miracles to get you to places you never dreamed of (a walk on the sea ice anyone????). I can’t imagine having gone to Antarctica on any other ship.
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2 hours ago, Fletcher said:
A nice view of the Eclipse in Ushuaia right now -
https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/argentina/tierra-del-fuego/ushuaia/ushuaia.html
Dammit!! Stop reminding me that I have to get off this beautiful ship early tomorrow!!!!
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I have had some time to reread my posts, and realize that I need to correct or at least update some.
First, that rather disconcerting feeling I had regarding hearing the words, “No” or “Not possible” has vanished as the 29 days on the ship has passed. I really do believe growing pains were involved when we first joined the ship, and the crew wasn’t really clear about what could and could not (or should and should not) be done on the ship. Now, just about any request is honored, from just about any location. I still cannot get that French wine anywhere but Lumiere. But Mike and I just had pizza delivered to the Lounge Bar, where we are sitting, from Azure. So yeah, just about anything IS possible. Quite the advancement/improvement over when we first got on board.
Sadly, the plunge pools behind the spa were refilled once the new Captain joined the ship in Ushuaia and the back deck behind Azure has been unusable since then. Because we were in the cold of Antarctica, it wasn’t that big a deal. But I so wish they’d come up with a solution for that situation. Honestly, there is no point in having that absolutely beautiful deck behind Azure when it just gets flooded with the water from the plunge pools above. And it is beautiful. Especially in good weather.
The Eclipse most definitely CAN handle a full cruise to Antarctica with her holding tanks. The requirement to dump in the Pacific on our first leg was because the ship could not be dumped in Valparaiso or Punta Arenas, due to the unrest in Chile. This ship is beyond amazing. We watched the Captain’s presentation yesterday afternoon regarding the ship’s build and her capabilities and all I can say is “WOW!” The level of detail put into this ship is beyond belief. And the technology???? There literally is NOTHING like her in the world.
One thing that I must correct is my post regarding how the Eclipse handles the limit of passengers in Antarctica. I originally could not fathom how the crew could keep track of how many people they have on shore, and assumed, incorrectly, that they did not strictly enforce the 100 passenger limit. I could not have been more wrong. As we spent more time in Antarctica, we were able to see the incredible communication between the crew on shore and the crew on board to monitor the number of passengers on shore to ensure that the 100 limit was never exceeded. And it never was. In fact, now that we’ve completed our entire cruise, I can say that the crew on this ship has gone above and beyond to make sure that we not only meet, but exceed the IAATO guidelines and rules. It has been simply amazing to see the level of coordination required to “legally” complete an Antarctic journey...and the Eclipse crew and staff has done it beautifully. Those poor people must be exhausted. And now they get to do it all over again...several times before the season is over.
Even though Scenic advertises that the luggage limit in Argentina is strictly 50 pounds, we have talked to passengers who simply demanded that Aerolineas accept their heavier bags, for a fee, when they flew down to Ushuaia from Buenos Aires. We won’t know for sure until we get to the airport tomorrow, as we simply brought a third bag which we know we will have to pay for. But it will be interesting to see how they handle this charter flight of 198 passengers with all their baggage. It will be more interesting to see how they have prioritized the seats when they hand out the boarding passes when we get there. Because it is a charter flight, we have absolutely no say in our seats, nor can we apparently use Mike’s status on the Sky Team to get a reduced price on the extra luggage. Not a biggie, as we had already planned to pay full price for the extra luggage. Just hope they don’t assign us both middle seats!!!
It has been amazing. Can’t say that enough.
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16 hours ago, MMDown Under said:
Sound like you had the best deck on the ship for smoother seas! If you don't normally suffer from sea sickness, you might find your ship is sailing through conflicting currents (feels like a washing machine). When I researched Antarctica, I discovered there are often conflicting currents there (up and down, side to side). I was very surprised when I got seasick crossing the Bay of Biscay, as I knew I didn't get sea sick. The Bay of Biscay had conflicting currents, which I hadn't experienced before. Our roughest seas were from South Georgia to Antarctica, not the Drake.
I agree the Crew Fund is a good idea for sharing your appreciation. Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise.
That sure is what it sounded like. I was fairly ill for a while there; luckily, I had a good night’s sleep and am back to normal today. Well, as normal as one can be packing up and damn near crying while doing it. We disembark tomorrow at 7am. I will admit to being just slightly heartbroken.
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2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:
Thank you for explaining what you meant by the class system. Like many Australians, I dislike any forms of obvious discrimination, which is possibly why I dislike tipping so much. We did a cruise to Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica on Hurtigruten's Fram and there were no signs of discrimination. Passengers, who wanted to do extra paid activities, put their names on a list, after boarding, on the understanding that not everyone would be able to partake in the activity.
BTW Passengers who book the lower cabins centre are the experienced smart travellers (ready for anything the infamous Drake may offer).
Haha, yep, we booked Steerage, also known as Deck 5, for that greater stability. Truthfully, we LOVE Deck 5. We can walk straight back to Azure (our favorite aft location by far) as well as Lumiere. We can walk straight forward to the Observation Lounge (which should really be a bar, but that is a completely different story). We can walk one deck down to Reception and the Lounge and Theater, as well as Elements and Koko’s. And it’s only two decks up to the Yacht Club (which is my personal least favorite dining venue on the ship). It’s just a bonus that Deck 5 also happens to be the cheapest deck to book. If that means we miss out on the Chef’s Table, oh well. I’m pretty sure we’ll get over it!!!
The Drake is still ugly. I don’t normally suffer from sea sickness and today I had to ask one of my Aussie friends for a tablet (not sure what they are, but it is something that works great but is not available in the States for whatever reason). I haven’t had to do that, ever. And supposedly the seas are “moderate” right now. Lord have mercy, I’d hate to see them in the “rough” state!!!!
We don’t like tipping either unless the circumstances genuinely call for it. Which is why we contributed to the Crew Fund. We are apparently going to be docking in Ushuaia tomorrow night, and they have a plan to have a crew party to celebrate the successful completion of the maiden Antarctica voyage on the Eclipse. I’m so proud to know that we had a small part in that, as we have been told our contribution is helping to fund that party. Those crew members so deserve something nice.
I know I’ve said it before, but this cruise has been simply amazing!!!!
New Health Attestation/Ticket Contract
in Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Posted
True...we won't be able to board unless we agree to the changed terms. That's why we're waiting to see what, if anything, changes between now and final payment date. Things are in such a state of flux, especially with what appears to be another rise in Covid cases, that we don't count on anything going as planned these days.