boblerm

12 hours ago, Mudhen said:

It oh …

stuff happens but that’s too

much stuff.

Sorry to hear that.

All's well that ends well!

I would like to do a short review on the Hotel Reykjavík Grand

Here is what I liked:

• It has a pretty lobby.
• The room had a bathtub, not so easy to find in Reykjavik.
• About a 20 minute walk to a hop-on hop-off bus in front of the Hilton Nordika

Here is what I did not like:

• The room felt very warm when we entered it, and I could find no temperature controls.  I called reception to inquire as to how this can be accomplished, and was told that it couldn't, but I could open a window.  I searched for windows that could be opened, and found none.
• The room was very stingy on towels, and zero facecloths.  After checking in, we called reception and asked for more, but we needed to get ready for dinner rather quickly, so they did not arrive in time.
• No bars of soap. There is a liquid soap dispenser between the sink and the bathtub, but a long reach from the bathtub; and a dispenser labeled "skin and hair shampoo", as well as conditioner in the shower.
• The shelf over the sink was incredibly short and narrow, not enough room for one person to put stuff, much less two.
• There was no instructions as to how to use the room safe, and I was unable to discern how to set it.  Not kidding.  I will fully stipulate that I am not the sharpest tack in the box, but I have stayed in many hotel rooms and have managed many room safes.  I tried every combination and permutation of buttons that I could, but kept getting error messages.
• The desk area where a lady would need to apply make-up was very dark.
• The bed was too low to the floor, making it somewhat difficult for persons of a certain age to get in and out.
• The black out drapes were not wide enough to cover the entire window.
• The location is very inconvenient to the great majority of points of interest, and to any of the interesting restaurants that I was able to find.  The cab fare to get to our restaurant was 7000 krona = $53.

Other than that, everything was hunky-dory.

There may be a very good reason to stay at this hotel while visiting Reykjavik, but I do not know what it may be.

On 9/1/2023 at 5:10 AM, Gilly said:

Most importantly, did The Hot Dog live up to expectations?!

Well, it was a split decision.  It has a somewhat smokey flavor, which I love, but isn't exactly to DW's taste.

BTW, our visit to the Perlan was mid afternoon, and it was not crowded at all.  I know that it was very crowded when you visited, which limited your ability to see everything that you wanted to.  The only thing that limited our visit there was time!  There is so much to experience there.  The ice cave was fascinating, and at the end, there is a Glacier exhibition where we could have spent much time exploring.  There is also a Planetarium show on the Northern Lights, which was very nice.

Disembarkation was very well organized and went very smoothly.  Our post cruise arrangements- not so much.

We got on the bus to take us to the Reykjavik Grand, and the local representative that Regent arranged to accompany us told us to put on our seat belts....and nothing else. When we arrived at the hotel, we gathered our luggage and went to the reception desk to check.  We waited on a long line, and eventually the word trickled down that there was no point in waiting there, all that we would be told is that check in would be at 3PM and we should go to the Regent hospitality room to leave our luggage.  It would have been nice if we were told this to start.  We waited on line again, and the rep told us that she did not have our flight info.  I had filled all of this out in out disembarkation questionnaire, but ok, I gave it to her again, and we were told that we would receive our transportation info later.

When we returned from touring, she told us that breakfast began at 6:30, but we had to be in the lobby at 6 for a private transfer.  Was there any opportunity to get a bite before we left?  She said that we should check at reception.  We were told there that Regent did not make any arrangements for any food options for those leaving early.  Could we order from room service at our own expense?  No, that did not begin until 7.

But luckily, there was some cookies in the lobby, so we brought them to our room so that we would have something to tide us over until we would arrive at the lounge.  Hey, we just finished a Regent cruise, how long are we expected to go without nourishment???

So we come down to the lobby at 6 AM, and is there a driver there?  That would be a no.  Well, there was a driver there, but he did not have us on his list.  He made some inquiries, and as best as we could tell, the driver assigned to us took someone else.  Fortunately, he told us that he would take us along with the couple that he was assigned to take.

So we arrived at the Icelandair Saga Lounge at 7:20 (very nice), where there was a nice breakfast spread.  No cronuts, however.

We enjoyed touring around Reykjavik , the highlights were the Opera House, the Perlan, and dining for lunch at THE hotdog stand!

]

7 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

I can’t believe you are just finding out that cronuts are a food group all on their own!  Now that you have had one, your culinary experience is complete!

I think that if I had a whole one at breakfast, I would have to skip lunch. 

AS IF! 😂😂😂

12 hours ago, forgap said:

We saw puffins galore and the iconic elephant island.  

6 hours ago, RachelG said:

First time, we were unable to land but close enough that we could see the puffins on the rocks, etc. 

I am curious to know when you were there. 

When we were in Snæfellsnes, our tour guide told us that we puffins fly the coop (so to speak) by August 15.

We did spot a puffin in the Faroes, but I wasn't fast enough on the draw with my camera to get a good shot of him before he flew away. 😔

For our unexpected sea day, we attended a lecture about the history of arctic exploration. After learning about the fate that befell explorers who ran into bad weather while at sea, like, for example, being stranded in the frozen tundra for a year or more, I have come to the conclusion that missing a port of call while on board a luxury cruise ship isn't all that unbearable after all. 

Final dinner of the cruise in Compass Rose. Sometimes I think that if I closed my eyes and just pointed to items on menu, I would end up with a fine meal. We didn't do that, we started with right side offerings chicken noodle soup for Jeannie, beef ravioli for me. From the always available side, we each had the crab and avocado appetizer, Jeannie had the scallops and I ordered lamb chops with a lobster tail to make a surf and turf. But when my entree came, they brought shrimp instead of lobster. My waiter realized this immediately, and promptly brought the lobster tail, so I ended up having surf and surf and turf.

My lamb was cooked perfectly and melt in your mouth tender, and all 3 fishes were delicious. The lobster was more tender than the ones that we had in Prime 7 and Pacific Rim. 

CR remains my favorite restaurant at sea, be it a main dining room or specialty.

"Crossroads" was a go, and for me is the new standard by which cruise ship production shows should be judged, it was that good. There is a loose theme about a battle between rock and country, the song choices, choreography, and performances were spot on. On stage, there is a combination of physical props and back lit LED scenery which offered spectacular effects. Many costume changes as the performers went back and forth between the two genres. They were backed by the lead and bass guitarists and percussionist from the orchestra who were also in costume, the 2 guitarists taking center stage occasionally. That combined with the always competent lightning made for a most enjoyable show, I didn't want it to end. Bravo Regent entertainment team!

We are waiting for our bus to take us to the Reykjavik Grand Hotel for our post cruise night and our tentative plan is to take a hop on hop off bus to see the sights of Reykjavik. 

1 hour ago, maryogreen said:

@boblerm That rainbow photo is a stunner! I love how you captured it disappearing over the golden hills. Just magical. I know what you mean about it being the most dramatic you've ever seen. A few years ago, I witnessed an extraordinary rainbow on a sea day in New Zealand and serendipitously had my camera with me. I've never experienced anything like it since. Maybe these are the rainbows with pots of gold at the end.😊 Wishing you continued happy travels and a safe journey home.

Mary

The Modern Postcard

So great to find oneself in the right place at the right time! 

Shortly after I posted, the captain announced that it was unsafe to tender in to Heimaey. 

C'est la vie de croisière. 

17 hours ago, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

WOW for the beautiful rainbow pictures!

This may be the most dramatic rainbow that I can recall seeing. 

21 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

Any hint of COVID for the production team that was sick? It must have spread somewhat for multiple people to be sick.

FWIW, the "c" word has not been used. 

When the cruise began, 1 male and 1 female lead were out, and 2 secondary singers from the dancing team filled in. 

We did not know this until the end of Broadway in Concert, when Margaret explained it (we would not have known as all of the singers were phenomenal). 

The lead female returned for Diamond Run.

As of last night, the male lead had still "not been cleared" to sing. The show had to be canceled, since in that particular show, no one else was trained to fill in. 

Margaret emphasized that it was the flu, and nothing more serious. 

I suppose that we can take that with as many grains of salt as we wish. 

 It  seems that I owe you an apology, as I greeted you yesterday in Danish, but it turns out that the Faroese have their own language that is completely distinct from Danish. Accordingly, I wish you a

 

Yesterdays excursion was panoramic in nature, so needing a little exercise we strolled around the downtown area for a while. 

 

After drinks in the Observation Lounge we dined at Chartreuse. For us, this venue has been the most hit or miss of all the Regent restaurants. Last night was a hit +. We have learned over time that there are certain items that we know that we enjoy, and others that we do not, so we went with tried and true choices - for Jeannie it was mushroom soup, beet salad and dover sole ; I had the lobster bisque, steak tartar and the beef tenderloin rossini. Every course was wonderful. IMO, the beef tenderloin rossini here is the best beef 

dish on board. We finished by "sharing" the crème broulèe. And upon leaving Chartreuse, you are presented with a gift of  French  macarons to take with you, in case you are struck with severe hunger pangs later in the evening. 

 

Those that cruise on Regent frequently know that you are likely to see the same production shows over again. This does not bother me very much since I really enjoy most of the shows, each new cast puts somewhat of a different wrinkle on it, and let's face it, at my age I'm not going to remember a whole lot of them anyway. But last night there was scheduled what  for me is a rare occurance, namely a new (to me) show. It is called "Crossroads", a battle between county and rock 'n roll aficionados. I was quite stoked in anticipation, but at 6:30,Margaret came on the PA to inform us that due to illness in the production cast, the show had to be scrapped for the evening. She said that in it's stead, there would be (I hope that big vin isn't reading this), an Abba dance party in the Atrium. The cast did a great job, and the dance floor was full, everyone seemed to be having a great time. 

Margaret is hopeful that they will be able to reschedule the show for our last night of the cruise. And so am I 🤞

 

Today's excursion was "The Island of Vagar" (pronounced "voo ga").

We had another scenic drive through several tunnels to the island. We had a stop in a quaint town where we enjoyed coffee and cake in an historic little house. Then on to a waterfall at a seaside cliff, next a beautiful red roof church.

 

We are very happy to have had the opportunity to spend time in the Faroes, and would recommended it highly.

I ❤️ the Faroes! 

 

There was a Tex-Mex lunch at the pool grill 😋

 

Sail away was lovely. 

 

Weather today was 12C/54F,it was raining pretty good as we left for our excursion, cleared up mid morning, the afternoon is gorgeous! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

. 

1 hour ago, kjbacon said:

I hear you, it’s no easy life on a regent ship!! If there’s still time left on your cruise, it is worth a mention that you are wanting those items. In some cases they will pick up for you in the next port. If Georgiana is on board, she almost always can find something! 

Honesty, for me, it would be nice, but I only generally drink rosè with lunch, and I can suffer 😂 through it I have a nice Chardonnay  

Now the pretzels, though........ 😉

14 hours ago, Fairgarth said:

- is this a purely temporary, highly unusual situation for Regent?

In my experience, yes, absolutely. In fact, for us this is a first. 

14 hours ago, Fairgarth said:

Or if not, should we contact them and request that rose be boarded for our cruise?  Can that be done?

That can often be done, but in this case, I don't think that it would help. There is a guy (who shall remain unnamed) that has been crying about it all week 😭🫢

FWIW, I have been told that they hope to have it avaliable for the next segment. Fingers crossed for the ladies. 

24 minutes ago, Ethereal Cruiser said:

 

Somewhere in a long-term memory bank, maybe from fifteen years ago, I filed a complaint that they had stopped serving hors d'oeuvres in the lounges, and the only thing available was peanuts or pretzels.

 

I'm sad that your cruise is almost over. (No, server, please don't take the thread away; I'm still enjoying it!)

 

Some thoughts for your post-cruise night in Reykjavik: The Imagine (John Lennon) Peace Tower, The Pearl Museum, and there are probably a dozen other interesting museums, and chess-related destinations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot and cold hors d'oeuvre are plentiful, as are nuts and chips. But me needs me pretzels! 

Thank you for your recommendations for Reykjavik! 

Thank you @WNcruiser for your most enjoyable report.

Happy future cruising!

Many thanks to

@flossie009,  @crusin7, @Jlhalldc for your excellent reporting. 

Wishing you all many more years of traveling ahead.

God eftermiddag!

I know what you're thinking - why am I greeting you today in Danish rather than Icelandic?

I'm glad you asked. Today we are in Runavik, Faroe Islands, which is a self governing entity within the kingdom of Denmark.

The champagne pairing luncheon yesterday was truly a singular experience. Far be it for me to advise anyone as to how to spend their hard earned dough, but if this is offered on your cruise and there is OBC burning a hole in your pocket, this is not a bad way to go. Be advised that if you are of those that feel the need to visit the fitness room daily, you might want to accomplish that in the AM.

We were quite full from lunch, so we decided to skip dinner. 

AS IF!!! 

At Compass Rose, we both started with chicken consumme. CR may be the only venue on land or sea that I would order anything called consumme ", but here it was excellent. Jeannie had the Caesars Salad, and I the Greek salad. Last night was SS Society night, so Miso Glazed Sea Bass was on the menu. Jeannie had it, but since there was sea bass on the luncheon menu, I committed what many might consider to be a Regent sin, and passed in favor of the pasta of the evening, Linguini with shrimp and a light Alfredo sauce. .

I cannot remember the last time that I had a substandard meal in Compass Rose.

The show last night was an encore performance, (for us, yet again) , of Andrew Bateup. Notwithstanding @snorkle lover 's characterizeation of his stage presence, the lad can sing! He did songs from The Great American Song Book. I don't know that it was something that would be to @Bearsparents' taste, but we enjoyed him (yet again), and the audience seemed to as well.

Today's tour was Sweeping Panoramas.

We drove along the countryside along the fjord, seeing several pretty villages, and tons of sheep. There were 3 photo stops. It was a low key but quite pleasant tour. 

The weather report for @mnocket - the temperatue is 13C/56F, a little bit cloudy but quite pleasant and good visibility. No rain at least as of early afternoon. 

1 hour ago, Mudhen said:

As a so called “ old bi**ch, (giggle!), I totally agree with your music critique. 
I’d LOVE to hear more updated music any where on the ships!

Most especially on the pool decks!

Maybe a little Bob Marley? Coldplay? Adele?Dare I say Taylor?(omg! did I actually say that?  Giggle!)

You catch my drift?

If the future if Regent  is looking to the future, they could think about that…

They don’t need to throw the Rat Pack or Elvis overboard, but maybe something a little more contemporary?

Hey! I’m not dead yet!  Haha!!!!

 

In my experience, the only Regent performers that do more contemporary /upbeat music is Boogie and Kasia. If only they could be in 5 places (soon 6)at once, all would be great. 

Góðan daginn!

We had to set our clocks an hour ahead last night 😒.

But no matter, today is a sea day🙂.

The original itinerary had a port stop, but a few months ago we received a message that it was replaced with "a relaxing day at sea". My first reaction was that it was a bit of a bummer, I don't like missing out. Upon further review, I am very happy to have this respite, my plan is to do as little as possible today, perhaps the other day's rejuvenating waters will start kicking in.

Last night we had the elite level (gold and above) Seven Seas Society event. Andrew Bateup, the singer that had a show in the Galaxy a few nights ago performed, and it was an enjoyable event.

We enjoyed our dinner in Compass Rose. Jeannie had Mulligatawny Soup and Tuna Loin (right side of the menu) and Veal Medallions (left side), I had the lobster bisque, escargot and rib eye steak, (all left side).

The show last night was Diamond Run. I saw this show once before on my previous Splendor cruise and thought that it was one of my two least favorite Regent production shows that I have seen. There appears to be some sort of story line, but I was unable to tell what it was, and many of the musical numbers were unfamiliar to me. This time, I was bound and determined to concentrate as hard as I could to see if I would be able to figure out what in Sam Hill is going on.

So was I able to discern a coherent story line?

By no means. I know that there is a theft of a diamond and an agent is assigned to retrieve it. He goes to various world locations, the diamond inexplicably changes hands back and forth from time to time, and then....... and then........

Well I won't spoil the edge - of-your-seat - suspense for those who have not seen it yet. But I will say that there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to how this ending comes about.

The other problem is that with a few exceptions, I did not love the song selections, and the songs had nothing whatsoever to do with the alleged plot.

But I did enjoy the show more than I did the first time because I think that the production cast is far superior this time around. And the costumes, backdrops, lighting are superb. But if it was up to me, I would scrap the meager attempt at a plot, and just stick to the tried and true great music that most of us know and love.

My humble opinion only.

Today they are offering a champaign pairing lunch. It is a bit pricey ($235 PP), but we have shipboard credit to burn, so why not? 

14 hours ago, RachelG said:

Loving your comments and photos.  We have never tried that ice cream sampler in Pacific Rim.  I usually eat too much in that venue and give dessert a no.  But you have inspired me to try it next month.

We more often than not skip desserts, but some are just too good to pass up. When we do have dessert, we share one. But in the interest of full disclosure, sharing dessert for us means that I eat it and DW helps me out a bit😉. 

15 hours ago, mnocket said:

When I check the weather forecast for our travel to Iceland next week, I get very different predictions from weather.com and The Weather Channel.  One says upper 50's for the next week and the other says upper 40's.  Can we get a weather report from our "on site weather team"?  Thanks.

So far, our first 3 days have been mild, low to mid 60s F. The first 2 days have been sunny and clear. Yesterday it rained in the morning and was cloudy in the afternoon. Today we are at sea, don't know the temperature, but it feels chilly and is raining. 

Hæ!