Mudhen

Back in the dim dawn of time on Royal Viking ships, there was a tiny arrowlike figure that was incorporated into the carpet design that pointed towards the bow. There were also carpets in the elevators that were changed daily and announced the day of the week......loved that!

Now that at least some of you have made it to the ship(no small feat) could you give us a report of how your cruise is going?

And 3 of us! can’t imagine not dressing!

I've been following along since the QM2 and have enjoyed all of your posts (as usual!) We have missed you in the past and hope to be hearing more of your travels in the future! Thank you for taking the time to post! Best, L&J

Not just hideous,but dangerous. Only a matter of time before someone crashes and burns trying to get in the water.

Champagne snorkel was quite difficult to get in the water as entry way into the water was extremely rocky with stones the size of grapefruits and larger. Very unstable. I made it in but John aborted. Some bubbles (hence champagne) but nothing to write home about. All in all, not worth the risk, imho.

Although this isn't written in blood, so to speak, I'd think that checking in at the Regent desk and telling them your intentions, that would be enough. I'd think if your luggage is tagged with your cabin, deck, etc. it'll be picked up as per usual the morning of embarkation and will go directly to the ship/cabin. I don't think the Regent folks would mind if you took your own transport to the ship.....less on the bus!!

I think that the "included" hotel is pretty much a crap shoot. We've stayed in 'em all, from the sublime to the ridiculous. It's doesn't really matter where you're embarking from, Miami, Sweden, Italy, etc. Back in "the day", we stayed in a terrible hotel in Stockholm next to the railway station. Small, odd shaped room with only duvets on the bed. (yes, I know they do that a lot in Scandanavia ) Room was so dark that even with the drapes wide open we didn't know whether it was 7am or 7pm...haha! The morning's entertainment was watching management chase the homeless out of the breakfast buffet....you can't make this stuff up! On another upscale cruise line, we stayed at in Iceland, the room was so small, I've seen bigger bathrooms, so it's not always Regent! Most recently we stayed in the Biltmore in Miami. Yes, a world class hotel, but our bathtub had been refinished and the glazing was in pieces near the drain....ummm.....well, not so good. Breakfast was terrible... On the wonderful list was the Fairmont Monte Carlo....died and gone to heaven and included and our next one is the Mandarin Oriental in Miami. I want to be buried in one of their bathrobes. Again, included.. So I guess what i'm trying to say is if you really want to be sure where you're staying, book your own. Even then it may not guarantee what you're getting....

Thank you, but doesn’t really make much sense to me. However, we’ll go with the flow and/or do our own thing for NYE.

Sounds like a good solution!

We are on the QM2's "Christmas/New Years cruise ('23) I find it odd that a "gala night" is planned for the evening of Jan 1st. I would've thought that it would be Dec. 31st, New Year's Eve. We'll of course, follow what ever they'd like, but I find this a little suprising.

I haven't really commented much on this thread as I was too busy reading and reveling in the wonderful photos! Thank you to Rachel and Forgap and anyone else who contributed as I've enjoyed every post! As said above, safe home everyone!

It truly depends on where you get your shot. We went through this can of worms about 7-8 years ago for an Amazon cruise. It was difficult to find and cost us 300$ each. The kicker was none of the subsequent countries we needed it for even looked at the certificate; some had no idea of even what it was or why we needed it.

Aw,,,,We can TOTALLY sympathize with you. We had our "dream" cruise planned for last November and lo and behold, the grandbaby that was never supposed to be, made his presence known. He is/was our very first after a long fought struggle...first birthday is coming this November! Needless to say, cruise went out the window! Stay tuned and we'll be most pleased to report our adventures on the Grandeur!

We recently had an email from Regent expounding on the new entertainment offerings that will be coming with the Grandeur. If they can deliver half of what they highlight, it'll be a breath of fresh air. We're fortunate enough to have a Grandeur cruise coming in Feb. Excited to hear about something new and different. We'll see if it pays off !

Absolutely! Most Americans can't swallow a grilled cheese without that tomato soup!!! I actually like to dip mine, but that's me....giggle!

Oh, but you are all missing the most important part with those grilled cheeses.... A bowl of really good tomato soup!! When I was still teaching, that was one of the only lunches that I could count on from the cafeteria!

OOO! What is that last one? Looks wonderful! I enjoy champagne based drinks as well! mmmm!

Backing up a tad.... John and I were fortunate enough (just dumb luck) to experience a mass and the flying botafumerio (sp?) at the cathedral. It was truely an out of body experience. Some of the charm was that, although we were not seated together (lucky to just get in), was that we sat together with "pilgrims' of all social status, folks in heel and suits and assorted clergy. Truly a cross section of humanity. Made the experience all the sweeter! Ranks right up there with fav excursions... Truffle hunting with dogs in Tuscany and flying our own falcons in Scotland... We're blessed!

Thousand Journeys in the Chart Room Dover sole served table side Cheese cart (in Princess Grill) if they're still doing that! Fish and chips in the pub as well as tika masala (sp?) Any beer in there as well. Drafts are great as are the selection of British brews!

We're onboard now, having boarded in Copenhagen and are leaving tomorrow. I have a garden variety cold....Other than the last couple of days our weather had been abysmal. Rain, cold, SERIOUS wind and some sort of odd stuff that fell out of the sky in Glasgow...mist? fog? dew? .Actually my husband spotted a few stray flakes early one morning. I KNOW I, along with probably a lot of other people who got a cold, probably got one there. Wind was blowing the dog off the chain! Anyway, I'm not blaming Regent, the nice waiter, passengers, anyone for how I got the damn thing! Yes, there may be a couple of covid casualties, out there and the usual number with the GI thing or a respitory bug, but my guess is the common cold. Of course NOBODY gets just that anymore. I guess it has to be something more exotic.....just me sayin'...(giggle!)

Aw phooey! We've very glad for her, but we hoping she might be onboard the Grandeur..... We wish her well in her new position.

But what a way to go! (giggle!)

Same here.....nothing on our account, but TA confirmed our air is in order. See you onboard, Pappy! We're almost there!

Ut oh… sounds like a problem some where along the line. “Stuff happens” No matter… Hope all will be well when you see her again!