mangia bene vivi felice

Thank you for your encouragement. I am going to go for it! Nothing more healing than being at sea.

~~~ Something I never imagined I would do; booking a solo cruise on Regent. The Love of my Life, my sweet Jim, passed in June (32 years together.)

I went ahead and booked myself on the Explorer in May of 2024. For anyone who has traveled solo, ... what do you think? Were you comfortable?

PandaBear, THANK YOU! Your review was fantastic, ~ so comprehensive. Menus even! We will be boarding this Friday on the same cruise. Your detailed review has only heightened our excitement.

Your costumes were awesome! Your time and attention is very much appreciated. You rock.

Thank you PandaBear!

Thank you!

We are going on the 2-night San Diego cruise with our kids and grands. Excited! Just wondering, though, with only two nights and one night being the Halloween party, is there also a Pirate Night?

Thank you in advance.

Hi Rich,

I'm chiming in here rather late in the game (ALL sorts of "adventures" going on!) I was following you and Ginny on this remarkable cruise. Your stories, research, photos, ... one of your best yet. You brought back exquisite memories from our first cruise with Regent; Voyager --- Iceland to Copenhagen, 2013.

When my mom was in her final days after a brutal battle with cancer, she told me she wanted me to book a cruise. She wanted to know where we were going before she died. I chose this itinerary because she is half Danish, my dad half Norwegian. I really wanted to wait until she died before we booked a cruise, but this was her wish and it turned out to be ... fun, in a weird way (I mean ~ she was on the BRINK.) She wanted to hear every port, every detail. Poignant experience.

My mom knew what she was doing. When we embarked on our Scandinavian Adventure, I was still grappling with a deep grief. That cruise changed everything. Each stunningly beautiful day, I regained more and more of my joie de vivre. So healing.

Reading your blog was a huge joy as you brought back delicious memories of a transformational, rejuvenating voyage.

I cannot thank you enough!

Cheers,

Cindie (we met you, Ginny, and Shauna on the Mariner last June in Alaska)

The Eclipse looks AMAZING:

What about the new ocean-going Scenic Eclipse, debuting next summer?

Check it out!:

We are wildly envious of your back-to-back. We were not ready to leave this magical-majestic beautiful-bodacious (yes, still a hippie) cruise. What a week! Blue skies every single day. Funny thing, ... we left clear and warm weather in Anchorage and returned to cold and drizzly weather in San Diego.

Ahhhhhhhhhh what an amazing week.

It was such a pleasure to meet you, Ginnie, and the Joy-Inducer named Shauna. She is even more beautiful in person. Sweetness galore. Her giggle is infectious.

Yesterday I was more that a tad tired -- surrounded by explosions of suitcase debris (laundry is never fun, but post-cruise laundry is always a bummer,) ~ and juggling plumbers (came home to a flood from upstairs, through the ceiling to the garage.) As I was precariously close to a pity party, the vision of Shauna dancing in sheer joy at the Beatles party slapped me silly into a sunny smile.

I wish we had more time to visit. The week sped by in dizzying fashion. Hoping to meet up on another cruise soon. You and your family are blessings to all in your path.

Keep posting!

I finally get to meet Shauna! I fell in love with her through your posts. What a glorious gorgeous young lady.

We are looking forward to meeting you three!

Cindie and Jim

We look forward to meeting you!

BTW, I like your user name. As a fellow Italian, I certainly agree!

Eat well, live happy ... do we need anything more!

Yes - they definitely are in concierge and above suites. However, since there are two of us and only one pair of binoculars, we take one of our own. Alaska is definitely one place where they come in handy.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you! Great idea to have an extra pair. No fighting over binoculars!

We are also going to Alaska on the Mariner and sail on 13 May. When do you sail, paisan?

Z and TB

Sorry to miss you! We sail on the 24th of May.

Awesome! Thank you Lynn for your quick reply.

Counting down to our Alaskan cruise on the Mariner. Rather stoked, to say the least.

Question; does RSSC provides binoculars in the suites?

On our Vikings and Vistas cruise, we did have a smoker on the balcony directly below us. All day all night.

We asked him, oh so sweetly, to not smoke. He answered us, oh so nastily with extra puffs.

We reported him.

Nothing happened.

Then I simply leaned over and took a photo and video of him smoking. Went downstairs and shared the video and photos with the cruise director.

No more smoke.

That is...until the last morning. I guess he figured, ... yeah go ahead ... kick me off the ship.

That was four years ago. Our recent cruises? Not a whiff. LOVE being out on the open sea with fresh, clear/clean pristine air.

Thank you, Rich, for the fabulous trip report. LOVE the picture of your adorable daughter. What a joy!

I've enjoyed following your posts. You write well.

You have inspired us as we will be on the Navigator at this time next year.

~ Already excited.