Our Regal Experience: 20th Anniversary Trip Report- British Isles, June 9, 2020

[TupeloHoney]

This is great - we are on basically the same cruise, but later in the summer (we also stop in Orkney).  So you are giving me some ideas.  We've got most ports planned, but made a note to London Magical Tours as we hadn't figured out that part yet!  I will be following along!

[aheape1979]

On 3/2/2020 at 1:45 PM, voljeep said:

excellent writing style … the purple is a little hard to read, but doable … will be following along

Thank you for the compliment about writing style.  It's quite different from the academic realm I am often accustomed to.  This allows my creative side to come out.

[aheape1979]

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”  ~Desmond Tutu

 

Corona virus…should we cancel?

This is the question on many people’s minds right now.  I’m not ready to cancel our trip yet.  3 months is a long time and many things could change before we embark.  I know I mentioned insurance in an earlier post, and this is the type of scenario for which I purchased it.  So right now, we are moving forward in our planning.  
 

Have any of you decided to cancel?
 

[aheape1979]

“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.”  ~John Steinbeck

 

Our Pre-Cruise Home…St. Ermin’s Hotel

 

When choosing our pre-cruise hotel in London, we knew we would stay in the Marriott portfolio because of my status and the points I wanted to spend.  The more difficult decision was exactly which hotel to choose.  There were so many great places to choose from (54 to be exact), but a few full service hotels stood out: JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Wellesley Knightsbridge, St. Pancras Renaissance, London Marriott Park Lane, Le Meridien Picadilly, and St. Ermin’s.  

 

We eventually narrowed down to 2:  St. Pancras Renaissance (which is supposed to have the best Marriott lounge in the world), and St. Ermin’s (which is more of a boutique-style property.)  In the end, St. Ermin’s won out.  They recently completed a renovation project, were centrally located to many of the sights we plan to visit, and they have a really neat courtyard of honeybee hives.  

 

It is a smaller property (around 400 total rooms or suites) and the photos make it feel very similar to some of our favorite properties in Charleston, SC.  This little taste of home is what we want to come back to at the end of a day playing tourist.  (We sure hope the photos do it justice.)  I reached out to St. Ermin’s to gather some additional information/history about the hotel, and they were gracious and speedy in their reply.  If that’s any indication of what their customer service is like, we made the right choice of hotel.   Some of the history is very interesting!
 

“During the 1930s the hotel and the next building were used by officers of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6) located close by.  The likes of Ian Fleming, Kim Philby, Guy Burgess, Laurence Grand, H. Montgomery Hyde and Eric Maschwitz were all known to have worked from the building and throughout the Second World War, it operated as a convenient annex by SIS surrounded by other secret organizations.

 

In addition, the hotel’s Caxton Bar was used regularly by SIS, MI5 and Naval Intelligence Division case officers to meet their agents.  Eventual defector Guy Burgess frequently met his Russian counterpart in the bar to hand over top-secret government files. In 1940, Churchill, asked a group of individuals that were later to become the SOE, to “set Europe ablaze” and they initially housed themselves over an entire floor of the hotel.”

 

This will be where we rest our minds, bodies, and souls for 5 nights!  

 

Special thanks to Jenna and St. Ermin’s for the historical information!
 

[BillK400]

1 hour ago, aheape1979 said:

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”  ~Desmond Tutu

 

Corona virus…should we cancel?

This is the question on many people’s minds right now.  I’m not ready to cancel our trip yet.  3 months is a long time and many things could change before we embark.  I know I mentioned insurance in an earlier post, and this is the type of scenario for which I purchased it.  So right now, we are moving forward in our planning.  
 

Have any of you decided to cancel?
 

We just had our cruise (14 days starting 3/23) on Windstar from Bali to Singapore cancelled. Seems prudent as the virus seems more prevalent in the far east. Windstar is fully refunding (and a 10% future cruise credit) the cost of the cruise, however Qatar Airline will not refund, allow changes or give a credit, even with the coronavirus issue. Windstar will pay us $350 per person for any losses on airline tickets but we still will be about $1400 loss out of pocket.

 

We have trip insurance (policy purchased through insuremytrip) but cancellation is not covered even with the cruise line canceling the cruise due to the virus. We did not purchase a cancel for any reason policy (was expensive last August when we originally purchased the insurance for the trip, hate to think the cost now - our main reasoning was to insure for medical emergency or need to get home for a family medical emergency as the cruise was mostly to remote ports and islands) so make sure the insurance will cover cancel for any reason. As we will never use the insurance, I am trying to get my premium returned and like most insurance companies they are not making it easy and haven't said they would (need to review information I have sent them). If I cant use the policy (or make a claim for the loss on the air fare), they should refund my premium!!!

 

Earlier today I made the final payment for this cruise. I did inquire would the plane EZ air airline tickets be reimbursed if Princess cancels the cruise (for any reason) and was told yes, total refund of the cruise and air fare.

 

I am not overly concerned about the virus. Its over 90 days away and hope/expect it to have died down like most flu's, etc which die down in the spring and summer. 

[aheape1979]

10 hours ago, BillK400 said:

We just had our cruise (14 days starting 3/23) on Windstar from Bali to Singapore cancelled. Seems prudent as the virus seems more prevalent in the far east. Windstar is fully refunding (and a 10% future cruise credit) the cost of the cruise, however Qatar Airline will not refund, allow changes or give a credit, even with the coronavirus issue. Windstar will pay us $350 per person for any losses on airline tickets but we still will be about $1400 loss out of pocket.

 

We have trip insurance (policy purchased through insuremytrip) but cancellation is not covered even with the cruise line canceling the cruise due to the virus. We did not purchase a cancel for any reason policy (was expensive last August when we originally purchased the insurance for the trip, hate to think the cost now - our main reasoning was to insure for medical emergency or need to get home for a family medical emergency as the cruise was mostly to remote ports and islands) so make sure the insurance will cover cancel for any reason. As we will never use the insurance, I am trying to get my premium returned and like most insurance companies they are not making it easy and haven't said they would (need to review information I have sent them). If I cant use the policy (or make a claim for the loss on the air fare), they should refund my premium!!!

 

Earlier today I made the final payment for this cruise. I did inquire would the plane EZ air airline tickets be reimbursed if Princess cancels the cruise (for any reason) and was told yes, total refund of the cruise and air fare.

 

I am not overly concerned about the virus. Its over 90 days away and hope/expect it to have died down like most flu's, etc which die down in the spring and summer. 

Bill, that's a great perspective.  Thanks for joining in the discussion!

[PtownGirlz-NH]

On 3/3/2020 at 4:21 PM, MJSailors said:

       I would like to read this review because I am interested in a British Isles Cruise.

However, I find the script font to be difficult to read.

Is there a way that you could change the font ?

I totally agree!  Or make it a smidge bigger?

[aheape1979]

“Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?”  ~Peter Pan

 

Two for Tea

 

Choosing where to have tea in London is like choosing how to eat your grits here in SC.  There are a million opinions, but in the end you do what works best for you!  After extensive searches, reading multiple reviews from bloggers, and comparing price/menus, we chose Fortnum & Mason’s Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.  Reservations opened this week for the dates of our trip, and I made ours today!  
 

Every reservation makes me exponentially more excited for this trip.  (We are hoping COVID-19 calms down and goes away before then!)

[United_11]

On 3/2/2020 at 6:45 PM, aheape1979 said:

Cork (Cobh), Ireland: Small Group Shore Tour- Elegant Irish Tours.  It includes Blarney Castle, Blarney Woolen Mills, and Jameson Distillery

We're also doing a British Isles cruise on the Regal this summer. For Cobh you mention you're taking a small group tour through Elegant Irish Tours which includes Blarney Castle and Jameson Distillery. When I looked on their website the Small Group Shore Tour from Cobh says they visit Blarney Castle, Cork, and Kinsale, but there's no mention of Jameson Distillery. Did you ask them to add the distillery to the itinerary? Or was it a private excursion that you booked? Thanks and looking forward to following along with your trip report!

[aheape1979]

29 minutes ago, United_11 said:

We're also doing a British Isles cruise on the Regal this summer. For Cobh you mention you're taking a small group tour through Elegant Irish Tours which includes Blarney Castle and Jameson Distillery. When I looked on their website the Small Group Shore Tour from Cobh says they visit Blarney Castle, Cork, and Kinsale, but there's no mention of Jameson Distillery. Did you ask them to add the distillery to the itinerary? Or was it a private excursion that you booked? Thanks and looking forward to following along with your trip report!

Thanks for asking.  Here's the email they sent:

"However, I must now inform you that this tour’s itinerary  has been revised since you made your booking.  The (Small Group) Shore Tour from Cork, Blarney Castle & Kinsale is changed to the Shore Tour from Cork, Blarney Castle & Jameson Distillery. The starting times and pickup locations for this tour are the same."

I notice that it is the same online as well.  Maybe this is a change for our date only, but I would ask if this would alter your decision one way or the other.

Happy sails! 

[aheape1979]

“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?”  ~Charles de Gaulle

 

Another Day, Another Booking!

 

France is a country I have always wanted to visit.  We threw around the idea of taking a Eurostar train and day trip to Paris from London.  In the end, we decided that there is plenty to see/do in London and spending multiple hours on a train wouldn’t be the best use of our time.  

 

Our next big decision was what to do during our day docked in Le Havre.  After a great deal of research and contemplation, we decided to book our own transportation to/from Honfleur, and to spend the day enjoying the market, restaurants, and sights.  I found a vendor with great reviews online, and have booked a private car round trip, with 3 hours of free time in Honfleur (for less than the excursion cost!)  This was our last day of excursions to plan for the trip, so I’m excited to hit this milestone!
 

[aheape1979]

 

“I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty.I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I’ve got twenty.” ~Ariel

 

Another Amazon Box?

 

I admit it…I may have a problem!  When going away for almost 3 weeks, I want to be prepared!  I want to be organized!  I don’t want to have to spend $10 for a package of bandaids.  When we went to Hawaii a few years ago, I did the same thing.  We used almost everything and didn’t have to make any crazy purchases while we were there.  A cruise environment (especially in another country) makes me want to be sure I have what we need!

 

Here are some of my purchases (or items I already had) that should come in handy on this trip.  (I have no financial or advertising interest here…just showing you what I have!)

 

Health:  Medical grade sanitizing wipes, bandages, homeopathic cold and flu medicine, and Rhinease (I often get nosebleeds after flying and when in dry environments).

Bags:  Reusable shopping bag on a carabiner clip for my backpack, waterproof bag, the bags that came with my Tieks- great for putting shoes in to make sure you don’t dirty up your suitcase, a laundry bag (we will have to do laundry at some point), and a foldable duffle bag that is heavy duty (to act as an extra checked bag if needed.)

Travel gadgets:  Bag bungee (if you’ve ever carried a tote bag with your suitcase, you know what this is for!  Plus, I think I will need it when we self-disembark!), Bose noise cancelling headphones (I’ve owned these for around 5 years, and they are lifesavers!), collapsible water bottle, luggage scale (to make sure we get right to that 70 pound limit!), and travel compression socks (I found these at TJ Maxx). 

For the cruise cabin:  Hanging shoe organizer (over the door), motion activated night light, non-surge power outlet, and a travel alarm clock

 

For tech:  Power bank for phones/tablets, gear ties (we use these around our cords), and a case that organizes all of our cords, but folds up compactly

For packing: (I found these all at TJ Max on clearance!)  2 sets of compression bags and an inflatable bottle pouch (to bring home French wine, Scotch, or something awesome like that

What are your favorite travel accessories?  
 

Edited March 9, 2020 by aheape1979

[MJSailors]

aheape1979

       We have visited London several times and we always enjoy a trip to Fortnum & Mason it reminds  me of the lovely department store, B Altman’s in NYC, which, unfortunately,  is no longer in business. Enjoy your tea time there.!

     My DH and I have had tea at Harrods and the Savoy. Both memorable experiences.

    Your decision to focus on London and not to travel  by train to Paris is a sound one. There is so much to do in London,that you will find the five days pre-cruise will go by quickly. 

     Bon voyage !

 

 

 

 

     ,

[Justalone]

On 3/2/2020 at 10:08 AM, aheape1979 said:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover.”  ~Mark Twain

 

Twenty years ago, a pair of young (20 and 22) newlyweds took their very first cruise, less than 48 hours after saying “I do.”  These new college graduates certainly didn’t have much money for a honeymoon, and Port Canaveral was in driving distance.  So off on a cruise to the Bahamas they went, giddy with excitement to be taking their first trip alone together.  Seasickness and sunburn didn’t deter their excitement, and they came back home stung by the “cruise bug” (and a jellyfish!)  They made a commitment…no matter what, they would take a great trip every 5th anniversary of their marriage.  

 

Fast forward twenty years…these parents of two teenagers have changed quite a bit.  Between them, they have 3 more college degrees, have purchased and renovated (Chip and Joanna style) two homes, built a life on the farm, seen careers skyrocket, and are grateful for the health, happiness, and home they have been blessed with.  Traveling has also been a part of the past twenty years.  They have traveled across the continental United States and Canada, to Hawaii, taken multiple cruises (RCCL, Carnival, Disney, and Princess), and been to Disney more times than DH cares to admit! 

 

The 5-year trip plan has worked out too! They have been on a Princess cruise to Alaska (and returned with child # 2 on the way!), an adult-only Disney vacation, Hawaii for 2 weeks on their 15th anniversary, and now had to decide where to visit for their 20th.  Having cruised the Regal to Canada/New England in 2018 for DH’s 40th birthday, they knew they loved the ship.  So when they saw that the Regal sailed the British Isles in 2020, the plan began!

 

Join us as we prepare to have a Regal Experience in June 2020!
 

Good for you!

Do no let the Corona virus pandemic impinge on your cruise.

Enjoy your cruise.👍

[Justalone]

5 hours ago, aheape1979 said:

 

“I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty.I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I’ve got twenty.” ~Ariel

 

Another Amazon Box?

 

I admit it…I may have a problem!  When going away for almost 3 weeks, I want to be prepared!  I want to be organized!  I don’t want to have to spend $10 for a package of bandaids.  When we went to Hawaii a few years ago, I did the same thing.  We used almost everything and didn’t have to make any crazy purchases while we were there.  A cruise environment (especially in another country) makes me want to be sure I have what we need!

 

Here are some of my purchases (or items I already had) that should come in handy on this trip.  (I have no financial or advertising interest here…just showing you what I have!)

 

Health:  Medical grade sanitizing wipes, bandages, homeopathic cold and flu medicine, and Rhinease (I often get nosebleeds after flying and when in dry environments).

Bags:  Reusable shopping bag on a carabiner clip for my backpack, waterproof bag, the bags that came with my Tieks- great for putting shoes in to make sure you don’t dirty up your suitcase, a laundry bag (we will have to do laundry at some point), and a foldable duffle bag that is heavy duty (to act as an extra checked bag if needed.)

Travel gadgets:  Bag bungee (if you’ve ever carried a tote bag with your suitcase, you know what this is for!  Plus, I think I will need it when we self-disembark!), Bose noise cancelling headphones (I’ve owned these for around 5 years, and they are lifesavers!), collapsible water bottle, luggage scale (to make sure we get right to that 70 pound limit!), and travel compression socks (I found these at TJ Maxx). 

For the cruise cabin:  Hanging shoe organizer (over the door), motion activated night light, non-surge power outlet, and a travel alarm clock

 

For tech:  Power bank for phones/tablets, gear ties (we use these around our cords), and a case that organizes all of our cords, but folds up compactly

For packing: (I found these all at TJ Max on clearance!)  2 sets of compression bags and an inflatable bottle pouch (to bring home French wine, Scotch, or something awesome like that

What are your favorite travel accessories?  
 

A case of latex gloves.

Tub of vaseline.

Pepto Bismol.

Imodium.
.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Justalone

[aheape1979]

5 hours ago, Justalone said:

A case of latex gloves.

Tub of vaseline.

Pepto Bismol.

Imodium.
.

A few latex gloves and Imodium are in my first aid/medicine kit too.  Good ideas.

[phabric]

Princess ships have self laundry rooms on each deck of their ships.   I bring along my own laundry soap (sheets).

[sunsetbeachgal]

On 3/7/2020 at 8:46 PM, aheape1979 said:

Thanks for asking.  Here's the email they sent:

"However, I must now inform you that this tour’s itinerary  has been revised since you made your booking.  The (Small Group) Shore Tour from Cork, Blarney Castle & Kinsale is changed to the Shore Tour from Cork, Blarney Castle & Jameson Distillery. The starting times and pickup locations for this tour are the same."

I notice that it is the same online as well.  Maybe this is a change for our date only, but I would ask if this would alter your decision one way or the other.

Happy sails! 

Whatever you do touring, make sure to leave time to wander into the little town of Cobh. We were sorry we didn’t allow more time there.  It is a short, and I mean very short, walk from the ship.  A nice promenade with a small Titanic Museum ( we didn’t have time for this but our friend did and she enjoyed it quite a bit), shops, pubs, a cute train station, etc.  We stopped in at a pub for a pint and heard excellent Irish music being performed.  Cobh really is a gem and one of the ports where you are right in town rather than in a commercial area. 
 

 

Edited March 9, 2020 by sunsetbeachgal

[aheape1979]

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” ~Tom Bodett

 

The 3-month mark is here!

 

In just 3 short months, we plan to sail on our BI cruise!  We are still booked, and Easy Air is still set up.  I’m hopeful that the Covid-19 crazy will have calmed down by then.  We are both in our 40s, with no major health issues to deter us.  My hope is that a month from now, we will see that the incidence numbers have settled/turned downward, and people will not be afraid to travel again.  So many people’s livelihood depends on the tourism or cruise industries, and I would hate to see people out of work for longer than absolutely necessary. But their safety is paramount, and I want those people to be healthy too.  So for now, I have all 3 things to be truly happy on this trip…my amazing DH of almost 20 years, a great itinerary to plan for, and a hope that we will all be healthy and traveling in 3 months!
 

[MJSailors]

   Agree with sunsetbeachgal about Cobh. It is a charming town. I would rather spend time there than Blarney Castle. While the castle gardens are lovely, the addition of the nearby Blarney Woolen Mills has made this site somewhat touristy and potentially crowded (IMHO).  Fortunately, for the residents of Cobh, the area has retained the flavor of an Irish town. 

[hsmom]

We had 4 in our party and 2 took a tour like you described and 2 of us stayed in Cobh. We had a great time in town and even took a short train ride to a park. The 2 that went to Blarney Castle were not impressed. 

[aheape1979]

36 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

   Agree with sunsetbeachgal about Cobh. It is a charming town. I would rather spend time there than Blarney Castle. While the castle gardens are lovely, the addition of the nearby Blarney Woolen Mills has made this site somewhat touristy and potentially crowded (IMHO).  Fortunately, for the residents of Cobh, the area has retained the flavor of an Irish town. 

Thanks for the input!  We are supposed to take some time in Cobh too.  We are taking a small group tour (paid for), so I'm glad it includes Cobh.  We live in a small town, so I love the charm of them!

[United_11]

13 hours ago, sunsetbeachgal said:

Whatever you do touring, make sure to leave time to wander into the little town of Cobh. We were sorry we didn’t allow more time there.  It is a short, and I mean very short, walk from the ship.  A nice promenade with a small Titanic Museum ( we didn’t have time for this but our friend did and she enjoyed it quite a bit), shops, pubs, a cute train station, etc.  We stopped in at a pub for a pint and heard excellent Irish music being performed.  Cobh really is a gem and one of the ports where you are right in town rather than in a commercial area. 
 

 

Thanks for the advice! Luckily our itinerary includes an overnight in Cobh, so we're planning a tour to Blarney Castle on day 1 and then were trying to decide what to do on day 2. Sounds like it will be nice to stay in Cobh and enjoy the town! We are planning to do the Titanic Experience Museum if we have time.

[sunsetbeachgal]

12 hours ago, MJSailors said:

   Agree with sunsetbeachgal about Cobh. It is a charming town. I would rather spend time there than Blarney Castle. While the castle gardens are lovely, the addition of the nearby Blarney Woolen Mills has made this site somewhat touristy and potentially crowded (IMHO).  Fortunately, for the residents of Cobh, the area has retained the flavor of an Irish town. 

We also found Blarney to be very touristy and crowded.  The line for the Blarney Stone was two hours, we did not wait in it.  And the drive from Cobh seemed quite long too.  While we had a nice day, we saw much nicer castles on other stops on the trip, most notably Stirling Castle. 

Edited March 10, 2020 by sunsetbeachgal

[tartana]

On 3/8/2020 at 9:00 PM, aheape1979 said:

 

“I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty.I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I’ve got twenty.” ~Ariel

 

Another Amazon Box?

 

I admit it…I may have a problem!  When going away for almost 3 weeks, I want to be prepared!  I want to be organized!  I don’t want to have to spend $10 for a package of bandaids.  When we went to Hawaii a few years ago, I did the same thing.  We used almost everything and didn’t have to make any crazy purchases while we were there.  A cruise environment (especially in another country) makes me want to be sure I have what we need!

 

Here are some of my purchases (or items I already had) that should come in handy on this trip.  (I have no financial or advertising interest here…just showing you what I have!)

 

Health:  Medical grade sanitizing wipes, bandages, homeopathic cold and flu medicine, and Rhinease (I often get nosebleeds after flying and when in dry environments).

Bags:  Reusable shopping bag on a carabiner clip for my backpack, waterproof bag, the bags that came with my Tieks- great for putting shoes in to make sure you don’t dirty up your suitcase, a laundry bag (we will have to do laundry at some point), and a foldable duffle bag that is heavy duty (to act as an extra checked bag if needed.)

Travel gadgets:  Bag bungee (if you’ve ever carried a tote bag with your suitcase, you know what this is for!  Plus, I think I will need it when we self-disembark!), Bose noise cancelling headphones (I’ve owned these for around 5 years, and they are lifesavers!), collapsible water bottle, luggage scale (to make sure we get right to that 70 pound limit!), and travel compression socks (I found these at TJ Maxx). 

For the cruise cabin:  Hanging shoe organizer (over the door), motion activated night light, non-surge power outlet, and a travel alarm clock

 

For tech:  Power bank for phones/tablets, gear ties (we use these around our cords), and a case that organizes all of our cords, but folds up compactly

For packing: (I found these all at TJ Max on clearance!)  2 sets of compression bags and an inflatable bottle pouch (to bring home French wine, Scotch, or something awesome like that

What are your favorite travel accessories?  
 

I didn't notice magnetic hooks or clothesline in your purchases?  I've heard many people mention they are invaluable as many cruise cabin walls are magnetic, and you can hang clothing to dry. (or to hang you hats/coats, etc) I plan on taking some of these on my next cruise to try it out.