*Live(ish)* Splendor - “Summer in Scandinavia”

[lprp]

No turn down chocolates on our pillows on this cruise

But tonight we got turn down hand sanitizer 🙃

[Techno123]

I think this needs to take over from dress code and tipping threads 😜😂😂

 

it has been mentioned on previous threads and I am a massive advocate for a much stricter adherence to hand washing. Many say they won't use the buffet restaurants because of their concerns BUT - we are (mainly) all adults on these cruises. Our grannies all promoted hand washing after using the 'facilities' and prior to eating so why, with all our increased understanding re disease transmission do people still not actually do it? I am like you @lprp and if I spot people avoiding the hand sanitiser make a show of using it myself which often reminds others to do the same.

 

I also agree, the number of women I see who fluff their hair and apply lipstick after using the loo but don't wash their hands and hubs says the men are as bad (maybe not the lipstick😜)

 

It's also all well and good saying well I wash my hands before I leave the suite BUT if you touch a door knob, hand rail, elevator button etc afterwards then your hands are contaminated - just sanitise or wash your hands people, it's seconds of your time but can prevent you and others coming down with nasty bugs.

Edited September 8, 2023 by Techno123

[Techno123]

1 hour ago, lprp said:

@Techno123 - that’s just showing off 😮

some how you have to burn all that food and wine off 😂😂

[seasickphil]

35 minutes ago, Techno123 said:

I think this needs to take over from dress code and tipping threads 😜😂😂

 

it has been mentioned on previous threads and I am a massive advocate for a much stricter adherence to hand washing. Many say they won't use the buffet restaurants because of their concerns BUT - we are (mainly) all adults on these cruises. Our grannies all promoted hand washing after using the 'facilities' and prior to eating so why, with all our increased understanding re disease transmission do people still not actually do it? I am like you @lprp and if I spot people avoiding the hand sanitiser make a show of using it myself which often reminds others to do the same.

 

I also agree, the number of women I see who fluff their hair and apply lipstick after using the loo but don't wash their hands and hubs says the men are as bad (maybe not the lipstick😜)

 

It's also all well and good saying well I wash my hands before I leave the suite BUT if you touch a door knob, hand rail, elevator button etc afterwards then your hands are contaminated - just sanitise or wash your hands people, it's seconds of your time but can prevent you and others coming down with nasty bugs.

 

@Techno123

 

Just over week ago we got off a Saga cruise, when entering every dining area for breakfast, lunch and dinner, staff were in the entrance with bottles of sanitise and everyone, without fail, received a squirt.

That kept gastroenteritis at bay while onboard, unfortunately the day after getting home my wife tested positive for Covid. Sometimes you just can't win.🤧

Edited September 8, 2023 by seasickphil

[CruisetheCs]

Over many Regent cruises, I've never seen a strong push for people to use hand sanitizer stations.  There are ordinarily dispersers outside of restaurants and other locales on the ship.  I've noticed that they are often not used by guests.  I've never seen a staff member ask a guest to use one of the dispensers.  I don't recall dispensers being located outside of restrooms, but if they are not there, they should be (not just inside the restroom). 

 

Hand washing with soap and water is also good, but it needs to be done in a manner that is effective for infection control.  I doubt that is the way most of wash our hands.

 

Glad to hear that management is pushing use of hand sanitizer, but it should be done regularly on all cruises, not just when a crisis develops.

[pappy1022]

Besides putting hand sanitizers in the cabins what else is Regent doing to get this ship cleaned up and sanitized? Is there any sense of how many people have gotten sick? When do cruise lines have to publicly notify officials of onboard illnesses? I have to admit that I am getting concerned about this trip net week given that COVID is rapidly on the rise and I know people and read about a lot people who come home from a cruise with COVID.

[lprp]

19 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

what else is Regent doing to get this ship cleaned up and sanitized?

The Captain has stated that they are deep cleaning everything. In addition all “self service” areas, buffet, coffee connection, etc. are now “crew service”. I haven’t heard anything about Covid, a few people are coughing in the theatre but no more than you usually hear.

I don’t know what the parameters are for reporting to the authorities.

LP

[papaflamingo]

20 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

Besides putting hand sanitizers in the cabins what else is Regent doing to get this ship cleaned up and sanitized? Is there any sense of how many people have gotten sick? When do cruise lines have to publicly notify officials of onboard illnesses? I have to admit that I am getting concerned about this trip net week given that COVID is rapidly on the rise and I know people and read about a lot people who come home from a cruise with COVID.

I wouldn't worry about Covid if I were you.  Just take precautions before boarding so you don't get it, and then if you're worried, mask on the busses.  We go in 3 weeks.  We're going to sort of "hunker down" for the last 2 weeks so we can try to remain Covid free, but once on the ship, I intend to enjoy my cruise and not worry much about it.  Did a 40 night cruise on Navigator last year and there were some Covid cases throughout, but didn't bother or affect us at all.  

There is reporting requirements, especially for U.S. ports.  You can look up the requirements on line but basically it's  when 3% or more of a cruise ship's passengers or crew report symptoms of gastrointestinal illness to the ship's medical staff. 

[lprp]

Yesterday we were in Skagen - pronounced Schkaan, the G is definitely silent.🤫

 

The weather was a continuation of the previous day, very foggy, although it was quite warm at around 18c.

We had an early afternoon tour and the fog did lift a little, to the extent that we could see ships in the harbour that had been invisible earlier!

The tour was called Skagen City Tour and Sandworm, which conjures up all sorts of images.

The Skagen Museum was our first stop, it basically consisted of just over 1 floor of old oil paintings, they were very good oil paintings, but unless you have a particular affinity with either artists from Skagen or old oil paintings you will probably do what we did and skip into town for the remainder of our time there. 

(Now if it had been Canaletto paintings, I would probably have missed Trivia and only just made it to the ship on time!)

We then went to a church tower that was slowly being reclaimed by the sand dunes.

Our final part of the trip was to meet the mysterious sandworm, which turned out to be a tractor pulling some carriages over the sand dunes to the place where the North and Baltic Seas collide.

 

 

 

Dinner was a second trip to Pacific Rim, where I managed to avoid the temptation of Lobster Tempura!

The show was Phillip Brown’s second and final one on this cruise. He was just as good the second time.

 

Tomorrow we are in Oslo for an overnight stay.

[mrlevin]

17 minutes ago, papaflamingo said:

 

There is reporting requirements, especially for U.S. ports.  You can look up the requirements on line but basically it's  when 3% or more of a cruise ship's passengers or crew report symptoms of gastrointestinal illness to the ship's medical staff. 

The reporting requirement is only for ships in US waters or going to enter US waters; neither of which apply to Splendor; here is the guidance from CDC site:

 

Medical staff on cruise ships under U.S. jurisdiction must send gastrointestinal illness case reports to VSP at specific times:

1. Before arriving to a U.S. port from a foreign port. This report is required even when there are no cases of gastrointestinal illness. Cruise ship staff send this report between 24 and 36 hours before the ship arrives at a U.S. port.
2. When 2% or more of the passengers or crew have gastrointestinal illness. Cruise ship staff send this report any time the ship is in the United States or within 15 days of arriving at a U.S. port.
3. If 3% or more of the passengers or crew have gastrointestinal illness.

 

 

Regent hasn't reported an outbreak since June 2018.

Edited September 9, 2023 by mrlevin

[RELS]

18 hours ago, Techno123 said:

It's also all well and good saying well I wash my hands before I leave the suite BUT if you touch a door knob, hand rail, elevator button etc afterwards then your hands are contaminated - just sanitise or wash your hands people, it's seconds of your time but can prevent you and others coming down with nasty bugs.

There’s a hand washing sink in on both sides of La Veranda, at least on Voyager and Splendor. I generally sanitize my hands before I go to the buffet (to protect -you) and wash them after filling my plate but before I start eating (to protect me). 
 

I think my fellow passengers are great, but I don’t trust their hygiene 😁. 

[carolina cruisin]

19 hours ago, lprp said:

I make a VERY showy point of using the hand sanitizer when we go into the restaurants, the number of people who don’t are unbelievable…..BUT, what is beyond comprehension are the people who come out of a toilet cubicle and don’t was their hands 😱

Totally agree.  I actually had two "gentlemen" walking behind me make a criticizing remark about using the hand sanitizer.  Those are the people that may be contributing to the recent uptick in covid and will also be the ones to complain when restrictions are put in place again.

[lprp]

Yesterday was Oslo - Day 1

As it was a Saturday, it was “Mary Day”, we had very good Virgin ones 😉

 

We’d already decided not to do the Walking Museum Tour as the Peace Museum was closed for renovation; so we took a walk into the city and what a beautiful city it is.

 

 

We then took the HOHO around the city, getting off at the Vigeland sculpture park. Where there are many statues depicting the human form (including 120 figures on fountain alone) let’s just say that there are no Fig Leaves in use……🫣

 

Apparently, the Column took the artist 11 months to complete in plaster and then 3 men 14 years to sculpt it in stone!

[lprp]

 

Yesterday was Oslo - Day 2

We had an early tour “Oslo By Land and Sea”, so we had a quick breakfast in La Verandah.

The “By Sea” bit was first on the list.

It was quite cool at 16c and the boat was a large open decked sailing vessel with wooden benches. I was glad for my hoodie even if my hair looked like a crows nest after😱.

The guide was very good and the we saw some interesting sights, with great commentary.

 

It’s a shame that we didn’t have her for the rest of the tour.

 

We sailed past the Scenic Eclipse and caught a glimpse of a helicopter that is onboard along with a submarine. It looks like a large super yacht. We’re thinking about an Antarctic cruise on her.

 

The “Land Bit” was on a bus, with a very quick “P stop” at Holmenkollen ski slope.

This was an interesting place as there were many people competing in different extreme challenges, including a marathon that concluded with a climb UP the ski slope!

It would have been nice to spend more time but we only had just over 20 minutes, including the “P” stop.

 

It was quite difficult to see the top of the ski slope due to the fog.

 

Unfortunately the guide on this part of the tour was nowhere near as interesting as the earlier one. Not for the first time we remarked on how much the guide can affect a tour.

 

The weather improved exponentially over the day and the afternoon was positively balmy compared with the morning.

We had a “light” lunch in P7, then threw a few things in one of our cases…..😬

 

Tonight was Krew Kapers, I’m sure it was wonderful, they usually are, but we didn’t attend as we had been invited to a cocktail party, which was lovely. 

Dinner was a return to P7, where although the food was tasty, it was only just hot enough, hot plates would definitely help.

 

We had to spend our non-refundable OBC, there were only slim pickings in the boutique, but we managed it somehow. Seriously, the lack of stock in the boutique is risible. I asked why it was so low and got several different responses, (a) they are changing from summer to winter gear (that doesn’t cut it for toiletries makeup and perfume, which I don’t believe have seasonal changes🤔 ), (b) they have been waiting for a container of various goods since Splendor was in Southampton and other similar varieties of excuses.

The juice bar at the pool deck as also been out of fresh ginger for about 5 days now .

Hopefully it will be restocked in Copenhagen for those continuing on the ship or coming onboard.

 

A drink in the Meridian Lounge to experience once again the Neymanjer and Billy show (a great double act of barman and waiter).

 

Tomorrow is Lyeskill in Sweden, our penultimate port of call.

[Gilly]

@lprp it's interesting you note the low stock levels in the shop, for it seemed pathetically low (and uninteresting) when we were on board some weeks ago.  It appears that some skincare brands are being discontinued (Clarins was always my go-to means of spending those last on board $$$)  but it was the collection of second hand bags that I found most surprising!  What a weird thing to sell 🙄

[lprp]

Yesterday we were in Lyeskill, Sweden.

Our last stop before we leave in Copenhagen on Tuesday.

We had an early tour, a boat trip to see seals. It was incredibly foggy, so it became a bit of a game as to whether the rocks had a seal 🦭on them or if it was just a bump on the surface. It was really only certain when the rock/seal raised its head.

We returned to find the cases on the bed .

We filled them and headed for a coffee and a couple of games to try and increase our Regent Reward Points.

We played our final game of Trivia until December, 4th place - close but no cigar…..

We then traded the points for golf balls, a reusable cup and a Panama hat that (if it survives our journey home😏) I hope to cover with a net when we visit the Amazon, so none of those pesky insects can get into my eyes, nose or mouth…..

Pre-dinner drinks were in the Meridian Lounge where I was introduced to the delights of chocolate tequila shots (yep, pre dinner 😜 ).

We then had a lovely dinner with 2 of our Trivia friends - a final Crab and Avocado Appetiser beckoned.

A return trip to the Meridian Lounge for more Tequila and to say farewell to Neymanja and Billy.

Then we rolled our suitcases into the hall, before settling down for the last night in our oh so comfortable bed.

[lprp]

19 hours ago, Gilly said:

collection of second hand bags that I found most surprising!  What a weird thing to sell 🙄

Completely agree, I guess if you don’t have the stock…..

Maybe there should be a (high end) charity shop too 🧐

[lprp]

This morning we were in a drizzly Copenhagen. Fast forward 6 hours and we are on a rainy M25!🤔

 

We had a quick breakfast in Compass Rose.

Disembarkation was quick and easy, we were on the coach and enroute to Copenhagen Airport by 9:15am.

 

A few final thoughts about our cruise.

 

The crew are amazing, always smiling and friendly, especially remarkable given the extra hygiene issues they are having to deal with.

It’s been a little bit different walking into a restaurant that only has a table cloth on it and waiting for the waiter to bring your cutlery wrapped in a napkin and for the sommelier to bring the correctly sized glass for the wine you have ordered.

It’s certainly not the same wow factor as seeing the wonderful Versace chargers, a selection of glassware and cutlery all laid out.

I hope the situation is resolved quickly, I feel bad for the new passengers, especially those who are new to Regent.

But the staff and crew have managed it admirably.

 

I completely understand all the precautions they are taking with one exception:

The various Ladies and Gents “facilities/bathrooms/toilets” have had all the individual hand towels removed and replaced with paper. Initially they were small paper hand towels, but they obviously ran out of them (you needed about 6 of them to dry your hands properly) and replaced them with…..

…..boxes of facial tissues, which in themselves required a handful to dry hands and run out very.

I mentioned it to reception - I genuinely don’t understand how a soggy pile of tissues, potentially harbouring the gastrointestinal bug, that goes into a plastic line bin and waits for disposal, is any more hygienic than a single use hand towel that goes into a plastic lined bin and doesn’t need to be physically handled by anyone until it has been laundered. They said they would note my observation 🧐

 

Nearly home and onto the dreaded unpacking.

Only 91 days until we board Mariner, but who’s counting? Oh, that would be me😁

Thanks for riding along with me.

LP

[mrlevin]

4 hours ago, lprp said:

 

Only 91 days until we board Mariner, but who’s counting? Oh, that would be me😁

Thanks for riding along with me.

LP

I really loved your reporting.  See you on the Mariner for a wonderful trip to the Amazon!

[lprp]

12 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

4 hours ago, lprp said:

 

I really loved your reporting.  See you on the Mariner for a wonderful trip to the Amazon!

Thank you.

We’re really looking forward to it. See you onboard.

[pingpong1]

So, just for clarification...was the medical problem that was encountered on this cruise really a "gastrointestinal bug", (like Norovirus, etc.), or was it actually "the dreaded C-word"... Covid?

[lprp]

8 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

So, just for clarification...was the medical problem that was encountered on this cruise really a "gastrointestinal bug", (like Norovirus, etc.), or was it actually "the dreaded C-word"... Covid?

The Captain and CD both said it was an acute Gastrointestinal bug and we were repeatedly asked to report any such symptoms to the medical team for a complimentary assessment. 

 

There was no request or requirement to distance or wear masks. The only people wearing masks were the security team at the entry/exit and the members of the entertainment team who ran the individual RR games. I didn’t ask but assumed it was probably because they could be handling items that passengers have touched 🤔

 

We certainly hugged a few of the crew the day before disembarking.

[cruiseej]

22 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

So, just for clarification...was the medical problem that was encountered on this cruise really a "gastrointestinal bug", (like Norovirus, etc.), or was it actually "the dreaded C-word"... Covid?

 

I can't answer that question, but can add anecdotally that when we left Splendor on September 1 in Reykjavik, all four of us traveling together returned home to the US and promptly tested positive for Covid. I have no way of knowing whether we caught it on the ship or in the airport/planes on the way home. There were no special mitigation measures like @lprp has described during our cruise.