Live from the Grandeur by a Newbie to RSSC

[cAPS lOCK oN]

2 hours ago, schooner_Drinker said:

We will be newbies on Grandeur soon, also so really looking forward to following along and reading about your newbie adventures.

 

Any chance If you are up on deck 12

Starboard - we will be in 1211 

Taking a look around that area.

 

Interested if any service doors or obvious concerns for noise in that location around and above 

 

1211 is directly above the Culinary Arts Kitchen. Guests staying in that suite on Explorer, or maybe it was Splendor, had issues because the Kitchen has ceiling speakers. During classes guests above it could clearly hear everything that was said.

 

Regent acknowledged that it was a problem, so they may have fixed it in the new ship.

Edited February 8 by cAPS lOCK oN

[pingpong1]

7 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

@taxman1--thanks so much for this; very helpful!  I have to agree that the Connoisseur's list is quite disappointing, at least for the bourbons. Not even a Blantons, Knob Creek 12yr or Weller on there (even Celebrity has those!). I hope that changes over the next 9months!

 

Also thanks for all the wonderful comments and pictures--all very nice!  🥂

Just remember that if you think Regent's Connoisseur bourbon offerings "fall short" of expectation...you can always bring your own supply with you (since you'd be paying extra anyway if they offered it on the connoisseur list.  Regent really doesn't mind at all if you bring your own!  I do the same with my own cigars!  I bring my own, and they absolutely don't care!  I've even brought some of my own wine along in the past.  Remember, if you set "the bar" low enough...you're always satisfied!  Regards 

[Georgia_Peaches]

10 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

Sorry, quoted in error. 

Edited February 8 by Georgia_Peaches

[boblerm]

23 hours ago, taxman1 said:

The service was very attentive but felt a bit rushed in an effort to turn over the table

We always inform our server of our preference as to the pacing of service. When giving our orders, we generally tell our server that we would like a leisurely pace with some time between courses. 

 

OTOH, if you are in a bit of a rush, say, to catch a show, a heads up to the server will help as well. 

[GMIAC]

11 hours ago, schooner_Drinker said:

Thank you for that valuable information 

As long as classes are not running from 10pm - 8am 

 

Nancy 

Classes, when they're offered, run from 10AM to noon, and 4PM-6PM. In certain ports with culinary land tours there's a pre-land tour orientation in the Center which might start earlier than 10. 

[cruisevirgin24]

23 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

@taxman1  Next time you go to Sette Mari try their filet mignon, offered with different sauces night to night.  We found those steaks to be one of the best things offered on Splendor, and Explorer and Navigator.  Perfection every time.

We disembarked from Grandeur on Monday from our first ever cruise. Thank you very much for your previous recommendation of cronuts, without which I would not have tried one. I actually had one every day to finish my breakfast. They were available in Compass Rose, La Veranda & Coffee Connection. Every day was a different delectable flavour, salted caramel, white chocolate, choc & hazelnut, coffee, raspberry, and my personal fav PB&J. By the end of the cruise I had converted both my parents and my DH. 

I have never seen them for sale in the UK, or when vacationing in the US. Are they a Regent invention?

[GMIAC]

13 minutes ago, cruisevirgin24 said:

 

I have never seen them for sale in the UK, or when vacationing in the US. Are they a Regent invention?

I think it's an American thing, some bakery in NYC. Because what's more American than taking one heart-stopper and mashing it up with another? 😅

 

I loved the cronuts too, of course. 

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

@cruisevirgin24  I’m so glad you liked them!  They are addicting, for sure, and I miss them when we leave the ship.  I believe they are similar to custard type tarts they have in Portugal….but, you might be interested in this article.  Apparently, according to the article, there is a bakery in London that makes them, and one in Tokyo!? 😃

Joanie

 

https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-05-09/the-complete-history-of-the-cronut

Edited February 8 by GeorgiaPeach51

[cruisevirgin24]

12 minutes ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

@cruisevirgin24  I’m so glad you liked them!  They are addicting, for sure, and I miss them when we leave the ship.  I believe they are similar to custard type tarts they have in Portugal….but, you might be interested in this article.  Apparently, according to the article, there is a bakery in London that makes them, and one in Tokyo!? 😃

Joanie

 

https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-05-09/the-complete-history-of-the-cronut

Thank you for the wonderful article! I searched online for the Ansel London Bakery but unfortunately they closed during our repeated lockdowns in late 2020. Darn.

I will definitely be seeking him out next time I am in NYC.

[beaujolais]

1 hour ago, cruisevirgin24 said:

 

I have never seen them for sale in the UK, or when vacationing in the US. Are they a Regent invention?

 

You can buy them in Lidl

[cruisevirgin24]

2 hours ago, beaujolais said:

 

You can buy them in Lidl

Wow! Thank you very much. 

[SusieQft]

There is (or maybe was...) a bakery specializing in cronuts in Las Vegas.  I have not been there, but read about its opening in the local paper.

[taxman1]

This was yesterday and somehow the user (me) did not take the last step to hit submit.  Ugh.   
 

GMIAC and GeorgiaPeach - thank you for the suggestions.  They are great ideas and we plan to use them in our next try.  Tonight will be our first attempt at CR.  
 

For those interested we did not get to the pool until late afternoon and had no issue finding a chair.  Please note - it was not the premium shade chairs, however, we wanted to baste for a couple hours.  
 

Lunch was fabulous today at La Veranda.  Since we had a late breakfast in our room this morning we did not make our way to lunch until 1:30.  Great timing.  Today was Greek offerings and they were outstanding!

 

we poked around the ship after lunch.  We attempted to utilize the self guided art tour and ran into technical difficulties after the 4th piece.  Not sure if the ship was having WiFi issues or user error.  We snapped a couple photos while poking around.  One of the attached is when walking into Prime 7 the wall has what looks to be old straps or belts.  I also attempted to get a closer picture of the intricate floor covering at the entrance of Prime 7. Again - it’s the details.  

[Whinenowine]

5 hours ago, vistaman said:

I did 3 Regent cruises last year -  and I noticed very few connoisseur's  drinks were ordered

The same with the wine .... maybe it is depending on the itinerary ? 

@vistaman--thanks.  It's a bit disappointing as I've got $1k of OBC from the Black Friday special and I'll need to spend it on something!  Like you, I also love wine, especially old world wine.  After collecting for 30 years, I drink very well at home--and it's a shame that I cannot drink 'that well' on a ship that is more luxurious than my house (with better service too!).  I suppose I could bring a few nice bottles, but was hoping I wouldn't need to. 

[Whinenowine]

18 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

Just remember that if you think Regent's Connoisseur bourbon offerings "fall short" of expectation...you can always bring your own supply with you (since you'd be paying extra anyway if they offered it on the connoisseur list.  Regent really doesn't mind at all if you bring your own!  I do the same with my own cigars!  I bring my own, and they absolutely don't care!  I've even brought some of my own wine along in the past.  Remember, if you set "the bar" low enough...you're always satisfied!  Regards 

Thanks, @pingpong1.  I had replied to @vistaman before I saw your response above...but it's good to see that great minds think alike!  Yeah I may do that, though as DW barely drinks, that's a lot of extra wine/booze for me to imbibe.   I think I'm up to the task!

[taxman1]

Greetings from Aruba.  The color of the water here never disappoints.  We opted out of a tour and decided to punish the old pocketbook with a visit to the shops.  We came back onboard midafternoon for a late lunch at the pool grill.  The truffle burger was calling my wife and I opted for the blackened snapper.  The snapper tasted sooo good with an ice cold Corona.  The burger was a slight disappointment as it it had the feel of being pre-made, albeit flavors were good.  
 

As I lost track of where I left off on our journey and have inadvertently posted things 2x let me back up for a second and give some first impressions of CR last night.  Before dinner we swung by the ML for a cocktail stop.  We tried a tequila taste; not a fan of the ship offerings.  The server was a delight and had a tequila story of his own to share.  
 

From ML it was off to CR.  I am going to be upfront and say I was dreading this moment, so I am already jaded before approaching the host/hostess station.  We had a short line of about 6 in front of us at 7:15 ish.  When we approached the hostess never looked up from her screen to greet us and after the grueling 30 seconds she announced a table of 2. Ok we are through gate #1.  As we walked to our table in the back your eyes are bouncing every which way as I think it’s the most stunning dining room on any ship and up in my top 10 list on land.  The Versace China is out of this world and blends effortlessly into the entire decor.   Stunning.  Ok - through gate #2.  
 

We met our female waiter who was a doll.  She poured our water and then was disappointed when we declined any wine.  To be honest I as was already a few deep on the Buffalo Trace and thought it best for the evening to pump the brakes and enjoy the meal.  Gate # 3 checked.  
 

Now comes one of the head waiters to take our order even though she was coming over at the same time to see if we were ready.  He took our order without writing it down, restated it three times with each repetition having a minor edit and then walked away.  My wife looked at me and said I will bet you a Super Bowl square the order comes out incorrect.  She started with the vegetable caponata and  ordered the salmon with steam rice and veggies.  I opted for the Iberian Ham with artichokes and spicy pepper to start and the snapper special for my main.  Both starters came out correct, beautifully plated and most importantly tasted outstanding.   We are now turning for the home stretch.  
 

Our female waiter (who did not take the order) delivers the first entree to my wife containing what appeared to be an overdone filet mignon.  We never made it to my plate as we politely informed her that was not the order.  She was horrified and suddenly we felt awful. We told her not to worry.  The correct order was resubmitted and made its way to the table within 10 minutes.  Both entrees tasted fabulous!   We skipped on dessert.  
 

CR seems to have a lot of movement amongst the “musicians” within the dining room without a conductor keeping  the orchestra in time. They need more time working as a team.

 

From the CR we went to the casino whereby I purchased another Super Bowl square before making our way to the Icons show.  Some good singers and dancers within the group.  We had a chance today onshore to see some of them and let them know we enjoyed the show.  
 

Off for a bit of work before giving the CR another shot this evening.  
 

For the poster that asked about the 12th floor - cabin 1211 is the cabin closest to the entrance to the upstairs pool deck and the elevator.  That initial impression may not sound so good, however, I don’t think there is a lot of traffic in that area.    Not sure if that really helps you.  

Here is a picture of the ship docked today as well as the tug greeting we received upon port entry this morning.  
 

 

[vistaman]

1 hour ago, Whinenowine said:

@vistaman--thanks.  It's a bit disappointing as I've got $1k of OBC from the Black Friday special and I'll need to spend it on something!  Like you, I also love wine, especially old world wine.  After collecting for 30 years, I drink very well at home--and it's a shame that I cannot drink 'that well' on a ship that is more luxurious than my house (with better service too!).  I suppose I could bring a few nice bottles, but was hoping I wouldn't need to. 

In your case I would spend it on great Champagnes on board  :  the Krug is a bargain , Billecart Salmon Rosé is also great and Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is in the top of that style 

If I had that OBC I would chose  a Krug Rosé  also a bargain !   Dom P Rosé is overpriced everywhere.

I am also feeling sorry when I open one of my last great Bordeaux   as at the actual high prices I cannot follow anymore  so I moved on to great bubbles 

elsewhere in CC I made comments on   3  companies  with heavily overpriced wine lists -

500 $ for a Dom P  and 350 for the dry Y of Yquem ??? 

[GMIAC]

I’m enjoying your reports, @taxman1. If you remember, can you ask some of the crew how long they’ll be onboard? We sailed in December, and would like to know that at least some of the same crew will still be aboard for our April 10th transatlantic crossing from NY to Barcelona. 

Edited February 8 by GMIAC

[SWFLAOK]

4 hours ago, Whinenowine said:

Thanks, @pingpong1.  I had replied to @vistaman before I saw your response above...but it's good to see that great minds think alike!  Yeah I may do that, though as DW barely drinks, that's a lot of extra wine/booze for me to imbibe.   I think I'm up to the task!

We did a 2 week Caribbean cruise from Miami to Miami on the little, old ship, Navigator. I don't mind the older smaller ships, but this cruise was considerably above the normal max passengers. We had 3 cabins for the 4 of us, and we are SSS gold members. Both of our Regent newbies in their own cabins (paying 100 percent single supplement) asked for bourbon in their rooms, and did not get it. At the bars, the best they had was Woodford, but it only lasted for the first week of the cruise. One of our newbies was able to get a bottle of Woodford in her Concierge level cabin, but the other, in a Veranda suite, had to settle for something other than bourbon.  For our 2 bottles in our cabin, we hadn't asked for bourbon (we already knew they wouldn't give us Blanton's), and got what we ordered online before the cruise. Our newbies were tempted to buy something more to their liking when stopped in ports, but since they had already paid the 100 percent single supplement, and there are other drinks that they enjoy, they went with other options. We did, however, buy some small bottles of curacao from the distillery, and had it for after dinner drinks a few times while onboard.

And I loved the cronuts, and ate 1 every morning at the Coffee connection with my cappuccino. I gained 5 pounds on the cruise, and I blame the cronuts.

[GeorgiaPeach51]

 

“And I loved the cronuts, and ate 1 every morning at the Coffee connection with my cappuccino. I gained 5 pounds on the cruise, and I blame the cronuts.”

 

Made me laugh!  Yes, those cronuts are wicked good.  Hard to resist, especially when they alternate flavors and you don’t want to miss one of those!  
 

Joanie

[Whinenowine]

17 hours ago, vistaman said:

In your case I would spend it on great Champagnes on board  :  the Krug is a bargain , Billecart Salmon Rosé is also great and Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is in the top of that style 

If I had that OBC I would chose  a Krug Rosé  also a bargain !   Dom P Rosé is overpriced everywhere.

I am also feeling sorry when I open one of my last great Bordeaux   as at the actual high prices I cannot follow anymore  so I moved on to great bubbles 

elsewhere in CC I made comments on   3  companies  with heavily overpriced wine lists -

500 $ for a Dom P  and 350 for the dry Y of Yquem ??? 

Yes, bubbles is what I'm leaning towards, based on the connoisseur list someone posted a few weeks ago. Krug is one of my favourites, so it's good to hear it's well priced. My cellar is deepest in 3 regions: Bordeaux (red, white and sweet), Tuscany and Champagne. I love almost everything, but have a soft spot for these 3.  I don't want to lug too much, but maybe I'll bring 2 bottles on board--I mean it's just a short flight from NJ to MIA.

[vistaman]

1 hour ago, Whinenowine said:

Yes, bubbles is what I'm leaning towards, based on the connoisseur list someone posted a few weeks ago. Krug is one of my favourites, so it's good to hear it's well priced. My cellar is deepest in 3 regions: Bordeaux (red, white and sweet), Tuscany and Champagne. I love almost everything, but have a soft spot for these 3.  I don't want to lug too much, but maybe I'll bring 2 bottles on board--I mean it's just a short flight from NJ to MIA.

I like white Burgundy  as well,  also crazy prices 

Some dry Bordeaux also  went crazy ,  on Silversea there is Domaine des Chevaliers on the special list ,  usually it is Carbonnieux  or Olivier -   ashame usually there is only Yquem available on special wine lists  

[taxman1]

Greetings from Willemstad!  Our scheduled beach tour was cancelled due to weather not being cooperative.  When a door closes a window opens - what an enjoyable time we had exploring the many shops along the streets of downtown Willemstad.  The partly sunny day and brisk breeze made the poking around a pleasure.  The ship docked very close to the Renaissance Hotel and Rif fort.  From the fort we strolled along to the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge which is fondly known as the “Swinging Old Lady”; not my words!  The bridge rests on 16 pontoons which swings open for boats.  Below is my feeble attempt to capture the bridge as it was swinging back into place for pedestrian traffic.  Unique shops around the Renaissance Hotel.  
 

Here are a few mid- cruise tips:

The hair dryer does not stay by itself and requires you to hold down the button- so I am told.  

 

Breakfast at 9:15 and lunch at 1:15 is as if you are the only one of the ship.  No issues gaining access to a table for 2 at the window.  Below is from today’ s seat.  

Iced coffee mocha with a squeeze of chocolate syrup around 3:30 at coffee connection is a must. 
 

 

[PinkMEB]

I’ve been on three of the ships and I don’t recall having to hold down the button for the hair dryer. Ask your cabin attendant if the other kind is available. 

[rcandkc]

36 minutes ago, PinkMEB said:

I’ve been on three of the ships and I don’t recall having to hold down the button for the hair dryer. Ask your cabin attendant if the other kind is available. 

People with rheumatoid arthritis and severe damage will not be able to hold down the button constantly.  I sure hope this does not spread to the other ships.