Live from the Grandeur by a Newbie to RSSC

[Jchisley]

41 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. 

I did request another hairdryer  and that’s the only thing I’ve been refused so far ! The curly cable is also so tightly curled that it constantly pulls the dryer out of the wall socket .

[rcandkc]

49 minutes ago, Jchisley said:

I did request another hairdryer  and that’s the only thing I’ve been refused so far ! The curly cable is also so tightly curled that it constantly pulls the dryer out of the wall socket .

Strike 2 against Grandeur ☹️

[taxman1]

The pool deck has been closed for the barbecue tonight.  While we were initially bummed … this does not stink (see photo below).  
 

carrying on with the tips …

 

Please note that the goop station/desk area has two sets of drawers side by side.  It looks like both sides have 4 drawers, well there are 3.  The bottom 2 are a single deep drawer.   C’mon - you need to give Grandeur one strike back on that one.  
 

The safe is not large enough to hold a laptop. I realize that there is a minority of us still schlepping a work laptop that requires lock and key.  Still a tid bit to be shared.  

Dinner last night was in CR and it was a hit all around.  First and foremost we found our station and service staff.  We started with the spring roll and crab for my wife and the lobster bisque for me.   Our entrees were lamb, hers was the lamb special while I opted for the chops.  Everything was full of flavor and outstanding.  The Bourdeau being poured last night was also a big hit.  
 

Our female waiter last night had only been in the ship for 3 days and was brand new to the dining service.  She was so nervous but did an absolute wonderful job.  We told her we will see again.  
 

Speak soon!

 

 

[Jchisley]

I’m excited for tonight’s deck party and love all the evening singing and entertainment so far . Our safe has plenty of room for a laptop btw 😊.

Agree with you about the lamb chops but we found the lobster bisque watery and very much lacking any depth of flavour . Chacun a son goût as they say 😊

[taxman1]

Consider yourself blessed!

 

 

[cAPS lOCK oN]

3 hours ago, Jchisley said:

I’m excited for tonight’s deck party and love all the evening singing and entertainment so far . Our safe has plenty of room for a laptop btw 😊.

Agree with you about the lamb chops but we found the lobster bisque watery and very much lacking any depth of flavour . Chacun a son goût as they say 😊

We always ask for extra lobster with the bisque. They'll bring a dish of lobster meat and it makes a big difference.

[cruisevirgin24]

The Pool Grill will make milkshakes from any flavour ice-cream available that day. We tried coconut milkshake with a couple of shots of rum. It definitely filled the "dry" period between lunch and dinner!

Another recommendation is to visit Dianara in Coffee Connection in the afternoon for a Coffee Nelson. I don't drink coffee so I ordered a Chocolate Nelson (not actually on the menu). Nothing is too much trouble!

[taxman1]

Another port with our beach tour cancelled.  We adventured out into downtown contributing to the local economy.   Both Curacao and Bonaire have the most friendly people!   It has been great chatting it up with the local shop owners.  
 

Last night’s barbecue fell flat for us.  Food was good and selections were plenty.  Crowd management was an issue.  
 

Tonight is Chartreuse.  Really looking forward to tonight. 
 

cruisevirgin24 - we see Dianara each afternoon when retrieving our daily coffee.  I just may ask about the Chocolate Nelson.  She is also working the pool deck grill for lunch and we have chatted it up with her on numerous occasions. She is a doll.  
 

Laundry and pressing has been great with a 24 hour turnaround.  
 

So long for now Bonaire!

 

 

[labonnevie]

8 minutes ago, taxman1 said:

 

Tonight is Chartreuse.  Really looking forward to tonight. 
 

Try the mushroom soup!

 

 

[papaflamingo]

19 hours ago, cruisevirgin24 said:

visit Dianara in Coffee Connection

We were on Grandeur last month.  Dianara was not only in the Coffee Connection, but also Compass Rose serving wine and the theater serving drinks.  By FAR one of our FAVORITE crew members (in a huge bunch of favorite crew members).

[taxman1]

Chartreuse last night did not disappoint.  The venue was very busy at 7:30 as we waited about 10 minutes to be seated.  We once again had Lady Luck on our side as we were seated at the window in the back.  
 

Our female waiter was attentive while not being intrusive. She had a great command of the menu as she assisted with our indecisiveness with so many great dishes to choose from.  After a few changes we finalized our order as follows: 

my wife started with the soufflé, then the mushroom soup and wrapped it up with the lamb chops.  
 

for me it was the escargot, then the mushroom soup and finishing it off with the Filet.  
 

My wife said the soufflé was absolutely decadent!   Loved every savory bite.  My escargot we good, but entirely different preparation than I have ever experienced.  The mushroom soup was the star for both of us.  That soup is something you curl up with on a cold rainy day with a nice crusty bread.  We loved it!   The lamb chops were perfection.  I was still so blown away by the mushroom soup I somewhat went through the motions with my filet.  It was very good,

but my taste-buds were still roaring from the soup.  
 

Throughout the meal we enjoyed the Bourdeau being poured and kicking myself for not taking a photo of the label. 
 

We had to skip the trolley but did share the Opera cake which was light and creamy.  A definite repeat.  
 

Timing was just perfect as we left dinner and headed directly to another show with Patty Dess who did not disappoint.   
 

Grenada today for some spice shopping.  We started it off with another glorious breakfast on our veranda followed with a wine tasting at lunch.  
 

A few photos of our entrees last night. 

[briar14]

2 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

We were on Grandeur last month.  Dianara was not only in the Coffee Connection, but also Compass Rose serving wine and the theater serving drinks.  By FAR one of our FAVORITE crew members (in a huge bunch of favorite crew members).

 

Totally agree! Lovely person and a beautiful smile!

Edited February 11 by briar14

[papaflamingo]

22 hours ago, taxman1 said:

My escargot we good, but entirely different preparation than I have ever experienced.  

When we were on Grandeur in Jan. our friend had the escargot.  It was "weird." He didn't like it all, but he broke the "shell" open and just ate the snail.  I was thinking it might be better if you also ate the "shell" with it.  What was your impression?  Was it worth ordering or not?  

[taxman1]

Chartreuse last night did not disappoint.  The venue was very busy at 7:30 as we waited about 10 minutes to be seated.  We once again had Lady Luck on our side as we were seated at the window in the back.  
 

Our female waiter was attentive while not being intrusive. She had a great command of the menu as she assisted with our indecisiveness with so many great dishes to choose from.  After a few changes we finalized our order as follows: 

my wife started with the soufflé, then the mushroom soup and wrapped it up with the lamb chops.  
 

for me it was the escargot, then the mushroom soup and finishing it off with the Filet.  
 

My wife said the soufflé was absolutely decadent!   Loved every savory bite.  My escargot we good, but entirely different preparation than I have ever experienced.  The mushroom soup was the star for both of us.  That soup is something you curl up with on a cold rainy day with a nice crusty bread.  We loved it!   The lamb chops were perfection.  I was still so blown away by the mushroom soup I somewhat went through the motions with my filet.  It was very good,

but my taste-buds were still roaring from the soup.  
 

Throughout the meal we enjoyed the Bourdeau being poured and kicking myself for not taking a photo of the label. 
 

We had to skip the trolley but did share the Opera cake which was light and creamy.  A definite repeat.  
 

Timing was just perfect as we left dinner and headed directly to another show with Patty Dess who did not disappoint.   
 

Grenada today for some spice shopping.  We started it off with another glorious breakfast on our veranda followed with a wine tasting at lunch.  
 

A few photos of our entrees last night. 

[taxman1]

I am having difficulties with replying on the latest page so will apologize in advance if I am double down on responses already submitted.  
 

First, responding to the post regarding the escargot at Chartreuse.  I think I would order it again to try it again.  Because I was caught off guard on the preparation I am not sure I fully appreciated the preparation and for that would probably order it again.  Now that I know what to expect I can focus more on the flavors.  
 

Yesterday afternoon was the spice tour which was very informative.  A lot of our eveyday spices are used for medicinal purposes.  Very surprised.  
 

We decided to eat on our veranda last night and so ordered from CR.  Prior to the meal being delivered we grabbed a couple cocktails from the Prime 7 bar just a few doors away from our cabin.  I then ran down to the ML for a couple snack dishes and we enjoyed a couple cocktails with snacks on our Vernanda before dinner arrived at our door.  Lovely evening.  And before I forget,

George the MD called me to address my mid cruise comments.  He was very appreciative of my constructive comments.  I was taken back that one, he read the comment, but second he actually called to confirm he has seen the same from his team and was addressing the issue.  Good for them.  
 

After dinner we joined the Super Bowl festivities in the constellation theatre.  Wow, wow, wow, wow!  Boy did regent do it up right.  Food offerings were outstanding and the dessert options were to die for.  I was kinda upset we ordered from CR.  
 

For those wondering we did not hit a single square even with fairly good numbers.  After learning the game was being shown on our cabin TV’s we headed back to the cabin after 3rd quarter to finish the game from bed.  
 

Below are photos from dinner on the Veranda to those at the SB party.  

[taxman1]

Yesterday was St Lucia.  We had a blast on our tour with “Chocolate Thunder”.   We decided on the speed boat tour which took us along the coast to the Pitons. CT took the boat into several bays highlighting various points of interest.  Upon our arrival at the Pitons we had time to enjoy the beach where the Viceroy resides.  Great time with the guys and a tour I would highly recommend on your next visit.  
 

Last night we had dinner at CR and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Jorge checked us in and thanked me again for the feedback.  The Butternut Squash soup was outstanding.  My wife enjoyed the Rigatoni while I nearly licked the bowl clean of Beef Bourguignon. The beef was so tender I broke it apart with my spoon.  Yum!!

 

The comedian last night was ok.  He had a couple bits which were funny but the days of a screaming comic are somewhat gone.  
 

Below are photos of our tour boat, the beach stop and the woman’s shoe rock formation.  
 

Today was the Mecca for shoppers.  I need time to recover and prepare for tomorrow’s post.  However, a good evening photo from St. Barts. 

 

[CruzC2C]

On 2/12/2024 at 5:19 AM, papaflamingo said:

When we were on Grandeur in Jan. our friend had the escargot.  It was "weird." He didn't like it all, but he broke the "shell" open and just ate the snail.  I was thinking it might be better if you also ate the "shell" with it.  What was your impression?  Was it worth ordering or not?  

I had the escargot on the Grandeur on the cruise through the Panama Canal.  I absolutely loved it, the best new food item on the ship. I’m glad they did away with the escargot in the red wine and replace it with this.  my fingers are crossed they have it on the Splendor next month. 
By the way, I also ready liked the artichoke appetizer they served in Chartreuse.  

[taxman1]

St. Barts - we are 2 for 2 in our visits to this beautiful port.  Meaning each time we have cruised with this port on the itinerary we have been lucky enough to go ashore.  The Main Street, Rue de la Republique, rests along the water with yachts lining the promenade.  Yes, the street has almost every high end designer from Paris and Milan, however, you will only find one of a kind goods made by the various fashion houses just for St. Barts.  
 

For this specific visit timing is everything as the strong dollar to the Euro also allowed shoppers to actually keep a few dollars in the kitty for extra pulls on the one armed bandits at the ship’s casino.  Our visit also coincided with the second day of Carnival celebrations with many people dressed in sparkles and costumes for the early afternoon parade.  Which brings us to the topic of RSSC’s destination folks.  After learning about the parade event and some indicators online that yesterday was a French holiday there was concern over the shops being closed.  When we inquired with our Destination folks we were told the shops would be closed.  Well the shops were in facts open albeit for a 3-4 hour slot.  Now, I would fully expect our destination expert to be on top of what is happening at each port on our day of arrival.  We had a friend whom we just met onboard who informed us she actually called Hermes to confirm their hours of operation.  That is something our destination desk should be delivering as a service which does not require a huge investment by RSSC, other than a small amount of time.  A big failure by the destination services team in my opinion.  
 

Below is a photo from the Capri shop on the second floor looking out into the harbor with the Grandeur in the distance.  
 

We returned to the ship just in time for a beautiful lunch at La Veranda.  I am hooked on the green mussels served at lunch, a photo attached below.  After lunch it was a gorgeous day lounging around the pool rehashing our adventures on the Republique.  Did anything get away during our fishing trip?  I could not resist taking a few photos of the magnificent yachts dotting the harbor.  The photo from yesterday’s  post captured the end to a perfect day at St. Barts.  
 

Last night was Pacific Rim.  By far our favorite dining experience this trip.  From the outstanding service by Claire to the explosion of flavorful food choices throughout dinner.  We could have done just a variety of appetizers and called it a winner.  Do not miss the Pacific Rim.  I captured a photo from our table looking out to the entrance of the restaurant.  Ok, maybe I had to lean a bit from the table to along the shot.  
 

From PR it was off the Marauders Ball. I must say I think the entertainment aboard the ship has been some of the best at sea.  The cast can dance and sing.  Ok, I admit I got a little lost on the story line but I am typically 2 city blocks behind everyone else when it comes to that anyway.   What matters is we enjoyed the show.  
 

Off to explore Tortola …

 

 

[papaflamingo]

14 hours ago, CruzC2C said:

I had the escargot on the Grandeur on the cruise through the Panama Canal.  I absolutely loved it, the best new food item on the ship. I’m glad they did away with the escargot in the red wine and replace it with this.  my fingers are crossed they have it on the Splendor next month. 
By the way, I also ready liked the artichoke appetizer they served in Chartreuse.  

Thanks.  We leave for Hong Kong tomorrow to join Explorer on Feb. 21. If they also have the new preparation I'll have to give it a try.  So many great choices... maybe 2 appetizers this time?  After all, there are no calories west of the International Dateline, right?  😎

[fizzy]

Thank you for all your commentary on this cruise. I believe I have picked up on another Regent talk board that people have been surprised to find many excursions unavailable due to age and weight restrictions and had been given no warning until the day of.. Has this happened or are you aware of any of this being true? 

[taxman1]

Our tours at Curacao and Bonaire were cancelled.  They were both beach tours and the weather was what we were told was the reason behind the cancellation.  I have not heard of any age or weight restrictions.  

[fizzy]

4 hours ago, taxman1 said:

Our tours at Curacao and Bonaire were cancelled.  They were both beach tours and the weather was what we were told was the reason behind the cancellation.  I have not heard of any age or weight restrictions.  

Thanks so much for your reply. It' a FB group ongoing discussion. I hope they're wrong.

[papaflamingo]

9 hours ago, fizzy said:

Regent talk board that people have been surprised to find many excursions unavailable due to age and weight restrictions and had been given no warning until the day of

I think that is a bit of an overreaction.  All the excursions have a "disclaimer" section on the website and most (apparently not all) show if there's a weight, age, mobility, etc, limitation.  But in reality you can probably figure which one's are most likely to have a limitation.  Zip lining, snorkeling or diving off a boat, climbing around rocks (like the Baths in Tortola), long hikes, horseback riding, ATV excursions, etc.  

We have 110 days on Regent and leaving tomorrow for another 14, and have found very few excursions with limitations for age and weight.  They are there, but rare.  It's not "many excursions," it's a few excursions. 

[fizzy]

11 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

I think that is a bit of an overreaction.  All the excursions have a "disclaimer" section on the website and most (apparently not all) show if there's a weight, age, mobility, etc, limitation.  But in reality you can probably figure which one's are most likely to have a limitation.  Zip lining, snorkeling or diving off a boat, climbing around rocks (like the Baths in Tortola), long hikes, horseback riding, ATV excursions, etc.  

We have 110 days on Regent and leaving tomorrow for another 14, and have found very few excursions with limitations for age and weight.  They are there, but rare.  It's not "many excursions," it's a few excursions. 

While you have given a common sense explanation, I think it would be helpful to have the exact rules for the excursion spelled out in advance to not only avoid disappointment but so that people are aware of what they are paying for via the cruise cost and can they expect to receive what is being advertised. Nothing more, nothing less..

[boblerm]

On 2/13/2024 at 6:08 PM, taxman1 said:

The comedian last night was ok.  He had a couple bits which were funny but the days of a screaming comic are somewhat gone.  

We thought that he was hilarious.  Different strokes. 

On 2/14/2024 at 9:01 AM, taxman1 said:

must say I think the entertainment aboard the ship has been some of the best at sea.  The cast can dance and sing.  

Agreed! 

 

On 2/14/2024 at 9:01 AM, taxman1 said:

Ok, I admit I got a little lost on the story line but I am typically 2 city blocks behind everyone else when it comes to that anyway

Definitely not everyone else. I found the plot to be incomprehensible, as I do for all of Regent's story line shows. 

No matter, forget the story line, the show was fabulous.