OctoberKat

Jim and I were delighted by our recent (24 June - 5 July) 12-day Windstar cruise aboard Star Pride -- Edinburgh, Scotland / Kirkwall, Scotland / Norway (port stops in Bergen, Geiranger, Alesund and Molde) / Torshavn, Faroes / Reykjavik, Iceland.

That you may better understand my comments -- we are not avid cruisers having been disappointed in fairly recent voyages on Regent (Caribbean) and Silverseas (Amazon), one each. Although I cruised often as a child on the now-defunct Panama Line. Cruising lately has been an option we are trying because Jim is in mid-stage dementia and this form of travel can be easier than some.

We adored Star Pride, a smaller vessel with around 200 passengers. It was in tip-top shape and we found the furnishings pleasing and comfortable which cannot be said of our Silverseas and Regent experiences. No crowding, much comfort plus thoughtful touches throughout.

Service was pervasive, attentive and kindly. Never a surly face to be seen (although there was an occasional "doing my job" mien). Meanwhile the many smiles were sufficiently genuine so as to defeat my BS sensor.

As with our Silverseas and Regent cruises we booked top accommodation, an owners suite of 648sq.ft. which was perfect for us. Foyer, bar area, bedroom, living room, full marble bath with walk-in shower (YAY), powder room, walk-in closet, plentiful storage, windows galore, large outside deck with lounge and dining furniture. If I can't book a large premium REAL suite, I won't book, period, no matter the line. Although smaller by almost half of the SS and Regent top suites, we were delighted with the Star Pride owners suite and found it very much to our taste. So comfortable.

Speaking of taste, no question decor is entirely objective. I so prefer the quiet, comfortable ethos on Star Pride. Little bling, no fake elegance, no distasteful art, no sacrificing function over form. This cruise line has managed to furnish its cabins and public spaces with graceful furniture and airy ethos. Kudos, Windstar.

Much depends upon the food. This, in particular, is where SS and Regent utterly reneged on their Luxury promise yet Windstar shone finest kind. Food was fab! Breakfast in The Veranda was excellent. Mmm. The fruit buffet was fabulous -- juicy, tasty, utterly fresh. No cardboard melon. Best benedicts with variations. Delicious scrambled eggs -- these are my breakfast test, however common, good scrambled eggs are difficult to be had. Even room-service breakfast was fab!

Lunch for us was in the Yacht Club where a rotating selection of mini sandwiches was provided each day: egg salad on pita (my fave), pate on whole wheat, smoked salmon on French, Asian chicken wrap, turkey with cranberry jelly, ham and brie on French, etc. Plus a selection of cookies and dessert. There are two other lunch venues but we did not go there, so satisfied were we with the Yacht Club offerings.

Dinner. Well, dinner was finest kind. Delicious, wonderfully satisfying and a salubrious mix of creative and traditional. Lobster twice and it was very very good indeed. I confess I went to dinner with low expectations but was delightfully surprised every night but one. My grilled veal chop was not so grilled and closer to raw than medium rare.

We enjoyed our fellow cruisers who spanned the gamut from one young honeymoon couple to a full panoply of age ranges including more than a few family groups. In general on this cruise, average age skewed lover than our other two cruises. For good or ill -- just information.

Excursions -- Inextricably wrapped up in port choices. We traveled with my kindergarten friend from Panama and none of the three of us could come up with an explanation of why we had 36 hours at Kirkwall in Scotland where the weather was dreadful all the day long.

Meanwhile, the four Norway ports were nothing short of fabulous but we could have used more time in each. Ashore time was skimpy. For most onboard, Norway was the point of the trip.

Faroe Islands -- in the middle of the Norwegian Sea. Arrived in the early morning. Left at 1pm when the sun began to shine. Poor timing.

It's odd but probably familiar to the well cruised -- port choices and times have little to do with what is best for passengers but rather more to do with management sailing and PR issues.

In general excursion choices were fine with good selection for the more active. Our four excursions in Norway were good to great. We opted out of excursions in Kirkwall and Faroes due to entirely overcast weather which is the norm in the morning which is when we were there. Right. Why?

I am a good sailor but my two companions suffered mal de mer on the last two days of the voyage as we transited the Norwegian Sea and North Atlantic. Seas were rambunctious and ours was a small ship. Bonine available gratis at reception and that did help. Ship's doctor available for injections in grievous cases.

Service was kindly and competent across the board. A call-out to our suite steward, Christian, who was so sweetly expert.

If we cruise again, It will be on one of the Windstar motorized yachts. The Windstar sail yachts have too many passengers in tiny cabins so not for us. If you need decent room in your cabin, look only to the motorized "yachts."

We loved our Windstar voyage on Star Pride very much -- it was finest kind. If we cruise again it will be on one of the Star vessels.

Finally, a note about luxury. For me, luxury is about comfort, kindness, good food, intelligent excursions and fine accommodations. In an environment that brings together like-minded folk. We were happy to jostle along with our colleagues.

Thank you, Walt.

Having been a table mate of a couple (he was having heart problems and she was the caregiver) we showed up for dinner one night to find out that wife died suddenly during the day.

 

 

The ship's chaplain and the medical officer were at the table to let us know and pretty much took over the care giving duties.

 

 

It might be a great idea to meet with the Captain (or the Cruise Director) on arrival and make them part of your team. If nothing else they can be very supportive as you progress with all 11 days.

 

 

Jim is very fortunate to have you by his side to ensure that he continues to experience all life has to offer. Good work.

Thank you for your kindness.

Hi OctoberKat. Your wisdom will be a great resource for those who are not as experienced as you in dealing with dementia, especially when traveling. You’ve made some very good points and are using Jim’s strengths to facilitate a successful journey:hearteyes: He’s very blessed to have your love and support to ensure a lovely trip. As someone with much experience dealing with this disease, I’d like to respectfully suggest you consider making written note of those things he will need frequent reminders about, certain details regarding the trip perhaps. This with likely increase his feelings of independence as he can reference the info as often as needed without relying as much on you. Seeing the info in print will increase the likelihood that he’s better able to recall pertinent details and should give him an added sense of security and comfort. And directing him to the written information rather than you repeating yourself unnecessarily might reduce the likelihood of increased frustration or weariness on your part at some point. Of course vision might be a factor. I would use simple sentence structure and bullets with slightly large print to accommodate his needs. If Jim has not yet reached the point of needing you to repeat information multiple times you still might want to consider beginning to put some things in print before it becomes a factor. By getting in the habit of him accessing written information now, you are planning for a more successful “tomorrow”. I’m wishing you and Jim a wonderful cruise making wonderful memories!

Your plan is well thought out but as we know things happen .What contingency plan do you have if you get ill or injured ?

Yes. Trip insurance, medical insurance, money.

You do sound sour in your posts in this thread.

No assumption. You posted above "Have been the recipiemt of rude, cruel and incentive comments from able bodied people on occasion but have never been kick off a ship" Sounds negative to me. In any case, I regret you endured rude and cruel comments.

Refer to Post #26 in this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=45840

Noted. Yet you apparently did not note my preparation above.

Regret you have had negative encounters. They must have soured you and that is a shame.

Trust that I am fully cognizant of and committed to my responsibilities with Jim on and off ship. His most notable behavioral issue is telling the same stories over and over again so we most often dine solo or, at most, with another couple we have met on board who seem copacetic and are aware of Jim's nature.

We travel often; since Jim's diagnosis we've been to Mexico three or four times a year; the Eastern Townships in Quebec province last fall; to LA in January for our 46th anniversary; to Fiji last year; Hawaii twice last year; Thanksgiving in Delaware; Cabo in March; plus semi local respites in Point Reyes and Big Sur, etc. We have two cruises under our belt, 10-day Western Caribbean and 18-day Barbados - Amazon (Manaus) and back. Plus two canal barge "cruises" in the Loire Valley and Burgundy with side stays in Paris. No need for research, we know how to travel with dementia.

Jim's neurologist heartily endorses travel for those who are accustomed to it. So the general caution regarding travel for those with dementia is misplaced in our case. It may not be the right course for all but, for me and Jim, it is wonderful.

So, yes, we are going indeed, with bells on.

OK, thanks.

Hope you plan to be with your husband at all times. Reason being that there have been reports on CC over the years of passengers on various ships having left their loved one with Dimentia alone to fend for themself. Thus resulting in the individual becoming confused, disoriented and asking for assistance from passengers and cruise staff. The end result was that everyone in the party was off-loaded at the next port. No Refunds nor travel allowances provided by the cruise line.

Noted.

Oddly discouraging post but I expect you mean well. We shall try not to discommode other passengers. Have you personally had a negative experience with a disabled traveler?

Special Needs number or email (preferably) for Windstar?

Jim and I are booked on the June 24th Windstar cruise on Star Pride out of Leith, Scotland to Norway to the Faroes to Reykjavik. Jim has mid-stage dementia but we refuse to give up traveling. Others may find themselves in this situation so, herewith, my tips and tricks for flying/cruising with a demented (smile) beloved.

Short-term memory loss, and the great difficulty in making new memories, is a hallmark of dementia. What this means for our travel is Jim's inability to figure out how he got where he is each day.

For example, in June we'll fly to London, then take the train to Edinburgh where we board the Windstar (only 210 passengers assuming fully booked) ship sailing over eleven days to Northern Scotland, Norway, the Faroe Islands and on to Iceland before flying home to SFO. For someone with dementia, this is a whole lot of to-ing and fro-ing that could cause confusion and anxiety. We have booked the largest suite which has a good-size balcony which Jim will love, good weather permitting.

Truth to tell, our usual travel entails flying non-stop to one destination and staying put for the duration. So the June trip will be challenging. Here's what I will do to forestall / ameliorate confusion for Jim.

-- Pack two modest wheelie bags. Make liberal use of laundry service as needed. Check bags on flights, no carry-on nonsense.

-- Outline with highlighter on maps our route and all stops. Jim LOVES maps and it orients and comforts him to trace our journey.

-- Starting a week before outbound flight, remind Jim every day we will be flying to London on X day; the car service will pick us up at X time to drive us to SFO. Flying itself is pretty straight forward,I'll keep reminding Jim we're enroute to London where he has been many times before. Staying in same hotel he loved the last time.

-- I know well the LHR immigration/customs routine upon landing. Because we are flying business class, we will have expedited process.

-- Driver meets us upon clearing customs, escorts to car, drives to hotel and, voila, London! We'll have tea and sandwiches and stay awake as long as we can before crashing. Neither of us rests well on red-eyes.

-- We have three days in London to recover from jetlag. No activities on Day 1, hang in hotel with room service, sights from our Thames-view suite. Theatre or concert evening of Day 2; Hatchard / Liberty / Fortnum & Mason on Day 3. Remind Jim each morning and evening that we flew from home to London. Show Jim route map morning and evening.

-- Next day, noon express train to Edinburgh, settle in hotel, take it easy. Remind Jim we flew to London, took train to Edinburgh. Show Jim map.

-- Board ship next afternoon. Settle. Explain itinerary with focus on where we'll be tomorrow. Show Jim map.

-- Each day of 11-day cruise show Jim map in the morning. We have booked easy group excursions for each of the six port stops but will skip or arrange private tours as needed. It's FINE to stay aboard and do much of nothing. Flexibility is key; not only for Jim but for me as well. Important I not get worn out and cranky.

-- Room service is our friend.

-- Morning and afternoon rambles around the ship. Look at ocean and horizon (soothing!), stop by library. Imbibe tea, champers, diet coke, mineral water as desired.

-- Show Jim map. Taxi to hotel upon early-morning arrival in Reykjavik. Do something if we feel like it. By now we'll have been traveling for two weeks and will be on short tethers, Danger Time. Next day MAYBE go to Blue Lagoon if we feel like it. Or, should tethers prove too short, fly home nonstop (expensive option but that's OK).

-- Next day, show Jim map. Fly home to SFO on flight as originally booked which includes an inconvenient stopover in Montreal of seven hours.

-- Pick up Mr. Maggie from cat spa on the way home from airport in limo, then we are well and truly home.

Silly me, I am SO excited about your trip, Pamela!

Delighted to learn you booked, Pamela -- good on you! Our first canal barge trip was aboard Renaissance; it is elegantly yet comfortably furnished and has larger-than-the-norm cabins. Confident your spjourn will be fabulous.

You will need your French in the countryside along the barge route. English much less common there than in Paris, a truism no doubt.

Paging Pamela, more info to get you in the mood:

http://www.gobarging.com/l-art-de-vivre-barge

http://www.burgundy-canal.com/

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/burgundy-wine-barging-and-beyond

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/Burgundy/Features/burgundy-canal-journeys/

We prefer the OS because we are not very social and enjoy the extra space, two bathrooms, reading, relaxing in our private space, and the views of Alaska all by ourselves in our lovely suite..

I am SO with you on this. Sounds divinely perfect.

Back to Pamela with an invitation to check back in to apprise us of your barge plans/progress. We, the vicarious, would be pleased to ride along.

Grazie amica! I'm in good hands after having exhausted my store of Italian.

OctoberKat,

 

We cruised Alaska on Regatta and it was lovely. Our cruise was in May SF to Alaska and the time of year was perfect. No crowds or children, great docking position and good weather.

Word of advice, we had the Vista Suite in the front. A fabulous suite, although when it gets rough (1st 2 days from SF) you get hit with everything. A wild ride ;-) I personally would take the OS in the back. We had the OS on Insignia for a month in S. America last year and it was perfect. Just something to consider.

Good to know, Portofino, thank you. Looks as if the owners suite is for us, now just have to weigh upper versus lower deck. We're considering the May cruise, as well.

Gosh, you all, happily enjoyed your lovely greetings, so kind! Perks me right up.

Pamela, I very much hope you and your husband can do the barge "cruise" through Burgundy. It's a marvelous trip and so restorative. Plus, FRANCE, you know?! Ask me anything if questions arise later.

Portofino, I am looking at Oceania's Regatta for the Alaska cruise. it departs from San Francisco which is super handy for us. Will be booking semi-soon for 2018 since we'll want owner's suite or next level down.

Also, we may mot be entirely done with traditional cruising. There may be an Alaska cruise in store but it for sure won't be on Regent.

I must add: dress always is informal. Leave gowns, blazers and ties at home. Yet another reason to favor barging over traditional cruising.

Hello, Pamela, good to see your post. If I fail to address any of your questions, let me know. Also, "well respected" -- haha, not so much.

First, here is a diary of our Burgundy canal barge cruise:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2233277&highlight=amaryllis

Second, more commentary: We've barged twice in France and are considering another such "cruise" next year (in Scotland!). We are fairly well travelled and adore our barge trips -- at the top of our holiday list. You will want to book the ultra-deluxe category; these barges are luxurious and comfortable -- the best of everything. If the bank permits. Yet, barging at any level is a bargain in my view.

We favor the Loire Valley over Burgundy, the scenery is far more delightful and the wines are pretty good as well. Each day there is an excursion to a chateau or a vineyard or a garden or a pottery or a winery or a town market (such fun!) or a walking tour, etc. Plus bicycles when you want the breeze in your hair. There usually is one cabin bigger than others so do your research and book early. The cabins are exceptionally comfortable, you won't feel cramped. In any case, you'll spend most of your waking hours on the shade or sun decks so as to glory in the gorgeous countryside and villages through which you'll glide.

Each evening is a fine-dining experience, different wines with each course. There is an open bar all day and night long, help yourself. Also soft drinks, juices, mineral water, coffee, espresso, tea, etc.

Most of the ultra-deluxe barge trips meet their guests in the lobby of a Parisian hotel, then drive to the barge mooring which can be anywhere from an hour to 2.5 hours distant. At trip's end, guests are driven back to Paris.

The unpredictable element is your fellow bargers. Most ultra-deluxe barges accommodate six to eight guests. It's a crap shoot. None of our co-bargers were to our taste but it did not matter, we got along well enough and adored being just the two of us.

We found it necessary to arrive in Paris two nights ahead of the barge trip -- jet lag, we fly from San Francisco. Besides, it's Paris! We stayed a week after as well.

Summer in France, in our experience, can be warmer than expected. Bring hot-weather clothes plus layers for when it's not hot. But, yes, hot.

Status update on us for the relevant folk: Since our Amazon cruise at the end of 2015, our land travels have taken us to Fiji (two weeks at Laucala, epitome of luxury http://www.laucala.com/), Mexico (X4), Hawaii (X2) Quebec, Santa Fe (opera), London (Last Night at the Proms), Paris (X2), Big Sur (X2), Napa, Point Reyes National Seashore (X4). We sold the house and moved to independent senior living, cough, cough. Sparky the cat died. Six months later we welcomed Magnus the MagnifiCat, a rescued three-year-old flamepoint Siamese. Jim still is walking and talking. As am I.

This thread is haring off on an off-tangent topic. Yanking it back on topic am I: gnomie, I wasn't offended by FDR's comments about the best suite on Explorer. Yet those comments did strike me as nouveaux riche tacky.

Agree, the inclusion of a spa-space in the suite is a waste.

I joined CC in summer of 2014, a total newbie was I. After roaming many of the threads here, Jim and I decided to take the leap and booked our first cruise aboard Regent Navigator, January 2015. I discussed our interest and excitement here on the CC Regent thread. To which TravelCat2 responded with the following post:

We would not sail on the Navigator again either...... however, I have posted this many times. Well, maybe would not say "never" but she is far from our favorite ship. As I have also posted, the Navigator has the least expensive fare and, IMO, is a decent introduction to luxury cruising which is probably why she is so popular. The cost of a Master Suite on a typical Caribbean cruise is less than on just about any luxury cruise line. However, it must be said that you get what you pay for.

 

On the other hand, there are many cruisers that will only sail on the Navigator. Different strokes...................... Even though the Silver Whisper is our favorite ship, I cannot honestly state that the food or service is better than Regent. The passengers on the Whisper are quite different since the majority of passengers on Silversea are non-Americans (not all the time -- just many times) while many passengers on the Navigator are "newbies". Silversea has many "formal" or "informal" (jackets required) nights. This is very different than on Regent.

 

The bottom line for us is that we would sail Silversea or Oceania rather than sailing on the Navigator. But, we would sail on the Voyager or Mariner over Silversea or Oceania (depending, of course, upon itinerary). Our Silversea cruises have been based on itinerary.

 

That bit above about Whisper passengers not being American in the main is worrying.

Excellent.

ededmd: As posted by the OP, it is important to consider the level of passengers that will be enticed by these lower prices. Passengers that can afford mainstream and lower premium cruise lines could be booking. While this would be okay if they did their due diligence and understood the ambience and culture of Regent, some passengers will board Regent and act as if they were on a mainstream cruise line. Even my DH did not think of that until I brought it to his attention. I seriously doubt if most of us would want to be on these sailings.

Where to start? "level of passenger" = is that code for ... class?

As for this: "While this would be okay if they did their due diligence and understood the ambience and culture of Regent, some passengers will board Regent and act as if they were on a mainstream cruise line." Seriously? Good heavenly days, stunned this was posted here.

Because the folk who usually cruise aboard Regent are ... a better class?

In all sincerity, disregarding various earlier kerfuffles, the post above is greatly to be regretted.