ysolde

I live in the desert and the summers can be terribly hot here (we had over 100 straight days over 100 degrees here this summer), and, after a brief respite, are heading to a few more days of triple degree heat before (hopefully) settling down into the double digits for good now). I love longer, flowy, linen dresses. They are light and airy. Look for linen that is machine washable and can be dried in the machine. I find that if I take my dresses out of the dryer and shake them out immediately, there is little need for an iron. Okay, no need for an iron. I am lazy. 🤣

Oh, I do love the Forum! It is so amazing to be able to walk around so much history. When I first took Latin, the teaching assistant, long since become an important professor of Classics and Roman History, used to tell us that the best way to learn Latin was to go the the sites and look for graffiti. He said you could practically hear the ancient voices of ordinary people speaking to you. When I go to the Forum I feel like I can see ordinary and extraordinary people walking around parade routes, going to temples, etc. It is as close to daily life in Rome as I have been able to see.

Next time, take the synagogue tour. Totally worth the time, effort, and money. The synagogue is exquisite, and the brief tour is quite informative.

DH and I have sailed on Regent a few times and are about to try NCL Viva in The Haven (we got upgraded to a two-bedroom family suite, which is probably way too big for us, but we are not complaining). I have been reading this thread and find it quite useful. Thank you to all who have contributed.

You can do that? Wait, no, that's DH doing the snoring . . . every night of our lives . . . never mind , , ,

Thank you! All of this is useful! I suspect DH and I will be on the same Viva cruise out of Lisbon in November.

This. As I posted upthread, I had a terrible, deep cough on an NCL cruise in fall 2022. I went to the Med Center and was immediately tested for Covid, and tested negative. After that, I had other tests, including chest X-rays. The conclusion was that I had a very serious (but not contagious) bronchitis. I was treated in the Med Center (IV antibiotics and inhalation treatments) for two days, then sent back to my cabin with oral antibiotics, puffer inhalers, and cough medicine. I stayed in my cabin (with my husband) for a couple of days, ordering in room service, watching movies, and just resting. He explained to the room service staff and to our cabin stewardess that I was sick but not contagious, and that they did not have to come in if they did not want to. Eventually, I did venture out. I wore a mask, not because it was necessary, but because, in spite of the cough medicine, I was still coughing a bit, which I knew scared people, and I wanted to keep that to a minimum.

We have stayed at the JW Marriott, then just booked an Uber to the port, less than ten minutes away. Because of our status with Marriott, breakfast was included, and quite good.

It is very important to remember that not all coughing, even deep coughing, is Covid. In November, 2022, DH and I were on a Med cruise that then became a TA (on NCL). We had been traveling through Europe before boarding the ship in Rome. A couple of days into our cruise, I developed a deep cough that just would not go away, along with a few other symptoms. I went to the Medical Center, was tested for Covid (negative). Had an X-Ray and was diagnosed with severe bronchitis. I was treated with IV antibiotics and inhalation treatments at the Medical Center for two days, then given oral antibiotics and puffer inhalation treatments to I could continue treatments in my cabin. I missed a few excursions (le sigh) but it was good that I knew exactly what was wrong with me and how to treat it. I had several follow-ups with the doctor, to ensure I was well enough to make the crossing and to see how I was doing. The Medical Center was wonderful (if expensive -- we were glad to have travel insurance, but would have paid for the service out of pocket). Do NOT play with your health. Get checked out, and make sure you are treated for whatever actually ails you.

This happened in 2012, and EU 261 has been in force since 2004, I think. Although SQ is not a European airline, we were flying from Frankfurt, so EU 261 and its duty of care provisions applied. There were four large groups at our airport hotel: Lufthansa passengers, Air Canada passengers, Delta passengers, and Singapore passengers. Each morning, we checked in with the customer service tables the airlines had set up in the lobby (much as Regent sets up a table in the hotel lobby prior to a cruise, but much less fun) to find out if there was any news on the East Coast airports. When there was none, we would then make plans for the day: go into town for lunch and a day of sightseeing, spend the day in the Fraport Mall, that sort of thing. It was something of an unearthly time, like being in limbo, never knowing when we would go home, and, knowing how bad the news was in so many places, what awaited us when would arrive. Fortunately, for us, it was nothing too terrible.

ITA with all of this. Years ago, during Hurricane Sandy, DH and I were supposed to fly from Frankfurt back home to NYC, where we lived at the time, on Singapore Airlines. When we arrived at the Singapore Airlines counter, we discovered that, due to the hurricane, JFK was indefinitely closed and our flight was canceled. This is where it got . . . interesting. The woman at the counter told us she could give us a voucher for the airport hotel for one night, and then we were on our own for the duration. She gave us dinner vouchers for one evening. That was it. So, the next morning, DH was checking us out of the airport hotel and seeing if he could get us another room, under our credit card. I was with our luggage, when I saw a table set up with a Singapore Airlines sign on it. I asked if they were representatives. It turned out, SQ was paying for our stay at the hotel until the emergency was over. This included an extremely generous breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. The reps apologized and the CR manager found my DH and made sure that our room was charged to SQ, not to our credit card. He apologized for the way we had been treated at the counter the day before. The woman behind the counter had screwed up. Mistakes happen. It's how they are handled that keeps or loses the customers. And we remained loyal to SQ's business class for many years after that.

Alas, we booked the Canal for 2027. We are doing a Christmas cruise on Mariner in 2025/2026.

We were on the Rio to Lisbon TA in March that others have written about and the weather was, indeed, quite warm, for the most part. We had a lovely time.

We had considered an Alaska cruise as the next cruise we book with Regent, but finally settled on a Panama Canal cruise, which has us leaving out of LA (close to home) and arriving in Miami (an easy port). So glad this was what we decided. Both the Canal and Alaska cruises had been on our bucket list, but the Alaska cruise seemed more difficult to organize. When we started cruising with Regent it was all so stress-free. It hardly seems that way anymore.

As I said in my later post, I think it stinks, the way this situation is playing out, but I think it's better to get to your cruise, get reimbursed by your travel insurance, and let the insurance fight Regent. They have infinite patience with Regent, and can go through the contract with a fine tooth comb, something you should not have to do.

And I do understand that it stinks to have to go the travel insurance route when this is something Regent should be handling. I am appalled at the way this is playing out. But I think you should get to your cruise, get reimbursed by your travel insurance, and let your travel insurance duke it out with Regent.

Do you have travel insurance? Is this covered by the terms of your travel insurance?

This is interesting. And nice. We have a Christmas cruise booked on Mariner December 2025-January 2026. We booked it really early (about a year ago now) because we wanted to ensure that we got a suite with a step in shower. I have a mobility impairment and while I don't absolutely need a fully accessible suite (I'd rather not take it from someone who needs it), a step-in shower is non-negotiable. I mean, I suppose I could go to the spa to shower everyday, but I have not used a communal shower since college.

Yes, lunch at the specialty restaurants on Splendor is lovely. A limited menu (and, tbh, I had a tendency to eat an appetizer as a main dish most days, because dinners were quite extensive). But the lunch menu at the specialty restaurants is wonderful. There is always something (usually many somethings) delicious to be found.

It really looks fascinating, and beautiful, and well, perfect. I think this suite category on Grandeur will be just right for us. And it will be nice to explore a new to us ship in a new year. I think we are finding our groove.

We booked the Canal cruise out of LA in January '27. We already have our Christmas cruise on Mariner December '25/January '26. We have cruises on other cruise lines between now and then (I know, for shame, for shame), so we are all set.

Well, the issue of business class airfare certainly made it easier to book our next cruise with Regent. The next set of cruises came out today, via e-mail. We always look to book as far in the future as possible (we had booked a Christmas/NewYears cruise in the Caribbean on Mariner for 2025/2026 some time ago). So I was thinking of booking another Christmas cruise, but it looked like pretty much the same itinerary on Mariner, so that was a pass. Then I saw a Panama Canal crossing. On Grandeur. In January 2027. Well, let me start by saying DH is an engineer, and the Panama Canal is on his bucket list. The ports on this cruise are beautiful. It's a sixteen (16) day cruise, which is our sweet spot (we like fourteen to twenty-one day cruises). We have not been on Grandeur yet, and the whole Faberge Egg thing sounds too ostentatious for our taste, and some of the decor does seem a bit over the top, but the cabins have been decorated with restraint, and the color scheme is such that it does not remind me of the Middle Eastern airlines, which can really be jarring in their excess, so I think it will be fine. We booked an F2 Superior Suite, mostly because we like the larger bathroom and definitely like the walk-in closet. Our first Regent experience was on Voyager, where you take the walk-in closet for granted at any cabin level. It makes such a difference. Anyhow, it's what we have come to value on Regent, so it's what we book. When asked whether we wanted to include airfare with our cruise, I said, "No." I can find better deals by doing a bit of research on my own. On this trip, we can take the short hop to LA in economy if necessary and then fly back from Miami in the comfort of Business Class. So, will Regent become the way we travel to take Caribbean cruises and cruises out of San Pedro? Probably, if the price and itinerary are right. Will we consider Regent for travel to/from Europe again? Not likely. While DH does enjoy traveling to/from Europe on a ship rather than via plane, Cunard is more likely to get us where we want to go (Germany) more months of the year, so we have already booked that in the Grills for next year to get there (we'll fly back in time for my college reunion). If we like that, it may end up being something we do more often, but we'll see.

Question: Can we request sodas be set up in our cabin before our arrival (we are Regent people, so we are used to doing this)? We don't really drink alcohol, and we have a soda package. If we could get some sodas in our cabin, so that we did not always have to go to a bar to get one, that would be ideal.

It's clear men's body temperature tends to run warmer than women's because I always look to bring a pashmina or a cardigan to dinner with me. I never know what the temperature is going to be in the restaurant, theater, etc., and I tend to get chilly easily. Better to have it on hand and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Thanks. We are definitely going to need the mattress topper. We like a marshmallow soft mattress, and the beds on NCL can be concrete hard.