fairbourne

Hello everyone - Chris you summed it up perfectly

8 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

I’ve been in an unproductive holding pattern lately, just wishing it would all end. A lot of cookies and naps.

 

Same here - long dark nights, dark at 4, and sitting by the fire all day pretty much.  Lots of comfort food!  But like you we are safe and well and waiting for our turn for the vaccine which looks like maybe April for the DH and for me, maybe the summer.  Will have to see how they get on but it looks like they are getting through the frontline healthcare workers and the over 80s in a timely manner.  Here folk were given the first vaccine jab and then it was to be followed 3 weeks later by the second but that has been changed to around 12 weeks for the second.  From what I have read they want more folk to have the first as it gives protection to more, rather than less folk getting two.  I suppose that makes sense.  Hospitals are very very busy and we are under strict lockdown - only out for essential shopping; so food and basic "essentials" only.  Absolutely no visits to other households except if you are caring for someone eg an elderly parent; all restaurants, majority of hotels (some are open but you can only stay if you are travelling for business so no leisure breaks), bars etc closed - some were offering take aways but now you cannot go and collect your takeaway from the premises but can have a home delivery or if the takeaway place can serve you through a hatch or place the takeaway in your car that's ok, but you cannot go into the premises.   You can go outside for exercise in your area only - not get into a car to go somewhere to go for a walk; and only meet one person from another household outside only.  It is also not allowed (by law) to travel into or out of Scotland unless it is an essential trip.

It is all very hard but when we see the absolutely heartbreaking stories of those who have lost their lives, we just get on with it.  The dogs keep us sane and of course in their world nothing has changed other than no walks out of our area, so no beach for a while.   

Keith - I am so sorry to read about Lucy - sadly yes we all know how that feels.  Our time with them just passes too blooming quickly ........ 

Do you any of you remember when we were heading into the new millennium and we thought the world was going to end when the clock ticked over into 2000?  At the time I was still working in an hotel and we hand wrote all the future reservations into notebooks from the computer (took ages!) as we were being told everything would crash and we would lose the lot!  Oh how if that was all we had to worry about now!  

On a brighter note,  we have put down a deposit for a cruise in 2023!   

Take care everyone and stay safe.  Greetings to all from a snowy Scotland.  

Rangeley - cute doesn't even start to describe these adorables!  😄  and they certainly put a smile on my face.

Well I hope as we head into another year we will be on here again talking about Cruising with our (well all of your) Service Dogs.  We thought our biggest challenge this year would be Brexit!  

Nevermind, we are safe, well and it was snowing today, so maybe a white Christmas for tomorrow!  

Sending you all and your wonderful dogs our very best wishes from our home to yours wherever you are in the world for this festive season and may we all have a healthy and peaceful 2021.  We will raise a glass in memory of our much missed dear friend Roz at Hogmanay. She would no doubt ask,  "what, only one?!" 

On 12/22/2020 at 2:53 PM, Algebralovr said:

  I'll probably leave Scooter here with a doggy pal for that week.  Easier traveling that way as well.  One less creature to manage.  

 

Algebralovr - I did laugh at this statement as only a wife could! 😂

 

Nancy, we have just put our Christmas tree up this past weekend and this year we had new mains powered lights instead of the battery ones.  Well, I truly wish we had had these lights years ago!  I saw online somewhere that it is so much easier to put the lights on up and down (vertically) than round and round and guess what - that very clever lady (of course! haha!) was so right.  Literally done in 10 minutes and with only one set, none of that faffing around with different strings and looking for where I had tucked the small battery power packs in when it was time to switch them all off at bedtime!  Just one switch and off to bed we go!  

Our small village is well lit up with lots of Christmas trees and this year lights decorating the outside of most of the houses.  I think there are a lot of bored pensioners here and they've been spending too much time (and money!) on Amazon! Haha! Us included! 

We have just been put into a higher tier of lockdown where we live and tonight the UK P.M. and devolved countries First Ministers are having a meeting to discuss whether they should make any changes to the relaxing of the rules over Christmas.  So who knows what will happen.  I think most folk we know are not planning on a big get together, it is just not worth.  

Anyway, today we were at the supermarket and when we came out a lady was walking by with 2 greyhounds wearing their lovely warm Christmas coats - of course I just had to say hello, socially distanced of course, and it turns out one of the dogs was a therapet.  However, since March she (the dog) has not been into "work" at all visiting folk in care homes and she (the dog) also participates in the wonderful "reading with dogs" programme in the local schools.  This is when children who for whatever reason don't or can't read out loud in class in front of their school mates. The child will have one to one reading sessions,  usually with the child and the dog on a big floor cushion cuddled up, and the child will happily read to the dog.  Supervised of course by their teacher and the dog handler.  Of course I can only imagine the dog will enjoy the cuddles and snore happily through the reading session!  We had one of ours initially assessed to be a therapy dog but with the lockdown etc., that has gone by the by for now anyway.  Made our afternoon meeting this happy little group. I wish I had taken a photo of them.  

I read about that cruise Nancy - what a shame that they headed straight back to port when the cruiser had the false positive.  I think this may happen a lot.  Like your idea of cruises dancing through our heads rather than sugar plums!  

Still missing Her Majesty ..... Debbie if you happen to read this am wondering how Horton is doing?  I bet he's being spoilt rotten - nothing changed there! 

Take care everyone, stay safe and sending you all our best wishes for Christmas and hopes for a safer and healthier New Year.

Cruise-a-holic - if you haven't seen this thread (link below), please have a look over there for all the info you will ever need about taking a guide dog/service dog on a cruise.   I don't know if anyone on there has cruised specifically with Regent but they are a very friendly bunch and will help you if they can.  It is a long thread, started by the much-missed, recently passed "Wizard of Roz", and her then service dog Brenda, back in 2007, so no-one will be offended if you ask questions to save scrolling through it all.  Many of the posters have travelled widely with their service dogs.  

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/551529-cruising-with-a-service-dogeverything-you-ever-wanted-to-know/

11 hours ago, Rebex_B said:

 

Rebecca - thank you so much for these lovely photos of your Grammy and Mr H!  And for sharing the "tails" from the cruise!  I love the way these labs just perfect the "long suffering" looks - with the puzzlement of where is my next treat coming from!  You must have had such fun on your trips with Grammy and I am sure you know by now just how much she will be missed by us here.  

As we have failed to find your Grammy's Obituary on legacy dot com - would you mind posting a link please.  

(Thank you Nancy for looking - I did look again but just couldn't find it.  Rangeley - I think Nancy first thought I meant the obituary posted on here by Cody but as he mentioned to head over to legacy dot com I was actually looking for that but then neither of us could find it.)

21 hours ago, rpclmc said:

My daughter got her first puppy yesterday.   It is a Vizsla/Lab, 9 weeks old, Bolin -male.  She lives with us and Bolin and Halo, my service dog, became fast buddies.

 

 

Totally adorable - both of them! 💖

5 hours ago, S.S. Cruisers said:

Just wanted to check in.  Hope everyone is doing well.  Furkids are doing good.  The weather has cooled down.  We have been a chilly (to us) 71 degrees in the mornings.  Still getting up to right around 100 degrees +/- . Have a great week everyone. 💕

Hi Nancy - funnily enough I was thinking about you earlier today, just wondering how you are.  It's quite strange isn't it not to have the familiar "have a great weekend" but I like to think the fun weekends are never ending with Her Majesty Roz, Brenda, Orson, Wexler, Max, Poppy and all the other fur babies who have gone over the rainbow bridge.  She will have all of those pups sorted out! 

Haha to your chilly 71 degrees!  I think we will hit double figures tomorrow of 12C, that's about 54F to you!  Low at night around 5C!  Think I would melt at 100F!  

Big hugs to you Nancy and your furkids 💖

Mr Love - Cody: if you read this, I tried to find Roz's obituary on legacy but failed miserably.  I don't know if you can provide a link?  Thanks.

Stay safe all. 

Mr Love - Cody - Your "Grammy" was so proud of you all and she would have loved your "handle"!  

Thank you for sharing Roz's obituary with her online cyber friends - it's a wonderful tribute to her.  I am sure you know by what has been written already how much she will be missed by people she never even met from all over the world.  She was such a huge character with the biggest heart and once you were in her world, she never forgot you.  Likewise she will never be forgotten.  She said to me often that she would come and live with me in Scotland - even if it was in the garden shed with the dogs haha - but her kids and grandkids would never forgive her!   We had such fun sharing stories across "the pond"!  

Thank you dear Cody for being so thoughtful in sharing this with us. My family send you and your family our sincere condolences on the loss of Roz.  

Debi - I cannot imagine your loss and in what has become the spirit of this thread, I send you and Horton big cyber hugs. 💕  

Thank you Kat and Laura - very much appreciated by all of us and a fitting tribute to our dear friend Roz.  

Hi everyone. LIke you S.S. Cruisers and others, I never met Roz or “Aunty Roz” as she was affectionately referred to!  However, I had many a conversation with her on here and by email - I loved getting her emails full of her news.  I called her my cyber friend if I was telling my earthy friends all about this woman who lived in LA and cruised with her service dog.  When I first “knew” Roz she had Brenda and her dear husband Morey was still with her and then latterly Mr Horton - her big goofy boy.  So we have been through life’s ups and downs, smiling, laughing, crying, and sending each other cyber hugs when times have been tough.

One afternoon a few years ago I was sitting writing an email to Aunty Roz when I thought why don’t I just phone her!  So I did and when this voice answered a tad hesitantly at the other end, I, in my best Miss Jean Brodie voice enquired if I was speaking to Aunty Roz.  The line went quiet and she whispered a querying yes, probably wondering who on earth was calling her!  I quickly said, its Fairbourne, its me, its Fairbourne, calling you all the way from Scotland!  Well she was in hysterics laughing because unknown to me she had caller display on her telephone and the display just came up with some international gobbledygook and she really had no idea who might be calling her.  So I think the laughter was a bit of relief that it wasn’t some dodgy call from who knows where.   We had quite the chat I can tell you and spoke about how wonderful it would be if we could cruise together one day.  Sadly that day was not to be.

Rangeley, I am so happy you got to meet Roz and cruise with her and that photo is just great; but I have to say Oakland has a look on his face that to me says “ok I am sitting here like a good boy wearing my posh collar, so what happens next” and I can just hear Horty saying to him “Steady, hold on young man, just smile and look goofy and handsome and we will get an extra treat for being so darn cute”! Haha!  I am sure that worked as they are cute as heck, both of them!  I seem to remember you made some of those fancy neck collars for the dogs for their formal nights?  

I am sure she wouldn’t have minded me telling you this story.  One Christmas I sent her some Scottish shortbread and a treat for Horton.  Well let me tell you fellow CC’rs, that poor dog did not get that treat!  It was one of those animal shaped all organic hard chews in the shape of a hedgehog or as Roz said a dinosaur.  She told me that it was way too nice for Horton to get it and it was going to sit on her desk!  I think she did relent - in March LOL! So the next year I looked for the ugliest shaped dog chew I could find and in the end found a giant toothbrush shaped chew - I thought there was no way she would have that displayed on her desk! LOL!  That worked - and poor Horton got his Christmas chew at Christmas!   

We had many laughs over the years and all the time I was puppy walking the pups she was there being supportive and interested in what we were doing with the training.  As she once told me, she got her dogs “ready made all trained up” and never knew the dogs as puppies, so it was doubly interesting for her to learn what went on with the puppy walkers (raisers) before the dogs were handed over.  

Anyway, I have thought about Roz a lot this past week and I wonder if the Moderators on Cruise Critic would consider making this very long thread a sticky as it has so much useful information about cruising with service dogs that I would hate it to disappear down the pages.  I think it would be a fitting tribute to one of Cruise Critic’s most wonderful contributors Wizard of Roz - a fitting legacy if you like to our dear Aunty Roz RIP.

Thank you.  Stay safe all.  

I have tried to write this several times but I can hardly see for tears ..... Roz ...... dear dear sweet lady .... I never got the chance to meet Roz but she was always there for me and for everyone else over so many years.   

Totally in shock.  😢💔

Panamama 42 - thank you for letting us know - big hugs to Roz's big boy Horty.  She totally adored that boy.   

Can't believe this sad, sad news.  

Edited to add:  Panamama42 - just realised who you are from your other post - please accept my sincere condolences for your loss.

4 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

 

That made me quite emotional ---

Me too! 

4 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

 

God bless all tonight

2 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Just a year ago, on a Hurtigruten ship, they also did a full Medivac drill, very carefully.

 

Good work!

 

GC

Yes absolutely, shout out for all those carrying out the evacuation.   

Norwegian Search and Rescue Helicopter did a DRILL emergency medivac on this very ship when we were on board for the christening voyage.  That was scary enough - just watching - in near perfect weather.   

Our thoughts are with everyone involved for a safe evacuation.  (We should have been on this cruise but changed to another so this hits home.)   

Here he is; cuddled up waiting for Dad with his baby girl Bonnie; with two of his girls Aruba and Bonnie; on his favourite beach last summer - he just loved to run into the water, I think it soothed his poorly joints; looking sad as nothing had fallen out of the fridge yet!  

Thank you all for your kindness. 

Oh Cindy I am heartbroken for you.  As has been said Wexler has always been here, latterly with his dear sugar face.  we enjoyed the tales of him going to work with John.  It broke my heart just looking at his photo this morning.  Sadly we lost our "Mr Frosty" (as our post lady called our dear boy Max) our dear dear chocolate lab just before Christmas.  I am still expecting his enquiring face to appear around the kitchen door when he hears the fridge door opening, always hopeful that some treat, regardless of how small, would happen to fall into his big smiling mouth!  These beautiful creatures come into our lives and our hearts and we have the best of times with them and then "pow" they are suddenly gone. 

Like you I haven't been around much - we've not had the best of years.  Anyway, just wanted to say we know how you are feeling and sending you lots of love and big hugs from across the big pond. I hope maybe Mr Max will be waiting for Mr Wexler across the rainbow bridge.  I like to think that Mr Max has already found Madame Brenda and she will be keeping these boys right on their next adventure.

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

So I just thought I would share this.  I just got off the phone with customer service, ordering my Taittinger champagne and chocolate covered strawberries for sail away.

 

I asked about flowers and the rep said they used to offer them but it's been replaced with the fruit basket.  I sent a nice, short email to tellus, asking if there is any way to get some (probably not).

 

Has anyone bought flowers off the ship and brought them back to your cabin?  This will not ruin my cruise, but it would have been nice to have.  Maybe it's time to invest in some fake flowers that I just carry from place to place (kidding).

Zitsky

My DH ordered flowers on board from the folk at the customer service/shore excursions desk in the Living Room.  They were delivered to our stateroom at the next port of call.  This was in Norway and I imagine they phoned (or ordered online) the florist to order and the charge was put on our account.  He specified how much he wanted to spend, type of flowers etc and it was an arrangement rather than a bouquet.  So no need to get a vase organised!  I have also taken beautiful roses on board on another line embarking in Monte Carlo from the flower market in Nice.  No issues at all, so I imagine you will be fine taking flowers on board.  

Ladymadeline - we changed cruises quite recently - Viking happily transferred our deposit to the new cruise and charged us an admin fee of £100 per person to do so. We are in the UK so US policy may be different but before we changed I wasn't sure if we could do this either. The small print can be very confusing, however, it was very easy and no problems.

I am quite surprised at this information. Can we hear more from some of you who know about this. This is the first time I have heard about drinking water being unsafe onboard. What are the safety issues?

I did NOT say the ship's water was unsafe to drink.

I did NOT say they were not allowed to drink it - we were told they were not allowed to drink it for any length of time (months on end). They are given bottled water.

We were told this by someone onboard.

Other than this I have no data or point of reference.

I just want to be Karine Hagen's dog, Finse, and sleep on the couch in the Owner's Suite.

But you'd also have to use the putting green as your bathroom! ;p:')

How did you manage that? From everything I have read the best you can do is payment due 6 months before departure. That 6 month pre-payment is what has kept me from booking yet. My next cruise will be with Viking, but I’m holding off because of that.

We are used to Celebrity payment (85 days out), but the last couple of years our cruises with them have disappointed.

She's in the UK where that is the normal final payment time. 70 days. I just counted it! ;)

Cape Hernlopen

On our first Viking cruise (Into the midnight sun) San Pelligrino was widely available in all bars/restaurants on the ship and included in the silver spirits drinks package. Fast forward to March this year no San Pelligrino at all! First "story" (told in Manfredi's on the first evening and where you would expect to get an Italian sparkling water!) "not loaded in San Juan, will be loaded in St Maarten". (We missed that port due to sea swells), second "story", the first "story" was "inaccurate" or words to that effect! Asked to speak to the F and B manager who just shrugged his shoulders and said "first and second story wrong" - "none on board but we might have some Perrier (well if you drink San Pelligrino you probably don't drink/like Perrier). Turned up with, I kid you not, 6 small bottles of Perrier and said that was it - for a 13 day transatlantic, but if they found anymore they would keep it for us - they didn't.

Third "story" or maybe that should be "fourth", speaking to a senior crew member (position withheld for obvious reasons) that they were no longer going to have San Pell on board. That is a huge disappointment as not only is it our preferred water (and we have been told a certain Chairman's preferred water too) and a reason we took the ss package (in addition to the prosecco of course!) but the ship's water they freely pour is quite revolting (to us but some don't mind it) and not good for you at all. The ship's crew are not allowed to drink it for any length of time so they drink the bottled water (I imagine similar to the stuff they hand out when going out on excursions). So we resorted to drinking the pink topped bottled water - and of course our intake of prosecco increased so I guess we got our sparkles that way! HAHA! :'):halo:

Anyway, I did ask the question of Viking Sales about the future supply of San Pelligrino when we booked our next Viking cruise and that was maybe 2 months ago and I'm still waiting for an answer. Your post has reminded me to chase that up.

However, there was a glimmer of hope in that I did ask someone on board one of the ships and they said it was only available in Manfredi's at that time but last time I looked it was still on the bar drinks list on their website. So there is hope.

We booked a fairly last minute cruise (3 weeks out) earlier this year and when I phoned Viking to book the only thing available in the veranda level was a Guarantee DV6. We usually have a DV2 but none available. So with a deep breath and a slight worry that we would not know where we would be sleeping until we boarded the ship, I handed over the DH's credit card and that was that. First time ever of booking a guarantee.

I did check daily on MVJ and about a week later we had our stateroom allocated - at first I don't know if I was pleased or "disappointed" as the Viking rep did say with a guarantee you could be given anything from what you're guaranteed to the Owners Suite! I was imagining myself as Jane McDonald for a fraction of a second!! :'):')

Anyway, we had been allocated a very nice DV2 which suited us perfectly as that is what we would have booked (and have booked) so we were very pleased with it. So I would say that was a nice upgrade. On board, we did hear a couple of stories about folk being upgraded (not upsold) so I imagine Viking did a rolling upgrade to fill the ship. The Viking rep told me they had been selling veranda staterooms for a "special rate" the week before I called so I imagine thats how that all started - and yes, for the curious who might want to know, I did ask nicely if I could get the special rate, and yes, after consulting her manager, they said yes! :hearteyes::D

Ditto. The only organized non-entertainment meetings they had were Sabbath services on Friday and Friends of Bill W. daily.

 

It's important to understand that Viking attracts a different clientele than most people may be used to, predominantly retirees.

 

Russ

I would disagree slightly with this, on the cruises we've been on anyway - several gay couples and singles (of different age groups) on our last Viking cruise and certainly not predominately retired guests by any means. I think these days people look like they may be "retirees" but are still actively involved in work or have their own businesses. On the other hand some are retirees and look far too young to be retired! ;):D

One event Viking hosted on our last cruise was a "Commonwealth" drinks reception. They invited all guests belonging to Commonwealth countries which was a very interesting mix indeed. Held in the Wintergarden it was a well turned out affair, everyone was dressed very nicely with drinks and canapés served. Captain and senior officers attended and mixed with all the guests.