Norton Explorer(er)s Trumps BFF Putins land

Pity there's no mental health hotline on board to report other passengers. The one from CPB/ICE/USN/USA/LVPD (made up)/LA CDC etc... could use help. A lot of it.

 

Too short. There should be a law preventing cruises from ending on a port day.;)

Am I missing something here? Was a photo supposed to be attached. Or is it just a joke that I don't get?

There was a woman who came up to the pool bar who at various points in her rambling diatribe claimed to be Las Vegas PD (incorrect name) flashed (bad credentials) then was a former US Navy Captain then worked for the CDC out of Los Angeles (umm...). Then with Delta force “mercenaries in the jungles of Saharan Africa”. She the found a passenger who was former USN and went with “don’t ask me how many

People I’ve killed you haven’t drunk enough for that”. He never asked.

So sadly - serious question.

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There was a woman who came up to the pool bar who at various points in her rambling diatribe claimed to be Las Vegas PD (incorrect name) flashed (bad credentials) then was a former US Navy Captain then worked for the CDC out of Los Angeles (umm...). Then with Delta force “mercenaries in the jungles of Saharan Africa”. She the found a passenger who was former USN and went with “don’t ask me how many

People I’ve killed you haven’t drunk enough for that”. He never asked.

 

So sadly - serious question.

 

 

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Wow! I’ve had a couple of experiences with folks on the cusp of dementia. Pleasant when they just can’t find their room, unpleasant when they get hostile for some imagined slight. I always err on the side of politeness and then try to get away ASAP.

Apparently if you don’t want to use the Regent tote bag or your backpack the laundry bag from your room will work. 🤭

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It's a wonder anyone outside the US survives, really! Have a look at this (And of course, any fresh meat is chilled and not left out at room temperature)

This was an interesting read. Thank you for posting.

Apparently if you don’t want to use the Regent tote bag or your backpack the laundry bag from your room will work. 🤭

 

 

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Emperor it sounds like a cruise with lots of variables ;). Enjoying all your posts, Jean.

Emperor it sounds like a cruise with lots of variables ;). Enjoying all your posts, Jean.

Oh yes, between the family that ran to the bus to take the handicapped seats to the fake government secret squirrel to the family that had its patriarch running around with champagne in his coffee cup to the person who had her butler follow her into La Verandah to load and hold her plate. She then asked the butler if "some of his little friends could find some tongs for her son to use as she didn't want him touching something all those filthy others had been using".:rolleyes:

So many variables. Thankfully most were one time displays.

A very brief walk through of the ice bar and the making of a Loki (aka Cosmo) and Thor.

Oh yes, between the family that ran to the bus to take the handicapped seats to the fake government secret squirrel to the family that had its patriarch running around with champagne in his coffee cup to the person who had her butler follow her into La Verandah to load and hold her plate. She then asked the butler if "some of his little friends could find some tongs for her son to use as she didn't want him touching something all those filthy others had been using".:rolleyes:

 

So many variables. Thankfully most were one time displays.

You seem to have an interesting group of passengers on this cruise. Hopefully it was a little comic relief and not a downer for your trip.

Thanks for your ongoing posts.

The above were mostly comic relief. That sad ones were the majority who didn't seem to know the words "please" or "Thank you".

Whole galleries for previous days:

Getting there

Stockholm

Embarkation

Tallinn

My first day in St. Petersburg was empty for the morning so I enjoyed some Sangria that had been made the day before in the pool bar.

The replacement tequila, rum and vodka they brought on board were all IMO horrendous even for well. The tequila had the most distinct packaging before being opened. I'd recommend if you see this tequila, Minksi vodka or whatever their rum substitute was run away.

I did like the sombrero

Lunch that day was in Prime 7 (you'd be amazed by how many people at the end of the cruise didn't realize that Prime 7 and Chartreuse alternated days open for lunch or were ever open for anything other than dinner).

Nothing like a taste of home before venturing off on tour. In this case some Samuel Adams, a bit of Tex-Mex, and some American favorites.

The beer was nice and refreshing (as well as palette cleansing) after the roughing up my mouth endured from the tequila.

Looking a little brighter than when most will see it.

The green chili and chicken quesadilla. Surprisingly both this and the sauce had a little bit of heat to them. I'd like the trend to continue and get hotter.

The Prime 7 burger. This is the one food I thought was far better on the genuine fake inaugural cruise. This time around it didn't seem as big or flavorful. Still beats the Pool grill burgers IMO.

While the Red Velvet cheesecake dessert was tasty it was miniscule. Like a literal spoonful. That's ok if you really only want a taste, but what do you do if you want a bigger portion? Ask for them by the half dozen?

Having finished lunch it was time to start off on the tour of the day (Churches and shopping oh my). The cell network of the stay in St. Petersburg -

The above were mostly comic relief. That sad ones were the majority who didn't seem to know the words "please" or "Thank you".

So sorry to hear that. Just don't understand. Continue with your great trip in spite of those inconsiderate people.

The afternoons tour was to Kazan, St. Isaacs and the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. Oh and a stop in a tourist trap shop.

Kazan Cathederal

 

 

 

 

As some people didn't use the restrooms before leaving on the tour we made our shopping stop early. As soon as we walked in I knew that the items in the shop were going to be 100% legit. The initial image you see when walking in combined with directed pathing (eg: enter here, leave over there - there's no go back the way you came option) helped me keep my stash of Kopeks for myself. When you walk in and see this - you know the items are going to be good.

Our next stop was St. Isaacs

 

 

 

 

Like pretty much every other stop in Russia it was a bit crowded.

Beautiful photos as usual.

Beautiful photos as usual.

Thank you.

 

 

 

Our next stop was the Church on the Spilled Blood. Like every building I visit it was getting a bit of a facelift.

 

Like our other stops it may have been a little crowded.

 

 

 

A tip:

If you see this sign - read it and move on. Don't touch anything. Most people will instinctively reach for the wallet/cash/cards/valuable to check after reading the sign. That makes the pickpockets job easier.

 

 

After the tour was over it was time to return to the ship (no such thing as free time ashore in Russia sans visa).

Dinner was in Compass Rose and the service was good again (also seating placement this cruise was far better than last which could've been best described as hinterlands. I wonder if my room had anything to do with that).

I started with a double order of the coconut lime prawns. This time around the sauce had a little heat (yay).

Then an austere and tiny portion of foie gras

A little margarita sorbet as a palette cleanser

The chicken Kiev was moist and best of all when I cut into it I wasn't blasted with butter.

Chocolate something was a bit of a letdown for me

So instead, how about some cheese and Port?

This is why I can't stand the extended plastic bits on ships.

 

 

 

 

 

Loving all your pictures. Brings back some great memories. Thank you.