Travelcat2 Posted November 21, 2019 #1 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Time to prepare a blog for our upcoming cruise. We are leaving today (Thursday, 11/21) and will fly Air Canada to Heathrow and then on to Lisbon. We booked our own hotel but forgot to tell Regent, so we had to cancel the hotel and stay at the hotel that Regent booked (Four Seasons, Ritz, Lisbon). Being Titanium, we booked transportation from the airport to the hotel and will have Regent’s private transfer to the ship. Hoping that other people will post as we have done this itinerary a few times previously. I’ll mainly be posting photos of a few excursions – one in particular in Funchal that we have done previously and will do again (weather permitting – we missed Funchal last year due to storms). Will also post information on the daily activities. When sailing to Miami from Europe, many times the ship will be due for an inspection when it arrives so the crew is quite busy. Not sure how often these inspection takes place but there is a possibility that it will be an inspection when we arrive in December. Looking forward to seeing Andreas (G.M.) on board as well as a friend that we have cruised with several times. Will post more when we are actually on the ship. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boats07 Posted November 21, 2019 #2 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Travelcat2, have missed seeing you on this site..... Looking forward to following along on your trip. Have a great time! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambagahle Posted November 21, 2019 #3 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Great Jackie!! I was waiting for this... Hope you and Dennis fly safely and comfortably to Lisbon and that you have smooth sailing all the way across the "pond". (And no snow causing last minute changes of flights like last time!) . Am eagerly waiting to read what you have to say. Bon voyage! Gerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sita Posted November 21, 2019 #4 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Thrilled to follow along; have been thinking about a transatlantic and curious about what activities are offered. Have a wonderful time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudhen Posted November 21, 2019 #5 Share Posted November 21, 2019 We're here! Have our place already set (as Mr. Rumor would say...haha!) and are enjoying the appetizer and looking forward to the main courses! Fair winds and following seas! J&L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare judi666 Posted November 21, 2019 #6 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Hope certain things have improved by the time you get here. A huge communication problem with WiFi and the tv. Dinner in every restaurant took from 50-65 minutes to get the main course, after appetizers. Last two nights have been a big improvement . Many excursions have issues and considering they return 2-3 pm. the only thing available is the pool grill. Very small selection available at that time for non meat eaters. The service in that area has been not the best. Today I was sitting for 20 minutes and not offered water or a drink. Not the first time. Everyone knows you and I’m sure will give you wonderful service. Our toilet had to be completely replaced. That meant no usage for 3 hours. We were on an excursion, so really wasn’t an issue. I’m not complaining, it’s been fun and is a beautiful ship. The internet issue is a big problem that hopefully can be addressed. Safe travels and be sure to have lots of motion sickness meds. It’s been a rough ride so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepFreeze63 Posted November 21, 2019 #7 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Welcome "back". Looking forward to your insights. Have done 4 TA's but not in so potentially cold weather AND we're on the Splendor Inaugural - might well mirror yours. Have a fun cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Zqueeze1 Posted November 21, 2019 #8 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Jackie! I’m so glad to see your post! I hope you and Dennis have a great time and you post lots of pics. Lisbon is on our bucket list and we hope to visit on a Regent cruise one of these days. Have a great time and enjoy your flight over the pond. Z and TB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briar14 Posted November 21, 2019 #9 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Jackie, Hope we get to meet and wish you a safe trip to Lisbon. We are in Lisbon now enjoying much nicer than anticipated weather, eating delicious food and drinking great wine! Looking forward to boarding the Explorer on Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfer21 Posted November 21, 2019 #10 Share Posted November 21, 2019 We are leaving for Lisbon this evening, direct flight Toronto to Lisbon with Tap, first time we have had a direct flight, looking forward to our first time on Explorer. See you all onboard. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
califsealion Posted November 21, 2019 #11 Share Posted November 21, 2019 I am much looking forward to reading about your trip! A transatlantic is on my bucket list. A lot of cruises are on my bucket list, I'll confess... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ronrick1943 Posted November 21, 2019 #12 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Well it's nice to see you're OK, looking forward to seeing your posting about the ship and your cruise😊. Hope you have an enjoyable time, good food and sometime to relax during the cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poss Posted November 21, 2019 #13 Share Posted November 21, 2019 All good wishes, Tc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare boblerm Posted November 21, 2019 #14 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Wishing Jackie, Pat, Briar14, and any other CC members sailing a wonderful cruise, and very much looking forward to hearing about your experiences. I hope that some of the issues that Judi666 referenced get resolved. Bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captjohn Posted November 22, 2019 #15 Share Posted November 22, 2019 5 hours ago, golfer21 said: We are leaving for Lisbon this evening, direct flight Toronto to Lisbon with Tap, first time we have had a direct flight, looking forward to our first time on Explorer. See you all onboard. Pat First, have a great cruise Jackie. We will be on the Explorer Dec. 17th. Pat, could you comment on your experience on TAP. It is an option for us on a cruise next year from Lisbon. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkystheLimit Posted November 22, 2019 #16 Share Posted November 22, 2019 We are in Lisbon. Lovely day. Only problem is our luggage did not arrive with us. So, we are a bit anxious. Looking forward to meeting everyone. MJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcandkc Posted November 22, 2019 #17 Share Posted November 22, 2019 What is TAP? I’m feeling a little ignorant 😜. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBWC Posted November 22, 2019 #18 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Portuguese airline, member of Star Alliance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ2002 Posted November 22, 2019 #19 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Looking forward to your reports aboard Explorer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eno-Bob Posted November 22, 2019 #20 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Hi Jackie, We’re on the Explorer and just docking in Lisbon. Looking forward to seeing you on-board! Bob & Pattie Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwaj girl Posted November 22, 2019 #21 Share Posted November 22, 2019 We have not experienced the service issues reported by @judi666 in the restaurants and have dined as a party of 2, 4, or 6 at various times and venues without long delays. I agree about the "after lunchtimes" return from excursions, but room service is always a good option. One time we returned very close to 2pm....they kept La Veranda open a bit longer but it was impossible to find a seat as everyone seemed to be returning at the same time. This was not helped by some passengers sitting at tables who had apparently finished their meals but lingered to read a book, scroll the internet, etc. Yes, we've had a bit of a rough ride at times but that's Mother Nature. Feel sorry for those on really high decks forward. Internet has been up and down. Would think that this newer ship would not have such frequent issues. We were on the Navigator last month and had much better internet reliability. As far as the TV external channels - apparently Miami had to do a "reset " to get the service back in place. Has been fine since then. Have just pulled into a very foggy Lisbon. See you all soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambagahle Posted November 22, 2019 #22 Share Posted November 22, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, captjohn said: Pat, could you comment on your experience on TAP. It is an option for us on a cruise next year from Lisbon. Thanks I was about to ask the same question. TAP has a Business class but I am not sure how good it is. Their fares tend to be lower than most airlines so I would really like to get some first-hand info (and comparisons to other airlines if possible) Edited November 22, 2019 by Hambagahle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambagahle Posted November 22, 2019 #23 Share Posted November 22, 2019 4 hours ago, BBWC said: Portuguese airline, member of Star Alliance. Transportes Aéreos Portugueses = Portugese Air Transport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belfast Taxman Posted November 22, 2019 #24 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Flown with TAP many times mainly Dublin to Lisbon or Porto or Funchal. Not sure what their long haul is like but I would not put them in my favourite airline category. Business class mediocre in comparison to airlines like Emirates, pretty much on a par with British Airways’ Club Europe, ie not great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hambagahle Posted November 22, 2019 #25 Share Posted November 22, 2019 About what I thought. Thanks. Will be interested to see what Pat says after her flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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