Live from the Explorer, from new Regent Cruisers…

[gcorgain]

Giustot, I agree!

 

Good afternoon everyone from Day 3 of quarantine. Not much to report today. We have one more crew and one additional passenger that have tested positive today. As the Captain said that isn’t too bad considering the world around us.

 

There will be entertainment tonight: A comedian in the main theater, and the three lounge acts are all listed in Passages, so I’m assuming they are a go as well. I may have missed the reason, but we will be late getting into Costa Rica tomorrow. It must be related to something on the port’s end as we are only traveling at 4-5 knots. The seas are smooth as can be.

 

Tonight is the famous Miso Sea Bass in Compass Rose, so I know what we are ordering for dinner.

 

Tomorrow we are going to try asking for fresh bed linens and towels. We might also ask for playing cards and a board game. So far they have brought most of what we asked.

 

Now if only the Rams can win tonight!

[cruise-a-holic]

On 1/8/2022 at 2:45 PM, gcorgain said:

I’ve been thinking about whether we should have come on this cruise…

 

A week out I was on the fence, but we decided to proceed. With the info I I had at that time I would make the same call.  At this point I would probably reschedule to at least the spring, given a choice.

 

Obviously there is us getting COVID, and needing to quarantine. While Regent has been reasonable and helpful, it still isn’t much of a vacation. Assuming the odds of that are still fairly low, I look at things like all the entertainment being cancelled on the Splendor’s prior voyage, and now Explorer. And then there are the missed ports. Masks aren’t a huge deal for us, but it is one other thing that detracts.

 

On the positive side, none of the ships are sailing full, and that part is wonderful and makes it feel almost like a private sailing.

 

Obviously a very individual decision…

I haven't heard that entertainment had been canceled on the Splendor. Do you know what cruise that was?

[mrlevin]

36 minutes ago, cruise-a-holic said:

I haven't heard that entertainment had been canceled on the Splendor. Do you know what cruise that was?

New Year's cruise all entertainment staff in quarantine 3 days then musicians got out and rest of entertainers did not get out until after 7 days.  In fact on previous cruise without any notice there was absolutely no entertainment on last night.  All in all it made a big difference on cruise(s).

[rkaratsu]

6 hours ago, gcorgain said:

Now if only the Rams can win tonight!...

Well the Rams just broke my heart.  (The Chargers are also behind at the moment but at least their game isn't over yet!)

 

More important, thank you for your postings (we are still planning on boarding the Explorer on 2/21) but your narrative is helping us to decide what we may ultimately be doing.  

 

Take care and hope the miso sea bass is tasty! 😀

[gcorgain]

Sorry I missed posting yesterday. I was still recovering from the Rams and Chargers games. I want to say that the management and crew of the Explorer have done what they can to make an unfortunate experience bearable. While this isn’t a vacation I would ever sign up for, it isn’t the jail that you read about on other cruise lines. Yesterday they brought us playing cards and board games, and pretty much everything we have asked for they have done. The medical team also takes our temperature twice daily, and either the public health officer or the nurse checks in. Our temps have all been normal, btw.

 

Last night the Captain announced three more cases on board. We are also substituting a port I’ve never heard of in Mexico for Guatemala. I suspect, although they didn’t say, that this is related to Guatemala requiring testing. Obviously we are still quarantined, but this would have been a minor disappointment for us as we have friends from Guatemala. 
 

Yesterday I called my travel agent to let him know what was happening and to inquire about the process to get a refund or FCC. I told him I was happy for an FCC to be applied to my next cruise as I figured that would be easier for Regent and my final payment will be due not too long after they would process the refund. He inquired with Regent and they verified they would issue the credit and I should get a letter at some point with the details. If this goes as easily as it seems it will be another positive sign.
 

Today marks the half way mark of our quarantine. If they were following the revised CDC guidelines we would be out tomorrow. I have to assume that they really believe this is safer (since by refunding the days it is costing them revenue), but I would love the opportunity to at least test out. This is my vacation for the whole year, and it certainly turning out as planned!

 

Greg

[forgap]

So glad you are well.  Funny how it seems we have become friends as you share your cruise experience. I worried about both of you when you didn’t post yesterday.  You have been candid and refreshing in your posts, so a delight to get to know you.   Understand, NO a pressure to post, after-all it is your vacation!  

[InsGuy3]

1 hour ago, gcorgain said:

Sorry I missed posting yesterday. I was still recovering from the Rams and Chargers games. I want to say that the management and crew of the Explorer have done what they can to make an unfortunate experience bearable. While this isn’t a vacation I would ever sign up for, it isn’t the jail that you read about on other cruise lines. Yesterday they brought us playing cards and board games, and pretty much everything we have asked for they have done. The medical team also takes our temperature twice daily, and either the public health officer or the nurse checks in. Our temps have all been normal, btw.

 

Last night the Captain announced three more cases on board. We are also substituting a port I’ve never heard of in Mexico for Guatemala. I suspect, although they didn’t say, that this is related to Guatemala requiring testing. Obviously we are still quarantined, but this would have been a minor disappointment for us as we have friends from Guatemala. 
 

Yesterday I called my travel agent to let him know what was happening and to inquire about the process to get a refund or FCC. I told him I was happy for an FCC to be applied to my next cruise as I figured that would be easier for Regent and my final payment will be due not too long after they would process the refund. He inquired with Regent and they verified they would issue the credit and I should get a letter at some point with the details. If this goes as easily as it seems it will be another positive sign.
 

Today marks the half way mark of our quarantine. If they were following the revised CDC guidelines we would be out tomorrow. I have to assume that they really believe this is safer (since by refunding the days it is costing them revenue), but I would love the opportunity to at least test out. This is my vacation for the whole year, and it certainly turning out as planned!

 

Greg

Greg, we have been reading all your postings and feel for you two. We cannot even begin to imagine your ordeal but commend your upbeat attitude under these circumstances. Hope the rest of your cruise goes beyond your wildest expectations in a great way. Fingers and toes crossed!

[RachelG]

4 hours ago, forgap said:

So glad you are well.  Funny how it seems we have become friends as you share your cruise experience. I worried about both of you when you didn’t post yesterday.  You have been candid and refreshing in your posts, so a delight to get to know you.   Understand, NO a pressure to post, after-all it is your vacation!  

I was worried too!

[TV Dad]

I am happy to hear you are feeling well and still posting. Wishing you the best on the remaining days of your cruise 

[gcorgain]

Good morning all. We are docked today in Puerto Chiapas Mexico. I had never heard of it before, and the area looks pretty small. However Destination Services put together a few shore excursions for those who can depart their rooms. 🙂

 

The Captain announced an additional 2 guest cases and 1 crew case in his noon announcement yesterday. No changes to any protocols.

 

The Head Chef graciously called and arranged for a special request for us. That was nice. Nothing outside of what would have happened in Compass Rose I think, but it was very appreciated.

 

Today at 12:30 they will clean our cabin for the first time in 6 days. We will stay masked on the balcony. We just asked for new bed linens and towels, but they graciously offered to do it. We likely won’t ask again until we are off of quarantine.

 

Speaking of that, I was happily surprised about when we get to escape. I recounted and I now believe we should be free a day earlier: Sunday. I intend to ask if we need to do anything, and if there are any lingering restrictions when the Public Health Officer checks in again next.

 

That’s it for now. More later if any news warrants a post.

 

Greg

 

[Boatmans Lady]

Thank you for sharing your experiences, it has greatly reassured us for our forthcoming cruise if we should test positive. 

I love your attitude and hope you do get out of quarantine on the earlier day. 

Enjoy your special request meal. 

 

[gcorgain]

Glad to help. 

[firefox33]

Following your story with interest.  We are scheduled to be on the Explorer starting 2/14.

So what brand of vodka do they have?  I’m a Gray Goose fan!

[mrlevin]

52 minutes ago, firefox33 said:

So what brand of vodka do they have?  I’m a Gray Goose fan!

Grey Goose, Belvedere, four types of Beluga (three extra charge), Smirnoff, Stolchinaya, house (for bloody Marys and such), and I believe one more (might have been Chopin but that might have been from previous cruise).

 

Marc

[gcorgain]

I think this is all correct (including the Chopin) + Absolut and their flavors. They also have Tito’s I believe. All that being said we had Grey Goose in every bar before being quarantined but have been told several times they were out when ordering from our cabin attendant or room service. The cabin attendant initially told us we could only get Absolut, but room service brought us Belvedere. I think they must be separate inventory. 

[RachelG]

They definitely have Tito’s

[kjbacon]

8 hours ago, gcorgain said:

I think this is all correct (including the Chopin) + Absolut and their flavors. They also have Tito’s I believe. All that being said we had Grey Goose in every bar before being quarantined but have been told several times they were out when ordering from our cabin attendant or room service. The cabin attendant initially told us we could only get Absolut, but room service brought us Belvedere. I think they must be separate inventory. 

Ask if they have Absolut Elyx. We found it to be the best on board cheers!

[gcorgain]

Well, a pretty big bummer today came in the way of news from the Public Health Officer. We had counted ten days from the time we had started being in quarantine. That would have made Saturday the 10th day and we would be free on Sunday. I went to confirm this and he says the first day is counted as Day 0. Who knew math was this hard!

 

I pushed a bit and he said that was the requirement from the CDC. I pointed out that the CDC had changed their recommendation to 5 days of isolation, not 10. He countered that that change was for land only. I replied that I read the statement, and missed that part. He then replied that this was all in the Conditional Sail order, and I pointed out that expires on the 15th and the CDC has said it won't be renewed. 

 

In any case looks like we are stuck in our room for 11 days, not 10. I mean technically we started about noon, I would just love to get out of here for a third evening. I know, first world problems. I just don't get their logic at this point. 

[gcorgain]

Oh, and I do remember seeing Absolut Elyx in the bars. We may ask for a bottle of that to mix it up.

[Pcardad]

7 minutes ago, gcorgain said:

Well, a pretty big bummer today came in the way of news from the Public Health Officer. We had counted ten days from the time we had started being in quarantine. That would have made Saturday the 10th day and we would be free on Sunday. I went to confirm this and he says the first day is counted as Day 0. Who knew math was this hard!

 

I pushed a bit and he said that was the requirement from the CDC. I pointed out that the CDC had changed their recommendation to 5 days of isolation, not 10. He countered that that change was for land only. I replied that I read the statement, and missed that part. He then replied that this was all in the Conditional Sail order, and I pointed out that expires on the 15th and the CDC has said it won't be renewed. 

 

In any case looks like we are stuck in our room for 11 days, not 10. I mean technically we started about noon, I would just love to get out of here for a third evening. I know, first world problems. I just don't get their logic at this point. 

Their "logic" makes no sense...

[gcorgain]

Thank you Pcarded. The frustrating thing is that this has nothing to do with public health at this point, or spreading COVID. There has been tons of news, validated by the CDC, that we are no longer contagious (even now). Not sure who wins with this approach.

 

It will be interesting to see if they calculate 11 days for the FCC as we will have missed 11 dinners, shows, etc...

[Pcardad]

8 minutes ago, gcorgain said:

Thank you Pcarded. The frustrating thing is that this has nothing to do with public health at this point, or spreading COVID. There has been tons of news, validated by the CDC, that we are no longer contagious (even now). Not sure who wins with this approach.

 

It will be interesting to see if they calculate 11 days for the FCC as we will have missed 11 dinners, shows, etc...

Document what you can while onboard - they must have given you some sort of paperwork when they quarantined you? I would assume you will also get something when "released"?

[gcorgain]

Yes, we got a letter when we were quarantined. I was trying to learn about the release process when this conversation was triggered. I will certainly keep everything.

[InsGuy3]

2 hours ago, gcorgain said:

Thank you Pcarded. The frustrating thing is that this has nothing to do with public health at this point, or spreading COVID. There has been tons of news, validated by the CDC, that we are no longer contagious (even now). Not sure who wins with this approach.

 

It will be interesting to see if they calculate 11 days for the FCC as we will have missed 11 dinners, shows, etc...

By that definition, on a 10 night sailing does night 1 start on night you embarked or the the night after?

[gcorgain]

We used that argument as well, and there was no response. 

1 minute ago, InsGuy3 said:

By that definition, on a 10 night sailing does night 1 start on night you embarked or the the night after?