GeorgiaPeach Sails the Atlantic on Splendor

[GeorgiaPeach51]

1 hour ago, PinkMEB said:

Looking forward to your reports. Don’t forget they have a wonderful free laundry service, so you can pack lightly. 

The laundry service is fantastic and a lifesaver….but it’s the shoes…😜

[IrishKathy]

We also will be on the Nov 23 TA from Rome to Miami.  Really looking forward to all your observations and tips.  

[Boatmans Lady]

2 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

The laundry service is fantastic and a lifesaver….but it’s the shoes…😜

 

Oh how I wish I could take lots of shoes but my feet swell so horribly that I stick with the few pairs I know will fit 🤣 but I love looking at everyone's pretty shoes. 

 

Hope you sort your packing easily  and quickly. 

[irishwitchy]

Looking forward to your comments, your freshman cruise review was very fun to read.  I like the tree also,  we do a 10 ft live tree every year - I can’t wait to see the price of that this year.  Have fun with your packing.  

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Well, I am packed.  After I juggled and fiddled and put a lot of stuff right back in the closet where it should have stayed, to start with, I closed my suitcase, dragged it to the scale and it was 38 pounds!  I weighed it twice because I couldn’t believe my eyes!  Of course, toiletries still have to go in but I feel “safe”.

 

Of course, I also have a carry-on and that one weighs 110 pounds….not really!  But in the interest of full disclosure I didn’t weigh it because that’s where the shoes reside.  Ahem…..”Don’t look, Ethel!”  (Anyone remember Ray Stevens?)

 

My poor, poor husband.  He got up at 3 a.m. to finish the work he had to do and still had to work all day.  Plus he has a 5:30 a.m. meeting tomorrow morning.  He thought he would be safe scheduling this vacation over the holiday but not so much.  Nevertheless, he is departing tomorrow sans laptop, by golly.

 

More tomorrow morning.

 

@irishwitchy Holey moley, a ten foot live tree!  We used to buy real ones years ago but a certain someone developed an allergy to tree something or other and that was the end of that… but oh, my, they were so expensive even back then for the big ones.  I think you could buy your own island for what that tree might cost today!   But yay, you!  I’d go back to live trees again in a flash.

 

Joanie

[gaeltrav]

We just finished packing and will head up to Toronto tomorrow morning. Hopefully the weather will co operate. We are Emer and Dale in 848.  Looking forward to meeting you 

[bitob]

Looking forward to welcoming you all on board 

[ccmo]

Joanie, I am so excited to read your next posts. My husband and I are sailing on Splendor in December for his 65th birthday. We have loved Celebrity and sail in the suites as we like the perks, however, their pricing and itineraries were keeping us from booking. That being said we found a deal that was too good to pass up to sail on Solstice in March. I see you have been on Celebrity since your last cruise on Regent and wondered how that felt. Sorry, I don’t mean to hijack your post.

Julie

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Quick update.  We are in the Atlanta airport, in the ATL lounge.  We had a smooth exit from home and decided to take MARTA (rapid transit rail) to the airport because on December 3 when we return the SEC Championship (GO DAWGS) will be taking place downtown and that is a guaranteed promise of a ZOO for traffic.

 

We had a hiccup of major proportions when we checked in at Lufthansa and they informed us that our seats in business class did not recline.  We were polite and calm but indicated that this was absolutely not going to fly.  So we hung around and asked them if there was anything they could do…put us in First, another flight, etc.  and they moved our seats to different ones in business.  I sincerely hope they don’t assign the broken seats to someone else that had not checked in yet.  We will see when we get on board and I will let you know.

 

This will be my very first business class flight and I am excited about it.  My husband has often flown business for work but the companies I worked for were so cheap for travel that I’m surprised they didn’t try to seat us down under with the baggage.  Just sayin’. 
 

we made the mistake of not immediately going for the deviation and by the time we figured out the way things roll we were too late and ended up flying to Frankfurt and then to Barcelona.  Lesson learned.  We met and married in Germany 46 years ago so we will make the best of things and enjoy being back to the place we fell in love so many years ago.

 

I will attach a photo of our packing situation as of 9 or so this morning.  My suitcase on the left and my husband’s pile of stuff waiting to be assigned a spot.  He got up at 4 to work this morning and finally got it done and out of his hair and managed to do his vacation checklist and get us out the door to the airport at 11:15.

 

I’m excited to meet so many of you on the ship!  Cant wait!  Meanwhile, I will feel like a Queen or at least a Princessa sitting in my big deal seat.  I’ll take some photos so you can see what you think of business class on Lufthansa. I’ll be a happy camper since I have nothing to compare it to except the cattle car.  See you soon!

 

Joanie

 

Well the photos are posting upside down so I won’t torture you with that!  

[GeorgiaPeach51]

1 hour ago, ccmo said:

Joanie, I am so excited to read your next posts. My husband and I are sailing on Splendor in December for his 65th birthday. We have loved Celebrity and sail in the suites as we like the perks, however, their pricing and itineraries were keeping us from booking. That being said we found a deal that was too good to pass up to sail on Solstice in March. I see you have been on Celebrity since your last cruise on Regent and wondered how that felt. Sorry, I don’t mean to hijack your post.

Julie

@ccmo my husband wanted to see Alaska again and we took a gamble in the Solstice, even after swearing we would never do Celebrity again.  We did not do a suite so comparing is apples to bananas but it was just ok for us.  No big wows and nothing egregiously wrong.  The things we didn’t like before we still didn’t like….the variations in the way they made the same drink at the Martini Bar.  Every bartender did it his own way, so it was a roll of the dice.  Same as always.  Staff was uniformly courteous and worked hard.  The food was ok.  We noticed that the meat was different.  Thinner pieces of steak and pork, etc.  we still thought we paid too much for what we got but it was not bad, just average.  
 

We are booked on the Infinity to Athens, Ashdod, but I’m not certain we will keep it.  We definitely want to see the Holy Land but I’m not sure I want invest any more money on Celebrity.

 

BTW no one needs to worry about hijacking my posts!  Not a problem to me.  I love it when people respond and what better way to find out info, so ask away.p, whether it has to do with this cruise or any other.  😍

 

Joanie

[SkystheLimit]

Looking forward to your posts!  Made final payment today for our Splendour cruise in April and May. Our last cruise on Regent was a transatlantic on the Explorer.  It was marvelous and the entertainment was outstanding. Safe travels and hope you have a wonderful time!

[Linda VH]

Looking forward to your report!  I have a friend like yours - she only takes a carry on and its a little one.  She says she only packs black and blue stuff - still could never do it!

 

[crusin7]

Joanie you are hysterical!  Really looking forward to your posts.  I’d like to see your luggage pictures even if they are upside down. Have a fantastic flight and a wonderful cruise. 

[Pcardad]

On 11/15/2022 at 9:40 AM, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

Good morning!  We are getting ready to fly to Barcelona on Thursday, November 17 to then board the Splendor on the 19th in Barcelona and sail back home to Miami on December 3.  I thought I would do another trip report on what we think of the Splendor and what it is like to do a Transatlantic.  I’m not sure how well the WiFi will hold up in mid-ocean but will give it a try.

 

This trip is to celebrate my husband’s 70th birthday.  As I type this he is typing away on his computer, working.  I am essentially kidnapping him and removing him from phone contact AND computer so he can actually rest and relax.  You might remember that on our first Regent cruise on the Explorer, he got caught having to work and this time I have put not one, but two feet down and banned computers on this trip, so I am looking forward to time with him.

 

When I look up from typing, there is our Christmas tree twinkling away.  Yes, I know.  It is weird to have it up before Thanksgiving but since we come back December 3 I don’t want to fall off the ship and walk straight into decorating a 10 foot tree, which is a two day chore at a minimum.  Not to mention that we put up a Christmas village for the delight of our twin grands, who are six.  That takes two days at least.  So, the whole house is decorated and it is rainy and cold here in Georgia, so I’m feeling the HoHoHo spirit.  That will probably diminish when I drag out the suitcases later today and wage war with my propensity to just take one more of this, and what if I need that.  My goal this trip is to wear everything I bring at least once for crying out loud!  I am usually in the Packing Hall of Shame due to overpacking.  I have a friend who travels with only a carry-on, no matter how long she will be gone and I am seriously in awe and wondering if she is another unidentified species.

 

I will try to post a photo of tree and village to assist you with Christmas spirit even though you are first contemplating how big a turkey to get.  I have to be honest.  Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday due to all the cooking and effort it takes for a one hour meal and then leftovers that never taste nearly as good as the first time.  Just me.  I’m all about Christmas, so it will be interesting to see if Christmas appears on the ship right after Thanksgiving. 

More to come….

 

Joanie
 

 

 

 

Do you or your husband drink any type of bourbon?

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

8 hours ago, crusin7 said:

Joanie you are hysterical!  Really looking forward to your posts.  I’d like to see your luggage pictures even if they are upside down. Have a fantastic flight and a wonderful cruise. 

😂 @crusin7  Well, brave soul, here you go!

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Here we are in Frankfurt.  The flight was ok.  Remember, I have never flown business class before, and it is infinitely better than the other end of the plane!  There were some odd things.  No air vent above.  That suited me just fine since I am cold when it’s 105 outside and the a/c is on.  But I heard folks complaining about how hot it was.  The dinner service was nice and the food was good.  I got the salmon, which was a pretty bold move, given the locale, but it was surprisingly good.  
 

As usual, I failed to sleep even with a bed that was totally flat.  Go figure.  It was actually comfortable and why my stubborn little eyes refused to just give up I just can’t tell you.  So I did my usual thrashing around and gave up and watched the first Downton Abbey movie, which made me a happy camper.

 

Breakfast was a cold croissant placed on a cocktail napkin on the tray table with a little jar of jam.  And a cup of coffee.  Weirdest airplane breakfast I have ever encountered.   I pretty much just sat and looked at it and wished for bacon!

 

We landed early which gave us ample time to wander hither and yon thru the Frankfurt airport as we tried to find the Lufthansa Business Lounge.  Eureka!  We found it just as the fire alarm went off and people came pouring out of the lounge in droves.  You have to laugh.  
 

Here is a photo of me celebrating my first non-cheap seats experience.  I give Lufthansa a solid 7/10.  And it is right side up this time!

 

Barcelona, here we come!

[forgap]

We were on Lufthansa to Frankfort in August and I agree the plane was too hot!  The seats were odd as they were sort of inflatable and mine kept deflating so my hips hurt more than they usually do.  But, the service was lovely.   The Frankfort airport, on the other hand was not so lovely - huge and difficult to navigate.  
 

By the way, I found that when pics randomly post upside down, delete the upload from CC and go back to your photo library.  Then exit the picture by rotating it to the side, upside down, to the other side until you are in the original right side up position.  Upload again and it should work.  Your pic:

[GeorgiaPeach51]

@forgap Thanks so much for fixing the photo AND the info on how to fix the oopsies.

 

We are now in BCN after a somewhat tedious second flight.  I have to say that I’m not sold on Lufthansa and I think we are in agreement to give it a wide berth whenever possible in the future. The Frankfurt airport was confusing as my pedometer numbers will testify.  I found that airport to be strikingly unattractive….huge expanses of big metal strips running for what looked like miles in the ceiling.  Utilitarian but nothing to appeal to the eye.  
 

The BCN airport is more attractive and so quiet!  We are sitting once more, waiting for our transport to the hotel.  We just clicked over into “tell us what to do and where to go and we will do and go as you say” mode and my radar is actively focused on BED.  Right about now the airport tile floor is not looking too bad.  
 

Joanie

[RJ2002]

2 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

@forgap Thanks so much for fixing the photo AND the info on how to fix the oopsies.

 

We are now in BCN after a somewhat tedious second flight.  I have to say that I’m not sold on Lufthansa and I think we are in agreement to give it a wide berth whenever possible in the future. The Frankfurt airport was confusing as my pedometer numbers will testify.  I found that airport to be strikingly unattractive….huge expanses of big metal strips running for what looked like miles in the ceiling.  Utilitarian but nothing to appeal to the eye.  
 

The BCN airport is more attractive and so quiet!  We are sitting once more, waiting for our transport to the hotel.  We just clicked over into “tell us what to do and where to go and we will do and go as you say” mode and my radar is actively focused on BED.  Right about now the airport tile floor is not looking too bad.  
 

Joanie

 

Congrats on making it to BCN.  One of our favorite cities.  Hoping you have a restful evening prior to boarding tomorrow.

 

Lufthansa used to be our favorite carrier to Europe, but it has slipped a notch for us as well.  Their older business class seating lags other carriers with the newer 'pod' type seats.  Most newer J seats don't involve the window seat occupant to climb over the aisle seat occupant to get up.  By chance did you notice if your aircraft actually was "Eurowings" livery instead of "Lufthansa"?  Eurowings is LH's low cost leisure product.  They do apparently have full lie-flat business seats, and the seats look identical to LH's.  However, I've read in other travel reviews the onboard service is not quite up to LH standards.  On a Regent group FB post just recently, it sounded as though the poster was booked on Eurowings/LH as well.  I wonder if Regent has started to use Eurowings more?

 

Anyway, like others, I'm really looking forward to your reports aboard Spendor.  Hope you have a wonderful cruise and all goes well tomorrow at boarding.  Get ready for that champagne!

Edited November 18, 2022 by RJ2002

[2012_Alaska_bound]

2 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

We just clicked over into “tell us what to do and where to go and we will do and go as you say” mode

 

I call that "being in the capable hands of Regent" mode! Last Spring we did a TA cruise, followed by a week of traveling on our own, then joined a Scenic river cruise with a pre-cruise in Lisbon. Was so happy to get to Lisbon and have someone else be in charge again!

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

3:15 and finally in the room.  This has been a hurry up and wait situation since we got off the plane.  First we retrieved our luggage easily and then exited baggage claim to quickly find the Regent reps there.  We left our luggage with the porters as instructed and then waited for 45 minutes for the remaining passengers on our little van.  There were only 8 of us.

 

the drive was about 20 minutes to the hotel, but then the waiting started again.  Rooms weren’t ready.  That took another 30 minutes.  Now we are sitting in the room waiting for the luggage to appear.  Sheesh!  For those who follow us, once we checked in they assigned our room when the room was ready and we received a different room than the one first mentioned.  Then we were instructed to go meet the Regent reps for the boarding day instructions.

 

Tomorrow our bags have to be ready to go and left in the room by 8 and will be picked up between 8 and 10.  We leave them in the room.  But we are assigned a 12:00 bus to the ship.  So, wondering what we want to do for four hours.  We have been to Barcelona and Sagrada Familia three times and have been on lots of tours.  We can certainly just prowl around…

 

But I’m leaning toward getting ourselves to the port for our assigned boarding time, which is 11:30 rather than fiddling around here.  Guaranteed that if we meet in the lobby at noon, as assigned, we will dither for about 45 minutes, then drive about 20 minutes to the ship and maybe get there by about 1:00 at the earliest.  Aha!  I’ve learned the hurry up and wait lesson and they can’t fool me with it again!

 

I’ll let you know what we decide.  I’m too brain challenged to think about anything more than taking a shower and getting an hour or two of sleep to tide me over.  Feeling a little frustrated because I’m tired and it felt somewhat excruciating trying to get here, so will sign out and come back with a more positive outlook!

I have read on the boards that many people get there themselves to avoid all this hassle.  So I was aware of what we might encounter.  But, this being our first experience with Regent air, hotels and transfers I wanted to just see how it went.  So far, I don’t recommend it but I’ll evaluate after I get some sleep.

 

Joanie

[2012_Alaska_bound]

3 minutes ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

But I’m leaning toward getting ourselves to the port for our assigned boarding time, which is 11:30 rather than fiddling around here.

 

Definitely do this. Get there before the bus! Just get a taxi from the hotel. I would take the luggage with you.

[lincslady]

Yes, get a taxi - but don't forget to tell the rep.at the hotel that you are not going on the bus!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I concur about the taxi!

[1982CruzStart]

Neither Lufthansa or Frankfurt are on my list to try again.  I got food poisoning on LH and i think the Frankfurt airport is a nightmare. It is very utilitarian looking and if you land when many other international flights land, going through passport control and security can be brutal. Luckily we had a lot of time between flights so the very long lines at passport control and security didn't cause us a problem though many people in the priority line were either going to miss or did miss their connections and as what seems to rapidly becoming the norm, the staff seemed not to care.  We let a number of people go in front of us in order to help them get through. The business class lounge was a disaster, chaotic and overfilled. Of course it didn't help that i was getting sicker and sicker by the minute.  We have flown LH number of times in the past and been through Frankfurt airport a few times and this just put the nail in the coffin. 

Have a great cruise.