Live from Splendor, Copenhagen to Southampton

[Gilly]

Life is a little chaotic here so having five minutes to spare, I thought I'd kick off a new thread for our upcoming cruise which starts in Copenhagen on Wednesday 26th.  As always, I'll blog on my personal "Elegant Sufficiency" page for my own records, because there's nothing better on a cold Winter's evening than to revisit all those wonderful Regent cruises once again from the comfort of home (all our cruise pages are here btw)   Here's hoping for reasonable internet connections then and a bucketload of patience delivered by room service from time to time 😉

 

We fly to Copenhagen early Tuesday morning and look forward to dinner at our favourite Høst restaurant in the evening.  Of course, we'll raise a glass to friends who've been there with us previously - you'll be there in spirit I know!

 

I'll drop in here from time to time to share bits and pieces of interest (as we do) and hope that others on board will add their two penn'orth here as well.   But now, to go and sort things out so that we can leave our builders to get on with their work whilst we are away.  Here's hoping we don't return to find even more chaos!

[liptastic]

Gilly wishing you and your husband a wonderful cruise. Great to have your blog to  look forward to .  Best wishes, Jean and Bill x

[lprp]

Looking forward to reading your musings @Gilly. We board Splendor in Reykjavik on 31 August so you will help whet our appetites even further 😁

 

Have a wonderful trip.

LP

[forgap]

Always love your point of view!

 

jennifer

[maryogreen]

@Gilly, wishing you a wonderful, dust-free cruise! I look forward to reading your thoughtful and entertaining blog posts and onboard comments here, as always.😀

Mary

Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

[Zqueeze1]

We can’t wait to hear about your latest adventure and wish you a safe and wonderful cruise.  
 

Z and TB

[Gilly]

Next step! We are here in the BA T5 lounge ready to fly.  We checked in last night and stayed over at the LHR Sofitel, which we usually do before a morning flight, not trusting the M4 peak morning traffic.  The hotel was full and the BA staff member we chatted to said they had 51 000 departing px through T5 yesterday - surprisingly, that was not a record, either!  Thankfully the lounge is quiet this morning.

Hope to 'see' you in CPH later!

[PurleyKing]

We are on this cruise as well. We were due to fly from Gatwick to Copenhagen on the 0720 this morning. We checked our bags in at about 0515 and strolled to the security area. The electronic gate there refused us entry - it turns out that between checking our bags in and walking to security, our flight had been cancelled 'because of air traffic control problems'! There were no seats available on any other Gatwick-Copenhagen flights for two days. We have been very fortunate to be able to book another flight (from Heathrow this time) departing this evening, but have lost our planned day in Copenhagen. Unsurprisingly, it took quite a while to get our luggage back.

 

 

[Gilly]

@PurleyKing oh no! That's not a good start!   We are now waiting for bags, remembering the last time here when there were walls of 'lost' bags everywhere. Today, there's a small heap of a dozen or so - not good if one of them is yours (or mine) but a darn sight better than it was.

As we landed we saw a sleek white ship in port....ooooh! Was it Splendor?

Edited July 25, 2023 by Gilly

[Lenbro1944]

Will be embarking on Splendor on September 12, Copenhagen to London. Pre-cruise one night in Copenhagen, September 11. Had already booked reservations at Host after seeing it on an Andrew Zinman show on places to eat in Copenhagen.

Looking forward to our dinner there and would love to hear your review and any menu recommendations.

[Gilly]

@Lenbro1944 we just got back from our third evening at Høst which was as good as  ever - except for the absent friends 😪.   It's a popular spot, both with locals and those just passing through, so reservations are essential I'd say.  Once more, we opted for the five course tasting menu with wine pairing and I'll write a blog with photos as soon as I can on my personal blog (because this is something I want to remember)  Nothing disappointed,  The flavours were as fresh and "different" as I remembered and each course was a delight.  I feel sure you won't be disappointed - unless you are expecting something more than a fish focused Nordic menu with inventive herbal flavours!

[Lenbro1944]

Thank you for your review. Looking forward to our dinner there. How will I access your blog with your full review?

Len

[briar14]

1 hour ago, Gilly said:

@Lenbro1944 we just got back from our third evening at Høst which was as good as  ever - except for the absent friends 😪.   It's a popular spot, both with locals and those just passing through, so reservations are essential I'd say.  Once more, we opted for the five course tasting menu with wine pairing and I'll write a blog with photos as soon as I can on my personal blog (because this is something I want to remember)  Nothing disappointed,  The flavours were as fresh and "different" as I remembered and each course was a delight.  I feel sure you won't be disappointed - unless you are expecting something more than a fish focused Nordic menu with inventive herbal flavours!

And, the friends wished they could have been there! What a delightful dinner we enjoyed at Host with you just over a year ago.

[Gilly]

7 hours ago, Lenbro1944 said:

Thank you for your review. Looking forward to our dinner there. How will I access your blog with your full review?

Len

Len, you'll find it (and others) here, on my Elegant Sufficiency blog.

[welshfamily]

Really enjoyed reading your blog. Should have been packing ( or at least sorting out what to take) as we leave in 4 days for our pre cruise trip in Lisbon. We are wondering if we should mix clothes in cases. Again this is not something we normally do.

May I ask why you had to have official COVID tests?

We have had an email saying advice only. Only sensible. We will self test at home and take self testing lateral flow tests to test at the hotel before we board. Only for the protection of fellow guests. Two of us have had the 4th boaster and all are feeling fit.

[Lenbro1944]

Thanks for your review and pictures. Yummy

[Nachosdelux]

where is the ship docking in Copenhagen?  

[pappy1022]

Interested in why a COVID test was required. I just looked up the Denmark requirements and there isn’t a requirement to have a negative COVID test to enter the country. 

[BuckGood]

44 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

Interested in why a COVID test was required. I just looked up the Denmark requirements and there isn’t a requirement to have a negative COVID test to enter the country. 

You do Not need a Covid test to enter Denmark! 

[BuckGood]

We will be boarding the Splendor in Southampton for the 4th time in less than a year! 

[Gilly]

@welshfamily Thankfully no Covid test needed...maybe that was on a different cruise ?  (we have done several since CV and sometimes had to provide a clear result before boarding - but not this time)  We were simply asked if we had symptoms or been in contact with someone who had.  As the answer to both questions was "no" there was nothing further to do.

 

We are currently sitting working our way through the champagne, enjoying the peace and quiet after the "fun" of embarkation day.  It's never *that* smooth, but somehow today seemed particularly chaotic.  Never mind!  We are here and all is good.  Better than that, it's great!  Whilst sitting in La Veranda at lunchtime, Hannah came and asked if we'd like a restaurant reservation this evening - we gladly accepted Pacific Rim at 7.30, table for four with the couple who happened to be sitting at the table with us.  

 

I'm glad my blog provided a distraction from the chore that is packing.  I packed really badly this time and have not done well.  Never mind.  Thanks for the laundry service!

[Gilly]

1 hour ago, Nachosdelux said:

where is the ship docking in Copenhagen?  

It was at the new Cruise terminal, together with large Holland America and Princess ships. 

[Gilly]

1 hour ago, pappy1022 said:

Interested in why a COVID test was required. I just looked up the Denmark requirements and there isn’t a requirement to have a negative COVID test to enter the country. 

There wasn't any requirement.  

[Gilly]

19 minutes ago, BuckGood said:

We will be boarding the Splendor in Southampton for the 4th time in less than a year! 

We'll see you on board, since we're sailing B2B and will disembark in Reykjavik.

[seasickphil]

6 hours ago, welshfamily said:

Really enjoyed reading your blog. Should have been packing ( or at least sorting out what to take) as we leave in 4 days for our pre cruise trip in Lisbon. We are wondering if we should mix clothes in cases. Again this is not something we normally do.

May I ask why you had to have official COVID tests?

We have had an email saying advice only. Only sensible. We will self test at home and take self testing lateral flow tests to test at the hotel before we board. Only for the protection of fellow guests. Two of us have had the 4th boaster and all are feeling fit.

We arrived at the port today by taxi at 12.15pm, onboard Splendor by 12.30, no Covid tests just the welcome aboard glass of bubbly, that was the only requirement needed by us. Already unpacked and now relaxing on our balcony in the sun, just polishing off the bubbly left in our suite, what more could one ask for.