Splendor in Iceland!

[mnocket]

On 8/23/2023 at 6:29 AM, boblerm said:

Our Icelandair business class flight was fine for a daytime flight, but would not recommended for overnight, as seats do not recline nearly enough.

I'm really disappointed to hear this as we're flying to Iceland next week on Icelandair.  I knew their Business Class seats were like US domestic 1st class, but I was hoping they reclined enough that you could sleep without your head falling forward. Mine's a red eye so I really need to try to get some sleep. 

[mnocket]

6 hours ago, boblerm said:

It was 16C/61F, calm and clear as a bell. Our tour guide told us that this was highly unusual for this region.

Wow!  That's great.  I'll be there in a week and I must say packing for this trip is about as difficult as it gets.  The weather in Iceland is so dramatically variable.  I know... layers, layers, layers, but it's hard to not overpack. 

[boblerm]

5 minutes ago, mnocket said:

I'm really disappointed to hear this as we're flying to Iceland next week on Icelandair.  I knew their Business Class seats were like US domestic 1st class, but I was hoping they reclined enough that you could sleep without your head falling forward. Mine's a red eye so I really need to try to get some sleep. 

Yes,  US domestic 1st class is exactly what we had, sorry if I misled you. The seats do recline, but not nearly flat. No worries, your head will not fall forward, and if you can sleep well in a semi reined position, you are good to go! 

[mnocket]

2 minutes ago, boblerm said:

Yes,  US domestic 1st class is exactly what we had, sorry if I misled you. The seats do recline, but not nearly flat. No worries, your head will not fall forward, and if you can sleep well in a semi reined position, you are good to go! 

Thanks, I'm relieved.  If they have a reasonable recline, I think I'll be OK🙂

[Mudhen]

We've flown Icelandair several times, from Newark to Iceland and don't mind it one bit. Yes, the seats

don't turn into beds, but hey, we fall asleep all the time watching TV in our recliners at home (giggle!)

I think their food is second to none....always interesting and very tasty. Adult beverages in every category are plentiful and quality. We will be flying with them in September for the Splendor "round

Great Britian number...

We were originally given an insane flight schedule on Air Canada which we said no to (Newark to Toronto, Toronto to Paris, Paris to Copenhagen....geez!!! I don't think so)  I knew we could get Icelandair out of Newark, so I asked for them....

Long story short, we like Icelandair very much and are happy to flying with them.

[boblerm]

 

Kveðja! 

 

Last night we dined at Compass Rose. Boblerm had caviar profiteroles, cream of asparagus soup, and duck prepared 2 ways in plum sauce. Ms. Boblerm had vine ripened tomato salad, asparagus soup and a sake glazed salmon. In terms of presentation, flavor, and service, it was a standout dining experience. 

 

The evening entertainment was a vocalist named Andrew Bateup, who was a finalist in the UK version of "the Voice". He did a performance of standards ; rat pack, Michael Bublè, Bryan Adams, others, backed by the Regent Signature Orchestra. He has a really nice voice and put on a very enjoyable show. 

 

Today we are in Ísafjörður. The forcast called for rain all day, but the Norse gods smiled upon us once again, and it was pleasant and sunny, at least as we speak, 2PM.

 

Our excursion was called "Life and Culture of Ísafjörður. We stopped at the Ósvör Maritime Museum, which is a replica of an old Icelandic fishing village, and then drove to a church where we were serenaded with Islandic folk songs by a lovely young lady. Next we stopped at the Tunguskògur water falls. We were able to sample the clear mountain water which is said to have rejuvenating powers, you become 10 years more youthful with each glass. I had 4. We'll see what happens. Lastly, we returned to Isafjörður, where we visited a Maritime and Folk Museum. We were able to sample salted cod, which was pretty much like trying to chew on fish flavored plasterboard. 😋

 

 

I must say that it is an incredible pleasure to be relaxing comfortably on the pool deck in Iceland, and best of all, NO CHAIR HOGS! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[boblerm]

15 hours ago, mnocket said:

Wow!  That's great.  I'll be there in a week and I must say packing for this trip is about as difficult as it gets.  The weather in Iceland is so dramatically variable.  I know... layers, layers, layers, but it's hard to not overpack. 

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. 

It may be quite cold and windy, so pack for that for sure. But in terms of over packing, please bear in mind that the included unlimited laundry is great, and you can get it done every day if you wish. So there is no need to take lots of clothing (unless you want lots of different outfits!) 😊

[Gilly]

'scuse me @boblerm but are you two following in our footsteps?!  Guess which tour we chose in Ísafjörður? 😉     (and wasn't Johann the fisherman great?!)  

 

It's lovely to revisit these places seeing through someone else's lens, especially when they are still so clear in my mind.  I can still hear the beautiful voice of the young woman in the church too.  I think we made an excellent choice with that tour, don't you?   ( I'm still waiting for those rejuvenating properties of the water to appear btw)

[boblerm]

2 hours ago, Gilly said:

'scuse me @boblerm but are you two following in our footsteps?!  Guess which tour we chose in Ísafjörður? 😉     (and wasn't Johann the fisherman great?!)  

 

It's lovely to revisit these places seeing through someone else's lens, especially when they are still so clear in my mind.  I can still hear the beautiful voice of the young woman in the church too.  I think we made an excellent choice with that tour, don't you?   ( I'm still waiting for those rejuvenating properties of the water to appear btw)

I guess that great minds think alike (I am referring, of course, to you and Ms boblerm who takes the lead in excursion selections 😊). 

 

Yes, we have been very pleased with our excursions do far. Johann was quite a personality, I loved how he spoke so enthusiastically to us knowing that not one of us understood a word he said (other than our tour guide, thank goodness 😁) 

 

Hard to tell how well the magic water is working, I always feel young when cruising! 😉

[mnocket]

3 hours ago, boblerm said:

So there is no need to take lots of clothing (unless you want lots of different outfits!)

That's been my issue.  Intellectually, I know no one is keeping track of what I wear and how often I wear the same thing, but I still struggle with overpacking.  Given the uncertainty of the weather, I'm going to have to force myself to do a better job of picking what to pack. Oh well, first world problems🙂

[boblerm]

Hæ! 

 

Last night we had what had to be close to a perfect cruise ship evening. 

We had pre - dinner cocktails in the Maridian Lounge, where they offer a very inventive menu of drinks that are not available elsewhere, with music by 3 members of the Regent Signature Orchestra. 

 

Dinner was at Pacific Rim. We have our favorite menu items here that we go to time and time again. But we decided last night that we may be doing ourselves a disservice by not trying other things, so we decided that we would each order things that we have not had before. 

Mr. had the Alaska King Crab Summer Roll, the Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai and the Barbecue Pork Ribs. 

Mrs.  had the Sushi Platter, Seaweed Salad and the Seafood Laksa. We paired the apps with a cold saki, and the mains with an excellent pinot noir. Everything was incredible. And for dessert we shared the Pacific Rim Ice Cream Sampler; a scoop each of seaweed, coconut, and sesame seed cookie. OMG! Dare I say - move over Caramel Popcorn Sundae? Not sure that I would go that far, but definitely a contender. 

 

The show was "Broadway in Concert".  I can't say how many times I have seen this show, it seems that it has been offered on every Regent cruise that I have taken for quite some time now. And I don't think that they change it up very much. I know what many of the songs are performed each time that I have seen it, maybe a few different ones. But that matters to me not a whit. Last night, the voices were spectacular; I loved every second of it. 

 

 

So why did I say, "close" to a perfect cruise ship evening"? We would have loved to have enjoyed a nightcap at the Observation Lounge with the piano player, or in the Splendor Lounge with the duo, but we had a 7:30 Am excursion today and thought that we had best not stay up too late. 

Poor us! 😁

 

Today we are in Akureyri and our excursion was "Godafoss & Leisurely Akureyri ". 

 

 

We drove to the falls, then back to Akureyri for a visit to the Akureyri Public Parkland Botanical Garden. We were told that this is the northernmost botanical garden in the world, 40 Km from the arctic circle. 

We once again had a very enjoyable excursion, I could have used a bit more time in the gardens, however. The weather gods were not quite as kind to us today, it was raining while we were at the falls, but not too hard. It had stopped by the time that we arrived at the gardens, so no real complaints! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jeb_bud]

It’s amazing to me to see so much greenery so far north!

[mnocket]

When I check the weather forecast for our travel to Iceland next week, I get very different predictions from weather.com and The Weather Channel.  One says upper 50's for the next week and the other says upper 40's.  Can we get a weather report from our "on site weather team"?  Thanks.

[1982CruzStart]

Absolutely gorgeous pictures. Thanks for them and for taking us along. 

[RachelG]

Loving your comments and photos.  We have never tried that ice cream sampler in Pacific Rim.  I usually eat too much in that venue and give dessert a no.  But you have inspired me to try it next month.

[boblerm]

15 hours ago, mnocket said:

When I check the weather forecast for our travel to Iceland next week, I get very different predictions from weather.com and The Weather Channel.  One says upper 50's for the next week and the other says upper 40's.  Can we get a weather report from our "on site weather team"?  Thanks.

So far, our first 3 days have been mild, low to mid 60s F. The first 2 days have been sunny and clear. Yesterday it rained in the morning and was cloudy in the afternoon. Today we are at sea, don't know the temperature, but it feels chilly and is raining. 

[boblerm]

14 hours ago, RachelG said:

Loving your comments and photos.  We have never tried that ice cream sampler in Pacific Rim.  I usually eat too much in that venue and give dessert a no.  But you have inspired me to try it next month.

We more often than not skip desserts, but some are just too good to pass up. When we do have dessert, we share one. But in the interest of full disclosure, sharing dessert for us means that I eat it and DW helps me out a bit😉. 

Edited August 27, 2023 by boblerm

[boblerm]

Góðan daginn!

 

We had to set our clocks an hour ahead last night 😒.

But no matter, today is a sea day🙂.

The original itinerary had a port stop, but a few months ago we received a message that it was replaced with "a relaxing day at sea". My first reaction was that it was a bit of a bummer, I don't like missing out. Upon further review, I am very happy to have this respite, my plan is to do as little as possible today, perhaps the other day's rejuvenating waters will start kicking in.

 

Last night we had the elite level (gold and above) Seven Seas Society event. Andrew Bateup, the singer that had a show in the Galaxy a few nights ago performed, and it was an enjoyable event.

 

We enjoyed our dinner in Compass Rose. Jeannie had Mulligatawny Soup and Tuna Loin (right side of the menu) and Veal Medallions (left side), I had the lobster bisque, escargot and rib eye steak, (all left side).

 

The show last night was Diamond Run. I saw this show once before on my previous Splendor cruise and thought that it was one of my two least favorite Regent production shows that I have seen. There appears to be some sort of story line, but I was unable to tell what it was, and many of the musical numbers were unfamiliar to me. This time, I was bound and determined to concentrate as hard as I could to see if I would be able to figure out what in Sam Hill is going on.

So was I able to discern a coherent story line?

By no means. I know that there is a theft of a diamond and an agent is assigned to retrieve it. He goes to various world locations, the diamond inexplicably changes hands back and forth from time to time, and then....... and then........

Well I won't spoil the edge - of-your-seat - suspense for those who have not seen it yet. But I will say that there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to how this ending comes about.

The other problem is that with a few exceptions, I did not love the song selections, and the songs had nothing whatsoever to do with the alleged plot.

But I did enjoy the show more than I did the first time because I think that the production cast is far superior this time around. And the costumes, backdrops, lighting are superb. But if it was up to me, I would scrap the meager attempt at a plot, and just stick to the tried and true great music that most of us know and love.

My humble opinion only.

 

Today they are offering a champaign pairing lunch. It is a bit pricey ($235 PP), but we have shipboard credit to burn, so why not? 

 

 

[Gilly]

We agree 100% with your opinion on Diamond Run and can't make head nor tail of it either.  Relieved that it's not just us!!

[Bearsparents]

We also saw the show.  We do not normally go to the show but with the sea day and not having to be up early, we thought we would give it a shot.  I agree plot line is a bit disjointed and the ending just happens. I also thought the production cast was very good.  As for the song choices we actually enjoyed it.  I thought the songs and the dancing were very good.  I am going to add we are some of the younger folks on this cruise so I could see how the songs might not have been things you are familiar with.

 

This is also our first Regent cruise. Very impressed with the food and wine selections.  The tours have been what I expected and how they described them.  The one thing I have been less than thrilled with is the background music in the lounges and restaurants.  The songs are familiar but am not enjoying the cover of them.   Really not an issue and it is all personal preference.  If that is my worst complaint then this is a terrific cruise.

[flossie009]

5 hours ago, boblerm said:

The show last night was Diamond Run.

On our Navigator cruise the Production Cast came up with their own version of a diamond (tanzanite) caper called “Bond Voyage”. 
It was a very skilfully crafted performance mixing film shot around the ship and live performance; all set to the music of Bond movie themes.

It was very entertaining and kudos to Anthony, one of the lead singers, who directed the show, created by the talented performers themselves during their time on board.

 

[snorkle lover]

Just to get back to the subject of Diamond Run, we saw it in December of 2022 on the Splendor and we had difficulty following the story line. I am glad to hear that others felt the same way. Since we didn't care for it then, we decided not to see it on our May 2023 cruise. We also saw Andrew Bateup in May 2023 and thought he was good but a bit on the stiff side. Hoping that the shows they are offering in 2024 on the Grandeur and Splendor will not be repeated again. I guess performers have a contract for a certain amount of time so seeing repeat shows are inevitable. We love Regent and this isn't a deal breaker and we are blessed to be able to sail on her! 🙂

 

[Mudhen]

6 hours ago, Bearsparents said:

We also saw the show.  We do not normally go to the show but with the sea day and not having to be up early, we thought we would give it a shot.  I agree plot line is a bit disjointed and the ending just happens. I also thought the production cast was very good.  As for the song choices we actually enjoyed it.  I thought the songs and the dancing were very good.  I am going to add we are some of the younger folks on this cruise so I could see how the songs might not have been things you are familiar with.

 

This is also our first Regent cruise. Very impressed with the food and wine selections.  The tours have been what I expected and how they described them.  The one thing I have been less than thrilled with is the background music in the lounges and restaurants.  The songs are familiar but am not enjoying the cover of them.   Really not an issue and it is all personal preference.  If that is my worst complaint then this is a terrific cruise.

As a so called “ old bi**ch, (giggle!), I totally agree with your music critique. 
I’d LOVE to hear more updated music any where on the ships!

Most especially on the pool decks!

Maybe a little Bob Marley? Coldplay? Adele?Dare I say Taylor?(omg! did I actually say that?  Giggle!)

You catch my drift?

If the future if Regent  is looking to the future, they could think about that…

They don’t need to throw the Rat Pack or Elvis overboard, but maybe something a little more contemporary?

Hey! I’m not dead yet!  Haha!!!!

 

[boblerm]

1 hour ago, Mudhen said:

As a so called “ old bi**ch, (giggle!), I totally agree with your music critique. 
I’d LOVE to hear more updated music any where on the ships!

Most especially on the pool decks!

Maybe a little Bob Marley? Coldplay? Adele?Dare I say Taylor?(omg! did I actually say that?  Giggle!)

You catch my drift?

If the future if Regent  is looking to the future, they could think about that…

They don’t need to throw the Rat Pack or Elvis overboard, but maybe something a little more contemporary?

Hey! I’m not dead yet!  Haha!!!!

 

In my experience, the only Regent performers that do more contemporary /upbeat music is Boogie and Kasia. If only they could be in 5 places (soon 6)at once, all would be great. 

[RachelG]

Another who agrees about the shows which have some loose plot.  I have never seen one that made any sense.  They just need to sing and dance and not attempt a plot.