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Done!

I was just watching a You Tube video on “things not worth seeing in Iceland” by a local tour guide. The crashed plane was mentioned. The tour guide did not think it was worth it because it is a 2.5km hike each way between the parking lot and the plane. And just the shell of a plane once you get there.

@blackfly Do you mind sharing the name of the tour operator? I’ve been looking for the same itinerary for our August cruise. PM me if you do not wish to post the name publicly. There will be 8 of us - 3 grandparents; 2 parents; 3 elementary school aged children. I would prefer a private tour so we can make changes on the fly if anyone gets restless. Celebrity doesn’t have excursions for Djupivogur or Seydisfjordur and I’m having a hard time finding tour operators.

I have packed straw hats with big brims 2 different ways. If the hat says it is packable, then I fold it in half like a taco and roll it like an ice cream cone. Be sure not to leave the hat packed like this for more than 24 hours. If I doubt that the hat is packable/crushable, then I pack it like CookingChick2020 describes above….fill the crown with soft small items and then pack around the hat. For my upcoming cruise, I am going to get one of the magnetic hat clips that attaches your hat to your purse. Something similar to the picture. On a cruise last year, I asked a woman who was using one how she liked it. She said she loved it.

Below is a transcript of a chat I had with an agent at aardy.com where I purchased my trip insurance. FWIW, my insurer for this cruise is Trawick. TL:DR: The agent told me that using gift cards to pay for the trip did not affect cruise insurance. However, I would only be reimbursed for the actual amount I paid. Example: if my cruise cost $1000 and I used two $500 gift cards that had cost me $900, I’d only get $900 back.

Governmental taxes are excluded from the requirements of the law. Could there still be port taxes added? Could it be that the $50 is for all of the other service fees that get automatically added on?

I believe the “increase” is to comply with the new California Price Transparency Law that went into effect today (July 1, 2024) The CA Attorney General’s press release https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/landmark-price-transparency-law-set-go-effect-july-1-attorney-general-bonta

Does anyone know how or when the standby list is updated? Right now the furthest out cruise is October. I’m looking for something a little later in the year.

On the first iteration of my flights, I had an 8 hour layover in EWR. I sent a better routing to them through my Regent cruise consultant. They responded with a better arrival time, more reasonable layovers but added a stop. When I asked my cc to look into it, he told me I had to call the Air Department directly. That’s when I got the “$75 to talk to us” recording.

My specific facts are that the initial return routing the Air Department gave me included an 8 hour layover in EWR getting me home at midnight. I sent them an alternate routing which would have been one 2.5 hour layover getting me home at 10p. They responded with a 2 stop flight but didn’t include any ridiculously long layovers and gets me home at 10p. Rather than pay $75 to reject whatever nonsense they would offer, I accepted the 2 stop offer. I’m quite disappointed, but it probably is the best I was going to get out of them. Nevertheless, it is my opinion that low cost carriers charge to speak to a human. Is Regent on the road to becoming a Low Cost Carrier?

I had a question about the routing on my not-yet-accepted flights. My Regent cruise consultant told me that as of today, I have to call the Regent Air Department instead of his handling it for me. Not what I wanted to do, but I did it. I got a recording that said I would have to pay $75 to talk to someone in the Air Department. 😳 Wow. The nickel-and-diming has started…. Or did I misunderstand?