aungrl

Agree 100% with the other posters. Comfort tops everything, so that you can truly enjoy your excursions and your time on the ship. I'd bring the grey Brooks running shoes, since you know they're comfortable after many hours. If your clothes are mostly black and white, grey will look just fine. You could throw in the white Keds, as well; if they have a platform of any type, or extra cushioning, they could be fine for shorter excursions or around the ship with the dress, for example. And then the black sandals for evening now and then. If you look around the ship and the ports, I'm guessing you'll see a lot of women who have some version of a running shoe on. No one will think: "Look at that dorky woman!" They'll think: "Look at that smart woman who has on the right footwear!"

Exactly this. This is what I do at home for our merino wool, except for laying sweaters flat on a mesh rack to dry instead of hanging them. It's more of a PITA in a cruise cabin to fully rinse them in the sink, but it's the only fool proof method, I think.

I couldn't agree more with this. In flying to London from the DC area, once I discovered the day time flights - which on AA departed from either Chicago or Boston - I would typically fly into one or the other - (yes, going backwards to Chicago) - the day before in order to get the non-stop day flight across. For me, at least, it was a game changer in terms of my ability to adjust right away, and be productive (or enjoy vacation time) the entire trip. The pushback I always got from colleagues at the time was that I was "wasting an entire day". In my case, that wasn't true, because I would have wasted the first day there in any case from the overnight flight - I was present in the room, but definitely not present mentally.

Suggest you check out the Cruise Insurance forum, where you'll find a lot of helpful threads and tips on how to find cruise insurance that works for your specific situation.

I have these, as well, and really like them. They really are quick dry, and comfortable. Hard to find size 5.5 in any shoe, and particularly in water shoes, so that was also a plus with these.

The absolute best cookie/biscuit on any continent anywhere!

My mom and I had 3094 on a VO cruise in 2018 - it was a big birthday for her - and we heard nothing at all at any time of day or night. So if you are interested in this suite, I wouldn't hesitate.

Wonderful news! Thanks for letting us all know. I'm sure you're pleased with this outcome.

Thank you for posting this, KKB. It's really helpful to hear this from a pilot's perspective, in addition to the information FlyerTalker has posted previously. What a sad moment for all those loyal and dedicated WN front line employees.

We've sailed several times on Viking, in a variety of cabins, and once recently - last cruise before Covid, in 2019 - on Regent in a Penthouse Suite. When comparing Regent to Viking, the closest cabin to a Regent PS is the Viking Penthouse Junior Suite. It's very spacious, and has a bathroom lay-out that is - in our opinion - superior to Regent's bathroom in the PS. Regent gets very high marks from both loyalists and 'occasional' cruisers for its food quality, and we also found almost all of the food to be very good to excellent. (There were a couple of problems on our particular cruise with less-than-fresh offerings at the pool grill two days in a row, and when we requested the lobster for the following night, we were - surprisingly - told that it couldn't be done. But those are small things overall.) On Viking, we've found the food to be exceptional in all venues at most meals. There is always the occasional small problem, but there are entire cruises where neither of us could honestly find even a small thing to criticize. Important note: This experience comes from the before-times; there are plenty of recent posts about poorer food quality at times on more recent Viking cruises. Overall, we prefer Viking to Regent for all of the reasons you'll read in other posts...no casino, great passenger-to-space ratios, lovely crew, new and understated Scandinavian ships, and absolutely outstanding resident lecturers. (The lecturers we've experienced across all of our Viking cruises were superior to anything we experienced on our Regent cruise, by a significant margin.) While we did enjoy the all-inclusive aspect of Regent, it's possible to duplicate that to a large extent by adding in Viking's Silver Spirits beverage package. I hope this helps as you continue your planning!

Thank you for this. Helpful background to understand what's happening.

My favorite place in Paris!

Maybe one of those avenues will be useful so that you don't ONLY have to vent. Good luck!

That's exactly what I said! I'm wondering if you did that with it this year, John?

So what are you going to do, Clay? Stand pat?

Have to second the recommendation on Kew Gardens. One of our favorite places, at any time of year.

Thanks for taking all the time to share your detailed activities and some beautiful photos. It takes a lot of effort and commitment to do this during a trip, and it's much appreciated. Really enjoyed following along!

I don't sew, but my mom is quite the seamstress. She said that she wouldn't hesitate to use the fleece if it's a lightweight version. Her concern was the same as jsn55 with heavy fleece in terms of the collar looking and feeling too bulky. But lightweight should be fine.

Based on your experience across many years and many countries, what is a reasonable total credit limit you would recommend as being likely sufficient - I understand there are no guarantees, given whatever the actual circumstances end up being, but I'm very interested in your informed opinion. TIA

Can I suggest that you check out Viking Ocean? They feature a higher space:passenger ratio, and the ships are configured so as to maximize the number of spots that are perfect for relaxing and recharging. Each cruise also features resident lecturers, who are generally first-rate, and offer a variety of formal and more informal opportunities to learn new things. All of the cabins have balconies, so that provides another opportunity to rest/recharge in complete privacy. And none of the ships have casinos on board, which also lends itself to a quieter atmosphere overall.

Typically four, including the ones I wear on the plane, but not counting the flat, foldable slippers I change into on longer or overnight flights. One pair of tennis shoes of the type that are sturdy enough for comfortable walking for long periods of time, and a second pair of comfortable walking shoes - generally low boots with grippy treads if in a cooler climate, or a second pair of walking tennis shoes if warmer weather. (I have small feet and shoes are hard enough for me to find in the US; if something happened to one pair of my off-the-ship/walking/hiking/excursions shoes and it was the only pair I had, I would be in big trouble for the rest of the cruise.) Pair #3 is a pair of dressy flats - or dressy boots with a small heel - again depending on climate, that go with anything I might wear in the evening, from dresses to knit pants with tunics, etc. Pair #4 is a pair of flat flip flops or slides - in warm climates - for hanging out on the ship during sea days, going to the pool or spa, doing laundry, eating outside, etc. If it's a cool climate cruise, I generally substitute flat Ugg slippers with hard soles for the flip flops or slides.

All of these are great ideas. How about a very small flashlight? Handy for seeing in the cabin at night without turning on a light, and also could potentially turn out to be useful in the very unlikely event of an emergency.

This is what I often do, as well. Lightweight and super easy. Lands End has some of these lightweight SPF 50 long-sleeved T's, and mine have lasted for several seasons.

I think this is perfectly stated!

In my experience, people adhere pretty closely to the written dress code, as noted above. I can't recall ever seeing anyone in Explorers or the theatre in jeans on any of our cruises. (Which of course doesn't mean it hasn't happened on those cruises or any one of countless others.) But as a general rule of thumb in terms of thinking about how to pack, I'd recommend planning on no jeans after 6 p.m., other than in the World Cafe.