califsealion

I appreciate your posting about your trip!  I loved my trip on the Duchess.

I'm not aboard the Explorer right now, but Zqueeze1 has a live thread going on that cruise and it looks like business as usual.  Maybe you can go ask there about specifics?

We went down the Antarctic Peninsula.  Our trip crossed the Antarctic Circle, but apparently it was the first time they had managed it that season.  We went in mid to late January.  Everything is dependent on weather conditions.  There was definitely one stop they usually do at an old abandoned camp we missed because of ice.

I am enjoying your posts, thanks for the live thread!

I've only done Antarctica, I haven't done South Georgia or the Falklands.  In general, Lindblad is very good at offering a difficult hike and another option like an easier hike or a zodiac ride.  I can think of one stop we had where the hike was quite steep (they made everyone take walking sticks) and I don't remember if there was a second option, but the other stops with more difficult walks also offered an easier walk.

We had an 86 year old woman on our trip, she managed pretty well!

Let me know if you have any other questions.  I think Antarctica is definitely a worthwhile trip!

Hi Cyn!

I have enjoyed watching your videos!  I especially like watching the ship tour, but the others are good, too.  😀

If there are any excursions you definitely want to do, I'd book in advance.  Some of the popular ones can sell out.  I think the Angola Prison tour sold out on our trip, and the Vicksburg civil war site booked up, but I know my aunt and uncle were able to clear the waiting list on that one.

If you want to go to the show, make sure you get to dinner early enough.  The first night we left dinner right after the main course and skipped dessert to make it to the show.  I think after that we tried to get to the dining room by 6:15 at the latest to make it to the 8pm show.  Not sure I have those times exactly right...  I found the shows cheesy, but good fun.

I will be following along, thanks for doing another live thread!

I am thoroughly enjoying living vicariously through your posts, thank you for doing a live thread!

I figured I'd follow up here in case anyone else searches this out for information.  I just got the medicare denial in the mail yesterday, so it well and truly took the 60 days to get the answer.  I'm sure all the holidays didn't help.  Now just have to wait to see if the travel insurance is going to cover it or not. 

I did a lower Mississippi trip on the Duchess in Oct 2018 and loved that little boat!

Dinner is "country club casual", which as far as I can tell means no jeans and a collared shirt for men.  Women would be similar, nice pants and a nice top.  People were not super dressy on our trip.  I don't think the dinner dress code extended to other areas of the ship for the rest of the evening, but I don't remember.

The boat does have a second dining room that serves as a buffet for breakfast and lunch, then is a second dining room for dinner.  You do have to make reservations for dinner if you want to eat there.  We didn't bother, the main dining room was great.

I'm afraid I don't remember if the walls were metal.

My mom and I found the trip very relaxing.  It's very low key.  There is a place on the boat in the front, out on deck - maybe deck 2?  There were chairs and no railing right in front of you because it is where the stairs go down to the deck below.  I loved sitting there while we were cruising.  Other people found out about it, though, so you may have to share.  ;)

I carry a small paperback with me whenever I am out and about.  That way I can happily sit and read if there is no one that wants to chat.  I'm an introvert, so often I'm happier if no one wants to chat and I can enjoy my book! 😀

7 hours ago, Bop said:

Just re read some of the posts from the Empress Lewis and Clark cruise.  Really enjoyed the cruise and Empress.  So much so that we just booked the Memphis to New Orleans cruise on American Queen.

I hope you enjoy the Queen!  I have not been on her, but it seems a lot of others on this board have been, so feel free to ask any questions.

I am not a big fan of children, but will have to agree with westmount and kjbacon.  Unless Regent decides that it is in their best interest to have an age limit on their cruises, complaining about them is irrelevant.  There might be kids and they might be annoying.  I try to choose my vacation time when kids would generally be in school to avoid them.

I have said before, in my younger days, I was a child on a cruise ship.  The trips we went on were not "child friendly" ships (Royal Viking Line mostly), but my brother and I loved the trips and were never bored.  Not all kids will be bored, just because the ship does not cater to children.  People just have to know their kids.

6 hours ago, Tucker in Texas said:

No library on the Star.  There were a vvery few "donations" on the shelf but they were mostly technical stuff. 

I have a cruise on the Star in the fall and am disappointed to read this!  I saw the library on the deck plan and was looking forward to it.  I'll still plan on ditching a book there though, I guess.  Sounds like donations might be appreciated.

So on my first Regent cruise I confess my ignorance and assumed that as Regent advertises tips included and shore excursions included, I thought the tips for shore excursions would also be included.  From reading on here, it seems a lot of people do tip and I may have been wrong about this.  On this last cruise my mom and I did, we gave $5 each to the drive and $10 each to the guide, roughly based on what I'd read here before.

On 12/30/2019 at 8:37 AM, adstz said:

 

Thank you for taking the time to post this. It is so hard to find any info on this company and their cruises. We are booked for September 2020 Memphis to New Orleans. Do you have any recommendations for what to see and do in Memphis and New Orleans? We will be spending a few days in both cities before and after the cruise.

Any other insights into the cruise will be appreciated.

My mom and I went to Preservation Hall to hear some jazz in New Orleans and both really enjoyed it.  The venue is small and intimate.  We paid extra for the guaranteed seats.  https://www.preservationhall.com/

That would be weird, but we really loved the Duchess.  It will definitely be a story to tell!

1 hour ago, CRUISEWITHH said:

Is this Getaway fare for Princess?  Never heard of it.

Yes, I guess it is called the Getaway Sale.  It is for cruises 5 days or less, the 2nd guest is 50% off, which makes the single supplement 50% off.  This is going to be my first Princess cruise and only ran across the fares while checking out how the Best Sale Ever would change my fare.  Not sure how often they run this particular sale.

I forget to mention, check out this section:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/279-solo-cruisers/

There is a thread specifically for solo bargains.

24 minutes ago, CynCyn said:

I am sorry for your loss.  I use Getaway fares where the 2nd person sails at 50%.  

 

I love cruising solo because it feels safer than just taking a solo trip! 

I just booked myself on a solo cruise for next year and took advantage of a Getaway fare.  Definitely lowered the price!

I also agree with what others said, if your schedule is flexible, they will sometimes offer fares with a decreased single supplement closer to the sailing date. 

Thanks for your live updates!  What was the final verdict on the seasickness glasses?

On 11/23/2019 at 3:44 PM, Elaine5715 said:

In the mail

Thank you!  I will be keeping my eye out for it, though they say it can take 60 days. 😮

I am much looking forward to reading about your trip!  A transatlantic is on my bucket list.  A lot of cruises are on my bucket list, I'll confess...

I did find the whole excursion choosing process with my mom difficult.  I was specifically going for the seated tours, but there were times the other tours (the level 1 and 2 tours) almost sounded easier on paper.  One of our seated tours turned into a level 2 tour once we were on the ship.  I had a difficult time getting an answer about why the change took place, I guess I should have talked directly to the manager.  In the end, it was cold that day, so my mom opted to stay behind...