Scout16

Covid

The most obvious impact of Covid was that the crew all had to wear masks all the time except for performers when they were performing.  The Social Hostess was thrilled that she was just recently allowed to sit and talk with the passengers, this limitation still existed for most of the entertainers but it appeared to be easing by the end of the cruise.  The crew still could not eat or drink with the passengers.  Masks were suggested on board but there were only a handful of passengers who wore them all the time.  I only really wore the mask when going to events where you had to come in close contact with crew members such as the Captain's Reception and society gatherings.  Masks were required in Spain on the buses and in terminals, most of the passengers followed these rules.  The mask requirements did not exist in France, the UK or Ireland.  I am not sure if the mask would have helped me or not but I believe I have a sensitivity to the disinfectant they commonly use on the buses.  I thought it was a reaction to perfume at first but I soon found that I had a runny nose every time I got on the bus and it was worse when they turned up the fans.  I developed a minor sinus /ear infection which kept me on cough drops to keep socially presentable.  The Spanish government did not want to see the health documents since I was in transit.  I believe that only when boarding the ship was the only time that I had to show my Covid test result and vaccine card.  I needed to get my vaccine card replaced since I carried it with me every day as suggested in ninety plus degree temperatures, it got amp and the people who entered the data on the card used felt tip markers, all that remains is a blob of color.     

To there and back again

I used Regent Air since I felt more comfortable having someone who could deal with cancelations and changes in the current times.  Both going and returning were not through flights.  I was scheduled to fly from Washington Dulles to Paris to Barcelona with a night in a hotel to recover from the flight and to adjust to the time change.  Air France cancelled the flight after several delays.  I called Regent Air as soon as they cancelled the flight and was told to wait a bit and see what the airline would do.  Air France rescheduled me for the next day for the same flights and gave me vouchers for taxi rides to and from their hotel and a hotel voucher for the night.  When I got to the hotel, they said they had a problem with the airline vouchers and had us pay on our own, the charge did not appear on my credit card bill so I guess the voucher was accepted after all.  The flight to Paris and then on to Barcelona had several delays and they left my luggage in Paris.   I arrived at the ship at about four PM.  Paris airport lacks the internal transportation system I am used to, no buses or trains to get from one end to the other, so I walked a long way along various hallways in eighty plus degree heat and found limited seating at the gate for the next flight.  The return flights were on Icelandic Air from Dublin to Iceland to Washington Dulles.  The fights were acceptable but delayed by over four hours.  Dublin airport lacks the normally signage to lead you to the proper check in for the airline, I was sent to two different parts of the airport on different floors before I got to the check in, the gate had very limited seating , and you had to walk outside and climb the steps to board the plane.  In Iceland there was a connecting bridge to the airplane but it lead to tower with a staircase which lead to a door where you had to get on a bus with no seats to get to the terminal.   They do not list the gate for connecting flights until about an hour before they are going to leave, again there is very limited seating at the gate so I spent about five hours sitting on hard wooden benches which are in the main hallway.     

I arrived in Barcelona on June 6 and due to delays I was going directly to the ship and they did not want to see anything including my passport, as far as they were concerned I was just in transit.  This was a good thing since my travel health document was dated for the day before when the flight was cancelled.   

I believe that Regent still wants you to report if you come down with a stomach bug so that they can keep it from spreading.

I just returned from the Voyager trip from Barcelona to Belfast.  The Social Hostess was thrilled since she had recently been given permission to sit with the passengers, before she had to stand.  She and all the crew still had to wear masks and until the last leg of the cruise off of the UK and Ireland I do not remember any entertainers being able to sit and talk.  None of the crew could eat or drink with the passengers, but I did hear from a smoker on the last leg that she was able to sit and smoke with the officers.  The evening gathering was at most three plus the social hostess and often just her and me for the first two legs of the cruise.  The final leg was more normal with three to eight of us along with the Social Hostess, with this group she would call ahead for a table for us (she still was not able to eat with us).

when you originally book your excursions there should be and e-mail sent confirming those excursions, but if you add another excursion later the confirmation e-mail will only have the new excursion and will list no excursions booked for the prior bookings.

I am to board the Voyager on June 6 in Barcelona.  I am coming from the US so I need to fill out the heath form on the SpTH portal.  I filled out the first part of the for on May 1 and received notification that the first part was accepted but I could only answer the health questions two days prior to my arrival in Spain.  Regent Air changed my flight to Spain so I went into the site to change the flight information.  In order to return to the form I was requested to enter my passport number, the Form Code (hich they sent me), and a Security Code which I have no idea where that comes from.  I may be that the system will not allow me in until June 3, but I am concerned about filling out the form if there is an extra code which I do not have.

Does anyone who has gone through Spain to board a ship have any suggestions or word on their experience with this form  

I am hoping that Covid has not greatly changed the program.  On my last cruise in 2019 I was able to meet with and dine with many of the entertainers, but I have read on these boards that dining with crew is now limited.

I agree with the comments about going to Saint Petersburg once, I was there in 2006 just after some international conference had shut down the city and there were twice as many tourists at all the sites.  I would like to see more of the Baltic, but I do not want to spend two to three days in Saint Petersburg.

I may be a bit old fashion, but I still would rather wash my own socks and underwear.  I also make sure that I do not tie up the machines by leaving lothing in the washer or dryer after it is finished. 

I do not move very quickly myself, but in the past i traveled with my aunt and wife who had mobility problems.  We mainly did sign up for the easier tours, but I wonder if there is a way that when there are multiple buses on a tour if one could be offered for those with mobility concerns.  Hopefully they could have an understanding guide (one who does not jog from point to point) and admit that some places on the tour may be called short if needed due to delays.

Since the topic has come up, I am asking for tipping thoughts on events once you are on the cruise.  What is the customary tip for tour guides, bus drivers, taxi drivers, and people in on shore restaurants and bars.  I know that it varies by country but is there some place where the suggested amounts are listed?  This might be a useful item to include with the shore tour paperwork.  i ave also heard that in many countries you should use only the local currency.

The other item that I am not sure about is the tipping for pre or post cruise tours.   

The comment on dying s I see it is that for the most point SSS nights are not inheritable.  I will admit that I received credit for a cruise my father took prior to his death   in 2004, but that is due to having the same name and problems when they began officially counting nights.  The discussion has nothing to do with dying on a hip it is just that many of the SSS members are moving on with age. 

I am also glad to hear that the muster drill has been changed, but I have never been forced to spend extended time on an outside deck on Regent.  Normally you would be seated in the theater or a restaurant for the bulk of the time and on occasion be led out on deck for a brief time. 

I agree that it would help to have suggestions about proper tipping, do you think the Destinations area could publish a short note in the daily paper?  I also would want suggestions for the proper tipping for pre and post cruise tours.  

I gave up on going to tea in 2019 on the Navigator since tea was on deck eleven beginning at four in the  lounge and trivia began a four thirty on deck six in the Stars Lounge with a short session to cover the daily puzzles before hand. 

A question, what is this about having to download the Regent app and needing ear buds to hear the tour guide.  I was last on a cruise in the spring of 2019 and I normally do not carry any electronics with me on tours. 

I was a solo traveler on the the Navigator for the last two legs of the world cruise in 2019 and we we at Prime 7 several times with I believe the hostess arraigning the reservation at the last moment.  I am not sure if this works for all cruises and restaurants. 

Due to the lack of current cruises I have gone to videos of past cruises by others.  I found one which has an equator crossing on the Voyager (January 2011 Hawaii & French Polynesia).  The video covers the entire trip so if you only want the ceremony you need to search though the video.  The video is at Getcruising.com - Ann's Cruise Video -then under select video yo look under Voyager and select the January 2011 one.   

I agree that deck seven is the best choice, I was comfortable in 71 for many cruses. The last time I was on the Navigator was in 2019 and I was in 941.  once or twice I heard noises from Prime 7 but I noticed move ships movement on deck nine than of deck seven,  I had to hang onto the grap bars to take my shower one morning while mid Atlantic.  I try to get rooms low and central on all the ships.

I just hope that the laundry rooms will be open so you can still do limited items, I still prefer to do my own socks and underwear. 

I have gone through Regent for the pre-night stay since 2009 when weather delays and an error by the airline in not entering the booking of the replacement flight in the computer caused us to have to join the ship on the second day. Regent handled an overnight motel at the airport, a local flight to the next port, and transportation to the ship (all at the expense of Regent).  I like the feeling that once I get to the airport at Washington DC I can let Regent handle most, if any problems.  I have known people who had problems getting on the buses but they either had extra help or could upgrade to a private car.  Finally, I really have little that I want to do in Miami prior to a cruise so hotel location is not a great concern to me.  

I joined with the Social and Solo program on the Navigator in April/May 2019 for the last two legs of a world cruise.  Several of the passengers with the group were world cruisers so I am not sure how many people are normally part of this group.  One thing this gathering did was it caused me to attend several performances which I normally would have skipped just to see the performers I had met through the gatherings.      

I have not had problems signing up for the shore trips since I replaced my ten year old computer, but my major delay is reading about each shore trip and the time it takes for each description to pop up.  I wish they could provide access to a list with descriptions like the one you receive with your paperwork when you board the ship. I would much prefer to print the document and see what there is before trying to sign up.  My only problem with my current booking is that two ports still have no shore trips listed.  

I believe that with Regent you can go to a full service restaurant for every meal except maybe for lunch on boarding days.