ncsongbird

On 4/2/2024 at 5:12 PM, FlyerTalker said:

FWIW....a number of luggage manufacturers are now referring to some pieces as "trunks".  These are often bags that are larger in the "thickness" dimension, shorter in the "width" and about the same in "length".

 

Here's one example:

 

https://july.com/us/luggage/checked-trunk/?light-sand=

 

You can compare it with their "classic" type luggage.

 

 

Yikes, these suitcases weight over 13 lbs. empty and look like mini refrigerators.  No thanks!

We just got off of the Voyager early Sept. and I didn't see any signs that she wasn't in great shape.  Everything looked fine.

On 8/30/2023 at 11:12 PM, annmarz said:

We are booked on our first Regent Cruise, on the Voyager.  I read on another thread that a woman on the Mariner requested her dress to be air-dried.  Can we customize our laundry like this on the Voyager?  I prefer most of my clothes not to be put in a dryer, and I like them washed in cold water.  

I put "Hang to Dry" on the laundry sheet next to the listing for my knit tops and pants as well as in the comments box at the bottom.  Nothing shrank and  they always arrived lightly pressed and on a hanger. Very happy with the laundry!

I really enjoyed reading your "Live from the Voyager" posting.   We will be boarding the Voyager on Friday after you disembark and reading your posts and seeing your photos really just heightens the anticipation. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

I'm happily following this post.  We will be boarding the Voyager in Southampton on Aug. 26 right after you disembark. So please, please leave us some ice cream!  Seriously, though, I'll be interested in all of the photos of the ship and the food.  Your itinerary looks great.

We are also booked into the Landmark for our one night post cruise in Sept. We are planning on taking in a theatre performance the evening we check in.  Does anyone have an estimate as to what time we will be arriving at our hotel after disembarking in Southampton?

On 12/18/2022 at 7:40 AM, pappy1022 said:

Thank you all (or y’all) for reassuring me that Virgin Atlantic is a good product. My plane is a Boeing 787-9 and I must admit that the seat configuration in business class is a bit funky and lacks the privacy, seat adjustability and storage that the more modern business class seats provide. But it’s a direct flight from London to Austin (non gateway city) and there are no additional charges, so I am happy. The flight from Austin to Copenhagen via London Heathrow via a BA Airbus 350 is acceptable to me as well. We have a 3 hour layover at Heathrow so that should be adequate. I am now trying to figure out the Heathrow process for  immigration, moving between terminals and through security so any help or advice in those matters is appreciated. I read about some fast track methods to get through immigration but I am not quite sure what I have to have in place or what airport technology I have to use to make this process go smoothly and quickly. Again, any advice is appreciated. I have been to Heathrow multiple times visiting London but I have never had to transfer between terminals.

We flew into Heathrow from Miami and transferred to a flight to Cairo in November.  We had to change terminals by bus which was relatively easy by following the well marked purple signs.  You will have to go through security again when you get to the terminal you are flying from.  Heathrow is very strict about putting ALL of your toiletries in one quart size bag.  My husband had a small bottle of hand sanitizer in a side pocket and his carry on was pulled aside while they slowly and thoroughly searched every nook and cranny.  He was not the only one that got pulled aside. A 3 hour layover should be adequate time but lines were long and slow so I would just keep a steady pace until you get to your terminal.

On 9/25/2022 at 11:15 AM, pappy1022 said:

Our 2023 cruise includes a stop in Edinburgh, a tender port, that shows that we are there from 9 AM to 7 PM. Our Regent tour and a couple of other Regent offered tours show the start time at 8:30 AM. I am trying to plan the rest of our day on our own and I’m a bit confused on when the Regent tour will actually start. How long does the tendering process take?

Yes. One line the first night as tables are assigned, and then after that you just walk into the DR to your regular table. Arriving a couple of minutes later ensures there will be no line waiting for the doors to open. I find it so much easier than the alternatives.

Thanks, I didn't realize that. Okay, so TD makes sense for folks who like to be assured dining at the assigned time.

Yep. It's so much easier not having to worry about where and when we'll eat. I feel sorry for those people I see standing in a long line at the AT dining room as I'm making my way to the traditional one.

But don't the people who have traditional dining all stand in line too, waiting for the doors to open or waiting for their assigned later seating time? A lot of times the lines are necessary because it takes time for each party to be escorted to their table. This applies for both traditional and anytime dining. Even when you have a reservation at a restaurant "on land" you have to wait a bit if you arrive early or your table is being cleared.

We always do Anytime Dining, do not make reservations, and have never had to wait more than 10 minutes. And that's usually because the maitre 'd has to check his table chart, and wait until the next waiter comes to escort each group to the next available table.

Just happened to me the second time in 3 days. First time I checked phone number on google and it says its a scam. I have a mac and I just hit the option, command and esc keys to "force quit". The first time I completely shut down and rebooted but the second time I was able to follow the above key sequence and I didn't have to shut down. Very annoying to say the least. I'm assuming there's a well placed ad right near the top of the page that's snagging us as we scroll by.

I have always found the serving area in Cafe Caribe bordering on claustrophobic, even when there aren't many pax there. Also, fewer choices at dinner time. Much prefer the somewhat more open serving areas in Horizon. We often sit back there for breakfast because it usually has more available seats, including a lot more tables for 2, but we always stop to get our food in Horizon. ;)

We do the same thing for breakfast We pick a table in the Caribe, get our water and juice and then walk next door to the Horizon for the bigger, better buffet and bring our tray back to Caribe. It's easier to find a table in Caribe and we also find it much quieter.

The Emerald is being repositioned to Australia in September 2016. It's likely being transferred to Princess Australia.

I, for one, will miss the Emerald. She's my favorite ship. :(

I had a great experience with the Salon a week or so ago on the CB. Got a root retouch, full highlights, cut and style for $130. It turned out great.

That's good to hear. I'll have my formula with me and I've had to get my roots retouched before on vacation but never on a cruise. I would guess it will similiar to any salon. A lot will depend on who I get an appointment with.

Has anyone had their hair colored in the Princess Salon? I will have to have my roots retouched while I'm onboard and I'm hoping they will be able to match up my hair color formula. I'm curious to hear about anyone's experience using the beauty salon.

Check to see if RCI offers a luggage transfer directly from the ship to the airport. I know they offer that in the Caribbean. I believe you just leave your bags outside your cabin the night before and they check it through to your flight.

Just read a patter from a Regal cruise in mid Feb. Two movies I saw in the patter were:

 

The Theory of Everything. Movie about Stephen Hawkins and his wife.

The Imitation Game: Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing

 

Wasn't impressed and won't go to see these. On CB last march we saw a couple of good ones.

IMHO both these movies are really worth seeing. Eddie Redmayne won oscar for best actor in The Theory of Everything.

The cool towels really help. Last year Target carried a brand Enduracool that worked very well. They were light weight and and made of a soft silky fabric. You wet them down with water and when you needed to reactivate them, you gave them a couple of quick snaps or ran some more water on them.

I've found that the naglene leakproof bottles (I get mine at The Container Store) are actually leakproof (well, I've never had one leak and they've gone to The Galapagos and to Europe a few times). I also swear by using travel cubes and folders to pack - this makes things much easier for me.

 

Oh, one tip I read that I found helpful was to use contact lens carrying cases for creams. They travel well and don't take much room. I use them for eye cream, rash cream (sometimes the sun is not my friend), concealer and foundation.

This is one of the very best tips I have ever seen!!! Anyone who wears contacts ends up with a lot of cases...now they have a dual purpose. They never, never leak and are so small that you can pack several. I love this tip! Thank You!!!

We were on the 11/16 cruise and yes there were toilet issues. We should have figured as much when the announcement was made during muster drill about not putting anything that should't be there in the toilets. We had an mid aft cabin, A601 and several times the toilet did not flush but then would flush an hour later. Ladies restrooms on Lido and decks 5 and 6 often had issues with 2 out of 3 toilets not working several days, with toilets stopped up. We heard that several floors had overflowing toilets and carpets needed to be replaced.

There was also a very strange smell in cabins on several floors aft and mid aft. That was from day 1 to about day day 4 and then it seemed to improve. However, the A/C on our cabin didn 't always cool sufficiently. Pretty much disappointed with the Crown but the food was good and crew were great too.

They did seem to be working on the problems. Hope they get these issues fixed for future cruisers.