GeorgiaPeach51

Here we are in Frankfurt. The flight was ok. Remember, I have never flown business class before, and it is infinitely better than the other end of the plane! There were some odd things. No air vent above. That suited me just fine since I am cold when it’s 105 outside and the a/c is on. But I heard folks complaining about how hot it was. The dinner service was nice and the food was good. I got the salmon, which was a pretty bold move, given the locale, but it was surprisingly good. As usual, I failed to sleep even with a bed that was totally flat. Go figure. It was actually comfortable and why my stubborn little eyes refused to just give up I just can’t tell you. So I did my usual thrashing around and gave up and watched the first Downton Abbey movie, which made me a happy camper. Breakfast was a cold croissant placed on a cocktail napkin on the tray table with a little jar of jam. And a cup of coffee. Weirdest airplane breakfast I have ever encountered. I pretty much just sat and looked at it and wished for bacon! We landed early which gave us ample time to wander hither and yon thru the Frankfurt airport as we tried to find the Lufthansa Business Lounge. Eureka! We found it just as the fire alarm went off and people came pouring out of the lounge in droves. You have to laugh. Here is a photo of me celebrating my first non-cheap seats experience. I give Lufthansa a solid 7/10. And it is right side up this time! Barcelona, here we come!

😂 @crusin7 Well, brave soul, here you go!

@ccmo my husband wanted to see Alaska again and we took a gamble in the Solstice, even after swearing we would never do Celebrity again. We did not do a suite so comparing is apples to bananas but it was just ok for us. No big wows and nothing egregiously wrong. The things we didn’t like before we still didn’t like….the variations in the way they made the same drink at the Martini Bar. Every bartender did it his own way, so it was a roll of the dice. Same as always. Staff was uniformly courteous and worked hard. The food was ok. We noticed that the meat was different. Thinner pieces of steak and pork, etc. we still thought we paid too much for what we got but it was not bad, just average. We are booked on the Infinity to Athens, Ashdod, but I’m not certain we will keep it. We definitely want to see the Holy Land but I’m not sure I want invest any more money on Celebrity. BTW no one needs to worry about hijacking my posts! Not a problem to me. I love it when people respond and what better way to find out info, so ask away.p, whether it has to do with this cruise or any other. 😍 Joanie

Quick update. We are in the Atlanta airport, in the ATL lounge. We had a smooth exit from home and decided to take MARTA (rapid transit rail) to the airport because on December 3 when we return the SEC Championship (GO DAWGS) will be taking place downtown and that is a guaranteed promise of a ZOO for traffic. We had a hiccup of major proportions when we checked in at Lufthansa and they informed us that our seats in business class did not recline. We were polite and calm but indicated that this was absolutely not going to fly. So we hung around and asked them if there was anything they could do…put us in First, another flight, etc. and they moved our seats to different ones in business. I sincerely hope they don’t assign the broken seats to someone else that had not checked in yet. We will see when we get on board and I will let you know. This will be my very first business class flight and I am excited about it. My husband has often flown business for work but the companies I worked for were so cheap for travel that I’m surprised they didn’t try to seat us down under with the baggage. Just sayin’. we made the mistake of not immediately going for the deviation and by the time we figured out the way things roll we were too late and ended up flying to Frankfurt and then to Barcelona. Lesson learned. We met and married in Germany 46 years ago so we will make the best of things and enjoy being back to the place we fell in love so many years ago. I will attach a photo of our packing situation as of 9 or so this morning. My suitcase on the left and my husband’s pile of stuff waiting to be assigned a spot. He got up at 4 to work this morning and finally got it done and out of his hair and managed to do his vacation checklist and get us out the door to the airport at 11:15. I’m excited to meet so many of you on the ship! Cant wait! Meanwhile, I will feel like a Queen or at least a Princessa sitting in my big deal seat. I’ll take some photos so you can see what you think of business class on Lufthansa. I’ll be a happy camper since I have nothing to compare it to except the cattle car. See you soon! Joanie Well the photos are posting upside down so I won’t torture you with that!

Well, I am packed. After I juggled and fiddled and put a lot of stuff right back in the closet where it should have stayed, to start with, I closed my suitcase, dragged it to the scale and it was 38 pounds! I weighed it twice because I couldn’t believe my eyes! Of course, toiletries still have to go in but I feel “safe”. Of course, I also have a carry-on and that one weighs 110 pounds….not really! But in the interest of full disclosure I didn’t weigh it because that’s where the shoes reside. Ahem…..”Don’t look, Ethel!” (Anyone remember Ray Stevens?) My poor, poor husband. He got up at 3 a.m. to finish the work he had to do and still had to work all day. Plus he has a 5:30 a.m. meeting tomorrow morning. He thought he would be safe scheduling this vacation over the holiday but not so much. Nevertheless, he is departing tomorrow sans laptop, by golly. More tomorrow morning. @irishwitchy Holey moley, a ten foot live tree! We used to buy real ones years ago but a certain someone developed an allergy to tree something or other and that was the end of that… but oh, my, they were so expensive even back then for the big ones. I think you could buy your own island for what that tree might cost today! But yay, you! I’d go back to live trees again in a flash. Joanie

The laundry service is fantastic and a lifesaver….but it’s the shoes…😜

Morning! We are in cabin 649 if anyone wants to meet for a drink. Would love to meet anyone and everyone! I don’t know where yesterday went but nary a suitcase was packed nor even lugged out of the closet. Every time I passed my closet I walked in and grabbed a few hangers. The clothes lined up are the biggest hodgepodge of material you’ve ever seen. Basically, if it fits and is nominally in style it’s there. What a mess. I have checked the Barcelona weather umpteen times and it stubbornly clings to rain on the day we land, and about 60 degrees. That reminds me that I need to pack an umbrella….. Joanie

@lprp Thanks for the tip! @bitob Is writing a fabulous trip report about Splendor on the Crystal board. Crystal refugees are sailing Regent for the first time and from what I have read they are loving the ship, staff, and food. Strongly suggest going over to the Crystal board to read it. Joanie

Good morning! We are getting ready to fly to Barcelona on Thursday, November 17 to then board the Splendor on the 19th in Barcelona and sail back home to Miami on December 3. I thought I would do another trip report on what we think of the Splendor and what it is like to do a Transatlantic. I’m not sure how well the WiFi will hold up in mid-ocean but will give it a try. This trip is to celebrate my husband’s 70th birthday. As I type this he is typing away on his computer, working. I am essentially kidnapping him and removing him from phone contact AND computer so he can actually rest and relax. You might remember that on our first Regent cruise on the Explorer, he got caught having to work and this time I have put not one, but two feet down and banned computers on this trip, so I am looking forward to time with him. When I look up from typing, there is our Christmas tree twinkling away. Yes, I know. It is weird to have it up before Thanksgiving but since we come back December 3 I don’t want to fall off the ship and walk straight into decorating a 10 foot tree, which is a two day chore at a minimum. Not to mention that we put up a Christmas village for the delight of our twin grands, who are six. That takes two days at least. So, the whole house is decorated and it is rainy and cold here in Georgia, so I’m feeling the HoHoHo spirit. That will probably diminish when I drag out the suitcases later today and wage war with my propensity to just take one more of this, and what if I need that. My goal this trip is to wear everything I bring at least once for crying out loud! I am usually in the Packing Hall of Shame due to overpacking. I have a friend who travels with only a carry-on, no matter how long she will be gone and I am seriously in awe and wondering if she is another unidentified species. I will try to post a photo of tree and village to assist you with Christmas spirit even though you are first contemplating how big a turkey to get. I have to be honest. Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday due to all the cooking and effort it takes for a one hour meal and then leftovers that never taste nearly as good as the first time. Just me. I’m all about Christmas, so it will be interesting to see if Christmas appears on the ship right after Thanksgiving. More to come…. Joanie

I’m so glad you have some time to enjoy a few days prior to getting on an airplane to fly home. Thanks for reporting the ups and downs of your cruise. I wish it had been better for you! Joanie

We will be on that one, too, and are looking forward to meeting you both, and your spouses. Before that, though, we are excited to board the Splendor in about three weeks for a TransAtlantic. Joanie

Oh gosh. SO sorry your trip now includes Covid. What a disappointment! How many days do you have left? You are obviously making lemonade from lemons….but I hate it for you! Joanie

@dani negreanu I added the new suggestions. Here is the hot off the presses newest list. I hope we get to meet someday! Based on the red books, we have the same tastes in reading material! Joanie Georges Simenon Series Gideon Oliver -Aaron Elkins series Louise Penny’s Gamache series. Dorothy L. Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey series Any books by Josephine Tey Barbara Hambly - Benjamin January series, if you like historical mysteries! JD Robb books and Robert B Parker The Scarapetta series by Patricia Cornwell MC Beaton books Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley Series. Donna Leon’s Brunetti series. Any books by Tana French Any books by P. D. James. Greg Isles, a writer from Natchez, MS. Snowblind” by Ragnar Jonasson. (Book 1 of 6 - DarkIceland) Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger. Also non-series books. Brad Thor JK Rowling (author of Harry Potter series), writing under the name Robert Galbraith -- the Cormoran Strike series. Andrea Camilleri -- the Inspector Montalbano series. Helen Fields -- the Perfect series. Karin Slaughter -- the Will Trent series, Grant Country Line series. Daniel Silva - Gabriel Allon series James Crumley —should be read in order Winston Graham—Poldark series Janet Evanovich—Stephanie Plum series. Fox and Hare series. Anything by Tim Dorsey or Carl Hiassen Old Archie comic books and Mad Magazine. 🙂 Ian Rankin’s Rebus series Peter Robinson’s DCI Banks series Nevada Barr’s National Parks series Anything by Anne Cleeves Richard Jury series by Martha Grimes - current times Thomas Pitt series by Anne Perry - Victorian era (and if you are planning a trip to Egypt check out theAmelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters) Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City. 4 books. The Longmire books by Craig Johnson. Also suggest the fantastic series on Netflix. David McCullough 'Path Between the Seas' (Panama Canal), and The Great Bridge Caroline Graham Inspector Barnaby series. John Sandford , the Prey series and the Virgil Flowers series Any books by Harlan Coben Khalid Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Kite Runner Cupcake Brown, A Piece of Cake Andy Weir, “not science fiction but science plausibility” Danelle Harmon Series Caleb Carr - The Alienist. Anthony Horowitz, Magpie Murders/Susan Ryeland Series. Also Horowitz & Hawthorne series Rex Stout, Nero Wolfe books, later written by Robert Goldsborough Ruth Ware Stuart Woods, Stone Barrington series. #61 just published. Tess Gerritson Lisa Scottoline. Michael Connelly Bosch books Lee Child Reacher series James Lee Burke Robicheaux Patricia Cornell Scarpetta books, Andy Brazil series Jonathan Kellerman Delaware books Greg Iles Jeffrey Deaver Lincoln Rhymes series Nelson DeMille John Grisham Scott Turow Pat Conroy...more family drama than mystery The Outlander series Brad Meltzer Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six (same author) I just finished American Dirt and loved it so much I bought two more of her books. Iris Johansen (EveDuncan series, and others). Colin Dexter Inspector Morse series David Baldacci—Amos Decker, Atlee Pine and John Puller series JA Jance Karen Rose Carol Goodman, The Stranger Behind You, plus multiple other books. Contemporary suspenseful fiction. Chris Carter - Robert Hunter Series - I just started #5 One by One Jefferson Bass - Body Farm Series - Based on the Body Farm at UT Knoxville. Joe R. Lansdale - Hap and Leonard - probably one of the most politically incorrect novel you will read - two Red Necks as they take justice into their own hands. Keeps me in stitches. Sara Parestky - The V.I. Warhawski Series - I just started "indemnity Only(1982) and is #1 of 21 Sue Grafton—the Kinsey Milhone series Ethan Cross—-the Ackerman thrillers Ginny Rorby—Like Dust I Rise Jacqueline Winspear—Maisie Dobbs series Carlos Ruiz Zafón "The Shadow of the Wind", set in Barcelona, with a walking tour at the end of the book. Cemetery of Forgotten Books—4 Book series. Mark Kurlansky—Cod (good for a Canada/New England cruise) John U. Bacon—The Great Halifax Explosion James Patterson—When the Wind Blows series Ken Follett—Pillars of the Earth series, Century series, Eye of the Needle Maiden Voyages: Magnificent Ocean Liners and the Women Who Traveled and Worked Aboard Them by Stan Evans. This is non-fiction but seems interesting. Danger on the Atlantic (A Jane Wunderly Mystery Book 3) by Erica RuthNeubauer

I’m enjoying your report! Thanks for taking the time to do it. Looking forward to reading it each morning…a nice way to start the day! Joanie

So pleased to see your report on Istanbul! Tops on my bucket list. Enjoying your report! Thanks for taking the time to post. Hope you have a wonderful trip. Joanie

Really enjoyed reading your trip report! Safe travels home. Joanie

No formal nights. Jacket not required, though you will see some. Most men in long sleeve dress shirts…I think it’s called country club casual? My husband wears a long sleeve dress shirt and pants and a navy jacket but the jacket is optional. No tie. But you can be dressier if you want. No one cares, just suit yourself as long as you stay in the generous dress code. We would not feel strange to dress up in cocktail type evening wear if we were celebrating something special, and no one would think it odd. this is based on our ONE cruise on the Explorer…. Joanie

Yay! Something fun to read to start the day! Looking forward to your thoughts on the Navigator. We will board her next year in May, Miami to Montreal. Hope you have a great trip ahead of you. Joanie

Wishing you and Iain a safe trip home. Thanks for such a wonderful distraction from the day’s challenges! Thoroughly enjoyed every post and the photos. Wishing your doctors the utmost skill and superhuman healing powers for you with your eye surgery. I will add the final tally for the books list so everyone will have it until the next adventure. Safe travels, all, on this sad 21st September 11 anniversary. And heartfelt condolences to our British and Commonwealth friends in the loss of the lovely and inspiring Queen. Georges Simenon Series Gideon Oliver -Aaron Elkins series Louise Penny’s Gamache series. Dorothy L. Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey series Any books by Josephine Tey Barbara Hambly - Benjamin January series, if you like historical mysteries! JD Robb books and Robert B Parker The Scarapetta series by Patricia Cornwell MC Beaton books Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley Series. Donna Leon’s Brunetti series. Any books by Tana French Any books by P. D. James. Greg Isles, a writer from Natchez, MS. Snowblind” by Ragnar Jonasson. (Book 1 of 6 - DarkIceland) Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger. Also non-series books. Brad Thor JK Rowling (author of Harry Potter series), writing under the name Robert Galbraith -- the Cormoran Strike series. Andrea Camilleri -- the Inspector Montalbano series. Helen Fields -- the Perfect series. Karin Slaughter -- the Will Trent series, Grant Country Line series. Daniel Silva - Gabriel Allon series James Crumley —should be read in order Winston Graham—Poldark series Janet Evanovich—Stephanie Plum series. Fox and Hare series. Anything by Tim Dorsey or Carl Hiassen Old Archie comic books and Mad Magazine. 🙂 Ian Rankin’s Rebus series Peter Robinson’s DCI Banks series Nevada Barr’s National Parks series Anything by Anne Cleeves Richard Jury series by Martha Grimes - current times Thomas Pitt series by Anne Perry - Victorian era (and if you are planning a trip to Egypt check out theAmelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters) Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City. 4 books. The Longmire books by Craig Johnson. Also suggest the fantastic series on Netflix. David McCullough 'Path Between the Seas' (Panama Canal), and The Great Bridge Caroline Graham Inspector Barnaby series. John Sandford , the Prey series and the Virgil Flowers series Any books by Harlan Coben Khalid Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Kite Runner Cupcake Brown, A Piece of Cake Andy Weir, “not science fiction but science plausibility” Danelle Harmon Series Caleb Carr - The Alienist. Anthony Horowitz, Magpie Murders/Susan Ryeland Series. Also Horowitz & Hawthorne series Rex Stout, Nero Wolfe books, later written by Robert Goldsborough Ruth Ware Stuart Woods, Stone Barrington series. #61 just published. Tess Gerritson Lisa Scottoline. Michael Connelly Bosch books Lee Child Reacher series James Lee Burke Robicheaux Patricia Cornell Scarpetta books, Andy Brazil series Jonathan Kellerman Delaware books Greg Iles Jeffrey Deaver Lincoln Rhymes series Nelson DeMille John Grisham Scott Turow Pat Conroy...more family drama than mystery The Outlander series Brad Meltzer Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six (same author) I just finished American Dirt and loved it so much I bought two more of her books. Iris Johansen (EveDuncan series, and others). Colin Dexter Inspector Morse series David Baldacci—Amos Decker, Atlee Pine and John Puller series JA Jance Karen Rose Carol Goodman, The Stranger Behind You, plus multiple other books. Contemporary suspenseful fiction. Chris Carter - Robert Hunter Series - I just started #5 One by One Jefferson Bass - Body Farm Series - Based on the Body Farm at UT Knoxville. Joe R. Lansdale - Hap and Leonard - probably one of the most politically incorrect novel you will ever read - two Red Necks as they take justice into their own hands. Keeps me in stitches. Sara Parestky - The V.I. Warhawski Series - I just started "indemnity Only(1982) and is #1 of 21 Sue Grafton—the Kinsey Milhone series Ethan Cross—-the Ackerman thrillers Ginny Rorby—Like Dust I Rise Jacqueline Winspear—Maisie Dobbs series Carlos Ruiz Zafón "The Shadow of the Wind", set in Barcelona, with a walking tour at the end of the book. Cemetery of Forgotten Books—4 Book series. Mark Kurlansky—Cod (good for a Canada/New England cruise) John U. Bacon—The Great Halifax Explosion James Patterson—When the Wind Blows series Ken Follett—Pillars of the Earth series, Century series, Eye of the Needle Joanie

I’m so glad it helped you decide! I’ll try to answer any questions you might have, and you will find the Regent CC people very willing to help and very generous in taking time to answer. Joanie

For what it is worth, I wrote a lengthy “blog” about our first Regent experience on the Explorer after many, many Celebrity cruises, with the most recent being in The Retreat. So, our perspectives may be similar…and, we went to the Caribbean! Here is the link, in case it helps you. I would say that we struggled some to find evening entertainment, but keep in mind that it was during Covid restrictions and the ship was only half full. That certainly had an effect on the evening vibe. One other caution is that my poor husband ended up having to work on the trip so would often get up at 5 a.m. to work, which resulted in some early bedtimes for us. I’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have. BTW, we really enjoyed the excursions we did! Joanie https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2835144-first-time-on-regent—boarded-explorer-today/

@FloatSomeMore Gosh, I hope so. Atlanta to Miami is pretty painless, so I would welcome that resolution! Fingers crossed that it is not fully booked! Joanie

Ugh. Three breaks! So sorry the doctor report was not what you hoped to hear. Thanks for a great, balanced trip report and photos. Thoroughly enjoyed it all. Joanie

Thanks to everyone who responded. Very helpful information. At this point, we have contacted our TA to check into our options. I’ll let you know how things evolve. Joanie

Yes, that is my problem…not having a nonstop flight. We have flown to Barcelona three times previously, booking our own flights, and never had to fly anything but nonstop. We live near Atlanta, but even if there are no nonstop flights ATL to BCN, we have flown to New York or Newark, can’t remember which, and took the nonstop from there to BCN. I would much prefer to get the connecting flight over with on the front of the trip rather than adding it to a long overnight flight. Having never flown Regent Air before I guess I’m wondering if I am expecting too much in these days of air travel. I agree with you that there is plenty of time between flights. That is not my issue. I need to know what people think is an acceptable revision of how far I need to reduce my expectations…..do I need to just sigh and accept whatever they throw out there! Joanie