Kristal Blade

Great pics flossie009, Isnt it a great day? Our balcony is too hot to sit out on and I imagine being in the Regent Suite must be extremely hot. We wish the captain had opened up a forward deck, it was annoying to read on the Passages that the best views from forward decks then find there was no access. That aside we have had a fab day. We tried about 12 new fruits at lunchtime, 3 of them we would eat again. Ha ha. Im looking forward to seeing Santa in 3 hours!

A man a plan a canal Panama We are living the palindrome! We get the best shots from our tv screen. Below the canal pics is one of the gorgeous Christmas present we had waiting for us last night. A lovely glass globe paperweight.

We saw lots of the sights that flossie009 did. I ended up taking lots of pictures of door knobs! Fortunately I won’t be boring you with them as they are on my camera. it was a very hot, humid walk round Cartagena but it was a very pretty and well maintained city. There was hardly any litter, much tidier than our town centre. We will miss the goose (it’s not my favourite meat) because we are at Prime 7. We are watching the news about the desperate weather in USA. I hope everyone is safe and not being impacted by the ice storms. I think lots of people will have a white Christmas this year. Stay safe and have a fabulous Christmas.

We had a lovely dinner in Pan Asian too! The waitresses were really helpful with our menu choices, letting us try smaller portions of dishes so we could have a variety of tasty treats. We tried mixed sushi, chicken gyozas and the duck & watermelon salad to start. For mains we had the seafood laksa and the lamb with a few lobster tempura on the side. I had 2 scoops of sorbet for dessert, hubby had coconut tres leches and rum cake with raspberry sorbet. Everything was delicious and we are looking forward to our next visit later in the cruise. We are awake bright and early, looking forward to our walking tour round Cartagena. Our tug has just assisted us to dock, there are loads of birds flying around including frigates and terns. I was trying to check them out with the binoculars but the air is very humid and I was constantly having to wipe off condensation from the lenses. I will try to add some photos later.

A little expansion for you, Pcardad, We turned up to Setti Mare last night to be told there was a wait of 30 mins. I think lots of people decided to eat there after the block party. We said we were happy to wait. Maitre d said go to Observation Lounge, tell them you are waiting and then when we ring they will let you know. Well, the wait was only 15 or 20 mins, we didn’t have time to finish our drinks. Back at Setti Mare Mr 400 days was at the head of the queue stamping his feet because there was no table ready and he was being asked to wait in the Observation Lounge. I, helpfully, said we just did that, the wait wasn’t that long. He turned on me, saying “As a 400 day passenger with Regent I know how this works”. Yikes, some people obviously feel that they should be given due respect by everyone on board, just because they don’t have the imagination to try a different cruise line. 😉 But we are having a great time, us novice players are learning how to wangle an extra booking at the speciality restaurants and loving the great service on board. We are going to “enter the dragon” tonight!

We really enjoyed our block party. Found out our neighbours used to live in the same village as I grew up in. Small world. Had a delicious meal in Setti Mare. Before that I managed to get reprimanded by a 400 night Regent passenger. Who knew people would be so touchy about being given advice by a novice? The comedienne wasn’t too funny, but she did her bit for the planet by recycling lots of old jokes! It’s a much bumpier ride today. The interior of the ship is quite chilly, I was shivering in the lectures today. The lecturers are excellent. Today we had one about the Beach Boys and another about the history of the Panama Canal. When we go to trivia I will have an extra layer on. We are relaxing in the warmth of our cabin now, warming up after the chilly theatre experience. We are enjoying all the great door decorations on board, it also helps with locating the cabin! We had to attach some of our interior ones with blutak because our magnets aren’t strong enough.

We have had a day in Grand Cayman. We originally booked a shore excursion that included a visit to QE2 botanical garden. It was cancelled and we didn’t fancy the other trips - we have been here before and petted the stingrays- so we decided to go it alone. A taxi to and from the garden was expensive, but by local bus it was cheap and fun! It took us about 45 mins to reach the garden by public bus, just a minibus really. It cost US$10 for the 2 of us. Garden admission plus entry to the iguana centre was Us38. We had a wonderful time strolling through the different areas enjoying the plant life and wildlife. We took way too many pictures of iguanas, sorry none to add because they are on camera. We stupidly forgot to snap some on the phone. I think the heat got to us. Getting back was interesting. The ladies at the visitor centre rang despatch to ask for a bus to swing off the normal route to pick us up. We had a 20 minute wait then an hour long journey back to Georgetown. We had a great day and now we are getting ready for the Block Party!

We are with you on board and having a fantastic time already. The sea is so calm. Yesterday we had a pigeon visit us on our balcony!

We are on the 10th floor, views are great! Bring on breakfast, we are ready for it right now, ha ha.

It’s nearly 3am, I am wide awake so getting in the mood for later today by enjoying these photos of life on board. Looking forward to unpacking and decorating our cabin now!

Lovely photos again! You are getting us fully in the mood.

I really hope we get to meet! I think it’s going to rain on Monday when we fly, just hope the luggage keeps up with us! The strategic packing is ongoing now. Hope your flight goes smoothly too.

We are in the same boat! Flying on Monday and hope the baggage handlers are back to work at Heathrow. I am already planning my hand luggage packing, like Boatman’s Lady, to fit in clothes to get us through 3 days of day & evening wear. Let’s hope we are worrying unnecessarily.

Hi cwn, your decoration is gorgeous and I love, love, love your wake view! I have really appreciated your daily news and photos. I’m sorry you will be leaving on the day we board, it would have been great to meet you. Enjoy the rest of the cruise!

I was hoping there would be one waiting for us. thanks for that insider info, Kwaj girl. 1982CruzStart, I prefer to wait till I have unpacked before I have my first glass, I would put things all over the place if I was under the influence! But a glass during the re pack is a must!

We do the same. Take loads of photos, put them into a book then relive the holiday later. And I know what you mean about the arguments! Even down to how long a particular shirt has been owned, ha ha. 🤭 Great news about the in cabin drinks. Enjoy your wake view, we love those “sunset” cabins, sadly not having it this time!

Loved the photos. You really have an eye for interesting shots! I especially loved the one with the twisty tree in the foreground and the one with the boat leaning on the wall. I’m liking the sound of room service cocktails on the balcony! Do you get drinks in your fridge? I would like champagne available for a sundowner. The T files really has been a talking point, sorry. But I think we all know the ins and outs of the Illy machine now!

Lew, that is a very good idea. I think you have cracked the tea problem. We will have tea bags with us and can make the tea in a mug. Thank you very, very much for going to the trouble to add the instruction manual. I did read through it and will hopefully be able to post a picture of our tea when we board…. In 10 days!

Thanks cwn, I am going to pack sparkly, Christmasy clothes, hubby has a new Christmas bow tie to wear too. Dont worry about the pictures, your descriptions are great and you are keeping us well informed about cruise etiquette with the loungers!

Lovely photos again! Did you know in advance that there was going to be a 20s themed event? We have 3 nights designated as formal on our cruise but no indication of a theme. Thanks for keeping us up to date with your days, well done on taking it easy and enjoying life at your own pace.

I agree Huggsy, I was hoping to swap the coffee machine for a kettle. A kettle is as much a fire risk as a coffee pod machine so I don’t get why they are so anti them. On an Azamara cruise we filled out the mid cruise feedback form explaining our desire for a kettle. We were celebrating my husband’s birthday on that cruise. On his birthday a kettle arrived in our room! So the cruise ships do stock them but don’t issue them as standard on some lines. Sorry to hijack the thread with the “T files”. Bit like the X files but with tea leaves instead of aliens. I loved the look of the jeep buggy drive, great action mud shots!

Thanks for the door info, cwn, Enjoy your lunch. I’m packing big magnets along with my tea bags now!

Good idea mrlevin, I’m wondering if the door will take magnetic decor or will I need Blutack? Also, does anyone know if the inside walls are magnetic. I have Christmas and birthday decor to hang. Thank you.

Thank you for asking about the kettle. We were never going to bring our own, it is U.K. plug and would take ages to boil with USA converter. We will ring for hot water in the morning, we like a cuppa in bed before we get up. One of us has to go downstairs to make it, so hot water delivery will be a treat. Once I’m up and dressed I can trot off to the cafe to get tea. Going to sort out my tea bag supplies now! 😉

Thank you very much, cwn! Hope you get a kettle then you can hide it somewhere as you disembark and I can collect it when I embark. Lifeboat number 3, maybe, ha ha.