Splendor, Athens Round Trip

[Gilly]

We're on board Splendor right now, having snapped up Regent's generous offer of a 7 day Athens round trip at short notice.  I'll be blogging each day as usual, if you're interested.  www.elegantsufficency.org.  

 

So far so good to be back!!

[NORTOM]

26 minutes ago, Gilly said:

We're on board Splendor right now, having snapped up Regent's generous offer of a 7 day Athens round trip at short notice.  I'll be blogging each day as usual, if you're interested.  www.elegantsufficency.org.  

 

So far so good to be back!!

We are definitely interested and looking forward to your reports.  Thanks.

[snorkle lover]

Will be following your trip. Thank you for sharing!

[Ladys Mom]

We will be excited to follow your trip. We will physically follow you onto the Splendor next week.

[liptastic]

Gilly looking forward to reading your blog. Have a fabulous cruise, Jean.

[Gilly]

@Ladys Mom our transfer in Athens was not a great experience and I can only hope yours will be better.  Be aware that it takes around an hour from Athens city to Piraeus, that once you arrive at the port there will be another CV testing procedure to go through and it all takes time.  My advice would be to make sure to visit the bathroom in the baggage claim area and have plenty of water in your bag!

 

Of course, once on board all such discomforts are forgotten, but at the time, it gets a little stressy 😉

[Gilly]

@liptastic   whilst we were waiting at LHR, a couple were chatting nearby with a Scots accent and I'll admit to looking closely at them and even wondered about whispering "Jean?"      🤣

[liptastic]

12 minutes ago, Gilly said:

@liptastic   whilst we were waiting at LHR, a couple were chatting nearby with a Scots accent and I'll admit to looking closely at them and even wondered about whispering "Jean?"      🤣

Awe Gilly that’s so funny . If only it had been us 😀 . We have to wait until next April . It’s making a difference to read the live updates now . Enjoy your cruise abs thanks for keeping us all updated . Jean 

[purpleally]

19 hours ago, Gilly said:

We're on board Splendor right now, having snapped up Regent's generous offer of a 7 day Athens round trip at short notice.  I'll be blogging each day as usual, if you're interested.  www.elegantsufficency.org.  

 

So far so good to be back!!

Glad I swung by the Regent boards to see if anything was happening 💜!

[Gilly]

@purpleally we met some people from Michigan today and we said how we think its a well kept secret! Thought of you, of course!

[maryogreen]

Gilly, So happy you are back in the traveling world again! I look forward to following your posts here as well as on your blog. Have a safe and wonderful voyage!

 

Mary

Travel Blog: https://www.themodernpostcard.com

[Gilly]

We're in Istanbul today, where sadly it's very foggy so no boat services are running.  We had chosen one of the new Go Local tours, walking in a couple of the neighbourhoods with a stop for tea this morning and then for lunch a little later.  Really great tour with n excellent guide making use of the Regent Smartphone app which worked beautifully.

I asked them to save some Baklava for you xx

 

[Gilly]

Some stats from the Seven Seas Society cocktail party, which I know you will be waiting for 🤣

 

410 on board (we think)

165 repeat guests 

76 silver

35 gold

18 platinum

8 titanium

 

Another lovely evening with cocktails in the Meridian Lounge (we are working our way through the long list!) and then dinner in Chartreuse followed by David Nevin's one man show which was excellent.

 

Our main observation is that a seven day cruise is way too short!!  (but then we all knew that, didn't we?)

[irishwitchy]

Great to be able to read not one, but two blogs this week!  Thank you! 
 

 

[Gilly]

Splendor was looking magnificent as we returned on board late this afternoon in Kusadasi.

[UUNetBill]

On 11/6/2021 at 7:49 AM, Gilly said:

Ya gotta love the 'mask-under-the-nose' look...   🤣

[Gilly]

Better than no mask at all....but yes, absolutely!!

[1982CruzStart]

thank you for taking the time to bring us along with you. Have a great cruise. 

[Jimmcdaniel]

Not to hijack @Gilly’s thread, but we are on the same cruise. Just learned this morning that due to an impending tug-boat strike in Piraeus we will miss our last two ports as we head back to Piraeus to get docked before the strike. A sea day on the most luxurious ship on the ocean isn’t a big problem for us but we feel for those who will miss Rhodes and Santorini. The ship is great and we are still having a fantastic time. 

[Gilly]

@Jimmcdaniel we feel a little responsible 😉  After several long days out, we muttered last night how lovely it would be to have a sea day...but we didn't really think that anyone was listening!  Like you, we are happy enough to spend time on the ship. We'd rather have spent the day in Santorini rather than Athens tomorrow but hey, we really have no cause to complain!

[Gilly]

Here we are in Athens and we've had a fabulous tour: Acropolis, Acropolis Museum and the Plaka - 7 hours including lunch.  The day was crystal clear but with the most incredible wind - I am no featherweight and yet at times I thought I was about the be blown off the Acropolis!

 

Sadly, it's now time to pack.

 

I continue to write my blog but the usual internet probs and the demands of a social life ( 🤣 ) mean it might go on for quite some time!  One thing is for sure, a seven day cruise is far too short!!

[boblerm]

Gilly, thank you for posting here and on your blog, very enjoyable.  I wish you safe travels home and look forward to reading of your adventures for many years to come!

Bob

[Gilly]

@boblerm  thank you for your kind words!  Not quite finished with the blog yet - as usual the combination of internet speed and a social life on board, not to mention an itinerary with no (planned) sea days means I can't keep up!  We are now safe home - about to go off again (whose crazy idea was it to fill our calendar with so much fun?!) and I'll continue my cruise blog entries for a few days yet, if you'd like to read on to the end of the story.

 

I must say that any doubts about cruising in these weird times have been put firmly away, there is no doubt that Regent are on tip top form and I can't wait for our next cruise (and the next one, and the one after that and the one after the one after that.....)  We had a marvellous week! 

[travelwell]

Gilly, Thanks for your blog. My parents, sister and her husband are on the Splendor Trans-Atlantic. It is their first vacation in years just by themselves. It is also their first Regent cruise. We have so appreciated your input. I encouraged this cruise and the only negative is a bit of envy offset by dreams of the Mariner in March.

I hope you can get a bit of rest prior to your next adventure.

[Gilly]

@travelwell please do reassure your family that Regent have the situation very well in hand and they need have no worries.  People are very respectful of space, we almost always had the elevators to ourselves (having a far less than full ship helps in that respect) and we never felt crowded or vulnerable.  I hope that, like us, they will be able to relax and enjoy the amazing experience!  I share your envy!!