Almost Live-Voyager, Barcelona-Southampton, June 6-23

[asnaleah]

The market is Santa Florentina. We bought some olives and cheese. There is beautiful fruit and I saw baguettes. Great picnic!

[asnaleah]

On 6/4/2022 at 7:22 PM, Aloha 1 said:

We'll be staying at Le Meridian next month so any comments you have on the hotel would be welcome, especially the breakfast and trip to the port from the hotel ( cab cost).Your last stop. Bilbao, is one of our favorites. It is Basque country and fantastic pintxos ( tapas). Enjoy!

The hotel is very well located on a side street about 1/2 block from La Rambla. The restaurant can be accessed from La Rambla and has great people watching. Wonderful food, fairly priced. The rooms are a little bit small but nicely appointed. Good sized bathroom, tub/shower combination, nice towels and bed linens. The staff is outstanding! Anything you need, they will try to make it happen. Excellent WiFi. We arrived early and the room wasn’t ready, so we were escorted to the spa where I took a much needed shower and changed my clothes. 
 

We took the Regent transfer to the port, so I don’t know the taxi cost, but it isn’t very far. Also, we aren’t breakfast people, just room service coffee and croissants. Delicious! Based on the restaurant food, I imagine the breakfast buffet would be quite good.

[Aloha 1]

Thanks very much! Looking forward to our stay.

[settersx3]

Really enjoying your updates, thanks very much. We're on the Voyager in August. 

[asnaleah]

We had a lovely meal at Chartreuse Wednesday evening. Best food on the ship so far. Dover sole for me and veal tenderloin for DH. Both expertly prepared and plated. Very good service, both food and wines. We will ask our butler if he can get us another reservation next week.

 

Yesterday we had a long day. We chose a tour to Cordoba which entailed a long bus ride. Alhambra had sold out almost immediately so Cordoba was our second choice, but it was excellent! Great guide, not crowded on the bus (masks required), and lots to learn. The roads are very good, so even the bus ride was nice. We had a very good lunch at Taberna Vinoteca, tapas and an omelette. Too bad it was 100 degrees outside! Oh well, it’s a dry heat as they say. We would have liked a little more free time so we could do a little shopping because there were some lovely stores, but all aboard time was 4:45 and as it was, we weren’t back until 5:00. No worries since we were on a Regent tour. The Alhambra tour was also late returning. 

We were glad to see our late afternoon canapés upon our return, shrimp cocktail and a cheese plate. Finally decided to have room service around 8, lamb chops and a steak from Compass Rose. It was okay. The steak was supposed to be a filet, but looked more like a thin ribeye. We are going to Prime 7 tonight, so maybe we will have a better cut there. 

[pingpong1]

10 hours ago, asnaleah said:

 The steak was supposed to be a filet, but looked more like a thin ribeye. We are going to Prime 7 tonight, so maybe we will have a better cut there. 

Asnaleah - Interesting that you should make that observation.  I experienced the very same thing on Mariner in January....at Prime 7.  I ordered my (usual) Filet Mignon...Something I've done in P7 for the past 12 years...and what I was brought/served was definitely NOT a Filet...either in size (thickness/shape) or in quality (tenderness/flavor).  It was thinner, a little fat in it, and was not what I would consider to be a "Prime Filet".  I've bought/and buy far better beef at my local Costco than what was being served on (at least) that particular cruise.  It did indeed seem to be "some version" of a ribeye or even a sirloin - just "re-shaped" and thinner/less tender.  I didn't let it ruin the cruise....however, I thought to myself at the time (and still do) that "I eat better filets in my own home", than what Regent was serving on (at least) that particular cruise.  It definitely was not the same quality of what normally would be thought of as "Prime grade"...or what I had always experienced in the past.  Regards

[Aloha 1]

I see you have two ports in Portugal. According to the Portugal health site, US citizens must show a negative antigen test to enter from the sea. Did this happen?

[asnaleah]

We have not been advised of any testing to enter Portugal. Our first port is tomorrow ((Sunday). I will keep you posted. 

[asnaleah]

Yesterday we were in Casablanca. My cousin who cruised here in 2019 had advised me to be careful in choosing tours, so we decided to just take the shuttle into United Nations square and walk around. Well, the immigration process was a real s**t show, so we stayed on board and had a lovely Moroccan buffet for lunch. I had a massage and we sat on our lovely balcony and read. Had a nap, then time for dinner at Prime 7. Finally had a decent steak, New York strip. It was cooked perfectly but could have used a bit more flavor. Pingpong is right about buying/cooking better steaks at home. Next time I will try the veal chop. The au gratin potatoes were delicious! 
 

About the massage - it was very good, masseuse’s name is Betty. However, I much preferred Canyon Ranch to Steiner. There is such a hard sell for the spa products. I tried to stop the sales pitch, but she kept going. I hate to be rude, so I listened, but it’s annoying. If I go again, I will speak to the spa manager first. Or maybe I just need to say upfront that I do not intend to purchase any product. This issue makes me tense, which is not the desired result of a massage! 
 

We have just docked in Cadiz. More later!

[marne-c]

6 hours ago, asnaleah said:

(snip)

There is such a hard sell for the spa products. I tried to stop the sales pitch, but she kept going.

(snip)

 

@asnaleah  While I cannot vouch for the veracity of this statement, an article in CruiseShipJobs says this:  "The spa staff is on 10% commission to sell spa products and treatments...One spa employee recently posted in a cruising web site that commission was their only income. "

 

That may explain the hard sell.

 

--Marne 

Edited June 11, 2022 by marne-c

[asnaleah]

I can’t imagine they work for commissions only. If that’s the case, Steiner is making a bloody fortune! And, a gratuity is automatically added to each service. Wouldn’t that go to the masseuse?

[asnaleah]

Well, yesterday was a bust. The seas the night before were very rough. The Captain had warned us it would get very windy around 2:00 am. I had hoped to sleep through it, but no. The noise and items falling off tables and shelves woke us. That was it for my sleep. We had an excursion planned called Sherry, Art, and Music, but I just wasn’t up to it. Stayed on board, had an excellent lunch at Compass Rose. Individual leek and Gruyère quiches served over a lightly dressed green salad. I also had a cup of delicious Manhattan clam chowder. Then back to our lovely aft balcony for a bit of sun and reading (a disappointing Anne Tyler, French Braid) and a short nap. After our bounteous 5:00 pm canapés, we decided to watch a movie and get to sleep early. Feeling much better this morning and ready to explore Portomao!

 

A word about the service onboard - friendly, courteous, mostly very efficient. We’re delighted!

[RJ2002]

On 6/11/2022 at 1:06 AM, asnaleah said:

Yesterday we were in Casablanca. My cousin who cruised here in 2019 had advised me to be careful in choosing tours, so we decided to just take the shuttle into United Nations square and walk around. Well, the immigration process was a real s**t show, so we stayed on board...

 

Enjoying your posts, asnaleah.  Glad to hear that your onboard service is good.  When Regent has things in sync, it's a very nice experience.

 

We would have been with you on these two segments (Barcelona-Bilboa-Southampton), but sadly had to cancel about 3 weeks out.  We were also to be in a PH-C, up on Deck 10.  Our suite assignment was 1055, one of the suites with the wraparound balcony.  Perhaps we'll experience it another time.

 

Casablanca would have been a new port for us, and we were looking forward to calling there.  Too bad the immigration experience was a mess.  If you have time, can you elaborate on the issues?  

 

Leading up to the cruise, it was looking as though there were some unsold suites.  By chance has anyone commented on occupancy?

 

Continue to enjoy your cruise and please continue posting when you can!

 

 

[Nunagoras]

On 6/5/2022 at 8:53 AM, asnaleah said:

The transfers are attached to the hotel stay, not the flight. 

This is regular European practice for hotel transfers whatever else your transportation way or other contracts. Basically Regent purchased hotel stays with transfers, on top of that they could have purchased air, or not. Passengers with the extended hotel stays will have free shuttles. The difficulty on searching the Regent guides (same for pretty much every other cruise line) lies on the fact that Barcelona airport imposes a specific area for tourism personnel to stay that sadly is not really that well positioned to the luggage claim exit. You most likely need to "hunt" for them. Hope to have helped a little bit.

[asnaleah]

Hi RJ,

Sorry you are not on this cruise. We have about 500 guests on board.

In a nutshell, the issues in Casablanca seemed to be that immigration did not communicate with the ship. We were having a short day anyway, then the people on excursions were already in or on their way to the port terminal when they were told passports were required, not just the government issued photo ID. Everyone had to troop back to their suites to retrieve the passports. Several passengers tried to argue with the officials. It did not go well. Then, with passports in hand, some people were pulled aside, their passports taken by an official for more delays. A little scary. I think Regent was not to blame, but of course, many vented their anger on the ship’s personnel. Some excursions had to be shortened. The staff, especially the Cruise Director have been apologizing like mad. I’m very grateful to my wise cousin!

[asnaleah]

Yesterday we were in the beautiful city of Portimao. The excursion choices didn’t excite me, so we decided to take the shuttle service to the center of town along the waterfront. Very pretty. I had hoped to do a bit of shopping, but it being Sunday, all the stores were closed. The beaches are gorgeous. If you are here on a Sunday, that would be my suggestion.

 

[Nunagoras]

7 hours ago, asnaleah said:

Yesterday we were in the beautiful city of Portimao. The excursion choices didn’t excite me, so we decided to take the shuttle service to the center of town along the waterfront. Very pretty. I had hoped to do a bit of shopping, but it being Sunday, all the stores were closed. The beaches are gorgeous. If you are here on a Sunday, that would be my suggestion.

 

Welcome to our lovely Portugal!... Yes; Portimão, especially on a Sunday is mostly a beach port of call. If going to a nice beach is your sort of thing, there will be plenty to chose from. Back before the pandemic several AI's were offering daily passes not long ago from where the ships dock. Now things may be far and between venue per venue... But plenty of public beaches to chose from at a distance of a reasonably priced metered taxi drive.

[asnaleah]

Lisbon is fantastic! We had an art tour arranged by our TA, just 6 people. Very informative and fun with a great guide. And of course, a stop for coffee and a Pastel de Belem. Great weather too!

 

Now the anxiety part. We must be tested for Covid June 15 as we are B2B Barcelona-Bilbao-Southampton. This is a change from our previous information from Regent via our TA. I understand conditions change and this may be medically called-for. There have been no Covid announcements other than please wash your hands, wear masks, etc. Also, yesterday the Captain announced he would not be attending any events with us, and our butler said there was little to no shore leave for crew. Maybe we are having a problem on the ship? 

[Nunagoras]

28 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

Lisbon is fantastic! We had an art tour arranged by our TA, just 6 people. Very informative and fun with a great guide. And of course, a stop for coffee and a Pastel de Belem. Great weather too!

 

Now the anxiety part. We must be tested for Covid June 15 as we are B2B Barcelona-Bilbao-Southampton. This is a change from our previous information from Regent via our TA. I understand conditions change and this may be medically called-for. There have been no Covid announcements other than please wash your hands, wear masks, etc. Also, yesterday the Captain announced he would not be attending any events with us, and our butler said there was little to no shore leave for crew. Maybe we are having a problem on the ship? 

WOW!... Very welcome to our own capital city of Lisbon where I lived some nearly 50 years of my life!... Lisbon is as wonderful as it can be! Nice you had a lovely small group tour with a nice guide! Lisbon is perfectly doable by the most part on a full cruise port day. Luxury lines like Regent use to stay longer hours here. The cruise terminal is just near the main Lisbon's train station which is one of our landmarks as well. The station incorporates now a top 5* hotel that can be of your interest for a next time visit!... Pastéis de Belém are one of those things not to be missed. Unless you have a booking for a private spot, the place is usually very full. You can purchase some as a grab and go though. As far as I know, they were to open a 2nd place inside the cruise terminal. Don't know if the project went away or not so much. By the way you can find some tentative copies of the original pastries pretty much everywhere else on the city!... Am I wondering on whether your art tour focused especially the Belém Monastery and the adjacent areas in particular?...

 

Have a nice day and a wonderful sailing!...

[asnaleah]

So, I didn’t have to anxiously wait to take the Covid test tomorrow afternoon. I felt ill last evening and worse today. I called Medical at 5:00 when they reopened. Within 10 minutes a medical staff member came to our suite, tested us both. Because I had symptoms, I had the rapid antigen and the PCR. My DH had only the rapid antigen. I was positive, he is thankfully negative. We could have stayed together in a quarantine suite, but I pray he stays well, so I came alone. According to medical, the quarantine suites have had upgraded air filtration done. Also, the furniture is vinyl for easier cleaning I suppose. DH will be tested daily (3 days?) but is able to move about the ship, eat in restaurants, take excursions, etc. I’m sad, but we knew this was a possibility and chose to take the risk. It’s been great, and I hope I will test negative on June 20 so I can enjoy a few more days. 

[cwn]

So sorry to hear this. Sending good thoughts to you, for your DH remaining negative and for a negative result on the 20th for you.

Let us know how you are t being treated.

[tripperva]

Sorry to learn of your illness We were booked on this cruise but cancelled . Please give us an account of your quarantine experience. Get well soon.

[crusin7]

Oh no!  So sorry to hear you are sick.  May I ask what are your symptoms.  I hope you feel better soon and test negative.  I’ve been enjoying your posts. 

[asnaleah]

It started with a runny nose, progressed to congestion, loss of sense of taste and smell, now cough. Feels something like a sinus cold. I have had 4 jabs. My DH is good so far. I had Pfizer, he had Moderna. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by asnaleah

[asnaleah]

I will update my treatment as it goes. So far, things have been handled professionally. But I haven’t asked for anything yet.