All Aboard Regent 7 Seas Grandeur

 

I hope all is well in your world.  I promised you a rundown on our getaway, so here it is.  Fasten your seatbelts, it's a long one. 

This is the proof-of-life photo that we sent to our girls.  

We are on our way to catch the ship in Miami.

Safety first.

This was our second cruise on the Grandeur.  I tried to talk the Captain into giving us an award, but it was a no-go. 

There are many reasons why we love the Grandeur.  The crew is so hospitable - always greeting us with a smile.  By the second day, many crew members knew us by name. 

The Mister said it's because I kept bugging the Captain.  

I beg to differ.

The ship was spotless, and there were plenty of employees working in the background keeping it up to Regent's high standard. 

We had the same type of suite, which was roomy and so well thought out.  

 

I was thrilled to try a transatlantic cruise because I loathe flying overnight.  Even though we travel business class, it doesn't help.  I cannot sleep a wink on a plane.  I always want to be awake in case the Captain gets in a bind and needs my help. 

 It takes me three days to catch up on my beauty sleep.  The Mister can fall asleep the minute he sits down. 

I'm not jealous. 

It gives me some solitary hours to plan his murder.

As you will see from our itinerary, we were not scheduled to stop at many ports.  The second stop was Bermuda, which was canceled due to the weather.  They replaced it with Casablanca, which I was excited for because I loved the movie.

We were on the ship for eight straight days without seeing land, and I loved every minute of it.

The demographic of passengers was sixty-plus.  Something is to be said for this.  There was a sense of decorum on board.  Everyone was so gracious.  There was no cutting in line or arguing about lounge chairs.  No screaming kids or loud bands at the pool.  And the best part... the music around the pool was from the 70s and 80s.

I knew every word to every song.

The Mister told me it wasn't necessary to tell everyone at the pool.

Oh well, it's their loss. 

Speaking of music, if I were to choose a theme song for this cruise, it would be Does Anyone Know What Time It Is? by Chicago because we had to change our clocks seven times.

It didn't bother us; we just didn't want to miss meal time. 

I don't usually get seasick because I am covered head-to-toe in peppermint oils and a double dose of wristbands and patches.

Evidently, I needed more armor.

  

On the second day, I felt great until around 3ish when I started to feel a bit peaky, as our Brit friends would say.  When the Mister came back to the suite from the pool, I shared the news.

 I told him I couldn't go to dinner.  His face looked crestfallen.  I thought how sweet it was that he empathized with my misfortune.

And then he uttered these words:

Do you know where the Room Service menu is?

I told him I threw it overboard.

The ship has many lounges hosting happy hours.  This sweet husband/wife duo won our hearts for the length of the cruise.  We tried other lounges, but none compared.  

This was our Command Central.  We had a lovely couple from Boca Raton sit next to us every day.

We are big on setting routine, and from the looks of our fellow cruisers, we weren't the only ones.

If you are wondering what we did on those eight days at sea, these pics may answer your question. 

Does that answer your question?

Another day, another 6000 calories.

I may not have mentioned that the Mister is competitive when it comes to food.  Whenever our plates are served, the first thing the Mister does is check out my plate.  He studies it for 30 to 40 seconds and then pronounces the winner of who ordered the better item.

 I left him in the dust with my Popcorn Sundae.

The paparazzi were at it again! 

There are six restaurants on the ship, and we dined in all of them at least twice.  Take it from our resident Chef, the food was absolutely incredible.

Our first excursion was to Funchal on the island of Madeira, Portugal.  We took a Coach Bus up a skinny, winding road up a death-defying mountain.  Not recommended for people with height issues.  We stopped at the top to capture some photos.  For some reason, many people stayed on the bus.  

We then stopped at a golf course for tea and Sara Lee poundcake, and lastly, had a wine tasting, which made up for putting our lives on the line. 

Our tour guide was very entertaining.  As I am sure you will agree, a tour guide can make or break a tour experience.

 

Ugh. This was our tour guide, who no one could understand.  The bus was filthy, and the city was a mess.  I couldn't get back to the boat fast enough.

We met so many wonderful people on this cruise.  This is Annie and her charming husband.  Annie reads my blog, and it was so much fun chatting it up with them.  I wish we had met them on our first night instead of our last.

We met another great couple from the UK.  Jackie and Mark own a wealth management company.  They sat next to us at one of the restaurants.  We hit it off and ended up closing up the place.  On one of the last days, Jackie gave me a book that she had just finished.  Jackie, if you are reading this, thank you.  That book helped get me through a 10-hour flight.  We talked about everything but our contact info.  Email me!

The Mister wanted to stay an extra day to tour Barcelona.  We departed the ship, checked into the hotel, and met our private tour guide, Dan. 

We toured the city and were impressed with how clean it was.

  

 

The Flea Market was fabulous!  I could have stayed there all day.  

This was a little shop that housed small figurines of every famous person you could think of, all in the same position as my friend.  Needless to say, I left empty-handed. 

Dan took us to a popular lunch spot for the locals. 

Our last stop was Sagrada Familia, the Cathedral in the heart of Barcelona, which is under construction.  Dan did a great job explaining the history and architecture.

It is breathtaking!

The next day, we were on a flight back home.  Btw... the 10-hour day flight was a lot easier during the day for me after a full night's sleep. 

Fun fact: the Captain did not need my help.

If I haven't bored you to tears and you want to read about our last cruise, click here.

I want to take this opportunity to thank our friend and travel advisor extraordinaire, Sandy Grodsky, for her meticulous planning and expert advice.