I BEGAN WRITING THIS POSTING THREE DAYS AGO...THEN OUR SHIP ENTERED A DEAD ZONE...UNTIL NOW.  I'll probably have another article later today if the Wi-Fi works.  We just arrived in Phuket, Thailand. Earlier this year  Cruise Travel Outlet  reported on the Best Luxury Cruise Lines.  At the top was Regent Seven Seas.  They said: All four cruise ships of Regent Seven Seas feature all-suite accommodation, cozy retreats that’ll feel like home, whether you’re at sea for 7 or 120 days. What sets this cruise line apart is its staffing—there’s one crew member for every one or two guests. When they’re not indulging in great food and spa treatments, passengers can join programs about the culture and cuisine of each cruise’s destinations. Their fleet consists of 6-star, all-suite and all-balcony ships, all featuring plenty of amenities. Complimentary WiFi is available throughout each ship, while other features range from open-air pool decks and Regent Choice Shore Excursions to the Smithsoni

I yesterday thought I ended my cruise series.  However, Part 6 mentioned the December 2023 to May 2024 274-night  Ultimate Global Cruise , with four segments, and one of them interested me, so to quote: May 9 to July 4:  Dubai to Barcelona, middle east treasures and marvels of the Med. Hmmmm.... I wonder if space is still available.  We fly on November 11 to Dubai for a Regent Seven Seas cruise to Singapore. Why not a summer of 2024 cruise from Dubai to Barcelona, as they pay for the business class fare from Honolulu to Dubai, then Barcelona to Honolulu. I thus inquired.   Cabins still available at $352/night with free drinks, wi-fi and tips, but the business class fare is only for those who take the full world option.   If they covered first class from Honolulu to Dubai, then from Barcelona to Honolulu, we'd be inclined to go.  Maybe we can yet work out a deal.  Nah, they won't, so this is one cruise I will miss.   Anyway, the ship Royal Caribbean uses for this ultimate sailin

 On  September 19 I ended Part One  of my cruise series with: Our current state of mind is that, in the short time we have to travel ( I'm getting old ), might as well go for some luxury.  So Part Two of this series will describe a stage of our 21-day Regent Seven Seas Explorer trip from Dubai to Singapore in November, and a 53-day  Seabourn Odyssey journey from Sydney to Honolulu beginning in March of next year.  We welcome you to join us. To answer that question, my answer is no.  I've been on several Crystal cruises, but the company went bankrupt earlier this year.   All current signs show their ships being readied for service next year .  We were very close to reserving a cabin on a 2022 Crystal European Christmas river cruise, but backed off because we instead found another option which I'll talk about.  As far as I know, those who paid deposits have not yet been refunded, but  Royal Caribbean  said it will be acquiring Crystal Cruise and will protect the deposits of c

When the  Diamond Princess  captured the attention of the world in February of 2020 with a floating epidemic of a new virus, later called COVID-19, the cruise industry almost went bankrupt.  3711 on board, 712 infected and 14 deaths.   19% were infected, and the mortality rate was 2%. The  current world condition  is that 7.7% have been infected, with a mortality rate of 1%.  Of course, there are so many asymptomatic cases that the 7.7% could well be as high as 15% or more.  Everyone on the Diamond Princess was tested, so the 19% infection rate was probably accurate. Following that incident, into March of 2020, the Grand Princess and Ruby Princess also were hit with outbreaks, resulting in a total of 1564 cases and 21 deaths.   For a one year period from March 15, 2020 to March 15 2021 3519 passengers and crew got infected and 73 died. In 2020 and 2021 cruise lines lost a collective  $63 billion . Passengers and crew are still getting infected in 2022, but only a very deaths are occurr