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Gail writes…
Regent is marketed as a luxury line, and if you are at a higher level there are butlers. We are not at that level. Our cabin is the lowest category and on the lowest passenger deck.
The cabin itself is about 250 square feet. The balcony (yet to be used due to chilly wind) is about 50 square feet. The room is tight but comfortable. It has a sitting area that can be closed off from the sleeping area. That is very, very nice as Russell is an early riser and I am a night owl.
We came in the first day after the family had left and finished putting things away. I was pleased with the walk-in closet and the dresser inside. There is plenty of area to hang clothes, including my formal gowns. Russell and I agreed on our spaces. You take those drawers, I take these. You get the upper clothes rod, I get the lower plus the side one. But everything filled up quickly.
Okay, so maybe I overpacked a tad. But it is so hard to judge four months. Casual onboard clothes, excursion clothes, after-five dinner clothes, formal night dinner clothes. Plus the shoes. The even harder thing to judge was just how much of each med, vitamins, hair supplies, things if we get a cold, things if we get seasick (we don’t, but just in case), and back-up supplies of all of that. We may not need everything I packed, but we also won’t have to go to the med clinic for an aspirin.
The issue is where to have everything live for the next four months. Some things I set aside as duplicate backup stuff and put them in a suitcase under the bed. We have things spread out throughout the cabin.
Everything is stowed but I need a chart to remember where I put things. The bathroom does not have drawers (unlike Viking which is just marvelous), so things are either out on display or packed in my toiletry bag. I hate digging through my toiletry bag. I thought I stored everything Iogically, but…
Yesterday morning, I woke with a migraine. I couldn’t think clearly and I couldn’t find the meds. I have one packing cube bag for the non-daily not-needed-right-away stuff, but the med was not to be found. By that evening – once I was doing better – I found it… in that packing cube right where it was supposed to be. Urg.
Trying to declutter, I had the room steward take out all unwanted items like the decorative pillows, the scratchy extra blanket, the ice bucket, the little rack of toiletries that took up a whole shelf in the bathroom(I put the shampoo etc. directly in to the shower). Suitcases are stowed under the bed. I believe everything has a place; I just can’t find it without going through numerous drawers. I will sort it all out. It’s only day two.
At least I am able to keep all of our invitations and events sorted out… thanks to our friend Vickie Bowne who has an amazing Facebook cruise tip site (“Cruising Princess Cruises with Vickie”). Russell picked up magnets before we left home.
Yesterday I was to meet Russell at 4:30 for trivia. We like to be on the same team. I got there a bit late and I couldn’t find him. I scanned the room, I walked around. I could not find him. The cruise director put me on another team. As I settled in with my group, I heard his voice. He was five feet away on a team of six. Five feet away and I couldn’t find him, didn’t see him as I walked past. The ONLY Asian in the room. And I didn’t see him.
It’s gonna get easier… I hope.
