One of the best tours we have taken is a food walking tour of Greenwich Village. It starts at noon and goes for a couple of hours. It shows all the hidden places and talks about the history of NYC food and you eat your way around. If anyone is interested, it's on ZERVE.

Otherwise, we can pick up a group of you and show you around. We know the city too. I am a member of the Guggenheim and can bring guests in for $5 each. Let me know what interests the group...No need to pay for inflated Regent prices. There are all sorts of great walking tours. There is a tenement tour that I liked and a tour of just about every area in the city. The Circle Line boat tour is great too and the Intrepid will be open again. If there is time, I could pick up anyone and bring you to our 400 store discount designer mall...it is unbelievable...it is about 90 minutes out of the city.

To Andrea and Frank the marathon runners: (there is no "we're not worthy" graemlin to choose) You two are unbelievable!

Now I am even more pumped up to visit Boston and NYC...with those who really know where to go. On foot sounds excellent, I am sure we will need it after those first 2 sea days!

Andi & Doug,
Such a wonderful offer ! I'm afraid we may be tied up with relatives for the day in NYC...maybe we'll get them a guest pass and bring them on board the ship too.

We'll see as it gets closer but THANKS!

Andi & Doug --we'll be in New York on Monday, May 11 - 8 am to 6 pm. The food walking tour sounds like great fun. We'd also enjoy the Circle Line tour (haven't done that in years!!!) and Jerry, always the Navy man, would love to visit the Intrepid. But we're easy--whatever everyone wants to do will be fine with us. Also, bring your luggage to the ship--we'll be glad to keep it for you in our stateroom. (If it's a lot, maybe we can find some others to share providing the storage space with us) It'll be so great to see you guys in New York and Andrea and Jerrell in Boston-what a bonus for this trip!

Kristin--so glad you've booked on VIKING--it'll be great to meet our neighbor. Maybe we can form an all Texas Pooch Team :D

Marcie: How do you get a guest pass for lunch. I have kids in Boston and New Jersey. Maybe they could come aboard for a look? Jean

Marcie: How do you get a guest pass for lunch. I have kids in Boston and New Jersey. Maybe they could come aboard for a look? Jean

oops!

Ray & Penny would also be happy to store any of Doug & Andy's luggage.

Looking forward to our "LCT" stops.

Cheers! Ray & Penny
p.s.: Tenement tour, Intrepid and Circle Line sounds interesting although we may be in the City this Fall and do some of those things.

Thanks, Peggy! Yes, Texas Pooch Team sounds great! I know this sailing is a long ways away, but it sure is shaping up nicely. Andi & Doug, we'll certainly help with the luggage storing, as well. It would be great for you not to have to lug it to Iceland (presumably on Icelandair).

BTW, anyone ever flown Icelandair? We've got it booked already on the return (to Boston). They don't seem to have an alliance/partner, so we joined their FF ("Saga") program. Who knows, we may end up loving Reykjavik enough to return there...we've heard nothing but great things so far.

Kristin, regarding Icelandair, if you keep your expectations low, you won't be disappointed ;) . Unfortunately the flights from Boston or NY to Reykjavik are red eye flights and the seats on these planes are really uncomfortable (small with little leg room) so don't plan on getting any sleep. The upside is that the flights are only around five hours and therefore, somewhat endurable if you grit your teeth. Even knowing what we do, we'd fly on Icelandair rather than spend a whole day connecting through London on some other airline. You made the right choice.

Frank, good luck tomorrow!! I'll keep my eye on the race results. I'm guessing you're a heck of a lot faster than the penguin pace I run!

My running buddy and I were talking about it this morning, and she told me about the Falmouth in the Fall Road Race on 11/2. I think we're going to send in applications - they only allow 400 runners. I had been considering the Manchester 1/2 in NH but not sure if I will be sufficiently recovered from Nike yet. 7.1 though is doable.

Kristen, we will definitely walk you around Boston. It's really the only way to go!!

Thanks for all the offers for luggage. We'll keep our suitcases to two. (Need one for the shoes!) ;) You know how many Doug packs. Can't wait to see you all. As we get closer, we'll firm up what we want to do and how many. We'll also look at weather reports.

You'll be docked right next to the Circle Line and the Intrepid on the West Side. Too bad Broadway is dark on Monday, so no matinees.

Peggy, ahh, yes, the expectations are in check on this one. Luckily, we are flying the reverse route - Reykjavik to Boston - on the 5:00pm flight, so no redeye. We did book their business class which is fully refundable, so if we could find any other alternatives, we might just change over. I just didn't see any other airlines that fly direct to the US.

According to their website, they are refitting their aircrafts, supposedly by the end of this year (we all know how THAT goes), but maybe we'll get lucky and have some new fabric on the seats - LOL!

Gil and I would also love to get-together with folks when the ship is in NY. I'll leave the planning to the expert (Andi). We were also thinking about leaving our bags if anyone is game. We'd only have one suitcase.

I see our dress codes have been posted...3 formal and 1 informal on the 1st segment; 2 formal and 1 informal on the 2nd segment.

I am actually kind of excited to see my beau in a tux again, it's been awhile (last time was on Silversea). Not fun to lug the formalwear around, but we'll all look SMASHING <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" /> for a few nights there!

And again, we'd be glad to help anyone out with the luggage issue - when we get closer to the sailing, we can get everything arranged!

The 2009 Red Sox schedule has been posted, and they are playing the Angels, but in LA. We'll have to find some other way to entertain you in Boston!

Darn! Oh, but I am sure we can find SOMEthing else to do while in Boston, LOL!

Funny Andrea....isn't that just our luck! Tom will want to go to a sports bar to watch it on TV. BTW, last night's opening playoff game didn't go as planned for us. :D

Marcie, I'm a horrible Red Sox fan, because I didn't even know the series had started until my run buddy said they won when we were running yesterday morning!

Ngaire has been working with me - I've been hesitant, but tonight I've decided to go. Once I have my booking confirmed you can add me to the roll call - it will be wonderful to meet so many of you after all our time on LCT.

Margo, that is GREAT news!! I can't wait to meet you in person!

It's with great regret that Pat and I have bowed out of this cruise. The market swoon and the great increase in business air costs were the prime culprits, with an able assist from the general decay in Regent service, food and emoluments. Basically, we decided we weren't willing to lay out more than $30K for 24 days cruising followed by a long hassle getting home. We will particularly miss the great LCT group traveling on this cruise, and wish you all well.

Mike, I'm sorry you and Pat won't be there.
I just deposited....and will be in cabin 648!

128 days until we sail.

Well, we just made final payment so it must be for real!!! All of our air and hotel arrangements have long since been made...we are set! It drives me nuts that I can't view our booking online, though. Hopefully Regent will get that portion of the website up and running soon!

We're really looking forward to meeting everyone who's on board for the first segment.

So glad we are FINALLY going to meet you Kristin, it has been a long time coming.

Oh, thanks, Ngaire - and likewise. We are so looking forward to being on an escorted cruise - what a treat/added bonus this will be, for sure.

Kristin, I diddo Ngaire...looking forward to meeting you !!! I've loved your seamail in the past.

You are too kind, Marcie! Looking forward to meeting you, as well!

SWMBO booked our air to Reykjavik today!

Viking here we come! Can't wait.

Doug

Oh gosh I so wish we were going with you'all, but alas we even cancelled our Oceania cruise due to the economy, however, we will be there with you'all in spirit - this is the RSSC one we would have done if we could have.

We wish you were with us JoAnn!

Now we've made final payment and it's getting closer! Any updates on this roll call ?

Yes, there is an update. Mona and I will be sailing on the second segment of this cruise. I'm working on flights and hotels now.

We're planning to arrive two days early in Reykjavik. And we'll probably spend a night in Southhampton after the cruise.

It will be great to see those of you we've cruised with before. And we look forward to meeting some of the other people from LCT. Tom.

Tom, so happy we get to cruise with you and Mona again !!

One new reason I am sorry to miss this cruise, Tom and Mona have joined in the fun! List is all updated, I think!

Looks like a fantastic group! Have fun you'all, we will be thinking about you and anxiously awaiting SeaMail.

For those on VIKING....if you need a hotel room for one night as we do, I just got the newly refurbished Crowne Plaza (4 star) at Heathrow airport for $52. on Priceline. Tom's happy because it has a complimentary fitness center and the rooms & 2 restaurants and 2 bars sound nice.

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/925/en/ha/lonha

We're staying over a night too but I was planning on remaining in Southampton since we've never been there. I'm looking at hotels now. Tom.

I'm planning to travel to London for a post cruise stay...anyone else interested in organizing a car for the trip between Southampton and London?

Also, any hotel recommendations for London?

I'm meeting a friend from home for a week of touring in London and then I'm off to the Cotwolds for a few days and then Devon....I'll head for home on the 15th of June - what a wonderful trip this will be!!!!