Embarked Regatta @ WBCT

20-minute ride to WBCT [White Bay Cruise Terminal] … drop off checked bags for delivery to the cabin … short wait for the check-in stalls to open.

By 11:15a, we were onboard Regatta. A quick stop in the Grand Dining Room [GDR] to check-in at our muster station … no formal mustering anymore; everything is done by video and a scan of ship’s cards to confirm you know where your muster station is located.

Regatta is a twin of Insignia, on which we spent over 200 years this year. Thus, familiar with the layout and where everything is, we didn’t need to wander around to get our bearings. Just a few stops to photograph the holiday cheer around the ship and then up to the Terrace Café for lunch. With very few people onboard at that time, the venue was unusually quiet. That would be changing by the time we left to while away time at the Horizons Lounge on Deck 10 forward.

On this cruise, we are in an oceanview cabin. What that means is that our stateroom would not be ready until 3:00p or thereabouts. No worries. I used the time to upload a couple of footprints. Mui read for a bit. We also set up our ship wi-fi accounts … the plural is not a typo … every stateroom gets two logins now … regardless of whether booked under the Simply More promotion.

When the announcement came that all stateroom categories were now ready, we headed to 4052 to get ourselves settled in for the next month … plus a few days. Our luggage had been delivered, so unpacking and storing our belongings didn’t have to wait until later in the afternoon.

Now to go up to Deck 10 and enjoy the sail away from Sydney.

The good news … the on again, off again drizzle is finally history.Read more