Helen’s Home-port

WOW WOW WOW
Regenst Seven Seas Explorer has not just the X Factor but the WOW factor in adbundance.
I have just returned from a 3 night sailing on board Regent Seven Seas Explorer with my colleague Holly….you may of seen our videos via our facebook pages as we went along.
From arriving into Nice and disemabrking in Rome this truly has the most amazing WOW factor .
We were met in Nice and escorted  to the port, I have never had an embarkation as quick and easy.

Our bags are packed and were off.
I’m very lucky to be flying to Nice today and embarking onboard the new Regent Explorer in Monte Carlo to sail to Rome.
Our itinerary is :

What a busy month September has been so far ….
I had a lovely week away in Gran Canaria with my daughter before she flew the nest to start her university course in Manchester.
We stayed at the Valle Taurito Hotel in Taurito and had a lovely time.
The resort is a cluster of seven hotels in a bay with a large pool area in the middle , plenty of shops to wander around in an evening and a lovely beach where we spent most days .
The food in the hotel was excellent with lots of choices and a different theme everyday at the cooking station .
It’s a long time since I’ve done a resort holiday and I did miss the different ports everyday that you have on a cruise but it was a lovely quiet resort , the perfect place to chill and have that quality time with Eliie before she left home.
A short taxi ride away was the harbour port of Playa Morgan which had lots of restaurants and of course some nice cocktail bars where I sampled a few Pina Coladas, it would of been rude not to!

Are you an early booker or do you wait to see what’s available closer to your departure?

Are you looking to tick far flung destinations off your bucketlist?

Everyday I speak to clients who have returned from there cruises to see how they’ve enjoyed themsleves and to get feedback to use for my future clients.
These conversations are important as if clients have had a bad experience I can discuss it with them and if need be offer suggestions .
More and more I am hearing how they feel that the cruiselines and not just one in particular but a mixed bag all seem to be making cutbacks in what my clients see as the on board experience.
These go from dining standards dropping with whats offered on board to even the good old chocolate on the pillow not making an appearance.

Its going to be all change in the Henderson household in a few weeks ….after a busy summer we will be joining the ’empty nest’ gang .

Over the summer our 2 sons Connor and Sam are home from university for the summer, Ellie was 18 and Heather has been away all summer in Portugal surfing.
Next week we will all be together for a few weeks till they all part and go off on there adventures again.

Where do you stand on this?
There will be different perspectives on this debate …the smokers and the non smokers.
I’m an ex smoker and can see both sides to the argument.
As a majority of us are non smokers in the UK do we have the last say?
No , I don’t think so .
I’m glad that when I’m sat in a restaurant that people aren’t smoking next to me when I’m eating but when I’m on the deck  I don’t get upset if people around me are smoking.

I’ve gone to the dark side and booked a land holiday …will I be disappointed?

My last foreign land holiday was 4 years ago for a New Years break away in Spain , since then I’ve cruised or stayed cottages in the UK.

Now that the result is in and the majority have voted to leave the EU how does this affect your holidays?

Questions we are being asked are:

Can we travel on our passports to Europe?
Will the EHIC card still be valid?
Do I need a visa to travel to Europe?
Is my cruise going to be more expensive?
What happens to my currency?

Are you In or Out?
Tomorrow is polling day for us to put our cross were we feel strongest in the EU Referendum , I now where my cross is going , do you?
Whichever box we all put our cross in , what are the consequences regarding travel is a popular question .
I don’t think anyone really knows either way as each side says differently.
Will flight prices increase if we leave ?
Will the airlines have to reduce the number of flights if we leave?
Only time will tell .
At the moment according to the CLIA Cruises earn the UK £2.58billion as a MILLION passengers visit British ports, will this decrease?
Britain remains the second largest cruise market in Europe with a 27.2 percent share.