RachelG

Dockyards chickens

April 12, 2024–Bermuda We had a smooth night sailing, and I slept like a log. When we woke up, the sun was peaking through some high clouds, and the wind had lessened some. It was warmer as well, in the upper 60s. The ocean was a beautiful aqua blue. I went to a HIT class—high intensity workout, and he made us sweat a lot. Only one other guy in the class with me though. By the time I finished, the ship was sailing into the Royal Naval Dockyards, an old navy base now a cruise port with shops, restaurants and a museum. We had been here before when they were just developing It. The captain had announced yesterday that we would sail out an hour early so as to avoid a big storm that was coming. Our tour didn’t start until 11:40, so we had a while to walk around the dockyards. Lots of expensive shops selling touristy stuff. But a nice walk. There was an interesting looking museum, but we didn’t have time to visit. We popped back to the ship for 15 minutes to grab a slice of pizza from the pool grill. We boarded a van to take us to Hamilton, in the middle of the island to the bike shop. We passed lots of pretty beaches and resorts, churches on just about every corner, and pastel painted houses with very thick walls and roofs. Our guide told us the are built to easily withstand a level 4 hurricane. Each has a water cistern underneath and it’s own septic system. Stoves are propane canisters, so they can go without electricity for quite a while. We arrived at a park in downtown Hamilton where we were taught how to ride our e-bikes, something neither of us had done before. After a test ride to learn the controls, we took off, first on the street, but soon on a bike path built on an old railroad track. It was great fun after I figured it out as you don’t have to shift gears, which was always the hardest part of riding a bike for me. We ended up at a park by a nice beach then rode back on the road this time. Really a fun excursion. Our guide had slushies waiting for us, from a stand in the park. I hadn’t had a slushie in probably at least 40 years, but it was refreshing after our ride. We rode back to the dockyards, and the wind had really picked up a lot. It was hard to even climb the gangway to the ship. The captain came on with the weather report—told us to expect rough seas and gale force winds. They are covering the windows on the lower decks. We came in 2nd in trivia. Shouldn’t have changed one answer, or we would have tied for first. Dinner in Compass Rose tonight. I started with a parsnip soup which was just ok. Sounded better than it was. The spinach salad was very good, with nice crispy spinach. My pork tenderloin was perfectly prepared, as good as I can make at home, but I didn’t have to do the work. I ordered a lingonberry soufflé for dessert, which was disappointing as it wasn’t a real soufflé, but rather a lingonberry purée with a meringue topping. The show was a singer, Lisa Marie Holmes, and she was spectacular. What a great voice. She sang a variety of show tunes, plus other music. I am looking forward to her next performance. George did well in the casino and recouped his precious losses.

They are a little snail encased in a ball that is deep fried. It reminded me of a tiny arancini ball except with a snail inside. You pop the entire thing in your mouth at once.

Mj-holiday, noted you said you are from Oklahoma, where?? We are Oklahoma people, Tulsa.

Entrance to Chartreuse

April 11, 2024–cruising the Atlantic enroute to Bermuda Seas were very calm the first part of the night, but started moving more after about 3 am. Nothing bad, but we knew we were on a ship. Clocks moved forward an hour. I was up in time for 8 am yoga which was pretty basic but more challenging balance wise on a moving ship. Even the instructor wobbled a little. The gym is very large and well equipped with plenty of machines. I went up to La Veranda to meet George for breakfast. The new different thing there is that along the windows, there are two tops which face looking out at the ocean, so you are sitting side by side instead of across from each other. I like them a lot. They had good Greek yogurt and fresh strawberries plus crispy bacon, so I was happy. George ordered eggs over easy, and they arrived promptly and at correct temperature. It was very overcast outside, with intermittent drizzling rain and significant wind, temperature in the low 60’s. Not conducive to walking outside on deck, so I did some work then cross stitch. George took a morning nap. There were lectures and a wine tasting of the included wines scheduled. Lunch was offered in both Prime 7 and Chartreuse, but the pool grill and La veranda had a Mediterranean buffet, so we opted for that. Good salads. They had bouillabaisse and some nice looking pasta dishes as well. George also got a hamburger from the pool grill and found it acceptable. George had video depositions in the afternoon. The Starlink internet connection is GREAT. That makes me happy, but the downside is that George can do zoom meetings, even with the regular internet . It was blowing a gale outside, though the ship was going into the wind, so it wasn’t too rough. The outside decks were closed off due to the wind. Since I couldn’t walk outside, I decided to do a tour of each deck of the ship to check out the art. On decks 6, 8, and 10, they have prints of vintage photos mostly of well know cityscapes, archeological sites, and landmarks. Those were very nice. On 7 and 9, they have a bunch of very abstract watercolors, most of which look like something my 3 year old grandson brings home from preschool. I hope they didn’t pay actual money for those. His class would have done them for free. We came in 2nd at trivia, missing only 3 questions. Our team is well balanced, though if they ask a sports question, we may be in trouble. Tonight was the captain’s welcome which we usually don’t attend. We had reservations in Chartreuse. The mushroom soup is the best ever as usual. Our friend ordered a crab appetizer which was super fishy and inedible. They have crispy escargot, which I ordered, and they are to die for. George had the beet salad which he declared one of the best. My lamb chops were perfect. The Dover sole was also excellent by all reports. After dinner , I went to the show. It was a medley, ones by the Pointer sisters, Hall and Oakes, the Carpenters, Adele, Celine Dion. Sounds weird, but it worked. The female vocalist is outstanding.

And the lovely roses on our dining table- inexplicably upside down

Since GMIAC posted such great sail away pics, I will just post a couple from the ship. First, the beautiful light fixture in the main lobby

Great pics, GMIAC.

April 10, 2024-embarkation in New York City Hope it is ok to hop in here rather than start a new thread. And we are off again on another adventure, this time sailing on the brand new Grandeur, trans-Atlantic from NYC to Barcelona. I am not a huge fan of multiple sea days in a row, and George definitely isn’t. The draw was the new ship, and sailing with a large group of friends. I am sure George will find something to keep him entertained, and I always have my cross stitch. There is one direct flight per day from Tulsa to LGA on American, and fortunately for us, it leaves at 6 am. That meant getting up very early, but allowed us to both work all day yesterday. Typically, i prefer to fly in the day before embarking, but I felt that there were enough options to get us to New York in time to board should the flight cancel. Our son showed up at the house at 4:30 am as promised and dropped us at the airport, which for some reason was particularly busy, with a long line even in TSA pre-check. The flight was right on time and loaded dignitaries from Tulsa, many who we know. George questioned one of them as to why. It seems that tonight is the premiere of the Outsiders Broadway show, and they were attending since it is set in Tulsa. Uber ride to the port was slow due to traffic, and we only had to wait about 30 minutes before checkin opened. This was very efficient, and we were soon onboard the sparkling new ship. First impressions: it reminds me a lot of Splendor. Very light and airy. Beautiful art and decor. Compass Rose is stunning and the chairs are lighter so that I can actually move them myself. Our suite is pretty much identical to those on Splendor and Explorer, but they have added a bathroom nightlight that can be turned on and off switches on each side of the bed. One mistake IMO, the carpeting on the stairs is a very pale green shade, pretty color, but it is already showing stains. The hallway carpeting is darker, and beautiful with a kind of fern pattern. Sailaway was perfect. Kind of overcast but no wind and a comfortable temperature. We sailed past Manhattan then past the Statue of Liberty. We met up with friends in the observation lounge for drinks. There some really heavy bulky chair up there, but others that are movable. The pianist, a girl from Ukraine, was excellent. Dinner in Compass Rose was good except for an overly salty beet salad that George was served. I ordered the same thing, and mine was fine, but his was pretty salty. Then I went to put pepper in my soup, and the whole top of the pepper shaker plopped off into my soup. Apparently it wasn’t tightened. It was actually hilarious. I had veal piccata for my main, and it was delish, very tender. George had grouper which he said was too fishy (it is a fish). After dinner, I went to the show which was a comedian/magician who was actually pretty funny. George made generous donations at the casino.

Been to both places multiple times. It is disappointing to miss Sorrento and the Amalfi coast but Palermo has a lot to offer. The capuchin catacombs are fascinating, and it they offer a wine tour, take it. Sicilian wines are wonderful.

Catching back up on this great trip report. Keep up the good work! Z, I have to agree about P7. except for our most recent cruise on Navigator, I has been fairly hit or miss, and we generally find the steak and lobster better in Compass Rose. However, on the recent Navigator cruise, it was exceptionally good, so much that we sought out additional reservations.

We board in NYC as well. Excited to hear Jackie and Dennis will be onboard. We have a bunch of other friends on too. Z, TB looks stunning as always. Don't drink up all the booze--particularly the red wine.

The science trivia would be super fun! And you are correct, security clearances are not inherited. My son was in intelligence in the Marine Corps, and they even investigated his father and myself before approving his clearance.

The Hilton Obaida is very nice and well located if you fly into Haneda. Breakfast was outstanding.

it is really easy to get a taxi at the port. They also run a shuttle to downtown, but we wanted to go to a particular restaurant that wasn't downtown. We just got off the ship, and there was a desk with some ladies giving tourist info (and this was in the evening) They called for a taxi. The restaurant called a taxi for us to go back to the ship. We paid cash.

My kids first cruised on Regent when they were 12 and 17. They are now 33 and 37. They had a great time then and still love cruising. If you have well behaved kids with table manners, it won’t be a problem.

Agree. Take a taxi. Regent transfers are way over priced.

Easy to get a taxi

So sad ! He was such a gentleman. I always enjoyed talking to him and seeing him onboard..

February 8-9,2024–on to home and final thoughts We spent the day after disembarkation exploring the rest of the island. When we awoke, it was bright and sunny. People were in the pool at the Hilton. We took off to see the east side of the island. Alas, the parking area at Venus Point was closed with a sturdy metal fence “due to dangerous storms”. We drove on southward. There was intermittent light rain, but most of the time, it was either partly cloudy or sunny. Very little wind though we could tell there had been some recently with a lot of leaves blown off trees and branches to banana trees broken. We arrived at the blowhole, one of my husband’s favorites. The parking area was also locked off, but there were lots of people going past the barriers to see it. It was really active, and George got soaked. We talked to a couple of boys about 12 years old who told us they were out of school due to the storm. We saw some intrepid surfers taking advantage of the waves. After we got to the area of the mudslide, we turned around and came back. George wanted to go the the Belvedere which is a lookout high up in the mountains with a restaurant. We found the road which quickly deteriorated to a single lane full of potholes. We went up and up, thankfully meeting only one other vehicle which had to back up till we could get to a place wide enough to pass. On one side, there was a very sharp drop off. We saw a few hikers, but no other people. We made it 3/4 way up then gave up because the road was just too bad. Supposedly the restaurant is still open on weekends, but I can’t see anyone driving this road at night and surviving. We had an early dinner, returned the rental car and sat in the fortunately air conditioned lounge at the airport. The rest of the building is not air conditioned. Fights all on time or close to it. San Francisco airport was a zoo, what with the super bowl coming up, with long lines for security, even for TSA pre check. Now on to final thoughts. We had a really good time on this trip even with the bad weather and cancelled port, mainly because we were with family and friends. Our friend’s serious knee injury severely affected our plans, but still a great time. Our friends were first time Regent cruisers and were thoroughly impressed. I think after you have cruised at this level for awhile, you get a little jaded, and it was great to see how happy they were with the level of service. The included wines were a bit better quality than the last couple of cruises I thought. Our friend who was injured is a sommelier, and he was able to find very acceptable winces on the included list. Food was good to great with a couple of major misses. The hamburgers were greatly improved as was the iced tea. The lobster in Prime 7 was not good, but it was good in Compass Rose, weird. They ran out of strawberries after just a few days. Excursions which was got to do were all good to great. I would do a of them again. Fellow passengers were a mix of honeymooners and older passengers like us. No kids at all. The entertainers were probably the best in a long time, if ever. They were very talented, and were just really nice too. My son and daughter-in-law got to be friends with the magician and are going to see him in St. Louis in a couple of months. Weather did not cooperate, but I think the French government really over reacted in shutting things down. None of the weather we encountered was particularly terrible. We have had way worse on many cruises. I would definitely return to French Polynesia, but I would probably try to go in summer which is the dry season.

School was out in Tahiti yesterday and today—due to “the cyclone”. It is not even a windy day here. Light showers intermittently but no significant wind at all and some sunshine. The water was really stirred up though. And people who took the ferry from Papeete to Moorea said it was rough. if they let out school for weather like this in Oklahoma, the kids would never go to school.

Does anyone know what is up with the Navigator? We disembarked yesterday morning, and they were supposed to sail to Moorea this morning, but we just drove by at4pm. They were still at the dock.

It is 4pm. We just drove past the dock in Papeete and Navigator was still there..??wonder what is going on?

February 7,2024–disembarkation in Papeete Late last evening, I received a weird phone message from the Signatures cruise representative who is on this voyage. I don’t even know who she is and haven’t talked to her in my knowledge, but it said that the Air Tahiti flight that was to leave at 11:00 pm had been moved up to 11:00 am. Now George and I and our friends are on United, but my son and daughter-in-law are on Air Tahiti. I alerted my son, and he checked online, and sure enough, the schedule had been changed. No idea when Air Tahiti was planning to notify the people actually on the flight. It was still very humid and overcast. We had the last breakfast in La Veranda, then George and I walked over to the Avis office to pick up our rental van. There were a couple of others from the ship doing the same. The problem was how to get back to the port. We had to take a very circuitous route due multiple one way streets and turns not allowed. Once everyone plus luggage was loaded up, we hightailed it to the airport to drop off my son and daughter-in-law. Then we took off for an island tour. We drove out of the city with lush green mountains on the left and the ocean on the right. We took a few detours and saw some beautiful waterfalls. But a couple of things— first, the Paul Gauguin museum is permanently closed as is the botanical garden beside it. And you can’t drive all the way around the island anymore because the road is closed on the east coast due to a big mudslide, with no projected date to reopen. We had lunch at La Plage de Maui on the little part of the island that bulges off the southeast tip. The food and service were really good, and the restaurant is impeccably clean, but they have a serious problem with flies. Driving back to Papeete, the wind started blowing hard, and it began pouring rain. We could barely see, but we found the Hilton and checked in. The rain slacked but then picked back up, so we took a taxi to L’O a La Bouche for dinner. This was a Michelin star worthy meal. Everything perfectly prepared and excellent service. Very traditional French meal.