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Good Morning! We are at sea now headed for Charleston. Yesterday started with a long walk around town where we tried to get a piña colada at Barrachina but were closed. This is one of two places in San Juan that claim to have invented the piña colada. After drying off from getting drenched in a rain shower, we got ready to have lunch with one of my classmates, Dr Francisco Parga. Unfortunately, no food porn since I totally forgot to take pics of a fabulous lunch of rice and beans, plantain soup, cod fritters, grilled chops, and avocado salad. This food is comfort food for me and sent me back to my days as a kid living on the island. Upon return to the ship, we took a well deserved nap while The Boss went to the walking track during sail away. Dinner was room service since we busted a gut from too much food at lunch, then early beadtime. Internet: the free WiFi is speedy and allows me to load pics in a blink of an eye in contrast to the old days that would take about five minutes per pic. There is no streaming unless you pay an additional fee. Unless you need to stream, the freebie is more than adequate. The Boss in front of the teeny weeny faberge egg. Z and TB

I will check for you. Z and TB

Good Morning! What a day for a mow (obscure movie reference)! Cats galore Paseo de la Princesa La Rogativa. This is where city folks came out to see Sir Francisco Drake enter the harbor with an invasion force. When he saw all the torches from the town folks he assumed it was a large army and turned his ships back to sea ensuring that PR remained a Spanish colony and not English. Captain Ron film sights. This is a great sailing comedy starring Kurt Russell. El Convento Hotel where you can find the second coldest Medalla beer on their beautiful patio. Capilla del Cristo. Constructed in response to the son of a noble man surviving a fall from a horse. More later. Z and TB

Good Morning! We are in the land of my ancestors. We came from the Basque Country in Spain, added a little Taino Indian blood and you have me. Yesterday was a bust as far as going to St Barths. We anchored, took a few pics, and shoved off for PR due to the swells. So, our unscheduled sea day continues our routine, except for TB surfing in the pool due to the size of the waves. We had lunch in Prime 7 and, although delicious and prompt, left us wanting for more due to portion sizes. So, we split an order of pork ribs. It seems to us that Regent has reduced their portion sizes to more manageable expectations. This is true at sit down restaurants and at dinner resulting in not feeling as if I need to be rolled out of the restaurant. Dinner last night was at Compass Rose and it was probably the best we’ve had on this cruise. The service was great and provided by Alvin who has been our waiter every time we are in Compass Rose. We started with an ibérico ham app Followed by a dinner portion of risotto and lobster for TB And I had the heavenly sent Kari Kari pork chop. It was tender and juicy. The dreaded Disembarkation Questionnaire has reared its ugly face. We still have about seven more days to go. Tomorrow: the first of two sea days. Z and TB

Ken: thank you. I feel so much better k owing that I have your support and concern about my well being. Putz. Love, Z and TB

I had nightmares last night over the booby flasher. No man should have seen what I saw. I may have to up my meds. Z and TB

Good Morning! Serious events are afoot! More on that later. We spent most of the day onboard with the exception of a quick walk in town here in Antigua. There were three other megaships creating a mass of humanity like walking around Disney World While The Boss worked out and worked on her tan, I spent time at the Pool Bar talking with folks. However, I drank mostly water since I was feeling a little bit off kilter. I may have had a touch of the dreaded cocktail flu. What amazes me is the variety of folks I’ve met while sitting in my favorite stool. I’ve recently met a gentleman who is unfortunately suffering from agent orange exposure, a great English couple who live in France, a creepy lady out of Bates Hotel, and the infamous booby flasher (not kidding). Dinner was at Compass Rose with just TB and me. We were not able to enjoy the excellent meal as well as we should have because the folks sitting at the next table were extremely loud. We had: Snow crab spring roll (wow) Caesar salad with beautiful paper thin Parmesan cheese. Pam had the filet and lobster tail I had the Creole black grouper (amazing) Some friends of ours got invited to have dinner at the mysterious Study. The had no idea who invited them or why. They were part of a group of eight who were invited by a generous couple from a top tier cabin. One can order from any of the specialty restaurants. In addition, the chef offered a seafood entree as well as Kobe wagyu beef. There were also served Camyus wine with dinner. They said that they enjoyed the experience. We anchored off St Barth early this morning. However, around 0715, the Captain announced that we were cancelling this port due to swells that made tendering dangerous. So, we are having a sea day and the crew will publish a modified Passages offering activities. Tomorrow: San Juan and visiting college classmates. Z and TB

Good morning! Let me start by thanking Ash for his great report on their excursions. Well done! We continue to ie our saga of waiting on excursions. We are waiting listed for a champagne and pineapple excursion here in Antigua. Option B is our usual walk about. Yesterday was another beautiful day full of fun and people watching. So far we have a pirate, a rainbow with a purse, a grumpy guy, and the interrogator. We start off each day swearing off food and booze, then head to the buffet. My waistline is more like the equator now. We went to a lovely Easter service in the afternoon. Having been absolved for my sins, I headed to the pool bar afterwards as TB hit the walking deck. We decided to eat at Compass Rose last night, but were told there would be a half hour wait. So, we headed to Sette Mari which had a shorter wait. Sette Mari has changed. By that I mean that there used do be a huge amount of food for the Italian buffet prior to the main course. I thought it was a bit skimpy, but, for once, I was not full prior to my entree. So, all good. We had: Antipasto was pesto gnocchi Filet Veal Marsala No pic because internet sucks today. Today is Antigua Z and TB

Lorraine heads out near the end of May and will be in SC. When she gets back onboard, she will be on the Explorer doing Alaska and Japan. Z and TB

I am currently onboard the Grandeur and am getting much better reception than from days gone by. Z and TB

I usually see her on the mornings and will be more than glad to ask her. Z and TB

Thanks and we will pass your greetings to Lorraine. We miss you guys. Z and TB

I don’t understand why there is a double posting. Anywhooo, we are already back from our St Lucia walkabout. Most stores are closed because of it being Easter Sunday. However, armed with a fistful of bucks, The Boss is declaring it a successful operation since she was able to find a Christmas ornament for her collection. We have been here before, but focused on tours instead of shopping. Z and TB

Good Morning and Happy Easter! Lorraine, our Cruise Director We had a quiet at sea while in port day. Armed with a full dose of stupidity, I scheduled several snorkeling excursions. TB is not a fan of them and we have either switched excursions or cancelled. However, we opted to stay onboard yesterday in Grenada after having heard some negative comments. Mini rant: we have two excursions in which we only received an excursion ticket for myself and not for TB. I actually took two naps yesterday with several trips to the pool bar to rehydrate and people watch. TB did a double workout by swimming and power walking. We met two other couples at the Meridian lounge and ended up having dinner with one of them. While at the lounge I donated a bottle of Dos Maderas rum so I can have it for my cocktails. Dinner was very good and a redemption from our Prime 7. We had: Caesar salad Lobster tail Strip steak And a Grand Marnier soufflé which is fast becoming my favorite. After dinner we went to the show which featured a comedian who was very funny and who picked on the audience. Today: St Lucia and a walk around town. Z and TB

Good Morning and Happy Easter! Lorraine, our Cruise Director We had a quiet at sea while in port day. Armed with a full dose of stupidity, I scheduled several snorkeling excursions. TB is not a fan of them and we have either switched excursions or cancelled. However, we opted to stay onboard yesterday in Grenada after having heard some negative comments. Mini rant: we have two excursions in which we only received an excursion ticket for myself and not for TB. I actually took two naps yesterday with several trips to the pool bar to rehydrate and people watch. TB did a double workout by swimming and power walking. We met two other couples at the Meridian lounge and ended up having dinner with one of them. While at the lounge I donated a bottle of Dos Maderas rum so I can have it for my cocktails. Dinner was very good and a redemption from our Prime 7. We had: Caesar salad Lobster tail Strip steak And a Grand Marnier soufflé which is fast becoming my favorite. After dinner we went to the show which featured a comedian who was very funny and who picked on the audience. Today: St Lucia and a walk around town. Z and TB

We will try to get another P7 reservation and try the ribeye. I am not a complainer, but when a filet is about half an inch thick and overcooked there is something wrong. Z and TB

Good Morning! Bonaire is a beautiful and lovely island. We spent the morning exploring the streets and alleys and did a little shopping. TB likes to collect Christmas ornaments from our travels and was very pleased to find the perfect one. Here is a list of the tours: The weather is just perfect with a great, refreshing breeze. We had dinner at Prime 7 which is decorated in an old style rich wood and white walls and columns in a contrast that complement each other. I wish I could appreciate dinner better than the ambiance. The apps were very good, but TB’s whole Maine lobster was overcooked and my filet mignon was so thin that I picked it up and looked through it. My lobster tail was also overdone. Definitely a miss. Real shame. The Boss looking madder than a wet cat: Crab cakes Iceberg wedge Caesar salad Maine lobster Surf and turf Today: Grenada Z and TB

We met three couples for dinner last night and had some cocktails and a few laughs prior to heading out to Compass Rose. I am running out of adjectives to describe dinner. Being a party of eight, everything went smoothly and the meal was excellent. For appetizers we had one of my favorite, the panko fried shrimp. Pam had Chicken Kiev And I had Szechuan beef Followed by Grand Marnier soufflé After dinner we went to the show! This is a rarity for us and rarer still since we stayed for the whole thing. The show consisted of a classic guitar player who was very good. Today is Bonaire and Speedo time. Z and TB

Good Morning. After five days onboard, I have to say that this ship is magnificent. It is shiny and clean and just perfect. The decor is light and very elegant. We love the artwork displayed throughout the ship. In regards to the recent chair hog thread, I have to admit the we are not seeing much of it at all. Passages has a statement regarding prohibiting reserving chairs for extended periods of time. We had a sea and snorkel excursion scheduled in Aruba, but we decided to cancel and went on the Sea and See excursion. It included a ride on a semi submersible which I thought was ok due to the lack of sea life. We were not aware of the sub portion, and Pam was terrified at the thought since she had a bad experience in one in St Barts. Our excursion continued with the highlights of Aruba to include the lighthouse And the natural bridge. This bridge is not the original one which collapsed in 2000s. Upon return, we went to the Grill for a late lunch which was a mistake. As soon as we hit deck eleven, it seemed as if the entire ship was getting lunch. The mass of humanity was overwhelming and seemed more like being in a mass market ship. There wasn’t a seat to be found. We finally found is a spot on the sofas and ordered a burger that never came. The staff was inundated and ran out of forks. At 1500, we met at the pool bar with our fellow Cruise Critic Roll Call members, but only four showed up so we spent time with an Aussie couple who remembered me from last year’s Scandinavian cruise. More later, I need to wake up The Boss. Z and TB

We had vegetable fried rice which was good. But, the star of the show was pork adobo. It was spicy, juicy, and succulent. All it needed was some cheese limpias and a San Miguel beer. Z and TB

Here is a list of today’s excursions: Z and TB

Good Morning! Yesterday was another lovely sea day with beautiful sunshine and fresh breezes. Lots of bikinis and short bathing suits which, given the average age of the passengers, is not necessarily a good thing. I have seen things that have been burned into my memory. We decided to eat at La Veranda (aka Chow Hall) for lunch and had a delicious Filipino meal. It brought back fond memories of our almost four years stationed at Clark Airbase. TB did a marathon workout while I supervised the pool bar staff. BTW, as we all know there is no tipping required onboard Regent. But, I saw a guy leave a dollar on the bar. I can’t even buy half a Hershey bar with that. Last night was the Block Party where the Captain and CD fly through the hall ways greeting everyone. It is a great way to meet your neighbors. Dinner was at Pacific Rim at 2030. It was so late, I felt it was breakfast. However, we were seated a little bit early. The whole experience was fantastic. We had Alaskan king crab summer roll Vegetable pot stickers Pam had steak I had black cod And we also had the ribs My taste buds put on a hat, grabbed a cane, and did a happy dance. The downside of all this food is the we had terrible heartburn throwout the night. BTW, we love all the flowers that are through the ship! Today: Aruba. I used to fly counterdrug missions from here on the early 2000. We used to take a knee under the aircraft’s left wing and say a prayer… that the plane was broke. So we could go back to the beach. Z and TB

Good Morning! To quote GMIAC, “You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning!” Our Roll Call group met at 1000 by the pool bar. After four rums and making new friends, The Boss hit the gym and I hung out at the pool bar. I failed my loyal pool bar subjects and opted for time with Morpheus. I took a three hour nap prior to dinner. We missed the Captain’s Welcome and decided to head to the Meridian lounge. During our cocktail hour I fell in love with a rum old fashioned with chocolate bitters. This is a must try drink if you are a rum drinker. I felt like a pig with pearls on waddling in mud. It was an awesome drink. Dinner was again spent seated with Alvin at Compass Rose. Pam had the Maine lobster And I had the salmon. Both were excellent dishes. Dessert was a Tanzanian chocolate cake with ice cream. After dinner we headed to the Grandeur bar and listened to the duo playing music. TB had two cosmos and declared to be the best she’s had since having had Olga’s. Today, day two of our sea days. Z and TB

I am sitting in the Meridian bar dinking an amazing rum old fashioned. Paul the bartender is from Calcutta and is working his tuckus off. It’s amazing to see the level of dedication portrayed by the crew. Z and TB

Will let you know how ours were. Z and TB