Mr Rumor

Your posts are delightful, Lady Madeline--I'm definitely staying tuned in for more!

Ron, it was fun reliving our couple of Alaska cruises on the Navigator through your words and pics. Thanks for burning the midnight oil to get all those photos uploaded and posted! Looking forward now to your cruise review/recap and the additional shots you'll be sharing.

Rich

Thanks for the heads-up, Anchorbuoy! The Explorer's mid-November, 2016-mid-January, 2017 itinerary is now up on the Regent website. Here are the cruises:

Rome-Miami, 16 nights. Departs November 16, 2016

Miami-Miami, 14 nights. Departs December 4, 2016

Miami-Miami, 10 nights. Departs December 18, 2016

Miami-Los Angeles, 16 nights. Departs December 28, 2016

According to a Monday article in Cruise Industry News, Regent "reported both single-day and first week record bookings" for the Explorer. The article went on to state that reservations made on January 19, the official first day of sales to Titanium members, "surpassed the line's previous single-day revenue record by nearly three times."

Here is the link: http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/12162-regent-sets-booking-record-with-seven-seas-explorer.html

I got Bob Wilber's last name correct the first time, then decided to misspell it twice.

Good idea for a thread, Scott.

Our favorite Titanium, Platinum and Gold event, hands down, occurred on the February, 2014 Miami-Miami Western Caribbean cruise aboard the Navigator. CD Lorraine invited passenger and Grammy Award-winning jazz composer/musician Bob Wilber to play a six-song set in the Seven Seas Lounge accompanied by the full Regent Orchestra. You could immediately tell the musicians were excited to play with Wilbur. The four-member horn section even left their seats to flank Bob as he wailed on his curved soprano sax and clarinet. For added spice, Wilbur's wife, Joanne "Pug" Horton, a jazzy singer in the style of Peggy Lee, contributed vocals on several of the tunes, including the rousing finale, "When the Saints Go Marching In."

The other event that comes to mind was our most recent one: a gourmet breakfast in the Stars Lounge on the May, 2014 Vancouver-Vancouver cruise, where Regent officers/staff actually outnumbered the seven T,P & Gold members!

Our favorite embarkation experience to date was in Miami for the January, 2013 Miami-Lima cruise. We arrived quite early, 11ish, and were among the first to board at 11:30 a.m. By noon we were happily settled at our favorite table on La Veranda's terrace, where we enjoyed a leisurely, peaceful lunch while chatting with a lovely couple who had booked the entire 72-day South America itinerary. Maybe someday we'll enjoy another embarkation as ideal as that one was.

A little Regent message board history was made earlier today when Anchorbuoy started the first Explorer Roll Call, for the Maiden Voyage.

When I began this thread last Sunday after checking the Regent site and seeing the MV all but sold out even before Titanium booking began, I was resigned to settling for an August or September cruise instead. I was mulling a couple of Plan B possibilities when I received an e-mail Monday afternoon from my agent informing me that DW and I were booked and confirmed on a D for Monte Carlo-Venice and did I want cruise only, or with air? I probably stared at the monitor for thirty seconds before I could get my fingers to type a reply.

My takeaway from this booking experience is that you're in good hands if you work, like we do, with one of Regent's top-producing travel agencies (ideally one that offers a rebate!). I sent an e-mail to my TA over the summer asking to be put on the Explorer wait list, and then a brief follow-up e-mail last week. My agent took it from there.

So we look forward to joining Anchorbuoy, witt's end, petlover, and lisemarie on the Seven Seas Explorer Maiden Voyage, as well as all other MV-bound CCers. See you on the Roll Call!

Rich

Anchorbuoy, thanks for the onboard MV booking report. Seems like this morning you almost had to be in the right place at the right moment, like you were, to be able to snare a suite.

Carol, I believe Caroldoll is correct in her reference to the Explorer plying the Caribbean in early 2017. At some point in November, the Explorer will have to traverse the Atlantic. We'd be possibly interested, as we'd have plenty of time to explore the Explorer on a TA.

Congrats, witt's end!

The Regent site still lists the two Superior categories as Available.

Congrats, Marc! Anyone else who has booked the Explorer and wants to share his, her or their good news?

Right you are, Gerry, and at the moment only the two Superior categories show availability for the MV.

Funny, I just checked the Regent site again and see that the Veranda categories on the maiden voyage now show Guaranteed, and the second voyage is almost completely Available. Gremlins?

It's not even Monday yet here in the Land of Enchantment and already 12 of the 16 suite categories for the Explorer's maiden and second voyages are Wait Listed. Only availability is in the two Superior and two Concierge categories.

Great post, Don.

To answer your question, petlover, I was on a maiden voyage once--that of the Royal Viking Sea in December, 1973 ("Christmas in Africa"), but I was too young and, frankly, too unknowledgable about cruising at that time to grasp the specialness of the event. Plus I was there to do a job (produce the daily newspaper for the passengers) so I was pretty busy getting the hang of things that first week or two! I do recall a ship full of happy passengers and no significant issues. One thing about that cruise I'll never forget: Christmas day in Dakar, specifically our excursion to the slave-trading center on the Island of Goree. I was haunted for years by images of the Goree slave quarters and the story of the Atlantic slave trade.

Rich

And your blog, 1982CruzStart, was one of my best reading experiences ever on this message board. Thank you for taking us along, and wishing you a safe trip home!

The Navigator disappears from the 2016 itinerary after it arrives in Venice on May 3. I'm thinking that it goes into an extended drydock then, perhaps at Fincantieri in Trieste.

Here is the link to the complete Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/31/us-norwegiancruise-prestigecruises-idUSKBN0GV0T720140831

Jongbj, I took that photo--all of my photos, in fact--with my Canon PowerShot. I like the convenience of a small camera that can fit in my pocket, but have to admit at that moment in Khutzeymateen I was envious of a couple of fellow cruisers wielding SLRs with powerful zooms. You will be very well served by a 500mm lens.

Rich

Just received via snail mail a packet of great photos of the Voyager's Oslo sail away on July 10 from my old Royal Viking Line pal Jess, a longtime area resident. Jess and his brother-in-law Justein were on Justein's boat in Oslo harbor to witness the Voyager's departure. Enjoy!

Here she comes! (You can see Oslo's imposing City Hall at the bottom left.)

There she goes!

Farvel! (Farewell!)

Rachel, thanks again for the taking the time to blog, and, as always, for calling 'em as you see (and taste) 'em.

Rich

P.S. Did you know that the Land of Enchantment boasts an even longer tram ride than the Trapani-Erice funivia? It's the Sandia Park Tramway in Albuquerque, which will transport you 2.7 miles over a span of 20 minutes to the top of the Sandias (elevation 10,378 feet). You'll have sensational views to the west, plus there is a great hiking path along the rim. The New Mexican restaurant at the bottom is pretty good, too.

Glad to know about Jean Ann Ryan's "Back Stage Pass." I was thinking it was about time for JAR to break in a new show, as much as we've enjoyed the Broadway, "Aquarius" and Elton John/Billy Joel productions over the last year or two. (I'm guessing "Cirque" is here to stay as a starring vehicle for the specialty duo--we've had "Cirque" on all our Regent cruises since 2011.)

Rachel, I'm continuing to enjoy your and pingpong's newsy live reports. Now if only we had a live check-in from the Navigator (would love an update on Terry Breen, who was due to finally return on June 11) we'd have a Regent CC reporting trifecta!

Rich

Glad your Stockholm-Copenhagen cruise is off to a great start, pingpong1! Really enjoyed your newsy first post and look forward to more!

Rich

Me, three, Rachel!

Rich

Well, I couldn't have asked for a more authoritative confirmation of the Park West report! Don't think we need that live report from the Voyager now.

Thanks, fjdelrio, for anticipating the logical follow-up question by relaying the news of how Regent plans to use the newly opened space on each ship. All sounds good!

Rich