Travel from SF to Montreal on RSSC Navigator with Bill & Mary Ann for 31 days 9/12/11

[WCB]

Report#1

 

Well, here we go again, on a luxury cruise from San Francisco to NYC for 21 days, then NYC to Montreal for another 10 days. We love it when we can join a ship without flying, since we live very close to the city by the bay. We chose this itinerary after a longtime cruise we booked with Regent had been cancelled last year. Originally, we were headed for a Caribbean cruise, but Regent decided to take the Navigator out of service during that time period for a much needed retrofit. Friends Alene and Don had booked this cruise also, so it made it an easy choice for us.

 

Boarding time at Pier 35 is usually around noon or later, so there was no need to get up early. That was wonderful, since when we fly to Florida, we must leave our house in the wee hours of the night, like 4am for a 6am flight. That makes for a very long day, which tends to make one "zombies" at the end of the day.

 

We had arranged for a shuttle ride at 10am from our home in Clayton, about 35 miles from SF, to the pier. The driver was not too familiar with our rural area, so he arrived early at 9:30am. Yes, we were ready, but worried for a moment that we would arrive too early, and have to sit in a not too nice cruise terminal for hours. As it turned out, the driver picked up a nice elderly couple in Walnut Creek, which was on our way. They were headed to the Oakland airport, so we had a nice ride, eating up the extra time. It's amazing how much information you can get in a 40 minute drive with strangers. We heard their life history, mostly concentrated on unfortunate health issues. Once we bid them goodbye, we got the lowdown on our driver. Well, at least the time went quickly, as we both silently thought how lucky we are to be healthy and still able to travel.

 

Arrival at the uncrowded pier was around 11:30am. Only one ship was in port, and with less than 500 passengers, the area was almost empty. Nice. Regent staff greeted us while our driver off loaded our 3 pieces of luggage. One piece was a bit heavy, and the driver accidently yanked the handle too hard, cutting his finger. Instead of helping him, some porters came over and chided him for lifting incorrectly. Too late for that now, he just needed to tend to the injury and clear the parking place. We really felt badly for him. A suitcase can be fixed, but we hope he was OK as he said goodbye.

 

Going through the initial security check, we had to show passports and cruise documents. From there, we entered the first main area to fill out mandatory health forms. Four agents then took our forms, along with our passports to check them out. The passports were marked, then handed back to us. Next came the xray and bag check. Passed with flying colors. Now we could board the ship.

 

Here we were directed to the showlounge where we registered a credit card, showed the passports, which were handed back to us, and received our room keys. Even though the suites were not ready, we found our room and asked permission to leave our hand carry bags. Yes, it was fine, although the rooms were not technically ready until 2:30pm.

 

Speaking of suites, we had booked a guarantee, since this cruise was nearly full by the time we came along. We came in on the bottom level, with booking an H category ( window room 301 square feet). For the next segment, we will be in 513. Anyway, we did not hear where we would be located until 2 days before the trip. Three days prior, we were offered an $1800. upgrade to a veranda suite via our travel agent. She suggested to hold out, and see what they come up with in another day. So we followed her advice, said no thanks, and it paid off. Regent upgraded us to deck eight, room 867, with a veranda. Great. That would work just fine with us.

 

Did we mention that the weather almost perfect in the city today? It was a bit hazy, but no fog was present and the sun was out. There was a cool breeze blowing off of the water, just enough to make it comfortable. So we decided to leave the ship, and head to Pier 39 for lunch. A favorite place of ours there is The Hard Rock Cafe, where we ordered the haystack salads with Tupelo and grilled chicken....a real treat. For a Monday afternoon, the place was surprisingly busy, and noisy, of course.

 

After that, we headed into Pier 39 and walked through the shops and restaurants to the water's edge. You could hear the sealions barking and fighting for their prize positions on the pontoons. There seemed to be about half the amount of animals that we usually see here. Sometimes, the seals are off feeding nearby. There must be a good source of fish to maintain their bulky size.

 

Time to go back. The mandatory muster drill was scheduled in the showlounge at 5pm, so we needed to be ready for that. When we arrived back to our room, two of the three bags were already there. There is nothing more we dislike that packing and unpacking, but this was the best time to start with the chore. We have ample space for our stuff, mostly due to the fact that we have walk-in closet. A big one with a stack of drawers, shelves, and plenty of rods for hanging clothes. In the room, there are nightstands with drawers, a makeup table and seat, and a desk with cabinets and more drawers. This would be really nice to have this much space on HAL's world cruise. And this is the minimal sized room on this ship...356 square feet with a 55 square foot balcony. We also have a full length couch with two chairs and a coffee table that can convert to a dining table. Yep, it is nice.

 

While we were stashing clothes away, friends Don and Alene knocked on our door. They had boarded around 1pm after riding BART from their home in Lafayette and taking a taxi from a nearby hotel. They were already unpacked, having stayed onboard and eating lunch in the lido. They both laughed when they spotted our pub mix and nuts. At least they know where to come for afternoon munchies. As they were leaving, our next door neighbor came out in the hall. To our surprise, she is someone we know well from previous world cruises on HAL. A well-known author of cookbooks, she gives food talks and demos on different ships year round. She travels with her son, who is the technician for her shows. Don and Alene have recently been on a cruise where she worked, and they also knew her. What a small world.

 

At 5pm, the horn blew, Regent's announcement signal, for the mandatory lifeboat drill. Since the only practical place to gather is in the showlounge, all met in there with life jackets in hand. After the captain's directions, he announced a change in itinerary. There was a moan in the crowd, but not a surprise,since we expected a change. But to our surprise, the problem was with our first port of Cabo San Lucas, where we were to arrive Thursday at noon. Not to be. Because of a loss of one engine, we would not be able to travel that distance in that time. So, we are now going straight to Acapulco, passing Cabo altogether. Darn. We expected Acapulco to be scrapped, due to dangerous conditions with the cartel. But here came the surprise. The Captain informed us that every suite will receive a $250. shipboard credit for the lost port. That was a first for us. Usually, a cancelled port only gets you a refunded port charge and more than likely, another day at sea. There is no obligation to substitute another port. Also, way back a few months ago, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was cancelled. But in that case, an extra day in NYC was substituted, a plus for us. Recently, some other cruise lines have pulled their ships from the Mexican Riviera completely, so we are surprised that no more stops were cancelled. Needless to say, the generous credit was welcomed by ALL guests.

 

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to unpacking the remainder of the stuff. By the time we were through, we decided we deserved some refreshing cocktails in the Galileo Lounge, deck 11. To our surprise, it was not overly-crowded. But we have to remind ourselves that the majority of passengers flew to SF from many locations such as Australia, England, as well as the USA. We are certain that they will have a quick dinner in La Veranda, now completely buffet.

 

We met friends Don and Alene at 7:30pm outside the dining room on deck 5. Except we didn't see them, because they were waiting at the main entrance, and we had entered in the aft doors. Actually the Compass Rose Restaurant is not that large, so we did figure it out quickly.

 

The food was really good, with conservative portions compared to other cruise lines we have sailed with. This is a good thing. We did order a small portion of an angelhair pasta to share with our entrees, but the waiter forgot and served us a shell apsta in a cream sauce. He was gone in a flash before we could ask what that was. Oh well, maybe we'll order it next time. We all ordered cafe lattes, but they were warm, not hot. Seems that the special coffees are coming from deck six at their coffee bar, so by the time they arrive, they are not hot.

 

Since we were all tired, we called it an early night. To our surprise, or disappointment, we found our room to be a bit noisy with quite a bit of vibration. We do remember that problem on our last trip several years ago, but had hoped the problem had been remedied with their latest retrofit. Guess they could have added even more weight to the aft section. What made up for the noisy vibration was the comfort of the plush cushion-topped mattress on our king-size bed. Just popped the earplugs in, and pretended we were riding on a train instead of a cruise ship. It worked well for one of us...................

 

More to come.........

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WesW]

Thanks very much Mary Ann & Bill for taking us along--delightful beginning.

[DaveFr]

Mary Ann & Bill,

 

My wife and I are on the cruise following yours (Montreal to Ft. Lauderdale). Naturally, I'm interested in your report that Navigator lost an engine. Do you have any more details to share? Thanks.

 

Dave

[Travelcat2]

First I must say how much we enjoyed reading your post -- especially when you put in earplugs and pretended you were on a train instead of the Navigator. That is a suggestion we should give to future cruisers on the Navigator (and, in some instances, the Voyager). You both have a great attitude and a wonderful way of writing.

 

We are also interested in learning more about the Navigator's engine. She is built differently than the Voyager or Mariner and has unfortunately had a multitude of problems in the past. We truly hope that this is an easy fix and that you will be able to go to all the ports on your itinerary.

 

Curious to know what your feelings are about La Veranda being all buffet. We tended to stay away from it at night since we enjoyed sitting there, after a long day, sipping wine and enjoying the service. Fortunately you can get wonderful service in Compass Rose.

 

Looking forward to your next chapter.

[RachelG]

Hooray, another trip to follow along with. I can't wait to hear more.

 

Too bad about Cabo being cancelled. I would much prefer it over Acapulco (to think, my mom let me go to Acapulco with 3 of my friends when I was 16--how things there have changed!) But sea days are fun too.

 

When I saw your cabin number, I wondered about the vibration as it is pretty far aft. Glad you are dealing with it well.

 

We enjoyed La Veranda being all buffet in the evenings when we were tired after a long day of touring. It was relaxing to just be able to go and get what we wanted at our own pace. The sushi was actually very good. No somewhere we would eat every night, but it was a nice option.

[mimito4]

Mary Ann & Bill,

 

Oh, I'm excited to follow along now, too!

 

We never tried La Veranda in the evening, but some people we met and liked very much, said they enjoyed it on those long excursion days.

 

And, I too, am curious to hear more about the engine. Yikes!

 

Btw, it reminds me, that another thing I liked about last week was how the captain was very forthcoming about any and all situations. Even once, he came on the speaker to tell us that we hadn't left the port yet because they were waiting on a crew member who hadn't shown up. He assured us he was going to wait and hour or so, and that it wouldn't interfere with us getting to the next port on time.

 

Sure enough, 30 minutes or so later, he made another announcement saying the crew member was safe and sound and on board, and off we went.

 

Too bad about Cabo, but your attitude seems similar to mine. It is what it is. The cruise line didn't have to offer anything in compensation, yet they did. Good for them. . .good for you!

[WCB]

Report # 2 September 13, 2011 Tuesday Day at Sea

 

Boy, was our room noisy or what last night? Besides the constant rumbling, we were getting the sound from the showroom located directly beneath this end of the ship. Had we paid the full price for this suite, we would have have been unhappy campers, but since it was a very nice upgrade from an outside suite, we will deal with it. The benefit of the veranda outweighs the inconvenience of the noise. One good thing is that we do not need to attend the shows after dinner......the sound comes right to us. Glad to have remembered the earplugs.

 

Our bed was quite comfortable. It's a king-size memory foam topped mattress. We'll have to check what label is on it to see if we can find this brand and type when we get home. It really does make a difference when one has problems with back issues.

 

We established our routine for sea days this morning. Visit the Compass Rose Restaurant for a delicious hot breakfast with copious cups of coffee at 8:30am or so. Followed by an hour walk on deck 11 forward, weather permitting. There were few passengers up there, and that was good because there is limited space for passing on the side walkways. It's also fun watching people putting on the mini-green. It looks like it should be easy, a slam-dunk, but the green is created with little hills blocking each hole. Have not seen anyone sink a hole-in-one yet. Shuffleboard is set up there as well. A group from England meet there everyday, and play completely wrong. But they have such fun doing it, and admit they are free to make their own rules.

 

Another plus to walking up there is watching for sealife. Much to our surprise, we spotted a whale breach not far from the ship. It happened so quickly that no one else saw it. And of course, we waited and waited for a repeat performance, but it was a one time thing. On one cruise back in 2006, we sailed these waters in the month of November and never saw so much sealife. Guess it's just the luck of the draw.

 

The Captain's voice came on the horn at high noon, on the dot. It is announced with the sound of a bong, which is almost comical. His talk seems to deal with the weather more than anything else at this point. Speaking of weather, it has been very comfortable with temps in the 70's. Not quite warm enough to go in the pool for us yet. But the lounges are the best. Well-built, with a thick foam pad, they are covered with heavy Egyptian cotton toweling with elastic ends that fold under the pad. No wind will blow them off. Then, a large beach towel is available to cover the lounge. There is a large number of lounges placed in a double circle around the pool and 2 whirlpools. One side of the deck is covered where a row of lounge are available for the shade-seekers. Today most all of these lounges were filled by 11am. And we were part of the crowd. There is a plus side for us to sail this time of year. Isn't there a plus side for anytime of year? Anyway, for the entire summer, we have spent the majority of time working outside at home and walking on the local trails, so we have a good basic suntan. Along with using copious amounts of lotion, we think we will not suffer sunburns. As for some of the other guests, well they are as fair as can be. We know for a fact that in 2 days, they may look like lobsters.

 

Another very popular spot on deck 10 is the pool grill and the ice cream bar. They have a beautiful salad and fruit bar with a grill for tasty hamburgers, chicken filets, hotdogs, and fish. Tables are set with placemats and napkins and the bar staff is right there to serve you with any drink of your choice. We have tried our usual diet cokes and the even better frozen margaritas. You don't have to move an inch off of your lounge either. These friendly fellows come right to you over and over. The best part of this is that all beverages are complimentary. No signing receipts, nothing at all. Just saying thanks is all you need to do. Nice.

 

At 4pm, we met Don and Alene in Galileo for teatime. Normally, we do not go to tea, but here, it is different. We use this venue for a light lunch. A side counter is full of delicious small tea sandwiches, which may include egg salad, cheese, turkey and ham, and smoked salmon. A chef at a center table serves a specialty of the day. Today's treat was a variety of crepes. Fresh scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam is always present.

 

The fun starts at 4:30pm following teatime. It is trivia, and we are in place for the competition. So far, our team just consists of the four of us, even though we can have a group of 5. We didn't do too well the first game today, but we are sure things will improve. Trivia is so popular that the room does not have one empty seat. The Cruise Director, Ray Solaire, ran the show. He is very talented at his job from what we can tell so far. His style is more laid back with a great sense of humor.

 

At 6pm, the gong rang again over the loudspeakers. This was to announce a hall party, where everyone is invited to come out of their suites in the hallway, and introduce themselves to their neighbors. Wine glasses are a must, because the bar servers are filling them with wines. Trays of tasty treats are offered by the waiters as well. Then the Captain and some of his officers roam each deck, shaking hands with every guest, welcoming each one of us onboard. What fun. We discovered that we are surrounded by entertainers and speakers for this cruise. One of them happened to be a rocket scientist. Naturally, we thought he was joking, because it sounded so unreal. However, we found out he was one of the scheduled speakers and is involved in the space program. Usually, these professionals keep to themselves on other ships and don't mix with the crowd. No, this fellow is outgoing and has remembered our names ever since. He spends a lot of time at the pool with his wife and chats with everyone.

 

We had to cut our time short to join another cocktail party hosted by Virtuoso hosts, Diane and Roy Pyles. Meeting at 6:30pm in the Stars Lounge, we met some very nice fellow travelers, also part of the Virtuoso group. They have asked us to join them for dinner one evening and we said that would be fine. That is one nice aspect of having open seating. We can enjoy the company of friends, newly made friends, and a table for two at times.

 

At 7:30pm, we joined Don and Alene and friends of theirs from Campbell, California. They met them on a previous cruise, and kept touch with them ever since. Phil and Gerry are in their 80's, but still enjoy the pleasures of cruising. We had a nice evening, and we all decided to skip the show, which was classical guitar player Vincenzo Martinelli. Actually, remember, we hear the music in our suite anyway, so we did not miss it.

 

Tonight we turned our clocks ahead one hour, which we don't like. But that is the price for heading eastbound. With no port coming up, we will handle the change with no problem.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Greetings all!

 

So far there has not been any report on the condition or repairing the engine. From here on, the ports are fairly close, so we are guessing that if a repair is made, it may occur in either Ft. Lauderdale or New York. We will be in NYC for 2 days, giving them time for the fix.

 

As we never have tried the dinner in La Veranda yet, we cannot make comments on it. However, we know we would be tempted to overeat there. We did like it when the salads and soups were buffet, but your entree was served. Normally, we always eat in the main dining room on all ships.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 3 September 14, 2011 Wednesday Day at Sea

 

Well, it is definitely getting warmer, but there is still a nice breeze. Better enjoy it, because it won't last.

 

We did our usual breakfast and walk on deck 12, then went to the computer room/library to get some help with our computer. We have been having problems downloading anti-virus stuff. Everytime we begin the program, we get disconnected well before it is final. Really frustrating. The secret, we were told, was to keep activity going as we are downloading. If we leave it idle, we are disconnected automatically in about 10 minutes. Glad we asked.

 

The library here is small, but has a large selection of up-to-date books, as well as classics. It took two minutes to find 3 to read. You are on the honor system here.....no need to check them out, since there is no librarian that we could see.

 

We decided to try room service for lunch. We ordered two chef salads, which were delicious. A square tabletop, located behind our full length couch, went on top of the coffee table. Our server placed a white tablecloth over that, and set the table properly with napkins and silverware. It really is a nice touch.

 

Teatime came quickly, with trivia to follow. We are actually getting better scores, but are still far from a win.We're all starting to figure out that some of these guests are repeat passengers, who have played this game many times.

 

Tonight's dress was formal/optional. That was puzzling for us, since on other cruise lines, the dress code is always casual or formal, or eat dinner in the lido. We can say that the majority of folks did dress formally, that is the fellows wore suits or tuxes, ladies in sparkly dresses, etc. The rest of the men had on sport jackets at least, but perhaps with no ties. And everyone seemed fine with that.

 

Also, this evening was the Captain's welcome onboard party in the showlounge. Since it gets awfully warm in the showlounge, we did not attend. And we were on our own tonight, since Don and Alene and two other couples were invited to dine with the Captain. So we relaxed in the Galileo Lounge, enjoying cocktails, then went to dinner around 8pm. That's when we ran into a small problem. There were no tables for 2 available, and we were one of four couples waiting. And the restaurants, with the exception of Prime 7, do not take reservations. So we were asked to wait around 15 minutes, preferably in the Stars Lounge, have another drink, and we would be summoned back. And that is just what we did. It was exactly 15 minutes, and we were seated at a romantic table for 2 at the window. Dinner was excellent, with wonderful service from one of the few, if only, waitress in Compass Rose. We have been seated in her section for breakfast, and she is delightful.

 

Showtime featured Emma Sinclair, who we have seen on previous world cruises. Of course, we did not need to see her, because we could hear her quite well in our suite! Wow, especially when she hits those high notes. Amazing......

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[TheSeaAroundUs]

Mary Ann and Bill,

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your thoughts and experiences for us! Following along vicariously is a delight. Your writing style is direct and engaging.

 

You're being good sports about the vibration -- myself, I love shipboard vibration, particularly while lying abed awaiting sleep -- (perhaps it reminds me of Magic Fingers as a child!!!) -- though I have not sailed aboard Navigator.

 

I hope that you continue to have a wonderful cruise!

[mimito4]

 

We decided to try room service for lunch. We ordered two chef salads, which were delicious. A square tabletop, located behind our full length couch, went on top of the coffee table. Our server placed a white tablecloth over that, and set the table properly with napkins and silverware. It really is a nice touch.

Mary Ann & Bill

 

I so agree about that. You explained the set up far better than I in my reporting, but I noted it as one of those "little big things." That portable tabletop is brilliant.

 

I agree with TheSeaAroundUs, in that you are a great sport about the vibration. For that matter, you are also sporty about the noise. I have to admit I'd be a mess about that. Fortunately, you're on Regent, and it isn't a late night ship.

 

I was on a Carnival ship in July with girlfriends, and we picked wrong, 'cause their advertising doesn't lie. They are the party ships. Even though we got an aft (love aft staterooms), we were right above their busiest nightclubs.

 

I always worried about being below something like the fitness center or buffet. . .certainly never worried about being above something. Lesson noted. Carnival did give offer to move us, but only thing open open lacked a balcony (now that I think about it, it might have lacked a window even). We declined. Charm did get us a substantial shipboard credit and two nights at their specialty restaurant. . .and a free pair of earplugs.

 

Seriously.

 

If you see 2 British couples traveling together (one is a dead ringer for Judith Dench), give a hug and a hello from Don and Teresa. They are Philip, Tess, John and Roberta, and they continued on with your voyage after we departed in S.F. Fun people.

 

And whatever you do, please continue to keep us poor left-behinds informed and entertained. Oh, and have a great time yourself!

[Carolin]

YAY! I wondered when you would be on another cruise. Now I can cruise vicariously through your wonderful reports. Thank you for posting. :)

 

Have a fantastic cruise.

[south seas sue]

We will be joining the ship in NYC on Oct. 3 for the 10 day cruise to Montreal. It has been great reading about your trip so far. We are in a G guarantee, so don't know yet where our cabin will be. In addition to all the seasick meds I can fit in, we will also take earplugs after reading about your experiences. There hasn't been a Roll Call established for this cruise, so your postings are the first I've read from passengers on this cruise. We are so looking forward to it! Having always lived in sunny SoCal, we are not familiar with all of the beautiful variety of leaf turning in the Northeast, and that is what drew us to take this cruise. I just hope we aren't too late for the Canadian display...........I understand that ending in Montreal on the 16th is a bit late for the colors. We are staying on in Montreal for a few days, so hoping for dry and colorful weather!

 

Would love to meet you playing Trivia, but unfortunately I think that's our nap time. We have booked excursions for every morning, and plan to snooze in the afternoons, so its hard to do everything, isn't it! If we have an early nap after lunch, in time for tea, perhaps we will meet you there, as I dearly love to play.

 

Glenda and Dan

[RachelG]

I am particularly looking forward to your reports on the NYC-Montreal segment as we are doing this next year.

[WCB]

Report # 4 September 15, 2011 Thursday Day at Sea

 

There was no doubt that today was proving to be a much warmer and humid day. Actually, this is the first time that we have visited this part of the world at this time of year. Previous trips have brought us through in January, April, May, and October. The temperatures may have been close to the same, high 80's, low 90's, but far less humidity. As Californians, we are not accustomed to that moisture.

 

While we enjoyed our morning stroll, we witnessed several people placing items on select lounges around the pool to obviously save them for later. Didn't we just read a notice in today's newsletter requesting passengers not to do that? The message said that if these items remained for over 30 minutes unattended, they would be removed. Guess what? The deck attendants did just that. First time we ever saw that threat carried through. Just wish we were there to see it.

 

The heat brought out the younger crowd to the pool. Well, at least there are a handful of guests younger than us, but not by too much. Some of them are still spry enough to do a running cannonball into the pool. Yes, on Regent! That did raise a few eyebrows, we are certain. All in good fun.

 

Maybe it is because the questions were easier at trivia, or we are getting smarter. We prefer the latter, of course. Still a question shy of that elusive win. Perhaps it was the fault of the air-conditioning on the ship that was having trouble cooling the ship off. The higher one goes on the ship, the hotter. The Galileo Lounge is on deck 11, as high as they get. Excuses, excuses......

 

One nice thing was we asked for and received a 16 inch portable oscillating fan for our desk. Even though we have a veranda door to open, it is not a good idea in this heat. The mirrors steam up immediately. So the fan is a little piece of heaven for us. And it works so much better for drying long hair, much better than using the hot hairdryer.

 

We have noticed that at dinner in the Compass Rose, each one of us has missed part of our order over the last four evenings. Don't know if it is a language problem, or just too much noise in the room itself. It's not that we cannot live without an appetizer or a side dish, it is just strange. None of us has complained, but we are more careful when we place our order. Pointing to the items on the printed menu as we order does help.

 

The evening show was a combination of the guitar player and the singer. We can only report what our friends tell us about it tomorrow, since we seldom attend the shows, as we have already said. Besides that, the clocks had to be turned ahead another hour tonight.....how rude it that????

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[xrvlcruiser]

I'm enjoying your messages - I got off in SFO as you boarded and also was delighted to hear about your "next-door neighbor/cooking teacher and her son" Good friends and delightful people!.

 

I do have one question though: is there an update on the engine issue?

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Peggy

[azjoy]

We'll also be joining you in NYC. We've cruised Regent several times, but none recently and never on Navigator. I'm enjoying your posts and love your great attitude about the vibration and noise. Maybe when the engine problem is resolved the vibration will improve...

 

One thought about the items missing at dinner. This might be a training issue or it might be a case of someone dropping the ball and no one else noticing. But 4 missing items is a bad trend and it probably will not get fixed until someone brings it to their attention. All of the Regent staff we've encountered were excellent and wanted to give good service so I'm sure they would fix whatever is happening. Just my 2 cents ...

 

Have a great cruise and please keep posting

[Travelcat2]

Maybe when the engine problem is resolved the vibration will improve...

 

 

Wish they could fix it. Regent spend tens of millions of dollars a little over a year ago in attempt to lessen the vibration. They added what I call a duck tail that extends out by the waterline in the aft section of the ship. I suppose that the lesson learned is that you can't take a hull from a former Soviet Union ice breaker/spy ship and turn it into a passenger ship. It is better than it was.:o

[cruiseluv]

Hmm.. Periodically I read about issues with the A/C on Navigator. I never experienced problems , but probably it was because I took cool weather itineraries (Alaska and Norway). You''re very understanding. I wouldn't be a happy camper if I needed a fan to cool my cabin, not at those prices!

[Toranut97]

I am thoroughly enjoying your posts! We are planning on the Montreal - Miami cruise next year, and all your observations are most welcome!! Thank you so much!

 

Donna

[WCB]

Report # 5 September 16, 2011 Friday Day at Sea

 

Much to our surprise, we woke up in the middle of the night to an impressive thunder and lightening storm, followed by driving rain. The torrential shower lasted well into the early morning. Prior to this cruise, we had been tracking Pacific storms that crop up this time of year, so it was not an altogether surprise. Actually, it did help cool the temperature outside, a plus in our opinion.

 

The Compass Rose was sparsely populated this morning. Bet the dark skies kept people sleeping a bit later. Hoping that the rain had let up after we ate, we went to deck 10 to find that it was under at least 3 inches of water. The last time we had rain like that was when we were in Manaus, Brazil, where we could not see across the street in 5 seconds.

 

The best spot for watching the storm was outside the Galileo Lounge.. There is a nice canvas-covered patio with comfortable couches and chairs, like an outside living room. Lightening brightened the grey skies as we watched the canvas awnings fill with rainwater, then coming crashing down the back stairwell. Thinking we were all alone, a kind bar server braved the storm to ask if we would like some coffee or hot chocolate. The staff here is incredible.

 

The storm was gone by noon, and we actually got in some pool time. We had expected the lounge pads to be soaked, but they are totally waterproof. Nothing but the best here.

 

Even though the weather had improved, the Captain reported that we had began to encounter stronger winds later in the afternoon, which could slow our approach to our first port of Acapulco. That was OK with us, because we could sleep in a bit later.

 

We have not heard any more news about the condition of the engine. Since we seem to be reasonably on time so far, there may not be an immediate need to remedy the problem. The only concern we have is that if we develop problems with the existing engine, we're in deep trouble.......

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Queasy Cruiser]

Have enjoyed reading this thread as we are cruising along with you.

 

Regarding the engine, at the Seven Seas Society reception this evening, the Captain announced that we would be picking up the part needed to fix the engine tomorrow in Puntarenas, but would not be able to get the engineer who could perform the repair until we reach Cartagena on Saturday.

 

Meanwhile, we are cruising along at more than adequate speed and in our opinion, the journey has been a joy thus far.

 

Off to the show...

[jhp]

Queasy cruiser, than you so much to keep us posted! I am not surprised at Regent's ability to have a "fix" at a port once they find the problem. It's just part of any cruise where anything can happen. Looking forward to getting on the Navigatore next month in Montreal!

[WCB]

Report # 6 September 17, 2011 Saturday Acapulco, Mexico

 

Well, bet you thought we would never get to a port?? So did we. Yes, our first port of call was Acapulco, Mexico, even though we half-expected this port to be cancelled a month or so ago. Things were not looking too good for tourists here, or anyone who had dealings with the cartel for that matter. From what we saw in port today, there was no different from the half dozen times we have visited in the past. Sure, we did see a presence of police and military, but not much more than normal. Would we go off on our own today? Absolutely not.

 

So we booked Regent's complimentary tour to the Pierre Marques Resort for a beach and lunch getaway for about 6 hours. The weather was going to be very hot and sticky today, so lounging around a pool or on the beach was a must for us and our friends.

 

We stopped for coffee and a muffin in the small coffee bar on deck 6 before we left the ship. They had a nice selection of juices and pastries, but there are few chairs in there. Since most people had already gone ashore, we had no problem finding seats in there. We have noticed that on sea days, it gets very crowded in this coffee bar,

 

The bus ride to the hotel took over an hour, because of the traffic. Since today was Saturday, many of the local families were out and about, enjoying the beach too. There was a brief stop at a lookout point, located on top of the Linda Vista Restaurant. The last time we stopped here, the guide had a difficult time trying to get the folks back on the bus. Why? Shopping, of course. Local ladies were selling a nice variety of silver jewelry and t-shirts. Funny, all the fellows were taking scenic photos, while the ladies shopped quickly. Not so today. Within 10 minutes, all were seated and ready to leave. This group may be a bit more of the "Cartier" type of shoppers.

 

At the hotel (a Fairmont property), our escort gave us speedy tour of the grounds, showing us the buffet restaurant where we would eat lunch, the two pools, restrooms, shops, and the entrance to the beach. She did warn us about walking the beach or swimming in the surf. Once you put one foot in that sand, vendors consider you fair game...not a problem if you are seeking bargains. And despite the fact that hundreds of people were swimming in the ocean, our escort said there was an undertow. Perhaps she took in the average age of our group, and decided to scare us. It worked, because we saw that no one from our two buses entered the water except for their toes. Reports came back that the sand was unbearably hot also.

 

This was our third visit to this resort, so we knew to nix the shallow pool (mostly little kids), and head for the larger, quieter pool. Well at least it was quiet for awhile, until a local mom rubbed suntan lotion into her small daughter's eyes. Poor kid, she wailed loudly because it must have stung terribly. This process was repeated on the hour, to the point that we almost wanted to give the mom a touch of the same treatment. What part of "don't get this in the eyes" didn't she get??? Poor kid will forever remember this vacation for the pain it caused her.

 

The pool was almost hot, like a jacuzzi spa. But it still felt good after laying in the sun for 20 minutes. That was the max time you could sit out in the heat. Of course, we could have asked for an umbrella, but we are tough, and preferred the pool for cooling off. Don and Alene sat under the coconut trees and an umbrella, since they are fair-skinned and are not the sun worshipers that we are. Yeah, we know it can be dangerous, but we do use copious amounts of sunscreen and drink lots of water.

 

The time for lunch came all too quickly. The outdoor buffet restaurant was delightful. A salad and fruit bar started the feeding frenzy with plenty of offerings of local produce. In covered chafing dishes were the makings for fajitas or sandwiches. Rice and a bean dish were served hot as well as a type of Mexican soup. Fresh rolls and tortillas finished that section. We knew the best place to go first.......the grill. Here you put in your order for hamburgers, hot dogs, chorizo, chicken, fish, or steak, all grilled to your preference. The older chef was busy sauteing peppers and onions for fajitas. It sure smelled good. We choice the burgers, which had to be 1/2 pounders with cheese. Glad we had a skimpy breakfast, because we enjoyed every bite. Dessert included small pastries, puddings, pies, and fruit cups. Also included were 2 drinks of our choice. We kind of forgot about the ice with our soda, but in a 5 star hotel such as this one, we knew it would be OK. And it was.....no side effects later on, if you know what we mean.

 

We floated in the pool until it was time to go, visiting with passengers from the Navigator. Sometimes you don't always get the chance to meet people easily on the ship, but when on a tour, your group becomes more like a family. Time to go was 3:30pm, or whenever the buses were able to get to the entrance. Like we said, it was a very busy day. And still a hot one. We were at the melting point by the time the coaches pulled up. That air conditioning really felt good.

 

It took about an hour to get back to the ship. And this was the first time we did not have a special shopping stop. These stops are not always published in the tour description, but can be added if folks are willing to go. Usually, it is a 49/51 vote to stop, much to the disgust of the men (sorry guys). With our group today, we guarantee the vote would have been an astounding NO, thanks.

 

While passing through the cruise terminal, we had noticed an unusual silver necklace, fashioned into the figure of a frog. Just out of curiosity, we asked the anxious vendor how much the piece cost. In a flash, he had it out of the locked cabinet and around my neck. It was so heavy, it would give you a massive neckache. So would the price.....a mere $14,000.US. Hah, we said we would think about it, since we had left our money on the ship....no lie. We did by accident. Not the first time, we left in a hurry totally forgetting our wallets. Sometimes that is a good thing.

 

The Captain pulled out of the harbor shortly before 6pm. A sailaway party was held poolside with Mexican food like guacamole, salsa, and chips. Two huge round skillets held meat chili and what appeared to be small chunks of seasoned salmon for taco or tortilla filling. We tasted the chili with a sprinkling of salsa and cheese in a taco shell. We love Mexican cuisine. So did everyone else, because it less than one hour, the chili was gone.

 

It was an exhausting day, mostly due to the heat. We had an early dinner, then turned in, missing the evening show. The entertainer was Bruce Smirnoff, a comedian, who we heard later was pretty good. The nice thing for us, was he did not sing, so we did not hear his show in our room for a change.

 

Tomorrow's port will be Huatulco, a mere 249 nautical miles from Acapulco.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Cruising Librarian]

Thanks for your taking the time to post, WCB! My husband and I are on the reverse itinerary next April (FLL to SF) and I am enjoying every detail you care to share:)