Checking in, Live, from the Mariner (Miami-Lima)

[Travelcat2]

If Word is not available (the Microsoft Office suite / starter pack is not installed or has been removed), "Notepad" will do. It is available on the most rudimentary set-ups.

 

Go to the start icon then "All Programs" then "Accessories" then you will find "Notepad" - (for reference, in the same subsection which you can access a calculator).

 

Thank you!

[Eager2Travel]

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[Mr Rumor]

Travel tidbit of the day: To preserve Old Town Willemstad's special, pastelly look, residents may use white or black paint only for trim, unless they have a special permit. Rule breakers are subject to authorities repainting their home in a pastel color of their choice, and then receiving a bill from the city for the service.

 

Due to a passing storm and swells we weren't able to dock in Willemstad until 3:30. Tours didn't begin leaving until after 4, which meant some ended in darkness. We regretted not having a chance to walk around downtown Willemstad, a World Heritage Site, but maybe they'll be a next time.

 

After three nights in Setti Mare, we decided it was time for a Compass Rose dinner and asked to start a table for six. We were promptly joined by delightful couples from Seattle and Arvada, CO and enjoyed an excellent meal (vegetable lasagna for my vegetarian wife--I like how Regent makes things easy for vegetarians by listing all the non-meat items together) and halibut for me. Service was fine with no lags.

 

No one was in a rush to leave Compass Rose, so we only were only able to catch the last 15 minutes of the song and dance troupe's Broadway production, including ABBA and Queen medleys. Crowd even seemed larger than for Yakov Smirnoff, who does his second show tomorrow night.

 

Aruba in the early a.m.

[RachelG]

Too bad about the late arrival in Williamstad. We really enjoyed it, and actually decided that to do over again, we would not take a tour there. We would just walk around the town. There is an outstanding museum called the Kura Hurlanda (sp?) that is about the slave trade plus a bunch of other stuff. I visited it on a trip with one of my sons, but would definitely visit again.

 

Aruba is not as charming. The area around the dock is ok (though you do have to walk aways through a bunch of street vendor stalls), but it is all new construction and mostly very expensive shops. The good thing in Aruba is the snorkeling.

[Mr Rumor]

It was interesting for me to learn that most residents of Aruba (Curacao and Bonaire, too) speak four langauges: Dutch (the official langauge), English, Spanish, and the local language, Papiamento, which takes a little bit from this and that language.

 

I'm going to give you a crash course in Papiamento. In fact I'm going to teach you one quarter of the words that constitute this language. No sweat--according to our tour guide today, Alex, there are only 80 or so words!

 

"Dushi." This is a key word. It means "sweet," "sweetheart," "nice."

 

"Sushi." Another key word. Not quite a swear word, but close. It means "garbage."

"Whatever you do," Alex instructed, "Don't call your dushi sushi!"

 

Finally, "Masha danke," or "Thank you very much."

 

There, you are 25% of the way toward being fluent in Papiamiento.

 

Rachel, I have to agree that Aruba is not the most picturesque or charming of stops, but, still, I really enjoyed our Scenes of Aruba tour. I was reminded again how much our guide can make--or break--a tour, and Alex was simply excellent. . . he spoke clearly and articulately, was relaxed and obviously enjoying himself and sharing his native land with us. He handled the tour guide part of his job so effortlessly that I was very surprised to discover a few minutes into the tour (we were sitting in the back) that he was also driving! (He explained afterwards that he was required to undergo special training to be able to handle both jobs simultaneously).

 

Rich

[Mr Rumor]

I meant 5% of the way toward being fluent in Papiamento!

 

Back to the Mariner, I wanted to mention that, starting this cruise, all suites are being cleaned/serviced by a team of two. Thus, instead of 10 suites, each team has 20 suites to clean. Although this seems like a lot of suites, even for a pair, so far, our team of Angelita (Philippines, and a real dushi) and I Made (Bali, and a great young man) seem to be handling the load just fine.

[HanL]

It was interesting for me to learn that most residents of Aruba (Curacao and Bonaire, too) speak four langauges: Dutch (the official langauge), English, Spanish, and the local language, Papiamento, which takes a little bit from this and that language.

 

I'm going to give you a crash course in Papiamento. In fact I'm going to teach you one quarter of the words that constitute this language. No sweat--according to our tour guide today, Alex, there are only 80 or so words!

 

"Dushi." This is a key word. It means "sweet," "sweetheart," "nice."

 

"Sushi." Another key word. Not quite a swear word, but close. It means "garbage."

"Whatever you do," Alex instructed, "Don't call your dushi sushi!"

 

Finally, "Masha danke," or "Thank you very much."

 

There, you are 25% of the way toward being fluent in Papiamiento.

 

Rachel, I have to agree that Aruba is not the most picturesque or charming of stops, but, still, I really enjoyed our Scenes of Aruba tour. I was reminded again how much our guide can make--or break--a tour, and Alex was simply excellent. . . he spoke clearly and articulately, was relaxed and obviously enjoying himself and sharing his native land with us. He handled the tour guide part of his job so effortlessly that I was very surprised to discover a few minutes into the tour (we were sitting in the back) that he was also driving! (He explained afterwards that he was required to undergo special training to be able to handle both jobs simultaneously).

 

Rich

I will add another 5%: :D

Con ta bai: How are you?

Mi ta bon: I am fine

[HanL]

I meant 5% of the way toward being fluent in Papiamento!

 

Back to the Mariner, I wanted to mention that, starting this cruise, all suites are being cleaned/serviced by a team of two. Thus, instead of 10 suites, each team has 20 suites to clean. Although this seems like a lot of suites, even for a pair, so far, our team of Angelita (Philippines, and a real dushi) and I Made (Bali, and a great young man) seem to be handling the load just fine.

 

You may ask I Made if he is the second born in the family?

I bet he is. :D

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balinese_name

[Island Cruiser]

We are delighted to learn about the change in staffing cabin attendants from one per cabin back to two. We hope this happens on all Regent ships. It means the cabins can be serviced twice as fast. That has real, and IMO, important benefits to passengers. We are early risers even though we are known to close the bar frequently. We want to get our laps in on Deck 12 and shower so we are ready to open CR at 8:00. (We are part of the small minority who don't cruise to eat cafeteria style.) When we started with Regent (then Radisson) they had a two cabin attendant system. And back then when we returned to our cabin after breakfast it was almost always serviced. Bravo! When Regent switched to one cabin attendant that mostly ended.

[OrpingtonT]

What an excellent, entertaining thread this is turning out to be with unlikely facts turning up all the time. Thanks, Rich and others.

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks, Tom, and to the others who have been contributing to this thread, Thanks, specifically, HanL, for adding your 5% worth on Papiamento! I'll ask I Made whether he is second born.

 

I've been meaning to respond to you, xrvlcruiser. Did you know there is a Royal Viking Line Facebook page? I learned about it from my old Royal Viking Star friend/co-worker, Jess (printer aboard star 1974-80). Also, a RVL reunion is held every other year in a Norway town. Jess attended the last one (October, 2012) and had a great time.

 

Internet was painfully slow late last night, but I persevered and managed to write a new post. Now I see the internet was unstable as well. Evidently the post just went poof when I clicked Post Quick Reply. Oh well, I'll reconstruct.

 

Last night was just terrific. Started with a superb meal in Prime 7, where we had had somewhat mixed results over the last several years. Filet Mignon was cooked exactly as I had ordered it, medium rate, and the Golden Cake with pistachio sauce (a special indulgence for me, as I've been watching my sweets) was fantastic.

 

Then it was off to the Constellation Theater to catch Yakov Smirnoff's second performance, this one centered on relationships and the keys to living "happily ever laughter." Yakov made many telling points, all with humor and in good fun--the audience adored him. I'm looking forward to a Smirnoff YouTube marathon when I return. (Later, Jamie confirmed Jakov was a special hire for the Circle South America cruise--no doubt Regent had to dip a little deeper in its performance pockets to schedule him.)

 

Then on the way to the computer room, Ginny and I heard Nature Rhythm playing in Stars. We poked our heads in and were recognized by the guys with two words: "Buddy Holly!" Yep, they have come to know one of my musical preferences. Before we knew it we were being serenaded by a rockin' "That'll Be a Day." Actually that'll be a night--one great night on the Mariner!

 

Rich

[xrvlcruiser]

Rich,

 

Yes, I did know about the Royal Viking pages on Facebook but they are for staff/crew and I was a passenger so don't qualify.

 

I will go to take a look - it's been a while since I visited there.

 

Thanks for reminding me though.

 

Peggy

[Mr Rumor]

I pay passing attention to the ships that are docked alongside or near us. I was quite curious about the ship next to us in Oranjestad. While it was much smaller than the Mariner (as it turns out, 440 feet long), it boasted ten large lifeboats. I didn't immediately recognize the name, Freewinds, or the logo, a crown atop waves.

 

Then I saw, in smaller type, the words Sea Organization Motor Vessel, which rang a bell. I was able to confirm online that this was indeed the Scientology-owned vessel that I had heard/read about. According to Wikipedia, the Freewinds delivers "lower-level classes and auditing services," as well as serving as the "exclusive training center" for "Operating Thetan Level 8," reportedly the highest level of Scientology.

 

I was fascinated checking out the action on Fairwinds as we sailed off. A number of young people decked out in white shirts and blue shorts congregated on deck, then suddenly began moving, double time, along the side of the ship. As we pulled farther away, I could see a line of them exiting the ship and running toward a waiting bus. Who are they, and where were they going in such a hurry?

 

Rich

[Mr Rumor]

Hi Peggy, we're tentatively scheduled to have lunch with former RVL president David Levene and his wife Estelle today, and when we do, I'm sure the RVL stories will be flying. I packed my precious RVL tie for the occasion (dark blue with a small red sea eagle).

 

By the way, RVL founder Warren Titus, credited by some as being the father of modern day luxury cruising, went on to found Seabourne. David told me that "Seabourne" actually was Titus' back-up choice for a name. He preferred "Signet." Luckily, David continued, it occurred to Warren & Co. that they better check out the Signet name first. They did, and saw they couldn't clear it (potential trademark issue). So instead of the Yachts of Signet, we got the Yachts of Seabourne.

 

OK, off for my morning walk. We're due to dock in Cartagena at 3. Tours will return about 7, just in time for a big BBQ dinner on deck, followed by a local music and dance troupe's performance.

 

Rich

[RachelG]

I pay passing attention to the ships that are docked alongside or near us. I was quite curious about the ship next to us in Oranjestad. While it was much smaller than the Mariner (as it turns out, 440 feet long), it boasted ten large lifeboats. I didn't immediately recognize the name, Freewinds, or the logo, a crown atop waves.

 

Then I saw, in smaller type, the words Sea Organization Motor Vessel, which rang a bell. I was able to confirm online that this was indeed the Scientology-owned vessel that I had heard/read about. According to Wikipedia, the Freewinds delivers "lower-level classes and auditing services," as well as serving as the "exclusive training center" for "Operating Thetan Level 8," reportedly the highest level of Scientology.

 

I was fascinated checking out the action on Fairwinds as we sailed off. A number of young people decked out in white shirts and blue shorts congregated on deck, then suddenly began moving, double time, along the side of the ship. As we pulled farther away, I could see a line of them exiting the ship and running toward a waiting bus. Who are they, and where were they going in such a hurry?

 

Rich

 

 

Creepy!

[Hambagahle]

Hi Rich,

 

Good to know you and Ginny are back on the Mariner! And to hear that Daniel Green is your Captain. Very nice chap! He was Staff Captain last time we were on the Navigator...

 

Just missed waving you goodbye - Ken and I arrived in Miami two days ago and are watching the ships sAi l out right now... We sail tomorrow on the Oceania Riviera and I am interested to see how she will compare to the Mariner! Enjoy the Canal transit... And report back.

 

All the best to you and Ginny...

Gerry

[RachelG]

Gerry, I will be interested to hear your take on the riviera.

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks for your good wishes, Gerry, and happy to know that that you are Ken are trying Oceania. Like, Rachel, I'll be most interested to read your thoughts on your Riviera cruise. Wishing you a wonderful time!

 

Regarding Captain Green, he won me over in Willemstad, when he stood all by himself at the end of the gangway personally greeting (and helping when necessary) every passenger making his/way onto terra firma after our couple of days of rolling seas.

 

Internet is again verrrry slowwwww tonight, and perhaps unstable, so it may not be wise for me to chance a long post.

 

To give you an idea of the scale of the Mariner's "Grand South American Deck BBQ under the Stars" tonight, the entire buffet area of the Pool Deck was reserved for. . . desserts only! Identical serving stations took up the entire length of each side of the pool. Only drawback was that it was hard to make out some of the dishes in the dim light. Vegetarian Ginny found this out the hard way when she scooped up a mound of "rice" only to find out that it was actually bacon bits. She also managed a few squares of turkey and a calamari ring or two. She got more careful on her second trip to the buffet. (One of our tablemates, by the way, was Terry Breen, whose talks continue to impress.)

 

The Ballet Folklorica Calenda is a top-notch troupe of eight dancers, four musicians and an MC. The group put on a high-energy 45-minute performance on the aft side of the pool following our feast, and was enthusiastically received. Turnout was very good considering more than 150 passengers participated in an Ensemble travel group function in Cartagena tonight.

 

We were sated by our three hour or so Cartagena tour (Popa Monastery + Gold Museum)today, so returned our Cartagena walking tour tix for tomorrow a.m. Happy to spend the morning on the ship before we set sail at 1 p.m.

 

Rich

[OrpingtonT]

Hi Rich,

 

Good to know you and Ginny are back on the Mariner! And to hear that Daniel Green is your Captain. Very nice chap! He was Staff Captain last time we were on the Navigator...

 

Just missed waving you goodbye - Ken and I arrived in Miami two days ago and are watching the ships sAi l out right now... We sail tomorrow on the Oceania Riviera and I am interested to see how she will compare to the Mariner! Enjoy the Canal transit... And report back.

 

All the best to you and Ginny...

Gerry

 

Good luck and Happy Sailing on Oceania Riviera today, Gerry & Ken. I must have a look later on the Oceania board to see if you are posting there.

[room010]

 

Finally (for now), I heard from Executive Chef Jonathan Smid that he will be trying a French bistro concept for a few nights in La Veranda/Setti Mare, starting on January 15. He explained that "French bistro food is near and dear to my heart, and I like to mix things up." I think Ginny and I can tolerate that type of mix-up just fine!

 

Ciao for now,

 

Rich

 

This "French Bistro" idea was tried out for a few nights on our recent Bali-Melbourne Xmas cruise on Voyager with mixed results. We werent told why the chef decided to give it a go but we enjoyed it anyway even though others weren't so impressed. Inevitable really :rolleyes:

[Mr Rumor]

I haven't done a head count this a.m., but it seems that more than a few of us decided to pass on a second Cartagena tour. I'm one of a handful in the computer room, plus there are a couple of passengers waiting to see Zoran for help (see, Zoran, I told you that you wouldn't be forgotten by day three). Internet is blazing fast compared to the last couple of nights.

 

Actually think I made a bit of a breakthrough by turning in today's tour tickets. Maybe I'm just learning to pace myself better and not be sidetracked by "all-inclusive thinking" i.e. I paid for this, it's included, so I darn well will take every tour I can. I know for a fact--weight scales don't lie--that I've been guilty of sabotaging thinking on past cruises in terms of my eating, i.e. "I'm on vacation--no rules apply!" Regarding my attitude towards food, whether on a cruise or not, I'm being helped by a great book, "The Beck Diet Solution," by Judith S. Beck, a copy of which is sitting by my side as I type this. The book is not a diet book, per se, but rather applies the benefits of cognitive thinking (Beck is the daughter of the founder of cognitive therapy, Aaron T. Beck) to diet and weight loss. I highly recommend it!

 

HanL, I checked with my cabin attendant I Made and learned that he is actually the sixth born in his family. He explained that there are only four Balinese male names--Wayan, Made, Nyoman and Ketut, in that order), so the naming cycle begins anew at boy No. 5. He added that he is the youngest child in his family, and the only one who has left home. He looks in his early 20s, so I was stunned when he said he was 35. He has been on the seas for a 10 years--and "it seems like only yesterday that I signed on" he laughed. He is just terrific, as is his team mate, Angelita, and we feel lucky to have them.

 

Peggy (xrvlcruiser), I have another Royal Viking Line story for you, courtesy David Levene. The year was 1973. The ship was the Royal Viking Sea. The Sea was on a North Atlantic cruise and scheduled to stop at an Estonian port (Tallinn, I'm thinking). Well, it didn't happen. It turned out that Soviet authorites were hep to the fact that one of the Sea passengers was an L.A. rabbi who had given an anti-Soviet Union talk shortly before the cruise. Instead of simply banning the rabbi from getting off the ship in Estonia, the local authorites refused permission for the Sea to even dock. "We were surrounded by gunboats in the harbor!" David exclaimed.

 

The Mariner sets sail at 1 p.m. today. Roughly 17 hours later, according to Terry, we'll be nearing Gatun Lock and our Panama Canal transit adventure will be under way. There are webcams at Gatun and Miraflores. If you check them out online and see a guy with a black splint on his right wrist waving, it's me!

 

Rich

[WINEMANVISALIA]

Peggy (xrvlcruiser), I have another Royal Viking Line story for you, courtesy David Levene. The year was 1973. The ship was the Royal Viking Sea. The Sea was on a North Atlantic cruise and scheduled to stop at an Estonian port (Tallinn, I'm thinking). Well, it didn't happen. It turned out that Soviet authorites were hep to the fact that one of the Sea passengers was an L.A. rabbi who had given an anti-Soviet Union talk shortly before the cruise. Instead of simply banning the rabbi from getting off the ship in Estonia, the local authorites refused permission for the Sea to even dock. "We were surrounded by gunboats in the harbor!" David exclaimed.

 

 

 

Rich

video is in German but you get to see the ship as it is now 2009 upload...

[TedC]

Beautiful ship - aged very well -thank you for the vid.

 

(And thankful no image of a an overweight male in a Speedo!)

[Threechicks]

Mr Rumour, "I Made" neglected to tell you that #1 can also be Putu, #2 can also be Kadek and #3 can also be Komang. 4 is always Ketut. You will find several I Putu on the ships.

[xrvlcruiser]

Thanks for the video . . .