Random Notes, Navigator, SF-Vancouver LIVE

[Travelcat2]

What a lovely young lady with an attitude that all of us should have. Thanks so much for posting the pictures:D

[RachelG]

There was a young man with Down syndrome on one of our regent cruises. I was very impressed with how kindly the crew treated him.

Shawna looks like a real sweetheart.

[purpleally]

Posting time is at a premium the last day of a cruise, so I thought I'd grab a few minutes before breakfast to share some notes.

 

It was comparatively balmy yesterday, so, for the first day on the cruise, the Pool Deck was really hopping at lunch. Fresh salmon in pastry was superb.

 

We're so used to the Mariner's Krew Kapers show, having seen it several times, that I was pleasantly surprised to see Navigator's take on this crowd favorite, with more folk dancing. Some of the KK standards remained, such as the "Y.M.C.A." Great time.

 

Dinner at Compass Rose was, again, excellent, with the only failure being a gristly lobster. Beef Wellington, however, was outstanding, the best I've had on a Regent cruise. The wonderful Putu served us again--we made sure of that by rushing over to CR from the Seven Seas Lounge. For us, Compass Rose, is the winner, hands-down, in the Navigator dining sweepstakes this cruise. Unlike purpleally's and count florida's experience, we did not find Sette Mari service improving. In fact it bottomed out for us on May 19, as detailed in an earlier post. Last night, as we were concluding dinner, I was able to detail the isses as we see them in Sette Mari for Dining Room Manager Franco Lampis. Pro that he is, he received them graciously and promised immediate action. I made sure to let him know, too, how much we have enjoyed CR and Putu.

 

A great moment towards the end of dinner, as we were navigating Seymour Narrows: several porpoises decided to playfully escort us through. A few of us watched from two CR windows.

 

The Beatles bash in Galileo's Lounge was great fun! CD Lorraine, and lead singers Drew Pournelle and Hannah Rushton handled the vocals, backed by a Fab Four contingent (bass, drums, guitar, keyboards) from the Regent Signature Orchestra. The dance floor was packed for most of the hour, with the dancers rocking out amongst us.

 

We have found our CD, the warm, boundlessly enthusiastic Lorraine Weimerskirch, to be terrific. She has worked for Regent for years, so it was a small wonder I hadn't heard of her. We know her well now, and consider her the best of the Regent CDs we've sailed with.

 

We're just an hour or so away from docking in Victoria. Looking forward to our Butchart Gardens tour. Was at the Gardens once before, on the very end of my Royal Viking Star contract, way back in June of 1977, and still recall the beauty of Butchart.

 

Rich

 

I did not like sette mari at all! Poor service. Food too heavy for me. But my husbands veal scallapini was the best according to him

Much prefer CR or room service from our butler.

[Mr Rumor]

Thank you, Nancy, Tom, Jackie and Rachel, for your sweet words about Shauna--I appreciate them!

 

Time now for my usual "Photo Finish":

 

You can't miss that pole when you enter Suite 601, but luckily we did! (As I mentioned in an early post, our steward, Hendra, hasn't been as lucky, bopping into it a couple of times as he darted around the room doing his chores.)

 

We got a rare look at the very top of Sawtooth Peaks on our White Pass Scenic Railway excursion (Skagway). Almost always, the peaks are shrouded by clouds.

 

It's a whale of a tail and I caught it in the waters near Juneau with my humble little Canon PowerShot.

 

You go your way, I'll go mine: the 2800-passenger Celebrity Solstice and the 500-passenger Navigator, docked in Ketchikan. We got an up-close look at passengers being herded on and off the Solstice. Not exactly the "Regent Experience."

 

The stunning Sunken Garden at Butchart Gardens.

 

And, finally, our favorite Compass Rose server, Putu, delivers a beautiful smile along with the main course (a scrumptious Beef Wellington).

[tallship]

Love your pics, Rich