Random Notes, Navigator, Montreal-Miami, LIVE

[Mr Rumor]

Late night greetings from the Sofitel Montreal, where we are happily ensconced along with about 100 other Regent cruisers. Before turning in I thought I'd grab this parking spot on Board-way for another stab at a trip blog.

 

Montreal-Miami will be our third Regent cruise this year. We hadn't planned on becoming cruising fools quite this young (I still work--for myself, luckily). But we had such a wonderful time on our May Alaska cruise with our daughter, who has Down syndrome, and were so pleased with how well she was received by staff and fellow passengers, that we decided to book another cruise for the three of us as soon as we returned home. We had actually been eyeing the Montreal-Miami itinerary for some time.

 

This is the first time we've had a pre-cruise hotel arrangement with Regent, so we're curious to see how things go tomorrow with the transfer. Our bus is scheduled to depart at 1 p.m for the 15 minute ride to the ship. Then let the memory making begin!

 

Rich

[Travelcat2]

So glad to hear that you will be on board tomorrow. Looking forward to hearing your reports from the Navigator:D

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks, Jackie. Actually we made our first memory on the 30 minute drive from the airport to our hotel yesterday, in a white stretch limo that we had all to ourselves. Our daughter is fascinated with different modes of travel (especially buses), and was captivated by a vehicle she could get up and walk around in.

 

We felt our "Regent experience" began over breakfast with fun chats with couples from Illinois, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. Midway through our meal we were delighted when Alison from northern England came over to re-introduce herself. Alison and her hubby were on the May San Francisco-Vancouver cruise with us, and it was Alison who danced up a storm with our daughter at the Beatles bash in the Horizon Lounge. I remember Shauna walking back to her seat to take a break when Alison grabbed her by the arm and exclaimed, "You can't sit down now--they're playing 'Twist and Shout'!" So Alison and Shauna proceeded to twist and shout. She has already made her dance date with our daughter on this cruise.

 

I didn't know that Montreal is home to one of the largest underground shopping complexes in the world until I read the literature that we received at the Regent hospitality desk. It is now my solemn duty to keep that info away from my DW until it is time to board our bus in about three hours

Edited October 23, 2013 by Mr Rumor

[Travelcat2]

Great news that Shauna has her dance partner on board!

 

Really think your DW would love to see the underground shopping complex. In fact, I may have to go back to Montreal to see it:-)

Edited October 23, 2013 by Travelcat2

[RachelG]

Really glad to hear you all are set to cruise again, and I will be living it vicariously through your blog. You have a great itinerary. We did the reverse last year.

In Quebec City, if you have time, you must explore the fort. It is really huge and different. Also be sure to disembark in saguenay early as possible to full enjoy the greeting from the locals. I think your daughter would like that.

Have a wonderful trip!

[Mr Rumor]

Testing the internet (not bad at the moment) and saw your post, Rachel. Thanks for the tips! Our daughter let out a big "Wow!" from her second row seat on the bus at her first sight of the Navigator.

 

We were on bus two of four from the Sofitel (final Regent passenger count at the Sofitel: 170) and arrived at the ship a little after one. Had a hug right at the security station with officer Rhea, who remembers Shauna well. Saw other familiar faces too, including dancers Matt and Gemma. Sign-in in the theater was a breeze, and before we knew it we were caught up in the lunchtime swirl at La Veranda. Had a light lunch, while making acquaintances with a couple from Arizona.

 

After that we decided to see if our room was ready. We got our answer in the positive before we even arrived in the form of an announcement from a familiar voice over the PA, that of Ray Solaire. So now we know who our cruise director is. I haven't had a chance to find out about the captains yet. I use the plural intentionally, because I'm suddenly wondering if "the captain," the passenger who lives aboard Regent ships, is still on the Navigator. To be determined!

 

Rich

Edited October 23, 2013 by Mr Rumor

[Travelcat2]

All I can say right now is that your posts make me smile:-)

[Mr Rumor]

Knowing that some veteran Regent cruisers succeed at getting into Prime 7 on the first night of a cruise without a reservation, we thought we'd give it a shot. No luck. In fact, we were turned away a little brusquely by the maître d'. So we opted for Compass Rose, where dinner (salad, main course, dinner and decaf) clocked in at a speedy 90 minutes. Our daughter's fresh grilled Atlantic salmon was scrumptious (dad is her official taster), as were our entrees (Tofu stir fry with glass noodles for the vegetarian DW, and tandoori chicken for me). The misses: not being served the sparkling water I had asked for, and a Lobster Salad Monte Christo (appetizer portion) in which the lobster slices were a little gristly.

 

A high of only 41 is forecast for Quebec, our first stop, tomorrow, so I'm not sure how much strolling of the old town section we will be doing in the morning before our afternoon tour, "Countryside of Quebec." Might get some rain, too. Oh, and it will be windy!

[nancygp]

All I can say right now is that your posts make me smile:-)

 

Same here!!!

 

Thanks for your posts, Mr. Rumor!

 

Nancy

[BBfromCA]

Mr. Rumor,

Yes, you will find that "the captain," the passenger who lives aboard Regent ships, is still on the Navigator and doing quite well.

We had some wonderful conversations with him while on the ship last month/early this month.

He still loves his daily walks and early dinners.

[Mr Rumor]

I'm finally thawed out after our day in Quebec and able to type out a post. We heard mid-afternoon at one of the stops on our tour that the current temp was 38 degrees, and that didn't include the wind chill factor. However, the chill didn't deter us from our morning exploration of the old city on foot. Rachel, we took your advice and walked to the citadel (magnifique), even eschewing the funicular for the stairs! Our daughter's a real trouper, especially when she gets into her stair-counting mode (after a while, though the numbers get a little "random"--she has a special fascination for the number "8" for some reason).

 

After defrosting in La Veranda over lunch, we were ready for our afternoon tour, Countryside of Quebec. I was on my own, however, when we had the opportunity to walk over to Montmorency Falls for a photo op. At the next stop we all enjoyed the chance to sample freshly made (before our eyes) maple toffee on a stick at a ninth-generation maple syrup family business. We returned to our room with just enough time to prep for the Captain's Cocktail Party, followed by dinner in Sette Mari. We're catching our breath at the moment, as our day isn't done yet--can't miss the Jean Ann Ryan troupe's first production, "Broadway Tonight." According to Ray Solaire, the show was recently retooled.

 

We predict our daughter will sleep very soundly tonight. So, I predict, will we. A fun, full day despite the challenge presented by the weather.

 

The forecast for Saquenay tomorrow? Snow!

 

Rich

[Mr Rumor]

Meant to thank you for the thanks, Nancy. Glad I'm bringing a smile or two, Jackie. I wasn't smiling myself yesterday when one of my "quick replies" didn't post. Which is why I'm trying to keep my posts on the brief side.

 

BBfromCA, thanks for your captain update. I had his presence confirmed this a.m. He was actually a neighbor of ours on our May cruise. Glad to know he's doing well.

 

By the way, the internet connection has been quite good so far. Today's Passages included a blurb headlined "Internet Upgrade." It reads: "During this cruise we will be upgrading the bandwidth of our internet. We will endeavor to keep the disruption to a minimum and most work will be undertaken when guests are ashore on tours." Will try to find out the details of the upgrade.

[RachelG]

So glad you having a good time despite the chilly weather. The citadel is quite spectacular. We were there about 2weeks earlier in the season, so not so cold.

[Mr Rumor]

Greetings from Saguenay's welcome pavilion. Noticed a handful of Regent crew taking advantage of the free, and fast, wi-fi, so I thought I'd do the same. The pavilion by the way is only four years old, which is how long ships have been able to dock at this port. Saquenay saw 25 cruise ships this season, with 40 already signed up for next year. And every cruise passenger, I suspect, received the same warm welcome--on a chilly morning--from locals, some in costume and everyone sporting an umbrella (yep it was raining) that we did.

 

Shortly into our drive to New France, a onetime movie set transformed into a living history museum, we bore witness to the first snowflakes of the season. But it was just a tease--only had a light rain to deal with after that. And now the sun has broken through!

 

I can recommend the Discovery of New France excursion, which also includes a visit to the Fjord Museum (the Saguenay Fjord is one of the world's longest, at 100 kilometers). We didn't exactly have the run of New France, about a 45 minute drive from the ship. Its season is over, in fact, and was only open for our tour. But we got a nice taste of the attraction via visits to a couple of stops where employees in costume (a cook at a 17th century Quebec fort and a Native American) spoke to us.

[ededmd]

Mr Rumor

Thank you for the trip report.

It is joyful threads like this one which keep me logging in.

Stay warm.

[8dimsum]

thank you for the tid bit postings.:) We will be newbies next September on the Navigator if we keep the East Coast itinerary.

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks, for the nice words, ededmd. As I guess is pretty obvious, we're Regent fans. The WFs (warm fuzzies) have already kicked in, the sum of the wonderful service, excellent dining (Compass Rose and Sette Mari are both excelling so far), great conversations with our fellow passengers, all the smiles and greetings, and more. 8dimsum, hope you'll have a good feel for the Navigator and this itinerary by the time we reach Miami.

 

I confirmed today that the Navigator is sailing full. Of the 481 passengers, 250 are female, 231, male. Here is the breakdown by country:

 

USA, 353

United Kingdom, 51

Canada, 26

France, 13

Australia, 7

Spain, 5

Brazil, 5

Argentina, 4

Bulgaria, 4

Mexico, 2

Netherlands, 2

Austria, 1

Italy, 1

 

We have our first sea day tomorrow. A high of 48 is forecast, not quite pool deck lunch weather yet!

 

Rich

[Mr Rumor]

Received the Mid-Cruise Comments card last night, on only the third night of our 15 night cruise. It asks, in so many words, what can we do better? My reply: Wait until at least the sixth or seventh day to ask--you're messing with our Warm Fuzzies!

[RachelG]

I hate getting the mid cruise comment card, even mid cruise. But so early, really not nice. Reminds us too soon that this will come to an end.

[Mr Rumor]

A first for me--a post from the Pool Deck on our daughter's new iPad! I souped it up by purchasing a combination cover/keyboard (saw a Regent passenger using one on Miami-Lima in January). Works great.

 

Beautiful sunny day, so we're chancing the Pool Deck for lunch, after all, in our jackets. We're aided by the handy heaters above our head. Our daughter was scribbling on a note pad a few minutes ago in her seat when Ray Solaire strolled by and asked if he could scribble, too. He wound up doing a caricature of a certain puppeteer named Ray--cute! He has been delightful with Shauna.

 

This is a good moment to mention that Shauna has now gained a small measure of celebrity status aboard the Navigator. She had a front-row seat for Paul Tanner's fun show last night. Paul does some excellent songster impressions, including a spot-on one of Neil Diamond. As he blasted into "Sweet Caroline," Shauna started rocking in her seat and waving her arms. Before she knew it, she was waving only one arm, as Paul had the other. He finished the tune with Shauna by his side. A big round of applause followed, and our daughter has been accepting accolades from fellow passengers since.

 

More later, but for now it is time to partake of the American BBQ-themed buffet. Somehow we've worked up an appetite.

 

Rich

[Snackdaddy]

Hello Rich,

 

Thank you for taking the time to share us your experiences with us. We are newbies and are so excited to be sailing on the Mariner in less than 6 weeks.

Edited October 26, 2013 by Snackdaddy

[Travelcat2]

Really enjoying your posts and love how you responded to the mid-cruise questionnaire that was delivered way too soon:)

[sbtraveler]

Mr. Rumor, (Rich)

 

Thank you so much for sharing your adventure and thoughts with us. We are on the same trip next October, 2014 from Montreal to Miami. Your daily log is of interest with the weather, the excursions, the experiences etc. is getting me excited in preparation for the trip.

 

We were on the unique Voyager trip from Sydney to Singapore a year ago. With all the issues everyone was granted 50% of their cruise fare to be applied to another cruise. Very kind and fair of Regent. Thus we booked this trip as we will extend in Miami and head to North and South Carolina for a land trip at the end.

 

The three of you continue to enjoy the joys of your journey and again thank you for all of your honest input.

[Mr Rumor]

Snackdaddy, happy for you that you have discovered and booked Regent. Warning: You could get hooked. We've been palling around with a single traveler from down the hall who sampled Regent and now doesn't want to cruise with any other ocean cruise line. It would take a special itinerary for us to make a switch, but we would return. That said, we're giving river cruising a shot and have booked a Danube cruise with Tauck for September, 2014. We're heard from several Regent cruisers that Tauck is the Regent of river cruising, so we're looking forward to experiencing Tauck, plus visiting places we've never been.

 

RachelG and TC2, yesterday it was the Mid-Cruise Comment card, today it is the Disembarkation Questionnaire for Miami on November 7! At least the back of the form had info about the "Hop-On Hop-Off" Miami city tour and airport transfer that we qualify for because our flight doesn't leave until after 2 p.m. The tour is free for those who booked their air through Regent.

 

We attended the two enrichment lecturers' first talks today (on the 1759 French-English battle for Quebec and "The World of Vikings from Norway to Newfoundland). While the profs were well prepared and their talks well-illustrated, I couldn't help but think: "I miss Terry!" We were lucky to have Terry Breen, who never uses notes and delivers the most engaging lectures, as our enrichment lecturer on our earlier cruises this year, so I'm spoiled, I guess. I just think it would be nice if Regent presenters were required to look up at the audience once in a while and not just read their entire talks from their computers.

 

Tonight it's the Block Party, followed by dinner at Prime 7, followed by the Jean Ann Ryan group's "Dawning of Aquarius" show. This is the same Ryan cast we enjoyed in May (most are at the end of their current contracts) and they are at the top of their game now, so we have high expectations for "Aquarius." Shauna will be down front with her love beads and purple shirt with the peace sign in rhinestones!

 

Rich

[xrvlcruiser]

Rich,

 

As always, I'm enjoying your blog! Glad the trip is going well.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Peggy