Random Notes, Navigator, Montreal-Miami, LIVE

[Mr Rumor]

Hi Peggy, thanks for checking in--Royal Viking Line forever! Sbtraveler, I'm happy you happened upon this thread and hope to further stoke your excitement about the Navigator and this specific itinerary via future postings.

 

We've had a bit of a hit and miss experience with Prime 7 since 2010 (oversalted and overcooked Dover sole one night, overcooked filet mignon another), but all the right notes were hit tonight. Vegeterian DW declared her plate of various signature sides the best vegetarian dish she's had on the ship so far, and I relished my one filet mignon of the cruise--cooked medium rare as I had requested. But the standout of the dinner for me was the Golden Cake, 14 tiny layers of chocolate goodness. Ultra fresh and superb!

 

We secured our front row seats for "Dawning of Aquarius" minutes later and were truly wowed by this great show. We just love this particular Jean Ryan cast, and feel privileged to have the opportunity to see them again before they scatter to the wind, and other stages, the middle of next month.

 

Tomorrow it's Charolottetown. Temp is creeping up. A high of 50 is forecast, with a chance of rain. We're on a nice, easy excursion, "Anne of Green Gables and Island Drive."

 

Rich

Edited October 27, 2013 by Mr Rumor

[Sunprince]

Hi Peggy, thanks for checking in--Royal Viking Line forever! Sbtraveler, I'm happy you happened upon this thread and hope to further stoke your excitement about the Navigator and this specific itinerary via future postings.

 

We've had a bit of a hit and miss experience with Prime 7 since 2010 (oversalted and overcooked Dover sole one night, overcooked filet mignon another), but all the right notes were hit tonight. Vegeterian DW declared her plate of various signature sides the best vegetarian dish she's had on the ship so far, and I relished my one filet mignon of the cruise--cooked medium rare as I had requested. But the standout of the dinner for me was the Golden Cake, 14 tiny layers of chocolate goodness. Ultra fresh and superb!

 

We secured our front row seats for "Dawning of Aquarius" minutes later and were truly wowed by this great show. We just love this particular Jean Ryan cast, and feel privileged to have the opportunity to see them again before they scatter to the wind, and other stages, the middle of next month.

 

Tomorrow it's Charolottetown. Temp is creeping up. A high of 50 is forecast, with a chance of rain. We're on a nice, easy excursion, "Anne of Green Gables and Island Drive."

 

Rich

 

Glad you are enjoying your cruise...on a personal note, your stop tomorrow, Charlottetown on the beautiful Prince Edward Island is my original home town. Wish I was there, enjoy and make sure you on your sail out to catch a view of the bridge joining Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick! The longest bridge in the world over ice covered waters (luckily no ice this time of year).

[Sunprince]

Glad you are enjoying your cruise...on a personal note, your stop tomorrow, Charlottetown on the beautiful Prince Edward Island is my original home town. Wish I was there, enjoy and make sure you on your sail out to catch a view of the bridge joining Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick! The longest bridge in the world over ice covered waters (luckily no ice this time of year).

 

Sorry, I think it is your sail in not out when you sail under the bridge.

 

Also, on Monday you will be in Cape Breton, where my family has a summer home on the beautiful Cabot Trail, one of the most beautiful drives in the world! Please do yourself a favor and don't miss it!

[RachelG]

Charlottetown was one of our favorites. We had a nice walk round prior to our tour, and there were bagpipers playing the call to worship on church street. Very cool!

[Mr Rumor]

Had a minute before going up to La Veranda for a quick breakfast before our 8 a.m. tour, so thought I'd check in. Glad I did, as your posts, Sunprince and Rachel, have gotten us all the more enthused for this stop.

 

It is always sobering to see an ambulance on the dock, as we did earlier. However, it appears that the gentleman will be OK, and may even be able to rejoin the ship later today or tomorrow. Hope so. Thinking good thoughts for him and his wife.

 

Well, my daughter s hugging me, which means time to stop typing, dad, and go upstairs!

[Mr Rumor]

The Navigator is the 76th and final ship to call on Charlottetown this year. Ninety ships are already booked for next year, so these are good times locally, tourist wise (tourism is the second biggest industry here, after agriculture).

 

Sunrpince, you'll be happy to know that PEI is looking beautiful today, even in the light to moderate rain. I can heartily recommend our Green Gables and island drive tour, which afforded us a good look at a fairly big portion of Canada's smallest province, including Green Gables Heritage Place, the setting of Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic, "Anne of Green Gables." The lush rolling hills are especially easy on the eyes and can lull you into a happy place.

 

We've now had a string of three excellent tour guides. However, I'd have to give the slight edge to today's guide, Donalda, a lifelong resident, for her rendition of a favorite Prince Edward Island ditty that is an ode to PEI's number one crop. The first verse goes like this:

 

It's Bud the Spud

from the bright red mud,

rolling down the highway, smiling.

 

Spuds are big

in the back of this rig,

and they're from

Prince Edward Island!

Edited October 27, 2013 by Mr Rumor

[Mr Rumor]

Now I know what the three-man electrical crew was up to earlier today in our hallway: According to internet manager Ravi, the Navigator is going completely wireless by November 7. A good portion of the ship is already wireless, including the pool deck, which is why I was able to access the internet and post from the comfort of our table before our deck lunch yesterday. Ravi added the Mariner and Voyager are already completely wireless, which was news to me.

 

Regarding internet speed, a sore point to many, bandwidth on the Navigator was almost doubled, from 2.5 to 4.5, a few months back. While our at-sea internet experience still can't compare to our fast connections at home (bandwidth of 11 or more), 4.5 is still a big improvement. I'm having my most pleasant experience to date blogging a cruise.

 

Ravi took a moment to show me an ongoing project--tracking, hour by hour, day by day, how many seconds it takes to download a dozen or so of the most frequently visited sites. Facebook, at two to three seconds, is fastest. He reports the data to his home office. There the numbers are presumably crunched, to determine whether or not further bandwidth tweaking is warranted.

 

Rich

[Mr Rumor]

It was bright and sunny this a.m. in Sydney, Cape Breton. But because of a forecast of high winds by early afternoon, we tendered in.

 

You know you like a place when you find yourself thinking how much you'd like to return for at least a week. Sunprince, you are fortunate to have a summer home here.

 

If we were to return we would spend a full day at the Fortress of Louisbourg, a faithful reconstruction of an 18th Century French fort, on the site of the original fort. Our tour included what our guide termed "workshops," actually, visits to several fort buildings staffed by costumed employees brimming with info on what life was like back then. My favorite tidbit: Good-looking calves on soldiers were considered manly, so soldiers would stuff their stockings to make their calves appear more impressive. Commented the staffer: "These were the 'falsies' of the day."

 

Tomorrow: Halifax, our last Canadian port.

 

Rich

 

P.S. Learned from Michael, the cruise consultant, on the tender ride back to the ship that more than 80% of the passengers on this cruise are "repeats." When you have a great product. . . !

[Sheltieluv]

Mr. Rumor

Thank you for posting! We were on the NY to Montreal cruise last year, and it was one of the best vacations we've ever had. Every port had its own unique experiences, and we have fond memories of each. We too loved Louisbourg.

 

The Navigator is our favorite; we love the crew, especially Alberto and Elvis!

 

Hope you continue to have a great cruise.:)

[Sunprince]

Mr Rumor, very glad that you were able to see the Fortress. It's a beautiful historic site which I believe just celebrated its 300th anniiversary! Enjoy the remainder of your trip.

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks, Sheltieluv and Sunrprince! Had a few minutes before a quick lunch and afternoon shore excursion, so I'm checking e-mails and posting this from the comfort of the Farmers' Market in the Halifax cruise terminal. The nice aromas of freshly baked this and that are helping me build an appetite!

 

Had a wonderful walk with DW and DD (dear daughter) in the bright sunshine and bracing cold this a.m. Made it all the way to the Citadel and Public Gardens and back. Looking forward to our Titanic-themed excursion now.

 

A Random Note before I go: More than 10% of the 353-member Navigator crew are married. . . to each other! According to the crew member who mentioned this, Regent has no problem hiring, and rehiring, married couples, and currently there are about 20 on the Navigator. After all, she explained, "If you're happy inside, passengers can tell."

 

Rich

[xrvlcruiser]

Rich,

 

One of the wonderful policies Regent has . . . the crew members explanation is spot on.

 

Peggy

Edited October 29, 2013 by xrvlcruiser

[Mr Rumor]

We enjoyed learning about Halifax's connection to the Titanic disaster on our afternoon tour. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, our first stop, has a small but good Titanic exhibit, but the highlight for us was our visit to Fairview Cemetery, where 121 victims are buried in three long rows, their simple granite headstones purchased by the White Star Line. There are no first, second or third class distinctions here. The numbers that appear on the headstones of those who were never identified simply refer to the order in which the bodies were retrieved from the icy waters by the three vessels that were dispatched from Halifax.

 

Tonight was Seas Seas Society Cocktail Party. Alluding to the humble beginnings of the group Captain Ubaldo Amellino recalled, as a second officer, attending his first party in the captain's quarters. On this cruise more than 200 invitations went out to the 400 SSS members on this cruise.

 

Singer impressionist Paul Tanner headlined again and, this time, earned a standing O for an amazing range of impressions, from Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson crooning "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" to Elmer Fudd spitting out the Pointer Sisters' "Fire." As soon as he reprised his spot-on Neil Diamond with "Cracklin' Rosie," Shauna began rocking in her front row seat, Paul's cue to stick a tambourine in her hand and have her join him in front of the stage, to the delight, once again, of the audience. We continue to be so pleased and touched by how warmly, even lovingly, our daughter has been received by our fellow passengers, crew and staff.

 

After such a fun, and very full, day, it is a pleasure to be able to turn the clock back one hour. Tomorrow, Bar Harbor, Maine!

 

Rich

[xrvlcruiser]

Bar Harbor: A friend and I had an excellent lunch at the Side Street Café – excellent chowder and lobster roll. (Address: 49 Rodick Street) in May . . . .

 

Peggy

[RachelG]

So happy to hear about your cruise. Halifax is a very historic port, both for the titanic connections and also the huge explosion with ensuing devastation during WWI. Before I was an MD,I was an RN, and my specialty was burn nursing. Some of the very first modern burn care was at Halifax, administered by doctors and nurses who came by train from Boston. So a very memorable port for me.

 

Bar harbor is excellent. Get out and see as much of the national park as you can.

[Mr Rumor]

Good morning from Bar Harbor! Peggy, we were just speaking with a couple in La Veranda who, like us, have an a.m. and p.m. tour and who, like us, have decided to stay in town for lunch. Now, thanks to you, we know a cafe to check out.

 

Rachel, thanks for bringing up the huge explosion (accidental) of 1917 in Halifax harbor, described as the largest man-made explosion before Hiroshima. The Maritime Museum has an exhibit recounting the devastating effects of the explosion, but we didn't have time to explore that part of the museum, caught up as we were with the Titanic permanent exhibit. The museum, by the way, has one of very few intact Titanic deck chairs.

 

Regarding the debt that Halifax owes to the Boston medical community, to this day the city expresses its thanks to Boston by gifting the city each year with Halifax's biggest and most beautiful Christmas tree.

 

Rich

Edited October 30, 2013 by Mr Rumor

[Mr Rumor]

Memo to self: Don't take too seriously extended (especially 15-day) weather forecasts! The website I checked before the cruise didn't forecast a single "sunny" or "mostly sunny" day, and now we've had three mostly sunny days in a row. We couldn't have asked for a more lovely fall afternoon for our Acadia National Park and Visitor Center excursion, in fact. It was sunny in the morning for our Gilded Age Walking Tour, but quite chilly.

 

Sandwiched between these excursions, literally, was lunch in town. Peggy, thanks again for recommending the Side Street Cafe (our a.m. guide's unsolicited recommendation, too). I took your advice and ordered the lobster roll--wow! Five ounces of very lightly dressed and ultra fresh (according to the menu the lobster was "swimming that morning") meat. . . worth the $19.95 price tag.

 

As it turned out, the Navigator was the last of 135 ships to call on Bar Harbor this season. According to Bob, our afternoon guide, many of the cafes and shops that passengers from the Navigator and Crystal Symphony (our companion at anchor today) patronized today will be shuttered by tomorrow for the winter. If that is in fact true, I think I can safely report that we closed the Bar in style today!

 

Rich

[xrvlcruiser]

Glad you enjoyed lunch! (oops . . .sorry about the price).

 

Glad you're having good weather . . . no fun in the chilly rain.

[Mr Rumor]

Hello from the Boston terminal that is serving the Navigator. I think this is the fourth cruise terminal wi-fi hotspot I've posted from on this cruise. Which reminds me. . . according to Ravi, internet manager, MTN, his boss, is negotiating with Regent ports around the world to allow it to tap into the ports' high-speed connection while Regent ships are in port. Sure would be a help not to have to trek outside to a drafty terminal (like this one) to get a high-speed connection.

 

Once or twice a cruise I like to check to see how many are signed up for what excursion. Today, Historic Boston and Cambridge proved to be the most popular excursion, with 167 enrollees, followed by Scenic Boston, 102; Taste of Italy Walking Tour, 73; Freedom Trail Walk, 46; and U.S. Presidents--Kennedy and Adams, 39.

 

We were on the Freedom Trail Walk. A walking tour's success really hinges on the excellence of the guide, and, luckily, we had a great one in Bill, and really enjoyed his commentary. Unfortunately he had to condense his tour by about 20 minutes due to confusion as to which shuttle bus those passengers with an afternoon tour had to take back to the ship if they wanted to make their afternoon connection. This preoccupied Bill a bit, as he referred numerous times during the tour to his need to cut minutes, and then bothered some of us who had to do an uncomfortably fast walk the last long block to make it to the noon bus. It was only after we returned to the pier that a representative of the tour group claimed to me that a bus had been reserved for us. However, this info had not been communicated to Bill, who thought if we didn't make the noon bus we'd have to wait until 1:30 p.m. for the next one (the shuttle schedule listed a noon to 1:30 "lunch break").

 

Looking forward to a fun Halloween night's worth of entertainment: The Ryan troupe's Cirque Navigator, with a 5:45 start time, and then the event that our daughter has been pointing for and mentioning daily: Beatles night in the Galileo Lounge, this one reportedly with a Halloween theme. Account to follow!

 

Rich

[Travelcat2]

The lobster roll sounds so good! Think we will have to make a trip to the east coast just to get one:-)

 

Your description of Halifax brought back fond memories. We also visited a cemetery where victims from the Titanic were laid to rest.

 

Looking forward to hearing about Halloween on the Navigator.

[xrvlcruiser]

Jackie,

 

The lobster roll is extraordinary as is the clam chowder . . . . . worth a flight from Oregon? I don't know but if you're in the area, give it a try.

 

Happy Halloween!

 

Peggy

[Mr Rumor]

We had a rocking good time last night at Le Cirque Navigator and, later, the Beatles bash. The rocking in Galileo's, festooned to the nines with Halloween decorations, may have ended around 10:30 but since early this a.m. we've been rolling. And rolling! And pitching!

Our daughter and I are pretty much immune to the motion--Shauna, in fact, was amusing nearby diners in La Veranda a while ago with her laughs at sudden pitches as if she were on an amusement park ride. But my wife, who feels every lurch, even with her patch, is not laughing, and our 1 p.m. arrival at Pier 88, Manhattan, can't come soon enough for her.

 

We're scheduled for the New York by Land and Sea excursion this afternoon, followed by dinner on the ship with friends. Then it's back for another bite of the Big Apple early Saturday with our friends, who have planned a fun day for us.

 

Rich

[Mr Rumor]

Even though these are not optimal typing conditions, I wanted to post a little more about last night. Le Cirque Navigator, with its atmospheric set and costuming, was a great Halloween treat. This Jean Ann Ryan production showcases the two "lead specialty artists," Aaron Adkins and Prudence Caldwell, and, wonderful as they were in May, they were even better last night. "They really do hold each other's life in their hands," my wife commented afterwards. Their hands, I'll add, are very, very good and capable hands.

 

As for the Halloween Beatles Dance Party, the fun for us began at the entrance, where Ray Solaire was personally putting some finishing touches to the Halloween decorations. Before we knew it, he was recording a brief segment with us that is being broadcast on his Daily Show program on channel one today. Ray has a wonderful way with Shauna, who was her little ham self during the segment.

 

The Fab Four tribute, performed by the Navigator's Fab Three of lead singers Drew and Annette and dancer/singer Jemma, was one hour of nonstop Beatles hits. Ray had one of the first dances with Shauna ("I Want to Hold Your Hand"), and dancer Matthew, whose Waldo (as in "Where's Waldo?") costume was our favorite of the night, did a great job of helping our daughter find her second wind, just when we thought she'd had it, dance wise, for the night. The dance floor was packed almost the whole hour. In sum, a smashingly fun Halloween on the Navigator!

 

Rich

Edited November 1, 2013 by Mr Rumor

[Gilly]

Mr Rumor, I love to read the reports of your cruise and the fun you are having. Your enthusiasm and positive outlook shine through and there is much joy in your words. Thank you for taking the time to share it with us!

[RachelG]

And hope the seas calm and wife is feeling better very soon!