Random Notes from the Navigator LIVE

[Mr Rumor]

Rachel, I think Ginny and I are Mayan junkies in the making. Now we can't wait for our Lamanai Mayan Ruins excursion out of Belize City on Saturday. As for Roatan, we are taking the Gumbalimba Preservation Park excursion, and will report on that. Frankly, I had never heard of Roatan island until I saw it on this itinerary!

 

Thanks for your thanks, 1teach53. I know how exciting that final countdown to a cruise can be--wishing you a great second cruise aboard the Navigator.

 

I don't envy any comedian having to play to an older crowd after a day of lengthy excursions in the sun, but Steve Bruner, who has written for the Tonight Show, did a good job tonight. His banter and ad libs with a passenger who changed seats and others who arrived late or left early got some of his biggest laughs.

 

Had an over-all very good experience--with one lapse--in Sette Mari tonight. Details to follow as early as tomorrow. I just realized I'm also one of the "older crowd" and need to get some sleep!

 

Rich

[Mr Rumor]

Looks like we're going to have a gorgeous day in Roatan! We've just anchored, and I can see one other ship, NCL's Norwegian Jewel, from our stateroom. First glimpse of Roatan is pleasing--it's just a little hilly, and of course, very green/lush. Was surprised how flat Costa Maya is, at least where we docked.

 

Back to Sette Mari. Saw a lot of new faces last night, including one new face to the Navigator who is actually a six-year Regent veteran. That's Andry, from the Ukraine, who we remember fondly from the Mariner (Miami-Lima, 2013). When Andry came to greet us as our waiter, we knew we were in for an over-all good evening, service wise. In fact, Andry and the food service team didn't miss a beat. We were in and out in an hour and 15 minutes, and that included soup, main course and dessert as well as the help-yourself appetizers. The only misstep: a young wine steward who approached us without the wines of the evening, simply asking us if we wanted wine. A minor comedy of errors with him ensued that I felt compelled to brief maitre d' Alin and restaurant manager Franco on as we were leaving. I was assured an "immediate adjustment" would be made. I'm guessing the steward is one of several La Veranda/Sette Mari wait staff who just joined the ship.

 

Oh, oh--breaking news! Lorraine just came over the PA to announce that due to strong winds and big swells we can't tender to shore safely, and, thus, will be bypassing Roatan! She continued that the captain is looking for a "solution for the day." The options: find another port "with an opening," or have a sea day. Stay tuned!

 

Rich

[RachelG]

Rich, the Lamanai Ruins are one of my favorites. You get to float down a river to them in a little boat. On the way, you see all sorts of wildlife--monkeys, alligators, fish. Some boys had caught a bunch of tilapia and paddled up to our boat trying to sell them to us. The ruins are really nice, and you can wander around on your own.

[Kwaj girl]

Oh, oh--breaking news! Lorraine just came over the PA to announce that due to strong winds and big swells we can't tender to shore safely, and, thus, will be bypassing Roatan! She continued that the captain is looking for a "solution for the day." The options: find another port "with an opening," or have a sea day. Stay tuned!

 

Rich

 

...on the 1/4-1/14 voyage last month. It was reported that we had 16' swells & 62mph winds that would make it unsafe for us to dock. So the captain stayed in the sheltered cove until about 10an to let everyone get a good breakfast & then he headed out to our next port (Guatemala) - very rough conditions, so we just slept thru it in our suite and arrived early-evening. This way everyone could enjoy dinner & a peaceful evening. Conditions were so rough during the day that open decks were off-limits and they actually had to shut-down the elevator operations - Captain advised everyone to stay in their suites & order room service. I imagine a few may have been seasick that day - fortunately we can take a rough ride...

[Mr Rumor]

Kwaj girl, we don't have it as bad as you did. Seas actually seem quite calm now as we sail, like you did, toward our next port, Santo Tomas. The captain announced over the PA that he was hoping to dock tonight, if a berth becomes available. Otherwise, we'll anchor.

 

I've heard no grumbling about missing Roatan from fellow cruisers. I think everyone is quite happy to have a third sea day--I know sun-worshipping DW is (guess where she is at the moment). A revised schedule of activities was delivered to our rooms by 9:30, and we've already attended one of the added events, a talk on the "Great Seafarers of All Ages of Exploration" by enrichment lecturer Dieter Galler. We are enjoying him. He is elderly but spry and speaks eloquently off the cuff, which I much prefer to past Regent lecturers who read their talks off their computers.

 

Rich

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Rachel, I think Ginny and I are Mayan junkies in the making. Now we can't wait for our Lamanai Mayan Ruins excursion out of Belize City on Saturday. As for Roatan, we are taking the Gumbalimba Preservation Park excursion, and will report on that. Frankly, I had never heard of Roatan island until I saw it on this itinerary!

 

Rich, we loved Lamanai--been there twice. Excavations have been mainly done by our very own Royal Ontario Museum so we're proud, what can I say.

 

Tell your wife to take a scarf or hat that ties under her chin for the boat ride, unless she has very short hair. It's reasonably windy, and you have to hold onto your hat otherwise at times.

[555lavan1t]

"The Jean Ann Ryan Singers and Dancers headline with "Broadway Tonight" shortly. This will be the fourth time we've seen this production, but are looking forward to checking out the new cast. We've met several of the female dancers, and each has to be at least six feet tall. Two of the male dancers, Alan Grundy and Nathan Barry, served as coaches to Mark Ballas and Dereck Huff on Dancing With the Stars."

Rich

 

I believe that this same group was on the Voyager last June, Reykjavik to Copenhagen. I remember the names Alan and Nathan and them coaching the pros on DWTS. In addition to their performances they gave Ballroom dance lessons in the Observation Lounge during the afternoons. We loved it. We will be on the Navigator March 22 and hope they are still on board.

[Mr Rumor]

Wendy, thanks for the Lamanai boat ride tip. Ginny's Regent hat flew off her head yesterday while she was just walking on the pier in Costa Maya (it was recovered by the Riviera's assistant destination manager, which is how we came to chat with her). Needless to say, she'll keep her hat in her day pack until we're off the boat!

 

In answer to the March 22 cruise staffing question, the captain (Ubaldo Armellino) and CD (Lorraine Weimerskirch) will still be onboard then, but there will be a different restaurant manager, Marcel Karabinos (remember him from our first Regent cruise in 2010), and a different food and beverage director, Goran Rodojicic.

 

Another reason we were just fine with this unplanned sea day is that we have quite a fun, busy evening planned, starting with the Titanium, Platinum and Gold Society event at 5:15, followed by dinner in Prime 7, followed by the JAR troupe's "Dawning of Aquarius" production. 555lavan1t, I believe this particular group of JAR singers/dancers will be intact on the Navigator into May.

 

Rich

[1teach53]

Hi Mr Rumor

Look forward to your posts!!

Dark chocolate?

Feb 13 will be our 3rd cruise on Regent. It has been awhile since our last Regent cruise. Random question: will we see any dark chocolate?? We both love dark ch & that can be a perfect dessert at the end of dinner.

We have been on the Navigator one other time & know about the vibration & small area/crowded at certain times. Still we are so looking forward to some warm weather & good service.

Thanks. :)

__________________

[HonTri]

Wendy, thanks for the Lamanai boat ride tip. Ginny's Regent hat flew off her head yesterday while she was just walking on the pier in Costa Maya (it was recovered by the Riviera's assistant destination manager, which is how we came to chat with her). Needless to say, she'll keep her hat in her day pack until we're off the boat!

 

In answer to the March 22 cruise staffing question, the captain (Ubaldo Armellino) and CD (Lorraine Weimerskirch) will still be onboard then, but there will be a different restaurant manager, Marcel Karabinos (remember him from our first Regent cruise in 2010), and a different food and beverage director, Goran Rodojicic.

 

Another reason we were just fine with this unplanned sea day is that we have quite a fun, busy evening planned, starting with the Titanium, Platinum and Gold Society event at 5:15, followed by dinner in Prime 7, followed by the JAR troupe's "Dawning of Aquarius" production. 555lavan1t, I believe this particular group of JAR singers/dancers will be intact on the Navigator into May.

 

Rich

Question was Lorraine Weimerskirch the CD on the Paul Gauguin March 2008. We though she great!

[Sunprince]

"The Jean Ann Ryan Singers and Dancers headline with "Broadway Tonight" shortly. This will be the fourth time we've seen this production, but are looking forward to checking out the new cast. We've met several of the female dancers, and each has to be at least six feet tall. Two of the male dancers, Alan Grundy and Nathan Barry, served as coaches to Mark Ballas and Dereck Huff on Dancing With the Stars."

Rich

 

I believe that this same group was on the Voyager last June, Reykjavik to Copenhagen. I remember the names Alan and Nathan and them coaching the pros on DWTS. In addition to their performances they gave Ballroom dance lessons in the Observation Lounge during the afternoons. We loved it. We will be on the Navigator March 22 and hope they are still on board.

 

You will definitely see Alan and Nathan on your March cruise. They told me they love being on the ship and I wouldn't be surprised to see them do an additional contract on another Regent ship.

 

I would also think that some of the dining room staff will be changing soon as many started on the Navigator in Alaska and were on an 8 month contract. I can't imagine how they do 8 months away from their family but they do it with a smile

 

On another note, does anyone know if Regent provides free Internet access to staff? I ask because I don't think they do...and should! In Barbados we were returning to the ship with some staff members and I asked what they had been doing...they told me they went the cruise terminal to get free Internet. If I were in Regent management employing people on 6 to 8 moths contract, I would be making sure they had some way of keeping in touch with home!

Edited February 7, 2014 by Sunprince

[Mr Rumor]

Sunprince, crew members are billed either $20 for 200 minutes of internet or $40 for 460 minutes. That's a lot of money for some crew members, which is why members are savvy about, and flock to, port Wi-Fi hotspots. Even if free internet were to be provided, the crew would need to go ashore to Skype with family and loved ones, as shipboard bandwidth can not handle Skype.

 

1teach53, I thought about you and your mate/fellow dark chocolate lover tonight when we were served Prime 7's standard dessert appetizer tonight, a mini, rich dark chocolate brownie topped with a dollop of blueberry sauce. Wow! When our dessert server saw that our brownies had disappeared, he asked if we wanted another. We declined because we had just ordered our main desserts. But you could certainly nibble your way into dark chocolate heaven on a few of these beauties!

 

We had a stand-out Titanium, Platinum and Gold event in the theater thanks to the jazz artistry of Grammy award winning (for his work in creating the music of Duke Ellington for the movie "The Cotton Club") Bob Wilber. Bob, on sax and clarinet, played a six song set backed by the full Regent orchestra (the four member horn section flanked him). His wife, Joanne "Pug" Horton, a jazzy singer in the Peggy Lee mold, joined him for the last three tunes, including the rousing closer, "When the Saints Go Marchin' In." I was happy to hear from Lorraine afterwards that other cruisers will also have a couple of opportunities to hear Bob and Pug.

 

Regarding cruising tiers, here is the rundown on this cruise:

 

Titanium, 3

Platinum, 12

Gold, 50

Silver, 162

Bronze, 61

 

The "Dawning of Aquarius" production is minutes away--we'll be down front enjoying every rocking moment.

 

Rich

Edited February 7, 2014 by Mr Rumor

[Zqueeze1]

Excellent board. Your posts are getting us worked up for our cruise on 22 MAR (see you on the 22nd, 555lavan1t). We almost booked this cruise and would have been dissapointed to have missed Roatan, which is known for having some of the best diving in the western hemisphere. Before retiring from the military, I spent countless hours flying in the area, but never had the chance to visit Roatan. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and keep on posting!

 

Z and TB

[1teach53]

Sunprince, crew members are billed either $20 for 200 minutes of internet or $40 for 460 minutes. That's a lot of money for some crew members, which is why members are savvy about, and flock to, port Wi-Fi hotspots. Even if free internet were to be provided, the crew would need to go ashore to Skype with family and loved ones, as shipboard bandwidth can not handle Skype.

 

1teach53, I thought about you and your mate/fellow dark chocolate lover tonight when we were served Prime 7's standard dessert appetizer tonight, a mini, rich dark chocolate brownie topped with a dollop of blueberry sauce. Wow! When our dessert server saw that our brownies had disappeared, he asked if we wanted another. We declined because we had just ordered our main desserts. But you could certainly nibble your way into dark chocolate heaven on a few of these beauties!

 

We had a stand-out Titanium, Platinum and Gold event in the theater thanks to the jazz artistry of Grammy award winning (for his work in creating the music of Duke Ellington for the movie "The Cotton Club") Bob Wilber. Bob, on sax and clarinet, played a six song set backed by the full Regent orchestra (the four member horn section flanked him). His wife, Joanne "Pug" Horton, a jazzy singer in the Peggy Lee mold, joined him for the last three tunes, including the rousing closer, "When the Saints Go Marchin' In." I was happy to hear from Lorraine afterwards that other cruisers will also have a couple of opportunities to hear Bob and Pug.

 

Regarding cruising tiers, here is the rundown on this cruise:

 

Titanium, 3

Platinum, 12

Gold, 50

Silver, 162

Bronze, 61

 

The "Dawning of Aquarius" production is minutes away--we'll be down front enjoying every rocking moment.

 

Rich

 

Thanks for the dark chocolate up date!! Counting the days!!

Again, many thanks for your posts! :)

[Mr Rumor]

We're docked in Santo Tomas de Castilla. The port is big enough to be a container port, but small enough to be located very near to the jungle. We had breakfast on La Veranda's terrace, watching our big cousin, Oceania's Riveria, edge in behind us. As I mentioned, the Riveria is keeping an eye on us for most of the itinerary.

 

Our original tour choice, a visit to the Q'Eqchi river community, was cancelled due to a lack of sign-ups, so we're on the Countryside & Rio Dulce by Land excursion. We're very much looking forward to stepping foot in Guatemala for the first time. It will be a warm one, 86 degrees!

 

Rich

 

P.S. Hi again, Z and TB. 1teach53, will continue to keep my eye (and tastebuds) out for to-die-for dark chocolate treats.

[TedC]

Mr. Rumor, thank you so much for your valuable reports.

 

The jazz event for upper grades "sounds" like BEST EVER event in my experience.

 

Roatan is a problem - missed that port one year because of wind and waves.

[Mr Rumor]

TedC, I was delighted to see the following listing in today's Passages for 10:45 p.m. in Galileo's Lounge: "Jazz Jam Session with Jazz Great - Bob Wilber." We manage about one late night in the lounge per cruise and this will be it. Bob will be accompanied by the entire Regent orchestra--it was clear from last night that the musicians were proud and excited at the opportunity to play with Bob. By the way, Bob plays the smallest sax I've ever seen; it almost looks like a toy. It doesn't sound like one, however! We're especially looking forward to Bob's renditions of more Ellington and Goodman classics.

 

Had another beautiful weather day in port. We enjoyed our excursion, which consisted of a 75 minute drive to the Rio Dulce, where we boarded small boats (capacity about 15 passengers max per) for visits to a small, picturesque 16th Century Spanish fort and, then, a nearby hotel for snacks. DW was already enjoying the day, then became a real happy camper at the hotel, where she found a couple of huipils to buy.

 

After a pool deck lunch on the ship, Ginny, still in the grip of shopper's fever, hightailed it to the port's marketplace, about a 200-yard walk, where she picked up a few gifts. Just as I was growing antsy following her around I ran into Filippo, one of my favorite Regent destination people. Filippo, who we last saw on the Navigator last October, said he was set to return recently to the Mariner until a sudden opening occurred on the Riviera that he was asked to fill. He's happy to have the opportunity. We had a good chat, and I was reminded how much I enjoy his warm, good-humored way.

 

Rich

Edited February 7, 2014 by Mr Rumor

[1teach53]

P.S. Hi again, Z and TB. 1teach53, will continue to keep my eye (and tastebuds) out for to-die-for dark chocolate treats.

 

Rich,

Thanks, love your dark chocolate reports!!:p:p And all the other details too!

Karen

[Lvtocruize2]

 

In answer to the March 22 cruise staffing question, the captain (Ubaldo Armellino) and CD (Lorraine Weimerskirch) will still be onboard then, but there will be a different restaurant manager, Marcel Karabinos (remember him from our first Regent cruise in 2010), and a different food and beverage director, Goran Rodojicic.

 

 

Rich

 

Rich, kudos, appreciation, and thanks for inquiring about the staffing. I know it was time consuming!!! Our last trip at the end of Aug. on the Navigator was just superior in every way so I'm going to be positive and assure myself the Caribbean will follow suit:)

 

Patty

[Travelcat2]

Just a quick comment...... Goran is wonderful! We are always happy to see him on our cruise.

[Mr Rumor]

Good morning from table numero uno in La Veranda. We'll be anchoring shortly for our day in Belize City. Lamanai Mayan Ruins and New River Cruise today--whoo who!

 

Wanted to start the day with a Random Note: We all get at least one reservation at Prime 7 per cruise, but there is one Prime dining venue where we have no chance of scoring a table, and that's Prime 4, the crew's nickname for the crew mess on Deck Four (the officer/staff mess carries the same nickname).

 

Prime 4 features a varied healthy menu: fish, meats, salad bar, fresh vegetables and fruits, omelets for breakfast, etc. By popular demand, Prime 4 also serves the particular dinner roll that I begin craving as soon as we embark a Regent ship: the salt stick!

 

Rich

 

P.S. Bob Wilber played for an intimate crowd last night, and was great. He'll also be performing during the cocktail hour on the 10th. By the way, the little sax he plays is called a curved soprano sax. "Bob likes the sweetness of its sound," his wife, "Pug," explained.

[Mr Rumor]

If the Kohunlich excursion in Costa Maya is a 10, then Lamanai and the New River cruise has to rate at least a 10.5. It's a somewhat bumpy 75 minute bus ride to the river followed by a 75 minute boat ride (with stops to check out a baby alligator, bats and hawks) to the site. Then it's a half mile walk uphill on a rock and tree root-strewn path to get to the pay-off, marvelous Lamanai, one of the several most impressive Mayan ruins in the world. It is estimated that between 60,000-90,000 Mayans once resided in this area.

 

We had a tag-team of guides: Bernard, a self-described creole, who gave us background info on Belize on the bus, and Wilfrido, part Maya, who did an excellent job escorting us around the ruins. Joining in on the commentary at one point: a handful of black howler monkeys who lived up to their name by emitting booming sounds akin to lion roars. Wilfrido said that 20 howler monkeys can create a racket with a decibel level comparable to that of a small jet. After checking out the monkeys, we figured out that a turf battle was taking place.

 

The tour also included a boat stop on the way back to the bus at a riverside restaurant, where we sampled a typical Belize lunch of stewed chicken, and rice and beans cooked in coconut milk. A side dish of marinated onions was delicious but much hotter than I thought it would be--the slice jalopenos, I learned, were actually sliced habanero peppers!

 

And, oh yes, we enjoyed another great weather day, with partly cloudy skies and a high in the 80s. Bernard thanked us for bringing the "rays of sunshine" with us, explaining it had been much more rainy in the area than usual dating back to last October.

 

All in all a value-packed, memorable experience!

 

Rich

[Mr Rumor]

Double post! But while I'm here, I have an answer to your question from a couple of days ago, HonTri: Lorraine said she was not CD on the Paul Gauguin in March, 2008. She did serve as cruise director on the ship in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003.

Edited February 8, 2014 by Mr Rumor

[JMARINER]

..................... but there is one Prime dining venue where we have no chance of scoring a table, and that's Prime 4, the crew's nickname for the crew mess on Deck Four (the officer/staff mess carries the same nickname).

 

Prime 4 features a varied healthy menu: fish, meats, salad bar, fresh vegetables and fruits, omelets for breakfast, etc. By popular demand, Prime 4 also serves the particular dinner roll that I begin craving as soon as we embark a Regent ship: the salt stick!

 

Rich

 

 

Prime 4, never hear that one before. But when we got to eat there, it was before Prime7 was a Regent concept, back in '08.

 

Radisson/Regent used to have special events in the crew bar and crew mess for passengers called the "Truck Stop Diner." Food was of course hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, malts, etc. The entertainment staff would dress in 50's attire to entertain in the crew bar and the officers, Captain(McNeil), Staff Captain, GM, F&B, CD (Paul) etc would act as waiters. These events were only open to full voyage passengers,(30-40 persons) such as full world cruise, discovery, ring of fire voyages (80-110 days).

 

AFAIK, Regent stopped theses 4 or 5 years ago. Reasons unknown. But they were a hoot. And great photos op's.......

 

j

31/425

[Mr Rumor]

Didn't know about the Truck Stop Diner, JMARINER, thanks for sharing the memory.

 

1teach53, I have the dark chocolate "scoop" for you, with some help from pastry chef Pascal Eber. You'll have many opportunities to sample dark chocolate desserts on your cruise, including the Captain's Welcome Dinner in Compass Rose, when you can top off your meal with a slice of Raspberry Moist Chocolate Cake with chocolate sauce. Pascal also made note of my single favorite Regent dessert (should have thought to mention it earlier): the Golden Cake served in Prime 7. The name is misleading--"Golden" refers to the sprinkling of gold dust on top of the cake. The Golden Cake is actually 14 tiny rich layers of delicious dark chocolate cake and icing served with pistachio sauce. However, our key dark chocolate opportunity, Pascal pointed out, will be at the chocolate-themed Tea Time, which is usually held at 4 p.m. one day towards the end of the cruise in Galileo's Lounge. You might want to bring your camera as well as your sweet tooth to that event!

 

Cozumel in the morning, with another sunny forecast. . .

 

Rich