Hot Spots and Headlines: A Mariner Mediterranean Joint Live Blog

[RachelG]

We are currently booked for the carriage ride just to get us off the ship too because the others are just so long. I will talk to George and see what he wants. He is the restless one.

 

We have excursions both days in Haifa. They haven't said anything about not being able to do them on Saturday--though when I looked at the calendar, I thought about that.

 

Meet and greet sounds fine. And does anyone play trivia?

[MikeD1000]

Anne & I happy to meet and greet. "Friends of ... ?"

 

We currently have the Port Said carriage ride, but may change our minds. We only have one trip in Haifa - Jerusalem first day.

[gnomie1]

There will be plenty of things to do in Haifa on Saturday - the entire country does not shut down for Shabbat. In Jerusalem many things will be closed during Shabbat, but in other parts of the country it is easy to find things to do. You will be in Israel during the most holy part of the year - the time period between Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and you will probably hear many people greeting others by saying "shana tova" - which means "A Good Year"

 

BTW - if you do decide to go to the Bahai Gardens, you need to dress conservatively and be prepared for crowds - it is a very popular spot, for both locals and tourists.

 

gnomie :)

Edited September 11, 2015 by gnomie1

[Travelcat2]

Thank you for the information. We do dress conservatively when in Israel, Turkey, Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. It actually is upsetting to see tourists ignoring the customs of some countries by wearing shorts, sleeveless blouses, etc. Three years ago I purchased a "proper" dress to wear inside of a Mosque as they were checking that women were dressed properly in order to enter the building (were not so strict for men). If you were not dressed correctly, you were turned away!

 

In any case, we do not plan on returning to Jerusalem - we will spend one day in Haifa and another near the Syrian border (an excursion that may be cancelled - hopefully not as we did the excursion previously and are anxious to do it again).

 

For those that will be on board, my mind turns to mush when I'm doing final packing so whatever y'all come up with in terms of meeting is fine with us -- just post on CC - we'll be checking:)

[Bigdogwon]

Thank you for the information. We do dress conservatively when in Israel, Turkey, Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. It actually is upsetting to see tourists ignoring the customs of some countries by wearing shorts, sleeveless blouses, etc. Three years ago I purchased a "proper" dress to wear inside of a Mosque as they were checking that women were dressed properly in order to enter the building (were not so strict for men). If you were not dressed correctly, you were turned away!

 

In any case, we do not plan on returning to Jerusalem - we will spend one day in Haifa and another near the Syrian border (an excursion that may be cancelled - hopefully not as we did the excursion previously and are anxious to do it again).

 

For those that will be on board, my mind turns to mush when I'm doing final packing so whatever y'all come up with in terms of meeting is fine with us -- just post on CC - we'll be checking:)

 

I agree, long pants for men, and please take your shoes off, what ever they may be. Never point your feet to, wait sorry thinking Thailand. Well, as Rachel stated long day today. Long day tomorrow and Sunday.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[FreeMaggie]

How exciting that there's already a "live" thread for posting from our cruise. I have no experience cruising and not much of a blogger, but I'll try and give it go. On the Roll Call thread, I echoed other's sentiments about wishing they had replaced Lesbos.

 

Bigdogwon, we're doing the pre-cruise Cappadocia extension, so perhaps we'll meet you "early" (pre-boarding). I'm up for a "meet and greet' whatever, whenever, so I'll monitor this thread for more.

 

I can't wait to join you all on the Mariner!!! Be kind, please, to this cruising and Regent "virgin"! :)

[Zqueeze1]

Unfortunately Internet has been a nightmare for me so we tend to login when ashore.

The weather is definitely hot bite the sunshine makes it worthwhile.

If you hang out at the mariner bar on deck five the bartender, Olga, is a sweetheart. She keeps me fueled with Hendricks and cline wine.

I posted the photos using tapatalk which is an iPhone app. It makes loading pics a cinch.

 

Tonight is BBQ night while anchored in santorini.

 

The tours have been pretty much ok although some are victim to the lack of sights in the immediate area. Crete is worth getting off the boat and walking around since the tours were long with most of the time on a bus.

I am sorry to report that there are no souvenirs or jewelry left in santorini since The Boss bought it all.

Safe travels.

Z and TB

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks for checking in, FreeMaggie! Our blogging chorus continues to grow, and I think that's wonderful. In my humble opinion, you made a great choice by choosing Regent for your first cruise. Will be looking forward to seeing this cruise from your "newbie" perspective!

 

Jackie, I like the idea of a meet 'n' greet on either the first or second day. There weren't any on our last several cruises (Navigator), but I do recall attending a couple on earlier cruises, each in the late morning. What time seems to work best?

 

Z, appreciate your continuing to post despite the internet challenges. Thanks for the tapatalk photo-posting tip.

 

Here is your latest port-related headline: Sandstorm Plaguing Israel Is Worst in Country's History: http://www.timesofisrael.com/sandstorm-plaguing-israel-is-worst-in-countrys-history/. Fortunately the storm is expected to begin dissipating tomorrow (Sunday).

 

Rich

[Cyguy]

As others have posted, we wish there were an alternate for Lesbos but I think we can manage an extra sea day.

 

We go to Phoenix on Sunday and fly out on Monday morning. We have been following the news about sniper shootings in Phoenix. That may be the most dangerous part of our trip.

[Travelcat2]

FreeMaggie - welcome to Cruise Critic and the Regent board! Agree that Regent is the perfect choice for a first cruise.

 

You are going to absolutely love Cappadocia - it is one of our favorite places on earth. Looking forward to hearing stories about your adventures there.

 

Bigdogwon: You made me laugh when you posted Thailand etiquette. I do remember about not pointing feet or touching the top of children's heads. I do not recall where we were but we learned to point with our thumbs (almost like hitchhiking) - I still have a tendency to do that:)

 

Z: If you think of it, could you ask Olga which lounge she will be in after your cruise? Bartenders tend to change lounges after each segment. Also, what was the theme of the barbeque? I do enjoy Regent's barbeques - especially when Donald is the F&B Director as he is so hands on. He is generally there helping out with cooking, etc.

 

I think the dilemma about the Meet and Greet is not to have it conflict with other things. There will no doubt be a lecture in the morning and afternoon on both sea days. Then there is Trivia and "tea" in the afternoon. We once planned a M&G and they scheduled the Block Party (FreeMaggie - you will enjoy the Block Party:-) The first sea day is the day of the Captain's Reception which is most people go to (6:00 p.m.). Sooooooo, how about between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on the second sea day (Friday the 18th)?

 

My recommendation (feel free to offer other suggestions) is in the Observation Lounge - starboard side in the corner (right side as you enter the Lounge). An alternate time would be earlier in the morning - before the lecture? The advantage there is that no one else would be in the lounge and we would have the beautiful view to ourselves:-) Obviously I could use some help in figuring this out.

 

Back to packing.

 

P.S. Rachel, we used to be avid Trivia fans but either the questions became more difficult or we are becoming dumber so we haven't played in a couple of years. Would love to join you but would not want to mess up your team. Dennis' strongest areas are old movies and things British (well, most things -- definitely not Harry Potter:-)

Edited September 12, 2015 by Travelcat2

[RachelG]

You would not mess us up, Gerry. I am good with science and geography. George is good with history and some sports. But I totally suck at modern culture and am weak on British things. So we should give it a try.

 

Maggie, perfect first cruise, but be warned, it is addictive.

 

As far as the captain's welcome, do you think it will be the first sea day as that was not originally a sea day, or the second? I am ok with anytime as we don't usually go to the captains reception these days. (I guess we have been there , done that. Too jaded.)

[Mr Rumor]

Regarding trivia, now I'm really regretting not bringing Shauna along. She knows how to scoop up those red three-point Regent Rewards cards! (Since her name has come up a few times, I've been looking for a way to slip her into this thread.)

[Travelcat2]

You would not mess us up, Gerry. I am good with science and geography. George is good with history and some sports. But I totally suck at modern culture and am weak on British things. So we should give it a try.

 

Maggie, perfect first cruise, but be warned, it is addictive.

 

As far as the captain's welcome, do you think it will be the first sea day as that was not originally a sea day, or the second? I am ok with anytime as we don't usually go to the captains reception these days. (I guess we have been there , done that. Too jaded.)

 

We generally do not attend the reception either and have also stopped going to the Seven Seas Society event until I learned that caviar was only at that event - not the Gold and above one. In any event, there are newbies on our cruise and they will probably attend.

 

You have a point about the Captain's Reception. They could make it the third night. I suppose we could schedule it for Thursday unless the reception is that night and then it would be Friday? I'm confusing myself so I'll wait to hear what Rich and other think.

 

You made me laugh when you called me "Gerry" -- I know exactly who you were thinking of:) So, we'll give Trivia a try again.

[Mr Rumor]

I just checked with Ginny and she is game to try trivia. I asked her what she considered her strong suits to be: "Fairy tales, history, biology. . ." I could help with modern culture, sports, current events, plus a little bit of this and that. Want to set a date for the first sea day? Trivia could simultaneously serve as a mini Meet and Greet!

Edited September 12, 2015 by Mr Rumor

[Travelcat2]

LOVE the picture of Shauna! Thanks so much for posting it.

 

Sounds like we have our trivia team! Sounds good:) Maybe some of our other bloggers could start a 2nd Cruise Critic team.

Edited September 12, 2015 by Travelcat2

[Bigdogwon]

We are currently booked for the carriage ride just to get us off the ship too because the others are just so long. I will talk to George and see what he wants. He is the restless one.

 

We have excursions both days in Haifa. They haven't said anything about not being able to do them on Saturday--though when I looked at the calendar, I thought about that.

 

Meet and greet sounds fine. And does anyone play trivia?

We always play trivia and bingo.

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[RachelG]

Duh, Jackie. Yes, you know who I was thinking of.

 

Sounds like we will have enough to give trivia a go. 8 per team is ideal.

 

And your plan for the meet and greet sounds good. Hopefully not too confusing.

[ededmd]

The very last thing that my DH would want to be is Mr. TC2

 

Reading your comments about your husband over the years, consider:

TheBritWit

 

Happy cruising. Hope Olga can make you a chocolate martini to your taste!

[Travelcat2]

Reading your comments about your husband over the years, consider:

TheBritWit

 

Happy cruising. Hope Olga can make you a chocolate martini to your taste!

 

I like that - it definitely. Am looking forward to a chocolate martini;)

[Mr Rumor]

I hope everyone's packing is going well! I admire Ginny's ability to pack quickly and efficiently. I dawdle too much.

 

For the Meet 'n' Greet, I like Jackie's suggestion of the Observation Lounge, starboard side.

 

As for day/time I'd like to suggest Thursday at 11 a.m. I think the sooner the better for an M&G, and the 10 a.m. lecture will be over by then. I wouldn't have minded a 5:30 M&G for Friday, but I'm guessing the Block Party will be held that evening, since the next three days will be long tour days.

 

I just checked the forecasts for the first few ports and, no surprise, it will be sunny and warm:

 

Istanbul, 9/16--79 and sunny

Haifa/Jerusalem, 9/19, mid-80s, sunny (a little cooler on 9/20, with a chance of afternoon sprinkles in Haifa)

Port Said, 9/21, 88, partly sunny and humid

Cairo, 9/21, 94, mostly sunny

Alexandria, 9/22, 85, plenty of sunshine

 

OK, I'm going to pack a couple more teeshirts now!

 

Rich

[Zqueeze1]

Tc2: the Internet is pretty bad onboard so I didn't read your previous comment until now. Regarding my pic of our spread, we had the butler put it together for ourselves and another couple. It consisted of prosciutto and melon, crab claws, shrimp cocktails, and mixed nuts. We also had a bottle of champagne and Reisling.

Mykonos was cancelled today due to rough seas for tendering. Instead we are headed for Volo as an alternate port.

 

Last night we saw a terrible incident when a man got upset because he could not get a cup of coffee at the mariner bar (that's why coffee connection exists). He was so abusive that the bartender, who we love and consider her as one of the nicest folks onboard, broke down crying. A supervisor arrived and was busy kowtowing to the customer. I followed him to deck four and let him know our version of the story but he cared about that a customer complained. When I returned to the bar the assistant F&B manager was getting an earful from another couple regarding the man's rude behavior. Real shame.

[Zqueeze1]

Santorini

 

Just in case we can't login via this joke of Internet connection, we wish everyone safe travels and a wonderful cruise. We definitely look forward to reading your posts.

 

Please say hi to Olga when you see her onboard. the Boss wants to stuff into our suitcase and take her home.

 

Z and TB

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Travelcat2]

Z, your picture of Santorini is gorgeous! The first time we saw Santorini was from the Voyager. The sun had not come up yet so the top of the mountain looked like diamonds in the sky. We enjoy that place so much (when there aren't too many tourists).

 

I'm glad that you spoke with the Asst. F&B Dir. about the rude person in the Mariner's Lounge. I truly do not know how people can be so rude. Very upsetting.

 

You mentioned the slow internet a couple of times in your posts. The Mariner upgraded the system and it was working great in April although we were in a different area. It will be interesting to learn how it does in the Middle East.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to post from the ship. It is very much appreciated:)

 

Rich, I'm jealous that Ginny has the ability to pack quickly and efficiently. I'm at the point where my lists have lists of their own. There are only a few things left to do which is a relief. I feel very fortunate that we get free washing and ironing on board. The first thing I do is send a lot of things out to be ironed as I have a knack for packing things in a way that they come out a mess. Think I need "Packing 101" lessons.

 

Thanks for posting the temperatures - I know that it is going to be warm and I'm mentally prepared for it. One of the reasons that we live in the Pacific Northwest is our love of cool weather. Fortunately the ship is air conditioned.

 

So, we'll try for 11:00 a.m. for the Meet 'n Greet on Thursday. Sounds good to me. While I don't attend many M&G's - we will definitely be at this one. Hoping that others from our Roll Call are reading this and will be there.

 

Have to take some pictures of my kitties to take along with us. We do miss them a lot when we are away. Unlike our family and friends that we can call from the ship, it would sound strange if we called home and left messages for the cats:p

 

Enough babbling - I'm getting excited and it is showing!

 

P.S. Finally figured out where the "Land of Enchantment" is. I've wondered about that for a while.

Edited September 13, 2015 by Travelcat2

[FreeMaggie]

Hi all, "newbie" FreeMaggie checking in while she's in-air with just 2 hours to go to Istanbul. I appreciate all the warm welcomes from TCat2, Rachel and everyone else. I have no idea what the Block Party is, but thanks to TC2, my curiosity has been piqued.

 

Z, I love your beautiful pic and am sorry you have such a rude guest aboard.

 

Count me in on the Thursday M&G! That sounds better than Lesbos to me :). I may drop by Trivia too, possible alternate?

 

Oh dear, we've hit some bad turbulence so signing off for now....(blame typos on bumpy flight....)

[MikeD1000]

Thanks, Rich, for the weather forecasts.

 

Thursday @ 11 sounds good for us too. Look forward to meeting you all.