Hot Spots and Headlines: A Mariner Mediterranean Joint Live Blog

[RachelG]

Rich, glad to hear of the changes to P7 menu. We have not dined there yet this cruise, but have reservations tomorrow.

 

Lovely dinner in CR with Jackie and Dennis. I have the scallops with bacon, the feature of the signatures menu as well as a wonderful salad. George had the veggie biryani which was different that we have had before. The spices were right, but it was more rice than veg.

 

The magician was actually pretty good. We are now headed toward Cyprus.

[Travelcat2]

As Rachel mentioned, we shared a very enjoyable dinner last night as well the Seven Seas Society Gold and above breakfast. Also present for breakfast was Rich and Ginny. Regent did a really good job with breakfast - lots of yummy things to choose from in addition to champagne, mimosas and bloody Mary's.

 

After breakfast we went to the special morning Trivia. This was the first time that the six of us made it to Trivia. There were only three teams ........ we tied for second place ..... only one point from first place. We all donated our points to the "Shauna fund":)

 

While most people are taking excursions, we will take the shuttle into town (25 minutes) and will search for a place to have a "fish spa" or "fish manicure". My DH seems to remember that we had one the last time we were here. As amazing as Egypt is, we are happy to be out of that area into somewhat cooler temperatures (88F vs. 96F).

 

The ship, staff and food remain excellent.

[1982CruzStart]

Loving the blog. Keep up the good work all. Very appreciative of your time and effort.

[RachelG]

Wonderful day in Cyprus. We went to paphos and Kurion, both Ancient Greek and Roman sites with amazing mosaics. The detail is great. Lions, tigers, people, all sorts of scenes and geometric patterns. Both sites are really large. And we had enough time to walk around on our own.

 

Only problem--our bus, on the only extra cost tour, was not air conditioned at all. The buses on the included tours were way better. I sweated off several pounds.

 

Dinner at a beachside restaurant was included and very good. Lots of Greek salad, calamari, pork, chicken. Really good, but no fish which was odd. But it was quite good.

 

Now waiting to go to the Cirque show.

[poss]

I'm hoping that you did not find my mention of the Alaska excursions intrusive or inappropriate.

 

Continuing to enjoy this whole thread. Thanks to everyone.

[Travelcat2]

poss: Definitely not inappropriate. We had started booking excursions for Alaska and, after your post, I "think" (not sure) that Rachael began booking. Thanks for the reminder:)

 

So, this is a bit of a complaint thread. While food, service, etc. are close to perfect, the temperature on the ship is not. I understand that temperature is almost as subjective as food. Passengers not used to air conditioning find it cold at 75 degrees while other find 75 degrees uncomfortably hot.

 

I've been measuring the temperature for the last two nights in Compass Rose after being uncomfortable each night when we dine. When you enter CR, it is 73 F. This seems to be the base setting. The temperature rises to 75F within a few minutes. CR was not full on either night. However, with the center section half full (or half empty), the temperature rose to 77F then vasillated (misspelled) between 75 and 77F. While I do not expect everyone to agree that 77F is warm (especially when the outside temperatures have been from 88F to 96F), there must be some acceptable average temperature that should be consistent on cruise ships. As has been commented on before, if you are a bit cool, you can always put on a jacket, shawl or pashmina. But, when it is too hot, there is nothing you can do except perspire.

 

So, I'm posting simply to express how uncomfortable we have been (Horizons is too warm as well). It is our hope that a "standard" temperature will be determined by Corporate so we can pack in order to be at least somewhat comfortable when dining on the ships. Truly hope that Regent is reading this.....

[poss]

Thanks , Tc. (I tend to worry about things.)

 

You probably remember that we usually find CR and the hallways icy cold. We've often thought how silly it was to have to put on a sweater or whatever, when the outside temperature feels so lovely (to us). We usually need to bundle up to dine, which is never fun. Also, you may remember that at least once, we actually had to leave CR because my husband's bald head was feeling draughts and getting quite cold. He often take his VERY DEBONAIR AND TINY boina (Spanish beret) with him to restaurants. Most restaurants aren't bothered at all-- and I've never seen a patron look askance. But, as we know, it's an emphatic no-no on Regent. (My husband was wearing a jacket and tie when he was asked to leave.) I can see no baseball caps, or nothing larger than a salad plate (now wouldn't that be cute), but the absoluteness of the rule doesn't make sense to us. Still, rules are rules.

[RachelG]

No offense taken at all, Poss, in fact, just the opposite. But the internet is so slow that I have been unable to book any excursions. I get started then it cuts out. So I am giving up till we return home.

 

Cirque rock and roll show was full of energy and talent. Not my sort of music, but I very much appreciate the talent and performance. They were great!

[commodore2010]

poss: Definitely not inappropriate. We had started booking excursions for Alaska and, after your post, I "think" (not sure) that Rachael began booking. Thanks for the reminder:)

 

So, this is a bit of a complaint thread. While food, service, etc. are close to perfect, the temperature on the ship is not. I understand that temperature is almost as subjective as food. Passengers not used to air conditioning find it cold at 75 degrees while other find 75 degrees uncomfortably hot.

 

I've been measuring the temperature for the last two nights in Compass Rose after being uncomfortable each night when we dine. When you enter CR, it is 73 F. This seems to be the base setting. The temperature rises to 75F within a few minutes. CR was not full on either night. However, with the center section half full (or half empty), the temperature rose to 77F then vasillated (misspelled) between 75 and 77F. While I do not expect everyone to agree that 77F is warm (especially when the outside temperatures have been from 88F to 96F), there must be some acceptable average temperature that should be consistent on cruise ships. As has been commented on before, if you are a bit cool, you can always put on a jacket, shawl or pashmina. But, when it is too hot, there is nothing you can do except perspire.

 

So, I'm posting simply to express how uncomfortable we have been (Horizons is too warm as well). It is our hope that a "standard" temperature will be determined by Corporate so we can pack in order to be at least somewhat comfortable when dining on the ships. Truly hope that Regent is reading this.....

 

Obviously this is a great cruise if all there is to complain about is a 2 degree temp issue.

Being from Florida, 77 is perfect indoors.

 

BTW- Are you walking around the ship with a thermometer raised above your head to get the most accurate of readings and a clip board to record them.

 

I think you should take readings everyday at breakfast lunch and dinner, record them, graph them and post the graph so we can see the moving average ambient temperature of all the public areas over the course of the cruise.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[irishwitchy]

Please tell me your room is set at a much lower temp. I think sleeping at 65 is perfect. Anything above that and I get grumpy! I also than have to tell my husband to stay on his side!

[MikeD1000]

Cirque is brilliant. Not quite my era either, but I can appreciate the skill involved. Quality of singing and dancing is outstanding, and I am glad there i still another performance to come.

 

Anne and I took a brief trip to Limasol but it was uncomfortably hot. As it happened some shops closed until 4 pm, and what was open was OK but no more. We'll do the same in Antalya tomorrow. We visited most of the incredible Roman sites several years ago.

 

We went to the "Name that tune" tonight after the show, and Rich got us to equal third place, so 4 more points to Shaunee.

Edited September 23, 2015 by MikeD1000

[Mr Rumor]

It was refreshing once again to take an excursion without sirens and a nicely dressed gentleman in the front seat packing heat.

 

We were on "Pafos and Kourion," the same tour with Rachel and George, except, luckily for us, our bus had air-conditioning. Highlights for me were the beautifully preserved Greco-Roman theater at the ruins of Kourion and the incredible mosaic floors at the 40-room 2nd-4th Century AD Dionysus House at the Pafos Archaeological Site. Regarding the latter, I asked our guide, Cynthia, Austrian-born but a longtime Cyrpriot resident, how it was possible for all of this amazingly detailed mosaic work to be completed within the owner's lifetime--it had to have taken years. According to her, there were teams (all well-paid), working together, to keep the project moving as quickly as possible. One team collected the stones, another cut them to size, and a third applied them.

 

The tour also included a photo stop at Aphrodite's Rock and an early "Cypriot dinner" at a seaside restaurant, Sunrise. I thought the best parts of that meal were the Greek salad with fresh, tasty chunks of feta; halloumi, the local cheese made of sheep and goat milk, and an interesting minced pork sausage. Overall, however, I thought the meal was just OK, and the restaurant struck me as verging on seedy. The tour clocked in at just a few minutes longer than the advertised time, seven and a quarter hours.

 

What I don't get is why this excursion carried a $119 upcharge while our far longer, and seemingly much more expensive to mount, excursions out of Haifa and Cairo did not. I've had this question/complaint about Regent tour pricing a handful of times before.

 

We were back in our room by 7:30, and thus had plenty of time to clean up, get dressed and make it to front-row center for Cirque Rock and Roll. Once again this stellar JAR lineup did not disappoint. I, however, was a little disappointed in the song lineup--too much Michael Jackson, and the Beyonce tune just seemed out of place.

 

Even though it had been a long day, how could I not work my way up to the Constellation Lounge and try my hand at a '50s amd '60s themed "Name That Tune." We did well, getting 13 of 15 right, but I flubbed on the Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You" and the Monkees' "Daydream Believer." In so doing I discovered my '60s music Achilles' Heel: Songs by manufactured groups!

 

Rich

Edited September 24, 2015 by Mr Rumor

[Mr Rumor]

Confidential to Dennis/DenEsq: Please come back to our joint blog. All is forgiven. You can even bring all the Achmeds you know with you. Thank you.

 

Rich

Edited September 24, 2015 by Mr Rumor

[yllwjp1]

Tom & i were also on the no ac bus thus we got to meet and talk with Rachel and George. Agree wholeheartedly about beautiful mosaics.

Side note- while on tour bus 2 days ago seeing Roman Alexandria -6000 miles from home- bumped into a former neighbor we hadn't seen in 15 years. Talk about a small world

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Travelcat2]

Obviously this is a great cruise if all there is to complain about is a 2 degree temp issue.

Being from Florida, 77 is perfect indoors.

 

BTW- Are you walking around the ship with a thermometer raised above your head to get the most accurate of readings and a clip board to record them.

 

I think you should take readings everyday at breakfast lunch and dinner, record them, graph them and post the graph so we can see the moving average ambient temperature of all the public areas over the course of the cruise.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

 

You're right - definitely a great cruise - even if it is bit warm;) The fact that you find 77 F to be "perfect" and we would need air conditioning at that temperature shows just how subjective temperature is. Like irishwichy, we like sleeping at around 65 F (and we live in similar climates). A perfect temperature for us in CR would be 68 F. There has to be a happy medium. Keep in mind that many are wearing jackets and long sleeved tops which can be quite warm. Also, the temperature in CR at 6:30 p.m. needs to be a few degrees cooler as the temperature will go up several degrees when the restaurant fills up.

 

In terms of monitoring temperatures, after thinking that I was crazy during Trivia when I was warm and others were freezing, I purchased a very small electronic thermometer that also shows humidity (there is one is our suite that we could have used). I've checked out the Horizon Lounge once and CR twice and now I'm done checking. Enough about temperatures.

 

We look forward to checking out this port as we have not as yet been here. More later.

[RachelG]

Rich, the beachside restaurant was pretty typical of what we have encountered on previous trips to Greece. Open air and a little crumbling around the edges. And right on the water. I did go for a wade in the ocean after dinner as I could not resist, and it was refreshing.

[Mr Rumor]

Back again for a quick post. I was out on Deck 11 having a look around. Beautiful day, with mountains on the port side and Atalya dead ahead. We'll be docking at 11, less than an hour from now. Very peaceful on the Pool Deck, with folks lounging and reading--plenty of room for everyone. Really happy I had this moment. I'll be back out shortly to partake of the early Mediterrean Lunch, before Ginny and I take off on our "Perge and the Atalya Archaeological Museum" excursion at 12:45.

 

In editing my earlier mention of "Name That Tune" last night, I accidentally deleted the mention of Ginny's and my trivia partners, Mike/MikeD1000 and Anne. Thanks for the donation of your points to the Shauna Regent Bling Fund!

 

Rich

 

P.S. I see that we posted at the same moment, Rachel. While you were wading, Ginny was indulging in one of her favorite beach activities--shell, or, in this case, pebble hunting. She was happy with her haul. Meanwhile, I will not be shy in letting her know if her pebbles take us over the 50-pound weight limit (I have a small scale with me).

Edited September 24, 2015 by Mr Rumor
Responding to RachelG

[Travelcat2]

Rich - just a quickie....... Dennis got lost on CC which is why he accidentally started a new thread;) :p

[flossie009]

Rich - just a quickie....... Dennis got lost on CC which is why he accidentally started a new thread;) :p

 

Thank goodness for that...........we thought that you had banned him :D ;)

 

Loving the joint blog.......it is helping with our Regent/Mariner withdrawal symptoms :)

[Travelcat2]

Thank goodness for that...........we thought that you had banned him :D ;)

 

Loving the joint blog.......it is helping with our Regent/Mariner withdrawal symptoms :)

 

You gave me a good laugh. After putting up with me on CC for almost 10 years, I'm surprised that he hasn't banned me! Actually, whether he wants to hear it or not, he gets a running commentary of what is happening on the boards daily. If I don't volunteer the information, he asks.

 

BTW, there is a slight chance that we will be on the Cape Town to Rio cruise. We received an offer from Regent that we would accept IF they accept our flight arrangements. Due to the time change, the offer may have been accepted by someone else or they didn't like our flights (we would like to be on Air Canada -- flights to the U.S. are easier from Rio than Cape Town but some Regent flights from Rio can be nightmares. Anyway, if it works out, you'll see me on Roll Call:) It would be lovely to finally meet you!

 

Destination Services was a bit mixed up today. We went downstairs for the 11:30 a.m. shuttle into town only to find that the shuttle was full earlier and had already left. Many of us were standing in the hot sun trying to figure out what was going on. The did arrange for another shuttle but did not communicate when it was leaving. It could leave at 12:30 p.m. which would be a 45 minute wait or ???? No one to ask. After sitting for 15 minutes with the heat wafting into, we went back to the ship for lunch. On the way we saw Rich, Ginny, Rachel and George (that we will be having cocktails with at 5:30 p.m.). I hope they have a great time while we relax on the ship. Today is a holiday and stores may be closed. Whatever we wanted to purchase here we can probably get in Kusadasi!

 

Lunch was a Greek buffet on the pool deck with yet another amazing Greek salad (the Feta cheese is better than any we have tried previously). Inside La Veranda they were slicing a whole turkey which was moist and delicious. Had two Mexican Butterfly's so a nap is probably in the not too distant future.

[Snackdaddy]

Hi Travelcat2,

 

I hope you will able to join us on the Cape Twon to Rio cruise. I would love to meet you in person. We received an offer from Regent to continue on to Miami from Rio but we both have to get back to work.

 

All the best,

[Zqueeze1]

Hi, everyone and thanks for keeping this thread alive. Lots of great info and a wonderful opportunity to relive our cruise memories and remember our new friendships. Your descriptions of excursions and port locations really makes us want to book something similar in the future, but the lottery fairy has not blessed us with winning numbers so that we can cruise to our hearts' content.

 

Sorry that I stopped contributing from the previous cruise, but I got tired of fighting with the internet, the internet dude, and typing with a slight buzz. Needless to say, we had a great time with the only glitch being an overcooked lobster and the butler was sort of meh. So, if this is all I have to complain about, then you know that life is good. I really miss the Greek and seafood buffets at the grill and my 6PM wine appointment with Olga at the Mariner lounge.

 

Please convey our heartfelt hellos to Olga and tell her that I am still waiting for my coffee (inside joke). She has gone through a lot of heartaches and tragedies lately so give her a hug from us.

 

We had the worst trip ever from Istanbul (airport hell) to Florence. We landed in Frankfurt in time for the airport to close down due to weather. After thirty hours of travel, lack of clean clothes and showers, and a very cranky Boss, we made it to our hotel. Thirty minutes later, I was clean, shaved, attired, and knee deep into my first of several chianti classicos. I quickly remembered how much and why we love Italy so much as we spent the next day driving the Tuscan countryside and tasting all sorts of marvelous wines, cold cuts, cheeses, EVOO, and balsamic vinegars. We even met an old Vietnamese gentleman wandering through the vineyards in Vicchiomaggio who took our picture and wandered away.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise and keep typing!

 

Z and TB

 

P.S. TCat2: the perfect temp is 72 degrees!

[xrvlcruiser]

In Kusidasi, there is a wonderful bakery in the port/shopping area which you walk through to get to the ship - the baklava is out of this world - not surprising.

 

Peggy

Edited September 24, 2015 by xrvlcruiser

[MikeD1000]

We have just left Antaliya on the way to Rhodes. We had intended to do a city visit, but we arrived at the old town to be greeted by rain, and decided to stay on the shuttle bus and return to the ship, bathed in sunshine. We once did an archaeological tour of Turkey and have seen most of the Roman sites in this area, including Ephesus. We will walk off in kusadasi, sample coffee in the Caravanserais (definitely not to be missed) and have a look at the shops selling what they describe as genuine fake watches.

 

Rhodes tomorrow, which we have also visited before. We are on a tour to Lindos, which is new to us. Hope everyone enjoys the walk through the old town.

 

On another tack, we are booked on an Oceania cruise around Britain next summer. Can anyone offer advice about drinks packages? Our taste is mainly wine or beer with meals plus some pre-prandials, but not much in the way of spurits. How much is a bottle of wine?

 

If Rich is on for it we fancy tomorrow's name tha tune about film music.

 

Mike

[RachelG]

Yes, we saw Jackie on the way out to our tour of Perge and the archeological museum. Perge is a huge excavated ruin, just goes on and on. Very impressive. We walked all over exploring. I could hear Paul out there preaching. He came from paphos to Perge so followed out route, though I am sure it took a bit longer in those days. The ruins are well excavated, and work is ongoing. So this will only get better.

 

The museum has all the "stuff" from the ruin so completes the picture. And I found the sweetest cat. It really wanted to come home with me, but Missy would not appreciate that,

 

We had cocktails with Jackie and Dennis, Rich, and Ginny. Lovely time. And you guys will not believe this as it is too weird for words. Rich, Ginny and I have the same birthdate. How crazy is that?!

 

Dinner with our new friends, Shant and Rachelle. Fun time dining with younger people who understand the benefits of hard work and appreciate Regent. Then to the magic show which was really good. Another great day.