LIVE from: Z and TB go from Atlantic to Pacific in Style

[Zqueeze1]

Good Morning: we are docked in Puerto Quetzal. Looking forward to our Macadamia Nut Farm tour this afternoon. Most tours have been moved up from early afternoon to this morning due to an early arrival. I can’t wait to get either mugged, robbed, or put to work in the illicit sex trade as per the level three travel warning from the State Department.

Yesterday was a glorious sea day started by a 45 minute walk by me and 75 minutes by The Boss who is looking buff. Afterwards, we made up for it with some prelunch Hendricks.

We had a wonderful evening last night with dinner in Prime 7 with Captain Serena, a lovely couple from North Carolina, and Caron the ship’s social hostess.

Frank, one of our table mates:

 

Capt S is so great to speak with since she is very down to earth. She immediately makes one feel as if you have been friends for a long time and dinner conversation was mostly about cruising experiences and her work adventures traveling the world. Our dinner consisted of shrimp cocktail (TB):

 

Crab cake (me):

 

We both had prime rib:

Cheese plate (me):

Fruit plate (Caron):

 

Sorry about the unusual lighting on the pics but that’s due to the restaurant’s bluish lights. Service was superb and the wine was excellent. Great dinner and company. Our two hour meal went by in a flash.

Have a great day.

 

Z and TB

 

 

 

 

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[WesW]

Roberto & Pam, thanks for the Puntarenas Walk in Cloud excursion review with gorgeous photos. Believe we will now change this excursion (do not like long bus rides unless very, very sights are the reward (e.g. Treasury in Petra, Pyramids in Egypt).

 

Instead believe we will do this included excursion offered by our TA's travel consortium:

 

Exclusive Shore Event Details for this Sailing

Costa Rica's Countryside and Equestrian World; Behind the Scenes at Rancho San Miguel and Spanish Horse Show with Lunch

Oct 17 2018 8:30AM (7.00 hours)

Location: Puntarenas

[Zqueeze1]

Roberto & Pam, thanks for the Puntarenas Walk in Cloud excursion review with gorgeous photos. Believe we will now change this excursion (do not like long bus rides unless very, very sights are the reward (e.g. Treasury in Petra, Pyramids in Egypt).

 

Instead believe we will do this included excursion offered by our TA's travel consortium:

 

Exclusive Shore Event Details for this Sailing

Costa Rica's Countryside and Equestrian World; Behind the Scenes at Rancho San Miguel and Spanish Horse Show with Lunch

Oct 17 2018 8:30AM (7.00 hours)

Location: Puntarenas

 

 

 

Hey, Wes: I think you did the right thing especially if you or your wife happen to be prone to motion sickness. I’m glad we did the tour, but would not do it again. Your new tour selection sounds great and something we would have been interested in. Enjoy your upcoming cruises and keep writing; we’ve always enjoyed your narratives.

Z and TB

 

 

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[Mudhen]

Prime 7's food looked wonderful....mmmmm!

Hope the Hendrick's is holding out!

L&J

[1teach53]

Z, we continue to enjoy your pics & reports. Wondering where the pic of the 17 layer chocolate cake🎂 might be hiding? Lol 😻

Very proud of your will power and restraint, you both are an inspiration!

Have a blast!

K

[hockeyken]

I’m always up for some abuse. :)

 

Z and TB

 

 

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;p;p;p

 

Would you care for that verbally, or shall I forward some photos of you ? I think you know which ones, Mr. Dinky.

 

Since you have fowlaphobia ( fear of anything with feathers) I am not surprised at your choice of prime rib - sure looked good.

 

K

[Travelcat2]

;p;p;p

 

Would you care for that verbally, or shall I forward some photos of you ? I think you know which ones, Mr. Dinky.

 

Since you have fowlaphobia ( fear of anything with feathers) I am not surprised at your choice of prime rib - sure looked good.

 

K

 

Thanks for remind me about the "feather" thing - I had forgotten about it.

 

Food looks good and I admire you for walking, eating well, etc. Note: That may be the last compliment on this thread. I don't want it going to your head (people with swelled heads often grow feathers!

[Zqueeze1]

Thanks for remind me about the "feather" thing - I had forgotten about it.

 

 

 

Food looks good and I admire you for walking, eating well, etc. Note: That may be the last compliment on this thread. I don't want it going to your head (people with swelled heads often grow feathers!

 

 

 

Lol. I like it

Z and TB

 

 

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[poss]

Hey, Z. Thanks mucho for your postings, which I'm much enjoying, per usual. I don't know what the "feather" thing is about, but it put me in mind of one of my favorite poets (heck, probably my FAVORITE poet), and one of her poems:

 

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all.

 

And sweetest in the gale is heard,

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

 

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

 

 

May all your sailings be storm free.

[Zqueeze1]

Poss: that was absolutely beautiful and I think I may add it to my list of poems. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

;p;p;p

 

 

 

Would you care for that verbally, or shall I forward some photos of you ? I think you know which ones, Mr. Dinky.

 

 

 

Since you have fowlaphobia ( fear of anything with feathers) I am not surprised at your choice of prime rib - sure looked good.

 

 

 

K

 

 

 

I’ll take a double shot of verbally bro.

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

Z, we continue to enjoy your pics & reports. Wondering where the pic of the 17 layer chocolate cake[emoji512] might be hiding? Lol [emoji76]

 

Very proud of your will power and restraint, you both are an inspiration!

 

Have a blast!

 

K

 

 

 

Thanks for the kind words. But, believe me, it’s tough saying no.

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

Pictures have been stunning! Food looks wonderful!

 

Any chance if you might know if "Alberto", a waiter in CR is on board? If per chance you run into him, Linda, John and Twila are singing "Peggy Sue" to him! Wonderful waiter, had been recommended by Risky. He saw us thru the Amazon!

 

 

 

Linda: I just checked and Alberto is not onboard. He is currently onboard Voyager. Sorry.

Z and TB

 

 

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[Mudhen]

aw....thank you so much for checking. Keep that name in mind if you're looking for a wonderful waiter!

Sail on and enjoy!

[Zqueeze1]

Another sea day today. We plan to get our steps out of the way ASAP and enjoy another great day onboard. But since we moved our clocks forward one hour, The Boss is refusing to get up on time.

Yesterday’s highlight was our tour to the Macadamia Nut Farm. After a quick lunch, we took off at 1230 for our tour. I was a little cranky and took a nap enroute. We climbed into the mountains up to 5000 feet and arrived about 90 minutes later at a quiet and cool Hacienda called Valhalla. It is owned by a quirky and funny American from San Francisco who said it was the only sustainable organic macadamia farm in Latin America. We started off by tasting macadamia pancakes (I skipped)

 

...followed to what I considered to be the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had. It was grown locally for the farm and it was not bitter at all even without any sugar. If only Regent would serve it onboard. We also had a presentation on farming and cultivating the nuts before going into a small tasting room where we had some nuts and were shown various anti-aging products made from macadamias.

We purchased coffee, nuts, and an anti-aging bottle (too late for me). The drive back was much quick and we were back in time for happy hour at the Mariner Lounge. We highly recommend this tour.

Dinner was at Compass Rose which, again, was excellent.

 

We both had a salad and I had the New Zealand lamb chops while The Boss had Dover sole. We also split an order of the scallops which are becoming our favorite dish. Everything was cooked perfectly and was served hot.

Tomorrow is Acapulco but we are thinking about canceling our tour and just take a walk around town along the more secure areas.

A quick observation/rant: why is it that some folks cannot be pleased by anything? At 1130 yesterday, we were passing La Veranda enroute to the outdoor grill when a sour puss of a man found out that it was not yet open for lunch. He says in a loud voice, “I hate this place.” Why? There were food options available such as Compass Rose, the grill, room service, Coffee Connection, liquid lunch, etc. Also all, restaurant times are posted so we can plan our meals to accommodate our schedule. It turns out that La Veranda opened up seven minutes later to accommodate folks with afternoon tours. I think that this dude was the reason that I was a little cranky for part of the afternoon as I thought about how his negative outlook blinded him from all the available options and abundance of food we have at our fingertips throughout the day. Putz.

As we researched the possibility of doing a back to back cruise by adding one to one of our three cruises already booked, we noticed a scheduling gap for the Navigator. It turns out that once she reaches Amsterdam in late May 2019, she will go into drydock. So, when we board her in Southampton on 18 June, she will have a fresh new look. Unfortunately, I have no info as to the extent or type of refurbishment she will be undergoing.

One of our nightly rituals is to adjust the minute had of this clock located in front of the forward elevators on deck eight.

 

As always, standing by for any questions, comments, or insults.

Have a great day.

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

aw....thank you so much for checking. Keep that name in mind if you're looking for a wonderful waiter!

 

Sail on and enjoy!

 

 

 

Our pleasure and will do!

Z and TB

 

 

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[mrlevin]

Navigator will not be going into dry dock in Amsterdam; she is being chartered for a World War II history cruise including stops in Normandy for 75th anniversary of D-Day.

 

Here is the cc thread regarding the charter:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2507762&highlight=world+war

 

Link in that thread doesn't work; so here is link regarding actual charter:

 

http://regent.dday75.org/home/

 

We might both be right; charter ends on 8 June so time for a short refurb (or another charter).

 

Marc

Edited April 28, 2018 by Marq

[poss]

Z: I'm glad that you enjoyed the Macadamia Farm excursion — for your sake of course but also for mine. As I've said before on CC, I'd like to get more interested in a Canal cruise because it's not far to travel, but Ronrick gives the impression that many people are finding the tours pretty much a bust. I admire Ronrick's laid back enjoyment of "doing nothing"; in fact, I envy it. At home (or on planes), I can happily read for hours and hours a day, but when I'm paying for a vacation, I like to be seeing/doing new things (or pursuing old pleasures). I'd not enjoy a cruise if there weren't excursions I could enjoy; I'd get antsy. If you have a chance, could you please give me a sense (from the people you've spoken with) of which excursions fellow cruisers have found quite enjoyable, and which the opposite? Am I correct that the enjoyment of this cruise for most people is much more the enjoyment of the ship itself than of the land part?

 

The "feathers" poet, btw, is (of course!) Emily Dickinson: dear, dear Emily!

[Travelcat2]

How many steps are you walking a day? I had a pedometer with me on the Voyager and was counting my steps (until my knee decided that I should stop doing that ...... I listened).

 

The Macadamia Nut Farm looks delightful. I would compliment you on being able to turn down the pancakes but there is the "feather thing" so it is important that you don't get a swelled head.

 

Please be careful in Nicaragua. How have you determined which areas are safe? I'm particularly interested in this port as we will be there early next year.

[WesW]

Roberto & Pam; thanks for a terrific excursion post--Macadamia Nut Farm. Just changed our excursion to this one in October.

[Zqueeze1]

Z: I'm glad that you enjoyed the Macadamia Farm excursion — for your sake of course but also for mine. As I've said before on CC, I'd like to get more interested in a Canal cruise because it's not far to travel, but Ronrick gives the impression that many people are finding the tours pretty much a bust. I admire Ronrick's laid back enjoyment of "doing nothing"; in fact, I envy it. At home (or on planes), I can happily read for hours and hours a day, but when I'm paying for a vacation, I like to be seeing/doing new things (or pursuing old pleasures). I'd not enjoy a cruise if there weren't excursions I could enjoy; I'd get antsy. If you have a chance, could you please give me a sense (from the people you've spoken with) of which excursions fellow cruisers have found quite enjoyable, and which the opposite? Am I correct that the enjoyment of this cruise for most people is much more the enjoyment of the ship itself than of the land part?

 

The "feathers" poet, btw, is (of course!) Emily Dickinson: dear, dear Emily!

 

 

 

Our experience with folks with spoken to has been a little different than Ronrick’s in that most folks have enjoyed their tours. However, the opinion of four or five folks we’ve spoken to doesn’t make a scientific survey. So far:

Cartagena, COL: yes-City highlights

Colon, PAN: yes-scenic train tour; eco tour; no-boat tour

Puntarenas, CRI: yes-walk in The Clouds (long bus ride)

Puerto Quetzal, GTM: yes-ciudad antigua; macadamia nut farm

 

Please don’t take these to heart because it’s a collection from just a couple of folks’ opinions.

Z and TB

 

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

How many steps are you walking a day? I had a pedometer with me on the Voyager and was counting my steps (until my knee decided that I should stop doing that ...... I listened).

 

 

 

The Macadamia Nut Farm looks delightful. I would compliment you on being able to turn down the pancakes but there is the "feather thing" so it is important that you don't get a swelled head.

 

 

 

Please be careful in Nicaragua. How have you determined which areas are safe? I'm particularly interested in this port as we will be there early next year.

 

 

 

About 11k for me and 15k for The Boss. Regent cancelled our Nicaragua stop due to security concerns.

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

Roberto & Pam; thanks for a terrific excursion post--Macadamia Nut Farm. Just changed our excursion to this one in October.

 

 

 

Now you put me under pressure. How you like it as much as we did.

 

Z and TB

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

About 11k for me and 15k for The Boss. Regent cancelled our Nicaragua stop due to security concerns.

Z and TB

 

 

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Wow - that is a lot of walking! I meant to ask you about Acapulco - not Nicaragua (my bad). Will you ask the local representative onboard the ship which areas are the safest to walk around? Thanks!

[Zqueeze1]

BTW, today was my last day taking my amoxicillin for an ear infection and overall crud. I am Scott free, squeaky clean, cleared in hot and celebrating with Tito’s and cranberry.

 

In honor of some of the great thread starters before me who’ve set the tone for reporting on their cruise, here’s a list of the crewmembers’ nationalities:

 

Australia 3

Belgium 1

Bulgaria 11

Brazil 1

Belorussia 1

Canada 3

Chile 2

China 2

Germany 4

France 2

Greece 1

Honduras 20

Croatia 6

Haití 1

Indonesia 45

India 80

Italy 8

Jamaica 3

St Lucia 1

Sri Lanka 1

Myanmar 2

Mauritius 1

Mexico 4

Nepal 1

New Zealand 1

Panama 1

Peru 1

Philippines 181

Poland 4

Portugal 1

Romania 9

Serbia 7

Russia 2

South Africa 5

Sweden 1

Thailand 3

UK 7

Ukraine 9

USA 11

Venezuela 1

Zimbabwe 1

Thanks Brownie from reception!

Z and TB

 

 

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