Mariner Grand Pacific Paradise Voyage: Miami - Sydney, 10/10 -12/15/2018 - Rich48100

[papaflamingo]

As Wes so eloquently posted, today we began the day with a Service commemorating the 100^thanniversary of the end of World War I. It was a very moving service, especially for those of us who have lost friends and acquaintances in the Military. 

After the service we spent a quiet morning at sea arriving in beautiful Bora Bora around 2 pm.  

Bora Bora was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1769.  It became a French protectorate in 1888 and in the 1940’s was used as an America supply base.  

A beautiful Island with an idyllic lagoon, Bora Bora is a primary vacation spot in French Polynesia. 

We boarded a tender to town and boarded a snorkel boat for a wonderful snorkeling tour with stingrays, sharks, and the beautiful Coral Garden.  After returning to the ship we were treated to a great Barbecue on the Pool deck followed by a wonderful show by local dancers and musicians doing traditional Tahitian Dance! What a wonderful day.  

We spend the night here in Bora Bora so tomorrow we are taking a trip through the Island followed by a beach break.  

 

Edited November 11, 2018 by papaflamingo

[liptastic]

Wes very moving tribute to our veterans  on this Remembrance Sunday, thank for posting this.

Great photos from you all onboard. The scenery looks fabulous makes this itinerary very tempting , but due to length of the cruise will need to wait until retirement. 

Thanks again to you all,  Jean.

[sea lover]

Want to thank everyone for taking the time to  sharing their cruise with us at home. Just enjoy and have a marvelous time. Love reading all about your travels.  Elaine

[WesW]

Marq; think Elda (Assistant CD) will be on board for Arlene and you Circumnavigation Nav of Australia next month.  She boarded in Hawaii, but will verify and get back with you.

 

Jim/Papaflamingo; thanks for sharing your beautiful bora board snaps above and below this gorgeous Ocean.

 

Skysthelimit, Sea Lover;  Thank you; Rich, Jim and I passionately like to share our South Pacific voyage with y’all,

 

Liptastic; Jean you/re very welcome—as Jim movingly posts above we treasure honoring fellow Veterans not just on Veterans Day but daily.  Have added a few more photo thoughts,  in honor of Veterands day

 

Good Morning from Bora Bora!

 

Last night on board Regent Seven Seas Mariner, Ida and I had so much fun enjoying the Grand Deck Barbecue. 

 

Most of the Mariner crew also enjoys a change of pace serving guests in the

Festive ambiance of a beautifully decorated pool deck.  The Mariner leadership selected a near perfect (we had 10-min of rain) night, as we are anchored overnight in Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

 

Please enjoy a few more photos in addition to Jim’s wonderful Bbq/dance snaps of last nights Mariner Grand Pool Deck BBQ.  We dined under the stars then danced to disco music of the late 70’s and early 80’s.   We then moved to the main theater on board to enjoy a very special French Polynesia Dance performance, “Hei Oei.”

 

Edited November 11, 2018 by WesW

[Keith1010]

Wes, I continue to enjoy all of your posts including the write ups and the photos.

 

I wanted to thank you and all of our veterans for their service along with those in the military today.

 

We owe so much including our freedom and much of what we enjoy today to the brave men and women past and present of our military.

 

Best to you and Ida.

 

Keith

[rich48100]

Arrived in Bora Bora yesterday, and it didn’t disappoint.  Beautiful views and getting excited for snorkeling and aqua safari.

 

last night went to the special day for all the Grand Voyage guests.  Outdoor beach venue at the Conrad Hilton.  Good food, good drink, good entertainment, good friends.  Can’t get much better than that.  First went on a boat ride to enjoy the sunset in small boat with music and refreshments, and then on to the Hilton where we were greeted by more music and entertainment.

 

Well done Regent.  

 

This morning had to get up to see what the sunrise in Bora Bora was like.  Enjoyed it, and now to get ready for excursions.

 

enjoy a few pics.

[JPR]

Those photos bring back wonderful memories. I proposed to my wife Elizabeth there  on July 14, 1980 (Bastille Day, which my wife asks that I point out commemorates the freeing of the prisoners from the Bastille) on an otherwise deserted islet off Bora Bora called Pitu u Tui, where the Hôtel Bora Bora dropped us off for the day (with French bread, cheee, and Beaujolais)  on their “Robinson Crusoe” excursion. We returned to have the Captain of the (then) Regent Paul Gauguin 20 years later.

 

As now, prices were astronomical. Due to the holiday, the cargo ships did not unload so that night at the hotel we had a rather spartan main dinner course made from canned tuna which cost about $20. Next day we rented bicycles to tour the island and had the wonderful poisson cru for lunch at Bloody Mary’s.

[WesW]

Malbec, Keith1010; thank you both—it was a privilege to have served our Country. 

 

Clskinsfans; am sure our Regent experienced World Cruisers can provide you answers to what they have missed most.  For Ida and I, and our Grand Voyage and five week+ cruises we miss authentic Southwest cuisine (made by Ida) and our beloved pets.

 

Marq; yes, Elda will be (along with Ray) your assistant cruise director for The Circumnavigation of

Australia next month on the Mariner—you lucky folks!

 

Forgot who asked about Poker on board, but spoke at length with bbfromca/Bill who is an avid

Poker player on board.  Bill plays whenever the Casino is open and lets me know most of the seven seats are taken up with fellow Poker aficionados.

 

JPR; thanks so much for sharing your Romantic (austere) Bora Bora story.

 

And fellow lead blogger Rich—thanks for taking us along to enjoy vicariously your special Grand Voyage event at the Conrad Hilton.

 

Good Morning as we near (about 2 hours)our next French Polynesian port, Raiatea,

 

Yesterday, on board Regent Seven Seas Mariner, we enjoyed an all morning “sail on a Catamaran” excursion around paradise, err mean Bora Bora.

 

We had perfect weather, lake-like ocean conditions for our Catamaran experience.  A small group of about twenty Mariner guests and Ida and I enjoyed being mesmerized by the beauty of stunning Bora Bora.  The magnificent verdant hills and Mountain are surrounding by the azure sea—your breath is taken away as you marvel at this Paradise.

 

Please enjoy about a dozen photos and videos of our outstanding Bora Bora

Excursion.

Edited November 12, 2018 by WesW

[RJ2002]

Shots of the onboard Grand BBQ and Polynesia show look amazing.  Thanks to all the contributors for sharing.

 

Regent does such a nice job with the BBQ.  We were totally impressed with the one we had on our first Regent cruise, aboard the Mariner, last year.

[MalbecWine]

Wes, it’s always a pleasure to see your posts and pictures and I am sure many think the same way.  

 

Thanks for taking us land based until our next cruise along with you.

[papaflamingo]

Woke to another beautiful day in Bora Bora.  We started the day with an Island tour by Le Truck.  This tour consisted of circling the entire island with stops that included Mama Ruta to see how Pareo’s (sarongs) are made,  a number of scenic spots, and, of course, Bloody Mary’s Bar.  The island is truly a beautiful island that is one of the major tourists destination in French Polynesia.  There are a number of major hotels with beautiful “over the water” bungalows for a price that would make your eyes water.  We also passed some bungalows owned by famous people (picture below).  One of them was originally Marlon Brando's. 

After the Le Truck tour we quickly grabbed lunch on the ship then went on a Lagoon snorkel and Beach break. We returned to the stingray area for about 20 minutes then cruised around the lagoon a bit, seeing many of the places we visited in the morning, but from the water, then spent about an hour relaxing on a beautiful private island.  Unfortunately our underwater camera had a “malfunction” and is currently out of action.  Did get a pretty good shot of a shark before it quit.  The water was considerably clearer today and the sharks, as well as the stingrays, were plentiful.  

All in all, it was a wonderful day in paradise.  

Edited November 12, 2018 by papaflamingo

[rich48100]

Went on a couple of excursions yesterday.  Aqua safari, followed by shark and stingray watching by glass bottom boat.  Both were amazing, but the aqua safari far exceeded our expectations.  When I figure out how to upload pictures from my Dropbox account I will post.  Meanwhile, please enjoy a few pics from those excursions.

 

 By the way, aqua safari is putting helmet on and air goes in headgear.  You go down about 15 feet, and walk with the fishes while the camera folks take pictures and give yo food to feed the fishes.  Amazing!!!!

[Travelcat2]

On 11/11/2018 at 5:11 AM, papaflamingo said:

As Wes so eloquently posted, today we began the day with a Service commemorating the 100^thanniversary of the end of World War I. It was a very moving service, especially for those of us who have lost friends and acquaintances in the Military. 

After the service we spent a quiet morning at sea arriving in beautiful Bora Bora around 2 pm.  

Bora Bora was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1769.  It became a French protectorate in 1888 and in the 1940’s was used as an America supply base.  

A beautiful Island with an idyllic lagoon, Bora Bora is a primary vacation spot in French Polynesia. 

We boarded a tender to town and boarded a snorkel boat for a wonderful snorkeling tour with stingrays, sharks, and the beautiful Coral Garden.  After returning to the ship we were treated to a great Barbecue on the Pool deck followed by a wonderful show by local dancers and musicians doing traditional Tahitian Dance! What a wonderful day.  

We spend the night here in Bora Bora so tomorrow we are taking a trip through the Island followed by a beach break.  

 

 

Thank you so much for posting these amazing photos.  They are wonderful.  Glad to hear that you enjoyed this cruise.  IMO, the Paul Gauguin does the best job of cruising in the South Pacific due to the fact that the ship was built for the area.  If you ever have a chance, I highly recommend the PG.  While we love Regent, if we returned to the South Pacific, we would do the PG.  Hope that you booked another Regent cruise while onboard the Mariner! 

[rich48100]

We made it to Riaetia, and another absolutely beautiful island.  Did a truck ride around the island, and the weather cooperated again.  The truck went mainly on the eastern side of the island, and also went into an extinct volcano in the center of the island.  Very lush, and guide explained history and agriculture of the island.  Good excursion.

 

Enjoy some photos

 

 

[WesW]

Marq;  spoke to Elda (Assist CD) on disembarking for our excursion in Raiatea and told her Arlene and you asked for her.  She is very happy you both will be on board the Mariner Circumnavigation of Australia next month.

 

Malbec Wine:  Again thanks so much for your very kind words.

 

Fellow bloggers Rich and Jim—y’all are posting exceptional photos that make our Grand Voyage/South Pacific blog pop—just come alive for as Malbec Wine says, “the Land Based.”
 

Good afternoon Raiatea, French Polynesia!

 

Today, Ida and I on board Regent Seven Seas Mariner enjoyed a visually engaging Raiatea River Kayaking tour on the Fa’aroa River.  Together with about twenty fortunate Regent guests we set out for a short drive to

Reach our entry point on the Fa’aroa River.

 

We disembarked the ship to immediately enjoy a traditional French Polynesian warm welcome with song and dance.  

 

We next received a thorough safety brief “please do not stand under the coconut trees, as we lose about 200 citizens a year who die from being hit on the head by a falling coconut.” 

 

We then as couples in two person Kayaks paddled vigorously for about 45 minutes or five miles down the river.  We enjoyed the spectacularly verdant/lush river bank landscape. Our guide pointed out the tallest mountain in Raiatea (about 3200 feet) that he said we were fortunate to be able to see (usually covered by clouds). He had us pause our trip so he could show us a root plant that grows in the river that Raiatea citizens enjoy chewing the root for dental preventative care since the root contains fluoride.  The local Raiateans also eat the water proof leaves (as our guide demonstrated to us) like we eat spinach.

 

Our river kayaking guides Chris and Vincent also pointed out the bread fruits and banana trees along our route.

 

Please enjoy a few photos of this vigorous (demanding paddling exercise) but beautiful Fa’aroa River Kayaking tour:

Edited November 13, 2018 by WesW

[Keith1010]

Wes, beautiful photos and looked like a beautiful day to kayak.  Looks like paradise.

 

Interesting about the safety related to the coconuts which certainly makes a lot of sense.

Continue to enjoy.

 

Best to you and Ida.

 

Keith

 

[papaflamingo]

13 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Thank you so much for posting these amazing photos.  They are wonderful.  Glad to hear that you enjoyed this cruise.  IMO, the Paul Gauguin does the best job of cruising in the South Pacific due to the fact that the ship was built for the area.  If you ever have a chance, I highly recommend the PG.  While we love Regent, if we returned to the South Pacific, we would do the PG.  Hope that you booked another Regent cruise while onboard the Mariner! 

We are loving Regent.  We are going all the way to Sydney and so looking forward to another 4 weeks aboard!  We have also booked 29 nights from NYC to Dublin in 2020.  Thank you Travelcat for so much info on Regent.  Your comments and answers to my questions gave me the incentive to book our second cruise before our first!  😎

[papaflamingo]

Today we docked in the beautiful Island of Raiatea.  Raiatea has the second largest town in French Polynesia, Uturoa.  It is a beautiful island approximately 91 square miles and has a population of around 12,000.  Raiatea is considered the spiritual seat of the Polynesian Triangle made up of Easter Island, Hawaii, and New Zealand.  It is also the home of the UNESCO site Taputapuatea Marae.  Taputapuatea is a large Marae, or religious site, and is over 1000 years old.  It is was once considered the religious center of Eastern Polynesia.  Polynesian Priests and Chiefs gathered here not only to offer sacrifices to the gods, but to solve navigational challenges as they travelled throughout the South Pacific.   

The Island of Raiatea is remarkable in it’s beauty.  Lush green landscape and beautiful oceans.  There are no actual beaches on Raiatea but there are a number of small islands called Motus with nice beaches to swim from and enjoy the coral areas.  

We did a large outrigger canoe along the beautiful lagoon to Taptapuatea and then rode up the Faaroa River, Polynesia’s only navigable river.  The shore is lined with beautiful wild hibiscus, bamboo, chestnut trees, and ginger flowers along with other lush flora.  After the Faaroa River we spent some time on a public Motu swimming in the beautiful warm water watching stingrays and coral fish.  After returning to the pier we walked around the local stores a bit and then went back on board.  The morning was stunningly beautiful… the afternoon had occasional rain causing a cancellation of our scheduled catamaran sail.  We used the time to relax a bit.  

Raiatea is what we always dreamt that French Polynesia would be.  Stunningly beautiful, lush landscape, surrounded by a beautiful lagoon.   We return here next week and are planning a 4x4 tour of the Island.  We are both really looking forward to that opportunity, rain dependent of course.   Wes and Rich have posted so many beautiful pics.  The river shots that Wes posted are fantastic!  Here are a few shots of the coast and the Taputapuatea marea.   😎

[liptastic]

Wow stunningly beautiful photographs from our three great blogger team. As Keith said it does look like paradise.   Thanks. Jean.

[WesW]

You’re very welcome Liptastic/Jean and Rich and Jim will continue to dazzle with their beautiful photos for the next four+ weeks.
 

Good Morning (almost there) Moorea!

 

Today we are visiting our next to last French Polynesian port on our Regent Seven Seas Mariner South Pacific crossing before disembarking in Papeete tomorrow nite.  Moorea, has often been described as the most beautiful place on earth.  

 

We will enjoy a new Regent excursion in Moorea, “Hike the Coconut Trail” described as an arduous four hour hike.  Ida and I look forward to being challenged this morning (and burning calories while hiking).

 

Last night, we enjoyed a delicious Italian meal in the Mariner’s Italian specialty restaurant, Setti Mari.  Ida asked our server Desmond, if she could take a photo with him (he is a spitting image of our nephew, Sebastian Saminego).

 

Following, the enthusiastic endorsement of our outstanding cruise director John Barron, we then headed to the Mariner’s Constellation theater to enjoy an outstanding show starring Mark O’Toole.  Mark is a three decade+ headline performer in Las Vegas who features Barry Manilow’s top hits during his show (e.g, Mandy,  Copacabana, I write the songs, et. Al.) 

 

During Mark’s last number John saw us sitting near the front of the stage and gestured to Ida, to join him in a brief dance to Mark’s exceptional rendition of Barry Manilow’s Copacobana.

 

Tonight we look forward to another Captain’s Farewell and the always entertaining show put on by the a few of the Mariner’s outstanding crew in Krew Kapers.  For our last South Pacific crossing dinner on board we will head to the Compass Rose to share the Captain’s table for dinner.

 

Please enjoy a couple of photos from yet another fabulous dining and entertainment evening on board, “Our Mariner.”

 

 

[mrlevin]

Wes, I thought you and Ida were staying on until Sydney?

[papaflamingo]

As we left Raiatea last night, we sailed through the lagoon alongside the island of  Tahaa.  Here are a few shots of Tahaa during our sail away. 

 

Edited November 13, 2018 by papaflamingo

[Wendy The Wanderer]

So glad you got to see Raiatea, and glimpsed Taha'a!  Raiatea used to be part of the standard Paul Gauguin itinerary, but it was dropped a few years back in favour of Huahine.  So I guess it's largely left to the yachters now--Taputapuatea is really special, as is the river, and great snorkeling.  Of course, the PG still goes to Taha'a on every itinerary, since they have their private motu there, with the beach day, bbq and all, but very few pax ever get to go to the island of Taha'a itself, only sail past, like you guys.

[Wellseasoned]

Wes and Ida, glad you had a great cruise and enjoyed your reporting!  (Though I don't know how you found time for it all!)  Look forward to getting in touch after you return home.  Have a safe return.

 

Dieter

[rich48100]

A very busy day on beautiful Moore’s.  It is hard to pick a most beautiful island between Bora Bora and Moore?  Both spectacular.  E