Notes from a Navigator Novice: Hong Kong to Singapore

[flossie009]

Tues, March 19: At Sea 

This was the last day of our cruise. We spent much of the day on deck (wish they had a large clock visible on the Pool Deck) then the dreaded packing. A 12 day cruise is far too short.

Krew Kapers was excellent as usual, with Muriel from La Veranda doing a great job as dance captain.

We thoroughly enjoyed our farewell dinner and look forward to seeing our friends again in July; so glad you found us this cruise.

The late show this evening was ”Broadway in Concert”

 

 

Wed, March 20: Disembarkation

After a hearty breakfast in La Veranda we left Navigator around 9am and took a cab to the Mandarin Oriental. This is our home in Singapore for the coming week until we take the 14 hour flight back home to the UK.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise on this little ship and look forward to sailing on her again in the future.

Best wishes to all those continuing on the World Cruise and thank you for making us feel welcome for this short segment

[flossie009]

The view from our hotel room in Singapore:


Daytime view


........... even better at night

Here endeth this blog of our first cruise on Seven Seas Navigator, but happy to answer any further questions.
Thanks for following along.


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[cwn]

Really enjoyed your blog. The pictures were so wonderful. These are some of our favorite ports and one of favorite ships!

Carolyn

Edited March 22, 2019 by cwn

[flossie009]

On 3/21/2019 at 3:07 AM, DavidTheWonderer said:

Regent has a history of doing this in SE Asia. You’re right that tide tables are available literally decades in advance. 

 

Yes, we previously suffered this type of late change a few years ago on a Regent cruise visiting Rangoon in Burma ............... significantly foreshortening our stay there  ................. again blamed on “unpredictable” tides/river levels.

[Zqueeze1]

Flossie:

Excellent review and pics.  Thanks so much for taking the time to share your trip with us. 

Z and TB

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh lovely, a whole week in Singapore!  Take it slow, it's hot.  Make sure to see Gardens By the Bay.  The rainforest biome is amazing, as is the Mediterranean one.

[SC Retired Cruiser]

Flossie,

 

What a wonderful insightful review with fantastic photographs.  I enjoyed 'revisiting' places I visited a year ago.  Thank you and safe travels.

Bob

[Hambagahle]

Your photos are really great and I love the ones of Singapore.  Brought back some great (and not so great) memories!    I am looking forward to your taking us all along on your next cruise!

[flossie009]

Carolyn, Z & TB, Wendy, Bob and Hambagahle,
Thank you for your kind comments.
We are having a great time in Singapore winding down from our cruise.

Yes, we visited the Gardens by the Bay yesterday. The Japanese blossoms were in full bloom in the Flower Dome but the Cloud Forest was still our favourite.


Flower Dome:









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Edited March 24, 2019 by flossie009

[flossie009]

Cloud Forest:







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Edited March 24, 2019 by flossie009

[flossie009]

Now we have good Wi-Fi, I will try to upload a video clip of our Pedicab ride in Nha Trang:

 

This included excursion is good fun, with a commentary narrated through personal radios from the guide, also in a Pedicab.

Not too much pedalling for the drivers as the bicycles are electric assisted.

[crusin7]

Hi Susan. I loved the blog. Your photos are fantastic. Have a wonderful birthday!

[flossie009]

16 hours ago, crusin7 said:

Hi Susan. I loved the blog. Your photos are fantastic. Have a wonderful birthday!

 

.................... and a Happy Birthday to you and your sister on our birthday.

 

Best wishes to you all

Sue 

[Hambagahle]

On 3/23/2019 at 4:52 PM, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Oh lovely, a whole week in Singapore!  Take it slow, it's hot.  Make sure to see Gardens By the Bay.  The rainforest biome is amazing, as is the Mediterranean one.

Gardens by the Bay was the brainchild of an old friend of mine - Dr Tan Wee Kiat.  Tan was former head of National Parks in Singapore and the mastermind behind the Orchid garden's expansion and the Ginger garden as well...  He loves his flowers!   I haven't seen Gardens by the Bay because I haven't (sadly) been to Singapore for a long time but Tan did give us a wonderful tour of the Orchid gardens some 10 years ago.   To me Singapore and flowers go together. Even the median dividers on the highways are covered in leaves (apparently that was Lee Kwan Yew's idea...)

[ronrick1943]

Great reading, sounds like you had a great trip.  Now you have to look forward to your next cruise. Thanks for taking the time so all of us could follow.

[Boatmans Lady]

Thank you for your wonderful photos and narrative of your cruise and I'm glad you enjoyed The Navigator.

We too came under her spell on the first leg of the world cruise and we are still talking about it.

 

 

[travelwell]

Loved your posts, especially your Singapore photos. It is one of my favorite cities. So many beautiful gardens. When we were last in Singapore  we would hunt for a speck of trash. On day 3 we saw a Kleenex fall from a purse outside a hotel and within 3 seconds a bellhop had retrieved it. I recommend Singapore as a first stop for nervous travelers going to Asia. 

[hypercafe]

Thanks for taking the time to tell about your trip, it looked great. I have a question. I booked my first Regent trip on the Navigator and am getting nervous as she seems to get very poor reviews around the condition of the ship. Since you just got off what do you think? Thanks

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

We love the Navigator. We have done several cruises on her., including a 21 day cruise this past August.  It is a cozy, intimate ship. Fellow passengers become fast friends and most people smile at you after several times. The food and service are Regent’s best. The suites are large and very comfortable. 

I would recommend choosing a suite in the front or middle of the ship. I have never had a suite in the rear, but many on cruise critic say it vibrates. So we stick to the front-center. Never had brown water. Would sail on her in a heartbeat. 

Thats just my opinion. 

Sheila

Edited March 30, 2019 by Bellaggio Cruisers

[flossie009]

Thanks for the kind comments regarding the blog.

 

@hypercafe, We liked the Navigator and found no issues with the condition of the ship; plus it is scheduled for another refurbishment later this year.

For our detailed comments on the ship see post #3 on page 1 of this thread.

[ronrick1943]

18 hours ago, flossie009 said:

Thanks for the kind comments regarding the blog.

 

@hypercafe, We liked the Navigator and found no issues with the condition of the ship; plus it is scheduled for another refurbishment later this year.

For our detailed comments on the ship see post #3 on page 1 of this thread.

 

Thanks for the report, it's good to hear good things about the Navigator as we booked a cruise on her.  I like smaller ships so thanks again for your comments. 

[UUNetBill]

22 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

 

Thanks for the report, it's good to hear good things about the Navigator as we booked a cruise on her.  I like smaller ships so thanks again for your comments. 

ronrick - in our three Navigator cruises we've had maybe 20 seconds of slightly brown water.  Run it a bit and it clears up.  It's crystal clear 99.99% of the time in our experience.  Navigator has some 'quirks' but for years she was our favorite ship.  Cozy and intimate.  I agree about booking mid/forward, but we never hesitate to book a cruise on her.  Enjoy!!

[ronrick1943]

Great feed back about the ship, we're booked and looking forward to being on the Navigator for the first time.  We depart this April for another cruise on the Mariner.

Thanks for the information, Rick 

[JVilleGal]

Thank you for the lovely peak of Navigator! Will be joining her in Amsterdam the end of May and am getting excited 😊 

[xrvlcruiser]

Thanks Susan!