good day all

we finally got our visa for brasil and did argentina on line so we are good to go

we wanted to join in rio but unfortunately there was no space to be had

this time i will try and update all from the mariner

i do now there is a couple on board already that are doing 107 days so they have been on for a while but i am sure we will run into someone we already know

christmas and new years on regent again cant get any better!!


updates to come

Great, victor. We always enjoy your seamail.

Victor, I hope you and Rosanne do one of your spur of the moment stay-on-the-ship continuations because I wil be on the Mariner in 117 days

thats highly unlikely as we must be in china on february 20th
then hong kong bangkok and manila all for meetings with suppliers


but then again things do change

Victor,
The couple on board doing 107 days must be our trivia partners Wolfgang & Cheryl. We met you on Cossacks and look forward to seeing you again.
Jim & Pat

thats correct wolfgang and cheryl
we have met them a few times
and they outsail almost everyone

i have been told that on disembarkation days wolfgang goes to gangway to thank everyone for sailing with regent

and you will for sure meet us again somewhere

hey even ran into marcie and tom in first class lounge heathrow in august

Yep, Wolfgang & Cheryl are a super nice couple and spend a WHOLE lot of time on Regent ships...and if you're ever on their trivia team (especially with the Bittles and Jan Hufford) you'll likely be on a winning team often.

Victor & Rosanne, hope you have a fabulous time on your cruise to Argentina.

well almost packed!!! well really i dont do that
i learned a long time ago try and help and get in the way as much as possible and you will never be asked to help pack again

we fly tomorrow to argentina i didnt want to do a 630 am flight
so we are doing a double connection toronto-laguardia then transfer to newark then on to miami then overnite to argentina all on american first class so we get to see what it is like on their 777 first

not sure if they can beat cathay/british airways or singapore but we shall see

we have 5-6 days to enjoy argentina before we board the ship

we already know a lot of crew on board and joining

jamie will be on without dana ?? so chris will be the assistant with lauen on receptio laura will be social hostess and her boyfriend jon executive chef will be there as well

also catherine jolley is gift shop manager ( cute girl) and teh casino manager will be tony from england
and also captain will be daniel greene

so we have 32 days for sure and probably will extend to peru (book on board and save money)

anyone has any questions ask away


i am going to try and write more and see if i can have you visit through my writing

karen

please e mail instruction to download on board ship to expediteplus@yahoo.com as rosanne takes about 400 pictures a day and i would love to share with all but i am not computer friendly!!

ok i see bags and clothes everywhere so i will get some sleep and the baggage packing fairy will show up and put all at door for me to take to car in the morning


everyone should have that kind of fairy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

night all!!!

ps as an afterthought

sometime next year we are looking at maybe doing the greek iles
in a private yaht 4 cabins costs less than regent even with food and booze and air but i need to find 3 other couples


just throwing this out as you all know by now i like to drink

so prefer to have company with my bottle!!

Victor,

So glad you are getting ready for your adventure on the Mariner. I always enjoy your seamail.

More details on your Greek Isles yacht. What are the dates you are interested in going?

Thx, Beth

Victor, you crack me up. Your packing strategy sounds like my husbands. He tries to make as big a mess as possible so he will be sent out of the room.

re greek islands

i want to go anytime it is warm so if we get 4 couple for say 15 days it works out great

now arrived into argentina
man was customs slow !!!! custom officers all over teh world sure are a different breed !! they never ever smile !!! and take so long!

taxi was easy to hotel(though i booked wrong sheraton and we must change on the 5th) super driver and cost 40.00 usd i was told to expect about 50.00 and with 6 pcs of luggage thought maybe 2 cars but we got all into one car

this hotel is beautiful and their rack rate is 365.00 and we got on internet for 180.00

so now we are off to explore the city and report back

i am here for my birthday and some new regent staff are flying in that day so we will party

from what i hear jamie logan is coming on the 4th as well and dana is not coming till february_


ok later

now for an argentina martini

Victor,

Is Jamie coming on the 6th of December or the 6th of January?

Love your posts . . . .Peggy

Most men are likely the same, Rachel, on many planes, same as us females Lol, i havent been married in so long, but as I remember, since former husband was in the National guard early on, he learned to love packing those long army issue duffles that could hold pounds above any piece of luggage, and used long after discharge. Lol, we never did cruises, just crewed sailboat charters where that was good. . I have no memories of doing the packing for both, and certainly never learning the cross packing strategy.

And I've never met a woman who told me her husband packed her bags for a cruise or anything else.

George sets out what he wants to take, but I pack most of it. A good thing, because he has forgotten underwear, socks, toothbrush when left to his own devices. I do a little cross packing, just enough that I probably wouldn't die if a case got lost for a few days.

yes jamie is on board december 6th
he and laura should arrive tomorrow so we can celebrate my
birthday tomorrow night at a nice steak house!!
yesterday was a day of shopping and walking
we went to a place call st telmo about 100 blocks of shopping
flea market style lots of fun

the weather is warmd and beautifull and so far i have found this place to be a very people friendly place with lots of open areas to walk adn shop

today we just going to walk local and take big yellow bus so we can see more there is far too much to see in just a few days

will update tomorrow dec 4 my birthday!!!

FUN....hope you have a wonderful birthday dinner Victor

Tell Jamie hi from Tom and me. Why isn't Dana coming on board the same time ?
Who's Laura ?

laura is the social hostess who is dating jon the chef from vancouver will say hi to jamie hope to meet him sometime today
great dfay yesterday did the big yellow bus around town and saw the sights this city is huge!!! weather has been warm but not hot tried some steak last night and they just cant get it right on how to cook meat this is suppose to be the best beef but last night it was terrible had a few drinks during the day and at midnight hit the shooters and partied !!! rtosanne gave me 7 wishes for my birthday i used 6 to guarantee a daily hug for next year and i used one to have her packed before 11 pm last day of cruise i hate that she packs during night and never ever has bags aout at night not that i pack just stress for me

going for a mani and pedi and look forward and hope we meet with jamie and laura for birthday dinner

will update later

oh i forgot to add

this year again just the night before we left my inlaws 83 years old
moaned about being alone again (they were on voyageur with us last xmas and new years) asked us to take them again

so off the next morning to get a brasil visa ( we had left already)
and i called ngaire who got everything including air done in a very very short period of time

so now they will have visa on 14th and fly that day to join us in rio anyone that has met my mother in law loves her!!!

so again this year we will party christmas and new years with in laws

you should all know that they are 83 both
and we ahve to tell bar to clsoe or they would drink and dance all night long!!!!

yes at 2 am they will still be going strong!!!

good day from argentina

another great day and it was my birthday

we met the social hostess laura and had a fantastic steak dinner
and drinks jamie logan was till missing as of 2 am we checked at hotel and the only thing we can think of is that he missed his flight hope to see him some time today we requested and got approved that we can visit the ship today so we are changing hotels to the regent paid hotel and then are going to visit the mariner very anxious to see who is on board !!

the hotel we are now at is very dangerous as the bar is oopén 24 hours!!! not good for me

today we woke up at noon!!!!

not good!!

we sat with laura and got caught up in all the crew gossip and it was a hoot and we laughed and drank the night away

we were on mariner for 30 days in july so there is a lot we missed

will update all later today or tomorrow

bye

Happy birthday Victor!

Happy Birthday Victor!

karen
thanks so much for the cake !!!!
now for an update from argentina
today a huge chemical fire nearby
everyone walking around with masks to cover their face
we are being told the port is closed
they have moved the ship
but nothing certain except to sit and wait till they get more news
the roads are closed and traffic is backed up
so it is chaos in the sheraton lobby

went on board yesterday as a visitor to see who is on board
and just did a quick tour

so off for a drink and updates

some passengers are really rude here and demand information
but the poor girl at the desk knows nothing!!

looks like a fun day waiting with a bunch of grumps!!!!!

will update once on board

I looked to see where the ship was docked and found this:

We got off the ship just before all this happened. Apparently a container full of insecticide exploded or caught fire and the whole port area was closed and evacuated. We're checked into the Sheraton which is full of pre and post Regent passengers milling around. I can see the ship from our room -- it moved to another pier further down the port. It was docked right in the area of the fire. It smells awful even here at the hotel, but it's getting better. According to the TV, the gas in the air isn't going to hurt anyone --it just smells awful. They're asking everyone to stay inside--although it smells just as bad inside. A while ago, they were handing out masks to people in the lobby. Needless to say--it's a zoo around here.

Peggy, that is really scary and I am not sure I would want to breathe that air, dangerous or not!

What a mess! Just goes to show you never know what you will encounter while traveling!

Actually, the Mariner stayed put. It was MSC that moved. We had planned on going ashore but it was raining so we waited and then the port closed due to the container fire and chemical spill around 11:00am. Fortunately all debarking guests got off, but the terminal was closed and no buses to take us anywhere, so it was a sea day for us. There are only 8 of us in transit and all * stayed on board. The rain increased in intensity with lightning & thunder so we're glad we didn't get off. There was supposed to be a large group of travel agents & local VIPs visiting and having lunch in Compass Rose and that was cancelled. We got their lunch which was excellent with a choice of baramundi or filet after the chopped lobster something, pumpkin soup,and desert. It was wonderful and we commented that it would be nice if all the meals were up to that standard. For afternoon entertainment, we watched as soaked guests began embarking after 3pm and being handed towels to dry off. The luggage is going slowly because the longshoreman's union says so. It will also be soaked by the time it arrives at the suites. Safety drill has been set back at least an hour and sail away is TBD. Hope Montevideo tomorrow is better.
Nature's Rhythm plays in Horizon lounge before and after dinner so life is good.
Jim

Things have calmed down at the Sheraton. I think most of the passengers have left to get on the ship. Now there's just the debarked passengers waiting to go to the airport. I was wishing we had booked a flight today, but with this awful weather there will probably be delays--so maybe it's better that we're spending the night. We'll hopefully have better weather tomorrow. We'll probably eat dinner here at the hotel--we might drown if we try to go out somewhere. Looking forward to getting home!!!

The final guests and luggage finally arrived around 7pm and we eventually sailed away. The best news is that Nature's Rhythm is back on the Mariner where they belong.

Sounds like total chaos. We even saw it here on the news in DC. Glad things have settled down and hopefully all those rude passengers Victor spoke of are now onboard and feeling less grumpy.

Too bad Peggy about the weather, I'm sure you are looking forward to being home. Its taken us a week to get back into normal routine, and I am still dealing with a cold and cough, but improving everyday, but am glad to be home and have the laundry done, the house decorated and ready to enjoy the holidays.

Too those still onboard, have a great rest of the trip, hope the weather improves and you have no more incidents. That must have been scary for sure.

we are now leaving montevideo a great port

yes we had problems yesterday but we got through it

sun and smiles all today

the weather was great yesterday and now today as well

if they were rude at hotel seems to all calmed down now

have spoken to many that are now just laughing

so off to the tender and look for some more fun


later

well now leaving uraguay and heading for our first brasil port

the weather was great today a little bit of wind but still very nice
we had a nice lunch on shore after our city tour !!

what city? nothing there as this was more of a tourist beach town

no complaints but it could not be called city tour

roanne bought a few things and now both anxious to get to brasil
and a much needed sea day after

off to dinner in compass rose

well now leaving uraguay and heading for our first brasil port

the weather was great today a little bit of wind but still very nice
we had a nice lunch on shore after our city tour !!

what city? nothing there as this was more of a tourist beach town

no complaints but it could not be called city tour

roanne bought a few things and now both anxious to get to brasil
and a much needed sea day after

off to dinner in compass rose

hello from rio grande brasil

just sailing away
a long day on a sunday where in town few people could be found
a nice clean town but i repeat zero to see or do unles you wnt two hours away to a place called cassino which has a huge beach

tomorrow a resting sea day before another brasil port

later

good day from brasil

not much going today

on nice calm sea

having dinner with captain in sette mari
and just rest until new port tomorrow

well just setting sail to santos brasil
not much here at this port

but hot and hotter and very humid

a lot of [people unhappy but were told not to expect much

santos should be fun as 4 ships in port

and no word about visa for inlaws and they leave on 14th

oh boy!!

I will see if I can spot you from those ship's webcams

Please tell Jun, Terry and Larry hello from Cindy and David from Texas! We love those guys!

We're in the nothing-to-see-nothing-to-do port of Santos, Brazil. Felice Patruno boarded on today and will be with us for about 10 days to Salvador. The Marina is docked behind us and officers went back & forth meeting with their counterparts, but guests couldn't (because both lines feared losing customers to the other.) The highlight was a trip to a huge mall, but walking around it for exercise was a change from deck 12. Terry Breen did her standard shoe shopping however. Big crew changeover here - Boris the sommalier (sp) leaves and Daniella replaces him. The Playbill group (Broadway at Sea group) of over 300 many of whom are stereotypical New Yorkers who wear baseball hats and unironed & untucked shirts in Compass Rose and demand everything. The staff will be happy to see them leave. Ihla Grande tomorrow which has no tours but is a beautiful location with unpaved streets and picturesque beaches and great walking paths through the rain forest. Hope the sun shines.

what more could i possibly say!!!

cept it is hot and hotter!!

Welcome to the Amazon, Victor!!

If Daniella is there, you are in good hands. She is one of our favorites.

Beth,
Amazon is still 10 days north of here so the real hot hasn't happened to us yet.

thats correct still days away till amazon
my inlaws join in rio so that part of cruise will be fun

today a tender day and very hot at ill grande

i had a bit of hangover so didnt go early but did go after lunch
and it was nice to walk around where there are no cars
a very pretty and quiet place but may change as this is just start of season

will update tomorrow

Oh, I thought you had to behave around the in laws, victor!

Beth, oh no, not from the way Victor, has described them in the past! To me, sounds like Roseanne had good training, she is so fun at night!

hello from another sunny beach day somewhere in brasil

you can already tell people not happy to leave in two days

my inlaws leave toronto today and will overnight in rio

anyone that knows or met them knows they may be 83 but they party all night even out party rosanne
i go to bed as the next morning is not fun

and since you will all knwo soon enough i fell off no smoking wagon
smoking was better than all nightmares from champix

looking for another way to quit but still much less than before

will update tomorrow from rio


ps go to mark conroys facebook page on december 17th

he will be celebrating his 60th birthday and i want all of us to wish him a happy birthday

later

Oh, NO, Victor. You have got to get off the cigarettes again. We want you around for a very long time breathing. Have you tried the electronic cigarette? I have had a lot of patients who have had success with that. Yes, the chantix does cause some people to have nightmares, so not for everyone, though it is very effective in the stopping smoking.

Will definitely wish Mark a Happy 60th, thanks for the reminder.
Good Luck with the quitting smoking Victor. I took Chantix and had the opposite effect....the best, most vivid dreams, no nightmares!

Enjoy Rosanne's parents, they sound very fun!

ok so now we left beautiful rio
wish we had more time there but thats what cruising does
just gives you a taste

in laws on board all ok
new passnegers and quiet as today is sea day

will update as we go along

later

good morning

yesterday was sea day and today another port in brasil
the in laws have not changed as they partied all day and night

oh to be 83 and still have that strength

quiet day on board as most sat in sun and enjoyed!!

will update later

A group of us had our traditional sea day steak tartare lunch. Felice is on board with his corporate project and he joined us, but not in Uniform. Capt Daniel, Giovanni, Jamie, Gudrun and 8 of us guests attended and we had 2 tables. The tartare was prepared by the Executive Sous Chef and the lunch was held in Signatures for privacy. A special desert was made by the Pastry Chef. They know we like a lot of tartare so servings were about 1 pound of meat. We weren't hungry at dinner.

The Playbill group is gone, sanity has returned to the ship, no more baseball hats in Compass Rose and the Christmas decorations are up

Thanks for the update Jim and the pictures. Always nice to hear what is happening on board and see familiar faces!

one day i will learn how to post pics!!

qand yes it is now different on board and fun

inlaws and myself have a very liquid evening and a loss at casino surprise!!

we had a nice tour yesterady and since we didnt sail till 10 pm
rosanne and myself went back ashore for dinner

jamie told us where he was going and it was fantastic food !!

all through teh meal many mardi gra type bands came through with their loud and fun music
we were told that they do this everynight until march!! wow !
so much sound and energy

all over there was music and food
we did not want to leave

todayw e are at sea and arrive fortelisa tomorrow with an overnight hoping to find music and food on shore

will update

Oh Jim...That Steak Tartare looks fabulous...sometime we have to travel together! All of you...have a wonderful time.

Jim and Pat,

Was it only a month ago we were included in this sea day treat?? Now I can only dream of it!

Happy holidays to the two of you and please give our regards to Wolf and Cheryl (and a special hug to I Made from me...his daughter Dhara turned 4 (I think) on Dec 15. I know how sad he must be to have missed it!).

well we are just sailing fron brasil for 2 sea days
last night we had dinner on shore with one staff from gift shop
at 9 pm it was 90 out and humid
a nice dinner filled with lots of shrimp!!done many ways
todays tour was beach and doon buggys which was way too much fun not as good as dubai but some very steep hills to go down
then the usual shopping and back to ship to sail at 3pm
not bad after an overnight

so now 2 really sunny and hot days to come with sea days
and no rain in sight

will update once skin is cooked!!!!

Great dune driving in Namibia!

When we woke up early this morning the water was already brown even though we were over 100 miles from the mouth of the Amazon. We crossed the Equator at sea yesterday afternoon and will cross it 2 or 3 more times. Capt Neptune (aka Casino Manager) boards at 11:30 today, but the ceremony will be toned down. They can't dump the dirty pool water in the river and need the holding tank for sewage until Manaus. Also there is no salt water to refill the pool the desalinization system doesn't work in silty fresh water, we have to go on existing water until Manaus and they didn't want to use it to refill the pool. People have been reserving deck chairs as early as 6:30 and not returning them until 8:30 - 9:00 so Jamie finally posted the corporate 30 minute rule.
Special events planned for Christmas Eve (Santorem) and Christmas Day (Boca da Valeria.) More later.

Jim, how's it going at trivia? Have a great Christmas.

Peggy,
It's been much better. We lost once from BA to Rio and today was our first loss (by 1 point) since Rio. We're in the Amazon now and today was the Equator Crossing Ceremony at 11:30am.

the pictures say it all
a great sea day with perfect weather

today in port at 3 pm for 4 hours

they have put together a bus to see the fish market in manaus
at 430 am!!!! yup 430 am to see fish

this will be fun!!

4:30am?!?!?! Hope it's worth it and the fish are very, very special!!! Maybe they talk???

On the Mariner in the Amazon the Christmas Eve dinner menu included goose & Chateaubriand. After dinner the show was the ship's cast and cruise director staff performing a medley of Christmas songs with special choreography & costumes created by the dancers for the occasion. Towards the end a large group from Housekeeping and a few from the bar staff and other departments got on stage and performed another 3 songs with the audience joining in on Silent Night.. It was a spectacular performance and at the end they came into the audience to say Merry Christmas and there were handshakes & hugs all around.

yes it was a great show!!
now back at sea heading to manaus
had a short stop in small brasilian village
it is amzing as poor as they are it seems each family has 8 kids!!

there were a huge amount of kids that would took crayons/books etc on shore to some guests took candy and such but thats not good as it is not part of their diet

we have tours in manaus and as i said next am we have a 4am tour with the executive chef to see one of the largest fish markets

that will be fun to see all the different fresh fish that is caught locally

tonight we have christmas dinner in signature with another couple and the chief engineer (italian as my inlaws) so should be a fun dinner and then later we are going to a crew party paid by 4 couples on board (we are one)

the heat has not let up even though we are heading away from the equator and in two days again we head back north to the atlantic ocean

will update

Victor,

I'm curious about the tour with the Executive Chef . . was this something you arranged privately? And if so how did you do it? I'll be on the next South America trip . . . . .

I'd love to hear about it.

Peggy

In 2007 12 of us were invited by Rogerio & Cornel to go to the fish market so we just started asking the GM, F&B etc when we boarded a couple of months ago. I guess others also asked and it seems there will be about 20 going. Start inquiring as soon as you board to get your name on the limited list.
Jim

No, they don't talk but it's rumored they're great swimmers - especially those that got away!

A few days ago Pat & I along with Wolf & Cheryl approached the HR Mgr about sponsoring a crew party of some sort. A proposal was made to us and we recruited Victor & Rosanne and another couple to join in the sponsorship. The party was held last night (Christmas night) from 11pm until around 2am in the Mariner Lounge. Free beer, wine, soft drinks & snacks were provided and we were invited to attend. The fire door from the Atrium was closed for privacy and we sponsors joined around 11:30. Recorded music was playing and it soon became quite crowded. Sometimes it was difficult to recognize some crew members when they are out of uniform and the gals have their hair down. We stayed for about an hour and enjoyed talking informally with crew and it was a lot of fun.

The Sponsors

Koen & Girlfriend

Everyone knows I Made

3 bar waiters

Security off duty

Yesterday was a visit to the little village of Boca da Valeria which isn't a real village but a "stage set" for visiting cruise ships. People come from villages all around the area to sell their wood carvings and handicrafts. Guests who didn't pay attention to the lectures were passing out candy to cute kids who don't have access to a dentist and have little, if any, dental hygiene. There were also a number of kids offering to pose for a Dollar with animals poached from the wild such as sloths, caiman, toucan, monkeys, snakes etc. There were rides in motorized canoes available for $5.00pp which went around the streams to actual villages which were clean and well kept. This area is also where the pink dolphins are in abundance and we saw plenty of them from the ship and tenders.

Great pictures of the Crew Christmas Party, Jim. How nice of you all to do that. I know it was greatly appreciated.

You sponsors ROCK!! A Merry Christmas for all!

yes the party was fun!!!

but i did not wake for tours so just wlked around port till rosanne
came back from the tour

then we went ashore to walk around the wall to wall people and shopping stalls lots of them

but to our surprise very little if any restaurants

getting ready now for night tour then back to ship for the ealry am tour of the local fish market

and need i say hot hot and hotter and humid

tomorrow

What a lovely thing to do I am sure the staff were absolutely thrilled! Great pictures too.

That was so special that you sponsered the party. I'm sure this was a huge success and meant so much to the crew. They are so deserving.

GOOD JOB GUYS !! (hi Cheryl & Wolf )

now we are sailing from manaus back north to the equator and the atlantic ocean and devils island
we have 2 more stops in brasil yet to go
today we wentt o the local fish market but by the time we got there
most fish had already been sold but the

chef did manage to get one at 57kgs which will be on display this week before being served (dont ask the name as there are 500 species in the amazon) rosanne went to visit jungle while i just walked around the port then came the rain which not brought the humdity up
tomorrow we have lunch with the incoming president to replace mark conroy there are only 8 being asked to join him and wife for brunch so i will let you know what he may say
i did meet him briefly today and seems to be very approachable
but i will update

till then

We'll also be with V & R for lunch with the pres & his wife.
Actually, there are around 3000 fish species in the Amazon and J.M. Cousteau estimates that the number could be double that. The large fish Victor mentioned is the Pirarucu, a prehistoric looking fish with large scales that, when dried, become hard and are used in jewelry and fingernail files. There was a 150kg fish available, but the larger ones aren't very tasty so we got a small one.

This photo is from 2007. We'll post the current one when it goes on display in a couple of days.

We had lunch with Kunal Kamlani and his Brazilian born wife Daniella. Their 2 children are on board with them and we met them at dinner. The lunch turned out to be the 8 of us who sponsored the crew party and we're the ones with the highest number of nights on this cruise. We had some interesting discussions and one thing we emphasized was the lack of enforcement of dress codes (jeans, shorts, t shirts and ball hats in restaurants at night) and Kunal said the staff has the authority to enforce the rules, including debarking anyone who won't cooperate. He also said that he's on the board of the cruise line association and they have gotten assurance from govt officials in BA that they will no longer hassle ships that visit the Falklands, but they still have to see if Ushuaia will go along with it. It's possible that the Falklands will be on the Circle S.A. cruise. I like his attitude and hope he follows through with the things we discussed.
Jim

Jim and Pat. We are getting on as you get off. Hope you got everything ship shape. We are facing a full ship so hope the crew has had an easy trip since the "group" got off. Hope our paths cross again. Pam and Jim

Pam and Jim, I hope you have a great trip and that I see you someday on a cruise soon! We always seem to. I am envying that family gathering in Africa this year!

Jim, this is especially good news. It would be a shame not to be able to visit both the Falklands and Antarctica in one cruise. Both parts of my cruise there were highlights to me when I visited in 2008.

i agree with jim that the new pres seems to be very aproachable and listens to what you have to say
i had a long conversation with him yesterday and alraedy notice some changes
he also gave us all his card with an invitation to call or e mail at any time which was the norm with mark conroy so all good so far

today we are at sea heading to devils island tomorrow and the new years party tomorrow night

to one and all i wish the best new years wished for you tomorrow
and may you have many more to come

till next year !!!!!!!!!!

Pam and Jim,
We are getting on Jan 21st from Lima, when are you getting off?

We get off on Jan 7. We've been on board since Oct 30.

In Parentins we attended the Boi Bumba show. It used to be held in the open air practice facility with a very high roof so extreme costumes & floats could be brought in. Now they use an air conditioned convention center with a much lower roof so costumes aren't as grand and it becomes really loud in an enclosed room. I preferred the heat, humidity and a more opulent show.

Santarem, Brazil on the Amazon

Leg of bull grilled at pool deck BBQ while leaving Santarem

Pirarucu from Manaus Fish Market on display and being grilled. Very tasty.

The dark water is the Tapajos river running into the light brown Amazon at Santarem.

The Amazon

good morning from the wet gloomy weather on the seven seas mariner not a nice day

but a day to reflect on our last year and what may be coming in the new year

also a time to remmeber those that are not with us anymore
but are still with our thoughts

life is too short dont waste a minute!!


happy new year to all around the world

victor

the performance was energetic to say the least but way too noisy. It would have been more fun if it was outdoors. When we went if you didn't get an early bus, seating was a problem. Still warm even with air conditioning.

Ahhh....the Boi Bumba show, fun memories!!

Thanks for all the great seamail guys !! We love it.

Jim what fantastic pictures. I love those costumes thank you so much for posting bought some some good memories of that port stop.

Dec 31 It was raining at breakfast time with low grey clouds as we headed towards Iles du Salut, Islands of Salvation aka Devil's Island Prison Group. By the time we arrived at 1:00pm the sun was out and it was hot & humid. Isles du Salut had a strange beginning. France owned the area known as French Guiana (just below British Giuana, a section of which became Surinam when it was traded to Holland in exchange for the small colonial island New Amsterdam, currently called Manhattan.) French Guiana is actually a Department of France (like a state) and not a colony or territory. In the late 1700s France wanted to populate it and printed up glorified pamphlets promising free land and 3 years of free food & supplies in this "paradise." 12,000 French citizens took up the offer and sailed to French Guiana. Unfortunately the area is protected from the Atlantic winds so there was no cooling breeze to sooth the extreme heat & humidity. Within 6 months, 9,000 of the immigrants were dead from tropical diseases and malnutrition. The remaining 3,000 wanted to go home but there were only ships for 2,000. The remaining 1,000 wretched souls discovered that the 3 islands about 10 miles off shore from what is now the city of Kourou (home of the European Space Canter) had winds and so they moved there until a ship came to take them home about a year later. They named the island group Iles du Salut (Islands of Salvation) and the individual islands Ile Royale, Ile du Diable and Ile Saint Joseph. The islands remained uninhabited until 1852 when Emperor Napolean decided to make them a penal colony. Ile Royale was the administrative center and home for guards & families. It also held the common prisoners and the majority of the ruins are on it. It's also the island where Steve McQueen's & Dustin Hoffman's characters in the movie Papillon were housed. Ile St Joseph housed the most troublesome prisoners and Ile du Diable housed the political prisoners, the most notable being Alfred Dreyfus. The islands served as a penitentiary until 1953.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE MARINER!!!

NYE has always been a fun time on Regent. The best one was one with Jamie about 6 years ago. A little more exciting than this year watching grandkids who struggled to stay up until midnight. Almost lost the 8 year old at 11:50

Victor,

You mentioned that there have been some changes instituted on the Mariner by the new President, would you talk about what those changes are?

Thanks . . . .Peggy

New Years Day was a full day at sea going from Devil's Island to Barbados, so our group had another steak tartare lunch. Victor & Rosanne attended as well as the Staff Capt & Engineer and F&B Mgr. The Canadian Executive Chef Jonathan made a special presentation decorating it with some caviar, creme fresh & roasted caviar. It was quite a treat.

hello from san juan

a very nice and warm day

yesterday in st barts was very very hot

but with late departure we walked in town till all aboard

last night we also found out we could stay until peru
which we didnt expect as they were fully bookd
so we will take in laws to airport and visit navigator also in port
in miami on the 7th

off to bacardi rum
will update

Wow Victor, so you're on till Peru ? Sounds like you and Rosanne are up to your old tricks again. Way to go !! I sure wish we were going around South America again...so fun.

ENJOY.!

yes we are on way to miami today
2 sea days
then back south to peru

san juan not changed much hot and hotter today

now we enjoy the sea days

Victor, how fun to be able to stay on longer. We like the Bacardi Factory...good mojitos!!!

Victor, we forgot that mariner was going to be in san Juan yesterday. We were at the fortress, and my husband looked out and said " what regent ship is here?" Saw the mariner from afar.

Too bad I forgot. We had a great lunch at Pizza and Birra. Would have loved to meet you guys.

Went to the Bacardi distillery today. Bought rum. Good day. But tomorrow, home.

we were at fort as well
not much at bacrdi tour wasted time that was!!

now last sea day and arrive 6 am tomorrow to miami
then take in laws to hotel and rosanne goes shopping
then back to leave for another 2 sea days

later

ps lots of crew changing in miami
i think because start of circle south america trip starting

Agree Bacardi trip a waste of time if only one day in port. Forts were much more interesting, but we had lots of time. And why would parents take small children to the Bacardi distillery? There is nothing there for kids, and all they did was cry and whine, making it difficult for everyone else to hear.

Bon Voyage Peggy, We wish we were on South America trip too.

Enjoy the next couple of months.

Bon Voyage Peggy!
Victor, maybe you can give us an update of the staff changes when you know.

Thanks Karen and Marcie.

Victor, hope to meet you and Rosanne on board.

Peggy

Peggy, a big Bon Voyage to you as well, except I think you have already been on? I never did figure out where the "circle South America" this year begins/began and ends this year! Anyway, it appears you are already onboard, and hope you are all settled in and meeting up with lots of old friend.

Enjoying all the news from everyone in South America. Not sure whether Jim and Pat are still on. lol.....given that I saw them on the ship around Thanksgiving time, guess maybe not!

Boarding today . . . .

The Mariner seen from the Norwegian Sky cam in Miami:

To Peggy:

From: Ray & Penny

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcardm.asp?code=3968013902161&ob=1&cont=1

Victor, you mentioned the new RSSC President telling you about some changes (during your lunch together) but you never gave us any details ??

Ray, that sure is a pretty Bon Voyage card for Peggy.

Grabbed this shot of the Port of Miami with both the Navigator and the Mariner in port.

Good job Cindy, I couldn't figure out which ship was which when I looked at that cam this morning! Looks like they put the Nav on the other side of the tracks

Yesterday afternoon at a 2:00pm lecture in the Horizon Lounge we saw the Navigator behind us starboard side. We seemed to be going faster and lost her by tea time.

Just want to say how much I enjoyed Jim & Pat's postings and pix - thanks so much!!

Here's a couple of more stalking pictures.

There were 7 ships in Miami today, and the Navigator and Mariner were the last the leave:


And here's the Mariner pulling out - have fun you South America cruisers! Wish we were going again!

Beautiful, Cindy!

Great stalk Cindy! To think, we were leaving on the first segment of circle South America this time last year.

hello from sea

we left miami yesterday after putting inlaws into airport hotel
for overnite before flight to toronto
we came right back to ship and yes it was a busy port
maaged to have a few drinks and ended up missing dinner
thank god for chris martin who was only too glad to join rosanne
so she should not be too upset with me

there are a huge number of people on board that we met on voyageur last year (none which i can remember) and a few that have stories about me that they wont reveal to me
so it will be fun trip

at sea today and tomorrow so will just relax on pool deck
until block party tonight at 6 and captains welcome

will update

ok good day all from the mariner

2nd day at sea and it is very very choppy

pool deck cannot be used due to wind

but to my surprise a lot of people up and around
maybe because a lot of seasoned cruisers on board

tonight captains welcome and so far very quiet
we hit land tomorrw which is good dince last four out 5 days at sea

just another bumpy fun ride

hello from aruba
we have now done tow of the abc islands and are on way to columbia
where we arrive at 3pm tomorrow and do an overnite
i love doing overnites as you get to actually see the nightlife
and the real way of life for the locals we have added 7 days
to stay in peru and do a tour of various places

again very quiet ship with the exception of what i call laundry bitches !!! boy a lot of fighting so glad mine is included with our status

went last night for dinner with laura and chris(social hostess and ast cruise director) and had a famtasti(costly) meal

today in aruba rosanne and i went to another great place to eat
again not cheap versus north american prices but food was great

i am looking forward to columbia as we have not been there in 6 years so i expect to have a long fun day

and no snow!!!

soon