Yo Ho, Yo Ho, Navigator Life for Me!

Ahoy, Mateys! We are off to sail a half-sea or so on Navigator. We flew into Ft. Lauderdale yesterday, came through Atlanta with half the population of the Western World but with NO flight delays!

This is one of the voyages that Regent offered 60% off during the one week in July, and we jumped on it; then there was a bargain upsell while I was out of town and Mark moved us WAY up the ladder to the Master Suite! I've told him he'd might as well make up his mind right now, Pammy loves her some space. The layout is a little awkward, but nothing we can't conquer. The a/c is working much better in the living room than in the bedroom, so I may end up trying to finagle a bed over in the corner where it's cooler. That's a tomorrow thing, though.

We have gotten so many "welcome back's"! We checked in, in the actual port building this time and once we went up the escalator there were people lined up to welcome us onboard and offer to help with our carryons. There must have been at least a dozen of them, then when we actually boarded the ship, someone took our boarding passes and handed them to security for us (they were requesting that we use the hand sanitizer this time, vocally) and there was a waiter with a tray full of (full) glasses of champagne. Someone else asked us if we had been on Navigator before, then called the elevator for us and sent us on our way to La Verandah.

I have told Mark that I'll never let him talk me into packing at the last minute again! I brought probably twice as many clothes as I will need, but didn't pack my toothbrush! We stayed at the new Hilton last night, and this morning the bellman asked us if we'd rather have a car instead of a cab. We said yes, the driver stopped at Walgreen's and I got toothbrush and sunscreen.

Guiseppe is back onboard as Hotel Director, he spoke to us on the run. I may end up talking to him some time, because with everything else being wonderful, the chairs on our balcony are pathetic. I can't imagine how old they are, they don't have arms or any kind of adjustment, and one thin cushion on the seat. Our butler said it's because we are at the front of the ship (something about "flyaway"), but this is our third time of being at the front of the ship and we've always had nicer chairs.

We went to the library to get a book each, but that's all the exploring we have done. Tomorrow is Princess Cay. Oh, one funny thing; in the "passages" there's a little blurb about the shopping expert and how tomorrow he'll be at the gangplank to advise us on shopping in Key West (which is not one of our ports this trip). Little things that cause a chuckle.

I guess I'll go read for a while now, I'll be back!

It sounds like you are off to a great start, Pam! Glad you arrived so easily and the welcome aboard was up to standard.

Master suite? on sale? :woh:

Cheers, Anne

Sounds wonderful Pam. I bet that chair and A/C situation will be solved by noon tomorrow. Have a fantastic time my dear, dear friend.

Hi Pam...OK...they may not be on the same page...but you've read the book! Have a great cruise.

Pam, I am glad you are firmly planted in that beautiful master suite! I hope you have a fantastic week!

Pam - looking forward to your seamail! Enjoy that suite!!

Masaki

Thanks for the sea mail. The embarkation you got is what I was expecting of Regent. Sounds great! The suite will probably be cool by today. I agree on the chairs, get new ones. Someone will surely fix it today.

Looking forward to hearing more! Have fun.

Thanks for checking in Pam and can't wait to hear more from you! Enjoy the cruise! :)

We got new chairs this morning! Perfect service, all we had to do was mention them last night to our butler. Mark has already tried them out.

Princess Cay today, but I think I may take a nap instead. We aren't beach folks, so we'll have lunch in Compass Rose.

Pam, you can send me to Princess Cay in your place!! Laying on a beach chair sounds pretty good right about now!

the shopping consultant is mr darell nancy
a very knowledgeable person on the islands
he lecture on diamonds is well worth the time
and if you press him he will actually tell you
how to get the prices down even lower in some of the shops
you must also ask him about watches!!!

Pam,
Thanks for the report. I love the Navigator!
Enjoy your Master Suite, Girl, and keep sending that SeaMail!

Pam, thanks for the sea mail. Glad you and Mark are enjoying your wonderful Master Suite.

Nancy

Hey Pam!

Thanks for checking in and keep that seamail coming!!

I was fixing a salad at the Pool Grill at noon, and somebody behind me greeted Kenny Smiles, so I assume that he'll be performing some time. We have every intention of seeing him if he does, because we've managed to miss him up to now.

I think that as many people stayed on the ship as went to the beach, because the Pool Deck was pretty crowded.

Oh, and our bathroom toiletries are Anichine, with Olive Oil. Very nice!

Don't miss Kenny, Pam. Don't sit on the front row unless you and Mark want to be picked on unmercifully.

That signals you as a nice person, Beth! A lesser (or more mischievous one would say "oh, get there early and sit in the front")! I always sit up in the balcony for his shows! Never get anywhere early enough for a front row seat, even forwarned!

Olivia, I wouldn't put Kenny's silly wrath on anyone. When we saw him for the first time, a family (I had emailed the mom on cc prior to the cruise) sat right up front. Kenny picked on all 4 of them. They had so much fun they were front and center for his next show. I can't believe someone would want to go through that again.

Beth, the different strokes thing! Maybe he will venture up to balcony now to find unsuspecting victims! I sure hope not!

Oh, we already knew not to sit up front! Plenty of reviews about those happenings!

Pam, who is the captain and some of the staff on this cruise? Any idea if they will be back on after drydock?

Thanks!!

Beth, the captain is Jarle Jensen, we met him last year. He's their youngest captain, and very nice looking and friendly. The CD is Paul Reynolds, Guiseppe is Hotel Director. As of right now, I haven't found out who is or isn't coming back after dry dock.

Today is a sea day, we slept in very late and have just meandered around the ship. Had Paella and Bouillabaisse on Pool Deck at noon. Chocolate Fondue Tea was kind of weak, but that's fine for my waistline. I skipped the ice cream social in favor of the chocolate so don't know what that was like.

The boutique has lost its bid to stay onboard, so they are having some big sales today. I got the girls some silver bracelets at 75% off, but the expensive stuff isn't marked down that far and it's still very expensive. I visited the sunglasses that I fell in love with in February, but even at 50% off they are more than I'm willing to pay for something I'll either scratch or lose. Since they are still there, I guess nobody else was willing, either.

I have "parked a booking", the CC has been pretty busy and I caught her between clients. Her name is Lynn Madsen, I haven't met her before but she is very efficient and friendly.

Thanks for letting me know the captaain and staff onboard now. I think I remember Captain Jensen from past cruises. Wasn't he staff captain under Capt. Dag?

The boutique sale sounds like fun. Maybe the sale will still be going on for No-Name.
Continue to have a fun cruise and enjoy that Master Suite.

Today is San Juan. We didn't want to do much of anything, except that I was having an addicted fit for my Coke Zero and I only like it in 12-16-20 oz bottles, NOT in cans. Mark's back wasn't happy, so we got a mini-tour with a cab, I got my "fix" and then we went to the Ritz Carlton for an hour or so. Donated some money to their casino, then I called home and talked to everybody. I wanted to be away from the ship's tower so I wouldn't pick up roaming charges.

We are docked next to RCCL's Voyager of the Seas. When we came back to the ship for lunch, there were literally hundreds of people standing in line waiting to board that huge thing. They were using three gangplanks, I think, and still the line stretched almost back to the street. Wow. I think I heard them leave a few minutes ago.

Beth, I believe Captain Jensen was staff captain under Captain Dag. He's very nice, he was showing somebody a bargain he got in San Juan, when we were coming down from lunch.

Pam - glad you were able to get your Coke Zero fit. Hope Mark's back is feeling better. Those large ships are simply amazing, aren't they? We had a big one parked next to us in Key West and .. wow! .. what a scene when it was time to reboard the ship.

Keep up the Navigator Life for us!

Cheers, Anne

We were just down on Deck 6 and noticed a big bunch of people wandering around with their life vests in their hands. We are docked, so no need to man the life boats. I asked the bartender in Navigator Lounge and he said they had just gotten onboard. We were surprised on Monday when we sailed right on time, with the bad weather all over the E. Coast. Now we know, a lot of people had to fly to San Juan. Some of them looked totally exhausted.

Edit; just back from dinner. FIFTY people missed the ship in Ft. Lauderdale and were due to join us here. Fourteen haven't made it, Seth said 36 got on today that he knew of.

It's so funny! We simply skipped dinner last night because we were completely stuffed. Our poor butler almost went into meltdown, wanted to bring us "just something light". Today at noon, Seth wanted to know where we ate last night. Tonight at dinner, Mario (headwaiter?) and Bobby (Seth's partner) wanted to know where we were last night. Bobby said he had approached John (our butler) to make sure we were okay.

Pam

Jarle was Staff Captain under Dag and he came back to the Voyager as "Acting Staff Captain" on FJORDS.

Please tell Paul Reynolds & Lynn Madsen hello from Jim & Pat, thanks.

Jim

and also jarle was staff captain on song of flower a real nice person!

Wow, what a bummer for all those people who are missing a good chunk of their cruise, or worse!

Today has been St. Thomas, always a happy place for us. We did one of the ever present overview tours on an open-air bus (I noticed that every single tour vehicle has a staff member escorting it, that is very impressive. Not just one per tour, but one per vehicle) then got dropped off downtown. Went to the one little jewelry store that I love, bought the bracelet I was hoping for, ate a salad at an outdoor restaurant, then came back to the ship.

Tonight is the SSS party, yet I haven't seen any sign of the Regent pins like we used to get. I know that in February, they said that the shipment hadn't arrived yet, but I don't know what has happened this time around. I haven't asked anybody, either. We are invited to dine with Guisseppi, so I know we'll be entertained during dinner. Then Kenny Smiles at 9:45 (from a very discreet distance).

It has rained a couple of times today, and has been very breezy. I don't think we felt any effect from the earthquake, although Mark told me I slept through some kind of rough water. Maybe, maybe not, his view of rough and mine can differ sometimes.

How I wish Kenny would be on a cruise I'm on! Been several cruises since I've been to one of his shows.

Olivia, Kenny was on FJORDS! I thought you were with us in the balcony hiding ;)

Pam, Post a picture of that bracelet! :app:

Okay, I am a died in the wool Kenny fan, now. I was in tears, he's hilarious! He lives really close to where Rich does, in Arkansas, but I kept that my little secret.

Suzie, I'll try my luck with a picture of the bracelet tomorrow, while I have some time on my hands. The internet is sooooo slow this trip! It's a dainty little thing, goes absolutely perfectly with the one I bought in February at the same store. I'll try for both.

Guiseppi and I had a long, very interesting coversation at dinner. He is excited about the direction the company is taking. I had been told at the SSS party that the Regent pins are a thing of the past, but he says maybe not.

So glad you've seen Kenny not-so-up close and personal. He's a hoot.

I'd be interested in how Guiseppi sees things progressing for Regent.

Enjoy your next day!

Cheers, Anne

I don't think I've ever met Guiseppi, but Pam has confirmed to me that John's avatar morfs into him!

Have fun as you continue your cruise, Pam! And don't keep it such a secret about Arkansas. Kenny loves the state, but boy does he have some tales about buying something there! A bag of grain or something?

Olivia, after we talked about it, I really believe John's avatar is John (with hair) morphing into John (without hair), but the resemblance to Guisseppi is very striking.

There was somebody else in the audience from Arkansas, so she kept that part of the act going. He didn't talk about buying anything there, just about "having vittles" with his neighbor. His favorite victims were 1)two people who came in a little late, 2)a guy who was talking during the opening act, and 3)a guy who didn't clap after the opening act.

Yesterday we stayed onboard (St. Barths) and did absolutely nothing. I didn't think I was capable of that, but I am. Today is St. Maarten but it's still very early and we haven't even docked yet.

Olivia,

Giuseppi was the Hotel Director on DABS (Black Sea). Remember? His then girlfriend, (now wife) Gerlinda, was the gorgeous blonde tour manager with eyes like turquoise pools.

Pam,

John's avatar really is John/Giuseppi.

Suzanne, THANKS! It's been so long since John was around that I was guessing wildly. I'll have to go back and search to look at his avatar again. He told us the other night that the baby has his eyes and his wife's blonde hair, and he really wanted him to have Gerlinda's eyes. So, they'll have to try again.

Today was St. Maarten, it's always been "my happy place" so I walked around with a smile on my face the whole day. Since it's Sunday, some stores didn't open and some did very shortened hours, but enough were open long enough for me to contribute to the economy. Then we caught a cab and went to a little restaurant out by the airport; it was a step up from "the ladies on the beach in Grand Case", but not so far that it wasn't a fantastic experience. The difference here was that we could pick our own lobster (from an area that is fenced in) and have salads as sides instead of just rice or macaroni salad. I had a "Gray Goose Cosmopolitan" that resembled none I've ever had before, but again, it was an experience. If you get here and want a fun lunch right on the water, it's Turtle Pier.

Then we had a "behind the scenes" tour, but it wasn't as extensive as it usually is because they are already preparing the lower levels for the drydock construction after this cruise.

I just told Mark that tonight's dinner is just what we've been waiting for, ostrich stir-fry. I've been very adventurous and had venison and pheasant, but this stir-fry will feature cilantro and I simply can't stand that stuff. I'll have to pass, and he ate so much lobster at lunch that he'll probably have to bypass most kinds of protein tonight.

Tomorrow is Tortola....spice shopping!

Pam...I have to try your luncheon suggestions - I'll be there in late December - can you give me the name of the restaurant?

I'm happy to hear about your good times!

Margo, it's Turtle Pier. It's right across the main road from the airport, next door to Avis Car Rental. I'd stop just short of calling it a "restaurant" but it's a slight step up from the ladies on the beach at Grand Case.

I have to tell a story on myself. I left Mark on a bench, and wandered down the main street of Phillipsburg. For whatever reason, I went into this one small jewelry store and saw a pair of earrings I wanted to try on. I wear small diamond "huggie" earrings 24/7, so they get shampooed, hair sprayed, totally gunked up. I took one out to try on the earring I was looking at, and was appalled at the state of mine. The nice young man took both of my earrings and put them in the cleaner thing for me while I played in his jewelry. I bought the earrings but didn't wear them, he gave me a calendar for next year and a cold Diet Coke for Mark. I started happily down the sidewalk, and I heard "Pamela! Pamela!". I turned around and he said he had just remembered that my little huggie earrings were still in the cleaner thing. I was so grateful, I would have been really irked if I got down the road and realized I didn't have my earrings in. But all is well.

Oh goodness, Pam, thank goodness for people like that! I "park" a pair of tiny diamond earrings that belong to Jes in my ears, and just took them out the other day as they had too much gunk! Glad you got your huggies back. I went to the website for TP restaurant, and it sounds much like the beach restaurants in Anguilla from our short land visit last month. Love that local lobster!

I hope you and Mark continue to enjoy your cruise! Thanks for checking in so we landlocked friends can vicariously enjoy your cruise!

Olivia...thanks for the google suggestion...my mouth is water for some lobster!

Here\'s the link to Turtle Pier!

Pam....Glad you found such an honest jeweler - We have a favorite there too but I don't remember the name - we find in somehow when we need too LOL :0

Pam,
Thanks for the restaurant recommendation. We will be there in January on Navigator and since it is Sunday our favorite restaurant (Tropicana) on the French side will not be open. I am planning to go to Turtle Pier.

I love Caribbean lobster!

Merril

I didn't have my camera with me yesterday, so I didn't get a picture of them fishing out the various lobsters for approval, or the lady carrying "the chosen one" across to the kitchen by its antennae. I was very sorry not to have gotten a picture of that.

This morning we docked in Road Town, Tortola. Small town, skinny dock for the cruise ships. Mark was sitting out on the balcony and commented on how many sailboats were passing by. He went in to do something, and I stepped out onto the balcony to look at sailboats (I thought). I came nearly nose to nose with NCL's Pearl. It just "appeared" right beside us, rather startling. Then we found out that the Queen Mary II is anchored out in the harbor, so Road Town is literally packed full of people. We went to the spice store, I bought Rich a couple of tshirts, we played in one jewelry store and came back to the ship.

We've been to Turtle Pier several times on our trips to St. Martin. We love it and always go there at least once while we're there. Our favorite place in St. Martin is just down the road from there on the other side of the airport. It's the Sunset Beach Bar--right next to the entrance to Caravanserai. The Sunset is smack dab at the end of the runway where all the planes land in St. Martin. We love waving to the 747 pilots as they approach the runway and watching the planes touch down. If you're on the beach, you can almost touch the planes as they land. They have air traffic control piped into the bar/restaurant so you can hear as well as see the planes coming in. They have great cheeseburgers and snack stuff there--no lobster. It's noisy, but tons of fun. We'll be going there again in March when we're taking all our kids and grandkids on an RCCL cruise in the Caribbean over Spring Break.

Peggy that sounds like our kinda place - fun and great burgers!

How exciting about your family cruise! :)

Today we anchored off Cayo Levantado, a small island off the coast of the Dominican Republic. We just stayed on the ship and relaxed once again.

Tonight was Kenny Smiles again. He said that this was his last show, and the end of his last contract (as of now?). I don't have any clue when they sign contracts for entertainment, so I don't know if that is possibly an alarming situation. He started out not quite as funny, but made up for it later in the show.

Tomorrow is Grand Turk, and then a sea day, and home. I have simply rested a lot of the time, and I feel so restored. I'm ready to buckle down and handle whatever I need to, again.

Glad to hear that you're feeling recharged, Pam!

Masaki

Thanks Pam, for taking the time to post. I'm so glad you've had a relaxing cruise. I understand how a nice Regent cruise can make one feel all rejuvenated.

Thanks Pam, you certainly deserve this cruise after the last long months. Glad you are rested, and restored - hope you got a spa treatment or two while you were at it.

Pam, sometimes that restoration just requires doing just what you have done, relaxing and resting! Like Masaki said, I'm glad your are recharged and ready for what is to come when you get home! Have a great day in Grand Turk tomorrow, and a sea day after that!

Just what you sooooo needed, Pam. Glad to hear that your cruise was all you hoped for and more!

Keep on having a wonderful time!

I never take naps. Today, I took two.

I forgot to mention that last night, I proved once again that there is a really good reason why my momma didn't name me "Grace". I was pulling the closet door shut and didn't realize that I had my right thumb in the area where the hinges are. Ouch. That's the end of me wearing the little stacking bracelets on my left wrist, they require quite a bit of thumb strength to release the catch. And now I have a purple right thumb to match my purple left foot. But I managed to get semi-dressy shoes on tonight without problem.

We have done very well with several self-proclaimed "sea days" so Mark may be willing to consider a cruise with more actual sea days. Tomorrow there will actually be sea day "things to do", too. But we have enjoyed our books.

Ouch, Pam! But at least you match...

Hi, Pam, I hope you are feeling well. We have started our sea day after 4 days of touring plus a couple of busy days in Dubai. We have two, and they are full of stuff. I hope Mark starts to like sea days and relaxing. It is hard to do everything and relax, too, so we know we have to make choices.

Take care!

We are home, safe and sound, with all luggage intact! We stayed on the ship for Grand Turk, then thoroughly enjoyed our sea day yesterday. Debarkation this morning was the smoothest ever, flights were on time, security was polite, pretty much a perfect trip.

We got home to the discovery of Mark's big-screen television refusing to switch on, so he's going to be discombobulated all weekend. I'll call the repair department on Monday and hopefully get it fixed soonest.

While in drydock, they plan to install interactive flat-screen televisions. The plan is that for things you used to use the telephone, you'll do it on the television. Sounds ambitious, but hopefully they'll get it done.

We had to call maintenance several times because of a flushing issue in the half-bath. Our neighbors across the hall said their main bathroom had the problem, we timed it a couple of times at a ten minute delay between pushing the button and actually hearing the flushing. There was a several degree difference in the temperatures between the living room and bedroom, which was a real problem that they never got fixed. In order to have the bedroom at a comfortable sleeping temperature, the living room had to be freezing. Hopefully they will come up with a solution for that.

We were called by name so much that I told Mark there had to be a major celebrity onboard by the name of Lurie, who was wondering why they were being ignored.

We have rather simple food tastes, and always found something really good. They did a fantastic job of making Mark's rigid pre-surgery diet as painless as possible, and they anticipated our needs beautifully. My glass of iced tea was always on the table by the time we got into Compass Rose, and Mark got his pitcher of skim milk for his after dinner coffee.

The bed was just plain hard, but we survived without an egg crate so obviously it wasn't beyond salvation. I am happy to be back home to my own bed, though, but isn't everybody when the time comes?

Welcome home, Pam!

Pam, thanks so much for all the news of your cruise. It was a pleasure to "enjoy" it with you.

Hope your first night at home is pleasant, even without Mark's BIG SCREEN.

Glad to hear you made it home safely, Pam. Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us. Sounds like a great R&R cruise. Hope you will share your pictures with us.

Thanks for all the great posts during your cruise Pam. :)

Welcome home, Pam! Thanks for taking the time to post for us!
Good luck on Mark's TV repair!!

Welcome home Pam! Sounds like you and Mark had a wonderful and relaxing cruise. Thanks so much for all of your sea mail.

Nancy

Beth, I'm sorry but I just didn't take any pictures on this trip. We didn't do but one tour, and I took so many pictures from the same itinerary in February that my camera simply didn't get used. We wished for it at lunch on St. Maarten but I didn't even have my cellphone with me that day to take lobster pics.

That's ok, Pam. It's always nice to see pix from cruises. You have those lovely memories in your head. Just glad you had a great restful experience.