forgap

the ride underneath!

Iguazu!   It is really spectacular.  Imagine Niagara Falls times one hundred.   I took the zodiac under the falls which was great fun.   Even though we had a nightmare scenario getting back to BA (cancelled flight, spending the night on hard plastic chairs in the tiny Iguazu airport, missing the BA tour) it made for an iconic travel story.  

1 hour ago, Pcardad said:

flushed an article of clothing to "hide" it.

Hmmmmm…..something  not belonging to the wife?  

Capt. Jablin crossed my mind yesterday out of the blue.  We crossed paths on the Navigator in 2017.  I was a Navy brat so I had to introduce myself as we were both walking on the upper deck.  I guess his spirit was giving a final salute.  

I was reading Regent reviews on CC and came across this quote:

“They advertise about having great internet. Reality is that for several month past and until May 2024 they have really bad wifi due to a fight with Starlink.”

Does anyone have any information on this?  

5 hours ago, giustot said:

For  those who can't read the article, I think I can gift it.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/travel/cruise-travel-insurance.html?unlocked_article_code=1.TU0.tPU0.zI9u-awVA_vq&bgrp=a&smid=url-share

 

Thank you for your help.  How do you gift a NYT article…..for future reference? 

This is a very interesting article in the New York Times concerning trip insurance, a cancelled flight and, thus, a missed cruise.   The moral of the story, in my opinion, is to read the fine print and avoid insurance that is offered by the cruise line. 

  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/travel/cruise-travel-insurance.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

1 hour ago, papaflamingo said:

I have seen a number of shows on Ponant and have seen the ships (beautiful design).  But it seems they were really geared to Europeans more than English speaking Americans.  Also the cabins seem very small.  

Anyway how did you like Ponant?  Looks to me like a great cruise line for the Antarctic.   

We liked Ponant very much.  I really like modern design but the cabins are rather small with some major design flaws.  That being said, the expedition team and captain spoke excellent english.  My husband is French so the language issue was not a problem for us.  When the Filipino crew discovered my husband was a French Professor, they always appeared, little notebooks in hand, to learn more French. The passenger mix was very international with a large Japanese contingent, a sizable Chinese Canadian contingent, some French, some Americans, some Australians.  One expedition team member was bilingual in Japanese and English (grew up in NJ).  All announcements were in French, English, and Japanese. It was a very memorable cruse with iconic moments I will never forget.  

4 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

I'd say you can legitimately say you've been 'to' Antarctica, but you haven't been 'on' Antarctica.  I'd asked the same question myself, and came to the conclusion that as much as I'd like to walk through the penguin poop personally, I'd prefer to be right offshore on a Regent vessel than crammed on an expedition ship.  Yeah, I know that some of them are pretty nice, but dollar for dollar I'm happier being on a somewhat larger ship.  But maybe that's just me...

We did both.  The landings were spectacular and worth the effort.  We sailed Ponant in 2016 and then Voyager for a drive by on 2023.  Each cruise had its advantages.  We were much more up close and personal to whales, penguins, and elephant seals on the Ponant expedition cruise.  We also slid down a snowy mountain after a hike to the top and managed to see a leucastic penguin.  On the other hand, the scientific team on Voyager made the trip.   If you are not in physical shape to make landings, then the drive by’s are a great alternative.  
 

some pics from the Ponant trip:

To celebrate our first landing

Elephant seal

Penguin version of Abbey Road

4 hours ago, Gilly said:

 

I frequently question whether hotel designers ever stay in the rooms they design!  We have come across similar features and whilst it's theoretically a solution to a windowless bathroom, it's utterly hopeless in practice for exactly the reasons you describe!

 

We're so looking forward to following your travels in the next couple of weeks, Rachel - heading to that part of the world ourselves next year and just feeling ready for a little temptation 😅

I often say designers should be forced to spend a week in a mock up of their design.  We were once on a ponant cruise with too much furniture in the room so it was tight and difficult to navigate.  The closet doors opened out into a small hallway leading to the cabin door.  The bathroom door and WC door also opened out into the same small space.  The result?  Chaos!  

Enjoy!  I’m looking forward to reading your impressions of this beautiful region.  We cruised from San Diego to Auckland on Navigator in 2017 with our best friends.  My favorite memory was sailing out of the lagoon in Bora Bora followed by about twenty outrigger canoes, champagne in hand, and  “Bali Hai” from South Pacific playing on the ship’s speakers.  I hope they repeat this for you.   Bon voyage!  

Did the luggage ever arrive?  Or, is it still in limbo?  

We did a similar excursion in Cairns in 2018.  The catamaran was huge with about 200 people packed in - a mix of Regent passengers and others.  A cyclone was about 500 miles away so very choppy seas.  Of course, I got sea sick.   Mustered up enough energy to squeeze into a wetsuit (not a model shoot - more like 100 imitation Orcas), got into the murky water for snorkeling and called it quits after five minutes.   I was down for the count for the rest of the excursion.  For what it’s worth, Bora Bora was much better and, actually, Oman was better.  

16 minutes ago, Bruce61 said:

 

I assume you never plan to go back to Brazil?  I’d hazard to guess the reaction if you stiff a government out of a fee and reapply in a few years.

Did I say i was going to Brazil?  I simply asked a question.  
 

Curious if the cost of the visa could be disputed with your credit card company.  After all, you paid for a service you didn’t receive.

@zak477  I think you have some valid points but ones expectations of anything tend to be personal and based on your life experience.  I imagine if you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, Regent would be a definite step down.  Most of us, however, have worked hard for the funds to pay for a Regent cruise so that luxury is defined a bit differently.  For us, not being nickel and dime at every turn is luxury.  Spacious cabins with lovely decks are luxury .  Beautiful common spaces and engaging fellow travelers add to the ambiance.  
 

We have taken two Regent cruises since Jason was replaced by Andrea.  The first, in February of this year on voyager was wonderful, the second in October on Splendour, was our least favorite cruise ever as it felt like the management was dialing it in…nothing special, no hallway meet and greet, no deck BBQ, mediocre entertainment and lectures.  Food is subjective and has been good.  So, it remains to be seen if we can pin this on management in Miami.  We have two cruises booked for 2024 so time will tell. 

18 minutes ago, Chateaunole-du-pape said:

wife is a French teacher, and I work in the airline industry, so we are well set up for travel,

We live in ATL and ny husband was a French professor at GSU.  I wonder if he taught your wife?….Dr. Georges Perla, Modern and Classical Languages.  

Ha!  That was me!  It was one of the most memorable trips we ever took.  Remember how exhausted we were?  It was non stop and each thing we did was better than the last.  But, the warriors were amazing and the highlight of the tour!

This is an interesting thread.  We had a cruise through SE Asia in 2019 that included a post-cruise tour to Xian, China.  Since group tours could get a group visa through the tour agency we did not alert on the necessity to get a visa, nor did Regent inform us we needed a visa.  So, long story short, we had to secure a visa in early January for a mid-February cruise.  This involved an exacting application that would be rejected with one mistake, sending passports to the nearest Chinese embassy, and praying all would be resolved and passport returned by the date we would fly out.  We managed, but we talked to other guests who cancelled this once in a lifetime trip because someone in Miami dropped the ball.  

6 hours ago, Mudhen said:

I came, I saw and watched (most of it). Unfortunately, I was not too impressed. I, like others had hoped for a few more visuals on the ship itself. Not thrilled with the caned champagne smash....kinda loses it's appeal in the show lounge.

Speeches were long and longer and at risk of being totally flamed, I thought Andrea's breast cancer spiel was out of place. I think that it's a very important message, but not at that time. Just my thoughts. 

"The Egg" is interesting and it's production was probably the high point for me, although I can think of a lot of more important places to put that expenditure......maybe a donation to breast cancer.....?

Agree!  I lost interest after the NCLH president’s remarks.  I thought all the personal remarks were out of place for this event as a launching of a new ship is not a testimonial to your career and its impact on your family.  I almost wanted to post a “Take a Shot” game every time someone said “unrivaled”!   

When friends ask us why we travel so much, I often reply that we are one fall and one diagnosis away from being unable to travel at all.  Surrounding you with light, prayers, hope, or whatever you need to get you through this difficult time.  

37 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

I'm not quick to judge, as I read the posters words very closely.  He thought everything on the Explorer was tasteless, thus my comment.  I do not use emojis, and so my sharp wit is sometimes lost on others.

Ask for more information….no emojis necessary. 

3 minutes ago, alainciao said:

It's true these boards are to share experiences.  However, when one reads that the food in both Sette Mari and Chartreuse is "tasteless", one cannot be faulted for wondering where that came from.

I think we have lost the art of conversation.  If one expresses an opinion that is counter to yours, the appropriate response is “what do you mean by tasteless?”  This actually starts a conversation.  Perhaps the poster prefers robust, spicy cuisine….perhaps the poster has an issue with his ability to smell, thus impacting taste…..perhaps the poster is used to a specific cuisine.  We are so quick to judge, defend, belittle.  Enough.  

We have only cruised once on Mariner and, fortunately, I had read bout the shower/tub problem so we booked a shower only room.  There was a BIG problem with that configuration.  Some bright designer thought a large mirror inset in the shower area would make the space look larger.  Each day I was forced to look at the impact of my gluttony.   Post cruise my choice was therapy or weight watchers!  

We plan to go to Kamakura as well.  I found a great diy walking tour.  We have a day to kill between our land trip and our cruise.  As a teen, I spent considerable time there as it was close to Yokosuka where we were stationed for 4 years in the 60’s.  
 

https://blog.japanwondertravel.com/hidden-places-kamakura-10168