Emperor Norton

One even numbered cabin between 838 and 850 has  pipes from the swimming pool that make loud noises whenever the pool is filled or drained.  The noise has an irregular rhythm (unlike a grandfather clock's regular rhythm of chimes every 15 minutes) that was loud enough to wake you up and keep you awake.  Cabin change was not possible because the ship was full.  What surprised me was that the noise could not be heard in either of the adjacent cabins.

Please ask your travel agent or Regent what the number of the cabin is.  

15 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Do those orders prohibit back to back 7 day cruises?  Or back to back cruises of any days less than 7?  That's not clear to me.  

It's not clear the anyone.  The rules were written in such a loose manner that they're as clear as mud.

December 8th was the first of two consecutive sea days that would culminate is disembarkation in Miami.

8H_C.pdf 8H_I.pdf 8M_Col.pdf 8M_R_EO.pdf

Dinner started with, I have no idea.  It's not on the menu and I'm at a loss as to what it was supposed to have been.

The wild boar raviolo was quite nice and thankfully I didn't see any crossing the room as makeshift Frisbees.

The Teriyaki beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly for me.  

Dessert was a "Classic" crème Brulee bar.

We visited Jost Van Dyke on December the 7th.  The little ships used to stop here for caviar in the surf.  I guess it isn't big enough for the larger ships but on the upside you don't need a metal detector to navigate its beach.

Getting ashore was delayed by about 30min as some very lazy individuals decided to ignore the Active loading/unloading only sign on the pier.  After watching part of a triumvirate of tourists apparently under the influence of medication prescribed by a street side pharmacist pass out while clearing customs I decided to take a quick look at the landing area and then head back to the ship for an impromptu sea day.

View of the ship while tendering to shore.

The ship the pier.  Any day now the goods they were to load will be arriving.  Yes, I realize it's a year later.

People watching while waiting to land.

Back on the ship a little heat to spice up my day in the form of a Bloody Mary.

Graciously served by Simba.

On 6/4/2020 at 10:41 AM, zqvol said:

 

Just an FYI, the crab in AK has been frozen, it is not "fresh". There is a chance of getting fresh salmon ashore, but not on the ship. It is all frozen to kill any microorganisms that might be in the food.  BTW crab season is in the winter, not when cruise ships are sailing.

If I recall correctly it depends upon the type of crab.  The king/Bairdi are frozen but the Dungeness is fresh.  The Dungeness season I believe starts in June so long as you don't have an early in the season cruise the Dungeness should be available (unless the 2019 season splurge causes issues with the subsequent seasons).

Someone mentioned the George Inlet lodge?

They have hummingbirds

Depending upon the line (if you opt for a ships tour) you either take a bus one way and a seaplane the other (Disney) or take a seaplane both ways (Silversea)

Upon arrival you're greeted by some bears

As well as a little crab

The no frills menu (aside from the crab) is listed on the table covering.  

The meal is started with a little salad

Your choice of beverage (really though I felt there was only one option)

followed by the crab (and more crab if you ask)

And finally dessert was a inoffensive cheesecake.

December 7th we were on Jost Van Dyke near where the little ships stopped for caviar in the surf.  I took the tender to land and waited to land for about 20 minutes (it seems the boat at the dock was having people go through customs).  After landing I saw the dirt roads, the lack of pretty much anything near the dock and a person collapse from "too much partying".  I decided the ship seemed more appealing.

7M_Col.pdf7H_I.pdf7H_C.pdf7M_R_EO.pdf

A little wine to go with dinner

I'm not sure if the ravioli were new but they were nice (Golden beet & goat cheese - ordered as an appetizer portion).

Missing the shot of the spaghetti carbonara (which is ok, it was missing any form of pork).

Grilled filet mignon with a parmesan flan, and a dearth of morels.

Dessert was a dark chocolate souffle with a mint anglaise.

The sea will claim what it will - in this case it was a pair of flip flops/thongs.

After some time on the beach a bit of air conditioning was just what the doctor ordered.

How many mascots do you know that are provided with vodka and caviar?

Tenders and swimmers don't mix well

OSHA would probably not approve

Aside from the umbrella covered loungers and the tent covered tables they had a small indoor/open air eating area

Out comes the Champagne

Setting up the buffet (it seemed the lower the sun went the smaller the lobster got).

There were a number of cat herding/rescue boats out

They did have some independent vendors entice people to try their offerings (not affiliated with Seabourn or the property)

While they did provide shade the umbrellas were rather annoying to walk under.

Get there early if you'd like to snorkel, there wasn't a plethora of equipment available.

While Seabourn had their own bar setup the bar run by the property was also open - however you had to pay for your drinks from this one.

Getting there early gave me a nice slow start to the day.

While some staff and passengers went barefoot, I wouldn't recommend it.  Carpentry staples as well as random bits of what appeared to be spring steel littered the black carpet.

Like the previous location this is also a tender port.

The crew had some interesting ways of getting around.  I'm not sure if he was taking off or landing.

Note the proximity of the tender dock to the swimming area.  This was to become an issue later in the day.

I'm not sure if this was for the crew, but it was a little off the beaten/optimal path between the pier and the shade.

The 6th of December was our caviar in the surf day.  This was my first time at the new location.  There did appear to be both more shade and seating.  However the height of the umbrellas was such that even short people had to bend over to walk  under them.  I can't imagine that did the crews backs any favors.  

6H_C.pdf 6H_I.pdf 6M_Col.pdf 6M_R_EO.pdf

What would a cruise be in the Caribbean without a Conga line?

After dinner we went up to see the dance party.  This is where I was able to experience the joy of the difference between a professional and pro-sumer product.  Then lens I was using was very prone to fogging.  Something I'd not experienced with pro lenses.  

They seemed to be doing a lot more with alcohol and making different drinks than on previous cruises.

Fun with alcohol.

Aside from the dance party, the 5th was the first night of the "new" menus.

A little carpaccio (not new)

The "Chef's Special" (new) Chicken Cordon Bleu.  While were told anything could be ordered as an appetizer size/portion in practice it took a few days for this to become reality.  Thankfully I had four others to share this with.

I believe this dish was also new - Grilled Sirloin of beef with lobster spring rolls.  One roll had lobster - sort of and the other was mostly air with a little bit of vegetable matter.  The beef was nice.

The souffle was "hot Calvados with caramelized apple sauce"  the menu left off the souffle part.  It seems on the new menus there are souffles every night.

Back on ship in time for lunch in the Colonnade we had some time to kill until the local steel drum group setup.  I'm not sure why they left the umbrellas up for the performance as the sun wasn't an issue (nor rain) but they did a stellar job of blocking the view from the Sky bar.  Also, you've never truly heard "Mary had a little lamb" until you've heard it on a steel drum.

We would be the last ship to leave as we were in port until 2200 to allow for a smooth on deck party.

It seems the sidewalks were rolled up before sunset once the locals realized we were the only ship left.

After leaving the dock yard we were off to a wee church.

After leaving the church we went through a rainforest where we were able to try the locally grown (supposedly only on the island and not exported black pineapple).  Think of a normal pineapple with an edible core.  Sadly we didn't find any vendors who made use of the fruit (berries?) of this tree.

I'm not sure Nelson would've approved.

Why is pink such a popular color for 4x4 tour companies?

There was a conference going on for charter yacht operators.

The area did have a commanding view of the harbor.

Then it was down the hill to Nelsons Dockyard.  There was an entry fee and the option for a "guided" tour (very brief - it's included so why not).

These columns were part of the sail loft.

This view is looking from the inside towards the main gate.

On site at the bridge you could buy locally made (?) sea shell art or local beer.  It wasn't a hard choice.

Our next stop was the block house, which you had to go through a bar/restaurant to get to.

The Herald/menus from the 5th.

5H_C.pdf 5H_I.pdf 5M_Col.pdf 5M_R_EO.pdf

Where did I leave off?  

5 December St. Johns Antigua/Barbuda.  Today was a private tour that started at the Devils Bridge, went up to the Block house, down to Nelsons Tourist Trap er Dockyard (where's strike-through when you need it?) and then sampled some black pineapple (looks like every other pineapple but a bit smaller - the core is edible though) in a rainforest.  We were in port until 2200 for a deck party.

The last remnants of a sugar processing site.

The area of the Devils bridge was a little rocky and a little windy.

You can see the water on both sides of the bridge

It seems the devil was not happy with this little crab.