LIVE -To and From the Amazon - 11/17-12/12/2017

golfgirls - thanks for the great advice. We are now waitlisted for Boi Bumba. Not sure if we will clear the waitlist or not.

 

 

We kind of want to at least step foot on Devils Island - even if we turn around and return to the ship shortly thereafter.

Looking forward to three sea days. One reason we liked this itinerary was the mix of port and sea days. Every day onboard in a new adventure:D

On Devils Island, if you walk a bit, it leads through shaded trees (still hot) and you can see the monkeys.

Jackie, thanks again for keeping this thread lively - reading your posts REALLY makes me want to be on a cruise down there (anywhere, actually, but now the Amazon is lodged in my brain). I was just busting your chops about hating the heat - remember, I lived in Colorado for over 20 years so I tend to prefer the cooler temperatures myself. It was 34* here in SC when I left for work this morning and I eschewed the BMW with the nice heated seats for my motorcycle...turned a few heads to say the least! I've been in SC for over 2 years now and I'm just now starting to be able to tolerate the heat and humidity. It's not something one can easily get used to.

I hope you're taking plenty of pics - I'd love to see an illustrated travel thread after you return. It's so great to feel like we're traveling along with you and Dennis. Maybe someday we'll manage to book the same cruise and I can finally 'buy' you those drinks I owe you. :D

Get back to enjoying your time aboard.

Hi Jackie- We are here on the mariner with you. I think you are getting special treatment in the dining room because of your status; we are only silver. Many of the dishes we have been served, including soup, have been tepid at best, never hot. It doesn't matter where we are seated in the dining room. Our table had problems in Prime 7 as well.

 

Funny, our overall opinion is that they are very short staffed in the dining rooms, and that the food and service was better on the Oceania Nautica.

Makai - I don't think someone's status would have any affect on the temperature of someone's meals - I think the biggest factor is the 'meshing' of the serving team.

I'd recommend bringing any shortcomings in the dining service to your server's attention immediately, and I'd also let the maître d' and/or F&B manager know. Be sure and mention it on the mid-cruise survey, too. Our last cruise in August was pretty good, service-wise, although we had a few bumps early on. Whenever something wasn't right, we politely let our servers know and within a night or so everything was fine. Yeah, I know - we shouldn't have to mention problems to get them fixed...but I'd rather mention them and get them corrected than suffer through less than perfect service through an entire cruise!!

Good luck - hope you can get them back on track!!

I am a little late on the subject of seasickness and ears, but I have been deaf in my right ear since early childhood (mumps killed the nerves); I wonder if that contributes to the fact that I am almost never motion sick.

We were on the Regent Amazon cruise a bit ago on the Mariner..my DW has been following the thread and asked me to interject a few things that might help a bit...We went from Rio to Miami - but the itinerary in the amazon is the same.

So..here goes...I dropped the malaria pills after about 2 days...For the entire length of the cruise we saw maybe 2 and not the malaria causing ones ( night biters). At Alter do Choa the water is a black as night and is totally safe to go for a swim. Don't waste your time swimming where they drop you from the tenders, walk into town and turn to the left at any street..go to the public beach..the water is like a bath tub!! As far as the souvenir shop everyone is going on about, it is at the end of the main street, they all speak reasonable english and it has a lot of stuff in it - mostly hand crafts. For those that are Canadian on the trip with you Travelcat tell them NOT to buy any wood products, they will be confiscated at the Canadian border. As far a Boca goes, don't take to much time in the manufactured village, instead either take a cheap boat upstream to a little less manufactured village OR, better still either walk the path directly through the jungle to the village behind the small mountain ( about 3 K) or walk following the river to various real small settlements..to see how folks really live....a real eye opener. BUT it is how and humid!.

At Manuas...definitely go to the Opera house, either via a tour or walk yourself.. As a warning it is a long walk because you cannot go in a straight line it is a zig zag path. Keep your wits around you and you wallet hidden and you will be okay. We walked there twice - once a night!. AND if you are contemplating the night Cayman tour - my advice - stay on the ship. It is 3 hours of fumbling around in the dark hoping to grab a tiny Cayman ( they scare away the big ones- on purpose).

And yes, go to the Boi Bumba - it is so worth it..but try to get in the first 2 rows...anything else and you will not be happy...Also if you get out of the show on time AND they still have tour space available - go on the tour to see the actual Boi Bumba assembly areas and the arena...it is a hot ( very hot) tour but so worth it. The HUGE creatures makes things from Mardi Gras look tiny

Guess that is it for now..feel free to ask any questions..

If you want to see ahead of time some photos here are direct links to my facebook page for the amazon..they all have public security so everyone should be able to access them..

Boi Bumba

https://www.facebook.com/DonCWoodPhotography/media_set?set=a.593210797504467.1073741851.100004466567223&type=3

Amazon Cruise

https://www.facebook.com/DonCWoodPhotography/media_set?set=a.571453666346847.1073741848.100004466567223&type=3

Life on the Amazon

https://www.facebook.com/DonCWoodPhotography/media_set?set=a.587174984774715.1073741849.100004466567223&type=3

Oh yes...one more thing..on the tenders back and forth from Boca..look in the water..there a lot of pink dolphins.it is the best place to see them..!!

This post and the next one are so messed up. My apologies. I take photos with one device - post with another and end up completely confused. For some reason I can't post photos without "replying" to a post. This causes multiple posts with the same words. Think I need to stop for today.

Wow - just returned from dinner to find so many helpful posts. This is what CC is all about and I want to let all of you know how much is appreciated. I'll try to respond to everyone.

Ellen (bizze) - you have convinced us to cancel the excursion (a good thing). While we love to snorkel, sitting on a boat for 5 1/2 hours with minimal shade would not work for us. You just saved us about $250 so thank you:D

suzyluvs2cruise - thanks for posting the photo(s). I'm always happy to see others contribute to a thread. I hope to post a couple more when I am finished with this post.

Pam - your post about seasickness and not being able to hear in one ear is so interesting! It fits in with what has been discussed on this thread. It was quite rocky last night but we both handed it well.

Makai 7 - so glad that you posted from the ship. I have to agree with Bill's post. Let the server know if the food is not the right temperature, does not taste right, etc. They will fix it and hopefully the same issue will not happen again. It does help if you have the same server in CR every night - only because he/she will know that you had food that was not warm enough and can assure that it arrives hot at your table.

In terms of not having enough staff, this has been brought up for at least 10 years (even before they built more cabins so that they can increase staff. Unfortunately, when CR is slammed (meaning that 400+ passengers show up at the same time) it is almost impossible to handle. Last night (Thanksgiving) was the perfect example. The service was not as good as normal but we have learned over the years that we need to pay attention to the nights when there will likely be people rushing to CR after an event (such as after the Captain's Reception, the Seven Seas Society party -- tomorrow night and the Captain's Farewell. Tonight CR had a lot of availability at 7:00 p.m. and the service was exemplary.

Our status does not enter into the scenario. There is no reason why our server would even know what level of the Seven Seas Society that we are at. On our last Mariner cruise (early September), we had quite a few food issues in La Veranda (that seem to have been fixed). As you know, you received your Mid-Cruise Comment cards (a bit early since we've only been onboard 1 week with 2 1/2 weeks to go). Please write down any issue that you have so that they can be corrected.

One more thing....... comparing Regent and Oceania can be difficult at times. We have sailed the Riviera twice and do not like the food in the MDR or the Terrace Cafe (the Terrace Cafe was, in our opinion, so bad that we could not tolerate dining there (we got food from the equivalent of the Pool Grill and took it into the Terrace Cafe for lunch. We had a discussion on this cruise with an officer that came from Oceania and he agreed that Oceania is a completely different culture than Regent and that the passengers have different expectations, etc. Note: I love the specialty restaurants (especially Jacques) and the large suites on the Riviera. We toured one of the smaller ships and it would not be our choice for a cruise. Fortunately there are lots of choices out there and one doesn't "fit", we can try others.

Before I forget, there was a big celebration with many officers in attendance for a couple that has just passed 2,000 nights. I cannot imagine having that many nights but was happy to see that they were recognized.

Bill...... an "illustrated travel thread"........ from me? :D I don't take pictures but am trying on this cruise. Last night I thought I took about 20 photos of the parade but it ends up that I thought that I was using my Kindle and was pressing the wrong button and ended up with one photo of the carpet. I had to chase after the parade in order to get a few photos. I'll definitely do the best that I can.

drcandon - thanks so much for all of the great information. Since we are waitlisted for the Boi Bumba show, I'm not sure if we will even get to see it. If we clear the list, we'll make sure to get there early. I will look at your link - probably in the morning as I'm tired (plus the clocks just went ahead an hour).

Think that I'll write more tomorrow and will try to post photos now. There I a 50/50 chance that I'll be successful.

Thanks again for all of the helpful posts!

drcandon - will post more to you tomorrow.

Photos below:

Asst. CD David

Cruise Director Lorraine wearing outfit from high school (so jealous)

The turkey

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Travelcat2, We are all enjoying your postings! It is really cool how so many Regent cruisers are providing real time advice to you while you are on your voyage. People don't realize how important they can be to help others have the best experience and that folks change plans because of the trust that is developed on this board.

This has been one of the most informative threads I have read since I joined CC in 2014.

I know that posting live has to be a challenge. A lot of us are traveling virtually with you. Remember that posting has to be secondary to the actual experience itself. I laugh when I talk to people that were so busy taking pictures that they really only experienced their trip through their pictures after they got home.

Forget about us and ENJOY!!!! Well maybe not since some of us are waiting for every posting by you and others providing real time advice.

Ken - cannot forget about all of you out there. I'm actually posting before I go to bed and after breakfast so it isn't interfering with the cruise. We have two more sea days -- the second one will be in the Amazon. We make a stop for approximately 4 hours while Brazilian authorities check our passports. Then the "pilots" will board the ship to assist in the transit.

Again, thanks for the very kind words.

We were on the Regent Amazon cruise a bit ago on the Mariner..my DW has been following the thread and asked me to interject a few things that might help a bit...We went from Rio to Miami - but the itinerary in the amazon is the same.

Thank you for the links to your photos. Now it's becoming real.....

We had read about the code reds on Mariner before we came on board and we're a little concerned so the info about the additional precautions was good to hear and so far everyone is healthy. But Navigator on code red … oh dear !

Just wanted to update, Navigator was on code red for about 48 hours. In fact we only went one lunch without salt/pepper shakers at the tables in Compass Rose as they were back the next day. It was two people that complained of GI issues within a 48 hour period that caused the ship to go to code red, no other reported GI problems this cruise. Glad to hear the Mariner and Navigator are sailing healthy again!

Jackie, in an earlier post you mentioned that you wondered about the water supply onboard during your sea days. Doesn’t Mariner desalination water for drinking like other ships? I am curious about this as we have four sea days on our Feb transatlantic cruise which is a long time to go if the ship has only a supply brought onboard in advance.

The ships can and do "make" fresh water through desalination. But it is easier and less expensive to take on fresh water if a clean and safe source is available. The problem on the Amazon is that the river is so muddy (including a long way out from the mouth of the river) that the ships filters get clogged and potable water is not available except in a very few places. So, they have to carry several days of supply with them.

To add to what John said (hi John) Captain Serena said that the ship cannot make water during the entire time in we are in the Amazon (but will take on water in Manaus as I mentioned).

Thanks for the Navigator update vitacura - good to know that everything is back to normal on the Navigator.

I still have to check out the links that have been provided (much appreciated). We have the Conneuseur (misspelled) wine lunch today - will post the menu after we recover from too much food and wine for lunch.

Last night was the Gold and above Seven Seas Society party. Cruise Director Lorraine and Social Hostess Marla put on a wonderful show (based on being "two Southern girls". Who knew that these two ladies were so talented. Really enjoyable show.

Tonight is the Seven Seas Society party to which everyone has been invited since everyone on the ship is a repeat customer. This is the party where caviar is served and there will be recognizition for those of us attaining Platinum and Titanium status on this cruise. I'm sort of expecting to see the video of the announcement of the name of the new ship.

There is also a Terry Breen lecture (full house for yesterdays lecture) and also a baking demonstration.

Another shuffleboard competition against the officers will occur (the officers took a serious defeat yesterday):evilsmile:

There are too many events to mention (always Trivia, bingo and the High Tea is always over the top on seas days since everyone is onboard to enjoy it. I've taken pictures before and may pop in to take a few for this thread.

Since the ship is going to be refurbished and I posted a couple of pictures of the ship in September, haven't been taking "ship photos" but, In my opinion, there can never be enough food pictures.

Just checked out the links - the costumes in the Box Bumba show are amazing! Hope that we have a chance to see it. In terms of anything that requires walking in the heat, we'll likely pass. Our one excursion in Manaus into the jungle will likely be our only one. Mudhen is going on many more excursions than we are and I have confidence that she will eventually post. They are having too much fun at the moment.

Just fund the menu for the Connoisseur's Wine Lunch. The description includes the cost for a bottle of the wine/champagne. The cost is $169/person (using OBC's):

Moet ET Chandon "Cuvee Dom Perignon" Brut

Epernay, France, 2006, $199

Ceviche of Scallop and Lobster with Mango Salad and Orange Vanilla Syrup

Marchesi Antinori Castello Della Sala "Cervaro" Chardonnay

Umbria, 2013, $60

Porcini Risotto with Truffle Essence and Parmesan Wafer

Chateau Ducru-oBeaucaillou 2EME Cru Classe, Cabrnet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot

Saint Julien, Bordeaux, 2012, $175

Roasted Quail Stuffed with Foie Gras served with Root Vegetables

Tommasi Amazon Della Valpolicella Corvina, Rondinella, Molinari

Veneto, 2012, $130

Lamb Chop Saltimbocca with Fondant Potato Asparagus Spears and Roasted Garlic Jus

Port Wine, Dows, 20 Years

Oporto, Portugal, $120

Roquefort with Date and Fig Chutney

Inniskillin Ice Wine Vidal

Lemoncello Souffle, Strawberry Compote and Lingue di Gatto

Should be interesting and delicious!

Travelcat, you've convinced me to add the Amazon to my Bucket List. Fascinating!

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Travelcat, you've convinced me to add the Amazon to my Bucket List. Fascinating!

 

 

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Really? It isn't even on my bucket list:evilsmile:. Seriously though, the number of days at sea and in port on this itinerary is nice and, for some reason, the per diem is better than some other South American cruises. Capt. Serena enjoys doing the Amazon cruises and everyone onboard seems to love Serena (including us). She is around as much as she is able to - chatting with passengers and sharing her amazing knowledge with all of us.

We are also aboard the Mariner, and I would like to add my thanks to Jackie for maintaining this thread during her vacation. Also appreciate all the others who have provided information about many of our port stops.

We are first time Regent cruisers, and are having a wonderful experience so far. We completed our mid-cruise comment form today... lots of compliments and praise, both in general and specifically for certain individual crew members who have helped make our cruise special. Only a few constructive suggestions for improvement, one regarding the variable effectiveness of the air conditioning in our PH-B on deck 10 forward. Like Jackie, we are having to keep our drapes closed for most of the day in order to maintain a comfortable temperature in our suite.

And, one more thanks to Jackie and the many other Regent board members who regularly provide such helpful suggestions, particularly to newcomers.

The ships can and do "make" fresh water through desalination. But it is easier and less expensive to take on fresh water if a clean and safe source is available. The problem on the Amazon is that the river is so muddy (including a long way out from the mouth of the river) that the ships filters get clogged and potable water is not available except in a very few places. So, they have to carry several days of supply with them.

Thx for this info - makes sense.

Does anyone know if Capt. Serena will be onboard in February?

Also, are there any options for the special lunch? We eat fish, seafood and diary but no meat or poultry. Will we be able to get something that works for us? If so, is this something that has to be booked in advance or can we do it onboard?

Many thx to Jackie and all CC posters for your insights! Between all of this info and Jackie’s info on Mariner (especially the dancing opportunities onboard) we are even more excited about our first Regent cruise in Feb!!

Thx for this info - makes sense.

 

Does anyone know if Capt. Serena will be onboard in February?

 

Also, are there any options for the special lunch? We eat fish, seafood and diary but no meat or poultry. Will we be able to get something that works for us? If so, is this something that has to be booked in advance or can we do it onboard?

 

Many thx to Jackie and all CC posters for your insights! Between all of this info and Jackie’s info on Mariner (especially the dancing opportunities onboard) we are even more excited about our first Regent cruise in Feb!!

Captain Teo should be on the Mariner in February (we love him but he is more low key than Serena). I will say that both Capt. Teo and Capt. Serena are our favorite Regent Captains. Not saying that the others are not good - we just have developed a relationship with Serena and Teo.

Today was such a full day. I took photos of each course from our Connoisseur Wine Lunch (to be posted tomorrow). Tonight we were at a large table in Signatures and had lively conversations and great food. Pauline is definitely a star on this cruise (works in Signatures at night but can be see in La Veranda during the day).

In some ways I am surprised that anyone is following this thread since it has basically been a Caribbean cruise with some sea days.

Tonight we were recognized for becoming Titanium Seven Seas Society Members. There were three people becoming Platinum and the two of us in addition to recognizing two crew members that hit significant years on Regent. The reason that 100% of the passengers on the ship are "Silver" or above is because you become "Silver" at 21 nights and the cruise is 25 nights. So, as soon as they stepped foot on the ship, they were "Silver". Love Regent's loyalty program!

Tomorrow is the Equator Crossing Ceremony. May take photos and will post if they come out good. We love some of the rather goofy events.

Tonight we were given extra hand sanitizer in our suites and information about the Amazon. Below are a few of the more interesting comments from the letter.

Restroom Facilities - Public facilities are far from our standards and limited. Be sure to carry any hygienic items such as tissue paper or hand sanitizer. Tour buses do not have restrooms (note: for women reading this, we purchased the "things" that allow women to use the restroom standing up --this is a first for me).

"Many of our upcoming ports are to well-established for tourism. They are developing places making great strides forward, but with varying degrees of success. Infrastructure is either in early stages or nonexistent.

Coaches - Buses will not be the newest, most comfortable or have air conditioning system. Some of them will be without sound systems, however, we can guarantee that they will be the best available and they will be safe and road worthy.

Guides - English competency varies greatly from country to country as most citizens have learned English as their third or forth language. A polite mention to the guide to speak slower or to repeat a comment works wonders. The guide's attitude may also sometime appear off hand and this is usually due to to inexperience in dealing with western tourists. Please note in certain ports no formal guiding qualifications is required and in order to support the local community we use local escorts/guides. They are locals that are happy to share their knowledge about their country and culture with us".

So happy to see RJ2002 posting - especially since they are new to Regent and had great input. Definitely can identify with trying to keep the suite cool. One positive thing is that, on the return voyage, the sun will set on the other side of the ship!

Thanks to all of you following along. After tomorrow, we can actually post about the Amazon.

Posting photos

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Posting photos

 

 

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Table set for wine lunch

First course (check menu above)

Mushroom risotto

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More photos

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