On board Riviera now...

[HeatherInFlorida]

[quote name='LHT28']I agree with you
We eat alone every night so I love to meet new people & have other conversations

we have been together so long we know what each other is thinking without having to discuss it ...scary some days :eek:

Lyn[/QUOTE]

Very scary. My husband tells me I'm interrupting him, but I explain I'm answering. He says he didn't ask anything yet and I tell him I already know the question. :) I loved this dining option better than any we've experienced. People who want to meet new people and get to know them can do that; those who want some time alone can do that. Perfect.

We loved the Terrace, too. We only ate there the first and last night for dinner, but next cruise we may do it more. It was just amazing.

[MightyQuinn]

[quote name='Hambagahle']
Tonight, tired and windblown, we tried the Terrace Grill. WOW! Terrific buffet, vast choice of grilled items (we had lobster tails) and good service. Sadly too windy and cool to eat outside... We both think that the la Veranda chefs and staff should see what is on offer - and how it is on offer - at the Terrace. la Veranda at night as we knew it before it morphed into Sette Mare cannot begin to compare. Especially not in the quality of food.[/quote]Wow is right! We're not fans of buffets, on land or at sea, but Terrace Cafe has changed all that. Not only is the food quality and selection impressive, but the service is excellent. While on [I]Riviera[/I] recently for 14 nites, we had 6 dinners in the Specialty Restaurants, 2 dinners in GDR and 6 dinners in Terrace Cafe. That many buffet meals was definitely a first for us!

[Hambagahle]

Ken and I prefer to eat alone, or sometimes with people we have met elsewhere, or are travelling with. We do not like sharing tables with total strangers...I suppose we are not "risk takers". We also do not like sharing dishes, even when eating with friends. So we order our own. I think this is a European thing as all my US friends like to share!!

Anyway - for the O'Connors and Jan & Stu - I told Churchill this am that you said hello. He was delighted that you remembered him (how can one forget him??!) and beamed from ear to ear.

Today in Santo Tomas Guatemala it is COLD (19C) windy and rainy. Ugh! We simply walked over to the "shed" that houses the market stalls and to our surprise it was well worth it. Got some lovely place mats, woven, and tee shirts for our grandchildren.

Tonight is our second dinner at Jacques. I am not sure where I shall put the food I eat since I overdid on breakfast in the GDR. Again it was excellent and served in 1/4 of the time they take at the Compass Rose. Great staff on this ship! Tomorrow is Roatan and I hope the weather is better than here.
Gerry

[HeatherInFlorida]

[quote name='Hambagahle']Ken and I prefer to eat alone, or sometimes with people we have met elsewhere, or are travelling with. We do not like sharing tables with total strangers...I suppose we are not "risk takers". We also do not like sharing dishes, even when eating with friends. So we order our own. I think this is a European thing as all my US friends like to share!!

....................[/QUOTE]

It may be European, but I "share" your dislike for sharing. Then again, I'm of Scottish and English heritage so who knows? I was brought up where we were served a plate of food and that was it. So one thing I've never liked about Chinese restaurants here in the states is the "sharing".

My husband and friends tease me unmercifully saying I share nothing! But it's just not my thing.

But I love meeting strangers:) because many strangers just end up as friends. But that's why there is choice! As it should be especially on a cruise.

[Jancruz]

[quote name='Hambagahle']Ken and I prefer to eat alone, or sometimes with people we have met elsewhere, or are travelling with. We do not like sharing tables with total strangers...I suppose we are not "risk takers". We also do not like sharing dishes, even when eating with friends. So we order our own. I think this is a European thing as all my US friends like to share!!

Anyway - for the O'Connors and Jan & Stu - I told Churchill this am that you said hello. He was delighted that you remembered him (how can one forget him??!) and beamed from ear to ear.

Today in Santo Tomas Guatemala it is COLD (19C) windy and rainy. Ugh! We simply walked over to the "shed" that houses the market stalls and to our surprise it was well worth it. Got some lovely place mats, woven, and tee shirts for our grandchildren.

Tonight is our second dinner at Jacques. I am not sure where I shall put the food I eat since I overdid on breakfast in the GDR. Again it was excellent and served in 1/4 of the time they take at the Compass Rose. Great staff on this ship! Tomorrow is Roatan and I hope the weather is better than here.
Gerry[/QUOTE]

Thanks for saying hi to Churchill dont forget to say hi tpo Theiery for us..he is a good friend..
I loved the shopping in Santo Tomas it was my favorite place to buy things..
So glad you are enjoying ypur trip!!
Jancruz1

[bbwex]

Hambagahle,

 

We were on Riviera in October/November. I thought they kept the dress-up lights (the string of lights from the bow to the tops of the stack on at night, and particularly the ones from the bow up to above the superstructure, at night while the ship was moving. This is, I know, a strange request, but it has to do with a course I am teaching. You are aboard now, and can get me the quickest answer. It will be very helpful if you could notice one night.

 

Thanks.

[harryw]

I started another thread here regarding whether there will be a Super Bowl party on our Feb. 2 Riviera cruise. Perhaps you could ask the Cruise Director for us..thanks!

 

Harry and Carol

[Hambagahle]

The de oration lights are kept on at night above deck 12. Off below 12 because there can be no outside lights around the Bridge. We are in 12007, one floor above the Bridge and quite forward. We cannot have our balcony lights on at night...

 

As for souper bowl. I will ask, though I am not sure what this involves. I can ask our butler to ask Nolan if I don't see home, and also can ask the GM.

[ededmd]

I'm also planning to take repellant to hedge against insect bites.

 

If you do decide to take insect repellant, Sawyer makes a great product in small size plastic bottles which may be easier to pack than an aerosol can.

Worked in Vietnam quite well.

http://www.sawyer.com/bugs.html

[Mura]

Ken and I prefer to eat alone, or sometimes with people we have met elsewhere, or are travelling with. We do not like sharing tables with total strangers...I suppose we are not "risk takers". We also do not like sharing dishes, even when eating with friends. So we order our own. I think this is a European thing as all my US friends like to share!!

 

That may be. My first trip to Europe with my husband (then my SO) was to Majorca. This was a package tour that included air, hotel and a car for a week. The hotel gave us two meals a day. We also passed over our dinner plates to each other half way through.

 

One night the waiter was very u8pset. "No cambiare, no cambiare!"

 

So that night we didn't. Too many Chinese dinners, I guess.

 

But I DO want to say that sharing tables with strangers is not all that much of a risk. It CAN be. On one or two occasions, we weren't really sympatico. Not NON-sympatico, but perhaps with not that much in common.

 

But more often we have had a lot in common and have made good friends. So I would urge those of you who prefer NOT to share to give it a try. Not for every dinner, if that makes you uncomfortable ... but once in a while.

 

Besides, you CAN meet people on a cruise in other locations ... and if you think you would get along, invite them to join you for dinner.

 

Then again, if you really prefer to dine alone -- that's okay, too. To each his own! As Lyn (and some others I think) have said, we eat by ourselves at home. So when we are traveling we like to dine with other people as well.

 

And on O we have the option of ordering into our room if we are tired ..

 

Mura

[Ron&Sue]

Hello Gerry. We are enjoying your daily reports. Have you had a chance to visit the Executive lounge? What all does it provide? Does it get much use?

Also do you notice the hundreds of more passengers than on Regent? Thanks.

[digtexas]

Is that called sharing when my wife nips French fries off of my plate?:cool:

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Is that called sharing when my wife nips French fries off of my plate?:cool:

 

Oh yeh well, french fries don't count, do they?

[Oceans&Rivers]

It may be European, but I "share" your dislike for sharing. Then again, I'm of Scottish and English heritage so who knows? I was brought up where we were served a plate of food and that was it. So one thing I've never liked about Chinese restaurants here in the states is the "sharing".

 

My husband and friends tease me unmercifully saying I share nothing! But it's just not my thing.

 

It's not just Scottish and English, since that's how it's done in Germany (and probably more places on the continent), too. As an American, I thought it was quite odd that there were no communal dishes; instead my dinner companion had his plate of Chinese food and I had mine. I wasn't very pleased, as had I known the custom, I would likely have ordered the same as he did. Since I thought the dishes would be laid out in the middle, I ordered something different for us to share.

 

Oh well, even though the waiter brought us separate plates, I thought, at least my dinner companion share some of his dish with me. But nooooo....I didn't even get a sample. :(

 

I also thought it odd that the egg roll over there was one humongous roll per person, served with knife and fork, and I don't recall any sauce, dipping or otherwise.

[Hambagahle]

Sharing with total strangers is just something we cannot do... And sharing dishes makes it even worse for us! As to spring rolls - our local Chinese restaurant at home always gives a nice sauce on the side.

 

Well - no Roatan today!! We woke to a storm, and it was a bit agitated all night. Capt Gunnar just announced it was too dangerous to dock in Roatan so we are bound for Costa Maya... No ETA as of yet. It IS rough. Not as rough as rounding Cape Horn though and the ship is running through it well. And it is raining hard. Not really nice beach weather.

 

More news later. Nolan CD is to make an announcement at 0900 about activities etc. until we get out of these heavy seas all activity will have to be sedentary, I think!

Gerry

[ededmd]

So happy to hear you are doing a post cruise comparison.

I would be interested for you to include the normal cabin level you book on Regent to help me interpret your comments as they might apply to me.

 

Glad you are having a wonderful time.

[harryw]

On a past visit to Costa Maya, we took a short cab / van ride to Majahual, a fishing village with a nice beach and adjacent beach bars and restaurants, and local craft stalls. It was a safe wonderful visit.

 

Harry

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It's not just Scottish and English, since that's how it's done in Germany (and probably more places on the continent), too. As an American, I thought it was quite odd that there were no communal dishes; instead my dinner companion had his plate of Chinese food and I had mine. I wasn't very pleased, as had I known the custom, I would likely have ordered the same as he did. Since I thought the dishes would be laid out in the middle, I ordered something different for us to share.

 

Oh well, even though the waiter brought us separate plates, I thought, at least my dinner companion share some of his dish with me. But nooooo....I didn't even get a sample. :(

 

I also thought it odd that the egg roll over there was one humongous roll per person, served with knife and fork, and I don't recall any sauce, dipping or otherwise.

 

Funny, all this talk of sharing reminds me of the excellent Indian restaurant we went into years ago in Inverness. All the locals were sitting around eating a plate of food and weren't sharing a thing (a thali I guess). We explained to the waiter that we were used to different dishes to be shared in an Indian restaurant, and he seemed very happy to comply.

 

On a past visit to Costa Maya, we took a short cab / van ride to Majahual, a fishing village with a nice beach and adjacent beach bars and restaurants, and local craft stalls. It was a safe wonderful visit.

 

We did this too--not too much to do, but it was a pleasant wander. Cab cost just a few dollars.

[HeatherInFlorida]

On our last visit to Costa Maya we had booked an independent tour that was recommended by many who had done it in the past. It is also highly recommended on Trip Advisor. It is the Maya Chan Beach Resort. I was particularly impressed with them when I emailed the owner from the ship explaining we had to cancel due to a death in the family. We just weren't up to that kind of a day. He couldn't have been nicer and refunded our prepayment in full.

 

Since then a few of my CC friends have visited and told me it is one of the best days they have spent. They have a limit on how many people they will take. I am planning to book this tour again when we go next year. It is suppose to be an amazing day. It's quite a ride over rough roads from what I've told, but they meet you, arrange a taxi included in the rate, and arrange also to get you back to the ship.

 

http://www.costamayabeachresort.com ... you can also find them on Facebook and Trip Advisor.

[bbwex]

Hambagahle, many thanks. I thought they would be off, but it seemed to me on one of our last nights at sea that they were on, and I wanted to double check. You are certainly correct that there should not be any white lights on to blind the bridge, hence my concern.

[Hambagahle]

Ededmnd -

Normally on Regent we take a PH suite or above. Our last cruise we has a Seven Seas Aft suite and when we had booked the Navigator on the same itinerary we are now on, we had a PH suite but were about to u parade that to a Navigator suite... But I think one needs to compare like to like. So will compare the Master suite on the Nav or what we have since the m2 are the same, about. But can also compare other suites in my excel programme...

 

That is for cost only. Which is objective. Then there is the question of subjective elements - food, service, atmosphere, decor etc. and that has to be very subjective since it is not really quantifiable!

 

But I will do the best I can.

Gerry

[YoHoHo]

Thank-you, Hambagahle for taking the time away from your cruise to post these updates. Your descriptions bring back great memories and builds anticipation for the next. I could particularily identify with "Tonight, tired and windblown, we tried the Terrace Grill..." Glad you are enjoying the cruise.

[OrpingtonT]

 

But I will do the best I can.

Gerry

 

You do wonders for us, Gerry. What matters is the value you get from your cash. I look forward to your comparisons, but don't spoil your holiday by doing them too soon.

[magroo]

On our last visit to Costa Maya we had booked an independent tour that was recommended by many who had done it in the past. It is also highly recommended on Trip Advisor. It is the Maya Chan Beach Resort. I was particularly impressed with them when I emailed the owner from the ship explaining we had to cancel due to a death in the family. We just weren't up to that kind of a day. He couldn't have been nicer and refunded our prepayment in full.

 

Since then a few of my CC friends have visited and told me it is one of the best days they have spent. They have a limit on how many people they will take. I am planning to book this tour again when we go next year. It is suppose to be an amazing day. It's quite a ride over rough roads from what I've told, but they meet you, arrange a taxi included in the rate, and arrange also to get you back to the ship.

 

http://www.costamayabeachresort.com ... you can also find them on Facebook and Trip Advisor.

 

I highly recomment Maya Chan beach resort. It was our most favorite and relaxing visit on our last crusie.

[ededmd]

Ededmnd -

Normally on Regent we take a PH suite or above.

 

Then there is the question of subjective elements - food, service, atmosphere, decor etc. and that has to be very subjective since it is not really quantifiable!

 

But I will do the best I can.

Gerry

 

Thank you for the info.

Having followed your posts for several years, I suspect I will be able to interpret your subjective comments to my needs.

 

Best for continued happiness on your cruise and again thank you for taking the time to post for all of us.