Live Voyager - Dubai to Cape Town

[RJ2002]

Thank you for continuing to post.

 

We have not sailed Regent yet, and these reviews are especially helpful.

[1982CruzStart]

i will try going to other parts of the ship and see if that makes a difference. It is just so darn convenient to sit here in my jammies and work on the iPad.

[xrvlcruiser]

Propping your door open a bit sometimes works - the width of a book usually does it.

[Patti22]

Thank you so much for posting and yes, we have had to go to the hall for getting our internet but depends on the part of the world we are in, Again, thanks!

[1982CruzStart]

Very quiet day at sea. Perfect. We went to Signatures for dinner. The food and service were great. Absolutely no complaints. We are in Mumbai tomorrow. We have a tour in the morning and back on the ship the rest of the day. Will try and post regarding that tour. We are off to the Taj very early the next day so I may be offline for 2.5 days but will post on that trip when I get back.

 

I FaceTimed with a friend at home this morning and it worked pretty well. CC seems to be the only real glitch in the system. Didn't make it out and about with the iPad today but will give it a try either tomorrow or when I get back.

[Hambagahle]

This is such a great thread and your reports are well written - thank you!

 

Enjoy the Taj and the Red Fort. Agra is a great city! For that matter. Bombay isn't too bad either!

[forgap]

I loved Mumbai....I thought it was like San Francisco in an alternate universe! Enjoy yourselves!!!!

[1982CruzStart]

We are back from a great trip to the Taj. I will sit down and write a full report over the next day or 2. The most important thing was the trip was fantastic and we were very well taken care.

[Travelcat2]

We are back from a great trip to the Taj. I will sit down and write a full report over the next day or 2. The most important thing was the trip was fantastic and we were very well taken care.

 

Anxious to read your report We did a three day pre-cruise to the Taj. It was gorgeous but it was tiring.

[1982CruzStart]

Backing up just a bit. This was our tour in Mumbai.

 

We went to the Elephanta Caves, nothing to do with elephants by the way, the island was called Elephanta by the Portuguese because they saw a carving of an elephant statue when they first landed. We boarded a bus and off for a short ride to the dock as we have an hour boat ride to the island. It is an eye opening experience. Visiting India is not for the faint of heart let me tell you. CROWDED with cars and people everywhere. Oh and it is also not for the impatient. Wow the bureaucracy is unreal, i guess they have to keep that 1.5 billion people employed okay not all 1.5 billion as we can exclude children, elderly etc. I think a very large portion of them work at the port and do their utmost to make your life trying. We must have showed our passports and our landing cards a half dozen times and that was just getting out of the port area.

 

The parts of the city we saw were not dirty per se but very rundown. Once we got off the bus the begging and selling began. We learned our lesson in Egypt just watch where you are walking and don't make eye contact. The boat was let's say rustic. There were a few plastic chairs but most of the seating is just hard benches around the perimeter. A hour is a long time sitting on hard boards. Okay here we are and we must wait for this ancient little old train, think the train in Stanley park but decrepit. The best thing you can say is it beats waiting a fair distance in the sun and heat. There are 120 stone steps to get to the top. If you don't want to walk you can hire a sedan chair with 4 porters to carry you up. Yes just like Cleopatra in the movies. Saw 1 women take advantage of this. The cost was $20 plus tip and you are not to pay until they take you back down. She paid up top but then maybe she didn't get this advice from her tour guide or maybe she negotiated one way only.

 

The caves are a temple carved out of a large rock similar to Petra in Jordoan though not nearly as impressive or large. What was still there was extremely interesting. Unfortunately the Portuguese decided to use the carvings for target practice so there is only one carving in the entire area that does not have damage and some of the damage is very significant. Such a shame as the parts that remained showed amazing workmanship. Both Greg and I thought they should re-construct the missing parts in a slightly different material so people could get the overall picture of what the original would have looked like but still see the damage that was done. We have been at a few sites that did this and in no way detracted from the awe of the original work.

 

120 steps and many vendors back down to the little choo choo and back to our luxury boat and the mainland. We crossed a portion of the Arabian Sea to get to and from this island and it is one of the dirtiest bodies of water I have seen. Brown and full of floating garbage. Yuck.

 

Our guide was great. She spoke excellent English and very knowledgeable. Very good tour overall. Glad we got to see it. For the dog lovers there are stray dogs everywhere but for the most part they don't look to bad and they are very friendly.

 

We were to take an evening tour to see some of the sights of Mumbai but just couldn't face the late night and early morning combination. We turned our tickets in.

 

Had a fantastic meal in Prime 7. It was a really quiet night so we just stopped by and they said sure if would share a table and come back at 7. I had steak tartare and the seafood combo. I had been eating so much beef i decided to go for the king crab legs and lobster. It was all delicious. The accompaniments come family style. They had TRUFFLE fries so couldn't resist. The only bad thing was no one else wanted to share so they left it beside me and needless to say i ate too many. I have been so good (so to speak) no truffle fries or yam fires until that night. the other 2 couples were very nice and we had a fun evening. Off to bed early.

[crusin7]

I loved the way you described this excursion. I have been to Stanley Park so I know exactly what train you were talking about. Keep up the blogging. You are doing a great job and I really enjoy reading your picturesque descriptions. Thanks for posting. :D

[RachelG]

Truffle fries sound delish but very decadent. Husband would be upset if the dogs looked malnourished

[1982CruzStart]

Now i would say this is a fairly challenging tour so was amazed by the number of people that had challenges especially the couple that rode on our bus. There was of course the usual fighting over the front seat of the bus. OMG what is with people and the front seat. Really. We as usual head to near the back and try and just get a seat with a fairly good view and try to leave the front for those that aren't as mobile. Okay while I am ranting, i think we also had more than our share of inconsiderate people and those that don't know how to follow instructions. There were times when i was ready to hit my head against a wall and say NO MORE BUS TOURS but that passed.

 

I digress, let's get back to better subjects. Almost made it but must once again mention the Indian bureaucracy. Wow and we had it lucky cuz we had one of the best tour companies i have ever dealt with taking care of us. When you go through security at the airport it doesn't tell you that there are separate lines for men and women, we found out when the first women tried to go through and was turned away. They even go so far as to stamp your carry on luggage so if you are unfortunate enough not to have any kind of tag on your bag you are scrabbling to find a tag. Bag must be stamped so that it can be checked before you board. Apparently somehow after you have cleared security you miraculously can have a bag that didn't go through security. Unbelievable. Anyway after numerous checks of our tickets and our passports onto the plane. Okay i just can't let this go. You go through the check in desk and then half way down the jetway someone is standing there to once again check your ticket and passport, they must have people who fly in India who are Magicians that can appear in different areas. Oh yes let's check our tickets one more time as we actually board the plane. Getting an idea of the fun yet. All flights were on time and went very well once we were on the plane and in the air.

 

Made it to Delhi safe and sound. Off to the buses. Man was the traffic unreal. Took use much longer to get out of Delhi than the schedule stated so we will be rolling into Agra late. Nothing much to say about the scenery. Our guide was very good and gave us a lot of background info. Made a stop for a late lunch 2 pm. Food was delicious, some a little spicy for me, a theme you can count on for the entire trip. Made a pit stop for a bathroom break. My the bathroom facilities are an adventure. We are so spoiled in NA.

 

OMG when we rolled into Agra. The traffic was unbelievable. I don't even know how to describe it other than telling you it took over an hour to go 7 kms. Wow. Found out later there were 200 weddings Friday night.

 

Very nice hotel ITC Mughal. A little dated but very clean and nice looking. Off to dinner. what i had was delicious. off to bed as another awful early morning in our future.

 

As with most touring it is a case of hurry and up and wait. We had a half to 3/4 hour wait in line to get into the Taj complex.

 

There is really no way to describe what it is like when you first see it. It is spectacular. We stopped at various spots on our way to it for different photo shots. I just don't have words, pictures don't do it justice, it is a must see for anyone. it is fairly small inside and packed with people so you really just to get to do a circuit around the 2 platforms. This makes everything we have put up with just vanish. It is so worth it. We had some time to wander but not enough. there is a mosque and a guest house on either side of it and we didn't get anywhere near either of them which is too bad.

 

Back to the hotel for breakfast, a short break where I got the chance to pack and then off to our next tour which was the Red fort. This is across the river from the Taj and where the shah lived. It was also a great place to visit. I am so glad we went for this option. It made the trip complete. You also have a view of the Taj which on a clear day must be something else but we had a hazy day so not quite as good as it could have been. Still quite a sight and can imagine how it was for him to look at it every day and think about the love of his life. They are both buried under the Taj. She died giving birth to their 14th child.

 

We managed to have time for a stop at the marble factory. Very impressive. Gorgeous workmanship.

 

Back to the hotel for another lovely lunch and then off to the buses again.

Edited December 1, 2014 by 1982CruzStart

[1982CruzStart]

I loved the way you described this excursion. I have been to Stanley Park so I know exactly what train you were talking about. Keep up the blogging. You are doing a great job and I really enjoy reading your picturesque descriptions. Thanks for posting. :D

 

Thanks to you and everyone else for the kind words. I am glad my missives are enjoyable.

[eliana]

Thanks CruzStart for your very incisive descriptions of your two excursions. They brought back to us the smells, noise and sites of theis wonderful country that we love and hate. Maybe if the Voyager does not have a location lecturer onboard they should recruit you.

I must say that the Taj is one of the very few sites that we have found that is above our expectations. Generally we have a sense of disappointment. Other great sites that I can think of off hand are Petra in Jordan, Machu Pichu in Peru and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

We look forward very much to your descriptions of your forthcoming excursions

[DeepFreeze63]

Thanks for the memories. We visited the Taj in 1981 (when the Russians were the pre-dominate visitors); I still can visualize its beauty. Also had an interesting airport security "event". I had uncut gem stones from Thailand in my pocket - WOW did that get Security excited!

[1982CruzStart]

Guess what - back on the bus. We are now on our way back to Delhi. As it is a Saturday we are told the traffic will be better and it was. I will skip the description of our bathroom break. We arrive at the hotel early which gave us a chance to walk around the hotel a bit before dinner. Another lovely Indian buffet.

 

Hotel was wonderful, a little older but very well maintained. And yes another awful early morning. A nice breakfast and off to the airport. Same bureaucratic fun to go through to get on the plane but old hat now.

 

After a short stop in Mumbai sitting on the plane we continue onto Mangalore. We finally get off the plane and onto the buses to sit and wait. Now what. Apparently our tour manager has been told that we either go right to the port now or have to drive around for a couple of hours. Who knows why the 2 choices but the vote was overwhelmingly for getting back to the ship and not touring around Mangalore. Breakfast was a long time ago and we are all tired. Every person raved about the trip but we were all ready to get back on-board.

 

As i think i mentioned before the guy that was running this tour was fantastic. He put up with all sorts of stuff with a big smile on his face. I got the chance to talk to him alone for a couple of minutes in the airport and asked him how our group was. Now i know he is not going to say we were the worst ever but i thought i might get some feel for how he thinks it went. He said we were a good group and fun to be around. I think he was being truthful as you could see him laughing and talking to people throughout the trip.

 

it was so good to be back on the ship. Have to say i had the only bad meal of the trip so far for lunch. Oh well can happen at any time. Nothing is perfect.

 

Went to dinner at Sette Mari (Italian restaurant) and food and service was very good as usual. Again the only service that is slightly slow is wine service. Nothing bad but just a little slow.

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks CruzStart for your very incisive descriptions of your two excursions. They brought back to us the smells, noise and sites of theis wonderful country that we love and hate. Maybe if the Voyager does not have a location lecturer onboard they should recruit you.

I must say that the Taj is one of the very few sites that we have found that is above our expectations. Generally we have a sense of disappointment. Other great sites that I can think of off hand are Petra in Jordan, Machu Pichu in Peru and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

We look forward very much to your descriptions of your forthcoming excursions

 

I agree with your list of the other great sites. It corresponds perfectly with my list.

 

We do have a guest lecturer and his lectures have been interesting but have to say he is not he most dynamic speaker. We have had better on our last 2 cruises. I haven't seen him in person as the timing doesn't work for me but have watched all of them on the TV.Thanks for your comments.

[mariners]

I love to read all of the descriptions on this thread. India has provided me hours of stories to tell, as well as images that I will never forget. The Taj will always be number one, but the Red Fort should not, IMO, be missed.

 

jhp, I hope that you will continue to post, too. I remember you posting on the thread I started when I sailed a similar itinerary. I hope that you will be as enthralled with the ports as I was on our sailing.

 

1982CruzStart, thank you so much for continuing to post!

[mrlevin]

1982cruzstart; sounds like you were in bus 1. :D However, I don't remember anyone only 32 years old on our bus.

 

This has been a good cruise; just not the same without familiar crew faces. Twelve days onboard and only one of the service staff even addresses me by name; a lot of new crew. The ship, however, is in great shape!!

 

Marc

[jhp]

1982cruisestart, I am enjoying your commentary along the way, even though I am onboard! It has surely been a fun journey so far, lots of sights, sounds and smells in our ports in India, and has been mentioned, lots of bureaucracy that is certainly frustrating to the ship's officers concerned with moving us along with excursions, etc. with utmost efficiency. A real challenge when the staff is all ready to go, and are met sometimes with delays at getting pax off the ship.

 

Mumbai...oh the traffic. I skipped my Goa highlights tour the next becuse of it. Lazy me. The highlight of our stops in this country for me was Cochin. A friend in my group of travelers hired a real houseboat for the day to take is along the Kerala backwaters, and it went even beyond my expectations. Lovely scenery, we had a crew that could not have been more accommodating. The chef onboard cooked an Indian meal of lamb curry, shrimp, several vegetable dishes, with fresh pineapple for dessert. It was served in the dining room, and the boat also had two bedrooms. The open "bow" had comfortable couches and chairs, just lovely. The captain even let us take the wheel for photo ops when we were in a quieter area with less traffic.

 

In Male, Maldives the next day, I took the walking tour. It was hot, and again, crazy traffic. And we had a mosque visit and had to be fully covered head to toe, at least the women did.

 

This place is definitely a land trip sort of place for divers, beautiful little islands everywhere We left around noon today, and had a wonderful performance on the pool deck from a singer from Wales who will be leaving us shortly. As hot as it was out there, the passengers loved it and he did an encore, We Are the World. Very impressive. Have to stop now because my battery is dying on my IPad

[1982CruzStart]

1982cruzstart; sounds like you were in bus 1. :D However, I don't remember anyone only 32 years old on our bus.

 

This has been a good cruise; just not the same without familiar crew faces. Twelve days onboard and only one of the service staff even addresses me by name; a lot of new crew. The ship, however, is in great shape!!

 

Marc

 

yes i am referring to bus #1. I am confused by your comment about a 32 year old. i don't recall saying anything about someone being 32 on the bus. :)

 

We have only seen a few familiar faces from our last cruise as well. Regardless the service has been great.

Edited December 4, 2014 by 1982CruzStart

[1982CruzStart]

We were anchored near Male in the Maldives and had an early morning walking tour of the City of Male. It takes up an entire atoll. the entire space is filled with high rise buildings and very narrow streets where pedestrians do not have the right of way. we take the tender ashore and find our guide. Man it is humid and with the temperatures around 85 it is a hot sticky morning. Now we were told that we would be visiting a mosque so are covered head to toe to conform to the rules. I know I have told you what a crappy ear i have for languages so anyone with a strong accent and challenging English makes for a hard time for me. On top of that the guy had a quiet voice so I got very little out of the tour in terms of information. As well the groups were just too large even if the guy had a louder voice.

 

anyway off we went to tour the highlights of the city. It was interesting and what i did hear and understand was enjoyable. Of course we didn't go into the Mosque in spite of being told we would and therefore were very overdressed for the heat and humidity. The highlights of the highlights was a memorial to a terrorist act they suffered about 25 years ago and the museum. We did get to go inside it and they had many good exhibits in a beautiful relatively new building.

 

It was easily the worst of the tours we have taken so far. I don't blame the tour guide, he tried hard but too big a group and we were mislead on what we would do and see. I think the fault lies with DS.

 

The Maldives are a very different place. they are a large number of atolls spread over a fairly large area. Male is the capital. Nearby is the atoll with the airport. they have no place to get rid of their garbage so have been dumping it on an atoll off by itself and are burning it. The irony of this is that they are very concerned about global warming and figure they will be under water in the not too distant future. Seems to me adding to the greenhouse gasses by burning garbage non-stop is not really helping their cause. they have a contingency fund built up to move all 350 thousand people somewhere else. Of course that could be tricky as they want a place that is as homogeneous as they are now. NO religion is allowed except Islam, in fact if you speak against Islam you can go to jail and if serious enough can actually be put to death.

 

 

HURRAH 2 days at sea, can't wait.

[mrlevin]

I am confused by your comment about a 32 year old. i don't recall saying anything about someone being 32 on the bus. :)

 

 

I interpret your moniker to mean you were born in 1982.

[gnomie1]

Now i would say this is a fairly challenging tour so was amazed by the number of people that had challenges especially the couple that rode on our bus. There was of course the usual fighting over the front seat of the bus. OMG what is with people and the front seat. Really. We as usual head to near the back and try and just get a seat with a fairly good view and try to leave the front for those that aren't as mobile. Okay while I am ranting, i think we also had more than our share of inconsiderate people and those that don't know how to follow instructions.

.

 

 

Back on my soapbox - there are some people who need to sit near the front of the bus for medical reasons, some of which may not be apparent to the naked eye. However, if one needs a seat up front, they should talk to DS and explain the situation and a handicapped seat will be reserved. However, as we have witnessed twice on this cruise, when we have requested a handicapped seat and upon entering the bus, found someone else sitting there. Both times they claimed there was no notice on the seat, but others on the bus recall seeing the notices. How low will people go to get the front seat that they remove the handicapped reserve sign and then claim there was no notice???

 

Off my soapbox - did not mean to hijack your thread, but when I read your post, I wanted you to know the same is happening over on the Mariner.

 

gnomie :)