Random Notes, 5/24-6/7/17, Mariner, Rumorlite but LIVE!

[Mr Rumor]

Terri, thanks for checking back in. Glad to know you're doing better. Especially glad to know you'll be joining fellow buds Roberto/Pam and John/Karen on the November Caribbean cruise!

 

Wonderful, too, Jackie, that you and Dennis will be cruising with John and Linda on that most interesting Amazon River and Eastern Caribbean cruise. Already looking forward to the blog.

 

As a one-time crew member myself (Royal Viking Line shipboard editor in the '70s), I have relished the opportunity on each of our Regent cruises to interact with the crew and learn snippets of their and their family stories. I know firsthand the joys, and sometimes the struggles, of being a crew member, so if I can be a support or just a good ear to a crew member it helps to make my day.

 

As the end of the cruise nears (we still have Prince Rupert today, Victoria tomorrow and a sea day after that to look forward to!), I find myself already beginning to reflect on the terrific service we've seen from the Mariner crew and staff, which number 447. Thirty-eight countries are represented in that number!

 

As usual the Philippines leads the pack in terms of staffing, with 169 crew members. India and Indonesia follow, with 64 and 55 members, respectively. Here is the full Explorer Crew Nationality Breakdown from A (Australia) to Z (Zimbabwe):

 

Philippines 169

India 64

Indonesia 55

Ukraine 19

Honduras 14

United States 13

Bulgaria 12

Romania 11

Italy 10

South Africa 9

Croatia 7

United Kingdom 6

Serbia 6

Brazil 4

Canada 4

France 4

Nepal 4

Russian Federation 4

Mexico 3

Thailand 3

Venezuela 3

Jamaica 2

Myanmar 2

Panama 2

Poland 2

Portugal 2

Zimbabwe 2

Australia 1

Belarus 1

Chile 1

Germany 1

Greece 1

Ireland 1

Kazakhstan 1 (Malika!)

Mauritius 1

New Zealand 1

Peru 1

Sweden 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[mrlevin]

I see that Regent is discriminating against potential crew members from the BENELUX countries. :eek: It is bad enough that there are no Luxembourgians but to eliminate the Dutch and Belgians is going a step too far. :') When will the people rise up and . . .

 

[RachelG]

Love the Raptor center in Sitka! Did you see the tiny owl?

 

As far as walking, as one who walks every day on the ship when onboard, I do follow the signs if there are any. It just makes things a lot more orderly; however, if there are no signs, I base my direction of walk on the sun as I don't like it shining directly in my eyes and the direction of wind. So I may change directions of walk several times writhing an hour based on the ship's position.

[Mr Rumor]

The Indian buffet has been moved from the Pool Grill to Compass Rose due to the cool weather. Good move!

 

 

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[jeb_bud]

Just so you know, if you're wearing a Broncos hat you're always walking in the right direction.

 

 

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[Mr Rumor]

Rachel, I think this might be him!

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

The Indian buffet has been moved from the Pool Grill to Compass Rose due to the cool weather. Good move!

 

 

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How lovely. The Indian buffet is our favorite!

[Mr Rumor]

Hi from Prince Rupert. The Mariner has just been cleared and we're off on our excursion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[RachelG]

Rachel, I think this might be him!

 

 

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That's the guy!

[Phillygirl3]

Mr. Rumor:

We were on board with you until May 31 when we left the ship in Anchorage. Thank you for posting pictures and commentary as it reminded us of the good time that we had while on board. I'm glad that the Code Red alert is diminishing but I am wondering how it is going with the 200 financial planners, spouses and children on board. It makes me worry about booking future cruises with the possibility of this happening. I have heard nightmare stories about groups on cruises. First, I would think financial advisors would be educated, well behaved people but it makes me wonder how companies can afford to send this many people on a cruise line like Regent, rather than one like Carnival. I guess it goes to show you that these people must be making a lot of money for their bosses. I think I'll have to mention this to my financial advisor and see if he's treated as equally well as this group was. I hope that the remainder of the trip was a great as the first half. Take care, safe travels and again, thanks for your wonderful posts.

[vitacura]

So thankful for you taking the time as usual to share your trip with us. It has been a few years since we sailed together, but your posts and pictures make me feel like I'm there with you. One question if I may, until when is Lorraine scheduled to be on the Mariner?

[Kwaj girl]

I see that Regent is discriminating against potential crew members from the BENELUX countries. :eek: It is bad enough that there are no Luxembourgians but to eliminate the Dutch and Belgians is going a step too far. :') When will the people rise up and . . .

 

Actually, Stephane is from Luxembourg - he was our maitre d' in Chartreuse on the Explorer this past April.

[mrlevin]

Actually, Stephane is from Luxembourg - he was our maitre d' in Chartreuse on the Explorer this past April.

 

Yes, and I have known many Belgians onboard; i just took advantage of Rich's list of CURRENT Mariner employees to have a little fun. :cool:

[liptastic]

Actually, Stephane is from Luxembourg - he was our maitre d' in Chartreuse on the Explorer this past April.

 

Kwaj girl would Stephane have been a waiter in Prime 7 on Mariner a few years ago?

We just disembarked Explorer in Barcelona recently and the only restaurant we did not eat in was Chatreuse .

Thanks, Jean.

[Kwaj girl]

Kwaj girl would Stephane have been a waiter in Prime 7 on Mariner a few years ago?

We just disembarked Explorer in Barcelona recently and the only restaurant we did not eat in was Chatreuse .

Thanks, Jean.

 

Not that I recall, though he has been in Signatures on some of our previous ships/voyages. I think he likes the French/Continental atmosphere, and as long as we've known him he's been a maitre d'.

[Travelcat2]

Stephane was on the Explorer in March but I have no idea if he is still there.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Our best wishes to so many of our friends- Rich and family, Terri and Ray, Roberto and the Boss, Jackie and Dennis and more. We are sorry we can not join any of you on your November cruises. We are sailing on the Explorer TA again in November. First we are visiting Madrid, Toledo and Lisbon. Then the TA cruise. Our prayers that we all be well and enjoy our journeys. May we meet you all again somewhere, hopefully on a Regent cruise!!!

Hugs

Sheila and Herb

[Mr Rumor]

Contrary to what I wrote earlier, we have a sea day today (it is past midnight as I post this) and Victoria on Tuesday, before debarking in Vancouver on Wednesday.

 

Vitacura, I still remember our meeting those several years ago aboard the Navigator, and feel it's about time that we cruise together again! CD Lorraine will be onboard the Mariner until July 28. Her next contract will be on the Mariner as well, September 24-January 23, 2018.

 

PhillyGirl, glad you've enjoyed the blog. I'm not aware of the children causing any issues. They all seem very well-behaved. As for the FFS folks, I don't see them at Terry Breen's lectures (they're missing out), but they've been out in force at the production cast performances, and they're a peppy bunch. We've had pleasant chats with a few of them.

 

Sheila, congrats on you and Herb booking another Explorer TA! Ginny's and my best wishes to you, too.

 

Mysteries and Traditions of the Northcoast was a nice 1.5 hour excursion featuring a visit to the Museum of Northern British Columbia (another little gem of a museum) and a Tsimshian longhouse performance.

 

But I'd rather write about the Prince Rupert Regent Choice Excursion we wanted to reprise but thought better of because of its early afternoon start and late (7:45 p.m.) return. Too much of an exertion for Shauna, who needs her naps, and who we wanted to be fresh for another Mariner cast performance of "Blazing Boots."

 

But I want you to know how terrific an excursion Khutzeymateen Valley Grizzly Bear Watch is so that if/when you find Prince Rupert on your Alaska itinerary you won't put off signing up for it. When we took the excursion in 2014 I considered it one of the several best excursions we've ever been on. We had a two-hour catamaran ride through beautiful country to Khutzey, where we were enthralled for more than an hour by the waterside meanderings and antics of a mother grizzly and her two cubs. We would have considered the excursion a total winner if we had returned directly to the ship. But our captain pulled a surprise on us on our way back: a stop at a special spot where he proceeded to make an eagle call, and start pitching pieces of fish in the water. Before we knew it we were surrounded by upwards of two dozen diving and swooping bald eagles!

 

Fast forward to earlier tonight in the Constellation Theater, when our front-row mate Leslie (on her first cruise with her husband) walked over and began talking about their Khutzeymateen experience today. In short, she described it as "Phenomenal!" FOUR mother grizzlies and EIGHT cubs were spotted and observed for nearly two hours! And they got an eagle feeding, too!

 

Still I knew we had made the right decision to pass up Khutzey when we observed a refreshed Shauna get into "Blazing Boots." Also it was a delight to watch her relish the moment when, after the show, the cast returned to the stage to meet her and have their photo taken with her. Big thanks to Lorraine for hatching and carrying out this wonderful surprise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Mr Rumor]

Good morning from new-name-tag modeler, Olena, in Reception. Olena, only a few weeks into her first Regent contract, hails from MSC, and, before that, Ukraine.

 

 

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[Mudhen]

Sounds like you guys continue to have a WONDERFUL time! Adorable picture of Shauna and cast! Enjoy you last few days!

Linda and John

PS...one of these days, when we're together again, we MUST talk Royal Viking! haha!

[Mr Rumor]

Linda, we never did get around to talking about Royal Viking Line--next time! BTW, Cruise Consultant Matilda's first job at sea was as a stewardess aboard the Seabourn Sun shortly after Seabourn acquired the Sun from RVL in the late '90s.

 

We met our Regent friend Cathey on our Navigator Montreal-Miami cruise in 2013 (still one of our favorites). According to Cathey, who has a better memory, we met on the "Anne of Green Gables" tour. We hit it off, and Cathey and Shauna definitely hit it off. At cruise's end, Cathy asked for our address so that she could send Shauna occasional cards. She hasn't missed a Christmas, Easter, Valentine's or Halloween yet.

 

It has been wonderful to cruise with her again, so we've decided to do another Montreal-Miami cruise together in 2019!

Edited June 5, 2017 by Mr Rumor

[Mr Rumor]

At Krew Kapers tonight, Ade (Indonesia, seventh Regent contract) did the vocal honors on "The Impossible Dream"

 

Captain Serena and GM Andreas bid arrivederci.

 

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[Mr Rumor]

Good morning from Victoria. We began our cruise with a week's worth of glorious sunshine, and we're ending it in The Garden City on the same sunny note! (And, BTW, guess which garden we'll be visiting today. . . .)

 

 

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[Phillygirl3]

Glad that you have this last sunny day. I have spoken to many people since we returned from the trip and they all said how lucky we were to have such great weather during the May 24-31, especially in Ketchikan. Continue to enjoy your time in port and have safe travels home and once, again, thank you for your wonderful posts and photos!

[Cool Fool]

But I'm not ready to get off the ship yet! Oh, wait, I wasn't actually really on the ship. Thanks for taking us along, Mr Rumor.