Notes from a Navigator Novice: Hong Kong to Singapore

[flossie009]

8 hours ago, CBWIR said:

Heard you had a great dinner Friday night on the Navigator. Hope you enjoyed it as much as the people who told me about it. 

 

Yes, it was a fabulous dinner with such enjoyable company 😁

 

Who knew that us troublesome Segmenters would get on so well with World Cruisers 😉

 

[flossie009]

@2012_Alaska_bound & @RachelG,

Thanks for setting me right on the route of the walking track. I had just referenced the route of the jogging track shown on the deck plans. Certainly the joggers huffing & puffing round the rear of Galileo’s were more intrusive than the walkers 🤨

 

@SC Retired Cruiser, Bob,

Good to hear from you.

The forward facing open deck is on deck 12 where the games are located (mini-golf, shuffleboard etc). The deck is not covered.

 

 @ronrick1943 & others,

Thanks for your kind comments.

Will try to post some more about our travels this morning if the internet behaves itself.

We are presently sailing towards Laem Chabang, Thailand with some threatening clouds and thunderstorms around 😱

[flossie009]

Monday 11 March: Nha Trang, Vietnam

 

Today was David’s birthday, so the customary and very welcome Regent good wishes and suite decoration was the order of the day.

 

 

 

 

Our excursion was a Pedicab ride around town, which was very good ............ and exciting when being buzzed by the locals on their scooters 😱

 

 

 

 

A very enjoyable dinner in Compass Rose sharing with two other personable and interesting couples. The conversation flowed such that we missed the guest entertainer.

[flossie009]

Some statistics of those on board for this segment from the SSS evening, courtesy of Bruce the Cruise Consultant:

 

Bronze: 18

Silver: 142

Gold: 145

Platinum: 29

Titanium: 15

Diamond: 8

Commodore: 2 (congratulations to Peggy on achieving Commodore status)

Total SSS members on board for this segment: approx 360

 

PS: I am afraid that further photo reports about this cruise may have to wait until we are in Singapore as the internet is just too frustrating.

Just did a couple of speed tests and these were the results - worse than dial-up!!

 

 

 

 

 

[SC Retired Cruiser]

UUNetBill-

 

Hi!!

 

Hambagahle and Flossie

 

Thank you!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Travelcat2]

Those Seven Seas Society numbers clearly show that the number of Gold members is so high that they need their own special event.  Obviously the "Top Tier Event" on this segment will have 200 passengers ..... way too many to have a "special" anything.

 

Thank you for posting these numbers.

[Ladys Mom]

Flossie have a wonderful cruise.  We love the section of the world that you are traveling through.  Interestingly enough, Viet Nam was our favorite.  Last summer we were on the Navigator from NYC to Iceland.  It was a wonderful cruise, even with some weather difficulties.  The crew could not have been nicer and more responsive to any problem that arose.

[RJ2002]

Really enjoying your commentary and pictures Flossie!  We'll be on the Navigator soon, and it is always so helpful to hear about others' experiences.  Thanks for sharing.

[flossie009]

5 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Those Seven Seas Society numbers clearly show that the number of Gold members is so high that they need their own special event.  Obviously the "Top Tier Event" on this segment will have 200 passengers ..... way too many to have a "special" anything.

 

Thank you for posting these numbers.

 

Yes, a large number of Silver and Gold on this cruise; possibly inflated by the 150 World Cruisers.

We missed the top tier event, as we forgot it was on!, but others reported that the  entertainment by the Production Cast at the event was excellent.

 

More interesting from the figures is that there are nearly one hundred guests on this segment who are new to Regent. Perhaps that is the reason for the change in “vibe” noted by HotRoot, albeit we have still not noticed any of the crass behaviours or non adherence to the dress code that she reported.

[flossie009]

@Lady’s Mom and @RJ2002,

Thanks for following along.

Looks like the Wi-Fi is a little faster and more stable today so maybe able to post some more of our blog.

 

Happy St Patrick’s Day, everyone 💚  🥃

 

 

[flossie009]

Tues/Wed, 12/13 March: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam

We were able to have a lie in this morning as the ship did not dock until 1pm.
Having been to Paulette Mitchell’s talk on “Travel Photography” mid morning, we were well set to view & photograph the sail up the river, with Navigator able to tie up at Nha Rang Port; barely 0.5km from the town centre.



On the first afternoon we took the shuttle into Union Square and then walked down to Ben Thanh market for a fun hour of haggling.






In the evening there was a Deck BBQ; a delicious feast, followed by popular songs from the 1960’s performed on deck by the Production Cast.
Then it was all down to the Seven Seas Lounge for music & dance from talented local performers.


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Edited March 17, 2019 by flossie009

[flossie009]

Up early on our second day in Saigon, we set off for our excursion to the Mekong River Delta.
This took in a visit to a Pagoda, a short cruise on the river, fruit & honey tasting and a sampan ride along a narrow canal. Then it was off to a large venue for a “traditional” Vietnamese lunch.










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[flossie009]

Mixing coconut toffee/fudge








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[flossie009]

Lunch menu


Elephant Ear fish


Preparing the sticky rice balls




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[flossie009]

After a long but enjoyable day, it was good to get back on board Navigator to freshen up and watch as we sailed back down the river from Saigon.






So it was finally goodbye to Vietnam.
We could not believe how much expansion has taken place since we were last here some 4 years ago .......... and the development is still continuing at a rapid pace.



Dinner in Prime 7. Food was delicious, with both our steaks being cooked perfectly and all the sides piping hot. However we found this venue on Navigator to be dark and cramped. Hopefully they will lighten the decor during the next refurbishment due later this year.


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[ronrick1943]

Your trip just looks fabulous and you're really having a great time.  Didn't know that the Navigator is going into a refreshment - that's great news to hear since that we'll be cruising her later on.  Thanks again for all the information.

[flossie009]

Just found a better picture of the bees:




............... and the fried “Elephant Ear” fish, which was delicious:






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[1982CruzStart]

Thanks Flossie for your commentary and pictures. Looking forward to our cruise together later this year. Continue to enjoy your cruise. 

[RachelG]

We did the same excursion 2 years ago.  I really liked that fish.

[flossie009]

Passenger diversity on this segment:

• USA - 329
• UK - 49
• Canada - 39

The rest of the passenger list being made up of smaller numbers from other countries.

 

There will be a changeover of around 250 guests in Singapore at the end of this segment.

 

[flossie009]

So sorry that we have got so far behind with this blog.

However, now we are off the ship and checked in at the Mandarin, Singapore (with stable, good Wi-Fi) we will try to catch up and finish our reports about this 12 day Asian segment of the world cruise.

 

 

Thurs 14 March: At Sea

Terry Bishop’s lecture this morning was “Thailand - The land of the free with a dark past”. An excellent run through Siam/Thailand’s history; the major section being about the terrible suffering of PoWs forced to build the Burma Railway during the Japanese occupation of Thailand in WW2.

 

This evening was the Seven Seas Society party, which was well attended.

During the event 10 crew members received their Regent long service awards - some for 5 years loyal service and some 10 year awards. 

 

We had a very enjoyable dinner in Compass Rose at a table hosted by William Gomez, Executive Concierge.

[flossie009]

Friday, March 15: Sihanoukville, Cambodia
($89US per person for the visa to visit this port)

Our impression of this area was that, unlike its neighbour Vietnam, Cambodia is struggling to move on from its troubled past.
The town looked uncared for and there is obviously much poverty. However, there is much construction ongoing fuelled by foreign investment.

We drove past garment factories where workers earn $150US per month when toiling for 12 hours per day. Their employers then make deductions for accommodation etc.

Our excursion in Cambodia was “Amazing Ream National Park”. This included a visit to a Monastery, a walk through a small village and a boat ride along the river.


The approach to the Monastery


Meditation Pagoda




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Edited March 20, 2019 by flossie009

[flossie009]

Various Buddhas at the Monastery






Happy Buddha





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[flossie009]

The village school:





Local fruits:



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[flossie009]

Then it was off on a long hike in the heat of the day through the rice fields to get to the river and board our boats.

David said that the film “The Killing Fields” kept coming into his mind.






 

 

 

 

An interesting excursion but probably could have been shorter.



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Edited March 20, 2019 by flossie009