Random Notes, Navigator, Montreal-NY, 10/3-10/15/19, LIVE!

[JAG2003]

What a great picture.  Regent sure is TOPS!

happy birthday 🎂 again Shauna.    

Marcia.  

[Zqueeze1]

1 hour ago, Mr Rumor said:

Thanks for the Shauna birthday wishes, cruiseluv, Jennifer, Gerry and Ken and Linda and John!

 

Shauna got quite the surprise when we returned from our morning tour!  Our stewardess, Suzanne, and her assistant, June, hand cut Shauna’s name, letter by letter.  That’s what I call exceeding expectations!

Kudos to your room stewards and to Regent for making this day extra special for Shauna. I can see how happy she is and her expression says it all.  

 

I would assume that 22 panko shrimp would just be as an appetizer!  I could eat them for dessert if I could get away with it. 

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

Z and TB

[califsealion]

It sounds like you enjoyed Corner Brook.  I did an expedition cruise around Newfoundland a couple years ago and loved the landscape and loved the people.  Glad you got to experience the friendliness that Newfoundland is known for!

[irishwitchy]

  I’m so happy I found a Mr Rumor live thread - I always enjoy them.   I’m hoping one of these days to meet Shauna and maybe we can dance the night away at the Beatles show! 

[Mr Rumor]

Pinned!   How cool for Shauna to receive her Gold Tier pin from Captain Ari and GM Davor on her birthday!

 

Celebrating the Little Boss with one big cake!

 

Cocktail pianist Clive charms Shauna with the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” as we make our way back to our cabin after the evening’s entertainment.  A perfect set of  notes to end the night on!

[Hambagahle]

And here are birthday wishes for Shauna from Switzerland!

 

Bonne Fête Shauna!!  Amuse toi bien!!

 

What a lovely girl and a lovely cake (in that order!!)

[xrvlcruiser]

It's so nice to see pictures of Captain Ari, GM Davor and Clive! Three lovely Gentlemen!

I know they - as well as the rest of the Officers/Staff etc. - helped to make your and Shauna's trip special.

Peggy

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks, Gerry, and so true, Peggy!  Good morning as we approach Halifax.  Best sunrise yet!

Edited October 9, 2019 by Mr Rumor

[Mr Rumor]

Docking!  That’s Captain Ari at the “barbecue” and Staff Captain Mario on the right.  The pilot is on the left.

Edited October 9, 2019 by Mr Rumor

[Wendy The Wanderer]

20 hours ago, califsealion said:

It sounds like you enjoyed Corner Brook.  I did an expedition cruise around Newfoundland a couple years ago and loved the landscape and loved the people.  Glad you got to experience the friendliness that Newfoundland is known for!

 

Yes me too.  Especially since someone on another board here recently called the Corner Brook port "rubbish".  Which I thought was quite uncalled-for, considering that the Newfoundlanders are the loveliest people you could imagine.

[RachelG]

Recatching up as work has been ridiculous this past week.  So glad Shauna had a great birthday. 

 

And I also saw that post calling Corner Brook "rubbish" which I thought was really inappropriate.  It is a small town.  Just because it doesn't have gourmet restaurants or great shopping doesn't mean that it is not worth visiting.  The smaller ports that don't get many ships are some of our favorites.

[briar14]

Shauna certainly had a wonderful birthday. My best wishes to her. I love how Regent goes all out to make celebrations memorable as are the people they are for 🎉! 

[Mr Rumor]

Iconic Towns of Nova Scotia carries a $149 upcharge and doesn’t include lunch, which might explain why only 17 people, including us, signed up for it.  

 

I’m just glad I wasn’t disuaded to book the tour, as we had a wonderful time.  Iconic Towns was seven hours long, and featured stops at Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg and Mahone Bay; beautiful drives amid fall colors, and excellent commentary from Anne, our pleasant, easygoing guide.

 

A big bonus today:  The weather was beautiful! 

 

Our first stop was Peggy’s Cove, where I only had to wait about five minutes to get a shot of Peggy’s Cove Light sans people.

 

I then walked down to the Cove—quite small, by the way—where I spoke with Wayne, a fourth generation Peggy’s Cove lobsterman who was readying his traps for the start of the local lobster season on December 1.  Wayne remembers when “they used to give away lobster  licenses.”  Today, he said, a lobster license in the Peggy’s Cove area will set you back $400,000-$500,000 Canadian.

 

Wayne lives in the yellow house across the Cove from where he has his traps. He is one of 47 residents.

 

It was a little early for a lobster roll, but I was tempted.

 

One more shot of the Cove:

 

Next:  Lunenburg and Mahone Bay.  But first, James Bond Martini Night and Prime 7.

Edited October 9, 2019 by Mr Rumor

[forgap]

Beautiful pictures, Rich!   I’m curious about the Congee advertised at the lobstah shack. Do they get lots of Chinese tourists?  

[Pinksunset]

Happy Belated Birthday to beautiful Shauna!  And thank you again for sharing your fabulous pictures.  Brings back memories of a prior cruise to that area.  And Peggy’s Cove!  Such a lovely time of the year.

[Mr Rumor]

3 hours ago, forgap said:

Beautiful pictures, Rich!   I’m curious about the Congee advertised at the lobstah shack. Do they get lots of Chinese tourists?  

Thanks, Jennifer!  There were no Chinese tourists on hand today, but a quick Google search turned up some interesting article titles, including, “Nova Scotia Plans to Attract More Tourism from China,” and “The Nova Scotia-China Engagement Strategy:  Partnering for Success.”  

[Mr Rumor]

After Peggy’s Cove, we motored over hill and dale, taking in the changing colors.

 

We arrived at our second stop, Lunenburg, shortly before lunch.  We grabbed a quick bite, wanting to make the most of our short visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site described by UNESCO as the “best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America.”

 

During our walk we took in several examples of what the locals describe as the “Lunenburg Bump,” namely a “projection from the center of the house, over the door, comprised of an. . . overhanging dormer, most commonly of the five-sided Scottish type.” (Canada Register of Historic Places).  According to our tour guide, Anne, the “Bump” served a useful purpose in pre-electricity days by bringing maximum light into a house.

 

We took in a few other Lunenburg sights, including the Heritage Bandstand.

 

Shauna would have loved a carriage ride, but, alas, there was not enough time.

 

It was a short drive from Lunenburg to Mahone Bay, known around Nova Scotia and beyond for its Scarecrow Festival, now in its 23rd year. Our guide wasn’t sure the 250 or so hand-made, life-size “scarecrows” were still on display around town, but luckily they were. I’ll close by sharing a few.  Good night from the Navigator!

[Mjflowers]

Is that Keith Richards?

[Mr Rumor]

7 hours ago, Mjflowers said:

Is that Keith Richards?

Yep.  I also spotted Kiss. And Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.  Elvis, too!

[Mr Rumor]

With all the Shauna birthday hoopla, it slipped my mind to report the Seven Seas Society numbers, which were announced by Cruise Consultant Bea at the SSS event the night before last (Shauna’s birthday).

 

Nearly 70%, or 302, of our cruisers are SSS members (at least one Regent cruise under their belts).  The tier breakdown is as follows:

 

Bronze, 33 (7-20 nights)

Silver, 203 (21-74)

Gold, 47, including newest Gold, Shauna! (75-199)

Platinum, 13 (200-399)

Titanium, 5 (400-999)

Diamond, 0 (1000-1999)

Commodore, 1 (2000+)

 

Our Commodore is none other that long-time Regent resident Captain Yablin, who has somewhere north of 5,000 nights.  I hope he’s feeling as good as he looks at 95.  

[Mudhen]

LOVED the scarecrows! And what beautiful weather you've been having. Hope you'll leave a little of that for us next week!

Did you have any success at the crafts market in Sydney? It's actually one of my favorite shopping stops of all our cruises. I guess it's because they have stuff we can actually use!

Any special cocktails we should know about? Who's your favorite bartender (if you've been frequenting any of the local watering holes).

Carry on! 

[Mr Rumor]

 

1 hour ago, Mr Rumor said:

Our Commodore is none other that long-time Regent resident Captain Yablin, who has somewhere north of 5,000 nights.  I hope he’s feeling as good as he looks at 95.  

It’s Captain Jablin, not Yablin.  Sorry about that.

[rcandkc]

28 minutes ago, Mr Rumor said:

 

It’s Captain Jablin, not Yablin.  Sorry about that.

So glad to hear that the Captain is doing well.  We have been on board with him several times.  He is a true inspiration.  The crew love him. 

Edited October 10, 2019 by rcandkc
Punctuation

[Mr Rumor]

We’re now docked in Saint John, New Brunswick.  I see the Carnival is in town.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

13 hours ago, Mr Rumor said:

Thanks, Jennifer!  There were no Chinese tourists on hand today, but a quick Google search turned up some interesting article titles, including, “Nova Scotia Plans to Attract More Tourism from China,” and “The Nova Scotia-China Engagement Strategy:  Partnering for Success.”  

 

Possibly related.  I do know that Japanese tourists traditionally love P.E.I. because they are huge Anne of Green Gables fans.  Do they eat congee?