French Polynesia onboard Regent Navigator January 28-February 8, 2024

[RachelG]

Tikis

 

[RachelG]

Mountain view

[RachelG]

Snack time

[gabelle]

4 hours ago, RachelG said:

The church

 

 

The church isn't that new as we visited it in 2010.  We have been back to French Polynesia many times but never back to the Marquesas.  Thanks for bringing back memories.

[RachelG]

49 minutes ago, gabelle said:

The church isn't that new as we visited it in 2010.  We have been back to French Polynesia many times but never back to the Marquesas.  Thanks for bringing back memories.

“New” being a relative term compared to the “old” church in Papeete

[RachelG]

 

February 2, 2024–at sea

 

The captain had warned us the seas would pick up during the night, and his prediction was correct.  Lots of movement, nothing terrible, but it woke me up a few times with a lot of creaking noises.  We had the 30 minute time change again and gained back the 30 minutes we had lost.  Of course, none of our devices changed the time back yet, so again, I will spend the day not knowing what time it is.

 

It was totally overcast and pouring rain when we went up to La Veranda for breakfast.  There were not a lot of people up there, and we had a leisurely breakfast.  They had 3 types of sangria on offer.  It looked lovely, but I did not partake.

 

We really had nothing planned for the day, and the weather ruled out my morning walking.  We played cards for awhile. The magician gave a lecture and taught how to do some simple magic tricks.

 

It stopped raining in time for us to eat lunch on the pool deck.  Today was Asian themed.  George was disappointed with the sushi though thought the sashimi was good.  The hot and sour soup was delicious.

 

My friend and I took advantage of the temporary stop in the rain and were able to get in a good 30 minutes of brisk walking before it started raining again.  There was a cocktail mixing talk at 2:00.  They told how to make all the Regent Signature drinks.

 

We did terrible at trivia, mainly because Ray gave 2 points for the first and last name in 2 questions and we missed both.  Had he not done that we would have placed 3rd or higher.  I have expressed my displeasure.

 

The Seven Seas Society reception was tonight.  It actually was one of the best I have attendee as the singers and dancers did a mini Abba show.  There are 12 plats onboard (including George and me) and 2 titaniums.

 

We (all of us) had dinner with the captain and the assistant CD.  I think he was somewhat overwhelmed with the whole family thing, but we had a really good time.  The food was delicious, as usual.

 

George went to donate money to the casino afterward.  Enough said.

 

[RachelG]

Seven Seas event

[lungdoc]

Rachel-

Love your posts. Bert and I are sailing on the Voyager February, 2025 from Auckland to Papeete and we also have our first cruise booked on the Navigator so the information you are providing is very helpful. If you have an iPhone, here is how to solve your time zone issue:

 

Settings, General, Date and Time, Time Zone. Uncheck “Set Automatically” then press Time and enter the ship’s time. I’m sure you will get this too late but at least you’ll know if there is a next time. 

 

Continue enjoying and posting!

Mitch

[RachelG]

39 minutes ago, lungdoc said:

Rachel-

Love your posts. Bert and I are sailing on the Voyager February, 2025 from Auckland to Papeete and we also have our first cruise booked on the Navigator so the information you are providing is very helpful. If you have an iPhone, here is how to solve your time zone issue:

 

Settings, General, Date and Time, Time Zone. Uncheck “Set Automatically” then press Time and enter the ship’s time. I’m sure you will get this too late but at least you’ll know if there is a next time. 

 

Continue enjoying and posting!

Mitch

Thanks for the instructions, Mitch.  Yes, too late for this trip, but I will use in the future.

[RachelG]

February 3, 2024- Rangiroa French Polynesia 

 

When we woke up, we were able to see a long atoll with palm trees and a lot more infrastructure than Fakarava.  It was sunny and hot!  

 

As we ate breakfast, Ray came on overhead and announced there would be delay in tendering as the crew had to make some repairs at the dock since not that many ships come here, and it didn’t meet Regent’s safety standards.

 

The repair was quickly made, and tendering started about 30 minutes later.  We were on a morning snorkeling trip.  The boat we boarded was small but not crowded.  We had brought our own snorkels.  They had some for loan on the boat, but you never know what quality they will be.  There were lots of fish—zebra fish, parrot fish, mullet, red snapper, surgeon fish, butterfly fish, a few small sharks, a grouper, plus a bunch of others I don’t know.

 

After an hour, we headed back to shore.  There were ladies with jewelry and pareos for sale.  I bought a couple of things.  We walked to the other side of the island, all of maybe 500 ft.  When we came back, we ate lunch at a place called Snack Juna.  These little “snack” places are open air restaurants and really good.  I had a fish burger.  George had a fish curry with coconut milk.  Our friend had ceviche.  All really good, plus some hot perfectly crispy French fries.  

 

We had a glass bottom boat excursion for the afternoon, and I thought it would be just the same as morning, but it really wasn’t.  We got to see some nice coral as well as a lot of fish.  

 

Back on the ship, we totally bombed at trivia.  Tonight was Ray’s pre dinner show.  He had some really good new stuff, and it was awesome as usual.

 

Dinner in Prime 7 was about as perfect as could be.  My smoked salmon was definitely smoked as it was enclosed in a glass dome with smoke inside. I don’t remember this from previous cruises and think it is a new thing.

 

There was an Abba Dance party on the pool deck, and it looked super fun.  But I could hardly keep my eyes open.

[CardowMD]

Would someone currently on Navigator be able to post room service and other dining venue menus? I am trying to get an idea of what is available for my Nov 2024 cruise.  Many of the other CC cruise line posters photo the menus. Not many on RSSC show these. Thanking everyone in advance!

[RachelG]

Big announcement—there is a huge storm coming, so we will be at Bora Bora as planned, but then will head straight to Papeete, missing Raitea.  Disappointing, but the tour operators in Raitea had already cancelled even before the decision was made.

[RachelG]

Room service menu— sorry about it being upside down.  I promise I was not standing on my head.

[RachelG]

Breakfast room service

[RachelG]

Snorkeling excursion — so many fish

[RachelG]

Coral beach

[cwn]

10 hours ago, RachelG said:

February 3, 2024- Rangiroa French Polynesia 

 

When we woke up, we were able to see a long atoll with palm trees and a lot more infrastructure than Fakarava.  It was sunny and hot!  

 

As we ate breakfast, Ray came on overhead and announced there would be delay in tendering as the crew had to make some repairs at the dock since not that many ships come here, and it didn’t meet Regent’s safety standards.

 

The repair was quickly made, and tendering started about 30 minutes later.  We were on a morning snorkeling trip.  The boat we boarded was small but not crowded.  We had brought our own snorkels.  They had some for loan on the boat, but you never know what quality they will be.  There were lots of fish—zebra fish, parrot fish, mullet, red snapper, surgeon fish, butterfly fish, a few small sharks, a grouper, plus a bunch of others I don’t know.

 

After an hour, we headed back to shore.  There were ladies with jewelry and pareos for sale.  I bought a couple of things.  We walked to the other side of the island, all of maybe 500 ft.  When we came back, we ate lunch at a place called Snack Juna.  These little “snack” places are open air restaurants and really good.  I had a fish burger.  George had a fish curry with coconut milk.  Our friend had ceviche.  All really good, plus some hot perfectly crispy French fries.  

 

We had a glass bottom boat excursion for the afternoon, and I thought it would be just the same as morning, but it really wasn’t.  We got to see some nice coral as well as a lot of fish.  

 

Back on the ship, we totally bombed at trivia.  Tonight was Ray’s pre dinner show.  He had some really good new stuff, and it was awesome as usual.

 

Dinner in Prime 7 was about as perfect as could be.  My smoked salmon was definitely smoked as it was enclosed in a glass dome with smoke inside. I don’t remember this from previous cruises and think it is a new thing.

 

There was an Abba Dance party on the pool deck, and it looked super fun.  But I could hardly keep my eyes open.

I am really enjoying your report and pictures. We did the glass bottom boat also when we were there. Agree, It was surprising good!

[boblerm]

8 hours ago, CardowMD said:

Would someone currently on Navigator be able to post room service and other dining venue menus? I am trying to get an idea of what is available for my Nov 2024 cruise.  Many of the other CC cruise line posters photo the menus. Not many on RSSC show these. Thanking everyone in advance!

You can read all of the menus on the Regent website here

 

https://www.rssc.com/experience/epicurean-perfection

 

[RachelG]

[RachelG]

 

February 4, 2024–Bora Bora

 

We rocked and rolled a bit through the night, perfect for sleeping.  When we woke up, it was completely overcast and pouring rain.  We had a lazy morning as we were not to arrive in Bora Bora till 1 pm.  George lost in the blackjack tournament.  I came in 3rd at baggo.  We came in 3rd at morning trivia.  We had an early lunch on the pool deck, and the skies started to clear a little.  The rain stopped.  It was looking positive for our excursion.

 

Soon we could see the signature peaks of Bora Bora ahead.  We were anchored quickly, and the excursions set off.  We were first off on the Snorkeling and Beach Time excursion.  Once at the dock, which hadn’t changed a bit since I was last here 18 years ago, we waited and waited for the catamaran which was to take us on the excursion. Apparently there was some confusion regarding whether the excursion would go or not.  

 

After about 30 minutes, which my friend and I spent looking in the little craft shop, the large catamaran arrived.  We set off for an area inside the reef which was very shallow and home to sharks and rays which could easily be seen in the clear aqua water.  When we got there, the wind had really picked up, so the water was pretty choppy though the catamaran was very stable.

 

George snorkeled, but I climbed the stairs to the top deck of the catamaran where I had a great view of everything in the water.  I saw a couple of sharks and rays and some pretty fish, though not nearly as many as in Moorea or Rangiroa.  

 

Looking toward the island, there were black clouds and a heavy sheet of rain coming down.  It started pouring rain just as everyone was getting back on board.  The wind was really blowing too, so the decision was made to skip the motu and beach and head back to port.

 

The crew really made the best of a difficult situation.  They brought out all the snacks were were going to have on the motu, and played the ukulele and bongo drums and sang.

 

We got absolutely soaked on the tender ride back, not on the tender itself but on the stairs.  Hot showers and a change of clothes fixed that.

 

We had planned to have dinner on the island and had reservations at the yacht club for a sunset meal, but what with the downpour which showed no sign of slacking, we decided to stay on board.  The rain was so heavy, we could barely see the island.    Very disappointing, but the weather can’t be controlled.

 

Very nice dinner in Sette Mare.  I had some really good pasta and the usual appetizers were great.

 

The show afterward was really outstanding.  It featured the dancers and singers.  I will have to say that usually there are one or two performers that are really good , but the rest just so so. The entire cast this trip has been excellent, and this I am saying from the perspective of someone who has been a professional musician. They are all outstanding.

[pappy1022]

Sorry to hear about the rain. It is the rainy season in the French Polynesia so I guess it should be expected. I enjoyed reading your daily posts. Thank you for taking me along on your cruise. I am going on a FP cruise in June 2025 on the Paul Gauguin. I would have considered Regent but they don’t cruise in that part of the world during the “dry” season. 

[CardowMD]

@RachelGThank you for posting these menus. The room service will be handy on days when tours return mid afternoon (2-3pm) after dining venues are closed. Hoping Pool grill stays open later, but it may be cool in early November in the Med.

 

sorry the weather is not cooperating in the absolutely beautiful locations.

[vegasdriven]

I am just going to hop on here to add some thoughts rather than continuing with the thread I started, but have not been keeping up with of late. Hope that is ok, Rachel. 
We got to do our reef ringed lagoon tour yesterday, which despite our terrible timing with the rain was a lot of fun. Yes very uncomfortable in the open air speedboats, But as soon as in the water we were warm again, and saw lots of pretty fish. 
After the snorkel we continued to our bext stop which was off the long sandy public beach, but not on the beach. We were all so cold and the rain really stung your face when travelling between stops that I think if it had been offered to just return early we would probably been in agreement. However, our driver stopped the boat and ordered us all overboard. We all looked at him like he was nuts but he said you want to warm up- get in the water. So that is what we did and it was lovely- like bath water. After a half hour of rain soaked mango rum drinks and camaraderie we got back in the boat for the return to the tender where we encountered a huge line and had to wait for the next one. Eventually arriving back on board where the air con turned us into popsicles. 
After nice warm showers we were recuperated, and ready to enjoy our evening. I am sitting at teatime writing this and have to head to trivia so will continue later, or tomorrow. There is actually a little beak in the weather right now so hopefully that bodes well. 

[RachelG]

February 5, 2024–Bora Bora

 

It was announced late last evening that all excursions had been cancelled for today by the tour operators under order from the French government.  When we woke up, it wasn’t raining at all.  It was cloudy, but no significant wind or rain.  They announced tenders would be running as planned but no excursions.

 

Just as we got to La Veranda, it started pouring rain, really pouring.  All the people sitting out on the back outside part of the restaurant had to scurry inside.  It came in so heavy and fast that you couldn’t even see the island.  But we could see something we hadn’t the entire trip—another ship anchored next to us.  It was an Azamara ship.

 

My son and his wife went over on the tenders to do recon on what was available to do onshore.  They were able to secure a 6 person van.  It had cleared off some and stopped raining.

 

We piled in the smallest 6 person van I have ever seen.  There is only really one road around the island, so we turned right and took off.  We went to see a huge banyan tree.  Next up was Matira beach, a beautiful long white sand beach.  The water was too stirred up to really see much snorkeling, so we ate lunch at the very pricey beach club.  Expensive but really good with a proper salad. 

 

We drove on.  In places, water had flooded the road, and lots of people’s yards were flooded. We came upon the shop where I had purchased my pareo 18 years ago.  It hadn’t changed a bit.  I found a cute little shorts and shirt set for my oldest grandson, but they had nothing for little girls.  We stopped at a couple of other shops with no luck.  We found one that did have beautiful stuff for babies and little girls, but the onesies were $60!  No way.  We then found a more reasonable shop which had little girls clothing and got the dress I was looking for.

 

Back to the ship just as it started raining.  It had been dry the entire time we were ashore.  Trivia was a bust today.  The captain came on overhead to say to expect very rough seas.

 

Dinner in Compass Rose featured the really delicious mushroom soup.  I could just have this for dinner and be happy.  I also had some spinach cannelloni and crème brûlée .  Afterwards the magician made a repeat performance, and he was very entertaining.  At this point it was apparent that the captain had been right about the sea.  We were really moving, so I just came back to the cabin for safety sake.

[RachelG]

Welcoming committee