Live from Regatta--LA to LA January 7-17, 2017

Tomorrow we embark for our first cruise on one of the Oceania small ships. We regularly cruise on Regent and Silversea and have done one cruise on Marina. And I customarily post live on a daily basis. I started keeping a travel journal for personal use years ago, then some friends expressed interest in reading my observations on CC.

While Marina is a beautiful ship with great dining venues, we both agreed it was a little too large for us. We learned a lot on that cruise, mostly that we would not save money by cruising on Oceania if we added all the things that we are used to having included with Regent and Silversea in a comparable cabin.

Be that as it may, we decided we would give one of the smaller ships a try if the right itinerary at the right time came along. And this fit the bill as it includes the ability to travel to Copper Canyon in Mexico by train, something that is on my husband's bucket list.

We are traveling with a great group of friends--two couples that we have cruises with several times before and that we actually met through CC plus our son's in-laws with whom we have been friends for years but never traveled with. And there are others on our roll call that I am looking forward to meeting.

There will be inevitable comparisons to Regent and Silversea, but this time I am more knowing what to expect, so I think we will have a wonderful trip.

Right now we are sitting in the airport at Tulsa looking out on a snow covered runway, and our flight is delayed. I am confident we will make it though. I am anxious to escape the frozen tundra of Oklahoma for someplace warmer.

Any questions/comments, please ask.

Looking forward to reading about your cruise and impressions.

Jealous of the Copper Canyon trip - on my bucket list.

Bon voyage!

don't compare/compare along the way...take it for what it is...a cruise on another line....

We cruised once with friends who had recently sailed on Regent..and the entire cruise they kept saying" Well...on Regent"...it was "this way"..

I'm not saying you will do that...but do try and take this experience for what it is!!! Enjoy...and I think you will love the cruise!!! LuAnn

Enjoy the cruise - and the thought that you will be out of the snow :D

we made it to LA!

Thanks for the well wishes. After a 2 1/2 hour delay in Tulsa, we arrived at dfw only to have missed our flight to LAX. Fortunately somewhere in computer land, AA had rebooked us on the next and last flight of the day, which was to leave 20 minutes after we landed. We ran (well, I ran and George walked as quickly as he could given that he had hernia surgery 9 days ago), and we made it. No seats together, but we have been married 36 years, so I told the gate agent I thought we could survive.

Arrived at LAX about midnight, and I sprung for a cab to the airport Hilton since I am also designated luggage handler due to the surgery. After a good but short night's sleep, we are anxious to get onboard and have FUN!

Wow, sounds like you've paid your travel dues already - so the rest should run smoothly! Enjoy Regatta - I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventure.

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Sounds like your ready for a great cruise. We always have cruised "O", however we tried Silverseas (just OK to us, but very nice). Now we've booked Regent for a few cruises and just like you with "O", looking forward to the Regent style. I think something new is good, when we were cruising "O" you know whats going to happen, just like Regent cruisers - so something new is always good. Enjoy and I'll be looking forward to reading what you think about the two lines.

Rick

I spent all of yesterday watching the snow come down....only 2" but it kept coming all day long. Then the temperature got down to -1*F last night. That does not include a wind chill factor ugh! ....however the sun has been shining today.

I know where I would like to be....on Regatta cruising down the west coast. When I read your reports I will imagine I am onboard with you....lol..:D

Thanks for posting your review.

Whew! You've already had an "adventure!" Now for some fun!

We were on Regatta in November and December (Amazon River) and absolutely loved the ship and the crew - and everything else. Had last cruised with Oceania about eight years ago, and I can assure you it won't be that long before we're back again.

Have a wonderful cruise!

(p.s. - We visited the Copper Canyon three years ago on a land tour - the views and scenery from the El Chepe train were awesome. We also took the tram from one side of the canyon to the other - spectacular! A caveat, however: We also went to the floor of the canyon and stayed a few days - not recommended! The little mining town at the bottom, Batopilas, is pretty sad, there were obvious drug runners (opium) on the back roads (our van was sideswiped by a pick-up truck load of armed thugs while on the river road), and the drive from the rim down and back up was the most terrifying experience I've ever endured in my life!

I am glad you were able to get a connection and that you are now safely on the ship! I hope you two have a wonderful time, and look forward to your post!!

Just received a call from Southwest today, they are changing our air schedule again and our outbound flights to earlier. We have 2 scheduled Cruises on O in the upcoming months. They will be number one and number two for us! One is on the Marina and the next one will be on the Regatta! My only wish is if they keep changing our flight schedule, I wish they would change our return flights to a little bit earlier, as those are around 5 PM. The closest Cruises we have done would be on Azamara and possibly Crystal! Can't wait to experience Oceania. We have sailed over 100 times, but many of those were three day cruises.

Again have a fabulous trip!!!

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January 7, 2017-- embarkation in LA

We didn't know how long it would take to get to the port. And since LA is notorious for traffic, we decided to allow an hour. Turned out there was no traffic at all, lighter than in Tulsa, so we got to the port in 35 minutes.

Lobster

As a result, we were a bit early to check in. The very polite porters took our luggage, we went through security, but then had to sit and wait for maybe 30 minutes to check in. Once onboard, we went to do a change to a dinner reservation, make spa appointments, order the wine package, and finally have lunch in the terrace grill.

I have vowed to be good on this cruise as far as eating, so I had a salad which was great. I actually had 2 salads, because since they won't let you make your own, I couldn't convince the girl to give me as much lettuce as I wanted. So I went back for seconds. There was a lovely turkey being carved as well as pasta station, pizza, desserts.

Our luggage arrived in our penthouse suite little by little, which was ok, because I didn't feel overwhelmed with unpacking.

George took a nap while I did an hour on the track. It is a little small but unobstructed so achieves its purpose. The day had started off damp with temps in the low 60s, but the sun came out for my walk, and it was very comfortable.

Muster drill was quick and efficient. We were to sail away at 5, but that was delayed until 5:30 due to some late arriving passengers.

Dinner in polo grill. It was a solid good. Not outstanding. What I would expect from a good steakhouse at home, but nothing over the top. Best was being with friends.

The show was a sampler of future attractions. The singers were great. The rest, just so so. Time will tell.

Rachel:

Really looking forward towards reading your comments especially since we are considering doing an Oceania cruise in the future. Glad you made your connection. We hope you and your husband have a wonderful cruise.

Z and TB

A word on our suite. We are in a penthouse. It is very good with a pleasant color scheme, big bed (larger than a queen), full sized couch, chair, a long desk, and plenty of storage. There is a small safe and mini fridge stocked with soft drinks. There are enough plugins for all our electronics.

The bathroom is good size with shower tub combo (would prefer shower only). There is a huge mirror in the shower which is not really where I want a mirror, but you can solve the problem by turning on the shower really hot for a couple of minutes, so it fogs up.

The balcony is quite large with 2 chairs and ottomans and table.

The entire ship is beautifully decorated in a style that I like, sort of a classic English manor look. Lots of oriental rugs everywhere, lots of dark wood.

Rachel I always enjoy your cruise reports. Have a wonderful cruise and hope your husband has a great opportunity to convalescence after his recent surgery. Look forward to your posts. Thanks, Jean.

January 8, 2017--at sea

What a wonderful nights sleep! I never sleep better than onboard ship, and this was no exception. There was just a slight gentle roll which is perfect. And George, who was about done in yesterday after all our travel on top of surgery, finally got a great full night of sleep and feels much improved today.

I woke at 6 am due to the time difference and got up to view a beautiful sunrise from our balcony. It had rained overnight, but the day is sunny, a little windy, with cool temps, I would say in the 60s. Too cool for me to do an early morning walk outside, and the deck was wet as well. I don't do running or fast walking on wet decks, so had to wait for later, but a lot of people were out walking and jogging.

I found the coffee place outside of the main dining room, worked online a bit, then joined George and our friends for breakfast in the terrace. Some people reported seeing dolphins off the back, but I missed them.

The CD, Ray, led a brief church service which was well attended, so much so that he ran out of the order of service sheets. He even commented on the good attendance and told us he will know if we aren't there next Sunday.

The lecturer on board gave a good talk about topolobampo which is the port where using ship board credit.we get on the train for Copper Canyon and Mazatlan. I learned a bunch of things I hadn't know before--Mazatlan has the third largest Mardi Gras celebration in the world with Rio and New Orleans being the only larger ones. Copper canyon is 4 times larger than the Grand Canyon. Hoping some of this knowledge will come in handy for trivia.

Lunch was Asian themed both in the main dining room and the terrace. There was sushi as well as a whole roast pig in the terrace. I had an Asian salad plus some gyoza which was quite nice.

George and I both had massages after lunch. Mine was great, his just average. The prices are high. I would only do this using shipboard credit. But tips are included.

In other news, my son's MIL won $120 at bingo!

After an hour of walking up on the top deck, where the temps were now comfortable, it was time for trivia. We named ourselves the epic team and came in second. If George would be more assertive in his answers, we would have won.

The captain's reception was tonight followed by dinner in toscana. The food was very very good. I liked it better than last night, but I love Italian. Menu is overwhelming.

The show was outstanding-- a Motown show called "Good Lovin'". Just the music I love. Both lead singers have great voices. And the dancers are not emaciated.

I will be boarding when you disembark so comments about the current staff, shows, etc. are appreciated. It's a few minutes before lunch here, so reading about the food made me akin to Pavlov's dogs.

Enjoying your review. Regatta is my favorite ship and we will be sailing on her again in March. Please keep it coming--love to read more!

January 9, 2017-- another sea day

Calm seas all night long, great for sleeping. We lost an hour during the night. The temperature is slowly getting warmer. Very comfortable in the 70s outside and not as windy. In the distance, we can see the coast of Baja California. Every so often, we will see a pod of dolphins or porpoises (not sure which), and a couple of people saw a whale early this morning.

A very lazy day. There was another informative lecture about Cabo and La Paz. I have been to Cabo before, but not La Paz. It looks more interesting than I expected.

There was a cooking demo by the head chef (French) and the chef in Toscana (Italian). I learned a couple of tips , and they were very funny bantering back and forth.

Italian lunch in MDR and the terrace. I had a great salad, plus a small portion of polenta which I love. George had a burger from the grill which he did not think was very good. Not the grade of beef we are used to at home as we have a ranch and all our cattle is organic and grass fed. I don't know why he persists in thinking he can get comparable ground beef on the ship as he is always disappointed. But his fries were great.

There was an extra cost wine tasting in the afternoon. Way too much education and too little tasting. I learned a lot, but it was a lecture.

After a good walk around the track to get exercise, we came in 3rd at trivia. Unfortunately we missed 2 obvious questions that we should have gotten right. Funny the first night, we skipped it. Skipped it.

After cocktails in Horizons while watching a beautiful sunset, we went down to the main dining room for dinner, our first experience there. So the food was very good. But there was a huge vibration and noise from the vibration that made conversation almost impossible. We were toward the back, and I think the further back you are, the worse it gets. But we still have fun, just couldn't hear anything.

The show tonight was the comedian. Since I didn't think he was funny the first night , we skipped it. Our friend Jerry is singing in horizons at 10:30, so I am going up to support him then off to bed as we have to be up and ready to go at 5 am.

Rachel,

If they are offering the swim with whale sharks out of La Paz, consider taking that tour. Even if you don't snorkel and just stay in the boat, you will see many of them very close up.

Amazing!

Rachel,

If they are offering the swim with whale sharks out of La Paz, consider taking that tour. Even if you don't snorkel and just stay in the boat, you will see many of them very close up.

Amazing!

All the guys in our group are signed up for this excursion.

January 10,2017--Topolobampo, Mexico and train to Copper Canyon

Topolobampo is a deep water port. Not much going on there, but the reason most people come here is to go to Copper Canyon on board El Chepe, the only passenger train in Mexico.

We had to be up early and in the lounge at 5 am to start the journey. 5 buses, containing 200 passengers plus the captain and CD, drove from the port to El Fuerte with police escort to board the train. Police were all along the way to clear the road and let us go through the traffic unimpeded.

The train is quite comfortable with room to spread out. We were soon rolling through arid terrain, with big cacti and mesquite trees, really rugged looking cattle, and mountains in the distance. As we went higher and higher, we went through deciduous forest, then eventually pine forest.

Breakfast was a boxed carbohydrate meal. I ate the banana only. Our guide pointed out things of interest along the way, and the views were beautiful. Occasionally we would go through a small village, but everything was pretty remote.

There was a medical emergency after the dramatic elevation gain which I had to go attend. Just highlights that people with respiratory problems, especially the elderly, should not take this trip. I was impressed that they had oxygen and a pulse oximeter on the train.

We arrived in the canyon at 12:30 and were split into two groups. Both did the same things just in different order. We first went to lunch at a nice hotel that had seating looking right out over the canyon. The food was basic, but very good--grilled fish, chicken, Mexican rice, perfectly cooked steamed veggies, and Homemaid tortillas with white cheese.

The local people were selling very high quality and well priced souvenirs. And the ladies selling them were so sweet and totally non aggressive, unlike a lot of places we have been. I never buy from street vendors, but I did here.

There was a demonstration of the local dance and games, then we went to our second stop- right on the edge of the canyon. For those who wanted to pay extra, there was a tram ride out over the canyon. We did this, and it was really worth it as the views were excellent. The canyon is huge, and you really need to get out there to appreciate it.

Then back on the train and then bus for the trip back. They served margaritas for those who wanted them. The sun went down making for some good sunset photos with the mountains. Another box dinner, again very heavy in carbs.

It was 10:30 when we arrived back "home" at the ship. We were greeted with washcloths to refresh and snacks in our rooms.

Now the big question: was it worth it and would I do it again? It was definitely worth doing once. It was a very long day, but we went somewhere very remote and unique. Would I do it again? No, not as a ship excursion. I might do a multi day hiking trip there though.

Rachel what a wonderful post. You have captured the excursion and given such detail for us at home. It sounds like a worthwhile trip. Hope you have all rested and able to relax today. Thanks, Jean.

Thanks, Jean. I was really taken with the native women selling their crafts. A lot of them were nursing babies, but in such a dignified and modest way that my husband, and probably most all the men and even some women, were unaware. And going about their work all the while. Young mothers in the US could learn a thing or two from them.

The handicrafts were such a high quality, handmade, and very reasonably priced. A lot of the ladies were weaving quickly as they sat by their displays, and unlike a lot of places, no one was harassing you.

Our train for the trip to the canyon

On our way to Copper Canyon

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