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Random Notes from the Mariner, Miami-Miami 3/25-4/8, LIVE


Mr Rumor
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Greetings all, just grabbing a parking spot on the message board before heading down to our airport-area hotel. We have an early flight out in the morning. As we booked a Concierge Suite, Regent will be putting us up tomorrow night at the Hyatt Regency in Coral Gables.

 

This will be our eleventh Regent cruise and first since the "Hot Spots and Headlines" (Istanbul-Istanbul) Mariner cruise last fall that I joint-blogged with Travelcat2, RachelG and other CCers. This time, we're delighted to have our daughter with us. We weren't sure, initially, how Shauna, who has Down syndrome, would take to cruising. Well, we needn't have worried. She adores every bit of the cruise experience--especially dancing to Beatles tunes and riding the tour buses--and is adored in turn by passengers, crew and staff. This will be her fourth Regent cruise, and, like her dad, she doesn't seem prone to seasickness! Mom wishes she were so lucky (DH applied her first scopolamine patch this morning).

 

I've been catching up on my Regent message board reading recently, including the Mariner Circle South America thread started by Konagolfer, so I'm aware of the series of Code Reds that passengers and crew endured for more than a month and a half. We're hoping that we won't see Red (except, that is, on three-point Regent Rewards cards), but if we do, you'll read about it.

 

Let me know if you have any questions about the Mariner, or would like me to find out a particular piece of info. As always, I'm glad to have you along. I'm hoping that other participants in the Roll Call for this cruise will want to add their comments and observations, too!

 

Rich

 

Our original itinerary included a stop at El Guamache (Margarita lsland, Venezuela) the day after Kralendijk. Regent, however, apparently thought better regarding a visit to a Venezuelan port at this time, so now we have a fifth sea day.

Itinerary_zpsh70n1tfv.jpg

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Thanks, Jackie. Ginny--who is my DW, by the way, not my DH!-- is quite happy to have me posting. Keeps me out of her hair. And I have to have something to do while Shauna naps. (She is known to bop til she drops!)

 

Rich

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Hi Mr. Rumor, I will be taking my first Regent cruise on the Mariner in a couple of months to Alaska. Would be interested in your thoughts and observations about the ship, pro-cons as it will help my party and I navigate with your insight. Thank you much in advance.

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Rachel, I'm happy to try to ease your cruise withdrawal with this blog. We did a seven-night Alaska cruise with Shauna in 2014, and it was just too short. Our sweet spot seems to be cruises in the two-week to 20-day range.

 

LLL, thanks for posting. I'm glad you'll be living life large on your first Regent/Mariner cruise soon. Mariner thoughts and observations are a'comin,' together with my usual assortment of Random Notes!

 

Kwaj Girl, I enjoy your posts, and now I'm going to enjoy meeting you and KB (Ginny and Shauna, too). Shauna has her free-spirit side, and in the past that spirit has moved her to get up and start grooving to the band at the sailaway. So that might be a good time to say hi. Maybe we can also investigate together whether that replacement emergency generator is still taking up precious Deck 12 real estate.

 

Well, we're peacefully situated in our room at the Hyatt Regency along with 112 other Regent folks. It was a longer day than we had planned, as our connecting flight to Miami was more than an hour and a half late. Then, wouldn't you know it, we had seats in Row 34, at the very back of the plane. It seemed to take forever to see the inside of Miami International.

 

I had a plan for us to walk the several blocks to Coral Gables' Miracle Mile to restaurant-gaze before finally deciding on which top-rated Trip Advisor restaurant to try out. But we were all too tired, so, at the recommendation of a Hyatt receptionist, we did a quick left out the door, another quick left, then a right, and wound up having a nice meal at Miss Saigon Bistro. Now Shauna is sawing wood and it won't be long before we are doing the same. With our transfer to the ship not happening until 12:30 tomorrow, we're looking forward to an easygoing morning and feeling rested by the time we embark.

 

Just wish I could take this fast internet connection with me!

 

Rich

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... Stoyan and Emil leave for vacation tomorrow so I expect to see some newbies or old friends among the bar staff. Will be on the lookout for all y'all joining us tomorrow! I think about a dozen of us are staying on board for at least the next segment...or more!

And rumor has t that the generator will be removed in Miami...we shall see, and perhaps "supervise" that activity!

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I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of the Mariner this morning as she sails into port. You are right in that a seven day cruise can be too short. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe cruise and hope to meet you one day so we can personally tell you how much we've enjoyed your past cruise reports. Please post lots of pics if possible!!!

 

Z and TB

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I'm squeezing in one more post from the Hyatt because I'm probably as sad leaving the hotel's high-speed internet connection as Roberto (of Z and TB fame) was in having to walk away from that perfect margarita in Key West. (That post was so funny, Z, but I felt your pain.)

 

Roberto, we are looking forward to finally meeting you and The Boss in November on the Explorer TA. I've been rapping on the door of the epic Explorer TA Roll Call but you all have been having too much fun to hear me and let me in! (Seriously, I'll be posting on the Roll Call soon.)

 

Great to have you following along. Same for you, KirkNC, clarea, Mudhen and liptastic.

 

The Hyatt breakfast, in one of the hotel's meeting rooms, was only so-so, but we enjoyed our chat with veteran Regent cruisers Susan and Dale from Nevada. Then we strolled down to the Miracle Mile. I soon realized I could be in for trouble, as the district is more than restaurants, pubs, theaters and the like. . . it is also a minefield of boutiques. But all Ginny was interested in buying was a Carmex from the Navarro Discount Pharmacy. My wallet danced a little jig.

 

Next post will be from aboard the Mariner!

 

Rich

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Thanks, Dave, glad to have you along! Regarding Beatles night, please read on.

 

Even though it has only been about six months since our last Mariner cruise, I was surprised at the number of new crew faces when we boarded this afternoon. More than 70 joined the Mariner today alone! Plus, we have a brand new Jean Ann Ryan cast. I got a glimpse of them in mid-afternoon as they were being given a tour of the ship. We last "broke in" a new JAR team on our Mariner 2012 Transatlantic cruise so we have an idea what's in store for them--several days of heavy rehearsing before they perform their first show next Monday (usually we have a JAR show the second night). I'm hoping Beatles dance night won't be endangered because of the demands the troupe is facing. If we have to, we'll dress Shauna in her Beatles teeshirt and have her personally lobby Cruise Director Jamie Logan. How could Jamie tell Shauna no?

 

I have heard it from several sources although there has been no official announcement: We are at Code Red I. That mostly means extra-sanitizing (which reminds me that the Port of Miami had a "Sanitizing Crew" of three wiping off the counters today after each Regent passenger checked in). Fingers crossed that we won't have to experience Code Red II, which is when the laundry is closed, we can't serve ourselves at buffets, etc.

 

More on embarkation. Our exhilaration at our first sight of the Mariner was followed by that "here we go again" Port of Miami feeling when we saw the line of 100 or so Regent passengers on the sidewalk. But it only took us about 20 minutes to make it inside, and another 15 before we were at the (freshly sanitized) counter. Before we knew it we were lunching at a table for eight in La Veranda. Our tablemates, amazingly, were a lovely mom and dad and their adult daughter who had not only lived in the Santa Fe area, but in the very same community SE of the city that we lived in, and still live close to. What are the odds of that? Our conversation was delightful and peppered with various local names and references.

 

It was mostly overcast for the sailaway, but that didn't dampen, literally or figuratively, Shauna's spirits as she danced to the Regent Signature Orchestra on the Pool Deck. Friends Jim and Karen joined us, and another delightful chat followed. We have a trivia date for tomorrow.

 

Dinner in Compass Rose was very good, plus we liked our Station 14 server, Hendro, a Regent veteran on his seventh contract. Hendro is a bit of a card, just the type of character Shauna enjoys. By mid-meal he was addressing her as Little Boss.

 

Well the Little Boss is about to hit the hay, and we're going to follow suit soon. We have to get our rest as tomorrow is a big day for us. Will tell you all about it. Ciao for now!

 

Rich

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Rachel, I have reason to believe, and am hoping, that the Code Red I is precautionary, mainly having to do with the start of a new cruise with a fresh group of passengers, some of whom could be bringing bugs aboard. We'll see.

 

By the way, happy birthday! How did I remember it is Rachel's birthday today? Because her birthday, March 26, happens to be the same as Ginny's--and mine!

 

Actually I knew this back in 2012 when I participated in the blog of the Mariner TA, but forgot. Then last September, when Rachel and George and the DW and I were having a lunchtime Pool Deck chat on our Hot Spots and Headlines cruise, the subject of birthdays came up and we all did a fresh double take together when we re-realized we're all Aries Rams with the same birthday.

 

I learned of Ginny's birthday about an hour after we first met, on the Pool Deck of the old Royal Viking Star--I was shipboard editor and she was traveling on the first leg of a Circle Pacific cruise with her parents and grandmother. We made a date for drinks before dinner (lucky me had full "passenger privileges"), and I immediately repaired to the chief purser's office to play Mr. Rumor by checking out her Passenger Registration Form. I saw that she had brought her dulcimer aboard (good, I had my guitar, and maybe we could make beautiful music together), and that we both lived in Los Angeles (great, in case we clicked). Then I happened to look at her birthday, and saw that it was March 26 (BOING!!). I recall looking up at her photo, then down to "March 26," then back at the photo, then back to "March 26," and said out loud to myself, "Rich, you better pay attention." I did, as that was 39 years ago! We'll be celebrating our 36th anniversary next month.

 

So how will we be spending our birthday onboard the Mariner (this is the first of two sea days)? I'm sure about at least the following: Smithsonian Lecture at 11 ("Villains of the Caribbean: Pablo Escobar - The We'll Known Colombian Kingpin"), trivia with Jim and Karen at 4:30 and a special East Indian meal in Compass Rose (requested last night). Later we can fill in the blanks on this schedule with other stuff--or nothing!

 

Rich

 

P.S. Meant to mention in my last post that we had an impromptu meet 'n' greet with longtime message board posters Ann and Shel (Eager2Travel) outside Compass Rose after dinner last night. Ann and Shel, we enjoyed our chat and we're looking forward to visiting with you some more!

 

P.P.S. We had winds of 30 mph and seas of eight feet last night, but didn't feel much motion, which was great for Ginny. We apply her second patch this a.m.

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The passenger count for our cruise is 617. Women, as usual, have the edge: 324-293. Here is the nationality breakdown:

 

United States 443

United Kingdom 94

Canada 39

Germany 9

Australia 7

New Zealand 5

Belgium 4

Guatemala 4

Netherlands 3

Spain 2

Switzerland 2

Brazil 1

Croatia 1

Ireland 1

Italy 1

Slovakia 1

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Greetings from the Pool Deck. Lots of happy chatter around me as folks finish their Tex-Mex buffets and partake of cool ones. It is partly cloudy and warm, and windy. Ginny has returned to the room to don her swim gear. She is the sun worshipper among us. Shauna is sitting next to me in a giddy mood.

 

Marq, I've added your question to those I want to put to Gudrun Werner. I was hoping to grab a minute with her this morning but she was booking for a couple, with two other parties waiting to see her.

 

I was able to confirm the exact number of crew who boarded yesterday: 62.

 

The emergency replacement generator is gone. It was taken off the ship yesterday morning. To facilitate this maneuver the Mariner docked port side instead of starboard. The portion of Deck 12 that it inhabited is still off limits, due to the need for minor repair work and repainting, as well as the re-installation of the golf cage.

 

We may not get Beatles night! (Cue the Fab Four's "Don't Let Me Down.") According to Dana (assistant cruise director and Jamie's better half) the new JAR troupe is consumed with final rehearsals for their first shows + there would be a Beatles song learning curve, as they're all in their early '20s and not familiar with some of the songs in the Beatles night program! But Dana left the door open a crack. Maybe she'll pass along my suggestion to Jamie that he raid wardrobe for a mop top wig and lead Beatles night himself!

 

Rich

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I just did a very lengthy lovely post that got lost because the Internet dropped me. I went into detail I almost never do. In utter disgust I am now going to read my mystery book. Keep up the good work Mr Rumor . I am too discouraged to try again. Lesson learned don't do it on the IPad where I don't know how to save it.

 

Everything is wonderful onboard!

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Eager2Travel, I've been there, so I feel your pain about the lost post. With one exception, every post I've done so far has been composed in Notes on my IPad. I then copy and paste. I would have surely lost my post last night if I had not gone this route, due to the lousy internet connection. If you need help with the copy and paste, let me know. RachelG, thanks again for insisting I cut and paste from Notes, as it has saved a lot of frustration.

 

Marq, according to CC Gudrun, at the moment there are no incentives to continue on the next cruise.

 

Rich

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Marq, according to CC Gudrun, at the moment there are no incentives to continue on the next cruise.

 

Rich

 

Rich, thanks! Therefore no reason to further delay the "upsells" to Horizon and PH and then the assignment of guarantee cabins; only 13 more days until we board. :D

 

thanks,

 

Marc

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