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There are two rows of loungers shaded by the canopy forward of the pool & near the pool bar. A very popular location on Navigator’s Pool Deck.

Krew Kapers & crew farewell was excellent last night with a full theatre for the pre-dinner event. Most guests had chosen to dress towards the more formal end of formal-optional for the evening. After a chatty dinner we just made it to Karl Loxley’s performance. He is a very good singer and will be performing again before the end of the cruise. Tonight one of the female singers, Samantha Cashmore, from the Production Cast is headlining her own show supported by the band. A good thing about the direction of travel for this cruise is that we gain time. On top of previous time changes we gained 30 minutes last night and clocks will be turned back another hour tonight 🙂

During our present cruise a couple have taken entitled shady lounger hogging to a new bizarre level On two consecutive port days they “reserved” two loungers for the whole morning; presumably while they were on an excursion. On their return around lunchtime they returned to their spot, decided it was too hot, even in the shade, picked up their belongings & left 🤨🙄 On a positive note the laundry didn’t need to process two towels and lounger covers 😉

Another glorious day at sea Smooth sailing, warm weather and a lazy day on a Regent ship. What could be better? 😎

One of the things you will notice is the outdated suite bathrooms on Navigator compared to Splendor. Perfectly functional and well maintained but showing their age & only a single washbasin. The smaller ship may be an advantage; with probably less people on each of the popular excursions, plus you may find that you receive a more personal service from the Destinations team

Today CD Ray’s “quirky moment” on his morning show recalled a cruise about 15 years ago when he and guest speaker Sir Terry Waite did a ventriloquist act, with Ray as the dummy. IMG_8516.MOV

Navigator is definitely a “marmite” ship; but it is an intimate, friendly ship rather than a floating glitzy hotel. Regent service remains the same high standard on all ships in the fleet.

…,,….. but there is the rear Galileo’s Lounge Outside Galileo’s It is nowhere near as bad as it used to be

Two nights ago the Production Cast performed “Tuxedo”; their last full show this cruise and the last one of their five month contract. They are a truly talented bunch of singers & dancers; some of the best we have seen on Regent. They deservedly won a standing ovation for their final production. Last night in the theatre was one of two new entertainers who joined Navigator in Mumbai - Susana, a Hungarian violinist who played everything from classical to Irish folk tunes; a very talented musician. Tonight pre-dinner is Krew Kapers; then later we have the British singer Karl Loxley. A packed evening with hardly enough time to eat & drink …………. but we will try to fit it all in 😉

A favourite spot on Navigator - the seating area outside the back of Galileo’s Lounge. ………. and a reminder to ship designers. This is what the auditorium of a theatre should look like Good views of the stage from every seat in the Seven Seas Lounge on Navigator. Let us hope the designers of the two new ships follow the theatre auditorium design of Navigator & Mariner, rather than Explorer - how did they get that design so wrong? 🤨

Ray returns your good wishes. Here he is leading the team in the Officers’ Challenge (Baggo) this morning. A close run contest - a tie today. Deciding match tomorrow

A copy of today’s Passages for the first of two sea days before we arrive in UAE A packed selection of events are on offer; hard to choose. Krew Kapers & the last Formal Optional night signals that our highly enjoyable cruise will soon be drawing to a close🙁

No shoes on our shopping list …………….. and David refused to carry any more purchases 😉

COK-003 Tranquil Backwaters is also worth considering A very good selection of meat & vegetable curries were on offer, including all the accompaniments. However they were not spicy; probably dumbed down for us tourists. David went in search of something to liven up his meal and found a lady with some small bowls that he heard her say was “spice”. He applied some to his food with very little effect so tasted some with a spoon …………….. It was sweet rice pudding for dessert 😮 David had misheard “rice” as “spice” 🙄 🤣 Most things in Goa are quite a long drive from the port, so we opted to just enjoy the ship.

Then it was off to Colaba Causeway through some very heavy traffic. We were looking for a Mall that had been recommended by the local representatives on the ship this morning, but we never found it. However the street market was OK and we managed to find some very good value light cotton scarves and a pair of strong reading spectacles to replace those that I use for sewing; the pair I brought with me having broken yesterday. Now we had the challenge of finding a taxi driver who understood enough English to get us back to the port gate. Most we tackled wanted to take us to the Airport rather than the commercial docks where Navigator is berthed. Eventually we found one who appeared to understand and he safely delivered us to the right spot. Good timing as well since after we had got through the port gate security we saw the shuttle bus being push started (!), ready to take us back to the ship The shuttle bus stayed running …………….., ………… and soon we saw Navigator It was a successful self exploration. We got everything on our shopping list apart from Pav Bhaji - an Indian street food that David wanted to try having seen it on “Rick Stein’s India” TV series. He had to make do with the curries on offer in La Veranda when back on board

We decided to do our own thing in Mumbai today. Armed with a shopping list, a stash of rupees and Google maps we set off mid morning. Coming out of the terminal building (warehouse shed) we were hassled by taxi drivers who wanted to sell us a city tour or charge us $5 just to go to the port gate. We fended them off, took the port shuttle and once outside the port had our pick of taxis. We found one to take us the short ride to Crawford Market for 100 rupees (about US 80 cents). In fact all three of the taxi rides we took today totalled 250 rupees ($3 or £2.40) On the way to the market our driver pointed out the iconic architecture of the GPO building and Victoria Station. Once in Crawford Market, we had a good look around and purchased some spices.

Today we are in Mumbai (Bombay); our last port in India. The Captain warned us last night that he would have to withdraw the stabilisers due to sailing in proximity to fishing fleets and not wanting to snag any nets. As with all of this cruise it was very calm seas; sometimes we wonder if we are really on a ship. This morning the Captain again came over the PA to say we might have a late arrival due to port congestion. In the event we were only a few minutes later than scheduled and the authorities cleared the ship very quickly. Weather is hazy, but very hot & humid

Please explain the “callous treatment” Did 0.1% of guests receive different treatment? Your cruise was delayed due to an unexpected technical issue. What exactly are you seeking from Regent, other than an apology and maybe a pro-rata refund/FCC/OBC for the lost cruise day? It is your prerogative as to what cruise line, if any, that you use in the future. Others will decide for themselves Hope you get over your angst and enjoy the rest of your slightly foreshortened cruise

Today, in Goa, we decided to have a lazy day on board the ship. It was good to see a number of crew had their families visit them on board Navigator. As well as the normal delicious dessert offerings for lunch in La Veranda there was also a tray of Indian confectionery

In the centre of the market was the bus station, which interchanged with the local tuk-tuks As we walked back to our bus we passed by many flower sellers, with the beautiful blooms sold in garlands

After the tranquility of our visit to the old house (an oasis in the middle of Mangalore), the market was a bustling cacophony with diverse sights & smells Wet fish Dried fish Fruit & veg Street food

The cook was very chatty

Thursday April 18th - Mangalore We had a noisy and colourful welcome on our arrival to the port of Mangalore. Our excursion took in a visit to an historic house, then on for a look around the local market. Arriving at the house we were met by the 85 year old mother and one of her sons. The property has been in their family for five generations. They supplied us with drinks & snacks as we toured the house & garden

It was then off on a boat ride to have a look at the Chinese fishing nets, famous in this area After our return another fisherman tried his luck with a hand thrown net. He only caught a few small shrimps We then adjourned for a delicious & leisurely curry lunch, with a lovely cooling breeze from the adjacent lake. Then it was back on the Tuk-Tuks to rejoin our bus back to the ship. A highly recommended included excursion if you are ever in Cochin.

Once on the island we were then shown various crafts, including the many uses of the coconut from cooking to rope making Pottery, on a potter’s wheel Spice grinding Weaving roof thatch panels Making coconut milk Cigar rolling After having coconuts prepared for us to have refreshing drink, this skilled tree climber went up to retrieve the alcoholic sap from the coconut flower bud which we were able to sample - very strong & sweet