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Posts posted by boblerm
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4 hours ago, mrlevin said:
I cannot envision this as good news for Regent cruisers.
Why is that?
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4 hours ago, GreenValleyDogWalker said:
Thank you - Really looking forward to Vicksburg !
Guess we'll just stay in Memphis - an figure out a way to get to Roseburg the next morning
4 hours ago, GreenValleyDogWalker said:Thanks for your review - we are booked on the Memphis to New Orleans itinerary - where did you stay pre-cruise - and how did you get from Memphis to the launch ramp in Roseburg ?
I am confused. Does your trip not start in Memphis, and include transportation to the ship?
Ours included a pre cruise night in Memphis (ours was in the Sheridan), and on the first day of the itinerary we had a choice in the morning of either Graceland or the Civil Rights Museum (both a must see IMHO) prior to the transfer to the ship.
Memphis is a fabulous place, even if you have been there before, there is so much to see there.
I know that some have complained about the bus ride to the ship, but for me it was no big deal, we had a great tour guide that shared so much interesting information along the way, and there was a rest stop in a quaint town (can't remember for sure, I think it was Clarksdale, near the Crossroads).
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3 hours ago, Maybelline True said:
And now the end is here,
It's time to face our debarkation.
My friends, I'll make it clear,
I'll state the case of our vacation.
We lived a life that's full,
We traveled each canal and causeway.
And more, much more than this,
We did it Tauck's way.
On board the MS Joy,
On river's wide, the ship meanders.
Sprouted in Brussels, slurped in Antwerp,
We sailed away through all of Flanders.
Windmills dotted each charted course,
And each UNESCO stop along the waterway.
And more, much, much more
We did it Tauck's way.
And the meals, we're sure you knew,
That we bit off more, more than we could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt
We ate it up, and now we're stout.We faced it all, and we stood tall,And did it Tauck's way!
The Netherlands, what has it gots?
If not for tulips and forget me nots.
We saw it all, and more than this,
We took selfies with Manneken Pis.
And let the record show, it cost much dough,But ... we did it Tauck's way!Well, enough of that!The message I wanted to convey is that I highly recommend Tauck, and I highly recommend the itinerary, Holland and Belgium in Spring. It's a full seven nights, either from Brussels to Amsterdam, as we traveled, or vice-versa. And it's not too late to book it for 2024, although for those compulsive planners on Cruise Critic, 2025 might be a better option.The highlight of the trip, though, was Keukenhof gardens! (Koo·Kuh·Naaf just doesn't rhyme well - well, maybe whooping cough, but it made no sense.) We arrived at about 9 and departed at 2. I really hated to leave. It was more spectacular than I ever imagined..@Maybelline Truedid you just disembark today in Amsterdam? If so, we were on the same cruise! And I couldn't have said it better (really, I couldn't possibly! 😁) it was a fabulous cruise, highly recommended.
It was a great itinerary the cuisine was fabulous the tour directors and local guides were first rate, the cuisine was fabulous ... did I already say that?
Anyway, let me second your remarks about Keueknhof, I had high expectations for this place, and my expectations were exceeded.
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Thanks so much for this fabulous report!
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Gill, I am so happy to see that you are cruising again!
Very much looking forward to following along with you here,
and here
https://www.elegantsufficiency.org/
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5 hours ago, kjbacon said:
We had a wonderful trip, didn’t we? I hope to sail with you and Jeannie again!
Indeed!
It was a pleasure meeting you and Jack, all the best to you, wishing you many more wonderful future cruises!
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I did a review of the cruise on the Cruise Critic Review section which can be found here:
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=712368
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2 hours ago, kjbacon said:
If you ask for a perfect sea day, you will get yesterday
A big +1 on that!
There was a "seafood extravaganza" on the pool grill at lunchtime which was very nice.The movie, "The Burial" was shown in the Constellation in the afternoon but since this movie is available on Amazon Prime, I decided to defer watching until I get home so that I could spend my precious cruise time on more productive endeavors. Like napping on the pool deck.Dinner at Chartreuse was a bit of a mixed bag.Jeannie had the Beetroot Salad which is always goodI was fascinated with "crispy escargot", so had to try it. This is what it looks likeHah?But yes, there is escargot in thereThe dish tasted very good, but for me, there was way too much bread and too little escargot. I think I'll stick with the CR version from now on.The mushroom soup in Chartreuse is not to be missed ; the Grandeur version seems to differ from that of the other ships in that it contains "egg yolk confit", which made this soup even more flavorful.The Dover Sole was a little disappointing, it was thicker and less moist than the one we had in CR.The Beef Tenderloin Rossini is, IMHO, the best cut of beef that Regent offers.The final production show, also new on the Grandeur, was, "Ignite the Night ".This show featured the dancers of the cast, the fabulous singers were present to more or less support the dancers.I have honestly never seen anything on a cruise ship quite like this one. I am no expert in evaluating the dancing arts, but I thought that the quality and creativity of the choreography and of the performance rivals any that I have seen anywhere.And whomever is responsible for the lighting and the design of the projected scenery should get an award, the stage is a 45 minute visual delight.If you are cruising on Grandeur, and only see one show - to be clear, I strongly recommend seeing all of the shows - but if you only see one, make it this one.You won't be sorry.-
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On 2/13/2024 at 6:08 PM, taxman1 said:
The comedian last night was ok. He had a couple bits which were funny but the days of a screaming comic are somewhat gone.
We thought that he was hilarious. Different strokes.
On 2/14/2024 at 9:01 AM, taxman1 said:must say I think the entertainment aboard the ship has been some of the best at sea. The cast can dance and sing.
Agreed!
On 2/14/2024 at 9:01 AM, taxman1 said:Ok, I admit I got a little lost on the story line but I am typically 2 city blocks behind everyone else when it comes to that anyway
Definitely not everyone else. I found the plot to be incomprehensible, as I do for all of Regent's story line shows.
No matter, forget the story line, the show was fabulous.
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We had an absolutely glorious day in Tortola yesterday.Our excursion was "Scenic Island Tour and Beach Break."We drove around in an open air vehicle for several scenic overlooksWe passed by a wall where there were many murals painted by local artists, our tour guide described several of them as we passedThen arrived at Cane Garden Beach, we stayed about an hour and 45 minutesThis was a highly enjoyable excursion.Another winner at Compass Rose.The matzah ball soup was maybe not quite as good as Bubby used to make, but pretty darn good.Truffle meatballsRoast turkey, asked for dark meatAn amazing rosemary garlic roasted lamb rackComedian Phil Tag did a return performance, we thought he was hilarious.
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1 hour ago, Whinenowine said:
That's awesome...one of the best lines of a great movie. Who knew back then that Mandy was so versatile.
If anyone is not in the loop
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As @kjbaconhas mentioned, St. Barts is a very hit or miss port, hooray that yesterday was a hit!
Our excursion was "Sailing the Leeward Coast, a simple catamaran ride to a pretty bay.We had the option of swimming to the beach, (no one did), or we could take a" noodle"and swim around the boat(not us)We were offered fruit, cheese and popcorn, water, soft drinks, rum punch orIt was a pleasant, serene way of spending time at St. BartsThere was a Carnivale parade in the afternoon.We got back to the ship late, about 3pm, there was an Indian buffet on the pool deck.We also tried for the first time the lobster nachos. The lobster was very tender - what we could find of it. Searching for lobster chunks was kind of like being on a scavenger hunt.We were pretty full at dinner time*, so had a more smallish dinner that usual - 2 courses rather than 3. Oh, the sacrifices!I started with corn and coconut veloute, Jeannie the tuna carpaccioScallops from the everyday sideAnd chateaubriandPerfect!Somehow we managed to finish.There was another new production show "Marauders Ball".. a pirate show.In general, I am not a fan of the shows that attempt stories, as I can rarely if ever follow the plot. This one was no different. Something about pirates taking over a ship.But about 1/3 the way through, I decided to stop trying to figure out what in Sam Hill the story line is, and just focus on the amazing visuals; the glorious costumes the fabulous on stage props, the brilliant back drop scenery , the beautiful lighting. It was a feast for the eyes.Combine that with the magnificent voices and dancing, the intricate choreography that included sword play reminiscent of Inigo vs Westley....Bravo!*This may be the first time I have uttered these words on a cruise ship.-
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2 hours ago, Whinenowine said:
Though I married into a family who roots for their stadium-mates. Your D is great...good luck on the QB next season.
My daughter, who reminds me yearly that my greatest failure as a father was bringing her up a J*t fan, also married into that kind of family.
Thanks, we will need all of the luck we can get!
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3 hours ago, Jlhalldc said:
oved everything about Grandeur except the theater seating configuration. The middle rows are almost impossible to enter once people sit on the ends. The moveable red chairs butt up against the immovable cocktail tables. I watched people actually climb over and stand on the bench seats to enter the middle seats. 🙂
I'm glad that you mentioned this, I found the same but wasn't sure whether or not this was different from the other ships or if it was my imagination.
Note that I encountered this issue on the first night of the cruise, not late in the cruise when navigating into any seats might be problematic! 😳
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I think that any of the seats that are in front of the posts and are not way off to the side are just fine.
I second the motion of @papaflamingofor arriving at 9:15, in addition to picking seats it will give you time to order drinks if you wish. They stop taking orders when the show starts, and they start promptly at 9:30.
BTW, the current production cast on the Grandeur is as good as I have seen!
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We had a very pleasant tour in St. Lucia yesterday called "Island Splendor"
We toured a mansion with a scenic overlookWe went to an art gallery where they do amazing sculpture carvings from various types of woodWe drove to the village of Anse La Raye, where there is a beach and a vendor stand. The vendors here engage in, shall we be say, vociferous marketing techniques.Then to the lovely Marigot BayAs a fan of a team that I am too embarrassed to name, I feel behooved to post this picture of a school that was built through money donated by by Leon Hess, the former owner of said team. It is green and white.Not the eagles.Our tour guide was informative, engaging and pleasant.There was a top tier Seven Seas Society (gold and above) event before dinner where cruise director David Nevens a did a vocal performance, this man can sing! Fabulous voice.Dinner at CR was very nice, but Mr and Mrs boblerm had some difference of opinions.I had the Duck terrine with Asian spices and loved it. Jeannie tasted it and found it chewey.We both had the chicken and vegetable spring roll with Thai sweet chili sauce and both loved itI had the pan fried dorade filet and really enjoyed the bold flavor, but Jeannie found it too strong a taste. Different strokes.Jeannie ordered the lamb chops medium rare. Of the 2 chops, one was prepared properly, the other was more medium. But still very good.Profiteroles!The evening entertainment was a comedian, Phil Tag, really funny-
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4 hours ago, CJANDH said:
You missed the best part! 😁
2 hours ago, -Lew- said:
Most are available on YouTube...Good to know, because having missed the SB commercials, I will be totally out of the loop in terms of pop culture when I return home.
But David offered some interesting and informative trivia questions. For example, I learned what Heisman trophy winner never played in a super bowl and kills people.
Ok, not exactly how the question was worded🙄
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We had a 1 PM arrival in Grenada yesterday. In the morning, attended lectures by Jim Kennedy of NASA and Jeana Rogers who discussed St. Barts.
Our afternoon excursion was a visit to Palm Tree Gardens. We boarded a van that was in dire need of new shock absorbers for a half hour drive to the gardens over a very bumby road.Thouroughly rattled, we arrived at the gardens,where there are hundreds of varieties of plants including 40 palm varieties. We were given a tour by an extremely knowledgeable young man who gave us a great education about these beautiful plants. So I think I can say that I now have a vast knowledge of Carribean flora. Or would have, surely, if I were able to retain newly learned facts for more than 30 minutes or so.We rattled our way back to the pier. We dined at Setti Mari. We enjoyed tthe bruschetta and appetizer bar, then we each had one of the 2 minestrone choices which were very nice.Jeannie had the veal scaloppine marsala,and I the veal chop.We each had a side of pasta to go with.Both were excellent.There was a sporting event shown in the Constellation, but as my team has not taken part in this event for the past 55 years, my interest was only moderate.The live feed does not have super bowl commercials, so during time outs cruise director David came on stage for some fun super bowl trivia.-
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Our tour in Bonaire was called "Bonaire Highlights and Cultural Explorer". The excursion that we were on bore no resemblance to what was described in the excursion listing.
Oh well.We visited a museum where there was a display of a Bonairian home from years past, and we sampled Cadushi liquourWe stopped at the site of the slave huts. We had visited this site years ago, where our to guide gave us an explanation of the horrible conditions that enslaved people had to endure. Our guide only discussed it as a diving site.Of course, there was thisIn the afternoon there was a very interesting lecture by former NASA director Jim Kennedy on the past and future of space exploration.Seven Sea Society party before dinner, officers introduced and we were entertained by one of the lead singers, Erica, who has a fabulous voice.Dinner at Pacific Rim was pretty much perfection.Starters were tuna tartarPeking duck and watermelon saladSoft shell crab tempuraVegetable pot stickersWe paired our starters with cold sake very nice.Our mains were lobster tempuraChinese barbecue pork ribsSide dishes of noodles and vegetablesFinished with Thai coconut and tapioca puddingWe loved every dish.Speaking of perfection, the Constellation featured a return performance of Patty Dess. All I can say isW O W ! ! !-
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Yesterday we were in Curaçao.
It was raining pretty good when we left for our excursion, Curaçao Highlights.We drove around for a bit, but it was difficult to see much through the rain drops on the windows.Our first stop was to be the Curaçao Maritime Museum.Our driver parked and we walked in the rain down a few alleyways, to find that the museum was closed. Our tour guide got on the phone for about 10 minutes trying to figure out what to do, then told us that we would come back later.One would think that the tour company would know the operating hours of the places that they take you to.Oh well.The rain stopped and it was beautiful for the rest of the day.I spied some iguanas amongst thebougainvilleaWe stopped at a scenic overlook where there was a handicraft market.Next we went to a distillery where they make Curaçao liquor and had some samples.We returned to the Maritime Museum which was thankfully open. Our guide gave us a tour, and I learned much more about the Dutch and Spanish maritime history and industry than I ever wanted to know.Then returned to the ship.I thought that this excursion is only ok.For me, he stops were not great, the best part was the scenery along the drive.Walked around for a while in the afternoon.There was an outdoor barbecue on the pool deck followed by deck party. We chose to dine are Compass Rose.It was pretty much a fiasco. They were short staffed as servers needed to be pulled for the barbecue. After we were seated our assistant waiter promptly brought our bread basket and poured water, but 25 minutes later we had seen neither hide nor hair a waiter. We flagged down the assistant waiter, she went off to speak to someone, then returned to take our order. She serviced our table for the rest of the meal, which is not her job, and did an very well.The tuna tataki was greatas were the mulligatawny soup and lobster bisque.Jeannie's bronzino was excellent, moist and flavorfulBut my thai barbecue pork rack was a disaster. It was dry, tough and very plain in taste.St Honore cakeAfter dinner we went up to the pool deck for the party, lots of fun.-
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6 hours ago, flossie009 said:
We have been comparing the pictures of Spring/Summer rolls in your posts #69 and #72.
Some differences in presentation 😧 .................. but which tasted better? 😋 😉
Thanks to all for the reports from Grandeur
The one in #69 was way better since I made it with my own little hands! 😁
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Yesterday in Aruba our tour was "Aruba Sightseeing and Ostrich Farm".
First stop was the Casabari rock formations.Our tour guide told us that it was an easy climb to the top, but easy for some I guess.Next stop was the ostrich farm. They are really fascinating birds.He is trying, but she does not seem impressedNext we went to the site of natural bridge, or what used to be the natural bridge before it collapsed in 2005But there remains a "baby bridge" which is not too shabbyLast stop, the California LighthouseIt was a pretty enjoyable tour.Excellent dinner at Compass RoseSnow Crab Summer RollWe had Moroccan Haira Duck Soup and Chicken Consumme Milanaise, both excellent.Always available lobster tailAnd Dover SoleThe production show was another brand new one called "Broadway Unplugged". It was the 4 lead singers doing Broadway tunes completely re-imagined, done in styles completely different from the originals. Imagine "Empty Chairs" from Les Miz done in the styleof Johnny Cash, or a Phantom medley as C&W. Or King George III from Hamilton singing "You'll be Back", but instead of singing to the American revolutionaries, he is singing to his ex in the audience who jilted him.You get the idea.I have to give the Regent creative team props for originality. And major props to the singers, over the top voices.-
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23 hours ago, taxman1 said:
The service was very attentive but felt a bit rushed in an effort to turn over the table
We always inform our server of our preference as to the pacing of service. When giving our orders, we generally tell our server that we would like a leisurely pace with some time between courses.
OTOH, if you are in a bit of a rush, say, to catch a show, a heads up to the server will help as well.
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Yesterday morning, Jeannie and I took a culinary arts class called "Wok and Roll".
I approached this with a bit of trepidation, as my cooking skills are pretty much limited to making toast. But I think that I did pretty well if I do say so myself!
We cooked tom kha gai soup, duck and pomelo spring rolls, and shrimp pad tai.Jeannie's rollBob's roll.
The chef paid me a complement for my inventiveness, he said that he never saw a roll before that looks like a dog bone.!😁Jeannie's work stationBob's work stationEverything tasted great.We had dinner at Compass Rose, @kjbacon mentioned that she thought that service was slow, but for us it was perfectly paced. We generally ask for leisurely paced service with some time between courses, because if we don't, we sometimes find that service can be rushed.I had the always available escargot, always great.The panko encrusted shrimp, if this is on the menu I would alway get it. If I have a specialty the evening it is offered, I would special order it for another evening.The Cajun Spiced Snapper may have been the only fish dish that I have had in CR in recent years that was somewhat disappointing. The flavors were OK, but the fish was a little dry and overcooked.Jeannie had the seared scallop dish that kjbacon had, and agree, it was wonderful.Grand marnier souffle for desert.The show last night was called "Icons", new for the Grandeur, featuring music from the Pointer Sisters, Hall and Oats, the Bee Gees, the Carpenters, Adele, and Celine Dion. The singers and dancers of this cast are all top notch.I found the first half of the show to be rather uninspiring. While well performed, I just wasn't into the song choices very much. But for me, the show hit it's stride half way through, and I loved the second half.When we returned to our room, we found mid cruise comment cards. Let's see... third night of a 12 night cruise... I question the mathematics here. 😂-
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Viking Mississippi Delta 2024 Questions
in River Cruising
Posted
Who do you keep asking? Do you have a travel agent? Seems like a simple matter to resolve.
The itineraries that I see on the web site specifically say Memphis to New Orleans, which means that you begin in Memphis,and you are transported to the ship.