Safari + 29 days onboard Mariner starting 11/21/2015

[RachelG]

good luck with the flights. We totally loved our safari this year.

[newlondon]

1982, Thanks so much for your post. Don't know which we are more excited about our cruise or Kapama. We are doing elephants, endangered species and a night under the stars (not available when you visited). Thank you again for your feedback:D

[DaveFr]

TC,

 

Good luck with your upcoming safari and cruises. We did safaris in May and found them to be amazing experiences in spite of having to get up at the crack of dawn for the morning game drives. Don't eat too much. I joked that there might have been more food available on the safaris than on a Regent cruise. :D

 

I'm curious. How long did it take to transfer from T5 to T3? I have to do the same transfer in three weeks and we have a somewhat tight connection.

[Dakota0307]

An anchor? Hmmmmm, do I drag you all down?;) Definitely want you both in our suite for cocktails so we have to do the cruise. An effort was made to get us to transfer to the Explorer's March transatlantic which will be a Regent 25th anniversary cruise. Had it not been for the wonderful people (especially people who think they are like an "alcoholic elephant) and the itinerary (much better than the March itinerary), we definitely would have switched.

 

Leaving the house in 15 minutes for the first of three flights to Cape Town. Now that the luggage is in the car (I packed enough for 5 people and two elephants), there is nothing for me to do. I get sad when I tell my kitties how long we will be gone (they do understand:-)

 

More to come..... eventually!

Why did Regent try to get you to change cruises? I would have been disappointed to not meet you on board. Tom and I are in an Aft Suite. Went back and forth between choosing Mariner or Aft. There were trade-offs. Hoping you will allow us to check out your suite. Happy cruising.

 

 

In regard to anchor. Bringing us down - NEVER! Lol

Edited November 20, 2015 by Dakota0307

[Dakota0307]

An anchor? Hmmmmm, do I drag you all down?;) Definitely want you both in our suite for cocktails so we have to do the cruise. An effort was made to get us to transfer to the Explorer's March transatlantic which will be a Regent 25th anniversary cruise. Had it not been for the wonderful people (especially people who think they are like an "alcoholic elephant) and the itinerary (much better than the March itinerary), we definitely would have switched.

 

Leaving the house in 15 minutes for the first of three flights to Cape Town. Now that the luggage is in the car (I packed enough for 5 people and two elephants), there is nothing for me to do. I get sad when I tell my kitties how long we will be gone (they do understand:-)

 

More to come..... eventually!

Why did Regent try to get you to change cruises? I would have been disappointed to not meet you on board. Tom and I are in an Aft Suite. Went back and forth between choosing Mariner or Aft. There were trade-offs. Hoping you will allow us to check out your suite. Happy cruising.

[liptastic]

TC,

 

Good luck with your upcoming safari and cruises. We did safaris in May and found them to be amazing experiences in spite of having to get up at the crack of dawn for the morning game drives. Don't eat too much. I joked that there might have been more food available on the safaris than on a Regent cruise. :D

 

I'm curious. How long did it take to transfer from T5 to T3? I have to do the same transfer in three weeks and we have a somewhat tight connection.

 

Dave,

In the summer it took approximately 15minutes from T3 to T5. If your turn around time is minimal it would be a good idea to mention to the flight attendants on your inbound flight and they may be able to inform your next flights boarding desk staff?

It's a bus transfer and the bus waited until it was half full before it left, but another appeared directly for the next group of passenger's, so it's a steady process but if time is against you, let them know. Jean.

[Suite Travels]

Jackie, you will love CPT and the safari. We go twice a year and stay at luxury camps and we do it privately with our own game driver and tracker this way we don't need to get up at the crack of dawn we did that the first time we went and were exhausted when we finished the afternoon game run. My partner is an avid photographer and wants to take his time and not hold back others in a jeep and when we have had enough we go back to camp and sit in the lodge having a nice quiet libation or a sundowner in the bush.

 

As far as LHR we avoid that nightmare at all costs. When we go to Africa we fly Emirates through Dubai and go either Biz or first which is outstanding and certainly beats BA big time. If you are in biz or first and have a long layover they will take you to a very nice hotel or you can stay in their fabulous lounge with full amenities. Flying Emirates or Singapore is quite the experience. It is a long trip no matter how you get there.

 

I am looking forward to reading your blog.

 

Miles

[petlover]

Jackie,

I hope you have such a wonderful time on land and sea.

 

I'm anxious to hear how you liked your first safari. After our first one (thinking it was likely a once in a life time) we were hooked and have now been on four. :D

 

Enjoy every minute of your fabulous vacation!

[DaveFr]

Dave,

In the summer it took approximately 15minutes from T3 to T5. If your turn around time is minimal it would be a good idea to mention to the flight attendants on your inbound flight and they may be able to inform your next flights boarding desk staff?

It's a bus transfer and the bus waited until it was half full before it left, but another appeared directly for the next group of passenger's, so it's a steady process but if time is against you, let them know. Jean.

Thanks Jean. Did your 15 minute transfer time include the time to go through security at T3? Assuming our flight from Los Angeles arrives on time, we will have two hours, 20 minutes to connect to our flight to Cape Town, so it shouldn't be a problem.

[RachelG]

We frequently go from T3 to T5 and vice versa at LHR. Quickest possible would be 15 minutes but it has taken up to an hour. And that is using the priority lanes for business and first. It all depends on the time of day.

[liptastic]

Thanks Jean. Did your 15 minute transfer time include the time to go through security at T3? Assuming our flight from Los Angeles arrives on time, we will have two hours, 20 minutes to connect to our flight to Cape Town, so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

Hi Dave we went through the flite connections intransit for a connecting internal UK flite. I am not sure if you would need to go through security at T5 or T3. You should be fine for your connecting flite with the time you have.

Jean.:)

[Suite Travels]

Jackie,

I hope you have such a wonderful time on land and sea.

 

I'm anxious to hear how you liked your first safari. After our first one (thinking it was likely a once in a life time) we were hooked and have now been on four. :D

 

Enjoy every minute of your fabulous vacation!

 

Just like us we became addicted and keep going back. Wait until Jackie sees the big cats as well as the big five animals. How can you not love it.

[DaveFr]

Thanks, Jean and Rachel. I appreciate the information.

Edited November 22, 2015 by DaveFr

[Travelcat2]

Greetings from South Africa! One "drive" left and then we fly to Cape Town to join the ship. Too much to write now but want to answer a couple of questions and, as promised, post information for those of you that will soon be in Cape Town and/or The Sun Southern Cullinan Hotel.

 

Dave, you have to go through x-ray again whether you are entering T5 or T3. That is what takes the most time because they are hand checking so many bags. If you are super careful about what you pack, you may be fine.

 

Dakota0307: Regent did not try to talk us out of the Explorer cruise, it was more of a TA thing.

 

Details to follow when we are on the ship. We LOVE the game drives, the people, the animals, etc.

 

Okay - for those that will soon be in Cape Town. If you are at the above hotel, suggest that you take the shuttle to the V&A waterfront as I previously suggested. The shuttle drops you off at entrance #1. If you walk through you owill pass Woolworths (much nicer than any Woolworths that I've seen). There you can pick up anything you may pick up anything that you need. There is a grocery store where we picked up munchies and drinks for the room.

 

Followng through the mall you will either see a sign saying "restaurants" or will walk outside and see them. We checked out all the menus - looking for grilled prawns for Dennis. At the City Grill Steak House (the name may be off a bit - will check when I'm onboard) He had six "queen" prawns that were amazind price. I had an amazing grilled chicken breast dish with a mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes. We ordered a side of fries and onion rings and a $10 bottle of wine. You can eat outside or inside. I recommend it. Afraid of losing this so w a new post.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Travelcat2

[Travelcat2]

Important note about breakfast at the hotel. You are told that it begins 6:30 am. and that it is crowded. We arrived 6:15 a.m. and it was open with people seated. By 6:35 a.m. there was a line .............. 20 minutes later the line was down the stairs and winding through the lobby. Many people missed breakfast (which was excellent). need to fix connection I issue. be right back.

[Travelcat2]

Lost keyboard connection..... i'm back. Weather in Cape Town was much colder than expected. Weather on safari is extremely cold at night. For the morning drive the ranger gave us hot water bottles with our blankets. Most of us did not pack warm enough clothing. Morning drives seem warmer -- at night it keeps getting colder and colder.

 

It will definitely take me some time to sort out photos. I promised myself not to impose on computerworks so i will figure out how to do it. I can do it at home but limp through it on the Kindle (liking the bluetooth keyboard that I'm using instead of hunting and pecking on the Kindle.

 

We have seen four of the "Big 5" with one drive left. We will be searching for a leopard tonight. The rhinos, hippos, giraffe's, lions, cheetahs, etc. etc. are wonderful. I have not seen a "kill" so I'm doing fine so far. There are no wild dogs or typical hyena's here (they do have one variety of hyena that is non-social). Sharmwari park (or whatever they are called) have tried to keep the animals here to the ones that are native to this area. They seem to be doing a great job. Our guide reminds me of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter...... full of energy and lots of fun

 

Going for a nap now We seem to be up at 5:00 a.m. each day and have little time for relaxation. We returned from the morning drive at 9:00 a.m. -- just in time for breakfast. The next one is 3:30 p.m. We get back 7:00 p.m., have dinner at 7:30 p.m. and have a wake-up call at 4:15 a.m. Our flight back to Cape Town is 8:00 a.m. (this is after a 15 minute drive in the 4-wheel drive vehicle and a 1 1/2 hour bus ride).

 

Will be back to "normal" posting in a couple of days.

[spindrift]

Yep Travelcat2, it has been very cold. The Captain just announced that tomorrow will be 85 in Cape Town, the warmest we have experienced in quite a few days.

 

We having been experiencing quite high and rough seas; however, it has tamed a little bit. We were going to be several hours late into Cape Town, but the Captain just announced that we were able to make up a little time, and we should be at the pilot station at 4:30 and at Dock E by 6 p.m. All tours for this evening should be back on track, and those flying out tonight should be okay. I hadn't heard to the contrary.

 

Sounds like your safari has been quite good. Maybe it will be true that Cape Town will be warmer when you arrive tomorrow. I understand it is the wind coming from the Antarctic. The winds gave us considerable dust in Namibia. You could barely see the ocean toward the end of the day. I had not planned on it being this cold so I, too, am looking forward to warmer weather.

 

have a great cruise. Wish we could be aboard.

[RachelG]

Jackie, if you saw a cheetah, you are really lucky. We saw several leopards, but cheetahs are way harder to find as you can't really track them.

It definitely gets cold when the sun goes down there!

[Anna B.]

Hi Jackie,

 

Haven't been on this board in ages - what a nice surprise to find this thread. I'm so glad you enjoyed your safari. Seeing those wonderful animals in their own habitat is incomparable! I agree with Rachel. Cheetahs are the most elusive. If you didn't see a leopard you'll just have to go back! Happy cruising - hope the seas calm down for you!

[Travelcat2]

Rachel and Kathy: We did not see leopards but the cheetahs were magnificent. Kathy, I'll send you a picture (Rachel - can't believe that I don't have your email address). Anyway, the safari was a once in a lifetime experience.

 

I am more tired than I have ever been. As much as we loved the safari, it is grueling. We were at the safari lodge two nights. We didn't really sleep the first night since we had to get up at 5:00 a.m. (I actually got up at 4:00 a.m. because I wanted to make sure that I would have enough time).

 

This morning we were told that we'd receive a wake-up call at 4:00 a.m. and that luggage needed to be out by 4:30 a.m. So, after about 2 hours sleep I got up (3:00 a.m.) and packed. It was fortunate that I did because they came to pick up our luggage up at 3:50 a.m. -- ten minutes before our wake-up call. When our ranger called to wake us up, I told him that all residents of our cabin were eaten by lions last night (he has a great sense of humor).

 

spindrift was kind enough to let us know that the Mariner was going to arrive late. What I didn't realize was that she was late but arrived in Cape Town yesterday. We got to the ship at 10:45 a.m. today and boarded immediately (very unusual).

 

Things the first day were squirrely (for lack of a better word). Lots of new crew members. A woman from our "camp" asked where the restroom was and the person she asked did not know (nor did the second person she asked). I understand that Regent needs at least 450 crew members for the Explorer which means hiring people for the other three ships (so that the experienced crew can be on the first few voyages). However, IMO, being new is not an excuse for not knowing the basic layout of the ship.

 

Andreas is the G.M. -- we really like him a lot (the only former Oceania G.M. that we like). We met up with others that we know. Many of you know "Risky"..... she always greets us with a big hug. Dennis is also on board -- a very popular server. Getting hugs upon embarkation is always a nice thing. The Restaurant Manager (have not met him before) joked with us since we were here two months ago. I suggested that we went home, watered the plants and came back (which was almost the case).

 

More details to follow. I'm definitely going to bed (and it is only 8:30 p.m.). We cancelled our excursion for tomorrow (not an exciting excursion) so that we can regain our energy. Our schedule for the last few days has taken a toll on both of us.

 

Dinner in P7 was really good (I'm not a fan of this dining venue but enjoyed the Maine lobster).

Edited November 24, 2015 by Travelcat2

[RachelG]

Safari is hard work! The kind of vacation that makes you need a vacation. Fortunately you have a good long cruise to recover.

[Anna B.]

Great to hear from you, Jackie! I think a short safari might be even more tiring than a longer one because you don't have time to get into the groove. Ours was 11 days and you do get used to the schedule,i.e figure out when to eat, when to sleep, when to shower, etc. Nevertheless we were still exhausted! After a few days of rest you'll be ready to whip that Mariner into shape - haha!

[Travelcat2]

Good to know that we were not the only ones to be so tired after a safari. I really cannot imagine doing that for 11 days but it is understandable why so many people love the experience. Having seen what we want to see (and not seeing a "kill"), we are satisfied and do not need to do another safari. Note: The male lion that we saw two days in a row had a very full belly on the second day so he obviously had just eaten -- just glad that we were not around when he captured his food.

 

As mentioned, we are staying on the ship today to renew our energy. We slept 10 hours last night and are feeling much better. Looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow (a sea day). Happy day before Thanksgiving to everyone!

[Travelcat2]

 

Finally figured out how to post one photo. This is a white rhino - one of many we saw. They are so close to extinction that it is sad. Their "horn" can be worth up to $1M. We have seen signs showing a photo of a rhino with the subtitle "I am not medicine" :-(

Edited November 25, 2015 by Travelcat2

[Art Instructor]

This cruise sounds fabulous. Hope you have a safe and wonderful journey. Wish I were going with you as S. Africa is one of our favorite destinations. Hope to go back soon.

 

Looking forward to reading your posts. I wrapped up my blog from our recent 10/31 - 11/21 Voyager cruise. You can find it at consultm2.blogspot.com if you care to read it...loved the cruise and the Voyager was outstanding as always.

 

Sette Mari really stood out with both the Italian dining and French Bistro. We had a sandwich for dinner last night! What's up with that? :)

 

Best to all of you!

Marcia