Live From The Mariner 13-24 May 2017 (Lite)

[1982CruzStart]

Loving your posts. Thanks for taking the time to entertain us while having a great time yourselves.

[Travelcat2]

Those shrimp look incredible. Were they a special on the appetizer menu?

 

I'm hoping that the ship is no longer on Code Red.... you haven't mentioned it in a couple of days. Fingers crossed that things are back to normal and you can have your shirts ironed.

[Zqueeze1]

1982: thanks!

 

Jackie: the shrimp were actually an appetizer selection and were some of the best I've ever had. As of yesterday, we are no longer in code red. I am currently in slave mode washing and ironing clothes while "Brown Bear" (aka The Boss) is hibernating. The seas are a little rough and it's pretty chilly outside.

Z and TB

 

 

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[irishwitchy]

I have to ask does the lobster normally come by itself? The plate looks rather empty. If that is all that is served I would also need more dinner, the shrimp won't do it either! Question for everyone, is it possible to get a seafood tower prepared for two? Oysters, shrimp, crab, lobster, etc?

[Travelcat2]

I have to ask does the lobster normally come by itself? The plate looks rather empty. If that is all that is served I would also need more dinner, the shrimp won't do it either! Question for everyone, is it possible to get a seafood tower prepared for two? Oysters, shrimp, crab, lobster, etc?

 

With the new CR menu you only get what you want with your entree. Also, "sides" come in separate dishes and can be eaten from that dish or put onto to your dinner plate. It sounds like TB already had a main course and wanted an extra lobster tail. It looks yummy.

[Zqueeze1]

Jackie is correct. The lobster tail was asked for by itself after the main course and same goes for the shrimp appetizer. With Regent one can make special requests in advance for dinner. We plan to ask for a seafood paella towards the end of the cruise.

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

I want to catch up on a couple of events. First, yesterday's tour in Astoria was ok, but understandable given the limited resources of the area. We started our movie location tour in a local luxury bus:

 

 

The highlight was actually this monument commemorating the history of the town.

 

 

Leaving town was exciting since we are now headed to Alaska. After attending Terry Breen's excellent briefing on glaciers, we headed to the Observation Lounge and were embraced by beautiful sunshine.

 

 

Here, we had a morning Bloody Mary then headed to meet our friends Karen and John for lunch which was an Asian themed lunch with kimchi, pancit, and Thai beef salad. It was awesome.

 

One thing I did not care for was observing the head chef chewing someone out. I was taught to praise in public and scold in private. Not too professional.

 

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

Catching Up Part Deux

 

Here are some pics from our recent visit to SFO and Sonoma:

Fairmont Hotel lobby staircase:

 

Jacuzzi Vineyards:

 

 

Z and TB

 

 

 

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[hockeyken]

:) Great photos, putz. That sure is a good looking hotel. Visiting the vineyards is great isn't it ? I used to get paid to do it :loudcry:.

 

K

[Grifus]

How lovely to have a luxurious meal, after a relaxing day and now a piano performance to sooth me to slumber, before tomorrow's anticipated otters and whale watch.

 

I did ask about the M&M and in looking at their computer, 20th at 4pm is written down... I hope to meet before the 24th.

 

I'll hope to learn to get a photo up too of our trip to Mount St. Helen's. Sleep well, Helena

[Paul&Shark]

Jackie, post # 73 was washed away by the Bouchard Macon-Lugny, Saint-Pierre , my favourite supermarket wine for just $ 11.00. Great chardonnay wine for that price!

As Jerry Lee Lewis sang: Once more with feeling,so here we come again ; What is the new price per diem for your Alaska trip? We really love to hear. ...

"Z", we booked a 10 night cruise - Vancouver to S.F. a couple of hours ago. Regent is having a heck of a time selling the 7 night August 23rd cruise and the 10 night August 30th cruise so the price was amazing. So, I'll be even more interested in your posts than before. I won't bug you until you get onboard and get settled. Then I will definitely have questions.

Hope that you enjoy every moment of your cruise!

Jackie

P.S. BTW, this means that we will become Titanium when we board the Mariner in November. I'm not sure why this suddenly became important to me but when you get so close, it takes on a life of its own. Thankfully, I'm married to one of the most amazing men on earth!:halo:

[Travelcat2]

Jackie, post # 73 was washed away by the Bouchard Macon-Lugny, Saint-Pierre , my favourite supermarket wine for just $ 11.00. Great chardonnay wine for that price!

As Jerry Lee Lewis sang: Once more with feeling,so here we come again ; What is the new price per diem for your Alaska trip? We really love to hear. ...

 

Sorry - I had to go back to post #73 to see what happened (the wine definitely caused the problem:evilsmile:). The answer to this isn't easy. I found incredible rates on a website that I cannot name (I generally only go to the website to learn how many suites are available on a cruise but this time noticed the pricing). I told my TA about it and Regent met their "covert pricing". The lowest category for the10 night August 30th sailing was $4,987/person (without air). We booked the last "C" category penthouse for $7,275/person. This cruises is also an "Artful Traveler" cruise which I hear is a big plus!

 

P.S. "Z", is the Panko shrimp a special order?

[Zqueeze1]

Jackie: nope. It was an appetizer.

 

Yesterday. Being a sea day allowed us to catch up on laundry while attending a great briefing on glaciers presented by Terry Breen. She will also do a running dialogue tomorrow as we approach Hubbard glacier. Dinner with Risky attending us and served us another wonderful meal:

 

Guess who had this:

 

I had the Asian pork rack:

 

And we split a filet of Dover sole:

 

 

 

Today: we are docking in Sitka and will do a paid tour to see otters, raptors, and bears. Hopefully, we can get some great pics for posting.

Z and TB

 

 

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[jeb_bud]

Zqueeze1, we're joining Mariner on 21 June for our first ever ocean cruise. Thanks for your scouting reports. We'll also be taking the paid Sea Otter excursion in Sitka.

 

After many years traveling with a Rick Steves backpack as my luggage, I finally went to Costco and bought a large suitcase. I know there is storage space under the bed but I don't recall any post with a dimension noted. Does it look to you like a large hard side suitcase would fit under your bed?

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

It should. I use a dive bag and it fits after I lift the side of the bed to clear the railing, then push it under the bed with my foot.

Z and TB

 

 

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[mrspie]

Hello, enjoying your daily travelogue. DH and I will be doing your opposite itinerary Aug. 30th. We have sailed frequently on Seabourn and this will be our first Regent cruise. Can you please tell me what you observe most men to be wearing in the dining rooms and specialty restaurants, i.e. suit tie, sport jacket, open collar, etc? He would love to pack light! Thank you.

[Zqueeze1]

Hello, enjoying your daily travelogue. DH and I will be doing your opposite itinerary Aug. 30th. We have sailed frequently on Seabourn and this will be our first Regent cruise. Can you please tell me what you observe most men to be wearing in the dining rooms and specialty restaurants, i.e. suit tie, sport jacket, open collar, etc? He would love to pack light! Thank you.

 

 

 

Glad you are enjoying my corniness. No ties required! Tell pops to pack light because most men wear a long sleeve button down shirt with slacks (no jeans). I also bring a blazer which I wear at the specialty restaurants or if invited to an event but it is not required. Most of all, enjoy your cruise and hope that this first Regent experience is followed by many more excellent cruises.

 

Z and TB

 

 

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[ronrick1943]

Yes, really enjoying reading about your trip--thanks fpor taking the time and posting.

Rick

[mrspie]

So happy about no tie! He will pack one just in case and take a nice jacket. So glad we don't have to pack a tux and all the trappings! Women have it much easier, except for dealing with the [emoji151]shoes.

Again, really enjoying reading about your journey and your wife's quest to be Lobster Queen!

 

 

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[Mudhen]

Loving the food porn photos! I'm in Newport RI with our daughter and we're trying our best to eat all of the oysters, clams and lobster on the east coast! So far, we've put a serious hurt on the oyster population!

Keep us up to date on the meetings of the MBM society meetings....! Continue to enjoy!

Linda

[Zqueeze1]

Yes, really enjoying reading about your trip--thanks fpor taking the time and posting.

 

Rick

 

 

 

You are welcome. Your call sign reminded me that you are in for a treat during the next cruise because Mr Rumor will be onboard. He provides some excellent info and great level of detail. You will love his reports.

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

For the folks currently onboard and who signed up for the Meet and Mingle, it will be on the 20th at 1045 and will be held in the Stars lounge. Regent does NOT have a name of guests participating. So, PLEASE call my cabin (824) and let us know your full name and cabin number or post it here.

Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

Folks: internet has been real slow today and I can't download them. They will follow ASAP.

 

Yesterday was one of the most amazing tour days we've ever had with Regent. Our day began with a tour of the birds of prey rehab center where we saw injured eagles being treated and retrained to return to the wild. This was followed by a visit to a bear sanctuary where five bears were being taken care of permanently. The drive to and fro was very scenic and we saw many bald eagles flying around.

However, the highlight of this cruise was boat ride to see various sea life. After seeing a few otters floating around, we headed to redoubt bay and saw a mother bear with three cubs in the wild. That was an amazing sight. But, wait, it gets better. On our way back we found a humpback whale that out on a show for us. He must have been paid well because he hung around for a while. It was magnificent and left me in total awe.

I haven't mentioned much about the shows besucase, frankly, we are conked out after chow. The Boss straps on the feed bag and we are down for the count.

 

Z and TB

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

Here's a teaser pic from the bear habitat:

 

Zqueeze and The Boss at the beach

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

What an amazing photo. Really happy to hear about your wonderful day! I certainly understand how tiring it is to sail in Alaska. There is so much to do - getting up early and arriving back to the ship with just enough time to shower and get dressed.

 

Alaska is definitely a magical place and you are there at the perfect time. I know that it is still a bit cool but starting June 1st (through July), Alaska is crazy with thousands and thousands of people. I remember how welcoming the residents of Alaska are in May - welcoming their first tourists. By September (we have sailed there before in September), they can't wait to close up their shops and go to their winter homes

 

P.S. Poor internet is pretty common -- especially when sailing Hubbard Glacier or Tracy Arm.