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Live From the Navigator, 29 Dec - 8 Jan, Western Mexico

TahoeTraveler

By TahoeTraveler,
in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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TahoeTraveler

TahoeTraveler

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Wednesday, 3 January, Mazatlan:

I’m actually posting this on Thursday morning, but I’m desperately trying to catch up on my posts. We are in the middle of the 5 straight port days and have been very, very busy.

 

Yesterday we opted to see Mazatlan on our own and not do a tour. We walked from the ship to El Arco, the big hill just outside the port with the lighthouse on it. When the description says a “vigorous” walk, it isn’t kidding. It was quite the hike up that hill, and with the heat, was rather challenging. But I’m glad we did it...the views of both the Pacific and the town were spectacular. Afterwards, we hiked along the malecon to the town and saw the cliff divers. Then it was a walk through the old part of the town as we headed back to the ship (we left at 3:00 so didn’t have a lot of time to do much else). We found Mazatlan to be a beautiful, friendly city. There were American expats who were all around to help the tourists with whatever questions they had, and the locals were quite charming. Obviously the city officials decided to clean the place up and focus on getting tourists back after the city was taken off cruise itineraries due to crime a few years ago. Our favorite so far, and we have said we would gladly come back for a longer visit sometime.

 

For some reason the show was at 6:15 and since we had reservations at Prime 7, we only watched a bit of it. It was called “Tuxedo” and seemed to be mostly older tunes, but again, we only watched a small bit of it, so cannot really comment too much. Dinner at Prime 7 was underwhelming...the prime rib was decent but the au jus they provided tasted like barbecue sauce and the horseradish was not creamy or very spicy. Mike said his lobster was rubbery and the sides were just okay. Plus, the venue is so darn crowded (too many tables in that little place) and loud that it doesn’t make for an elegant dining experience. Truthfully though, we were exhausted from our 7.5 mile hike around the city, so we’re probably just too tired to appreciate much of anything.

 

Today is Manzanillo, which we’ve never been to. We had originally booked a 7 hour excursion into the mountains and a pretty village (Colima), but after yesterday, we just wanted something shorter, so we just switched to a 4 hour city tour instead. The Destinations folks have been so great this trip, and so accommodating. Honestly, we haven’t had any issues whatsoever with any of the staff...everyone on board has been great. We are now past the halfway mark, and I inevitably count down to the end, which I dread. Am so going to miss all our new friends and the staff on the Navigator once this is all over.

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TahoeTraveler

TahoeTraveler

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Saturday, 6 January, At Sea:

Again I have to apologize for failing to post for such a long time. We were busy with our last two ports and I haven’t had time to catch up on much of anything.

 

On Thursday we docked at Manzanillo. From appearances, the port looked so promising. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a huge disappointment. There simply is nothing there to see, except hotels, expensive houses, and a lot of Americanization (Burger Kings, Wal Mart, McDonalds, etc). The old town is still very genuine and authentic, but there just isn’t much to see there. The tour we had booked was supposed to go up to a high point so we could get good views as the first stop. However, the guide completely changed the order of the tour, and did the old town walking portion first, when it was noon and unbelievably hot. By doing so, he put the restaurant stop last, meaning that no one wanted to stay because they just figured they’d go straight back to the ship and eat (the food at the restaurant was not included as part of the tour). As I was determined to get some good shrimp (which is amazing in this part of the world), I wanted to stay and eat...but two people on the bus wanted to go back, so the guide told us we’d have to take a later bus if we wanted to stay (yes, that’s right...the desires of two people overrode those of the six of us who wanted to eat). We did stay, and had a wonderful shrimp lunch. But that whole experience pretty much put a damper on our visit to Manzanillo. Well, that and the fact that with the exception of a couple of tidbits of history, all the guide pointed out to us were those American things I previously mentioned.

 

We were not the only ones disappointed in the port and the offered excursions. We did not hear one positive comment about any of the included excursions...none of them seemed to stick to the published itinerary, and several just skipped stops completely. Many of us on the ship share the opinion that Regent should not put Manzanillo on any future cruises.

 

It was especially disappointing because it meant that we only had 7 hours in Puerto Vallarta yesterday. It would have been so much better had Manzanillo not been on the itinerary at all, and we had overnighted in PV instead. We had scheduled a tequila tour in PV, but cancelled it (thanks in large part to the horrible tour in Manzanillo). We got a tour van outside the port instead, and it was the best $50 we’ve spent on this whole trip. The guide was informative, flexible in what we did, and really, really nice. He took us to the old town, down to the furthest part of the bay that he could get to (where we got some fantastic pictures and had a drink at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the bay), and then back to get a glimpse of the house Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton once owned. We could easily have spent many more hours there, but unfortunately the ship had a 3:00pm departure. We have been to PV in the past, but found it then to be very dirty, crowded, and just not pleasant. But it has now been cleaned up (our guide told us the new mayor is really set on improving the area, and it shows), and is quite lovely. Most folks we’ve talked to have said it was their favorite port by far (I’m still voting for Mazatlan, but PV is a very close second).

 

So today is the next to last day, and I have very mixed emotions. On the one hand, I want to get home (and my liver needs to get home!!!). On the other of course, it’s hard to get excited about going back to doing my own cooking, cleaning, etc, and I will miss so many people, staff and passengers alike, when we leave the ship. Tonight is Krew Kapers, and I always get choked up when I watch that. So it’s going to be an emotional night, but at least we are capping it off with a special German dinner that we’ve requested for Mike’s birthday (which is on the 9th, after we’ve left the ship, but hey, any excuse for German food, right?). Paul, the Cruise Director, and Mark, the Assistant Cruise Director, are joining us, so it should be fun.

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Boatmans Lady

Boatmans Lady

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Thank you for posting as it is only year to our first cruise on the Navigator and Regent.

Can I ask what cabin you are in to consider yourself 'steerage.'

As we are flying into LA from England the day before embarkation, we aren't fussed about boarding early, so will probably get up and see some sights before arriving later to board as we then have 5 sea days to get to know the ship.

We are both getting really excited about the cruise and positive reviews are adding to this excitement.

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TahoeTraveler

TahoeTraveler

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Thank you for posting as it is only year to our first cruise on the Navigator and Regent.

Can I ask what cabin you are in to consider yourself 'steerage.'

As we are flying into LA from England the day before embarkation, we aren't fussed about boarding early, so will probably get up and see some sights before arriving later to board as we then have 5 sea days to get to know the ship.

We are both getting really excited about the cruise and positive reviews are adding to this excitement.

The steerage comment was tongue in cheek, referring to the boarding process where those of us not in a named cabin were all lumped together as “the rest.” There are absolutely no bad cabins on the Navigator, and in fact, the window and balcony suites (with a few exceptions) are the exact same size and layout as the penthouse suites.

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TahoeTraveler

TahoeTraveler

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Sunday, 7 January, Final Day at Sea:

We are quickly approaching LA and the end of our journey. It was sad to bring out the suitcases this morning and begin the packing process but all good things must come to an end I suppose.

 

Last night was Krew Kapers, and I was absolutely amazed at the talent. On all our previous cruises, the show was cute, but in all honesty, the performers were doing their best, but you couldn’t usually say they were great, Last night was so different, All the singers were fantastic, and there were several dancers that could easily have been part of the entertainment team. It was a much more polished production, but we did miss some of the old favorites like the dance they used to do with the poles they tapped on the ground while others danced between them (that is now done as part of the Around the World show the entertainment team puts on). I guess maybe it’s just a change NCL implemented but it is kind of sad to see that only a very few of the crew can participate now (because they obviously now require that the performers be very, very talented in either singing or dancing). But again, it really was a great show.

 

We topped that off with an amazing German dinner made especially for us to celebrate Mike’s birthday on Tuesday. Paul the CD and Mark the Assistant CD joined us and we had a fabulous time. We talked about various trivia questions (we’ve been playing trivia throughout the cruise, with very title success!) and about their favorite ports, ships, etc. It was a lot of fun and we so enjoyed it.

 

Afterwards, my son and his girlfriend wanted to go do Karaoke, so we joined them. It was absolutely hilarious...there were some very talented folks and (like my son and his girlfriend) some not so talented ones! But again, everyone had a great time.

 

So we are now mostly packed and just hanging around the pool area, relaxing. It’s getting cooler as we move north and it is very windy today, so I’m not sure how well the Greek BBQ on the deck is going to go over. It’s funny to see people huddled in jackets and sweats, but that’s exactly how we were the first day out, so it makes sense I guess.

 

I have several pictures I’d like to post, but cannot seem to make it work on my iPad so will have to try to do it once back home.

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TahoeTraveler

TahoeTraveler

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Have really enjoyed reading about your adventures on this cruise and am glad hat there were mishaps;p. Also happy to read that Paul and Mark shared the special birthday dinner with the two of you.

 

Have a safe flight home1

Thank you TC. It’s going to be raining in LA when we get there, and raining at home as well. The party is over!!!

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TahoeTraveler

TahoeTraveler

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We are at the Long Beach airport, waiting for our flight home, and the weather is matching my mood...sad. As expected, I got a little emotional when saying goodbye to all my favorite bartenders as well as Paul and Mark. Even though the cruise was only 10 days, as usual I got very attached to many of the crew members. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be after a World Cruise!

 

Disembarkation was quick and easy. I think it’s probably because the ship holds so few passengers, but it never seems to take us any time to get off and get our bags. Our Uber ride to the airport was one of the most frightening things I’ve ever encountered. The driver kept making wrong turns (even though his GPS was clearly telling him where to go) and then he kept mumbling to himself and slapping his head whenever he’d make a wrong turn. Then one time he slammed on the brakes so hard that my head whipped forward...my neck and lower back are now really hurting and I don’t doubt I have a mild case of whiplash. Such an awful way to end such a great cruise.

 

 

As for the last night of the cruise, the only entertainment offered was a Beatles dance party in Galileos. I opted instead to hit the casino one last time, which was a mistake. Not because I lost money, but because something very strange and disturbing happened. I was putting money into one of the slot machines, and wasn’t really paying much attention. I had counted out $100 specifically in $20s and $5s, and I noticed after putting in all my fives, I was $5 short. I wrote it off to me losing the bill or something. However, when I went to put my last $20 in, the total showing on the machine showed $95...and then a few seconds later it jumped back down to the previous $75. The $20 wasn’t spit back out or anything...the machine just basically deleted the $20 I had just put in (and I don’t doubt that’s what happened to my missing $5). I immediately called the supervisor over. She looked at the diagnostics on the machine but claimed that nothing had happened (I was looking at it too, and no where did it show how much money had been actually put in, so there’s no way she could deny it). I threatened to call Security, so she gave me a $20 credit...which meant I had to gamble it or lose it (and after that incident, I had had no intention of gambling there any more). I am very concerned that this was not an isolated incident, and that some gamblers who are perhaps not as eagle eyed as I am might be getting ripped off. For you long time Regent cruisers, is this something I should bring to the attention of Corporate? It just seems to me that there is a possibility of theft going on, and they should be aware of it.

 

 

But regardless of that, and of the crazy Uber experience, I can honestly say that was one of the better cruises (not that any on Regent are bad) I’ve been on. Even though some of the ports and all of the excursions were disappointing, the cruise experience itself was superb. I do think, however, that I won’t book another cruise that immediately precedes a World Cruise. It just felt a bit like we were “just there” at times, and that everyone was more concerned about gearing up for the long cruise commencing today. Don’t get me wrong...the service was impeccable, as I’ve mentioned before. But there was just a bit of a feeling that perhaps some things were not offered or done, such as deck parties with the band that had been done on all our other cruises and maybe were not being done on ours because they were busy with the preparations for the World Cruise. Several other people on the ship said the same thing, so I don’t think it was just a mistaken impression. But again, the cruise was still so much fun that even with some activities not being offered, we had a great time.

 

 

So back to reality it is. Thanks for taking the time to read the posts, and for all the well wishes. I really appreciate it.

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liptastic

liptastic

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I have enjoyed your posts very much, thanks for a great well written thread.

We are also very fond of Navigator, it feels comfortable and cozy and so friendly.

That’s so wrong about your casino episode last night. As you say it is scary if it proves not to be an isolated incident?

Sorry about the Uber experience to the airport. I hope you have no lasting effects, but hope you have the driver/ car details for any follow up if necessary?

Safe travels onwards to your home now and thanks again for a great thread. Jean.

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wishIweretravelling "Live from...." Rare

wishIweretravelling

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Last night was Krew Kapers... It was a much more polished production, but we did miss some of the old favorites like the dance they used to do with the poles they tapped on the ground while others danced between them (that is now done as part of the Around the World show the entertainment team puts on).

 

That dance WAS in the Krew Kapers on my recent Explorer cruise (and was also in the Around the World show). Perhaps it was omitted in yours because there weren't enough crew members on board who knew the dance?

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