It's all good on board the Splendor!

[Gpilon]

Our Costa Maya port of call today is cancelled. They claimed it was because of high winds and swells but it seems that the last few CM calls were also cancelled. So another sea day….works for us. 

[boblerm]

Our second port of call was San Juan, our excursion was the San Juan City Tour.  Before boarding the bus, the tour guide had a warning for me.  He noticed that I was I was wearing my NY Jets hat, and wanted me to brace myself for what I would see when I boarded the bus

 

 

We started by driving around Old San Juan, a nice area to tour.

 

Statue of St. John the Baptist, for whom the city is named

 

 

 

 

Monument to the Police

 

 

Plaza in Honor of Puerto Rican Teachers

 

 

Holocaust Memorial

 

 

 

Our first stop was at the Walkway of the Presidents, where there are statues of 9 US Presidents that have visited Puerto Rico

 

Let's play...Name That President!

 

1

 

 

 

2

 

 

3

 

 

4

 

 

5

 

 

6

 

 

7

 

 

8

 

 

 

9

 

 

Bonus question 10- What US President who has visited Puerto Rico does not have a statue here?

 

All of those that get all 10 correct will win unlimited free laundry on their next Regent cruise!

 

Our next stop was at the San Cristobal fort.  A very nice site to explore with great views.  We had an hour to explore here, I think that everyone on our tour agreed that a half hour would have been sufficient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then drove around Old San Juan a bit more, passing the El Morro fort

 

 

We then drove through New San Juan.  Frankly, this is not an area that I think is optimum to see through the window of a tour bus.  We had one stop here at a strip of beach for 15 minutes.

 

 

 

Why am I spending 15 minutes here???

 

I enjoyed the tour, but if I was choosing over, I would have selected a San Juan walking tour.  This area is very amenable for walking, and  I think that would have been a better use of our time here.

[-Lew-]

1 hour ago, boblerm said:

 

Love it...

[GeorgiaPeach51]

2 hours ago, Gpilon said:

Our Costa Maya port of call today is cancelled. They claimed it was because of high winds and swells but it seems that the last few CM calls were also cancelled. So another sea day….works for us. 

Yep.  Ours was cancelled last week.

[RachelG]

2 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

Yep.  Ours was cancelled last week.

Apparently it is almost always cancelled.  Not sure why they keep it on the itinerary.

[physadv]

29 minutes ago, RachelG said:

Apparently it is almost always cancelled.  Not sure why they keep it on the itinerary.

 

4 hours ago, boblerm said:

Our second port of call was San Juan, our excursion was the San Juan City Tour.  Before boarding the bus, the tour guide had a warning for me.  He noticed that I was I was wearing my NY Jets hat, and wanted me to brace myself for what I would see when I boarded the bus

 

 

We started by driving around Old San Juan, a nice area to tour.

 

Statue of St. John the Baptist, for whom the city is named

 

 

 

 

Monument to the Police

 

 

Plaza in Honor of Puerto Rican Teachers

 

 

Holocaust Memorial

 

 

 

Our first stop was at the Walkway of the Presidents, where there are statues of 9 US Presidents that have visited Puerto Rico

 

Let's play...Name That President!

 

1

 

 

 

2

 

 

3

 

 

4

 

 

5

 

 

6

 

 

7

 

 

8

 

 

 

9

 

 

Bonus question 10- What US President who has visited Puerto Rico does not have a statue here?

 

All of those that get all 10 correct will win unlimited free laundry on their next Regent cruise!

 

Our next stop was at the San Cristobal fort.  A very nice site to explore with great views.  We had an hour to explore here, I think that everyone on our tour agreed that a half hour would have been sufficient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then drove around Old San Juan a bit more, passing the El Morro fort

 

 

We then drove through New San Juan.  Frankly, this is not an area that I think is optimum to see through the window of a tour bus.  We had one stop here at a strip of beach for 15 minutes.

 

 

 

Why am I spending 15 minutes here???

 

I enjoyed the tour, but if I was choosing over, I would have selected a San Juan walking tour.  This area is very amenable for walking, and  I think that would have been a better use of our time here.

 

[physadv]

Thanks for the San Juan update. There are very few options for our December Splendor cruise with a similar itinerary. They heard you because I don't even see the infamous beach stop.

We've been there before so a walk to Old San Juan sounds like what we'll be doing.

[boblerm]

19 hours ago, physadv said:

Thanks for the San Juan update. There are very few options for our December Splendor cruise with a similar itinerary. They heard you because I don't even see the infamous beach stop.

We've been there before so a walk to Old San Juan sounds like what we'll be doing.

Old San Juan is a perfect city for walking.  There is so much to see within a half hour walk from the ship.  If you cannot sign up for a walking tour excursion, it is easy to do on your own.

[boblerm]

Here are the answers to "Name That President!"

 

1. Ike

2. JFK

3. LBJ

4. Ford

5. Truman

6. FDR

7. Hoover

8. TR

9. Obama

10.Trunp

 

How did you do?

 

@Gpilon, do you know what the passenger count is on this voyage?  On ours, it was 530.

 

[boblerm]

@islandchick, as per your request, here are the daily schedules from the Passages.

The first one is comprehensive, but my auto feeder on my scanner skipped one day which I provide separately.

 

The 3rd one is the Hours of Operation from a Sunday.  They vary very little from other days, other than the Champaign  in La Veranda.  For lunch, there is sometimes a special BBQ on the pool deck, and either P7 or Chartreuse is open for lunch, or both.

 

 

Passages March 7-16,2022.pdf

 

Passages March 11,2022.pdf

 

Hours of Operation.pdf

[Wendy The Wanderer]

22 hours ago, RachelG said:

Apparently it is almost always cancelled.  Not sure why they keep it on the itinerary.

I wonder if that's changed since the hurricane that swept the docks away a few years back?  We were there before that with no problems.

[RachelG]

33 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

I wonder if that's changed since the hurricane that swept the docks away a few years back?  We were there before that with no problems.

Could be.  We were there before the hurricane and had no issues as well.

[boblerm]

Our next port of call was St. Kitts,  a beach excursion was offered, and that is what we chose.  It was called, "Carambola Beach Break, and it was a visit to the beach, pure and simple. 

Chairs were included, but you have to pay $10 for umbrella.  The description stipulates that "beach chairs are available on a first come and fist served basis".  We apparently got there just in the nick of time.

 

 

 

Food and beverage was available for purchase.  I mean, we can't be expected to be away from food or beverage for 3 1/2 hours, am I right?

 

It was raining pretty good when we arrived, but it soon cleared up and it was fine during our stay, maybe a sprinkle or 2 here and there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent a very pleasant afternoon here.

 

[islandchick]

boblerm, wow, thanks so much for this information. I appreciate all the time you have taken to give this to me. I am sure it will benefit many others who are interested as well. 

[boblerm]

2 hours ago, islandchick said:

boblerm, wow, thanks so much for this information. I appreciate all the time you have taken to give this to me. I am sure it will benefit many others who are interested as well. 

Happy to help!

[mariners]

Thanks for taking the time to post when you were onboard the ship, and also for adding the photos now that it is easier to post them. 

 

Although we have never sailed the Splendor, she is on our radar for 2023/2024.  Your posts will help us when it's time to make the decision as to the ship(s) we will sail.

[flossie009]

Excellent blog

 

14 hours ago, boblerm said:

"beach chairs are available on a first come and fist served basis".

Lucky there were plenty available. Wouldn’t want you having to resort to pugilism to reserve your spot 😉 (enough discussion about those issues on another thread)

 

[boblerm]

4 hours ago, flossie009 said:

Excellent blog

 

Lucky there were plenty available. Wouldn’t want you having to resort to pugilism to reserve your spot 😉 (enough discussion about those issues on another thread)

 

😆 I really need to start proof reading my posts! 🤣

[boblerm]

 

Dominica is one of my favorite ports of call in the Caribbean, a beautiful island, and one well suited to see via tour bus.  Our tour was called "Dominica's Favorites".

 

My last visit here was in 2019, and the island was still showing some of the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria 2 years earlier, and a good chunk was still without electricity.   These photos were taken then

 

 

 

I am happy to say that the situation is greatly improved.

 

 

It rained on and off all day, and this is the dry season.

Our first stop was at the Emerald Pool located at the bottom of a 40 foot waterfall.

 

 

 

The walk down was nice

 

 

 

 

However what goes down, must come up.  The walk back up was a bit more challenging, but not too bad.

 

 

 

Neither of the gents shown above is me.

 

We drove around admiring the scenery for a while, and then had a stop for some relaxation and complementary liquid refreshment. 

 

 

Apparently, Dominica got the memo in regard to cruise ship passengers and maximum intervals deprived of sustenance.   It was 10;30 AM, but the sun being over the yardarm somewhere, surely, we did indulge.

 

 

 

We then drove on to Trafagar Falls.  Another bit of a hike to get to the falls,, but well worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures and videos do not come anywhere near doing justice to this majestic sight.

 

Drove around some more through a botanical garden 

 

 

 

and then had a stop at at the Morne Bruce for a beautiful view from the lookout.

 

 

 

Then drove back to the ship.

 

 

 

As we passed this spot, our tour guide told us that people are dying to get in there.

 

 

 

Hey, blame her not me!!😇

 

 

 

These taken from the ship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Wonderful photos!  

[boblerm]

 

They say that Antigua has 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. 

I can neither confirm nor deny this assertion, but I can say that it has some very fine beaches.

 

Our tour was Dickenson Bay Beach Break.  A short drive , followed by 3 1/2 hours on a lovely beach.  A drink and chairs were included, 10 bucks for umbrella.

 

Not too much to say about it, other than for me, this is a perfect way to spend time in the Caribbean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[boblerm]

Our final port of call was St. Barts.

 

Not.

[boblerm]

It's time to move on to Food!

 

We dined once in each of the 4 specialty restaurants, and did not try for any additional nights.  For us, on a 10 night cruise, one in each of the specialties is just fine, as we are huge fans of Compass Rose.

 

Prime 7

We have a tradition of dining in Prime 7 on the first night of all of our Regent cruises.  Like Tevye, I do not know how this tradition got started.  But...it's a tradition!

 

 

 

 

 

amuse bouche

 

 

Lump Crab Cake

 

 

Tuna & Avocado Poke

 

 

Harvest Salad (mixed greens, kernel corn, roasted pumpkin, pickled red beets, dried cherries & cranberries, cajun spiced pecans, honey-walnut vinaigrette)

We always order our dressings on the side.

 

 

For mains, we both had a surf and turf, both with Alaskan King Crab Legs as our surf.  .  We asked that the crab meat be removed from the shell, makes things a lot easier, at least for us.

Jeannie had filet mignon, and I the prime rib.  They were both very good, but the filet was the better choice, more flavorful and tender.

 

 

I think that I have tried most of the cuts of meat at Prime 7 by now, and have never found one that I prefer to the filet, most likely I will be returning to that for my future visits to P7.

 

Sides

 

 

 

And the pièce de résistance.  It is not possible for me to visit Prime 7 without ordering the best dessert on the planet, and one that needs no introduction to Regent regulars,  or, for that matter, anyone who tends to read Regent trip reports on Cruise   Critic.

 

 

Our dining  experience was off to a great start !

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks you so much for all the great pictures and information.  Looks like you had a great cruise. 

[boblerm]

Pacific Rim

 

If we had chosen to dine for a second time in any specialty restaurant, it would have been this one, as there are so many items on the menu that I would love to try.  In fact, I don't think that there is anything on the menu that I wouldn't want to try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wanted to try sake to have with out appetizers.  We don't know too much about sake, I think that we only had it once before in Crystal's Umi Uma.  Here, they only had 2 choices, a hot and a cold.  We chose the cold..The one that we had on Crystal was clear, this one was very cloudy and looks like skim milk. Our server said it is unfiltered.  We did enjoy it, though.

 

Amuse bouche

 

 

Appetizers-

 

Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai

 

 

Vegetable Pot Stickers

 

 

Seaweed & Wakame Salad

 

 

Peking Duck & Watermelon Salad

 

 

For mains, Jeannie had Lobster Tempura

 

I asked for a half order of lobster tempura with a half order of Korean Style Barbecue Lamb Chops.

The full order of lamb shops are 3, so I got 2.  And it looked to me that my half order of the tempura was not so much smaller than Jeannie's full order.  No problem finishing it, however.

 

 

 

 

For dessert, we shared the coconut tres leches, in addition to whatever else they bring.  Incidentally, when I say "we shared" in regard to dessert, what I really mean is I have, and Jeannie has a few bites to make me think that I am only eating half.

 

 

You may be thinking, "No Miso Black Cod??  Inconceivable!"

Here's why- I think that I would only like to have a miso glazed fish dish once in a week's time, and I know that I am going to have the Miso Glazed Sea Bass in Compass Rose, I actually prefer that preparation.