Navigator - Live 8/12/2022 Amsterdam to Barcelona

[Go9ersjrh]

Good to know at the Euros.  We'll make sure to hit an atm in Barcelona and then get change at the hotel before we get on the ship on Wednesday.  Now to get back to packing.  Still have to get the COVID test this afternoon.

[Go9ersjrh]

Negative Covid test in hand. Our transatlantic cruise is a go. We'll see you in Barcelona on Wednesday.

[mdunne48]

Day 9 / 37 Porto, Portugal

 

Another outstanding day for our brief visit to Porto. It didn’t help that we had to wait about 40 minutes on the hop on hop off bus while various clerical duties were performed. They did pick us up on the pier which was nice. 

 

Confusion!! Confusion!! Confusion!!! HO-HO

 

It was reminiscent of Abbot and Costello!! Take this bus if you want to ….. take the yellow bus with the purple sign to do this …. take the yellow bus with the brown sign to do that…. get off at stop 13 to return to the ship but only on the blue bus ….. 🤣🤣🤣

 

We exited at the Center of Porto right next to the Cathedral and from there it was all down hill, literally. We had a great time. Again, the people were as friendly as could be.  

 

The DW had some retail therapy in mind with a few specific goals. No aimless wandering when shoes are involved.

 

Alas, the shoes need to wait until Lisbon or Barcelona. Siesta, vacations, Saturday afternoon saw a lot of shops shuttered. 

 

Here are some of our memories from Porto.

 

Another view of the “broken flower pot” cruise terminal. The outer surface is made up of thousands of hexagonal tiles. Very impressive structure!!!!

 

 

A glorious day on the beach:

 

 

The “fisherman’s net”, a sculpture by American artist Janet Echelman.

 

 

Crashing surf:

 

 

One of the many historic lighthouses along the waterfront.

 

 

Another “right” pointing statue 🤣🤣

 

 

 

 

A

 

 

 

 

A

 

A

 

A

 

The bridges across the Douro.

 

Tgeee is a beach in the distance:

 

The tram or Metro across the Douro river

 

 

 

only metro and pedestrians across this bridge.

 

 

Love the overview:

 

 

A classic European tenement:

 

The trams of Porto

 

 

another view of this classic car
 

A sculpture along the waterfront portraying a family awaiting their husband / father to return from the sea…

 

 

A therapy street 

 

 

The blue tile on this facade is gorgeous!
 

 
back to the Cathedral 

 

 

[mdunne48]

Day 9 / 37 Porto

 

Saying goodbye to Porto:

 

 

Sunset on the Atlantic

 

 

A little later:

 

 

[mdunne48]

Day 10 / 38 - Lisbon

 

good morning Lisbon:

 

 

Almost to the dock

 

 

Another beautiful day awaits us here in Lisbon ….. later

[liptastic]

Agreeing what a delightful itinerary this is . We have enjoyed lovely weather in the ports . Lisbon today has really been a treat .

We are finding that service and food have been excellent. It will be sad to leave in Barcelona. 
I had a mishap today with my prescription sunglasses  😎. I always travel with 2 pairs thankfully. At lunchtime my husband mentioned to Donald up in Leveranda who suggested speak to reception . Within an hour he had arranged that Raphael from maintenance check the damage and he duly repaired them . Just another incidence where Regebt and their wonderful staff go above and beyond to deliver that very unique service . Jean 

[1982CruzStart]

The pictures and comments have been so wonderful. Can't thank you enough for taking us along. Hope you are fully recovered or recovering well mdunne48.

[mdunne48]

Day 10 / 38 - Lisboa, Spain (continued)

 

I’m not sure we enjoyed Lisbon as much as we should have. Due to a &@“#% by DH, forgetting the €€€ and having to trek back to the ship, the day didn’t start well. 

 

The port is very close to the “centro” district of Lisboa.
 

 

But today is Sunday and most shops, stores, cafes, etc were closed at 9:30 a.m. We grabbed a hop on hop off from centro and off we went to see as much of Lisboa as possible in the few hours we had. Well the bus’s communication system was having issues. It wanted Sunday off as well. It was very choosy as to what information it dispensed and you could be certain that it would not give you everything. Through many different sections of Lisboa we went but really I couldn’t tell you a thing about this city.  
 

 
Not sure but pretty cool looking…..

 

 

A quiet Sunday morning…..

 

 

Quite impressive!!

 

 

When the bus returned to the Tagus river we decided that was enough.

 

Looks wavy but it is only your perception. The surface is flat.

 

 

We walked a few miles, stopping at some very well executed sculptures along the waterfront.

 

 

Lunch beckoned and we tried a local restaurant along the river. DW chose better than me.  
 

DW’s

 

 

Mine:

 

 

For whatever reason we have not found any “spicy” cuisine on this trip. Barcelona??

 

Finished:

 

 

 

A fun day in Lisbon….not great but enjoyable. 

 

On the waterfront??

 

 

 

Hill climbing tram

 

 

The Lisboa skyline…..

 

 

MSC Orchestra in the background:

 

 

Leaving Lisbon I was able to get a few good  photos!

 

April 25th bridge over the Tagus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dolphins adorn the base pillars:

 

 

 

A

 

 stunning sculpture honouring the Portuguese history of exploration.
 

 

A

 

 

A

 

 

A crowded beach at 6:00 pm

 

 

[mdunne48]

Day 10 / 38 - Lisboa (continued)

 

Good night from the Portugal coast:

 

 

Last light……

 

 

Tomorrow at sea 

 

Going through the Straits of Gilbraltar around noon….
 

[mdunne48]

Previous post should have read:

 

Tomorrow at sea

 

Going through the straits of Gilbraltar around noon tomorrow.

 

 

[mdunne48]

4 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

The pictures and comments have been so wonderful. Can't thank you enough for taking us along. Hope you are fully recovered or recovering well mdunne48.

Arm is healing! Thanks for your concern.

[rcandkc]

I always find food on our cruises bland for my taste buds so I tire of it quickly.  I’m in the minority though it seems. 

[mdunne48]

 

8 hours ago, rcandkc said:

I always find food on our cruises bland for my taste buds so I tire of it quickly.  I’m in the minority though it seems. 

RC, can’t agree more with you. About 4 night’s or so ago I had a Caribbean dish “curry” that should have been loaded with spices.  So BLAND!!! Especially since I asked our waiter to have the kitchen prepare it spicy.

 

 

[mdunne48]

Day 11 / 39 - At Sea (Straits of Gibraltar)

 

Housekeeping morning!! Sorry no sunrise photo. 

 

What about the Navigator? We are in agreement on a few issues. 

 

1). We are not “world cruisers or even grand voyage cruisers.”  We will be sticking to single segments or maybe a B2B if the itinerary warrants it. 

 

2). The time in ports on this particular itinerary was way too short. I realize that a schedule has to be adhered to but having only 7 hours in Lisbon is way too short. If we did not miss the stop in Barritz we would have only had 4 1/2 hours in Ferrol. Maybe Regent needs to adjust the number of days on voyages that have greater distances between ports to accommodate longer port visits. To sum it up, it has felt rushed.

 

2). The Navigator is our least favorite ship in the Regent fleet. I guess we have been spoiled by the other 4, currently operating, Regent ships. Why???? For the most part the ship itself. When the route calls for all 4 engines to be generating full speed this ship vibrates and not just the stern. There is also a harmonic associated with full speed that isn’t pleasant to my ears. The lack of a “court” to play paddle tennis or pickle ball even though on this voyage I would not have been able to due to my arm.  Although Navigator offers some unique venues such as Galileo’s in our humble opinion this ship just doesn’t stack up well against Regent’s other offerings.

 

The service:  As much as I have tried to keep a very unbiased open mind the service in the restaurants has not been what we are accustomed to on Regent vessels. I can best describe it as “timing”. We have not been able to time entire meals from start to finish. We never knew when the next course would appear or even if it would. One time we would finish our appetizer and a small plate course would follow immediately followed by a 20 minute wait for the entree. The next night it would be 15 minutes between all courses. Disjointed might be a better description. A dinner without rhythm might also describe what we have felt. That has made us uncomfortable and something we have never experienced aboard any other Regent ship. Not sure why it is happening but it is not isolated. 

 

The servers, waiters, staff, housekeepers, butlers, bartenders have ALL been fabulous. Very gracious and always a kind word and smile. You can tell they are Regent trained. 

 

Enough about ships and menus……

 

What about the ROCK? It was looking very doubtful around 11:00 a.m. as to whether we would see the Rock of Gibraltar. Major Foghorn was present in full regalia!!! 
 

Miraculously around 12:15 the fog started to dissipate. It was still quite hazy so these pictures are not the best.

 

 

another view of the Atlantic side:

 

 

The Mediterranean side:

 

Another view:

 

 

A great day aboard the Navigator!!! 

[mdunne48]

Day 11 / 39 - At Sea (continued)

 

Just to set the record straight….we enjoy Regent very much. The combination of unique itineraries, great crews, fantastic food, & fabulous ships brings us back & back. 
 

We have Explorer, Splendour & Explorer cruises booked over the next few years.

 

I hope no one on the Navigator is offended by my previous comments…..

[mdunne48]

Day 11 / 39 - At Sea (continued)

 

Great dinner in CR tonight.

 

We both had the Beef Wellington!!! Superb!!!!

 

I started with a lobster risotto….that was excellent!

 

 

Next was the beef wellington that was soooooooo goooooooood!!!

 

 

Finally a dessert to remember:

 

Walnut Pie Cheesecake with a whiskey caramel sauce….phenomenal!!!

 

 

DW had coconut ice cream yummy

 

 

Excellent dinner prepared and served well.

 

 

[SWFLAOK]

7 hours ago, mdunne48 said:

Day 11 / 39 - At Sea (continued)

 

Just to set the record straight….we enjoy Regent very much. The combination of unique itineraries, great crews, fantastic food, & fabulous ships brings us back & back. 
 

We have Explorer, Splendour & Explorer cruises booked over the next few years.

 

I hope no one on the Navigator is offended by my previous comments…..

From what I've read, the only ships that have pickleball are Explorer and Splendor. We've been on Voyager a number of times, and Mariner once, and there were no pickleball courts there.

Since we don't play pickleball, and have had to listen to it being played, a lack of pickleball courts is a plus for us on Navigator for our 2024 cruise.

We'll be on Splendor next month, and are on deck 6 (for avoiding sea sickness on Southampton to Southampton), so we shouldn't have to worry about the pickleball noise.

[mdunne48]

7 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

From what I've read, the only ships that have pickleball are Explorer and Splendor. We've been on Voyager a number of times, and Mariner once, and there were no pickleball courts there.

Since we don't play pickleball, and have had to listen to it being played, a lack of pickleball courts is a plus for us on Navigator for our 2024 cruise.

We'll be on Splendor next month, and are on deck 6 (for avoiding sea sickness on Southampton to Southampton), so we shouldn't have to worry about the pickleball noise.

The Voyager has a sports court just like the Explorer and Splendor. Since they are on the upper deck the noise shouldn’t be bothering anyone.

[mdunne48]

Day 12 / 40 - Alicante, Spain

 

Good morning from the Mediterranean. We are approaching the pier in Alicante. The MSC Orchestra is already docked. 
 

But before reaching the harbor Mother Nature treated us to another fantastic sunrise.

 

Enjoy!!!!

Nautical twilight:

 

 
A first glimpse:

 

Ascending into the clouds

 

 

Playing hide and seek

 

 

Dividing warring clouds:

 

 

Breaking the chains:

 

 

Alicante:

 

 

Off to find the perfect Tapas today….going to be another beautiful sunny day.

 

Later…..

[mdunne48]

Correction to above captions….

 

2nd photo should have read “Nautical Dawn”

[mdunne48]

Day 12 / 40 - Alicante

 

A first glimpse of what appears to be a very modern city. We have never been to this region of the world so it is a first for us.

 

The MSC Orchestra:

 

 

A modern downtown:

 

 

A fort overlooking the city:

 

 

A Spanish Galleon replica??

 

 

[mdunne48]

Day 12 / 40  - Alicante, Spain

 

I know it is sounding very much like a broken record but another outstanding weather day on our penultimate day onboard the Navigator.

 

Alicante is well worth a longer visit if you are in this area. 1900 years + of history dating back to Roman times. However Alicante is not buried by its long history. Their have been many “rulers” but Alicante seems to adjust and keep building irrespective of who is temporarily politically in charge. 

 

Vibrant markets, a beautiful promenade along the beach which by the way is gorgeous. Lots of historic sites but many modern venues as well. 

 

Our Regent tour was “Alicante the Tapas trail”. It started with a short bus ride through the modern downtown area up to the central market. Here we left our bus for a 4 hour exploration of Alicante with 3 stops for Tapas.  
 

 

Exiting the bus and right into the Alicante central market. There is a sad history about this place that occurred during the Spanish Civil War in 1938. Hundreds died in an aerial bombing raid. Today however it is modern, alive, and for all appearances a great place to do business.

 

a vegetable / produce stand

 

breads / pastries!!!

 

 

Fish / crustaceans 

 

 

a butcher at work:

 

 

Our 1st tapas CTR stop was excellent!! A chicken tapas with lettuce and a sauce that was described as a tartar however to me it wasn’t but it was damn good!! The wine wasn’t shabby either.

 

 

 Through some interesting museums as we winded through parts of old Alicante.

 

 

Historic venues not to be missed included:

 

 

Alicante city hall:

 

Inside:

 

 

The numbers on this clock are Roman numerals. The number IV (4) is not present. Instead it is represented as “IIII”.

 

 

The square opposite the Alicante City Hall

 

 

another view of the clock

 

 

Our 2nd tapas / wine stop featured “charcuterie” tapas… cheeses, Iberian ham, small bread sticks and of course wine……

 

Off we went to our 3rd and final stop by the beach:

 

 

A gorgeous beachfront promenade:

 

Alicante residents enjoying a gorgeous sunny day!!

 

 

Looking towards the hotel complex adjoins the beachfront.

 

 

Our 3rd stop featured meatball tapas….. so-so BUT the Sangria was SUPERB!!! 
 

Finally a look at Castle de Santa Barbara that “guards” Alicante. 
 

 
A great day in Alicante!!
 

[mdunne48]

Day 12 / 40 Alicante (continued)

 

We had a very quiet and late dinner in CR on our final night onboard.  The local mussels special was sold out by the time we ordered. Heard it was very good.

 

Both of our dinners were good, not great. Service again was a bit haphazard; ie no grated cheese being offered for a pasta dish. Again just small things but noticeable. 
 

Back to the room to place our bags outside our stateroom door. Did we really need all that stuff?????

 

 

[rcandkc]

6 minutes ago, mdunne48 said:

Day 12 / 40 Alicante (continued)

 

We had a very quiet and late dinner in CR on our final night onboard.  The local mussels special was sold out by the time we ordered. Heard it was very good.

 

Both of our dinners were good, not great. Service again was a bit haphazard; ie no grated cheese being offered for a pasta dish. Again just small things but noticeable. 
 

Back to the room to place our bags outside our stateroom door. Did we really need all that stuff?????

 

 

It says day 12 out of 40.  Am I interpreting correctly?  If last day on Navigator is another ship in the plan?

[mdunne48]

Day 13 / 41 Barcelona - debarkation

 

We arrived at the dock in Barcelona exactly on schedule, 7:00 a.m. Sorry no gorgeous sunrise photos today…..

 

We were scheduled to depart at 8:30 but our group was not called until 8:50. I believe there was one more group to be called left when we departed the Navigator.

 

Easy process through the terminal to claim our luggage and porter waiting to help us with it to the taxi stand. Off to the apartment we have rented for the next 4 days.

 

We are in the Old Gothic section of Barcelona. So after checking in and getting everything situated we decided to take a walk up our street as instructed by the apartment manager. We would find lots of retail therapy less than 10 minutes away. 

 

On the way UP we ran into a Regent tour of Grand Voyage cruisers going DOWN our street. In fact two of the GV’s were table mates on our Alicante Tapas tour yesterday. How ironic……

 

This blog isn’t closed even though we have left the ship. In a few days I’ll come back and give our final comments on our journey…thanks for coming along.