Navigator 2022-23 Holiday Cruise Round Trip Miami

[cwn]

We are about to sail, tow at the ready and bridge moving (poor picture is from bridge cam)

[fudgbug]

18 hours ago, florida23 said:

We were on the Explorer last year and they gave us metal water bottles to fill and take on excursions. Are they doing that on the Navigator? We're out of Miami on Jan. 23rd to Barbados.

Yes,  they are Vero Sail & Sustain that you can refill from stations around the ship.  As yet, we haven't used ours, but the water from the stations is really good.

[zak477]

Enjoyed the pictures and comments. We are on the Navigator Jan. 5th doing 3 back to backs ending in Barbados.  Can't wait to get away from the freezing winds & winds chills. 

This will be our 15th Anniversary sailing with Regent. We started with the Navigator and still love this ship. 

Although we love the Explorer and the Splendor is oh so nice, the Navigator is still our favorite. Happy sailing everyone. 

[florida23]

21 hours ago, cwn said:

Yes they are using the metal refillable bottles and they have a glass bottle in the room they refill each day. Also they have filling stations in several places throughout the ship. They had the same time on the Splendor earlier in Dec. Fleet wide now.

Thank you!

[Gilly]

21 hours ago, cwn said:

What color is a peacocks egg?

Trick question!!  🙂

[cwn]

3 hours ago, Gilly said:

Trick question!!  🙂

Yes one of Ray’s. Peacocks don’t lay eggs, or hens do! Everyone missed it!

[cwn]

It was a sea day today. Our favorite kind of day.

 

We went to Compass Rose for breakfast and had eggs Benedict for the first time on these three cruises. We usually go to the restaurant and have them almost every morning. I have been so lazy I have been having room service as I haven’t wanted to get dress in time. They were hot and so good but so rich!

 

Dick went to both lectures today and played Trivia. He team won….maybe Jack will get a visor after all! It was real rocky so I enjoyed the balcony and a couple of movies and worked on my needle point.

 

The Seven Seas Society party was at 6. It was well attended as their are some325 repeat cruisers aboard with some 450 passengers total. Then we were guest of the Daniela tonight for dinner. We meet her 2018. She had some interesting stories about get home to Mexico during Covid and getting started up again. The ever changing rules from the countries changing almost daily.

 

Tomorrow is St George’s  Grenada, a new island for us.

 

We were escorted today by four or five birds flying beside the ship. Interesting to watch as they seemly just hang outside the balcony at times.

[cwn]

Yesterday was our stop in Grenada another new island for us. The island is very mountainous…. With houses cling to the sides and typical of the Caribbean colorful!

 

The day started with a lazy morning and an all crew drill including the crew all reporting on the dock to observe the lowering or a life boat. The halls got very quiet for a while.

Our tour that started at 12;30, was the spice of our lives, a four hour tour with three stops dealing with the cash corps of Grenada…spices, chocolate and rum. It was surprising interesting do Dick ( he really doesn’t like that kind of group tours ). The driver was a fount of information about his island. We really only knew about the 1984 invasion and the medical school.

 

The island roads are curvy, narrow and many straight up and down. The traffic is nightmarish in town. The houses are a combination of Greek columns, French wrought iron work and Victorian gingerbread trim! And every color of the rainbow! The roads are Lu ed with lush vines and trees many in full bloom.

 

They use coastal buses which are sometimes hard for me to get in and out of without step stool for the entry. This one didn’t have one so I stayed on the bus with another lady for the first two stops and the driver kindly brought some samples of the spice plants  to the bus for us and told us how the spices were used in the dishes of his country…I did get out for the run factory tour and tasting! All in all it was an interesting tour.
 

The tour was a low activity level, but like so many Caribbean countries the pier situation is another story…..shades of St Lucia and the death march! Grenada’s pier is long and there are no carts to assist the walking challenged. OK I knew that (talked to Destinations beforehand) but the bus was to meet us right at the end of the pier. Perfect, I can do that slowly with a little head start. All is well until the end when the bus drops us at the entrance to a shopping mall connected to the pier! It is as long a walk to the pier as the pier to the ship and hot and enclosed with poor AC! (can just see those nasty little Covid spikes floating around LOL)  By the time I reached ship, a German lady going to the other ship stopped and wanted to help me and the officer at the gangway had to help me up the ramp( it was very steep by then to deck 6). We then headed to theNavigator Bar for a drink! Dick.got some fruit and cookies from Coffee Connection and we had a much needed refreshing pina colada! Then went to the room ordered room service hamburger and died! So much for the steel band and dancing under the stars. We sailed at 10, but we were dead to the world!

 

[cwn]

Edited December 29, 2022 by cwn

[1982CruzStart]

As always great pictures and interesting commentary. thank you. 

[fudgbug]

3 hours ago, cwn said:

Yesterday was our stop in Grenada another new island for us. The island is very mountainous…. With houses cling to the sides and typical of the Caribbean colorful!

 

The day started with a lazy morning and an all crew drill including the crew all reporting on the dock to observe the lowering or a life boat. The halls got very quiet for a while.

Our tour that started at 12;30, was the spice of our lives, a four hour tour with three stops dealing with the cash corps of Grenada…spices, chocolate and rum. It was surprising interesting do Dick ( he really doesn’t like that kind of group tours ). The driver was a fount of information about his island. We really only knew about the 1984 invasion and the medical school.

 

The island roads are curvy, narrow and many straight up and down. The traffic is nightmarish in town. The houses are a combination of Greek columns, French wrought iron work and Victorian gingerbread trim! And every color of the rainbow! The roads are Lu ed with lush vines and trees many in full bloom.

 

They use coastal buses which are sometimes hard for me to get in and out of without step stool for the entry. This one didn’t have one so I stayed on the bus with another lady for the first two stops and the driver kindly brought some samples of the spice plants  to the bus for us and told us how the spices were used in the dishes of his country…I did get out for the run factory tour and tasting! All in all it was an interesting tour.
 

The tour was a low activity level, but like so many Caribbean countries the pier situation is another story…..shades of St Lucia and the death march! Grenada’s pier is long and there are no carts to assist the walking challenged. OK I knew that (talked to Destinations beforehand) but the bus was to meet us right at the end of the pier. Perfect, I can do that slowly with a little head start. All is well until the end when the bus drops us at the entrance to a shopping mall connected to the pier! It is as long a walk to the pier as the pier to the ship and hot and enclosed with poor AC! (can just see those nasty little Covid spikes floating around LOL)  By the time I reached ship, a German lady going to the other ship stopped and wanted to help me and the officer at the gangway had to help me up the ramp( it was very steep by then to deck 6). We then headed to theNavigator Bar for a drink! Dick.got some fruit and cookies from Coffee Connection and we had a much needed refreshing pina colada! Then went to the room ordered room service hamburger and died! So much for the steel band and dancing under the stars. We sailed at 10, but we were dead to the world!

 

Great photos.  Sorry that you missed the Wizards steel band as they were really good and had people dancing.

[cwn]

21 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

As always great pictures and interesting commentary. thank you. 

Thanks. Glad you are enjoying my pictures. It is the fun part of the trip for me. Writing not really my thing, but we have learned we won’t remember what or when it happened if we don’t record it. I am doing this on the phone for the first time…..sorry lots of mistakes I don’t see,

[cwn]

19 hours ago, fudgbug said:

Great photos.  Sorry that you missed the Wizards steel band as they were really good and had people dancing.

Yes me too. Thought we might hear a little in the suite but we were out!

[cwn]

It was Kingstown St Vincent and the Grenadines yesterday. It was very humid with rain showers off and on all day. We went to breakfast in the Compass Rose. Had Swedish pancakes and Edda Benedict so good. That was a big breakfast but our 31/2 hour tour was meeting on the pier at 12:55 so we didn’t have time for lunch. The dock is small and in a pretty little protected cove shared with the ferry service.

 

 We walked off the ship with plenty or time to meet the tour. This is so much easier than the mad scramble from the ship!s theater with a herd of people.

 

Our tour the Best of St Vincent was in another coastal bus (25 passenger bus with rows of one and two seats, no storage). We got to meeting point about 15 mins early and there were 10 or so people already waiting. The ship’s tour person was there, the bus was there with driver guide and sign on the front. Can we just get on the bus and sit down and wait for the departure time, NO. The tour starts at 12:55 and we can’t board until then!!! All but four passengers were there and the bus will not be full so several of us ask to board so we can sit down. NO have to wait until everyone is there! We are not happy campers and express it….so finally the ship’s person lets us on about 5nibs before time. The last two people show up at departure time and we are off. This is where Regent really falls short! But it a drawing card for many.

 

The tour took us the Four Charlotte finish around 1806. Dick went to see the canons. It is perched on top of a hill the bus access narrow little road with steep drop offs on each side then a hearty climb to the fort. From there we went to the gardens established in 1796 oldest in the Caribbean. Again another climb as the gardens path starts at the bottom of the hill and goes to the top, where the bus meet you at the end. This time Dick and I stayed in the bus. Too hot and humid with rain all around. Finally we drove toward the Lee side of the island for a view of a valley where most crops are grown. Alway our young woman guide pointed out points of interest. Of interest to me again was were the homes, built close together, all sizes and colors. Finally stop was a costal resort hotel for a run punch made with 86.5 proof run. It was very good and strong rum sm tasting. But the high light of the area was the beach setting.

 
Last night was our TA travel partner cocktail party which was well attended. Then we ate in Compass Rose and finally got thereearly enough to be seated in Rishnu’s section. The service was wonderful! Again I tried a plant based dish With a sweet potato pancake base, roasted veggies and cashew  cheese different but tasty.  Life is good.

[sassyw]

42 minutes ago, cwn said:

It was Kingstown St Vincent and the Grenadines yesterday. It was very humid with rain showers off and on all day. We went to breakfast in the Compass Rose. Had Swedish pancakes and Edda Benedict so good. That was a big breakfast but our 31/2 hour tour was meeting on the pier at 12:55 so we didn’t have time for lunch. The dock is small and in a pretty little protected cove shared with the ferry service.

 

 We walked off the ship with plenty or time to meet the tour. This is so much easier than the mad scramble from the ship!s theater with a herd of people.

 

Our tour the Best of St Vincent was in another coastal bus (25 passenger bus with rows of one and two seats, no storage). We got to meeting point about 15 mins early and there were 10 or so people already waiting. The ship’s tour person was there, the bus was there with driver guide and sign on the front. Can we just get on the bus and sit down and wait for the departure time, NO. The tour starts at 12:55 and we can’t board until then!!! All but four passengers were there and the bus will not be full so several of us ask to board so we can sit down. NO have to wait until everyone is there! We are not happy campers and express it….so finally the ship’s person lets us on about 5nibs before time. The last two people show up at departure time and we are off. This is where Regent really falls short! But it a drawing card for many.

 

The tour took us the Four Charlotte finish around 1806. Dick went to see the canons. It is perched on top of a hill the bus access narrow little road with steep drop offs on each side then a hearty climb to the fort. From there we went to the gardens established in 1796 oldest in the Caribbean. Again another climb as the gardens path starts at the bottom of the hill and goes to the top, where the bus meet you at the end. This time Dick and I stayed in the bus. Too hot and humid with rain all around. Finally we drove toward the Lee side of the island for a view of a valley where most crops are grown. Alway our young woman guide pointed out points of interest. Of interest to me again was were the homes, built close together, all sizes and colors. Finally stop was a costal resort hotel for a run punch made with 86.5 proof run. It was very good and strong rum sm tasting. But the high light of the area was the beach setting.

 
Last night was our TA travel partner cocktail party which was well attended. Then we ate in Compass Rose and finally got thereearly enough to be seated in Rishnu’s section. The service was wonderful! Again I tried a plant based dish With a sweet potato pancake base, roasted veggies and cashew  cheese different but tasty.  Life is good.

Most of the time we are allowed to board as soon as we get there. Depends on the local guide

[cwn]

5 hours ago, sassyw said:

Most of the time we are allowed to board as soon as we get there. Depends on the local guide

This was the Regent Destinations lady standing on the pier directing people to the buses. The guide had our tickets and had told us could get in the bus. Had nothing to do with the local guides wants.

[cwn]

Well I posted the pictures from yesterday but they didn’t go through before we left the ship.

 

I well try again…. But I am almost embarrassed  after our photo tour today! The 2nd and last picture is the hill with Fort Charolotte that guarded the harbor. The 5tg picture is hair pin road is the road the bus traveled up to the fort!

[cwn]

Yesterday was Barbados. We have been here before. The first time was in the late ‘90s after a TA from Lisbon on the Vistaford, wonderful ship in the classic style. At that time we were very adventurous and rented a car. Drove all over the island and had a flat tire with no tire tool! But that is another story. It has changed so much it!!!

 

The next time was 10 or so years ago on the Mariner. We wanted to do the Photo tour but it was canceled at the last minute.

 

When I saw it offered again I signed us up!! It was a great tour. It is done by Ronnie Carrington a local well traveled professional photographer. For four hours he told us about the island, his family and showed us little jewels to photograph. It was rainy but stopped like magic at each picture stop. Take the tour if you have a chance!

 

We were hot and tired after the busy afternoon which ended with a stop for the best run punch we have had!!!. Got cleaned up and order pina coladas and snacks from room service and sat on the balcony until we sailed. There were 3 ships in port with us and we sailed out in a line….O’s Rivera and Serena, O&Ps Britannia and us. There was a concert of horns last night as everyone started leaving!.

 

We went to Compass Rose and made dinner of the appetizers last night…. They had spring rolls made with chicken and veggies…so good that we had two servings along the crab and avocado dish. 
 

By then we were rocking and rolling so took advantage of the motion s went to bed!

[cwn]

First we saw the Queen Palms that always lined the entrances to sugar plantations.

Next a stop in a typical small village that his grandmother grew up in. To see how the average person lives. Also to see the chattel house. A movable house from the plantation days. They are 2 10 foot boards wide and 1 would board deep with steep pitched roves and foundation of stone. They could be taken apart easily and the more gables the larger the family. also was sone local flowers.

Then on to the Atlantic coast for some more stops and the rum punch stop.

Last a local market and two of the ships with us.

Edited December 31, 2022 by cwn

[liptastic]

Thanks for the lovely photos and your posts really enjoying it . Happy new year when the clock strikes midnight .  Jean 

[cwn]

Happy New Years Eve form the Navigator. We are in Dominica today until 7pm. I got up this morning and looked out. Thought we were at a different island! We were just here the first part of the month on the Splendor! But the dock was entirely different!! Turns out we are at a small pier right down town by the ferry dock. The other dock is the container dock…. Don’t you live a small ship! There is a line of colorful sheds along the water front. There is also music so I plan to walk ashore soon.

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by cwn

[cwn]

We had a tour planned but is was similar to the one we did earlier except included the rainforest. The idea of another coastal bus with high steps and cramped leg space was not appealing so we bailed.

 

Instead we investigated the little colorful houses on the shore line and actually had much more fun! Dick will make conversation with any stranger and of course he got to talking to a stall owner while I shopped. It is really nice to have some interaction with the locals and this is the perfect docking spot for that! Much better than a big busy dock! I a found Jack a pin and sone local handcrafts.

Tonight they have a festive NewsEve dinner that sounds wonderful and a dance party until after midnight. I will try to remember to get a picture of the menu. Here is todays program.

[cwn]

A toast to the coming New Year, wishing you a healthy happy 2023 and more cruising!!

[cwn]

Finally we had the full rainbow!

[Zqueeze1]

Happy New Years to you and your fellow travelers. Loving your report and the fabulous pics.  
Z and TB