Review - Paul Gauguin 8/22/07

[Iamboatman]

I preface this review by stating that overall it was one of the best cruise vacations I have ever taken. (With a full moon over Bora Bora which turned into a full lunar eclipse, the heavens were most certainly aligned properly!) It was, however, a testament to the adage “The whole is greater than sum of its parts.” Put another way, it was not perfect (nothing is), but the staff and crew more than made up for any issues.

After flying from New Jersey to Hawaii and overnighting at the Kahala on Oahu in a Dolphin Lagoon Room and the kids partaking in the Dolphin Quest swimming with the dolphins programs, it was off to the Intercontinental in Tahiti in an over the water bungalow for four nights.

Because my reserved OWB was being repaired the first night was spent in one of the OWB nearer to shore, but was moved the next day to the one furthest out on the pier. While the OWBs were identical, the experience in the deeper water one, from snorkeling to privacy/noise to unobstructed views was far superior. In fact some of the best snorkeling of our trip was right from our private platform! The Intercontinental’s staff was very accommodating and the facilities are top notch including a wonderful artificial sand beach which runs into a sand-bottomed infinity-edged swimming pool with a swim-up bar and a fantastic view of Moorea as well as a second huge infinity-edged pool with waterfall and large restaurant and bar overlooking it…and the Lagoonarium (which is a great way to ease the novice into snorkeling with the fish). Food prices (as everywhere in Tahiti) are very expensive and the quality was lacking a bit. Overall though I would stay there again without question. (Notes: Thank you Wendy for the Ambassador Program tip as we wound up with one free night and some added benefits as a result…a great bargain for $150. Also, because we stayed there pre-cruise we were able to spend the day there post cruise for the day, utilizing all the facilities and transit rooms gratis.)

Before the details, I want to again preface them by stating that the ship just plain felt good. From the Captain to the brand new cruise director (Dionne- who was perfect) to Travel Desk (more on them later) to most of the restaurant staff and the stewardesses you were greeted with a smile and a “What can we do for you” attitude.

We boarded the Paul Gauguin with the unique ability to use it from two perspectives: Veranda cabin on Deck 7 and a Porthole cabin on Deck 3. While the cabins were pretty similar the experiences were markedly different. The biggest difference really hit home in Bora Bora when I left the Porthole cabin and walked into the Veranda and it just had a breathtaking view vs. a view of water. (To me that was huge.) The Veranda had a flat screen TV with built in DVD and the Porthole had an older TV with a VCR. Veranda regularly had good quality towels that matched while the Porthole had a variety of towels some of which were threadbare. The Veranda was quiet while the Porthole cabin (302) had lots of noise from the anchor and whatnot as well as the crew bar (especially on crew Karaoke Night…which didn’t bother me as the crew was so wonderful!). Both cabins were compact, but very livable with the veranda making one far more enjoyable…and it was utilized.

What stood out the most for me was the Ambassadors of the Environment Program (AOTE) for kids 8 to about 15 years of age. This Jean-Michel Cousteau program is simply and unequivocally the best children’s program at sea. It consists of various adventures, tours, projects, dinners and lectures which the parents are encouraged to participate in. If the tour involved only Regent/AOTE staff there was no additional charge (above the $199 per child fee for the program), but if there is an outside vendor then the adult is charged an average of $75 per tour. The two instructors (Laura and Estelle) were incredible not only with their knowledge, but their ability to interact with each child on an individual (not one way for all) basis, so the way they dealt with my 8 year old was different (though equally effective) for my 11 year old. They also dealt with big kids (like me) with aplomb. They also utilized a guest lecturer, Mark Eddowes, who is the Natural Geographic anthropologist for French Polynesia and he not only was a wealth of knowledge, but great fun. We all had a great time and learned far more and had better experiences than if we took the “adult” tours of a somewhat similar kind.

The travel desk was incredible. Not only did they make my job so much easier (as did Guest Relations) they went above and beyond time and time again. For example, my DW was scheduled to go horseback riding in Huahine, but it was cancelled for lack of interest. They tried at every port to get her riding and eventually did the last day without so much as a surcharge…and, by the way, she loved it.

Dionne is a wonderful young woman who was on her first cruise as Cruise Director. What a great job she did, allowing the events and performers to be the stars, rather than playing herself up. I know a number of more “experienced” CDs that could learn a thing or two from her!!

The Maître‘d, Franco, and Noel (headwaiter in Le Grill) were outstanding, always greeting us by name and a smile and taking great care to assure all was well throughout our meals. It is a shame that the food did not live up to the same high standards. Lunches in Le Grill were always of solid quality, if not memorable, but the food in the main restaurant, L’Etoile really had much to be desired. The food was never hot, usually not terribly flavorful...but it did look good. Menu choices were somewhat odd at times and limited. La Veranda just wasn’t to my liking at all. The lunch buffet was good, but dinner just wasn’t anything special and the room had no ambience other than spot lighting an otherwise dark room. We preferred (as others have noted) L’Etoile overall. One nice thing was the new (first time) Polynesian Night with a semi-fixed menu.

The enrichment lecturers (Laura Brands, Estelle Davis, Mark Eddowes and Michael Poole) were excellent and added a tremendous amount to the cruise as they not only were eloquent and entertaining, but their topics truly integrated with the cruise. One lecturer –which I will not name – just came across as a “snake oil salesman” and I was very disappointed in that.

Also, for only the first time in my career, I must compliment a ship’s band. Siglo (pronounced Sea Glow) was excellent. They were, hands down, the best entertainment on the ship.

Motu Mahana was great. There has been more than enough description of this private motu (islet) event by others. It was, well and truly, a lovely day and the hard work of the staff and crew to make that happen so seamlessly is greatly appreciated. (Note: Book a 25 minute massage for that day. It is in a wonderful private cotton tent perched over the water in a quiet area. My DW loved it.)

I did find that there was a serious lacking in bar staff. While those that were there were very good, there were many times when they were overwhelmed or a waiter was totally absent and the bartender was left to do it all. More than once we had to go to the bar to get our own drink orders placed. Not good, especially on a luxury line.

One thing that really bothered me: Les Gauguines. After hearing how wonderful they were and how integral they were in making the cruise special, I found most of them to be fairly pretty, fairly talented, young ladies that really had no enthusiasm and when they weren’t performing they just couldn’t be bothered with the vast majority of the passengers. I also heard them speaking rudely to some of the other staff, which really put me off. (They do have some nice shows, to be fair.)

I did notice a number of little things that bothered me: use of old Radisson drink coasters, some sugar packets with the old Radisson logo (how old were they…even though the sugar was till good), turnaround of room servicing was slow because there were no assistant stewardesses, the occasional threadbare towel, a somewhat unpolished dinner service by most wait staff, disappointing food quality (noting supplying a ship in French Polynesia is no easy task), etc.

I figure I should also add the comment that many regular readers of my post will wonder, “Was it as good as Seabourn?” Keeping in mind that Seabourn doesn’t cruise this area and there are limitations due to the remoteness of it all, I felt while the upper echelon was pretty fantastic, much of the service was “reactive” rather than “proactive” when dealing with day-to-day matters (drinks, extra towels, room maintenance, dinner/bar service, etc.). The food was not even close. But as I said, on this cruise, in this area of the world, the Paul Gauguin is unquestionably the way to go.

So I close this review by wondering, “When can I do it again…and if I do could it could it ever be as good as this cruise was?”

[Betsy's Mom]

I have been eagerly awaiting your review and it is fair, honest and very interesting. I only wish we could go on this ship, but our ages and creaky joints will not allow for the plane trip I fear:)

Thanks again,

B.

[Iamboatman]

Thanks! If you need some encouragement, there were many older passengers who made the trip (actually a majority) with some celebrating their 40, 50 and even 57th anniversaries. The key is to break up the travel and to allow you body to rest along the way. I would give it some more thought!

[AtA]

Thank you Eric for your fair report. I'm eagerly awaiting our trip to paradise in Dec. I now know not to look forward to the food (Hey maybe this is a good thing as I definitely need to lose weight!) but can't wait to enjoy the rest of the cruise. I see you now have a case of the tahitian flu bug!

[Iamboatman]

Yes I do..

 

And if anyone thinks I mistated the food quality, check this out: I was gone for 17 days and I gained only 2 pounds!:D

[Iamboatman]

BTW, I was very remiss in not mentioning I met a large number of great and friendly passengers from all over the world onboard, including some CC members and their families. :o The wonderful passengers also added greatly to our vacation!:)

[Island Cruiser]

As one who has praised many aspects of the PG but criticised a few of them, notably food quality, I too have eagerly awaited your review. Thank you! I still believe the PG is the best way to experience French Polynesia. I had a wonderful time on her as, apparently, you did. For some reason, which I simply can't understand, this ship seems to attract an unusual number of partisans who adopt her as if she were their first born--any criticism evokes an immediate defensive response. I like to read contrary opinions. They are far more interesting and instructing than repeated superlatives. You've given us a balanced assessment and, IMO, that gives your review added credibility. But, then, you agree with me on food quality. So what does that say about the comments I have just typed? Patrick.

[Degas]

Excuse me ...but I don;t understand. !!!!!

We are paying TOP DOLLAR for a cruise and the food is NOT up to par?????

I have read review after review complaining about the food. Does Regent NOT peruse Cruise Critic like the other cruise lines do and try and make improvements????? Do they not listen or do they just not care?? Heck I know for a fact Celebrity has 2 full time people checking out cruise critic boards just to see how they are doing and to make improvements.

Believe me ......if my dinner comes to me cold I will personally hand it back to the Maitre'D and ask why???

If my towels are threadbare I will be personally phoning the head of housekeeping and asking why

If I have to hunt down someone to pour me a drink I will be hunting down the headwaiter and asking why !!!!!

 

Do the same people that review on CC send a copy to Regent's headquarters in FLA and asking why the service was so lousy?????

I wish they would !!!!!

I am beginning to not look forward to my cruise. I expect the same quality on the Paul Gauguin that I got on the Mariner. I don;t care where the ships are sailing.

[Iamboatman]

Degas,

 

I do not disagree with your sentiment, but I also have to say that there is a certain something that made me not be as affected by the problems(and I am very critical - and have been flamed for it). That is why I said for this particular cruise "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

 

Last summer's cruise on the Navigator was one of my worst cruises ever. The small things were exacerbated by the crew and staff issues and failings. On the PG they were relegated to "This ain't gonna ruin an otherwise great day in Paradise with such wonderful people around me."

 

Estelle and Laura (AOTE) made my day and my kid's day...every day. Dionne's introductions were fresh and genuine. Franco and Noel's greetings were perfect. My wife's thrill after her horseback ride and her massages were wonderful.The Gauguines' sourness and a threadbare towel were just not that important to me (though I let y'all know about them, for sure.)

 

At Motu Mahana the food was OK. The BBQ was chicken, fish kebabs or minute steak. Not really impressive. Nor was the hokey floating bar, but for whatever reason it all worked...and I was happy with my rum punch filled coconut with a nice beach chair and a bit of snorkeling. In fact, it seemed everyone was happy. So what is to be gained or potentially improved upon with an unrealistic expectations of better food? A better day probably could not have been had.

 

To be sure, as I have suggested in other posts, I lowered my expectations so I was not as disappointed as I was on the Navigator. Call it "improper but expected" and the disappointment dissipates. I have gotten over Regent's marketing blitz and fabricated "6 star" rating. I just no longer expect what Regent says it will provide, but rely upon experience - and this board among others - to accurately tell me what I realistically will get for my money. (For example, Regent has never impressed me with its food. Celebrity exceeds Regent in my opinion and Seabourn just blows Regent away...but I knew that going in and did not expect anything different, and that was not why I took this cruise. It would have been an issue if I expected more, but...)

 

I most certainly do not want to turn this positive thread negative. Net: I received an excellent, if imperfect, experience that as long as others keep the misses in perspective they too will have a wonderful time.

 

Does that make sense?

[Island Cruiser]

On the PG you are simply not going to enjoy the same experience you enjoyed on Mariner. Whereas the Mariner has a WOW factor in appearance, the PG is drab. The cabins on the PG are smaller than on Mariner, very nice but smaller. On PG, you don't have the option of a sit down dining experience at breakfast or lunch. It isn't offered. It is on Mariner and, to my knowledge, every other "luxury" cruise ship floating. Unlike the Mariner, nothing was ever served to our table hot. Unlike the Mariner, the beef served at our table was grey and tenderized. At lunch on the Mariner, cheese service was attractively presented in the La Veranda buffet. On the PG there was also cheese service. It constituted three blocks of rectantular two pound blocks of unlabeled cheese plopped down on a big cutting board as if it was just lifted out of the display shelves at Costco along with three cutting knives. The cutting knives were never changed out during the course of the service and became caked with unappetising residue. Tasty! And the French bread offered with the cheese service was always dry either because it was leftover from breakfast or sliced too early for lunch because nobody cared. The PG has many many things to recommend it. It's a great trip. But it ain't Mariner. If you don't expect Mariner food service you won't be disappointed. And if you love orange flavored water served as orange joice you will be in heaven.

 

\

[AtA]

Degas,

 

(For example, Regent has never impressed me with its food. Celebrity exceeds Regent in my opinion and Seabourn just blows Regent away...but I knew that going in and did not expect anything different, and that was not why I took this cruise. It would have been an issue if I expected more, but...)

 

Does that make sense?

My first Regent cruise was on Navigator in 2006. I have to agree with you regarding the food. I was not impressed. However, this past January I was on Voyager and felt the food was excellent. I think the chef has alot to do with it.

[paul3224]

My wife & I were on the 8/22/07 sailing and thoroughly enjoyed the trip...most of your your comments are right on...met a lot of nice people...thought the food was better than you give credit...servings were not huge and we were grateful for that...wait staff was terrific...we tipped several people because they were so helpful...engine room, gally, and bridge tours were very good...did not experience the bar problem you mentioned...we were in a cabin on deck 7 at the very back of the ship...had room for a table, 2 chairs and a lounge...does anyone have pics of the eclipse they could send me? We thought the eclipse was on Tuesday and missed it...

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

[Iamboatman]

I see from the comments a divergence of perceptions; which I attribute to RSSC marketing. As I have stated many times, RSSC is not a true luxury product and, quite possibly, the PG should be marketed differently as it is more of a casual paradise than a formal luxury product.

 

While some posters seem to feel outrage or concern, I (and remember this is Boatman speaking) left with a warm, satisfied, feeling similar to when leaving the Diamond. (I don't think I could give a bigger compliment!)

 

I didn't take this cruise for the food or luxury suites. I took it looking forward to a little bit of paradise and RSSC delivered...possibly different than some would expect...but RSSC delivered.

 

Had this cruise been in Europe where the ship is more of a refuge after a hot and busy day the flaws would have been more important, but it just wasn't and my expectations were realistic.

 

Thinking about it, the most complaints were regarding the pre and post cruise arrangements, but most certainly not the ship or staff. That said, two passengers in a top suite wanted their return flights changed and it was done beautifully and they were extremely pleased. (I, as always, had independent arrangements and they worked out great, with no problems and at a lesser cost.)

 

BTW, I also gave a nice donation (and my unopened liquor) to the crew welfare fund, as they most certainly earned it. (Some friends also personally tipped their favorite - yet overworked - bar staff.)

 

Once again, it was a wonderful cruise.

[mythologist]

I started following this thread because I always enjoy reading other people's trip reports. When reading them, you always have to understand that one person's thoughts may not be yours. I was on the PG in May. There were pro's and cons that I found that others did not. I personally found the pool to be too small, no hot tub and impossible to ever find a chair by the pool. It wasn't a huge deal, though. The biggest let down was SOME of the food - mostly the beef. I couldn't chew it. I ordered it several times and it sat on my plate. The desserts were fabulous! All of my food came to me at the correct temperature. All of my towels were just fine, and my husband is very fussy about our linens at home. We turn them over often. I rate each and every bartender and server a 10. They had the napkin down almost before I was in the chair. I never had to hunt someone down to get a drink. Even with the small imperfections that I encountered on the PG, I would go back in a heartbeat.

Several years ago someone gave me a really good piece of advice after we had vacationed somewhere that everyone had continously told us we were going to love and we ended up hating. They said everywhere they go, they go with absolutley no expectations. That way, they are never disappointed and if they love it, they're really happy. It's advice I've taken to heart ever since and you know what? I've been happy with every vacation since!

[Cowgirlup]

Since the subject of tipping has come up in this thread (I know there have been other threads devoted to it), I feel very confused about the whole thing. We are told that tips are not expected and this is one of the great things about Regent. Yes, it's nice to recognize someone who has gone above and beyond, so we wrote a note to "management" mentioning certain staff members by name. Now I'm feeling like we should have also left a monetary thank you as well. There were truly some exceptional staff on our cruise (especially wait and bar staff) and I'm wondering if they felt short changed?

[Iamboatman]

You know I didn't comment about the small pool or lack of hot tub or premium on lounges because I felt it is what it is and it really wasn't that important (or would be perceived as nit picking).

 

I wholeheartedly agree that the bar staff was very good. I guess I wasn't clear on that. The problem was not with them, but that at times (not all the time) they were understaffed. That is a management issue, not a staff issue.

 

And, yes they did put the coasters down promptly as they should...just with the Radisson logo rather than the Regent one. That wasn't a biggy, just a management miss that was surprising with all the money spent on the rebranding. (I think just the mailings I received could have paid for new coasters for the fleet!:) )

[egret]

'boatman,

Thanks for the review. I live vicariously through each reveiw of the PG. As you say everyone has their preferences/expectations. On trip #2 one of LesGaugines adopted my wife for some reason and went out her way to make sure we were having a good time. Didn't happen like that on #1 or #3, but they always were cordial.

I just spent a small fortune on an anniversary getaway to Miami Beach at the Ritz Carlton. Poor food and late housekeeping service plus an automatic 18% gratuity on everything left me pining once again for the PG. 171 days and counting.

[Iamboatman]

I too would take the PG over a Ritz Carlton. (Though I do try to avoid what I perceive as a Ritz homogenization of whatever city it is located in at all costs.;) )

[RachelG]

Boatman, I have to agree with you regarding Les Gaugines--I thought they were rude to some of the other crew members and that they just did what they had to do, nothing extra, with very little enthusiasm.

As far as food, it was definitely hit and miss--I actually had a great steak in La Veranda. This was our favorite place to dine. My husband had some horrible inedible fatty "lamb" (probably an old mutton) in Le E'toile one night, and what they call Tabouleh was actually couscous, but overall it wasn't bad.

Drinks were never a problem--and we never sat for more than a minute before someone was there to take the order. But I do know that several crew were rotating off the ship at the end of our cruise, so that may have had an impact.

[Travelcat2]

We were waiting with much anticipation to this review. Good to hear that you and your family had a great time. In terms of food and service, it is pretty much what we expected (better than others but still lacking a bit).

 

Were you able to find out anything regarding Regent managing PG after 2008? Did you hear any comments about the GCT vs. Regent staff? Don't want to get this thread off track -- just very curious.:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yeh, well I noticed the lack of hot tub right away, but frankly, the weather's not right for it--we had one in several of our hotels in FP and did not use it (and I'm a hot tub freak.)

 

Too bad about the Gauguines, I certainly have not see anything like that. They've always been cordial, and have come close to becoming my husband's new best friend, if you know what I mean.

 

Interesting about the difference in suites--we've always had a window room on deck 4 and been very happy, but we'll see what the situation is next year (hopefully.)

[Iamboatman]

Since the subject of tipping has come up in this thread (I know there have been other threads devoted to it), I feel very confused about the whole thing. We are told that tips are not expected and this is one of the great things about Regent. Yes, it's nice to recognize someone who has gone above and beyond, so we wrote a note to "management" mentioning certain staff members by name. Now I'm feeling like we should have also left a monetary thank you as well. There were truly some exceptional staff on our cruise (especially wait and bar staff) and I'm wondering if they felt short changed?

 

No, I am sure they will not feel shortchanged. Your note to management will mean far more to them than a $10 or $20 in that person's hand.

 

As I said I gave a donation to the crew welfare fund which is being used to purchase crew DVD players, DVDs and crew bicycles (which can cost $500 for a cheap one in Tahiti). That sort of spreads the wealth IMO by not ignoring those that did a solid job as well...and is consistent with the no tipping policy.

[Iamboatman]

Were you able to find out anything regarding Regent managing PG after 2008? Did you hear any comments about the GCT vs. Regent staff? Don't want to get this thread off track -- just very curious.:)

 

Once again, I spoke with those who should be in the know and I got different answers. I won't say who said what, but suffice it to say there is no "common knowledge". Also, generally there is a much more positive feel from those I spoke with about Regent and a lack of certainty as to what will happen if its charter ends. Don't take that as a negative about GCT, but rather as it being more of an unknown.

[twa1011]

My wife and I were also on the August 22 sailing. We met Eric on several occasions during and after the trip and really enjoyed our interaction (thanks again, Eric, for the tip regarding where to buy a ukelele). Our experience was similar to Eric’s in that we loved the trip, but different in that we were not part of the Cousteau program, and did not travel with our children.

We stayed in cabin 702 and were very pleased with that cabin and the service we received. I cannot complain about a single thing regarding either the location of the cabin or the service we received there. For instance, our cabin was very quiet. We didn’t hear the band from it, nor did we hear deck cleaning above our cabin because there was another passenger cabin just above us. Our towels matched and did not appear worn. We loved the balcony. We used it a lot even though we went on a lot of shore excursions, and attended shows and sail away parties, etc. As for the port / starboard debate, we found that being on the port side of the ship on this 10 day trip was a great location. We were away from the noise of the dock in Papeete, we woke to Bora Bora approaching outside our balcony one morning. We had Motu Mahana outside our balcony window another morning. We had great views of every location. To a great extent, it doesn’t matter too much which side you are on because as others have noted, there is a certain amount of swing that the ship does at anchor.

Our stewardess, Pilar, was a real sweetheart. She cleaned our room twice a day, and always left it changed just a little – how the pillows were set, swans made out of towels, etc. She took the time to figure out who used which pillow (we each brought a down one from home with different colored pillow cases), and who was reading which book. She placed the right pillows and books together each day, and placed them on the correct side of the bed. While it may not have been rocket science, it was an educated guess that she had to make, and she took the time to do that. We always looked forward to returning to the room to see what she had done while we were away.

The food, in our opinion, was very good. We found the bread to be excellent, and had many others comment on how good it was. We are missing it. We did have marlin that was overcooked and chewy. I spoke with one of our waiters about it after the fact, and he said that we really needed to have had it rare to medium rare and obviously ours was not that way. Other than that, our food was warm and good. We ordered room service almost every day for at least one meal (primarily breakfast). My wife likes her eggs cooked medium and has had difficulty getting them that way her whole life. The first day we received room service, one of her initial comments was that her eggs had been done just how she likes them. I like hot chocolate pretty warm, but not hot (i.e. too hot to drink right away), and it came that way every time. Breakfast room service was scheduled for a half hour time period (i.e. 7:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.), and every day it was either right at the beginning of the time period, or even a couple minutes prior.

Service in the restaurants was extremely good. Our waiters were always smiling and cordial, and would talk with us as much as we wanted. We don’t drink alcohol, so when we were approached by the wine steward (Jan Michael "JM") the first night, he was a bit perplexed at first by the fact we don’t drink, then started working with us on virgin drinks he could bring us that would be fun to try. My wife had a virgin daiquiri and I had a virgin pina colada. Every time he saw us after that, whether in the restaurant or on deck or in the Grand Salon, he always called us by name and asked if we wanted our "usual" or something else. Eventually, we started asking him to just surprise us. We ended up having several drinks that we’d never heard of but that we really liked. The last night of the cruise I introduced JM to another passenger who knew we didn’t drink. He asked me how a guy who doesn’t drink ended up knowing the wine steward so well. It was a funny moment, but illustrates how much the staff tried to satisfy us, and also shows why passengers become so attached to the crew.

As for Les Gauguines, I agree with Eric to a point. We wanted to spend more time with them, but invariably went on excursions during the time they were spending time sharing crafts or stories with the passengers. We did go to afternoon tea one afternoon and Hina was singing and playing the guitar. She appeared to really appreciate the response she got from everyone in La Pallette to her music. Afterwards, she stopped at our table and we had a nice chat with her. She seemed warm and interested in talking. So, while I agree that in general they did not appear to go out of their way to get to know the passengers, I would say that we didn’t really have much chance to get to know them.

Siglo – wow! We loved them. We started arranging our schedule so that we could see them perform. We agree with Eric’s assessment, they were the best entertainment on the ship. If we were to do this cruise again, we would have to plan it so that Siglo was not on vacation while we were there (they are on vacation now and return just before Christmas).

We took the bridge, galley and engine control room tours and really enjoyed all of them.

We took many excursions and also really enjoyed them, and learned a lot.

We loved the cruise, the crew and the location. If you have any questions, we’d also be happy to try to answer them for you. We really learned a lot from this board before our trip and would be happy to return the favor.

 

Ralph & Shauna Collins

[Iamboatman]

Hi Ralph and Shauna!

 

Glad you made it back safe and sound. I was a little shaky listening to that darn ukulele all the way back to New Jersey, but my son is one happy boy!

 

BTW, that was another example of a memorable event: I asked the lecturer, Mark Eddowes, during one AOTE outing where the best place to purchase one was. He said on the street by the bank across from the pharmacy there would be a man sitting on a concrete planter with authentic ones (not the ones in Le Marche made in the Philippines) lined up against the building. And there was this rough looking, but friendly, man who showed us how one is really played...with a big smile. It made the last day special.

 

While our stewardesses were very nice (and the Veranda one was better than the Porthole one) your's was something special. She even went out of her way to say hello to me each time she saw me traipsing between my 728 and 302 cabins! (You are also correct about port being better IF you had to choose.)

 

I know you had a great time. I could tell because you guys were always smiling!:)