The trip continues to surpass expectations. The Chilean fjords and glaciers are, in my opinion, far more awesome than those of Alaska. These are more abundant and seem closer together but, I must admit, I have never been to GlacierBay.

The health of our passengers has been all right, too. A couple who had to leave in Buenos Aires and fly home to New York for a medcial problem the ship's doctor was unable to take care of returned in Valpraiso. Also, a man passed away a few days ago of unexpected causes.

John continues to have four games a day and is also having some predinner shows. Handre did a presentation of his own music and songs. It was a stunner. His music is haunting and poignant and his piano playing is excellent.

We are looking forward to Robinson Crusoe Island tomorrow, then later to Easter Island and Pitcairn Island where the descendants of the Bounty will come on board.

Ardis

The rest of the Koala group joined the ship yesterday and we all met for cocktails in the Observation Lounge before dinner last night. It's an unusually small group but we'll still have a lot of fun. The newbies have their lifejacket drill this morning and then it's on to lectures & pooch. It's still too cold to sit on the pool deck but we're hoping the sun will peek our from behind the clouds and warm us up.
Jim

so happy the gang's all there! Have such a great time and keep sending seamail :app:

Ardis, I have to agree, Chilean fjords are spectacular! I had the good fortune to go there several years ago when Ngaire managed to fashion a short 6 day mini-segment from Valparaiso to Ushuaia that remains today one of my most memorable cruises!

Last night at the Captain's welcome party Capt Phillipe announced that he will leave in Papeete (instead of Sydney) and that Felice Patruno will replace him. No mention of Capt Alfredo who was previously scheduled to replace Phillipe in Sydney.

We had dinner with Ngaire & Ken in Prime 7 last night. 1 1/2 giant Maine lobsters is a lot to consume, but they were delicious. The Prime 7 menu is extensive and you need several visits to try even half of the selections.
Jim

Ardis and Jim

Thanks for your reports. It's great to virtually sail with all of you!

1-1/2 lbs giant Maine lobsters? You DEFINITELY need Ngaire on the team to fully enjoy that meal.

Give our best to Capt. Phillipe. Haven't heard of Capt. Patruno, either. Is he from Oceania?

Cheers, Anne

The sad news for many of us is that captain Romero is no longer with Regent according to an officer of the Mariner.

Ardis

Not sure if the new Captain is from Oceania or not. Someone said he was from Carnival but I am not sure of his history. He did well on stage last night and seemed to have a nice personality. They had a whole new presentation for the Captains reception, with a slide show and a little introduction from key people. Totally different from anything I have seen before and I really thought it was well done.

I promise today I will do a post on the trip so far, as always seems to happen there is not enough time and I have been busy with the work things things I got onboard.

Jim, Prime 7 sounds wonderful. I can't wait to try it.

Ngaire, which is best lobster or lamb?

Ardis, the cruising the Chilean fjords is one of my favorite cruise memories. I'd love to go again.

Only had the lobster so far but plan on going back and there are so many things I want to try. Lamb, Veal Chop, Dover Sole, and Prime Rib all look wonderful.

Jim and Pat had lunch with the new Captain and said he has a great personality. They said he reminds them of John McNeill. He was with Carnival (not Oceania) and was Captain of all of their ships at one time or another. Jim said he was so happy to be with Regent and was looking forward to his new position.

Sailing towards Easter Island and we have had two absolutely calm days. The water is beautiful. One more sea day and then we reach Easter Island. The weather forecast is good and I hope it stays that way as everyone is so excited about going ashore and seeing this unique place.

Lazy days, sleeping in, doing some emails, eating lunch, pooch, trivia, freshen up and dinner. Life is very good. We did REALLY bad at trivia today we will never tell our scores.

Food has continued to be outstanding. Signatures tonight, with Don, Carolyn, Pat and Allan, rack of lamb will be my choice for this evening. Perhaps a double order??

Sounds lovely, Ngaire! Gotta love those lazy sea days...

Rack of lamb Ngaire? How unusual!! Enjoy - everything sounds wonderful - wish I could be there (your trivia scores wouldn't improve). Lee

Ngaire, your cruise sounds divine! Thanks for checking in. Can't wait to hear more!

EASTER ISLAND

We had a perfect day. 80 degrees, light wind and reasonably calm seas, just some big swells.

Ken and I did our normal “lets try a taxi or rent car and see how it works out”. We ended up renting a car. $150 for the day, all the taxis charged $150 for about a 3 hour tour.

We were impressed with the island the moai did not disappoint. The main moai sites we saw were Ranu Raraku, Abu Tongariki, Anakena and Tahai.

Ranu Raraku is a quarry that has 397 moai. Some are standing erect, some are leaning some are flat on the ground. There are 150 that are not finished. You can walk right up the hill and be right next to the Moai. I loved this spot and you also get a great view of the ocean and surrounding area.

Abu Tongariki is 15 moai standing on a 200 ft ahu with the ocean in the background. A wonderful sight.

Anakena is five statues that were buried in sand for centuries and were protected from the elements so they have been better preserved. You can see more of the carving of the lips, nostrils and curved ears.

Tahai has moai with the white eyes.

We also visited the Rano Kau volcano. The crater a mile wide and impressive with a lake in the caldera covered with bright green reeds, a beautiful sight. At the same spot were 48 oval huts of a ceremonial village constructed in 1600 and used by locals until 1866.

The island was more attractive than we expected and had many wild horses. We had a truly wonderful day.

Ken will post pictures soon. Now we have Prime 7 tonight and I am sure ready for that after such a full day.

Sounds like a fantastic day. Can't wait to see Ken's pics. Also your report of Prime 7.

Sounds amazing. That's one of those places I read about in National Geographic when I was a kid, and always wanted to see. Haven't yet, have to find a way I guess!

PHOTOS FROM
Vina Del Mar, Robinson Crusoe Island, and the B&K Cocktail Party:




Horse Carriages in Vina Del Mar.


Ocean Walk in Vina Del Mar


Cute little boy Vina Del Mar


Ngaire, Ken, & Sheila (Compliments of Ken from Australia)


Robinson Crusoe Island


Robinson Crusoe Island


Robinson Crusoe Island

Carolyn and Ngaire found a new friend


Carolyn, Francisco the wonderful, and Ngaire


Captain drawing a preliminary winner, John Barron and Sheila in the picture

Photos of Easter Island:


Pam & Jim




Ken & Sheila


Carolyn & Don




Ngaire & Ken

Sheila & Ngaire (Compliments of Ken from Australia)

LIARS CLUB AND CAPTAIN PHILIPPE

I have attended many liars clubs over the years. This was one of the best. The panelists were the guest comedian, Lyn the cruise consultant, Captain Philippe, and Steve the security officer. One would anticipate the comedian would be the best, he was good but was really not as good as the Regent staff. Lyn and Steve both did a great job. The star of the show was Captain Philippe.

Never have I seen a Captain in liars club before so I thought it was neat he was even on the panel. However, he did actual “skits” for his words. Two words he sat on a chair and moved it around the floor complete with sound effects of his car moving down the road and shifting gears. Incredible. Then the security officer acted as a policeman and confronted him on a number of issues. It was so well done you could tell they had spent a lot of time pulling this whole act together. It brought the house down. I think the effort that all the staff put into this was extremely evident and this is the type of thing that makes Regent special.

MARINER’S GOT TALENT – PASSENGER AND CREW TALENT SHOW

John held auditions for a talent show with the passengers. They ended up with six acts. Prior to the actual event they showed some of the auditions on the television so if you wished you could see the preliminary acts, both those that made the cut and the others as well.

The actual event took place last night as an early show. The house was packed. It was so well presented and professionally done. They got a lot of variety, a man who played the guitar and sang, an older lady doing the hula which was very cleverly done with a song “watch the hands not the hips” a teenage girl juggling (she learned to juggle on utube can you believe) a female singer, a classical pianist and then the final act was the winner. A lady who changed the words to a song so it was relative to our cruise and sang it very well with great stage presence. I understand she is a trial lawyer so she knows how to present herself exceptionally well. Part of the chorus was something along these lines. “This is a great cruise my friends, we hope it never ends, we laugh and eat and then we eat some more, at trivia we fight, and John is always right, we love our crew, and captain we love you”. It made me think of Anne and Gary and their particular ability in doing the same thing.

The audience voted and the prize was a $1000 which the winner promptly donated to the cruise welfare fund, a very nice gesture. It was a smashing success. I really believe the entertainment involving the passengers or the crew is always very special and a lot of fun for everyone. So we are now looking forward to the actual crew show where the first prize is a $1000 and we hear there are some incredible acts.

FOOD AND SERVICE.

In all venues the food and service has been outstanding. Best food I have had ever since sailing Regent. As far as service I must admit I am always yakking away and so am not sure how long it takes to get service if you were in a hurry it may be seen quite different but for me it is just fine.

Signatures
People have been reporting that Signatures is not as good but I do wonder if this is simply that Compass Rose has improved and Prime 7 is such a hit that these venues are overshadowing Signatures. I found Signatures to be the same as always. The menu items were the same as they have always been. I like Signatures about once a cruise as I do find things to be a little rich and I like the flexibility you get in the other restaurants.

Prime 7
Since the ship is not full people have been able to get into Prime 7 several times. I have now tried the Dover Sole, Lobster, Milk Fed Veal Chop and the King Crab Legs. Each visit (two now) I have had a main instead of the appetizer and salad and then another main so I can “do my duty” and try out the main offerings. Everything has been outstanding. Probably my favorite was the huge Main Lobster. It was incredibly good. The King Crab was a huge helping with really big crab legs that are pre-cut and the meat just slides out in big round pieces. I love their light dessert of fresh berries.

Compass Rose
A different style of menu, more mains are listed as the “simplicity items” are now shown on the main list. No back page. Someone mentioned on either LCT or CC that the menu had less options but I think it is just a different way of presenting things. Often items were listed on the back for a second time so overall I think it is about the same. Food here has been very good consistently.

La Verandah

Breakfast – do not make it to breakfast so cannot comment.

Lunches seem to have had better options. The fish has been excellent except for one day the salmon was over cooked. The carving stations have been good. Everyday you have the big shrimp, smoked salmon and either mussels or king crab. I am still waiting for a rack of lamb on the carving station, hope that comes one day.

The one complaint I have heard is the crust on the pizza is not good, that it is too thick. I have not tried it and am trying to be “very good” so probably will not try it but this is a pretty universal complaint. I asked about this and was told it is a standard recipe for all the ships so it wont change unless they change it for all the ships. The key here is to put it on the comment sheets this is how things get changed.

Dinners
They had a “French Bistro” for six nights at La Verandah. It was pretty good and we enjoyed our meal, Lobster, Rack of Lamb, a nice Beef Filet and a great shrimp soup. I have only been once and I have just not really been a fan of La Verandah at night.

SEAS – CALM – CALM
The first two nights out we had some movement, nothing major, but the last days have been incredibly calm. Yesterday it was like a lake, not even a ripple. As calm a sea as I have ever seen. It was so beautiful. I wanted Ken to take a picture but he never got around to it. Today we have a little swell but no white caps.

POOCH and TRIVIA
We are having our daily pooch game at 2.00 pm. Pam and Jim have the honor of being the current leaders but there is still time to catch them. Don has started bridge and is totally enthralled with this new game so he has been absent. He won every category on Samba so he will not be defending his title. A new saying from this trip instead of “under duress” it was misheard as “under a dress”. It has kind of stuck.

Trivia – well between the Bittle team and a couple of other teams I do not think we will ever win. We are coming up with some great answers and having a lot of fun.
Question – The name given to the natives in Rio?
Answer - Jewelry Salesmen
The team scoring us gave us three points for that answer!

All in all this is turning into a wonderful cruise. Easter Island was such a highlight for us, and we are really enjoying all these sea days. It is so nice and lazy and both of us are getting some nice rest and really enjoying the group. It may be small in number but high in quality.

Your trip sounds like heaven!! Since we canceled this trip, I really enjoy your every word about it. I love hearing about the talent show and the liar's club etc. Captain Philippe is such a great Captain and with John as the CD , how can you go wrong! (same combo we had on South America Mariner trip).

The food sounds great too....keep on posting so we can continue traveling with you! Thanks!

Thanks for the great reports, Ngaire and I loved the pictures of Easter Island. I wish I was there for the trivia team--I actually know the answer to the Rio question :cool: --with any luck, we'll get the same question on Viking.

Yea Peggy, but the right answer won't come close to the cleaverness of theirs!! Like the one on CROSS, what is a group of bears called? Can't remember the answer now, but I thought the best answer of all was the group who put down "very dangerous"!

Sounds like a great trip Ngaire, thanks for keeping us at home posted.

Ah Ngaire, sounds like a truly wonderful journey, both onboard and off. Ken, I commented on the other thread but will say again -- great photos of Easter Island! That's a place I hope to see someday.

Keep the reports coming!

Ngaire, thanks so much for all of the detail - everything sounds divine!!! And as always, Ken, your photos are absolutely breathtaking.

Well we are at Pitcairn Island. As anticipated no one will go ashore and the islanders will come on the ship. We watched the long boat try to tie up to the ship. They tried one side and then had to reposition to the other side of the Mariner. It took about 30 minutes and was not easy to tie up the long boat. The boat had about 35 people onboard and it took a long time to get them off the boat onto the ship. It was bouncing up and down. Watching this it was very obvious there was absolutely no way that they could take people ashore. The ocean looks pretty calm too, no white caps at all but there is a visible swell. The sun is shining and the water is sparkling.

As we looked at the island we were surprised at how nice the homes looked on the island.
Ken has some pictures of all of this he will post later.

At 10.30 am the islands will be giving a presentation and then holding a “craft fair” where they will sell their local wares. Be back later with more details.

Yesterday we "nearly" won trivia. We had a score of 13 and the wining score was 14. What made us really do a joint moan was we had the other two answers, one we even had written down and changed it. We were SO close to a perfect score. Maybe today?? We have not been far behind but being so close to 15 really has given us inspiration for today.

How did I miss this post?? It's so nice to hear that the food has been better than ever, that makes such a difference!

I am loving all the pictures and HELLO FRANCISCO!! Please tell him I hope to see him in September!

I still think that it is a travesty that they didn't put a tender in the water and at least try to get people ashore. :( The draft of a tender should be less than one meter.

Wonderful photos! Envious of super weather you enjoyed on Easter Island. Day we visited there was light rain off and on and no blue sky.

But we were happy we made it - we were told ships have a 25 percent chance of visiting because of water conditions. Would've been a BIG disappointment if weather was realy bad!

Have a great rest of the cruise.

The locals came on board with all their goods. They had playing cards with scenes from Pitcairn so they will be fun for pooch. Ken bought a hat and I bought a tee shirt. A presentation was given in the lounge by Betty Christian and descendant from Fletcher Christian. Hard to believe only 48 people live here and fascinating to realize how these people live. One store open for one hour three times a week. One restaurant open one day a week. Only had internet for two years. Their first road was paved a few years ago from the landing site to the main square. They hope to extend this from the main square to the school. They do have a generator for power in the morning and the evening it is turned off in the afternoon. Every family is responsible for collecting their own water. They get water from rain and they desperately need rain now.

They only have a few longboats so it would be impossible to ferry everyone ashore with these boats. The road up to the village is also very steep. Not a good landing place BUT having these islanders on board and talking to them was very interesting. They were all very friendly and welcoming. They also had lunch on board and you could see this was a real treat for them. As they left they sang some farewell songs. It was a fun day.

Have loved pixs and reports Ngaire - I am not good on bouncing tenders/boats - the locals would have made me very happy -

PHOTOS OF PITCAIRN ISLAND:


PITCAIRN ISLAND


Adams Town, Pitcairn Island


Pitcairn Islanders Coming to the Mariner.


Boarding the Mariner by Rope Ladder


Lots of Souvenirs.


A Friendly Pitcairn Islander.

John Young, from Pitcairn Island. (Edited to Reflect Ted's Post)


Mayor of Pitcairn presenting a plaque to Captain Philippe for the Mariner's maiden call at Pitcairn Island.


Captain Philippe, Mayor of Pitcairn, and Jean Michel Cousteau


Pitcairn Islanders Singing a Farewell Song.


Pitcairn Island couple with Jim, Ngaire, and Pat.

Marc,
We watched the longboat go back into Bounty Bay - they have to wait and catch a wave, just like surfing, and just past the breakwater make a sharp 90 degree left turn. A tender couldn't manoeuver that quickly and would smash against the rocks. We asked about cruise passengers going ashore and they said it's done ONLY with their longboats and only for up to 30 or 40 people. If they did that for us there would be another 400 really pissed off guests that didn't get selected, so it was the right choice.

The weather was perfect and it was a wonderful visit to this remote paradise.
Jim

Ken, those pictures were magnificent! Jim Bittle almost front and center in the final! I can't imagine the thrill it must have been for the locals to come onboard and make some contact with the rest of the world (and be off the island) for a day, as I've read about Pitcairn and its isolation for those who live there. Your photos captured it all. I did read all the links that Marc led us to from an earlier thread on this island, and the long boat filled with locals was almost the same as I saw before, loaded with all of them! Who was the man accepting the plaque, the mayor/governor/PM of the island? And if you know, what is it with the guy in the kerchief on his head? I have seen him before!

Marc, it is about surge of the currents in getting on and off tenders, and landing with big swells, and avoiding injury in a remote part of the world. Even MedJetAssist couldn't help you here if you broke a bone. Think of how difficult it was for these people with native sea legs to even get out to the Mariner! Have you ever been on a small boat (with less draft than a meter) that suddenly came upon a sandbar....what happens if the surge carries a boat ashore or toward a rock? Not fun, and it can be dangerous. :mad: My lecture is over. I know you want to go there, and appreciate that. This time, I loved the vicarious experience of seeing the locals coming on the ship. Why else would the Voyager visit Manila, when it never did before a couple of years ago? I would bet that most pax get just as much enjoyment staying onboard there, when it is docked!

NOW, if I come to England for the Chelsea Flower Show in June, will you and Arlene still have dinner with me and Joanna?

Olivia, we would love to see you and Joanna at the Chelsea Flower Show in May .

I still wonder how Navigator, PG, and Deutschland put passengers ashoer. I guess if I really want to go ashore I have to take the supply boat.

Did anyone buy wooden turtles?

Glad everyone is having a wonderful time. Only a few more days until you reach land. :D

Marc, Arlene first thought it was June, so I googled it.

I had to cancel FUN as you know for medical reasons (damned broken bone), so tonight I finally canceled the air, and find that cancel fees not even as expensive as redepositing miles, so I think I will be there! I love any excuse to see Joanna, and both of us would love to see you and Arlene, in London in MAY!

Supply boat is good, I think you have nailed your charter!

Any lct flower lovers out there up for an LCT reunion in London in mid- May? Fares are good now!