Anne,

Wishing I was there for swim 2. Probably not as many cameras flashing as there was on the Explorer2.

Have a great trip and thanks for the posts.

Uploading pix has been difficult but I managed to get a few more done.
Sunset enroute to Cooktown - think this was somewhere near Cairns



Unusual flowering plant near Cook Museum


Getting ready for Chinese New Year


Colorful 4x drive


Modern conveniences


Gold rush dentistry


Water spray makes for tough photo conditions


Waitng out the heat on the pier

Love pixs Anne but first and last my favorites - heaven vs hell????

Anne, I love it when you cruise, or frankly do anything that you document. David and I are reading it over a glass of wine (we've been pretty lean on the wine since our return...go figure). I am so sorry that the weather has not been friendly to such a great group on the voyager . It does sound like you are making the best of it. Sandra must be a savior for sure. She is wonderful. Keep us posted, On to Darwin!

Mary Elaine - I love your attitude -"Cannot imagine what hotter will feel like! Life is an adventure!"

Anne love your descriptive write ups and the pictures were great. Nothing tells a story like pictures.

I also understand the heat and the bugs. Been in Northern Queensland at this time of the year with a heat wave. A town inland is Towoomba - the flies there were so thick that you did not want to talk for fear of them flying into your mouth. I remember it well and I was only about 16 at the time.

You all seem to making the best of it and hopefully that nasty weather will be behind you for the rest of the trip.

Keep posting love to read your reports.

the dentist chair looked pretty hellish too......yikes

Unfortunately, it is the wet season - I wish they'd bring you out here in September/October but I do realise it doesn't suit the cruising companies.

Ngaire: I went one better and swallowed one while playing tennis!! Yikes!

Anne: Did you visit Sydney in February a few years back? I went into the city to see the ship. I seem to remember someone talking about the humidity on a very hot day - was it you?

Went to the future cruise presentation. High points were: onboard booking is still on offer; they've added an option of an open deposit $1Kpp to be able to apply an onboard booking to a cruise booked within the next 2 years. I have to find out about the full details on that option.

Talked about new ship possibilities; said past 3 years have been best for Regent; has been sailing at near 100% capacity for that time frame. There's a deadline for ordering the new ship (whether Regent or Oceania) or penalties are due to the ship yard. Apollo Management still owns Prestige Cruise Lines, and Regent rolls up under that corporate entity within the Apollo portfolio of companies. Will there be an IPO of Prestige? Who knows but why rule out the possibility until you need to rule it out? At present RSSC is sticking to pretty much the same general areas for their 2013 and 2014 schedule (rest of it expected around Mid-March). There's discussion of whether to create reciprocity of nights on Oceania and nights on RSSC for their loyalty program but no decision as of now. Editorial and self-serving comment: I hope they don't. We have 600 repeat Regent passengers on this segment and it will serve to dilute the value if you are loyal to one or the other of the cruise lines.
Did not win the drawing for the $250 ship credit.

I have always wanted to visit Cape York peninsula, and I am scratching that itch. it's remote, wild and the water is oh so beautiful today. Lots of amazing flora and fauna you don't find elsewhere.

Lee, I was in Sydney in 2009 just long enough to go to airport & then enjoy tennis in Melbourne. My recollection is the weather was near perfect on that trip. Melbourne and Sydney were both very civilised weather-wise on this trip. The rest of the trip so far has been challenging, either from the storm or simply the normal weather pattern. Funny .. one of the cruise passengers asked a shop keeper if it was their high season for tourism. She just looked at hiim and said "it's July and August, sir, which is our winter time" You do get the sense the locals are also putting their heads down and toughing it out during this part of the season.

Country fair starting in 5 minutes this afternoon before trivia and bingo rematch. Another busy day at sea.

Cheers, Anne

Anne, always enjoy your seamail, and so sorry the weather has been "unpleasant;" so hope things improve and you're able to see some of what you went for!

Looking forward to more pix and don't forget the sari!

The new FCC certificates are the way to go. TOTALLY refundable and good for two years. Plus on cruises less than 26 days that $2000 is used for your deposit even if the regular deposit is more.
So much better than making FAKE bookings, $200 cancel fees, keeping track of the date to be sure it is transferred etc.

Problem with the time of year is that going from one end of the world to the other it is difficult to hit everything at the right time.
This time of the year is PERFECT for New Zealand. The July /August time frame that is good for Northern Australia is TERRIBLE for New Zealand.

People always want to combine the Great Barrier Reef areas of Australia with a trip to New Zealand. Sounds like they are close but the seasons are really reversed. What is best for one area is the worst for the other area.

I have done Northern Australia on a ship before at this same time and while it was hot it was bearable and we had no bad seas or missed ports. IT is just the way it goes sometimes no way to control Mother Nature.

I will be VERY surprised if they do a tier match situation. There has been mumblings about this for a long time but when I ask the brass at Regent I always get a not happening. That said one thing is for sure NOTHING is 100% certain things constantly change.

I have also heard rumblings that the new ship is just tiny details away from going forward. Hopefully that required time frame will the ship yards will push the new build into reality.

Hey - it actually IS Groundhog Day over here. Yep - another sea day to roll through. I'm doubtful we will see a flotilla of the fuzzy creatures alongside or anywhere aboard. Must be a shorter winter fur us! Surely someone will play "I got you babe" in honor of the movie today.

Racked up another trivia win yesterday - including my least favorite type of questions (if Sarah wears a pink dress and lives on Sycamore, and Debbie lives in the white house, what was Elaine wearing when she visited the yellow house on Cherry?). fortunately, our logician oriented brains (3 of em!) got it right. Bravo for them.

Gary scored again on the bingo win. It was really funny - the beautiful Greta came over and said "I should know your suite number by now, sir" ah .. when you've got it, you've got it.

I splurged with his winnings on a nice bottle of Italian red for dinner with Sandra Bowdern and two of the fellow trivia winners.

Don Cant was lovely last night. Added "Halleluiah (? sp)" to his repetoire - such a haunting, lovely song.

the country fair was a ton of fun. Will try to upload pictures but please understand the satellite is iffy. I'm shooting for sari part deux tonight - wish us luck, and will get a photo if we are successful for you all to enjoy.

Cheers, Anne

good to catch up with things in your part of the world Anne. We had fun dinner with Ralph last night and it sounds like Aussie and your Aussie Part Deux are both winners. Congratulations again to Gary, that's terrific and keep your good work up at trivia.

We've been on several cruises with Don Cant performing, he really has a terrific voice. I bet he does Halleluiah superb.

If you tell Donald and Robin (his manager) and have the opportunity tell him I was hoping he would be on our segment. I do not go to the shows much at all but I always go to his shows. He knows me by sight and I "think" he will remember my name. They see so many people you never know, but we have had some adventures together. One with Fred and Pat in the train in Flam that was fun and we squeezed him into a transfer to the airport once when he was stuck.

Ngaire - he's leaving today. Will try to find him before we dock in Darwin

Marcie - thanks for the update. Give Ralph our best.

Liar's club was great last night. Verne Lundquist got a huge laugh when he talked about us being on the SS Detour.

Can't get a working line out of cabin for satellite phone today. Superbowl updates are going to be few and far between - enough of us are pretty unhappy about it, and head office is standing firm there's nothing they can do. Have to chalk it up to experience and factor it into future cruising decisions.

Note the US Navy has figured out how to use drone signals to get the game to the troops

http://sundodgers.com/2013/02/01/u-s-submarines-and-remote-troops-will-get-to-watch-the-super-bowl/

another trivia win yesterday (tie but we still got the reward poiints so good enough for us).

Today is jumping crocs excursion. Chris, Linda, Gary and I voted 4-2 to save the front seat on the boat for Linda & Ron .

Cheers, Anne
.

have a wonderful time crock jumping!

Anne, I was hoping with all those missed ports, maybe the line did not have to pay those huge docking fees for those you missed, and perhaps that money could have been diverted to delivering you the Super Bowl.

Too bad

Of course, I am from Maryland (GO RAVENS!), and for a long time I wasn't interested, not being a sports fan. And what do I know about docking fees and whether you get charged when the ship can't show up. I dunno, I just think it would have been nice to get this as a bonus for all the mess you and the rest of the passengers have been through.

BTW, I have so enjoyed your continued commentary along the way, as I always do, wherever you are in the world, land or sea!

Shocker at Sea

we heard a 'code mike' called in the crew quarters this morning. It is with regret I inform you that means a crew member was pronounced dead at 10:45 am local time.

We arrived at Darwin at approximately 1:40 pm, when we first learned of the situation. Coroner and police arrived to conduct their investigations. The ship was released for entry at approximately 4:30 pm. A few people are debarking as previously planned; one shore excursion is being offered for part of the tour. The rest of the passengers are offered either a shuttle bus to town or a two hour panoramic tour with a stop at the botanical gardens.

It's been quite a sober atmosphere aboard the ship. The worst news is crew leave has been cancelled in this port.

a fellow travel has calculated we will spend approximately 13 hours on land in australia. The crew has not had but a fraction of that time, as the port stops have been short.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the crew member and to the crew, who are working on our behalf despite this unexpected event.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2013/02/03/317251_ntnews.html covers what is officially known at this point. No point speculating beyond what's in this article

Sad, sad afternoon.

Tragic. Just tragic.

Ship Happens

We had a local aboriginal family come onboard for a music and cultural experience. The previously scheduled performance by the dancers was cancelled due to the crew member death.

At dinner, the captain announced the authorities have not yet completed their investigation and we will be detained in Darwin until at least 12:45 pm tomorrow (about 16 hours behind schedule). On a brighter note, it was great to see the F&B manager's family come aboard and enjoy some time with him.

What's the outcome? The first 225 passengers who want to trade in their shore excursion tickets for a trip to the sky casino to watch the super bowl should proceed to the tour desk. Gary jumped up, braved the stampede and scored casino tickets. We may only catch the first 3 quarters, but that's better than nothing. The grand debate aboard: super bowl or jumping crocodiles. I'm coming down firmly on the side of the super bowl. That said - I'd give anything for the crew member to be around to listen to us growl about the lack of superbowl coverage.

Oh yea .. and the crew still cannot leave the ship. have to find out if we can bring them back anything from shoreside. No point guessing where we will make up the 16 hours until we know for sure when we are cleared to depart.

Life is full of irony.

Anne reported "a fellow travel has calculated we will spend approximately 13 hours on land in australia. The crew has not had but a fraction of that time, as the port stops have been short."
We had the same situations at many ports on our 72 night cruise on the Mariner from Venice to Miami (via South America.) The short stays really mess up opportunities to see local attractions and try local food. A 6 or 7 hour port stop means barely enough time for an excursion when docking, clearing and getting off the ship at the start and reboarding 30 minutes before departure. We usually like to go around on our own after an excursion, but missed the opportunity all too often. This seems to be the new Regent style compared to the past.
Jim

What an unusual series of events have taken place since I left. I do not remember anything quite like this ever. This cruise will be talked about for years. I am sure John McNeil is glad he left the ship in Sydney the stress on the senior staff must be huge.

It is so sad to hear about the death of a crew member and I cannot imagine the impact that has had on the whole ship.

I am glad 225 people got to see the super bowl! I hope things start to look up soon.

OMG Anne. I'm so sad about the crew member death. Your journey has been such a mixed bag, that's for sure. You just need to roll with the moment to moment "ship happens" philosophy. No way to control such things.

I'm happy to hear about the super bowl at the casino, although I loved the jumping crocodiles too. We were able to watch the super bowl on board on our longer January cruises...go figure. I like Olivia's idea (except for the Go Ravens part.. haha), seems like there is a port savings that could have provided the cost of showing the game via satellite. Glad Gary got the tickets though.

Thanks for all your updates. Go 49'ers !

What a cruise you have had Anne! The good news...I can't imagine anything else going wrong!

Jim, I agree. I think this has to do with Regent trying to have fewer sea days. The Captain on Kangaroo told us that the company was trying to respond to requests for fewer sea days on longer cruises. Obviously, to do this, they need to sail longer on port days. I think Regent is tryig to do too much responding to what they perceive as the more prevalent request.

So sad to hear about the death. Such a young age too. Very sobering.

I would take the crocs over Super Bowl any day, and one of my best friends is married to a former 49's player. (Boy, are they excited.)

Anne,
We are following with interest! Amazing and very sad.
Hope the remainder of the cruise goes smoothly for you.

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick

Today's required a whole lot of dexterity. We learned at 8 am this morning the super bowl in fact WOULD be a live feed to constellation theater. The staff put together a great buffet and themed balloons. A few folks went to the casino anyway. Gary managed to get on the jumping crocs excursion at the last minute; I went into town to walk around a little while and was asked by Australian Broadcast corp. for a comment when I got off the shuttle. Here's the link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-04/woman-found-dead-on-cruise-ship-in-darwin/4498712?section=nt

Back by 9:30 am, I caught the end of the first quarter. I took Baltimore so was pleased to see the 7-3 score. Didn't San Francisco give Baltimore a real run for the money following the black out of the Superdome stadium? congrats to the ravens fans on the very close win.

Captain interrupted around the 2 minute warning mark. Evidently this whole incident has made the news around Australia. Here's our status:

(a) we are cleared to leave, and let me tell you we left immediately. The pilot boat picked up the pilot about 5 minutes ago.
(b) the crew member was found to have died of natural causes so authorities closed their investigation
(c) here's another unwelcome news flash: one of four engines is not operating
(d) Kunal Kamlani, president of Regent Cruises, has acknowledged the latest challenge with the engine is disappointing. A further update will be forthcoming.
(e) Memorial service will be on Wednesday for crew and guests who wish to attend.
(f) We are scheduled for a 3 hour stop at Komodo Island on Feb 6 (10 AM to 1 PM)
(g) Bali stop has been shortened to 8 am to 8 pm on Feb 7
(h) Unnamed senior management members are expected to board the ship in Bali to address concerns and answer questions;
(I) We will have just enough time to make the world heritage temple tour in Semarang on Feb 9 (7 am to 4 pm)

Arlene - from your lips to God's ears.

We've had quite enough challenges and changes in this situation for one cruise. We do not want to veer any further into the Chinese version of living in interesting times.

Anne,
You've all had enough challenges, etc. for multiple cruises!

Here's hoping for no more!

Amen, Anne, well said! The folks on board who came specifically to dive the Great Barrier Reef and had a last opportunity to dive in Bali have now lost all three snorkeling and diving opportunities. Regent management coming to quell the muitenous masses! Going with the flow and enjoying new friends and places! Life is complex with moments of sadness and heights of elation mixed in with hours of ordinary! We are fortunate to experience every iota of life! Still finding joy and fun! The crew is working so hard to care for us...bless them!

Have you heard of the RSS Detour or Ship,of Crisis! Poor Paul! I call it the three C's.....capprichino (sp) , cavier and champagne cruise!
The loss of our singer has been very hard on everyone. Glad ship is doing a service for her! A true adventure! The jumping crocs were amazing! 20 feet long and stealthy!

Wow - quite the eventful cruise! And now an engine problem...

You are going to boil on Komodo Island mid-day, but those dragons will be sleeping so hopefully nobody will have too close of an encounter.

Anne, you are an absolute ace in the art of "understatement" if I've ever seen one. I've had my share of glitches of one kind or another over the years, but my gosh, even a cancelled cruise after boarding does not parallel this one. The new President of Regent sure came through the door to a mess. I hope it goes better for everyone from here on. Those engine problems always scare me that more is in the offing.

Engine problems now????? (Guess I was wrong)

Good thoughts coming to you all, it really just HAS to improve! anne, thanks for the wonderful and informative commentary. I just cannot believe the events, and how horribly sad for that young lady, her family and all the crew. Truly a tragedy, you are all such troopers.
cindy and David

Far more informative article about the deceased crew member

http://tools.ntnews.com.au/stories/54079732.php

Internet is iffy but will try to upload and post a few photos. Wish me luck!

One engine down shouldn't be too much of a problem. All 4 engines run generators that connect to the ship's electrical bus just like generators at a municipal power station, and the azipod propellers run off that bus as does the lighting, AC etc.. It's like an airplane, there is more engine power available than needed, so you should be able to plug along as normal.
Even if you had made it to Cairns, with rough weather the reef would have been hard to see with all the sand and muck being stirred up. A day trip from Cairns goes to Green Island which doesn't have a lot of coral and fish. The really good part of the reef is quite a ways away and you should really spend a couple of days at one of the good diving & snorkeling locations.

Darwin marina at sunset



Cockatoos having an earsplitting 'domestic' over perching territory



Aussie Rules football encounter opposite the Darwin botanical gardens

croc jumping - getting ready



croc jumping - set



croc jumping - GO!!!



Is this the entrance to the croc hall of fame?

love it!!!!

Nice pics. So sorry for the negative events on your cruise, but you have a positive attitude. And if I were going to see the Komodo dragons, I would want it to be when they were at the most lethargic.