With schedule being published, it is time to start the roll call for the Mariner 09 Nov 12 cruise from Monte Carlo to Rio.

Ngaire and Ken - GTY
Arlene and Marc - GTY
Gail and Eugene - GTY
Suzanne and Mark - GTY
Olivia - GTY
JoAnn and Frank - GTY
Laura and Jack - GTY
Mona and Tom - GTY
Sue and Ray - GTY
Andrea - 733
Sheila and Ken - 734
Peggy and Jerry - 736
Kathy and Steve 741
Ellie and Ravi - 755
Joan and Joe - 774
Jill and Jim - 826
Pat and Jim - 881
Joan and Dave - 915
Pat and Mike - 981

I think we're "a go" also, but no cabin assignment.

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Gail and Eugene

I'm in 733.

Marc & Arlene - that's 2 cruises next year where I'll need you to entertain me!

Dennis and Jackie #914

Jackie, it will be great to finally travel with you! By the way, do you play Bridge?

Don't play Bridge, but love Pooch! I hear you are a very experienced Pooch player.

Carolyn and Don 739

Great group!!

Jerry and Peggy in 736 (I think) --we'll be staying on to Buenos Aires.

Just emailed Jennifer to go ahead and deposit!

Mark and I are a GTY.

Hey Marc, Mark plays bridge and I may be "better" by then (or not...)

Looks like we're going to sign up for this cruise too....all the way from "down under". Sounds good to us.

Would love to do this too, but that is probably pushing it too much. We are on the Panama Canal, and there is a chance we will maybe have to cancel that, just depends on a lot of things in the next few months, sure hope we don't.

This was really one we liked, even though there were some repeat ports from CROSS. Sigh.....there are so many, want to do them all, but the travel budget is somewhat limited.

Sounds like a really good group froming here. I'm sure it will be a great cruise. LOL maybe if we win the free cruise we can do it!!! :banana: :banana: Like that will happen.

Yay Suzanne & Marcie! With so many nights hopefully we can dine together as there wasn't time on FUN2.

Hi Marc! Please add us to the roll call.....we'll be in 742. :app:

Please put us on the list. We are in 734 and sailing to Buenos Aires.

oh great....another one I want! Yeah suzanne! Boy, this is a great group.....

You can add Tom & I in # 738.

Us too Cindy, we want them all. Sighhhhhh.

Anna B., so happy to see that you will be on this cruise! This one may book up early

Paul and I have joined in. We'll be in 911.

Susan

Joanandjoe 774

oh I know JoAnn......the only good thing is the sea mail with my coffee on the ones that "get away"!

I'm so looking forward to this cruise....too bad it's so far away!

Ravi & Ellie in 755

Andrea--tulips?

Yes Diane I am all set! Pricing should be out in June. Can't wait to see the tulips.

4 in one year!! Yay for you

Andrea, what tulips? Are you going to Floriade? Or Keukenhof? Or a river cruise?

Marc - Diane had mentioned doing a river cruise through Tauck to see the tulips next year. Pricing isn't out yet but we are on the list for the 4/22 trip. Her sister Marcia is going too.

Marc--come (sorry to hijack)

Pat and Mike (count Florida) booked 981 all the way from Monte Carlo to Buenos Aires - 27 days! We've been to Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Rio, but not the ports in between, and moreover, the one time we were in Buenos Aires (three days) the poor man was 'under the weather'.

Anyone else (besides Sheila & Ken, Peggy and Jerry) staying on to Buenos Aires? The cost is very reasonable, more so even than the crossing - just under $4,000 pp for the 10 additional days (to Dec 6).

EDITING TO INSERT: This week's NY Times Travel Section's Frugal Traveler subject is a $100. weekend in Rio, which starts out like this:

The first comment on this was: "Nonsense. Try going out nicely in Rio. Gonna squeeze you dry. Try Buenos Aires, Lima or somewhere else."
So maybe you can even save a little money by going on to Buenos Aires! The article is at: web page $100 weekend in Rio

A note for those of you thinking of going to Floriade next year, we went in July 2002 and were somewhat disappointed because it was too late in the year, we were told; many of the flower displays had stopped blooming. They said the best (but most crowded) time was late April through early June and also, try and avoid weekends.

Hey there! You can add Steve and Kathy to the list. Long way away...but looking fiorward to it and seeing you LCT-ers again!!

Steve and Kathy, FANTASTIC!!!!

I asked Arlene just yesterday if she had heard from you recently. We so look forward to cruising with you again.

PS What cabin for roll call?

It's probably way too early to ask this, but we're curious.

The cruise will presumably end early in the morning. Most flights to the US are very late, possibly after 11 p.m. Does anyone have any idea whether the cruise line will offer either a hotel day room or a tour of Rio (or both)to fill the 12 hours or so before we have to arrive at the airport? Maybe the B & K TAs have some experience with cruises that end in Rio.

Thanks.

I am hoping for an all day tour of Rio as we have not been. Even if it costs extra, would be a good use of shipboard credits. We also might be able to get a tour through H. Stern. ;)

As far as I can remember, Regent didn't offer anything at the end of LLAMA. We arranged a tour that we did with the Byrnes using a guide recommended by Fred. However, the guide moved from the area. In fact, we used the guide for our tour the first day in Rio also, and it was great. The second day we went to Petropolis, which I'd highly recommend if you've already seen the sights of Rio.

We dropped our luggage off at the airport before going on the all-day tour. But you need cash to leave your bags at the baggage check and because we didn't have enough, we went to an ATM and that is where both the Brynes and we were subject to identity theft. I've written about that before, so no need to go into it. No problem as long as you stay away from the ATM machines.

Marc, I don't think you get a thorough enough tour through H. Stern, but others can chime in.

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Eugene

I did a tour after embarking not with Stern, but another company aboard (marcie petlover would know, as I think they always come aboard in SA). They gave us a fully licensed tour guide for the day, and took us to the airport for 10 p.m. flight, but of course, it included the requisite visit to their store. Unlike Stern, I don't remember that it had a storefront, I remember going upstairs. Driver and guide were so nice, and guide was especially eager to show the sites. Quite honestly, I felt uncomfortable, and probably spent money in their store that I would not otherwise have done. Just me.

We kept our luggage in their van, as the store and the sights were in opposite direction of the airport.

Another cruise, used a private guide in Rio arranged by pwolftx and it was great! All lct people, and we visited many sights, had a great lunch at one of those traditional Brazilian restaurants (lots of meat). I just don't remember his name.

You "pay" for the Stern tour with a VERY hard sell!


Buyer beware!

I searched for the restaurant that we went to that Fred had recommended (and it may well be where Olivia also ate). It was Porcão, one of the more famous churrascarias in Rio. I think there is more than one Porcão, so make sure that you go to the right one if you are interested. This is what I wrote in my LLAMA blog:

Cedric, our guide, had reserved the best table--one that Fred, Pat, and company had when they were there--but apparently it was given to someone else. Nevertheless, we had a perfectly good table with nice views of the water and Sugarloaf. We began lunch with Caipirinhas, which are good, but very strong. Then we hit the buffet for appetizers. For those who don’t know how these restaurants work, you are given little cards that on one side say you are interested in trying more of the meats that are continually circulating the room (usually by waiters carrying large skewers) or whether you are done (or at least pausing). I constantly forgot to flip my card when I was pausing, but everything is pretty easy going. I think the beef items were best, especially the flank steak, which I had been told about. I skipped some of the more exotic items, like chicken hearts, which Cedric really liked. The choices included beef filet, prime rib, lamb chops, leg of lamb, pork, other cuts of steaks, etc.

It was quite an experience.

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Eugene

We have used guides (or in one case he was more of a just a driver who drove us anywhere WE asked to go) from H. Stern as well as Saban jewelers. We have also bought jewelry from both on our own will. We have never encountered a hard sell from either company. We played poker on board and became friends with Gabe Hazan and his father, owners of Saban. We consider them friends and they've even visited us at our SoCa home without any mention of buying jewelry. I know many who have used the jewelers on board as guides/drivers and never purchased anything. If you have no intention or desire to look at jewelry, just say so firmly. We have never had a bad experience with any of the jewelers on board.

Can't speak about the luggage...we have never disembarked in Rio before so Grand Prix disembarkation will be our first.

Olivia, we also ate lunch at Porcao with a fabulous view of Sugarloaf. We'll definitely go back there on Grand Prix. Our fabulous and funny guide's name was Manu (Emanuel) (manu@nextel.br.blackberry.com) who took us to some great out of the way places (loved the lunch at the waterfront in the fort). We've seen most of the sights in Rio, so maybe we'll book him to go to Petropolis. If anyone is interested, let me know.