And my nominee for FUN3 in 2012 is UN-SPLASHED SEA BREEZES on the SS Navigator ~ 11 nights departing April 3rd, 2012 from Ft. Lauderdale with port calls in Port Canaveral, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, Charleston, So. Carolina, Wilmington, No. Carolina, cruising the Atlantic Ocean, Hamilton, Bermuda (two overnights), St. George's, Bermuda, cruising the Atlantic Ocean and finally Nassau, Bahamas before returning to Ft. Lauderdale. Check it out at Regent Seven Seas Navigator Colonial America Bermuda cruise 2012

I second that. It looks like some great ports.

I can only wonder what the excursions would be in Wilmington, NC. Maybe to the Battleship North Carolina, some TV and movie recording studios or the beaches, but other than those, not that much exciting there.

Aren't there some plantations, Beth? The North Carolina is worthwhile.

I can't understand why they scheduled Wilmington, as it would appear the Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk, etc. are too far to tour from there. The battleship North Carolina, Cape Fear, the historic district, and boating on the river are all worthy attractions and, if the weather is good, there are loads of beaches. Both fishing and golf are reputed to be excellent in that area. Think about it, what is there to see or do in most the Caribbean ports, besides beaches and seaside shopping complexes you must traverse, seemingly endlessly, to get off the ship and into the port itself, as in Cosumel and Turks & Calicos, for example.

Six of seven ports on the cruise are either great (Savannah and Charleston plus both of the Bermuda ports) or good to very good. And we’ve done both the eastern and western Caribbean on FUN1 and 2!

love the idea of Turks and Caicos! tks....love planning ahead!

Kathy, I just thought about that. Orton and Poplar Grove Plantations are near Wilmington.

Michael, you are right. Golfing and fishing are available ... not activities I engage in... so I didn't think of those.

Who knows, Wilmington, NC might be the "new find." It will certainly be good for the NC economy. I live two hours away, so will be available for visits and local guided tours!!

I am eager for the 2012 full schedules to come out before I make up my mind.
Mike, do you think Bermuda will be too cold at the beginning of April? I just looked at last years temps and it was in the high 60's.

Here are the two I like best so far.
The Carib itinerary includes Tortola andthere's the Panama canal cruise which is priced so good for a 17 day cruise.

I couldn't fit all the days into the picture of this Panama cruise itinerary but it ends in San Francisco.




And the other one I liked:

The 8 Nov 11 and 18 Nov 11 Caribbean cruises on Navigator are best priced; $3999 for Cat H.

With CANADA in Oct 11 Antarctica in Jan 12; I don't think we will be able to fit in a FUN3 next winter.

Karen, Is that FLL-FLL the one you meant to paste in? It departs next month on 2/20/11. It always takes some time for me to adjust to the new year.

Since we're doing NILE 2 in March 2012, we probably won't cruise with Regent until late 2012 or sometime in 2013. But, who knows?!

Karen, I'm with you. I like the April 14-May 1, 2012, 17 days FLL to SFO the best; panama canal and 8 sea days.

Apr 14 Sat Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Elegant Casual 5:00 pm

Apr 15 Sun Cruise the Atlantic Ocean, International Waters Elegant Casual

Apr 16 Mon George Town, Cayman Islands Elegant Casual 10:00 am 6:00 pm

Apr 17 Tue Cruise the Caribbean Sea, International Waters Elegant Casual

Apr 18 Wed Cartagena, Colombia Elegant Casual 8:00 am 1:00 pm

Apr 19 Thu Transit the Panama Canal, International Waters Elegant Casual

Apr 20 Fri Cruise the Gulf of Panama, International Waters Elegant Casual

Apr 21 Sat Puntarenas, Costa Rica Elegant Casual 8:00 am 8:00 pm

Apr 22 Sun Cruise the Pacific Ocean, International Waters Elegant Casual

Apr 23 Mon Puerto Chiapis, Mexico Elegant Casual 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Apr 24 Tue Huatulco, Mexico Elegant Casual 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Apr 25 Wed Acapulco, Mexico Elegant Casual 9:00 am 6:00 pm

Apr 26 Thu Cruise the Coast of Mexico, International Waters Elegant Casual

Apr 27 Fri Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Elegant Casual 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Apr 28 Sat Cruise the Coast of Baja, International Waters Elegant Casual

Apr 29 Sun San Diego, California Elegant Casual 1:00 pm 11:00 pm

Apr 30 Mon Cruise the Coast of California, International Waters Elegant Casual

May 01 Tue San Francisco, California

OH DANG, you are right Kim, I am in the wrong year! I will take that one out of my to dos and add the right one! No Virgin Gorda in the correct date, though

I really like the Panama canal cruise. FLL to SF works really good for us in So. CAL. Dates can work also. Single supp will be a question. Have not looked that up.

We really liked the XMAS - NYs cruise, but with the potential of a Feb cruise to Asia (Singapore to Dubai), I don't think it would be doable. We are currently signed up for the Panama canal trip in April.

What year Andi ?

Marcie:

it is the 2012 Panama trip (according to Andi)

Doug

Yes, Doug is right. We are already booked for the next 12 months on ROAR, Tsar and ZODIAC. We aren't even sure we can afford the Panama Canal trip (time and money) after ZODIAC in 2012.

I notice pricing is often considerably better for Navigator cruises than Mariner or Voyager cruises.

The Feb cruise is a potential 2013 cruise. I hope Ngaire will also be able to fit in either a Yangtze River or Mekong Delta cruise in 2013.

Karen, I agree with you, also. Pricing sounds great for the Panama Canal cruise. Although, I LOVE the laid back ports for the other one you mentioned.....too bad:( There's nothing else like that one in 2012, huh?

Karen, the Panama Canal cruise is interesting and reasonably well-priced, particularly for a 17 day cruise. But that's a bit long for many people still working, isn't it? We've all done the East Caribbean two years ago on FUN1, right, it has many of the same ports, and it's the same length and price as the Bermuda cruise. I'd rather do something different, and I think the Colonial America - Bermuda - Bahamas cruise is a really great itinerary.

April-May is the high season in Bermuda, or it used to be. We wanted to go for a week or long weekend in early to mid-May a couple of years ago, but couldn't get an acceptable reservation (the hotel we honeymooned at, the Sonesta Beach, was closed for renovations, and the other 4-5 star places were booked up).

MIke, you might be right about it being too long. Kimmi, there are several 2012 cruises that come close to what I originally posted. I replaced it up there with one of them that looks just as good!

It seems there are many 2012 to choose from I agree karen. I would like something to to with Bermuda as well, we were there in Oct 2009 and had nice weather 80's. and really enjoyed it. Just FYI Count: Sonesta Beach Resort is now a crater in the ground, one of the most pristine pieces of property in Bermuda and nothing there. I used to work for Sonesta in the 90's I believe a Wyndham was suppost to go in its place but when construction money dried up so did the plans to build something new. I like the idea of a Panama canal trip since we have not done that yet as well. decisions decisions

FV

My sister told me something like that; she and her husband also honeymooned there a few years after we did, also in the 1960s. When we stayed there (May, '65) it was the Carlton Beach - we still have a logo ashtray they let us take! A beautiful place!

For those worried about the weather, I got a 2nd degree sunburn on my legs and feet in less than an hour at lunch the second day we were there, and was hors d'combat for about three days - on our honeymoon! At the time, a real bummer!

My sister or brother-in-law indicated there were some environmental holdups that delayed re-building for a long time, screwing the project up, hopefully not forever. It would be fun to go back in 2015 for our 50th.

"I like the idea of a Panama canal trip since we have not done that yet as well. decisions decisions"

FV

we do, too, Frank :hug: :hug:

I know that a lot of you have planned on doing a Panama Canal cruise next April for FUN3...but is anyone considering the East Coast/Bermuda/Bahamas cruise mentioned above? I really like the itinerary on that one, and the shorter time frame would make it more doable for Mike and me. I'd just like to know if anyone else is planning on it (might make it easier to convince Mike that it is a must for us to do!!).

My husband and I are signed up for the East Coast/Bermuda/Bahamas cruise. We like the itinerary and the shorter time. We had a great time on FUN2.
Ron and Sue

We signed up for the cruise on FUN2, and still tentatively plan to take it. The only potential obstacle is that we are also booked on CANADA in October 2011, which also calls at Charleston and Savannah. At this point, it's about 60/40 we will go.

Being from just south of Savannah, I think you will find more than enough to do in both Savannah and Charleston to justify both cruises (I could easily spend a week in each and not see everything). Those two cities are the high points, in my opinion, on this itinerary. I will probably contact B&K today to see about booking it...I just need to justify 4 days in Bermuda to Mike. Can anyone tell me what there is to do in Bermuda for 4 days???

Tami, I've never been to either Savannah or Charleston. Can you take a look at the typical excursions there and suggest what you think would be good? Would really appreciate the input of a "local". Funny, most of my travel in the states has been to ski resorts in the Rockies, Florida, Arizona and California.

good question O - have been to both cities few times but do remember Elizabeth on 37th? in Savannah - yum!!!

Olivia, let me take a detailed look at the excursions and I'll give you my opinion on the best ones. A quick glance told me that, for Savannah at least, Mike and I would probably opt for the Hop On Hop Off bus, because then we can just go see whatever looks interesting to us, at our own pace. But there might be some better tours for someone who has never been there. I'll look into it and let you know tomorrow.

Joanna, I don't know Elizabeth's, but ALL the food is good in Savannah. Of course, my favorite part is that you can get drinks in to-go cups and walk all through the town with drinks in hand, legally. Suffice it to say that the last time we were there and did the Haunted Pub Crawl, we were indeed crawling back to our hotel by the time it was all over!!!

Thank you, Tami! I am a HOHO fan in some ports, but sometimes they are really long loop..like in Paris

Olivia, when we did the HOHO tour in Savannah last year, I think it only took about 1 1/2 hours to get through all 14 stops (depending on how crowded it got). It is a good option for someone who wants to be very independent, but I did see some other tours which look good as well. This will be a bit long, but here goes:

Savannah Tours:
Private Historic Overview: a simple trolley tour with minimal walking and only 1.5 hours long...probably not a great tour if you really want to get the in-depth history
Paula Deen Tour : I don't get this one, as you don't even go to her restaurant (you eat at Bubba's Oyster House instead!)...I wouldn't bother
Savannah Experience : This is the most comprehensive tour, and is in a mini-bus rather than a trolley (which can be a bit uncomfortable). This is the one Mike and I would probably do, if not the HOHO bus
Tybee Island, Beach, and Fort Jackson : It is a long ride to the beach, and quite frankly, there isn't much to see there. Fort Jackson is interesting, and you can still see the cannonballs embedded in some of the walls, from where the Yankees attacked from the river. But this is more a tour for those who are really interested in military history
Mighty 8th Air Force Museum : Another military museum...Mike and I were actually assigned to 8th AF when we were in the Air Force, and I don't care to see it!!! Really for military buffs

You can also do a Savannah Highlights tour from Charleston when you're docked there, but there is so much to do in Charleston, I don't think I'd bother doing that

Charleston Tours:
Historic Charleston City Tour : The shortest of the Charleston tours...probably best for those who really don't care to spend much time in the city
Boone Hall Plantation and Historic Charleston : The historic tour, plus a tour of a "real" plantation...good if you're interested in life back in the plantation days
Historic Walking Tour with Nathanial Russell House : You will see a lot less on this tour than on one of the bus tours, but you will also get more up close and personal with what you do see...it would simply be personal preference if that is what you want
Fort Sumpter and Historic Charleston : Fort Sumpter is where the Civil War began, and this is a must do if you're a Civil War fan. It really is an excellent tour, because it combines Fort Sumpter with the Historic tour...but you've got to be interested in history to enjoy this one, I would think (the boat ride to the fort is really beautiful, though, and you get to see the gorgeous houses along the Battery, from the water). Mike and I would probably do this one, even though we've been to Sumpter before (either that, or the Plantation one)
Historic Charleston Carriage Tour : I wouldn't do this one as a stand alone tour, but it might be nice if you can do it in conjunction with another, more comprehensive tour
Ghosts of Charleston Walking Tour : This is an evening tour, and sounds like fun, but again, only if you can add it on in addition to one of the more comprehensive tours
Aquarium and Sea Turtle Hospital : Unless you're really an animal lover, I wouldn't do this one, unless you've been to Charleston before and have seen everything else there is to see
Magnolia Gardens : Same as aquarium...I wouldn't do unless you've been to Charleston before

Hope this helps. Weather should be great there whether you go in October or April (although it will be getting hot in April). Email or message me if you have any questions or need any other information.

Tami they both are fun interesting places - we'd go every other yr to one or the other not bad drive from here - have not been in awhile 6 yrs?? We'd stay at B&B's eat and drink and have fun!!

Yeah, we're booked on the 3 April 2012 Navigator Colonial Coastal and Bermuda/Bahamas cruise!!! Can't wait. Now I just have to figure out how it gets named, and start a thread just for it.

Savannah and Charleston, here we come!!! :app:

I saw above some people wondering what you could do for excursions in Wilmington. Lots of possibilities. My husband and I have spent quite a lot there the last 3 years that my son has been stationed at Camp LeJeune. The battleship is great--not to be missed. There is really good unique shopping downtown. There are several historic homes and plantations both in Wilmington and nearby that are really interesting. The old main part of Wilmington is really beautiful. I would definitely do this cruise if the boy were still going to be at CLJ, but hopefully he will be out and safe at home.

Tami, Just noticed it’s really only 2½ days in Bermuda – 1½ days in Hamilton from 1PM Monday Apr 9th to 6:30 AM Wednesday April 11th when the ship moves to St. George arriving at 8:30 AM and departing at 4:00 PM the same day. I think there’s plenty to do in Bermuda to fill that amount of time. TripAdvisor lists 209 (see http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g147255-Activities-oa20-Bermuda.html)

You're right...it is really only 1 1/2 days in Hamilton and a day in St. Georges. I hadn't really looked at the itinerary that closely until now. Either way, that wasn't going to be a deal-breaker for me...as long as I get to go "home" (ie...Savannah and Charleston), I'm happy!! Thanks for the tip about TripAdvisor. It's a great site for researching destinations.

Any thoughts on a name for this one? Seems we're the PRE-FUN3 group, as ours will be the cruise directly before FUN3 (we'll try to keep the ship in good shape for all you FUN3'ers!). But I like the idea of a separate, distinct name.

Tami, officially you need 10 people on a cruise before I have a teapot poll and name it. But if you just want to name it, that's fine with me too! Maybe you can start a roll call and see how many you have?

Hi Karen,

I think we've only got 6 people so far, but it is early yet. I was trying to think of a name we could use, at least until something better comes up, and I keep coming up with BUBBA (referring to Forrest Gump, which was filmed in Savannah). BUBBA as in Battlegrounds and the Ultimate Bermuda and Bahama Adventure??? I'm not sure how to start a roll call, or how any of this works, but please let me know if there's something I can do to get this thing rolling. Thanks a bunch.