Last Update: 02-SEP-2018
This was the smallest ship that we have gone on, with 684 passengers. "Regatta, Oceania's first vessel, offers a destination-oriented cruise experience. Regatta is aimed at cruisers who love getting a good bang for a buck without skimping on the luxuries they've come to expect."
We thought the food was outstanding and usually ate on the Tapas terrace or cafe. Ken loved the country club casual. He only dressed in long pants for the specialty restaurants!
At breakfast, the Cafe has one omelet station (which never seemed overcrowded) and endless platters of fresh fruit, smoked fish, and baked goodies (chocolate croissants!) amid the requisite breakfast fare.
The Terrace Cafe lunch is likewise pretty good with lots of choices such as crispy spring rolls, perfectly grilled fish, sushi and yes, the obligatory pizza station. Ken enjoyed the cheeseburgers and chicken grilled outside.
The dinner-only specialty restaurants are top-drawer, require reservations, and have no surcharge. The clubby-classic-in-the-making Polo Grill is the best--melt-in-your-mouth dry-aged steaks, lamb and veal along with a good selection of fresh seafood.
The Maine lobster was excellent and the crab cake appetizer superb--lump crab and no fillers! Filet mignon was excellent but not too big!
High tea is served daily at 4 p.m. in Horizons. The pastries and tea sandwiches are nice, but they wheel around a cart with chocolate cheesecake among others! Other cruiselines have High Tea only at days at sea.
Amazing at the number of ships in the port
Downtown Miami... Incredible construction boom. Not real smart in such a high risk storm area.
Mary ready for the lifeboat drill.
Container ships in the port
Back side of Miami Beach
Developement on Virginia Key
Looking back at the port
Miami Beach
Looking back at the mess
Pilot leaving
Looking at the ships that left before us.
A good sign... Most everyone has gone below.
Sunset over Miami.
Sunset over Cuba after a full day at sea.
Where is everyone ???
Interesting art on the ship... Who knows what the hell it is ??
Around the ship
Sunset off the coast of the Dominican Republic
Messing with the time elapsed photos to make the radar antennas become solid.
Again, they are all asleep at 9pm
This is the second time we've been to Virgin Gorda. The first time was on a cruise where we stopped at Tortola and took Speedy's ferry to Virgin Gorda and then to the Baths. This time we went to Spring Bay via taxi. To the east of The Baths is Spring Bay. The giant boulders line the beach and there are excellent swimming and snorkelling opportunities for novices and professionals alike. The well-manicured lawn leading to the beach is also a favourite for picnic and recreational games. Its small coves, which provide safe snorkeling are popular with charter boat guests, who moor their boats in the area. Massive boulders form coves that allow a steady but calm flow of water back and forth. Marine life is vibrant at Spring Bay since fishing is not permitted. Cabs were plentiful.
Nobody was there when we arrived and a few folks came over from the Baths, because it was windy and rough. The snorkeling was pretty good and we saw cuttlefish. Cuttlefish are the most incredible looking creatures. A cuttlefish has ten arms (eight shorter and two longer tentacles) and a chalky internal shell. This part is what you often find washed up on the shore (budgie food). One pair of arms is longer than the rest and is used to capture prey.
Looking down towards the Baths
Looking back towards Tortola
Virgin Gorda
Spring Bay
Dock Area
We went for a walk around the town.
Leaving Virgin Gorda and heading towards Gustavia, St. Barthelemy, Guadeloupe
Sunset over the BVI's and the USVI
This was the second time we've been to St. Bart's--10 years ago on our first cruise we stopped here. This day was the worst weather we've ever had in the Caribbean. It rained all day and we walked to Shell Beach--it was drizzling but warm. We spoke to a teenager who said that it had been raining for 4 days--unheard of!
Shell Beach looked the same and Ken was disappointed since there were no topless sunbathers, as we saw in 1997! We saw many yachts in the harbor. The SeaDream, a luxury cruise yacht was here, along with the Prinsendam, HollandAmerica.
We shopped for French wine, rum and diet coke.
Shell Beach on a rain day !!
Looking around the port
Looking at Nevis in the clouds
Looking up at Saba from the South East
Not much of a sunset tonight !
This is the second time we've come to Dominica, having been there in 2006. "The Nature Island" it's called, with 365 rivers (one for every day), waterfalls, hot springs and boiling lakes, 5000' mountains and black sand beaches. Columbus landed here and it is said that were he to return today he would still recognize it. November 3rd, 1493 Columbus first sighted Wai'tukubuli and renamed it Dominica (not to be mistaken with Dominican Republic). From his notes: "Dominica is remarkable for the beauty of its mountain and the amenity of its verdure and must be seen to be believed."
English is the official language, but a French patois is widely spoken. The Caribs, the indigenous people of the Caribbean, still live here in the mountainous Northeast.
We took an island tour from a local taxi driver. He was very good, and it was a good value at $25 per person--3 hour tour, which took us to Trafalgar Falls and Wotten Waven Sulfur Springs. Gases and steam can be seen in many areas of Wotten Waven.
The people are friendly on this "nature's Isle".
Trafalgar Falls. These famous twin waterfalls are a 20 minute drive from Roseau. A pleasant, short walk takes one from the Visitors Centre to a good viewing platform--$2.00 pp. Guide not required but they gang up on you as you leave the taxi, so you have to pay a guide an additional $2 pp.
Wotten Waven Sulfur Springs. Guide greets you at the taxi and explains the vegetation and hot springs. He has sulfur face creme to sell but nobody bought any. Strong sulfur smell and interesting to see the boiling water.
We walked into the town, which was a good 20-30 minute walk since we were not docked in Roseau. Interesting to see the grocery store and market.
Intersting place to walk around... During the day !!
Looking up at the Chinese built stadium
I love these little vans
Roseau Market
Utility nightmare !!
Walking back to the ship along the Chinese built seawall
Port facility
Less ships than last year
Boring sunset
This is the 4th time I have been to St. Lucia, since I spent 10 days there in the late 1980's. Ken wanted to see the drive-in volcano, so as we left the tourist shopping area, we hired a taxi to take us to Soufriere. We met another couple who had negotiated a good deal in a new van, but it filled up with 10 people. Ken took the front seat and I sat with a couple from Ireland, and off we went!
This volcanic island is 238 sq. miles (616 sq. km), 27 miles long, 14 miles wide with a combination of high mountains, forests, low lying lands and beaches. A central mountain range runs the length of the island, with peaks ranging between 1000 and 3145 feet. Forests dominate the mountains, while jasmine, scarlet chenille and wild orchids provide splashes of colour to the lush green slopes. The two towering volcanic cones on the southwest coast, Gros Piton (797m) and Petit Piton (750m) are one of the Caribbean's most famous landmarks.
The weather was pretty good and we enjoyed watching the lush foliage on our way to Soufriere. The drive-in volcano was interesting and more developed than I remember from my previous visit in the 1980's. The botanical gardens are pretty and I enjoyed watching the brilliant hummingbirds! Our Canadian friends took a photo of the lizard on the Bird-of-Paradise!
The highest point on the island is Mt. Gimmie at 3,145 ft. The sea floor aroun St. Lucia is over 4,500 feet deep.
Took the standard stop over looking Castries where the locals try to get you to buy some of the crap that they peddle.
Views along the road to Soufriere. The towns that we pass thru are Anse La Raye and Canaries.
Stop at the overlook above the town of Soufriere. The Pitons in the background.
Gros Piton reaches 2,619 feet and Petit Piton is 2,461 feet above sea level. They rise from the sea's surface at a 55 degree angle accentuating and perhaps even exaggerating their heights.
Mango
No matter what part of the 3rd world we are in the dogs always look the same
We need billboards like this in the States !!
Downtown Soufriere
We made it to the Sulpfur Springs. The is site of the worlds only drive in volcano. The water boils at 212 F but the superheated steam is hotter at 340 F. The black color is caused by a chemical reaction between the sulphur and iron.
Sulphur Springs Drive-In Volcano near Soufriere (French for Sulphur). The sulphur springs from which the town of Soufriere got its name, are a weak spot in the crust of an enormous collapsed crater.
The last major volcanic eruption in St Lucia occurred about 40,000 years ago and the last minor one was in 1780.
This caldera is probably connected to the ocean because reactions increase when the full moon causes high tides.
Minding ??? Not sure what is being said here.
A pool area to soak in the mineral water from the springs. Here we had to deal with the locals trying to sell us the water.
Looking back at the entrance to the park
Diamond Botanical Gardens and Toraille Waterfall
Waxrose
Anthurium
Heliconia
Waxrose
Another look at the Pitons
The drive back to Castries
Marigot Bay where Dr. Doolittle was filmed.
American junk food... Not good !!
A school being built by China and we later passed a new hospitol being built by china. Not good !!
We have Bj's wholesale clubs and they have Big J's wholesale clubs... Strange....
Views from the ship
Frigate Bird.
A big ship. P&O, Oceana
The St. Lucia Navy ???
One of the only places that I have looked down a runway from a cruise ship
A commuter plane had to go around while we were passing the end of the runway
Another boring sunset
