Back in Florida, again.....with yet another trip to Atlanta this week. But yesterday I could escape a little to a magical world created by Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
I took a day to visit friends on a cruise ship that had docked in Port Canaveral...only a couple of hours from where I live.
I SO WANT TO BE ON THE NAVIGATOR ....RIGHT NOW!
The Regent Seven Seas Navigator is the epitome of what I want to do when I "grow up"! My friends tell me that there are passengers aboard who live on the ship and go with its crew and its passengers wherever the ship goes on its World Cruise itinerary. They laughed and said that instead of purchasing real estate in Florida (like so many of us)...these folks just spend their pensions enjoying ports in Europe....Asia...Africa...and South America! Oh what a life!
The Navigator is a wonderful small ship with only 490 passengers aboard and even when she is full there are 1.4 crew members to serve every passenger aboard. Wow...not that I would like to be served every day of my life...however being aboard for just day really made me realize what I have been missing.
Never having been a "cruise person"...(I have always preferred the trips where I can hike and kayak or learn to tango...i.e...the active life), yesterday I learned that there is no slouching here. You can be as active or as inactive as you want.
As we sat in the bar overlooking the port...I saw people jogging and walking...swimming in the pool...(or just enjoying the sun deck). Many of the passengers met ashore for air boat rides into the famous alligator filled mangrove swamps that we have here in Florida. There are others that were off kayaking in the nearby waters of Cape Canaveral. Still others went to the Kennedy Space Center touring with views of the latest and newest Atlas Missile.
So as my friends tell me their itinerary for the next few days...I am enthralled and instead of being anxious to get home and ride my bike or swim in my pool....I stick around for the rest of the story.
The Navigator is bound for Charleston and Bermuda on this itinerary. Somewhat mundane....but in this day of erupting volcano's and earthquakes....what could be better that an idyllic trip to the old south and then to the lovely island nation of Bermuda. From there she will travel back to New York then on to San Francisco and Alaska and from there to Asia for late summer and fall. She then cruises around the South Pacific until she returns to San Francisco late in December. Then its back to Ft. Lauderdale through the Panama Canal and we start all over again.
I have to say that each stateroom is beautiful and the cruise line has just spent $20,000,000.00 per cabin on upgrades. That is $20,000,000.00 on an average of 316ft. Can you just imagine what any of us could do with that in our homes? How divine! Obviously the rooms were lovely and my friend tells me of the evening that she didn't want to go to any of the 3 fabulous restaurants aboard....even though all are "country club casual" She opted to stay in sweats and have another couple over (yes 4 in a cruise cabin) to comfortably enjoy dinner and a movie. There was full cabin service on a full sized table with a wine steward and 4 courses served to them by their waiter. Best of all...these ships are all inclusive so this evening of fun and special services was all part of the price..no tips...no extra charges.
Even shore excursions are included for no extra cost. Of course if you want a helicopter ride over the Eiffel Tower or something really special...there is a surcharge....but in general, the surcharges are not a lot for the value you get.
Everything....even your bar bill and your stocked fridge in your cabin are included!
So...as I sit here getting ready to make my last trip to Atlanta to get the parents...I am just dreaming of when I can take the time to live the luxurious life of cruising with Regent Seven Seas Cruises on one of their 3 fabulous ships.
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