Second Time a Charm on Regent's Grandeur

Georgina and Humberto in Bonaire

Prime 7 server Josephine

By GEORGINA CRUZ
Special to North palm Beach Life

            We had been on Regent Seven Seas’ Grandeur during her inaugural season in the winter of 2023-24 and thought it was grand. So this winter we were tempted to return by an itinerary that visited some less frequented gems of Central America along with popular Caribbean islands including Cozumel, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

            Well, though the saying goes that “three’s a charm,” we found that two can be charming too. Some of the highlights of the itinerary included a stop in Roatan, Honduras which invited us to sample Central America’s natural beauty with a tour on glass-bottomed kayak over a tropical reef with a rainbow of sea life and with a visit to the bird sanctuary and animal reserve of Mayan Eden park. We opted for the latter and we came across, among other things, colorful macaws, butterflies and adorable capuchin monkeys who were as curious of us as we were of them. We also got close and personal with toucans with tiny-rainbow-like beaks who perched on our arms and head to get some grape treats.

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Georgina with toucans in Roatan

               In some of the ports in the itinerary, tours to cities of the fascinating and mysterious Mayan civilization were highlighted –that civilization is still much in the news as just last year a PhD student at Tulane, Luke Auld-Thomas, using a Google search discovered a Mayan city buried for centuries in a Mexican jungle.  In Belize tours were featured (excursions are included in Regent Seven Seas’ cruises) to the ceremonial centers of Caracol, Altun Ha, Lamanai and Xunantunich and in another Central American port, Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala, a popular tour takes to the Quirigua archeological center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is estimated to have been inhabited since the second century. These ruins have outstanding monuments from the 8th century and an impressive series of carved stelae.

               The Mayan civilization’s gifts to the world include, among other things, pyramids, impressive achievements in astronomy and mathematics that resulted in very precise calendars, and as our guide, Jorge, told us, “two of the greatest delights of our daily lives: chocolate and avocados.” Jorge is right!

               During the stops on Caribbean islands we opted for a cultural experience in Cozumel, an island that, by the way, the Maya considered their Eden, from where, according to legend, they had come out as bees from a hive to populate places in the Yucatan, Guatemala and Belize. On this tour we appreciated that great and delicious gift of the Maya to the world: chocolate. During a visit to the Mayan Cacao Company we learned how the Maya used chocolate in ceremonies and medicine in addition to in their food and we tried one of the local chocolates –delicious!

               During the stop in Falmouth, Jamaica an included tour option was a visit to the stately Good Hope Plantation, an 18th century Great House in wide acreage and tasted local rums and on Grand Cayman, an excursion from the ship took us to sample delicious cakes –another delight!

               And speaking of delights, upon our return from each adventure in Central America and Caribbean islands, our ship welcomed us with a great variety of restaurants with gourmet fare. Among our favorites are the Compass Rose, with design and décor that recalls the legendary Catalan genius, Antoni Gaudí, with a style that is evocative of his natural forms. This restaurant, the ship’s main dining room, serves international specialties and offers guests the possibility of designing their own meals: the menu has, in addition to special dishes, a long list of main courses including filet mignon, lobster, salmon and other fish and seafood, chicken, lamb and more; a list of vegetables including baked potatoes and asparagus, and a list of sauces to choose from and one can also indicate how each dish is cooked, so each evening we could design our own dinners. It’s genial!

               Other restaurants we loved again on our second cruise on the Grandeur include Pacific Rim, with Asian specialties; Chartreuse, featuring French dishes; Prime 7, offering steakhouse fare where one of my favorite lunches was baby rack ribs with corn on the cob and twice-baked potato; and La Veranda Sette Mari, with Italian food. In all the restaurants, wines and beers are included in the cruise fare as are cocktails in all the bars, so guests do not have to sign cheques each time they have a glass of wine.

               In days spent at sea we enjoyed spending time in the ship’s lovely pool deck, the fitness center and spa and we loved participating in activities such as trivia contests, musical teas, cooking classes and other entertainment. In the evenings we had music in the lounges and Broadway-style shows to keep us entertained and Mother Nature did her part too with splendid sunrises and sunsets and canopies of stars.

               And, of course, we spent time on our suite’s terrace  –all accommodations on the Regent Seven Seas Grandeur are suites, spacious and comfortable, and all with verandas. And we did not miss any of the entrances and departures from the ports in Central America and the Caribbean that we were blessed to be able to visit from our veranda and from the ship’s beautiful observation lounge.

               So since our second voyage on the Grandeur was charming, we are now determined to see if indeed three is a charm too and booked her again for December!

 Information: For more information about the ships of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, visit www.rssc.com.
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