Cruise Details

We will be sailing on the Regent Seven Seas Navigator.  This is the same ship we sailed on our Alaskan cruise several years ago.

The Navigator is a smaller ship with only 245 rooms and holds up to 500 passengers.  The Navigator will have just finished a 128 day around the world cruise shortly before we board.

Regent is an all inclusive cruise line with the fare including all tips, all beverages (including alcohol and wines), specialty dining, and a selection of shore excursions in each port of call.  Also included is Internet access, round trip airfare and in some suites, a pre-cruise hotel accommodations.
This particular cruise is also a Smithsonian Journey.  That means we will have a guest lecturer on board who is a specialist in the Amazon.  Our Alaskan cruise also had this feature and it provided an excellent opportunity to learn more about the ports we visited and the local flora and fauna.

Our cruise will last 25 days, beginning in Miami, FL on May 23, 2017.  We plan on arriving a couple of days before and are considering several activities including a food tour, an Everglades tour and Harbor tours.  The Amazon portion of the cruise is about 7 days with the highlight of the cruise being an over night stay in a local Eco-Lodge.  While at the lodge, we will hike the rain forest and experience the river at night by boat.

We are pleased to have in hand the required Brazilian visas and all needed vaccination documentation.  Today we picked up our Malaria prophylaxis which must be taken daily starting two days before potential exposure through seven days post potential exposure.

Pre-Trip Preparations

We are now less than four weeks out from our adventure and beginning to be overwhelmed by all the details of preparing for a trip of this length!
By way of an overview of our sojourn to the equator, we are driving to Miami, where we will board our cruise ship, the Regent Navigator.  The cruise itself is 25 days with several ports of call in the Caribbean on the way to the Amazon.  Sailing down the Amazon to the Brazilian city of Manaus and back to the Atlantic Ocean will take 7 days.  The return to the US includes stops at Devil's Island and a few additional Caribbean Islands and will have us back in Miami where we will pack up the car and drive back to Indy.

Packing has begun....that means we have begun selecting items we THINK we want to take and stacking them on the bed in the spare bedroom.  We need to plan for the sun and surf of the Islands, the heat, humidity and BUGS of the Amazon, and the formal dress of the cruise ship.  Besides clothing, there are electronics (iPads, Photo equipment, Computers, etc.), medications and leisure activity items (books, music, videos) that require careful consideration.

We are making progress on the travel related vaccines.  We declined getting the Yellow Fever vaccine due to the high risk of side effects in those over the age of 60.  We will be taking Malaria prophylaxis meds.  One item pending on the "to do" list is to treat one or two sets of clothing with Premethin to repel mosquitoes while on our Eco Lodge excursion (more on that later).

We have checked off a number of pre-cruise items on the to do list - stopping the newspaper, holding the mail, and purchasing most recommended clothing items (including that stylish hat with the netting.)  Still need to look for a new blouse to complete an evening wear ensemble.