Mr Rumor

Good afternoon on Sea Day 2!   We have some swells due to bad weather up north, but they don’t seem to to be crimping anyone’s style.  It’s 64F at the moment and partly sunny.  

This is my first chance to mention that Regent introduced a new Saturday morning tradition on Splendor yesterday, “Saturday Marys.”  Regent’s plan is to roll out “Mary” fleetwide within the next few months!

Assistant F&B Director Nebojsa serves up one of Splendor’s first trio of Bloody Marys.  

13 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

The more I learn about Captain Serena the more I regret that she won't be on board for our 14 March cruise.  What a shame!!  But she certainly deserves some leave.

Gerry, Captain Serena confirmed to me she will be leaving the Splendor on February 25.  She spent seven months in 2019 in Ancona, with only two one-week breaks, so, yep, she needs a break.  She’ll return to her beloved Splendor in mid-May!

6 hours ago, Zqueeze1 said:

Does the Splendor have an infinity pool like the Explorer?  How is the chow onboard?  We need food porn. 
 
All of the comments about the Splendor and the wonderful time all are having has us contemplating cancelling an Oct cruise and booking the nine day Splendor cruise departing Miami on 28 Nov!  Karen and John better book this, too.

Yes, on the infinity pool, Z.  Haven’t had a chance to visit it yet.

So far, so delicious on the grub.  How about a little Pacific Rim food porn, for starters?  Splendor has debuted two new PR desserts; one of them is Don Papa Rum Cake, with white chocolate coconut mousse.  It’s great!

6 hours ago, forgap said:

Rich, a part of me wants you to enjoy the ship, enjoy the sites, and enjoy your time with Ginny.  Another part of me wants pictures and narrative every hour on the hour.   What could possibly be preventing you from giving minute by minute live updates like the New York Times does?  😎

Ha, the internet going down, like it did tonight, Jennifer!  But, rest assured, John Paul Rumor has just begun to blog!

Look what was here to greet us when we returned to our room tonight.  We’re on the Maiden Voyage after all!  Now bring on the MV door plaque!

On our way to Seville (about one hour and 45 minutes, by the way) our bus guide, Barbara, estimated we’d have time to cover two of Seville’s world famed attractions, plus some shopping and snacking, in our 4.5 hours on our own.  She nailed it!

The Alcazar was our must of musts, so we made a beeline for it.  Our early arrival ensured a short wait in line to buy tickets.  By 10 a.m. we were inside and letting fly our first  “Wow’s!”

After we exited, the line at the Cathedral of Seville looked a little too long so we decided to trek to Plaza Espana.  Even with the morning overcast skies (rare for perennially sunny Seville), the Plaza and neighboring areas proved to be a photographer’s dream.  

Rounding out our lovely visit, as the sun broke through the cloud cover, was a sandwich and chips “takeaway” from a taberna and some shopping that put a fresh spring in Ginny’s step.

I’m so glad we stretched for this full day excursion. Our Barcelona intensive + our Seville appetizer has whet my appetite for mas Espana.  I’ve already floated the motion of a Spain land tour to Ginny.  She didn’t say no!

At the Alcazar:

At Plaza Espana:

Good early foggy morning from Cadiz, one of the oldest cities in Europe.

But we won’t be seeing much of it, as we are on the longest excursion of the day, the eight hour “Seville on Your Own.”  Meeting in the Constellation  Theater in minutes!

It was a totally unexpected and emotional moment on the Constellation Theater stage.  After 13 Regent officers and staff members took their usual turns introducing themselves at the Captain’s Welcome Reception tonight, Captain Serena surprised the lot by walking up to each and addressing each face to face.  She made a couple of teasing comments (i.e., saying of Staff Captain Diego:  “I knew him when he had hair!”).  But she mainly spoke in specific terms of her love and appreciation for each. All had spent weeks to months in Ancona helping give birth to the “Splendor Baby,” and it was clear the team had grown extraordinarily close during their journey together.  As HR Manager Maria had said when introducing herself minutes earlier, “We’re like a United Nations up here, except everybody gets along!”

I hope you won’t mind that the photos below aren’t the sharpest.  I just felt lucky to have my camera with me to record this moment, unique among the 21 Captain’s receptions we’ve attended on the various Regent ships over the last decade.

Captain Serena is a Regent treasure not afraid to wear her emotions as well as her four and a half stripes on her sleeve.  She is a gift to all of us.

Rich

Pausing to praise

With GM Franck

And the first question ever asked—by CD John—at Trivia aboard the Splendor:

”Which name is shared by the two Popes who were made Saints by the Vatican in 2014?”

And the first Splendor Trivia winners, with 15 out of 16 possible points:  “Who Gives a Ship.”  Among the team members:  Kwaj Girl (Sandy) and Dana.  Six Regent Rewards Points between Baggo and Trivia—not a bad haul for the day, Sandy!

P.S.  John OK’d my posting his question, which he won’t use again!  

Kwaj girl and Rumor, Splendor’s first-ever Baggo  winners!  (Thanks for the chuckle, Barny!)

Good morning on Splendor sea day No.  1!  We are off to a smooth start, and that includes the sea!

What do you think of the La Veranda balcony “separe” (semiprivate  dining area), a Regent first?

53 minutes ago, JAG2003 said:

The Splendor is indeed splendid.  I will leave most photos to Mr Rumor, but what a great first day.  Lighter colours, wider spaces, amazing main staircase, the most amazing staff and crew (as always) xxx    OMG too much to mention!!  

You can say that again, Diamond Lil!  But give us a little time—we’ll get to as much as possible!

For now (since it’s already early Friday), I just want to give kudos to the terrific Kasia and Boogie, who have been delighting Regent audiences for a decade.  The Polish duo began their six-month Splendor Lounge residency by packing the lounge, and then the dance floor, tonight with their irresistible mix of “Get the Party Started” pop, rock and boogie.  That’s no small feat for the first night of a cruise!  For those of you who are Splendor bound before July 4, you will love K&B, if you aren’t already fans!

We’re off, and it’s full steam ahead!

20 minutes ago, mrstanley said:

Hi! I’d like to know if there is a electric make up mirror on the desk? Thanks!

Stowie would like to answer: ”Yes!”

3 minutes ago, forgap said:

We have been waiting all morning for your post!  Put down the bubbly and start reporting, please!  

I’ve been itching to post all afternoon, but no internet while the RF (Radio Frequency) tech was doing some fix-it work.  Finally got online about a half hour ago!

High noon arrival!

Splendor’s Deck Five Welcoming Committee!

13 minutes ago, Hambagahle said:

Thinking of you all this morning!   Enjoy every minute!

 

From what I can see she is moored near the entrance to the port - off the huge roundabout and not far from the bottom of la Rambla...  great location and really easy and quick to get to.

Gerry

Thanks, Gerry!  Ginny is calmly making an origani butterfly in our room while I sit next to her  with a case of the butterflies.  Very excited at the moment—our ride will be here in under an hour!

Our date with Gaudí was everything that Ginny had hoped for, and more. It was obvious to our wonderful guide, Josep, that he had a Gaudí fanatic on his hands, as he indulged Ginny and me with extra time in Sagrada Família so that she could snap a few dozen extra shots.   Also on the program:  Park Guell, the fiasco of a residential development that was fated to become one of the master architect’s six UNESCO World Heritage sites, and a first visit to Gaudi’s Casa Mila, located around the corner from our hotel (the boutiquey Casa Mimosa).

To the photos:

A portion of the Hall of Columns (86 in all), which were intended to support Park Guell’s never-finished town square.

Tiny detail from one of the seven-meters-tall ornate bronze doors to the Facade of the Nativity at La Sagrada.  (Photo credit:  Ginny)

The baldacchino of La Sagrada Família, from which Christ on the cross hangs.

A mesmerizing play of light cast from several of La Sagrada’s stained-glass windows.

Gaudi’s Casa Mila is most famous for its rooftop terrace featuring 28 chimneys.

The Gaudí fan poses next to one of the chimneys topped by Gaudi’s signature four-armed cross—so designed so that “if you’re an angel flying above, you will always see a cross,” Josep explained.  

This wraps up a wonderful stay in Barcelona in which we lucked into unseasonably warm weather and, in addition to our two great tours, enjoyed tasty tapas (loved our helpings of pan con tomates, Z) and two excellent dinners, and didn’t get close to being pickpocketed!  (I appreciated your “granny” concern, Linda, but we were always careful and observant!  Good thing, too, as we had just met up with Josep outside the Hard Rock Cafe on Tuesday when he pointed out that the two gentlemen striding in front of us were “known pickpockets”!)

Ginny has already begun her final sleep before Splendor, and I’m soon to join her.  Hasta manana de la Dana!

12 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

Rich and Ginny and all the others - Splendor is south of Cannes right now (0836 CET) headed for Barcelona and the ETA tomorrow is 0430.  I assume you will all be waiting on the dockside!

Gerry

Thanks for tracking Splendor for us, Gerry.  We’re planning to show up early tomorrow, but not quite that early!   Brief report on today’s doings to follow (tease: only a Splendorific Thursday—and Friday, Saturday, etc.—will be able to top it)!

Hi Marcia—safe flight to you and Jay!  

We were out and about Barcelona today—19,998 steps’ worth!  It was great walking weather, sunny and in the low ‘60s.  “Like spring,” Josep, our genial veteran guide, enthused.  

We spent the first half of our day with Josep, on his “Private Gourmet Foodie Exclusive, Tour,” which included a leisurely walk through La Boqueria, the most famous of Barcelona’s 42 food markets, and some tapas/snacks grazing.  For dessert we toured the medieval Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, popularly known as Barcelona Cathedral.  The cathedral has the distinction of being “all original inside,” according to Josep.  “Never bombed, never a fire.”  

After Josep took his leave, we plowed on, visiting the nearby Basilica de Santa Maria Del Mar and, for an hour or so, the Picasso Museum.  That wasn’t nearly enough time to do justice to one of the most extensive collections of works by Picasso—who moved to Barcelona with his family at 14 and received much of his art training here—but by mid-afternoon we were getting pooped.  It had already been a full and wonderful day!

A few favorite snaps:

At La Boqueria Josep treated us to a scrumptious olives sampler.

We learned about (and inhaled a few) pintxos, a traditional Basque small snack in which pintxo bars such as Bilbao Berria charge according to the shape of the toothpick.

Near La Rambla a duo plays American music in the shadow of an arch of a Roman aqueduct as Saint Helena looks on from atop the spire of the Barcelona Cathedral.

The “guardian geese” of Barcelona Cathedral take their lunch break.  Josep explained that geese served as the cathedral’s “alarm system” in medieval times!

I didn’t know that Picasso briefly experimented with pointillism until I saw “Woman With Mantilla” at the Picasso Museum.

My plan for a stroll around our Barcelona neighborhood and a Catalan dinner out went by the wayside following our late arrival.  Ginny was not up to a short walk after our long day, but, with her blessing, I took off along nearby Passeig de Gracia, snapping these shots along the way.

“Moon Nights at (Gaudi’s) Casa Battlo” is a brand-new Battllo offering everyday from 8:30 p.m. to 10.  The tab ain’t cheap—39 Euros.

Making the scene on skates

Plaza Cataluna couple 

Hello from Barcelona!  We made it—finally!

Gerry, it was a breeze navigating Madrid Barajas.  In fact, everything was going swimmingly at at the airport until the captain took the microphone shortly after we had settled in our seats. He announced that a pre-flight safety check had turned up issues with a couple of the tires.  Off the plane we went!

We reconvened at a neighboring gate an hour later to be bused to plane No. 2.  Again we had just gotten comfortable when the captain returned to the PA.  Now a couple of DRONES had been spotted near a runway, so not only was our second plane not going to take off, the entire Madrid Barajas Airport was being shut down until further notice!! In all our travels we’ve never had two connecting flights aborted from one airport on the same day!  (“They know who the guy is,” one of the stewards told me.  “He’s going to be in big, big trouble!”  No kidding! )

Onto the waiting buses we went for a return to the terminal.  A line about half a block long quickly formed at the nearest Iberia information desk.  Finally after about half an hour a staffer announced that he had no information but that he hoped to at some point in the afternoon (!).

Luckily the Iberia lounge—packed, needless to say—was a short walk away, so we returned there to await word of the rescheduling.  After about an hour we got a gate and a tIme.  Big sigh of relief!  One more bus ride to plane No. 2 and, finally, eight and a half hours and 12000 airport steps after we had arrived at Barajas, we were on our way to Barcelona. 

By the way, I found it remarkable how calmly and quietly our Spanish fellow passengers reacted to a Barajas afternoon gone haywire.  And I was also pretty proud of us for not blowing it with complaints and hand-wringing.  By the third time we filed back onto a Barcelona bound plane, many of us were greeting Purser Jose like a friend!  Thumbs up, Jose!

We walked into the DFW’s Admiral’s Club a few minutes ago and immediately got shooed out!  “You don’t want to be here—you’re going to Madrid,” we were instructed.  “The new Flagship Lounge is two gates down.  More food, better food, hot food!”

So here we are at the Flagship Lounge’s bountiful hot food table.  Stowie, you have to control yourself!

Sandy, Stowie just saw the photo and is doing a happy dance at Gate B1!

Fingers crossed for you, Lil, and safe, on-time travels to my other blogging teammates!

We got to the Sunport nice and early, just the way I like it.

@Gilly, here’s my favorite Sunport story.  Some cruises ago, we had returned to Albuquerque late at night after multiple flights, and were in the Sunport’s baggage claim.  Suddenly, weary me realized I had left my small carry-on with my iPad on the plane!  Sudden surge of adrenaline!  Luckily, an airport staffer was standing nearby in the all-but-empty room.  No problem, he said, smiling, he’d be happy to go on the plane and fetch i!  No more than 15 minutes later he returned, carry-on in hand, with an even bigger smile.  Yep we love our Sunport, too.

Z, we’re flying American, via DFW, to Madrid, then on to Barcelona on Iberia.  This was not the itinerary that Regent Air proposed to us 270 days out, which is why we covet the Platinum perk of free deviation.  The Regent proposal had us connecting at Heathrow.  Due to a couple of grueling past experiences, we’re wary of Heathrow connections. When the connection is tight, like the proposed one—fuhgeddaboudit!  Although we’ve never been to Madrid Barajas, we’ll have two hours and 45 minutes there, which should be plenty of time for us to navigate immigration and security and make it to our Barcelona flight.

While Ginny is dozing off, Stowie has given himself a project, researching a 2021 Splendor cruise for us.   He’s so wrapped up in this that I don’t have the heart to tell him that we’ve already decided on a Splendor March 2021 Caribbean itinerary that we’ll be booking onboard.   Let him have his fun!

Good night!