Explorer Live! Lisbon to Venice, April 8-30 (with the prequel)

[kjbacon]

9 hours ago, Zqueeze1 said:

KJ:  would you mind sharing the name of the Bordeaux you are enjoying so much?  We will be on the Navigator in June and would like to try it out.  Thanks!

Z and TB

 

I am sorry that I’m just not sure this morning. I believe that we have been rotating  about 3 different French Bordeaux s and we have enjoyed them all. I will try to pay better attention today.

[Balian65]

As we are on holidays in Madeira we will take look at the Explorer today in the harbour of Funchal. Really curious about how it looks from the outside. We will board in July for a Baltic trip.

 

I wish kjbacon and tucruiser a fine day on the island as you probably will take the cable car to Monte.

[Tucruisers]

7 hours ago, Balian65 said:

As we are on holidays in Madeira we will take look at the Explorer today in the harbour of Funchal. Really curious about how it looks from the outside. We will board in July for a Baltic trip.

 

I wish kjbacon and tucruiser a fine day on the island as you probably will take the cable car to Monte.

Thank you for the best wishes, much appreciated. We have holidayed previously in Madeira and been on the cable car, Monte etc so just went into Funchal this morning and enjoyed a walk round the market and back through the gardens on the promenade to the ship. We spoke to friends who had been on the cable car and botanical gardens trip who had enjoyed the excursion. Funchal seems much improved since we were here in 2013 when they were still repairing the damage from the floods and mudslides.

The new water system on board is no big deal, it simply means that plastic bottles in suites are replaced by refillable glass bottles. Extra water is available on request. Plastic straws also replaced by paper ones. Seems a sensible first step.

we sail at 5pm tonight so hope the poor sea conditions are a thing of the past. 

[kjbacon]

Lunch was great today with several fish dishes, all well prepared, in La Veranda. There was a delicious harissa chicken dish with a nice spice to it. We would love to see a plain steamed veggie offered on the buffet as all the hot sides thus far has been buttered or sautéed. The fresh salad bar is great but could use more variety and an additional light dressing.

 

We had a Chateau Roc de Segur Bordeaux that was very nice. 

 

We were very pleased with our first shore excursion. Everything was well organized and of high quality. Being in Funchal, Madeira is a delight in and of itself, loved it.

 

Tonight, we are having dinner in Chartruese So we will def stay with a Bordeaux. We are hearing good things about South African reds so we may branch out tomorrow.

[kjbacon]

Dinner last night in Chartreuse was excellent. We had a Chateau Lamothe Bordeaux that was very nice. The baguette with truffle butter was one of the best bites we have had, perfectly baked fresh bread with a subtly flavored butter was divine. The cheese cart for the dessert course should not be missed and the fruit and nut baguette (which did not sound appealing to me) turned out to be delicious served with. All courses in between were great too and the service could not have been better.

 

We had calm seas last night and slept well. Looking forward to our excursion today in Santa Cruz de la Palma!

[Hambagahle]

15 hours ago, kjbacon said:

Lunch was great today with several fish dishes, all well prepared, in La Veranda. There was a delicious harissa chicken dish with a nice spice to it. We would love to see a plain steamed veggie offered on the buffet as all the hot sides thus far has been buttered or sautéed. The fresh salad bar is great but could use more variety and an additional light dressing.

 

We had a Chateau Roc de Segur Bordeaux that was very nice. 

 

We were very pleased with our first shore excursion. Everything was well organized and of high quality. Being in Funchal, Madeira is a delight in and of itself, loved it.

 

Tonight, we are having dinner in Chartruese So we will def stay with a Bordeaux. We are hearing good things about South African reds so we may branch out tomorrow.

If they have a South African Pinotage - try that.  They are generally excellent...

[kjbacon]

Thank you, Hambagahle, we will ask for a pinotage tonight, love trying new things.

 

A few disjointed thoughts ... staff and service has been absolutely amazing. I have since learned more detail on our butler regarding the dining reservations and he has done a good job so I was incorrect in my earlier post. The entire staff is as close to perfect as anything can be. Another thing I love about them is that they have a sense of humor and are as witty as they are funny and gracious.

 

We love our cabin, it’s a penthouse suite. The shower and the balcony are our favorite parts. We rarely get room service but we just have to so we can enjoy that balcony even more. Our shower has more jets than O’Hare and it’s as huge!

 

The launderettes are super convenient, clean and modern. No dryer sheets though so if they are important to you, bring them.

 

In the evening, most men wear a long sleeve button down shirt alone or with a sport coat, maybe a half and half split. Most women wear dress slacks and a blouse or nice top. We have seen very few ties and very few cocktail dresses. It’s more relaxed than we expected. And yes, we have seen a couple technical infractions of the dress code and we did not observe any reaction or bother by it.

 

You should plan to gain weight and/or exercise a lot. We came on with the best of intentions but the temptation is winning!

 

 

[rcandkc]

On 4/9/2019 at 2:48 PM, Zqueeze1 said:

KJ:  would you mind sharing the name of the Bordeaux you are enjoying so much?  We will be on the Navigator in June and would like to try it out.  Thanks!

Z and TB

We are going to be on Navigator last half of May...we are just missing you. Too bad we have enjoyed seeing you again. 

[ronrick1943]

Nice report, enjoy reading about yo0ur trip. Looks like you'll be ready for your next cruise......

[Zqueeze1]

KJ:  Thank you for posting the names of your wines you are enjoying. I’m looking forward to trying them all in a little over nine weeks from now. 

 

RCANDKC:  I think we will just have to keep cruising until we end up on the same one!  Enjoy your cruise and save some wine for us. 

Z and TB

[kjbacon]

Yesterday was another lovely day. Lunch in La Veranda was very good, especially the cold Asian dishes, many in a Thai preparation. Very delicious.

 

Our shore excursion yesterday was not our favorite but I can’t say that there was anything wrong with it; it was just not to our taste.

 

Cocktails in the lounge with the piano player was wonderful again. They mix a heck of a martini and the butlered appetizers are quite a treat.

 

We tried the South African Pinotage (label Swartland) with dinner and really enjoyed it. Give it a try!

 

Dinner in Compass Rose was very good again. The sommelier was very engaged with us and made several most welcome recommendations. He is the second sommelier that we have interacted with and both are just great. Tonight we look forward to more recommended pairings. Best dish last night was my pasta appetizer of orecchiette with olive oil, hot pepper flakes, and anchovies. A must try!

 

Today we had a fantastic shore excursion with several stops, the highlight being lunch in a local home. What an absolute treat, cannot recommend more highly. Now back on the ship, we feel that we have not just gone sightseeing but that we have been welcomed and immersed in their culture.

[elisebev]

Really enjoying following along. When you get off in Venice, we are getting on. Just over two weeks to go now 

[twinmom22197]

Thanks for the updates. We will be joining you in Barcelona....save some wine for us!

 

Angie

[Hambagahle]

Happy you like the Pinotage...  Cape wines are almost all great and I love the Pinotage!!

Gerry

[kjbacon]

Thanks, Gerry, it was a good wine tip!

 

Angie, we will be in the Observation Lounge on deck 11 at 6:00pm listening to Ross play the piano and drinking wine. We will save you some so come find us!

 

We had a tremendous shore excursion in Lanzarote yesterday. The island is a volcanic desert and easily, the most unusual place I’ve ever seen. Our tour was great and we even rode a camel, talk about an usual experience... but fun!

 

Meals continue to be very good. Lunch at La Veranda was not the best yesterday with several items being quite over cooked. We have had dinner in Compass Rose the last two nights and both were very good. Appetizers of Tuna Tartare and Salmon Tartare were especially good. I have to admit that we were very excited to try the infamous Miso Seabass last night but thought it was only good and certainly not a standout.

 

Treading carefully and only as observation, we are finding the dress to be more casual than expected. Some people do dress up but many don’t. While we have not, there are always a few people wearing something that is not in the dress code (and seemingly with no problem).

 

Most people are really nice but be prepared for some very high maintenance types. I bet you know what I mean! Bring your sense of humor, that always helps.

 

The jogging track is well used. Again, have that sense of humor handy because there is always that one person who insists upon going the wrong direction despite a dozen or so of us going in the right direction, lap after lap after lap. The gym is well used too with nice equipment. It seems a fit crowd.

 

We have just arrived in Morocco so a very exciting day awaits 🙂

 

 

[Pies4u]

Glad to hear that Ross is on board. He is a great guy, very friendly and we enjoyed listening to him most evenings when we were on our first 2 Regent cruises, (Mariner & Explorer).

 

We also join Explorer in Venice in a couple of weeks - looking forward to spending 20 nights on board. Thanks for the informative updates on this trip, they serve as a handy appetiser ahead of the main course.

[kjbacon]

Our last 2 days were in Morocco and we were disappointed in both ports. Our excursions were not good and we (and many others) kept the destination services team well informed of the situation. 

 

Today, we had a great day in Cadiz, Spain.

 

We had dinner in Prime 7 on Sunday and found it to be excellent. The service, however, could have been better.

 

We have had some ongoing issues with water leaking in the bathroom. We have had service 3 times now and it looks like it is holding this time. Yesterday, there was a ship wide problem with the vacuum system and none of the toilets were working for about an hour. Thankfully, it appears to be fully resolved.

 

Tomorrow is a Sea day and we plan to enjoy the connoisseur wine lunch and a special matinee performance of the singers and dancers.

 

[morneau]

Although we had to cancel this cruise we were particularly looking forward to visiting the ports in Morocco.  Can you tell me what specifically was the issue at these ports - were they not desirable areas or were the excursions themselves lacking?  Any details would be most appreciated!

[poss]

kjbacon: And I'd be interested in knowing what you enjoyed in Cadiz.

Sorry to hear that the Moroccan time wasn't good, but glad that you're obviously enjoying so much else.

[kjbacon]

Morocco was very dirty and in disrepair with most people being very rude and aggressive. The Sidewalks are crumbling, windows are broken, and trash is strewn all over. Bathrooms are just awful, ranging from dirty without toilet paper or paper towels to one outside of the mosque in Imperial Rabat that was the dirtiest place I’ve ever seen with stalls built around a hole in the floor, littered with human waste. Street vendors in Agadir were literally in your face and grabbing you, insisting that you buy their wares or take their picture with their camel. Several went into mocking rants about the Americans always saying no, thank you. Our highlights tour in Agadir was just poor with places not open yet or insufficient time to see anything. Our tour guide that day was an older, unkept man who was strange at best and several of us nicknamed him the creeper. We did not feel at ease with him.

 

Day two in Casablanca was dirtier and trashier than Agadir. Our tour guide was a very rude young man who got into arguments with several women on our tour. He clearly took great affront to being questioned by a female. He didn’t like to carry the number lollipop so he didn’t and he walked far ahead of us so it was a challenge to keep from getting lost. We had lunch in a restaurant that was not sanitary or comfortable, where the staff was routinely barking at each other. One of them dropped a saucy piece of chicken on the floor and left in there; other staff just walking over it. During lunch, a different tour guide from a different bus got into a nose to nose shouting match with another man. I could continue but I’m sure you get the idea. The destination guide desk was plenty busy fielding lots of complaints.

 

Cadiz, Spain was a magnificent city that was immaculate. We did a walking tour and we loved it. There were beautiful buildings, cathedrals, and churches along with a huge central market, neat little shops, and many pleasant street vendors. Our guide was fantastic, knowledgeable, and so nice. We felt very safe and found the locals to be warm and welcoming. 

[kjbacon]

Today is our second Sea day and while better weather would be welcome, we are happy to have a leisurely paced day. My post above is somewhat of a Segway to make mention of a few areas of weakness.

 

As as stated above, the excursions in Morocco were a real problem.

 

Throughout our first leg of this journey, the fruit is La Veranda has been very underripe. Each day we will have hoped for an improvement but none so far. Since fruit is a big part of our breakfast, that’s been a tough one for us.

 

The specialty restaurants are packed and very difficult to get into while Compass Rose is easily accessible. Could be that larger or more speciality restaurants would have been a good thing.

 

The daily menu in Compass Rose is said to feature a Maine lobster tail but it is not. It is a Florida spiny lobster tail which is a big difference and not a good one.

 

The beef Wellington in Compass Rose for the farewell dinner was a huge miss. Not only was it not a true Wellington, it was simply not good. There have been mostly successful dishes for us since boarding but there have been other unsuccessful dishes like an undercooked (inedible) risotto.

 

We would like to see more fresh veggies and more lettuce varieties on the salad bar. More light choice dressing choices would be welcome too.

 

Service remains very good to excellent and our overall experience is very positive. We have enjoyed the first leg and look forward to the second leg.

[morneau]

Thanks kjbacon for your detailed description of the Moroccan ports - they sound positively awful.  My assumption is that a Regent did their best to offer interesting and safe excursions but they were hindered by the actual infrastructure there.  I will gladly remove these two spots from our bucket list.  Thanks for posting!

[forgap]

I was so sorry to hear about your experience in Morocco as we have considered a land trip to this country - on a tour, not on our own!  

 

We stopped in Tangier’s on an Oceania cruise several years ago.  The town was very picturesque and busy but disconcerting in that the women shopped in the market while the men sat in cafes drinking coffee.   The separation was so noticeable that I felt uncomfortable stopping in a cafe even accompanied by my husband.  

 

We didn’t experience any negativity or hassle from anyone.  In fact, in the afternoon, an arts festival was taking place with young people serving as ambassadors and guiding people to the various art installations or pop up performances.   We were lucky enough to be guided through a labyrinth of narrow passages to the oldest synagogue in Tangier where a poet was reading MLK’s “I Have a Dream”  speech in French and English.  It was incredibly moving and made an indelible memory.  

 

 

[Mudhen]

I'm sorry too that you didn't have a good experience in Morocco. We were there several years ago with Regent and made two stops. We had a wonderful time....excellent lunch in a little private establishment that we never would've found on our own.

It was clean and people were lovely. Although there was some jockeying for position in several markets, no one badgered us.

We had an excellent guide...sometimes that makes all the difference. We did experience the "ride the camel" thing at an overlook. The one we still laugh about is the "hold the baby goat, lady..." After several pesters from the young man, I told him that I lived on a farm and have held baby goats, baby lambs, piglets, foals, etc. If he had a baby camel, I'd hold that, as I hadn't had that experience before. He then backed off....We still giggle about that one.

[Hambagahle]

I love Morocco and have been there many times - port cities as well as the interior and generally on my or our own and driving.  To me the toilets are no worse than those in Greece (and I actually prefer what we call a "Turkish toilet" here because your "nether regions" do not have to touch a seat! - But I also know that for Americans they take a bit of getting used to..)  And frankly speaking I dread, absolutely dread, using public (or airport) toilets in the USA which are uniformaly disgusting...

 

I have not encountered people with the sort of "attitude" that your tour guide certainly had.   He has no business being in the tourism industry and I hope you reported him.   When we were in Rabat a couple of years ago we had a great guide who could not have done more for our group...   In general I have found Moroccans to be very kind and hospitable.  And would love to go back there next winter for a golf holiday in Marrakesh which is a city I particularly like.