“Live From” Z and TB’s Tapas and Sangria Tour

[Mudhen]

And the champers of the day is......? When you get a chance could you please check out the bar pour champagne? I know you rarely visit the watering holes, so maybe when you get there eventually, you can check that out for us....giggle!!!!! Hoping that the margaritas and bloodies are up to snuff, as well!!!

[Zqueeze1]

4 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

Please say hello to Risky and Maggie for us…. From The lady with the red scooter.

Please ask ….will either of them be on the January 3rd Panama Canal cruise?

Will do!

Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

13 hours ago, rkaratsu said:

Hey Z.  First of all, thank you so much for letting us live vicariously through you and the Ms!  (We are chomping at the bit for our cruise on the Explorer in Feb 2022).

 

One quick question: Do you know what the sailing capacity is on your cruise?  

 

Thanks you and enjoy the rest of your trip!

We are sailing with 489 passengers. I believe the ship’s capacity is 750. 
Z and TB

[hockeyken]

🐔 🐈

 

I see you still won't eat anything with feathers, or that was a pet.

By the way, Zacapa 23, and El Dorado 21yr. old, are FREE here for my guests.

 

K&N

[Anchorbuoy]

On 11/1/2021 at 12:37 PM, Zqueeze1 said:

Here’s a list of the ship’s leadership;

 

Z and TB

 

Roberto:

Can you post a copy of the next page with the ship's other personnel ?

Enjoying your commentary !!

[Zqueeze1]

Yesterday was an interesting touring day. First, be advised that you need to bring your vaccine record for every tour or when departing the ship on your own. 

We took the White Villages of Andalucía tour which consisted of stopping in two beautifully quaint villages and walking through them. 

 

 

The streets were lined up with manicured orange trees

 

We stopped in one church with a beautifully decorated altar. 

The views were magnificent although the weather was cloudy. 

Cádiz had 300 sunny days a year and we happened to show up on one of the 65 days that are cloudy. 

Tip of the day: no one told us to download the Regent app to listen to the tour guide, so please make sure you do and bring along your ear buds.  I had the app, but no ear buds. 

We stopped at noon for thirty minutes at a parador for a drink and a snack. The Boos and me scarfed a drink and did some combat shopping in time to make our departure time. We bought two water color paintings depicting the narrow street scenes  of these villages. 

This is a pic of one of the many gorgeous courtyards found in the homes we walked by

A friendly beetle by the church

We returned to the ship at 1400 and grabbed a quick burger before taking a little down time prior to dinner. 

We are in the habit of meeting J and K at 1800 for pre dinner drinks.  I tend to get there earlier and grab a table while eave dropping.  I get to hear some interesting comments and vies from all sorts of people. 

I realized while sitting at the the Explorer bar that the social dynamics have changed due to Covid protocols. Not being allowed to sit at the bar keeps one from meeting other folks and creating new relationships and friendships.   I find myself not really knowing anyone besides our group. Narcissistic me needs to be known. 

More to follow about the grand dinner we had last night. 

Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

21 hours ago, Mudhen said:

And the champers of the day is......? When you get a chance could you please check out the bar pour champagne? I know you rarely visit the watering holes, so maybe when you get there eventually, you can check that out for us....giggle!!!!! Hoping that the margaritas and bloodies are up to snuff, as well!!!

It is Monopole. We like it. 
Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

I noticed that a pic did not load showing the countryside:

[Zqueeze1]

How do I describe a dinner that was as near to perfection as one can be?  
We met at the Explorer lounge for a drink and some music before dinner. The duo played a little Carlos Santana for me which set the tone for the evening. 
We ate at Pacific Rim which is a beautiful setting for dinner. 

 

 

 

 

 

Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

The service was impeccable and the food was superb.  We love this mix of flavors and always look forward to eating here.  The following is a mix of what we all had. 

 

[ChucktownSteve]

48 minutes ago, Zqueeze1 said:

The service was impeccable and the food was superb.  We love this mix of flavors and always look forward to eating here.  The following is a mix of what we all had. 

 

 

That's some interesting plating.  The food looks like it tastes great too!   Thankx so much for your detailed live from.

[Zqueeze1]

11 hours ago, Anchorbuoy said:

 

Roberto:

Can you post a copy of the next page with the ship's other personnel ?

Enjoying your commentary !!

Here you go:

 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Zqueeze1

[dvalentine823]

Thanks for all of the information! 

 

We will be on Splendor starting on December 8th from Miami. I will be vlogging on our channel at:

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH1FVxVUhMveXRRd4Cn6o9A

 

We are very excited, and your posts have only heightened the anticipation!!!

 

 

[captjohn]

54 minutes ago, dvalentine823 said:

Thanks for all of the information! 

 

We will be on Splendor starting on December 8th from Miami. I will be vlogging on our channel at:

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH1FVxVUhMveXRRd4Cn6o9A

 

We are very excited, and your posts have only heightened the anticipation!!!

 

 

Don't think you will be doing anything on YouTube unless you plan on paying extra for WIFI that allows streaming . On the standard WIFI ( included ) YouTube  is blocked. We are on the Explorer and that is the situation here.

Edited November 3, 2021 by captjohn

[Mudhen]

Food from Pacific Rim looks fantastic! And thank you for the Monopole info. Yes, agree with you, it's lovely! I can be very happy with that!

[Scout16]

A question, what is this about having to download the Regent app and needing ear buds to hear the tour guide.  I was last on a cruise in the spring of 2019 and I normally do not carry any electronics with me on tours. 

[captjohn]

12 minutes ago, Scout16 said:

A question, what is this about having to download the Regent app and needing ear buds to hear the tour guide.  I was last on a cruise in the spring of 2019 and I normally do not carry any electronics with me on tours. 

Yes, on our first and only tour so far there was NO audio device supplied. I did have the app on my iPhone but no ear buds but since I am an old goat and have bluetooth hearing aids I was able to pair them and could hear the guide. It was that or stand close to her.

I also ran a speed test on the WIFI. See screen shot. Not like home but the best I have ever seen.

 

[flossie009]

36 minutes ago, Scout16 said:

A question, what is this about having to download the Regent app and needing ear buds to hear the tour guide. 

 

This previous thread may be of use:

 

[Ladys Mom]

As one of our cruise documents for our 11/11 Splendor cruise we’re detailed instructions to set up the app and what to carry with you.  Can’t wait to use it!

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

5 hours ago, dvalentine823 said:

Thanks for all of the information! 

 

We will be on Splendor starting on December 8th from Miami. I will be vlogging on our channel at:

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH1FVxVUhMveXRRd4Cn6o9A

 

We are very excited, and your posts have only heightened the anticipation!!!

 

 

Hope to meet you onboard… watch for the lady on the red scooter!

sheila

[dvalentine823]

5 hours ago, captjohn said:

Don't think you will be doing anything on YouTube unless you plan on paying extra for WIFI that allows streaming . On the standard WIFI ( included ) YouTube  is blocked. We are on the Explorer and that is the situation here.

Thanks, I hope to find wifi in the ports. Since it is a 9 night cruise, I plan to edit the videos on the ship, and if the ports have wifi, I will upload one or two. So no worries!!

 

 

[dvalentine823]

1 hour ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

Hope to meet you onboard… watch for the lady on the red scooter!

sheila

Will do! I am Daren and the wife's name is Johnetta. Trust me, you won't have a problem spotting us!

[BNguy]

Here I go, I know some you will think I’m crazy but here goes.  Z & TB, thank you for your reports so far, they are helping me to plan for when we are aboard the Splendor next month.  I have to ask though, on all those food pictures from Pacific Rim.  I’m afraid I am not a foodie so have basically no idea what the various dishes were.  Is there anyway you could describe some of them for us non-foodie types?  Again, sorry to show that I don’t know, but that’s how it is.

 

Thanks

[DaveFr]

18 minutes ago, BNguy said:

Here I go, I know some you will think I’m crazy but here goes.  Z & TB, thank you for your reports so far, they are helping me to plan for when we are aboard the Splendor next month.  I have to ask though, on all those food pictures from Pacific Rim.  I’m afraid I am not a foodie so have basically no idea what the various dishes were.  Is there anyway you could describe some of them for us non-foodie types?  Again, sorry to show that I don’t know, but that’s how it is.

 

Thanks

Here’s a link to the sample menu from Pacific Rim which describes the dishes (Pacific Rim menu). Hope this helps.

 

Dave

Edited November 3, 2021 by DaveFr

[Zqueeze1]

Good morning:

This is how I start my day:

Two small pots of French press coffee I consume while writing in the morning in the Coffee Connection. I believe that French press is only available on the Explorer class ships and that is a real shame because it hits the spot every morning. 

After writing, we will hit La Veranda for breakfast.  This is a feta cheese omelette that K recently had:

We walked yesterday morning with me doing a measly forty minutes (I have the lazy bum DNA) and TB doing a whopping two hours.  We followed up with spending time with some folks around the pool.  

There is nothing better than a little nap before dinner.  We had dinner at at Prime 7 while J and K ate in Chartreuse. As always, the service was exceptional. However, we were out of there in an hour which is OK with me, but TB likes the two hour “fine dining” experience.  

 

 

TB had the 12 ounce NY strip with crab:

And I had the crab cake and pork chop and crab:

 

Both our crabs were requested as appetizer portions. 

I love this painting in Prime 7:

We have been going to the Explorer lounge before dinner, where Sonya does her magic and makes the best amaretto and whiskey sours. She uses the traditional recipe. We went to the Observation Lounge last night and was served one of the worst drinks of my life. It was a whiskey sour that looked more like dish water. I am now submitting Sonya for a Meritorious service medal with a Martini glass device for her outstanding service (you vets out there will know what that means).  She is now the new Olga who I had sworn allegiance to for her mixology prowess. 

Today: Santa Cruze de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. 
Z and TB

Edited November 4, 2021 by Zqueeze1