The not too controversial Explorer live holiday report!

[Mudhen]

Food porn has been stunning! We're doing the wine luncheon this afternoon. If we're sober enough, we'll look for "Bacon in the bow" , ob bar, 6pm!!

[1982CruzStart]

The wonderful food pictures bring back fond memories of our dinners in Pacific Rim. The only downside to our next 2 cruises is that we are on Voyager so no Pacific Rim. 

Thanks for taking the time to post these for us. 

Continue with your great cruise.

[kjbacon]

4 hours ago, Mudhen said:

Food porn has been stunning! We're doing the wine luncheon this afternoon. If we're sober enough, we'll look for "Bacon in the bow" , ob bar, 6pm!!

Thank you!! Anxious to hear about that wine luncheon. We are having dinner in the room tonight so I doubt there will be Bacon in the bow tonight (that’s very cute btw!!!) but if not, we will certainly be there tomorrow by 5:30.

[kjbacon]

Lots of clouds and rain today but also some breaks of sun.

 

We were able to enjoy lunch outdoors during a sunny break and it was Greek themed and delicious. Pasta Vesuvius usually is with clams and mussels but I opted for just clams today. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The Moussaka was very rich and the panko sesame crusted cod with lobster ailio was serious!

The carving station was lamb roast and there was a gyro station. Everything looked great but my clothes are already feeling tight 😱 Tonight, we are having an Indian themed dinner in the cabin.

[Pudgesmom]

Is that a balcony from a Master or Grand suite? How is it?!

[kjbacon]

Our Indian dinner was more of a feast than a dinner and we enjoyed every delectable, spicy bite! Pictures are few, I really fell down in the job. We had fried onion blossoms with mint chutney, chicken tiki masala, naan, raita, crispy cracker bread, palak paneer, lamb biryani, carrot pudding, and the best chocolate birthday cake imaginable.

It was a great meal and a great night. Today is our first port, curaçao, and will be snorkeling with turtles!

[kjbacon]

12 hours ago, Pudgesmom said:

Is that a balcony from a Master or Grand suite? How is it?!

Yes, it’s a master and it’s pretty darn terrific!!

[docmark]

Author

#31  

Posted 9 hours ago

Our Indian dinner was more of a feast than a dinner and we enjoyed every delectable, spicy bite! Pictures are few, I really fell down in the job. We had fried onion blossoms with mint chutney, chicken tiki masala, naan, raita, crispy cracker bread, palak paneer, lamb biryani, carrot pudding, and the best chocolate birthday cake imaginable.

It was a great meal and a great night. Today is our first port, curaçao, and will be snorkeling with turtles!

 

---What wine did you have, and would you elaborate on your Bordeaux 14 wine. We are following you on Explorer on January 3

 

Thanks 

[Zqueeze1]

Happy belated birthday 🎂!

Z and TB

[kjbacon]

6 hours ago, Zqueeze1 said:

Happy belated birthday 🎂!

Z and TB

Thank you! Mudhen and I were talking about you last night at cocktail hour …. she says we would all have a good time drinking and cruising together 😁

[kjbacon]

13 hours ago, docmark said:

Author

#31  

Posted 9 hours ago

Our Indian dinner was more of a feast than a dinner and we enjoyed every delectable, spicy bite! Pictures are few, I really fell down in the job. We had fried onion blossoms with mint chutney, chicken tiki masala, naan, raita, crispy cracker bread, palak paneer, lamb biryani, carrot pudding, and the best chocolate birthday cake imaginable.

It was a great meal and a great night. Today is our first port, curaçao, and will be snorkeling with turtles!

 

---What wine did you have, and would you elaborate on your Bordeaux 14 wine. We are following you on Explorer on January 3

 

Thanks 

Hope your trip is as much fun as ours. Not sure there will be any left when we are done but

[kjbacon]

We had our first port yesterday in curaçao. Our excursion was a complete fail but the island is beautiful.

We were back just barely in time for lunch and heaven forbid that we miss a meal! The Vietnamese Noodle Bowl was super spicy and super delicious!

The ship is beautifully and creatively decorated for Christmas.

Canapés in the Observation Lounge, as always, were great … artichoke mousse, Thai chicken salad, sausage rolls, and veggie potstickers.

We were treated to a special holiday menu in Compass Rose and it was one of the best meals we’ve had. Unfortunately, my worst picture is of the best Christmas goose with red cabbage and brandied prunes I’ve ever had. We also had lobster ravioli, Caesar Salad, Rack of lamb with minted pea purée, and an outrageously good Bouche de Noel. It’s well overdue to mention that the chocolate desserts have been excellent.

While I’m hoping to keep this thread non argumentative, it’s only right to make mention that a Caesar Salad should always be served with anchovies, no exceptions.

Each day I think I should take a break from the overeating and drinking but I suspect that again today, reason will prevail. 
 

Merry Christmas from Bonaire 🏝🎄

[docmark]

8 hours ago, kjbacon said:

Hope your trip is as much fun as ours. Not sure there will be any left when we are done but

Thanks for the picture and:

Merry Christmas!!!

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks for the super pictures. Everything looked delicious. Sounds like the cruise is going very well. Continue to have fun ;and enjoy the wonderful food and drink. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all onboard the ship and on this board. 

[kjbacon]

16 hours ago, docmark said:

Thanks for the picture and:

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas! You should certainly drink your way through the reds in the Observation Lounge like we did but wanted to share with you the one we like the best.

[kjbacon]

Bonaire is a beautiful island and you can’t get a better place to snorkel. We did a combo kayak and snorkel tour and it was terrific! We had a delicious avocado toast for breakfast before heading ashore.

 

I behaved at lunch so I’m calling it a win.

We left Bonaire about 2pm and would definitely love to return. 

 

Canopies in the Observation Lounge are consistently good! We shared smoked trout with caviar, teriyaki wings, veggie wraps, and shrimp balls. Had a wonderful time with Linda and John.

 

Christmas dinner in Prime 7 was great. We shared an order of Alaskan king crabs legs for our appetizer and we shared a ribeye steak with the trimmings for our main course.

And for dessert, we shared the chocolate truffles and the famous-for-a-reason caramel popcorn sundae.

Today, Grenada!

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by kjbacon

[Mudhen]

We love having our personal photographer along with us……giggle!.Karen does a fabulous job! As she mentioned Bonaire was wonderful. We bumped around the island in a4x4……think truck with seats! Lots of fun! Today Grenada, tonight Pacific Rim!

[loriva]

Trying to keep with Karen’s “not too controversial” intent, so I’ll start with the good on shorex.  The crew of the Mushi Mushi catamaran went over and above to save a rain-soaked start and we had wonderful snorkeling off of Klein Bonaire.

 

The Sea and See discovery in Curaçao was a mixed bag.  The semi-submersible part was nice, but crowded as was the bus ride to reach it.  The distillery tour and tasting, however, was a rushed affair with the tour guide (from the tour company, not the distillery) reading the descriptions of the various displays in a warehouse.  The tasting consisted of three thimble-sized cups with about a swallow of three different Curaçao liqueurs that were grabbed from a tray trying to dodge others.  No  description of what you were tasting.  It was mostly a stop so you could buy the liqueur.  The distillery did have nice,

clean restrooms.

 

The trolley tour in Curaçao and the Tuk tuk in Bonaire were as expected and fine for first-time visitors (which we were). for an overview of the islands.  The tuk tuk tour no longer includes a viewing of flamingos as claimed in the tour description.

 

The tour we had wanted to do in Grenada—the four-by-four adventure—is not being offered by the operator.  So If you are waitlisted for that one, select another as it is unlikely to materialize.  
 

 

[kjbacon]

2 hours ago, Mudhen said:

We love having our personal photographer along with us……giggle!.Karen does a fabulous job! As she mentioned Bonaire was wonderful. We bumped around the island in a4x4……think truck with seats! Lots of fun! Today Grenada, tonight Pacific Rim!

You flatter me, thank you! We are in Pacific Rim tonight too, want to dine together? 
 

Breakfast was so good today, I had to chime back in! Sunday is caviar and champagne breakfast day 🥂 what’s not to love.

We decided to try Compass Rose for a change in breakfast for today and I had my new favorite breakfast, a chickpea pancake with veggies, vegan feta cheese, and harissa. It was delicious! I also had a small side of the chia cashew yogurt and it was very good.

 

Have a great day everyone!

[flossie009]

4 hours ago, kjbacon said:

Canopies in the Observation Lounge are consistently good! We shared smoked trout with caviar, teriyaki wings, veggie wraps, and shrimp balls

Drooling over your food photos, even though we are also on a Regent cruise at present  😋

On Mariner, the best that F&B generally rustle up for pre-dinner canapés is just chips, nuts & pretzels. In Observation Lounge on Christmas Eve not even that.
Disappointing but probably good for our waistlines 🤨

 

 

[Mudhen]

1 hour ago, kjbacon said:

You flatter me, thank you! We are in Pacific Rim tonight too, want to dine together? 
 

Breakfast was so good today, I had to chime back in! Sunday is caviar and champagne breakfast day 🥂 what’s not to love.

We decided to try Compass Rose for a change in breakfast for today and I had my new favorite breakfast, a chickpea pancake with veggies, vegan feta cheese, and harissa. It was delicious! I also had a small side of the chia cashew yogurt and it was very good.

 

Have a great day everyone!

OOOO! We'd love to join you at PR. We have a reservation for 6:30...will that work for you?

We get back from our tour at apprx 5:30. Will rip off clothes, quickie shower and be in the  Bacon Bow at 6....

[RetiredandTravel]

41 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

Drooling over your food photos, even though we are also on a Regent cruise at present  😋

On Mariner, the best that F&B generally rustle up for pre-dinner canapés is just chips, nuts & pretzels. In Observation Lounge on Christmas Eve not even that.
Disappointing but probably good for our waistlines 🤨

 

 

 

We found the Observation Lounge on the Mariner to be very underwhelming.   The Horizon Lounge had decent pre-dinner canapes with some live entertainment if you like that sort of thing.

 

 

[docmark]

7 hours ago, kjbacon said:

Merry Christmas! You should certainly drink your way through the reds in the Observation Lounge like we did but wanted to share with you the one we like the best.

Thanks again

 

Did you find any 'worthwhile" REDS in the INCLUDED LIST? 

[kjbacon]

6 hours ago, loriva said:

Trying to keep with Karen’s “not too controversial” intent, so I’ll start with the good on shorex.  The crew of the Mushi Mushi catamaran went over and above to save a rain-soaked start and we had wonderful snorkeling off of Klein Bonaire.

 

The Sea and See discovery in Curaçao was a mixed bag.  The semi-submersible part was nice, but crowded as was the bus ride to reach it.  The distillery tour and tasting, however, was a rushed affair with the tour guide (from the tour company, not the distillery) reading the descriptions of the various displays in a warehouse.  The tasting consisted of three thimble-sized cups with about a swallow of three different Curaçao liqueurs that were grabbed from a tray trying to dodge others.  No  description of what you were tasting.  It was mostly a stop so you could buy the liqueur.  The distillery did have nice,

clean restrooms.

 

The trolley tour in Curaçao and the Tuk tuk in Bonaire were as expected and fine for first-time visitors (which we were). for an overview of the islands.  The tuk tuk tour no longer includes a viewing of flamingos as claimed in the tour description.

 

The tour we had wanted to do in Grenada—the four-by-four adventure—is not being offered by the operator.  So If you are waitlisted for that one, select another as it is unlikely to materialize.  
 

 

We also had quite a negative experience in curaçao and a very positive experience in Bonaire. With tours running so late today, we hope to see you tonight but will probably see you tomorrow.

 

5 hours ago, flossie009 said:

Drooling over your food photos, even though we are also on a Regent cruise at present  😋

On Mariner, the best that F&B generally rustle up for pre-dinner canapés is just chips, nuts & pretzels. In Observation Lounge on Christmas Eve not even that.
Disappointing but probably good for our waistlines 🤨

 

 

Flossie, I’m sorry that you aren’t getting those snacks because they are delicious! The good news for you though is that my clothes are already “weigh” too tight 😱

 

2 hours ago, docmark said:

Thanks again

 

Did you find any 'worthwhile" REDS in the INCLUDED LIST? 

Doc, all the wines we are drinking are from the included list … gotta love Regent!

[docmark]

Glad to hear that!!

 

Thanks for ALL your info and pictures