Denmal

12/2...last update...after several days of no internet we got it back yesterday at around 4pm. Overall the cruise was great. After 26 days on the ship I am ready to be home. The staff of the Regal is amazing!! They could not do enough for us. Only real problem was our last meal ar crown grill. The staff was overwhelmed and in the weeds. We had a reservation for 6:50. Not seated until 7:15...another 15 minutes to get drinks. Ect. Food was good but not one of our best meals on the ship. Still happy with Princess brand and cruises...next up Panama Canal in February..

Vines Bartenders are Gauresh and Layla...

GonzoWCS...will go to vines tonight to get the names. It is a young woman and man , just did not get their names previously..will post answers later.

Upcoming 7 Sea days. I will not post much more from the trip. We will be at sea until 12/2 arrival in FLL. We do not really do shows, we might do some trivia. We will go to the gym and excerise. Read and relax on our beautiful deck. And possibly watch movie or two. If you have questions please ask. We love the Regal and of course her crew. Thanks for following along.

Thursday 11/24 Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Canary Islands. Not named for the bird but a breed of dog. American Thanksgiving as the crew calls it. We did not have a tour , we planned to walk around and have a nice lunch. Beautiful morning and forecast is beautiful day. We found another church and the pedestrian street. We also went to the local open air mercardo...it was very interesting. We found a nice restaurant and ordered tapas. A glass of wine each. Tomato bread, Pappas arrudgus ( boiled small potatoes in salt water served with two different salsa..green and red..and croquettes and DH ordered sardines (not.me ) the potatoes are called wrinkled potatoes in English and are a local favorite...and we agree...we then walked backed to the ship..6 miles of walking . We are off for turkey dinner..I will post the menu pics too in case you are wondering what they serve on a ship for turkey day...

Wednesday 11/23. Sea day. Got up alittle later and off to breakfast. The best perk of the suite is breakfast..you get a separate restaurant for breakfast and they will pretty much are what you want. Then we went to the enclave for a soak and steam. With all the walking on this cruise the muscles needed it..we then went back to the suite to read..it was a beautiful sunny day on the deck. Later I tried my luck casino..no joy...more reading and then off for cocktail and dinner.

Tuesday 11/22. Gibraltar, England. We were supposed to dock at 9 but due to head winds and rough seas. We were going to be an hour late. No problem, we had a princess tour booked and they just adjusted. Our tour took up to the Europa point, lighthouse at the point were the Mediterranean. Atlantic and the straight of Gibraltar meet. Then to St Michael caves within the rock of Gibraltar, and the to the Apes den. Tour was in a small mini van as the roads up to the Rock cannot take large busses. It was a great tour , the limestone caves were amazing, saw all the monkeys of course. No lost items for us as we did bot get too close. One interesting item on the tour is you can drive across the airport runway in Gibraltar, Green light means you can cross and red means a plane is landing. Additionally, the the other side.of the runway is the boarder of Spain. Another item is in Gibraltar, they drive on the right like europe vs the left like England. After the tour. We could either go to town or back to the ship. We opted for town. Went in for some lunch. Fish and chips of course...and a small jug of Sangria..a little shopping and then back to.the.ship.

Monday 11/21. Sea Day...got up alittle later and off to breakfast. Saw the captain, Paolo...he is the captain from the remake show 'Love Boat'...so we are on the ship where it was filmed and have the captain too. After breakfast , off to the enclave for a steam and soak. After about an hour. I went to the gym and hubby to the cabin. Did some stretch and treadmill. Then back to the cabin. Was not too interested in lunch..so we just went to the suite lounge for a snack. More reading and a nap..then cocktails at crooners and dinner. Made it an early night as we want to be up early for the sail I to Gibraltar. A few pics from crooners..

Sunday 11/20. Corscia France. Home of Napoleon...Beautiful harbour. Ship docks right at the city. Easy walk off. Went into town. Small open air market right near the port. Walked thought it. Love a French market. Vegetables and meats and pastries. And fresh olives. Yum.. walked around the city to the catherdral. Unfortunately no church pictures today as mass was being said. We are very respectful and do not enter while mass is happening unless we plan to attend. Walked some more..some stores and restaurants open but not many as it is Sunday. We decided on a early small lunch. Found a sidewalk Cafe and ordered 2 glasses of wine and arancini (rice balls) to split. Enjoyed to beautiful sunshine for a while. Then back to the ship for a rest. We were invited to a 1 year old birthday , she is the daughter of the entertainment director on the ship. Alexander. We had previously met him on the sky, and he and his partner and the baby are on the ship. I had purchased a present for Zara in Genoa..and embroidered bib and small bag. The party was very nice stayed for alittle while then off to dinner.

Saturday 11/19...my 60th Birthday. Genoa Italy. Was alittle chilly today only high in the 50s. We walked off the ship and into town. Genoa is the home of pesto. So we were planning on having some. Walked from the terminal no problem to view several churches and head to a food market for lunch. We found the old town area of Genoa and wandered through the small streets. Found a local pesto shop. Bought a piece of foccacia with pesto OMG..tried to buy a jar of the pesto but the shop owner told me unless it was in the fridge with 2 hours it would be on good it was that fresh. Now she could have just sold it to me but cared so much about her craft she would not. More churches and the to the market for lunch. The had all types of food stuffs and a sort of food court. We each got a pasta dish , husband gnocchi and me pappardell both with pesto and glasses of wine of course . After eating and drinking, we took the local bus back to the ship. Pretty easy to take the bus..got the ticket on the bus. 2.50 euro each. Got back to the ship to flowers, prosecco and chocolate covered strawberries in the room for my birthday from Princess concierge. Nice birthday!!

Friday 11/18. Back to Livorno but no...due to high winds the ship.had to port at LA Spezia Italy. The ship shore excursions desk had to rework all the tours. Our winery tour was originally scheduled for 1:15 with oy a 1/2 bus ride but was moved to a 1.5 hour bus ride with the port change. We decided to go anyway because we really wanted to go to a Tuscan winery. The winery was wonderful. We had a nice horse carriage ride, then snacks with tasting of 2 white, 2 red and a desert wine. All pretty good..also had biscotti with the desert wine and per the owner , dip the biscotti into the desert wine....the vineyard also grew olives and produced oil. So we purchased a faily large bottle of the oil to take home...also had a small chapel on the grounds. Then we came out after the tasting and there was a car parked with a large dog right behind the wheel ( our Italian cab driver we joked ). As we were taking pics , the owner came out with her wine and said, he is going to drive me home now!!! A really enjoyable day

Thursday 11/17...Turnaround day for the cruise and Rome for us. We were up EARLY..5:30. Had to do breakfast and meet the tour at 7:30. Off to Rome. The total bus ride was 1:45 including a rest stop for bathrooms. Traffic was nuts as we got closer to Rome. We did a princess tour: ultimate behind the scenes Vatican. GREAT tour. First our guide was a woman who specializes in the Vatican. Patricia was italian Vatican scholar. We toured the Vatican gardens...a place that you cannot go without a specific guide...even though it is fall..it was wonderful. Then to the museums..where she got us into a room with no one else. The room of animals. The sculptures were just unbelievable. Then though several other halls ..more just as impressive as the last. Then to the Sistine Chappel. No commentary allowed in the Chapple and absolutely No pictures. They are strict. Guards uniform and no uniform walking around , so don't even try..Then a special exit for the approved guides into St. Peter's Square. Then into St Peter's Basilicia...All through out the tour Patricia provided excellent commentary and information. My goal was to see the Vatican and get a shot.of a Swiss guard!!! Mission accomplished..I asked one if I could take his picture and he said no but the one outside the Basilicia were no problem. The total tour inside the Vatican and gardens was 4 hours...totally worth the $$. We had about an hour and a 1/2 for some lunch and shopping..then back on the bus for ride through/past some sights. I will not post ALL the pictures I took but will do a few..

Wednesday 11/16 Naples, Italy. Well the weather has turned. It is pouring rain this am. We have a food tour scheduled at 10 am. We decided to go. The rain let up enough for us to do our tour with umbrellas. 1st stop. Pastry and coffee. 2nd stop, spaghetti omelet ( think spaghetti , egg and what ever is in the fridge, sort of a Italian fritatta) then Buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes and arugula, then margarita pizza. And a choice of wine, beer or soda. Was a walking tour so also along with the food was history of the city of naples and the food. Glad I did not eat breakfast..it was alot. But really delicious and a good tour. It was a princess tour. We then headed back to the ship for a rest. We have an all day Rome tour to the Vatican tomorrow.

Tuesday 11/15 Messina Italy. We didi not have any tours booked, the ship docks basically right in the city. The weather was excellent sunny and warm. We walked off and wandered over to the dumo. It also has a large astronomical clock tower that is amazing. The bell chimes every 15 minutes. Then at noon daily is goes off. The large lion roars, the rooster crows and the apostles go around. We took the Hop on hop off to get to the large church way up on the hill. It is beautiful and the bottom of it is the cript for the WWII soldiers. We then went to another church and got back in time for the 12 show at the tower. It lasts about 10 minutes. Then had the best sandwich for lunch and wine. Then off to get canoli for desert. Could not load the video so you might need to look for.it on you tube

Monday 11/14...Sea day...we slept in and went to breakfast. After a nice breakfast of waffles and strawberries, we decided to try the Enclave. Enclave comes as a perk with the suite. It has a large thermal pool, several types of steam rooms, one with aromatherapy. Also hot stone beds. It was lovely. Stayed for about an hour. Then I went to the casino and cashed out as we have 2 full days of ports coming and I need to cash out prior to the next cruise. Had dinner at the.crown grill. Steaks were yummy and then off to coroner's. Kelvin made me a special cucumber martini and I found a duck. Messina tomorrow

Thanks much. I am enjoying adding information each day

November 13. If it is Sunday it must be Corfu. We purchased hop on and off tickets, smart move on our part. Weather was not great. Raining on and off , and WINDY...omg was it windy. Ship dock a new port. Port offers a bus to the terminal for free, we could have walked it was rain and windy. Road the Hop on/Hop off over to the old fort. Got off and toured it. Entry free 3 euro each. Very interesting and nice views. Small Cafe in the fort were we had coffee and tea. The very nice shop keeper gave is a traditional breakfast bead called koulouri...it was a sweet breakfast round bread. Yummy. Back on the bus to the old town pedestrian area of Corfu for some churches and shopping. Much not open as it was Sunday and could not visit too many churches due to mass. We are very respectful and try not to enter if they are having Mass unless we plan to sit through the service. We did manage to light a few candles for our Moms and friends as we try to do in most churches. The Greek churches are amazing. Purchased some Greek spices, candy and another hat for the hubby. Sea day tomorrow and we will need it. Averaging 15K steps daily...we will be trying the enclave in the spa that comes as a.perk with the suite. More tomorrow on that..

November 12th Dubrovnik Croatia. The ship docks aways from the old town. Princess offers a shuttle to the old walled city for 16 dollars PP. The shuttle ran every 15 minutes. Weather was sunny but alittle windy and chilly. We got out early and hopped on the shuttle. If you are a Game of Thrones fan this city is for you. There are tours, shirts and all kinds of GOFT stuff. You can walk the city walls in Dubrovnik, we felt is was overpriced. It was 250 Kuna which is 34 USD pp. So we skipped it. And you had to pay either in Kuna or credit card. They do not take euros yet, they will starting in January. We were able to use our credit card pretty much everywhere. We visited several churches. Found a beautiful restaurant for a nice coffee and tea with a view of the harbour. We enjoyed dubrovnik but I will say it was one of the more expensive cities so far. 11 to 12 euros for a coffee, tea and croissant. Beautiful and clean old city. After walking around alot. Jumped back on the shuttle and went to Alfredos on the ship for lunch. We split a yummy Maragria pizza and each had a glass of wine.

November 11th. Armistice Day Kotor Montenegro. Water Shuttle day. Beautiful morning. The scenery here is amazing!! They used local shuttles so better than the small ship ones. Easy ride maybe 10 minutes. Kotor is BEAUTIFUL. Wear comfortable shoes. The cobblestones are hard on the feat. We wandered through the city visiting churches and going down small alley ways. We really enjoyed the city. It was a sunny day so decided to do lunch at a local restaurant. We had a Serbian white wine , charcuterie platter and hummas....OMG. so good...the hummas was to die for. We sat and enjoyed for 2 hours...then after lunch headed back to the ship. One additional thing: CATS 🐈..kotor is know for it roaming cats. They are around the town and in one part there were houses for them. A woman and her husband were providing breakfast when we were there. They are very friendly and cute. #kotorkitties

We do have the same....Gerald and Dominago. They are great. First night we said no bread...and they ALWAYS remember that we do not want any. They are great. Also the club class manager always asks if we want the same waiters...so now we get them

Wednesday 11/9 and Thursday 11/10 were much needed sea days. We rested and sat on the balcony reading our books. Gotta love a sea day. I did participate in the slot pull in the casino...overall the group did not well. Winner won with 3 bucks and got the pot of around 63 bucks. It was fun. Food has been great in club class. The have 1 special entree each night. Friday is Kotor. Will post about that later ...

Tuesday 11/8. Livorno Italy. Port for Pisa and Florence. We purchased Florence on your own tour fro Princess. The bus into Florence takes 1.5 hours. We arrived in Florence about 10 am. We did not have to meet back up until 3:15. We given a good approach with info about sites and toilets. We walked 6+ miles just in Florence. Visited the Dumo and other churches including Santa Croce. Where DaVinci and Michangelo are buried. Had a wonderful lunch in a small Cafe off the tourist path. Yummy house white wine with buratta and sun dried tomatoes and margarita pizza. Also did make some purchases...leather bags and balsamic vinegar. We were back to the ship by 5:15...LONG day buy very worth it.. just had soup and salad for dinner in club class ...so tired soade it an early night.

Monday November 7th. Toulon. Beautiful sunrise as we docked . We purchased tickets for the water shuttle from the dock in La Seyne-sur-Mer to Toulon. The cost was 29 dollars each charged to the ship account. About a 20 minute cruise across the harbour. A beautiful day in Toulon. Sunny and 70 degrees. Being a Monday, not many stores open but we walked into the center of town. Stopped in a place for coffee in the sun near rhe theater. After coffee more walking over the the Cathedral. So beautiful. Found a soap shop for some lavender soap.. Then off for lunch by the harbour. My favorite French lunch. Chevre salad( goat cheese ) and dh had beef tar tare. With a pitcher of rose. Sat for a while enjoying the wine after eating. Hopped back on the shuttle..received a nice.cheese platter from a friend when we got back tonthe room. So go another wine and sat on the balcony enjoying the.cheese and wine. Off to dinner later...and Florence tomorrow. Food on the ship has been really good.

Boarding day for.the Regal. We took a taxi to the port. Arrived around 11:00 am. Joined the line to drop the bags. Went through security and got a number. Number was called, had to give them our passports. We will get them back on th 9th or 10th. Needed for italian passport control. Boarded. Total time from bags to In our suite. 1 hour ish...Had a nice lunch at club class. After lunch got a drink a crooners and then off the the lounge for suite guests to get some dinner reservations. By the time we got back to the suite.. bags were there. Unpacked. Got laundry together...ready for sail away at 6 PM

Saturday 11/5 Another sunny day in Barcelona. We walked down to the port cable car. We waited in line foe about 20 minutes. First trip is at 11:00 am. Took the cable car RT. Great views. Nice park on the opposite side from the port. After we got a cab back to the born. Looking for lunch. Decided to.have a nice lunch and bo dinner. So found Calabasas. Nice place . Fabulous server Claudia. She was so nice. We order vermouth, croquettes, swiss cheese flowers with honey (omg) and tomato bread. Also beef cheak with sauce and white chocolate fois gras donuts . Was not sure.about the.last choice but OMG...it was sooo good.(pics below).. the Claudia offered a traditional Catalan digestive Ratafia. Served in a shot cold...wow was that nice. We then went to the wine store for cava and vermouth to bring onto the ship tomorrow. Boarding day finally tomorrow..