Explorer Revitalized - Spain & Med Beaches, June 2015 - Great Times

[kccrzr]

Malaga, Spain: Our itinerary indicated we would be in Malaga from 7:00 am -4:00 pm. With customs clearance and the afternoon required on-board time prior to the scheduled departure, we were actually in port from 7:30-3:30. One of our disappointments with this itinerary (which we knew going in) was that there was not additional time available at this port. Also, we were there on a Sunday. I understand many shops in town were closed.

 

Although time was limited, with a husband who is an architect and a daughter who attends an art college, we just had to go to Alhambra after seeing a small blurb about it in the Delta Skymiles magazine and watching a Rick Steeves youtube video.

 

Sail-in to Malaga was absolutely beautiful:

 

 

 

 

And the day just got better and better! When the ship was cleared, we were the first people off at 7:31 am. Our tour guide was right outside the modern port building waiting for us. She directed us to the tour bus in the parking lot where we waited for the others on our tour. There were only 8 people on our tour, for which we paid 99 Euro each for transport and guides plus 13 Euro each for admittance to Alhambra. It was worth every penny.

 

We drove through Malaga, which looks like a lovely town.

 

 

 

It took about 2 hours to get from port to Alhambra, including a very nice convenience stop along the way with restrooms, restaurant and shops. Along the route we saw several olive farms:

 

[kccrzr]

Alhambra/Generalife: We absolutely loved Alhambra and Generalife.

 

Our Alhambra tour guide, Danny - who was different from the guide who accompanied us from and to port - was excellent. He had degrees in both journalism and law and had been a licensed tour guide in Grenada for 13 years. Danny was proficient in English and his knowledge of Alhambra/Generalife was seemingly endless; he also had a very nice manner about him and was good natured.

 

Danny explaining what we would be seeing on the tour:

 

 

Words and photos (well, our photos, anyway) just do not do Alhambra and Generalife justice. The architecture and the grounds were amazingly beautiful and the history fascinating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kccrzr]

Alhambra (Grenada, Spain), continued:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kccrzr]

More Alhambra:

 

 

 

The tile work was so gorgeous I can not even begin to imagine what it would have looked like in all its glory before the paint began to chip and fade. Even the ancient aqua ducts were interesting and in great shape:

 

 

 

Alhambra employs many gardeners/groundskeepers, as is evident from the beautiful vegetation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our tour we had some time at Alhambra to use the restroom, go into a small shop for snacks/drinks and go into the beautiful main gift shop, which had some high quality products with designs found in the tiles and architecture of Alhambra as well as art books. I purchased a small bottle of olive oil as well as a coffee cup for our oldest daughter who was unable to join us on the trip.

[kccrzr]

Malaga, Spain Wrap-up: On the drive back to port our tour guide told another couple that you could get sardines grilled outside along the beach by the port. We decided with the other couple that we would have the bus driver drop us off along the beach so could get some sardines and enjoy a walk on the beach before getting back on the Explorer. The tour guide estimated that once we got to the drop-off point we would have 40-45 minutes before back on-board. Unfortunately, by the time we stopped at a convenience area en route, we only had 20 minutes so we had to ditch those plans. Given the short time in port, we also did not have time to see old Grenada or lunch there as is usually included in the tours offered by the tour group we used.

 

The port terminal was quite nice, clean and modern. Unfortunately, there was no free wifi. :( We went into a few shops in the terminal so DD could find some gifts for friends. She found some wine in a bull-shaped bottle, which reminded her of Malaga because we had passed close by the bullring on the way out of town. We found that many products could be found in a few of the shops but that the Duty Free Shop was generally less expensive.

 

There is a Pompidou Museum of Modern Art on the esplanade just past the port terminal on your left. Further down and to the right is a long, beautiful beach with bars and restaurants that had both indoor and outdoor seating. Malaga seems like a very walkable town with a beautiful park and shops in close proximity to port. The day we were there it was 70 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny but breezy. We would have had a fine time at the art museum and beach had we not gone to Alhambra.

 

This is a picture of the beautiful beach in Malaga taken from our balcony:

 

 

 

 

 

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[kccrzr]

Villefranche-sur-Mer: If it's Tuesday, it must be the south of France. Villefranche was the only port on this cruise we had been to before and the only tender port. When we were there about 8 years ago I arranged for a private tour which took us first through Monaco and then to the hill towns of Roquebrunne, Eze, La Turbie and St. Paul de Vence. We had such a great time we decided to again take a private tour of hill towns but to different ones except for St Paul de Vence, where we felt we could have used more time the first time around.

 

Whenever I arrange for private tours or excursions I also plan a back-up, so we can do something on the fly if need be. This has only happened to us twice, once in Aruba and once in St Vincent, but it is always better to be prepared. I again found some great information on: http://www.tomsportguides.com/portguides.html Our back-up was to take the train to Nice, but we did not need to use it on this trip.

 

The Compass indicated the first tender out would be about 9:20 am and the last back at 7:30. The concierge told us to be in the CL at 9:00am and he would escort us to the tenders. Once he got the word that the tenders were ready, we waited just a few minutes for another guest who had stepped out of the CL and then we were off, down the escalator to Deck 1. There were two tenders out and we got on the second one. Being able to go with the concierge to the tender and not having to stand in the line for tickets is for us, one of the great perks of having access to the CL.

 

The Compass indicated that tender tickets (for those not on ship tours or not with the concierge) were handed out beginning at 8:30 am at the entrance of the Star Lounge on Deck 5 forward.

 

It was a beautiful morning and the sail-in and tender ride were beautiful:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The two story yellow building in the foreground on the left is the port building:

 

 

The anchored Explorer as seen from the tender to Villefranche-sur-Mer:

 

[kccrzr]

We arrived at the port terminal 30 minutes before we were scheduled to meet our tour guide but were pleasantly surprised to find him there already. After introductions, pleasantries and final confirmation of our itinerary for the day, including lunch plans, we set off on what was to be a fabulous day.

 

Our first stop was in Mougins, France known for its great restaurants - Alain Ducasse's first job as a chef was in Mougins and he apprenticed for the great Roger Verge thre. We fell in love with the architecture and the artwork. Our guide was really excellent - he was very knowledgeable and informative, yet built in time for us to explore the towns for a bit on our own - whether it was to take photos, go into interesting buildings/churches or just shop.

 

Mougins, France:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, of course, a great aquaduct:

 

[kccrzr]

Mougins, France; Art: At one time, Picasso lived in Mougins. A certain percentage of town revenue must go to art. Our tour guide told us there was a joke in France about the most lucrative job being the artistic cousin of a town mayor. For such a small town, Mougins had some very interesting and remarkable (as in people remark on it, as both good or bad depending upon one's point of view) art. We loved it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mougins also has a beautiful church, where DD was able to light a candle in memory of a friend.

 

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We could have spent hours poking around this tiny town, but, all too soon, it was time to drag ourselves away to Gourdon, France, where we were to have lunch on high.

[saffikins]

Hi there, great review.

 

We are on Explorer in September and just wondering about two things:

 

1) Does Sorrentos have a hot sandwich option available in the early afternoon? A bit like the beef sandwich from park cafe, we had a similar offering on Independence last year from Sorrentos, so just wondering if this is available on other ships?

 

2) Is their a mixologist onboard, probably in the R bar (aka Champagne bar) and if so do you know his/her name? They tend to be more inventive when making cocktails, often coming up with their own concoctions that are not available on the regular menus?

 

Many thanks

Karen

 

Thanks

Edited July 29, 2015 by saffikins

[sky0000547]

1) Does Sorrentos have a hot sandwich option available in the early afternoon? A bit like the beef sandwich from park cafe, we had a similar offering on Independence last year from Sorrentos, so just wondering if this is available on other ships?

 

 

Presume you mean Cafe Promenade as there is no Sorrento's onboard.

[Clarea]

...1) Does Sorrentos have a hot sandwich option available in the early afternoon? A bit like the beef sandwich from park cafe, we had a similar offering on Independence last year from Sorrentos, so just wondering if this is available on other ships?...

There were no hot sandwiches available in Cafe Promenade on our Explorer cruise this past December. The only hot items were pizza slices.

[saffikins]

Presume you mean Cafe Promenade as there is no Sorrento's onboard.

 

 

No Sorrento's on Explorer?????? Oh no, what are we to do for late night pizza slices?????

[Clarea]

No Sorrento's on Explorer?????? Oh no, what are we to do for late night pizza slices?????

Cafe Promenade.

[saffikins]

There were no hot sandwiches available in Cafe Promenade on our Explorer cruise this past December. The only hot items were pizza slices.

 

 

Thank you [emoji2]

[kccrzr]

Hi there, great review.

 

We are on Explorer in September and just wondering about two things:

 

1) Does Sorrentos have a hot sandwich option available in the early afternoon? A bit like the beef sandwich from park cafe, we had a similar offering on Independence last year from Sorrentos, so just wondering if this is available on other ships?

 

2) Is their a mixologist onboard, probably in the R bar (aka Champagne bar) and if so do you know his/her name? They tend to be more inventive when making cocktails, often coming up with their own concoctions that are not available on the regular menus?

 

Many thanks

Karen

 

Thanks

 

Karen: We only went to the Café Promenade once and I do not recall any hot sandwiches - but we were there so DD could get sweets, not a sandwich, so weren't really looking for that. Café Promenade is open 24 hours.

 

I see from the Compass that on day 3 there was an interactive cocktail making seminar at the R-Bar for $14.95/per person. We didn't go to the seminar or frequent the R-Bar so can't tell you if there was an inventive bartender there.

 

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, Dawn

[saffikins]

Karen: We only went to the Café Promenade once and I do not recall any hot sandwiches - but we were there so DD could get sweets, not a sandwich, so weren't really looking for that. Café Promenade is open 24 hours.

 

 

 

I see from the Compass that on day 3 there was an interactive cocktail making seminar at the R-Bar for $14.95/per person. We didn't go to the seminar or frequent the R-Bar so can't tell you if there was an inventive bartender there.

 

 

 

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, Dawn

 

 

Thank you for the info Dawn, the cocktail making class was good fun on Independence, so we'll maybe give that a whirl anyway.

 

Karen

[kccrzr]

Thank you for the info Dawn, the cocktail making class was good fun on Independence, so we'll maybe give that a whirl anyway.

 

Karen

 

I may have to give it a whirl next time I'm on also.

[kccrzr]

Gourdon, France: This hill town is remarkable mostly for its location VERY high above the Loup river gorge. It is amazing to think about how people used to have to get their supplies up that hill - really amazing!

 

 

 

On a clear day, you can see several major seaside towns. We thought it was quite beautiful despite the increasingly cloudy weather:

 

 

When we first met our tour guide he asked if we wanted to have lunch at a restaurant with a great view or a restaurant with great food and no view - DD chose the great view. As it turned out the food was really quite good but the service was painfully slow, especially after we finished eating and were waiting for the check - one of my pet peeves.

 

Restaurant with outdoor seating. We were lucky enough to get a table right by the rock wall overlooking the valley - and thankful for the umbrellas when it started sprinkling. Lunch with three entrees and a bottle of wine - 90 Euro - which we thought was reasonable given the quality and the lack of much competition.

 

 

 

Coq au Vin - excellent!

 

 

 

Veal - DH said it was also excellent:

 

 

 

Fettuccine - DD said it was great:

 

[kccrzr]

Gourdon, France continued:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quaint shutter holder:

 

 

 

Former Eagle's Nest restaurant. Our tour guide told us the owners declared bankruptcy; even a fantastic location is not always enough.

 

[cincicruisers]

I am enjoying your review. Looking forward to the rest.

[kccrzr]

I am enjoying your review. Looking forward to the rest.

 

Many thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying it - I just wish I had more time to devote to it so I could get it done in one fell swoop.

[kccrzr]

Tourrettes-su-Loup: This was my favorite town of the day. We spent about 40 minutes with our tour guide and then a like amount of time exploring on our own. It had beautiful architecture and great shops filled with local goods from artisans and craftspeople. We found some confit made with violets as well as violet liquour here. Definitely, higher quality than the cheap souvenir shops of Gourdon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kccrzr]

Tourrettes-sur-Loup also had a beautiful, historic church with a rare Roman inscription, where DD was able to light a candle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All too soon it was time to head to St Paul de Vence: We had been here briefly on a previous cruise and were looking forward to visiting again. We liked it very much but would have been just as happy in hindsight to spend the remainder of our time in Tourrettes-sur-Loup. St Paul de Vence was gorgeous and had some interesting shops but was much more commercial and crowded than Tourrettes-sur-Loup. We found some infused olive oil and chocolates here to take home.

 

 

 

[kccrzr]

St Paul de Vence, France continued:

 

 

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There were quite a few art galleries here. We like to purchase artwork on vacation and should have purchased some here, but thought we could ( but ended up not) find some we liked just as well elsewhere for less.

 

 

 

St Paul de Vence was hilly and had incredibly narrow and steep stairways connecting streets:

 

[kccrzr]

Au revoir, France: After a truly fantastic day exploring hill towns of Southern France we headed back to Villefranche via the sea road through Nice.

 

We had about 45 minutes to spare before the last tender so DH and I decided to sit at a cute outdoor seating area of a coffee shop in the cruise terminal, also serving wine, beer and snacks. We each had an adult beverage and shared a bowl of olives while taking advantage of free wifi. :) I also had time to call our oldest daughter while waiting for the tender to leave. We got on the very last tender back to the ship. Sadly, while we were waiting we saw a town's tender coming in with the body of a passenger who had expired on the cruise.

 

 

Sail-Away:

 

 

 

 

It was gorgeous but not quite as glorious as our first cruise leaving from Villefranche, which our oldest daughter captured beautifully in this painting: