Exploring Explorer--Live--September 14-24--Rome to Venice

[Suite Travels]

For those who like a night light in the bathroom, we bring battery operated tea lights with us. They can be turned on at night and off in the morning. One will last about a week and they give enough light to illuminate the bathroom for nighttime visits. We used them on our last cruise on the Voyager and it was the perfect solution.

 

We have them and are battery charged. We use them at home and bought them on Amazon. Excellent suggestion and solution.

[Travelcat2]

We used this on our last cruise on the Explorer (they light up when you enter the room and are rechargeable). https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E97UX92/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[RachelG]

September 18, 2016--Kotor Montenegro

 

For those up early this morning, there was a lovely sail in to the Bay of Kotor. We were asleep, so missed it. We awoke to a bright sunny day in a lovely bay surrounded by rugged mountains on every side and the town of Kotor at the end with its red slate roofs and trail leading up the mountain along the old city walls.

 

There was an azamara ship in the single berth at the dock, so the was a tender port for us. We had signed up for a ship tour that took us to the small village of Perast and to a small island in the bay. We had time to explore the village and just enjoy the boat ride to and from the island. There really aren't any notable sights other than the natural beauty, but that is fine with us.

 

Arriving back in Kotor, we could either stick with the guide for a tour of the town or go out on our own. We were wanting to climb to the top of the mountain, so we struck out on our own. First, some pizza and Coke Zero to fortify us.

 

Then we took off along the old walls, going up and up and up. This is definitely not a climb for anyone with vertigo or balance issues or who is afraid of heights. It was very hot as well, but there were guys along the way selling water--good sized bottles for €1.50 which I thought was a bargain considering the location and how hard they had to work to get it up there.

 

We made it to the top, 1200 meters, 1350 stairs. Coming down, it started to cloud up and looks like it might rain. We walked fast as those stones would be really slippery if wet. By the time we got to the bottom, it looked like it was raining on top, but we were safely down, hot and tired.

 

Tendered back to the ship, took a shower, and showed up for trivia where we came in a respectable 2nd, but would have won if my brain had been working full speed.

 

Lovely dinner with friends in compass Rose. They have such a huge menu now. I had the shrimp cocktail followed by a quinoa salad and lamb curry, which I ordered extra spicy. It wasn't extra spicy but was spicy enough. Very disappointed in my side order of asparagus. Over cooked and cold.

 

The show was the assistant cruise director David Niven and the guest violinist. Best show of the cruise thus far.

[Mudhen]

Sounding wonderful! I loved Kotor and we did the same excursion a couple of years ago. After it was over, my bud and I did the old town looking to taste the local beer, their special cheeses and their version of proscuitto. What we had was called "meat on a clothes line". Slices of their air cured ham strung on a little clothes line, with cheeses and hot bread underneath, all decorated with fresh wild flowers.....what a treat! I digress...sorry!

Glad to hear you're enjoying it all! Thanks again for posting!

Linda and John

[RachelG]

 

Church in Kotor

 

 

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[RachelG]

 

Hiking in Kotor

 

 

 

 

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Edited September 19, 2016 by RachelG

[RachelG]

split sailout

 

 

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[RachelG]

Krka River national park

 

 

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[RachelG]

 

 

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[RachelG]

September 19,2016--Split Croatia

 

Our first not sunny day. Temperature was definitely cooler, in the 60s with cloudy skies and sprinkles of rain from time to time.

 

George and I had opted for an excursion to Krka River National Park. I had seen this place a few years ago on a Rick Steves program and had vowed to go there if I ever had the chance. It is a little over an hour outside of Split, which to me had way too much graffiti everywhere.

 

Our bus was a full size one even though there were only 16 of us on the tour. The guide spoke excellent English and reminded me a little of my youngest son in that he loved to use large words. He said he learned his English from American television.

 

We drove out of town into beautiful countryside, past the place where Game of Thrones was filmed. The national park is set in pine covered limestone mountains, very scenic. The river, which is spring fed so never dries up, is fast flowing. It tumbles into pools and waterfalls which cascade down, layer upon layer. There is a good Boardwalk hiking trail as well as some other trails, with lots of overlooks and places to take pictures. We went around with our guide then had 2 hours to explore on our own. It was a really nice morning.

 

From the park, we took a boat down the river to a village where we had lunch. Apparently typical Croatian cuisine (with Croatia not being the culinary capital of the world). We started with a lettuce, cabbage and tomato salad, then a bouillon type soup with tiny pasta accompanied by good thick white bread. Main course was a huge veal steak with mushrooms and white rice. Dessert was fresh fruit. Local white wine was included. Not gourmet fare at all, but it filled us up.

 

Back at the ship, I went to trivia, where we had a poor showing. I should have paid attention to the Croatian flag. Very overcast and cool as we left port.

 

Tonight was the Seven Sea Society reception. We never go to those, but had been invited to dinner with Daniela, the F and B Director, in Pacific Rim. Absolutely delicious dinner. We started off with the soft shell crab which was the best I have ever had. I had the watermelon and duck salad, similar to that on Oceania, afterward followed by the lobster tempura which was totally decadent. George had the seaweed salad and miso soup, then lobster tempura. Both excellent. And of course the company was the best, as we enjoyed catching up with Daniela.

 

John Barron had his show tonight, and it was definitely the best show of the cruise thus far. He is a really good and diverse singer and entertainer.

 

As I write this, there is a huge storm going on outside. We can hear the wind howling, but this ship is so stable, that there is just slight movement, actually quite comfortable. I didn't even know there was a storm till I came out of the bathroom after the show--you couldn't feel or hear it at all in the theater.

[eliana]

Rachel, I am really enjoying your comments. We did a similar itinerary on the Navigator earlier this year. Please continue. We join the Explorer in December and hope John Barron is still aboard.

[RachelG]

Eliana, John will be aboard until January 15. His wife and kids will be aboard for Christmas and new years

 

 

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[RachelG]

Poss, I asked Daniela about the bed in the G suites. She thinks it is the same size as in the D suites but she is going to reconfirm that for me tomorrow.

 

 

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[eliana]

Great

[poss]

Thanks, Rachel. But if Daniela actually measures width to be same size as category D, that contradicts what you and so many others have been saying for months, viz. that G beds are definitely more narrow. As mysteries go, not a very exciting one.

 

I've always hoped to see Krka River Park. We've not been to Split. Glad-- not surprised-- that the two of you enjoyed the excursion.

 

I've much enjoyed Kotor the several times we were there, but have never eaten "meat on a clothes line." We may do a Voyager cruise this summer (instead of the Reyk-Copenhagen trip that I'd prefer) and it includes (yet again) Kotor. I will have to check out the clothesline! I wish the itinerary included Split instead, or Korcula, one of my favorite ports. Regent seems not to stop in Korcula anymore.

 

I'm disappointed to learn that Pacific Rim is only for Explorer. I don't know where I got the idea that maybe it'd be on Voyager and Mariner after dry dock. I'm positive it would have been our favorite dining venue. (Not that we have any complaints about the others!)

 

I enjoy seeing all the photos and hearing about your happy times onboard and ashore. Thank you for doing all this!

[Travelcat2]

poss, our least favorite dining venue is Pacific Rim (so far). Although we loved the "sake and drink menu", the four of us that dined together in PR had at least one item that we did not care for (in fairness, this was in July -- the ship was new and perhaps the chefs were not completely trained). We will be in PR twice in November and will report on that.

 

In terms of the "G" suites, I would either go for an "F" level suite or sail on another ship. While passengers used to small cabins may be very happy with the "G" level suites on the Explorer, Regent past passengers will likely not be (even if the beds met your requirements). We are thinking of changing two booked itineraries and noticed that "H" and "G" suites have availability when other categories do not. There is obviously a reason for this and I suspect it is the size of the suite, bathroom and closet.

 

I don't normally make predictions but will predict that the second "Explorer Class" ship (due out in 2020), will make significant changes to these two categories of suites. Hopefully they will designate "H" suites as suites for passengers that are traveling on their own.

[RachelG]

Food is subjective, as we always say. Actually, I have been really pleased with all the dining venues. Haven't been to Prime 7 yet. The only food items we have been disappointed in were the over cooked asparagus and a room service hamburger which George ordered and found dry and tasteless.

 

 

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[forevertravel]

Rachel, thank you for response regarding vanity. I'm disappointed is no longer there. Seems to me the desk will be sort of crowded serving as desk and vanity. I guess, I'll have to put my stuff in a drawer and ask for a make-up mirror if one is not there. We are in F cabin. Beautiful pictures! By the way, another passenger (on your cruise) wrote that the crew was distant, not wanting to communicate with passengers, and sometimes nasty. I find that hard to believe since the crew has always been what we love about Regent. Any comments? Sometimes I read comments and feel as though some people are not on the same cruise. I realize many things are subjective. Keep on posting.

 

Forevertravel:)

[Linda VH]

Forever: Absolutely agree about "some people not being on the same cruise". On our recent Silversea cruise we were very disappointed in the food but I read reviews of the same cruise where people raved about the food:confused:

[Pies4u]

Krka River national park

 

 

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Thanks for the updates and the pics.

 

We board on Sat in Venicecand are looking forward to returning to Kotor and Zadar as we visited them both last year whilst on Mariner. We did the Perast & Lady of the Rocks trip - really enjoyed that. We did Zadar on our own but we are on the Krka national park trip this time, looks and sounds great.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Woody bailey]

Loving your "live" posts. We're booked for a two week December cruise. I was able to book 3 reservations (we're in an F1 suite) today. My question is how easy or difficult is it to book reservations say for Pacific Rim once on board? I realize we're not in the higher "class" levels on board, but PR's menu and your description make me hopeful. Thanks

[Travelcat2]

Rachel, loving your posts. Could you please comment on the crew and service onboard? It is the same as usual, better or still needs work? Thanks much!

[RachelG]

To answer a couple of questions, the crew are wonderful. I can't imagine calling them distant or nasty, as they are very welcoming. Granted we k ow some from previous cruises, but every crew member we have met has been great.

 

We had our one Pacific rim reservation ahead of time. Any other on a space available system once on board.

[RachelG]

September 20, 2016--Ravenna Italy

 

Pleased to say that the ship handled beautifully in last night's big storm. Just enough motion to put me to sleep.

 

We awoke to another bright sunny day with temps in the upper 70s. While the ship is docked in Ravenna, our destination for the day is San Marino, the 3rd smallest country in Europe (Vatican city and Monaco are smaller), located inland in the mountains.

 

We had a full size us with 16 of us on tour, so plenty of room and good air conditioning. Two of those on tour were ship staff. After a ride of about 1 1/2 hours, first on freeways, but then up a winding road, we arrived.

 

San Marino is built on a mountain with 3 distinct towers that can be seen from a great distance and part of the city wall still standing between them. The lower part is shops and tourist stuff, but after the first tower, the further you go, the wilder it gets. By the time you get to the 3rd tower, having gone up and up, there are hardly any people and just small trails. It is very peaceful and scenic past the first tower.

 

We hiked all over, got pizza for lunch which we ate at a hillside terrace, and just enjoyed the ambiance. Very romantic. George enjoyed visiting the museum of old weapons while I relaxed outside in the sunshine (no need to waste money on something that doesn't interest me). Then we took a shortcut through the woods back down. All in all we had 4 hours to do our own thing. Just the type of tour I love.

 

Back to the ship, security was pretty tight, with them checking everyone's keycard before we could even get into the port area. We saw a guard really getting onto a lady, not a passenger, who was trying to get a photo of the ship though the gate.

 

Due to the security, I arrived too late for trivia. Already had had plenty of exercise from the hiking, so I just relaxed. Everyone had to recollect their passport from reception as apparently we will have to have them tomorrow to go ashore in Slovenia.

 

Dinner in CR with friend. So much fun and the food was great. Again so many choices which makes it difficult . The Dover sole is now a regular, so that was my pick. We sat around talking so long that I missed the show.

[RachelG]

San Marino pics

 

 

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