Explorer Lisbon to Cape Town Nov 28 until dragged kicking & screaming off

[flossie009]

We have been remiss in not mentioning the lecturer who is on board for this cruise and the next, Andy Jampoler.

He gives a lecture most sea days. An interesting and clear presenter, his lectures, which are relevant to our voyage, have been well attended.

[Hambagahle]

14 hours ago, flossie009 said:

 

I don’t think Evan is related, but I will ask him. This is his website:

https://evanbosworth.com/

He is fairly new to Regent, working on this cruise as the Assistant Cruise Director.

 

”Null Island” is actually somewhat of a nautical joke; it is just a buoy in the middle of the ocean with a 5 mile exclusion zone around it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Null_Island

Our ship went around it so that we could all boast that we had visited Null Island. We have just had the Equator crossing ceremony on deck; a lot of fun and I will try to post some photos later if the Internet becomes a little more stable.

My mistake!   The name of the South Africans is Boswell, not "Bosworth"!  sorry!!

[Hambagahle]

5 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Actually, there were no GM's on any Regent ship.  They were all at the meeting in Miami.  Wish I could have been a fly on the wall to listen in

isn't this unusual Jackie??   Must have been a very important meeting!!

[flossie009]

1 hour ago, Hambagahle said:

My mistake!   The name of the South Africans is Boswell, not "Bosworth"!  sorry!!

 

No wonder Evan looked very confused when I spoke to him about his possible SA connections just before the show last night. No worries, I am sure he will enjoy researching his past!

The show Broadway in Concert, performed by the Production Cast singers, was excellent.

 

1 hour ago, Hambagahle said:

isn't this unusual Jackie??   Must have been a very important meeting!!

 

I understand that, as well as the GMs, all the ships’ HR Managers were also recalled for the conference in Miami.

[flossie009]

Some photos from yesterday’s  Equator Crossing ceremony. This was made more unique as it occurred at zero longitude and latitude.

Also I believe it is Explorer’s first time moving into the Southern Hemisphere?

 

Having assembled crowds of guests onto decks 11 & 12, Queen Neptuna and her entourage arrived to start the ceremonies.

 

First the polliwog crew members were initiated - kissing the fish and then being annointed  with sand (flour), water (cold) and fertility (raw egg).

 

 

Then it was the turn of the guests who received the same treatment

 

The fish that had to be kissed 

 

 

 

[flossie009]

After the ceremonials, Queen Neptuna (CD Margaret) and her court (the entertainment team) took a well deserved bow.

 

Then the inevitable with Margaret being thrown into the Pool

 

............ followed by the others

 

Evan was the last in

 

All in all a very fun way to spend mid afternoon on a sea day 

 

[1982CruzStart]

Dined in Setti Mari  last night.  I have to show you the veal parmigiana they were serving.  Something right out The Flintstones.  This was a single serving. Sorry I missed showing all of the bone hanging over the edge of the plate. 

Needless to say a lot of dinners went unfinished last night. They could easily done 2 o3 servings out of 1 piece. It was very good from what I was told. 

I had the bistecca. It was very good. 

[Hambagahle]

Can't say I find that veal appetising.  Looks more like a Wienerschnitzel (aside from the bone) than an Italian veal dish - even Scallopini Milanese looks better!!   So good to hear it tasted OK.

[flossie009]

At the risk of being accused yet again of finding faults, I am sad to report that Explorer has finally run dry of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc; no more Villa Maria or Oyster Bay is available. Cloudy Bay can be purchased at a price from the Premium List.

I will have to keep asking for Sancerre from now on, but I can imagine that there may well be a run on this wine, which is normally reserved for Chartreuse, thereby depleting stocks of this as well.

IMO very poor purchasing and stock control 😥

Edited December 14, 2018 by flossie009

[flossie009]

Today is another sea day as we head almost due East following the Equator towards our next stop tomorrow, Sao Tome.

Today has been cloudy but warm.

 

Tonight, before dinner, the entertainment team are staging an “007 James Bond Experience” and later there is “Dancing under the Chandelier”, a dance party in the Atrium.

We are dining in Chartreuse tonight. Being a lengthy cruise, and with the 3 large speciality restaurants on Explorer, we have found no difficulties securing additional reservations as required.

 

Tomorrow we have a long (20 to 30 mins) tender ride ashore due to the shallow waters around the island of Sao Tome & Principe; hoping for calm seas!

[1982CruzStart]

There is a chance that our stop tomorrow will become yet another sea day. Our stop in Sao Tome is a tender port and the Captain informed us today that the swells must be 1 meter or less for us to tender and we are currently at about 2 meters.  

 

I took TC2's advice and took some issues i had to the powers that be.  He answered my query quickly and am happy with the response time in discussing the issues. 

 

Went to the cooking demo today. They were demo'ing  one of the offerings at CR tonight and it looked interessting enough i will give it a try tonight.  If i enjoy it as much as i think i will i may even try and make it when i get home.  You could tell that the Executive Chef is well use to doing these kind of performances but the Chef from Pacific Rim was somewhat more hesitant so the Executive Chef would take over. It was a little amusing. 

 

During the demo the Chef kept telling people to sign up for the galley tour. Well i rushed out there to do that only to be told by Reception that the 2 original tours were full and they had already filled an extra 1.  They would have to talk to the Chef to see if it was possible to arrange anymore.  Well i was at the front of the line and there were a lot of passengers behind me all wanting to sign up.   Me thinks someone should have told the Chef before  the demo that all tours were full and not to promote non-existent ones in his class.  

 

We will see how this all turns out. 

[UUNetBill]

3 hours ago, 1982CruzStart said:

During the demo the Chef kept telling people to sign up for the galley tour. Well i rushed out there to do that only to be told by Reception that the 2 original tours were full and they had already filled an extra 1.  They would have to talk to the Chef to see if it was possible to arrange anymore.  Well i was at the front of the line and there were a lot of passengers behind me all wanting to sign up.   Me thinks someone should have told the Chef before  the demo that all tours were full and not to promote non-existent ones in his class.  

 

We will see how this all turns out. 

I hope you're able to get in - the galley tours are fascinating, IMO.  It's also nice to be able to get back and say 'hello' to some of the people behind the scenes.  Really interesting seeing how it all comes together...

[Fletcher]

Such a terrible shame you never got to Sao Tome & Principe, especially Principe where there is one of the most magnificent beaches in the world.  Here it is and our Silversea ship -

 

 

[Hambagahle]

On 12/14/2018 at 2:25 PM, flossie009 said:

At the risk of being accused yet again of finding faults, I am sad to report that Explorer has finally run dry of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc; no more Villa Maria or Oyster Bay is available. Cloudy Bay can be purchased at a price from the Premium List.

I will have to keep asking for Sancerre from now on, but I can imagine that there may well be a run on this wine, which is normally reserved for Chartreuse, thereby depleting stocks of this as well.

IMO very poor purchasing and stock control 😥

More likely that you have been drinking it up! !! Next time you book a cruise, warn them that you really like this wine and ask them to stock extra cases...   SO glad you have enjoyed it because I can't stand it!  (Cloudy Bay is the only Savignon Blanc I have ever drunk that didn't leave an arrière-goût with me.  I think I would pay extra to have that if available!)

 

What a great problem to have!!

[1982CruzStart]

5 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Such a terrible shame you never got to Sao Tome & Principe, especially Principe where there is one of the most magnificent beaches in the world.  Here it is and our Silversea ship -

 

 

We did make it to Sao Tome and it is an interesting place. My comment was that we might not as we had too high of swells at the time i wrote it. The seas calmed down overnightb and we were able to go ashore. 

 

We had a energetic guide with very good english.  It was warm and humid but the buses were very comfortable and airconditioned. 

 

The last tenders should be arriving back to the ship soon and we leave at 5. We have 3 sea days ahead of us before our stop in Walvis Bay. 

 

[flossie009]

The 007 pre-dinner show last night was excellent as was the dance-party after our delicious meal on a shared table in Chartreuse.

The Entertainment Team this cruise are truly exceptional.

During the dance party one of the Butlers, Binay, was on hand to help with photographs on your phone or tablet - now that is what I call 6-star Regent service 😀

 

 

7 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Such a terrible shame you never got to Sao Tome & Principe, especially Principe where there is one of the most magnificent beaches in the world. Here it is and our Silversea ship -

 

We had a good all day excursion in today. Not as sunny as your photo, Fletcher, but a warm cloudy day with the odd sunny interval. 

This photo was taken after we anchored this morning just before the first passengers were tendered ashore.

 

 

I will try to post some photos of our tour later or tomorrow - the internet and/or the connection to CC is not behaving well today ..................... and Dinner calls!

 

[liptastic]

3 hours ago, flossie009 said:

The 007 pre-dinner show last night was excellent as was the dance-party after our delicious meal on a shared table in Chartreuse.

The Entertainment Team this cruise are truly exceptional.

During the dance party one of the Butlers, Binay, was on hand to help with photographs on your phone or tablet - now that is what I call 6-star Regent service 😀

 

 

 

We had a good all day excursion in today. Not as sunny as your photo, Fletcher, but a warm cloudy day with the odd sunny interval. 

This photo was taken after we anchored this morning just before the first passengers were tendered ashore.

 

 

I will try to post some photos of our tour later or tomorrow - the internet and/or the connection to CC is not behaving well today ..................... and Dinner calls!

 

Binay is a real treasure. He was our butler this year too on Explorer. He just goes above and beyond to make sure you are having a great cruise. Enjoying all the posts and photographs on this thread, thanks, Jean. 

[Catpow]

Whilst it was hot and humid, and the tender ride out was particularly crowded, it was still a fascinating port.  We were alerted by Captain Serena that chocolate in Sao Tome was extra special.  She couldn't get ashore, but was sending 'an officer' ashore to secure her supplies of the 'world's best chocolate'.  A Swiss fellow passenger went to buy some chocolate to challenge her country's reputation for chocolate, and declared (in her words, objectively) that the Swiss retained the best country for chocolate title.  We did buy both coffee (Arabica and an Arabica and Robusta blend) and chocolate (100% and 80% cacao) - at a price - we'll reserve judgement until we get home.

 

It's a spot not really used to huge numbers of tourists.  The locals were largely welcoming and happy people, however we were warned not to take pics without people's permission (surely fair enough) and of the President's Palace.  For a population of 200,000 it seemed every person in the country was on the streets.  We were treated to two different cultural dances - the very proud locals appear to be great storytellers, and their struggle for independence is very sad. There's a number of old colonial buildings in disrepair, but our guide (who had studied in Germany for four years) was far more interested in looking to the future of his country,

 

 

 

 

[Travelcat2]

Catpow - thank you for the interesting commentary and photos.  It is a good thing to learn from the past and look towards the future.  It looks like the locals really dressed up for your visit.  It must be a big day for them.

 

You'll have to let us know how the chocolate is.  

[flossie009]

Just to add a few more notes and photos to Catpow’s excellent commentary on our visit to Sao Tome.

A very poor country this was a unique opportunity to visit this previously Portuguese colony. It is only visited by 2-3 cruise ships per year; Explorer was the second cruise ship to visit during 2018.

After our long tender ride to shore we boarded our small but comfortable buses for our excursion. 20 guests per bus and thankfully good A/C.

Our young guide was very informative and won the hearts of his audience when he announced his impending marriage next week and passed around a photo of his beautiful fiancé.

One piece of information given by our guide that stuck in our minds was the horrific massacre of locals by the administration and plantation owners  - the Batepa massacre of 1953

 

Our excursion started with a visit to the impressive Sao Nicolau waterfall

 

 

We then continued to the Monte Cafe Plantation and sampled some locally produced coffee. A bit of a sad place as the plantation and its factory has been closed for at least 15 years.

 

 

We also saw the two dance groups reported on by Catpow

 

 

Although our guide recounted the moral tale that was demonstrated by one of the dances, I am still not sure of the significance of the back-to-front Honda motorcycle helmet or the hanging electric iron.

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2018 by flossie009

[flossie009]

We lunched at a very up-market hotel on the coast. This is their infinity pool (with a ship with an infinity pool in the background)

 

The hotel was in stark contrast to the mostly poor areas that we visited.

Interestingly there seems to have been significant investment into health and education services on Sao Tome by the Taiwanese government.

 

Some stunning flower arrangements were on sale.

 

Palm wine is a favourite tipple of the islanders. As the fermentation progresses it becomes stronger and can have soporific effects.

 

In the afternoon we visited the castle museum and the bustling central market before visiting the chocolate shop and taking one of the last tenders back to the ship.

 

 

Explorer’s tenders awaiting recovery before we set sail:

Explorer’s tenders are relatively comfortable with padded seats & seatbacks but were quite stuffy for the long journey in humid weather. For tendering, they are only loaded with up to 90 guests; it would certainly be very cosy with a full complement of 150 🙁

 

The skies looked threatening as we said farewell to Sao Tome & Principe 

 

 

[flossie009]

For those interested in table sizes in the speciality restaurants on Explorer, we managed to secure a table for 8 last night in Pacific Rim. A great meal with superb company; needless to say we missed the show! - sorry, Evan.

 

Today was the “lavish excess” that is Sunday Brunch in Compass Rose. An event unique to Explorer which is only staged when Sunday falls on a sea day (Even though last Sunday was also a sea day on this cruise, Sunday Brunch was not served - probably because we had been treated to a sumptuous  deck BBQ on the Friday evening).

The buffet++ was served from 11am until 2pm.

 

 

 

Caviar station behind the band

 

Roast beef, anyone?

 

Juli on pancakes

 

Many guests’ favourite area

 

.................... and a lazy Sunday afternoon to sleep it off ..........

[flossie009]

On 12/15/2018 at 2:52 PM, Hambagahle said:

More likely that you have been drinking it up! !! Next time you book a cruise, warn them that you really like this wine and ask them to stock extra cases...   SO glad you have enjoyed it because I can't stand it!  (Cloudy Bay is the only Savignon Blanc I have ever drunk that didn't leave an arrière-goût with me.  I think I would pay extra to have that if available!)

 

What a great problem to have!!

 

We like all the Marlborough region Sauvignon Blancs and do not find any that leave an untoward aftertaste on our palette.

The only included Sauvignon Blanc wines now available on board, apart from the very acceptable Sancerre, are Californian - Simi and Firestone.

Cloudy Bay attracts a premium of $60 per bottle on Regent; probably not surprising considering its prestigious, (but possibly overrated?), reputation - a simple case of supply & demand.

Regent are well aware of our wine preference and I am not sure that the understocking of the wine that we, and many others, favour is “a great problem to have”

 

 

 

[Hambagahle]

First - we don't know if it was understocked.  Second - clearly you have enjoyed every sip of this wine which is why I said drinking it all up was a great problem to have!  Meant as a joke.

 

For chocolate.  your Swiss passenger is right.   Swiss chocolate - artisanal chocolate, made in small pâtisseries and confiseries all over our country - is sensational.  Some of our "industrial" chocolate isn't bad either.  I far prefer the artisanal variety though.   Sometime come and try it!!  You cannot buy this sort of chocolate outside Switzerland because it doesn't travel well.  Too bad we don't have a port (aside from Basel) for ships to use.  And I doubt that Explorer would fit down the Rhine!

 

 

[UUNetBill]

4 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

And I doubt that Explorer would fit down the Rhine!

Especially this year!