LIVE FROM EXPLORER - FEB. 17 - MARCH 9

[Travelcat2]

6 minutes ago, Master Echo said:

Before leaving Chilean waters, i observed a mock sea battle before Explorer departed Coquimbo.

 

This port came to notoriety in the late 16th Century, as the base of the English Corsairs.  These privateers raided the Spanish galleons, which had themselves looted gold and silver from the local population.

 

The battle reenactment in the harbour pitted a Corsair against a galleon with mock cannon fire.

 

This was a humorous and fitting conclusion to our call at this interesting port.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for posting that.  So interesting and we missed it.  So glad that you are posting with me.  Need to talk DaveFr into posting as well.  Saw him at an excursion this morning.  What did you do today. My guess is you went to the ghost town

[ronrick1943]

TC2, nice post and enjoying reading and seeing your photos.  Glad things are going good for your enjoying you time on the sea.

 

[Pinksunset]

I’m a little late to the party in commenting that I appreciate your posting pictures of your cabin and your trip, Jackie.  I love, love the piano, and wish I was there to play it!  I don’t think I will be able to be in that particular beautiful suite, but I am enjoying your cruise, and I wish you and Dennis the very best birthday cruise ever!  

[forgap]

In 2016 we sailed from, Dubai to Barcelona on an Artful Travelor Cruise on the Voyager.  It was, by far, one of the best cruises we ever took.  Cocktail parties and dinners with the guest lecturers defined stimulating conversation.   Our cruise showcased documentarians for the most part and one Hollywood lyricist.   It was truly a memorable cruise!   

 

[RachelG]

There were definitely Argentine wines being served last week, as well as Chilean, on the included wines.

[kjbacon]

12 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

 

Will do!  It may take a few days as we are dining, etc. with people from The Artful Traveler and PBS groups.  Note:  Assume you are talking about dining selections rather than spa treatments.  in my opinion, their spa, aromatherapy, dry and wet saunas and the infinity pool (available for everyone at no cost) is by far the best on Regent.   Their workout areas are also wonderful.

 

seaknots - I truly never yell at anyone.  The issues we have are resolved by a simple talk with Massimo. (G.M.).  We are happy with everything and everyone - no complaints.  

 

Lots more to post, however, the port visits and Artful Traveler events keep us busy.

 

Thank you! Yes, I am talking about the dining selections and there is no need to rush. Anytime in the next month is great 🙂 We are in the process of learning how to vacation without gaining weight and I’m finding that the more info I have, the better. Looking forward to the spa too!

[Travelcat2]

kjbacon - interestingly, we have yet to dine in CR which is where the Canyon Ranch items are featured.  Since Explorer has Chartreuse and P7 open at lunch, CR is closed.  We have been to the three specialty restaurants and will go to CR tonight.

 

We had an "interesting" excursion that I would rate 3 stars for one part and 4.5 stars for the other.  I believe that almost all excursions included the ghost town - about 1 1/2 hours from the port.  So, on a 4 1/2 hour excursion, you spend three of them on the bus.   The ghost town was a very well maintained town and it was interesting but not necessarily a 3 hour drive.  For some reason, the group stayed 1/2 hours longer than scheduled.  Being in rather independent person that I am, I wandered off - sat in some shade and did my own exploration.  The weather was warm but tolerable.  This is the driest desert in the world (which means that it is drier than the Sahara). 

 

The bus was comfortable and well air conditioned.  There was concern about elderly people being out in the heat so everyone was warned to let one of our two tour guides know if we were not feeling well.  At first I looked at the 20 people in the bus and wondered why there were two tour guides and a driver (was thinking about how to tip).  Once I saw how one of the tour guides was always looking our for the group - was available to questions and was very well spoken and friendly.  We were a bit surprised that he was not the person in the front with the microphone.  The young woman in the front was super nice but difficult to hear (keeping the microphone near her mouth) and her English was not quite as good.

 

The port of Iquique, Chile (surprising, I did not misspell the name of the port) used to be part of Peru and is a lovely town - lots of construction by the port so this will be even better in the future.

 

Most of us wanted to go back to the ship and skip the quick stop for a drink (and casino we visited was about 2 miles from the port).  Thankfully, all except one couple just went along with things without getting upset about the delays.  We had Pisco Sours (regular or mango - we went for traditional), olives, cheese, empanadas (again - my poor spelling)

 

One couple had apparently decided to join another bus to go back to the ship and did not tell anyone.  So, I'll write this in red to make it stand out .... It is fine if you want to return to the ship on your own but PLEASE let the tour guide know.  And, it should be the responsibility of the the tour guide taking the extra passengers back to call the other bus to let them know that they have xx passengers on their bus.  This would have avoided yet another delay (1/2 hour) and having the tour guides looking everywhere for the missing passengers

 

Side note: (I always seem to do these).  For the first time since we began cruising, I take my iPad with me and take notes.  Have no idea why I didn't do this before.  I take the notes when sitting down or on the bus - very easy.  I'm doing the same thing in the theater with lectures but, sit in the last row so that the brightness of the screen does not interfere with anyone. 

 

Excellent dinner in Pacific with with Vladimir.  Coincidentally, the other couple at the table was the same couple that we spent time with (and have cruised with before).  This made for a very congenial and fun meal.  Vladimir is also a lot of fun.  Dennis' giant prawns were apparently amazing and my miso glazed black cod was to die for.  While Dennis has changed his mind a few times, we will dine in Pacific Rim on his birthday.

 

Show two nights ago was good but not quite as good as the prior night.  Last night was Paradisis (probably misspelled) which I normally enjoy.  As long as you do not compare it with the Broadway performers, they are fine.  Tonight the Broadway singers from the previous performances will perform together.  Should be great.

 

Another Artful Traveler lecture at 1030 a.m. (5 minutes).  Terry Breen was speaking again at 9:30 a.m. and, although we wanted to be there, we can't sit in the theater from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. to listen to both.  So, we have selected a lecturer from PBS.

 

Will post a couple of photos soon.

[Travelcat2]

This should be one shot of the ghost town, a sign outside of the casino where we had th snacks and a glass of Pisco Sours. Looks like the sign didn’t show up correctly.  However, if you want to see the sign, press on the video and you will see the signs

Edited February 21, 2019 by Travelcat2

[Travelcat2]

 

 

Photo #1 - olives and cheese (1st of three small courses).  

 

The second photo is self-explanatory 

 

Last photo is Dennis at a table in the casino.

 

 

 

[ronrick1943]

Have to agree about people that are late or leave a tour early not letting anyone know making everyone else wait for them.  Looks like a nice cruise, enjoy your time.

[RachelG]

Totally agree about people leaving tour early and not telling anyone.  That has happened on a couple of tours we were on--in one case, they were holding the ship off from sailing because the couple couldn't be found.  No one knew their names so they couldn't check in the computer system to see if they were onboard which they were. Finally they talked to the guide on the other bus who confirmed he had a couple of extras, but he just figured they had told the original guide they were going back to the ship.

 

Tell Dennis I love those giant prawns in Pacific Rim as well, so much so that I ordered them two nights.

[Travelcat2]

A pleasant surprise this afternoon.  Ran into Massimo who, amongst a million other things, is working with the Discovery Channel crew on filming this amazing ship (they will only be on until Costa Rica which is a few days away.  They want to film room service for dinner in your suite and asked if we minded having them film in our suite.  They will film the preparation of the food and the set-up of the table in the suite for dinner.  Our butler will be a great help.

 

Don’t think anyone would say no to that - particularly when you have seen their series Mighty Cruise ships.  So, while we will be but a tiny part of what they are filming, there may be a glance us when the program comes out.  Such nice people - both at Discovery, The Artful Traveler and PBS.

 

On another note, as mentioned on the last cruise, there are quite a few people with coughs so we are crossing our fingers that everyone gets better soon.  Dennis does have a cold and I’m doing Reiki, making sure he drinks hot toddies, etc.  It surprises me that this has happened as it typically begins in Lima (where we will be tomorrow).  Thankfully there are only 8 guests boarding.  

 

If permitted, I will take a photo of the crew to post.  

[flossie009]

Hope you both have Equity Cards 😉

A bit late for this year's Oscars but hope there will be a shot of your duet at the piano in the final cut 😄

[Travelcat2]

Since we will not be in Compass Rose again this evening, I’ll post tonight’s Canyon Ranch menu for  (dinner and desserts as CR is closed for lunch).

 

Nutrient Analysis:  Calories/Fat Grams/Fiber Grams (“tr” = trace - less than one gram).

 

Yogurt-Marinated Cucumber Salad - Radicchio Leaves (35/1/2)

Steamed Shanghai Dumplings — Ground Por & Shriimp (145/2/1)

Candied Pecan-crusted Chicken Breast. Maple Demi-Glacé, Sautéed Fingerling Potatoes, Mashed Cauliflower (391/14/4)

 

Dessert - Buttermilk Panna Cotta Delight - Berry Sauce (123/6/2)

 

Note:   On the dessert menu, there is always a sugar-free ice cream option -not sure about calories or fat.

 

Hope that this helps.  When I can figure out why I can’t post photos at the moment, I can do quickie photo of the Canyon Ranch menu on the television screen.  Very easy

 

 

[Master Echo]

Amplifying TC2’s notes on Humberstone for the benefit of friends who will not be following this thread, and which therefore will be copied elsewhere. 

 

The northern part of Chile experienced a nitrates boom in the 19th century and the mineral was exported through, amongst other ports, Iquique.  The mining was undertaken on what is termed as the Pampas, a huge flat plain, at an altitude of approximately 990 metres.  This is a very arid area, with little rain and relies on artesian water, and condensation from frequent fogs.

 

By the 1960’s demand for nitrates had gone and Humberstone, established in 1862 by an Englishman, Mr Humberstone, was abandoned.  It was built originally to accommodate nitrate miners and their families.  Fortunately, a philanthropic copper mining company bought the site and restored key parts of it to create a museum.  This originally had not only a theatre, and an hotel for passing travellers, but also a large swimming pool!

 

Whilst the vast majority of the buildings are empty, some have been restored.  In fact the cinema remains in occasional use for theatrical performances.  One of the houses has been refurnished to show the living accommodations of the time, complete with beds and a kitchen area.

 

The general store has been curated with life sized staff and replica merchandise, such as the butchers, the bakers and the haberdashers, with produce which looked very lifelike.

 

From here, the tour continued to the Pintados Geoglyphs which date from between 350-1500  AD.   These drawings on the rocks  which extend for over two miles, depict more than 350 figures of men, animals and various designs from geometric symbols, to llamas, a ceremonial knife, and a shark like creature showing that the artists had a connection to the sea.

 

Next came the ‘lunch stop’ and we drove to a campsite supposedly in the Tamarugal Forest, now sadly merely a few straggly trees, showing proof of Chilean deforestation over the centuries. A brown box was distributed containing ‘our lunch’ but a veil will be drawn across this part of the day!

 

Back at the ship, Sir and Madame caught a departing shuttle into the centre of Iquique, a ten minutes drive.  This deposited them in the main square, Plaza Arturo Prat.

 

The square comprised a delightful mix of colonial and contemporary architecture.  A clock tower stands in the middle of a landscaped area with a waterfall and palm trees, with shady seats adjacent to this charming area.  

 

Sir and Madame had been recommended to the Spanish Casino in one part of the square, for their final Chilean Pisco Sour, before departing for Peruvian waters.  Unfortunately only to find it was closed for a private function (hello TC)!!

 

As an alternative, they  were recommend to a cafe bar further down Baquedano Street where Sir was relieved of his vast accumulation of Chilean coinage plus several notes, but they were rewarded with a very large, excellent Pisco Sour!!

 

A fascinating aspect of cafe life here, was the constant flow of buskers.  The cafe proprietors allow these buskers to perform for a few renditions and pick up whatever tips they are offered by patrons.  One soloist played a recognisable Chuck Berry tune, Johnny be Good on his guitar and sang a mix of Spanish and English lyrics.

 

Iquique remains a bustling container port but has also developed its sandy beaches for extensive tourism.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[Travelcat2]

Master Echo - thank you for that interesting information!  Our excursion was shorter and did not include lunch, although there was plenty of food at our one stop near the ship.

 

We will be going to Malabar restaurant in Lima where, in addition to lunch, we will have Pisco Sours (and if Regent does what they did last time, they willl receive ingredients for this drink and serve it onboard.  

 

Just had our Block Party and met some lovely people.  Someone earlier on this thread said that I was “social”.  While this can seem to be the case sometimes, Dennis and I tend to dine alone but do speak to other passengers in the lounges where we almost always sit at the bar so we can chat with bartenders, etc. when they are not busy.  Meeting other passengers is not a priority for us but we have met incredible people that we remain in touch with (and sail with whenever we can).

 

That is it for now.  Time to eat.

 

 

[Master Echo]

Last night was the first of two when the ships’ clocks were to be changed,  to move us from Chilean to Peruvian time.  Fortunately for the tired, they were to be retarded one hour on retiring.  Sir and Madame did not alter their own watches when they went to bed, but were aware it would be necessary this morning.  Bless them, the cabin team had remembered to change the bedside clock.

 

Sir were astonished on waking this morning to find the television showing the old time.  A call to reception ascertained that it was incorrect.  Fortunately this was a sea day, but I can imagine there would have been chaos, should this have happened on a port day!!  Within five minutes the TV was showing the correct time!

 

 

Dry dock

 

A query was raised earlier on in this thread,  concerning the work to be done during Explorer’s forthcoming dry dock.  

 

The work is scheduled for September/October at one of Fincanteri’s (the builders) yards in Italy. Explorer is subject to a two year warranty and the work will comprise remedial work before expiry of the warranty period.  Such work could be in any of the ships’ departments.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

 

 

 

 

[Travelcat2]

Master Echo - great post as always but Explored is already 2 1/2+ years old and will be past 3 years old when she is refurbished.  Having said that, in our opinion, the ship still looks pristine.  

 

Thinking that there is actually too much to do.  When the current PBS rew departs (tomorrow), we’ll take a break from two lectures/day and a Q&A after that (on some days).  We really to take a break.

 

Tomorrow Dennis will have an 80 minute deep tissue massage for the price of a 50 minute massage.  I’m not a massage  person but will have my nails redone at some point.

 

Okay - admit that this thread isn’t as exciting as I had hoped.  However, there is way more going on than what we expected and I acknowledge that most Regent cruises are not like this one so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to share the special events when other posters will not have this experience.

 

So, I will likely be posting less about the Discovery Channel and PBS and will stick with excursions and food.  Earlier I was posting to entice posters to look for Artful Traveler cruises as they are so special.

 

So, with that in mind, we had a light dinner at CR and it was disappointing.  Looking forward to our Regent Choice excursion tomorrow.  

 

 

 

 

[kjbacon]

Thank you for posting that Canyon Ranch Menu. That sounds pretty darn tasty! 

[Master Echo]

I too, thought the ship was over two years old, but was merely passing on what I was told by an officer at last night's block party.

 

By tonight you will be able to contrast Peruvian and Chilean pisco sours, so have a great day.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[Hambagahle]

Your account of the Chilean port (which I won't begin to try to spell!) makes me wish SO much we had stopped there on the Mariner some years ago.  Instead we were in Antofagasto.  To sum up our tour there Ken said "that was really Antoforgetit"!   There was nothing to see, but that, sadly was partly due to bad planning of our tour.  A visit to the HQ of the Copper mining company there would surely have resulted in an interesting lecture on the Atacama and mineral extraction.  Instead we were driven through the town (unremarkable) and to some arch on the coast north of the town which was not nearly as impressive as the arch at Cabo San Lucas.  What WAS impressive though was the Mariner was the first and only ship to visit that year - and it seemed that the entire population of the town turned out to wave us goodbye.  We waved back!!

 

TC your photos are SO great.  I am just amazed that you walk around with your iPad.  That has never occured to me but I think I should give it a go.   Hope Dennis has a lovely birthday, deep tissue massage included.

Gerry

[rallydave]

9 minutes ago, Master Echo said:

I too, thought the ship was over two years old, but was merely passing on what I was told by an officer at last night's block party.

 

By tonight you will be able to contrast Peruvian and Chilean pisco sours, so have a great day.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

Since this is a warranty issue with the ships builder how the warranty is applied depends on the Terms and Conditions of the actual warranty and pretty sure not a standard warranty like an automobile but, a negotiated warranty at the time of contract signing.  

 

A theory is that ships, unlike say automobiles ply the seven seas of the world and cannot easily be brought back to the shipyard of the builder before the actual end date of the warranty so, perhaps the cruise line simply identifies the warranty items before the end of the warranty period and then at a date of convenience for both the ship and the shipyard, the ship is brought into the builders drydock and the identified items as of the end of warranty date are taken care of at the builders expense.

 

We will never know the actual Terms and Conditions but, strongly doubt the warranty is such that the ship has to be brought into the builders shipyard before the actual end of the warranty period.

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, Master Echo said:

I too, thought the ship was over two years old, but was merely passing on what I was told by an officer at last night's block party.

 

By tonight you will be able to contrast Peruvian and Chilean pisco sours, so have a great day.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

 

Sometimes officers misremember things.  The ship does not look as old as she is.  We were told (not swearing that this is true) that new ships typically go into dry dock after one year.  Explorer was doing so well - was always booked and really didn't need a dry dock (except to fix the theater and some other major items that can be done in October with everything else).  In any case, it was decided to wait. 

 

Anxious to try the pisco sours at lunch as well as those onboard (when they get the ingredients).

 

Today is my first really relaxed day.  I have been a bit hyper about Dennis' birthday but this morning he got up very early (asked that I stay in bed and relax - gotta to love when you are told that), and had a 90 minute massage.  He is likely in a sauna or aromatherapy room and will be ready for our excursion in an hour.

 

Having not been on Explorer in 1 3/4 years and now coming back from Mariner and Voyager, the differences in the ships are really noticeable.  Someone we were speaking with mentioned the difficulty they sometimes have in getting interior pieces (decorations, wall coverings, etc.) replaced when they need it.  All the other ships are so close in design and this ship is just different.  Not sure that this paragraph is making sense.

 

An item that I find interesting (and may be true of all Regent ships), is that the linens in each dining venue have a unique pattern on them so the people that clean the linens know where to send it back to. 

 

With some CC'ers not enjoying Chartreuse as much as Signatures (do not personally have a strong opinion about that) having Pacific Rim is a great option.  It took us 4 times of dining there before we really liked it ........ others (guessing that it is the majority) love it and there are always some that do not care for Asian fusion food.  Also, having Chartreuse and/or P7 open for lunch every day is wonderful (in our opinion).  Finally, the over the top buffet (I'll take photos - even though everyone takes photos of this luscious buffet) - that can only be offered on Explorer.  On the Voyager three months ago, they did a version of the buffet by having a galley lunch with a lot of lovely food options. 

 

As mentioned, we are in Lima today - weather looks warm - we do not leave the ship until 11:45 a.m.  Will definitely take photos as my ability to post pictures has returned.  I took my iPad into the computer "guru" this morning (such a nice man) to show him how I used to post photos and now I can't.  Of course, when I showed him, it worked perfectly.  Go figure!

 

Passengers on this cruise are delightful - quiet - polite and fun to be with rolled into one.  Could not ask for more.

 

Looking forward to the rest of the cruise.  Will definitely post the Canyon Ranch options for dinner daily - at least for a few days.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Travelcat2

[morneau]

I agree that having Chartreuse and/or Prime 7 open for lunch is wonderful - we really enjoy to have an upscale non-buffet option.  We also have come to really enjoy Pacific Rim over the course of two cruises on Explorer - there was a learning curve until we figured out exactly what we liked.  On our last trip it was the most popular specialty restaurant by far.  We continue to be impressed by the variety of dining options available on Explorer.

Edited February 22, 2019 by morneau

[Travelcat2]

Good day in Lima. Malabar restaurant was great and the passengers were congenial and enjoyed the meal as much as we did (only 12 of us).  Will post photos when the internet gets faster than a snail walking backwards.

 

Really appreciate that the passengers all seem to be enjoying the cruise rather than looking for things to complain about (unlike the Caribbean cruise with chair hogs - a legitimate complaint in my opinion).

 

My blog continues to bore me so oI can only imagine that this is putting you to sleep.   I typically have a theme that I at least start out with.  There is so much going on and most of it is unique to this cruise so there is little to say.

 

Dinner tonight is Pacific Rim again (we really have grown to enjoy that dining venue).  As others have said it takes time to know what to order there.  

 

Weather a little cooler today (love it).  Lima’s traffic is really bad.  And, there is a big turnaround with the crew today.  Still crossing my fingers that we do not go “Code Red”. Regent is very aware of the health issues when people embark in Lima but is not an easy issue to solve (and Lima is an important port).  

 

Computer came up a bit stronger. Below should be Canyon Ranch menu for tonight and the menu from lunch.  Photos to follow eventually.

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by Travelcat2