Live from the Regal - July 2-23 - Med Cruise - R/T Barcelona

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Esprit said:

It was our first time in Heraklion . Reminded me of a larger version of Rhodes but that has a much easier walk into the town centre.

The wife was ecstatic as we stumbled across a Zara store🙄. She was over the moon with her purchase as they didn’t have her size in the Naples Store. I’ve visited more Zara stores around Europe than ancient wonders!

Me too ! Plus Mango and Cortefiel !

The good thing is that they usually have great a/c and a seat by the  changing rooms. 

Just a warning - there is an M&S in Gib. Be very afraid! 

[travellingnana]

Thank you for your posts. I am enjoying this very much as we plan to do this cruise next year. I have a question about the weather. I see beautiful skies, but has it been hot at all?  Humid?

[Ken the cruiser]

We have arrived in Kusadasi, Turkey and are getting ready for our PCL excursion to Ephesus! 😁

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

We also got this notice with two strips of paper that had our names and passport information along with a barcode on them. We have to have them when we go ashore as well as in Istanbul. 
 

 

 

[Esprit]

We woke to this view!😂

[Esprit]

A couple of room tips!

If the TV rattles on its wall mounting particularly when the ship has a bit of movement I wedged a face towel between the wall and the TV. Job done.

There is a motion sensor light for the walk in wardrobe area. It’s far too bright if you have to get up in the middle of the night. Just ask your cabin steward to tape over the sensor. Job done!👌

[wowzz]

33 minutes ago, Esprit said:

A couple of room tips!

If the TV rattles on its wall mounting particularly when the ship has a bit of movement I wedged a face towel between the wall and the TV. Job done.

There is a motion sensor light for the walk in wardrobe area. It’s far too bright if you have to get up in the middle of the night. Just ask your cabin steward to tape over the sensor. Job done!👌

We used an elastoplast to cover the sensor.  Job done !

[Esprit]

We always like returning to Kusadasi, but the market street shop owners get on your wick!

[Ken the cruiser]

Had a great excursion to Ephesus!! To start off with, our tour bus was not crowded at all. As your can see there were 4 empty rows between us the the rest of of the tour. 
 

 

Then on our drive there we learned about two big crops they produce in the area, Olive and Mulberry trees. We understood the olives, but why mulberry trees? Then our guide told us about the silk worms. I guess once the Chinese secret got out about the value of silk worms, the folks in the Ottoman Empire started growing mulberry trees! According to Ms Google:

 

”In early spring, thousands of families in rural China are trekking into fields to strip the last mulberry leaves from the trees. Mulberry leaves are the only leaves that silkworms will eat.”

 

 

 

Then we arrived at Ephesus and I’ll just let the pictures tell the story. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part of the tour was going into the protected covered area to see the Terrace Houses. 
 

 

 

 

They even had central heating back then via those pipe-looking things. 
 

 

 

Then it was back outside to take in the view before heading to the library and the amphitheater. 
 

 

 

Of course, I had to take a picture of the local wildlife. 
 

 

 

 

 

Then they finished off with a little outdoor entertainment before we headed back to the bus by way of the gift shops, of course. 😁

 

 

Then, here are some views on the way to the carpet weaving demonstration and subsequently back to the ship. 
 

Even saw some wind turbines along the way. 
 

Huge olive tree orchard off in the distance. 

 

 

The huge Odyssey of the Seas pulled in along side of us.
 

 

A lady weaving a silk rug which in all will take about 3 years to complete. Definitely a work of love!
 

 

 

But they offered us some great deals. They had a 4’ x 6’ silk rug for $25,000. But we could buy it today for only $8,300, including all customs and delivery charges! Such a deal. But they did have some beautiful rugs!!

Edited July 13, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[phabric]

Ken the cruiser - 

I am interested in taking this excursion.  Can you tell the Princess excursion name and number?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

23 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Which got me thinking. This is our 100th day of cruising during the pandemic since last August. One way we’ve been able to do that is to develop a strategy of avoiding close encounters if at all possible when we’re either on the ship or in port on a tour or just walking around. 

I am really enjoying your live from. Thank you for taking the time to do it. Congratulations on making 100 days of sailing Covid free. I made 81 days so far 🙂. Those protocols help in my opinion. 
 

I’d like to start taking more PCL tours but I’ve found them to be way too crowded. I’m wondering if you knew in advance that you would be on such uncrowded busses?  And if so how did find out?  What would you do if you went to get on the bus and found it packed?  
 

I’ve not read this entire thread but I will and see if you discussed how you managed to feel safe and stay Covid free on the long plane ride to get overseas. 
 

Thanks` again for all the pictures and posts!

[Sn0cruiser]

Ken - thanks for your detailed live from.  Much appreciated ! We’re planning a similar med cruise in the near future.
 

Quick question is the dolphin deck aft is set aside for quarantine?

[Esprit]

This is our current internet speed whilst at sea and with a strong headwind!

[Esprit]

2 minutes ago, Esprit said:

This is our current internet speed whilst at sea and with a strong headwind!

 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Esprit
No picture!

[c-boy]

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Had a great excursion to Ephesus!! To start off with, our tour bus was not crowded at all. As your can see there were 4 empty rows between us the the rest of of the tour. 
 

 

Then on our drive there we learned about two big crops they produce in the area, Olive and Mulberry trees. We understood the olives, but why mulberry trees? Then our guide told us about the silk worms. I guess once the Chinese secret got out about the value of silk worms, the folks in the Ottoman Empire started growing mulberry trees! According to Ms Google:

 

”In early spring, thousands of families in rural China are trekking into fields to strip the last mulberry leaves from the trees. Mulberry leaves are the only leaves that silkworms will eat.”

 

 

 

Then we arrived at Ephesus and I’ll just let the pictures tell the story. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part of the tour was going into the protected covered area to see the Terrace Houses. 
 

 

 

 

They even had central heating back then via those pipe-looking things. 
 

 

 

Then it was back outside to take in the view before heading to the library and the amphitheater. 
 

 

 

Of course, I had to take a picture of the local wildlife. 
 

 

 

 

 

Then they finished off with a little outdoor entertainment before we headed back to the bus by way of the gift shops, of course. 😁

 

 

Then, here are some views on the way to the carpet weaving demonstration and subsequently back to the ship. 
 

Even saw some wind turbines along the way. 
 

Huge olive tree orchard off in the distance. 

 

 

The huge Odyssey of the Seas pulled in along side of us.
 

 

A lady weaving a silk rug which in all will take about 3 years to complete. Definitely a work of love!
 

 

 

But they offered us some great deals. They had a 4’ x 6’ silk rug for $25,000. But we could buy it today for only $8,300, including all customs and delivery charges! Such a deal. But they did have some beautiful rugs!!

😲 I should get our rugs reappraised.

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, Sn0cruiser said:

Ken - thanks for your detailed live from.  Much appreciated ! We’re planning a similar med cruise in the near future.
 

Quick question is the dolphin deck aft is set aside for quarantine?

On this cruise I believe deck 8 and 9 forward on the port side are the areas that have been blocked off. But the only reason I’m saying this is because the hall entrances at those entrance locations when we walk down the stairs have been closed pretty much since we boarded back on July 2. 

[Ken the cruiser]

This afternoon after an early sailaway, we went to Beat the Cruise Director, which was totally fascinating and not what we expected. I’m not going to say how, but I highly recommend you go to see it if Dan France is your CD on an upcoming cruise. I’ve got say, Dan has been one of the most multitalented CDs we’ve ever had the pleasure of sailing with. 
 

 

 

Then, on the way to watch another lecture by Angela Kelly, we saw a few of the The Real Love Boat actors taking a selfie!

 

 

But understandably, you can definitely tell this is a younger crowd on this cruise by the attendance at her lectures reflected in the below picture. All totaled, there may have been around 20 or so there. 
 

Her lectures are interesting for us old folks, but not all that exciting if you’re a younger person who is on vacation!

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[LibertyBella]

Hello Ken,

 

I am just now reviewing all your postings as I was on my own cruise, Cunard QM2, at the beginning of the month.  I was SUPPOSED to be on the Regal Princess on the similar itinerary as yours leaving the end of this month, but the ship was taken over by a whole ship charter, and Princess cancelled us off.

Therefore, I have rebooked for next summer, but the ship is going to be the Enchanted Princess instead of the Regal.

 

I am certainly enjoying all your postings and I thank you for your engaging photos.  I love archaeology, so I will be sure to take all the tours featuring ancient sites to visit.  Ephesus is top on my list, but I also hope to do Knossos in Crete, and I want to revisit Pompeii. By the way, I also always book all the Princess shore tours, and I have always found them to be well organized, comprehensive, enjoyable, and worth the cost.  If I am traveling all that way I want to see as much as I can as well as I can, and my goal is not to try to get a bargain basement local tour to save a few bucks.

I know touring every day can be exhausting, but it is well worth it for all the memories later.

 

I look forward to your feedback regarding your Istanbul  and Athens experiences.  Enjoy your wonderful journey, and thanks for sharing in such detail!!

[Ken the cruiser]

It’s 7:30 pm right now, an the internet is blistering right now. Everyone must be at dinner! 😂

 

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I am really enjoying your live from. Thank you for taking the time to do it. Congratulations on making 100 days of sailing Covid free. I made 81 days so far 🙂. Those protocols help in my opinion. 
 

I’d like to start taking more PCL tours but I’ve found them to be way too crowded. I’m wondering if you knew in advance that you would be on such uncrowded busses?  And if so how did find out?  What would you do if you went to get on the bus and found it packed?  
 

I’ve not read this entire thread but I will and see if you discussed how you managed to feel safe and stay Covid free on the long plane ride to get overseas. 
 

Thanks` again for all the pictures and posts!

First rule we follow. The mask goes on when we get on the tour bus, regardless if anyone else is wearing one, which on this cruise,unless it’s mandated like in Italy, mostly no one is wearing on.

 

Second rule we follow. Go as far back in the tour bus as possible, as most folks stay as close as possible to either door that opens on the bus. The only tour we’ve been on this cruise that was a small 20 passenger bus was in Gibraltar. All the rest were in the big ones and in most cases there are plenty of open seats in the back.

 

Third rule when it comes to airplanes. The mask goes on and stays on, regardless of what others are doing. They only come off when we’re eating or drinking.

 

Button, the bottom line is we have enjoyed not getting sick these past 2+ years with any illness and we’d like to keep that string going as long as possible.

 

I could go on, but it’s time to go to the show! 😁

 

 

[tml1230]

Ken, your photos continue to be incredible! As we prepare for our next cruise on the Regal this fall, I have about 2 pages of notes from your reports! GREAT advice....thank you again  and enjoy the rest of your cruise....

[Ken the cruiser]

After another tasty dinner this evening, we went to the evening show in the theater, Sweet Soul Music. 
 

 

 

 

Followed by our normal trip afterwards to Princess Live f a good laugh to watch The Best Guess Game Show. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 13 - July 14 - Istanbul 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

7 hours ago, phabric said:

Ken the cruiser - 

I am interested in taking this excursion.  Can you tell the Princess excursion name and number?

Ephesus and the Terrace Houses
KU1-250A

[Ken the cruiser]

6 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I’d like to start taking more PCL tours but I’ve found them to be way too crowded. I’m wondering if you knew in advance that you would be on such uncrowded busses?  And if so how did find out?  What would you do if you went to get on the bus and found it packed?  
 

I’ve not read this entire thread but I will and see if you discussed how you managed to feel safe and stay Covid free on the long plane ride to get overseas. 
 

Thanks` again for all the pictures and posts!

Just to add a few more thoughts on how we try to improve our odds of staying safe during our cruising adventures since the restart last summer. Now, this may not work for some people, but it seems to work for us. BTW I’m 70 and my DW is a few years younger FWIW. 
 

First, we’re pretty much anti-social with other passengers when we’re on a cruise.  I love talking with people, but we love cruising more and don’t want to accidentally catch something to spoil our fun of being on a cruise. 
 

However, we have a blast with the crew we meet and always try to make them laugh, especially the washy-washy ladies up at the buffet who get to deal with all kinds of attitude as one might imagine. 

 

Speaking of the buffet. When we do eat up there, usually on port days for breakfast and/or lunch, we always find a place to eat outside in the aft. It’s amazing how few of people even think to go out there. 
 

In the theater we plot our seat locations ahead of time for places where people won’t be sitting directly behind us. We also arrive 20-30 minutes in advance and bring a deck of cards and play Gin Rummy to pass the time until the show starts. 
 

Hope this helps! 😁