Final Post

Port of Miami
        We docked very early and were at pier by the time our alarm went off at 5:45 am.  We had our final room service breakfast while getting ready to leave our suite.  Jane came by at 7:30 and we headed to a public area to wait until our time to disembark denoted by the colored tag on our luggage.  I had understood that we would be first off the ship but not true. Passenger disembarkation was to begin at 8:15 but delayed as the crew had not cleared immigration,  All crew had to clear prior to us getting off.  Kind of hard to do when they were still working. 
        It was about 8:45 before we departed the ship.  Was down in baggage area looking for our luggage for 15 minutes before I noticed they had placed our luggage in area with our name but name sheet was turned so you could not see it.  Lost at least 15 minutes there.  So a porter loaded our luggage and Jane's on his cart and we were led through immigration by a Regent representative out to our awaiting limo.
        Off we went for the Ft Lauderdale airport.  Our driver said it would be a 40 minute ride.  We got there at 9:40 so had two hours to get through security and to gate.  Not hard to do since we were ticketed in first class in had TSA pre-check. 
        Our flight left right on time for DFW.  We had a really good lunch on the flight.  I choose the vegetarian lasagna (really delicious) and Rebecca had a grilled chicken Caesar salad.  Our 1st class F/A was best we have had in long time.  Nice guy named Bill.  Rebecca recognized him from her flying days.  He took Jane a glass of wine and cookie back for her in coach. 
        Once we claimed our checked luggage, a friend of Jane's, Bob, was right there to pick us up and take us to Jane's house where we were spending the night.  Only problem was when we got there, Jane could not find her house key.  So we were standing in her front yard for 2 1/2 hours while she tried to find someone who had her house key.  Luckily, it was a nice day.  Poor Jane was very embarrassed but we finally got the key and it was wine time!!
        Jane took us out for dinner and I retired very early as it was a long day.  I think everyone was tired.  I was awake at 4:00 am and could not go back to sleep.  We had the alarm set for 5:45 anyway.
        Jane drove us to DFW at 6:30 and made good time as beat the Dallas rush hour.  Arrived at airport by little after 7:00.  Got through security prior to rush so had plenty of time for Mc Donald's breakfast.  Our flight left gate on time at 9:10.
        DFW had one of their main runways closed for maintenance so took a little longer getting off ground.  Arrived DRO (Durango airport) a few minutes late at 10:30.  We had left my Ford Escape at the Double Tree downtown and had them take us to airport.  I called Wed to tell them we were coming Thurs morning and to pick us up but they were not there.  So it was an hour delay before they arrived.
        After loading the Escape we had to make several stops on way home:  Post Office, Papa Murphy's for pizza for dinner, grocery, and car wash.  So took rest of afternoon to unpack, clean house, dust (Rebecca has dust allergies), open and file mail. etc.
        So by 5:00 we were ready for a glass or two of vino and to relax.  Going to be early bed time as we are exhausted.  Glad to find house and yard in same condition as we left it.  Good to be home but miss our crew friends who took such good care of us.  Not looking forward to weighing tomorrow morning.
        In summary, we had two amazing cruises.  Saw a lot of old friends, both crew and passengers.  Regent's newest ship, the Explorer, was beyond incredible.  Can't wait until next March to board her again in LA. 
        I want to thank everyone who have been following us on our latest adventure.  It was my pleasure to take you all along with us and hope you will come with us on our next trip.  Until then, God Bless you all.

Link to final photos:      https://photos.app.goo.gl/8wtCIn6hXjqwg96B3   
     



        

Day 28--Last Day at Sea

This is our position an noon today.  We have another 250 statute miles to go prior to reaching the Port of Miami early tomorrow morning.  Total number of statute miles from Barcelona to Miami is 5200. Well, day number 28 means this is the last day of our two 14 day cruises.  Biggest problem of getting older is that time seems to fly by faster and faster.  It is a sunny day with light winds and outside air temperature of 70 degrees.  Smooth sailing today!

Last Night:
        Rebecca and I skipped the Captain's Farewell cocktail party and Krew Kappers show but Jane went.  We saw the crew show on Explorer however.  Different cast here obviously but we have seen many of these shows over the years on Regent.  Believe me, they are really great shows.
        Cocktails as usual in Mariner Lounge.  Grace is the lounge waitress that always takes such good care of us.  She was with us last year on our world cruise also.  Love her to death!  Will miss her serving our drinks in the evening when we get back home.
        We then had a very nice dinner in Compass Rose.  We both had escargot as our appetizer followed by beef Wellington cooked medium rare.  It is always cooker perfectly and very tender beef tenderloin.  I was late to the show but did enjoy the comedian, Tom Briscoe.

Today:
        Turned out clocks back again last night so now we are on Miami time.  This morning we both worked out and then finished packing.  Just a few last minute things to throw in after we get back from dinner tonight.  We also checked in online for our flight tomorrow. 
       The ship's internet is intermittent again today as it was yesterday.  Really nice out on balcony today.  May sit out or may watch a movie this afternoon.  We have requested a special dinner tonight of miso sea bass and special salad.  They're showing a movie in the theater tonight.  There is also a Beatles Dance Party at 9:30 in the Horizon Lounge.  Probably will not do either.

Tomorrow's Plan:
        Up early as we are to disembark the ship by 8:00 am.  After claiming our luggage in the terminal we will clear immigration and be led to our limo to be taken up to the Ft Lauderdale Airport.  Since Jane is also on our flight I have it arranged for her to ride with us in our limo.  This is one of our Titanium benefits.  Depending on morning traffic it should be a 45 minute ride. 
        Of course we are flying on American Airlines.  I bought first class tickets for our flight back to DFW.  We are to depart FLL at 11:42 am and arrive DFW at 1:53 pm.  Jane's friend, Bob, will pick the three of us up as we will be spending the night at Jane's.
        Next morning Jane will take us back to DFW for our 9:00 am flight on American Eagle back to Durango.  We are scheduled to land at DRO at 10:17 am (hour time change).  Once there I'll call the DoubleTree hotel to come pick us up as we left my Escape there a month ago.  We'll have to stop at post office to get mail and stop for some groceries so be early afternoon before we arrive back at 310 Horse Thief Lane. Love our street name!

One More Post:
        I will make one more post after we arrive back home to sum things up.  There will be more photos for sure.

Link for today's photos:      https://photos.app.goo.gl/dTK9ImTB9zVP3DyF2

Day 27--At Sea

Our position at noon today is yellow arrow in red circle.  We are about 700 statute miles from Miami now.  Partly cloudy skies, 72 degrees outside, and we have a 30 kt wind on the nose.  Seas are not too bad right now with 6 to 8 foot waves.  Captain Serena says conditions will deteriorate later this afternoon with rain showers and 9 foot waves.  Conditions will improve tomorrow for the remainder of this cruise.

Last Night:
        Before we went for cocktails, we went shopping.  By booking the two cruises on board for the 2020 inaugural season of the RSSC Splendor, we got $200 in ship board credit on this cruise.  So we went down to the boutiques to find something.  We really did not need anything so bought something for our son.
        Then as planned, cocktails in Mariner Lounge and dinner in Compass Rose.  We were sitting on the front row for last night's production show, "Blazing Boots".  It was the first time we had seen this show.  Still disappointed with the singers but liked the choreography, dancing, and songs in the show.  At the end of their show I gave them a standing ovation because I felt they have really worked hard on all the production shows and this cruise was their debut cruise as a cast.  Even though they are not the best we've seen, they certainly gave it their all for us.  I don't think many stood besides us.

Today:
        Prior to sailing yesterday Captain Serena said we will be hitting some stormy seas around noon today.  We had a very smooth night of sailing however.  At 10:00 I met Jim, our neighbor, in Coffee Connection for a chat.  We covered a lot during our hour chat.  At 11:00 I went up to the boutique and got Jeff's gift.  (Can't say what it it as he is reading the blog)  Then I went down to get our passports.  The ship has been holding them since we boarded.
        The theme for today's pool grill BBQ is "seafood extravaganza" so we had to go up and check it out.  Rebecca worked out this morning and I am not sure if I will do mine this afternoon.  We packed one of our three bags this afternoon.  It weighed in at 46.5 lbs so was comfortably under the 50 lb limit.
        This evening is the Captain's Farewell cocktail party in the theater at 6:00 pm followed by the Krew Kappers, the crew show.  We like this night because beef Wellington is always on the Compass Rose menu.  Tonight's headliner entertainer in the theater at 9:30 is a comedian, Tom Briscoe.  Don't think we have seen him before so will try to go.

Here is the link to today's photos:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/3zaK7WCRjmlVDFV92
                   

Day 26--Hamilton, Bermuda (Day #2)

Hamilton
        It's another beautiful day here on Bermuda.  Sunny, blue skies and temperature today to be in low 70's again.

Last Night:
        Cocktails again at 6:00 in Mariner Lounge followed by dinner up in Sette Mari.  We had a delightful young lady (22 years old) who was Italian but lives in London now, as our waitress.  This is Georgia's first contract working for Regent but you could never tell it.  Not only was she a hard worker but her personality was perfect for the job.  I kidded her alot but she gave it right back to me. She really made our dinner special.  Even though veal parmesan was not on the menu last night, I asked if the chef might make it for me anyway.  I told Georgia I had a photo of the way I wanted it prepared on my phone IF the chef agreed to make it.  So I quickly looked up the photo and sure enough out came Chef Uma (the chef from India).  He said he could do it, no problem.  You will see a photo of it in today's photos.  I told him it was just for one person but there were three pieces when it came out.  I gave one piece to Georgia to eat later if they would let her.  I loved it and was much better then the version that Chef Dino made us early on in the cruise.  Jane had veal scaloppine in lemon sauce and Rebecca chose a  braised chicken dish.  After dinner I retired but the girls went to the bar for a nightcap.

Today:
        On Sundays Regent has caviar and champagne in both the Compass Rose and La Veranda restaurant during breakfast hours.  We went up to La Veranda so I could have some caviar.  I also had eggs benedict while Rebecca just had scrambled eggs.
        It was another nice morning so again today I went up to do a 4 mile fast walk up on the jogging track.  That takes me an hour.  Rebecca did her exercise on the treadmill as usual.  We spent the rest of the morning reading.  Now we just finished having room service lunch of grilled chicken Caesar salads.  I finished my book, "Surviving Hell".  Great book!  Then I sat out on our balcony and read today's Dallas Morning News.  We get it printed daily for us as part of our Titanium benefits.
        The ship is sailing at 4:00 pm for Miami, 1082 statute miles from here.  We have two days at sea before arriving there on Wednesday morning.  We have been invited to a special sail-away cocktail party for the top tiers of the Seven Seas Society members.  It will be on the back of the sports deck (deck 12).  Sailing out through the narrow channel is quite nice.
        We'll meet Jane in the Mariner Lounge at 6:00 for cocktail hour as usual.  Tonight we are planning on dinner in the Compass Rose Restaurant.  There is another production show tonight in the theater.  It is "Blazing Boots", billed as a pop country rock concert performed by the production cast and ship's orchestra.  I believe this is a new show for us.  We plan on attending it.

Link to today's photos:      https://photos.app.goo.gl/d41bCpgqRnckjBNx1

Day 25--Hamilton, Bermuda

Our position today is docked at the pier right next to downtown Hamilton on the island of Bermuda.  It is a beautiful day with sunny skies, light winds, and temperature in the low 70's.  Hamilton is the capital of the British overseas territory of Bermuda.  Hamilton's history dates back to 1790 but it did not become a city until 1897.  The city has a limit on the height any building can be.  Buildings cannot obscure the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity (Church of England).  Today, finance and international business drives its economy.  Of note is Bacardi rum is headquartered here. 

Last Night:
        We met our Durango neighbors, Jim & Barbara, for a cocktail prior to dinner in the Mariner Lounge.  They are also traveling with Barbara's sister and her daughter.  We then enjoyed dinner in Prime 7.
        Once again we were on the front row for the headliner entertainer, Lovena B. Fox.  This was her second show of the cruise.  WOW!  She blew everyone away with her fantastic voice and selection of songs.  She is definitely in the top five performers we have ever heard on a cruise ship.  She received a well deserved standing ovation.

Today:
        Ships sailing into the island of Bermuda can only arrive and depart during hours of daylight due to there only being a narrow channel through coral beds and shallow rocks.  We picked up the harbor pilot at 6:30 and was not docked until 8:45.  Rebecca had room service again but I went up to La Veranda for my breakfast. 
        We are not going on any tours today or tomorrow as we have been here several times over the years.  I did my exercise by walking 3 miles up on the ship's walking/jogging track on deck 12.  This morning the crew had a emergency drill that lasted nearly an hour.  This involved deploying the life boats on our side of the ship into the water.  I was watching this from our balcony as it was quite interesting.
        I had a burger up at the pool grill for my lunch.  After that I walked into Hamilton which is right across the street from pier.  It is a nice warm, sunny day so good for a walk.  I finally found a big grocery store so bought some tooth paste as not sure we had enough to last until we got back home next week.  Prices here are very high.  Cost $7 for a tube of Crest tooth paste. 
        After returning to the ship I sat out on our balcony and started reading a book that our next door neighbor had given me before leaving on the cruise.  It is titled, "Surviving Hell" by Leo Thorsness.  Leo was shot down in April of 1967 while flying a combat mission over North Vietnam in a F-105 "Wild Weasel" and spent 6 years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi.  Leo is also a Medal of Honor recipient.  The book tells his story of being tortured while captive and how he and the other POW's managed to survive.  Leo is related to Melissa our next door neighbor and they recently flew to Washington DC for his funeral with full military honors and a fly-over of Air Force fighters during interment in the National Cemetery.  As a veteran of the Vietnam War and also an Air Force pilot, I have the highest respect for my fellow Air Force, Navy, and Marine aviators who ended up being POW's in Hanoi.  These men suffered severe torture during their captivity.  I am also proud to have played a part in securing their release.  I was a B-52 pilot who flew during the 12 nights of the bombing of Hanoi during December 1972.  This bombing campaign drove the North Vietnamese back to peace talks seriously, thus ending the war.  Our POW's were released a few months later.  I talked to one POW who later was also an American Airlines pilot.  He told me all the POW's were out in the prison yard cheering the nights of the B-52 raids as they knew their release freedom was soon coming.
        Plan for this evening includes cocktail hour in Mariner Lounge followed by dinner up in Sette Mari, Italian restaurant.  Tonight's Compass Rose menu not that interesting to us.  Not much of a show in theater tonight as the ship's orchestra pianist is doing a concert.  I think several folks will be off the ship tonight dining in Hamilton's restaurants.  They are so convenient as just across the street from our pier.  Crew members may be out there after they finish work having a drink and bite to eat also.

Here is the link to today's photos:      https://photos.app.goo.gl/Tn5Vo4tn2stFQm7t2 

Day 24--At Sea

Our position at noon today.  Yellow arrow in red circle heading for the green dot which is Bermuda.  We'll be arriving there at 9:00 am tomorrow.  I guess we are now cruising in the Bermuda Triangle on Friday the 13th!!  It is a sunny day and 64 degrees outside.  Glad to report that the ocean has calmed down some but still some swells.

Last Night:
        We went to the Alford's cocktail party in their master suite at 5:30 pm.  There were 4 other couples plus Jane who were invited to it.  The master suite is on deck 9 at the very front of the ship so their balcony looks out over the bow.  Their balcony alone is twice the size of our suite.  The suite has 2 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths with separate living area and dining table.  There was a bartender in addition to their butler taking care of the party guests.  It was a fun time but the forward location was very not good place to be during rough seas, so it was difficult to stand without holding onto something.  At 6:30 we went down to the Mariner Lounge for another cocktail prior to dinner in Compass Rose.  The girls had duck in orange sauce and I had Dover sole.  All very good!
        After dinner we went to see the production show.  This time we sat towards the back as I wanted to see how the singers sounded back there.  I am still not impressed with this cast of singers.  It was all I could do to sit through the whole show.  Dancers are doing a good job.

Today:
        Once again room service breakfast for Rebecca.  I went up to La Veranda but tables were full so I came back down to the Coffee Connection for coffee and a bran muffin.  Finally ran into Jim & Barbara, our neighbors back in Durango.  We are meeting them this evening for a cocktail prior to dinner.  Jim is also a retired American Airlines pilot.  Barbara said Jim walked out of show last night.  They also have a problem with the singers.  Interesting!
        We both hit the gym this morning and at noon we headed up to the pool grill for the Tex-Mex BBQ.  This is the Regent version of Tex-Mex so not quite what you would expect.  Well, there is finally water in the swimming pool.  It was sloshing around quite a bit due to the ship's motion besides it is too cool to be swimming.  The hot tubs are busy however. 
        Thanks to my suggestion last year on our world cruise, there is now a "classic movie channel" on the tv system.  Yesterday I watched "Fist Full of Dollars", a 1964 spaghetti western starring Clint Eastwood.  Today, I am watching "Bridge Over the River Kwai".  Seen them many times before but still enjoy them. 
        At 3:00 this afternoon there will be a "Country Fair" up on the pool deck.  The different departments, ie, housekeeping, bar, entertainment, reception, restaurant and others, will setup booths with games for us passengers to play.  This will just last 45 minutes.  I have seen many of these on all Regent cruises and pretty sure the crew members have more fun than we do.
        We are meeting our neighbors, Jim & Barbara, this evening for cocktails in the Mariner Lounge at 6:00 pm.  We have 7:15 reservations in Prime 7 for dinner tonight.  After that we plan on going to the theater for headliner entertainer, Lovena Fox's second show of the cruise. 

Link to today's photos:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/ywWb5QbJetvbgV2B2

Day 23--At Sea

They finally got the map on tv fixed.  So our position at noon today is at the yellow arrow in the red circle.  Bermuda is shown as the green dot this side of the USA.  Ship is moving about some with the 12 foot waves today.  Captain Serena says the ocean should be improving later on this afternoon but it didn't.  Not bad though.  Mostly sunny skies with some haze and an outside air temperature of 66 degrees.  We have 885 miles left to travel prior to reaching Hamilton, Bermuda, Saturday morning.

Last Night:
        Last night we went to the Seven Seas Society cocktail party prior to dinner in Compass Rose.  We asked to be seated at one of "Skinny's" tables.  We have known him for a long time and is a very good waiter.  They call him Skinny because he is very skinny.  We all had the miso sea bass as our entree.  It is without doubt our favorite entree on Regent.  They marinade the sea bass in miso for 48 hours prior to cooking.  I had two pieces as they were small.  It melted in our mouths!
        After dinner I did go to the theater to see the comedian/magician's show.  He is a very young man and his show was ok.  The girls stopped in the Mariner Lounge for an after dinner glass of wine.

Today:
        Clocks back another hour last night so got an extra hour sleep.  We are now 3 hours ahead of Central time.  Room service breakfast at 8:00 this morning followed by the gym and getting cleaned up. 
        After some lunch, I watched a movie while Rebecca read her book.  I have also been working on this. Well, at 5:30 we have been invited to have cocktails in the Master Suite (largest suite on the ship).  Dwight & Mona Alford have invited us to see the newly refurbished master suite.  They were one of the other two couples who were invited by Jason Montague, President of RSSC, to dine with him early on in this cruise.  We have cruised with the Alford's before also.  They live in NC.
        Planning dinner in Compass Rose then going to the theater afterwards for the second production show, "What the World Needs Now" featuring Burt Bacharach tunes performed by the cast of singers and dancers.  It is pretty bumpy now so I would not be surprised if the show will be moved to another night.  The dancers will have tough time dancing while like this.

Here is the link to photos for today:      https://photos.app.goo.gl/Pa94q4lREHfGAkLm2
 
       

Day 22--At Sea

Position & Weather:
        At noon today we are still cruising in the Atlantic with 1430 miles left to sail before reaching Bermuda on Saturday morning.  We are now half way from Funchal to Bermuda.  Well, in one week our cruises will be over and we will be disembarking in Miami.  Sad!! The weather today is not as nice as it was yesterday.  We have high overcast clouds with haze and an outside air temperature of 64 degrees.  There is more motion in the ocean with wave heights of 6 feet and swells of 5 to 8 feet. We also have a 20 to 25 knot wind today.  Captain Serena says the sea conditions tomorrow may be a little worse but not nearly as bad as a few days ago.                        .

Last Night:
        We went the Mariner Lounge again for cocktail hour.  Only stayed for half hour as we were going to be dining up in the Italian restaurant, Sette Mari, which does not take reservations.  The maitre'd, Sylvester, told me at noon that it fills up within 30 minutes of opening.  For some reason it is a very popular dining venue on this cruise.  So we went up just prior to its opening at 6:30.  There was a line but we got a nice table for the three of us.  We had a fantastic waiter from Italy, Tomas.  Photo captions describes the dinner.
        After dinner we were at the theater entrance when the doors opened at 9:00.  We got the same front row seats we had last show.  The show, "Broadway in Concert", featured the production cast singers made up of three males singers and three female singers.  I really wanted to like them but thought only one of the males had a show quality voice.  After liking the young ladies the first show, I thought their voices "screechy" and flat.  Actually, the show seemed more like an orchestra pianist concert as music was too loud.  Will try sitting in back during their show next show.  I need to give them benefit of my doubt before end of cruise critique.  Rest of audience is applauding but no standing ovations.

Today:
        Up at 7:15 again for Rebecca's room service breakfast which was delivered promptly at 7:30.  I got dressed and headed right to the gym for a workout.  After it and getting cleaned up, I went up to La Veranda for my breakfast.  One of the featured things today was banana & blueberry pancakes.  I rarely indulge in pancakes but these looked good so I went for it!!  Also had some bacon to wash them down.  Yummy!
        I then sat down in the atrium on deck 5 to wait for the 10:00 lecture to begin.  Palo came by and we had a nice half hour chat.  We met Palo on our 2010 world cruise as he was the restaurant manager for it.  Now he is manager of restaurant operations for all of Regent's ships and works at the corporate office in Miami but he said he spends half the year going from ship to ship making sure all is going well and helping with training the staff.  He is like a quality control guy.  He really enjoys this job and does it well.  I enjoyed our visit.
        At 10 am I attended the guest lecturer, William Lokey, who was speaking on commercial and naval operations by the north and south during the Civil War.  It was quite interesting and I enjoyed it.  I usually do not go to the theater for these lectures as they are replayed on our suite tv later that day.
        I think Rebecca is doing better today as not coughing much anyway.  I went to the boutique and bought some "Airborne" to take hoping not to catch what she has. 
        We went up to La Veranda for lunch at noon as they were featuring salmon in pastry at the carving station.  It is one of our favorites.  Did not want to eat too much as on tonight's Compass Rose menu is miso marinaded sea bass.  Now this IS our favorite entree on Regent.  This is always on the menu the night of the Seven Seas Society cocktail party.  This party will be taking place at 6:00 pm in the theater.
        This afternoon I went to another lecture in the theater on tsunamis by William Lokey.  After that stopped by to see if Matilda, the cruise consultant, was successful in booking our cruises on Regent's new ship debuting in February of 2020.  Bookings opened up this morning for it.  She was able to book us in our first choice of suites.  Hooray!!  So I made the deposits.  So we are now newly booked on the RSSC Splendor from LA to Miami, a 16 night cruise, on March 14, 2020.  We are also booked on the Splendor for a 15 night cruise from Miami down through Caribbean and then up to New York City on April 1, 2020.  This is a back to back cruise but we will have to go to a hotel in Miami for two nights between the cruises as Regent is hosting a big group of travel agents to see the new ship then.  Not real happy that we will have to pack everything up and go to hotel however.
        The headliner show later tonight in the theater features a second show by Joe Enock, a comedic magician.  We did not go to his first show so may go to this one. 

Link to today's photos:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/P0FOPlFRSxrFxOdF3      

Day 21--At Sea

Noon Report:
        WOW!  It is a beautiful day now in the Atlantic.  Captain Serena said at noon the we are now in the middle of a high pressure area giving us this wonderful weather.  We have sailed 1000 miles since Funchal and have 2000 more miles to go before arriving on Bermuda Saturday morning.  The winds are light today and the swell is down to just 5 feet resulting in excellent sailing conditions as you will see in one of my photos.  Outside air temperature is in the low 60's.

Last Night:
        We met Jane in Mariner Lounge at 6:00 for cocktails.  At 7:00 we met Donald Curbelo, the Food & Beverage Manager (F&B) on Mariner.  We have sailed with Donald several times and can now call him a good friend of ours.  He is from Honduras but now living in Lima, Peru, with his wife and three kids.  Donald had Chef Dino prepare veal parmesan for the four of us.  Well, it was good but not quite what I was expecting.  He used something other than marinara sauce.  But we had a very nice evening catching up with Donald.  It's my belief that the F&B is third in responsibility behind the Captain and General Manager on Regent.  Donald is responsible for all the dining venues, kitchens, bars, and the crew members working in those areas:  chefs, cooks, kitchen staff, head waiters, waiters, asst waiters, maitre 'ds, wine sommeliers, bartenders, and bar waiters.  Not sure if the F&B or Head Housekeeper has the most crew who are working for them.  Passing the ship's USDA health inspections is Donald's biggest responsibility.
        After dinner we headed to the theater for the first production show by a new cast of singers and dancers that boarded in Barcelona.  We got front row seats and the theater was standing room only when the show started.  The show was called "Tuxedo".  Ok, we did enjoy the show but I did not recognize many of the songs.  Also the two male singers were not projecting their voices and the orchestra covered them up.  Did not have that problem with the two female singers.  I thought the dancers did a very good job, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Overall, it was a good show.

Today:
        Clocks were moved back another hour last night so we enjoyed an extra hour of sleep.  Up at 7:15 for Rebecca's 7:30 room service delivery.  I went down to Coffee Connection for coffee and a bagel.  After that I hit the gym for an hour workout.  Rebecca waited until later in the morning.  I showered and went to the theater at 11:00 for the cruise consultant, Matilda, make a future cruise presentation.
        For lunch I went up to La Veranda with the idea of having a hamburger.  Rebecca did her protein bar as usual in the suite.  So I ordered a plain hamburger cooked medium with no fries at the pool grill and told them I was at table 53 inside La Veranda.  After about 25 minutes still no burger so I asked a waitress to check on it.  A few minutes later she came with a cheeseburger.  I had had some crab legs off the buffet so was not starving to death.  She wanted to go get a regular burger but I told her I would just go to my suite and order one as really wanted to eat it there anyway,  Well, she told Maria the restaurant manager (in charge of all dining venues on board) because Maria called me in the suite and apologized.  I told her no apology was necessary as I was completely happy.  She said she was having the chef make me a "prime" hamburger and would be delivered shortly.  I did not mean to cause a problem.  Loved the burger!!
        This afternoon we got our satellite tv back so watching Fox News.  Waiting for Trump to kick Assad's ass.  Rebecca is coughing again and started taking a Z-pac this morning for upper respiratory.  Seems she has health issues EVERY cruise.  But then she has had issues back at home also.
        At 6:00 this evening we have an appointment to talk with Matilda and possibly book a cruise for 2020.  The RSSC Splendor is currently being built and will debut in February 2020.  I am thinking we will try to book her.  Booking the Splendor begins tomorrow!  I am thinking of booking a 16 night cruise from LA to Miami back to back with a 15 night Miami to New York (down to Caribbean then back up to NYC).  I will be researching this as soon as this blog is finished.
        Our plan for dinner tonight is to go up to Sette Mari (Italian) at 6:30.  You can't make reservations so it is first come, first serve.  Silvester, the maitre'd, told me it fills up fast when they open at 6:30.  There is another production show tonight, "Broadway in Concert", that we want to attend.  We saw this show last cruise on Explorer but this is a different cast.

Link to today's photos:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/edeyoNhnTcMdK5F23

Day 20--At Sea

How To See Earlier Posts:
        On the right side below photo of Explorer you will find the "Blog Archive".  Click on the month of March to see those posts.  You can click on the day to see it.

Last night:
        We did not take part in the "block party", but rather, had cocktails in Mariner Lounge.  Jane did do the block party and joined us later in the lounge.  Donald, Food & Beverage Manager (F&B), stopped by bar to chat with us.  He is an old friend of ours.  He called Chef Dino and had him come to talk with us about how I liked my veal parmesan prepared.  So Donald, Jane, and us will be having veal parmesan prepared for us in Compass Rose tonight.  But last night we dined in the French specialty restaurant, Chartreuse.  We had a problem with the service but Stephane, the maitre 'd took care of that.  The food was good but probably won't go back.  After dinner Rebecca and Jane went to hear the pianist in theater but I retired. Rebecca said the show was good.

Today:
        Experienced big swells and rough seas last night again.  Captain Serena says it should improve this afternoon.  Let's hope so.  Got our satellite tv today so we are getting FOX NEWS again.  Also did not get a news paper yesterday but got one today.  So far we still have internet, so that's good.  We had room service breakfast again this morning.  It is just not as good as it was on Explorer.  It arrives on time but not real hot.
        We both went to the gym this morning.  I had lunch in Compass Rose.  Just a Caesar salad with chicken.  Rebecca had another protein bar for her lunch.  It is mostly sunny and 62 degrees outside today with some wind also.  Now 4:00pm and still have some swells but better ride.

        Link to today's photos:     https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z8fr2I5QcP0bbw7C3
       

Day 19--Funchal, Madeira

FUNCHAL

        We are back once again to Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira.  I put background info about here on my March 31st (day 11) posting in case you want to review it.  You can look on right hand side of blog to find "Blog Archive".  Then click on "March" to find those posts.

        The ship's map on tv system is still not working, and in fact, now we have no satellite tv at all.  A lot of things going wrong on board now.

Last Night:

        The "block party" and production show were cancelled do to the rough seas.  Early this morning it did smooth out but probably because we were protected from the swells by the island as we approached.  Anyway, we had cocktails in the Mariner Lounge prior to dinner in the Compass Rose restaurant.  After dinner we all retired for the evening.  Yesterday afternoon I left a note with Reception for Jim & Barbara Edmunsen.  They live about 6 houses down the block from us in Dalton Ranch (Durango).  Jim is also a retired American Airlines captain.  Have not seen them around on the ship yet.

Today:

        Up at 7:45 as I had an 8:30 tour, "Monte Village & Botanical Gardens".  Room service for Rebecca as she was not leaving the ship again today.  I went down to the Coffee Connection for a donut and cup of coffee.  Jane met me there and off we went on tour.  I almost decided not to go on tour today as it was overcast and some rain in the area.  But I went!!  Glad I did too!

        Hopped on the bus #6 for short trip to the cable car station.  Up we went in cable car for 7 minute ride up the hill to the village of Monte.  Here we saw a small church then rode a toboggan part way down the hill (1 1/4 mile ride).  You will have to view photos of this adventure.  They have been using these toboggans for over a hundred years and even before it became a tourist attraction.  Back on the bus for ride to the botanical gardens.  As you will see in the photos, the gardens were very beautiful.  Even I enjoyed walking through them.  Last stop was at a small embroidery shop to taste some Madeira wine.  Taste was VERY small indeed.  Got back to the ship at 1:30 pm so headed up to pool deck for a sandwich.

        It is 3:30 now and I am working on the blog.  Should finish in about 15 minutes.  We sail at 4:30 and will be at sea the next five days.  The sun is out now and it is upper 60's so quite pleasant this afternoon.  Just prior to sailing Captain Serena will tell us how the weather will be tonight.  Hopefully much better than yesterday.

        Drinks in Mariner Lounge after the block party (doing it tonight instead of last evening) for drinks.  The three of us have 7:00 pm reservations to dine in Chartreuse, the French specialty restaurant.  Rebecca and I do not care for French food or their wines but decided to give it a try.  Not sure if we will be going to the show after dinner.  The headliner entertainer is Antonio Salci, a pianist.  I am not big on listening to piano players.  Move clocks back again tonight so gain another hour of sleep.

        Here is the link to my photos there are 77 of them today.  Second link is a bonus for you.  They are photos that I took last year when on our world cruise.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cqnKyNM42ftNUfDh1

https://goo.gl/photos/gCGge6tvp5eSnQkv8

Day 18--At Sea (Rocking & Rolling)

        The ship's position map that is normally on channel 3 on the tv system is not working.  It shows us still in Barcelona.  Yesterday as we were going ashore for our cruise, I asked Captain Serena about it.  She said it was not working but they were trying to fix it.  Not fixed yet.
       At noon the Captain said we were about half way from Malaga to Funchal.  Last night and today we are experiencing some 16 foot swells and wave heights of 6 feet.  As a result of this and the wind of 25 gusting to 35 knots, the ship is rocking and rolling.  It is not easy to move about the ship
comfortably today and will remain this way until docking in Funchal tomorrow.  Outside it is partly sunny and 60F with some passing rain showers.

Last Night:
        We went up to the Observation Lounge for pre-dinner cocktails but did not stay long as the resident pianist, Nick Messina, was playing too loudly so we could not hear each other talk.  During our dinner with Lorraine, our cruise director, I mentioned this to her.  She said there was new system on the ship which would not let her adjust the speakers as they have in the past.  She promised she would work on it.
        So we went down to the Mariner Lounge to finish cocktail hour.  At 7:00 the three of us met Lorraine and and another couple for dinner in Compass Rose.  It was a great group for dinner and we had a wonderful time.  Lorraine excused herself at 9:00 as she likes to greet passengers as they enter the theater for the shows.  After dessert we also went to see the show which featured the magician/mentalist I mentioned in yesterday's posting.  He was ok but probably will not see his second show later on.

Today:
        We moved out clocks back an hour last night so got some extra sleep.  I had ordered room service breakfast for Rebecca but I dressed and went down to the Coffee Connection again for my coffee and a bran muffin.  I took a few more photos of the ship's new interior after that.  Despite the ship's movement, we both went down to the gym and did our workouts.  After showering we had some lunch up in La Veranda.  It is on deck 11 and you could feel the ship's movement more pronounced up there.  I'm telling you for the best ride book your cabin/suite on the lowest deck and midship.
        This afternoon I am working on this posting and photos.  I need to put the photos in my computer in folders to be better organized.  I am also working on a photo album showing what the "new" Mariner looks like.  I promised to add it on the RSSC Social Club FaceBook page.  You are seeing all these photos on my blog postings already however.  We have some neighbors of ours from Dalton Ranch on board now so left them a message so maybe we can have cocktails.
        This evening at 6:00 pm is the "block party".  As I mentioned last cruise, this is something only Regent does.  A bell is rung over PA from the bridge and everyone who wants to comes out in the hallway with their wine glasses and the stewardesses serve wine and cheese while we meet our fellow passenger neighbors.  Not sure if we will be doing it since it's pretty rough sailing now.
        We may just go down to the Mariner Lounge for our pre-dinner cocktails.  The three of us are planning dinner in Compass Rose.  Following dinner is the first production show, "Tuxedo" presented by the ship's production cast.  This is their first cruise working together so will be interesting to see how they do.
        We will be arriving at 8:00 am tomorrow in the port for Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira.  We also stopped here on the first cruise on way to Barcelona on Explorer, as you will recall.  So here is the link to the new photos for you from last night and today.  See yesterday's post for instructions on how to open and use the link, if you need.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UDeA8zkOXVPGatUC2

Day 17--Malaga, Spain

MALAGA (SECOND VISIT)

Last Night:

        We had a drink with Jane in the Mariner Lounge before our dinner in Prime 7 with Jason Montague, the President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.  Jane had dinner with Caron, the social hostess, and a few other singles on this cruise.  Our dinner with Jason was at 7:30 and there were two other couples at the table.  One couple we had cruised and dined with on a previous cruise.  They are from North Carolina and very delightful. The other couple was from Europe.  Also lovely people.  It was an evening full of conversation and great food, of course.  I asked Jason if the 2021 world cruise would be going around Africa.  We did that in 2010 and want to do it again.  The 2019 and 2020 world cruises are going through the Suez Canal so I figured the 2021 WC would be going around Africa.  Unfortunately, he said no, it also would be going through the Suez because the ship (Mariner) would have to end the world cruise in Europe as it would be due another "face lift".  Apparently, this happens every three years.  So I told him that I guess we would have to do our world cruise on a Viking Ocean ship.  He did not laugh!  We excused ourselves before dessert was to be served as we wanted to see the show in theater.  It had just started.  Jason said he did not mind us going.  After the show was over we got a photo taken with him.  He left the Mariner today and is flying down to Cape Town, South Africa, to join the Navigator doing the world cruise this year.  It was a great honor to be invited to dine and spend some of his valuable time with him.   

        The show featured Lovena B Fox, a very talented headliner singer.  We loved her voice and show. Looking forward to her second show in a few days.

Today:

        Remember we stopped here on April 2nd on our way over to Barcelona on the Explorer.  We had a very smooth night of sailing and arrived here as the sun was rising.  Alarm went off at 7:45 for Rebecca's 8:00 room service.  I just showered and got ready for my tour which was scheduled to depart at 8:40.  I went down to the Coffee Connection for a coffee and donut prior to that and met Jane there.  Jane and I went on tour again as Rebecca stayed to go to gym again.  The morning started out cloudy with some sprinkles but improved as the day went on.  Last time I did a walking tour of old part of town and a Flamenco show as you recall from that blog.  This tour, "Malaga City", was a bus tour through city to visit the Bullring, Gibralfaro Castle/Fortress, a walking tour in city, and finally a tasting of Malaga wine.  Once again my photo captions will tell you more about what we saw.  Fortunately, again we had a really knowledgeable guide, Colola.  She was very thorough.  I now know more about bull fighting and what goes on.

        We returned to the ship about 1:30pm and went up for some late lunch in La Veranda.  Ever since I have been working on this blog post.  I should have it finished by 4:45.  A suite steward came in a while ago and got cushions in from the balcony.  He said the Captain is expecting some bad weather tonight.  YUK!

        We sail at 5:00 and will have a sea day tomorrow enroute back to Funchal.  Tonight at 6:00 is the Captain's Welcome Reception in the theater.  Cocktails and she will introduce the senior officers.  Not sure we will attend.  But the three us of are invited to dine in Compass Rose with our Cruise Director, Lorraine Weimerskirch.  We have sailed with her a couple times previously.  Dinner will be at 7:00.

        The show tonight at 9:30 is another headliner entertainer, Joe Enock.  It says he is a magician and mentalist.  Jane dined with him and others at the singles table last night.  Will try to go see him but not on front row as we did last night.  May want to make an early exit if we don't care for him.

        So another great day in Malaga.  Love Spain!  Here is the link to today's photos.  Cut and paste the link to another browser to open.  Click on the first photo to enlarge it and then you will see my captions on the right side.  Arrow through rest of the photos.  There are several!!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/c3LxZSAwIzt1JR562

Day 16--Cartagena, Spain

CARTAGENA

         As you can see, Cartagena is a port city and major naval base on the southeast side of Spain.  The metropolitan population here is over 400,000.  It was founded in 227BC by the Carthaginians and it is surrounded by five hills.  The Romans conquered the city later in the century.  In the 13th century Conception Castle was built on one of the hills.  It was never finished and partially demolished in the early 1800's.  It was made a city park in the 1920's.  My tour today will take us up to the castle.

Last Night:

        The three of us had cocktails at 6:00 in the Horizon Lounge before heading to Prime 7 for dinner.  The specialty restaurants here on Mariner are not nearly as large as they were on Explorer.  Service last night was a little slow but food excellent.  There was not really any entertainment in the theater last night so we retired.

Today:

        Alarm went off at 8:15 as we had room service breakfast scheduled for 8:30 this morning.  They are always right on time!  We arrived at the dock in Cartagena a little ahead of schedule at 10:00 am.  The Mediterranean was very smooth last night and we awoke to a absolutely beautiful, sunny day.  My tour today was "Highlights of Cartagena" and left the ship at 11:20.  Rebecca did not go as preferred to go the the gym instead.  Jane did go with me however.  I thought we had been to this port on a previous cruise, but no, this was a new one for us.  Guess I was thinking Cartagena, Columbia.  Sydney and Steve, from Houston and was on our Explorer cruise also, was on the tour bus with Jane and I.  Our guide, Delia, was very thorough and knowledgeable.  I will let the captions on my photos tell you about what we saw.  I will say that once again the city was very clean and the sidewalks were all marble and well kept.  Spanish cities are some of the best in Europe in my opinion.  Mariner is docked right next to the old, historical part of downtown Cartagena so you can easily walk from the ship into town.  I am very impressed with this port of call.  

        I returned to the ship at 3:00 pm as did not do the half hour of free time in city which was last part of our tour.  Jane did stay in town.  I went up to the Pool Grill and grabbed a hot dog for a late lunch then went back to the suite to work on this blog.  It is now 5:00 pm and about to post it.

        This evening we are meeting Jane for cocktails hour down in the Mariner Lounge prior to dinner.  Rebecca and I have been invited to dine with Mr Montague, President of Regent Cruises, in Prime 7 at 7:30.  Jane will be on her own tonight.  We would like to go to hear the headliner entertainer, Lovena Fox, in the theater at 9:30 if we are finished with our Prime 7 dinner.

        The ship is sailing at 6:30 this evening and will be docked in Malaga tomorrow morning.  Jane and I will be going on another tour then.

        Here is the link to the photos I have taken the last two days.  Once again, cut and paste the link to another browser to open it.  Then click on the first photo in order to enlarge it and show my captions on the right hand side.  Arrow through the rest of the photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y2cNpOXj3B61SJdI3

Day 15--Barcelona

Today:
        We docked in Barcelona before 7:00 this morning.  We had room service breakfast then finished packing our roll aboards and waited in atrium to disembark the Explorer at 9:00 am.  Once in the terminal we had a porter get our luggage and a port agent escorted us out to our limo.  The Mariner was docked at another terminal across bridge in the port.  It only took us a 4 minute drive to get there.
        We were about the first ones to arrive this morning.  Went through security check then had to sit in the terminal until noon when they started checking people in and boarding.  While waiting Jason Montague, the President of Regent Cruises, walked by and said hi to us.  We have met him several times.  He told us we would be dining with him tomorrow evening in Prime 7.  He is just on the ship for 2 days and will leave in Malaga.  Our Dallas friend, Jane VanHarlingen, flew to Barcelona a few days ago and has been touring in the city.  She arrived at the terminal just prior to boarding at noon so we took her with us through the check in process.
        Initially the check in process was a little chaotic.  You always have to fill out a health form saying you are not sick but they did not have them available.  They finally just let us check in.  Because of our Titanium status, our suite was ready to go directly to when we got on the ship.  Others had to wait until 2:30 pm before their suites were ready to occupy.
        Sure enough there was an invitation to dine with Mr Montague tomorrow evening.  WOW!  That is very special.  I have a few questions for him!
         We are basically unpacked now.  Lifeboat drill is just completed and took almost an hour.  This compares to the 20 minute drill on Explorer.  It's now 5:15pm and about to depart.  Tomorrow morning we will be docked in Cartagena, Spain.
        Busy day and now it is time to get ready for cocktail hour.  The three of us will be dining this evening in Prime 7 (steakhouse).  I did take a few photos of the Mariner today but no time to put them on today's link.  I must say she is lovely after the major refurbishment in France the past couple of weeks.  Stay tuned for more tomorrow.

ITINERARY FOR SECOND OF TRANSATLANTICS ON RSSC MARINER

ITINERARY FOR MARINER

Wed    Apr 4----Barcelona, Spain
Thurs  Apr 5----Cartagena, Spain
Fri       Apr 6----Malaga, Spain
Sat       Apr 7----At Sea
Sun      Apr 8----Funchal, Madeira (Portugal)
Mon    Apr 9----At Sea
Tues    Apr 10---At Sea
Wed    Apr 11---At Sea
Thurs   Apr 12---At Sea
Fri       Apr 13---At Sea
Sat       Apr 14---Hamilton, Bermuda
Sun      Apr 15---Hamilton, Bermuda
Mon     Apr 16---At Sea
Tues     Apr 17---At Sea
Wed     Apr 18---Miami

Day 14--Search & Rescue

Man Overboard:
        At 3:30 am this morning our Captain came on the PA system in all suites to inform us that a person had fallen overboard on ANOTHER ship, not ours, and we were taking part in the search and rescue mission along with 7 other ships and two helicopters from land.  I do not know for sure which ship lost a passenger (or it could be a crew member) but I suspect it was from NCL Spirit which has been in a couple ports with us.  The reason I suspect that ship is they had some of their tenders in the water searching also.
        The Captain again come over PA at 8:30 am to update us and said our stop in Alicante, Spain, had been cancelled due to the search.  So remained searching the area until about 10:30.  Once again our Captain came on PA to say that we were departing the search and heading to Barcelona.  We had to leave in order to arrive at Barcelona on schedule tomorrow morning.  It is the end of this cruise and many passengers have to catch flights home plus others are waiting to board for the next cruise.  The Captain said a person in the ocean here would probably only be conscious due to the water temperature for around 2 hours and really no hope of living after 6 hours.  We searched for 8 hours before departing the area.  Others are continuing the search however.
       We experienced another incident like this several years ago on a Princess cruises ship after departing Aruba for Miami.  A crew member jumped over board in the middle of the night.  We spent all night and all the next day searching but did not find him either.  It's like looking for a needle in a haystack out here in the ocean.  Below is photo of the NCL Spirit in search and rescue also.

Last Night:
        We fixed a cocktail in our suite then headed down to the theater to see the crew's show for us, "Krew Kapers".  On Regent the crew always puts on a show for the passengers as part of the Captain's Farewell dinner.  The show was really pretty good.  They put their hearts into it for sure and is really appreciated by all us passengers.  After the show we had another cocktail in the Meridian Lounge prior to going for dinner in Compass Rose restaurant.  As I mentioned yesterday, beef Wellington is one of our favorites so here a photo of mine.  It was yummy!!

        After a fabulous dinner, we headed to the theater to see the production show, "The Revolution".  Music from Beetles and other groups from mainly England.  Very good show once again.

Today:
        Well, no tour for sure today since it has changed into another day at sea.  We still have not seen Alicante!!  So we both went to the gym for some exercise.  After showering we started the packing process.  By 12:30 we were mostly finished and looks like everything will fit back into our bags.  We are to sit them outside in hallway before 11:00 pm so they can collect and get them ready to leave ship too.  Normally customs will not let anyone off the ship until all bags are off.  We are not in any hurry to leave the ship as we will just have to wait until probably noon to board the Mariner.  This ship wants everyone off the ship by 9:00 am so they can get it ready for next group of passengers.  So our private car transfer is set up for 9:00.  The other cruise terminal is not very far away.
        No photo link today.  Just the two pics above.  Well, not much going on tonight.  They will be replaying the NCAA final basketball game in the theater tonight  I could care less about that.  We will be having cocktails in the Meridian Lounge as usual before dinner.  Dining in Compass Rose as I have asked the chef to make miso sea bass for our entree tonight.  It is definitely one of our favorites and not found in any stateside restaurants.  In fact I asked for a double order.  OINK!  We call the last night's dinner on a cruise, "The Last Supper".  After dinner we will be making the rounds in dining room and lounges to say good bye to our crew member friends and passenger friends.  Kind of a sad night for us.

Status of Blog:
        This blog does not end today.  No, we have another 14 nights on the next cruise so stay tuned.  The Mariner has just come out of a huge 20 day refurbishment in dry dock.  Lots of big changes to the common areas that we will be the first passengers to see.  I will be posting several photos of the newly revamped Mariner.  We are scheduled to depart Barcelona tomorrow evening at 5:00pm for our cruise back to Miami.        

Day 13--Malaga, Spain

Malaga Info:
        Today we are docked in the Spanish coastal city of Malaga.  We have visited this port on a previous cruise.  Malaga has a population of 570,000 making it the 6th largest city in Spain.  It is also one of the oldest cities in the world dating back 2800 years when it was founded by the Phoenicians around 770 BC.
        It lies on the southern coast of Spain 62 miles east of the Strait of Gibraltar separating Africa and Spain.  It has very mild winters, hot summers, and averages 300 days of sunshine per year.  There is a mountain range just north of the city that blocks the cold weather from the north.
        The most important economic drivers here are:  tourism, construction, and technology services.  It ranks 4th in Spain’s economic activity behind Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia.
        We will just miss the Holy Week celebration which is from Palm Sunday until Easter.  We arrive the day  after Easter Sunday.  It has been observed here for five centuries and is characterized by processions and parades. Most of the population are roman Catholics.  They were still cleaning up the mess in the streets but overall, Malaga was a very clean city.
        Transportation wise, in addition to the seaport, it is served by the 4th busiest airport in Spain, a high speed train, buses, and a network of roads.   

Last Night:
       We again had cocktails in the Meridian Lounge before heading down to Compass Rose for dinner.  I will let my photos show what we had for dinner.  Afterwards we decided not to go to see the magician's show but rather retired for the evening.  As I mentioned yesterday, sometime during the night we passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean Sea.

Today:
       Alarm set for 8:40 this morning as I had to get ready for my tour at 9:15.  I had ordered Rebecca room service breakfast for 9:00 but I did not have any.  She decided not to go on tour but rather go do her workout as usual and read a book today.
        It is a beautifully sunny day.  I did need a jacket early as it was 55 degrees when I left the ship but later warmed up nicely into the upper 60's.  So at about 9:10 I headed for the theater to exchange my tour ticket for a bus number.  Remember on Regent most all the tours are included in your cruise fare. 
        My tour was titled, "Flamenco in Malaga".  There were only 17 of us on my tour bus as Regent never crowds the buses.  We departed the pier for the old downtown area in Malaga.  We left the bus for a walking tour of old Malaga for an hour then went to see a Flamenco show.  Our guide said this show was not the normal tourist show but an authentic one.  It was the highlight of my cruise so far.  Great show!!  I put a couple minute long videos in today's photos so you will need to turn the sound on your computer to hear them. 
        I will let the captions on my photos better describe my tour.  We returned to the ship at 12:30.  I went up to the pool grill for a hamburger.  Hamburgers at Regent's pool grills are really good.  I spent most of the afternoon downloading today's photos.  It was a slower than normal process for some reason.  I went down to the atrium where the download speed was a bit faster.  On my way back to the suite I ran into an old crew friend, Yudi.  He was a butler on our 2010 world cruise.  Super nice young man from Bali.
        We sail at 5:00 this evening for our next, and last port of call, Alicante, Spain.  It is only 300 miles from here.  This will be a new port for us to see.  Not sure if I can get Rebecca off the ship or not.  At 6:00 this evening we will be going to see "Krew Kappers".  It is a show put on by some of the crew members for us.  They are really very talented and it's always a great show.  Tonight is the Captain's Farewell Dinner.  We have another night left but everyone will be packing tomorrow.  Our favorite, Beef Wellington, is always on the menu on this night.  Can't wait!  Another production show at 9:30 tonight, "My Revolution".  Sounds interesting.
        Here is the link to last night's and today's photos.  Again, you will have to cut and paste it on another browser to open it.  Then click on the first photo to enlarge it and then you will see my captions on right side.  Arrow through rest of the photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ilANyMV5P2pFxzEs1

Day 12--Last Sea Day

                                                   EASTER

Our position today at noon.  Our last day at sea on this cruise.  We will be going through the Strait of Gibraltar tonight at around 1:00 am.  We are still experiencing some swells but the Captain said they will be lessening as the day progresses.  Once we pass into the Mediterranean Sea it should be smooth sailing.  It is a hazy day and 61 degrees outside.

Strait of Gibraltar

        This is a narrow strait which connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea.  At its narrowest point it is only 14 miles wide.  On the northern side is the Gibralter, a British overseas territory on the southern tip of Spain.  On the southern side is Morocco in Africa.  The Strait depth ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 feet deep.

Last Night:

        We took our bottle of chilled champagne with us to the Meridian Lounge and Tetiana put it in her cooler while we had a pre-dinner cocktail.  We had 7:00 dinner reservations up in Prime 7 so took our champagne with us up there to enjoy it.  We were seated at a nice window table.  I also ordered a nice cabernet, 2014 Joseph Phelps cabernet sauvignon.  We have quite a bit of ship board credit so used some to buy this nice wine.  You will see them open and decant it in my photos today.  There are also photos of what we ate.  Of course, the Prime 7 staff sang to us with the dessert course.

        We then went to the theater to hear our assistant cruise director's show.  David Nevin is a very talented singer and his fiance joined him on stage for one number together.  She also had an incredible voice.  Another great show!!

        When we finally got back to our suite, they had decorated it for our anniversary.  You have to see the photos!  For the last time we turned clocks forward before retiring.

Today:

        I had my clock set for an 8:40 am get up so I could go to the church service at 9:00.  I just could not get out of bed however.  It was 10:00 before I finally got up.  No room service today but I did go down and get Rebecca a cup of coffee and brought it back for her.  There was a special Easter buffet in Compass Rose from 10:30 to 1:30 so I went down at 11:00 to take some photos of it.  Then at noon we met Marcia, Sydney, & Steve at Compass Rose to enjoy the buffet.  We did not want to eat too much because had to save some room for tonight's dinner.  So we both just had an omelet.  Just lounged around the suite this afternoon working on this and reading today's Dallas Morning News paper.

        Today's 4:00 tea time theme is "Chocoholic".  I included some photos.  At 5:00 this afternoon we are going down to the theater for a special cocktail and information party for those of us on board who will be transferring to the Mariner on the 4th.

        There is a pre-dinner show at 5:45 featuring the music of Peggy Lee.  We are not planning on going to it.  Tonight's headliner show in theater is featuring a comedic magician, John Lenahan.  We will be going but not sitting on the front row tonight.

        Here is the link to today's photos.  See previous post as it tells you how to view the link, in case you don't know by now.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/u7bh9WSIYM2HvoT92

         

Day 11--Funchal on Portuguese Island of Madeira

OUR 34TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

After 5 days at sea we arrived this morning at the port of Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira off the coast of north Africa.  It is an absolutely beautiful day with calm wind and temperature in low 70's..

FUNCHAL INFO:
       Funchal has been the capital of the Portuguese island of Madeira for over 500 years.  The island is on the same latitude as Dallas, TX, is and is located 320 miles off the coast of Morocco in North Africa.  It is 600 miles from Lisbon, Portugal, to Funchal.  Funchal is the largest city on the island with a population of nearly 112,000 making it the 6th largest city of Portugal.  Half of the people living on the island live in Funchal.  It is one of Portugal’s main tourist attractions as many cruise ships make this a port of call.  It also has an international airport for tourists to fly in and out.
       This is the 4th time we have visited Funchal and the island of Madeira.  The island is just 35 miles long and 14 miles wide.   The island was formed by a volcano some 5 million years ago and its volcanic soil is very fertile.  It is a beautiful place and one of my personal favorite ports of call.  The city is very clean and modern with very nice people.  It enjoys very even year round temperatures in the 60’s & 70’s.  Funchal lies inside a natural U-shaped valley with gentle slopes beginning at the ocean and rising up to over 3500 feet.
       Settlement of Madeira began in the early 1400’s and it became an important maritime port between Europe and the Americas.  It had rich soil which produced sugar cane during the second half of the century and onward.  The wine industry also appeared then and today the island is very well known for its unique “Madeira wines”.
       The Funchal Airport is located 8 miles east-northeast of the city.  We have never flown here as all our visits were via cruise ships.  It opened in 1964 with two 5249 foot long runways.  Folks that is VERY short!!  Due to increased tourist demands the runway  length has been extended twice since and is now 9124 feet long.  It is still considered one of the most perilous airports in the world.  The History Channel ranked it as the 9th most dangerous airport in the world.  Pilots must undergo additional special training to land here.  I’ll come by cruise ships, thank you!!

Last Night:
        We had a cocktail in the Meridian Lounge at 6:00.  The band combo toned down the music so we could actually hear each other talking.  The band leader came over and asked if they were doing better so I guess the cruise director did speak with them.  We dined in Compass Rose and think my photo captions will cover our experience there.  Another great dinner!!
        We were waiting for the theater doors to open at 9:00 for the 9:30 production show.  We like sitting on the front row for the shows.  Six singers of the production cast were featured singing many Broadway show tunes.  It was a very good show.  I believe one female singer, Sammie, is talented enough to be on Broadway in NYC.  Prior to the show we struck up a conversation with a couple from San Diego area.  They had conservative views just as we do.

Today:
        My alarm clock went off at 8:15 this morning as room service was scheduled at 8:30.  When I open the balcony door curtains we were just passing by the NCL Spirit cruise ship that was already docked.  Glad we are not on it as it is about 3 times larger than our ship and not nearly as luxurious. Our names were on the tv this morning wishing us a happy anniversary.  Yesterday we decided to cancel our tour for today.  We have visited Funchal 4 times already.  So instead we worked out and then walked into town after lunch.  It is such a great day for taking a stroll.  I even got Rebecca to get off the ship.  So after working out then a long walk, we should be able to eat more in Prime 7 this evening where we will be celebrating our anniversary.  I only had a hot dog for lunch!
        Funchal is a very beautiful town and a VERY clean city.  It is Saturday so many locals and passengers from both ships we sitting out at the many outside cafes and restaurants lining the streets.
        When we returned to our suite there was a nice little anniversary cake and two glasses of champagne awaiting us from the ship's General Manager, Andreas.  I am having the suite steward chill our bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne.  This is another one of our Titanium benefits.  If you are not familiar, this is an expensive bottle of champagne.  We will take it to Prime 7 (steakhouse) this evening as we have dinner reservations there.
        Tonight's show is featuring our assistant cruise director, David Nevin.  He is a singer and his resume includes performing in many musicals.  We will be there!
        We will be departing at 5:00 this evening for our next port of call, Malaga, Spain, which is 775 statute miles away.  So tomorrow will another sea day and the last sea day of this cruise.  We will be spending Easter Sunday at sea.
        Ok, here is the link to the photos I took last night and today.  Funchal is a beautiful place and one of our favorites in the whole world.  As a review, you will have to cut and paste the link onto another browser to open it.  Then click on the first photo to enlarge it.  Then you can read my captions which are very informative also.  Arrow through the rest of photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ue98JxbI4eAf3XBr1

As an extra bonus, I am adding some really good photos of this island I took when here back in November of 2011.  I know you will enjoy these as some are in countryside.

https://goo.gl/photos/4F8dGPi5tAhZPyj37   

Day 10--Cruising in Atlantic

GOOD FRIDAY

This is our position at noon today.  We are now 400 statute miles (350 nm) from our next port of call, Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira.  We will be arriving there tomorrow morning around 9:00 am.  It is a sunny day at sea with light winds and an outside air temperature of 63 degrees.  We are starting to get some swells now.  Captain Stan said they will be increasing to 15 feet swells this afternoon and evening hitting the ship broadside on port side (left side) which will create a rolling motion of the ship.  Our stabilizers are deployed but will not be able to fully dampen the rolling motion.  SO, I put on half of a transderm scopolamine patch behind my ear.  Just practicing "safe cruising" as do not want to have sea sickness.  The ocean looks smooth but you can see and feel the swells.

Last Night:
       We went to the Meridian Lounge as usual for cocktail hour.  Elena, the head bartender, arranged to have some cream cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers for us as a hot hors doeuvers with our drinks.  She said we will be having them served to us every evening now.  At 6:30 we met Joe & Allison Trum at the entrance to Compass Rose as we were having dinner together.  They wanted to join us since I had requested veal parmesan again for our entree.  We also had fried soft shell crabs for our appetizer.   We met them back in 2012 on our Circle South America cruise then cruised again with them from Beijing to London in 2103.  They live in Galveston, TX.  Seems we never run out of things to talk about.  It was a great evening!!
        Last night's headliner show was the return of "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere".  We really enjoy this couple and their unique musical style.  They will be leaving tomorrow in Funchal.  After the show I walked out into the Deck 4 atrium and there was an incredible Easter display made by some chefs on board.  Very artistic and obviously a lot of time spent on it.  Photos on today's link.

Today:
        I bought Rebecca some Contact in the shop yesterday to hopefully help with her breathing last night.  It did help.  Hopefully this will run its course soon.  We lost another hour of sleep last night as we moved clocks ahead another hour.  Now we are 5 hours ahead of Central time zone in the US.
        Once again room service brought our breakfast promptly at 9:00 am.  We got our workout in before getting cleaned up for lunch time.  Even Rebecca went for lunch (instead of having her protein bar for lunch) as in La Veranda they had salmon baked in puff pastry.  This is one of our favorites.  Right before leaving for lunch, the Destination Services desk called me to say we would be getting a private car upon disembarking the ship in Barcelona to take us to the cruise terminal for the Mariner. He said we would be in last group off the ship around 9:00 am as they want everyone off Explorer by then.  Will have to wait in the cruise terminal where Regent's Mariner will be leaving from until they start the boarding process later that morning.  They are offering a Barcelona tour for those of us who will be switching ships but we have done the Barcelona tours on previous cruises.  Besides the weather forecast is for rain that day.
        There is a Passover Dinner this evening for those Jewish passengers who wish to attend.  We plan on dining in Compass Rose as have requested one of our favorite salads on Regent.  It has avocado, heart of palm, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, lettuce, and green goddess dressing.  It used to be on the menu but now we have to ask for it.  After dinner there is another production show called "Broadway in Concert".
        Ok, here is today's photos link.  Cut & paste it to another browser to open it.  Then click on the first photo to enlarge it and then you can also see my captions on the right side.  Arrow through the rest of photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1FTQfUYiLSLsDFqs2

       

        

Day 9--Eastern Atlantic Ocean

Our position at noon today.  Another beautiful day for sailing in the Atlantic.  Sunny skies, 63 degrees, 20 knots of wind, and swell height of 7 feet.  So another good sailing day.  Captain Stan in noon report over the PA said the swell height will be increasing in 24 to 36 hours so our ride will not be nearly as good then.  We are 860 statute miles away from our next port of call, Funchal and will be arriving there on Saturday morning as scheduled.

Yesterday Afternoon:
        I went down to The Cafe for my usual afternoon cappuccino and had a nice long chat with Marlene, a bar waitress who we have cruised with before.  She is also a FaceBook friend of mine.
Then Captain Stan showed up for his usual afternoon coffee so he and I had a nice half hour chat mainly about flying as he does some when on vacation.  He said he now has an ultra-lite plane and was telling me about it.  I warned him they were dangerous machines!  He also wanted to know about stalling characteristics of large airliners.  I told him we only did that in the simulators.  He also wanted to know what I did as a check airman Captain for American Airlines.  We had a great discussion!  After that I stopped by the Executive Concierge's desk to have a chat with Odul.  We have known her for years also and she is such a wonderful lady.  We were having such a good time I looked at my watch and it was already after 5:00 pm.  So I excused myself and said I had to go get ready for cocktail hour.  It was a fun afternoon for me.

Last Night:
       We again enjoyed cocktail hour in the Meridian Lounge at 6:00 pm.  When just the orchestra's guitar player, Eugene, is playing during cocktail hour you can hold a conversation.  Last couple of nights they had drummer, sax, guitar, & keyboard player.  The sax player thinks he is giving a concert and way too loud for conversation.  Some lady at other end of bar yelled out between numbers, "When are you going on break?"  I went down and told her we totally agree with her.  Prior to the show starting later that night, I told John, the cruise director, about it.  (He is their boss)  He said it would be corrected so we'll see.
        Last night we dined in the specialty Asian restaurant, Pacific Rim.  This was our first time to try it.  We are not big fans of Asian food and tried to talk ourselves out of going there all day.  But I said we had to give it a try.  It is a beautiful restaurant and I guess the food was ok but we probably won't return there in the future.  They also have a French specialty restaurant called Chartreuse.  We will not be going there as French food is definitely not something we enjoy.  So we will be sticking with three other fantastic restaurants on board:  Compass Rose, Prime 7, and Sette Mari.
        After dinner we adjourned to the theater for the 9:30 show.  The headliner entertainer was Linda Gentille.  She mainly played the piano but had some funny lines too.  We had seen her show on a previous cruise and knew she was a very talented pianist.  They had a camera focused on her piano keyboard and showed it on three big screens so you could see her fingers flying across it as she played.
        Rebecca's cold is worse and she was having problems breathing last night.  We were awake from 4:00 on basically.  She has to get up and walk around to open nose some.  I think she did go back to sleep after couple hours.  We set clocks ahead another hour so lost that hour of sleep as well.  Room service showed up at 9:00 am but I just stayed in bed until about 11:00.

Today:
        I finally crawled out of bed and showered before starting writing this.  After my lunch break I finished this.  Then I decided to see how long it would take me to do a fast paced walk around the hallways of all the passenger decks:  6, 7, 8, 9, & 10.  Deck 10 was not full length as two of the specialty restaurants were on aft end of that deck.  My phone has "Map My Walk" app but the GPS function does not work on the ship.  So it took me just 17 minutes and says I burned 110 calories.               This evening I have made another special request with the chef for a veal parmesan dinner in Compass Rose for four.  Our friends from Galveston, Allison & Joe Trum wanted to enjoy some veal parmesan with us.  Tonight's show is featuring "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" for their second show.  Definitely want to see them again.
        Here is the link to today's photos.  See end of previous posts to explain how to view it if you need help.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QqJpWoMYc0KhXnh62

Day 8--Halfway Across the Atlantic

Our position at noon today is just a little over half way across the Atlantic Ocean.  We have 1250 miles to go before arriving in Funchal on the island of Madeira, Saturday morning.  It is a lovely day today.  Best weather we have had the whole cruise so far and Captain Stan said we would enjoy another beautiful sailing day again tomorrow.  He has been warning that Friday we may experience some heavy swells however.  It is mostly sunny and 75 degrees outside  I may have to go out after writing this and enjoy some balcony time.

Last Night:
        As I mentioned in yesterday's posting, last night at 6:00 there was a party for all Seven Seas Society members.  75% of the passengers on this cruise have sailed with Regent before and are members.  We were at the doors prior to them opening the theater for the party as I wanted to be up front so I could take photos when our friend, Marcia Rector, was escorted to the stage to receive a toast from the Captain and General Manager for having sailed on Regent ships for over 1000 nights. She officially became a "Diamond" member of the SSS and received her diamond pin to signify this accomplishment.  I have several photos of this on today's link.
        After the party we were honored to have been invited by Marcia to a special dinner for her hosted by the ship's senior officers.  It was held on the side of La Veranda normally closed during the night.  There were 14 of us at the table.  Marcia, of course, and the 3 couples she had invited plus:  the Captain, Staff Captain, General Manager, Chief Engineer, Cruise Director, Cruise Consultant, and Social Hostess.  We had never been afforded the pleasure to dine with so many of the senior officers at the same time.  Everyone had a really relaxed and great time together.  We have sailed with Captain Stan before and have never heard him so open and talkative.  We were served by one of the head waiters and three other waiters.  The Restaurant Manager over saw the whole dinner.  Joliza, the head sommelier served some VERY nice wines (wines from cellar that normally cost extra--Amaroni della Valpolicella was the red $$$$).  It was a special menu with dishes taken from the 4 specialty restaurants.  We both selected "surf & turf" (small filet & lobster tail).  Besides the special cake made for Marcia by the pastry chef, I had a piece of the 14 layer chocolate cake from Prime 7.  OINK!!  I can't tell you how much we enjoyed this VERY special evening.  The highlight of this cruise and of all 87 of our previous cruises!  Maybe someday, we too, will be honored like this.  Only 400 more nights to go on Regent.
        The dinner ran long so the production show had already started by the time we got back down to the theater.  We could not find any open seats left so went back to the Meridian Lounge for a nightcap before retiring for the night. 

Today:
        Up and attem for our room service breakfast at 8:30.  We had a "refresher" lifeboat drill at 10:15 for all crew and guests.  YUK!  I went right from it to the gym as did Rebecca after returning life vests to our suite.  For lunch I went to Prime 7 and had a beef empanada followed by a pulled pork sandwich.  Rebecca stayed in the suite and had a protein bar again today for her lunch.  She has a cold now so is all stopped up and having breathing issues.  So far she had not shared that with me.
        At lunch I was sitting at a window table and saw a couple whales passing by in the distance.  They would dive then resurface a few minutes later.  Guess they were eating also.  The ocean is really nice today with only a 10 mph wind, so as I said, I may go out and sit on our balcony later.
        This evening we have 7:00 dinner reservations in the "Pacific Rim" Asian specialty restaurant.  Not really my cup of tea but have to try it at least once.  After dinner we will head to the theater to see Linda Gentille, tonight's headliner entertainer.
        Here is the link to my photos for last night and today.  Cut & paste the link to another browser to open it.  Then click on the first photo to enlarge it and you will see my captions on the right had side.  Arrow through the rest of the photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/IVZjBe3XNp9xsUks1