Total Eclipse : A pictorial review of the Tradewinds Transatlantic crossing 2015

[scubacruiserx2]

Thanks, Mic. As Joe said, I know the recovery will take some time, but as far as I am concerned the worst is over now. I will have to do a whole lot of fairly painful rehab, but no more surgeries!

 

 

 

Joe, I like the idea of getting my sea legs back! I'm going to add that to my list of motivational tools that I rely on when rehab gets tough. I'm also very glad to be back here and able to enjoy reading this thread. :D

 

Cruise 47, thank you very much for your well wishes. While I'm not quite ready to take on the seven seas on my own yet, I am certainly able to enjoy this virtual cruise with Pat and Joe. :cool:

 

 

Hopefully you will be ready for diving when the water warms and calms again . Since retirement we don't dive year round like when I was an active diver on the department , just when it's warm . We still don't have a date on Pat's reversal surgery yet , but best guess is about 3 months . And then maybe that would give us enough recovery time for a June cruise date - so fingers crossed !!

[MicCanberra]

Fingers crossed for Pat here as well.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Fingers crossed for Pat here as well.:D

 

Thanks Mic , meanwhile we will continue our Hermitage visit . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

After exiting the Gallery of the History of Ancient Painting , you enter a large , column and statue filled area .

 

 

 

 

In the center is the Grand ( Terebenin ) Staircase .

 

 

 

 

We decided to take a walk around the landing .

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were 2 sculptures by Giovanni Dupre , who was influenced by Canova , on display there .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Dupr%C3%A8

 

 

Cain , who in the Bible story , committed the first murder in history

 

 

 

 

on his brother , Abel .

 

 

[cruise47]

Fingers crossed for Pat here as well.:D

 

ditto: Pat, I am praying you are recovering well and will be traveling the seven seas again with your spouse.

[MicCanberra]

Cain , who in the Bible story , committed the first murder in history

 

 

 

 

 

I would have an expression like that as well if I had a lions paw on my .....:eek:

[scubacruiserx2]

ditto: Pat, I am praying you are recovering well and will be traveling the seven seas again with your spouse.

 

Thank you , that means a lot us and it's working . After our last visit to the surgeon last week , he told our daughter ( who works at the hospital where Pat stayed ) that he was surprised at Pat's rapid progress . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

I would have an expression like that as well if I had a lions paw on my .....:eek:

 

Oh my Mic , I didn't notice that ! :eek: Sometimes when I'm shooting or editing wide angle I sometimes get caught up in the big picture mindset . But the details do seem to emerge don't they ? Maybe we should consider it a case of photographer malfunction . :) :D

[upwarduk]

Thank you , that means a lot us and it's working . After our last visit to the surgeon last week , he told our daughter ( who works at the hospital where Pat stayed ) that he was surprised at Pat's rapid progress . :) :D

 

Very pleased for Pat.

[MicCanberra]

Oh my Mic , I didn't notice that ! :eek: Sometimes when I'm shooting or editing wide angle I sometimes get caught up in the big picture mindset . But the details do seem to emerge don't they ? Maybe we should consider it a case of photographer malfunction . :) :D

 

No, I think it adds to the drama, and the sculptor meant it. I know what you mean about missing things in photos, I have sometimes got back home and seen the pic on the computer and noticed all sorts of strange things happening.

The classic things I have done is taking photos from a moving vehicle and find I have framed a sign perfectly in the middle of a beautiful landscape shot.:eek:

[scubacruiserx2]

Very pleased for Pat.

 

Thank you Jackie , it's an early Christmas present for us . Are the floods having any effect on you ?

[scubacruiserx2]

No, I think it adds to the drama, and the sculptor meant it. I know what you mean about missing things in photos, I have sometimes got back home and seen the pic on the computer and noticed all sorts of strange things happening.

The classic things I have done is taking photos from a moving vehicle and find I have framed a sign perfectly in the middle of a beautiful landscape shot.:eek:

 

No doubt that it's part of the drama but I'm not sure why . And that's some of the reasons that I love digital photos ! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Next to the statue of Abel was the statue of the Good Shepard rescuing the lost sheep .

 

 

 

 

 

 

This brought us back to our starting point . As this point , we normally go upstairs to view the modern art . But this stairway going down had us intrigued and so , we went .

 

Edited December 7, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

We didn't have a map with us so we just went down the stairs and followed the flow .

 

The first room that we stopped at was room # 109 - The Dionysus Hall .

 

 

 

 

The room is named after Dionysus , the Greek god of wine .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus

 

 

 

 

The statues are Roman copies of Greek statues .

 

 

 

 

I think that this is a leopard , which Dionysus is sometimes pictured as riding

 

 

 

 

This poor guy is Marsyas .

 

 

 

 

The torment of Marsyas illustrates the taste for pathos in Hellenistic art. Marsyas was a silenus, or companion of Dionysos; a celebrated pipe-player, he boasted that he was a better musician than Apollo. Beaten in a musical contest with the god, Marsyas was condemned to be flayed alive by a Scythian slave. Suspended from the trunk of a tree, he awaits his terrible punishment. The scene is based on an original Hellentistic group from the late third century BC. The text from the Louvre web site .

[MicCanberra]

Wonderful.:D

 

Marsyas should have known better than to beat a god (or anyone who claims to be one) as they can be very cruel if shown up.

[scubacruiserx2]

Wonderful.:D

 

Marsyas should have known better than to beat a god (or anyone who claims to be one) as they can be very cruel if shown up.

 

Fortunately , it is a myth . But on a more pleasurable note , we have tentatively booked a cruise in early 2016 - pending the surgeon's approval this morning . ;)

[upwarduk]

Thank you Jackie , it's an early Christmas present for us . Are the floods having any effect on you ?

 

No fortunately we live on the slopes of the Pennines, about 700 ft from the valley bottom. We've had plenty of wind though and our neighbour has lost 4 roofing tiles.

 

Hermitage

We missed the halls with the Statues- interesting!

Edited December 8, 2015 by upwarduk

[MicCanberra]

Fortunately , it is a myth . But on a more pleasurable note , we have tentatively booked a cruise in early 2016 - pending the surgeon's approval this morning . ;)

 

Great news, I take it that it will be the Caribbean so no flying will be involved.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

No fortunately we live on the slopes of the Pennines, about 700 ft from the valley bottom. We've had plenty of wind though and our neighbour has lost 4 roofing tiles.

 

Hermitage

We missed the halls with the Statues- interesting!

 

Good , we're glad that you missed the flooding . We have a few more photos of the Hermitage but the end is near !

[scubacruiserx2]

Great news, I take it that it will be the Caribbean so no flying will be involved.:D

 

Yeah , a Western Caribbean . The Doctor cleared Pat to go and also to drive - without painkiller . Some friends are selling their house in Cozumel , so we will be meeting them there in that port . We looked at 2 cruise lines the Celebrity Silhouette or the new Princess Regal , both aft cabins . The Regal is similar to the Solstice class so it would be neat to compare them . Decision day today as to booking and full price will need to be paid today . Decisions , decisions . :) :D

[MicCanberra]

Yeah , a Western Caribbean . The Doctor cleared Pat to go and also to drive - without painkiller . Some friends are selling their house in Cozumel , so we will be meeting them there in that port . We looked at 2 cruise lines the Celebrity Silhouette or the new Princess Regal , both aft cabins . The Regal is similar to the Solstice class so it would be neat to compare them . Decision day today as to booking and full price will need to be paid today . Decisions , decisions . :) :D

 

I suppose if all things are equal go for the one that gives you the best perks and loyalty. Either way, just do it.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

I suppose if all things are equal go for the one that gives you the best perks and loyalty. Either way, just do it.:D

 

Great advice Mic , we did it ! :) :D And here's how we chose : Both ships looked very similar so we looked at specific cabin choice and perks . After choosing our favorite cabin for each ship , we looked for photos and reviews for each cabin . We found a very helpful review , with photos and useful info , here on Cruisecritic for the Regal/Royal .

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1867348

 

 

 

 

Here's an aft aerial view. You can see D729 is partially covered with a deeper balcony:

 

 

 

All balconies are not created equally .

 

No. Marina and Riviera are 9' deep and uncovered, Baja and Dolphin are 9' deep and half covered and Aloha, Caribe and Emerald are 5' deep and uncovered. Marina deck balconies are fully exposed to the Horizon Terrace above so privacy may be an issue. Part of the Riviera deck balconies are also visible from the Horizon Terrace. There is space between the middle two cabins but no one has posted what occupies that space. On the balconies that space is split between the two middle balconies on Marina, Riviera, Aloha and Caribe decks and their balconies are wider. For some reason, there is a different arrangement on Baja deck. That space is not available on Dolphin and Emerald deck. Look at the photo for more details. You need to choose an aft Cat D4 deluxe balcony or Cat S2 suite very carefully as their balconies are not the same.

 

 

It also reviewed our specific cabin choice .

 

 

We upgraded our cabins to the Riveria deck R735, R734, and R733. The 3 for Free and reduced pricing even saved us money over the previous Deluxe Balcony. If we can open the partitions will we have a very large balcony for six of us. I chose this level because I wanted cabins above and below and I wanted the 9 foot balconies and the two wider ones. Ideally it would have been nice to be partial covered, but it was our compromise.

 

Your collective input was helpful with the decision.

 

Does anyone know if all the balcony partitions can be opened across the aft section? Has anyone ever stayed in any of these cabins?

 

Thanks.

 

Unfortunately , we found no such advice , threads or photos for the Silhoutte . The perks for us are better on Princess as we will use Elite status for the first time . We have been on two different classes of Celebrity ships , both the Millenium and the Solstice class . On Princess our only experience is on the Grand class . Their Royal class is the rival to the Solstice of Celebrity . Thus , with an opportunity to compare and contrast the Solstice and the Royal classes , we chose the Regal R 734 . :) :D

Edited December 9, 2015 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

Next to the Dionysus Hall was room # 108 , the Ancient Courtyard .

 

 

 

 

Followed by room # 107 the Jupiter Hall with it's green marble walls .

 

 

 

Marble Sarcophagus of a marriage scene

 

 

 

 

 

Melpomeme - Muse of singing and tragedy

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melpomene

 

 

 

 

The hall is named for the large statue of Jupiter , the Roman king of the gods .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_(mythology)

 

 

 

 

Next came a Sarcophagus panel with the Muses , from the second century .

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Great choice in cabin and cruise. I will be interested in your comparisons of both the Regal vs S class ships and vs Grand class ships.:D

[MicCanberra]

Love the contrast between the Green walls and the ceiling in the Jupitor hall.:D

Edited December 9, 2015 by MicCanberra