“Live From the Explorer” or Z and TB Mambo in the Caribbean

[forgap]

11 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

While this is none of my business, I think that it may be better to allow the people on Explorer to enjoy their vacation and not have to think about anything happening in the world or the U.S.  Your post would be very appropriate on the general board.  I know that when we are on Splendor next week, the last thing we want to think about is this subject.  

 

Today CC put a notice out not to post about the Coronavirus on Roll Call unless you are sailing on that cruise.  I think that this should extend to "Live From........." as well.

Besides the above, isn't it fun to see pictures of the food, etc.?  Reading this thread makes my mouth water and I'm getting quite a few chuckles from it as well!

 

 

Indeed, it is none of your business.  Please allow the moderators to decide what is an appropriate post and what is not.   If the corona virus narrative upsets you prior to your cruise, you always have the option of skipping the tread or skipping posts you find unacceptable.  

[grumpyathome]

56 minutes ago, forgap said:

Indeed, it is none of your business.  Please allow the moderators to decide what is an appropriate post and what is not.   If the corona virus narrative upsets you prior to your cruise, you always have the option of skipping the tread or skipping posts you find unacceptable.  

 

 

Thank you Forgap for coming to my defense.  Since we were scheduled to sail on March 12th on the Explorer. I thought I could get an idea of how things  were going on the Explorer.  I truly am sorry if I upset anyone, it was not my intention.  and it was sent prior to the ban on Roll Call info, of which this is not a roll call.  
But u nfortunately, we are having to postpone and cancel this cruise.  Our friends who we planned to sail with have had a medical emergency.  We will reschedule when he is better.  

[grumpyathome]

Thank you Zsqueeze1.

i have enjoyed your posts and pics !  We are sorry to miss our March trip but hope to reschedule to November.  The doctor told our friend that he should not sail for at least a month and he is a good deal of pain.  ( not good for enjoying a cruise).   So no Explorer for us this week, and I was all packed...🙁😢😢

[Zqueeze1]

Grumps:  real sorry to hear that you had to cancel. I hope you had trip insurance. But, more importantly, I hope your friend gets better soon. 
Z and TB

[tnr]

Z, Ray and I did a kayak trip (once), and I was afraid we would get a divorce before we could get back to shore.  Funny how he complains that I was bossing him about how to row.  A kayaker friend told us the only way is a one man......never two man.  It was such a bad experience, we may never give it another try.  Glad to see you and TB made it back to the ship.

Terri

[Zqueeze1]

We are in Costa Maya, Mexico today.

 

It is partly cloudy and very breezy. This is our first time visiting this port. We are scheduled to go on a clear kayak as our tour, but may opt to walk around town after yesterday’s kayak fiasco. 

I’m back to walking today, but I’m not sure what hurts more, my toe boo boo or my Achilles’ tendon which are both on my left foot. 

View from port side:

Some of the folks I’ve met on board are total characters. 

-I met an older gentleman yesterday morning who asked to join me at the Coffee Connection. He is from New Zealand and is traveling alone after having lost his wife to cancer. What a fascinating person. He served in the  British Army for sixteen years and saw his share of life. He has lived to the fullest and is now traveling to see the world. 

-A woman in her seventies told me that this trip was the first time she had left the states. She was getting ready to go zip lining. 

-A blow hard from Philly wanted to know why I wasn’t a hard right winger since I’m retired military. 

-A Regent first timer was a little upset because her husband wanted to wear a baseball cap to dinner. 

We are going to a cocktail party tonight hosted by Bonnie and Debbie, two wild and crazy sisters. Afterwards, we will be having dinner in our first specialty restaurant reservation, Prime 7. 
These are our cabin stewards:

And the hardest working person on board, Vita from Ukraine who is the bar tender in the pool bar.

 

BTW, I noticed that Regent does not offer a bar crawl in Key West so I’m organizing my own. 

Z and TB

[Travelcat2]

"Z", your omelet looks fabulous - cooked exactly the way that I like it (don't want to scare you but eggs come from "chickens" and chickens have feathers........ just sayin)

 

Photos are wonderful and it is good to know that Dennis and I are not the only ones that can't coordinate in a kayak.  

 

Hope that your toes are improving!

[forgap]

Z, enjoying your tip and your zest for life.   I laughed at your kayak adventure as my husband and I have had similar experiences.  In New Zealand we had a bit of a language barrier as paddle was pronounced piddle and petal was pronounced paddle.   We ended up back on shore and the guide had to rescue us until we got the hang of it.  

 

in Cambodia, Georges  refused to go on the kayak tour so I was paired with a Brit whose wife also refused to go.  We got along great!  Perfect cooperation which does say something about the benefits of really not knowing your kayak partner.  

[Zqueeze1]

I am killing time with a Hendricks and tonic while I wait for The Boss to do her hair. We are going to Bonnie and Debbi’s cocktail party and are looking forward to it. Plus dinner will be with them at Prime 7. 

 

Too far of a walk to pay for a Margarita:

 

Safety is paramount. Never drink and sail. 

Z and TB

[Zqueeze1]

Good Morning from Cozumel, Mexico 🇲🇽.

After a night of rocking seas and rolling old ladies on the dance floor, I am tired. We actually stayed up until 2330 last night enjoying music and talking with folks. 
The Boss and I got on the walking track early and got our steps out of the way. Of course, she blew me away with her numbers. To make up for not walking as much as she did, I met up with Bonnie and Debbie and had a few prelunch drinks at the pool bar. This is where I realized that these two know everyone onboard. I’ve never met a stranger, but these two great ladies have me beat hands down. 
We started again at Bonnie and Debbie’s gorgeous two bedroom suite with drinks and appetizers.

 

We took the party down to Prime 7 where these two wild and crazy ladies had us in stitches with their stories. Their company is worth booking a future cruise just to enjoy them. 
Picasso painting:

Crab cakes:

18 ounce bone-in prime rib steak cooked Pittsburgh style:

The Boss being a carnivore:

The famous popcorn and caramel dessert:

Sorry for the quality of the pics. We were seated in a dark part of the restaurant and I had to manipulate them to brighten them up. 

We then visited with a very nice couple who we had the Filipino dinner with in Compass Rose and listened to the piano player and watched them dance (I only dance once a decade). Ben and Ophelia are very friendly and another couple full of life and laughter. 

Z and TB

[bebop bonnie]

Last night was way too much fun! So lucky and happy to make such great new friends.  I think that Regent  should take a good hard look at the excursions offered and hire Z to arrange all future excursions.  Debbie and I have signed up for the key west bar crawl.  Pictures to follow😎

[Zqueeze1]

I went over to Receptions and asked for number of passengers onboard and by Seven Seas Society categories. Keep in mind that this info is presented during the Captain’s reception and in the upper three gathering. I was denied the info due to it being a senior officer’s responsibility to release the info. I was told that I would be notified whenever a decision was made. I’ve had this info readily provided in the past to include countries of origin.   Same goes for asking about specific crew members as to whether they are onboard. I can only find out if I go around reception and ask fellow crew members. Insane. 
Z and TB

[AuntyJan]

As a complete newby to CC and soon to be one of those "in awe" first time cruisers, I have to tell you how much I've been enjoying  your blog and pictures.  We're on the Explorer the end of June for a Baltic cruise..... your blog has made us more excited for the trip.  Although I hate to expose my ignorance, I do have a question....  what is the "upper three gathering" you referenced?

e

[mrlevin]

3 hours ago, Zqueeze1 said:

I went over to Receptions and asked for number of passengers onboard and by Seven Seas Society categories. Keep in mind that this info is presented during the Captain’s reception and in the upper three gathering. I was denied the info due to it being a senior officer’s responsibility to release the info. I was told that I would be notified whenever a decision was made. I’ve had this info readily provided in the past to include countries of origin.   Same goes for asking about specific crew members as to whether they are onboard. I can only find out if I go around reception and ask fellow crew members. Insane. 
Z and TB

 

Ask the cruise consultant.

[Zqueeze1]

8 minutes ago, AuntyJan said:

As a complete newby to CC and soon to be one of those "in awe" first time cruisers, I have to tell you how much I've been enjoying  your blog and pictures.  We're on the Explorer the end of June for a Baltic cruise..... your blog has made us more excited for the trip.  Although I hate to expose my ignorance, I do have a question....  what is the "upper three gathering" you referenced?

e

I may have misnamed it. It is an invitation to an event extended to gold and above members of the seven seas society. Jackie: is that correct?

Z and TB

[AuntyJan]

1 minute ago, Zqueeze1 said:

I may have misnamed it. It is an invitation to an event extended to gold and above members of the seven seas society. Jackie: is that correct?

Z and TB

Thanks.....   good to know, and to aspire to in the future.... 

 

Safe travels

 

[bebop bonnie]

On another note, just want to make a comment about the food. My experience has always been that it is fantastic and it certainly has consistently been awesome. It does seem however that La veranda at lunch is really exceptional! I seem to be eating three times a normal person’s lunch.

[Zqueeze1]

1 minute ago, bebop bonnie said:

On another note, just want to make a comment about the food. My experience has always been that it is fantastic and it certainly has consistently been awesome. It does seem however that La veranda at lunch is really exceptional! I seem to be eating three times a normal person’s lunch.

Real proud of you posting pics all on your own!!!  Let’s celebrate at the pool bar. 
Z and TB

[bebop bonnie]

Sorry guys, I just saw my post and realized that that gorgeous lunch puffed pastry fish event ended up upside down. I know that’s because Z wasn’t with me to help me post a photo. But really, it was a fabulous dish among so many at la veranda at lunch today.

[bebop bonnie]

We must be cross posting, Z!!  enjoy the pool bar. I’m going for a nap. And that’s one of the amazing things about cruising for me on regent. Friends will ask me, what did I do all day? Frankly, I never know how to answer them, mostly because I don’t know what I did all day!

[Zqueeze1]

We are enjoying another fabulous day. Although Cozumel is a hop, skip, and a jump away we are having too much fun and are staying onboard. We are fortunate to have been to most of these ports several times. 

 

 

[Travelcat2]

31 minutes ago, Zqueeze1 said:

I may have misnamed it. It is an invitation to an event extended to gold and above members of the seven seas society. Jackie: is that correct?

Z and TB

 

Wish I could remember the name.  Your description is correct.  Think it could be Top Tier event (which has been disappointing the last couple of years due to having way too many gold and above members.  It fills the lower level of the theater.  In the past, it was small enough to do more intimate, special events.  

 

Enjoying your photos and commentary as well as Bonnie's.  So glad that you guys were able to meet up and are having fun.  Although we communicate a lot, we will not meet them until our Tokyo to Tokyo cruise a year from October.  They are very special people (as are you and TB but I would never say that to your face).  

[Gcto]

4 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Wish I could remember the name.  Your description is correct.  Think it could be Top Tier event (which has been disappointing the last couple of years due to having way too many gold and above members.  It fills the lower level of the theater.  In the past, it was small enough to do more intimate, special events.  

 

Enjoying your photos and commentary as well as Bonnie's.  So glad that you guys were able to meet up and are having fun.  Although we communicate a lot, we will not meet them until our Tokyo to Tokyo cruise a year from October.  They are very special people (as are you and TB but I would never say that to your face).  

Bummer, too many gold and above members... Regent was ones a all inclusive...but now...all those gold and above are ruining it :-)   And when the lower level of the theater is filled...   

::-)

 

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Gcto said:

Bummer, too many gold and above members... Regent was ones a all inclusive...but now...all those gold and above are ruining it :-)   And when the lower level of the theater is filled...   

::-)

 

 

Not sure what you are referring to.  Regent is still the most inclusive luxury cruise line.  The Seven Seas Society members (members that have at least 1 cruise on Regent) have a cocktail party in the theater.  Gold, Platinum, Titanium, Diamond and Commodore have their own event.   This has nothing whatsoever to do with the inclusiveness of Regent.  It is something they have always done.  My comment was simply that Regent likely needs to split up the Top Tier events since there are so many members now.  This speaks to just how great Regent is and how many repeat passengers they have.

[Zqueeze1]

Jackie:  I think GCTO was kidding around. Hence the smiley faces. 
Z and TB