Live from Explorer—June 5-19, 2022–Haifa to Rome

[RachelG]

June 11, 2022–Istanbul, Turkey

 

We had a very late sleep in as the ship was at sea all morning, not scheduled to arrive in Istanbul until early afternoon.  It was very hazy outside and much cooler, with a strong headwind.  Wind was so strong an announcement was made that we would be arriving in Istanbul 30 minutes late.  Since it was a straight headwind, the sailing was still smooth.

 

Our plan for the day was pretty lazy.  We have been to Istanbul multiple times previously, and my two daytime excursions had been cancelled due to “logistical issues with the ground operator”.  We could rebook other excursions, but we had already done all the ones available for during the day today, and none were so good that we wanted to repeat.

 

I walked up on the track for a while, getting thoroughly wind blown, then we both went to the spa for massages.  George thought his was a waste of time—supposed to be deep tissue but not even close.  Mine was excellent, so if he goes back, he will schedule with my masseuse.

 

It had started raining by the time we finished, so we ate lunch on La Veranda.  It was Middle Eastern themed.  I had never had pomegranate hummus before, but it was delicious.

 

We sailed into the port which is new and modern with fancy new restaurants alongside.  Previously we had always docked at the old port, which was like something out of Agatha Christie “Murder on the Orient Express”, with cobwebs, broken glass in the windows, and cracking wood floors and walls.  This is totally different.

 

Past the posh new restaurants on the promenade were high rise apartment buildings going up a fairly steep hill with a big mosque at the top. In the mid afternoon, the rain stopped, and the sun came out.  Things warmed up.  I took a few laps around the top deck and it was nice.  We came in 2nd at trivia, but only because I can’t keep my Greek and Roman gods straight.  

 

There is a pool deck party tonight with whirling dervishes coming on board to entertain, but we are booked for a night excursion called “Istanbul by Night”.  I love Turkish food , which was the main attraction.  Will report on that tomorrow.

 

[1982CruzStart]

thanks Rachel, so enjoying your reports. 

[ronrick1943]

Just to let you know, we are really enjoying your story—-looking forward to “istanbul by Night”-sounds great.  Thanks so much for taking the time.  Can’t wait to be on a ship soon……

[RachelG]

June 11, 2022–part two—Istanbul by Night

 

My experience is that any of the night tours offered by Regent are quite good to excellent.  This did not disappoint.

 

We walked out into the HUGE new cruise port which opened just last fall.  It has seen very few ships yet.  Today it was just Explorer, an Azamara ship, and one of the Sea Dream yachts which are very small.  We walked probably half a mile, though a couple of security checks before we were in the underground garage to board the minibus.  At least, you now are getting on/off the bus in a secure area rather than the street.

 

Traffic wasn’t bad considering it was Istanbul.  The guide said it was because it was Saturday evening.  We made quick time to the area of the Blue Masque and Hagia Sophia.  George and I had been inside both previously.  This time we just walked in the promenade between them and took pictures.  There were lots of families and young couples out and about enjoying the evening.  

 

We then took the bus to an area by the Bosporus where there is a pedestrian street lined on both sides by restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating.  This was a bustling place with street musicians, guys selling flowers, and full restaurants.  Fortunately we had reservations.  The waiters brought out plates of food.  First, salad, smoked salmon, baba ganoush, and a seaweed salad.  Then dolmades and fried calamari.  Armenian beans and tiny boiled shrimp.  Bread. Then the main dish—a whole fish with potatoes.  Free flowing pretty good Turkish wine through out then Raki.  George was a popular guy with his cowboy hat and was soon talking to the family at the next table.  Dessert was fresh fruit.

 

Back to the ship at midnight, but I would definitely do this excursion again.

[Gilly]

Rachel, I'm pleased you shared the experience of the new terminal, where Splendor was berthed last November too.  It is indeed a stiff walk to reach the exit and our pleas to take the shortcut to avoid the Duty Free shop (there was an open door which would have cut the walk by half) were denied on every occasion 😒   But we, too, had a great tour whilst in the city and felt really happy that the excursions cater so well for those of us who are already familiar with Istanbul.  I will note the evening tour for "next time"!!  

 

(Our recommendation is the Go Local tour of Beyoglu and Moda, btw)

[RJ2002]

Enjoying your posts from Explorer and the stops.  Keep 'em coming.  Thanks for sharing.

[kjbacon]

Thank you so much for this fabulous live from report! We are looking at a similar itinerary in 2024 so this is as helpful as it is enjoyable to read.

[marne-c]

June 11, 2022–part two—Istanbul by Night

(snip)

We then took the bus to an area by the Bosporus where there is a pedestrian street lined on both sides by restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating.  This was a bustling place with street musicians, guys selling flowers, and full restaurants.  Fortunately we had reservations.  

(snip)

 

@RachelG  MANY thanks for your review!  My wife and I will have a couple of overnights in Istanbul on a cruise in May 2023.

Do you recall the name of the restaurant you ate at?  Or at least the name of the night time ShoreEx you took?

 

--Marne

[RachelG]

June 12, 2022–Istanbul, Turkey

 

When we woke up, it was raining pretty hard.  The forecast called for rain most of the day.  My excursion was to Beylerbeyi Palace which is on the Asian side of the Bosporus.  George didn’t want to go as stayed onboard the ship.

 

We boarded the bus inside the new terminal, nice and dry.  It was Sunday morning, so traffic was pretty light crossing over the bridge to the Asian side.  The palace is right beside the bridge, and we arrived just as it was opening.  The rain had slacked off some, so we walked through the beautiful rose garden then up the very wet and slippery marble steps into the palace.  

 

The palace was a summer palace.  There is no kitchen in it, and food was prepared elsewhere then brought in.  The palace is modeled after European palaces on the outside with a combination of European and Turkish design inside.  You are not allowed to take photos.

 

We went through ornate rooms with high ceilings, European furniture, Chinese vases, Turkish rugs.  There were some paintings but none with people in them-only landscapes and nautical scenes.  In one room, there was a huge marble pool, probably 40 feet long.

 

After touring the palace, we were to have tea in the garden.  The rain had temporarily stopped, the tables and chairs had been dried off, and we were offered woolen shawls to wrap in as it was very chilly.  The tables were around a duck pond,with a duck house in the middle of the pond and lots of ducks as well as some cats trolling for treats or dropped food.

 

We reboarded the bus just as it started pouring rain again.  We were taken to a medium sized mosque designed by the same person who designed the Hagia Sophia, very near the port.  We went inside, and our guide told us all about it, and kept droning on and on and on.  I couldn’t believe he could find so much to talk about.  Then he asked for questions.  Someone asked one,so he droned some more.  Finally he said he was sorry—that he had been trying to kill time till it stopped raining, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen soon, so we would have to walk back in the rain.

 

The Regent umbrellas are nice and big, but the rain was blowing sideways, so we got a little wet.  Our poor guide was soaked as he had no umbrella.  Long hike inside the terminal back to the ship, which required a pass through the expansive duty free shop.  It had been closed last night.

 

Back onboard, I changed my soaked shoes, and we had a nice dry lunch in La Veranda.  The theme was Mexican/Cuban.  The guacamole and black bean soup were great.

 

I had wanted to visit the shopping area right by the port as there were a lot of stores which looked good, but it was still raining, so I took a nap instead.  George is probably thankful.  We did terrible at trivia—changed too many answers.

 

By the time trivia was finished, it had finally stopped raining and the sun had come out just in time for sailaway, so I walked out on the top deck.  And what a spectacular sailaway, with historic palaces and mosques on both sides and ferries and boats crisscrossing in front.  I would put it up there in the top five, with Venice (can’t do that one anymore), Sydney, Hong Kong, and London under the tower bridge being my other contenders.

 

Tonight was the seven seas party where they tell who has how many nights.  We had reservations at Pacific Rim, so opted for cocktails in the observation lounge instead. 

 

Dinner in Pacific Rim.  I will freely admit it is not my favorite, but George loves it, mainly because he likes the sushi and dim sum.  It was good, just not,y favorite cuisine.

 

The show was Paradis which is a Moulin Rouge type production.  It had been reworked since the last time I saw it, for the better, but still not my favorite.  The best part is the Cancan.  There was a part with the male dancers just flexing their muscles—weird.

[RachelG]

46 minutes ago, marne-c said:

June 11, 2022–part two—Istanbul by Night

(snip)

We then took the bus to an area by the Bosporus where there is a pedestrian street lined on both sides by restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating.  This was a bustling place with street musicians, guys selling flowers, and full restaurants.  Fortunately we had reservations.  

(snip)

 

@RachelG  MANY thanks for your review!  My wife and I will have a couple of overnights in Istanbul on a cruise in May 2023.

Do you recall the name of the restaurant you ate at?  Or at least the name of the night time ShoreEx you took?

 

--Marne

It is Istanbul by Night.  Not sure of the name of the restaurant but there are a whole bunch all together in the street, pretty much serving the same menu.  

[marne-c]

4 minutes ago, RachelG said:

It is Istanbul by Night.  Not sure of the name of the restaurant but there are a whole bunch all together in the street, pretty much serving the same menu.  

 

@RachelG  MANY thanks, Rachel!

 

--Marne

[RachelG]

June 13, 2022–Kavala, Greece

 

We had some slight rocking and motion during the night, nothing serious, but more than we have experienced this cruise, and the wind kept whistling past our balcony door for a while.

 

In the morning, it was hazy and partly cloudy with the sun peeking through the clouds and a light breeze.  On both sides and in front of the ship, I could see some land with dry looking hills and mountains, very pretty in the haze.  The weather had warmed up since yesterday, with the high expected to be about 84F.

 

Our destination for the day was Kavala, which is the port for visiting Philippi, the ancient city to which Paul the apostle wrote the letter to the Philippians and which he visited on one of his missionary journeys.  

 

We weren’t to arrive until 11:00 so a lazy morning.  I walked around on the top deck as we sailed into the small port.  There were hundreds of gulls accompanying the ship, glad for the breakfast we had stirred up.  Kavala town stretched along the coast, with lots of apartment buildings, an aqueduct, and a old fort at the top of a hill.

 

We had a quick lunch in La Veranda then boarded our bus for Philippi.  The ruins are quite expansive, but mostly no reconstruction.  There is lots to see—an amphitheater that is in pretty good shape, ruins of a bunch of churches, Roman ruins including the place where Paul and Silas were flogged then put in shackles in jail overnight.  As you may recall, a huge earthquake happened which knocked loose the chains.  The jailer awoke, thought the prisoners had all escaped and was preparing to fall on his sword to commit suicide, when Paul called out and told him they were all there.  

 

Back in Kavala, George and I took a walk about up past a lot of good looking Greek and seafood restaurants to the aqueduct then up and up to the old fort.  We came back down by a different route along the coast by a seaside walkway.

 

We had dinner in chartreuse and it was a winner.  Everything post on.  I had the cheese soufflé, beet salad and beef Rossini.  Excellent.  The entertainment afterward was a polish violinist.  She was good, not amazing.  Maybe I was just tired.

 

[RachelG]

 

June 14, 2022–Mykonos, Greece

 

After a good quiet nights sleep, we awoke to a bright sunny day.  We were sailing past dry hilly islands dotted with white houses.  Today is a tender port, the first of the trip, and there are 3 large ships in port, by far the most we have encountered, and almost back to precovid levels

 

Our plan for the day is a cruise over to Delos and Rhenia Islands.  We had been to Delos before a long time ago, but not Rhenia.  The attraction there is the beach and possibility to swim in the sea.

 

We took local tenders to the port in town then walked over to our sailboat. It was VERY windy.  There were lots of high waves and swell over 6 ft.  No way could they unfurl the sails, so we motored over to Delos.  Delos has a huge excavated archeological site, Greek ruins.  The thing that is unique are the sculptures of lions, but there is a lot to see.  We just scratched the surface. 

 

After an hour and a half, we reboarded and were in Rhenia in 10 minutes.  There is nothing there but empty space and a small beach.  It is gravel and sand, typical of the Mediterranean.  The water was crystal clear, but kind of cold.  I waded a little, but George swam and loved it.  He was upset that he hadn’t thought to bring his goggles.

 

We had a small lunch onboard—tzatziki, filo pastries stuffed with spinach and cheese, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Very tasty.  The cruise back to Mykonos was very rough with a lot of swell.  I didn’t get sick at all, but I was really happy for it to be over.  We walked around town, saw the windmills, and stopped at a cafe for pizza which was great.  Then back to the ship on the tender.

 

We had dinner outside on the back deck of Sette Mare.  It was pleasant until the ship started moving and wind picked up, but they brought us blankets which were nice.  I had never ordered a steak in this venue before, but did tonight, and it was outstanding.  George had some way too fatty lamb chops which he did not like so switched to veal scallopini which was great.

 

The show tonight was the Broadway In concert production which never disappoints.  It was outstanding, probably my favorite show onboard and for sure on this trip.  The singers are very talented and gave a great performance.

[RachelG]

June 15, 2022–Santorini, Greece

 

A very smooth quiet night of sailing.  I looked out our glass door in the morning, and we were anchored in the caldera of Santorini, with dark volcanic rock rising around us on 3 sides, topped by white buildings.

 

We have been here many times previously, and it is one of my favorites simply because it is so different with such striking scenery.  Our excursion was to be to a couple of villages and a winery for lunch.

 

All ships have to tender here as there is not a port.  We had a quick tender ride to the area where tour buses can pick up passengers.  This is far away from Fira, the main town.  We got on our tour bus. So far , so good.  We drove to the opposite side of the island to the village of Oia.  This is a very picturesque town set on the cliffs.  Unfortunately, there were 6 ships here today, and the place was a zoo.  No social distancing or mask wearing.  If you have any issues with crowds, this is not the place to go.  It was packed.  We saw some good views , but it was too crowded to be fun.  There were probably 20-30 buses, big buses, in the parking area.

 

We then drove to the winery, back on the other side of the island.  We had lunch, great salad and tomato fritters, fave bean hummus which was just ok, and pressed chicken (sort of like turducken) with potatoes.  The wines were ok.  But definitely not worth an extra charge.  At least it wasn’t crowded.

 

Then back to Fira.  The place was a mass of humanity, packed, with an almost hour wait for the cable car down to the tenders.  George walked on the mule trail as he wasn’t having any of that.  People were cutting in line, and it was really unpleasant.

 

There were way to many ships in port today.  I have been to Santorini 3 times before, and it was crowded, but never anywhere close to this bad.  They need to limit the number in port.  

 

None of my trivia team showed up.  By myself, I got 11 correct which isn’t shabby, but not good enough to win.

 

Dinner was in Chartreuse, and was very good.  I had the vegetarian option just for a change and it was tasty.

 

The entertainment was an Irish comedian, and he was pretty funny. We gain an hour tonight, and tomorrow is a sea day.

 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

I"m enjoying your review, the trip sounds amazing so far!

[RachelG]

June 16, 2022–at sea in the Mediterranean enroute to Palermo, Sicily

 

At last a sea day,  the only one of this voyage.  I personally prefer exploring in port, but every once in a while, you need a day to just do nothing.  Clocks moved back one hour as well, even better.

 

The sea was dead calm.  It was sunny and warm.  Walking up on the track was perfect, with comfortable temperature and just the breeze from the movement of the ship. 

 

George went for a massage, different masseuse from the first one and much better.  I won $119 at bingo.

 

We had lunch in Chartreuse.  The lunch menu is totally different than the dinner one, so I recommend checking it out for lunch as well as dinner.  It wasn’t crowded at all.

 

More goofing off in the afternoon. I did walk past the culinary center, and they are actually allowing people to cook in cooking class again.  Had I known this, I would have signed up.  Back in January, it was demonstration only.

 

Trivia was very difficult.  We only got 6 correct—the winning team only had 9.

 

Dinner at Compass Rose was good.   There are just so many choices now, but all very  nice. I had a Caesar salad and a pasta dish which were excellent.  George could decide between fish or curry so had both.  The show was the 60s show, My Revolution, which had totally been reworked from the last time I saw it.  Very good.  Top notch singers and dancers.

 

[ronrick1943]

On 6/15/2022 at 12:48 PM, RachelG said:

June 15, 2022–Santorini, Greece

 

A very smooth quiet night of sailing.  I looked out our glass door in the morning, and we were anchored in the caldera of Santorini, with dark volcanic rock rising around us on 3 sides, topped by white buildings.

 

We have been here many times previously, and it is one of my favorites simply because it is so different with such striking scenery.  Our excursion was to be to a couple of villages and a winery for lunch.

 

All ships have to tender here as there is not a port.  We had a quick tender ride to the area where tour buses can pick up passengers.  This is far away from Fira, the main town.  We got on our tour bus. So far , so good.  We drove to the opposite side of the island to the village of Oia.  This is a very picturesque town set on the cliffs.  Unfortunately, there were 6 ships here today, and the place was a zoo.  No social distancing or mask wearing.  If you have any issues with crowds, this is not the place to go.  It was packed.  We saw some good views , but it was too crowded to be fun.  There were probably 20-30 buses, big buses, in the parking area.

 

We then drove to the winery, back on the other side of the island.  We had lunch, great salad and tomato fritters, fave bean hummus which was just ok, and pressed chicken (sort of like turducken) with potatoes.  The wines were ok.  But definitely not worth an extra charge.  At least it wasn’t crowded.

 

Then back to Fira.  The place was a mass of humanity, packed, with an almost hour wait for the cable car down to the tenders.  George walked on the mule trail as he wasn’t having any of that.  People were cutting in line, and it was really unpleasant.

 

There were way to many ships in port today.  I have been to Santorini 3 times before, and it was crowded, but never anywhere close to this bad.  They need to limit the number in port.  

 

None of my trivia team showed up.  By myself, I got 11 correct which isn’t shabby, but not good enough to win.

 

Dinner was in Chartreuse, and was very good.  I had the vegetarian option just for a change and it was tasty.

 

The entertainment was an Irish comedian, and he was pretty funny. We gain an hour tonight, and tomorrow is a sea day.

 

Sounds like a perfect day to me…………can’t thank you enough for taking the time to post-enjoying all of this cruise with you.

 

[1982CruzStart]

thanks Rachel, sounds like the perfect day at sea. Hope your cruise continues to be great. 

[RachelG]

June 17,2022–Palermo, Sicily

 

Sea a dead calm all night.  I was awake early as the bright sunshine was peaking around the edges of the drapes even before 6 am.  By the time I went up to the coffee connection, we were pulling alongside the port with lots of old buildings and churches nearby on one side and mountains in the distance.  On the other side, there was a HUGE MSC ship, the Opera.  I have no idea how many passengers this thing holds, but it is a lot.  It is twice as long as Explorer with way more decks, and most cabins just have portholes, very few with balconies.

 

We have been to Sicily several times before, including on a land trip, but this is only the second visit to Palermo.  The plan for the day was to walk around on our own in the morning, find some good pizza, then do a wine tour in the afternoon. When the announcement that the ship was cleared came on, it was already 82F.

 

George and I walked all over the old town, past lots of little local shops as well as ones we see all the time like H&M, Sephora, etc.  More stores for formal gowns and men’s dress suits than I have ever seen, also lots of old crumbly historic buildings and churches.  Good people watching opportunities.

 

The pizza place I had chosen gets very good reviews on Trip Advisor.  It was supposed to open at 11.  We arrived at 11:05 as our afternoon tour was to start at 1:25.  They were open, but no pizza until 11:30.  Ok. We waited.  The pizza was by the slice and good, not great, certainly not good enough to be rated the best in Palermo.  But it was cheap.  I dropped a big glob of tomato sauce on my white shorts.  Stuff like that always happens when I wear white.

 

We walked back to the ship, took a short siesta, and I changed clothes.  We boarded the bus (first time this trip that masks were required) and drove an hour out into the countryside to Alessandro di Campinale which is a lovely winery surrounded by rolling hills and lush fields—vineyards, olive and pomegranate groves, fields with tomato anplants.  The scenery was really spectacular.  And the wine was great.  So good we had some shipped home.

 

Back to the ship, they were waiting on us so they could sail out.  Ours was literally the last tour to return, and we sailed just a couple of minutes after boarding, a good reason to do a ships tour since they waited for us.  

 

We quickly changed for dinner.  George wanted to eat at Pacific Rim again.  We didn’t have reservations, but he ran down to see if they could fit us in, and they did.  Very good meal.  My chicken curry was actually spicy without me having to add sambal.  George had a double portion of sushi.

 

The Polish violinist performed again, and I really enjoyed it.  The music was more to my taste I guess—show tunes from Broadway, things I recognized.  

[RachelG]

June 18, 2022-Sorrento, Italy

 

Sorrento is one of our favorites, so we were looking forward to revisiting today.  It was another bright sunny and warm day.  Perfect weather really.  The last time we were supposed to be here, there was too much swell to run the tenders safely.  And this is always a tender port.

 

Outside the coffee connection window, I could see the little tender port and the high cliffs rising up with the town stretched along the top.  The tender ride was quick, and we were at the little port to board minibuses to take us up the hill to the town where we boarded the big busses for the excursion.  The minibus driver was a maniac.  Our guide apologized.

 

Our excursion was to a farm where they produce their own mozzarella cheese, olive oil, fruits and vegetables.  They only have 4 acres but maximize every bit of it.  The lady showed us how the cheese is made, then we got to sample that as well as olive oil.  It was very nice.  

 

The rest of the tour was a bit of a snooze.  They drove us up along the drive toward Amalfi, and the views are great, but I am not much of one to like bus drives.  

 

Back to Sorrento, we went in search of pizza.  We found a really good place, and had pizza, caprese salad, and wine.  Then took a walk and did some shopping.  Everything was busy, and I would say they are recovering well.  George wanted to walk down to the little port, so we did that. 

 

Unfortunately our suitcases had appeared when we got back on board.  Getting all our purchases in was quite the task.  Final trivia went well with us coming in 2nd.  Could have won if I had not overthought.

 

Final dinner inCompass Rose was excellent.  I splurged on a shrimp and asparagus risotto—lots of carbs but so good.  We have an early morning so finished packing and put our suitcases out.

 

[Focused1]

Have been enjoying your beautifully written travelogue.  

[Fredrik]

Thank you for the excellent report. Getting us more excited every day and tomorrow we embark on our first Regent cruise. Safe travels home and hope you will be back on the high seas very soon.

 

[Boats07]

Thank you for allowing us to follow along.  We are looking forward to our first Regent  cruise in October on the Splendor.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Boats07
added

[chuckw]

Thank you, you're much more adventurous than we are.

[asnaleah]

Safe travels home and thank you.