Decks 7, 8 and 9

Decks 7, 8 and 9 are residential decks, with no public rooms.  As a result, they appear broadly similar but it was only on closer inspection that I noticed the difference.

Whilst taking a look at the photograph collections, I spotted the themes.  Here on Deck 9, there’s a broad Hollywood theme going on.  Film and theatre settings provide the backdrop to so many of the images, which feature a glamorous lifestyle.

Speaking of glamorous lifestyle, though, brings me to another, more mundane but essential feature on several of these decks: the laundrettes.  Well equipped and free of charge, they are well used and it’s a rare sight to find an empty one as I did this morning!

The are furnished with a couple of chairs and a TV set for those who prefer to watch something more interesting than a load of washing going round in the machine!  There is also a really good steam iron and a small – no, tiny! – ironing board, which demands patience when ironing anything larger than a handkerchief

But moving onto more leisurely pursuits and to Deck 8 where the theme of the photographic collection is focused on the beach.

So many delightful images which bring a smile!

Sweet families in exotic locations.

Deck 7 is a little more serious with an automotive theme – classic cars and elegant drivers of course but occasionally, something a little off the wall…

Now, having noticed the differing themes for each deck, I needed to return to our own, Deck 12 and see what’s what there, didn’t I?

At first sight, it too is a beach theme, but all the photographs are of water related activities: surfing, swimming, boating.

And now I’ve spotted the themes, I’ll take better note of where I am!

Loco in Acapulco

Now, where were we?

We were driving back along that precarious, single track shelf back the way we came.  Through the city centre and along the coast road.

The town beaches were fairly busy with local people, out enjoying the sunshine.  As you can see, our ship was the only one in port today and so we had an ace parking spot!

I always like to observe people on the beach.  Habits as so very different the world over – here, it appeared the main thing to do was to go swimming – no lounging about sunbathing.

We’d been told to expect protest demonstrations, particularly about the price of petrol, which is not only government controlled but has been increased considerably recently.  Sure enough, at several petrol stations we passed, there were people with that distinctive orange banner.

We were headed for the other side of the bay, passing this “fishermen’s beach”, currently quiet but later in the afternoon, when they bring in their catch, it will be the place to buy the freshest and best fish in the area.

We stopped in Papagayo Park, a long established part of the city where there was an unrivalled shopping opportunity to buy jewellery and other trinkets.  As always, I used the time to make a few observations!

Driving through the “gold” part of the city, then; a rather more modern series of hotels and fast food chains, Patricia pointed out the sculpture on top of the Hotel El Presidente awning.  It’s by Salvador Dali and is quite a landmark around here.

At the top of the hill, we made another stop for photographs of the view.

and yes, as we are learning around here, every view comes with the bonus shopping.

This is part of the exclusive “Diamond area” of the city, home to the stars including the Seagram family and Julio Iglesias, whose home, we were told, is the one with a banana shaped swimming pool.  My apologies for the reflection which makes it even more difficult to spot – the best I could do as we turned the corner.

Anyway, the reason for coming this far was to stop at the top for a view of Diamond Point, where luxury condominiums and hotels are surrounded by gold courses and sandy beaches.  Here too is the Black Lagoon , the scene of many films including, we were told, the African Queen and Rambo, too!

As we turned around by the Pierre Mundo hotel complex, we felt that this short tour had given us a good overview of Acapulco.  I’m not sure it’s somewhere to which we’d return in a hurry, but I was glad to have been here and to have seen a new part of the world, especially the cliff divers.

Next stop, Guatemala.  But first, a sea day to play with.

Diving and Dancing

We arrived in Acapulco this morning, in bright sunshine and higher temperatures than we’ve had so far.  It seemed like the whole ship breathed a sigh of relief as waiters in La Veranda opened up the outdoor seating and changed into their warm weather gear.

I was looking out over our rail, at what I thought was a small pedalo or similar with four people in it.  They seemed to be just sitting there, basking in the sun, watching our ship manoeuvre into place.  I thought I’d take their picture – and only when uploading it to the laptop later did I see it’s a buoy!  Duh.  I thought those folks were sitting very still…

We decided to skip an early lunch before going off on our tour at 12.15 and instead, tucked into the fruit Suren had left us this morning.  Oh, and that’s water, not gin!

There was a lively musical accompaniment to disembarking and in good Mexican tradition, the enthusiasm more than made up for the intonation!

We drove through the old town, spotting the old VW Beetles still operating as taxis – something we remembered from the last time we were in Mexico, more than twenty years ago (not counting yesterday!)

There was a heavy police presence, hopefully calming those who were anxious about security here.  Some were reluctant to go ashore, though we took a more considered view of the issue and were confident in Regent’s decision to bring us here – something they would most certainly not have done if there had been any doubts regarding safety.

We’d have liked a clear view of the Zocalo and the cathedral but sadly for us, the mobile cancer screening unit was parked in the way.  No matter – cancer screening is way more important than tourist photographs!

As we drove, our guide Patricia pointed out the old hotels, many of which were opened in the 1930s, when Johnny Weismuller, Rita Hayworth, Hedy Lamarr, John Wayne and the like began to visit here and build holiday homes in the neighbourhood.  These days, we were told, rooms are available for $10 a night, everything included (with 2 Alka Seltzers in the morning, she added!)

Our destination was the Hotel Mirador perched on the cliff high above the ocean.

La Quebrada is the site where the cliff divers operate and they were going to put on a special show, just for us.

With Pina Colada in hand, we trooped downstairs to the viewing area, unsure of what to expect.

Once there, we noted several divers warming up at the bottom of the cliff face.

Patricia pointed out the ledge at the top, where a small shrine was situated and the Mexican flag was flying.

We spotted someone there on a slightly lower ledge, waiting to dive, perhaps?

But the divers had competition from a bunch of whales out there in the ocean.  Can you spot the spray from one of them over there?

As one offered a few words to the Saints, other divers were preparing for their moment of fame.

Others were climbing up that cliff face, barefoot and with no assistance.  I suppose they’ve done it a few times before but even so, it was pretty amazing.  Patricia told us there are 54 professional divers in all, most in a Union who oversee the whole operation.

We were getting a bit antsy by now.  We’d drunk our Pinas, it was hot standing in the sun, waiting, and we wanted them to get on with it.  Terrible, isn’t it?  Men are risking life and limb to put on a show for us and we can’t even exercise a little patience

And then one dived off the cliff!  Wow!  Even though he’d (only!) dived from the lower platform, it was still very high and precarious.

I had my camera on “burst” setting, because after all of that, I didn’t want to miss the perfect shot!

Did I get it?

Well, I guess so!  But at the time, it was hard to tell.  Those cliffs don’t make an easy backdrop to see what’s going on and of course, my camera screen isn’t so clear in the bright sunshine.

Oh, but there goes another one!

By the time he’d struck his perfect diving pose for the camera, he was in front of the rock – but hey, I felt pleased to have captured the action at all.  Patricia had told us that they are allowed only one dive a day, because the repeated action of diving into the water from that height can damage the retina, and that although there have been broken bones and minor injuries, no professional diver has ever lost his life making what looks like an awfully risky stunt.

Now, they were getting clever, doing somersaults and other tricks.

But you know, that “other” show was going on in the bay!

Where to look next?  Watch the whales or the divers?

Well, easy answer: the last diver was about to go from the highest ledge, the one from where we’d been told it’s impossible to see the water when you jump.  Sure enough, he did the fanciest dive of all, a fitting finale to the show.

Loved it!

As we turned around to return to the bus however, someone called for our attention.

There was a dance show for us to see as well.

Gorgeous, colourful dancers who moved with spirit and passion.

And when the music changed to what I recognised as “the Mexican Hat Dance”, I waited for the chap to take his hat off and dance on it…I waited a while!  (He did in the end, though didn’t dance on it but around it!)

And that was that for the first part of our time in Acapulco.  I’ll continue the story in the next post – after dinner!

Continuing my peregrinations on Deck 10

With a morning at sea, I had a chance to explore another couple of decks, enjoying the artwork and noticing one or two things which had previously escaped me.

I am becoming quite the Goethe scholar, reading these German quotations which are nearly – but not quite – in the correct order.  Once again, I’m starting my route on the forward staircase of Deck 10.

One of the first things we noticed on board Explorer was the Atrium.  Most ships have a light well in this area and here it seems to us to be very un-shiplike, for some reason.  Maybe the sharp rectangular design, maybe the enclosed windows? 

Beyond that point, though, looking towards the stern of the ship, there’s a corridor on either side with suites to the left and service access to the right (vice-versa on the other side, of course)

Along these residential corridors, there are collections of really cute photographs of a bygone age.  As soon as we spotted them, we loved them and have enjoyed making a note of our favourites as we’ve moved about the ship.

We’ve imagined our parents and grandparents in similar poses, even though neither of our families would ever be able to dream of doing such things.  But the fashion, the style and the demeanour of the people is so reminiscent of photographs we have, even if ours were taken at Hornsea or Minehead!

So, at the stern of Deck 10, on the Starboard side (I think!) is the steakhouse, Prime 7.  There’s a small bar at the entrance; perfect for pre dinner drinks and the Maitre D’ is right there on hand to keep everything running smoothly.

The atmosphere is spacious and lighter than previous versions of Prime 7 we’ve known.  We like this one very much indeed and lunch yesterday was a real treat.

This was especially so with the lunchtime dessert, which came in the form of a small carousel of treats – help yourself to Red Velvet, Brownie, Key Lime Pie, Banana something-or-other, Pecan and Caramel sandwich or Pear and Blueberry Cobbler!   Take two if you can manage (we couldn’t!)   What a great way to style small, lunch-sized desserts.

Whilst sitting enjoying lunch, our eyes fell on the artwork in here, much of which was bovine-related (Steakhouse…yes?)   Knowing that a huge sum had been spent on the artwork for the ship and understanding that there were some rather fine pieces here and there, we asked Catherine, our server, if there was anything special we might look for.

She thought there might be a Picasso in the small, private dining room adjacent to our table and suggested we take a look.

This small, exclusive venue has been referred to as both The Study and as La Chambre.  It’s not somewhere we’d choose to dine, so we’d paid no attention to it until now – but if there was a PIcasso in there?  (There wasn’t)

So we asked Sergio, Maitre D’ if he knew where it was.  “Right here, behind me!” he said – pointing out the small plate-sized piece behind his desk.  “Oh, and there’s another one over there”

On the wall of the bar area…

Just next to the drawing by Chagall!

Oooo.

We thanked Sergio for a delicious lunch and the art spotting assistance.  Regent staff are extraordinary and really do go “above and beyond” in every respect.

Next door to Prime 7, on the other side of The Study, is Chartreuse, the French restaurant, occupying a similar sized space but on the Port side of the stern area of Deck 10.

Again, there’s a small bar for pre-dinner drinks.

The restaurant is designed in a slightly Art Nouveau style, with touches of chartreuse green (of course) and specially designed china (as in all the restaurants on board).

We look forward to dining here on an evening shortly, but lunch here the other day was super!

From here, then, it’s a straight walk back along the Port side corridor of even numbered suites, where the collection of photographs continues to make us smile.  Before long, I’m back at the forward staircase and have completed my walk around Deck 10!

What do you reckon so far?

Totally Confused!

I had to return to my last post and make some corrections, for I’m still totally confused about what’s where and even, which deck is which!  OK, so I can find my way “home” on Deck 12, but I totally forgot that the jogging track is right here too and that we go down one flight of stairs for the pool deck.  So, I needed to work that one out in my little brain before I can share an accurate picture!

A good thing is that locations are clearly signed and I’m never lost for long.  I’ve never been good at working out which is the front and which is the back, so can frequently be found going the wrong way, anyway.

Anyway, here’s what Deck 11 is like.

One of our first concerns on board this ship were the relative sizes of the staircases and the lift lobbies, both of which were narrower and tighter than other ships we’ve known.  We envisaged a bit of a crush when a theatre show ends, for example, but have been proved wrong.  Traffic moves quickly, the lifts handle large numbers of people well and we’ve never experienced a crush at all.

Perhaps now is a good time to say, this ship is sailing full.  There are 700 passengers (and around the same number of staff) but we would never know it.  I didn’t go out of my way to avoid people in my photographs – this is really how it is – or rather, how it was this morning, when I did my walkabout.

On each stairwell there is an artwork from this series.  It’s a quotation from Goethe’s Tales: “Lange hatte man ihr schon versichert, daß diese Erscheinung” and now I’ve identified it I need to follow the set to find out if the sentence continues elsewhere (it translates as “For a long time they had already been assured that this apparition”   ending mid sentence, on a cliff-hanger, so to speak)

(I suspect that’s going to be another project for the trip….find the series!  But I have heard German spoken nearby, so perhaps I can enlist help?)

Anyway, arty friends, it looks as though the text has been applied to the canvas using dimensional medium, before colour was applied – interesting!

OK, so moving right along,  one of the first places I come across is the Culinary Arts Kitchen.  We could take cooking classes here, but unsure of what plans we might make along the way, on this cruise, we didn’t.  I understand them to be very good, however, and could be tempted at some point in the future.

Next door is the Library, previously discussed in an earlier post.  Now I know it’s there, I’ve peeked in the door a couple of times and each time it’s been quiet and peaceful.  Very nice.

The corridor then opens up to a kind of runway entrance to the Observation Lounge.  This large entrance feature is common to several venues on the ship and is something we rather like.

The Observation Lounge, quiet at this time of the day, will be busy later for tea time and Trivia.  It’s probably our favourite place for a pre dinner drink too, with a pianist and a relaxing atmosphere.

This morning, the dance floor is being polished in preparation for a dance class.

Right above the dance floor is a beautiful chandelier with crystal drops changing colour.  the ship has many such chandeliers of different designs – another feature we admire.

Walking back along the other side of the ship, there’s a wide walkway with service entrances on one side

and the Conoisseurs Club room on the other.  Here is where the smokers gather for cigars and so on.

From here, we step outside to the Pool Deck and the bar area, set alongside the most beautiful shimmery tiled wall.

and here are the main, serried ranks of sun loungers, ready for the warm weather.

I like how they’ve been separated with voile curtains, creating an air of privacy and breaking up that line.

At the end of the pool are two hot tubs and a couple of showers

and in the semi-open air, there are tables and chairs for the Pool Grill buffet,

where both breakfast and lunch are served.

For those of us who prefer to eat indoors, or outdoors at the stern of the ship, the main “La Veranda” buffet restaurant is here.

On both sides of the ship, in between La Veranda and the Pool Grill is a rather lovely seating area with chairs of an intriguing design. We rather like the look of these areas, though have yet to sit there and try it out.  But with a coffee machine right on hand and the pool buffet nearby, I imagine it could be popular.

With a symmetrical arrangement of sun loungers along the other side, that completes my walk around Deck 11.  If I go through the doors here, I find myself back outside the Culinary Arts Kitchen and the flight of stairs where I began.

I’ll try to continue my walk around on our next sea day, if only to establish what is where in my own mind!  Meanwhile, we’re sailing on to Acapulco and Team Trivia is calling for my attention.  As long as the question doesn’t concern “on what deck would I find xxxx?” we’ll be fine  

Wish us luck!