Day 14 - Galley Tour and Regent Rewards

April 7, 2019 - Has it really already been two weeks? Time really does fly when you are having fun. It became apparent that this was our last day on board when we returned to our suite after lunch to find that Hazel and Widi have placed our luggage on the bed for us.

Before we start packing for the trip home, we were invited to attend a special galley tour with a small group of other guests. Rickee went to Team Trivia and I attended the galley tour. Our group was greeted by Chef Suraj, one of the main chefs in the Compass Rose restaurant. While there are other smaller galleys servicing other dining venues (Prime 7, Chartreuse, La Veranda, etc.), the galley at Compass Rose is the main galley, where all breads are baked and prep work is done to serve the other galleys. Chef Suraj starts by showing us the wine and liquor storage room.

As we approach the "pass", where dishes are delivered to waiters on trays for service, the first thing you notice is how spotlessly clean everything is. You have never seen so much gleaming stainless steel. Even the ceiling is stainless steel, and for good reason. Other materials like plastics or tile can never be completely sanitized, but stainless steel can be.

We get a peek at the soup station where all soups and sauces are prepared. All appliances are electric, there are no open flames or gas due to safety regulations. There are 87 chefs working in the main galley.

The tour only lasted about 20 minutes, but it was a very interesting look at the 'back of house' operations.

After the galley tour, I returned to Constellation Theater where my team, without my help today, had their first win of the cruise. They took first place with a total of 16 points! They got a perfect score of 15 plus a bonus point. Should I be concerned that they accomplished this on the one day that I was not there to help? In any case, this is the last day for Team Trivia and everyone has all of their Regent Rewards ready to exchange for a variety of logo items. We were able to get a windbreaker, a t-shirt and a polo shirt!

This evening, we enjoyed a very nice dinner at Sette Mari with two of our Team Trivia teammates whom we can now consider new friends. Malcom and Denise are from Birmingham, England, and are some of the nicest people we have met on any cruise. It was the perfect ending to a great cruise. When we returned to our suite, Hazel has left the daily Passages (newsletter) on the bed, along with a room service breakfast menu and they even provided us with two "3-1-1" bags to use for liquids at the airport.

Tomorrow morning we will disembark Seven Seas Explorer and fly home from Lisbon, Portugal, to Dallas, Texas. Soon, we will be posting a complete review of the ship, crew and destination.

Day 12 - Superior Suite Review

April 5, 2019 - Today is another day at sea, and it is a rocky one. The Atlantic is showing us who's boss around here. Having lunch on Deck 10 aft at Prime 7 had a few of us stumbling around the dining room before finally being seated. Rickee ordered her favorite, the BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders.

Lunch at Prime 7 includes one of the most amazing and interesting desserts we have seen: a carousel of treats, perfect for two people to share.

We returned to our suite after lunch to find it in perfect condition, thanks to our excellent stewardess, Hazel, and her assistant, Widi. They have been doing an admirable job of cleaning up after us. Every time we return to our suite, everything is is in order.

Widi and Hazel

Hazel reminded us of today's Krew Kapers performance at 6:00pm in the Constellation Theater. Each cruise, the crew puts on a show for guests highlighting their own talents. It is always great fun.

We spent most of the day in our suite, which gave us a chance to really think about what we have enjoyed about these accommodations. Rather than write on and on about the various features, we decided to put together a video review as part of our cruise vlog.

Day 08 - Cooking Competition and Juliette Primrose

April 1, 2019 - We begin our second week aboard Regent Seven Seas Explorer with a third day at sea (only one more to go!) as we sail toward Horta, Portugal. This morning, the galley crew was working hard to get the Constellation Theater stage set for an "Iron Chef"-style cooking competition between Captain Rosario Giovanni Vasta, General Manager, Michael Coghlan, and Dining Room Manager, Maria Tancredi.

Each contestant selected an audience member as an assistant and each team had 20 minutes to prepare a salmon dish. The competition was heated as Executive Chef, Dino Schwager, and Cruise Director, Lorraine Weimerskirch, gave commentary throughout the competition. It was a lot of fun to watch, and General Manager Coghlan finally took top honors.

After the cooking competition, we chose to have lunch at Chartreuse, Seven Seas Explorer's French restaurant. The menu definitely had a French flair and the restaurant is quite elegant.

I ordered the Chartreuse version of French Onion Soup, which is missing the large cheesy crust we are used to seeing. However, the broth was very good.

Rickee had a Croque Madame with layers of thinly-sliced ham and white bread wrapped in cheese and baked, then topped with a sunnyside-up egg. It was very filling.

Today we enjoyed a pre-dinner show, “A James Bond Experience,” in the Constellation Theater. The Seven Seas Explorer Singers and Dancers turned into secret agents and "Bond girls" and put on another great, and fun show. Martinis (shaken, not stirred), were served to all guests and Moneypenny was there to greet everyone.

Even Moneypenny (Cruise Direfctor, Lorraine Weimerskirch), surprised us with her own solo vocal performance. Everyone had a great time and this is a show that is not to be missed.

We had made reservations early on to dine in Chartreuse this evening, so at 7:00pm, we were back to see what dinner was like. We were seated at a perfect table for two at the back of the restaurant with an ocean view. The restaurant was packed with guests and service was a bit slow.

After dinner, it was back to the Constellation Theater for a solo violin performance by Ms. Juliette Primrose. Ms. Primrose is an accomplished violinist who toured the globe as lead fiddle-player for Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance from 2003 until 2011 including US, Canada, Europe, South Africa, Latin America and Asia. Her show included a wide variety of music styles from Country & Western, to Classical and Celtic. It was an amazing performance.

After a full day of entertainment, we are ready for bed. Tomorrow is our final day at sea before we arrive at Horta, Portugal (Azores).

Day 07 - Culinary Arts Kitchen

March 31, 2019 - This morning I had booked a class at the Culinary Arts Kitchen with the theme "Master of Fire, Heat & Grill".

I arrived at the Kitchen at my 9:50 assigned time where, along with 13 other guests, I was greeted by Chef Karlis Celms. The Culinary Arts Kitchen is a full-blown culinary classroom with 16 individual cooking stations where guests can learn the finer points of food preparation, cooking and plating techniques.

Each station has two induction burners, an apron, towel and all required kitchen tools necessary for the tasks at hand.

Chef Celms invites guests to gather 'round the main cooking station at the front of the classroom for him to demonstrate the techniques for each step of the three-course meal preparation.

After each of the Chef's demonstrations, we return to our stations to follow the steps he demonstrated.

Our first task is to grill some vegetables, as well as a piece of Ciabatta bread, so we can make a grilled vegetable and Romanesco bruschetta.

After the final product is plated, then we get to eat!

Our next task is to sear two sea scallops using some Moroccan spice rub.

After the scallops are properly seared per Chef Celms’ instructions, we get to enjoy two delicious (and perfectly cooked, I might add) scallops along with two specially prepared sauces.

Our final test was to grill a piece of flank steak to medium rare.

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I enjoyed my final creation served with chimichurri sauce.

The cost for the Culinary Arts Center class was $89 and it takes about two hours. It is a real bargain and one of the most enjoyable things you can do, if you like to cook, or want to learn how.

For this evening's entertainment, we enjoyed an incredible show by singer, Jenene Caramielo. Her vocals are amazing and we are looking forward to hearing her entertain again in two days.

Tomorrow is our third (of four) day at sea on our way to Huerta, Portugal.

Day 03 - Lunch at Prime 7

March 27, 2019 - While Rickee attended a 'Face Shape and Hair Styling' workshop at the Canyon Ranch Spa, I sat in on a lecture by Michael Scott titled 'Watching Wildlife on our Cruise'.

After the lecture and spa seminar, we decided to try Prime 7 for lunch. Prime 7 is Seven Seas Explorer's steakhouse, but is open for lunch. The menu today focuses on BBQ.

Rickee started with a Roasted Beet Salad, which she loved.

Rickee's main course was a trio of pulled pork BBQ sliders.

I could not resist the BBQ Baby Back Ribs, served with a warm potato salad and corn on the cob. It was very good.

The dessert was a real treat. a carousel of different little cups filled with a variety of desserts.

This afternoon, we returned to the Constellation Theater for Team Trivia. Trivia is so popular on Transatlantic sailings that the theater is the only venue large enough to hold everyone.

At 6pm this evening, when the cocktail bell sounded, we stepped outside our suite for Regent's "Block Party". Everyone is invited grab a glass from their suite and venture into the hallways to meet and greet their neighbors while suite attendants fill glasses with wine and offer canapes. The Captain, Cruise Director and Hotel Manager breeze through the halls, greeting each guest one deck at a time. We also had the opportunity to meet the President and CEO of RSSC, Jason Montague, who joined in the trek from top deck to bottom while greeting guests. This hallway party is always fun and something unique to a Regent Seven Seas' cruise.

After our huge lunch at Prime 7, we decided to skip dinner and enjoy a cocktail at Explorer Lounge.

Rickee had a Lemon Drop while I enjoyed my Crown Royal before we headed back to our suite to watch a movie.

Our last act of the day was to fill out our breakfast order for in the morning.

Tomorrow, we will be docked at the Royal Naval Dockyards in Bermuda.

Day 02 - Dinner at Sette Mari

March 26, 2019 - We started the day with a beautiful breakfast delivered right to our suite balcony. The balcony table was set with while linen table cloth in true 5-star dining fashion.

Rickee's Eggs Benedict were cooked perfectly.

My omelet, bacon and sausage were also delicious. And, the coffee and hot chocolate were also very good.

After breakfast, we did some more exploring around the ship. The pool deck was already beginning to fill up with guests seeking some sun. The pool loungers are top quality and wrapped in terry cloth, each with its own towel.

We stopped by the Card Room to pick up the daily Mensa quiz, one of Rickee's favorite activities. For lunch today, the galley has put together Hamburger Heaven at the Pool Grill. A variety of burger patties, buns and "fixin's" were available for guests to make their own burger creation.

We spent much of the day just relaxing and getting some of our blogging duties caught up. For dinner this evening, we decided to try Sette Mari, the Italian restaurant located on the port side of La Veranda, the ship's buffet restaurant. In the evenings, La Veranda transforms into a romantic Italian restaurant.

I ordered a veal chop that was huge, and way too much for me to finish. It was a battered and deep fried veal chop covered with marinara and melted mozzarella cheese. Rickee's Risotto with asparagus was also delicious.

After dinner, we decided to take in the evening show in the Constellation Theater. Seating in the lower level of the theater is quite comfortable with good sight lines.  We sat in the Balcony (Deck 5) and there were a few sight line issues there from posts and safety railings. Viewing is better on Deck 4.

The show was quite good with excellent dance routines, good vocals and impressive costumes and staging.

Tomorrow is another day at sea aboard Regent Seven Seas Explorer as we sail towards Bermuda.