Review of 30 day Dubai to Cape Town on Voyager

Review of 30 day Dubai to Cape Town Cruise.

This was our 4th cruise, two on Silversea and two on Regent.

One Silversea cruise was 28 days so this 30 day cruise was about the same duration.

We really enjoyed the cruise and I felt I could have continued on to Singapore.

It wasn't perfect but we look to the positive side of life, and any complaints ( and they were trivial ) didn't spoil our happiness at all.

Our only complaint was the Internet ( see below).

Pre cruise tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi

We added an extra night to the 3 night pre cruise at the Ritz Carlton and were lucky to be given a 2 bedroom apartment. I spoke to someone who had been given a 3 bedroom apartment for the 2 of them.

The hotel was very good and breakfast was included.

The tour to Abu Dhabi was well organised and interesting, especially the Grand Mosque. The dress requirements were very strict as stated in the tour itinerary but several people were sent to buy an abaya due to ankles showing or slightly transparent fabric on the sleeves.

The Dubai tour was also interesting and we'll organised. We had been on the hop on hop off bus the day before which gave us a good overview.

Embarkation

As we were on the pre tour Regent supplied the buses to the ship. Our bags had been brought down earlier and we identified that they were in the hall and boarded the bus.

We walked straight on to a glass of bubbles then to the theatre to check in.

We were disappointed that we didn't get an upgraded as the TA had suggested we might. We had paid for a concierge suite to get the pre cruise Dubai package, only available to concierge and above when we booked. Later it, or the post cruise package was extended to everyone. That meant we had the same size cabin for a lot more money. Yes, we did have access to restaurant and tour reservations earlier, and a coffee machine that we didn't use, but not worth the extra money we paid.

However, we put it out of our minds and it didn't spoil the cruise.

Food

Compass Rose.

We were happy to eat here. The food and service was mostly good.

We had breakfast a few times on sea days and enjoyed it although service was quite slow. That didn't worry us.

We had lunch once but thought that other venues were better.

At dinner if we hadn't arranged dinner with new friends, we always asked to sit at a shared table and it was always interesting and fun.

La Terrazza

We had breakfast and lunch here several times. Food was quite good but not outstanding.

Sette Mari

Dinner here was always good. They converted from Italian to French for a week during the cruise. We went the first French night and unfortunately it clashed with the 110 people celebrating Hanukkah dinner in the other side of the restaurant. Service was very slow and we saw some people walk out with the maitre'd running after them to persuade them to stay. Our waiter apologised for the delay but we were enjoying the company and hadn't noticed!

My husband thought the cioppino ( seafood stew) was the best meal he ate on the cruise.

Prime 7

We ate here twice ( shared table) and food and service was excellent.

Signatures

We ate here 4 times. The first night was my birthday and we shared the table. Later in the cruise we helped celebrate birthdays on 2 other nights and on the last night in Cape Town we ate with the couple we shared the first night with.

Pool Grill

We usually ate here at lunchtime. The theme changed daily and there was always something we liked, even a hamburger a few times. The seafood buffet on the pool deck one night was wonderful. The staff had done a great job setting it up in between rain squalls that didn't reappear during the night.

Coffee Connection

We often had breakfast here on sea days before going to a lecture. Depending who made the coffee, we found double shot cappuccino suited us.

Room Service

We had breakfast in our room on port days when we had early tours. It always came on time ( or early). We didn't order a hot breakfast so don't know if it arrived hot enough.

We ate dinner in our suite twice after long day tours and didn't want to change. The first time it was cold and several things had been left off the order. It was better the second time but I don't think we will try this again.

Dress Code

Early in the cruise we saw someone asked to leave Compass Rose and change out of jeans however as the cruise went on the standard dropped. Many people we spoke to were angry that the standards were not enforced. At all the tables we shared all were dressed appropriately.

Wine

My husband went to the first wine tasting so had a list of the complimentary wines and he had ticked the ones he liked. He took it to dinner and if we didn't want the wine offered that night they were always happy to get something we asked for.

Suite

Our attendants kept the room beautifully. We were very happy with the size of it and spent time out on the balcony especially when arriving or leaving ports.

The bed is very comfortable and linen and towels of good quality.

The toiletries in the bathroom were very good and always kept well supplied.

Excursions

We took the ship's excursions in all ports except Durban where the one we had booked was cancelled.

The organisation to get the tours off the ship was good although people insisted on going to the theatre early. I couldn't understand why you would do this as you were asked to sit and wait till the tour was called. Some people wouldn't sit and stood around the doors and blocked any tours called before theirs. I think this was to be first on the bus to get the front seats.

Most buses had 25 to 35 people on them so not overcrowded. At different ports the standard of bus varied. We always had air conditioned ones ( some more effective than others) but not everyone did.

Our tour guides were mostly good, some with accents I found difficult at times.

Sometimes I think the tours had stops that were too long and it felt like the guides were filling in time.

Shows

We aren't great musical theatre fans so didn't see many shows. The performers who came on board for a few shows were poor to good.

Lectures

The two lecturers were very good. We enjoyed both of them although they were quite different. We learnt a lot about the countries and ports we visited which helped us appreciate where we were.

Internet

We had 500 minutes free WiFi and it was very slow for the first few weeks. We do a blog with photos and it took about 24 minutes to publish each day, if it actually didn't drop out. Very frustrating.

On the mid cruise satisfaction form my husband complained and we were given another 200 minutes which was nice of them. After that we paid for unlimited WiFi ($14.95 / day ).

It was explained that 80% of suites had unlimited WiFi and they didn't log off, which made the Internet slow. It did speed up after 2 weeks and the theory was that the people with the free 500 minutes had used it up and didn't bother logging on again.

Disembarkation

The ship arrived in Cape Town the day before so it was an easy disembarkation for us as we were not part of a ships programme where people had to meet in the theatre.

We left at 8am, picked up our bags, met our driver and we were on our way. Very easy.

Summary

A totally enjoyable cruise. The time flew by for us.

The itinerary appealed to us and it was interesting to visit the different countries.

Service from everyone was outstanding, the food was delicious most of the time, wine and drinks were good, and company with new friends was fun.

Thanks Jilly for this comprehensive review. We're on the Voyager in April - Singapore to Dubai. We've been on the Mariner twice before but this is our first Voyager cruise. I looked at where you lived the moment I saw 'double shot cappuccino'. We always ask for a 'double shot latte in a small cup' hoping for a normal 'flat white' with mixed results:o. We try and train our barista early.

It's disappointing the internet is so poor on the Voyager - we found the Mariner OK in December 2014, but it was appalling in Jan to March 2013. We did our blog in Word then copied and pasted it hoping for the best. I had assumed all ships would be OK by now.

Your port and excursion descriptions are also most appreciated as we will be going to some of these ports on our cruise too, and it's not too late to make changes. Thanks also to Gnomie for comments in the previous thread. I'm sure we'll have a great time - internet notwithstanding.

One thing I have realised in booking from the Antipodes is the price can fluctuate wildly. Our last cruise dropped 25% after final payment; this one is now $5k pp more than what we have paid. It's bit of a lottery as you have found.

Thanks for your review. We did this cruise in 2014 and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's disappointing the internet is so poor on the Voyager - we found the Mariner OK in December 2014, but it was appalling in Jan to March 2013. We did our blog in Word then copied and pasted it hoping for the best. I had assumed all ships would be OK by now.

 

Your port and excursion descriptions are also most appreciated as we will be going to some of these ports on our cruise too, and it's not too late to make changes. Thanks also to Gnomie for comments in the previous thread. I'm sure we'll have a great time - internet notwithstanding.

 

One thing I have realised in booking from the Antipodes is the price can fluctuate wildly. Our last cruise dropped 25% after final payment; this one is now $5k pp more than what we have paid. It's bit of a lottery as you have found.

First, I also enjoyed the review very much. The internet issue keeps coming up and I want to remind posters that the internet speed differs depending upon where you are in the world. We were told by the person in the computer room that speeds might slow when we between Africa and Brazil. Most of the time the internet around South Africa was quite good. It looks like Regent will be upgrading their ships again before the internet goes all-inclusive for all categories (something I'm not looking forward due the crowds I the computer room).

It is interesting to read that that prices in Australia fluctuate so dramatically as this is not the case in the U.S. I cannot imagine prices dropping 25% after final payment. On the other hand, prices on well selling itineraries may increase quarterly.

 

It is interesting to read that that prices in Australia fluctuate so dramatically as this is not the case in the U.S. I cannot imagine prices dropping 25% after final payment. On the other hand, prices on well selling itineraries may increase quarterly.

Wonder if it is the "price" Regent is charging that changes or the "cost" due to currency conversions?

General aside:

Like most luxury hospitality brands, I'd imagine Regent to be loathe to lower the "price" and to instead effectively increase value for that price by adding on inducements e.g. Included pre-cruise trips.

One of the negatives of the "all inclusive" model is that it leaves little room for such marketing (now that Internet will be included we won't see any more of the 'and free internet' "discounts") and if itineraries are not selling it may be that we will see more late in the game actual price lowering even in the US - but only on those itineraries.

It is an interesting dilemma as it can change the booking model to some buyers who are risk tolerant playing the wait and see game even more than they do currently.

Just a note - Australians are always quoted prices in US$, so currency fluctuation is not part of the equation - we pay the exchange rate of the day when we make a payment. What is different is the airfare is not included, so that fixed cost is not part of the price, so perhaps more price movement is possible.

And with the internet, we have had the same poor reception off the coast of Miami as we did off the coast of Brazil or for that matter at the bottom of Cape Horn. And on one leg of our cruise as it was 22 nights, under the internet entitlement scheme of the time, everyone had 'free' internet. Again, it was no different than off the coast of Miami with a normal free and pay passenger mix.

And when the internet was quite good on our later cruise, we were around Tahiti and the Marqueses. Neither is noted internet hot spots. It was clearly a welcome 'all of ship' upgrade. I guess we were hoping the Voyager had had the same, but it sounds not.

Just a note - Australians are always quoted prices in US$, so currency fluctuation is not part of the equation - we pay the exchange rate of the day when we make a payment. What is different is the airfare is not included, so that fixed cost is not part of the price, so perhaps more price movement is possible.

 

And with the internet, we have had the same poor reception off the coast of Miami as we did off the coast of Brazil or for that matter at the bottom of Cape Horn. And on one leg of our cruise as it was 22 nights, under the internet entitlement scheme of the time, everyone had 'free' internet. Again, it was no different than off the coast of Miami with a normal free and pay passenger mix.

 

And when the internet was quite good on our later cruise, we were around Tahiti and the Marqueses. Neither is noted internet hot spots. It was clearly a welcome 'all of ship' upgrade. I guess we were hoping the Voyager had had the same, but it sounds not.

Because of the way satellites cover most of the earth providing internet, the two places most at risk of having bad reception are toward the north and south poles where the signal has to pass thru more of the earth's atmosphere due to all of the satellites providing internet being over the equator in geostationary orbits.

Of course, there are times when buildings in ports block the signal and have been on cruises that due to the direction the ship was heading what the stack or other part of the superstructure between the satellite dish and the satellite. Again, only geographic issues are toward the poles due to the angle the dish has to be aimed to be aimed at the satellite which is about 22,000 above the earth's surface.

As the ship's dish is usually encased in a dome, it is almost impossible to see the angle of the dish but, since most locations have homes with the small dishes to receive TV signals from satellites also in the identical orbit above the earth, simply look at the dishes on homes near the equator and toward the poles and you will see the differences. Dishes near the equator are almost horizontal while dishes in northern and southern location are almost vertical.

rallydave - you managed to explain what I posted in a more technical (and complicated way). What you say is obviously true but many people do question this on the Cruise Critic boards.

Catpow: As far as I know, all three ships have been upgraded and will be upgraded again prior to the debut of "unlimited internet for all categories" (there is a schedule for this that has been announced). The time of day you go onto the internet also makes a huge difference. On a sea day, mid to late morning, a snail is faster than internet on any of Regent's ships.

If you read Cruise Critic frequently, you will know that Regent seems to have different "deals" for those outside of the U.S. and Canada (much to the displeasure of those of us who live in the U.S. and Canada). As you indicated, Australia still does not have included airfare. I remember when this was the case in Europe. When there were "deep" discounts available to people in the U.K. (possibly all of Europe), it was extremely distressing to customers that were not offered the discounts. At least for us, it is better to put our heads in the sand and ignore what is going on.

Thank you for your detailed, well organized, and fair report. I agree about the internet speed. I have never successfully uploaded pictures to CC onboard the ship as it was just so slow that I got frustrated or it totally dropped out. For the same reason, I write my blogs off line then post. If people would log out when not using, it would help some though probably not totally solve the problem.

Hi Jill and Kevin, we sure enjoyed spending time with you on the Voyager, would enjoy keeping in touch

Sandy and Terry Gibson. Calgary

Review of 30 day Dubai to Cape Town Cruise.

This was our 4th cruise, two on Silversea and two on Regent.

One Silversea cruise was 28 days so this 30 day cruise was about the same duration.

We really enjoyed the cruise and I felt I could have continued on to Singapore.

It wasn't perfect but we look to the positive side of life, and any complaints ( and they were trivial ) didn't spoil our happiness at all.

Our only complaint was the Internet ( see below).

 

Pre cruise tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi

We added an extra night to the 3 night pre cruise at the Ritz Carlton and were lucky to be given a 2 bedroom apartment. I spoke to someone who had been given a 3 bedroom apartment for the 2 of them.

The hotel was very good and breakfast was included.

 

The tour to Abu Dhabi was well organised and interesting, especially the Grand Mosque. The dress requirements were very strict as stated in the tour itinerary but several people were sent to buy an abaya due to ankles showing or slightly transparent fabric on the sleeves.

The Dubai tour was also interesting and we'll organised. We had been on the hop on hop off bus the day before which gave us a good overview.

 

 

Embarkation

As we were on the pre tour Regent supplied the buses to the ship. Our bags had been brought down earlier and we identified that they were in the hall and boarded the bus.

We walked straight on to a glass of bubbles then to the theatre to check in.

We were disappointed that we didn't get an upgraded as the TA had suggested we might. We had paid for a concierge suite to get the pre cruise Dubai package, only available to concierge and above when we booked. Later it, or the post cruise package was extended to everyone. That meant we had the same size cabin for a lot more money. Yes, we did have access to restaurant and tour reservations earlier, and a coffee machine that we didn't use, but not worth the extra money we paid.

However, we put it out of our minds and it didn't spoil the cruise.

 

Food

Compass Rose.

We were happy to eat here. The food and service was mostly good.

We had breakfast a few times on sea days and enjoyed it although service was quite slow. That didn't worry us.

We had lunch once but thought that other venues were better.

At dinner if we hadn't arranged dinner with new friends, we always asked to sit at a shared table and it was always interesting and fun.

La Terrazza

We had breakfast and lunch here several times. Food was quite good but not outstanding.

Sette Mari

Dinner here was always good. They converted from Italian to French for a week during the cruise. We went the first French night and unfortunately it clashed with the 110 people celebrating Hanukkah dinner in the other side of the restaurant. Service was very slow and we saw some people walk out with the maitre'd running after them to persuade them to stay. Our waiter apologised for the delay but we were enjoying the company and hadn't noticed!

My husband thought the cioppino ( seafood stew) was the best meal he ate on the cruise.

Prime 7

We ate here twice ( shared table) and food and service was excellent.

Signatures

We ate here 4 times. The first night was my birthday and we shared the table. Later in the cruise we helped celebrate birthdays on 2 other nights and on the last night in Cape Town we ate with the couple we shared the first night with.

Pool Grill

We usually ate here at lunchtime. The theme changed daily and there was always something we liked, even a hamburger a few times. The seafood buffet on the pool deck one night was wonderful. The staff had done a great job setting it up in between rain squalls that didn't reappear during the night.

Coffee Connection

We often had breakfast here on sea days before going to a lecture. Depending who made the coffee, we found double shot cappuccino suited us.

 

Room Service

We had breakfast in our room on port days when we had early tours. It always came on time ( or early). We didn't order a hot breakfast so don't know if it arrived hot enough.

We ate dinner in our suite twice after long day tours and didn't want to change. The first time it was cold and several things had been left off the order. It was better the second time but I don't think we will try this again.

 

Dress Code

Early in the cruise we saw someone asked to leave Compass Rose and change out of jeans however as the cruise went on the standard dropped. Many people we spoke to were angry that the standards were not enforced. At all the tables we shared all were dressed appropriately.

 

Wine

My husband went to the first wine tasting so had a list of the complimentary wines and he had ticked the ones he liked. He took it to dinner and if we didn't want the wine offered that night they were always happy to get something we asked for.

 

Suite

Our attendants kept the room beautifully. We were very happy with the size of it and spent time out on the balcony especially when arriving or leaving ports.

The bed is very comfortable and linen and towels of good quality.

The toiletries in the bathroom were very good and always kept well supplied.

 

Excursions

We took the ship's excursions in all ports except Durban where the one we had booked was cancelled.

The organisation to get the tours off the ship was good although people insisted on going to the theatre early. I couldn't understand why you would do this as you were asked to sit and wait till the tour was called. Some people wouldn't sit and stood around the doors and blocked any tours called before theirs. I think this was to be first on the bus to get the front seats.

Most buses had 25 to 35 people on them so not overcrowded. At different ports the standard of bus varied. We always had air conditioned ones ( some more effective than others) but not everyone did.

Our tour guides were mostly good, some with accents I found difficult at times.

Sometimes I think the tours had stops that were too long and it felt like the guides were filling in time.

 

Shows

We aren't great musical theatre fans so didn't see many shows. The performers who came on board for a few shows were poor to good.

 

Lectures

The two lecturers were very good. We enjoyed both of them although they were quite different. We learnt a lot about the countries and ports we visited which helped us appreciate where we were.

 

Internet

We had 500 minutes free WiFi and it was very slow for the first few weeks. We do a blog with photos and it took about 24 minutes to publish each day, if it actually didn't drop out. Very frustrating.

On the mid cruise satisfaction form my husband complained and we were given another 200 minutes which was nice of them. After that we paid for unlimited WiFi ($14.95 / day ).

It was explained that 80% of suites had unlimited WiFi and they didn't log off, which made the Internet slow. It did speed up after 2 weeks and the theory was that the people with the free 500 minutes had used it up and didn't bother logging on again.

 

Disembarkation

The ship arrived in Cape Town the day before so it was an easy disembarkation for us as we were not part of a ships programme where people had to meet in the theatre.

We left at 8am, picked up our bags, met our driver and we were on our way. Very easy.

 

Summary

A totally enjoyable cruise. The time flew by for us.

The itinerary appealed to us and it was interesting to visit the different countries.

Service from everyone was outstanding, the food was delicious most of the time, wine and drinks were good, and company with new friends was fun.

La Terrazza

We had breakfast and lunch here several times. Food was quite good but not outstanding.

La Terrazza is on Silversea ships.

Sorry, should have been La Veranda!:p