Steve Q

Voyager left Cádiz yesterday sailing to Barcelona. Had to return shortly after sailing due to mechanical issues. As of one hour ago, it was still docked in Cádiz.

I honestly have no idea. At times, it would work fairly well. At other times, it did not work at all. Fortunately, we have TMobile as our cell carrier. At each port, we had pretty good service at no charge. I was able to download some podcasts to listen to while using the gym. Other than the WiFi, our cruise was excellent. I had concerns about Voyager, but found those concerns unfounded.

We were just on the 18 day Transatlantic cruise. We had a Concierge cabin and had four devices connected. Honestly, the WiFi was not very good. At times, it barely worked at all. That said, if you are only looking to send emails, it might work for you. It is possible, however, that the internet will work better this summer in Europe.

We are also currently sailing on Voyager. A few observations, in no particular order: We are really enjoying Voyager. Prior to sailing, we had heard some very negative comments on FB about the condition of the ship. Generally, the ship seems to be in good condition. The one exception was that our room cooling system was not operating properly. We have since been relocated to another suite. Voyager is sailing at 100 passengers less than capacity. Not sure what the occupancy levels have been on its most recent itineraries. Service has been very good. As always, the Regent goes out of their way to be helpful. Meals have also been very good. I have Celiac, so I need to eat gluten free. Again, the staff has been very accommodating. Weather has been very warm. If you are looking for a warm weather itinerary, this seems to be perfect.

We are also onboard. Embarkation was not the best. It just seemed chaotic. Took us well over two hours from the time we departed the hotel until we finally boarded. Otherwise, it was a wonderful day. Dinner at Compass Rose was very good. There are several crew members that we remember from our last two cruises. It’s great to see them.

We also leave tomorrow. Flying from Dallas to Atlanta and then nonstop to Rio. We will be spending one night at the JW Marriott before boarding. Looking forward to the voyage.

There were only ladders during our April 2023 cruise.

Remember that Brazil will be requiring an E Visa by next year. They just waived the requirement for the next 90 days. Trust me, the process of obtaining the Visa was very frustrating. I would make that requirement a part of your consideration when considering this trip.

Has anyone tried using the GenVisa service Viking has recommended?

We are also waiting for our flights for our March 19 sailing on Voyager. We were also going to use Visa Central. Doesn’t sound promising. Viking is recommending Genvisa.com. I will follow their board to see if they are having any luck.

We are booked in March from Rio to Lisbon. We have several stops in Brazilian ports. To date, we have not been notified by Regent that a special Visa was required. Have all of you been notified of this requirement?

Joanie, So glad you are sailing again. We met on Navigator this past May. It was wonderful meeting you and your husband. We sailed on Marina a few years ago. While we enjoyed the ship, it would not be our first choice. While we enjoyed the specialty restaurants, especially Red Ginger, we thought the MDR was very disappointing. It is a significant step down from Compass Rose. There is really no comparison. We also have found the entertainment to be far superior on Regent. Again, there was no comparison. We will be interested in hearing your review of both the MDR and the entertainment. Joanie, our next cruise will be aboard Voyager in March from Rio to Lisbon. Enjoy your cruise.

We have sailed on both Explorer and Navigator. Explorer was our first Regent cruise and the ship was gorgeous. We sailed on Navigator for 15 nights this past May. Honestly, we would not sail on her again. Others obviously disagree but that is our opinion. The ship is not at all like Explorer. There are very few common areas and the ship felt quite crowded in inclement weather. At times Navigator had a pronounced vibration that was quite noticeable. We usually went to the Observation Lounge when departing from ports. Literally both the bottles behind the bar and our table shook and rattled. Again, that is just our opinion and we certainly respect the opinions of those that love her. We are sailing on Voyager this upcoming March, so we certainly have not abandoned Regent.

We have be assigned the JW Marriott for our March 2024 cruise from Rio to Lisbon.