Gilly

Actually there was one other thing: we (and others) found the presence of a large affiliate group (about 90 px we were told) intrusive and at times annoying. That they were a loud, politically affiliated group in an election year made us question Regent's priorities. Of course, there is no way of knowing if such a group will be on board, but it certainly affects the ambiance of the ship and one' overall experience (large, noisy groups at dinner for example).

We are now home after a relatively trouble free journey and although Lisbon will never be our favourite airport, it was so much less chaotic than it was in April, thank goodness. Our last day in Portimao was interesting; sea conditions made the tender ride tricky and we experienced the best of Regent's safety protocols and the kindness and professionalism of their staff, particularly boarding and disembarking the tenders. I'll update my blog later but thought I would sign off here and chalk up another great Regent cruise. So many fond farewells yesterday! We don't have *that* long to wait till the next one and in the meantime, however comfy we were on board, there's no place like home!

Agree 100% though thankfully we experienced no protests. Today we have been in Malaga with an excellent guide on a "very nice" tour. Though we have passed through the airport on several occasions, this is the first time we have truly visited the city and we had a lovely day here. We made one of just a couple of purchases of the trip and bought some almonds from a street seller, though whether they will reach home remains to be seen!

Sitting outside La Veranda enjoying our breakfast just now, Voyager made a rather sudden manoeuvre, making a tight turn and appearing to come to a halt - the maritime equivalent to a handbrake turn. A small, unoccupied boat had been spotted from the bridge and following the usual seafaring protocols, the Captain checked the boats identity and reported it to the Coastguard. He was not the first to do that: reports had been made for the last few days and since the boat had no markings the conclusion was that it had been used for illegal purposes, smuggling goods or people, sad to say that's not unusual in this part of the world. Thankfully, we are now back on course, on our way to Malaga tomorrow.

Actually, there is a large (80 or 90px) affinity group on board: the Young Americas Foundation about which we knew nothing, but have been told plenty. 😉 Voyager was there in Barcelona today with three huge companions: The P&O Arvia (sp), the MSC Grandiosa and The Norwegian Escape.

it certainly was!

We had a great time in Pisa, but as we left Livorno and the ABBA deck party was just getting under way the heavens opened and we spent the next few hours sailing through a storm.. The storm continued throughout yesterday and St Tropez was a bit of a washout, sadly. Never mind, the amazing Regent magic was in operation last evening as we arrived at our table in Chartreuse to discover the chef had recreated the memorable dish we'd so very much enjoyed on our last cruise as part of the Connoisseur Wine lunch: Foie Gras Espuma, especially for us. Now, how it came to be will remain a mystery. Did iKadek speak to Vlada before he went home? Did Vlada speak to the Chef? Where was Manuel in all of this? All we know is that we sail in the company of such incredibly thoughtful people, who not only fulfil our every wish, but also go above and beyond in their kindness. How lucky are we?

We have company here in Livorno today. The Voyager of the Seas is just across the way. Of course, there is only one Voyager here though; the one we know and love 🥰

A great day in Naples yesterday. Somewhat hot and sticky, I spent the morning at the Terme Stufe di Nerone, where a collection of volcanic pools made for a relaxing and very enjoyable couple of hours. We had company in port. Oasis of the Seas and Norwegian Escape. Voyager squeezed into that little spot -prime position- behind Escape!

Jim, it looks like your mother passed on that very British sense of understatement 😉 We have some relief from the heat today, though perhaps not in the way we'd have wished. We'd heard some loud engine noise as we thought we were docking at 4.30am as planned, but on opening the curtains later, discovered we were not in port as we'd expected. Shortly afterwards, the Captain came on the loudspeaker to say the port had been cancelled due to high winds and expected severe squalls later. The noise at 4.30am had been of repeated unsuccessful attempts with the assistance of tugs, to get alongside. Since the Captain was due to leave the ship today for his holiday, I think we can assume that he gave it his best try! The weather in the Mediterranean has been extreme of late, with occasional squally storms. You may have read of the luxury yacht which sank incredibly quickly just off Sicily recently as a result of a sudden weather phenomenon and just yesterday, we watched as the sky suddenly darkened and in the next fifteen or twenty minutes, we sailed through incredibly heavy rain before coming back out into bright sunshine again. So, we have a bonus sea day and a new programme of activities as we head back to Naples. Fingers crossed!

@RachelG @Jim Avery I am in awe of your ability to cope with these temperatures! We English flowers wilt in such heat!! 😅

Highly recommend the Amerikalinen (sp?) Convenient, comfortable and curious!

Tales to tell from Valletta today, where we chose the 8 hour tour to Gozo... Hmmm. Maybe not the wisest of choices, given that we didn't arrive till 11am. Oh well. 🤔

Voyager is anchored off Rijeka, Croatia today and we took the tour to Zagreb. An early start and a full on tour with an outstanding guide - a wonderful day but probably not for the fainthearted, especially in this heat: currently 31C.

Thankfully the Voyager (currently in Trieste) is no longer operating at Code Red level, but hopefully everyone will continue to maintain high standards of personal hygiene as a matter of routine!

@irishwitchy enjoy your stay at the Excelsior - one of these days we'll get here for a longer stay and have already identified where we will lay our heads 😁 This morning we drove from Veniice - a two hour drive, not counting the minor accident we encountered when a car towing a trailer cut in front of our bus a little too closely. I must say, this was the calmest, most peaceful and civilised embarkation procedure I can remember and we are very glad to be on board. Thank you for leaving Voyager in such good shape and enjoy Trieste and Venice! We will look out for Sharon and Jerry...unless they get a better offer in the meantime 😉

Then shall we meet for a drink? Do you have an opening on your dance card?! (Or on your Trivia team? 🤣)

@welshfamily whilst the entertainment is never the main highlight of a cruise, its disappointing when there's nothing at all - showing a film might be ok in occasional circumstances, but in Europe, where there are currently many ships (and entertainers?) close on hand, it seems poor. Hopefully, the new cast will have got it together and there might be one or two extras as well. I will let you know!!

That's great news - thank you! Are you disembarking this morning or will we see you on board @BBWC?

Yes indeed...and I'm glad they take such swift and effective action. What's really needed of course is for every single person on board to pay particular attention to their own personal hygiene and to report any illness promptly. Our Code Red experience was ghastly and lasted for a long time (described here previously so no need to repeat). Thank you for hope and reassurance, @BBWC.

@BBWC that doesn't sound good! We have sailed under code red before and it puts a real downer on things. I had no idea such things were a concern on Voyager right now. Fingers crossed.

Thank you @loriva ! Sorry to hear of your baggage woes too. We had hoped for Harry's Dolci tonight but it's closed for a private party. Roberto the Concierge has recommended Cacciatori along the way and has booked us a table...we will leave shortly and report back later!

Well, we are here, in the Hilton Stucky and the Aperol Spritz is on its way. My word, it's been quite a day! Our 0755 flight was delayed because of an unusually large amount of luggage in the hold, which needed careful redistribution before we could depart. An hour or more later, we finally took off, with the resultant delayed arrival. Once in the terminal we met four delightful fellow Regent guests who had graciously waited more than an hour for our arrival and *still* greeted us warmly. During the next two hours, there followed a series of unfortunate events which might have included the non arrival of some luggage (we don't know), a great deal of faffing about by various representatives, a mystery couple who were nowhere to be seen and a stolen handbag. The police were called and arrived with the stolen handbag in hand (phew), porters had collected our luggage and having walked the ten mins to the dock, we'd come across the other couple who had been waiting patiently (anxiously) there all afternoon. We never heard any more about missing luggage but nine of us boarded a small boat and heaved a sigh of relief! Once again, it's the ground agency staff who appear inefficient and unable/unwilling to communicate reassurance or explain what's going on. Thank goodness we know Regent well enough to be confident that the minute we step on board Voyager tomorrow, all will be well. No, it will be even better than that!

'Interesting' flight with twelve rows in business...the like of which we have never seen. A conversation with flight crew explained - 48 seats chartered by Silversea cruises. We sat quietly, thinking we made a wise choice here, for as the party started, these did not feel like 'our peeps'. Or perhaps that's regular group behaviour and 48 Regent people would be similarly vocal?

Good Morning from the BA Lounge at LHR where we await our flight to Venice. We're very much looking forward to this, a "bonus" cruise this year, because we already sailed Rio to Lisbon just a few short months ago. The funny thing is that it was also on Voyager; we'll have the same suite and we expect many of the same crew to be on board - this will be the first time we've rejoined a ship during the same crew rotation. I am expecting it to feel more like coming home than ever! I'll drop in here from time to time, but will be posting mainly on my blog as usual. I hope that others will chip in here with their thoughts, assuming, that is, that we'll have company on board! 😉 We are overnight in Venice, at the Hilton Molino Stucky and transfer to Trieste in the morning. Let the fun begin!