Live on Voyager; First timer on Regent!

[Tarwood3]

Day 8 and we are at sea today, somewhere between Grand Cayman and Key West, where we arrive tomorrow a.m.  Cruise is wrapping up and time to think about packing stuff away here .  Overall it’s been a great cruise and we have really enjoyed ourselves.  I think , in particular, our fondest memories of our first Regent cruise will be our fellow travelers.  This really has been such a friendly group of guests and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many people.  With the exception of our last Silversea cruise on the Muse (their new ship), Silversea’s guests are more reserved.  But on here, folks are much more outgoing and friendly.  I dont know if it has something to do with the overwhelming majority of Americans on board since Americans tend to be a bit more outgoing I think...or if it has something to do with the “relaxed casual” dress for evenings that somehow just transcends into a more relaxed attitude.  Whatever it is, the Regent culture certainly suits us.  We are a gay couple and its not uncommon for us to get the “odd look and stare” from more conservative folks, but being 46 and 51, we certainly have thick skin and brush it off...Fortunatley we have noticed much less of that with Regent than we have with the smaller Silversea ships.  Again, our trip on the Muse was night and day from previous cruises with them.  Seabourn is another completely different animal and I still think SB is our preferred line for many reasons.  

We had dinner with the Food and Beverage Officer , Rico from South Africa.  Such an awesome guy, we had a really fun evening with him in Sette Mari and of course service was fantastic.  The crew has been really good and very attentive to us.  There was only one girl, which I mentioned in an earlier post, who needs to go back for some more basic customer service training.  I have noticed , that since I made my mid cruise comment about her and the situation as well as speaking with a couple officers, she is no longer at the desk and there has been a very cheery nice girl there since.  

We had very rough seas Tuesday and Weds nights.  Right now we are about to round the western corner of Cuba and supposedly swells will be 10’ and 35 mph winds..however, it is pretty calm right now and no breeze...we are sitting on veranda at the moment.  

This is my last post “live”...I would say in closing that we will defintley book another Regent cruise but it will be on Explorer or Splendor.  I do find that we are most comfortable on brand new ships or recently refurbished ships.  Even though the Voyager was “refurbished “ a couple years ago, in many places, I think it still seems a bit dated.  Just our opinion.  I also have never been in a cabin where I could hear next door neighbors through the walls.  I dont think Regent will be our main cruising line only because we usually do a mix of ship excursions and our own private arrangements.  We did our own thing in Grand CAyman and we will do our own thing in Key West tomorrow and I feel like we are paying for excursions we arent doing.  And that just seems like a waste of money.  Regent does have excellent itineraries, so I think if there’s a place in the world where we would feel more comfortable sticking with ship excursions, we would book Regent.  We are really happy with our cruise overall.  As we have always said, you can listen to all the pros and cons about every line , but until you try it, you never know truly whether you would like it or not.  We have heard complaints from fellow guests on this cruise and we have either not experienced it for ourselves or dont find that their complaint was something that was important to us...so it was a non issue.  Thanks to all for following along with us....

[Got2Cruise]

Thanks for your balanced review. Especially helpful that you explained the reason why something was not to your liking. 

[Travelcat2]

I also appreciated you taking the time to post about your first Regent cruise.  Overall it sounds as if you had a good time!

[Hambagahle]

For the speciality restaurants - you say you prefer the way Silversea handles things...as I understand it, Silversea charges a "premium" to eat in a speciality restaurant ?  Regent doesn't.  And I think the maître d'hôtel who told you you had to wait so others could have their chance was right...perhaps her manner was not.

[vegasdriven]

Thanks for the review, alaays enjoy reading them. I guess we had REALLY quiet neighbors- I recall mentioning that I would have expected to hear something, be it a door closing, or something. I had assumed there was really good soundproofing - it would be interesting to hear from others about this.

[Travelcat2]

55 minutes ago, Hambagahle said:

For the speciality restaurants - you say you prefer the way Silversea handles things...as I understand it, Silversea charges a "premium" to eat in a speciality restaurant ?  Regent doesn't.  And I think the maître d'hôtel who told you you had to wait so others could have their chance was right...perhaps her manner was not.

 

Having sailed on three of Silversea's ship, I can say that there are specialty restaurants with a charge (depending upon the ship). I suppose they consider La Terrazza (probably misspelled) - their Italian restaurant at night - buffet during the day -- because reservations are required.  There is only one restaurant on Whisper and Shadow and two on the Spirit with charges.  Now that I think about it, there are few choices of specialty restaurants on the Whisper and Shadow (approximately the size of the Navigator with tons more public spaces).  There is only La Terrazza and Le Champagne.  Of course, the MDR is not a specialty restaurant.  

[Lucid Butterfly]

On 1/26/2019 at 3:34 PM, vegasdriven said:

Thanks for the review, alaays enjoy reading them. I guess we had REALLY quiet neighbors- I recall mentioning that I would have expected to hear something, be it a door closing, or something. I had assumed there was really good soundproofing - it would be interesting to hear from others about this.

Hello; when I was on the Norwegian a few years back, there was an adjoining room and my neighbours were very noisy. They partied until after 11pm. but the only drag about that was I had early excursions so that meant I didn't get much rest when it was time to get up. It made for a long and tiring day. One of my pet peeves though is when guests leave their staterooms and let their doors bang on their way out is disturbing and irritating to say the least.  As for the cleaning staff I doubt very much they keep opening and closing the doors each time they go in to clean. Other than that I was perfectly contented with my previous cruise on Seabourn and I am looking forward to my new cruise with Regent Seven Seas Voyager on September 2, 2020. I know this date is far off but I have something to get excited about. 

 

If you are curious about what cruise I am taking it is a 14-Night Mediterranean Europe. Venice Italy to Monte Carlo, Monaco. 

 

You have a lovely evening.

 

Lucid Butterfly

[Travelcat2]

36 minutes ago, Lucid Butterfly said:

Hello; when I was on the Norwegian a few years back, there was an adjoining room and my neighbours were very noisy. They partied until after 11pm. but the only drag about that was I had early excursions so that meant I didn't get much rest when it was time to get up. It made for a long and tiring day. One of my pet peeves though is when guests leave their staterooms and let their doors bang on their way out is disturbing and irritating to say the least.  As for the cleaning staff I doubt very much they keep opening and closing the doors each time they go in to clean. Other than that I was perfectly contented with my previous cruise on Seabourn and I am looking forward to my new cruise with Regent Seven Seas Voyager on September 2, 2020. I know this date is far off but I have something to get excited about. 

 

If you are curious about what cruise I am taking it is a 14-Night Mediterranean Europe. Venice Italy to Monte Carlo, Monaco. 

 

You have a lovely evening.

 

Lucid Butterfly

 

You really cannot compare NCL to Regent in this area (or most others).  We were in a Haven suite on the new NCL Bliss and the noise was horrible from slamming doors (and, some of their doors slam automatically - you have no control).  This is rarely an issue on Regent as long as you stay away from being under the pool deck or under or below most noisy places (restaurants, lounges where music is played, etc.

[Tarwood3]

On 1/25/2019 at 2:29 PM, Travelcat2 said:

I also appreciated you taking the time to post about your first Regent cruise.  Overall it sounds as if you had a good time!

Yes, we did.....very relaxing and nice trip....

[Tarwood3]

On 1/26/2019 at 2:43 PM, Hambagahle said:

For the speciality restaurants - you say you prefer the way Silversea handles things...as I understand it, Silversea charges a "premium" to eat in a speciality restaurant ?  Regent doesn't.  And I think the maître d'hôtel who told you you had to wait so others could have their chance was right...perhaps her manner was not.

Silversea only charges for a couple restaurants....and it varies by ship.  The newest has 7 restaurants..only 2 , if memory serves me correct, charge....but in fairness , your specialty restaurants on Regent do have a “cost”...nothing is for free, you pay for everything up front in your fare....just like your excursions and airfare arent “free”....we all pay for everything in one way or another.  

We will agree to disagree on their specialty restaurant reservation policy.  I still think that if everyone has a chance to make their reservation up to 2 mos before the cruise, that once on board, it should open up to anyone that wants one, first come first served.  If you dont care enough to plan your vacation ahead of time, why should they hold a place for you once on board.....the excursions dont work that way.  Snooze , you lose. 

[Tarwood3]

12 hours ago, Lucid Butterfly said:

Hello; when I was on the Norwegian a few years back, there was an adjoining room and my neighbours were very noisy. They partied until after 11pm. but the only drag about that was I had early excursions so that meant I didn't get much rest when it was time to get up. It made for a long and tiring day. One of my pet peeves though is when guests leave their staterooms and let their doors bang on their way out is disturbing and irritating to say the least.  As for the cleaning staff I doubt very much they keep opening and closing the doors each time they go in to clean. Other than that I was perfectly contented with my previous cruise on Seabourn and I am looking forward to my new cruise with Regent Seven Seas Voyager on September 2, 2020. I know this date is far off but I have something to get excited about. 

 

If you are curious about what cruise I am taking it is a 14-Night Mediterranean Europe. Venice Italy to Monte Carlo, Monaco. 

 

You have a lovely evening.

 

Lucid Butterfly

It was odd because our neighbors werent partying or even seem to be talking that loudly, but we could hear them while laying in bed...it wasnt terrible...not particularly that bothersome, but noticeable if that makes sense. 

[Tarwood3]

On 1/18/2019 at 1:24 PM, RJ2002 said:

Tarwood3, thanks for starting this thread. We are also onboard the Voyager, our second Regent cruise. Our first sailing was on the Mariner about a year ago. 

 

Our embarkation at about 1pm was very quick, so I guess we missed the rush. 

 

Agree with Bill. In our opinion, the Voyager is in fine shape. We are in a PH-A and it is in great condition and very comfortable. We decided to accept an up-sell about a week prior to the cruise, from our DV-F. However, glimpsing into the open doors of those suites this morning, I think in retrospect we’d have been just as happy in a DV. I will say that the comments about vibration issues on the ship seem to be accurate. It has been previously suggested here to avoid booking suites aft of the launderettes, and IMO that is good advice. 

 

Service has been excellent.   The food so far (La Veranda for lunch and breakfast, Compass Rose for dinner) has been good, but not quite as good as what we experienced on the Mariner, or on Oceania’s Nautica - on which we just sailed a couple of months ago.  But hey, it’s early in the cruise and we are looking forward to everything ahead. 🙂

 

Onboard this sailing:

 

Captain: Felice Patruno

GM: Davor Josipovic 

CD: Andy Heath (wife Tammy is Social Hostess)

Exec Chef: Dino Schwager

Large contingent of singers/dancers - 12 in total 

 

Enjoyed the first enrichment lecture by Dr Anthony Aveni this morning. 

 

Won one game at bingo this morning... whoo-hoo!  😀

 

 

So how did you enjoy the cruise? Too bad weather was so so on most of the cruise...

[RJ2002]

On 1/28/2019 at 4:42 AM, Tarwood3 said:

So how did you enjoy the cruise? Too bad weather was so so on most of the cruise...

 

A little tardy in returning to Tarwood3's excellent reports on this cruise.  Thanks, Tarwood3, for asking...

 

Overall we had an outstanding time on Voyager!

 

Suite:  we were in a PH-A on Deck 10, having accepted an last minute upsell from a DV-F.  In retrospect, I think we'd have been just as happy in a DV, one of which we walked through for comparison purposes on disembarkation day.  The PH's aren't really that much bigger, just a different configuration, plus of course you have the services of a butler.  However, we would not select a suite/cabin directly underneath pool deck loungers/chairs/tables again.  We are experienced cruisers and knew the risks.

 

Cuisine:  After a couple of initial so-so meals right at the start, I'm happy to say that the rest of our meals in CR, P7 and Chartreuse were really very good.   We preferred cold items over hot in LV at lunch; breakfast there was OK.  Pool grill cooked-to-order items really good.

 

Service:  Outstanding all around, from all departments.  Together with cruise, this is clearly Regent's strong suit.

 

Entertainment:  Production shows generally very good from the 12 talented and energetic performers.  CD Andy Heath and wife Tammy were great both in their "day" jobs as well as their entertaining stints.   Krew Kapers was also very entertaining.

 

Ports:  We enjoyed our visits to the Mayan ruins at Costa Maya and Santo Tomas the best.  Our one planned water sports activity at Harvest Caye was cancelled due to weather, which as Tarwood3 mentioned, was marginal off and on throughout the cruise.  

 

This was our 27th cruise, and our 2nd on Regent, and it certainly be habit-forming!  We have two more booked.

[Lucid Butterfly]

On 1/20/2019 at 1:29 AM, UUNetBill said:

We have never found any of the Regent ships to feel overwhelming at all, in fact it’s usually the opposite.  On certain itineraries the pool deck/pool grill/La Veranda may sometimes feel a bit snug, but the rest of the ship has a very favorable public space ratio...

 

We sailed on Cunard once on a 2,500-2,800 passenger ship and we didn’t care for that at all.  We find the 490-750 on Regent much more to our liking.

Sorry I haven't replied earlier just figuring my way around this site. While I have your attention; are there any Karaoke nights on Voyager in particular? I have only experienced Norwegian and Seabourn and Norwegian offered Karaoke nights. Thank you for your information. Take care. 😊

[UUNetBill]

17 minutes ago, Lucid Butterfly said:

Sorry I haven't replied earlier just figuring my way around this site. While I have your attention; are there any Karaoke nights on Voyager in particular? I have only experienced Norwegian and Seabourn and Norwegian offered Karaoke nights. Thank you for your information. Take care. 😊

Yep, there’s always at least one karaoke night...if there’s not, I really ruined someone’s singing performance...   

[Hambagahle]

I have never seen a Karaoke evening listed.  And if I did - I would be sure to go somewhere else...I cannot sing a note.  But I don't think that "Regent" and "Karaoke" go together...

[Tarwood3]

9 hours ago, Lucid Butterfly said:

Sorry I haven't replied earlier just figuring my way around this site. While I have your attention; are there any Karaoke nights on Voyager in particular? I have only experienced Norwegian and Seabourn and Norwegian offered Karaoke nights. Thank you for your information. Take care. 😊

I believe there were 2 or 3 Karaoke nights on our 10 day voyage.  We dont do or like Karaoke, but some friends we made on board are fanatics, so they told us all about it and they said there was a big turnout for every one.  

[fizzy]

1 hour ago, Hambagahle said:

I have never seen a Karaoke evening listed.  And if I did - I would be sure to go somewhere else...I cannot sing a note.  But I don't think that "Regent" and "Karaoke" go together...

Yes, there is Karaoke. Why does Regent and Karaoke not go together?

[Hambagahle]

I just can't imagine the people who sail with Regent (mostly of my generation or older...which means pre-Baby Boomer) doing karaoke!  But if it is offered presumably some do.  I would likely cause the ship to sink!!

[fizzy]

We aren't singers either but it can be a lot of fun watching people who think that they are. The music is available to all age groups. I see that karaoke is featured on O's website for entertainment also so it's nice that there can be something for everyone.

[orvil]

We had such a good time at Voyager's karaoke, we requested an additional night be added.  They were happy to comply.  We had the men on one side, the ladies on the other singing songs from Grease.  It was a lot of fun.  Even DH got up and participated.  It's good clean fun if you have a good sense of humor about it.  The worst thing that happens is being thrown overboard for bad singing. 

 

Most passengers have already gone to bed by the time they fire it up.  That's a good thing.  Yes, we made absolute fools of ourselves while earning Regent points.  One guy had an amazing repertoire of Elvis songs.  He was really good.  Me, not so much.

 

  

[Hambagahle]

I would definitely be thrown overboard!!  (If I hadn't jumped first...)

 

If people like it - why not I suppose?

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, Hambagahle said:

I just can't imagine the people who sail with Regent (mostly of my generation or older...which means pre-Baby Boomer) doing karaoke!  But if it is offered presumably some do.  I would likely cause the ship to sink!!

 

Agree with you (even though I am a Baby Boomer).  It is something that I expect to see on NCL but, for some reason, Regent does it as well.  For "fun", we prefer Liar's Club and the County Fair.

[fizzy]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Agree with you (even though I am a Baby Boomer).  It is something that I expect to see on NCL but, for some reason, Regent does it as well.  For "fun", we prefer Liar's Club and the County Fair.

If you had looked, you probably would have seen it on your NCL cruise and for some reason, Regent passengers enjoy Karaoke also and that's why they offer it. It' party time, late night fun.

[Hambagahle]

We LOVE the Country Fair!!   Not sure we will have one on our next cruise though...Normally we have found this on a trans-Atlantic.