Live Voyager April 25 - May 5 🛳

[AlexisEggleton]

We departed Hotel Sofia on Bus #2 at 11:30am today (15 minutes ahead of schedule), drove a half hour to the port, and made it through check-in, COVID checks and muster station check-in in roughly

an hour and 15 minutes. Not too shabby!
The coach bus was half full, and we were not at all crowded in the terminal, or on board. 
Lunch was open at the Pool Grill or La Veranda, and we opted to be outside in the sunshine. 
Rooms were ready by 2:15pm, and at 3:05, all of our luggage has arrived.
Service has been friendly, attentive, and exactly what we would expect. 
Our Monaco excursion was canceled, but we were provided a number of alternatives and I’m confident one will work for our needs! 

Dinner at Prime 7 tonight and more tomorrow when we stop in Menorca! 🛳

[PSU]

How was the hotel Sofia. We will be staying there next Sunday.

[AlexisEggleton]

The hotel itself is lovely - not the same as the Fairmount but for the most part clean, comfy, and friendly. 
I say “for the most part” because we found some housekeeping issues upon check-in. A half drunk bottle of water instead of fresh, and a spent Heineken bottle in the safe. Housekeeping remedied both immediately, and we had no further issues. 
FYI: The location is neither near the parts of the city most visit, nor the port so be prepared for an hour walk to the old city, and a 25-30 minute ride to the port. 
 

[Techno123]

If there is nothing you fancy tour wise in Monaco it is walkable (but uphill). When we have docked I walked up to the Palace - watched the changing of the guard then across to look around town, visiting the Casino (of course) and was back for lunch. There is a land train too but I am sure Regent will have something you will enjoy 😁

[lincslady]

There is a hopon hopoff bus which starts right by the terminal, and goes almost everywhere, for those who like to do their own thing.

[RJ2002]

The #100 city bus from Monaco to Nice is a terrific bargain with spectacular scenery along the coast drive.

 

https://www.bestofniceblog.com/transport-in-nice/buses-in-nice/bus-from-nice-to-monaco/

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Thanks for posting!  Looking for to reading your observations!  Nice photos!

 

Joanie

[asnaleah]

Thanks for posting, I’ll be following along.

[AlexisEggleton]

Pre-Dinner drinks and canapés, then dinner at Prime 7 last night.

The service was incredibly attentive and everything was cooked perfectly. The scallop over pork belly stole the show for me! 
The comedian was quite humorous, and we enjoyed the piano player after the show. 
We are off to a great start!

[CJANDH]

We have just finished Voyagers previous cruise to the Canary Islands. We had a fabulous voyage. All earlier problems seem to have been fixed. Have a great cruise.

[CJANDH]

18 hours ago, PSU said:

How was the hotel Sofia. We will be staying there next Sunday.

We are doing a two day post cruise there now. It is a nice modern hotel with "high tech" rooms that take a bit of getting used to, but work very well. There are only European power outlets so you will need a converter if you need to plug a device in. There are USB points for charging phones.

 

Only one restaurant is open, plus the bar, which can lead to some capacity problems when a large group is staying. But there are a few small bistro type restaurants within a 5 minute walk if they are not crammed with students from the nearby university.

 

Hotel staff are friendly and helpful. Regent reps are efficient.

 

The location is not convenient for walking to the sights of Barcelona. It is an 8 euro taxi ride to town center or a good 40 minute walk if you are feeling fit.

 

Have a good vacation.

[PSU]

Thanks so much for the information about the Hotel Sofia. That is very helpful.

[Jinn]

I will be on the Voyager in September, my first Regent cruise after Crystal.  Please tell me about the electric outlet/plug situation in the cabin.  Is it 2 prong or 3?  I always bring an adapter so I can plug in several items at once.  Also, does Regent provide a shuttle into the city center when the ship is docked far away?  Thanks, Julia

[asnaleah]

We will be at Le Meridien in Barcelona. June 2022

[Linda VH]

My late husband and I loved the Hotel Do Placa Reial (small boutique hotel highly rated by AMEX).  It has a wonderful breakfast seated on the Placa and there is always something going on.  We would sit outside and have a cocktail at night as there was usually music or just people to enjoy.  It is close to La Rambla but off to the side (not best description but you actually access it from a side street).  We would walk to the old part of Barcelona to make sure to go to Els Quatre Gats Cafe (used to be a meeting place for famous artists).  

[ronrick1943]

Thanks so much for posting, looking forward to seeing and reading more about your cruise.  The photos are nice, hope you keep them coming.  Enjoy!

[AlexisEggleton]

Menorca was a sleepy little excursion to the beach - which was not quite warm enough for swimming, but we enjoyed the most lovely Iberico pork lunch in Bon Sou before heading back to Mahon. 
The pool was a busy place yesterday, and the service was keeping up well. 
At dinner we opted for Compass Rose, and while I didn’t care for my first entree, the Seafood Fra Diavolo I had instead was lovely. However, I had serious order envy since my fiancé’s Beijing Duck stole the show! 
PS: service was very, very attentive. The Asst Head Waiter, the Head Waiter and the F&B Director all checked in after I did not prefer the first entree. Everyone is intent on making sure the guests are fully satisfied. 
The show last night was “The Hollywood Musical” and it was a big hit. So many costume changes, and even more talent. 
We also enjoyed the “Eagles v Elton John” tribute in the Constellation Lounge after the show!

[AlexisEggleton]

17 hours ago, Jinn said:

I will be on the Voyager in September, my first Regent cruise after Crystal.  Please tell me about the electric outlet/plug situation in the cabin.  Is it 2 prong or 3?  I always bring an adapter so I can plug in several items at once.  Also, does Regent provide a shuttle into the city center when the ship is docked far away?  Thanks, Julia

We have two two-prong and three three-prong outlets in our suite. 
I am not sure about a shuttle in every port, but there is one available today in Marseille. There is also a local tourism official on board this morning in case passengers would like to discuss other excursion opportunities.  

[Jinn]

Thanks so much.  I appreciate your help.  Julia

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks for the pictures and sharing your trip with us. Very much appreciate it. 

[iluv2cruztoo]

Thank you so much for posting and including photos of food and scenery.  We are booked on our first Regent cruises-- a back-to-back from Trieste to Barcelona on May 25 and Barcelona to Bilbao on June 6.  I just familiarized myself with Regent's dress code, which states: "Evening attire can be Country Club casual, informal (sport coat and tie recommended), or formal (black tie optional)."  We're trying to travel light.  My husband was not planning on bringing a sport coat and tie.  What do you recommend?

[cwn]

For Regent cruises many men do not pack a coat and tie. Nice shirt and slacks will be fine in the restaurants. But some men will wear a coat or even a tux, totally your choice. Which is why many love Regent.

 

We travel light, I take a couple of silky tops and nice black slacks, DH couple of nice shirts and slacks. If we are cruising in cooler weather, he may take a sports coat, but no tie. Enjoy your cruise. 

[DaveFr]

30 minutes ago, iluv2cruztoo said:

Thank you so much for posting and including photos of food and scenery.  We are booked on our first Regent cruises-- a back-to-back from Trieste to Barcelona on May 25 and Barcelona to Bilbao on June 6.  I just familiarized myself with Regent's dress code, which states: "Evening attire can be Country Club casual, informal (sport coat and tie recommended), or formal (black tie optional)."  We're trying to travel light.  My husband was not planning on bringing a sport coat and tie.  What do you recommend?

The dress code you saw is many years out of date. Here’s the current dress code from the FAQs:

”Attire ranges from Casual to Formal Optional. Casual wear consists of resort-style outfits; some examples are jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. Casual wear is appropriate for daytime both on board or ashore. Casual wear is not appropriate after 6:00 PM, with the exceptions of while dining at the Pool Grill or Pool Bar and on the final evening of the cruise. On the night prior to disembarkation, guests may need to pack their luggage early due to morning flights the next day. With this in mind, on the last night of every voyage, we will relax the dress code for dinner to Casual. 

“Otherwise, the recommended onboard dress in the evenings is Elegant Casual. Dinner dress for ladies includes a skirt, or slacks with a blouse or sweater, a pant suit or dress; slacks and a collared shirt for gentlemen. Sport jackets are optional. Casual wear is not to be worn at dinner, once again with the exceptions of while dining at the Pool Grill and on the final evening of the cruise. Ties are not required. 

“On sailings of 16 nights or more, Formal and Semi-Formal attire is optional on two of the evenings. On the two Formal Optional evenings, guests are welcome to dress as per the elegant Casual dress code or opt for a more formal choice of clothing including gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies; tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with tie for gentlemen.”

 

Basically, the evening dress code is elegant casual with the exception of the final evening of the cruise when the dress code is casual. Your husband will be fine without a sport coat and tie. Since each of your segments is less than 16 nights, there will not be any formal optional nights. Hope this helps. 
 

Dave

Edited April 27, 2022 by DaveFr

[iluv2cruztoo]

Thank you Dave and CWN for answering my question about the dress code.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise!  We are counting the days 📅

[BogeyMom]

Thank you for sharing picts.. maybe NO THANKS as I’m salivating over the delicious options and still have a month till departure!