Live from RSSC Voyager sailing July 15, 2022

[tnr]

Thank you deep freeze.

[tnr]

3 hours ago, rcandkc said:

So sorry about your cancellation ☹️.. hope all is well.  I see your message to Tanner has already been delivered.  😀 

I am fine.  Thanks!

[mdunne48]

Gifts from RSSC for the 30th anniversary.

 

A set of 4 coasters, 2-30 year anniversary pins and 2 sleep masks, all of course with Regent Signatures….. they are very nice.

 

 

 

[mdunne48]

A sea day!!! Do whatever you want or nothing at all. I chose the latter. Watched The Open Golf tournament and did a bit of walking on deck 12. Got 3 miles in or 21 trips around the jogging track. 
 

Tonight was the Captain’s reception which we skipped. Still recovering from the week in Bath and storing energy for Ireland. Well that’s my excuse…..

 

We had dinner at Prime 7…. Good not great.  DW had the iceberg lettuce salad which was fresh but the dressing was bland. She thought a more Caesar type dressing would have been appropriate. She also had the small plate loin strips , decent not great. I had the tuna / avocado poke that was outstanding, a clam chowder that was a total miss, and the prime rib medium rare that was good. The problem with the prime rib was the horseradish…. terrible!!!  We finished dinner off with the Carmel Popcorn Sundae, very good.

 

The sides; mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and sautéed mushrooms were excellent.

 

Overall a B for Prime 7.

 

Photos to follow and hopefully better than yesterday’s!!!!!

 

Off the ship early tomorrow as we dock in Dublin  or near Dublin by 5:30 a.m. as I have been reminded. Is there anything open in Dublin on a Sunday morning besides the churches???? It promises to be a good weather day so we will do our best to assist there economy. 
 

Have fun everyone and enjoy!!!!

 

 

 

[asnaleah]

We enjoyed the bone-in veal chop at Prime 7. I recommend giving it a try if you have another dinner there. We were on Voyager in June. Had a wonderful cruise. Thanks for sharing your journey with us!

[2012_Alaska_bound]

And I generally love the double lamb chop in Prime 7. Anyone who loves lamb, you should definitely get it. Usually best lamb on the ship (and I try them all).

[never2home]

Questions for mdunne48:  have you been able to book shore excursions in Helsinki or Stockholm?  Also, what is the gym on board like?

[Dolebludger]

How many guests are onboard? Also, does there appear to be adequate service crew?

[mdunne48]

10 hours ago, never2home said:

Questions for mdunne48:  have you been able to book shore excursions in Helsinki or Stockholm?  Also, what is the gym on board like?

Never2home we are departing the Voyager in Copenhagen on August 11th and transferring to the Navigator sailing from Amsterdam on August 12th, part of our B2B2T2B, so we will not be visiting those ports. We do visit Gothenburg, Sweden on August 9th and have a walking tour there. We were originally booked for a B2B2B on the Voyager but changed the last segments due to the ongoing uncertainty with Russia. 
 

Have not visited the gym yet but will do so later today. I have been using the walking / jogging track on deck 12 since the morning weather has been pleasant. It is exactly 7 laps around that track to the mile according to my Apple Watch. 

[mdunne48]

6 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

How many guests are onboard? Also, does there appear to be adequate service crew?

There are 529 passengers on board for this segment. 
 

There is plenty of crew members. No shortages that I can detect and they ALL are very well trained in the Regent Way. My DW commented the other night in Prime 7 that the service was TOO good. She never could get to the bottom of her wine glass. 😉

[mdunne48]

10 hours ago, never2home said:

Questions for mdunne48:  have you been able to book shore excursions in Helsinki or Stockholm?  Also, what is the gym on board like?

The gym is on deck 6 port side and is about 40 feet by 15 feet with all the usual pieces of equipment. See picture below.

 

There’s also an aerobics room on the starboard side of deck 6 of similar dimensions. 

[mdunne48]

Day 3 Dublin, Ireland. We docked in Dun Laoghaire which is about 10 miles from central Dublin. This was a tender port. Originally we were planned to dock in Dublin but that was changed well over a year ago to this location. Regent ran a smooth operation as far as getting guests ashore. One thing unusual was that each time a tender made a run to the dock or back to the ship it had a guide boat escorting the tender for the trip.  
 

We used the Hop on Hop off bus to see as much of the city as possible.  Once we completed a circuit we disembarked in central Dublin. Shopping was necessary to pick up a few forgotten items. The weather was beautiful and the crowds were large. There was a sporting match being played yesterday afternoon in Dublin between Sporting Limericks and Avenmore (not sure which Irish sport but probably Hurley). to be continued……

[mdunne48]

The match yesterday was between Sporting Limericks and Avonmore (Kilkenny) in the Irish sport of hurling. That is played on grass not in the bathroom. The Sporting Limericks retained the All Irish Cup with a victory.

 

Had a great walk through Trinity University. We thought Dublin was a great city and very clean. It was vibrant, young and fun!!!! Lunch was at a Temple Bar area establishment, The Elephant and Castle. DW highly recommends and I concur. 
 

Dinner last night was at The Compass Rose. DW had the Branzino and I had the 5 course chef's degustation selection. Both were excellent, sorry no photos.
 

This suite is excellent. Although the balcony is small, much smaller than some of the penthouse balconies on the Explorer, it comfortably fits two chairs and table between. It is also very private, as it totally surrounded by the suite.
 

There is not even a hint of a complaint for the suite services we are receiving.  Laundry is picked up at dinner time and delivered the next day again at dinner time, so good and simple! Breakfast’s have been on-time and delivered hot when required. Room service is very responsive.  I would venture to say that the RSSC Voyager is back to pre-COVID standards of excellence.

 

Enjoy……from Ireland. Oh, my 8-year old grandson in Connecticut found not one but TWO four leaf clovers this weekend.  I guess we should buy a lottery ticket here in Ireland.
 

 

[never2home]

7 hours ago, mdunne48 said:

The gym is on deck 6 port side and is about 40 feet by 15 feet with all the usual pieces of equipment. See picture below.

 

There’s also an aerobics room on the starboard side of deck 6 of similar dimensions.A

Are there any free weights?

[CruisetheCs]

1 hour ago, never2home said:

Are there any free weights?

Everything is free on Regent--free excursions, free laundry, free drinks, free weights 😀  

 

[Dolebludger]

Very pleased to hear that service is back up to Regent standards. The posts about this ships first post-pandemic sailing were a bit disturbing.

[wcsdkqh]

CruisetheCs should already know that nothing is free on Regent, only included.

[CruisetheCs]

1 minute ago, wcsdkqh said:

CruisetheCs should already know that nothing is free on Regent, only included.

Oh no, I've read the brochures (several a week, it seems)--everything is free.  Are you saying you believe the advertising is not true???  

Though I admit, I have wondered what the charges I've paid to Regent of hundreds of dollars  a day were for when everything is free!  😇

[wcsdkqh]

You are absolutely correct. Their advertising does say free, so it must be true😂

[RachelG]

Enjoying the blog so far and very jealous of a B2B2B2B!

[UUNetBill]

2 hours ago, wcsdkqh said:

CruisetheCs should already know that nothing is free on Regent, only included.

Yeah, but going to the gym to lift included weights doesn't sound as cool.  😄

 

[mdunne48]

4 hours ago, never2home said:

Are there any free weights

Here they are but they do have some associated costs$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 🙂

[mdunne48]

Day 4 - Belfast

 

We docked in Belfast very near the city’s Center, only about a15 minute bus or cab ride in / out.

 

There is a massive Titanic exhibit that we experienced today.  Takes about 2 hours at a minimum to gather in all the information. It was well presented and broken into different genres to keep your interest. Kudos to Belfast and the creators of this experience!!!

 

We also did the Hop on hop off bus through and around Belfast. The city in certain areas was very vibrant and alive with activity, mostly university areas. There are other areas where the gates close and are locked at 7:00 pm to keep the religious/ political factions that have divided this city for generations apart from each other. Very sad, indeed very sad…..In the central downtown area you would never think that there was such discord only 2 miles away. Everyone was laughing, sunning themselves and having a really good time on a hot summer’s day.  Pictures to follow….

 

We returned to Voyager via cab, 9£, from central Belfast around 2:00 pm. Grabbed a quick lunch on the pool deck and then retired to the cabin for a break …. Trivia at 4:30 for me but didn’t do to well….

 

Off to Setti Marie again for dinner. We were able to get one of the outside tables after some questions as to whether the outside section would open due to the wind. Once settled we enjoyed a very good dinner.

 

Outside with a sail away view such as the first picture…..can’t beat that.

 

Food pictures:

 

1). small lasagna

2). swordfish with potatoes DW

3). braised chicken thighs with polenta

4). not pictured - gnocchis that were excellent again…..

 

 

[DeepFreeze63]

On 7/16/2022 at 1:27 PM, tnr said:

Thank you deep freeze.

Your Welcome. Haven't posted as VERY MUCH enjoying this cruise with grandson. Food has been very good to great. I feel the're still slightly understaffed. Tried just now to see GM but office meeting with staff going on but have heard (from crew) different numbers for passengers - 598 and 630. Quite a group left us for 2 days to visit Ashford Castle on an Overland; they return today. Many familiar faces - passengers and crew - delightful.

[DeepFreeze63]

1 hour ago, DeepFreeze63 said:

Your Welcome. Haven't posted as VERY MUCH enjoying this cruise with grandson. Food has been very good to great. I feel the're still slightly understaffed. Tried just now to see GM but office meeting with staff going on but have heard (from crew) different numbers for passengers - 598 and 630. Quite a group left us for 2 days to visit Ashford Castle on an Overland; they return today. Many familiar faces - passengers and crew - delightful.

GM told me 534 passengers (includes guest entertainers) and 3 teenagers. 26 guests took the 2-night, overland tour to Ashford castle.

Killeybegs, Republic of Ireland this morning. Interest sight, MANY wind turbines arriving for installation; a few already in the hills. Docked about 20 minute walk from town (no shuttle);lots of cabs. Cool (60s F) and windy ; Dublin and Belfast had the hottest days (almost 90) of the year when we were there earlier in this cruise!