Voyager Iceland (with precruise details) to Copenhagen 7/30-8/11 live report

[macbest]

Lunch in Compass Rose, Oslo

Decided to have another relaxing lunch in the main dining room. And what a treat it was. With only maybe 10 tables filled at the peak it was like a private dining room. What a beautiful day!

Started with my favorite, split pea soup with smoked ham. Very good but nothing like what our good friend Jessie makes regularly…

The quiche flamiche poirreaux was delicious and then some. Wow. A savory leek tart with Gruyère cheese and shredded lettuce. Super tasty and the crust was excellent (and I don’t like crust generally). 

Entree was the Thai red chicken curry. Coconut milk, eggplant, straw mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and Thai basil. Normally only found in the Pacific Rim restaurant on the Explorer and Splendor for dinner, this was super tasty. Maybe a little more sauce would have made it perfect. 

Laura Also enjoyed the croque monsieur although it was heavy.
 

Finished with a white chocolate eclair. Different than what I expected it was still quite tasty. 

Great service again today from a new waiter. An amazing, relaxing lunch. 

[Kwaj girl]

@macbest would be impossible to send someone from Destinations on every tour group departure with only 3 or 4  crew members in that department onboard the ship at any one time.

[macbest]

7 minutes ago, Kwaj girl said:

@macbest would be impossible to send someone from Destinations on every tour group departure with only 3 or 4  crew members in that department onboard the ship at any one time.

True. That is why they send someone else along to assist. They let the dancers and crew go along to make sure if someone gets hurt or similar. But they should have basic tools like a phone to call the excursion desk on what to do. 

[Kwaj girl]

50 minutes ago, macbest said:

True. That is why they send someone else along to assist. They let the dancers and crew go along to make sure if someone gets hurt or similar. But they should have basic tools like a phone to call the excursion desk on what to do. 

 

I think they have been keeping other crewmembers off excursion buses towels reduce their exposure to covid and other illnesses.

[macbest]

Excursion 2: Oslo Walking tour and Nobel Peace center. 

We added an afternoon walking excursion to see more of Oslo after the issues of the morning. We ended up seeing many of the local sites but alas, the guide was just too fast for us and we couldn’t keep up. Several other couples experienced the same. There used to be a time when it was a big deal to leave a group but now with Apple Maps you just ask where are you going to be at what approximate time and we just went there by ourselves. 

 

The highlight for us was to be the Nobel Prize museum. After a 20 min wait the group showed up and we went inside. Learned a lot of the entire process and Alfred Nobel and that the peace prize is awarded in Norway where the others are done in Sweden. 

 

We ended up walking over 4 miles so we definitely got out to enjoy the sun today!

 

Here are a few highlights. 
The city streets. Hustle and bustle even on a Monday around 2:30p!

The grand hotel where the winner of the Nobel peace prize appears to the public after the formal ceremony. Second balcony. 

 

All of the old phone booths have been converted to a “book exchange”. You take a book and leave one. Clever. 

Part of Oslo University

Interesting architecture and beautiful flowers abound. 

The city hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. 
The Nobel prize museum

An interesting display of past winners. Kissinger, Al Gore, Obama to name a few 

On display the award

[Kwaj girl]

2 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

 

I think they have been keeping other crewmembers off excursion buses towels reduce their exposure to covid and other illnesses.

 

EDIT..

darn autocorrect. ".....off excursionbuses to reduce their exposure...."

[boblerm]

9 hours ago, macbest said:

we have one day in our lives (likely) to see Oslo and we missed some of it for no reason than poor execution.  

I surely hope that you have the opportunity to visit Oslo again, there is so much to see there.  Most notably, for me, the Vigeland Sculpture Park, a photographer's paradise.

[macbest]

Prime 7 tonight. Oslo

We looked online at the menu and both of us couldn’t find something appealing in compass rose. So we called the reservation line and asked if any late night cancellations at Prime 7, the steakhouse. They said no but would put us on a waiting list. 10 min later they called and our room and said we were set for 6:30p! Got to love it!

 

Dominic the head waiter got us to a wonderful window table (only 4 in the restaurant) where we were on the non-sun side of the ship. Beautiful view out the window the whole dinner. 

 

Laura tried the crab cake that I had  last time and was completely enamored. She loved it. The little pickled onion with it adds such a nice accent to the wonderfully cooked (and totally non fishy smell of the crab cake). 

 

I tried for the first time the scallop appetizer with pork belly, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds. Very unusual. Many people on this board have found it amazing. It was very different. I think the pork belly could have been cooked differently and it would have been even better. They brine theirs for 36 hours, press it for 8 hours and then pan sear it. What remains is a pretty fatty piece of pork which doesn’t hold up well to the rest of the Ingredients. I talked to Dominic and suggested they “consider” sous vide and then finish on the flat top. Will see. I found the dish to be just a 6/10. 

Laura had the caesar and they only gave her half an anchovy so we added to that. I had the wedge and substituted off menu for a 1000 island dressing. I think they may have whipped something up in the kitchen vs leveraging the excellent 1000 island in the compass rose. It was ok but not great. 

Laura went with the surf and turf (fillet and lobster) and I had the veal chop for the first time. Oh and why it add a mini lobster tail to that? Once again her fillet was raw (I never understand how they cut the meat, they know how thick it is, and how long to cook it. It should be like science to control for all the variables, thickness, doneness, temperature etc) but they still can’t get a steak right. At least to me. My veal chop was excellent. And both our lobsters were great. 

But at prime 7 it is all about the sides. We had the luscious mashed potatoes, cream spinach, crispy onion rings, asparagus and mushrooms (these were exceptionally good!). 

 

I really wanted another Pinot noir so we ordered from the reserve list (they were serving as an Inclided wine J Lohr Syrah, maybe an $8 bottle of wine). Only one I had not tried was Archery Summit, 2015 (!!!) Pinot noir at $135. I had the sommelier taste it first but as expected it was a bit past it’s age. And tasted like an Oregon Pinot which is often very “earthy” vs the fruit forward nature of California Pinots. A shame as we were hoping for something special for this special night. 

 

Key lime pie and the delicious Carmel popcorn, peanut sundae finished the meal. 

Service was good. We wanted a slow meal and they gave it to us, maybe 2:20 on the timing. The view out the window was excellent so we sat and enjoyed our experience. 

[macbest]

Excursion: Gothenburg city tour small group. 

 

Beautiful weather on the 60s today made the 8:30a departure a little easier. We did the small group tour which has a total of 14 on a smaller bus. The tour was well done by the guide with several stops over the city and then a walk through the somewhat or an old town called the Haga. 
 

What I especially liked at this stop was a visitor bureau person just off the gangway that gave us all maps of the downtown area. Super helpful for getting around and your bearings. 

overview pictures. 

We stopped at this Lutheran church in Masthuggskyrkan on the hillside that was all wood inside. 

This is what they said was a pipe organ(looks all wood)

This symbolized baptisms. 
and near the candle lighting “in memory of” was the book you sign noting the special memory. Can you believe someone right  before us would have written this in this book?

We stopped for coffee and what was described as huge cinnamon rolls. Well this qualified when it broke my rule number 1: never eat anything bigger than your head! So I shared it with Laura. It was mighty tasty especially where the cinnamon was hiding. 

Alas, we couldn’t finish it and this is what remained. 

But wait, we were not the only ones that couldn’t finish it. Others has the same issue:

A few more monuments, this one called Poseidon. And another overlook. It was a fun town and an enjoyable excursion. 
The Haga area

[macbest]

The big treat was when I realized that 150 feet from our ship was the Volvo Museum! Score! Went after lunch.  Small entrance fee ($13) showing the history of Volvo cars with nearly everyone on display including many concept models that never made it to the public. 

here is how close the ship was from inside the museum. You can see it through the windows. 

Nicely organized they showed the evolution along with short movies right from the era they were produced. I especially enjoyed the most sold Volvo the 850 which I owned in 1995 and Karen learned to drive on. They had all the other models that I couldn’t afford at the time but all of which had received the most safe car at the time complete with first ever side air bags. 

Wasn’t aware of the extent of the trucks and even boat motors they built (under the Penta brand).  

 

They even showed the evolution of the car radios that they put in the many variants. A cute play area that I only imagined my grandson would have loved

concept electric. Not too attractive. 
and one (XC90) built out of legos. 

The museum is excellent and something everyone should consider if you are at least a little into cars. 

[RJ2002]

Great shots of the Volvo museum.   Enjoying your reports.

[macbest]

Chartreuse dinner, Gothenburg

We saved our Chartreuse (French dining) dinner for near the end of the cruise. Often a very rich experience, we thought timing sounded good. Low and behold, one of my favorite dinners on the ship, beef Wellington, was being in Compass rose! We decided to forgo changing but it was a bit of disappointment missed the Wellington. 

 

We started with beet salad with goat Cheese and truffle vinaigrette. I have made this numerous times after previous times having this on board and it still amazes me how wonderful it is. One of the best ways to serve beets. While My version uses a basil vinaigrette, this is still luscious. 

Laura had the foie gras and this is the best version on on the ship. Smooth, spreadable, and the apricots make a nice touch. 10/10

I had the lobster bisque which is also wonderful. Before and after they poured the . Deep rich flavor with a piece of lobster on top. 

Laura had the mushroom soup, also well prepared. We talked to the maitre D on the preparation to understand how it could be so smooth. Alas they cook the mushrooms in a broth but then discard the mushrooms as opposed to blending the mushrooms with the broth. 

We both had the beef tenderloin with truffle royals and seared foie gras with a deep sauce. I struggled big time whether to get a fish dish as I was concerned about the steak being cooked med rare as I am in all alternative restaurants. Decided that this is their signature dish so they should get it right. Well we were wrong. It came rare. Disappointment. I guess I should have went with my instincts. We turned the dish back in and they redid it. The second version was perfect. But about 15 min elapsed. They offered to replace all of our sides (mashed potatoes and beans) which was good as they were cold. They apologized profusely. I have to wonder if guests just eat it this way vs going through the hassle and delay. You can’t un-cook a steak so maybe the approach is to undercook so as not to have to start over (although replacing ours they did indeed redo the plate and a new steak. 

Dessert was a Tahitian vanilla crème brûlée which was different in that they don’t have it in the typical ramekin. It was delicious especially with the vanilla ice cream. 

Laura had the apple tart. Quite a showing! 

We had a petite Chablis which was dry and crisp and then went on to the R Merlot which has served us well. 

I taught Laura how to play roulette after a rout at the slot machines. We started with a $100 and played for nearly an hour. Finished with $89. For most of it was just the two of us so the dealer helped explain things to her. Fun evening. 

[irishwitchy]

I'm loving your pictures and it is bringing back nice memories of our cruise.  A comment on the Tahitian vanilla crème brûlée - Regent should never put that ice cream on top of it - it takes the crunch out of the sugar topping - needs to be on the side!  Keeping having fun.  

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

This is such a fabulous trip report.  I am just loving reading it.  Having done one, I know how much time it takes.  I especially appreciate your very balanced opinions, and the photos.  I’m looking forward to trying Voyager someday...have been only on Explorer, with Splendor coming in November.  Thanks for taking the time to share your trip!

 

Joanie

[macbest]

Excursion: Hamburg on your own, Kiel

 

For those considering this excursion, It was a 1.5 hr bus drive to the town of Hamburg from Kiel (and then the same distance back so 3 hours traveling). You end up having only 3 hours there. So half your time you on transiting. They hand you a map and have maybe 5 min of explaining of the town. Our guide was terrible. More like someone just to get you there beyond the driver. He also couldn't explain where things were and didn’t know any facts.  So be warned if you want to do this excursion, do some planning ahead of time. 
 

they didn’t clear our ship and we were delayed for 45 min getting off. Despite this, they wouldn’t change the time of our stay to accommodate this delay despite the sheet we were given specifically saying that if delayed they could move this time. I asked but of course our terrible guide and no idea how to do this. 

 

While I did research the “old town” area it was anything but old. Lacking the charm old towns found in other European cities, this was much more of a striving metropolis. One part of the old town was filled with Gucci, LV etc type store. We walked around for 1.5 hours in search of some marvelous street with cafes and restaurants typically of an “old town” and never found one. There are quite a few monuments and things to see in Hamburg but they are spread around in which a way that you either need to learn the bus or subway system or do an organized tour that would drive your from site to site. 

On the way there I noticed numerous, massive solar farms and. Few windmills. They will need this and much more in the winter when natural gas will skyrocket even more. 

They also offer a recurring shuttle to the town of Kiel which wasn’t known until the night before. Something to consider. 

[macbest]

Compass Rose last night of cruise. 

After a nice sail-away with great seats in the Observation lounge, enjoying Andrew on the Piano, we were all packed and ready to relax our final evening. 

 

The sea traffic was the most we had seen especially the number of sailboats crossing in front of the ship. Europeans on vacation is in full force in August as this was a Wednesday. 

Our last night with our favorite waiter, Nino, the menu wasn’t grabbing us much. Thank goodness for the left side - always available - items. We both had the escargot, probably my favorite thing on Regent. The luscious butter, garlic, herb Melody is delicious with the snails (which are more like mushrooms for those of you going -“eww”.)

We shared the Alaskan snow crab and avocado with the Bloody Mary sauce only because it was one of the items that we have had in the past and enjoyed but did not this cruise. 

Potato leek soup was very good but not great. A little thin. 

A calvados apple sorbet

and then we decided to go with a steak knowing that the thickness is 1” thick they have to know how to cook this! And they did. My NY strip and Laura’s rib eye were cooked to perfection. Hurray! Last night, I decided to make mine a surf and turf and added a lobster tail. These have been excellent on the menu this trip. A few sides of mashed potatoes and veggies it was a wonderful last meal. 

Passion fruit soufflé with a coconut rum sauce showed up again and we enjoyed this again. 

Didn’t want to have a disappointing wine choice on the last evening so we ordered the only California Pinot Noir available, the Belle Glos. It was delicious as a 2017. 

We said good bye to Nino and tipped him nicely (along with Sai our Incredible room steward) and were off to bed. 

 

We reserved one night through regent at the Copenhagen Marriott so we can tour through this town we have been to several times but usually the one we leave out of and see next to nothing. I have dinner reserved at a place that others have described as better than French laundry (but at a fraction of the price). Stay tuned I will provide details shortly. 

 

 

[macbest]

Compass Rose breakfast embarkation day. Plus transfers to Marriott Copenhagen

Since we were staying locally one night we were last off the ship and were able to sleep in marginally longer than others. We enjoyed a nice last breakfast in compass rose of fresh cantelope, eggs Benedict (not on the menu, just ask for it!), and Laura had a custom made omelette of spinach and mushrooms.  Sets us up nicely for a day of sightseeing. 

I will recap the entire trip with pluses and negatives over the next few days. Overall it was an amazing trip. Iceland especially is not to be missed!

 

Debarkation and Copenhagen touring. 

Went pretty smooth today with scheduling the after trip stay for one night with Regent. About 40-50 people decided to do the same thing for at least one night.  We were one of the last off the boat and after a quick stamp in our passports and luggage retrieval, we hauled our items to a waiting bus outside for loading. Every one loaded on the bus while the extensive luggage was out in place. Well that was at least 10-15 min with the air off (was over 72 degrees when we got off ship!). I said my usual line while walking to the back of the bus, “it’s like a sauna in here” and everyone agreed. 
 

The scene at the hotel was also chaotic although there was someone who got on the bus before we got off to explain things. You had to quene in one line to get your transfer details to the airport the next day, then another line to check your handbags. There was a third line to begin the process of checking into the hotel although at 10a no one was getting their rooms until 4p. 
 

The hop on hop off bus stops right in from of the hotel. So we jumped on and we were off. For all three “routes or lines” and the voyage by boat for two people it was $70 total. We got off at the first stop and did the boat tour which was interesting albeit sunny and hot. Here are some pictures from that voyage. 

after the boat ride we went one more stop to Nyhavn a bustling waterway with lots of places to eat. Pricey but a fun area. We stumbled on a place with shade (now up to 78 degrees and no clouds as you can see from the pictures). 
 

Laura had traditional fish and chips and I had an artichoke soup that was one of the best I have had in ages. And then “the platter”. I took a picture of all that was on it. The highlight was the curry herring (which is didn’t think I would like but it was great). 

I could no way finish it but it was fun trying so many different things. 

Edited August 11, 2022 by macbest

[wristband]

Macbest, I have enjoyed your photos & commentary.  What did you think of the Marriott? 

 

Several years ago, before boarding Regent, the hotel was understaffed, overwhelmed by air crews, cruise passengers and tourists during the summer season.  Forget ordering a drink on the patio or bar.  Check in & out was a mess.  

 

I hope you experienced vastly improved service levels.  The "Club" allowed many families to eat there to avoid paying for a restaurant meal, their kids running about, sticking fingers in the buffet platters.  At that time, there were no options near the hotel to get a drink or quick bite...and P&Q!

[macbest]

14 hours ago, wristband said:

Macbest, I have enjoyed your photos & commentary.  What did you think of the Marriott? 

 

Several years ago, before boarding Regent, the hotel was understaffed, overwhelmed by air crews, cruise passengers and tourists during the summer season.  Forget ordering a drink on the patio or bar.  Check in & out was a mess.  

 

I hope you experienced vastly improved service levels.  The "Club" allowed many families to eat there to avoid paying for a restaurant meal, their kids running about, sticking fingers in the buffet platters.  At that time, there were no options near the hotel to get a drink or quick bite...and P&Q!

The Marriott was much improved from what you described. Although they were slammed by 50 Regent guests getting off the ship at one time the rest was fine. Lots of luggage assistance the day after. No wait at check out. Restaurant could handle the crowd. And the regent representative was still there the next day to answer questions and provide assistance. For example my taxi voucher to go to airport (frankly which was much nicer than getting on another bus!) was bent. So the bar code couldn’t be read by the taxi driver. He let me know this in advance and I was able to go to the regent rep to get it replaced. 

[macbest]

Post cruise - Night in Copenhagen - restaurant recommendation: Restaurant Cofoco

If you are staying overnight in Copenhagen prior to flying home, here is a recommendation for an incredible dining experience that is still casual. Restaurant Cofoco. The menu is imaginative and changes often. The tasting menus are reasonably priced. And the food is amazing. Menu shown below. 

We opted for the 5 course meal with starter and did the wine pairings. What an experience. Super service helped explain every detail of the food and wine the wines paired so nicely. We both agreed that this was the best meal of our last 18 days since arriving in Iceland. Something to consider. 
Small bite a little sandwich with delicious cheeee and Iberico ham. Yummy. 

Trout tartare with a light horseradish cream

A mussel sauce with salted scallops and apple bits. Best dish in two weeks! 

Grilled romaine with cream cheese dressing. 

Rib eye steak with beets. Very unusual combination but it worked!

My dish was a chicken thigh with grilled corn and a tarragon blanquette (basically a cream sauce). Super luscious.

And finally a yogurt ice cream with a vanilla foam. 

The wine pairings were perfect. Mostly French. A good value given the quality. 

[Gilly]

Same owners/group as Cofoco but slightly more upscale, Host is another one we'd highly recommend!  Like you, we opted for the tasting menu with wine pairings and hoped it would be as good as we'd remembered.  No need to worry...it was every bit as good if not better.  On this last cruise, just ended, we were accommodated pre-cruise at the Villa Copenhagen, very close to Tivoli Gardens and a fifteen-twenty minute walk from Host.  We felt the Villa was quite a considerable step up from the Sheraton, where we were on our last CPH pre-cruise, though the rooms were a little tight.  Still, the amazing bathroom amenities more than made up for it in my opinion 😉  

Edited August 12, 2022 by Gilly

[taxare]

Sooooo.......we were on this cruise. I don't know where or how Mr. Best did all of this, considering the slow internet and many things to do, but hats off to him. No pictures, but a few observations from this voyage. This was our eight Regent cruise. First and most important to us, the level of service was generally excellent. There were a few misses here and there, but we found the friendliness and level of service to be consistent with pre-COVID even though they are still dealing with these issues. One thing that keeps us coming back to Regent is seeing many of the same staff that we have seen over the years. The captain, cruise director (Margaret), the dining room manager and restaurant managers, etc. Many of these staff have been with Regent for well over fifteen years and it makes us feel like we are coming home.

I respect Mr. Best's focus on food but don't believe our expectations are quite as high as his. Overall, we had some excellent meals, some very good ones and a few average. The average ones they were quick to replace or substitute. I do believe that they have lowered the quality of the "standard" wines from previous years.  I just didn't see the problems that were discussed in the first and second threads after the Voyager restarted service. its possible that having Mr Montague the cruise before ours really got things ship shape (pun intended) but overall service and execution was excellent.

 

Just like food is subjective, we have found the entertainment to be average. However, IMHO, we saw the most talented entertainers we have ever seen on a Regent ship, The Little Opera Company. I know some of you are rolling your eyes already, but this foursome of young opera singers did three shows and they make it relatable to the entire audience including musical theatre, movies, etc. I believe due to various illnesses among the ten performers, the normal production company only did one show. They had to change their plans for entertainment almost everyday.

I really don't want to get into a COVID discussion as there are other threads debating that, but suffice it to say, there were COVID and GI issues onboard, I have no idea how much, but there was plenty of talk about isolation, etc. It appeared they let the guests stay in their own cabins and those with these issues had food delivered and the medical team came with medical gowns, full face shields, etc, I heard anecdotally that some crew were sick as well.

The excursions were good to very good. We did all Regent included excursions and overall were pleased. An example of a nice Regent gesture.....our Icelandair flight arrived at 6:30am and we had no idea what we were going to do before we could get processed and get on the ship. The bus from the airport took us to the Hilton where guests who stayed the night before were and provided us a very nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We were able to stay there until they were ready to process us for boarding. The disembarkation process was also very smooth, fortunately the SAS pilot strike was over so that all worked out well, with a comfortable SAS flight home.

 

This was the first time we used a GTY. For those not familiar with this, its somewhere between a waitlist and a confirmed cabin. You book a category and you are guaranteed that cabin category is the minimum one but you have no idea of the location on the ship. We booked a G Deluxe Veranda and ended up with a D Concierge suite. We didn't find out our suite number until five days before. I thought it was a little stressful and likely wouldn't do it again, however we were pleased with our cabin.

 

Overall we enjoyed this cruise very much, the level of service and friendliness was excellent, and we would highly recommend this itinerary. We hope everyone has enjoyable and safe cruising on Regent!

 

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks taxare for your review and observations. So glad you had a great time. 

Does show how different people have different priorities and expectations and we should keep this in mind when reading reports and planning our trips. 

[macbest]

Last thoughts on our Regent precruise and 12 day sojourn on the Voyager. 

 

As mentioned, this was an incredible trip all around. The regent organized 4 day precruise in Iceland was well orchestrated and our guide the best we have ever had. Iceland has so much to offer and a simple cruise stop will just end up missing the real beauty of this island. Oh and don’t miss the blue lagoon. I thought this was going to be just so-so or “cheesy” and it ended up being awesome! Many people who have evening flights, I’m told, will go to the blue lagoon after their check out of the hotel around noon. Apparently there is a bus or shuttle service that will take you to the airport afterward:your stay at the Blue Lagoon and since you are generally allowed 3 hours there, this could be a good way to relax prior to your flight (vs hanging out in an airport lounge. They also have a place to store your bags while at the blue lagoon. Very convenient as an add-on. But plan in advance. The cheapest entrance fee, around $140, is booked out well in advance. You can pay the premium fare though and usually get in but that was around $400 as I recall. 

 

Many of the comments in the summary by taxare above are spot on and we agree with them except maybe for the entertainment which we didn’t care for.  We too were very disappointed with the included wines. These have progressively gone down hill over our last few Regent cruises. And as I have mentioned the reserve wine list, while somewhat reasonably priced, is very limited and surprising wines like Chardonnays and Pinot noir‘s have dates of 2013-17 which is pretty old and I don’t mean older in a good sense. It still amazes me how they could have so many of these older wines, in some cases past their prime, still around. And this wasn’t unique to the voyager as we experienced the same thing on the Splendor back in February. I also was disappointed in the gin selection including the absence of Hendricks Gin which they have always carried and yet this cruise and the one we took in February did not have it on board. One exception was in the mixologist lounge on the Splendor but you couldn’t order a simple Hendricks and tonic as they had it “reserved” for just one of their specialty gin drinks. I a, hoping this is just a supply chain issue as they still carry some excellent other liquor like Patron tequila. 

 

Service was amazing everywhere. Well this is typical, it is great to see that there’s been no fall off in service throughout the ship. Practically everyone in the dining room somewhere or another new our name which was quite nice. It really is nice to be called by name and amazed that the staff at the restaurant entrance even knew our room number. It’s not like we were staying in the Regent suite, we were in a category F cabin. By the way we were originally in an G cabin and were upgraded after they sent out luggage tags with no notice (other than when I spotted it on the website prior to leaving). Taxare experience with a GTY going from G to a D is pretty awesome. 

 

Other comments, we have sailed the voyager many times. And while she was one of our favorite ships in the past once you sail on the explorer or the splendor there is a big difference. Again to each his own but we prefer the newer ships and what they have to offer. But standard things are common to both. Open spaces, beautiful artwork, towels in the public restrooms, no nickel and diming you, and fewer people - you only have to pull up to a ship like we did that holds 4000 people and see them all get on and off the ship to realize how wonderful it is to be with just 600 to 700 people. 

 

We hope you enjoyed our detailed synopsis throughout. It was fun reliving the experience as I just reread our trip now that we are home. It is quite a challenge with the ships internet to post pictures the way I did as it usually bombed once each time and I would have to start over in picture posting. I save the text externally for just this reason. Happy to answer any other questions. 
 

Until next time, happy cruising!

Wayne and Laura