Live from Voyager, Trieste to Lisbon dep 31.8.24

[irishwitchy]

We got off the ship this morning and coffee connection was back to serve yourself.   It was a small group of folks that got sick in Istanbul, that caused the issue.  
 

We are currently across the street at the Savior Excelsor Palace looking at the Voyager from our balcony.  Funny item,  we did our own transfer arrangements,  we are here for two nights  before we travel to Venice.  Mid week,  we received the dreaded how do you plan on disembarking the ship form.   For $179.00 a person,  we can let Regent get us to the hotel.  Seemed rather high.   I had a great laugh when we discovered it was 900 feet away -  we had ports that required longer hikes to get out of!  Great statues in this town.  
 

Gilly,  enjoy your cruise.  I can tell you,  Sharon and Jerry will be playing trivia and need new folks to join them!  They be looking for folks on the right hand side as soon as you walk in!  Best of luck.  

[Gilly]

@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 😉

[maryogreen]

Have a wonderful cruise, @Gilly! I look forward to following you here and on your blog, as always!

 

Mary

The Modern Postcard

[BBWC]

3 hours ago, Gilly said:

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

Drink sounds good (we don’t do Trivia). According to the ‘planning document’ we received, September 5 is a day without any parties or Grand Voyage events. We are usually in the Observation Lounge pre-dinner. Would be happy to meet you.

[Gilly]

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.

[Gilly]

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.  🤔

[RachelG]

Gilly, just catching up and enjoying your reports.  Had to laugh about 31C being hot.  We would love it!  Forecast high temp for here today is 37C.

[Jim Avery]

Us too.  Temp in PHX is going to go to at or above 43C the rest of this week.....😎

[Gilly]

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

[Jim Avery]

1 hour ago, Gilly said:

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

Yes, by this time of year it gets a bit tiring.  But I was raised in the southeast US where it gets hot and humid.  A long time saying from there is "if you are gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough".    And believe it or not, my Mother was English and I spent lots of time in the UK.  

[Gilly]

9 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

by this time of year it gets a bit tiring

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!

[Gilly]

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!

 

 

[Gilly]

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 🥰

 

Edited September 7 by Gilly

[Gilly]

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?

[RachelG]

That downpour is impressive.  

[Gilly]

8 hours ago, RachelG said:

That downpour is impressive

 

it certainly was!

[purpleally]

On 8/31/2024 at 5:11 AM, Hambagahle said:

I am sure the news that the Code Red was lifted was about the most welcome you have had in a while, Gilly !!   Have a great trip AND keep us uptodate on all the "doings".

 

Groups of any kind on flights OR ships are a pain.  Affinity groups (IMO) are the worst.  We had the "pleasure" of sailing with an alumni group from Michigan State on the Mariner some time ago.  They ALL had MSU flags on their doors...and gathered nightly in different bars to "whoop it up".  since the locations were different it was a guessing game for us!!

Could have been worse, could have been Michigan alumni. Lol

[Gilly]

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.  

 

 

[Gilly]

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.

[Hambagahle]

That boat looks empty...so would be a real danger to any shipping.  What an experience!   Love your reports and photos and thank you!

[lincslady]

Sorry you were not able to have a private guided tour in Barcelona; if you are ever going to visit on a cruise again do make sure you organise  a guided visit essentially to see some of the Gaudi buildings.  Barcelona was a pleasure to wander round in many years ago, but just far too many tourists now, as the locals have let us know.

[Gilly]

11 hours ago, lincslady said:

just far too many tourists now,

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!

[Gilly]

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!

 

[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).