DeepFreeze63

No! it may be theoretically possible but surely not comfortably. The ship will probably arrive around 7 AM but may not get luggage off until about 7:30 or 8. There were lots of cabs for us outside the ship terminal (even large cabs that we needed). Traffic was light for us as it was a Friday morning. The airport was near our ship terminal. The airport was busy but we were on Business Class so were shuffled efficiently through. We opted to stay in town (the Gold Souk is very near the ship terminal) as our US flights left around midnight.

It isn't just birthday cards! After a great June/July cruise on the Voyager, we sent Regent Headquarters a "thank you" note and enclosed our granddaughters comments on the cruise (Regent doesn't give comment cards to those under 18). We got back a nice, but form, letter thanking us for "...giving high marks to Oceania Cruises.."!

There's a lot to see in Seward and along the route north. Probably can get a car rental without a drop-off charge. There was a nice Holiday Inn near the big airport and right next to a huge seaplane "marina" that is very busy and fun to visit.

Many of us could probably write a book in response to your question. My answer would be YES the adds are factual BUT! We have done 7 regent cruises and enjoyed them all with several being a WOW. Our experience leads me: love the BC upgrades on Regent Air; almost always deviate for a fee so I can pick (early) the exact flights and the seats - Regent has always had enough air partners for a good selection of across the water flights.

I generally use the "free" pre-cruise hotel night only if I see difficulty with me handling our luggage (Venice); just did Stockholm pre-cruise on our own and stayed at the same hotel as Regent at a great saving.

Maximizing enjoyment of Regent's excursions takes a lot of early research. For me that is a lot of fun. Regents "free" excursion range from great to bad - a lot depends on who you get as a local guide. I have done several extra-fee Regent Choice excursions; many have been marvelous!

We're committed to Regent for ocean cruises but our travel is now focused on itineraries whether land, river or ocean.

Sorry! I settled down and had some coffee. Should have said: " ....NOT quite as grand as..."

I was on the July cruise Copenhagen to Copenhagen and thought the Smithsonian's contribution was fine - but quite as grand as Regent's press hype. Same Destination lecturer as we had last November and he was knowledgeable, interesting and well prepared. Lecture format weren't much different than previous but the "meet & ask" afterwards was fun.

Don't know if the Naturalist lecturer was Smithsonian but he was very accessable and very personable.

We did IST to Dubai last November and loved it. Lots of concerns beforehand and it wasn't selling well. Regent made a great reduction.I had paid but our TA got us a scad of on-board credits that I used for special excursions (and there will be some great ones).

I'm sure that I'm not allowed to name TAs but I recommend that you surf the net and look for "luxury" travel agencies and especially "Regent ??? providers" - see what they offer.

Also was there in July. DW went on bus tour to North Cape - terribly foggy. Seventeen year-old granddaughter and I did a 3 hour "Crab Safari" - a HIGH speed boat from center of town to a fishing village via crab pots. Lots of fun. Pulled up the laden pot; aide took out 3 or 4 giant crags (GD ran to back of the boat); went ashore where we had photo ops holding (even GD did it) these magnificent animals. treated to home (tepee) cooked crab, tea/coffee and cookies. Wild ride back- not for weak sailors!

Deep freeze, did you tour on your own in Stockholm or use a guide? We are going on the 9/10 voyage but will only have the morning of embarkation to tour. thank you!

We did our tours on our own. Stockholm is an easy getting around city. There is lots of info here below on Ports of Call and also on Trip Advisor. With only a morning I would recommend either Vassa museum of City Hall.

TC@ is right about the lack of darkness. Obviously, no fireworks aboard and we were on a "sea day" in the Baltic!

DW brought decorations for cabin door and had a fun time offering red/white/ blue candies (from r/w/b foldable basket) to passengers and crew at special 4th of July lunch. Pool deck was decorated and there was a huge "flag" cake. Ass't. CD Chris was American with a great voice; his stirring rendition of "God Bless America" was backed by beautiful video.

I would think that being in Alaska on the 4th, you'll have quite a celebration on board as well as ashore.

Some things I forgot to mention but now "jet-lag" is fading. Captain Mario and Staff captain Rosario are Gems! The Captain's wife was aboard and a delight as she interacted with the passengers at the puzzle table and the "County fair". The entire staff was terrific to a "man". The issues that I had were all (as usual) shore based.

the 4th was celebrated in grand style and Ass't. CD Chris lead a rousing rendition of "God bless America". Canada Day was also celebrated but there weren't many Canadians on board!?

Just back from 30 day cruise from Stockholm to Copenhagen. My DW and 17 year old GD had some land experiences both before and after the cruise that may be worth considering.

We used Regent Air but deviated and went to Stockholm 2 days early. We stayed at the Sheraton as they allowed 3 in a room. It turned out that this was also the Regent "pre-cruise" hotel. We paid $331 /room/night plus about $80 to get us and 6 suitcases from the airport to the Sheraton plus about $50 for a taxi from the hotel to the boat. We had a nice room that held "all" of us. We got free internet as we joined the Sheraton loyalty program. As we were in the Regent hotel, I asked the Regent desk staff to confirm the ship location - I got the incorrect info!

In Copenhagen, luggage retrieval was chaotic but help was handy. However, the Regent airport bus left everyone off at Terminal 2 while we and many others were going out on SAS from Terminal 3 - a very good hike (indoor) away. A couple from the boat used a taxi for about $65 instead of the Regent quote of $165.

Just completed a 10-day Baltic cruise on the Voyager which included the Regent Club Mariner program. There were 35 youngsters, about half younger than 13 years. we had a 17-yr. old granddaughter. She got: tour of bridge, tour of galley, tour of backstage area and frequent interaction with dancers. Two young women were fully assigned to Club Mariner as "Coordinators" of daily activities - activity participation wasn't mandatory. I didn't hear of any difficulties between the youngsters and the rest of the passengers.

It was a port intensive cruise and part of the deal was that the youngsters were able to fully participate in excursions. GD loved the active excursions and the shows - especially "Krew Kapers."

Having previously sailed with Regent on a port intensive cruise, we found that the excursions, whilst interesting for some, were somewhat onerous. We spent a great deal of time waiting to board coaches, hanging around waiting for latecomers and it felt like a 2 hour trip was being crammed into 5 hours.

 

Without wishing to be too critical and being branded a philistine I sometimes wished that they could include a trip to a local beach as an alternative for those who are culturally spent, to experience a bit of relaxation and chilling out.

 

Am I on my own here or are is someone out there with like views?

Just returned from a 10 day port-intensive cruise of the Baltic followed by 20 days (including 10 sea days) to the north.

The 10 day could have easily been done independently (with local tour agency) or just going ashore on the shuttle bus. A local agency in Russia would take care of the Visa requirement. because we had already paid Regent, we mainly opted for the about 32-person bus tours. Regent offered a good variety of excursions. They reserved the front 8 bus seats (until bus departure) for those with mobility issues; we sat near the back door and got off the bus quickly. DW and I were lucky and had good to outstanding local guides; heard complaints about other guides.

Regent had a new (to me) system for starting excursions. No excursion was called for obtaining bus tickets until the busses were ready and then a person could leave the theatre immediately upon obtaining his/her tickets - it worked nicely to avoid the previous crowds at the back of the theater or on shore. The crew member (young, Spanish) directing the excursion exchange PLEASANTLY controlled the process. The biggest problem with the process was US, the passengers!

Another pleasant surprise was how well the Russian Customs handled our transfers ashore and back from the cruise terminal where the Voyager, Viking Star, and 4 large boats were docked. Lucky SS Whisper and Seaborn were docked downtown St. Petersburg near the English Embankment - 20 minute drive away from us.

On the 20-day segment, Murmansk and Solevetsky island would have been difficult to arrange with a local guide but could be done on you own (perhaps) with a guide book and definitely needing rubles

Arrived home last night from a 30-day (10-day and 20-day segments)cruise on Voyager. The two segments were very different cruises so I'll write up my thoughts separately. I'll also address separately items like: Club Mariner, 3 persons in a cabin; excursions, and pre/post land arrangements.

The 20-day trip north was part of our 7th regent cruise with the last 4 on Voyager. We had a marvelous time and our 17 year-old granddaughter accompanied us as Regent gave a wonderful deal for under 18s who shared a cabin. our heart-felt thanks to all on board who made it so special for her.

About 663 on ship with about 12 solo travelers and 3 children (2 teenage girls and a baby boy who learned to walk during the cruise). About 190 Gold Level cruisers and maybe 40 Platinum. Had "Killer" Trivia everyday to jam-packed Horizon Lounge. Entertainment was varied and lots of fun (Ray S was CD, enough said). Lots of Brits onboard and many whose first language isn't English; large number of Australian couples.

Biggest issue that I saw was that our cruisers were much older than On my previous Regent cruises and there were MANY mobility challenges even with 10 sea days.. Some persons handled their limited mobility superbly but they were in a very small minority. Our 10 port calls could be challenging! Our weather was cold (is there really a Gulf Stream)and clear in the North and overcast and rainy in the South.

Yes, Regent didn't go to Magdalena Bay as advertised but the Captain took us to just off the drift ice at 80.224 N - 577 miles from Pole! We had the premier dock in Gairanger Fijord, and a bright sunny day in Solevetsky island. A wonderful itinerary that I heartly recommend.

Am now on the Voyager in the north Atlantic near the end of our 30 day cruise. We love the Voyager! We (3 of us) are in cabin 647 - lots of room and storage. I think that all Voyager cabins have both a shower and a tub; we only use the tub for laundry and heavy coats that you won't need ( we went to 80 degrees north). baths have wonderful storage space.

Only somewhat restricted views are from Cabins 641, 642, 657, and 658 and then only if you are on your balcony and look out to front of ship. There you see the portions of the tenders.

The Voyager took on fuel 2 days ago just below and forward of our cabin and no smell in our room; noticeable out on upper deck until after refueling was complete. Deck 6 cabins (I have been in 7 different ones) are stable and vibration free - we sleep like the proverbial log!.

have a great trip.

great thread. Am aboard Voyager in Barent's sea. We agree with almost all of the abve (rare).

Over the last week, I asked several first time Regent cruisers (mostly German/Swiss/Swedes) what they thought about Regent. Here's some ancedotal info/opinion from them:

Seaborn is preferred because the ships are smaller but Seabourn is more expensive (?). Oceania food is much better and of greater variety but regular cabins are claustraphobic!

Oceania has a better frequent cruiser rewards program than regent but Oceania excursions are expensive, 50% higher than the same on Silverseas.

Intersting meal-time discussion, but our preference remains Regent (we have never been on another "luxury" line. however, included excursions are getting tiresome for us.

Just crossed the Artic Circle - great cruise so far. We did the previous segment as well - will report in detail later. This segment has a much older demographic with many less mobile than the 10-day Baltic. 2 teens and 1 baby on board compared to 35 in Club Mariner on 10-day. Very international with many German/Dutch guests. Terrific lecturers. Ray S leads fun entertainment. No complaints and much enjoyment on my end.

Hi:

My DW, I and 17 yr.-old GD sail Friday on Voyager for 30 days through Baltic &Norwegian north. Our 7th regent cruise (nope, no free laundry yet); our 4th on Voyager. We’re in a Deck 6 mid-ship cabin. Hoped for an up-sell but no such luck; ship appears full on the 10 day segment. I read this Board daily so I think that I know posters interests but if anyone would like me to research something, I’ll try.

In any event, I will write a review but probably not until 2nd segment as the 1st will be port intensive.

First challenge is getting to Stockholm. We’re due to leave this afternoon but severe weather is expected near Dulles airport. Mindful of TC2’s adventure, we each have 3 day’s clothes in carryons and have split other clothes between 2 check bags – being *****, I’ve also googled the department stores in Stockholm and Tallin.

We have often done this on our Regent cruises (six). Regent almost always runs a shuttle to town; schedule will be at the destination desk on the morning of the excursion. I ask Destinations or the excursion guide to either drop us off at the shuttle stop or point it out at the end of our excursion. I also have a contingency back-up of using a taxi: local money and an address of the dock as given by Regent in that day's ship's newspaper. I'm chicken and always leave extra time so we don't miss the ship - it won't wait!

Bon Voyage

Our hopes are dashed! Was planning a 2017 world cruise if it was other than the Navigator. If I was going smaller than the Voyager/Mariner/Explorer, I would probably go with another line. Probably will return to river cruising or Voyager in Asia.

Well done! Thanks. We'll be on the Voyager in 2 weeks with our granddaughter and I'll shower this video. We did the Atlantic coast of Europe on the Voyager and your video brought back pleasant memories.

Jim C

I agree with Cruiseluv! We're talking about a ship whose construction has hardly started and that isn't a copy of another ship. Do we really think that there won't be more "changes"? Do we even expect that the ship will be "finished" in the published time. If it was me, I'd be happy that I was fortunate to get on an early sailing.

"I just checked on my blog (http://www.elegantsufficiency.org/bl...ning-show.html) and see we got up at 5.50am...... Brrrr."

Reading your bog was fun- interesting info , delightfully presented! Thanks

Good post! We're on that cruise as well and it's our first transit. I just made a note to bring our early morning on deck gear.

Jim C