WNcruiser

It was a gorgeous day in Kristiansand today. Low 70’s and clear blue sky. After breakfast we set out on a walk around the harbor and city center. Kristiansand is compact and easy to walk with beautiful parks and city sqaures. The city seemed shut down with hardly anyone around and very few stores open. The fish market was also closed on Sunday which I was looking forward to seeing. We walked for about two hours and saw most of the city. After returning to the ship we found two sun loungers calling our name and laid out at the pool with many others enjoying the warm sun. Kind of crazy to think we are in Norway sunbathing but it was a nice recharge. Back to Prime7 tonight for dinner and a new entertainer from the UK. Some photos of Kristiansand:

Didn’t haedly sleep a wink last night. We were in thick dense fog from about midnight until around 5:00 AM. The ship was sounding their horn every 2 minutes and it was impossible to sleep. I know it is a safety requirement so not complaining, just something to expect I guess. I went down to La Veranda and there was a nice champagne and cavier breakfast. A little too early for me but others were enjoying it.

I have heard a few things on board but I don’t like posting rumors. Let me check with some of the officers and see if I can get any “official” word.

Majestictaxis.com

Mid-cruise summary I wanted to write a few thoughts about my first week on board. First, The Crew. This crew is outstanding and cannot do enough for you. Within the first two days many crew knew our names and drink/water preferences. They are always asking if you need anything, if you are enjoying the cruise and is there anything they can do for you. There have been many wonderful gestures and moments I won’t soon forget. I can’t say enough good things about the crew on board. Fellow passengers: We have 615 on board. I would say the average age is 70’s with most 60-80’s. There are two families on board with small children but we rarely see (or hear) them. Around half are from the US, with UK, France and Belgium making up the majority. Penthouse “A”: I already spoke about our suite so won’t say too much more. It definitely needs an update as the bathroom shows it’s 20+ years. There are also several cosmetic issues that look poor on a six star cruise line. Luckily it doesn’t affect my cruise. The Voyager: Overall she is looking good. With 615 people on board we have never felt crowded once. Restaurants, bars, lounges, getting on and off the ship we have not seen any crowds. Voyager is easy to navigate and find where you need to go. We have had very calm seas so far but she seems to be quite stable. We do get some strong vibrations on deck 10 now and then but no complaints. Itinerary: This is an amazing itinerary. 5 countries in two weeks with five stops in Norway. So far it has exceeded all expectations and I look forward to our second week. Food: If you have followed this thread since the beginning, you are probably surprised food is last. I honestly don’t eat (or drink) like this at home. Food is important but itinerary and service are much more important to me. We have had some excellent meals on board, and unfortunately some bad ones. The bad ones were quickly addressed and everything was done to try and make us happy and correct the issues. I really feel it is getting better though. I appreciate everyone reading this live thread. It does take a lot of time and work but hopefully it is helpful to those of you who have not yet sailed Regent or visited these ports. And for the Regent regulars hopefully I brought back some happy memories. Off to cocktails and dinner. Until tomorrow…

Well our 7 day streak of beautiful weather came to an end today, but only temporarily. The forecast was for strong winds and heavy rains so we switched to a panoramic bus tour from our fjord cruise. It was quite nice driving around the city and country side and learning about Stavanger. The good news is we are expecting better weather for our next two ports Kristiansand and Oslo. Sorry, didn’t take many photos today.

After dinner I somehow walked to the Constellation theater to see Oli Nez, a fantastic saxophone player and entertainer. He played a wide range of genres and it was a great show. When we returned to our cabin we had a little surprise. We ate the white chocolate truffles that were brought out with our dessert menus but left the chocolate grand marnier. We walked in the cabin and had a plate of white chocolate truffles on our table. This is the type of amazing Regent service we have experienced in our first week on board. We opened the curtains and saw the last bit of daylight, an amazing Norwegian sunset. Great ending to a wonderful night.

All I can say after dinner In Chartreuse last night is thank goodness for Lipitor. It was a wonderful dinner with excellent service. I know Chartreuse gets mixed reviews on these boards but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Courses were: blue cheese soufflé, beet salad with goat cheese, fois gras with apricots, mushroom soup, rack of lamb and crème brûlée. The wine steward was very accommodating with my requests and even brought a dessert wine with our desserts. I’m still full 15 hours later.

Thank you all for the kind feedback, it is much appreciated.

Here a a few photos of the fjord cruise. I think I took about 50 but I won’t subject you to that. Now getting ready for dinner in Chartreuse. It seems the sea air is shrinking my clothes so I’m going to limit myself to 4 courses. Stavanger is tomorrow and another fjord cruise, this one to Lysefjord through Regent.

Just got back to the ship after an amazing fjord cruise. It was very warm today, around 73F/21C. We started with a nice walk around Bergen stopping at the famous fish market for a look around. Again, many colorful buildings and beautiful architecture here. We then boarded our fjord cruise (rodne.no) for a 3 hour tour and nonstop beautiful scenery. The Captain took the boat right up to a waterfall and within a couple feet of a large mountain. If your coming to Bergen don’t miss it. This was booked independently as Regent did not offer any fjord tours here.

Had our usual pre dinner cocktails in the observation lounge while listening to piano music. We didn’t leave Alesund until 8:00 PM so had a nice view of the city and water. Dinner was very good. My courses were Asian dumplings, salmon tartare, celery salad and pan seared branzino. I usually don’t like branzino but it was excellent. Our new waiter knew me well after only one night 🤣. He said we was bringing me a sampler…and he did. Flourless chocolate cake, key lime pie, St Honore and ice cream. Although I appreciated the gesture it was too much, even for me.

As we sail into Bergen I will post a few pictures from Alesund yesterday. We walked in to town and admired all the colorful buildings and architecture. Such a pretty place with a river running through the middle. We took the sightseeing tram (citytrain.no) which was both fun and interesting. You listen to prerecorded commentary while being driven around the city with a 15 minute stop at the top of Aksla mountain for a panoramic view. The ride is 70 minutes and we’ll worth it. Also stopped at Jafs for fish & chips which were excellent. A very enjoyable day.

A beautiful day in Alesund, Norway. Voyager is docked on the right side.

Just getting ready to dock in Alesund but wanted to post photos of dinner last night. We had a fantastic waiter who we have requested for the rest of the cruise. There are many crew leaving and coming on board on the 21st in Oslo. Laat night was one of my favorites on Regent, the miso marinated sea bass with sticky rice. I also had a halibut sushi with seaweed salad and Indian patties with mint chutney. For dessert was white chocolate croissant pudding and chocolate soufflé.

Still have not heard a word about Covid since we boarded. Haven’t heard any passengers or crew talking about it or seen anyone with possible symptoms. It’s business as usual.

Shetland ponies, seals on the beach and Jarlshof from Lerwick.

Just for you, chocolate 😀

Hello from the Voyager lounge where we are listening to some nice music and having a black label on the rocks. We are headed to Norway 🇳🇴 after a nice day in Lerwick. Interesting place with lots of sheep and history. Didn’t take many pictures but I will post a few. Tomorrow is Alesund, our first of five stops in Norway. We plan on taking the tram tour and having lunch in town. The ship docks right in the city center. cant upload photos right now due to extremely poor Wi-Fi, will try later.

Penthouse A bathroom and balcony photos. The balcony is also tight in space for a PH.

We are staying in a Penthouse category A. The size is fine with a huge walk in closet. For those of you like me who are coming from Spendor or Explorer and have not been on one of the older ships you may be a little disappointed. Voyager is over 22 years old and overall she looks good. However the room is also quite outdated and has many cosmetic issues. There is also only a single sink in the bathroom and the shower is quite small. Of course these do not affect the enjoyment of my cruise, but I would expect a better product on Regent for the price. Pictures of the bedroom, sitting area and closet.

The best advice I can give is to check the weather the day before you leave for your ports. I only brought one jacket and a waterproof windbreaker and it’s worked out great so far. Mostly have only needed a shirt and one of the jackets.

Last nights entertainment was a ventriloquist. I thought he was somewhat entertaining, but not really my thing. Tonight is a musician so will check that out at 9:30. Today is a easy relaxing day and maybe even a visit to the gym after lunch. We have a “face to face” with UK immigration tomorrow morning before we can disembark to Lerwick. Hoping it’s fast and easy. That’s all for now. Please let me know if you have any specific questions about Voyager.

We had dinner in CR last night for the first time. Service was a little slow (30 mins before we had our 1st course) but overall a nice dinner. Started with pâté and fig jam, iberico ham with roasted red pepper and artichokes and the Dover sole for my entree. I didnt find any of the specials appealing but luckily the anytime menu has more than enough options. Dessert was a white chocolate mousse but unfortunately I took a bite before remembering to get a photo.

Good morning from the Norwegian Sea. We are on our way to Lerwick in surprisingly very calm waters, although we seem to have a lot of vibration on deck 10 and some slight rocking. I will try and post some photos of the dinner last night but the Wi-Fi continues to be very very slow so uploading may not work until tomorrow. Here is a picture of the current sea conditions and a picture of Voyager leaving Alureyri yesterday.