NJBelle

Hi Joe, you can Google and find out more, but here is a nice NYT article that explains Global Entry and also helps one to make a cost/benefit assessment.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/travel/global-entry-and-company-worth-the-price.html

Hi there, just checking in to say that we got home safely as well. And to say that Global Entry is a beautiful thing. Anyone who travels outside the US at all should really consider getting one if you don't have it already. Lots of planes landed in Newark around the time that we did last evening (about 7 PM), but we zipped through Passport Control in no time, waited for our baggage (thankfully all arrived pretty quickly) and then zoomed through the Customs line (they have a special Global Entry line that had no one in it). Car was waiting for us and we were home in Princeton by 9 PM.

We were "independent travelers" - learned long ago that we like to do our own travel plans and not ride on buses with lots of other people to get to airports. We finished breakfast and headed down to disembark. Exited quickly, found our luggage easily - and fortunately hooked up with an assertive, seasoned luggage guy who flagged down a cab for us. So, for us, it was pretty quick, but do agree that it was crowded once you exited with your luggage and there was really no one there to "direct traffic". Would have been nice to have a Regent rep (someone local who is hired for this) to coordinate the taxis.

Hi all, this has been a great cruise. Best weather possible. Really unbelievable (in fact, a little too hot for me!). Anyway, so glad Jackie gave you reports along the way. I spent my internet time doing emails, texts with my daughter and Facebook. And of course, occasional lurking on CC!

My plan right now is to do an overall post about our experience on this cruise after we get home. We will see how energetic I am after I deal with laundry - and, oh, the 5 relatives visiting in our home as I write! But I do have good intentions...

Wishing safe travels for all the CCers on this cruise!

Best, Janice

To answer the OP's question, they have Diet Dr Pepper on the Voyager. I am on her right now and I saw Diet DP, diet Coke, Coke Zero, Diet 7 up, diet root beer and maybe a few others in the beverage area by the Pool Ice Cream bar. Also know that they have diet tonic at the bar.

Beautiful photos of the Voyager! We are on her right now. Today we are sailing to Murmansk.

Kudos to Jackie and Peggy for a great Meet and Greet. Was wonderful to meet everyone and to visit with the Captain.

Loving this sea day so far. It is finally cool! The "heat wave" in Oslo and Bergen was too hot for me (up to 83 degrees!). So glad to have nice cool and sunny weather. Getting ready for the midnight sun. Tonight is the last night where we will have any darkness, then from Monday onward, it will be 7 days of sun. Just as long as it is cool :).

Sailing toward Honningsvag!

Today in Bergen was fabulous. We started out the day with room service and a beautiful view of one of the Bergen harbors. We left for our excursion at 8:50. Have to compliment Regent on the changes to the way busses are boarded. For these last two days, we have only waited a minute or two and then we have headed for the tour. Today we met at the dock and then did a little walking tour of Bergen before we took the funicular to Mt Floyen. The hiking tour was really lovely - but was pretty arduous. Most people made it up to the top, but if you didn't there were still good places to wait and look at beautiful scenery. Our guide was laid-back but herded us along pretty well. Eric and I dubbed our group " a good group". Everyone seemed there to have a good time and went with the plan. It helped a great deal that weather was just gorgeous. Rare day in Bergen. (FYI - we had gotten off a wait list for the Ole Bull excursion, but when we knew that it wouldn't rain today, we said - this the day for a hike!). Anyway, all went well and we had a great time afterwards in Bergen.

When we got back to the ship, had one of the best showers of my life when I washed all the hiking sweat off. Enjoyed the sail away from the veranda with a glass of wine. Then read my book (Note: normally I read 4-6 books on a cruise, but have only read 100 pages of my novel so far. I need a sea day!!)

Lovely dinner in Compass Rose. Then enjoyed the show in the Theater with the clarinet virtuoso. Looking forward to tomorrow - a sea day!

Well, I am enjoying my first latte of the cruise in the coffee bar. I had a lazy afternoon....okay, I napped in the shade by the pool. Woke up in time to enjoy the sail away from Kristiansand. And now figure I need a jolt of caffeine to carry me through the evening. I will be starting with other libations soon enough :-)

Yes, Tim, of course I remember you! A fellow Alabamian on the high seas is not someone I would forget. Can you believe our daughters have grown up? Ours just finished her first year in college. She has a summer job so she stayed at home - and judging from her texts she is not happy about being left behind!

As TC says, Ray is not our CD. He was CD with Captain Green when we were on in February (Sydney and beyond). We miss his "and today is going to be a glorious day in .....whoever we were. And it was a glorious day in Kristiansand. We did a nice tour of an open air village, an old church and a fishing village. Very low key and enjoyable. Tomorrow we are in Bergen - I just checked the forecast. Several degrees cooler and no rain! Hope that forecast keeps - if so, it will be the first time we have been in Bergen that it didn't rain (this will be my fourth trip). We have signed up for a hike and that will be much more pleasant in the sunshine.

Still loving the cruise.....

Sailing from Oslo...

We left Oslo with a spectacular sail away at 4 pm today. Took a few photos and then Eric and I joined Roy and Esther in their suite - and met Joan and Joe as well. Beautiful digs and views. Rest of sail away was fun with lots of beautiful scenery. Captain was very obliging to back up in the harbour so that passengers could see the Opera House. We had gone during our time in Oslo but many did not get that chance. And lovely to see it from a different vantage point.

Met several lovely couples at the Pool Bar. Listened to the pianist in the Observation Lounge. He plays really well but honestly we prefer a pianist who can sing and do a piano bar. We were there for pre -dinner cocktails, so are going back shortly to see if he can sing- but not optimistic.

Dinner in a Prime 7 was superb. We split the big porterhouse and it was divine. We had eaten fish in Oslo for the past 4 evenings, so enjoyed a night of beef.

Passengers seem very pleasant and happy to be here. We sure are!!

Tomorrow is Kristiansand. We have an excursion at 8:30, so we need to ignore the lighted sky and make sure we get to bed in time!

Voyager, Oslo welcomes you!

We were sitting by our little balcony this morning and cheered as the Voyager slowly sailed into the harbor and docked. We have seen several different ships docked there over the last few days, but obviously none so sweet as the Voyager.

In fact, Jackie, I was thinking of you as it was docking. Kind of thinking of you,thinking of us soon-to-be passengers. So yes, we were definitely watching!

We are about to head out to do a little outer city hiking. My husband has spent quite a bit of time here, back in his student days, so we are going to go to one of his favorite parks. I asked for views and shade and so this is what he prescribed. Yesterday was a glorious day (although a little hotter than I would prefer!). Today should be the same.

See everyone soon!

Hi, we were in St. Petersburg about 10 years ago and I remember the guides were fine with American dollars. Generally I agree that it is better to give the tips in the local currency, but dollars or euros are certainly better than not giving a tip at all - or driving yourself crazy trying to get some local money!

Hi there, I can answer that question about the hair dryer and save Jackie some time while she is cruising....

We were just on the Voyager in February (although we are flying out on Saturday to join the next cruise when it leaves from Oslo - can't wait!). Anyway, the hair dryer is pretty high wattage. It is kept in the drawer in the walk-in closet (at least to start) and you can use anywhere in the suite (maybe not the bathroom due to lack of plugs there, not really sure). Bottom line, even though I don't remember the exact wattage, it is just as good as mine at home.

Hi Jackie, we've not met but I look forward to the pleasure when my husband and I board in Oslo. Hope you have your luggage by the time you see this note!

Thanks for the updates on the cruise so far. I am thrilled to hear that the chef is one of Regent's best. To me, the chef is the most important staff person on the cruise - since I am involved with him (at least) three times a day, every single day!

Best, Janice

Could people quit hijacking threads and stick to the topic? This one is supposed to be about Terry Breen - and destination lecturers. If you want to talk about excursions, please start a new thread!

Hi, I have not been on the Explorer, but did sail on Le Boreal to Antarctica in January of 2012. It was done via A&K, who had leased the boat and staff (with the exception of their own Cruise Director and Expedition Leaders) from Ponant. The ship is great - and spacious, since although it is a 300-passenger ship, for Antarctica, they only take 200 passengers (due to regulations in Antarctica restricting the number of passengers who can be on land at any one time).

The weather for our trip was fabulous. I made sure to bring all the layers, etc - and they do provide the parka. But maybe we were just lucky, but I found it quite mild. Much like winter (normal winters, that is!) in New Jersey. Some days I was on deck with just shirt sleeves!

A&K provided fabulous guides and expedition leaders. If there are better ones out there, I would love to see them. And second the recommendation to choose a trip that includes South Georgia. Not to be missed.

Oh, and part of the reason I chose A&K/Le Boreal is that my husband didn't want to go, and the single supplement for the A&K trip was only 30% compared to 100% for Silversea and others. I saw it as quite a deal!

I can't wait to go back - next time, I will convince my husband to go as well!

Balcony - hands down.

Of course, the inside is cheaper, so if you need to do it for financial reasons, you can still see plenty. BUT if you can do it, you will love having a balcony in Norway. The scenery is so fantastic and while going down a fjord, there is nothing better than sitting on your own balcony with a nice glass of wine. And you can do it in your pajamas! (Then you might be enjoying a cup of coffee but whatever floats your boat!.....) Lots of times there were early morning sails toward a port that were just wonderful and it was nice not to have to dress and go up to the deck to enjoy the scenery.

Hello Everyone,

My family I and recently took a cruise that started in London, went north around the UK, up to the Faroe Islands, over to Iceland and then back around Ireland and ended up in Southampton. We traveled from July 1 to July 20, 2011 on the Silver Cloud, a Silversea ship with 296 passenger capacity. Here is a brief report of the excursions that my family and I took while on this cruise. We do a mix of ship's tours and "on our own". Frankly, we like a lot of sea days; this cruise had 4 but we would have liked a few more, so in some ports, we tried to achieve a mix of seeing new things but also having time on board for relaxation. I recently put a variation on this post on the Silversea Board, but realized that many more might be interested in some of the excursions/experiences that we had during this cruise, so have done a bit of cut and paste to make this more general.

London Embarkation - there were no excursions from the ship since we sailed only a few hours after embarking at Tower Bridge (but the sailaway was great!)

Aberdeen, Scotland - our first excursion of the cruise was "Aberdeen Highlights and Crathes Castle". I chose this one partially since it would give us an overview of the countryside around Aberdeen as we drove to the castle. While I was not particularly interested in Aberdeen as a city, the tour included a city tour (no stopping) with narration by the local guide, and it was fine, but I wouldn't spend any more time there. Crathes Castle is a well-preserved 16th century castle and while the Burnett family gave it to the National Trust in 1951, they still use it and live nearby. The castle is beautiful and it was a good tour in that one can roam about at one's own pace (although there are docents in each room) and the whole castle is open for view. The gardens are lovely and very pretty in the midst of summer. (Total time about 4 hours)

Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland - This was a port that we did "on our own". There was a shuttle from the ship (although the distance was short and we actually walked back to the ship ourselves) and it let out in the downtown area. The Old Town is quaint and includes the Town Hall and Fort Charlotte. There are nice views of the harbor. We shopped a bit for knitwear but didn't buy anything. There is a great little museum in town, the Shetland Museum and Archives. It was free and we enjoyed an hour or so, wandering through the exhibits.

Torshavn, Faroe Islands, Denmark - We chose the Vestmanna Sea Cliffs and really enjoyed this one. I chose it to see the scenery of the islands as we drove to the boat for the tour of the cliffs and we really did see some spectacular scenery along the way - fjords, waterfalls, mountains, tunnels, and pretty little towns nestled in the harbors. We boarded boats in the village of Vestmanna (there were 2 buses from our ship and two boats - one was much bigger; we ended up on the larger boat and from what I heard that was a good choice). Both boats went along the cliffs and we saw lots of birds and it was fun to see the sheep grazing on the steep hillsides. The captain had done some narration at the beginning about what kinds of birds we would see but then was quiet later in the trip (so as not to scare the birds, I guess). So, I was never really sure what the birds were that we saw. We started calling everything a puffin, but it would have been good to have a little guide on hand to help with the identification. I thought it was very cool when we entered the sea caverns - almost like a Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It was pretty chilly to be on the top deck but we stayed there for the best views. Definitely a fun excursion. (4 hours)

Akureyri, Iceland - Mostly I am proud that I learned to pronounce this. Seriously, this was a beautiful port (pretty little town - we had a short drive-through) and we had a great excursion. We chose "Jewels of the North" and that included Godafoss (Waterfalls of the Gods), Lake Myvatn - where we saw pseudocraters, Dimmuborgir with its dramatic lava formations and Namaskard with tons of mud pools, boiling sulfur springs and such (as the guide said, this is what hell might look like). All of this was so strange and beautiful in a stark, dramatic, spare kind of way - like lunar landscapes at times. It really was a way to experience the volcanic energy of the area (but yet feel safe!). (7.5 hours and included lunch).

Isafjordur, Iceland - My husband and daughter went "Sea Angling with a Local Captain" and had a fabulous time. There were only two boats (with 4 passengers per boat) so this would be one to sign up for quickly if interested. They caught tons of fish in both boats and among the fishermen, it was decided to have a "Fishermans' Dinner" on board the ship later; once that was agreed, they started gutting and icing the fish on the fishing boat. The ship's chef met the boats at the dock and certified the fish and took it back to the ship. (4 hours)

BTW, for this port, I was to have gone on the "Vigur Island by Boat" excursion, but had twisted my ankle the previous day and I decided that I should cancel and keep my foot elevated instead. That was good advice for myself, but I hated to miss this excursion - later that afternoon, I talked to a couple of people who had done it and they said it was great.

Reyjavik, Iceland - we were interested in "The Golden Circle" sights but didn't want to sign up for an 8.5 hour day - plus with 3 of us, I figured that we could rent a car and do it much cheaper on our own. That was a great way to do it, as it turns out. We called Hertz and they came to the ship to pick us up and take us back to their office to get the car (and at the end of the day, returned us to the ship). Everyone in the office spoke English very well and they gave us good maps, etc. Total cost for the car was about $200 plus about $75 for lunch (and for 3 of us @ $239 for the ship's excursion, you can see this was a better deal). It was easy to drive in Iceland and it was great to be able to stop where we wanted and have lunch where we wanted. We went to Thingvellir National Park and I thought this was a wonderful site, both from a geological and historical perspective. It was free (although the bathroom costs $2 or 2 euros - they change the money for you - per person!) and I could have stayed quite a while there roaming around, but we wanted to see the other sites as well. So, on we went to the Great Geysir area and that was a lot of fun to walk among the geysirs. There is a very active one that blows every few minutes, so you can hang around and get pictures of various stages of it. We then headed on to Gullfoss, which is thought to be the most beautiful waterfall in the country. We could have then driven southwest and swung over to the Blue Lagoon, but we had already seen a beautiful geothermal pool during our Akureyri excursion, so we decided to pass on that. All in all, we were very happy with our day and our decision to rent a car. We would have loved to have more time to explore the city of Reykjavik, but we figured we will just have to go back sometime. (We loved Iceland, so planning a return trip is not such a stretch.)

Grenock (Glasgow), Scotland - This is another port which we did "on our own". Grenock has nothing to really keep you there, but we were able to walk to the train station (about 20 min walk from the ship) and take a train into Glasgow. (Well, it was a train and then a bus, since they were doing work on the line, but that just added to the adventure). Glasgow is a pretty city and definitely being revitalized. We walked around, toured the Cathedral and had a great lunch in one of many restaurants available. We looked around but didn't really feel like shopping much although several of our shipmates (who were on the train home with us) had lots of shopping bags with them.

Dublin, Ireland - We had been to Dublin before, so this was another "on our own". I think Dublin is a very easy town to do this way since the ship provided a shuttle and then it is a very short walk to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Last time, we did the Hop On, Hop Off bus and a highlight for us was the Guinness Storehouse tour. This time we explored the Temple Bar area - which are the cobbled streets with cafes, bars, theaters, shops in between the River and Dame Street. The Dublin Castle was also right there and we took a look at that. Dublin is a good shopping city and there is Grafton Street (a pedestrian street only) and Nassau Street (right in back of Trinity College) where there are lots of shops.

Cobh/Cork, Ireland - We had been to Cobh/Cork previously and had gone to Blarney Castle (my take on that: sort of one of those "gotta do" things, but really the Castle is not that great and the lines are long; you are really going to kiss the Blarney Stone which is embedded on the top level.). Anyway, we had thought that we would get a cab and go to Kinsale, which is a picturesque sailing town and everyone seems to rave about it on Trip Advisor/CC. (I had information from the Travel Desk that it would be about 50 euros each way for a cab to/from Kinsale). However, I got to reading more about Cobh - where the ship docks. It is, in fact, a pretty little fishing village itself (it is one of the world's largest natural harbors) and there is a nice little museum right at the pier about its role in maritime history - specifically the Titanic, the Lusitania, and the transportation of convicts to Australia in the 18th/19th centuries. Anyway, I saw in one of the brochures that each day there was a walking tour given by a local guide, so we decided to do that (it was about 11 euros each, I think). It was a fun walk (although a wet one, since it started raining during the tour) and it ended up in a local pub where either a beer, coffee/tea or soft drink was offered (included as part of the tour). So, after we warmed up a bit, we went back to the ship, had lunch and then went through the little museum. (Others on board had plenty of time to do a morning excursion and do the little museum in the afternoon- only takes about an hour).

Falmouth, England - This was a new port for us and I was very intrigued about St. Michael's Mount. I liked this excursion since it took us through the beautiful green countryside of Cornwall and to the cute little village of Marazion where you access the Mount, which is a 12th century castle/14th century priory perched on a tidal island. In the morning, you can only get there by boat since it is completely surrounded by water. Around noontime, you are able to walk to it via a little causeway which emerges once the tide goes out. We got there early, rode the boat over, explored the castle and then had a cup of tea while we waited for the tide to recede. Then we walked back across the path; I thought this was VERY COOL. I had been wanting to go to Mont St. Michel (in France) for the longest time, but we have just never made it there. Well, St. Michael's Mount is a sister site to it and I was very happy to have been able to take this excursion. The site is very beautiful and this was a memorable excursion for me (but I must add, it was drizzling and the rocks and stepping stones to get to the castle were very slippery and somewhat treacherous in places - you need good shoes and a nimble step for this one). (5.5 hours, no lunch)

Next stop was Southampton - where, sadly, we had to get off the ship. Before I left for the cruise, I had arranged a car pickup from Simply Airports at a cost of $244 (150 pounds) for the 3 of us and all our luggage. (The cost for the ship's Group Transportation via Motorcoach to Heathrow would have been $207 for the 3 of us, but we like the convenience of having private transportation.)

Hope some of this is of use to those who might be traveling in these areas. It was definitely a great trip for us.

Best, NJBelle

Hi Terry, I have been following you for the past couple of weeks and have to add my voice to the accolades that you have been receiving. You were so diligent to report on your trip - and to include such incredible pictures was just icing on the cake. Thank you so much!

I was interested for two reasons: the Cloud is one of our favorite ships (my daughter, who is 15, says it is her absolute favorite; my husband and I put it in the top 3-4) and we have had fabulous cruises on her (once along the South African coast and then along the Southern tip of South America). And we have had wonderful memories along the coast of Norway. My husband is of Norwegian descent, so many years ago, we took a Crystal cruise along the fjords. Then 3 years ago, we took the Regent Voyager past the North Cape, through Svalbard and almost to the polar ice cap. We absolutely love that area (and after the very hot summer so far, we are looking into another Norway cruise for the summer of 2012!). Your day by day, minute by minute account was very much appreciated by our family and I thank you for all the many hours it must have taken you to put this all together.

We are going to be traveling on the Cloud again next summer so am glad to hear that you think she is still in good shape.

Again, all our thanks!

Good for you, aprildream!

I have been reading these wonderful posts and agree with all who have commented on about how it is a great way to spend time now with family. And I was thinking that my husband and I had had the same thought when we started cruising 7 years ago. Our daughter was 5 and now she has been on 10 cruises! It is funny when we are on an elevator and one of the older passengers looks over at her and says "so it this your first cruise?" We have had great times and I don't regret a minute on any of the cruises we have gone on. We would do more than 2 a year if we got more vacation.

But even with all of the wonderful times with my family and the opportunity to be with my family that cruising offers, I was also thinking that I would not hesitate to go on a cruise by myself since I just love to be on a cruise and to see new places. Aprildream, you will meet so many other people on the cruise to hang with if you choose to and you will have a great time.

My condolences on the loss of your husband. AND my best wishes for a fabulous time

NJBelle