Ports of Scandinavia - LIVE from the Voyager 6/28 - 7/27/2014

[Mudhen]

Oh boy! Oh wow! That sounded like it was such fun! Our daughter and I did a fishing trip in Alaska that was on the same order.......caught fish, went to over the top campsite, they cooked it, was delicious, but most of all THE BEST FUN!

We most definately could've used the "ice bar" afterwards for a warm up but made do with throwing our wet duds into the cabin tub, putting on our fluffy robes and calling room service for mac and cheese and tomato soup and grilled cheese......exaclty what wine goes with grilled cheese?........but I digress........

So glad you had a great time......eager to hear about your other adventures! Keep us all posted.......hugs to you both and a wink to Jan! haha!

[RachelG]

The crab adventure sounds like so much fun. When we were there, we went to Nordcapp because my husband wanted to be able to say he had been there. And we were only in port long enough to do one or the other.

 

Very excited about the steel cutting for the new ship!

[larry1365]

Jackie,

 

I promise I would never have made a comment re: clothes. I'm hardly up there in the "stylish" category.

 

Donald's name is familiar - from past Voyager trips and I know Devor. It's always great seeing familiar faces!

 

I think I remember JR - he's a singer, if I remember correctly . . . .

 

Keep on enjoying and I'm glad your things are on their way!

 

Peggy

Peggy -- JR was asst cruise director, or something like that, for Jamie on our 2010 Voyager World Cruise. A great guy...we met him the first day (which was his first day) and became good friends. Yes, he was a great singer, even did a couple special shows in the Horizon Lounge. After the WC he was off to Oceania. He didn't think he would remain in the business too long. Glad that he is still around and has been promoted. Please tell him hello from Larry and Karen.

[xrvlcruiser]

Hi Larry (and Karen),

 

I'll pass along your message to JR when i see him.

 

He did a terrific show a couple of days ago . . . . .

 

Peggy

[Travelcat2]

Murmansk, Russia! Temperature -- mid-60's. IMO, there is not too much to see in his port but it was interesting to learn about the houses they live in, employment, etc. There was a very beautiful church that we stopped at. Rather than a 3 1/2 hour excursion, this would have been better if it were a 2 hour excursion. Murmansk is 200 km. from both the borders of Norway and Finland. Residents of Murmansk look forward to shopping trips to these countries during the summer. The highlight of our tour was pancakes/crepes and tea at a hotel (one of the Radisson hotels -- very nice). The food was delicious and it was served by people wearing traditional Russian costumes.

 

Turning our clocks ahead for two hours (only for today) was a bit rough. We got back to the ship 3:00 p.m. (and La Veranda stayed open for us). Thankfully our dinner reservations tonight is for 7:30 p.m. in P-7. When we go to bed tonight we will regain the lost 2 hours.

 

For several days I have wanted to thank Joe and Joan for handing out the cute pins at our Meet and Greet. It was so thoughtful of them to do that!

 

Looking forward to going back to Norway.

[Joanandjoe]

I'm happy you enjoyed the pins...I thought they would produce a chuckle. We did not have a good tour in Murmansk: toured the city for an hour, listening to pro-Russian propaganda which skirted any facts. We then entered the Oceanarium, which smelled of old fish and featured dirty water for the animals to perform in. The seal show was far better than expected from the setting, and rivaled shows in Hawaii, New York and other venues. Bathrooms only in the church, only on request, smelly with no toilet paper. Glad to be on our way back to Norway!

[lonestarlady53]

Jackie - really enjoying your posts - makes me miss the Voyager and her crew so much!

 

Please tell Jan hello from Cindy and David. He posted a picture of the Titos bottle on Facebook and was quite excited to get it on board - I told him we're lucky since it's made right here in our hometown (but it doesn't make it much cheaper!).

[Travelcat2]

Jackie - really enjoying your posts - makes me miss the Voyager and her crew so much!

 

Please tell Jan hello from Cindy and David. He posted a picture of the Titos bottle on Facebook and was quite excited to get it on board - I told him we're lucky since it's made right here in our hometown (but it doesn't make it much cheaper!).

 

Will do! He is a lovely man. We will join his Facebook page when we get home. I've been sipping Titos on the rocks every evening -- really smooth! Is Titos priced with high end vodkas like Grey Goose? Just curious!

 

We had a most interesting morning. The Captain and G.M. were in the ttheater to talk about their backgrounds (briefly) and answer questions from passengers. Questions were asked about the "pilot" that joins the ship when arriving to or departing from a port, what each person's typical day was like, etc. I found it very interesting when they were asked how many crew members actually worked for PCH since most of them work for outside companies. When you remove the food and beverage crew, the boutique, hotel staff, internet staff and the spa, you are left will well under 100 people. The company that provides food is apparently a big Regent investor and is like part of the family (not sure if that includes the food and beverage crew -- probably not). When talking about "contractors", the former Park West was mentioned. Spontaneous applause broke out when we were reminded that they are no longer here. Most of us on Cruise Critic were not fans of Park West but who knew that just about everyone is happy to see them gone?

 

The shows have been few and far between so having the opportunity to spend time with the Capt. and G.M. in the theater was a treat.

 

We dock in Norway this afternoon -- we'll take a short excursion. I'll be reporting on that later.

[Linda VH]

In our area the big bottle of Grey Goose costs $39.97 and the big bottle of Tito's is $29 something. My local liquor store has 2 big bottles for $28 each. I switched to Tito's quite a while ago.

[Joanandjoe]

We're on the ship now, so I guess we could ask at the bar; but we've never heard of Tito's. If it's vodka, gin, or tequila, that would explain it, since we don't drink any of those liquors.

[Mudhen]

Vodka made in Texas

[Travelcat2]

lonestarlady53: Gave your regards to Jan. He said that he remembers you from a Mariner cruise. We are enjoying his mixology skills very much.

 

Since my earlier post I remember another interesting tidbit from the meeting this morning with the G.M. and Capt. They were asked how long they would wait for passengers that were late for the departure of the ship. We had a couple that were missing and were being paged over and over the other day. We were told that they wait as long as they possibly can (without impacting the other 699 passengers on board). They call hospitals and the police to see if there was a problem. The other day the G.M. walked through the streets of town looking for the couple. However, if they are not found, their passports are given to the port agent and he/she waits for them. Fortunately, the missing passengers were found:)

 

Today's port was delightful. This is an up and coming city. Oil was found a while ago and money is being poured into the city. As beautiful as it is, there is still many months of darkness when the sun never rises and a few months of 24/7 sunlight (which we have been experiencing the last few days). We are grateful for the "black-out" drapes in the suite.

 

Tomorrow is a much welcomed sea day. Then we have one port day and two more sea days. As I have posted previously, this is a very long cruise for us. We loved the cruise but can barely tolerate the excursions (they are decent excursions but the passengers do not act like luxury cruisers). The other day a physically challenged woman had to walk to the back of the bus because the front seats were occupied by able bodied people. When I offered our seats (already in the back of the bus) she said that "some people just need to sit in the front". This really saddens me. It is not the fault of Regent (they reserve seats) -- it is the fault of people that are so selfish that they do not think of others!

 

What is also disappointing on this cruise is that every single seat on the bus is full. We have not seen that previously on Regent. While I am not 100% certain that this was the case on the first segment of the cruise, I know that the passengers were more polite -- gave up their sets for people that needed them and did not act like a pack of wolves when it came to standing in line to get their bus assignments. Thankfully, we have cancelled all but one future excursion on this segment. On our next cruise (in October), we expect to cancel most of the excursions that we have booked.

[nancygp]

Hi Jackie, loving your reports.

 

Although I did a similar cruises several years ago on another luxury line, I did want to share some things about excursions in Norway, particularly small ports. I do believe the busses are very full because there is just not enough supply for the demand. While Crystal doesn't offer included excursions, we had this situation in Gerainger and other ports. As a matter of fact, the tour operators brought in tour guides from others parts of Norway just to accommodate all of the cruise ships in port...we had 2 rather large ships in port in Gerainger with us.

 

I've read that Regent doesn't always have a Regent escort on every tour. If there is a Regent escort, that person should be the one that makes sure that the front seats go to those that really need it. I'm just amazed how people behave, just encountered a bit of this on my last Crystal Cruise and have never seen so many rude passengers previously. I will tell you that Crystal always has a Crystal representative on each and every shore excursion.

 

While I'm not a big Vodka drinker, love Titos (made in my home state).

 

Enjoy,

 

Nancy

[Caroldoll]

First, Jackie, Titos here at Pavillions is about $27 for a big bottle. Not high priced at all. Very good. Glad you tried it.

 

Regarding the bus situation. I have another thought on this. We very seldom take excursions on the bus as my husband who is all legs and 6' 6" simply can not get his legs in. We either have to have the front seat or if there is a back door, the seat right behind the door. Sometimes there is enough room for him on the very back of the bus in the middle. We DO try to get the front seat for that reason. Also if it is a sightseeing tour, I am only 4' 11" barely and can not see over anyone. When there is a physically challenged person, we are willing to give up our seat if we can at least go to the very back where he can sit. One must consider this too.

 

We were on a cruise, Regent, in South America. We decided at the last minute to take a tour in Uruguay on the bus. We rushed for a front seat where he would fit...and the tour operator, the lady who talks, came and told me we would have to move because the lady behind her was unable to walk to the back. I almost laughed out loud as it was a prominent member of a loud group of Russians who gathered every night and sang and danced by the piano...she danced. I told the nice bus lady that if she could dance at night, she could walk a few paces back.

 

Perhaps this gives another slant on the subject! Things are not always what meets the eye.

 

I understand there is one cruise line who specializes in these challenged individuals. I feel so sorry for them.

 

This size reason is also why we don't share tours with others on Oceania.

[lonestarlady53]

Thanks Jackie! We cruised with Jan on the Circle South America Cruise a few years back and then met up with him again on a Navigator a couple of years ago.

 

Titos here in Austin is about $20.00 for a 750ml bottle - Grey Goose about $30.00, but I like Titos better.

 

Sure am envious of the cooler temps you guys are having - sure beats the 100 degree weather here in Texas!

 

We too have noticed different behaviors among the groups on excursions over the years (we too are Platinum cruisers with Regent). Oddly enough, we have noticed some of the "rudest" behavior on those cruises where we have a lot of repeat cruisers. My DH and I tend to just resolve ourselves to "bring up the rear" - we hate the pushing and shoving for position, and we honestly like the back of the bus! So it works out for us - we just sit back and shake our heads and smile!! Or, like you, we just end up venturing out on our own a lot.

Edited July 18, 2014 by lonestarlady53

[Travelcat2]

Thank you so much for all of the input. I had not thought about the fact that Regent needs to fill the buses because there are not enough buses available. Some of these ports cities are really small and it makes sense that they don't have a large supply of buses.

 

In terms of the behavior of the guests, this cruise is 90% repeat customers while the last segment had far fewer repeat customers. I hope that this isn't the reason for the behavior. We are automatically going to the back entrance of the bus and do not even want to deal with the craziness in the front. This is our 17th Regent cruise and we do not feel that we act any differently than on our first cruise (except that we know a lot of the staff and find our way around the ships quite well:-) I suspect that people that are rude to the staff and/or push you aside to get a bus ticket act the same way when they are at home. There has been a Regent escort on every tour we have been on but they have been fairly invisible. They could take a more active role. In terms of needing front seats, I understand that not all physical issues are apparent by looking at a person. But, even if you are in the third or fourth row, if a person looks like they could benefit from being sitting closer to the exit, why not give up your seat? Alternatively, being near the rear exit may be helpful (depending upon the bus -- some buses have difficult stairs to climb in the back). Okay, I promise not to complain about excursions for the rest of this cruise:-)

 

In terms of Tito's, the Texas alcohol prices are amazing. The last time we were there we took an extra suitcase -- purchased two very large bottles of premium tequila and brought them home. That was two years ago and we still have some left:-)

 

Today is a lecture, a fashion show put on by the Boutique staff, a cocktail making demonstration and a chili competition (and that is just the morning activities).

[RachelG]

Saw a big display of Tito's in the liquor store the other day. I am not a drinker of vodka, except for a very rare bloody mary, but my son says that it is very good, plus being made in the US and well priced.

 

We had the same issue with packed buses on Silversea Explorer. We were in some VERY remote places in the Arctic and used every bus available. Actually I believe you are stopping at one of them on your current trip. One place we were in 2 school buses and a fire department transport van.

[Sunprince]

I would be happy to give up a seat to someone who needs to sit closer to the door, however I also find that those "slower" moving people aren't necessarily courteous to others. They must be the first off the bus, and then stand in or near the door preventing others form getting off the bus quickly. Perhaps they could stay put in their seat, and then take their time to get off the bus after the "faster" moving passengers do. The same courtesy should apply on the ship...sometimes I find they are in their own world without any consciousness of anyone else around them.

[Mudhen]

On a southern transatlantic on the Mariner, we stopped in Cape Verde. All they had were school buses.......went to the "top of the world" ( or at least that's what I thought...!) on a school bus. Rough ride but worth it for the view.....incredible. Sometimes we have to rough it a little to get to the good stuff.

[JPR]

I can get Tito's at The Wine House in Los Angeles for $18 for 750 ml. Grey Goose is routinely about $27-28.

[gnomie1]

I have to confess - I am one of the people who was always trying to get to the bus first in order to get a seat toward the front of the bus. I never aim for the first or second row, the third or fourth is fine. My Mom, who is 87 years young and has some medical issues which are not quite obvious to people who are unaware. However, she does not want the first or second row, believing passengers who have issues much more serious than her should be entitled to those seats. The problem is that Regent will not save seats past row 2 - I know, I have been trying to get this accomplished for the past five years. On our last cruise, after too many excursions where we had to sit in the back and it was a struggle for her, I requested handicapped seating. On two excursions the first row was saved for us and the comments directed toward my Mom and me were so ugly, that she now refuses to allow me to have Regent reserve a seat for her.

 

It really is a no win situation - when we travel with the children, they know to seat in the back, unless of course they are taking turns sitting with their grandmother. If I am not traveling with Mom, I ALWAYS sit in the back of the bus.

 

BTW - ALL other travel companies that we have dealt with never have a problem with our bus requests, it seems to be a "Regent problem". We also have witnessed people who have requested "handicapped seating" on the bus, only to be seen dancing the night away or running back to the bus after taking too much time shopping. On the other hand, and I have to say this is happening more and more, people who really have an obvious disability struggling with mobility are in the middle/back of the bus and able body people are sitting in the first row.

 

gnomie :)

[Mudhen]

I guess we were fortunate on the last Regent Voyager cruise thru SP and Scandanavia . John and I did a bunch of excursions and we never witnessed anyone messing with the "reserved seats" . I bet 4 or 5 of our trips had no one sitting in those seats. Guess it's the luck of the draw, but haven't seen that ugly part of excursions as of yet.

" no matter what, I think people are basically good of heart"......Anne Frank

[georg0]

It is interesting that the biggest problem with any bus tour is the fellow passengers.

[Suite Travels]

Just caught up with your blog. Don't know how I missed it. Sounds like you are having a great time.

 

There are inconsiderate people everywhere. We never sit at the front of any transport and I will speak out for those who have disabilities and this should be blocked off for those that do. I have seen

this done on other lines as well including Crystal. Very unthoughtful behavior. Grrr.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I like to be toward the front of the bus too, because of motion sickness issues. Doesn't have to be the very front, and I can compromise--as long as I'm not right at the back usually I'm okay. Of course, the best way to avoid this is to avoid bus tours!