Mini Blog - Live from Voyager - Barcelona - Miami

[Hambagahle]

Jackie- you got ALL my attention!  Just saw “Indian Buffet dinner” at la Veranda!,  HOW I wish I were there!  Ken and I love Indian food and always ask our butler to organise an Indian dinner for us...but a buffet at la Veranda sounds wonderful.  Just hope the high seas don’t make plates spill!!

 

(I can see how CR looks like a good bet tonight though...)

[Anna201213]

18 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

So, tonight was the night of Miso Glazed Sea Bass.  Lovely Roxanne decided to order a double portion for us and it was delicious.  My favorite dish onboard without a doubt.

 

Seas are beginning to get rougher and is obviously felt more on the upper decks.  Dennis (my DH) decided not to go up there after this visit to the computer room due the difficulty in standing up.  I, on the other hand, will check it out and may have some champagne up there.

 

Again, nothing exciting to report.  Passengers are calm, quiet and very nice.  The crew is over the top!

What is the best season for TA crossings, November or April? Are the seas rougher from Europe to Miami than Miami to Europe?

 

[Travelcat2]

5 minutes ago, Anna201213 said:

What is the best season for TA crossings, November or April? Are the seas rougher from Europe to Miami than Miami to Europe?

 

 

5 minutes ago, Anna201213 said:

What is the best season for TA crossings, November or April? Are the seas rougher from Europe to Miami than Miami to Europe?

 

 

I think that you will hear various opinions.  We do not care for the April crossings because you lose so many hours going to Europe which I find exhausting while in November we gain hours.  Our TA crossing two years ago was calm compared to now.  There is typically no hurricanes towards the end of November but the weather around the world is not typical right now.  The fact that Mariner ended up wit 8 sea days last month is not typical either.   For us, when we doTA crossings, we stick with November.

[Anna201213]

24 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

 

I think that you will hear various opinions.  We do not care for the April crossings because you lose so many hours going to Europe which I find exhausting while in November we gain hours.  Our TA crossing two years ago was calm compared to now.  There is typically no hurricanes towards the end of November but the weather around the world is not typical right now.  The fact that Mariner ended up wit 8 sea days last month is not typical either.   For us, when we doTA crossings, we stick with November.

 

[Anna201213]

Thank you for your prompt reply. One month ago, we have booked a TA crossing on Nov 2019, so we won’t change for April 

[pingpong1]

April 29, 2020 - Mariner has a TA crossing (that is westbound - i.e., days get "longer") from Rome to Miami.

[BarbarianPaul]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

 

I think that you will hear various opinions.  We do not care for the April crossings because you lose so many hours going to Europe which I find exhausting while in November we gain hours.  Our TA crossing two years ago was calm compared to now.  There is typically no hurricanes towards the end of November but the weather around the world is not typical right now.  The fact that Mariner ended up wit 8 sea days last month is not typical either.   For us, when we doTA crossings, we stick with November.

Loving your mini blog Jackie! My wife and I have been in Asia on a non Regent cruise, and accessing CC, especially with this new non intuitive interface and slow internet, has been impossible. Anyway, hope your crossing is relaxing and fun. We too love sea days, though the logic of losing Bermuda a week in advance eludes me. Since you guys are arriving at the same time without any port stops, the slower speeds you’ll be travelling will save a Regent substantially on fuel costs. I wonder if that was a factor. How are the onboard speakers and entertainment? 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Jackie and Dennis - enjoy your journey. Just figured out how to post. 

Sheila

[daetchief]

Jackie,

I am remiss for not thanking you for your very through and informative series of posts.  Susan and I will be enjoying a holiday cruise on Voyager for New Years.   Your pictures and descriptions of daily life aboard is truly wetting our appetites for the coming season.   Stay safe while walking the ship but enjoy the ‘motion of the ocean’ at night.  In my Navy days I always slept well when the seas were up...  within limits!

 

[Travelcat2]

Hi Paul - good to see you (and. Bellagio Cruisers) on this thread.  I truly feel, based on video/posts on the television from the Captain that the issue is having to go slowly through the rough seas which would make us late into Miami. We just went through 30 hours of rough seas at at a slow speed.  What is most interesting to me is that the sun was shinning, the sky was blue yet the swells were very large.

 

I truly believe that Regent’s communication has been exceptional.  And, for that reason, passengers are not complaining and are taking everything in stride. 

 

In terms of onboard entertainmennt and speakers the entertainment, the entertainment has been good but, at least for us, being in the theater for too long was a challenge since it is forward and feels the waves in both directions.  The speakers have been good and we are never bored as there is so much to do.

 

Toight we had an Indian buffet and we just received the schedule for tomorrow which I will post.  

 

Daetchief -hope that you have a wonderful cruise on Voyager.

Edited November 18, 2018 by Travelcat2

[Travelcat2]

[Hambagahle]

17 hours ago, Anna201213 said:

What is the best season for TA crossings, November or April? Are the seas rougher from Europe to Miami than Miami to Europe?

 

We have done both.   And had good weather (swimming weather) on both.  AND had a spell of poor weather too on a November Rome/Ft Flauderdale crossing.  On that cruise we were on the Voyager and had had about a week of pool weather when we hit the tail end of a storm.  Lots of rain, we bounced about a bit but only for a day.  Then it was back to the pool!   The best - I think - is getting to Madeira when the jacarandas are blooming which is late March/early April.

[Stickman1990]

30 minutes ago, Hambagahle said:

The best - I think - is getting to Madeira when the jacarandas are blooming which is late March/early April.

 

Thanks for posting the daily news - interesting to compare the activities on Regent sea days to other lines. It looks like plenty to do

 

Interesting to hear when Jacarandas are out in Madeira - they are in full bloom here in Sydney at the moment  - absolutely stunning and my favourite tree

 

There’s a street here full of them that is an impressive display

 

Edited November 19, 2018 by Stickman1990

[Hambagahle]

Stickman 990 -- I grew up in Rhodesia and "Jacaranda time" was so beautiful.  In Bulawayo there were wide avenues of them.  Like your photo!   I really miss them...

 

They bloom in the Spring - you have spring now.  In Rhodesia they bloomed in October...  And end of March is Spring in Madeira!   Lovely though they are in Madeira they are not nearly a lovely as your photo!

[Travelcat2]

Love the Jacaranda photo - so beautiful!  All we can take photos of is the sea, the ship or the food...... still, we are having a great time.

 

Going to the lecture this morning.  There are also dance lessons by our newest Assistant Cruise Director, Lucy (someone asked who the ASD was and I finally know her name).l  She is a former ballroom dancer.  We may stop by the wine tasting after the lecture.  There are certainly plenty of things to do.  Passengers remain calm, relaxed and quiet.  I do not believe that I've ever called passengers "quiet" but that is what they are - polite and quiet.

 

Weather remains gorgeous - seas remain bouncy but not too bad.  Again, walking or standing is the issue - no one seems to be seasick from the type of swells that we are having.  

 

We will likely cancel our dining reservation in Chartreuse tonight as the menu doesn't appeal to us at the moment.  May dine in Sette Mari or CR.  

 

Will post if/when something of interest occurs.  May just post some food photos.  Definitely want to post the menu's from the television.  

[Boatmans Lady]

Just catching up on your blog and thank you for the daily schedules.

From a soon to be new on Regent cruiser it is good to have an idea of what is offered on sea days as we have two sets of 5 sea days.

 

Hope your swells stay manageable.

[Travelcat2]

Some menus,

 

[Travelcat2]

[Travelcat2]

[Travelcat2]

The CR always available menu is on the website.  Below is what is offred today in addition to the everyday menu.

 

[Travelcat2]

[Travelcat2]

Note: Ice cream choices are half of what they normally are. This may have something to do with the Voyager’s upcoming inspection in Miami.

 

 

[Travelcat2]

[Travelcat2]

Room service menu.

 

 

[greenolaker]

I am enjoying following along with your sailing. I can’t believe that you are getting internet in the middle of the ocean!  Love seeing the actual menus and daily activities.