Live from the Voyager

[fudge]

Day 1

Hi Everybody,

This is our second Regent cruise, I thought it would be nice to write a live blog.

So, where do I start, well, Mr Fudge is a young 72 yr. old, well he thinks he is, Mrs Fudge is an even younger 59 yr. old.

20 yrs. ago we emigrated from the UK to a lovely Mediterranean island call Cyprus. Living there makes these kinds of cruises great for us, we are only a one-hour plane ride from Istanbul.

 

This cruise is 10 days from Monte Carlo to Athens aboard the Regent Voyager.

We travelled yesterday (20^th) to Monte Carlo, Regent had us booked into the Riviera Marriot in Monte Carlo.

 

Unfortunately, as are these days we had severe flight delays resulting in us arriving at the hotel at 01.00 hrs, not good.

After a night’s sleep, we were asked to leave our luggage outside the room for 08.30 which we thought was early due to not leaving the hotel at midday!

 

We rose fairly early, there is coffee making facilities in the room, although pretty basic the room was clean and comfortable.

The hotel is right in the harbour, a lovely view of the huge expensive supper yachts right across from our room, how the rich live!

The breakfast was buffet style, enough food but as usual crammed with people and luke warm food, not a great experience at all.

The Regent reps were in attendance to answer any questions and tell us what time we are getting picked up for the cruise terminal. We are on bus 1 leaving at 11.30 am. Initially we were told we were making our own way to the ship; we quickly sorted that situation out.

So off we went, a short 10minute bus ride to the cruise terminal on a larch coach.

Masks:

I know this can be a controversial subject however, we are mask people. Last June I caught Covid after leaving the ship, I don’t want that again!

 

So, we board the bus with 40 other folks, four people wore masks two of us and two others, each to their own, I guess.

On arrival at the cruise terminal, it was slightly chaotic, we filled in a Covid form which could have been completed at the hotel.

The whole process however only took about 45 minutes which was not too bad.

All aboard.

We were shown to our muster station just to see where it was then off to La Veranda on deck 11 for lunch. It was a buffet lunch nicely set out and pleasing to see it was self-service once again.

At precisely 13.40 we had the call to our suites.

 

Off we went, arrived at 13.41 (lol) suite 1055, never having been in a Penthouse suite before I was surprised that the suite is no bigger than an ordinary suite, or am I missing something?

 

We are right at the back of the ship, the balcony is a wraparound balcony, its huge, really huge so that’s a bonus.

Our pre ordered drinks were waiting for us with fresh fruit and of course a cool bottle of champagne.

Tonight, we are booked into the Chartreuse restaurant, if our butler shows up, I will try, if possible, to acquire another reservation if available?

Our butler arrived, there are 364 pax on board, just about half capacity, it looks like we may be lucky for future reservations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ssawjo]

Enjoy the cruise and please keep us updated.  We leave on the Voyager on November 12 from Lisbon.

 

I have been to Cyprus a few times and really enjoyed the people, food, beaches, etc.  However, I have never been to Northern Cyprus.

 

Bill and Kathi

[SWFLAOK]

On Voyager, the better choice is Penthouse B. These are larger than 1055 which is a Penthouse C, and doesn't cost much more. We spent 32 nights on Voyager just before Covid, in cabin 862 which is a Penthouse B. Instead of being long and narrow as is typical for most cabins, 862 was wid,e with the bedroom and sitting area side by side. The long desk with a window next to the bed was my husband's favorite place to sit. That left the sitting area with the TV to me, so I could watch movies on sea days, while he spent time on his laptop, looking out at the sea.

But with only 364 passengers, you should have a great time.

We just finished Southampton to Southampton on Splendor which had just over 600 passengers, and Southamptom to Barcelona which was near its full capacity of 750. Excursions were a big problem, with almost everyone leaving the ship within 30 minutes, and then returning after lunch ended at all restaurants except the pool grill. They had to reopen La Veranda several times, and people were still eating lunch late in the afternoon.

The cabins on Splendor are bigger than Voyager for the same cabin level, but they're also more expensive. Our Concierge E on Splendor as larger than our Penthouse B on Voyager, but we thought the layout on Voyager worked better for us.

Hope you have a great time. We love Regent cruises.

[irishwitchy]

Looking forward to your review!  Enjoy. 

[fudge]

Day 2

Our dinner at the Chartreuse was really nice, the staff were very attentive but not overly so. Mrs Fudge started with the Cheese soufflé followed by the lobster bisque, then the rack of lamb, I had almost the same except for a starter I had the escargot, both meals were well presented and came in a timely manner, the restaurant was only half full, we will definitely eat there again if we can.

So, before the meal we strolled to the boutique, Mrs Fudge cannot resist, on our way out the manager of a jewellery shop opposite asked us would we like a free ticket for a prize draw, if you took a ticket you had to be there for the draw, we took two tickets.

Unfortunately, we were in the restaurant at 8pm, so when the starter came Mrs Fudge left for the draw, thankfully the shop was nearby. After 10 minutes when her souffle had sunk she came back with a big beaming smile on her face, she won a voucher for 500 dollars lucky thing, she kept smiling all night. In fairness. The staff at the restaurant had ordered a new souffle but she eat the original one.

After our meal we went to the observation lounge for a nightcap, there was only six people in the pianist started to play at 10pm.

An early rise, at 07.15 Mr Fudge was ordered to go for a take away coffee in the café on deck five, what a hike that was, we are giving breakfast a miss today, we grazed all day yesterday so a croissant was good enough with our coffee.

We have just docked in Civitavecchia, Rome, 07.30. We are on a four-hour trip this morning, a farmer’s breakfast.

At 09.00 hrs we left for our four-hour trip, there was only seven people on the trip. We took a short 45-minute drive to a local village, we spent 90 minutes exploring the town, it was OK.

We headed back to Civitavecchia for the Farmers breakfast. We arrived at a local restaurant/farm, greeted by the owners and sat together.

We were served copious glasses of red wine and served a lovely breakfast, actually it was more like lunch, we began eating about 11.30 am and finished close to 12.50 pm. We were served salami, cheese, tomatoes, bruschetta, tomatoes, pate, and other delights, enough that we did not need lunch on return to the ship, highly recommended tour.

The weather is pleasant, a warm 21 degrees, cloudy with some sun.

It has become apparent that there are a number of new staff on board, we met a guy on the pool deck, joined yesterday, the waiter in the restaurant joined eight days ago, a lady joined five days ago.

 We decided to try the trivia quiz today, we joined another group of four and failed miserably, we got six points from fifteen however, as only three teams were competing, we got a point each towards a prize at the end of the cruise, possibly a pencil sharpener or something similar?

Tonight, we are eating at the Compass Rose, looking forward to that.

Just as an aside, the Seabourn Ovation has just left the cruise terminal, we will be joining her next February on a fourteen-day cruise to the Caribbean.

 

 

 

 

[RJ2002]

Enjoying your reports, and a big congrats to Mrs Fudge. 

[PhD-iva]

9 hours ago, RJ2002 said:

Enjoying your reports, and a big congrats to Mrs Fudge. 

+1!

V entertaining!

[fudge]

Day 3

We docked at 08.00hrs in Salerno, Italy.

Last evening, we had a lovely meal in the Compass Rose, it was very quiet in there. The service was spot on, the crew all smiling and very helpful, the food was served hot and really tasty.

After a night cap in the observation lounge, we had an early night, we were the only people in the bar.

Today we have an eight-hour excursion to Pompei, we have never been before so looking forward to that.

This morning we learned that there is no formal night on this cruise which we find very odd? Never known that on any cruise before. There is a meet the senior staff get together but the captain will only be there virtually, again quite odd?

Missing breakfast again today just too much food, instead we opted for pastries and coffee brought to us by the butler bang on 0700hrs.

9am arrived, we boarded our coach for our excursion. Before I describe the trip, just a couple of points:

Having completed the excursion I would say that in my opinion it’s not for the infirm or those with mobility issues, there is a lot of walking especially in Pompei with a quite a few steep steps and uneven roads.

Before you go, please consider taking your own drinks and or food, Regent do not provide any drinks or food for the trip.

On arrival in your suite, you will find a complimentary flask/thermos, you can fill that with your choice of fluid. You could also take fruit or a pastry for lunch.

So off we set, to Sorrento, stunning scenery on the way of the Amalfi coast. The coach/bus ride took one hour 45 minutes, if you are not into long bus journeys this trip is not for you.

Once into Sorrento you have two hours at your leisure to explore the town, plenty of tourist’s shops and places to eat. We chose a pizza with fresh salad and a small beer, 12 Euros, lovely food.

At 2pm we set off for Pompei, about a 45-minute ride. It gave us enough time, two hours, for a good site seeing around the ruins. We had a fantastic guide for the trip, a young lady called Angela, she never stopped talking since we boarded the bus, she actually lives in Pompei, she was very knowledgeable indeed.

On the down side we arrived at the ship at 5.30pm, the ship sailed at 6pm, we did intend to go to the meet the officer’s reception but it was far too late to get ready, shame really. 

Pompei was really interesting, there were a lot of people there but not so you couldn’t see everything in comfort. That eruption in 79ad was something else, there are over 66 acres to discover however, since the 1700s only 45 acres have been unearthed. 

Tonight, we are eating in Prime 7, let’s see how that goes?

 

 

 

 

[ronrick1943]

Nice reading, looking forward to more—-sounds like you are enjoying your cruise.  Have fun and safe travel.  Thank you for taking the time from your cruise so we can travel along.

[flossie009]

Thanks for your reports from Voyager

 

2 hours ago, fudge said:

This morning we learned that there is no formal night on this cruise which we find very odd? Never known that on any cruise before.

Regent only has Formal-Optional nights on cruises of 16 nights or more. The recommended dress for the evenings is Elegant Casual

 

2 hours ago, fudge said:

the captain will only be there virtually

Hope he/she is on board  😲  🤣

 

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

I’m enjoying your report!  Thanks for taking the time to do it.  Looking forward to reading it each morning…a nice way to start the day!

 

Joanie

[bitob]

We will be on Voyager in January -- only our second Regent cruise (our first takes place on Splendor in 2 weeks). I full expect superb food and service.   I'd like to hear a little bit about the enrichment and entertainment if possible.

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks for posting about your trip. Take good care of Voyager, we board her at the end of January and can hardly wait. 

[fudge]

Day 4

Today we arrived in Messina, Italy, a lovely sunny day awaits us, today we are having a relaxing day on board.

The meal in prime 7 was just amazing. Despite being full the food was served on time, the staff were simply outstanding, the sommelier was with us almost all the meal, chatting away, he bought us a really nice Californian bottle of red wine which was delicious. I had the clam chowder to start followed by the 18oz bone in Porterhouse steak, cooked to perfection, Mrs Fudge also had a steak, she devoured it pretty quickly, a lady next to us finished with a 14 layer cake it was like the leaning tower of pizza which she did not manage to finish.

I know the dress code has been mentioned in fact done to death on all the boards however, one guy last night was dressed in a scruffy polo shirt, had I not known better it looked like he had just walked off the golf course!

Since we started the cruise, we have noticed that all the crew have been outstanding, taking the time to chat and always smiley faces. We have over 100 days on Silversea and a lot on Seabourn, this cruise so far has been one of the best ever, let’s hope it continues.

This morning we hope to gain more points. We are trying our hand at croquet, I am guessing we may be the only competitors, its 09.30 and there is no one on the pool deck except us, no reserving a bed today. (lol)

Later today we will try the trivia quiz, let’s hope we fair better than the other day?

Stop press: Mr Fudge won the croque competition, Mrs Fudge came second, it wasn’t that difficult we were the only two competing! He also won the “toss the ring” competition, I’m afraid to report that Mrs Fudge came second although she is very competitive, at this rate we may have enough points for a week’s cruise on Disney!! Did I really spend all those dollars to play games on board? Apparently yes, I did.

We are about to book a in suite dining experience, we do this on every cruise, so Mrs Fudge doesn’t have to put on her best frock, we can just chill out and enjoy a lovely Indian curry, one of our favourite meals. 

This morning we went for a walk into town, what we didn’t realise most of the shops close on a Monday, shame for Mrs Fudge she likes her retail therapy, saved Mr Fudge a few dollars though.

The ship is like a ghost ship at present, 340 got off for excursions, leaving about 40 on board.

Happy days, we managed to secure one more reservation in both prime 7 and the chartreuse restaurants.

Today we are taking full advantage of our wrap around balcony I described in an earlier thread. The sun is beating down, a lovely 27 degrees. We have two sun loungers the size of those around the pool, two very comfortable reclining chairs with comfy cushions and a table, with a cool bottle of champagne, what’s not to like?

One last thing before I sign off for today, we go for a pre-dinner drink in the bar, am I right in thinking you used to be served “nibbles” with your drink? We have not so far, I am sure if we asked, we would be offered some.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fudge]

Day 5

Today we arrived in Argostoli, Greece after a long eighteen-hour journey, thankfully it was a smooth crossing. Argostoli is a town and a municipality of Kefalonia which you may know?

The weather forecast is good 27 degrees, we have a four-hour trip today to Melissani, it’s a meze and Ouzo tour, for those who don’t know Ouzo is a popular Greek drink, it is aniseed based, I quite like it as a long drink.

For those eagle eyed amongst you and were paying attention I got the spelling wrong earlier, auto correct put pizza when describing the leaning tower, of course it should be Pisa, too much Red wine from me I guess!

We don’t dock until 10am so it was coffee and toast in our suite this morning.

Last evening, we ate at Prime 7 again, the food was very good, we both had the Dover sole, de boned at the table, we do like that venue.

Tonight, we are back to the chartreuse restaurant with a shared table which we don’t mind, we have already met some lovely people on board, thankfully no children.

We have just returned from our excursion. We left at 10.15 am aboard an air-conditioned bus with about 30 people on board. We drove through the mountains for about 50 minutes and arrived at a town call Sami.

We stopped at a typical Greek Taverna on the lake side, we were outside soaking up the lovely cloudless sky and bright sunshine. The lake was just meters away. We were served with a lovely meze and a choice of Red or White wine or Ouzo, Mr Fudge had the Ouzo, Mrs Fudge had a glass of White wine, the setting and the food were beautiful.

We boarded the bus for a short bus ride to an underground cave (Cave of the nymphs) we went down a ramp about 75 metres where a few small rowing boats were parked with a captain.

About 12 people on a boat, we spent 10 to 15 minutes exploring the caves, plenty of stalagmites, and blue waters. We headed out back to the ship, boarded about 2pm, a light lunch in la veranda, this gave Mrs Fudge to leave the ship and visit the local shops.

Disaster!!!! We turned up for the putting competition, no one from the crew turned up? Thankfully the general manager also turned up he was not a happy bunny, no big deal for us, he telephoned later to say he will reward us with points towards our pencil sharpener (lol)

So, we are almost half way through our fantastic second cruise with Regent, no complaints what so ever (apart from the golf) really enjoying the cruise, we are quite low maintenance though.  

Winners!!!  Team of five, we actually won the trivia quiz!

Tomorrow we are in Santorini, we were booked on an excursion but we cancelled, we have been there twice and it is really busy, hectic in fact.

Tonight, is the dreaded block party, we have only had one before, not to our liking I’m afraid, not wanting to sound a party pooper but honestly, could do without it, we will be hiding behind the door with the “privacy” sign on.

Someone was asking about enrichment programmes, unfortunately you are asking the wrong person however, here is a small sample.

Today is Kusadasi through the ages with Jeana Rogers, you can watch it on the TV if you miss it.

She also did sultry Santorini.

On one evening in theatre there was E Sara Carter the funky fiddler, she was a solo fiddle player on Michael Flatley Lord of the dance.

Lat evening was Panos Karan, solo pianist who played classical musical, his fingers were gliding through the keys, he was very good.

Tonight, the production cast are performing dance to the beat.

 

 

 

 

[1982CruzStart]

Glad to read that all is going very well. Thanks for taking us along. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and your special dinner.  

We have enjoyed the block party in the past as it gave us a chance to meet the people around us but different strokes for different folks. 

[Eno-Bob]

Mr & Mrs Fudge –

 

   It’s seems a bit incongruent that you’re looking forward to a sharing a dinner with unknown tablemates in Chartreuse but your dreading meeting your neighbors to the extent of locking yourself in your room!

 

   We would recommend giving the block party another try – you might meet some more “lovely people” in the process.  We weren’t sure about the “Block Party” the first time confronted but we’ve been very lucky to have made some great friends after meeting them at the Block Party – great dinner companions and getting together again on other cruises. 

 

Just a suggestion --

[Brownie54]

We love the Block Party and have missed it. But as others have said, different strokes…

[rcandkc]

My husband and I have also missed the block party.  We enjoy them.  You can mingle around.  Don’t have to talk only to those right by you.  Being in an aft suite you may need to move forward where more people are. 

[fudge]

18 hours ago, Eno-Bob said:

Mr & Mrs Fudge –

 

 

 

   It’s seems a bit incongruent that you’re looking forward to a sharing a dinner with unknown tablemates in Chartreuse but your dreading meeting your neighbors to the extent of locking yourself in your room!

 

 

 

   We would recommend giving the block party another try – you might meet some more “lovely people” in the process.  We weren’t sure about the “Block Party” the first time confronted but we’ve been very lucky to have made some great friends after meeting them at the Block Party – great dinner companions and getting together again on other cruises. 

 

 

 

Just a suggestion --

 

We actually attended the block party which was fine, we enjoyed the company.

[papaflamingo]

We will be doing the Melissani Maze and Ouzo tour next Oct.  Sounds like you enjoyed it. Can you verify that it is a decent tour or should we look for something else?  

Thanks.  Really enjoying your review, especially since we'll be on Voyager next year with some of the same ports.  

[fudge]

The tour is well worth it. The bus to the lake goes through spectacular scenery, in addition we had a really good tour guide.

Once at the lake the taverna was lovely, you sit at a table for eight and within minutes the meze is served, a plate between two people we didnt finish it, all washed down with either wine Red or White wine or the local Ouzo, you are there about 50 minutes right on the lake. Then onto the underground lake which was only 5 minutes drive away.

By all means look at other tours but we enjoyed it, we actually said we would have paid for the excursion.

[asnaleah]

Thanks for your review! I’m enjoying  it with my morning coffee. We were on Voyager in June, loved it! Great crew, wonderful food and wine. We chose Penthouse C due to the great balcony. Indeed there is more room in PH A and B, but regular sized balconies. 

[mj_holiday]

Thank you for taking us along with you.  Loved your description of the Meze and Ouzo tour.  Glad you gave the Block Party another try.  Some cruises this could end up being the only time you get to meet your neighbors.

[fudge]

Day 6

Wow, that was another long sailing, twenty hours to Santorini, as you may know one of the most visited places to visit on a cruise. Lovely hot sunny day again. This afternoon we may be one of a few people left on board as I said earlier, we are giving Santorini a miss as we have done this trip twice before.

 

We landed at 1pm, the advantage of that is for those going ashore they may miss the crowds, already there at least three huge cruise ships docked. This is the only tender on this cruise. The tour is almost six hours, such a long day

It was very busy morning, golf putting 09.30, a “guess the weight of a tanzanite stone”, it was huge, 56,000 dollars’ worth, eye watering money. We guessed 13.50 carats; we were miles out 18.50 carats.

 

The trivia quiz was early today 11am, we came third, the questions were really tough today, it really tested the grey matter, having a brandy Alexandra at 11am did not help! John the cruise director who runs the quiz is a really nice guy, always on hand for advice.

 

We attended a Regent seminar on future cruises, very informative, it looks like there is an advantage in securing a deposit for a future cruise while on the ship.

Today we tried lunch in the MDR, really nice, only six people in there when we ate, Mr Fudge had the duck spring rolls followed by mussels and clams in a tomato sauce.  Mrs Fudge had souvlaki; the meals were piping hot so different than the buffet style in La Veranda.

 

So, a restful few hours before we go again at three fifteen. The sun is shining brightly on our veranda so we are catching sun rays for a change.

This evening we are eating at the Italian restaurant, looking forward to that.

Laundry, what a difference free laundry makes, within 24 hrs it all comes back nicely laundered, yesterday we were sent ladies underwear by mistake I hope she had spares!

With the ship almost empty with people taking tours I thought I would go to the pool deck for a portion of caviar, wrong, I didn’t realise it was chargeable, maybe we are spoiled by Seabourn where it is included, in fact they have a pool party and a surf and turf at Carambola beach in the Caribbean where it’s served all day, oh well, not a deal breaker.

 

Amongst other nice guests on board, we have met a lovely German couple, on Thursday evening we have ordered an Indian buffet for four in the MDR, we have also booked an in-suite dining experience while we are in Istanbul for two days, now that’s a real opportunity for Mrs Fudge to break the credit card!

 

I think I mentioned it earlier, Istanbul is vibrant city with lots to do and see, the bazaar which is huge, the blue mosque and other sights to see, unfortunately alcohol is a tad expensive be warned, always ask the price before ordering. It’s a clean and safe city, but as ever you need to be mindful what you wear and carry like in most big cities.

At 5pm precisely our butler delivered our hot canapes with a chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio, it’s a hard life on board!!     

With the tours not back until much later, we expect the restaurant to be fairly quiet this evening.