Tell me about onboard lectures

[longduo]

I am curious about the lectures given on the ships. Are they well attended? Are they usually about the upcoming ports or just general interest topics?

 

If you have gone to some, what have been the best?

 

With so many activities available onboard I'm just wondering what to choose as there is no way to do everything.

[NJBelle]

Hi, my husband and I almost always attend lectures on the sea days. We like the ones that relate to the area given by some expert, especially. There are also sometimes lectures given by Regent consultants/employees which are excellent and also related to the area. For example, on the recent Norway cruise, we had Sandra Bowden (last name is off, I think) who gave several lectures on Hans Christian Anderson, Greig, Ole Bull, etc. In addition there was a professor who was very knowledgeable about Norway who gave a number of lectures and also spoke from the bridge from time to time.

 

My recollection is that these lectures were very well attended. There is plenty to engage the folks on the cruises who want a little stimulation as well as relaxation.

 

Best, NJBelle

[Dolebludger]

We personally like the lectures about the ports we are going to vsit. But at times, Regent has lectures about topics that have nothing to do with the cruise and/or the ports. And sometimes these can be very good too. I can recall one cruise to Bermuda where lectures were offered on the life, history, times, and paintings of Norman Rockwell. While totally off-topic about Bermuda, they were most interesting. Once also, on a cruise of the Med., there were lectures about "undiscovered sites in London." Also very interesting. I asked which Regent cruise these related to, and was told "none." Just interesting travel information offered for seaasoned travelers.

[linda_22003]

Sandra Bouwern (again, not sure of the spelling) was really a highlight of our Baltic cruise last year. We tried not to miss one of her talks; she was entertaining as well as informative. I agree with the previous poster, these sessions were very well attended and people really seemed to enjoy them.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We had Sandra Bowen on our MC-Dover cruise last year as well. She was great, and did intros to several ports over the loudspeaker system so people on deck could hear her, as we sailed up the river to Bordeaux, for example.

 

My favourites still are the anthropological and historical lectures aboard the Paul Gauguin on the subject of the Polynesians, and the lectures on the Crimean War when we were in the Black Sea aboard Diamond.

[floridatoucan]

We were on the Mariner in June on an Alaska cruise. I had originally thought we would attend all of the lectures to be better informed however... our lecturer (whose name escapes me) while very knowledgeable was very dry making the lectures difficult to get through without falling asleep. I much preferred hearing his commentary on the tv onboard making comments about the areas we were in.

[wishIweretravelling]

As mentioned above, the PG lecturer on Polynesian history and culture was great. Also memorable was the lecture on the Baltics cruise re the seige of St. Petersburg. They often do have lectures unrelated to the area visited, but the ones like this that put what you're seeing in context are so much better.

[NCCruzQueen]

our lecturer (whose name escapes me) while very knowledgeable was very dry making the lectures difficult to get through without falling asleep. I much preferred hearing his commentary on the tv onboard making comments about the areas we were in.

 

That's too bad to hear since Regent lost Terry Breen to Holland America. Their gain.

[Hambagahle]

The most outstanding lecturer we have had was a man (sorry, I forget his name!) who lectured during our Panama Canal cruise in 05. He gave four talks, and the Constellation Theatre was chock a block at each one. One was on the history of the canal, one on how it works, one on what we would see during the transit the next day and the final one on what we had seen, and questions. We attended all the lectures and they really enhanced our experience.

Another great lecturer, mentioned by several people here, is Sandra Bowern. We were with her in the Baltic in summer 06 and again in November in the Med. She led our Circle of Interest in Spain, and it was wonderful. She is a really nice person, bubbly and fun to be with!

For the best single lecture, though, I must list Paul Atterbury of the Antiques Roadshow who talked on Scandinavian design during the Baltic cruise. It was an hour filled with very interesting and well illustrated history of Scandinavian furniture, glass, ceramics etc.

We are sailing from Callao to BA in Jan on the Mariner and I read somewhere that Michel (I think) Cousteau will be on board - hope so!!