Voyageur Review - Dec 7-14th

[Robroy]

I realize there have been several threads with commentary on this particular cruise already so I'll try to condense this a bit.

My wife and I are late 50's and have been on some 17 cruises prior to this one - the majority with Princess travelling in mini-suites and most recently suites. This was our first Regent trip which we decided upon primarily by carefully reviewing CC threads on Regent, Seabourn and Crystal. Based upon what we thought was excellent information (thanks to all!) we decided upon Regent which seemed to best suit our needs and wants. We certainly made the right decision!

This was by far the most enjoyable, relaxing cruise experience we have ever had and it even surpassed our expectations - which were quite high in the first place.

In our opinion, Regent excels in doing everything "right"...particularly the little things. From the moment we arrived at the pier around 12:30, we felt welcomed into the reception hall - had a two minute wait and were very checked in by a lovely lady who made us feel like honoured guests right from the outset. From there we proceeded onto the ship - received our champagne/sparkling wine again with welcomes from staff - then proceeded to go to deck 11 and on to La Veranda for lunch. We enjoyed a nice buffet lunch and just spent time watching newly arrived passengers settling in. It was also our first encounter with serving staff and we were notably impressed from the outset - the genuinely friendly and attentive service. This was something which continued to impress us over the entire cruise.

We toured around and got our first look at our home for the next seven days. The lounges were all quite warm and comfortable-looking - Signatures and Latitudes quite distinctive - Compass Rose very inviting - lots to look forward to!

We met our stewardess Donna around dinner time and we requested a couple of bottles of Pinot Grigio (as we're not big liquor drinkers), diet cokes and Heineken - the sodas and beer replenished on a daily basis magically. She did a wonderful job of keeping our cabin sparkling clean - always quick with a smile and greeting anytime we saw her. We would have loved to smuggle her home........

Suffice to say that we had an absolutely perfect cruise experience - despite some naughtiness bestowed upon us by Olga for a couple of days. We had most of our meals in Compass Rose and ate by ourselves all week. The first evening we were seated in Joey's section (table 66) and hit it off really well with him so continued to ask for his section all week, with the exception of our evening in Signatures. We had a lot of fun with Joey and in asking how long he had been with Regent, he mentioned he was with the Song and then broke in with Voyageur when it came to the fleet - all in all, about five years. I asked why he returned to Voyageur and he said it was like coming back to his family - he knew the staff and liked working with them. This really said a lot to me about the man as well as the ship.

Martin Cliff the Dining Room Manager was a charming gentleman at all times. When we asked for a table for two in Joey's section one evening, he stated that "....unfortunately I don't have one but let's make it so!"...and proceeded to convert a table for four. At all times he was gracious and welcoming and seemed to thrive on making guests happy. Our dining room service was first class - on evening two, Joey welcomed us by name and we were set for the week. Wilson the sommelier in this section was also very friendly and accomodating - as was all of the staff we had the pleasure to dine with. Each evening I enjoyed looking around the room and marvelled at the teamwork and dedication which staff showed in their work. They treated each other warmly - smiling - everyone pitching in to clear and set tables. On numerous occasions we saw Mr. Cliff clearing dishes and helping to set up - as well as his more senior staff. The quiet efficiency was a pleasure to witness and I thought this must reflect very well on management as morale (from what we could see at any rate) seemed to be very high among dining room staff. We also enjoyed breakfast in Compass Rose several times and again we were extremely well-treated by all staff we encountered.

Signatures was an exceptional dining experience - as good as any fine restauant my wife and I have attended. We don't pretend to be gourmands but have had the good fortune to dine in many fine restaurants and this fare was as good or better than anything we've encountered. Again, service was flawless.

The "never-ending Regent free-pour" was impressive. Although we are not big wine drinkers, we thoroughly enjoyed the variety and quality of wines presented and certainly had our fill. We wondered prior to the cruise how the all-inclusive nature of the alcohol would affect service in different venues and we were very impressed. Service at all times in all venues was uniformly excellent - always with a smile and great anticipation as to when the next beverage would be wanted!

The lectures by William Stubbs were extremely informative as was an excellent lecture on investing and the stock market - delivered by a fellow Canadian passenger Leon Tuey who volunteered his expertise to Jamie Logan which resulted in a thoughtful talk and Q&A period.

Jamie and his wife Dana are an excellent team as Cruise Director and Assistant Cruise Director - very personable, genuine, highly visible and helpful. We felt they were the best Cruise Director/Assistant we've ever sailed with. The entire entertainment and activity schedule was very impressive - lots to do but no hounding to join in or endless announcements. The evening entertainment was overall very good - the Regent Band/Dancers and the Ballroom Dancers Kristen & Travis were outstanding. Nathanial Reed was exceptional in the Horizon Lounge and we thoroughly enjoyed his nightly performances - what a terrific, talented personality! He mentioned he had served four contracts on the Voyageur this past year - no wonder - he was great!

The casino was small but quite servicable and their staff were quite friendly. It was refreshing to see that it wasn't a "grind operation" and that even at sea, they closed from 6pm until 9pm which ensured that even the "hard core gambler" would get to dinner!!

I could go on and on but in summary would reiterate that this was a wonderful cruise experience and we cannot wait to return. The weather wasn't a highlight of the trip but the ship and it's offerings more than made up for a little wind (ok.....lots of wind!!!) and rain! Without exception, everyone we met made a contribution to our experience - from the highly visible Captain, Cruise Director, Dining Room Manager - and one of my favourites......The Chef & his Staff!!!!!!!!!

I also appreciate those of you who take the time to post your thoughts and experiences which are great tools to help the rest of us collectively to make informed decisions about cruising and cruise lines. My wife and I have certainly found our new "home"!

 

Cheers!

Rob

[Captain Brook]

Thank you for your thoughtful, gracious review. We were on the same cruise, and fully concur with your favorable assessment, and particularly of the staff throughout. They're good, talented, hard-working people.

 

Enjoyed your commentary....thanks again.

[canadagal]

Fantastic review Rob and a real joy to read. I'm so glad that you enjoyed your first Regent experience. Isn't it nice how fellow CC members give us all the info we need when it comes to cruising. I know you yourself give a wealth of info to others and did so with us when we had questions about our first Princess cruise. That's why these boards are great. You have a Merry Xmas!

Pat

[OrpingtonT]

I love these reviews and yours, Robroy, was really comprehensive. It was especially valuable because of your experience on other lines. Thank you.

[Hambagahle]

Thanks for this great and very detailed review, Robroy. Brought back happy memories of two cruises on Voyager in 06. You mentioned Martin Cliff - what a guy! He is always smiling, and always working!! I could just hear him saying that to you about arranging your table!!

Glad to have you in the "Regent family" - and be sure to send another review in after your next cruise!:)

[goldenrod]

Read your great review Rob and it just reinforces our decision to go back to Regent. We recently sailed on the Emerald Princess TA sailing and felt it was just ok. We have been on Regent 3 times and after our sailing on Princess were back! thanks for your great review.

Jerry:)

[Robroy]

Jerry:

 

Interesting you mention the Emerald. We almost booked it this fall but decided instead to try Regent and are so glad we did. It's always interesting to read other people's reviews - Wendy's from the 14th - Danny Weitz's from the same sailing - and to see what other observations are made.

One thing which we both still really delighted in was the absence of any sort of lineup whatsoever - with the exception of disembarkation which took all of ten minutes.

Had we stayed with the megaships, we wouldn't have fully appreciated this particular aspect. I read with dismay some of the recent horror stories on Carribean/Crown and Emerald Princess and can only shudder at the new Genesis from RCCL which will host 5400 guests per sailing!

I certainly enjoy thinking back to our cruise while shovelling/blowing mounds of snow up here in the Great White North and can't wait to get back. In the meantime we can survive vicariously through the reported exploits of other lucky cruisers! Keep the reviews coming please!

 

Rob