First Timer Hints?

[heatmizuh]

Hi All --

My fiance (soon to be wife) and I will be taking the Voyager from Athens to Venice Sept 19th-Sept 29th 2011 for part of our honeymoon.

From what I can tell (we're in our 30's), we'll be on the younger end of the age range, which is perfectly fine.

What I'm looking for are any tips, hints, etc., that some of you can offer that may not be explicited spelled out somewhere. Any gotchas, excusion recommendations too.

And I also hear they have a fantastic trivia competition. So if any takers want to jump on a team together, that would be awesome.

Thanks in advance!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Sounds like a lovely honeymoon, congratulations!

Voyager is wonderful ship, and it sounds like a great itinerary--the Greek Isles, then a bit of Croatia and then Venice! Can't tell you much about the ports, although Monemvasia should be amazing--I've always wanted to go there. Zakinthos too is a bit unusual, should be interesting.

It's pretty port-intensive, so you perhaps could think about doing a "sea day" in port if you get tired, and just enjoying the ship.

I like the Observation Lounge before or after dinner for drinks, although the Horizon Lounge is also great (it's where the trivia is.)

I'm guessing you've already booked your excursions and specialty dining? I really like Prime 7. You've perhaps read about the special nights in Compass Rose (the main dining room), i.e., the 2nd night of the cruise is the Captain's Reception and the menu is CR is usually great. Ditto the second-last night is a farewell reception.

Have a great time!

[txladycruiser]

Oh, you will have a fantastic time, I'm sure!!

- Assuming you aren't in a penthouse suite, be sure to ask your cabin steward for wines, liquor that you like. If you are in a penthouse suite, you will have filled out a questionaire about that previous to boarding.

- You can request specialty items in the Compass Rose if you give them 24 hours notice.

- When you first board, go to the specialty restaurants and see if you can add an additional reservation in one/both of the specialty restaurants.

I'm sure others will add to this. Have a great time!!


Karen

[Travelcat2]

Your honeymoon will be wonderful. On Sundays, caviar and champagne is served in both La Veranda and Compass Rose. This may be a good morning to make sure you go to breakfast.

I agree with the Observation Lounge before dinner. They also serve hor dourves at 6:00 p.m.

There is something we do that is a little different. Although you can sit wherever you want to, we enjoy getting to know our servers. They get used to what you like and can serve you even more efficiently (if that is possible). When we find a server we particularly like, we ask to be in their section when we are in Compass Rose. Requesting a particular server reflects well on them as well.

All suggest you keep reading the Regent board. There are always new things to learn.

Congratulations!

[TheSeaAroundUs]

I feel nothing but envy for you now!

[gdlamberth]

Welcome aboard!

Looking at itinerary two quick thoughts.

First: Get up early for the sail into Kotor. The Fjord is absolutely stunning. The view from the top of the switchbacks (any tour that leaves Kotor should stop and have a great photo op) was magnificent. The town itself is pretty easy to do on your own if you like that sort of thing.

Second: In Dubrovnik, I'd recommend that you and your wife walk the City Wall. It'll take about and hour and a half or so and I seem to remember it cost $7-$8 per person fee to get on the wall. I really enjoyed this but I need to tell you I'm a history buff so that probably biases my opinion a bit.

BTW, congratulations!

PS I agree with Wendy about the "virtual Sea day." As a matter of execution, I might consider a stroll into town for Kotor, poolside lunch and then maybe a spa thing (or exercise room if that's more you). Another port that lends itself to a leisurley self guided walkabout is Corfu. While there are some neat sights outside the city; it depends on your pace. Alternatively one of the two short tours (Corfu Panorama and Achillean Palace) will get you back to the ship for a little pool or siesta time. In Venice, you might want to consider one of the ships tours that takes in St Marks and such. Then, instead of riding back to the ship; walk back cross town (a reasonable map will help). This will get you away from the humongous crowds. Two pictures in our kitchen came from our back street stroll through Venice.

Also, I hope you are going to Athens a day or two early. You can get many hotel recommendations here if you're interested.

Again, contratulations!

Greg

[heatmizuh]

This is already helpful. Especially the tips about the pre-dinner lounges and the trivia.

Its also helpful to know you can request additional dinner reservations.

Also, the tips about Dubrovnik and Kotor are awesome.

We've already made our dinner reservations and some of the excursions. I've travelled abroad quite a bit, so I'm much more of a 'lead me in the right direction and let me do my own thing' kind of person as opposed to a group tour. However we did sign up for the Kayaking and bicycle tour.

We'll also be staying in Venice for several additional days after the cruise. I lived in Genoa for about a year back on 04-05, so I've been around Italy, know the language decently and most customs. However, Venice is probably the only large city in Italy I haven't been to. Can anyone make any hotel recommendations in Venice that aren't exorbitantly expensive? As much as I'm sure I'd enjoy a €1000 a night suite, we just won't be in the room enough to enjoy it.

Thanks again to everyone for their help and warm welcome.

[ginny123]

We were so excited when we saw your post. What a wonderful way to spend your Honeymoon! We knew others on the board would be more helpful than us as to Regent since we are taking just our second cruise with them in December, but when you posted about places to stay in Venice, we just had to respond. We were there in 2009 and stayed in a lovey, full apartment, right off the Grand Canal but still on a small, quiet canal, with a balcony off the bedroom. It's a 2 minute walk to the vaporetto (ferry) stop, 4 minutes walk to San Marco Square, 4 minutes walk to the Accademia Bridge so very convenient for Venice. The weekly cost is 2200 euros a week, but they do daily rentals for minimun of three nights. Very established rental agency with many apartments, and we said if we ever go back, this is the place to rent thru as it's hard to find reasonable hotels, let alone something so lovely. I don't think I can post the actual website here but will be glad to talk with you about it if you want to email me at cele4711 at gmail dot com.

[Travelcat2]

It's fine to post hotel website links on CC.

[mborchgardt]

Assuming this is still possible, consider making your spa reservations in advance through Canyon Ranch if you think you'll want to enjoy the spa and can pick a time in advance. We did this for our last cruise in Sept 2010. It was very nice not to have to worry about rushing to the spa when it opened to get the service and time slot we wanted.

"Beauty salon services and spa services including manicures, pedicures, facials and a variety of spa treatments are available by appointment on all ships. For your convenience, you may reserve your Canyon Ranch spa treatment by calling Canyon Ranch at 877-329-1924 beginning 60 days prior to your cruise."

We were in our early 30s on our first Regent cruise. IMHO the nightly shows are not geared toward younger passengers, so I wouldn't necessarily time dinners to fit in a show. We enjoyed having a drink before dinner in the lounge and might spend a little time in the casino after dinner. But usually we headed back to our room after dinner for a night cap on the balcony.

The Med itineraries can be pretty exhausting, so be sure to find time to relax and rest. For us, many of the ports could be easily explored by early or mid-afternoon so we would try to come back to the ship for a nap or some time on deck. My personal favorite Regent treat was to have a BLT and creme brulee from room service for an afternoon snack.

[Lobbylin]

Hi All --

My fiance (soon to be wife) and I will be taking the Voyager from Athens to Venice Sept 19th-Sept 29th 2011 for part of our honeymoon.

What I'm looking for are any tips, hints, etc., that some of you can offer that may not be explicited spelled out somewhere. Any gotchas, excusion recommendations too.


Thanks in advance!

Congratulations and have a wonderful cruise!

Look out for the "block party" advertised on the daily newsletter, in the first day or two of cruising. All your neighbours come out and introduce themselves over a stand-up glass of wine in your corridor. It's a great way to make friends for future mingling.

Do try the iced coffees in the coffee shop on board - yummy and very refreshing after a few hot hours ashore.

The trivia quizzes are fun - we loved them!

Being female and having few pockets, I bring a retractable lanyard/card holder so I don't have to carry a bag around the ship to hold my sea pass on sea days. The reception staff will happily punch a hole in your seapass card so you can attach it.

If you decide to eat in the buffet, but want a burger or some fries from the pool grill, just go and order one from the outdoor grill, giving them your table number and they will bring it to you.

If you want something and you can't see it, ask for it! I always requested poached eggs from my server for breakfast in the buffet. Nothing is a problem!

The observation lounge is lovely for sunset sailaways, pre-dinner and post dinner drinks to was the sunset in the distance.

Try and attend the lectures on board - we had a wonderful lecturer who brought the ports and history of the places we were visiting alive.

One thing I did not like on my recent Regent cruise, was that people seem to walk into the theatre during shows at any time - even after the show has started! I don't like it as I think it is rude; but it seemed to be perfectly acceptable to everyone else, so feel free to do the same if you want to see a show and haven't quite finished your dinner in time. Subtly, of course!:)

If you don't like the wine that is being poured with dinner, you can request something else.

I think that is all that I can think of at present! Have a wonderful cruise.

Linda :)

[txladycruiser]

Be sure and catch the "Cirque Voyager" show. It is very good!



Karen

[DeepFreeze63]

Hi:
On our first Regent cruise (we have two more booked) this March, I worked out every afternoon (very nice exercise arera); went directly to the poolside bar where I threw myself at the mercy of the very affable bartender. Each day he'd fix me a flavored concoction ("easy on the alcohol, please"); this was a great way for a wine drinker like me to sample the "in drinks". Lots of sociable people there. Then, I capped it with some time in one of the hot tubs.

[cruiseej]

For a hotel, I can recommend Locanda Vivaldi (http://www.locandavivaldi.it/en/l%27hotel/presentation/). We stayed there prior to a Regent cruise several years ago. It's a small hotel on the large San Marco canal, an easy 2-minute walk to St. Mark's; the best rooms overlook the canal, but if the view isn't important to you, you can get one of the interior rooms for less. Since you'll be there at low season, the rates look like they're in the 220-480 euro range (15% less if you're staying for 3 nights); that includes a very nice continental breakfast. We found it a great location and nice place to stay.

-- Eric

[Laine]

We are also to be first time Regent cruisers over Christmas and New Year's. When we were in Venice last fall we stayed at the Hotel Abazzia which is close to train station and not far from where cruise ships dock and is right on canal.

[heatmizuh]

Great hotel suggestions, however it looks like most of them are booked. I plan on still looking around and if I find something comparable, I'll be sure to suggest it.

Thanks again for the heads up about the block party!

Any other hotel suggestions are also welcome.

[gdlamberth]

Heatmizuh,
If you're going to be in Venice for at least three nights, and given your good Italian, you might consider an apt/home rental like on :

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/europe/italy/veneto/venice

We've frequently used VRBO (and similar sites) to rent apt/condos/houses around the world and have had good luck so far. Just a thought, this mode of traveling isn't for everyone.
Greg

[KathyPet]

Spent 4 days in Venice a few years ago and I consider it the most romantic city I have ever been in. Yes it is falling down around your ears but I absolutely adored it. We went in October so it was not too crowded and we walked across St. Mark's Square around 11:0 one evening on the way back from dinner. THe orchestras were playing in front of the restaurants that are in the square and there was this young couple out in the middle of the square doing a waltz and they could really waltz. No one else was dancing just the two of them. It was so romantic. Sigh!

[mj_holiday]

When we plan on going to breakfast, we still get coffee delivered about the time we will be getting up. This add a nice start to the day. We enjoy the coffee while getting ready.

[Cruising Librarian]

We stayed at the Giorgione (Cannaregio) in 2001 when the dollar was strong http://www.hotelgiorgione.com/ and the Locanda Ca'Zose (Dorsoduro) in 2009 when the dollar was weak http://www.hotelcazose.com/ :) Both hotels were very nice and located in quiet(er) neighborhoods. I found the breakfast at the Ca Zose lacking in comparison to other Italian hotels, but the location, room size and price more than compensated for it.

Have a wonderful cruise...Venice is my favorite place in the world (so far:)) and I hope to cruise in or out of La Serenissima at some future date.