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Prime 7 tonight. Oslo We looked online at the menu and both of us couldn’t find something appealing in compass rose. So we called the reservation line and asked if any late night cancellations at Prime 7, the steakhouse. They said no but would put us on a waiting list. 10 min later they called and our room and said we were set for 6:30p! Got to love it! Dominic the head waiter got us to a wonderful window table (only 4 in the restaurant) where we were on the non-sun side of the ship. Beautiful view out the window the whole dinner. Laura tried the crab cake that I had last time and was completely enamored. She loved it. The little pickled onion with it adds such a nice accent to the wonderfully cooked (and totally non fishy smell of the crab cake). I tried for the first time the scallop appetizer with pork belly, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds. Very unusual. Many people on this board have found it amazing. It was very different. I think the pork belly could have been cooked differently and it would have been even better. They brine theirs for 36 hours, press it for 8 hours and then pan sear it. What remains is a pretty fatty piece of pork which doesn’t hold up well to the rest of the Ingredients. I talked to Dominic and suggested they “consider” sous vide and then finish on the flat top. Will see. I found the dish to be just a 6/10. Laura had the caesar and they only gave her half an anchovy so we added to that. I had the wedge and substituted off menu for a 1000 island dressing. I think they may have whipped something up in the kitchen vs leveraging the excellent 1000 island in the compass rose. It was ok but not great. Laura went with the surf and turf (fillet and lobster) and I had the veal chop for the first time. Oh and why it add a mini lobster tail to that? Once again her fillet was raw (I never understand how they cut the meat, they know how thick it is, and how long to cook it. It should be like science to control for all the variables, thickness, doneness, temperature etc) but they still can’t get a steak right. At least to me. My veal chop was excellent. And both our lobsters were great. But at prime 7 it is all about the sides. We had the luscious mashed potatoes, cream spinach, crispy onion rings, asparagus and mushrooms (these were exceptionally good!). I really wanted another Pinot noir so we ordered from the reserve list (they were serving as an Inclided wine J Lohr Syrah, maybe an $8 bottle of wine). Only one I had not tried was Archery Summit, 2015 (!!!) Pinot noir at $135. I had the sommelier taste it first but as expected it was a bit past it’s age. And tasted like an Oregon Pinot which is often very “earthy” vs the fruit forward nature of California Pinots. A shame as we were hoping for something special for this special night. Key lime pie and the delicious Carmel popcorn, peanut sundae finished the meal. Service was good. We wanted a slow meal and they gave it to us, maybe 2:20 on the timing. The view out the window was excellent so we sat and enjoyed our experience.

We spoke about this and I totally agree. I followed your post on the last segment and got more excited about the entertainment based on what you were posting. Maybe it had something to do with have the CEO onboard? I too have felt that the entertainment this segment really has been lacking. It’s a shame. Alas as you said, the staff service really has been as great as it always has been. Super attentive, always wanting to go the extra mile, and anticipating your needs. Our cabin steward, Sai is about the best we have had on the many Regent cruises. And for us, the food has been amazing.

Excursion 2: Oslo Walking tour and Nobel Peace center. We added an afternoon walking excursion to see more of Oslo after the issues of the morning. We ended up seeing many of the local sites but alas, the guide was just too fast for us and we couldn’t keep up. Several other couples experienced the same. There used to be a time when it was a big deal to leave a group but now with Apple Maps you just ask where are you going to be at what approximate time and we just went there by ourselves. The highlight for us was to be the Nobel Prize museum. After a 20 min wait the group showed up and we went inside. Learned a lot of the entire process and Alfred Nobel and that the peace prize is awarded in Norway where the others are done in Sweden. We ended up walking over 4 miles so we definitely got out to enjoy the sun today! Here are a few highlights. The city streets. Hustle and bustle even on a Monday around 2:30p! The grand hotel where the winner of the Nobel peace prize appears to the public after the formal ceremony. Second balcony. All of the old phone booths have been converted to a “book exchange”. You take a book and leave one. Clever. Part of Oslo University Interesting architecture and beautiful flowers abound. The city hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. The Nobel prize museum An interesting display of past winners. Kissinger, Al Gore, Obama to name a few On display the award

True. That is why they send someone else along to assist. They let the dancers and crew go along to make sure if someone gets hurt or similar. But they should have basic tools like a phone to call the excursion desk on what to do.

Lunch in Compass Rose, Oslo Decided to have another relaxing lunch in the main dining room. And what a treat it was. With only maybe 10 tables filled at the peak it was like a private dining room. What a beautiful day! Started with my favorite, split pea soup with smoked ham. Very good but nothing like what our good friend Jessie makes regularly… The quiche flamiche poirreaux was delicious and then some. Wow. A savory leek tart with Gruyère cheese and shredded lettuce. Super tasty and the crust was excellent (and I don’t like crust generally). Entree was the Thai red chicken curry. Coconut milk, eggplant, straw mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and Thai basil. Normally only found in the Pacific Rim restaurant on the Explorer and Splendor for dinner, this was super tasty. Maybe a little more sauce would have made it perfect. Laura Also enjoyed the croque monsieur although it was heavy. Finished with a white chocolate eclair. Different than what I expected it was still quite tasty. Great service again today from a new waiter. An amazing, relaxing lunch.

Oslo excursion number 1. By Land and by sea We woke up to warm weather! Being able to wear shorts for the first time in the last two weeks was a treat. After a quick room service breakfast (which by the way have been timely and generally good, but every day something is missing that we ordered, syrup for pancakes, coffee, sweetener, etc. more work needed here in quality control). They ended up having three groups crowd together just off the ship and then we walked 1/4 mile to the ship. All 114 of us waited for our 10 min for the ship to be ready for the sea portion and then we spent 20 min getting on and taking our seats. This was the preview of what was going to be a slow day. We left the dock and got to see a number of interesting sights from the water like the Munch Museum, the opera house and many other key buildings. Given the warm temp (probably 60-62 at departure) it was so nice having the sun at your back. Those that sat at the rear of the ship didn’t have speakers to hear the guide. It was nice to all be outside however. Many pictures follow or post the dock area and the beautiful views of the water and islands. museum of fine art Munch Museum and Opera House: We did a “one way ride” on the boat which should have been very efficient vs just going back to the starting point. But this was poorly executed. We waited around for over a half hour for the three busses in the morning group to arrive (they would then take the boat back to the ship) and we would take the busses onward. Once loaded on the bus we sat for 20 min before we found out that the guide that was supposed to go with us went on the boat with the other arriving groups. So no guide. What a screw up!!!. A lot of waiting around time with nothing in the area (shops or a coffee would have made this time fly). So we miss the land portion of the tour as the bus had to go back to the boat. I guess we got what we paid for….. Again very poorly executed. I normally see a member of the Regent staff joining excursions and finally, one was pointed out on our bus. I asked what he was doing about this and he said, “I’m just a musician I can’t do anything.” Note to excursion staff- send someone along that has a phone number to call. I’m just telling you like it is for future guests to know. There may be some online here that are saying, “what’s the big deal, stuff happens”. Totally agree but we have one day in our lives (likely) to see Oslo and we missed some of it for no reason than poor execution. I guess you can’t “it” here Impressive busses that are all electric Read the sign. When you want a gorilla burger Never ending trolls Even one of these in the souvenir store.

Sette Mari dinner, Kristiansand After viewing the compass rose menu and not seeing anything that jumped out at us, we decided to go to Sette Mari. Despite getting there an hour after opening, Francisco, head waiter sat us right away by the window. The menu had changed window the last time we were there earlier in the cruise and for the better. We started with the standard items that come to table and then moved on to the buffet for round two of appetizers. A “little of this, a little of that:” salad with balsamic dressing ( a first this cruise - I plan on getting this for future salads, delicious. They had breaded meatballs with a truffle aioli that was really tasty. The yellow fin tuna carpaccio was bland. As was the pumpkin. The whole roasted garlic head was a nice touch. I did an appetizer portion of the lasagna. OMG. Probably the best ever (or at least since my last regent cruise!). First off in my book, lasagna has to have meat. And this one was filled with meat. The cheese was creamy and the pasta perfectly cooked. This came together beautifully. Get this. One of the major adds to the menu was the veal pounded thin and then breaded. Look at the size of this thing! Francisco recommended having this done parmigiana style and we took his advice. Others have written about this and they were right. It was incredible. Super moist, not oily, tasty breading. We added extra tomato sauce. We both loved this dish although something like a steamed green beans would have been nice. Decided to go with the limoncello (when in Italy…) for dessert. We had a beautiful sunset (one of the first in a long time in this trip. Excellent service from our waiter Eunicel, head waiter Alberto, and wine steward Jinky. Enjoyed a nice Italian varietal tonight. Early morning excursion into Oslo tomorrow. Temperature to be sunny and in the 70s! Best weather of our entire trip. Bring out the shorts!

IMG_1739.MOV The short video of the entertainers at the dock

Excursion: Kristiansand: Holden, Sogne, open air museum. We were entertained by these two lovely locals. Kristiansand is supposed to have the most sun in Norway but alas, we had rain all morning. It is Sunday so all the stores are also closed in the cute town. Maybe should have planned better and woke up to Champagne and Caviar offered every Sunday on Regent. We just had room service. First stop was a bust. An aerial photo stop of what was a German naval installation years ago. The parking lot had this Mercedes with a tent on top. While I have seen this before on Trucks it surprised me. A lot of load for a car roof. A shame when that was the most “exciting” part of the stop. We then went on to the seaside town of Hollen. The bus from regent in front of us just circled and left. We stopped for 30 min. It sprinkled the whole time but at least was warmer. Some boats in the harbor. We stretched our legs but also why did we come to this spot? We did get to meet eeguy on these boards so that was good and talked about their next adventures. Went Into the local store along the waterfront and spotted all the different foods unique to the area. Major construction going on everywhere especially the roads where they are cutting through rock to make way. The Kristiansand open air museum was interesting. Old homes from as far back as the 1650s we went in several and they told us what life was like back then. Worthwhile stop but we could have skipped the two first stops and spent more time here. We had a total of 45 min and could have had 1:15 easy. So note to others coming to this port, skip this excursion and do something else (there wasn’t a lot of options however). Here is a map of the downtown area that is a 5-7 min walk from the ship

Another relaxing afternoon after our tour this time by the pool (for one of us) where a nap seemed so appropriate. We went to the top tier seven seas society gathering for some beef tartare with caviar, foie gras and some other delicacies while we watched the assistant cruise director perform a ballet dance, the social director do a tap dance, and the cruise director Margaret sing a couple of songs (she is good!). No mention of any promotions or tier levels nor how many of each type (gold, platinum etc) that were on the ship. Compass Rose dinner, Stavanger We started with a spicy tuna maki (i had them replace the salmon sashimi for more maki) and a seared foie gras (left side of menu) both were delicious especially the latter. Surprising though no toast or brioche points with it. Salads for both of us and then I had a half order of the rigatoni with braised pork ragu that was amazing. Get this. Super flavorful with pasta perfectly cooked and the pork was luscious. A lime vodka sorbet as an intermezzo we both had the beef bourguignon over tagliatelle. Enjoyable. Ordered some mash potatoes (a must for that burgundy gravy) and sautéed spinach. Dessert was a raspberry cheesecake And chocolate profiteroles. The former was excellent the latter good but Not great. Enjoyed an included Bordeaux wine and Laura had the R Merlot which is drinking nicely. Tonight we attended the comedian Billy Boyle who was much touted. We thought the show was good but nothing spectacular (or at least as hyped). Tomorrow is Kristenland and two tours so we will be busy. Weather continues to warm we might hit 60! Still 50% chance of rain. We will go out prepared….update on excursions this afternoon.

They were a little flabby and not hot. They gave us bread and jelly. Didn’t know about the syrup. That would have been great!

Excursion to Lysefjorden fjord. Stavanger. We walked to the waiting small(er) boat that was comfortable and warm inside but ample space to get out to view the many formations (what the ice age did) and little towns of summer homes along the way. Although overcast it did not rain. Wear an extra heavy coat if you are outside as the wind from the moving boat can be treacherous. The boat ride was very smooth. Beautiful views abounded including close ups where the captain would pull the boat right into crevices and in front of water falls. Very cool. Recommended. A great little waterfall that the captain pulled right up to Ended with included waffles and coffee at this cute little place on the water with an amazing view. Spotted these “fish globes” a local invention that is designed to stop many of the problems of salmon raising in the industry. See below.

Compass rose Dinner, Bergen We started with “left side” (always available” menu items Including the Iberico ham with baby artichokes and piquillo peppers. What a great combination. They add caper berries and a “perfect bite” of all items together was amazing. We haven’t had this in several cruises and this will have to change for us as it was delicious. Also tried the Soft poached egg and black truffle with croutons and asparagus coulis. The truffle adds such an amazing Unami to this dish and the addition of a little salt brings it all together. This is a once a cruise dish and was very good. Salads for both of us and a raspberry sorbet intermezzo and then Laura had the Bucatini pasta with creamy veal bolognese and porcini mushroom sauce. This was incredible. The bucatini gives it that extra bite with the hollowness inside the spaghetti and the Veal / porcini sauce is subtle and not at all like a tomato sauce. A real winner. I had the chicken parmigiana with buffalo mozzarellla and tomato sauce and spaghetti. The meat was super moist but extra tomato sauce is needed (and we ordered after the fact which came out quite promptly along with some hotter green beans as the first were cold). I would order this again in a heartbeat. The disappointment came during dessert. The menu said chocolate napoleon which is this delightful flaky (like phyllo) layered dessert with a glossy kind of sweet icing. What came was below which was none of that and almost like a tiramisu. A real disappointment. Someone messed up on the menu is all we could tell. Two scoops of the raspberry sorbet made up for it….. They served a Corvina Italian red wine from Rondinella, Veneto which was light like a Sangiovese but even smoother. Quite nice. Service all around by Nino was top notch. Such a joy to have dinner where everything is anticipated and just “happens”. Tomorrow is Stavanger Norway. But rain in forecast all day.

Excursion: Mount Floyen, funicular and Troldhaugen, Bergen. They had a festival going on at the waterfront so the town was packed with people. As a result of an afternoon excursion and sleeping in we missed walking around the town which was a mistake. It looked cute with quite a bit to see. We weren’t sure what to expect at Trouldhaugen, a museum commemorating Edvar Grieg, the famous composer who also lived on the property. We had to look up the music as weren’t sure what he has written and was surprised on how many well known pieces he had written. The tour itself was a bit of a bust. Seeing a house where he lived that was very small, with a few momentos in each room only able to hold 15 people, was frankly, boring. The property it is on is beautiful as seen from the views below. The trip did provide a view of the parts of the city which is very modern with beautiful homes on steep hills, all near the water in some way. If you decide to do this, be sure to select the small group option as a large group would take much longer as the guide has to split the group into two to take them into the house. We went up the funicular on Mount Floyen which is brand new (2002) and modern. The view from the top over the city was excellent especially given the rain stopped (not common in Bergen). The Voyager is the ship in the middle in the picture showing the ports. For a first time visitor the funicular is the way to go.

Compass Rose dinner, Shetland Islands You have to love these beautiful Versace plates that are on the table when you arrive. Just gorgeous. We hate it when they have to take them away. George your meal arrives. We started with a beef tartare that was tasty but I should have ordered some Dijon mustard which would have sent it over the top. Laura had a mushroom tart that was incredible. Think about the mushroom duxelles that is around the meat in a beef Wellington. Delicious. Coupled with a red pepper coulis it was very enjoyable. I next headed to the “left side” menu and had the always available lobster bisque. I forgot how good this is. Very little cream (likely just the foam shown on the top) this is full flavored. I’m guessing they roast the lobster shells to make this as it is rich and deep but not overly heavy due to too much cream. I skipped taking pictures of our salads and the cantelope sorbet which literally tasted like eating your best cantelope. It was so good that I had a couple scoops for dessert! It was prime rib night and since I didn’t have this last night like Laura did I went for it. Nicely prepared, cut very thin. I loaded up with horseradish. Yum. It came with hollandaise dressed broccoli And a potatoes gratin. Laura had the coq au vin, chicken thighs with a burgundy wine sauce. She very much enjoyed the mox of vegetables and flavors of this classic. I spotted a Thai dish also, a green curry vegetable dish and figured, why not? This was perfect as a side dish with many types of vegetables in a luscious green curry sauce. Not at all spicy however. A passion fruit soufflé with a coconut rum sauce and the cantelope sorbet ended our great meal. Service again by Nino was incredible. He has dialed us in and fully anticipates what we would want at every step of the meal. He can now almost predict what we will have for dessert. We went with the included red wine tonight, an “R” (for Raymond, a California winery) Merlot that I had early on in the cruise and it was very smooth and enjoyable. Even Laura had it through tour the meal. We have been starting our evening at 6p in the front observation lounge with a cocktail and listening to Andrew on the piano. Such a civilized way to start the evening. Till tomorrow my friends, we will be in Bergen, Norway which is looking great for weather.

Fun day touring around the Shetland islands. Best weather so far since we left! Very different geography. We visited an archeological dig (when in Shetland). Our tour didn’t Include any close ups of the infamous Shetland Ponies but we could see some from the road. Was just nice to have sun again! Town is so small that you have to drive across the runway of the major airport to get to the other side!

That is exactly where we had the issue, on the splendor. Went twice. Both times disappointed. One thing we did notice is that king crab legs are no longer on the menu. May be due to availability. Or that the price has dramatically increased.

Prime 7 dinner, Faroe Island day Much has been written on this steakhouse. For the last several cruises we have struggled to have any steak other than a fillet cooked to our liking or not being tender. We decided to play it differently today. We were seated at what I call the “chairman’s table” which has a view over the entire restaurant. We used to always get this table the time we went to China on the voyager in a grand suite. Service was exquisite. We heard earlier this cruise about being rushed and “hovered over”. We went in with this knowledge and asked for a slower paced meal. Dominic, the restaurant maitre D, checked in with us to make sure everything was going at a pace we liked. Our waitress, Danle was excellent. Now for the food. The standard starter (amuse bouche) is the roasted tomato soup with a blue cheese foam. Not a fan of blue cheese but this is very mild. I whipped it up with the soup and it was very refreshing. We both started with the tuna Tartare with fried shallots, Acacado and cucumber. It was excellent. Maybe a bit too much sauce ( a mixture of soy, and sesame oil) but very enjoyable. I noticed some type of nut that was also included that gave it a nice crunch to all the savory elements. I also tried the crab cake which was excellent. Nice lump crab with minimal breading and a tarter sauce that was enhanced with a squeeze of lemon. Delicious! Our salads were the wedge salad (mine with extra sauce) and a Caesar that was a half a head of romaine. Both were excellent with a dressing on the Caesar that was different from elsewhere on the ship. The wedge had this smoky bacon that made it. For entree Laura had the slow roasted prime rib, perfectly cooked. I decided to avoid the beef due to past issues and try the double cut pork chop. Awesome! Especially with a habanero maple bbq sauce (shown). It’s all about the sides here. We had crispy onion rings, masked potatoes, creamy spinach, corn, potato gratin (incredible!) and green beans. All were excellent prepared. I love ice cream and only eat it when we cruise. Adding the Carmel popcorn? Wow match made in heaven. I have this every time and it never disappoints. Laura had a red velvet cheesecake. Everything tonight was well prepared, hot, and delicious. Can’t always say that (although i have been the last few nights!). Top it off with top notch service, what an enjoyable evening. For wine we ordered the Belle Glos, Pinot Noir. Santa Lucia highlands central California where some of the best Pinots are coming from. Probably the best Pinot Noir on board not because it was but because they don’t really have a selection to compare to. Had a glass of the R mix (Syrah, cab mix) with the main course as someone else suggested on this board and it was pretty good. Till our next meal, stay tuned. We are in the Shetland islands tomorrow and weather looks to be substantially better.

Vestmanna sea Cliffs excursion in Faroe Islands. Amazing rock and mountain formations on our boat adventure to these sea cliffs, where the puffin lay eggs and feed young as well as many other birds. We went out on a small boat (and battled the 40 degree weather with winds) to around what some have called the “19th island” of the Faroe Islands. Also ducked into a sea cave with the boat as shown. Amazing stats on the Faroe island. $64,000 GDP per capita (above the United States), 50,000 people. 95% of their exports are fish. They don’t belong to the EU in part to allow it to decide their own trade parameters for the numerous fish they catch and sell. They are owned by Denmark. Nearly 100% renewable energy. What is odd is that many of the 18 islands are connected by extensive driving tunnels. The first one we went into to goes under the ocean and is 6 miles long!! How does a nation of 50k people afford tunnels like this? On our drive to the boat for our tour we went through at least 6 long tunnels. One such tunnel connected to an island of maybe 2000 people at most. Crazy! A few other pictures (waterfalls everywhere of course) and grass covered roofs.

Sea day 2 - Compass Rose dinner I love it when a plan comes to together. We arrived to dinner slightly later than normal and were seated promptly again at our new favorite waiters station, Nino. No sooner did we sit down our favorite bread and water glasses with ice and lemon were delivered. Nino has all our requests down now and this feels again like the true “Regent way”. We started with the Shanghai pork dumplings in a broth that were incredible. Remembering this dish from a previous cruise as a “must have” served us well as this was delicious. The sesame seed tuna loin tartare on a vegetable base (finely chopped asparagus, celery, carrots, zucchini, broccoli tossed in a wasabi Mayo and then plated with a ring mold) with some extra wasabi Mayo was probably the best thing we have had so far on this cruise (ok a toss up with the escargot). Creamy tuna and the vegetable base with the hint of heat from the wasabi is a match made in heaven. Can’t recommend this enough. I did a small portion of their pasta for the day, a simple preparation of orecchiette, anchovies, olive oil, broccoli and peperochini. Pasta and broccoli were perfectly cooked. Delicious. The main course was amazing. A Paul Bocuse inspired dish, halibut on a bed of spinach with root vegetables done in globes. The secret was what was under the breaded crust (which didn’t seem like breading at all) a mixtures of finely diced tomatoes and mushrooms with herbs. Finished with a burere blanc sauce this was really an exceptional dish. Halibut perfectly cooked and the flavor of the ingredients were so harmonious together. A real treat that I haven’t had before. Finished with a pistachio soufflé it was an outstanding meal. With visits from the head waiter (Alberto) who just seems to magically appear everywhere we are to check on us and several other senior staff we were treated like royalty. The Pinot blanc offered as an included wine from France was exceptional. I’m not a big white wine drinker but I enjoyed this throughout the meal. We went to the Voyager lounge to hear the Glitter Duo and again were very disappointing. They butchered the 50s/60s songs. I don’t get it but alas there were people up dancing so they must have a following (of 10-12 people). We left and went to the observation lounge to hear Arthur Ray at the piano and he blew our mind with trivia on some songs like the words behind Mrs Robinson from the “Graduate” and what the song was really about (including a totally “made up” last verse that means nothing). We will settle in after dinner here with Arthur in subsequent evenings. What a treat he is and so talented.

Yes I did ask for the mushrooms. And I agree that I always get them in any other restaurant when ordering veal Marsala so it seemed like a natural. Given that every dish is prepared to order it is an easy add. I might have to resort to your concept or just ordering wine. I too am picky. Although the Pinot blanc last night in CR was excellent.

Lunch on our second sea day was in La Veranda and was an Asian buffet. Everything looked so good so I tried a little of many things. Alas, it was tasty but was missing the spice or bite I often find in Chinese food. This afternoon was great. Relaxing in our room watching movies looking off our balcony for the numerous whales in the area. We had to look through the window as it was like 40 degrees outside. Anxious for some warmer weather.

Stepping back: Iceland touring Day 2. Only 5 geysers in the world. Old faithful is in the US. There are 2 in Iceland. Great shot of the bubble as it explodes. This was a fascinating national park (Pingvellir) where the tectonic plates (North Atlantic and Eurasia) are separating about 1-2 cm every year. The geology and geography here is a sight to behold. Never seen anything like this. Waterfalls everywhere too. And like half the mountains are “table top” mountains similar to the single version of this in Cape Town (happened during ice age in South Pole and North Pole areas) - also some of these in Canada but that is it. Oh and glaciers. Wow. Awesome Included lunch as we left the golden circle in a green house! Specializing in tomatoes. Tomato soup was awesome but the tomato beer was even better. 40% of Iceland tomatoes are grown here. Completely unique Regent experience. they had a basil plant on each table. Just snoop and add to your dreamless tomato soup! Ok I added a dollop of sour cream.

Stepping back: Day 1 of our precruise Fun day touring Iceland. Lava tube was really interesting and quite the trek! Our guide there was like looking at Harry Potter. Fun. How the walls almost looked like they are painted on like you would see on a Disney ride! Also saw some thermal pools and waterfalls. Great first day! The group stayed at the Hotel Husafell instead of making it all the way back to Reykjavik. Interesting modern hotel in the middle of no where (but near a glacier and the lava tube above. Dinners on all the precruise were on our own. This hotel only had one restaurant. The menu was very limited and for entrees included either lamb or salmon, both items we don’t eat! They had a set menu with a seafood soup that was delicious (even though it had small amount of salmon in it) and the main course was a delicious beef tenderloin with a pickled green pepper sauce. Topped off with beef fat cooked carrots and a nice burgundy - we chose wisely. As I mentioned previously we learned so much about the geology, geography and so much more from our tour guide. One example, nearly all homes use the hot springs water to heat their homes. After the water leaves the house the still hot water is plumbed to pipes in the roads and streets to keep them from freezing. The water then heads to the ocean. That coupled with several hydroelectric facilities and hot springs used to make electricity, rates are super cheap. A typical home pays roughly $250 to heat and power their home - a year!

Was a little disappointed with the dinner choices in compass rose tonight so we headed to Sette Mari, the Italian, no reservations offering. Met up on the way up from pre dinner cocktails at the Horizon lounge with a couple from our pre cruise and had dinner together. The food overall was good but not great. Our pre appetizers that they deliver automatically to the table were cold. The buffet appetizer setup had a few offerings see below. These are clearly new recipes since our last cruise in Feb but not necessarily better. Off the pasta menu I had a mini version of the pasta carbonara. Again, good not great. Too much liquid and not enough fully cooked pancetta (when is there ever enough pancetta?). Main was veal Marsala with mushrooms (added) and extra sauce. Very good but not as tender as the veal picatta we had in compass rose the first night. We had a few desserts the cannoli and tiramisu both were tasty. I thought the service really lacked again. Very slow, water glasses weren’t filled, slow in wine refills. The head waiter we had the first night who I talked to about the service did jump in to assist and thank goodness. With 538 people on board (max is 630) this is probably close the fullest sailing the voyager has had since Covid (don’t know this for sure but I heard there were much fewer passengers on the previous leg and I wonder if they added the extra staff needed to accommodate this fuller passenger count). We went to the casino for a short loss and then to the Voyager lounge to listen to the Glitter Duo for the first time. The music is all played from a computer with them adding vocals. Very Karaoke like and kind of cheesy compared to an act like Boogie and Kasha that we have seen several times before on Regent. That said they did play some good tunes and the dance floor was full including my wife and I which doesn’t happen to often - to swing Disco which was a lot of fun. I think we will practice a little more this afternoon so we can “tear up the dance floor” tonight! (Jk). The seas are much more friendly last night and this morning as the ship was protected by Iceland and we were only going 9 knots. We both slept like babies and didn’t wake up till 11:30 (we had a time zone change so 10:30 actually)! Now that is relaxing. I think I’m officially in the vacation zone…… We went and had Cappuccinos this morning before venturing around the ship. Ah, the good life. It appears the internet is up and working well again to do more updates to come on our precruise adventures.