Christmas/New Year's - LIVE - Voyager

[RachelG]

UGLY!

 

And the salt sticks are my one indulgence! I love those things. Probably better if they aren't so good, but I love them.

[Suite Travels]

Good job TC. It looks to me like it is in a small venue and not hanging on every wall. Thank goodness.

 

If I see Park West again, I am running for a cocktail.

[Travelcat2]

Glad that it worked. The space being used for Park West is across from the Boutique, next to the computer room and steps from the G.M.'s office, the Cruise Consultant's office, Reception and Destination Services. Very prime location.

 

The city of Genoa, Indonesia had a bit of a party for us because we are the last ship of the year. Officers, including our Captain, many crew members and passengers were in attendance. Music and delicious food were part of the festivities. It was lovely.

 

P.S. hi Pat ... so good to see you on the Regent board. Will we ever cruise together again? Miss you two.

Edited December 26, 2013 by Travelcat2

[gnomie1]

We found a beautiful blue box that contained a engraved Tiffany crystal star ornament. Really lovely. Thank you Regent:-)

 

I need to set up the scene - we returned to our rooms after a lovely Holiday presentation in the theater - I thought I was going to pee in my pants from laughing during the presentation of "The 12 Days of Christmas" - priceless!!

 

Any gal, but especially a NYC gal, their heart goes pitter patter just a little faster when they see the very recognizable robin egg blue gift bag that signifies "Tiffanys". We each had a bag on our bed and in the bag was the lovely Tiffany blue box, wrapped with the Tiffany white ribbon bow. Inside was a holiday ornament shaped like a star, and it is engraved. Also enclosed was a very nice card - I do not celebrate Christmas, yet I thought it was a very special and thoughtful gift and will display it in my curio cabinet. When Regent does things right, they do it very right!

 

Regarding other TC comments - I complete agree with the feel in the dining rooms - it is just "off". We had the same thing last summer on the Mariner and thought it was a fluke, but we are witnessing it again. I agree with the new employees and the managers almost acting "mafia-like" - I have been on the ship for three weeks and have yet to hear a manager say thank you to any of their charges, just stern and mean looks. It reflects in the service, the workers just do not seem happy and it is difficult to try and make conversation - they almost seem afraid and since they still seem to me to be short staffed, they are afraid to stop for one second longer than necessary for the fear of being reprimanded. We tried talking to one of the waitresses and she actually seems afraid to say anything other than "yes, madam or no, madam" - something is going on and I do not like it. The employees still talk, but it is almost monotone with no expression whatsoever and they all seem very afraid, as if they will lose their job at the drop of a penny.

 

On our prior segment, in Mumbai, approximately 25 new employees came on board - we have never seen so many scared faces, instead of seeming excited, they all looked like they were about to enter prison. We hung around for awhile and the Regent employees who was in charge was less than friendly, screaming out orders - very difficult and upsetting to witness.

 

Christmas dinner was lovely - so many great choices. I did have the turkey and it came with "dressing", which was very good. I am not a fan of chestnut stuffing, I come from the sausage stuffing crowd. One problem that I have wherever I go out to eat is the use of salt - I grew up and still maintain a very low sodium home - no salt is ever added to food. My grandfather lived with us and he had heart disease and high blood pressure so my Mom just never had salt in the house. I remember going to college and finding the food inedible because I had never had salt before. Some items here are salted very heavily and I do not enjoy that. The turkey was quite good. I also love schnitzel so Mom shared her piece with me - overall a wonderful holiday meal! I know that I can order low sodium but I do not want to be a bother for something small like this - I will save my requests for the big items.

 

The pastry chef seems to have changed (for the better) from the previous segment, but some items are just not worth the calories.

 

While nothing has been bad, in fact, everything has been good, I still think the food on Oceania is better than Regent, esp the breads.

 

The internet is slow so I could not open the picture TC posted of Park West, but believe me, it is a rather large space of very prime real estate and that space should have remained available for the computer room. While I enjoy looking at the art, and it is changed very often, it could have easily been housed in another area of the ship. With the space they have now, depending on the size of the painting, approximately 25 framed pictures can be displayed at any time - if they had used the walls of the ship, as other cruise lines do, they could display many more pictures. Since it seems we are stuck with Park West, I wish they would behave as other professional galleries - pictures should be up on display with a card identifying the artist, something about him/her, a description of the art and the price and forget this auction nonsense. Especially when the say the "Park West regular price" and the special cruise ship price which is an insult to any intelligent human being. The "discount price" is the price that it should have been all along, if not lower. If Regent is going to make us live with Park West, at least make it an enjoyable and professional experience and not this auction nonsense. I have been on a number of cruises and have never seen a real auction take place - I have seen shills, but never a true auction going on for any piece of art.

 

That being said, the new lounge area on the 6th floor is just lovely and very popular.

 

Hope everybody had a lovely holiday!

 

gnomie :)

[tallship]

TC - Thx for your observations. The poor demeanor of managers can make for a sour mood onboard the ships and we have experienced the same.

 

Gnomie - Loving your descriptions...yes, the blue box makes me a happy girl as well. In fact, we love the small gifts for Easter, etc. that Regent places in our room...nice touch.

[dlouise]

TC, We have been on the Riviera for 3 cruises and have never witnessed what you are describing. The help at the Grill have been happy and very friendly, and the managers over the top helpful. We have breakfast every morning outside at the Grill and dinner 3 or 4 times each trip when we don't have a specialty restaurant reservation. We have never had dinner in the MDR.

Edited December 26, 2013 by dlouise

[poss]

I'm much appreciating the reports-- thank you.

 

Very sad to hear about the tone in the dining rooms. I wonder why there's been that unlovely change. Are reports being made to the appropriate people? What's been described is so contrary to the usual camaraderie and good spirits that one expects and enjoys on Regent ships.

 

What a wonderful itinerary. In my next life I hope to be able to do ones like that. Happy sailing! Stay healthy!

[Patti22]

We board in Sydney on 2/1 and some of this info is making us nervous. Hopefully someone from Regent is reading this thread and will contact the GM onboard and correct the problems.

[wripro]

TC2,

 

I assume you are talking about the Smokehouse in Burbank where the garlic bread is so good. I had many lunches and late dinners there when I was working across the street. If not the Smokehouse is there a restaurant with better garlic bread of which I am not aware?

[poss]

Hi Patti,

 

I hope that you and hizzoner have a super-wonderful cruise in February. Oh, I do wish we could be there too. (Can't do long flights anymore: Have adored Australia and NZ on past land trips. Snorkeling for days and days on the Great Barrier reef 30 years ago was one of highlights of our life. We loved Cape Trib rain forests and fjords in southern NZ) Will you be touring for a while pre-cruise?

 

I believe that I'm remembering correctly that you did a pre-cruise stay in Paris not long ago? If you enjoyed your hotel, can you tell me what it was, please? I posted a while back asking for suggestions, but I'm still in the air about it: pros and cons for each of the places I've looked at (as I'm sure will always be the case). If we could afford it, I think we'd love Abbaye St Germain-- but we can't. Want to keep nightly rate not more than about 300 Euros, maybe 350.

 

Happy New Year!

[Patti22]

Happy New Year, Poss!

We stayed at what was then the Paris Hilton, it is not anymore. It was one block from Eiffel Tower, close to great bistros, but do not know what it is called now. If we were to go back, we would choose the Marriot Champs-Elysses. Great location and under 350 eu.

I wish you a wonderful trip and we really want to go back to Paris soon. Bruce says Hi!

[Travelcat2]

wripro: Yes, it is the Smokehouse. One of the very few things we miss in that area. Also miss Robin Hood British Pub (sort of like King 's Head in Santa Monica) and Brent's Deli in Northridge.

 

dlouise ... not sure why our experience in Terrace Cafe was different than yours but it was. We are always very aware of how staff is treated.

 

Patti22... pretty sure that Franck Galzy will be G.M. when you are onboard. He was promoted through the ranks and treats the staff well. There is nothing going on that would make me concerned about sailing on the Voyager. Although I am a Regent cheerleader, I tend to scrutinize everything and can be very critical.

 

poss it is good to see you on the board:-)

 

Met gnomie1 in the computer room last night. It was nice to meet her and share thoughts on the Cruise.

 

More later... need to get ready for the dragons and 114 degree weather.

[Patti22]

Travecat2,

Thank you for the info. We are very much looking forward to our 4th or 5th cruise on the Voyager. Also, thank you for your posts. They are very informative.

[CruisetheCs]

I am booked on the Voyager and am interested in more info about the iPad connection problems. I have not had any significant IPad connection problem on the Navigator or Mariner so I'm wondering if there is something different about the Voyager's network? (Overall the internet was very slow and would drop if you didn't transmit data for some number of minutes, and signal strength varied in different parts of the ships. But the IPad worked as well as a laptop as far as I could tell.)

 

Does anyone know if guests have been able to eventually get things to work reliably with the IPad in the suites? I really don't want to bring my laptop along, but I will if IPads won't work reliably.

 

I'm also interested in an update on vibration issues on Voyager.

 

As for the dining room managers, on my last Navigator voyage, now a year ago, I thought one manager in particular was very abrupt with staff. I commented on it to Regent. I understand the need to ensure that guests are being properly taken care of, but on occasion dining room managers seemed harsh or uncaring toward their staff. Often there just wasn't a sense of collegiality between managers and staff. My thought was that I sure wouldn't want to work there.

[RachelG]

I have used my iPad on voyager, in my suite, without problems. But compose long emails or posts offline so they do 't get lost. Dropping the connection happens no ore frequently with an iPad than with a laptop in my experience.

[Travelcat2]

Internet connection depends upon so many things....... your suite location.... where you are in the world, etc. We are in the waters off of Indonesia and the internet is slow at the moment. The internet guru on board personally feels that iPads have more dropped connections than other tablets. That is obviously her opinion. I have used my Kindle tablet for long messages (saving frequently -- just in case) and have not lost a connection. I am in the computer room at the moment and have seen three people with iPads using their iPads in the computer room - presumably because the connection is better here. The internet connection on Regent is programmed to drop out when you reach one hour. I suspect that all internet issues will be corrected in November, 2014 when the system is once again upgraded.

 

Since we are in an aft suite -- could not be more aft than we are -- I'll address the vibration issue. Note: We are in 782 -- a Seven Seas Aft suite at the back corner of the ship (port). I have long wondered why some people describe the vibration as upsetting while other hardly notice it. Now I understand. I will continue to warn "newbies" about aft suites.

 

When the seas are calm and the Voyager is sailing at 17 knots, the vibration is not noticeable in our suite. If there is any change in speed or the condition of the sea, there is quite a vibration in our bathroom but not so much in the main area. When the speed slows, it can sound like we are sitting on the engine - very loud in the suite.

 

As many long time Regent passengers know, the vibration on the Voyager is not something that can be fixed. The story that most of us believe is that she hit a rock shortly after she was launched and the vibration has been there ever since. The only place it is felt is in aft suites, the Horizon Lounge and La Veranda, aka Sette Mari. The other day I was waiting for La Veranda to open, I was standing on the port side of the ship and heard the same "sitting on the engine noise" as we have heard in our suite.

 

It may be helpful for current and future Regent cruisers to start a list of cabin numbers with a description of how the vibration/noise is in that suite. We would not intentionally book an aft suite but also could not turn down an upgrade on this cruise (caused by our February, 2014 cruise being oversold). We love our suite and have become used to the vibration/noise.

 

I wish there was a way for more people to know about Cruise Critic. So much valuable information is available here. I also think that passengers should read the information provided to them by Regent. Some passengers are complaining about the length and difficulty of long excursions. If you read the information in your suite regarding excursions, you would know exactly how much time is spent on a bus/boat, how many shopping stops there will be, etc. IMO, there is no reason to complain about something that you should have known about in advance. If, after reading the detailed information you want to cancel your excursion, you should do so. We had a good excursion in intense heat today and will check the weather in Darwin in a few minutes. If it is as hot as I expect, we will cancel our excursion. By the same token, if you know that you have booked an aft suite and there could be vibration, it isn't fair to complain about the vibration.

 

Tomorrow is a sea day for us. I still haven't checked out the bar menu ..... I keep forgetting to take the list that I have to compare to the current list.... but, it will happen.

 

It sounds like I'm preaching but I do feel strongly about being informed prior to taking a Regent cruise. The more you know prior to the cruise, the better your cruise will be. Of course, this is just my humble opinion:)

[kej1]

TC2,

 

Thank you for the great report. We are joining the ship in Sydney for the trip to Auckland. We also have a Seven Seas Aft suite but on the 9th floor and looking forward to it despite the vibration! I certainly hope the menus are as good as you describe on our trip. They look delicious!

 

Although we have traveled far and wide but we are fairly new to cruising. We have been on Silversea and Seabourn previously and are really looking forward to This upcoming regent cruise! Will you still be on board or are you getting off in Sydney?

[Catpow]

Darwin at this time of year is always wet, hot and humid:(

 

Here's the latest official line:

 

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology

Northern Territory

 

Darwin and Rural Forecast

Issued at 4:40 pm CST on Friday 27 December 2013

 

 

Forecast for Friday Evening

Cloudy with few showers. Light to moderate north to northwest winds.

 

Precis: Few showers.

 

 

 

Forecast for Saturday

Showers, easing in the afternoon. Light to moderate north to northwest winds.

 

Precis: Few showers.

Darwin: Min 25 Max 31

Rural: Min 24 Max 33

UV Alert 8:50 am to 4:50 pm, UV Index predicted to reach 14 [Extreme]

 

Sunday Shower or storm inland. Min 25 Max 33

Monday Afternoon shower or storm. Min 25 Max 33

Tuesday Partly cloudy. Min 25 Max 34

 

The next routine forecast will be issued at 5:00 am CST Saturday.

[Zqueeze1]

Happy New Year, Poss!

We stayed at what was then the Paris Hilton, it is not anymore. It was one block from Eiffel Tower, close to great bistros, but do not know what it is called now. If we were to go back, we would choose the Marriot Champs-Elysses. Great location and under 350 eu.

I wish you a wonderful trip and we really want to go back to Paris soon. Bruce says Hi!

 

I would like to second this recommendation. We stayed at the Marriott Champs-Elysee last Easter prior to our Regent Mariner cruise from Barcelona. It is very conveniently located, near a subway entrance (out the door, take a left, and walk half a block), and has the absolute best Amaretto Sour in the world. The rooms were very elegant and the morning breakfast buffet was excellent.

Departing from the hotel, if you turn right, you will be at the Arc d'Triomphe in less than ten minutes. Enroute are several bakeries where we ate most of our evening meals (lite snacks, bread and cheese, etc).

 

Good luck and enjoy one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

 

Z and TB

[Travelcat2]

TC2,

 

Thank you for the great report. We are joining the ship in Sydney for the trip to Auckland. We also have a Seven Seas Aft suite but on the 9th floor and looking forward to it despite the vibration! I certainly hope the menus are as good as you describe on our trip. They look delicious!

 

Although we have traveled far and wide but we are fairly new to cruising. We have been on Silversea and Seabourn previously and are really looking forward to This upcoming regent cruise! Will you still be on board or are you getting off in Sydney?

 

We are getting off in Sydney because we will be back on board in March and need a break.

 

Catpow, agree with you 100%. We are cancelling our Darwin excursion due to heat.

[newlondon]

We also enjoyed the Marriott Champs-Elysee, but if you require a little more peace and quiet we prefer the Marriott Vendome. Much closer to the Louvre as well.

[Gilly]

We were in Darwin on a similar - but other way round - cruise a couple of years ago and by the time we got there, we'd tired of the group excursions and being herded around. We found it an easy, very accessible place to explore independently and having mooched around the central area a little, caught a bus out to one of the markets (Nightcliff?) - not that it was the markets themselves which attracted us, but more the chance to ride out into an ordinary suburb and escape the tourist attractions which our excursions seemed to focus upon. I think that, of all the ports of call, Darwin was probably the easiest to enjoy independently and we were glad that we had.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Voyager - it makes for interesting reading and I'm looking forward to seeing how Mariner compares, later next month. Throughout our last cruise on Voyager, there was one suited gentleman who seemed to be omnipresent in the restaurants (we understand he was from Regent HQ). We never found out who he was or why he was there, but he appeared to see all, hear all and say nowt - well, not within our earshot, anyway.

[CruisetheCs]

TC2, Thanks for the additional info on the internet and the vibration.

[Travelcat2]

Nothing major to report at the moment. This is a sea day on our way to Darwin. I'm in the computer room looking at all of the people with iPads and other small devices coming here for a better signal. The internet is so slow that I doubt if being here will make things much better. Some people could not even log on Regent's computers. The cause? Being a sea day, everyone is on the computer.

 

The Computer Manager, Emily, explained why iPads have more problems than some other devices. Although you delete something, it is still there - almost indefinitely. She just cleared an iPad that had 30 items running in the background. No wonder it wasn't working very well on the ship. The issue is not as bad on other tablets and laptops. One reason I did not buy the iPad was my experience with it on board several cruises. I always ended up using it to play games since the connection seemed to drop every time I wanted to send an email or post on CC.

 

I went through the entire bar list last night ..... making changes to my list. Surprisingly, a few ultra premium items went down in price. I'll probably post it when there are less people on the internet.

 

There will be a wine tasting in the atrium area at 11:00 a.m. They are always nice. January 4th there will be a connoisseur wine tasting (cost approx. $165/person -- there is already a list and it has not been announced yet).

[Pam]

I have a question, if somebody who is onboard or has recently been onboard doesn't mind answering. At tea in the afternoon, what is spread on the cucumber sandwiches? I am in the midst of a discussion with several Downton Abbey fans, and we are debating that question. I would so very much appreciate it if you would investigate and let me know.