Christmas/New Year's - LIVE - Voyager

[Swyre]

Having "gone thro' the entire bar list" TC I hope your head doesn't hurt this morning....

 

R

[Travelcat2]

Before I forget, there are a couple of positives that I neglected to mention. The water pressure is very good and the air conditioning is great. It is very hot outside. One woman mentioned that her cabin was 77 degrees. We keep our suite at 66 at night and 68 during the day. When the sun sets it goes up to 70. The temperature is the best we had on a Regent ship.

 

The ship is around 72 - 74 degrees which is rather warm when the temps. Outside are above 90.

 

Tonight is the Seven Seas Society cocktail party. I am curious how many repeat customers are on board. As I have posted, the mix of people is very different. Before someone calls me a snob..... I mean very young couples, more people from countries other than the typical ones and, yes a few people that look a bit out of place. I'm not a prude but find a practically nude woman lying on the beach a bit strange on the back of a t-shirt. Plus, there are young children on board.

 

BTW, never thought I'd say this..... the children have been well behaved.:eek:

[OrpingtonT]

Cucumber.

[tallship]

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.

 

Butter and cream cheese

[Catpow]

1. Darwin is easy to get around and looking at the excursions, both the Territory Wildlife Park and the Jumping Crocs (I've done both in very humid February) aren't too bad as they're inland a bit. A harbour cruise will be well ventilated and the historical tours may not be of interest to all. Darwin is a very laid back place and easy to get around. Some of the 'souvenirs' are a bit suspect - though can be fun. There is a minor croc obsession - a bit like the 'gators' in parts of the US. The local rag, the NT News is famous for it's ability to create outrageous front page stories, often based on said crocs, with little substance. It's worth picking up a copy for a laugh. It can make the 'National Enquirer' look like an erudite publication - and the sensationalism is quite intentional and tongue in cheek - and it does report serious news as well.

 

2. Cucumber sandwiches: No idea how they make them on the ship, but the consensus in a recent UK paper was quality white bread (crusts removed) butter, cucumber, peeled and finely sliced then salted and drained for 20 minutes and white pepper. That's how the 80+ mum of one of my friends does it too. Delish!

[newlondon]

Catpow, Absolutely one of the classics! Another substitutes crème fraiche for the butter. BTW the butter we always ad in the UK was unsalted:)

[RachelG]

I am going to a downton abbey party tomorrow, so will see what is served, but I always thought cucumber sandwiches were finely sliced cucmber, cream cheese, salt and pepper on decrusted white bread.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

These remarks about the restaurant staff are fairly perplexing and somewhat alarming. I hate to beat a dead horse, but the staff on our recent Oceania cruise seemed to have a very high morale, worked their butts off, but always had time for a friendly word or two. Go figure.

[jklc123]

TC2

I've been looking forward to your comments about the vibration. We sailed recently in PHC suite 878, directly above your suite. We were worried about the vibration before sailing but didn't find it bothersome. We also may have become used to it. We really liked the balcony that curves around to port side. Very much enjoying the comments on your current cruise.

[newlondon]

Hi Rachel, Will be surprised if you get served cream cheese on your finger sandwich. Imo too strong a taste and the wrong consistency. Only my opinion!

[Pam]

Thanks again for the sandwich information!

[RachelG]

I will report back.

[Travelcat2]

Having "gone thro' the entire bar list" TC I hope your head doesn't hurt this morning....

 

R

 

I missed your very funny post earlier. Thanks for the laugh:D

 

We are in Darwin today and the weather is overcast and warm (not raining as it has been for the past 10 days)l. Had a nice excursion.

 

Apparently there is something going around the ship (illness) because the guests are now being asked to disinfect their hands prior to walking into the restaurant (which they should be doing without being asked) and food in La Veranda is being served to you rather than helping yourself. It reminds me of being on Oceania. Hopefully the illness will be contained and not spread further.

 

BTW, after so many cruises, I didn't know that some over the counter medications that are not available in the Boutique are available in the doctor's office. Just a tip for future cruisers.

 

Wendy: Two things: First, it was not the staff that I was having issues with - it was management (the men in the black suits that look like Mafia). After discussing it with a few people, I have not seen the "black suits" bossing around staff and/or interrupting staff when assisting guests, since Christmas Day. Someone was listening (or reading Cruise Critic).

 

Secondly, you know how things can change from one cruise to another. If there is a large turnover of staff, what you or I experienced may be completely different for the next segment.

 

On another note, the salt sticks have improved about 70%. They are a little larger are are no longer hard like a rock. Cheesecake, Key Lime pie and a few other items are still not Regent quality. I have a feeling that this problem will disappear when the pastry chef goes on vacation.

 

Speaking of vacation, someone wanted to know when Paul Reynolds is going on vacation. He is leaving in Sydney on January 7th which may be the date that Franck Galzy returns.

 

Still do not have time to do the bar list (guess I'll have to drink everything again;))

[Travelcat2]

Sometime during this cruise I deleted my bar list. So, the updates will have to wait until we get home.

 

Two things to report:

 

1. Dinner at Sette Mari was delicious (steak) and the service was non-existent (and the place was half full or half empty - whichever way you want to look at it).

 

2. The absolute best menu item from Oceania is now served on Regent...... (drum roll......................) miso glazed sea bass. Okay -- this is not completely "new" news but I had to taste it to believe it. The miso glazed sea bass we had last night in CR was the same or better than what we experienced in Red Ginger on Oceania. As many of you know, there are no special orders on Oceania but on Regent, you only need to give 24 hours notice. So, tomorrow night I will dine on miso glazed sea bass again. I LOVE this dish.

 

We are headed into two sea days -- the second sea day is December 31st when we will celebrate New Year's Eve on board. Of course I will post details of the events. I do know that we will be in the same time zone as Sydney and they will show the fireworks from the Sydney Bridge at midnight.

 

The cruise continues to improve -- just feeling sorry for the people who are not feeling well. Hope they are better for New Year's Eve.

[poss]

Tc, your reports have been wonderful. Thanks ever so much for all the detail. Posting from on board as you and others do is something I could never manage, but it's mightily appreciated.

 

(I used at least to post after we arrived home, but the main thing I was interested in, the main area where I wanted to post in real detail-- the excursions-- never seemed to be of much interest to most other readers, so I quit. Not to mention having ever-less energy....)

[ChatKat in Ca.]

[quote name=Travelcat2;41082525

2. The absolute best menu item from Oceania is now served on Regent...... (drum roll......................) miso glazed sea bass. Okay -- this is not completely "new" news but I had to taste it to believe it. The miso glazed sea bass we had last night in CR was the same or better than what we experienced in Red Ginger on Oceania. As many of you know' date=' there are no special orders on Oceania but on Regent, you only need to give 24 hours notice. So, tomorrow night I will dine on miso glazed sea bass again. I LOVE this dish.

 

[/quote]

 

According to the Chef in Regent Toque on the Riviera a few weeks ago, as I stated and was corrected by you about, the food planning on the O and R lines is now one entity. The kitchen for the cooking class was filled with Regent and Oceania Executive Chefs planning meals and devising new menus for both lines to be shared between the lines. Recipes and food are sourced and planned identically. And with advance planning, you can get some items special order on Oceania.

Edited December 29, 2013 by ChatKat in Ca.

[DeepFreeze63]

Thanks TC2! We will board on 2/1 and I just made a note on my planning sheet to enjoy the miso glazed sea bass. Because I have a carnivore for a wife, I try to never have red meat away from home and I usually succeed. Any recommendations on the chicken or the duck?

Jim C

[metalsman]

Apparently there is something going around the ship (illness) because the guests are now being asked to disinfect their hands prior to walking into the restaurant (which they should be doing without being asked) and food in La Veranda is being served to you rather than helping yourself. It reminds me of being on Oceania. Hopefully the illness will be contained and not spread further.

 

Wendy: Two things: First, it was not the staff that I was having issues with - it was management (the men in the black suits that look like Mafia). After discussing it with a few people, I have not seen the "black suits" bossing around staff and/or interrupting staff when assisting guests, since Christmas Day.

 

On another note, the salt sticks have improved about 70%. They are a little larger are are no longer hard like a rock. Cheesecake, Key Lime pie and a few other items are still not Regent quality. I have a feeling that this problem will disappear when the pastry chef goes on vacation.

 

We were on board for the Istanbul/Dubai leg and were astonished at the lack of hygiene on the part of the passengers. In fact, we were so concerned that my wife counted the number of passengers who used the hand wash on entering La Veranda one morning over the course of 15 minutes. Only 2 people used the hand wash and this was at a busy time in the morning. We then looked at the other restaurants and they were all the same - few people using the hand wash and no one asking them to do so! The staff regularly cleaned stairways etc so they cannot be blamed - it is the lack of thought on the passengers part. This only changed at the very end of our cruise when staff started reminding passengers to use the hand wash when they entered the restaurants so maybe something was starting at that point - one couple we dined with previously were confined to their cabin due to sickness.

 

As to the "mafia" managers - we also witnessed this once in La Veranda but the manager took the person aside away from passengers to give the dressing down. Based on the variability of service between members of the crew, they may be there to bring service levels up to a more even level. Most of the staff are good, some excellent (and when you found them you asked for them by name or sat at their stations), but others, I am afraid to say, were not up to the mark. In general, we found the Veranda/Sette Mari managers very professional and friendly and they would always welcome you/speak with you.

 

As to the pastries and biscuits (cookies), we found them much too sweet for our British palates and the biscuits were quite soft - we are used to biscuits that are crunchy but this is a personal observation - it probably suited American palates.

[OrpingtonT]

 

As to the pastries and biscuits (cookies), we found them much too sweet for our British palates and the biscuits were quite soft - we are used to biscuits that are crunchy but this is a personal observation - it probably suited American palates.

 

Has anyone ever tried to get British type biscuits (morning coffee, ginger snaps , custard creams and so on, when on board? I confess I would like some with my morning coffee sometimes but shy away from trying to explain what I want.

[Travelcat2]

metalsman: You are so right! Everyone (that they can catch) are required to sanitize their hands. Plates are handed to you by a crew member that wears plastic gloves. This procedure is still in effect.

 

DeepFreeze63: I don't eat duck so I can't help you there. We have had several really tasty chicken dishes in La Veranda at lunch. The chicken was very moist. Have not ordered chicken in the evening.

 

Chatkat: I did not feel as if I corrected you -- just gave my view of the situation. You have long believed that Regent and Oceania will merge and I have not agreed with that nor do I believe that the food quality is the same in the Terrace Cafe as it is in La Veranda or the MDR on Oceania and Compass Rose.

 

I did state that the food in Jacques and Red Ginger was, IMO, better than anything on Regent. I feel that the Miso Glazed Sea Bass is a high quality dish which is probably why it is only served in Red Ginger on Oceania (to my knowledge -- if they serve it elsewhere on the ship, I am not aware of it). Serving Miso Glazed Sea Bass in Compass Rose is a great idea -- taking the most popular dish from a specialty restaurant on Oceania and putting it on Regent makes sense (maybe only to me).

 

poss: If I didn't type so fast I could not do what I do. I will add a bit of detail of the excursions since you enjoy them. Think I already stated that it was extremely hot on the Komoto Dragon excursion -- almost unbearable. The Jumping Crocodile boat ride was in an enclosed boat (open on top deck). There was some degree of air conditioning on the bottom deck. It is very difficult to get crocodiles to jump out of the water -- when they do it is amazing. We have no further excursions until we get to the Great Barrier Reef in three days.

 

OrpingtonT: I do love the biscuits that you described. It is unlikely that you will see them on an board unless they hire a British pastry chef. That is also unlikely since Americans would miss their very sweet desserts. Unfortunately, the pastry chef currently on board cannot meet the desires of almost anyone.

 

We still have another 1/2 hour and then an hour time change. It will then put us around 18 hours ahead of the west coast of the U.S. One could just about celebrate New Year's in Sydney, hop on a plane and arrive in time to celebrate it again:-)

[tallship]

Jackie- Do you recall the name of the Pastry Chef we had on the crossing on Mariner earlier in the year? The Chef was a Canadian, Jonathan Schmid but I do not recall the name or nationality of the Pastry Chef. He was probably the best I have ever experienced on a cruise.

[poss]

Hi Tc-- no need to describe the excursions, at least not for me, since we'll not be in that part of the planet again. I know that most people seem to care most about happenings/details on the ship itself. Those are the real back-and-forths. For me, the ports were the main pleasure, though I truly don't think we would have taken to cruising the way we did had it not been for Radisson/Regent. We do love the ships very much (have never been on Navigator). We even like the fact that excursions are included, as we've enjoyed most of them a great deal. Just makes things easier for us. One of the reasons, in fact, that we've not been tempted to try other lines. Easy to understand, though, how many cruisers would prefer the other way of doing.

[journeyfan]

Travelcat,

 

Your statement that "the pastry chef currently on board cannot meet the desires of almost anyone" mirrors our impression when we sailed on the Voyager in late August of this year. We submitted our comments to Regent after the cruise and although our comments were glowing in most respects, I stated that we found most of the pastries to be rather tasteless. Regent responded that "baked goods is one area where Regent is known to excel." Well, they used to excel in this area. :-(

[Travelcat2]

Jackie- Do you recall the name of the Pastry Chef we had on the crossing on Mariner earlier in the year? The Chef was a Canadian, Jonathan Schmid but I do not recall the name or nationality of the Pastry Chef. He was probably the best I have ever experienced on a cruise.

 

Sorry... Do not recall name or nationality. He was very good (as are most). Dennis is currently at a pastry demonstration ... I opted out!

 

Journeyman, I could not agree more. We had a long discussion with F and B Director. Showed him my cheesecake and reminded him of how it has looked for the past ten years. He was very interested and kind.

 

poss: while there is nothing major wrong with the navigator, IMO, it does not compare favorably to the other ships. While fine for newbies, you are a long time Regent customer and I would not recommend trying it. I may be blasted for that comment.

 

Rachel, I am sooooooooooo jealous of the Downton Abby party you will be attending. We had to record it since there will not be a showing on the ship:-(

[RachelG]

All I can say is the first episode of season 4 is very good! Unfortunately cucumber sandwiches were not served at tea. It was all sweet stuff! But the tea was Delicious.