Live From Voyager - June 14 Baltic CruiseA

[pingpong1]

Hello again from Voyager - Last night's performance by the JAR group and the ship band was again wonderful and energetic. It was called "Dancing to the Hits". Dancing to songs by Lady Gaga, Adele, Justin Timberlake, as well as some tango/samba/ramba routines. So much energy from the whole group.

 

We then went up to the Observation Lounge after the performance for a few "White Russians" - Yum! Met "Raiderette" and DH (Cheryl and David) up there. 10PM and it's still light out. The seas were just slightly choppy but perfectly smooth sailing on on the Voyager.

 

J&J - I think you might be right regarding the Voyage sailing without a completely full compliment of passengers. It is not at all busy or crowded on the ship (and this is a "good thing"). They may very well be almost fully booked (I have no real way of knowing) but there are certainly no insurmountable crowds or delays in any of the dining venues. We have walked in for dinner at both SM and CR without any waiting lines. It also seems like the whole ordering and serving process in the dining rooms has become far more "efficient" than what I recall in our (short) past with Regent.

 

No complaints on that although, we don't even attempt to eat breakfast in CR. I actually like the buffet breakfasts in LV. This morning we "spoiled" ourselves by having breakfast served in our stateroom by "Alin". What a great guy. Since we had an early excursion in Tallinn, we just decided to eat breakfast in. It was all perfection. Everything cooked just right and served hot.

 

Now, for Tallinn. What a wonderful city. We enjoyed it very much. It's so neat, clean, and "modern" in the new part of the city and both clean and quaint in the "old" section of the town. The people are friendly, and quite happy with their recently-found freedom, and are quite happy with their membership in the EU (and NATO). The town is beautiful with many well-manicured and green park areas and the old castles and buildings from the 1400-1600's have been repaired and restored to mostly museum quality. In fact a lot of the very old buildings are used regularly today as coffee shops and restaurants. Nice little stores and street stalls selling crafts. There is no "feeling" of crime or pic-pockets like is sensed in St. Pete.

 

Tallinn would be a very nice town to spend more than one night in. We arrived this morning to a bit of drizzle and brisk winds but by the afternoon, it had cleared up a bit and the wind had died down. We are docked next to Silver Seas "Whisper". There's also a NCL ship ("Norwegian Star") in port, but things don't seem crowded. Regent has arranged for some very convenient shuttle buses to take folks from the terminal area the few short blocks to the main city center. All for now. Dinner in Signatures tonight and a meeting in the theater for SSS members this afternoon. I'll let you know of anything "significant" that might be announced.

 

Regards.

[RachelG]

Tallinn is awesome. We have been twice and would gladly go again. But st Petersburg I have no desire to return to. I wish there were Baltic cruises that did not include it. I would sign up immediately.

[rarin2go]

..... But st Petersburg I have no desire to return to. I wish there were Baltic cruises that did not include it. I would sign up immediately.

 

Couldn't agree more! We are considering Scandinavia and/or the Baltic next summer but all the Regent offerings seem to include 2 days there so we may well have to look to a rival line.

Edited June 18, 2014 by rarin2go
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[xrvlcruiser]

I don't mean to create havoc but could you be a bit more specific about the issues for St Petersburg? I'll be on the Voyager after you depart an am curious as to what to expect.

 

I have not been in that part of the world in many years.

 

Thanks . . . . Peggy

[cruisernan]

Sure appreciate the updates....We are also on the next Voyager cruise and have been struggling with clothing .... not usually a problem for me :-)

I am particularly interested in the St. Petersburg comments. The main reason we are on this cruise is 3 days in SPB. We were there for 2 days a few years ago, loved it and wanted more time there. This time taking 4 friends to show them the beauty of it.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I haven't been to Tallinn, would love to, but I have been to Vilnius, Lithuania, and it too is charming, vibrant and historic. It's not on the coast, so doesn't get hit by cruisers, but an ideal pre- or post-cruise trip would be a few days among the three countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Lovely countryside, too. Or a cruise line could stop at Riga and Tallinn and have an overnight to allow a visit to Vilnius, about an hour from Riga and two and a half from Tallinn.

[pingpong1]

Hello Everyone - I'm now "recovering" from dinner. Mean that in a totally positive way. Tonight, we went to Signatures. The service was impeccable. All well-timed without feeling rushed, but it "moved along" as it should.

 

Mary had her "faux dinner". That's a family joke for a meal with no meat :p. when Mary doesn't find anything else on the menu that particularly appeals to her, her "fall back position " is a "faux dinner" (she's not really a vegetarian but does not particularly care for fish, veal, or lamb - which can be quite limiting). For me however, I'll eat most anything.

 

So tonight, Mary had the "vegetables gratan", which consisted of a thin pastry with goat cheese, tomatoes, zucchini, and mushrooms. She had the very nice cream of mushroom soup, and she ended her meal with the chocolate tart with raspberries.

 

Dad and I had the cold crab cake and asparagus appetizer, the filet of halibut with some vegetables served on a small bed of mashed potato. Our desert was the gateaux cake with dark cherries and lemon cream sauce. Mary got the sticks of white chocolate that were on mine and Dad's plate (with the cake).

 

We all drank a nice German riesling, the same as we had the other night. Why not stick with something you like! After the dinner, I had them make a nice cup of "Highland Coffee". For those of you who have never tried it, that black coffee, with a shot of Drambuie in it, and topped with some whipped cream. Yum, yum - a wonderful finish to a meal.

 

This afternoon (6PM) we attended the Seven Seas Society cocktail party, complete with wine (champagne, etc.) and canapes, including caviar. The hosts were Captain Green, Gudrun (the Cruise Consultant), and JR, our CD.

 

Gudrun gave the usual short "Regent" pep rally talk (nothing wrong with that), and then Stephanie and JR ended the gathering with an absolutely stunning duet of the "Phantom" love song, "All I Ask Of You". Absolutely beautiful.

 

I want to again mention how wonderful it has been to see all the children onboard sailing with their parents. They have universally been so well behaved, very well dressed, and have comported themselves in a very polite and non-disruptive way. Some of them where enjoying the hot tub/s and pool this afternoon and having a great time. They've been eating quite well and quietly in the dining rooms and have loved to attend the evening shows and watch the performers. The average ages seem to range from about 9 - 13.

 

Bamadad - You are so right. Eric & Stephanie are absolutely excellent performers and their voices blend so well. JR will be performing tomorrow night in the theater with his beautiful baritone voice. He told us he would be doing the "classic show tunes", which we will be looking forward to.

 

Tim - I haven't seen Ferdinand yet, but I will pass along you best wishes to him.

 

Regards to all. Now off to the evening performance.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

Great reports! I've been "lurking" in anticipation of our Copenhagen to Stockholm cruise on Voyager starting July 26.

 

I, too, did not intend to take a cruise that included St. Petersburg (just wanted the fjords really), but couldn't pass up the extrodinary deal being offered by my TA for this cruise.

 

I'm reserving judgement, and will enjoy seeing the city I'm sure, but may opt out of all 3 days, and create a "sea day" or two for myself. ;)

[Hambagahle]

We were in St Petersburg on the Voyager in 2006 - and thought it was fabulous. It did help I think that both of us have studied Russian albeit a long time ago so at least we can read if not always understand! And we had a superb private guide who was able to get us into everything - Gold room at the Hermitage, Catherine's Palace, the Palace at Orangienburg without waiting and often when the place was closed so no crowds either. However we did see some of the post war Soviet architecture and I agree it is pretty ropey. However one does need to understand that in the post war period no one in Europe had money for frills. The construction in the UK at the time was just as unattractive and utilitarian as you see in Russia. We didn't have any food either (rationing in the UK until the early '50s for example). Things are a lot better now and re-building is being done in some style! It really wasn't the Soviets who ruined St P. in the war - as pointed out the siege went a long way to doing that. Just read Harrison Salisbury's "The Siege of Leningrad" to get even a faint understanding of what they went through...

[pingpong1]

Today is our "sea day", as we sail from Tallinn, Estonia to Wernemunde (Rostock), Germany. It seems like Regent could have built in another day's port visit (Poland, etc.) along the way, if they'd really wanted to. They certainly would have the time to do it. Maybe it's a "profits thing". Wouldn't have to stay overnight. Just pull in during the morning to a port along the way and leave in the afternoon. They could still make it to Rostock by Friday morning. Instead, we're just plodding along in a calm sea today and in no particular hurry.

 

The last night in the theater was again very well done and attended by a packed crowd, who showed their appreciation for all the work the JAR dancers put in. This was a combination of a "Cirque" performance with the highly skilled Czek gymnasts, and an "American in Paris" type of burlesqe show, with plenty of Gershwin and "Can-Can routines". All very well done.

 

The Seven Seas Society party yesterday afternoon gave us the opportunity to meet and talk to all the dancers and singers. Today, PW is having a "fire sale" for all their "stuff". They've cleaned most everything out of their display area next to the computer room and having a large art auction on the 4th deck. No reference is being made to the fact that they are leaving. They're just touting all the "fantastic deals" to be had on their artwork.

 

Lots of different talks and presentations going on today to pass the time. Tonight is our "P7 Night". Looking forward to it. Regards.

[pingpong1]

Hello Everyone - One big correction. Tomorrow night (Friday) is our P7 night, to celebrate our 44th anniversary - not tonight. Tonight was another CR night. Dad had one of the P7 specialties on the menu - the filet mignon. I had the filet mignon and the lobster thermidor served in the half lobster shell. No appetizer or salad. Just too full from all the eating we've been doing. Mary had the chicken breast wrapped in the pancetta (sp?) - ham and cheese. She also had the green salad with vinigarette dressing. Today was a sea day.

 

Mary and I then went to the performance in the theater by JR, the CD. Dad went to bed! JR's singing performance was Broadway classics from the 50's - 70's with support from the Regent Voyager band. He has a beautiful baritone voice that everyone appreciated very much. The theater was packed.

 

We then headed up to the Observation Lounge and had some "nightcaps" with our "new best friend", "Raiderette" (CC) and her husband - Cheryl and David. What great folks!

 

At midnight, we left the lounge and I've just stopped by the computer room to leave this update. Tomorrow, we'll be in Wernemunde/Rostock. Our last full day on Voyager. :o The time goes by so fast. Tomorrow, we have to think about packing. All for now. Best Regards.

[pingpong1]

Hello Again - We're now in our last day of this cruise :( We arrived in Rostock/Wernemunde this morning around 7AM. It was cold, windy, and damp, but as the morning progressed, it cleared a bit and warmed up a bit. Went on a 4 hour bus/walking tour around Rostock....it has become a new and modern city (after reunification). There are still a few old parts of the city but it was bombed heavily during WWII so a lot of new building has taken place. Particularly in the past 20 years.

 

Our excursion guide, Anna, was very cheerful and upbeat. She is a native of Rostock but has traveled extensively and has a college degree in "cultural science" (didn't really know there was such a degree). She was only 5 when the Soviet Union collapsed/imploded so she does not have hardly any memories of the "old days" - just the stories that her parents have told her. The main one was that friends or even relatives could not "trust" each other, for fear that the "Stasi" (east German secret police) had virtually "bought" everyone off to get them to "report" on everyone else who might express "subversive thoughts".

 

The town is very neat and clean. I was surprised to see so many newly constructed brick buildings. There is a very old University there - dates back to the 1400's - so there is a very high level of formal education in the city. Ship building goes on here, as well as a large Caterpillar Diesel Engine factory, so there are plenty of well paying skilled jobs in the area.

 

Tonight, the JAR group puts on a "Songs of the 70's" performance in the theater. Should be good. Those who aren't still out on tour are also beginning to back suitcases and perhaps do some last minute washing. Once we leave the ship in the morning (in Copenhagen), we'll be remaining in Denmark for 4 more days. All for now. Regards to all.

[nw500005]

pingpong1 - on behalf of all of us who have been following you these past few days - a big THANK YOU for taking the time to submit crisp yet comprehensive reports from the SS Voyager. Sounds like everything was top notch - and Happy Anniversary to you and yours! My husband and I will be celebrating our 27th on our upcoming Baltic cruise.

Thanks again!!

[pingpong1]

NW - Thanks much for the kudos. Thanks also to everyone else who "came along" for the ride. A final dinner report for the "last supper".

 

Dad, Mary, and I ate in P7. Got there about 7PM. Not too busy. More folks walked in around 8:30, as we were leaving. "Sylvester" was the Maitre 'd (from India). I asked him if he happened to know "Leslie" (also from India) who happened to be our excellent butler on last Fall's cruise. He said that he indeed, did know Leslie and that they always stay in touch. Leslie is on a break back to India now but will be rejoining Regent soon.

 

Dad and I skipped the appetizers/soup/salad tonight. We were just too full from the huge plate of cold shrimp and cracked crab claws that "Anil" brought to our room around 5PM. Somehow, Mary managed to struggle through a light salad. Dad had his favorite, the lamb chops (cooked medium and to perfection - done on the outside and pink on the inside). He also had a small cruet of port wine sauce to dip the meat in. Mary and I had our favorite - the Filet Mignon. She had the 6 OZ and your's truly had the 10 OZ. Again, cooked perfectly and very tender. We also each had cruets of bernaise sauce. I had the twice-baked potato and sauteed mushrooms. Mary had the mashed yukon gold potatoes and the asparagus truffle butter. Then the staff brought out a nice little piece of strawberry and mousse cake with vanilla ice cream ("Happy Anniversary" written in chocolate on the plate). Dad had a piece of banana cream pie.

 

After this, we all "waddled" out of there. We're all packed and ready to leave the boat around 8:30AM. We will have a limo waiting for us to take us to our hotel (Crowne Plaza Towers) for 4 additional nights. Now, it's off to our final theater show - "Hits of the 70's". Regards to all. Now to start planning our next cruise!

[xrvlcruiser]

No Mention of Krew Kapers . . . . . is that still part of the last evening? (I hope so!)

 

Peggy

[WesW]

Sylvester is one of our fav Regent crew members...thanks for sharing your voyage with us.

 

 

Sent from my iPad mini using Tapatalk

[pingpong1]

Peggy - Yes, Krew Kapers is alive and well. Sorry for omitting that from the report. It was held at 5:30PM on the final evening. I didn´t go but DW did and she said it was one of the best (3) that she had seen.

 

I would also like to reiterate that all the performances of the JAR group were extremely good. They have brought out new productions for the new cruise season and we enjoyed them all, very much.

 

We're now off the ship, of course, and starting the 3rd day in a 4-day visit with friends in Copenhagen. It was a very good cruise, but in retrospect seemed to be just too short (7 days) to really "settle in" to the cruise routine and too limiting in the ports we could visit. It all felt "rushed". I think those of you who are on longer (10-12 day) itineraries will be able to enjoy the experience overall, more than we did. More ports, and more time to just simply relax. To us, it seems to be just too far to fly for such a short time.

 

Regards to all. "See you" on our next cruise. :)

[RachelG]

Have to agree with you about 7 days just being too short. You don't have enough time to relax and get into cruise mode. We didn't do trivia at all on our recent cruise because it was so port intensive and there wasn't really time to do everything we wanted. And it takes time to really jell a team together.

[xrvlcruiser]

Thanks for the good "blog" pingpong1!

 

Peggy

[raiderette]

Ping Pong, we are back in the States and back to work, glad you are enjoying a few days after the cruise. I do agree with your assessment of St. Petersburg but glad we got to see it. Overall we had a wonderful cruise and met some of the nicest people we ever had cruising, you and your wife included. We enjoyed our nightcaps in the Observation Lounge. Hope you have safe travels back to the states, the jet lag coming home is not much fun. We have great memories from this cruise and hope to maybe see you on a future cruise. Best regards, Dave and Cheryl.

[lalabama]

I have been reading the St Pete comments with interest. Went there on the Navigator at least 10 years ago, and I found it quite possibly the most interesting city I have ever been to. We had a private guide for 3 days which enabled us to see much more than the ship's tours offered. I've been fascinated with Russian history ever since I read Nicholas and Alexandra years ago, and the decaying buildings made it that more easy to imagine how it was way back when. Our guide was a small child during the siege, and her stories were unbelievable. I didn't think 3 days was enough time to see what I wanted to see--I could have spent all 3 in just the Hermitage! I would go back in a heart beat. Different strokes...

[gnomie1]

I have been reading the St Pete comments with interest. Went there on the Navigator at least 10 years ago, and I found it quite possibly the most interesting city I have ever been to. We had a private guide for 3 days which enabled us to see much more than the ship's tours offered. I've been fascinated with Russian history ever since I read Nicholas and Alexandra years ago, and the decaying buildings made it that more easy to imagine how it was way back when. Our guide was a small child during the siege, and her stories were unbelievable. I didn't think 3 days was enough time to see what I wanted to see--I could have spent all 3 in just the Hermitage! I would go back in a heart beat. Different strokes...

 

As I was reading all the comments, I repeated to myself "are they visiting the same St. Petersburg that I am" - my visit next month will be my third trip over the past four years and there is still so much more to see, esp at the Hermitage where I could spend days, esp viewing the private collections not open to visitors without prior permission. I wish I had more than three days and I wish it was not so difficult to get a visa so that I could have arranged more private tours - but that is for yet another visit in the future. My first visit I had a private guide for four days and those were some of my most favorite vacation memories.

 

gnomie :)

[TedC]

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Edited June 24, 2014 by TedC
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[TedC]

It was Leningrad when we first visited and it was Soviet Union. Top floor of Hermitage has wonderful Impressionists including my favorite Monet, "The lady in White," I recall it was titled.

 

There were a lot of black cars with men in white shirts who seemed to be watching visitors closely!

[lalabama]

We got to go in the Gold special exhibit at the Hermitage, and I was appalled to find out it (at that time, maybe still is?) was the only air-condition section of the museum. All those priceless paintings without humidity /climate control. It seems a sacrilege.

We had so much flexibility with our guide, we even rode the subway from an art deco station. We were really objects of attention but it was beautiful down in that station. We had one lunch out by Tsaro Selo (?) and the 2 others at 2 nice hotels. Olga was a force to be reckoned with and pushed us to the front everywhere and made sure we weren't cheated in the shops. In turn, we brought her Advil, tylenol, cough drops, and sweet and low. Things she couldn't get there.

St Petersburg has so much to offer we didn't take the optional trip to Moscow. but next time I would want to go there.