Live from the Voyager, R/T Venice:"long time, first time"

[seaknots]

I enjoyed this thread thank you

[liptastic]

Bob and Jeannie, just to echo all the previous posters thanks. This has been a wonderful thread with such a lovely personal touch in every post.

Hurry back with your next cruise.

Safe travels home and thanks again, Jean.

[petlover]

I love reading your postings and enjoy your style. My O My, what a lovely couple you and Jeannie make...you two should be on the Regent brochures. My DH and my first Regent cruise was out of Venice on the Voyager in 2002 so your narrative and photos are special to us.

[MalbecWine]

We have enjoyed this thread immensely. What great photos of food and the two of you plus the scenic ones and your very balanced opinions.

 

You are Prince Charming and your wife is Cinderella. Lucky you!!

[boblerm]

Bob & Jeannie, thanks so much for taking us along on your Voyager cruise. Safe

travels home.

Thanks Wes, looking forward to hearing about the adventures of Wes and Ida on the Mariner. Will be here before you know it.(y)

[boblerm]

I loved the on scene reporting. You are quite the Anderson Cooper.

19 days until we board a plane to Barcelona for our first Regent cruise. Your pictures have built my excitement for a pounds increasing, friends building, culture acquiring cruise.

Thanks, and have a great cruise, I predict that you are in for a treat!

[boblerm]

Bob and Jeannie, I have thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful reports; safe travels home!

 

Marc

 

This thread has been an absolute delight. thank you

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much, I'll miss your posts.

 

Thank you for sharing your wonderful vacation, may you enjoy many more. Safe travels home.

 

 

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Thank you all so much for your kind words!

[boblerm]

Thank Bob. I've been following your reports with great interest and enjoyment; with quite a few chuckles which I've shared with Cel. I've also salivated more then usual over the past week. We're cruising around Greek isles in a few weeks. Do you have any info from others who attempted private travel, via the cable car, in Santorini? I'm concerned that we may find ourselves in a lengthy queue to get up to Thira in the morning (We're not worried about the trip down - we've done the donkey track before and while not easy, it has proven to be one of the really memorable experiences from our travels). So,if you have any info you picked up from others, it will be most helpful. If faced with a long queue, which I suspect is very likely, then we'll do a ship excursion instead.

Regards

Tony

Thank you Tony,

Sorry, I did not get any info about private excursions, but I can share with you what I do know. The spot that we tendered into was NOT the same spot that we tendered out of, that is the one below Thira. The ship repositioned in the PM. I am not sure where they took us to for boarding the buses. This is my second visit to Santorini, and it was the same the first time as well. I am not certain as to whether or not this is the routine, or whether it depends on sea conditions as to where the tender boats go to in the AM. You can probably get this info in the Greece ports of call forum (Ports of Call- Europe- Greek Ports). You can peruse the threads there to see what you can learn, or pose a question, will probably get good responses.

 

As to the donkeys, I was but jesting about wanting to ride them down, I know with my warped sense of humor this is not always obvious. The tour guide informed us that our choices were cable car or walk. I did ask her about the donkey option, not that I thought that there was a snowball's chance in hell that DW would go for it , just out of curiosity. Her response was "well you could.....", then kind of scrunched up her nose and made a face. But I envy you the experience!

[jeb_bud]

Really enjoyed your commentary and photos. We’re doing Barcelona to Venice next year and this helped to whet our appetite.

 

Did you use your phone or something else to take the pictures?

 

 

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[boblerm]

Wow! Your photography was surpurb. The clarity, crispness and angles are the best I have seen on CC. Thanks so much for sharing them.

You have whet my appetite for next summer in the Adriatic. I wish I knew how to post the photos because we will be seeing great sights in Norway on our August Navigator cruise.

Sorry this thread is coming to an end. It was one of the best yet. Hoping you are planning another cruise because I can’t wait to follow. Safe travels home.

Regards

Sheila

Sheila, thank you again.

 

If you are interested in learning how to post photos, it really isn't that hard. If you would like, send me a note at boblerm108 at gmail dot com, let me know what kind of device you are likely to use (i phone or pad, or android), I would be happy to help you with that.

[boblerm]

Agree with you. I believe that they are on "our" cruise. It would be wonderful to leave the photography to someone who takes wonderful photos!

 

Bob

Hope you are right Jackie!

Are you and your BW on the Splendor, LAX to MIA, March 14th, 2020? If so, we look forward to meeting both of you.

Sheila and Herb

Yes, we are booked on this cruise and absolutely stoked about meeting so many cc notables!

[boblerm]

I concur with everything Bellagio Cruisers said. Thanks so much for your blog, Bob

 

Thank you so much for sharing your upbeat optimistic thoughts with us. I really like your attitude. As others have expressed, your photos are great too. Safe travels.

 

 

 

This vacation will be remembered, by all have had the enjoyment of being part of this cruise, from our armchairs......As the song goes “To good to be forgotten, what more can I say.......

 

Thank you so much for taking us along. I can't believe it is over already. I will miss your pictures and commentary. Fantastic.

 

I am very grateful for your kind words and sentiments!

[boblerm]

Splendor (or Splendour...) is underway at Fincantieri yards in Ancona. Did you see anything of her??

 

 

 

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No!! I wish I had known, I surely would have been on the lookout for her!

[boblerm]

I enjoyed this thread thank you

 

Bob and Jeannie, just to echo all the previous posters thanks. This has been a wonderful thread with such a lovely personal touch in every post.

Hurry back with your next cruise.

Safe travels home and thanks again, Jean.

I am so glad that you enjoyed it, thanks so much!

[boblerm]

I love reading your postings and enjoy your style. My O My, what a lovely couple you and Jeannie make...you two should be on the Regent brochures. My DH and my first Regent cruise was out of Venice on the Voyager in 2002 so your narrative and photos are special to us.

Thank you, petlover, sailing out of Venice is very special indeed!

[boblerm]

Thank you jeb_bud. For the photos out on tour I was mostly using a Nikon D5600 with a Sigma 18-300 lens, very handy as it's you can go wide to close without having to carry more than 1 lens. Around the ship, I don't want to lug around a dslr, for those I used my galaxy s8 camera phone.

Really enjoyed your commentary and photos. We’re doing Barcelona to Venice next year and this helped to whet our appetite.

 

Did you use your phone or something else to take the pictures?

 

 

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[boblerm]

We have enjoyed this thread immensely. What great photos of food and the two of you plus the scenic ones and your very balanced opinions.

 

You are Prince Charming and your wife is Cinderella. Lucky you!!

As I cannot recall ever being referred to as Prince Charming before, I believe I will take some time and bask in the glory.

 

[emoji3][emoji3][emoji3]

Thanks!

 

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[boblerm]

I just wanted to say a few words about the Regent land program. I had indicated at the beginning that this was the first time that we took the Regent air land and transfer program. I was a little skeptical about the choice of the Hilton Molino Stucky Hotel, but we were quite pleased with it. While we did not take the shuttle that runs to San Marco, we did speak to some who used it and said that it worked out fine. BTW, they usually have a charge for it's use, a one time charge whether you are staying for 1 day or 1 month. I heard a hotel staff member tell someone that this charge is waved for those in the Regent program:) No Hilton points are given, however:(

 

The transfers from airport to hotel, hotel to ship, and ship to airport were IMO quite well organized and efficient, there were Regent personnel around every step of the way and we felt very well take care of.

[jeb_bud]

I just wanted to say a few words about the Regent land program. I had indicated at the beginning that this was the first time that we took the Regent air land and transfer program. I was a little skeptical about the choice of the Hilton Molino Stucky Hotel, but we were quite pleased with it. While we did not take the shuttle that runs to San Marco, we did speak to some who used it and said that it worked out fine. BTW, they usually have a charge for it's use, a one time charge whether you are staying for 1 day or 1 month. I heard a hotel staff member tell someone that this charge is waved for those in the Regent program:) No Hilton points are given, however:(

 

 

 

The transfers from airport to hotel, hotel to ship, and ship to airport were IMO quite well organized and efficient, there were Regent personnel around every step of the way and we felt very well take care of.

 

 

 

Speaking of ship to airport transfer...

 

Bob and any others, what would be the earliest departure from Venice that I could safely expect to make? I am in the midst of generating my list of preferred flights in preparation for “deviation day” and my preferred flights tend to have earlier departures. I hope to leave fairly early in the day but don’t want to ask the impossible when I send my request to my TA.

 

 

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[Hambagahle]

Depends on how you plan to get to the airport from the Cruise Terminal (and indeed whether your ship docks in the Cruise Terminal or at San Basilio. If at the Cruise Ship Termnal it will be relatively easy to get a taxi and that will be the fastest way to the airport. Allow 45 mns in the taxi which should be more than enough time. And pre-order a taxi which might be a good idea. we have used the official Venice consortium for this -

http://www.veneziataxi.it/

 

San Basilio is much smaller - when we docked on the Mariner Regent had a shuttle bus to the Piazzale Roma which took 5 mins once the bus was loaded and ready to go. Plenty of taxis available at the P. Roma.

 

if you want to take a water taxi (more fun and much more money) that would work too but allow at least an hour and again, pre-book it.

[Hambagahle]

Could you go on another ASAP? I'm going to miss reading this everyday

 

I will miss it too! PLEASE Bob - get on another ship quickly!!

 

take care - see you 14 March 2020!!!

Gerry:):)

[jeb_bud]

Depends on how you plan to get to the airport from the Cruise Terminal (and indeed whether your ship docks in the Cruise Terminal or at San Basilio. If at the Cruise Ship Termnal it will be relatively easy to get a taxi and that will be the fastest way to the airport. Allow 45 mns in the taxi which should be more than enough time. And pre-order a taxi which might be a good idea. we have used the official Venice consortium for this -

http://www.veneziataxi.it/

 

San Basilio is much smaller - when we docked on the Mariner Regent had a shuttle bus to the Piazzale Roma which took 5 mins once the bus was loaded and ready to go. Plenty of taxis available at the P. Roma.

 

if you want to take a water taxi (more fun and much more money) that would work too but allow at least an hour and again, pre-book it.

 

 

 

We will be using Regent included air, which I think means that Regent will take care of the transfer from ship to airport.

 

I’m sure Regent Air will tell me if I request flights that leave too early. I would prefer to start out requesting a reasonable itinerary.

 

Has anyone used Regent Air out of Venice?

 

 

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[boblerm]

We will be using Regent included air, which I think means that Regent will take care of the transfer from ship to airport.

 

I’m sure Regent Air will tell me if I request flights that leave too early. I would prefer to start out requesting a reasonable itinerary.

 

Has anyone used Regent Air out of Venice?

 

 

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We just used it on this trip, but our flight was 1:20.

 

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[boblerm]

I personally wouldn't take 1 much before noon, not that you couldn't make it, but I don't want to spend the whole time worrying about it, you never know what problems may pop up.

If the flight you want to take is much before that, there is always the option of a night in Venice....... [emoji2]

Speaking of ship to airport transfer...

 

Bob and any others, what would be the earliest departure from Venice that I could safely expect to make? I am in the midst of generating my list of preferred flights in preparation for “deviation day” and my preferred flights tend to have earlier departures. I hope to leave fairly early in the day but don’t want to ask the impossible when I send my request to my TA.

 

 

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[DeepFreeze63]

We did the transfer with Regent in April 2017. Airport is: a good distance from the dock; rather small and can get crowded; and, requires buses to discharge in an unloading outdoor area a good walk (but covered) from the terminal. You have to move your luggage; go up an elevator; and find your airline. I had a 1 pm flight so I wasn't rushed but I saw lots of opportunities for delays.