TODAY we decided to join voyageur in Dubai and then stay till Singapore

who else is on board??

Victor, I have missed you. Please tell me you will be posting regularly again. Can't wait to hear about your adventures.

I will try and post everyday and let you know whats going on

I tried to get on voyageur in Amsterdam but it was full

we had just taking a Viking cruise(fantastic) from Budapest to
Amsterdam and then instead of going home we wanted another cruise but alas no space but that didn't stop us Holland America
was on way to new York so what the hell itched a ride to Halifax
via Norway Iceland Greenland and newfoundland and that trip I could have told all of you some horror stories so we are glad to be back to regent we will board dec 3 in time for my dec 4 birthday updates tyo come for sure

Hey Victor, I'm anxious to read your posts. They are always fun to read.

I like Victor's posts, too, they are certainly not the "same old, same old" !

I never heard your horror stories?? (would love to). What a great way to spend your birthday! Yes, we all love your posts.

well now down to last 14 days before we leave for Dubai
and then join voyageur on dec 3rd

we almost left this week to join ship in Haifa but emerate airlines
doe not fly there so would have had to buy a brand new ticket
and as already ticketed to Dubai and back from Sydney at a super low business class rate we decided to wait

and now with the weather getting colder in Toronto I am really itchy to get on ship and see a lot of old friends and make new ones

and after the dry dock she should be in great shape


will update on arrival into dubai

Victor, you and Roseanne might as well stay on until March 6 when many of us board the Voyager for PAGODA !! What's your hurry to get off ?

Marcie

it would not be the first time for us to extend

I just wish we could bring our 3 dogs to meet you

or you and tom come to toronto

HaHa....oh we know all so well how much you love to keep adding another segment to stay on board.

Our dogs would LOVE your dogs!

I wish I vould open that link


don't all laught at once
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/291413_4419289565858_995797405_o.jpg

How tall is that man??

good afternoon from cold cold Toronto

5 hours before our 380 flight to Dubai

really anxious to see the voyageur and in fact got a viistors

pass to get on the day before we sail

updates to come

but there will be a huge party!!

well a great start to our trip

snow and ice in toronto bye bye

using mileage was able to upgrade to 380 first class
had been trying all weeek with no success and now they had 2 seats
left easy flight ha ha

on arrival dubai ten minutes to hotel nice and easy

first thing to bar last i remmeber still at bat


will visit ship tomorrow

start of a great trip with lots of updates

I am glad you had an easy flight, let the fun begin!

hello from raffles dubai

got to go aboard the ship yesterday and got to see a lot of old faces and some new ones as well
as it was a port overnight a lot were ashore

i did get to meet paul cd/the captain/the doctor and hotel manager
all that i knew daniel greene is on board as staff captain but leaves
today so i do hope to see him

gudrun the cruise consultant joins today as well

we will leave at noon and have lunch on board

the ship looks super with new paint and i will update as to how things are on board

going to be a fun day with dinner in prime 7 today
and celebrate my birthday there tomorrow

first time ever prime 7 2 days in a row

later all

Bon Voyage Victor & Rosanne! I will look forward to your reports! Enjoy!!!!

Looking forward to your reports Victor you always liven up the board when you are on a ship. I really adore Gudrun please say hello to her for me I have not seen her for a long time always keep missing her.

HAVE FUN for 72 days in a row - sounds marvelous!

Sounds fabulous! Happy Birthday Victor!

Happy birthday Victor!

thanks for birthday wishes
i did manage a few too many drinks but did survive

two spins of roulette wheel got me 4320.00 usd
nice birthday gift

got to look around ship today and must say that she looks great!!

got to meet more old friends and staff as well

today is first sea day so all is quiet on ship
weather is nice and not hot and looking forward to another sea day before mumbai

tonight is captains welcome and taking the tux out to have a fun night

the passangers here now are a great group and i can see a lot of fun to come

the two dinners in prime 7 were as good as ever as was the service

tonight is compass rose where again we know a lot of people

all in all a great start to our cruise

updates to come
victor

Sounds like you are having fun Victor. Congrats on the sweet win on the wheel. Happy Birthday!

Looking forward to the next installment Victor, keep it coming.

good morning from day 2 in mumbai india
internet has been silly slow or non existent here

another great day with a past regent staff member that took us around viewing mumbai it is certainly a different place through the eyes of a local

in a small apartment 1000 sq ft or less 10 persons share the space
and all sleep on mats on the floor

also numerous large rats and we are told WE are not too hygenic!! really !!!

all rent is subsidized so they pay about 120 us a month to live in the area of the port where they work

it sure gives you adifferent perspective of clean north american streets but also there are many very very clean hotels and restaurants

we also went to alocal shopping area where shoes are 50 cents
watches are 30 cents and thousands of people trying to get around

a lot of guests left fot the taj today and will rejoin in 2 days
in cochin india while we at sea tomorrow

weather is great 75-80 all day little humidity


destinations is having issues with some nasty passengers
it a shame that they have to take that kind of abuse
due to passenger stupidy on not reading their tickets for proper times or dates

they sure have their hands full

food is good and service fantastic


will update at sea tomoorow

victor

ps no martinis yesterday

now sailing from mumbai to cochin india
had a great two days with and ex regent staffmember

nice to see mumbai nice to leave

too many people but it was great

and super weather

another great note the male passenger thatw asnt nice was disembarked and even better his wife stayed on board
with the statement that he was not going to ruin her holiday

hats off to regent to supporting their staff !!!!!!!!

and i will act as witness as will others if legal shit happpens

Love your posts Victor. Glad the nasty passenger got the boot, no excuse for that behavior. So interesting spending the day with a local, that's what Tom has done in Mumbai. You can learn so much.

Keep enjoying. Thanks for sharing with us!

Good for her!!!

Prior to included excursions, we hired a private guide and had two great days in Mumbai. I would love to return and visit other areas. Someday.......

Thanks for your posts, Victor.

Good for the wife. She will probably have a better time without him along.

Hope you continue to have a great time, Victor, but really, a day without martinis?! What is the world coming to?

called old age !!!!
cant handle martini like i used to

now we have a QUIET SEA DAY BEFORE COCHIN

dinner with captain tomorrow and just a nice warm peacefull day

anyone else having as much fun???

the food here has been great as well

a note to smokers ( yes is till smoke)

the smoking area by bar is very small if lots of smokers on board
but it is the fun people area

so off to be lazy

update anything good later

the end of another great day on voyageur
had a fantastic meal in compass rose
met some more people that would love to join lct and knwo more

tomorrow must get visa photos for myanmar

totally forgot about visas

so off to bed and cochin at 8 am

later all

hello from voyageur

another day at sea after leaving india
great dinner in signatures with captain and his wife and gm
great weather and not much going on
dinner tonight prime 7 with purser

you all are missing some great fun and calm seas

we have now left sri lanka
oh how i wish to have seen more
unlike india very clean and great roads

now at sea for two days in great heat and calm seas

had my martinis yesterday and agreat nights sleep

off to compass rose tonight

the food is outstanding as is the service

I would of love to seen pictures, Victor!

ok finally on internet
still another 24 hours at sea
yesterday ws the first time when going to compass
rose that they asked if we wanted to share a table and he dining room was empty
they had a large private party in sette marie and had taken a lot of cr staff
we waited and waited for a waiter and head waiter to get us someone !!

never had this happen before
another couple went to prime 7 and were led to a table with others
they did not know they were sharing
i then got the manager after dinner and he apoligised and came to see the guests to personally say sorry

the butler had booked them but did nt tell them they were sharing

the butler came down and apoligised as well

now that is class

it is so so hot today !!!!!!!!!!!!! 34 plus humidity !!

so all in all a good crusie so far and new friends to be had

prime 7 tonight

myanmar at 3 pm tomorrow

will update as internet permits

now for a nice cool drink!!

today last day in myanmar
what a great safe place

1.50 shoes
3.50 purses
rosanne very happy

dinner for 6 was 14.50 usd total with one beer

we sail today to thailand
cool this morning but i know 33 coming later today

i now see why ship stays here 3 days

had a great private tour

135.00 us car driver and guide all dauy
company called tour by locals great !!!

off to lunch

LOVE those prices Victor...sounds like you and Roseanne had a great time.

we are having funn

today at sea on way to thailand where two years ago on this ship
i ended my cruise by ambulance and hospital
not planning on doing that this cruise
the weather is fantastic and we have some great people on board
some that we have met before and new ones as well

looks like a lot are doing the dec 21st capetown to singapore next year and we may change instead of joining in dubai

the food keeps getting better and better so so stuffed!!

the seas are very calm so it is a great trip
looking forward to new faces in singapore

will update

good morning from maylaysia

still warm at 32c but now raining as wel

good to not go on tour

the mood on ship not good as tomorrow is end of cruise for most

this is one of my favorite days as i know we staying on

partied last night made 3,000 in casino

life is good

Wow 3000 in the casino, plus not getting hauled off sick to the hospital. What could be better! Actually either one is pretty good.

Score! Way to go at the casino, now let's hope the weather gets better!

now in hot and hotetr singapore

a change of passengers

went to raflles

29.00 for a singapore sling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow

had a private car for day at 300.00 so made good use of it with
6 people

we also had a super lunch indian buffet at raffles but 500.00????????

good but not that good
tomorrow is sea day on way to bali for christmas overnight
already met some old friends and i am sure more will be on board

off to have my sailaway martini

and it is HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just sailing from singapore
a brand new group of people on board
so far we have met two couples from last years mariner cruise
teh day was hot and hotter
got a private car for the day and saw all that we needed to
got back to muster drill and calm sailaway

now 2 days at sea until we get to bali

so glad no snow and cold

$500 per person for a buffet? Yikes!!! Chistmas in Bali sounds pretty darn good!

Wow Victor! I agree with Karen $500 for a buffet. You could not pay me a $1000 to eat an Indian buffet. Of course I do not like Indian food.

Keep posting enjoying your sea mail.

Victor, was that US $ or Singapore dollars. Seems like a lot of money for a buffet either way. We love Singapore, though, even if it is expensive. Say hi to Gami (Restaurant Manager) for us--he's one of our favorites. Peggy and Jerry

The first and last time I had a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar at Raffles was in 2005, it was $20.00 US...and I really didn't like it!
Prefer a good Manhatten or a Grey Goose.

Singapore is the Humidity capital of SE Asia!

Sweat it out!

On the positive side, Singapore is cleanest city-state in SE Asia.

now at sea on way to bali
today we have the equator crossing party
which is always fun
formal night and prime 7 first of four times there

quiet sailaway last night as customs took a long time
to release the ship

they managed to make the smoking area a little larger
as there are more smokers on board great !!

still dont remember names of peopel we met last year
but they all knew me!!!!!!!

guess i make an impression

in bali our butler arranged a tour and once done his work is taking us to his home for lunch this will be good

casino dead and i lost whats new!!

rosnane and i have arranged a xmas party for teh crew like we did last year on mariner
last year 4 couples pitched in this year just us
and they will do up theatre as if for passengers
with lots of good food and booze

will be a treat for the crew

we offically changed next years cruise to dec 21 capetown to hong kong rather than dubai to capetown 46 nights

ok going to get ready for pool party and the heat and humidity

wonder what people are doing in the snow at home

glad i am here

later all

ps all dollars were singapore dollars
and it was 500.00 total for all of us

but the food was great

500 SGD is $ 394.970

Glad it was good and hope tip was included.

This is why I admire you and Rosanne so much! What a special Christmas treat for the crew!!

How did they make the smoking room larger?

well happy christmas eve to all

still on way to bali and at sea

i would like to take this time to wish everyone a safe and happy
holiday season and that we meet one day on board a regent ship

we are all a family of sorts


merry christmas

victor and rosanne

Merry Christmas to you, too! Hopefully we will meet up again next year on a ship!

Victor, you and Rosanne have ALWAYS been the most generous couple ever. I love the idea of the Christmas party for the crew, that will be sooooo special for them. God Bless you.

Merry Christmas to ALL the terrific LCTers !

good morning and merry christmas to all from bali

what a great way to spend christmas in bali and the sun!!

quiet day here on board as we stay overnite

going ashore with butler to visit his home and family

we are so so lucky!!

may eveyone have a great and safe holiday

i am so so lucky to have met most of you


merry christmas!!!

hello from warm warm bali
a great day on shore today as our butler arranged a tour
and also lunch with his family at his home

he didnt even want to take payment

another great regent staffer looking after us


tomorrow night crew party

cant wait to see their faced when the grand buffet is set
up for them

they deserve it and i am glad i could provide


merry christmas all

Wow, victor, I am so glad you provided this for the crew. They are great and really deserve it, but you are just awesome. Thanks so much!

good morning from komodo island

well let me tell you the crew party was as good if not better
than a seven seas society party even with ice sculpure

it was watched over by executive chef and his staff at 11pm
it had hot and cold food as well as king crab

even though it lasted only about 45 minutes i would say 60-70 percent were in the theatre enjoying the music and party

my hat goes off to the staff for making it the ebst crew party i have ever seen


off to australia today with a sea day to start

Victor, I am sure the crew party was greatly appreciated and as we all know much deserved. That was very special of you and Roxanne to provide a wonderful event for them.

good morning from australia

was in darwin yesterday and now 2 sea days again

darwin wasnt much of a place to visit and most stores were closed even though they knew ship in port
you would think they needed the business in such a small place
went to a nature park then downtown and sailed at 5pm

just another quiet day that ended with too much to drink !!

who would have thought

now to behave another two days as when u get older it hurts even
more

will update

victor

we are in some very very calm seas
flat as glass and just steaming our way to cookstown australia

this is a very quiet ship with few kids aboard

nice and relaxing 2 sea day to end the year in cookstown

to all have a safe and fun new years party

first
happy new year to all
now noon new years eve day and all is quiet
2% of ship has stomach flu so everything on board being cleaned
even at buffet staff is serving food to ensure no more sickness is spread

we are still at sea and arrive cookstown tomorrow
quiet night planned dinner with captain and his wife and gm and another couple we met in dubai

should be a great nighjt with almost zero drinking so i enjoy the partry

here is wishing each and everyone that 2014 brings all the dreams of yours to life

2013 we lost a lot of friends we will never firget but remmeber
there are mnay still here

call them e mail them just remember

happy new years


victor and rosanne

Happy new year to you and Rosanne!

good morning from cooktown australia

a great new years party on board last night
with the entire ship out to party

had my biggest dinner ever and it was great

we partied till 330 am and thank goodness tour is not until

230 pm

we sail at 8pm today to cairns australia

i wish each and everyone a great safe and happy new year

victor

Happy New year Victor! I am enjoying your updates. Keep 'em coming!

well new years day in australia

spent the day in cooktown
a very small place and nothing but one store and bar open
the tour today took us to an old old bar that was kind of nice
along with being able to have 2 cold austalian beers
still a very warm day
they say 200 people at new years party but it didnt look like
even 200 people lived there
looked at real estate prices thinking that they would be cheap
yet a nice place wa sover 700,000 aus and nothing there

i repeat nothing there

but then again sun and beautiful country so i guess you pay

the new years party on board ship was great as usual and we stayed up till almost 3 am to close the bar

tours at 2pm so no big deal

sailing now to cairns where and entertainer we met on voyager 2 years ago joins ship and we all have dinner in prime 7

weather is still very hot and humid but now sailing south that may change


update tomorrow

good afternoon from cairns australia

still so so hot

did the aerial car up the mountain
did train back down

cant believe how hot it is here

our friend an entertainer is boarding today

then dinner prime 7

almost end of cruise

will update

As I recall Cairns was VERY humid, almost as humid as Singapore. Wouldn't mind that now, just came in from clearing snow from long driveway, it's 7 degrees F and falling and so is the snow!

SO FAR I'm NOT thrilled with the New Year!

i will be back to snow soon enough

in townsville today

again hot and humid

end of trip coming

not liking that at all
captain farewell in 2 days

all is great on ship
and for sure will misss it

well now at sea heading to brisbane
phoenix joined the ship and did his show last night
it was so good to see an old friend on board
tomorrow another entertainer stephen fisher king joins so
two great shows this week
we have started to pack and get ready to get off in sydney(may extend if room)
all in all a great back to back cruise
every cruise you meet new and old friends and this time no exception
the weather been great 32c today and only one day of little rain

must stop in bangkok on way home and then maybe get there
end of month

last update to come tomorrow

krew capers tonight yah yah

surprise surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we may just extend to auckland


we dont normally extend righty!!!

How fun and fortunate for you. Love the NZ ports and Misty Fjord. Looking forward to more seamail.

In Dunedin, NZ, is said to be the steepest street in the world - Baldwin St. - I think. A nice climb to work off all that good food.

And definitely go down Every Street so you can say you've been on every street in Dunedin

Love it Peggy - very clever!!

we are now at sea
tomorrow sydney and we all must get off ship
as they will do a fast deep cleaning to get rid of any bacteria
we had 17 guests sick and some quarantined
no one knows for sure what the issue was or is
but rssc taking no chances of an outbreak therefore the cleaning

ok now i ask you all

is a buffet not a help yourself to food by definition
some people want to be served at buffet which in my mind takes
away the meaning of a buffett

i know there are germs all over but are we not going to the extreme years ago we the staff wore no gloves or anything and now everything must be covered

is that not to the extreme !???

oh well

last thing
i won enough in teh casino last night to pay for my extension of cruise

now thats a good night and i sure created a crowd

lots of fun

will update leaving sydney

Winning enough to pay for the extension of your cruise! Wow!

GREAT GOING VICTOR!


It helps to have a name that means WINNER!!!

Perhaps casino staff knows a very good customer when they see one.

I'm envious!

Congrats, Victor!!!!

good day from the sea on way to auckland
well the weather has changed a lot and now very cool
the sea are a wee bit rough and our 5 pm departure became 8 pm
and then with bad wind and weather they decided to stay in port overnight and leave at 6 am next day since we have 2 sea days
it just means we go a little faster and do not lose any time
a fresh compliment of new passengers and so far we dont know anyone which is strange this is only a 10 day cruise with 6 different ports so will be exciting and also we may get a cabin and stay back to sydney but a sof right now we plan to fly to bangkok from auckland

there have now been 3 muster drills and with each one has been very
different just wish they got it right



in case of accident not sure if they will know better

and now it is much cooler outside
we got spoiled with the 32c each day

will update as we go along

so you're flying back to Bangkok when this cruise is over, Another cruise or a land trip?
I liked the days when we didn't have to do the muster drill on each segment...oh well the Costa Corcordia changed all that.
Congratulations on your big casino winnings Victor !!

today now is totally different

bumping up and down
cold and windy not nice at all
they say will be about 22 c tomorrow no where
near what it was like last week
but as long as it get a few degrees hotter i be happy
dont want the 34 c all day long
tomorrow we get to milford sound and cruise there
i have been there once so look forward to returning
tonight is the block party where you meet everyone else

will update tomorrow on more about this quiet trip

well i said weather is bad
now getting worse and they have cancelled
cruising milford sound which if i remember correct
was a beautiful spot we will arrive dunedin early and
get a few extra hours there

and it is very cool on ship

what a change in 4 days

the mood of ship is very very quiet

oh well

well we still have rocky seas and the temp is about 55 or so
so a little cool and big chnage from last weeks 90s
we have one more day till we hit land and it wont be any warmer

ray solare will do his puppet show tonight and we will have dinner with him after so a good day it will be

a very quiet group this time on board

update from land

sorry it's so cool...hope you find something in between.

Ray is so talented....ask if he'll be on March 6 for PAGODA. I hope so (as long as he doesn't do all his Harry Potter questions at trivia)

right harry potter he is good at

in dunedin today and it is nice not cold nor warm

i will ask ray
we had dinner with him last night and he is just so so good

and it was nice as he said just teh 3 of us after his show
tonite we take 3 casino staff to compass rose
which should be nice as well

we arrived 4 hours early here so that wa snice
went to sea the seals and animals in the nature wild which was nice

dont ask where tomorrow i will tell you once i wake

later all

just getting ready to sail to picton new zeakand
weather getting warmer yet strong winds
glad not at sea in this wind

new zealand so far is beautiful and the people great

wish we had more time here

good morning from picton new zealand
the weather was not as bad as expected
it was windy and rocky but in a nice way
very few people got seasick but there were a few
and now the weather has been a little nicer as we go north
i fully expect that we will get more warm weather and that the cruise
will end (if we dont extend) with warm weather and if we do get off it is a long trip home auckland to dubai 18 hours and then another 17 to toronto and the cold
in any case it has been a great trip with changes 3 times to passengers and i would say this portion the most quiet

will update later tonight

ps u must visit new zealand !! although i think capetown will be better

good morning from wellington new zealand
nicer weather and a nice little city
did a short 2 hour tour of the city and view of teh ocean looking south
just a great place
watched dogs getting sheep to do what they wanted neat little thing
now in town and sail at 5 pm for another sea day

cheers

Wellington is where I was born. If you went on the excursion that I think you went on you drove right by my old house to see the dogs.I lived right across the street from the beach. The sheepdog are so much fun to watch I never tie of them.

Keep the reports coming love to read them each day.

we did see the sheep dogs and went to the tip of island
a lodge way up high and it was beautiful
and to watch how smart the dogs were was great
we are at sea today and nice weather is back

we will miss new zealand and we have one more stop until auckland

i am disapointed to advise we must leave ship as they are full again
and i had to either change our flights or lose them not!
we now business class auckland to sydney and 4 hour wait for emeritaes to bangkok where we will stay till 23rd so rosanne
can get some dental work done

tonight is captains farewell and we have dinner with the captain /wife and gm

last day tomorrow as usual will be very emotional and quiet for myself and rosanne as we must say goodbye to our seaboard friends and family

and i must repeat to all visit new zealand!!!!!!!!!!

it is a place like no other

Yes, Victor that was the excursion I also enjoy so much and have done it each time I have been to New Zealand on a cruise.

So glad you enjoyed my home land so much.

Wish you were staying on we will miss your sea mail!!

Thanks, Victor for your seamail. As always enjoyable to read and cruise with you.

Couldn't agree more about returning to New Zealand. My cruise a few years ago just got me ready for a return land trip.

Thank you Victor. Have really enjoyed your posts and comments.

It's always fun to follow along with Victor and Rosanne! Too bad the ship is full and you can't stay on longer!

well now last port before we arrive auckland
it has been a great trip
last night dinner with gm captain and his beautfulwife in prime 7
a great way to finish the cruise once again
we will miss the ship but are back in december god willing

all i can say now is go out and book a regent cruise
it is the best product out there because of the people that make it happen and it starts at the top with kunal kumlani on down through the entire ship there are many ships out there and many companies
that offer a good product

i feel regent is a bit above all others
but thats my opinion

and last but not least do not forget the team that ngaire has that
fixes and changes things for us when and if needed

i hope to start another post soon

till then to all be safe and be happy

victor and rosanne deschenes


ps we now go to sydney then same day to bangkok
lets hope the city is not closed down

bye till later

Nice posts, all along the way, Victor. I have enjoyed your journey. And thanks for paying tribute to all the people who make these (our) cruises so much fun. From our fellow guests, but particularly on the ship, from the Captain, and all the way up the chain to the top, those in the background who do so much for us all whom we never see.

And Ngaire as well, she and her team are the best there is in my book!

as a final post we are now in thailand and we knew there were problems with protestors and closed roads
being here now i didnt realize just how bad it is though you dont feel
any need to worry all main streets in downtown are closed
with people and almost like a big party
there are constant speeches and they give free food and drinks
to all but the mood will change very very soon as people will get
less patience and will push more for demands
with the closure of streets and people not buying hundreds
of business stand to lose a lot and at some point it will blow up


the good thing is we leave tomorrow as rosanne got all dental work done for about 300.00 which would have cost over 3,000 back home

i suggest take thailand off your list for now

too bad as it is a beautiful place


victor