Here we are crossing the Atlantic on our way to FLL with a stop in Bermuda. Last night was a pre-dinner "Crew Idol" show. There were 6 acts by crew members...one better than the next. SUCH TALENT!! It's such fun watching them perform. Captain Dag shared some good news.....the Lyre (harp) logo will be coming back. :app: He's not sure just when. Needless to say we were all so excited to hear this. We never understood why they took this away in the first place! EVERYONE loved it. It sounds like the word "Regent" may be dropped and it will just be Seven Seas.

After the show we had a wonderful dinner with Capt. Dag in Compass Rose. It was a great table as we were already friends with everyone at the table. This is always nice rather than start off with small chit chat with strangers. Unfortunately, we were told that Christian Saleau is no longer with RSSC. We've known him for several years and always had a lot of respect for him and an excellent raport. I don't know any of the details but we sure wish him well with any future endeavors. He'll be missed.

After dinner we went to see the comedian show followed by a game of Texas Hold'em (Tom won). We still play in the afternoons too, usually around 12 of us. I've won Bingo twice and some of the games in the afternoon but the best our trivia team has done is come in 2nd twice. There are some real smarties who play! They have trivia twice a day.

The weather has finally improved with warm and sunny days. The sun worshipers are happy to be able to lay by the pool again after some not so perfect weather. We got our invitation to Jimbo's Truck stop. It will go for 3 nights this year. I forgot all about this when I was packing and didn't bring any "trashy" clothes so I'll have to borrow from friends and put something together. That's always such a fun time with Capt. Dag and other officers bartending etc. While we're eating and partying in the crew corners, the crew gets to eat upstairs in LaVeranda.

Tonight we're eating in Signatures with friends. We decided to try it once (once is usually enough for us). Doris, tomorrow night we're eating with Marc & Harry...wish you were joining us!

When we're in Bermuda, the Mariner will also be there. We're hoping to go on board and see John Barron and others. The Mariner will also be in FLL on April 30th, the last day of the WC. If we had known this, we would have planned to get off the Voyager and get on to the Mariner and cruise back to California via the Panama Canal. Several California residents on the Voyager are doing this...makes sense!

To those of you on B2B here on the Voyager next month (May), Capt. Knute will be your captain and Loraine will be the CD.
Also found out that Capt. Dag will be our captain on the "President's Cruise" from Reykjavik to South Hamtpon in May 2009. Most of us are getting on in FLL and Mark Conroy will be on this leg, thus the name "President's Cruise". This sailing has become SOOOOO popular! This B2B was named "Viking" on LCT and is escorted by Ngaire and Ken. We're really looking forward to it.

Well...that's a bit of our news here from the Voyager.

ADDING: I forgot to mention that due to some of the inconveniences we've experienced this past week with missed ports due to refueling mishap (not RSSC's fault), medical emergency, headwinds... one unforeseeable thing after another....RSSC gave each passenger a $500. credit. This can be used as shipboard credit or towards a future/upcoming cruise (we used ours towards SAMBA). It's amazing how $$ can sooth the disappointment of missed ports :D

Thanks, Marcie, for the news (Love the Lyre!), impressions, and plans .... enjoy that Mariner "reunion." One of our dealers in the Mariner casino (Yulyanna) was looking forward to meeting up with the Voyager because her sister is a dealer in that casino!

Must agree, it will be good to have the lyre back. Now for the teal! Since my first cruises was on Seven Seas, it will be like coming home again.

How fun for the WCers to hop on the Mariner to sail home to CA.

Sounds like you are having a fun cruise, Marcie. Thanks for the seamail!!

Marcie,
I also wish I was joining you for dinner. I would have loved nothing better than to be on the crossing with you, but instead we are getting ready to pack this house up. Please send our love to Marc and Harry, and tell them we are looking forward to seeing them soon.

Alfred and I ran into Christian and his wife last week at the new Regent Hotel in Bal Harbour, and he didn't say a thing to us about not being with Regent anymore, he was even wearing a seven seas shirt. Strange!

Enjoy the rest of your trip, and please keep sending your wonderful seamail.

Hi Marcie,
Loved your "info-filled" sea mail, a great read with my morning coffee. I'll be happy to see the return of the lyre and especially the name "Seven Seas" which sounds more like a cruise line than the name "Regent."
Looking forward to more newsy sea mails.

Yippeeee, I missed the lyre! Beth, like you, I started on "Seven Seas" and will be glad if the name reverts back to that!

Marcie, I hope you have a smooth and warm crossing, I can't believe you are to the crossing part already!!

Marcie thanks for your usual fun updates.

Thanks too, for the information on Lorraine as CD for B2B - she had told us she was scheduled to be on, and I was just about to email her and see if that was still the case, but now I know. We have cruised with her everytime on RSSC except MUSH and our very first one the Panama Canal right at the end of the WC that year when we had Dana and Jamie.

Marcie,

Thanks for the newsy SeaMail.

Sounds as if your cruise is going great.

Hope you have lots of calm seas and sunshine for your crossing!

Marcie: Great to hear the day to day happenings on board - thanks for your efforts. Lee

Marcie thanks for the Sea Mail! Enjoy the crossing! :)

Marcie --

Enjoy your crossing. I assume Capt. Dag will serve as bartender again during the Truck Stop nights.

Thanks for all the news about the future. FYI, heard from Capt. Dag that he will be departing next year's World Cruise about midway through...plans to spend time at home with his family for Easter. Makes sense if he is doing the President's Cruise in May.

Best, Larry

Yes Larry, he had mentioned that he would be leaving and going home to Norway for his daughter's confirmation. We're thrilled that he'll be back for President's cruise.

Tomorrow night is the passenger talent show and the start of Jimbo's Truck Stop. I'm working on my "trashy" costume for that. The passenger talent show is a hoot....a few with talent but most with very little but just want to have a good time.

Last night we ate dinner at Signatures with another couple (very good) then went to the passenger talent show. The show was very entertaining!! 98 year old Dr. Lloyd Tinkle had some "zingers" for Jamie and played the piano while Jamie danced with Dr. Tinkle's harem. It was hilarious! I do hope that on Dr. Tinkle's 100th birthday RSSC gives him a free World Cruise! He is more than deserving. There was quite a variety of acts from singing, dancing, the harmonica playing Rabi, even a retired Doctor who told a story about a snake in an examining room when he practiced medicine in the jungles of Africa. It was a very entertaining show!

After the show we went to Voyager Lounge and danced the night away. It was the first time since we boarded in Athens that VL got jumping. Tom and I started dancing, then another couple joined us, then another. Within another song or two the dance floor was full of singles and couples dancing. Even the bartenders commented that this was the liveliest VL had been since the WC cruise began, but certainly the way we remember VL from previous WC's.

Today is the white elephant auction. All the items are donated by passengers and the ship and all the money raised goes to the crew fund. We have items around our house that we won at this auction. I'm sure we don't need any of it but it does go for such a good cause. Tonight is Liar's Club after the show.
BTW, the ballroom dancers on board are FANTASTIC. I think it's nice that the ships now have their own "resident" ballroom dancers. With the popularity of "Dancing with the Stars", this seems to have gone over huge!

More later....

I knew you'd get VL "jumping", eventually - keep having fun - miss you and Tom.

Thanks Marcie, for your SeaMail. The talent show sounds like lots of fun.
Keep having fun! Enjoy!!!!

Awesome sea mail, M!! Thanks!

We met John Barron last week on the Mariner during the block party and I had mentioned to him that I had become familiar with him through Marcies posts on this board. He then showed me pictures of his baby and thanked me for reminding him to send pictures to Marcie. Cute baby.

John Barron is A plus - and his wife A plus plus (according to my husband)

Joanna I am 100% in agreement with you about John and Lynsay, too! :) That has to be the most adorable baby on earth...when he flipped out all those baby pics it was so cute! He is a very proud Daddy.

Love hearing from you, Marcie - I can't wait to experience the "VL" on our first official Voyager voyage.

I actually have a question for you or any (the many) of you who have sailed on Voyager. What is the observation lounge like on deck 11? Does it get lively at all? Is it open during the day or the evening, or both? That would seemingly be a prime spot to enjoy on the ship.

I'm sure you'll get lots of answers. It's a lovely spot, sometimes lively in the evening, sometimes not. It kind of depends on the entertainment.

During the day, if there is something interesting to watch going by, it is also a nice place to be. When we transitted Gibraltar at night, the captain pointed the ship towards the rock and kind of hovered so that we could all have a good look. Since it was pretty choppy and windy by then, we did it in the lounge. And there was commentary as well, compliments of Sandra Bowern, over the PA. Very nice.

As Wendy says, it's a nice venue, and comfortable for relaxing (though kept a bit chilly for my tastes). When I was there, it was empty most evenings, but I haven't been on Voyager since RSSC went all-inclusive, and I've noticed with the two RSSC ships I've been on since the all-inclusive that most lounges are now hopping in the evening.

Yes, John and Lynsay Barron are great. We're looking forward to visiting John on the Mariner on Sunday when both ships will be in Bermuda. We consider him a special friend. Several WC passenger who are going on Ring of Fire in 2009 have asked if John will be the CD.

Are any LCTers on board the Mariner right now?

Kristin, Observation Lounge is a wonderful place to spend time relaxing or reading in the afternoon and taking in the sites. In the evening the entertainment is more subdued. We always enjoyed Frankie Holiday there and EVERYONE wants him back on a Regent ship! Lots of unhappy campers that he's not on board this WC. He's greatly missed.

John emailed me this cute picture of 7 month old Luke:

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/LukeBarron1.jpg?t=1209124077[/img]

When on CROSS last Nov, the OS was full and jumping every evening before and after dinner. In fact it was where most of the CROSS'ers usually congregated. Frankie Holiday was the entertainer most nights up there, and that could have had something to do with it. However, a couple of times we went to Horizon Lounge before dinner and it too was lively, and even VL had several people and the Diamond Heart Duo in VL was terrific, we enjoyed them tremendously and danced in there several nights. I think with all inclusive people just get out and congregate more during cocktail hour.

Editing to add - really cute picture of little Luke, thanks Marcie for posting that.

Thanks, Marcie!

What a cutie Little Luke is! Glad to see John finally sent the photo, after all our prodding and coaxing him. :)

When you see John on Sunday, please say "Hi" for Larry and I, and also to sweet Elsa McLean!

Have lots of fun!!

Thanks, all - sounds like the observation lounge would be right up our alley.

And I agree, Luke is such a cutie!!!

update: we're arriving in Bermuda about noon on Saturday and I've been told the Voyager and the Mariner will be docked next to each other on Front (think that's right) Street.

We sure have had a nice time here in Bermuda. The skies are blue and nice moderate temps. We went on board the Mariner yesterday with Mike & June Gittings....fun time! We saw many staff we've known from our previous 4 trips on the Mariner (most recently LAMB) in December. Joanna, we saw our butler Suweco (or whatever his name is). We couldn't spend a lot of time with John Barron because the ship was loaded with Apollo people (maybe came to see how their investment is doing ??) Mark Conroy was also on board the Mariner for the day. I believe he's now back on board the Voyager with us. Anyway, we had a nice time. Unfortunately, we weren't able to connect with Capt. Philippe. He too was tied up with visiting "brass". Later Mike was able to have tea with him but by then Tom and I were long gone.

Last night we ended up canceling Jimbo's truck stop in favor of eating at a local pub style sports bar with another couple and watching the Laker vs. Denver NBA playoff. Lakers won so it was a good night!

Today we had a bloody Mary party here on our pool deck for everyone from the Mariner to come over. Again, it was fun seeing familar passenger faces and meeting new friends. Beautiful weather again!

The Mariner just sailed away and it was so fun as they passed us on the Voyager. All the passengers were outside on balconies and upper decks waving back and forth with music like "Somewhere Beyond the Sea" blaring. It is amazing how many of the crew have friends and relatives on the Mariner and visa versa so it was a special treat for the staff to reunite. A number of the passengers on the Voyager will be getting off the Voyager on Wednesday and getting on the Mariner (both ships are in FLL together) to cruise for 17 days back to California. What a way to return home! Their luggage was transported off the ship today onto the Mariner so they will only have to clear customs once....in San Francisco. We're sorry we didn't pay attention to how doable this would have been for us had we planned ahead.

BTW, for those of you who remember Mike Gittings from MUSH or other cruises....He is so lucky! He has NEVER played bingo in his life but comes day one and wins the cover-all. He came the next day, won another game, then the 3rd day wins yet again. He's 3 for 3 on Bingo! I've won a couple of games myself but there's people who have been on for 3 1/2 months and haven't won!!

Tonight we're having dinner with friends,(Linda & Chuck Walker and Dana & Jamie in LaVeranda. Sad to think that this cruise will be ending soon. Tomorrow is Tom's birthday!! :hug:

More later....

Marcie -it's wonderful to hear from you! We all send Tom our wishes for a very happy birthday!

We had 'Name that Tune' tonight. We had a team of twenty (?) and the final tune was 'Somewhere Beyond the Sea'. Lots of trivia tokens flying over hear.

Hope the Apollo 'brass' (a) like the cruise experience and (b) stay out of the day-to-day decisionmaking.

Have a safe trip home and enjoy your last few days!

Cheers, Anne

Marcie - as always love your SeaMails. Please give Tom a BIG birthday hug from us. Sounds like you are having a great time, but then when did you not???? You and Tom are the ideal people to cruise with as you always manage to have fun, fun, fun - well at least until Daddy takes the T-Bird away, and then you make Lemonade out of Lemons!!! <img src="http://smileys.sm...Fi%253D13%252F13_4_6/image.gif">

Ditto JoAnn about Tom and Marcie!!! They roll with the punches and are sooo easy - met them on Diamond DDD 1/04 and we've never stopped having fun. We had the best time with them in Rome, a week, following Fjords trip last June and then there was London after I forget which trip???- laughs, good food, Sambuca, walking, grocery shopping, little history thrown in, Sambuca, sight seeing, naps in mid afternoon at Rome apt, Sambuca, laughs, you get the pix!!!! And my all time favorite they surprised us for 007 in Rome forget the yr? AGE!!!! :mecry: :mecry: :mecry: :mecry: :mecry:

Marcie, this is a late Happy Birthday to Tom. You guys will have celebrated it to the hilt, no doubt.

Always enjoy your posts and glad you are having a great time. Tell Chuck and Linday Walker that I said hello. Are they on the full WC this year? You still have a few more days to have fun so please report back.

This has been such a helpful thread to read! My father and I are boarding the Voyager Wednesday in Lauderdale and will travel back from whence you all have come. This is my first Regent cruise and his fourth. Very interested to hear about Truck Stop so can bring clothes. Any other hints for a novice would be GREATLY appreciated. Like which shows are MUST SEE, and which restaurants are better than others. Help me acclimate a bit before I get there? Sounds like a great ship and a great time!

Hi Tyler and welcome to the board!! You are going to love the Voyager and the Regent experience.
As for the Truck stop, I am afraid that is something they only do on the World cruise.

How long are you onboard for? As for the restaurants, we usually try to go to Signatures during our cruise but our last cruise was 19 days long and we never made it because we love the main dining room, Compass Rose, so much and the menus always sounded so wonderful!
Here is one tip, do not plan an alternate restaurant night for the evening of the Captains welcome dinner (usually the second night out). On that night, the menu at Compass Rose is extra special and the dining room always looks beautiful!

Very good information Karen. We will be on until the Azores, only 9 days. I think I had made a reservation on the second night, so I will change that. Tell me also about formal night, in that we have decided not to bring "dark suits" for space coonsiderations. Are we banished to our rooms or is there a less formal option on those nights?

Will have to work up to the WC someday. Sounds like great friends and fun.

Tyler
You can always go to LaVeranda for dinner on formal nights when you do not want to dress up.
Guess you are not suppose to go to other public areas that night.
Was talking about this last night.
With the airlines making it so difficult with weight and now number of bag restrictions we are trying to figure out how to pack lighter than we already are and not taking a dark suit along might be part of it.
I still say it is time for Regent to understand this problem and do away with formal nights.

Well, you will be banished from Compass Rose for the Captains dinner, which is formal. If it is space you are worried about, get some of those "space bags", the kind that you suck out the air with a vacuum cleaner. You will be amazed at how flat and compact they become! But, you will have to send out your suits for pressing once you get on the ship. Space bags or not, I do this anyway as regular packing makes a mess out of jackets.

Hi Tyler! Like Karen said, to the best of my knowledge Jimbo's truck stop is only done with cruise director Jamie on the last segment of the world cruise.

I would make sure you bring some type of jacket. This is required for informal evenings (tie is optional) and eating in Signatures. The dress code of the evening is required through out the ship (say for example if you later decide to go to the show, into a lounge or the casino). If you want to eat and avoid dressing in formal wear, you can always eat upstairs in La Veranda where the dress code is always casual BUT it limits your after dinner options. There's also room service.

If I were you, I'd try to find a way to pack one dark suit. I think you'll be happy you did.
The Captain and much of the staff will be changing on Wednesday. After doing the World Cruise (and pre-world cruise) the staff will disembark for a much deserved vacation. Their replacements will be top notch!

I sure hope you enjoy your first Regent cruise! Hopefully it will be the first of many.

Thanks all, for replies. Yes we will be bringing (wearing aboard) sport coats and ties even, but have ditched the suit. While I might be convinced to try, I know Dad won't, so will be moot. Good to know we can still eat out, and a quiet night in the cabin after will not be bad at all. Sorry to miss the Captain's dinner, but I'm sure I'll get that check mark on another cruise. I'll take any other "tricks" that you can think of though.

I know most ships do not allow visits to the bridge, shall I assume Regent is the same way? How about the engine room? Dad's an old sea dog and these would be very interesting for him. A small ship we were on recently allowed it, but apparently it was non standard.

There are often opportunities to visit the bridge. Not sure about the engine room, but perhaps your father can ingratiate himself with an engineer during the bridge visit!

Just remember that La Verandah is your only choice for that formal night (of course you can have room service if you prefer.) I suspect that you could sneak into a lounge later in the evening as long as you're wearing a jacket and tie, but can't vouch for that.

This formal night thing is such a pain, isn't it? We deal with it by David having a single dark blue suit, the jacket of which doubles as a blazer with grey pants for informal nights. So he only brings the one jacket and 2 pants, and he's set for those pesky dress-ups.