Sailing from Stockholm to Tallin

A special day on a special ship with a special family.

For background on our family’s trip, read our precruise notes on the cruise board under “Bon Voyage Luke and family.” This is our third 3-generation cruise on Regent, and this time we’re celebrating our kids graduations from college (Meredith from The University of Texas at Austin) and high school (Oz will be a freshman at Belmont University in Nashville). My parents are with us and they are once again loving the Regent experience. FJORDS was a special “group” cruise among friends and we look forward to traveling with an LCT group in the future. Our cruise, however, is a “family” cruise and, for us, there is no focus beyond the fun, caring, and relationship among 6 Davises.

We surprised our kids with business class travel to Europe (thanks AAdvantage program) and then with our Voyager suites. We were on the Voyager in 2004 and the kids were excited to return to the regular suites. But just over a week ago, Julie in Ngaire’s office wrote that Regent was offering us FREE UPGRADES to a Penthouse Suite (955) for Mother, Dad, and Meredith and a Seven Seas Aft Suite (674) for Paula, Oz., and me. We jumped on the offer because (1) we could never afford those suites, (2) hey, we wanted to experience butler service, (3) the aft balcony would provide great opportunities for our family to visit, (4) we’re well aware of the vibration issues, but figured (a) we can sleep through anything and we’re only at se for 5 days due to our St. :Petersburg itineraries. And, of course, our suite tours were full of “oh my” and “are you kidding”” It was another dream come true.

We’ll continue with updates, but it’s 2:04 a.m. and it’s about time to break the trance induced by the ship’s wake as I type from the aft balcony. We’ll save logistics and details for a travelogue.

Until next time,

Luke

Luke, sounds like all the gods in the heavens are shining down on you for this trip. I know you must be loving that big deck on the aft suite!Our own Kirky5 had one on TAP, and it was beautiful!

You are right, group cruises with special friends are great, but nothing like having the time and resources to bring along the whole family! I have only done it once, but most of the time I try to bring one or the other with me for special memories one on one. You and your family are off to a great start! Don't come out of the trance!

Luke,huge kudos getting that upgrade. This is truly a celebration time for your family, and the kudos from Regent only adds to the magic. Enjoy, and like Olivia said....don't come out of the trance.

Luke,
What a marvelous upgrade for the whole family! I know you'll have a wonderful cruise, thanks to the itinerary. Enjoy all the perks and please keep us updated as you can!

I echo Denise that the IceBar photo would be a fabulous holiday card!

Luke, way to go. Upgrades all the way around! Your kids must be having a blast. Have fun and take some family pictures on that aft balcony.

Sunday, July 15, Tallinn, Estonia

We sailed into Tallinn under cloudy skies with intermittent drizzle; however, the gray skies could not hide the beauty of Tallinn’s old town. We do not have any excursions planned, opting for the ship’s shuttle to explore the old town.

Meredith joined us in our suite for breakfast as her grandparents got ready for the day. We’ve always eaten breakfast in La Veranda, but with the unique experience of a roomy 7 Seas Suite, we chose to make the most of the opportunity and eat in our suite, enjoying the vista of our approach to Tallinn through our floor-to-ceiling windows.

Our sail-away from Stockholm through the archipelago was postcard-like under clear skies. We basked in the glow of family joy on our aft suite, toasting with champagne, smiling with contentment, and gazing with appreciation. Mother said that she was almost in tears and felt that life could get no better.

Mother and Dad’s first cruise was with us 3 years ago on the Voyager. Before that, there only ship travel was to and from England for a 2-year stint for Dad’s navy work; that uncomfortable and unpleasant time in steerage class blocked their willingness to cruise; they are world travelers, but it took years of pestering them before they would cruise with us; and now, this is their 4th Regent cruise.

Our butler, Ryan, is pleasant and efficient. In addition to the canapés, he promptly delivered Meredith’s requested strawberries during the sail-away, had a set of clothes for each of us pressed, and set up a laptop for our suite. (this is a great extra perk for the 7 Seas Suite and allowed me to give my laptop to Meredith for their suite).

Our Compass Rose dinner was superb, as expected. We love food and wine, and it’s a hurried dinner for us on a Regent cruise if we don’t spend at least 2 hours in the dining room. In addition, we love to try foods that we have not experienced and will not shy from multiple orders of our favorites (Oz is targeting another 3 servings of Beef Wellington to match his last Voyager cruise). Meredith has become our resident “foodie” having interned last summer in NYC for a caterer and event planner. And, her recent trip to Napa has furthered her interest in wines.

A few random notes:

At first glance, there appear to be a large number of children on this sailing. Not sure how many, but we’ve seen several toddlers (and even younger!) and “heard” other children. To each their own, but this is NOT the itinerary I would choose for young kids. Pay the cruise fare to a nanny to keep the kids at home.

I was disheartened to return to the room on our first night and find a “disembarkation questionnaire.” Almost like saying, “welcome aboard, and when you leave …..” I would prefer they wait at least a day or so to distribute that form.

Our kids are each on a rollaway in their respective suites. There’s plenty of room, but the rollaways leave something to be desired. I think Oz wishes he had his sleeping bag; he took the mattress off the frame and that worked fine. I never thought they would “prefer” a sleeper sofa in the suite. BUT, there are NO complaints … our family crashes hard and sleeps soundly and we LOVE our accommodations.

Yes, there was vibration as crossed the Baltic Sea last night, but nothing I would classify as “shaking” … no glasses rattling, no items shifting on tables, etc. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for that to continue. OR, maybe our senses were dulled from our sound sleep and onboard euphoria.

The rain has increased in Estonia, so we’re having another cup or two of coffee, hoping for the weather to clear before we head to town.

Luke

Luke, I'm smiling as I read your reports. Since we were lucky enough to be sailing with you on that first Davis family Regent cruise in 2004 and to get to meet all your wonderful family then, I can imagine clearly the images you describe.

But to be reminded of debarkation so soon -- NO! John and I are holding down the fort in Lake Highlands (Luke and we live in the same neighborhood), so don't give a thought to the mundane here at home.

Hi Luke, we see you!! This Tallin webcam jumps from view to view every few seconds but it zooms in on the Voyager while it is doing so!

That's great, Karen! The ultimate in vicarious cruising!

If Luke came out of his balcony and waved, we would see him!

Hi Luke,

Thanks for writing. It sounds wonderful. It looks like the rain stopped.

I think I can see Luke and family beaming now! Continue to have a great time!

That camera is pretty cool, they pan it to view the ships departing and I can see the people walking on deck.

Editing to add, they just pulled out but I couldn't get a screen capture!

Darn ... and I had the LCT banner unfurled ... guess it blew away as the winds picked up. IF that view is possible in another port, we're in the lowest-left corner suite (just above the Horizon Lounge) [in this photo with the full windows visible (we never close the drapes!)].

We had a window of sunlight for a couple of hours and we dashed into town for a delightful stroll among the tourists, locals, stores, and crafts market.

Captain's reception and Kenny Smiles tonight. The show is at 9:45 so our rest for St. Petersburg will be limited; but, from everyone's review, we need to be front and center for the show. This is the second straight night that we will move our clocks forward an hour. Our Red October tour is set for 8:00 tomorrow a.m.

Luke

Days one and two in St. Petersburg have been VERY full and rich. Our guide and driver from Red October have been excellent ... having a van for our family has been ideal, especially with Mother's limited mobility. We have toured nonstop from 8:30 - 5:30 each day, so this is not a "relaxing" cruise ... in fact, we are almost on "overload" with what we have seen and it will take months to fully process all that we have experienced.

I'm sure we will slow down in Helsinki and Visby.

More soon.

Luke

While it's not a great stalk, we get to see Luke's balcony again! Here is the Voyager in St. Petersburg as seen from the Costa Classica\'s webcam

Luke just emailed me to say he was on his balcony, I wonder if that thing in this picture is a sign?

Good stalking Karen! So nice to hear you're having a good time Luke...keep enjoying and sending seamail!

As we sailed away from St. Petersburg toward Helsinki this evening, we commented that we are tired, but exhilarated with our 3 days in this unique and captivating city. I always encourage folks to make the most of such opportunities and be a sponge, soaking up sights, events, and people with all of one’s senses. We heeded that advice and we are all saturated with a new appreciation of the history, culture, people, pride, accomplishments, and geography that we experienced in St. Petersburg. In all honesty, we could now use two sea days to rest and reflect. Not sure how much we’ll try to do in Helsinki and Visby, but it will be minimial as we try to spend some time savoring family time on the Voyager.

I am particularly excited that Mother felt like exploring for 3 solid days in Russia. Her mobility is impaired, but her desire to see and learn pushed her up the palaces’ stairs and in and out of our van. The saving grace was a Voyager wheelchair that we used each day. No doubt she is tired and ready to rest.

We did not take any evening excursions, opting to rest and dine. We spent time in the casino, as well as attending Kenny Smiles and the onboard Russia folklore show.

By the way, no excessive vibration or shaking in our aft suite (just the gentle roll of any location on the ship). Two factors, I think, are the relatively calm seas and the short distance between ports (which means cruising at about 10 kn.).

Luke

So glad you're having a wonderful time! St. Petersburg truly is "sensory overload! I loved it!

How was the weather? When we there in 2001 in July, major heatwave (90+!!)

Weather was ideal ... low to mid 70s ... no rain the final 2 days. Last couple of weeks were very wet so the locals were out in droves to soak up the sun.

Luke

Luke, thanks for the latest installment. So glad that everyone is having a wonderful cruise.

Nancy

Luke--

Glad you so enjoyed St. Petersburg, as we did.
I hope you are looking forward to Helsinki and Visby. They were two of my favorite stops. If anyone in your family knits, the markets are awash with yarn and knitted goods. Visby also has stone sheep throughout its winding roads. Such a delight.

Thanks for keeping us in the loop Luke, sounds like your family cruise is perfect. Good for your Mom, pushing on - she sounds like a real trooper. It seems as if your whole family is just having a wonderful time. Too bad there aren't any sea days - know what you mean. We have B2B booked for next year, and there are no sea days,which will be a new experience for us, but there are three days and two nights in Venice!

So keep enjoying, thanks for taking the time to send Seamail.

I have enjoyed your seamail Luke what a great family gathering! JoAnn the no sea days are tough you just have to decide to take it easy some days! Tough in that wonderful part of the world - but always dinner on your balcony in grubs after day of touring - or for me HALF day!! YES YES Venice - I was there in 1970 Tony never - we can't wait - Joanna

Sounds like your family is having a wonderful cruise, Luke. St. Petersburg is really special and I'm glad your mom made it through three days of touring. Sounds like a determined lady. Good for her. Looking forward to more seamail.

Joanna - love your new avitar! Very nice.

We too are very excited about Venice, I think it was the deciding factor, although we loved the ports.

A few minutes before we sail from Helsinki to Finland … the Davis 6 are assembled on the deck, the champagne is chilled, and the canapés are delivered. Bright sunshine, a delightful 63 degrees, and light breeze … does life get better? I think not.

Oz took the following photo as I typed a few notes this afternoon … maybe I need to crop this for a new avatar:

Wait, my champagne flute is missing from the table in that photo! Don't worry, I have remedied the situation.

Luke

Thanks much for the continued family cruise updates, Luke! I look forward to your next "installment" and pics!

We all slept late this morning, missing our arrival in Helsinki and barely arriving for a late breakfast / early lunch before taking the shuttle to downtown. The extra rest was much-needed (“yes, kids, I remember that this IS a vacation.”) We opted to stroll the main streets enjoying the Finnish design stores rather than taking an excursion. We remembered very little from our trip here almost 30 years ago. We were struck that the downtown is clean and vibrant. I’m sure the beautiful weather influenced our opinion, but safe to say we enjoyed our few hours in town.

Tonight is the Seven Seas Society reception and the Davises will actually venture off of their aft balcony for a Regent event. That is followed by our dinner in Signatures. The Davis men will sport new ties for the occasion and we’ll make sure to order Meredith’s favorite champagne. AND, I know the rack of lamb is calling my name.

A few notes as we reflect on our prior Voyager cruise (2004):

We love the food, but we are not awed as we were in 2004. I assume the “wow” factor is gone from our first comparison to Royal Caribbean meals. Not that we have slowed down ordering / eating.

The work in drydock has the ship in great shape. However, I STILL wonder why clocks are not provided in the suites.

We like the in-house “Voyager Today” and travel concierge TV programs. I am surprised, however, that there are no lecturers on this sailing … we would have certainly valued information and insights about the history of this area and its people.

The casino staff is superb … skilled and personable dealers on each table.

We will not buy any of the photos taken by the ship photographer. Each has a cheesy postcard appearance, surrounded by images of the ship or local sights. The actual photo is lost in the “stuff” bordering the photo.

More soon.

Luke

Luke, we've noticed that too...ugly IMO. Also, I can't reemember how many times on comment cards I've suggested clocks in the suites. The one on the TV just doesn't cut it, we always bring one from home.

Luke, if you ask, they will print the picture without the goop. It will be the same price, but a smaller size ie if with all the stuff, it was an 8X10, it will become a 5X7. I did that last year on the Voyager to the Baltic. You are so lucky, when I was there last year, St. Petersburg wa between 95-100 degrees each day! In fact, I have cruised the Baltic 3 times, and never have had the temperatures below the mid 80's. I wish I were with you. I love every port. You are enjoying the wrap around Balcony as much as I did on TAP. Keep having fun.
Lynn

Lynn, that's good to know about the photos. I much prefer 5x7 although I guess that turns out to be a very over-priced 5x7.

Luke, I'm enjoying your reports. I'll hate to see your cruise end.

With respect to the photos, we learned last night about the buying photos sans "stuff." Howevr, I guess we're not the target market. We're taking plenty of photos and don't need to spend $16.95 for photos. In addition, I think they would sell more photos if they were less than $10.

Luke

Luke, are you in Visby today? I am trying to locate the ship on the Visby cam but can't find it.

We were only in Visby from 9:00 - 1:30, although the scheduled departure was 3:00. We roamed the streets of this charming village from 10:30 - 1:00 ... this is clearly a Swedish resort rather than a mere tourist town. Hundreds of college-aged kids hitting the beach.

We're now on our way to Copenhagen ... more later.

Luke

:mad: :mad:
This is a subject that really bugs us.
Why do they think they can rip you off with
the price of those pictures. And like you said
the back grounds are phoney.
They could drop the prices by 75% and probably make it up in volume because then you MIGHT consider
buying one. They must waste a lot of proofs.

Luke, I'm just catching up with your reports and happy to hear that all has gone so well. I also am green with envy as I look at that photo of you relaxing on your deck. Heavenly! Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Saturday morning in a cloudy Copenhagen. We're relaxing in La Veranda waiting for the 10:00 call of "Light Green." We will head to the Marriott and then roam the city for a couple of days.

Big topic of conversation at our table are the theories of what will happen in the final Harry Potter book. In fact, our first request of the Marriott concierge is to locate a bookstore where Oz can buy Harry Potter on release day.

I spent some time this a.m. walking the hallways of the ship to view the highest level suites. Everyone was out of the suites so it was fun to peek inside and dream about possible future upgrades. Although a few suites are larger than the aft Seven Seas Suite we occupied, "our" oversize deck and floor-to-ceiling windows win the day for the aft Seven Seas Suite being the suite of choice for our family.

The reported downside of the aft suites on the Voyager is the excessive vibration / shaking that a number of people have experienced. I guess the Sea Gods were with us, because we never suffered any vibration that exceeded normal cruise motion. We were sailing at about 18 knots from Visby to Copenhagen, and the ride was SMOOTH. I'm sure the transatlantic andother open seas might be a rouger ride. I would consider the particular itinerary before rejecting the aft suites. The Baltics may be the perfect itinerary for the aft suites because (1) you are in port 3 days in St. Petersburg, and (2) the distance between ports allows for slower sailing. The Baltic Sea was smooth for us, but I know that the conditions can vary.

More from the Marriott.

Luke

We disembarked at about 10:30 this morning, quickly retrieved our luggage, and waited for a taxi until about 10:50. We were able to shoehorn all 6 of us and our bags & baggage into two taxis. The fare to the Marriott was about $20. I KNEW there was a reason that I kept the leftover Danish Kroner from our 2004 cruise!

The Marriott is Grand Central Station. FIVE (5) ships arrived in port this a.m., resulting in a wave of folks checking in and out. In addition, scores of folks attending a conference at the Marriott are also checking out. The Marriott staff is maintaining its professionalism, courtesy, and sense of humor through it all.

Check-in was a breeze, but (as no surprise) the rooms will not be available until 4:00. We are booked in Executive Level rooms, thanks to Marriott Rewards, so even though our rooms are not ready, we have access to the Executive Level Lounge with complimentary snacks, beverages, and internet service (not to mention we’re away from lobbymania. We decided to divide and conquer. I am holding down the fort, guarding our carry-ons as (1) Oz and Meredith head to a nearby mall in search of the Harry Potter book released today, and (2) Paula, Mother, and Dad are on their way to the Royal Copenhagen store and an antique market. Mother and Dad started collecting the Royal Copenhagen Christmas plates years ago and have bought the annual plate for us each of our 31 married Christmases. The collections continue to grow, and today is a search for plates from certain “missing” years.

We kept our souvenir shopping on this trip to a minimum (at least until now), but our purchases were meaningful. Paula is a Christmas-aholic and collects angels, so she found ornaments and angels in each port, from handmade crafts in Tallinn and Visby to contemporary items in Helsinki. We were pleased with the shopping in St. Petersburg. Our guide took us to nice souvenir shops and we purchased the obligatory nesting doll, decorative egg, blue & white porcelain, and amber. Mother was thrilled with her amber necklace and earrings (almost as excited as with her black pearl purchases in Tahiti last year!). Oz was elated in St. Petersburg when his grandparents added to his musical instrument collection with a nice (i.e., not souvenir) Balalaika. They bought him a ukulele in Tahiti last year and once again, he quickly learned the instrument and provided in-suite entertainment. The grandparents brought big smiles to Meredith, too, with a beautiful dress and earrings in Visby (Meredith always enjoys commenting about her clothes from foreign travel, such as “oh this, yes it’s from one of my favorite designers in Sweden.”). Dad and I were content with our Regent caps from the boutique and the smiles and memories throughout the cruise.

More “notes” from the cruise:

There were a number of families on this cruise. From our three-generation group of 6 to a couple of families with nearly 20 in their group. I will be interested to hear whether the “family” nature of this itinerary continues through the summer. The “kids club” did not appear to be the main lure for the cruise; rather, St. Petersburg is THE draw for folks. Most of the kids were very well-behaved, but there were a few who bordered on out-of-control .... upon reflection, I really can’t imagine bringing kids younger than high school age on this itinerary. The history, culture, and geography are simply not appreciated by most of them.

Yes, additional cruises were booked for the onboard discount. We had done our research and analysis before the cruise, so we really did not need the assistance of the cruise consultant. Mother and Dad booked the Grand Crossing on the Voyager for November, 2008. Paula and I booked a Greek Isles cruise in October, 2008 (Meredith and Oz were a bit surprised to hear us talking about a cruise that did NOT involve them!). How wonderful to have a future cruise to capture our imagination and anticipation; but, we may move this booking to a 2009 sailing when those itineraries are released next year (we already have a Mariner March 2008 Caribbean cruise planned with a number of neighbors)

The Silver Level benefits of the Seven Seas Society were MUCH appreciated. As you can imagine with our family, the unlimited internet save us significant dollars. However, we had to renew our internet plan at the end of every 250 minutes of usage; there was not an “unlimited” plan for those with free internet. I did not use the hour of free telephone usage, but Meredith and Oz were pleased to be able to call their respective boyfriend and girlfriend! We were told that there are usually fewer-than-usual SSS members on this itinerary. However, this coming week there is a passenger who has accumulated almost 1,300 nights!. Mother and Dad wore their SSS lyre member pins with pride and were disappointed that there is no longer a SSS pin given to members during the cruise.

It sounds strange, but I was actually THRILLED to receive our onboard invoice this morning. No excursions … no spa … no bar bills. Just a bottle of champagne from Signatures, two Regent caps, and a few photos (sans unwanted borders and adornments). Nice to have the Red October tours paid for in advance!

We bid a fond farewell to our aft suite, favorite staff members, and a marvelous ship. With a week precruise and a port-intensive cruise, we are [almost] ready to return to reality. Our expectations were exceeded in all facets of this cruise … enjoyable and relxing time onboard the Voyager … beauty and charm in each port far beyond what we anticipated … and, of course, incomparable and memorable family time. Once again, Regent was the platform for fulfilling the magic and wonder of travel.

I’m sure I’ll have some follow-up recollections soon, and I will post a few photos as well.

Luke