I’d like to throw in my two cents here. This is our 85th day on a Regent ship. All of them have been wonderful. If our first five days on Voyager on this trip are the norm, this will be the best cruise of all. The service has been attentive, friendly and prompt. We perceive a happy crew working together very well. We have a butler for the first time. Ved is spoiling us rotten. We are working very hard to not get too used to it. We dine mostly in Compass Rose, breakfast and lunch as well as dinner. The menus have been excellent and the food hot and tasty. We couldn’t ask for more.

Two nights ago we experienced Prime 7 for the first time. Excellent. We MUST go back one more time on this cruise! I had the large lobster. Perfection. Fred had the surf and turf and was quite pleased. We expressed reservations about the crab claws to our head waiter, Andrew, an attentive, friendly and enthusiastic Scot. He insisted we try the crab and brought a sample to all four of us (as if we needed any more food). It was excellent. The only downside to P7, IMO, is it is almost impossible not to order too much food.

We love the new décor of the ship. And the entertainment on board has been outstanding. The Observation Lounge pianist, Vlado, is quite good. We’ve closed the OL listening to him every night. And the duo performing in the Voyager Lounge is also excellent, as is the ship orchestra performing in the Horizon Lounge. Our Vegas-type performer Glenn Smith is the best of his type I have experienced cruising. The new group of Regent singers and dancers is also the best I’ve experienced. And last night we enjoyed cabaret singer K T Sullivan perform. She was everything I had hoped for and received an enthusiastic response from a large audience. And there is much more cabaret singing to come since this is one of the themes of the cruise. This is a more active late night crowd than I’ve seen on a Regent ship in a long time. It is also one of the oldest crowds; yet the Voyager Lounge is filled with enthusiastic senior dancers before and after dinner. Bravo!

Another theme is public television at sea. Our first speaker had been Charlie Cook from PBS, who is magnificent. He’s spoken twice now in the theatre with an hour of follow up each time in the OL. Superb. It doesn’t get any better than this. I am a happy happy camper indeed! Fred will have to drag me off the ship on 12/18. Pat