How about this lovely Captain Hook teapot :)

Lovely....I hope he likes it! Shall we ask Terry Breen to deliver it to him? ;)

The RSSC captains are all great (as are the senior staff on all the ships). I think one of the key distinguishing factors in RSSC's favor is the quality of its senior staff across its fleet.

I'll throw in another vote for Neil Broomhall. We sailed with him twice on the Diamond, one of which was his and the Diamond's final cruise, from Venice to Athens. He was always gracious and charming, took time to chat with passengers, and with the Diamond's open bridge, was very accessible.

And he had a great sense of humor. I spent many early mornings and evenings up on the bridge wing next to him as we pulled into and out of ports, and with a twinkle in his eye, he always had quick quips and funny asides to whatever passengers had joined him -- usually about the local pilots -- which kept me constantly grinning.

I hope to have many more cruises in my life, but I don't think I'll ever forget the man we refer to as Captain Neil. On our trip in the western Caribbean, it was his first visit to several ports. As we left the ship for a bus trip in Mexico to the ruins in Chichen Itza, we were surprised to see him come bounding down the ramp in shorts and a t-shirt and joining us on the tour bus -- just another of us first-time tourists! When we disembarked on the last cruise, he came down on the pier and took time to shake hands and say goodbye to most of the passengers. And on our recent PG cruise, I realized how much I missed his poetry readings and jokes at the welcome and farewell receptions.

I hope he's happy with Saga, the British line he went to after the demise of the Diamond in order to be based closer to his family in England. (Hmmfff, the Saga web site has bios of their captains, but his blurb doesn't even mention his years commanding the Diamond for Radisson!) Regent would be wise to try to lure him back someday, as he made many favorable, memorable impressions on us during our cruises with him at the helm.

-- Eric

2 other captains who were popular in the past are "Baby Dag" another Norwegian Dag who was on the Daimond and is now captain on the World and Fausto on the Navigator who alternated with Romeo. He recently retired.

My SIL will be sorry to hear that Captain Fausto retired. She thought he was very charming and almost drools when talking about him.

jbittle, who is the "baby Dag" you talked about? I think know him from the Diamond, one of the few high officers retained when the Diamond went away and then he was staff captain on maybe the Navigator? Was it Magmus? He really IS a "baby Dag"!

Was it Magmus? He really IS a "baby Dag"!

I remember him sooooo nice and young -Finland??? I think Magnus??

Yes! Jes and I had dinner with him once on the Diamond, and then last year, I think on the Navigator, my Joanna and I had dinner with him again, and he remembered the first time! That takes finesse, unless they keep notes. How the heck can they remember who they had dinner with 2 years ago! I remember first time he was about to, or just had a new baby. Last time, his wife and the young children were about to come onboard when we got to Copenhagen.

Baby Dag is on Residensea now or at least the last I heard.

I vote for Captain Dag. Don't remember who was our captain on our first RSCC Mariner cruise but last year we did 2 Voyager WC segments and loved how much CD interacted with the passengers. Yes, he is good eye candy, (I loved watching the females onboard including self flipping their chaises around from sea view to pool view right before water polo in the afternoon) but he is a really genuine and sincere person. We were not full WC passengers, which I would think takes up of lot of his "social time", but he still was very gracious and accommodating to both my husband and myself. Because of the ambience of the ship that he provided as captain, we decided that if there was ever another "Captain Dag Norway Cruise" we would be on it. And, we are! Can't wait.............

Greenflash: We were on WC, and yes I, too, was flipping my chair for water polo <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" />

I voted for "other" too, and of course, it is Neil Broomhall. He's a fantastic Captain, and a fantastic man, so witty, warm, lovely. I miss him. We sailed with him 3 times, twice in the Med and once in the Caribbean. While on the Dubrovnik to Venice leg of one cruise, we were on the bridge laughing (as always), and we were all commenting on how calm the seas were, and how warm it was, etc. He asked if we'd like to go for a swim, and we said "yes". He checked the swells, then stopped the Diamond to put down the swim platform and let a few of us swim in the Adriatic Sea - and he joined us. Just stopped the ship! What a memory, one of many fantastic "Captain Neil" memories. What a shame he isn't with Regent any longer. Their loss, for certain.

Charlene

I cast my vote for Capt. Dag. I've also sailed with Capts. Guillou and Hanssen and they are good also. But, Capt. Dag has a knack for public relations and personal interaction. He always makes me feel like he's going the extra mile to show passengers a good time. I also like his "Vords of Visdom" at 9am each morning. He seems to be more comfortable "in the public eye." I know Capt. Guillou and Hanssen work just as hard to please passengers.

I think the key to the tone of a ship is the combination of captain and cruise director. When their personalities complement each other, you're in for a grand time. For instance, Capt. Dag and Jamie have the same type of energy and make a great team. Capt. Guillou and Barry Hopkins have a different style but it's just as enjoyable.

Greenflash, I was on the first two segments of the WC. Did we cross paths?

Loved reading all your answers as I know them all except Neil Bloomhall. As I work closely with the Captain it allows me to observe them in a very different light than guests. What stands out are those among the ranks who are more concerned with their crew than themselves. Happy crew make for a happy ship; and a happy ship makes for happy guests. Think about on which ship you felt the best "vibe" - 99.9% of that comes from the top. The captain sets the tone onboard. When crew members feel valued and appreciated for their work, things run much more smoothly. You feel it. My vote, however, remains confidential.