My Butler was called Suresh

A few weeks ago, I was super lucky to be chosen to go on a 3 day test cruise on board "Regent Seven Seas Voyager". This was the last of the regent ships to get back into the water after the pandemic. Would you believe this particular ship hadn't had passengers on for 760 days and in total the entire fleet had not cruised for a total of 9 years during the pandemic. Let that sink in a little as I was gobsmacked. Anyway, let’s talk about my trip. Myself and 2 colleagues decided to fly out the day before and spend the day in Rome, a city I have never visited. I loved it so much I cannot wait to go back with my husband one day. The next day we got a taxi over to the port and got on board one of the most beautiful ships I have ever been on. It’s a medium size ship with a small ship style. So, this means although it could easily hold around 1500 passengers, they only have 680 on board which means so much more space per passenger and more crew to passenger ratio too. Check in was seamless and our cases were taken to our suites for us (They don’t call them cabins on board this ship they are all suites). Well, my face was a picture when I found out I had been upgraded to a “Penthouse suite” this suite and those above it come with your very own butler to attend to any needs you may have. I honestly felt guilty asking for my pillows to be changed as although they were lovely and soft, they had feathers in and I am allergic. The next part really blew my mind as I was handed the pillow menu from the side of the bed and all sorts of fancy pillows to choose from. I just chose normal foam ones, but I could have had gel, or water filled or memory ones. Suresh my butler explained about the canapes I could have each evening in my cabin if I wanted and showed me how to work the coffee machine and told me all about valet laundry. I felt like a rockstar. All the suites on board have balconies too complete with 2 lovely chairs and a table.

Next myself and my colleague decided to go up on the pool deck for a drink…oh did I mention everything is included? That means all your drinks and not cheap brands either. You could have cocktails, premium branded spirits, wine or even drink champagne the entire time you are on board. Not only that all restaurants are included there are no supplements, WiFi is included, gratuities are included. All your flights and if you are in Penthouse and above you can fly business class and here is the best part, shore excursions are also included. Yes, you heard me right. So, the price you pay when you book, you don’t have to put your hand in your pocket again to enjoy your time on or off the ship.

The first night on board and we ate in the Sette Mari restaurant, which during the day is the La veranda restaurant. Sette Mari is their Italian. The food was amazing I had the nicest mushroom risotto I think I have ever had; they will pair your meal with beautiful wines too.

Our second night we dined in the Compass Rose restaurant; it was a lovely atmosphere in here along with the stunning Versace plates. They have an “always available” menu where you can create your own courses and each day a chef’s created menu if you want something different again paired with beautiful wines. Another fantastic option with Compass Rose is you can have in suite dining where they will lay your table in and serve you too all in the privacy of your own suite.

On our final night we dined in the Chartreuse restaurant which is the French option. The food was again spectacular, I had rack of lamb which was cooked perfectly.

The only restaurant we didn’t get to experience was Prime 7 the steak restaurant, but I hear from my other colleagues it was fabulous too.

During the day the pool grill was our hangout with an always available menu plus fresh salad bar and a theme side, we experienced a Greek day and an Italian day from the grill which was lovely.

On our cruise we cruised to Ajaccio in Corsica where we got to choose one of the included shore excursions. We chose the imperial town as it took us to the birthplace of Napoleon. Our tour guide was great full of knowledge and had a great sense of humour too which made the tour all the more interesting. Ajaccio is a lovely town, and we were so lucky as the weather was beautiful, so I even caught the sun. After our tour we were back on board, and we decided to go and look around the other suite grades starting with the lowest category which is the Deluxe Veranda which for an entry level suite was beautiful and as I have mentioned before comes complete with a balcony. We toured all the suites right up to the Master Suite which was stunning. The space included in the higher categories is something I have not experienced myself on board a ship before. Each suite comes with high end amenities from L’Occitane and stocked mini bar.

I enjoyed this ship as it had just enough to keep us entertained with several evening venues including a 2-tier theatre where we got to see the team perform their show for the first time, amazing singing, and dancing to lots of rock and soul classics. In one of the other bars there was a resident duo who managed to get some of us on the dance floor and we also enjoyed listening to the pianist in the Observation lounge. And lastly for those that like a bit of pampering you have an on-board spa where you can enjoy lots of beauty treatments and massages.

Overall, this was an amazing ship for those that like to know everything is paid for in advance, that every detail is taken care of and that like to experience a more luxurious time on board a ship.

The Regent fleet sails to all corners of the globe and have some amazing experiences that combine the cruise with some truly spectacular land holidays. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions about the Regent Seven Seas Voyages.