Oct 11 2010

Black Sea Voyage With Regent Was Loads of Fun!

Hi Linda,

The cruise was loads of fun, and the accommodations were fabulous. The suite was huge…we had our own private butler, the housekeeper was professional, excellent and kept everything ship shape for the entire time. Every time we left the cabin, the towels were changed, clothing put away, fresh fruit put out and the place sparkled.

Jamie was the head guy, who made sure everyone was occupied, satisfied and having a good time. The food and wines were terrific, and it was impossible to spend the $900 onboard that had been given to us by All-Travel and Regent. I had my hair done a few times and the ship happened to have my favorite wine (Beringer Private Reserve) for sale, so most of the onboard money was spent that way, although the wines they served at no cost were really quite good. They did allow us to take $400 of it in cash, which we did, and I think there was about $20 left of the $500 by the time we disembarked.

Because this was our third time sailing with Regent, they gave us unlimited internet access for free, which was a huge savings because the computers onboard were really slow.

The downside, which I documented to Regent, really had nothing to do with the ship. Some, not all, of the ports were disappointing. In Romania, the guide took us to a broken down mall for most of the excursion. The people who went to Bucharest spent six hours on the bus and got to see some buildings before it was time to go back to the ship. Only about half of the guides were professional. The other half were either misinformed (I knew more about the Crimean War than the guide) or deficient in English.

The ports we really enjoyed were Yalta, Sevastopol, Balaclava and Odessa….so much of history. The highlight for me was to walk the Odessa steps, which I had wanted to do ever since I saw the silent Serge Eisenstein movie, Battleship Potemkin.

The professional entertainers on the ship were excellent, but only put on about three shows out of the nine day cruise. The rest of the time there was a really bad comedian piano player and a mediocre violinist. There was music after hours in the lounges, but nothing spectacular.

All in all it was a great time and we would sail again with Regent in a heartbeat if we can find another cruise to places we have not been.

Thank you for all your help. I did let them know that we heard about the cruise through you and All-Travel and how helpful you had been in putting the whole thing together for us.

-Barbara

Contact a Regent Cruise Expert today at 800-300-4567!

About Linda Huntington

After graduating college in New Jersey with a degree in art, I took a vacation to California – that was the start of it all. I had the bug and it was history from there. I’ve been in the travel industry for 34 years and started when I was ten (kidding…). I’ve been to various US cities, Alaska (cruise only no interior), Hawaii (all islands except Lanai and Molokai), Mexico (both coasts), Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Hong Kong, China, the Amazon, the Caribbean, Bermuda, London, Paris, Eastern Germany (River Cruise), Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, and Kenya. Of these areas, I specialize in Europe, the Med, Tahiti, Bermuda, Hawaii, Alaska, and Mexico. I’ve sailed on CruiseWest, Holland America, Regent, Norwegian, Celebrity, Costa, Regent, Crystal, and Princess. I hold certificates from Princess, Commodore and Crystal, and am a Cruise West Small Ship Partner. My favorite trip would have to be Africa. I love being a travel agent because each and every day is like having a new job -  no two people, destinations, or desires to visit are the same.