We are not frequent cruisers, this being only our third cruise since 2003 and our first with Regent Seven Seas. Our flight from Heathrow was at 8:15 so we stayed overnight at the Heathrow Sofitel and booked parking there as well. It was reassuring to know that our car would not be moved while we were away. I wasn't even asked for my key. The Voyager is the largest ship we've been on and we wondered how crowded it would feel with 700+ passengers. We needn't have worried. We rarely saw the other English passengers who shared the same flight out and we never felt as though it was full, even in the dining room. It had also been refurbished in November 2011 so everything was fresh and new.

We were off the ship every day so which left little time to get involved with other activities, although we were often in the Horizon Lounge in time for the Trivia quiz.

The service was fantastic. The crew were friendly, cheerful and accommodating and nothing was too much trouble. Part way through the cruise Comment cards are left in your suite so that you can raise any issues you've had. We had one or two minor suggestions and these were followed up by the Executive Concierge who left a message on our suite phone to go and discuss them with him. I mentioned, in passing, that my starter in the Signatures restaurant wasn't what I expected and almost as soon as I got back to the suite I had an apologetic phone call from the restaurant manager and an offer for us to eat there again. We probably took on more excursions than we should. Most were timed to leave the ship before 9:00am and this meant that we were only able to have a leisurely breakfast in Compass Rose on one morning. The rest of the time we breakfasted in Le Verandah, which opens earlier and is self-service. It's difficult to advise on the excursions. There's a balance to be struck between trying to see everything or thinking you might have missed out on something if you don't and the calls on your physical resources of being up between 6:30 and 7:00am to meet the time for your trip each day. It is supposed to be a holiday after all. The advantage is, I suppose, that you can decide which places you'd never want to return to - which in our case would be Kavala, Xanthi and Istanbul. All the excursions were well arranged, had knowledgeable guides and each coach carried only 20-25 passengers. The only hitch we had was in Istanbul when the driver was moved on from our pick-up point by the police and couldn't find his way back. He was a relief driver and didn't know the City. It was a Sunday and everyone was out and about. Everywhere was crowded and we had to run the gauntlet of dozens of street sellers at every venue, who were extremely persistent in their efforts to get you to buy. We had an issue with the amount Regent were going to charge us for a (UK)Visitor's Visa for Turkey. This was $49 each if you let them arrange it, instead of the £10 you pay if you pick up your own at the airport. However, we'd arrived in Athens and had called at Kusadasi and needed the visa for Istanbul because we were staying overnight there before disembarking for the flight home. We found out, from another couple, that we could buy a Visitor's visa at the port in Kusadasi. Go into Arrivals and turn sharp left and there's an office marked "Visas" on the window. We bought ours for £10 each, took them to the ship's Reception Desk and they stuck them in our passports. We didn't need our passports with us. The port authorities know you're from the ship and they've already cleared you to land. I assume there's a Visa office at the port in Istanbul too. Read more