This was our third, and last, cruise aboard the Voyager. It seems that new owner Norwegian is determined to bring Regent down to its level. While not terrible, dining room service was nowhere near the standard of other cruises. Two and a half hours for dinner with minimal wine! Thirty minutes for dessert when we told the waiter we wanted to get to the 9:30 show! Ten minutes to get a glass of iced tea! Another ten to get some Sweet and Low! service did improve after we spoke to the headwaiter and dining room manager. We were told that thirty of the best crew members were taken off the Voyager and sent to two new Norwegian ships and to the Explorer.
We had looked forward to an elephant ride in Thailand, but that was cancelled because a tourist had been killed by an elephant earlier in the week. However, we were not told of the cancellation until after we left the ship. Thus, no chance to change tours or to sign a waiver of liability. We were told the tour operator had cancelled, but several passengers took a taxi back to the ship and another taxi to the tour destination and rode elephants. The tour provided was a waste of everyone's time and should have been an embarrassment for Regent. Several other tours also were not up to Regent standards with guides who were unfamiliar with the areas visited and not fluent in English. Most tours did not have a Regent representative along and it appeared that they had not been vetted beforehand.
We also were eager to visit Corregidor, but were told, after the ship had sailed, that that trip had been cancelled by the tour operator. In reality, it would have been impossible to take that cruise for the ship was scheduled to dock at 8 and the ferries to Corregidor left at 7:30. Because of a typhoon, we could not stop in Viet Nam - another highlight. We also skipped Malaysia for no announced reason. Instead, we spent two days in Brunei and two in Manila, with no tours available on the extra day due to lack of busses and guides. Apparently, Regent had just become aware of the Chinese New Year.
Cabin was spacious and well appointed Crew was excellent.
American war cemetery was awe inspiring, almost as much so as Normandy. Chinese cemetery was unique and well worth visiting.
Changing of the guard was quite impressive. Buddhist temple was beautiful, but no one from Regent (several were there as sightseers) knew that a short walk up an inclined road would have saved climbing a hundred steps. We fund that out on the way down. Rides also were available.
Great city views despite the smog and fog.
A nice overview.
No elephant rides were available for Regent excursion. We were not told until after we had left ship. Operator was blamed, but elephant rides were available for others.
Very good guide and tour.
Very interesting