Us onboard Regent’s “Seven Seas Voyager for Christmas

My Experience Onboard “Regent Seven Seas Cruises”

Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager ship

Recently we took a Cruise with “Regent Seven Seas Cruises” sailing to exciting ports in both China & Japan and today we wanted to tell you all about our experience sailing with them for a second time.

Of course, we will be adding in some great tips and tricks to ensure you have an incredible time if/when you book a Regent Cruise for yourself.

Without further ado…

…here is our review of our “Towering Skylines” sailing from Hong Kong to Beijing on “Regent Seven Seas Cruises”.

(For more of a “visual” review check out Our Regent Cruise Pictures and Video Gallery of our Penthouse Suite, the excursions we did, the beautiful ship and more!)

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You may be wondering…

Where does this cruiseline rank among the others?

Simply put, Regent is one of the very top Ocean cruiselines out there!

We won’t claim it as the #1 spot because it really is a personal preference for most people and we all have different tastes, but after this being our 57th cruise, in our humble opinion, we would rank it in the top 3 of ALL the Ocean cruiselines to choose from.

Why?

There are many reasons which we will get into later in this blog but the main reason is because of the Quality and the fact that Regent is THE most All-Inclusive Cruiseline in the WORLD where you can go home with a $0 bill after paying for the cruise, as we did.

Yes, that is correct, we took a 12 night cruise with Regent and spent zero dollars onboard. 🙂

We consider this a REAL vacation where you get the money issue out of the way BEFORE you take your cruise vacation…

…so you can truly relax & enjoy a hassle-free vacation instead of worrying about the costs of things as you go.

Here is a great example of two people Relaxed & Happy onboard the Voyager…

Us onboard Regent’s “Seven Seas Voyager for Christmas

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Regent includes things that are unheard of in the cruise industry, which leads us to…

What is included?

All Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic Drinks, All Meals (including specialty restaurants), Business Class Flights (for overseas flights/economy for all others), Unlimited Shore Excursions, Airport Transfers, Gratuities, Unlimited Wifi and so much more!


Here are more details about each:

DRINKS:

First, Regent includes non-alcoholic drinks and an extensive onboard list of premium spirits, fine wines and beer that you wouldn’t find on most other ships without a price tag.

See for yourself…

Regent Seven seas cruise review

And the nice thing about having these drinks included is that you can taste several until you find your favorite instead of having to “drink it anyways” just because you paid for it!

Onboard we had fun making a list of our favourites to purchase back home including a new found love—Godiva Chocolate Liquor.  Can you say yummy!!!

And just in case you get thirsty— Regent replenishes your in-suite mini-bar daily with all your favorites.

**A Thought** Have you ever been on a Cruise/at a Bar or Restaurant with friends/new acquaintances where you had that uncomfortable thought of “Should we buy their drinks?” and if so worrying if you can afford their tastes or not? We sure have! Well, when drinks are included on a Cruise like Regent this worry simply disappears… as mentioned earlier, it makes your hard-earned Vacation more hassle free & relaxing!! 🙂

 

RESTAURANTS:

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Another inclusion is ALL the tasty restaurants onboard and yes, the Specialty Restaurants too!  This is unlike many cruiselines where they charge anywhere from $25-$100 per person to dine in them each time…

Just imagine the bill you would rack up on one of the big ships that has 10 plus specialty restaurants onboard? Ouch!

The food onboard Regent rivals any 5 or 6 star restaurant on land… and would cost HUNDREDS of dollars per meal… no kidding!

It wasn’t hard to tell that the menus on Regent were created with “no expense spared” (we are talking Maine lobster & Lamb chops with every dinner if you want it) and we must confess—licking of thy fingers was done when nobody was looking on MANY occasions! 🙂 

Here are your Dining Options with some pictures of our delicious choices to give you an idea of what you can look forward to:

“La Veranda” buffet which is a popular place for breakfast & lunch if you’re not interested in a sit down “A-La-Carte” meal…

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Regent Seven seas cruise review

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“Compass Rose” the main dining room that is open every day for breakfast, lunch & dinner and offers up scrumptious ever-changing menu choices and an evening always available “favourites menu section” with selections such as Lobster Bisque, lamb chops, lobster— NOT your typical cruise ship menu!!

Here is a lunch-time asian theme appetizer (since we were in China) & chocolate dessert we had, delicious…

Regent Seven seas cruise review

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Prime 7 is the flavourful Steak house…

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Regent Seven seas cruise review

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Chartreuse is the delectable French cuisine…

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Regent Seven seas cruise review

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Sette Mari is the yummy Italian restaurant where the bonus is that the menu changes every 2-3 days…

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Regent Seven seas cruise review

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…The Pool Grill for it’s “Black Angus” burgers and sweet potato fries (to die for) for example…

Regent Seven seas cruise reviews

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…you can also order 24 hour room service, and it’s not your typical small menu with a $20 charge for a steak like we have seen on other lines… 

Check out the menu:

Regent Seven seas cruise review

at dinner time you can order from Compass Rose if you want to enjoy dinner in your robe AND you can choose from the enormous selection of seafood, grilled meats and this list goes on.

Check out our room service in the pictures below where we had Scallops, Maine Lobster, Jumbo Shrimp and Lamb Chops— it was exciting to know we could order these every single evening if we wanted to. 🙂

Regent Seven seas cruise reviews

Regent Seven seas cruise reviews

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“Tea Time”

Oh, and don’t forget, Tea Time Daily is included too! (something the mainstream lines charge for these days) They even prepare it on embarkation day which is impressive. One day they had a cupcake theme (see the picture below) and each day they changed the theme to something mouthwateringly creative and delicious! 🙂

Regent Seven seas cruise reviews

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FLIGHTS:

Regent also includes in their prices Roundtrip Business Class Air on all Intercontinental flights or Roundtrip Economy Air on all Domestic flights which is uncommon for a cruiseline to do.

Note: You can pull off the air to receive a price discount so you can book your own air if preferred- but you can talk to Shawn about those details.

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UNLIMITED EXCURSIONS:

Another uncommon inclusion is that Regent includes all your Excursions. They are Unlimited (we literally were able to do 2 per day) so you can pick as many as you want free of charge. 🙂

For example, in Shanghai we took a city tour in the morning for 4 hours, came back for lunch and a rest and then attended a second excursion, a fantastic acrobatics performance, that same evening.

Keep in mind that Regent does provide some higher end excursion options that cost an extra fee but the free ones were so plentiful & interesting that we didn’t feel the need to spend more and the same goes for many of our clients too!

Check out Our Photo Gallery of the other Ports & Excursions we did with Regent.

And you know what it’s like… many people take cruises, they see that the excursions offered by the Cruiselines are so overpriced & expensive that many guests simply walk about the port aimlessly and then get back onboard expressionless because they didn’t see or experience anything…

You don’t have to worry about that on Regent as there are a variety of excursions to choose from at each port stop so you can truly experience the destination’s highlights and culture.

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Regent Seven seas cruise review

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GRATUITIES: 

All shipboard gratuities are included in your cruise fare too!

Now, we did give our Butler a generous tip on top of it just because he went over and beyond for us, but you don’t have to do that as it is inlcuded in your price.

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OTHER INCLUSIONS:

  • Free Unlimited Wifi is available throughout the entire ship… one login is given per suite unless you are in a Penthouse Suite or above where you get unlimited wifi for all persons in the Suite and on multiple devices.  This is a great perk because Mass-market/Mega lines charge $30+ per day for each Wifi login!
  • Free Transfers between the airport and ship are included as well which otherwise could find itself deep in your pockets if you had to pay, especially at our disembarkation port where the airport was 3 hours away!
  • Gym Classes! Participate in pilates, yoga and aerobics free of charge. This is rare as they are typically expensive on ships to the point where we would have liked to participate but found the costs ridiculous and said- no way!!
  • Laundrettes are located on all the ships Suite’s floors so you can wash, dry and iron items from your suitcase. TIP: You do not need to bring detergent but a couple fabric softeners would be ok as they do not provide those.
  • Postcards are free of charge!  Just fill them out and the staff will send them free of charge for you.

Looking back on all we have discussed so far and all the inclusions, you may notice that there are thousands of dollars of items you would pay for AFTER you purchase a typical cruise fare…

…but with Regent, you know exactly what your trip will cost upfront (which is unheard of ) and as a BONUS you get the money issues out of the way FIRST!


Next… let’s talk about the Suites.

Suites:

Onboard the “Seven Seas Voyager” it is an All-Suite/All Veranda ship (which means even the worst room onboard is pretty awesome & way nicer then basic rooms on a big/mass-market ship!) and the rooms range in size from a roomy 356 to 876 square feet. If you want even more space and luxury, the two-bedroom Suites are available with 1,400+ square feet.

We don’t often comment on beds because it’s completely subjective, but since we are on the topic of bedrooms; the beds on Regent are super comfy because we came home and our bed just didn’t feel the same and that NEVER happens as we are always happy to get into our own bed. So needless to say you will be comfortable!

It’s also worth mentioning another plus with an All-Suite ship— as we touched on above no matter what room you choose they’re going to be over double the size of a standard room on the mass-market big ships and having extra room is such a treat on a ship, but Regent takes it a step further. 🙂

What amenities come with the Suites?

If you click here: https://www.rssc.com/ships/seven_seas_voyager/suites you can see the amenities that come with each of the Suite categories… best to look closely as they do change based on which Suite you choose.

We will tell you about our suite in a second but you will notice that the top two Suites, the Master & Grand, get access to their residences by 12pm (we had access by 2 pm) and have inclusions that the other Suites don’t have, most notably are these two which REALLY make the cruise extra special:

1. Guaranteed Reservations Each Night in Specialty Restaurants. (this is HUGE as all other guests are guaranteed to eat at each specialty restaurant ONCE per cruise)

2. Specialty Restaurant Selections for In-Suite Dining (Again, all other guests could only order from the main dining room in-suite but not from the specialities— but we would have liked this perk!)

Our Suite:

We booked the Penthouse Suite which is approximately 370 square feet and quite roomy with a large walk-in closet with tons of hangers, a computer desk, a vanity for the ladies, a bathtub plus shower, a nice sized patio with cushions for lounging AND a great sitting/dinner area that we used everyday for room service, playing cards and watching movies… rough stuff we know! lol

Here are some pictures:

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Regent Seven seas cruise reviews

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Regent Seven seas cruise review

AND if you are in a Penthouse Suite or above you have access to a Personal Butler.

Our Butler’s name was Anil.  He added special touches to our vacation and we highly recommend getting a Suite with one IF in budget!!

Why a butler?

Well, Anil checked in on us daily to make sure we had everything we needed.  He was like a backup or a cruise representative onboard (but not invasive) who cared about our vacation and seems to “show up” like a genie with a big smile, just when we thought of something we needed or would like to enjoy. 🙂

He brought us hot, cold & sweet canapés daily (another thing only included in the Penthouses and above), he stocked our suite and fridge with all the things we like most such as limes for our beer, lemons for our water, the ice bucket was always stocked, our bar favourites always ready for our enjoyment, clean wine & rock glasses in our bar station etc, etc…

…AND he brought us in-room dining whenever we wanted it, basically spoiling us rotten! LOL

Speaking of food, the canapés were a special treat. (each morning we would pick out the ones we wanted and at 5pm on the dot, Anil would ring our doorbell with our treats)

Check out the menu, it’s impressive, not something you see from cruiselines much these days:

Regent Seven seas cruise review

Yup, that’s the fresh Jumbo Shrimp and Crab Claws and yes, they were as good as they look in this picture below 🙂

Regent Seven seas cruise review

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Onboard Life:

Experienced cruisers are flocking to smaller ships for more intimate experiences and for superior quality which is exactly what you get onboard Regent.

With no more then 375 Suites, there are Zero lines and Zero waiting— something that is SO refreshing compared to big ship cruising where you become frustrated because you find yourself in a line up constantly, it’s not relaxing!!

Once you step onboard Regent’s ships you can relax entirely.

We are confident all your needs will be met (as our’s were) and you will create so many unforgettable experiences that you will wish the ship was your permanent home.

Onboard the SS Voyager there is so much to do including shopping, play shuffleboard, paddle tennis, cards or games in the card room, try your hand in the Casino, take a nap, go to the spa, swim in the pool, have coffee and make new friends at the Coffee Connection, walk the sun deck, take in a show or a lecture in the theatre, read the newspaper or a book in the library, take part in daily activities onboard such as crafts or dancing lessons, wine tasting or sip a cocktail in one of the lounges and so much more!!!

Regent Seven seas cruise reviews

Check out more of Our Pictures & Videos of Regent’s SS Voyager that shows you all the things you can do onboard and get to see what the ship looks like from the inside out.

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More TIPS for You!!!

Tip: What to Wear Onboard? Resort Casual is recommended for daytime onboard and for the evenings Elegant Casual is fitting while formal wear is optional to you. We noticed many guests in sporty outfits in the daytime and dressed to go out for a nice dinner in the evenings. Hope that helps!

Tip: Regent strongly asks guests not to wear jeans after 6pm onboard the ship but daytime is no problem… just so you know.  We were surprised too- but no biggie!

Tip: As mentioned, each guest is guaranteed ONE visit to each specialty restaurant onboard (unlimited for the top two suites) but, as we did, we asked and sure enough, we got to go to Prime 7 twice… so be sure to ask your butler or simply visit the reservations desk on the ship and they will do their best to get you in again.  If you are fine with sharing a table, you will likely get a 2nd reservation but it’s not guaranteed. **Note** The better Suite you book onboard the earlier you get to book your specialty dining reservations so the better times you get… for example, in our Penthouse Suite we were able to get 6:30pm for our reservations whereas many regular balcony Suites only had 8-9pm as a choice.

Tip: Bring a travel mug or purchase one in the gift shop as they do not provide paper cups to take your morning coffee on those early morning excursions. Nancy wishes she would have brought hers. 🙁

Tip: There are US standard and European outlets in the suites. If one to two US standard outlets is enough for you then you’ll be fine but we would have been more comfortable if we brought our European converter because we have 3 devices each to charge up each day.  So, if you are like us, pack those converters, K? 🙂

Tip: Onboard Bookings— Just as a reminder, you can take advantage of the exclusive offers for your next Regent Cruise while onboard that you cannot get when booking off of the ship. They are typically too good to pass up so be sure to check them out!  It changes, but at the time of our sailing, they were offering Reduced deposits from $500 per suite, $100 shipboard credit and additional onboard savings & perks…

…AND, from there we can add our agency’s perks to your booking too- so DOUBLE WHAMMY!! Just remember to let the onboard Cruise Consultant know to keep your booking with our agency so you’ll get both, ok? (But don’t worry, they will typically ask who your Travel Agent is.)

 

Well, there you have it!  Our experience onboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Want to know more about our cruise, particularly about the 6 port stops we had and to see pictures of the ship?  Then check out Our Pictures and Videos of our 12 Night Regent Cruise from Hong Kong to Beijing!

You can also check out our other related blogs from this part of the World.. one is all about our visit to Hong Kong during our Regent Cruise. Another is about Shanghai, China and another about Beijing, China when we first visited these cities years ago and you can read about our incredible Yangtze River Cruise as well.

And as always, any other questions about this cruiseline or any other cruises Contact Shawn.

We appreciate you! 

Nancy & Shawn
Your Trusted Cruise Experts!

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