Don't believe the negative comments - it was phenominal

Seven Seas Voyager Cruise Review to Other (Asia/Africa/Middle East)

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 51

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5
Seven Seas Voyager

21 Night Legendary Sands (Istanbul To Dubai)

Sail date: October 31, 2014

Ship: Seven Seas Voyager

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

Before we went we researched the cruise line, we had not sailed with Regent/ Radison for 10 years.  We were disturbed by comments of poor food, poor service, bad value for money, etc.  And yes this cruise ain't cheap, but it was damn good and an outstanding experience.  We chose it for the land excursions, Ephesus, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Pyramids, Luxor, Petra and Dubai which for me were the highlight.  But the food was outstanding in terms of choice, seasoning, taste and variety (my wife is a chef), breakfast choices were huge and dinner menus changed daily.  The galley tour was interesting, the galley was spotless.  The cabins were excellent and the little touches most appreciated.  The service was well up to that of a good 5 star hotel.  Everything was clean, there was always plenty to do.  We had 4 consecutive sea days and we did not get round to doing everything.  We enjoy a drink and the bar staff were just the best.  The entertainment was outstanding, we particularly like the Broadway style shows.  The Captain and officers were frequently seen on deck socialising with the guests which I thought was a good touch.  I could go on.

I do not understand what people have to complain about!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Lots of variety, never a poor or even average meal

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Adam and Luvy, Nathan

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Cathryna, Uri, Ernesto, Gina, Annalynn, Patricio

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

Istanbul, Turkey Did not visit port

It poured with rain for us so not fair to rate Istandbul

Kavala, Greece

5 out of 5
Hike up to the Castle in the old town, steep walk but well worth it

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

5 out of 5
Ephesus was amaizing

Patmos, Greece Did not visit port

Did not go here - Went to Jerusalem instead - a must see, beyond expectations

Antalya, Turkey Did not visit port

Did not go here, went to Bethlehem

Limassol, Cyprus Did not visit port

Did not go here - went to Nazareth

Suez Canal Transit

3 out of 5
Watched the crossing points for the Isreali army

Aqaba (Petra), Jordan

3 out of 5
Only spent one day in Aqaba

Safaga (Luxor), Egypt

3 out of 5
Aquascope - interesting

Salalah, Oman

5 out of 5
The guide made this trip, she was really interesting to talk to

Port Sulton Qaboos (Muscat), Oman

3 out of 5
Dhow cruise, nice way to see the area and the souk

Fujairah, U.A.E.

3 out of 5

Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.

3 out of 5

Dubai, U.A.E.

5 out of 5
Drinks at the Burj Al Arab
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2 Comments

HNLGAL    9 years ago

I was on this same cruise. While I cannot fault the ship staff (they were excellent), I found the ship itself very Scan-Design ish, if you get my drift. Very Minimalistic...  I much prefer the sister company Oceania's ships' decor and cuisine. The food on the Voyager was pretty good (BBQ on deck, lunches on deck were super), but while I am normally not an excursion type, their included excursions were very informative and really made the cruise. Oceania doesn't include excursions in their exorbitant prices. At least with Regent, they are good well rounded excursions and they are included in their price. A point might also be made that almost all their alcohol was included on the Voyager, whereas it isn't on Oceania or most other ships. The one thing I really missed on the Voyager was a few good Wine Tastings, which were so very good on Oceania. And we had plenty of time on board to have them too. 

glomarrone    9 years ago

I will be seeing many of these same places on my HAL cruise.  Your review was very informative and interesting to read.  Thanks for posting.