It took us five days to get to the United Arab Emirates cruising on one engine at about 12 knots. We had plenty to do on board. The ship’s staff came up with a number of interesting parties and events such as an Indian Ocean sundowner party, the officer talent show and the annual Jimbo’s truck stop café dinner. We had a party for our group on the aft deck on a beautiful evening with warm breezes and calm seas. The Captain made an announcement that the two week cruise from Singapore to Dubai was going to be refunded in full to all passengers since we were not able to call in all of the scheduled ports. This seems extremely generous of Regent and it certainly made many passengers not feel so bad about missing Bombay ... read more

STEPHEN FISHER-KING We first met Stephen in 2003 on the Seven Seas Mariner paddle tennis court. He was very athletic and played a strong game. We had no idea that we were playing with one of the top stage performers in all of Australasia. Our formal introduction to him was at our 30th anniversary party, April 7, 2003. Susan and I had a table for 6 friends in La Veranda Restaurant. Stephen and Amy Baker serenaded us with the love duet from Phantom of the Opera---“All I Ask of You.” Now THAT was special! Over the years we’ve enjoyed this dynamic young man in concert on the Mariner and most recently, the Voyager. Stephen is a favorite of ours, both on the tennis court and in the Constellation Theater. His rich baritone is perfect for ... read more

After we were away from the city lights of Manila we were startled to see florescence in the ship’s wake. I have read about this ocean phenomenon but have never seen it before. The edges of the wake light up like neon sparkles. It was quite an amazing sight. Within 28 hours we went from 90 degree tropical weather to a wintery 40 degrees. We took a hot tub to try to warm up and got caught in a hail and wind storm. We got out all of our winter clothes and put away the sunglasses and flip flops. We had several good guest speakers on this segment. David Aguilar is our favorite astronomer and always gives exciting lectures and stargazing sessions. James Fallows is the national correspondent for The Atlantic Magazine. He and his wife ... read more

We have been to Adelaide several times and always enjoy exploring this beautiful city. The port is large and located a fair distance from the city. The main exports of South Australia are the 3 Ws—wheat, wool and wine. This trip we went with Mary and Suzanne in their private van to the Adelaide Hills to visit the Cleland Wildlife Park where we saw kangaroos, dingo dogs, koala bears and Tasmanian devils. I think the koala bears were designed by Disney as they are so cute and cuddly you can hardly stand it. We saw mama kangaroos with their little joeys peeking out from mom’s convenient pouch. We happened upon a park attendant who was carrying around a huge snake of the constrictor family. I didn’t hang around long enough to find out the snake’s lineage ... read more

As one of the most storied sea captains sailing today, Dag Dvergastein has served on just about every imaginable vessel afloat including cargo, oil, grain, and of course, cruise ships. Born in the small Norwegian fishing village of Nevlunghavn of a seafaring family, Dag went to sea at age 17 and spent three years learning the sailor’s trade on the “Taronga”, a 13,500 ton general cargo ship that carried 12 passengers. After his sea duty he enrolled in the merchant marine academy for three years. Eventually throughout his career he would serve as everything from bo’sun to carpenter to captain. Dag exudes a genuine graciousness to passengers and crew alike. He might be described best as “a sailor’s sailor.” Tall, tanned, blonde and blue eyed, Dag smiles a beautiful row of white teeth that gives ... read more