regent voyager

Under the Golden Gate Bridge

On sea days, the captain makes a positional and weather announcement at noon. Yesterday he announced that we'd meet the harbor pilot and pass underneath the Golden Gate bridge at approximately 6am. The requirement to set an alarm on the last day of vacation wasn't very pleasant, but we had decided that a great way to end the trip would be up on deck as we passed under the bridge. I'm sure we've viewed the bridge from the harbor on sightseeing tours, but we'd never been onboard a large cruise ship arriving at San Francisco. So, after an alarm at 5:45, we join a handful of other passengers on the top decks. It's very dark, but fortunately not foggy, and the lights of the bridge and city are visible off in the distance.

About 15 minutes later we pass under the bridge and enter San Francisco harbor. We're bound for pier 35, one of the very first piers after passing under the bridge. After entering the harbor at about 6am, it's approximately 2 hours later when they begin disembarking passengers. The majority of the passengers that have journeyed through the Panama Canal from Ft. Lauderdale are disembarking here in San Francisco. Our stateroom stewardess tells us that about 400 guests are expected on the next segment of this World Cruise from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia. The ship will visit Hawaii, Tahiti, and has several stops in New Zealand before arriving in Sydney on February 23rd, 41 days later. This has been a good introduction to the Regent product, but I'm not sure I'm ready for 41 days, many of which are sea days on the Pacific crossing.

After a quick breakfast at La Veranda, we're on the pier to claim our luggage and headed to San Francisco airport by about 8:30. Traffic is slow along The Embarcadero until we join the southbound freeway. The drive to the airport takes about 25 minutes and runs up a fare of about $45. After 10 nights, the experience aboard the Regent Voyager has been excellent. We've enjoyed the ship, the passengers, and especially the ship's crew. From an exceptional room stewardess, to fun and outgoing bartenders and entertainers, we've found the crew to be professional, engaging and highly focused on providing a vacation experience that not just meets, but exceeds their guests expectations. With only a few exceptions (such as the Internet/Phone system) I've found the experience to be exceptional and would highly recommend this luxury, all-inclusive cruise vacation.