Regent Voyager Safely Sails the Gulf of Aden

Everyone who's been following Regent's Seven Seas Voyager world cruise reroute from Dubai to Rome due to a damaged pod is relieved that the ship safely traversed the Gulf of Aden earlier this week. Three other ships—a British cargo ship, a French yacht, and a fishing boat from Taiwan—weren't so lucky. All three were hijacked by Somali pirates on Monday, April 6.

Travelers currently on Voyager reported that Regent beefed up security prior to entering the Gulf. Military escort vessels were visible at times from the cruise ship and two helicopters did "fly-bys" on several occasions. Guards on deck, including a British commander—according to Voyager's Dana Logan—kept vigil until the ship was out of pirate range.

Regent continues to assist passengers rearrange their travel plans and have offered yet another option, as reported by John and Linda on their world cruise blog:

"We have accepted a further option offered by Regent, which is to debark next Monday in Agaba, Jordan, in lieu of just sailing through the Suez and across the Mediterranean to end the voyage in Rome. The still further revised program starts with the planned visit to Petra, but then to Amman for an overnight. The next morning we fly to Cairo, spend three nights in Cairo with an extensive program of visiting pyramids and other monuments, a trip to Memphis, old Cairo and the Antiquities Museum, among other elements. Then we will be flown to Istanbul for a day and one-half visit there. This is almost completely on Regent's nickel." —John and Linda

Despite this unfortunate pod problem, Regent passengers seem to be making the best of the situation. We hope technicians can quickly fix the pod problem once the ship docks in Rome. —Andrea M. Rotondo

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