Jump to content

Two weeks on the Navigator, from Montreal to Reykjavik


Fletcher
 Share

Recommended Posts

MONTREAL, CANADA

Dear Reader, I am sitting in a room at the Sofitel, looking out at an extremely soggy and grey-looking Montreal. Later today I’ll embark the Regent Seven Seas Navigator. This will be my first time with Regent and my eighteenth oceanic cruise. Many of my previous cruises have been on expedition ships with about 100 passengers so the Navigator is quite a biggie for us, about the same size as the Seabourn Quest which we went on last year and regard as the best ship we have ever experienced. So far.

I booked the Navigator with some trepidation as I’d read all about the vibration issue and all those thousands of gold fillings on the carpets. So we carefully chose a cabin on a lower deck and a few cabins forward of the main elevators. I hope this means 14 nights of sleeping soundly.

Our cruise goes to Quebec City, then a place called Saguenay and on to Prince Edward Island, the curious French colony of St Pierre and Miquelon, St John’s in Newfoundland, then three stops in Greenland and, finally, a hop across the placid Greenland Sea to Reykjavik, Iceland, from where we fly home to the UK. I am also hoping for a partial eclipse of the sun on our sea day after Saguenay and a spectacular view of Federation Bridge as we approach PEI.

For me cruising is and always will be about the itinerary. You see, cruise ships are like water taxis, taking me from A to B. I’m not that interested in cruising for its own sake and I don’t remotely care about the entertainment or the casino or the spa. However, shipboard rites and rituals are a comfort and I love it. I simply need a nice cabin, serviced promptly, good food and pleasant company. This Navigator trip is unusual in that I’ve never been to this part of the world before. Everything and everywhere is new. I’m excited by the prospect.

I’m inviting you to come along with me as I intend to write a regular if not exactly daily diary of our trip, as far as satellite signals permit. I have done this before on my Seabourn and Silversea trips. As a former journalist and author, I am opinionated. What follows may not be the way that guy over there sees this cruise, it’s just the way I will be seeing it.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Fletcher, very pleased to read that you will be reviewing both Regent and this itinerary.

I've enjoyed your contributions on the Silversea and Seabourn boards. Your Quest cruise last year was just after my Quest cruise from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale.

I'm very much looking forward to reading about your experiences in Greenland in particular.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MONTREAL, CANADA

As a former journalist and author, I am opinionated. What follows may not be the way that guy over there sees this cruise, it’s just the way I will be seeing it.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts on your cruise. We just took our third Navigator cruise last summer and thought it was wonderful. Interested in hearing your opinion (which is what all of the posts on here are - opinions).

 

Enjoy your trip - hope you get at least a partial view of the eclipse. We live in Greenville, SC, directly in the path of totality, and we'll be in Copenhagen on the 21st. Our luck. :( But I think it's a good trade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you enjoy oysters, in the past Regent has offered a tour in PEI called "Malpeque Oyster Experience". It is fantastic ! Put on by a young oyster farmer and his wife. Shucks oysters until the last person says "calf rope".

Enjoy your cruise !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very much looking forward to your reports! We loved Saguenay, but you are a little early for the fall color there. Have a great trip.

 

We have sailed on Navigator several times, and had no issues with vibration. If you are fairly low and midship or forward, you should be ok.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

..........about the same size as the Seabourn Quest which we went on last year and regard as the best ship we have ever experienced. So far.....

I booked the Navigator with some trepidation as I’d read all about the vibration issue........

 

For me cruising is and always will be about the itinerary.......I don’t remotely care about the entertainment or the casino or the spa. However, shipboard rites and rituals are a comfort and I love it. I simply need a nice cabin, serviced promptly, good food and pleasant company...........

 

 

Looking forward to your review. Your comments above fit our cruising style to a T including cruising on expedition ships.

 

We love Seabourn's Sojourn and will be on her again in a few weeks. That class of ship is a perfect design for us and the food and service have always been excellent.

 

We cruise for itinerary and will be on the Navigator for the first time in a few months for an itinerary we couldn't pass up and the size we like. We too will be low and mid ships so we will see. We have sailed with Regent on the Mariner, but felt the food service was not up to par and the ship was a bit big.

 

Thanks for taking time to take us along on your journey!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fletcher, when you have a chance:

 

If you spent more than just one evening in Montreal pre-cruise, can you tell me, please, what restaurants and sites you may have especially enjoyed? Did you like the Sofitel? May the rest of your cruise not be soggy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope the internet is kind, and you can post often. I look forward to your comments, in part because I love your approach, in part because I love the Navigator, and in part for self-interest: I'll be visiting several of the same ports on the same ship next year, all of which will be new to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Fletcher Thank you so much for posting. We are dying for a live report. You will love Saguenay! It is the most welcoming port we have ever been to. The locals are dressed in costumes and their hospitality is unmatched. You will love the whole experience. I can't wait to hear from you. Crisy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUEBEC CITY, CANADA

Getting to the ship yesterday involved a certain amount of cattle herding and prodding. We had assumed we’d be having breakfast in the restaurant of the Sofitel which is called Renoir, though the art on the walls isn’t Renoir-esque at all. We had a pleasant dinner there the night before. My first course was pan-fried foie gras which was served with a strawberry sorbet. So I was hoping for a wacky Renoir breakfast of eggs benedict, served perhaps with cauliflower ice-cream. That’s all the rage you know.

Instead we were sent to a vast function room on the second floor where tables for ten were laid out. Two lines of buffet breakfast dissected the room. It was perfunctory, packagy, not what we might have expected from a luxury cruise line. We were joined by a couple from Dallas who arrived in Montreal while their luggage went to Toronto. Air Canada was not their favourite airline. They planned to hit Montreal’s shops that morning. They were pretty stoical about it. I think I might have flown home.

We were scheduled to leave the Sofitel on the 1pm bus for the cruise terminal. Before then, despite the annoying drizzle, we plucky Brits donned our Greenland garb and went for a walk to admire Montreal’s architectural heritage. There wasn’t much left so the highlight for me was spotting two Maserati Levants. Or as the French would say, deux Levants de Maserati.

Back at the Sofitel the lobby was heaving with Navigators waiting for the shuttles. I was quite struck by the age of the group and the infirmity of several. It looked a bit like a Saga cruise. British people will know what that means; for the rest of you it’s perhaps best not to know.

Anyway we got to the ship, had a lunch in the bun fight atmosphere of La Veranda and went to our cabin at 2.30pm precisely. Looking back on it, marshalling nearly 500 people from a hotel to a ship takes some organising and Regent did that job as painlessly as possible.

A major disappointment greeted us - we discovered the ship was no longer going to Prince Edward Island which was one of the two main places I wanted to see. This was and remains a crushing blow. It seems PEI would have been reachable from Saquenay had the Navigator been able to sail at its scheduled cruising speed. But pods of right whales lay infuriatingly in our path which means we would have to slow down and compromise the itinerary. Instead we are going to an apparently nothing place called Corner Brook in Newfoundland. If I spot so much as one right whale I’ll give it such a look.

Now you’ll have to excuse me as I’m going for a walk in Quebec City and then an afternoon excursion to the surrounding countryside. It’s grey, wet and windy.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love your reports!

I would've been disappointed about missing PEI as well, but we do have a warm spot in our hearts for Corner Brook....

Years ago we were on a cruise that was supposed to call in St. Johns, Newfoundland. Due to some sort of last minute snafu, we were rescheduled to go to Corner Brook (where??!!) Anyway, we were tendered in and on their small fishing dock, we had folks in the local dress, a herd of Newfoundland dogs that everyone could glom and love up and the young mayor, who shook each and every passengers hand. They couldn't have been nicer. So genuine and just happy we were there. Yup, I know, not really what you wanted, but sometimes, it's lemons into lemonade. Ya never know!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fletcher,

 

Thanks for your ongoing review. Your description of breakfast and the ship transfer is exactly why I avoid any line that includes all the "free stuff." I'd rather get my own hotel which usually includes breakfast anyway, take a taxi to the ship and do it all on my own schedule. All this while getting a credit for what's supposed to be free. But then I suppose some consider being herded into a cafeteria style breakfast and then on to a crowded bus must be what some consider six star luxury.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fletcher,

 

Thanks for your ongoing review. Your description of breakfast and the ship transfer is exactly why I avoid any line that includes all the "free stuff." I'd rather get my own hotel which usually includes breakfast anyway, take a taxi to the ship and do it all on my own schedule. All this while getting a credit for what's supposed to be free. But then I suppose some consider being herded into a cafeteria style breakfast and then on to a crowded bus must be what some consider six star luxury.

 

Not sure what you mean by "getting a credit for what's supposed to be free". As I think that you know, you can get a credit (approximately $300/couple) to not use Regent's hotel. When we do use the included hotel, we typically take a cab to the ship to avoid the crowds. While I appreciate the airport transfer to the hotel, we prefer not going on a crowded bus to the ship. OTOH, most of the time we take the crowded bus to the airport as they arrange our luggage and take it inside of the terminal for us.

 

While I still do not like included excursions (they are fine for some people but we would love it if we could opt out for a credit), I like having the option of an included hotel - whether we use it or not. The same can be said for the transfers ..... some airports are quite a long way from the ship and the shuttles come in handy. When we reach Titanium level when we board the ship in November), we'll have private transfers to and from the ship. That is something I do appreciate!

 

Fletcher, enjoying your observations but am surprised that you are surprised at the age of the passengers. Young people that can afford to cruise would typically not enjoy such small ships with limited things to do. It seems that you need to be a bit older to be able to afford and appreciate what Regent and other luxury lines have to offer. During the summer and Christmas break, the age skews quite a bit younger.

 

In any case, hope that you have a great cruise!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We visited Saguenay years ago and I remember it for being so cold in summer that we had to buy gloves and hats for a whale watching expedition. A much better memory are the freshwater shrimp we had there which were some of the best I have ever eaten.

 

I am looking forward to the rest of your cruise reporting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...