Island Venturer

We just disembarked NAVIGATOR in New York a few days ago (A crossing from Barcelona).  

First off, let me say that we absolutely love Regent... but I feel I must write about our disappointing experiences onboard this crossing.

The ship appeared surprisingly understaffed.  Dining Room waiters and Bar personnel were few and far between.  Dinner service was terribly slow; oftentimes, we missed most of the evening performances... or had to go without coffee and dessert... in order to get to the theater in time.

The quality of the food has gone down quite a bit.  Escargots, for example, were rubbery and tough... something we've not experienced ever before on Regent.  Steaks/veal chops, sinewy and a bit tough.  Lobster tail, wasn't 'shelled' at the table, unless requested.   But first, you had to find the waiter...

The pool luncheon buffet seems to be more limited in variety than ever... and again the quality has gone down. Specials seem to be inexpensive things like "Tex Mex"... not very appealing for such a first-rate ship.

The hamburgers by the pool appeared to be very thin frozen patties of lower quality beef... their look and their taste was obvious.  And the size of the burger itself has diminished... the size of the bun is so much bigger than the burger itself.  We've always enjoyed delicious burgers by the pool in the past, and so this change was surprising.  Just as an experiment, I ordered a burger in Compass Rose the following day... which the menu said came from Prime 7... just to see the difference.  And the difference, to be honest, was not very much. The burger may have been a wee bit larger, but the taste was just as bland, and the quality of the beef was less than thrilling.

A grilled tuna at the pool had to be returned by our friends onboard because of a very strange taste and smell.  The head waiter was very apologetic... of course, it's not his fault.

As I mentioned, bar service has also deteriorated.  Far fewer waiters than ever... very long waits for drinks... and no one around to supply refills.    We had to flag someone down.  A few nights ago... after waiting 30 minutes for a cocktail refill at the Stars Bar... we just left the bar.  

Same in the Dining Room.  There seemed to be fewer Wine Stewards onboard... or if they are there, we didn't see them.  And they seem to no longer actively refill wines at the dining table, unless you wave them over, and make the request.

Two nights ago... a fellow guest ordered his favorite brand of rum... the bar waiter told him "we don't have that at this bar... you need to go to another bar to get that."  And so the guest had to walk to the other bar, get his drink there, and then rejoin our group in the original bar.  Outrageous!

Finally... the internet connection onboard is simply unacceptable.  Both TV and internet service rarely works at all while in port.  And at sea... it's impossible to download anything.  One document took me seven hours to download.   As someone who still operates a business while traveling, this situation is very frustrating and again, unacceptable, in 2022... And we even 'upgrade' to their highest-priced service.  Nothing changed... a complete waste of money.  And the live TV service (various news programming) was never available in port. Even in NYC... the screen said problems with connecting to the satellite.  Nonsense.  I've never experienced internet and tv service as bad as this on any of Regent's other ships... and, in fact, on any other cruise line.   So my advise would be to avoid NAVIGATOR if you need to communicate with business or loved ones at home.... or are interested in watching live News Programs (especially when we heard of the death of Queen Elizabeth II).

And lastly... the quality of the cast of the production shows was quite poor... clearly inexperienced... with poor singers and dancers.  We saw one and a half shows... and never went back.  It was too uncomfortable.

Overall, we were sadly disappointed... lack of personal, food quality down, and a clear 'come-what-may' attitude in the bars and dining room... ... unexpected, as we had excellent experiences onboard SPLENDOR and EXPLORER just a few months ago.

It makes us wonder if Regent may no longer be willing to invest in NAVAGATOR to keep her up to their usual high standards, and may be more focused on the newer ships.  Perhaps understandable, I guess.  But they do not seem to realize that when they allow one ship... albeit, their oldest ship... to slip in quality and service like this, it diminishes their overall brand.  Not a good thing.

PLEASE REGENT... please take a more focused look at NAVIGATOR.  She's a wonderful ship with lots of charm.  The onboard experience MUST be brought up to your regular standards.

Just returned from the Silver Moon.  Truly, a stunning ship.  Excellent service and cuisine.  The best suites in the industry.  And there's nothing like the Silversea crew... warm, friendly, can't do enough for you (and yes, I've traveled on Crystal Cruises many times...).  

The US State Department has issued a "reconsider" for travel to Ecuador. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html  And I read the crime rate in Guayaquil is rather high.  I still wish that Silversea would adjust the itinerary. We are flying in on the 17th and overnighting, boarding on the 18th... and the last thing I want to see is the government of Ecuador not let Silver Moon dock to disembark/embark new passengers... and we are then stranded in Guayaquil.  Not fun.  This pre-trip angst about international safety is not making us look forward to this trip.  We cannot control what a government health department will do.  Again... why can't we board in Panama City, which is safer, and has far more practical air connections.  I guess we'll just have to see how this plays out...

Does anyone believe that boarding in Guayaquil/Ecuador will actually happen?  I read today that Ecuador had closed its land border with Peru to try to control the new virus variation.  And the new 'rules' our government has just announced for anyone returning to the US from an international location make the whole idea of leaving just now more nerve-racking.  I wish SS would just alter the itinerary today...  perhaps disembark and embark in Panama City (safer and easier to get to).   Or just stay in the Caribbean.  I doubt anyone would have an issue with that.  Several I have spoken with have shared that they are very afraid of flying to Guayaquil, and getting stuck there if the air access is then cut off, and they can't get back.

Henri has not impacted NY/NJ very much at all, as the storm seems to have moved further northeast.  So Newark airport should not be effected.  We just returned from two back-go-back on Viking Sea (Montenegro/Croatia, and Greece)... and it was fantastic.  Viking is really taking the covid issues seriously, yet nothing they are doing onboard (daily temperature checks, masks when walking around the ship, morning saliva PCR tests, etc.) is intrusive.  There was some angst on our part as well with the pre-flight PCR tests for Malta... but it wasn't an issue after all.  Just go.  The food and service onboard was excellent; great lecturers and entertainment, etc.  Relax.  Go.  You will have a fabulous time.  We wish we were back there...

My airline here in the US sent us a notice that we will not be able to board our flight (EWR to Zurich to Malta) without a Certificate of Vaccination from either the EU or the NHS.  US CDC cards will not be accepted.  I am trying to find out if Viking has some sort of documentation so we can show in order to board the flights.  Not sure what to do...

• The Maltese government has announced that as of July 14, 2021, any person entering Malta must provide a Maltese Vaccination Certificate, NHS Vaccination Certificate, EU Vaccination Certificate, Dubai Health Authority Vaccination Certificate, or Turkish Vaccination Certificate- any of which must show a full course of vaccination was taken and 14 days have passed since the last dose. Currently, CDC vaccination certificates are not being accepted by Maltese authorities for entry into Malta. 

• Airlines are to deny boarding to persons not abiding with the Maltese regulations. 

• Travelers who arrive in Malta and attempt to enter Malta without the above mentioned vaccination certificates shall be required to submit themselves to a period of quarantine of 14 days at a  government mandated quarantine hotel chosen by the Superintendent of Public Health, regardless of the traveler’s planned accommodation. The traveler must pay the cost of the hotel and any additional expenses, including required PCR tests. 

I'd just like to say a couple of things... as I see my original post has irked many of you.  First off, most Catholic priests who sail onboard ships during Easter and Christmas cruises are retired.  AND, they pay (discounted, but pay nonetheless).  Frankly, I was surprised to see such vitriol from my original post.  I was just stating a fact about a change with Silversea (a change, I'm told, is now fleet wide).  I thought this forum was just for such a post... to inform others of updates, changes, opinions, etc.   Ships are rarely, if ever, in port on Christmas Day... I wonder why that is?  It is because it is a special day to celebrate and reflect.  Even if one is not Catholic or "Christian"...  that's what it is about. I simply do not understand why having a 45 minute Catholic service Christmas morning is so offensive.   And I'm sorry if so many of you were so angered/annoyed by my post.  Such nasty responses... such as "if a priest is so important to you on Christmas, stay home" and "shipboard priests are dubious at best, and may even have been defrocked"... are just outrageous, non-factual, and simply show the lack of respect of many.  Very sad indeed.  Oh, and by the way... Merry Christmas.

All of these comments are well taken.  There was a priest onboard Silver Muse two years ago, and one last year on Silver Spirit.  This is the first SS "Christmas Cruise" we have ever taken that did not carry a Roman Catholic priest...  so the idea that there wouldn't be one onboard a Silversea ship was surprising and disappointing.  For those non-Catholics... a Catholic service must be conducted by an ordained priest... not a Cruise Director.   I just think if you're going to brand a cruise as a "Christmas" cruise (not a holiday cruise, or other such term), you should be willing to address the expectations of that celebration.  There is no Rabbi onboard either, by the way.  Perhaps SS is moving away from such traditions in favor of a more secular experience. 

We have sailed Silversea many many times over the years... mostly Christmas and New Year's cruises.  So you can imagine our surprise when, currently onboard Silver Whisper in the Caribbean, there is no Catholic priest onboard to properly administer Christmas and New Year's Masses.  It IS billed as a Christmas cruise after all.  There are however FOUR lecturers onboard; TWO destination lecturers who just happen to say the same things about these islands, except of course when the contradict each other.  Why would we need TWO destination lecturers on a Caribbean cruise, and no Catholic priest on the most religious day of the Catholic/Christian year?   Yesterday, while in St. Thomas, they brought a 'local' priest onboard to say a Mass mid-afternoon while many were still ashore... an afternoon Mass, as any Catholic knows, does not cover Christmas Eve/Day Mass obligations.  A cheap trick, I thought.  And what surprised us most was that Silversea promotes itself as in "Italian" tradition... no Italian Catholic would ever miss either Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day Mass... an official Holy Day of Obligation of the Church.  Is this a RCCL decision?  It must be, as I doubt Manfredi would approve... if he even knew.  So no more Christmas' with Silversea for us and our family unfortunately.  Unless of course, they change this policy and give one of the two destination lecturer cabins to a Catholic Priest for this most celebrated Christmas cruise.

We were in Southampton two times.  One visit was as a part of the cruise... then the ship continued on to one more port (a weekend 3-day cruise for those boarding in Southampton... before finally disembarking back in Southampton.  I agree that it is nice to have crew members share their ship with their families... but it should be limited and not take away from the Cunard guests' experience.  Lunch at the Lido while in Southampton that first visit was terribly crowded (and the dining room was not open), and transiting guests had great difficulty find tables/seats.  

We just returned from an 18-day Queen Elizabeth voyage New York to Southampton.  It’s been a couple of years since we’ve sailed on Queen Elizabeth, so we were very disappointed to see the major “cut backs”.

First off… there were fewer entrée choices available in the Britannia Restaurant.  And shockingly “Mac & Cheese” was one of the choices offered on a formal night!  Twice, in fact, during the entire cruise.

When I asked for a “salt stick”… I was told that they are now only available in the Queens Grill (yet, I noticed some were available at the Lido Buffet during lunch).  The waiter told me that my only choices of breads where what I see in the basket.

On several days, they offered the same fish entrée at lunch and then again at dinner.

Our near tablemates (two “twos” next to each other) asked for something extra, and they were told they only serve what’s on the menu.

As for the Petit Fours which I used to enjoy most nights with coffee after dinner… this time, the choices were marshmellows and rice crispy treats (not kidding).  The only time chocolate of any kind was offered as a petit four after dinner proved to be the same chocolate mints that are piled in a bowl at the entrance/exit of the restaurant.

When we finally inquired about the changes, we were told that all menus are created by Carnival Headquarters in Southampton… onboard chefs are not allowed to change or adjust.

There were several events held onboard (crew show, Christian services, etc.) where Cunard blatantly promoted that they were raising money for charities… a large box for financial contributions was placed outside the Royal Court Theatre, and the Entertainment Director would stand nearby to watch who gave and who didn’t as you left the theatre.

There was a very heavy promotion for a galley/backstage tour… for $120 per person (and yes, you would receive a glass of Cunard sparkling wine with it).  A bit outrageous, don’t you think?

 And then, of course, the “sale tables” outside the shops… which on QE are outside the Queen’s Room.  Now… there is one full table set aside to sell Pringles and M&Ms. Wow.

We found the ship is spending less and less time in port, which makes some stops not even worth it. Could it be to save on dockage fees, and add a big push to sell more ‘stuff’ onboard?

Additional, there were far too many crew guests invited onboard in several ports, especially in Southampton. Families with five or six kids, all touring the ship with the crew member… enjoying lunch in the Lido, taking guest’s seats, etc.  Not fun, and should not be acceptable.

The Lido was somewhat understaffed at lunch… used plates and glasses left on tables for quite a while before anyone came by to clean.  

And our favorite…  the Carinthia Bar ran out of ‘rocks’ glasses. Yes, that’s right.  They told us they had no more onboard… and for four or five days or so, all drinks were served in a “tall” glass, no matter what the order.  When I asked why, they said the ship had been in the Far East, and they couldn’t order any more.  Could they not order more glasses in San Francisco, or Los Angeles, or Miami (Carnival headquarters, after all), or New York?  Outrageous.

Entertainment-wise… they now seem to only engage British acts… singers, comedians, novelty groups, etc. Sometimes that’s ok, but for many Americans… British comics are really just a wasted evening.

Production show?  The cast told us they were onboard for NINE MONTHS and seemed very tired; just going through the motions.  Singers were good… the dancers were sloppy and most out of sync.  I’m sure they couldn’t wait to get to Southampton and the end of their contract. I’m not an expert, but I would guess that nine months onboard a ship in ANY capacity is too long… again, could this be to save money?

Lecturers?... only one was really excellent--  Steve Rivellino who spoke about Broadway and other areas of entertainment.  He made our trip.

Externally, the ship showed lots of rust on the hull and the deck areas too…  perhaps they are also cutting back maintenance.

All in all, we feel QE has dropped below the level from what was once Cunard status…  I don’t know about Victoria.  

But happily, I can say that disembarking from QE and stepping onboard QM2 for the return to New York was a breath of fresh air.  Like coming home.  There is no doubt, the QM2 a far better ship, and is run differently… food quality was far better, and the service too… and the crew, much more friendly.  There is no comparison between the two ships. Clearly, QE has now become a typical cruise ship, comparable perhaps to Princess or HAL (all Carnival brands).  

And QM2 continues to stand out.  

Although our fingers are crossed waiting to see how long that will be the case.

We recently returned from two voyages onboard Silver Spirit.  We do love this ship... and Silversea overall... but I have to post a couple of things that perhaps Silversea Management need to hear.  I felt the overall food quality in most restaurants has declined.  The food quality in particular at La Dame has become somewhat mundane... the only thing that now makes this restaurant special is the environment/decor and the somewhat personalized service.  Hot Rocks, now called "The Grill" for some odd reason, is still enjoyable.  Seishin seems to now only offer "pre-made" sushi rolls, which are not as fresh as the handmade rolls used to be.  And they no longer serve Tempura at lunchtime; this was very disappointing, and in my opinion a poor decision on management's part.  The newly expanded La Terrazza was cozy and comfortable... although service was slow and some of the little things are missing or overlooked...  e.g. the roasted garlic came to us three times very dry and often times burned, etc.  Not acceptable for a specialty Italian restaurant onboard an arguably Italian ship.  It is those little things that matter.  Spaccanapoli pizza was consistently wonderful and we were thankful for that.  And new Silver Note was as enjoyable as always with Esther and Chantal making us all feel at home, but they really need to dim the lights just a bit... the bright lights during dinner made the room much less attractive.  And they should really find a way to restore the bar in Silver Note; that's a big loss.   But most importantly... TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!  The decision to split the once beautiful and elegant Silver Spirit Dining Room into two... Indochine and Atlantide... as was done on Silver Muse... was a huge mistake.  Menus in both restaurants have become uninteresting.   Indochine seems to be rarely used.  Atlantide seems to be used as the "Main Dining Room" by most guests... but the menu never seems to change.  The Maitre-D "claims" the menus change every seven days; perhaps they swap out an appetizer or one entree... but that's it.  When onboard for many days... the menu in Atlantide is very tiring.  And the fact that Atlantide does not offer a pasta option for dinner is very surprising and disappointing.  Lunch in Atlantide does seem to have a changing menu.  All in all... I hope they will please take a look at raising the quality of the cuisine onboard, and most importantly...TEAR DOWN THAT WALL and bring back one large elegant Dining Room.  These ships NEED a Main Dining Room with changing menus and daily specials.  We fear it is all becoming "same old, same old".
 

Sounds as if Cunard is moving away from the "ocean liner" business and fully into the "cruise business"... QM2, clearly the only true "liner"... the others, copies of HAL and Princess cruise ships. Interchangable. Cunard will need to change their tag line no doubt— The Most Famous Ocean Liners in the World. Sad...

I agree. Bar prices on Cunard have gone a bit "overboard"... pun intended.

When last onboard QM2... I ordered a glass of red wine; the waitress asked if I wanted a "large" or a "small". Naturally, I was surprised, then ordered the "large". And thank God I did, because the "large" had less wine than one would receive when ordering ashore.

Sad this... but no doubt a Carnival implementation. Lower cruise fares; higher onboard pricing.

I am aware that quite a few people in the past have commented that drinks prices on Cunard are pretty high. I have also, on occasion, noted (possibly not on the Cunard forum) people's attempts to smuggle booze on board and thought that, if you can afford to cruise, then you can afford to pay for drinks rather than sit on your own in your cabin drinking.

 

However, we have just returned from a transatlantic and, for the first time, I had a glimmer of sympathy.

 

On a recent QE cruise (December 2016) we noted that, if you wanted a branded tonic with your gin, you had to pay a considerable amount extra (around $4 dollars once gratuity was taken into account) - tonic from a gun was included in the price.

 

On this trip my OH ordered a gin and tonic in the Commodore lounge and was surprised to see that he had been charged $1.75 for tonic from a gun (not including gratuity). He brought this "mistake" to the attention of the waiter who informed him that now tonic is an extra charge despite the drinks menu showing it as included in the price. The waiter became very agitated and begged us not to bring it to the attention of the manager because he himself had already raised the issue and had been told that Southampton had instructed them to continue the charge even though the drinks menu was wrong. He said he was afraid for his job and that he had a young child to support.

 

We checked the menus in other bars, saw that this mistake applied only to the Commodore lounge (all other lounges have removed tonic from the price list and just list the price of the gin with mixers priced separately) and, because of the waiters attitude, decided to let it go.

 

When we first cruised with Cunard in 2010 it was possible to enjoy a Kir Royale made with champagne or if you are a cheap date (as I am) you could have it with sparkling wine at about half the price. By the time we cruised last December that option had been removed and I had to ask for a sparking wine with a dash of cassis for which they charged an extra dollar (fair enough). This time around that option has been removed. The bar staff now have no mechanism for giving you a flavouring in your sparkling wine but the barman said that he could charge me for an ounce of Chambord instead (or put an ounce of Cassis through as Chambord). I opted for Chambord (yum) but was horrified when we received the bill to see that we had been charged $6.25 (before gratuity) for it making the drink just a few cents short of a proper Kir Royale made with champagne!

 

Call me tight but I think this is just going too far. They have all the ingredients to hand for providing a sparkling kir and I cannot understand why they won't.

 

We did raise this with the Food and Beverage Manager. He confirmed that his staff have been on the receiving end of complaints/abuse and that he is planning to make this clear to the management bods in Southampton but I have to say I won't hold my breath!

 

We really enjoyed the crossing (probably our most enjoyable ever) but this just took the edge of that enjoyment a little bit.

A truly wonderful experience. Nautica was in great condition (although the Bali beds by the pool are somewhat frayed and need to be replaced). Staff, great. Crew, great. Service, great. Food, pretty damn good. Cruise Director Julie James, excellent. Enrichment Lecturer Steven Rivellino was absolutely brilliant and totally engaging... we couldn't wait for his next presentation. Destination Team (Shore Excursions) needs a bit more experience and training. From top down, they are not very pleasant to deal with, and their passenger service is extremely lacking. For example... our local bus broke down in Archangel Russia, and our tour office representative was no where to be found... as he was too busy taking personal photos. We were left to fend for ourselves with the local Russian guide. When the Tour Office does add an "escort" from the ship (other than themselves), the escort (usually a crew member) seems to be simply going along for the ride, and doesn't do anything to help, assist passengers, count people on the bus, etc. Perhaps most of all... the Tour Office staff need to smile more and welcome us... their overall tone and attitude seems as if they're running their own operation, so far from the friendliness and welcoming nature of Oceania. Not sure we'll be doing any Oceania tours again. But we'll definitely be sticking with Oceania. We absolutely love these ships and the Oceania operation. So all in all, an excellent cruise... looking forward to the next one.

We thoroughly enjoy Broadway Producer Steven Rivellino. His very informative and entertaining talks on The Business of Broadway... as well as features on Radio City Music Hall, Bob Fosse, Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe, and Edith Piaf. were nothing short of dynamic. His presentations were more like 'shows' than shipboard lectures. He was certainly the highlight of our most recent crossing...

I will let you know what a cruise to Cuba is like after our sailing in February 2016 on the “Celestyal Crystal”.

 

Cheers,

 

Don

The Celestial Crystal operation in Cuba (formerly Louis Crystal) was a wonderful experience because of it's unique emphasis on Cuban ports and culture, and Cuban onboard entertainment and music. Anyone interested in Cuba... as it is NOW... should book immediately. But please remember that the ship is not Oceania or Silversea, for sure. It's a nice ship in good shape and well kept. Comfortable. The food is ok/adequate. Staff/Crew very pleasant. You go for Cuba... If seeing Cuba now, before the changes... this is the one cruise to do.

Who has told you that the auto-tip may not be distributed? It is always stated in the disembarkation programme that we can be assured the crew receive the auto-tip.

I didn't say Auto-Tip is not distributed. I said it may not ALL be distributed. I've heard from a few staff/crew members on various cruise lines. Also, check Cruise Law News.

Thanks Captn P. That's very helpful.

Auto TIPS are pooled, including those on cocktail bills. So your favorite waiter in the dining room, for example, might not necessarily receive the amount you believe you are giving him. And— it's been said— that not all monies received in the Auto-Tip pool are actually distributed to crew. I'm finding more and more passengers are opting-out of Auto-Tips so they can be sure their money actually goes to the crew-member they have bonded with, and truly wish to thank.

Good News!! I don't have to pay the extra taxes & fees!

 

By the way, anyone ever been on Oceania?

Oceania is fabulous! You'll love it...

Yes, on our QM2 TA in November 2013 our taxi driver from Manhattan had never heard of the terminal. Fortunately, once he obtained directions from his phone, he had no problem navigating us there (although after clearing the main entrance we had to instruct him to head for the "big ship dead ahead!" as he was rather confused). So Lochayman, you will be fine in a taxi once they know where they are going.

 

Alternatively you could try the water taxi, from memory it stops quite near the terminal and there are two stops almost directly opposite in Manhattan near the WTC - the one on the western side facing Liberty Island is certainly closest (perhaps a 10 min walk).

I believe QM2 runs bus tours for intransit passengers and I believe they do visit the new World Trade Center 1 (ground zero). But be sure they STOP there, and not just pass by!

Taxis in NY are now much more used to the Cruise Terminal at Red Hook.

The Water Taxi is an interesting idea, but please keep schedules in mind.

thanks for the post and the review of your first impressions.

I am intrigued by the frequency of announcements. On the Spirit to hear the announcements one must turn to channel 1 on the television, otherwise one cannot hear them in the suite. Usually the captain would give the ships location, weather, etc. just after the noon signal, and then the CD would give an announcement of the day's activities on sea days. On days in port, one still could not hear the announcements of tour departures unless channel 1 was selected.

I gather its not the same on the Cloud? Hearing a number of announcements all day would also bother me as well.

I agree about the announcements. They seem to be happening more and more. There is no need for the CD to come on to the Public Address system each day to read the schedule to us. We can read. The PS system should be for the noon announcement (from the Bridge), and for schedule changes only. More announcements are annoying and off-putting... especially on the elegant ships of SS.

I dare say it is the Hotel Manager's responsibility overall. On a recent SS voyage, the HM was the most unfriendly, unsmiling, unsocial person I've ever seen on a ship. Shocking, especially for an Italian-run operation. SS need's to upgrade the quality of it's key personnel onboard. I've been a SS lover for quite a while, but I do not like what I've been seeing/hearing.

We just returned from another glorious Christmas/New Years cruise on Silver Spirit. In a nutshell, excellent. The food was superb, with six diverse dining options. We especially loved the Stars Supper Club. Service, top notch. The suites... the best on any ship I've traveled. Enrichment Lecturer Steven Rivellino (Broadway Theater/Entertainment) was the highlight of the voyage. His presentations were informative, thought-provoking, dynamic, and extremely entertaining. He was always accessible and added quite a bit to the atmosphere onboard. The itinerary could use some adjustments just to make it a bit more 'special'... (perhaps lose the mass-market ports like St. Lucia and St. Maarten... in favor of the smaller more unique locations (Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke, etc.). All in all, SilverSea still seems to be the finest at sea. And thank God for that!

This was not good news for me at first. I always preferred the independence of the Oceania and Regent brands. But after further thought, the sale seems to be a 'prestige' purchase (pardon the "pun"... not unlike Carnival purchasing Seabourn quite a few years ago. These will become their premium brands; their 'jewels', so to speak. High-end brands to which long time NCL passengers can be motivated towards as they build their cruise experiences.

And not unlike Carnival... NCL would be foolish to tamper with these products. It would totally defeat the reason for the purchase in the first place.

I predict that the synergies they refer too will be in purchasing power across the parent company, and vendor negotiations.

The Carnival purchase of Seabourn did in fact alter the product just a bit... but let there be no doubt... Seabourn is still one hell of a cruise line and an amazing cruising experience all around.

So I'm hopeful. NCL is not stupid.