flossie009

.................. but the ship is regularly refurbished, the latest refurbishment being in September this year. We just left Navigator on Sunday and she was in very good order. The only criticism is that the suite bathrooms look a little dated ............. but are perfectly functional. All the suites on Navigator are very spacious, with good storage in the walk-in closets. If you are prone to vibration then avoid locations towards the stern.

I am sure you will have a fabulous time on Navigator. You should enjoy good weather in July but remember that you could get all sorts around our islands. (The comic on our cruise was from Philadelphia but has lived in London for some time; he said he loves Britain but feels it could benefit from a roof 😂) Also, with four tender ports I hope you have calm seas 🤞 We are on another cruise on Navigator in late August 2024 so try not to drink the ship dry 😉

@mrlevin has summarised Mykonos very well, but IMO avoid the Retsina 😳 On our cruise we were due to dock at Mykonos New Port. In the event we anchored off Mykonos Old Port and local boats were used for the short tender journey. Regent offered three excursions, all included; two of which were to Delos Island - a ferryboat ride away. The town was busy with parades & music as the day we called there was a Greek National day

Room service from the Compass Rose menu is available to all suites during restaurant opening hours

Today we were anchored off Mykonos; with glorious sunny warm weather After a wonderful final day the moon came up over the town as we upped anchor for our departure to the disembarkation port of Piraeus Bags are packed and in the hallway. Tomorrow we fly back to London Heathrow from Athens. Thanks for sailing with us ……….. till the next time 😎

Krew Kapers last night signalled that the cruise was soon to be over 🙁 Later in the evening the Production Cast presented “Tuxedo”. Both shows were full of appreciative guests, enjoying one of the best theatre auditoriums at sea

Apart from the water skiing behind the ship which is popular & sells out quickly 🤣

Yes indeed. Everything appears back to normal post pandemic in regards to staff interaction with guests.

After our time in and around the Grand Bazaar, trying not to buy too much, we re-boarded the bus for a panoramic tour across one of the main bridges into Asia. The huge flag on the highest point of Istanbul, viewed from the Asian side of the Bosphorus. Our journey back to the ship was slow because of traffic jams, but the police were doing a good job of keeping junctions clear as President Erdogan was due at Friday prayers nearby. We set sail mid afternoon for our short journey back to Greece

Our tour on the second day in Istanbul took in both the Asian & European sides of the city. 14 guests on a 29 seater modern & comfortable bus, with a guide who was friendly, informative and easy to understand. The walking tour of the old town took in some of the major historic sites We then went off to the Grand Bazaar, taking in all the wondrous sights, smells & tastes on offer Plenty of bling on offer

Istanbul offered many impressive sights, both old and new. The town was bedecked with flags ready for Republic Day on Sun 29th October. The newly developed waterfront and cruise terminal is a destination in itself, with hotels, restaurants, shops & galleries. The cruise terminal is enormous with underground facilities for check-in, transit, security checks, duty free, tour bus despatch etc etc. The tramline seems to be frequent & efficient - a good way to avoid Istanbul traffic jams

Their personal assessment would only be as good as yours or mine at this stage. Best to seek confirmation of the itinerary from Regent HQ and keep an eye on any changes in government travel advice regarding visiting those ports.

We have always found the luggage tags supplied by Regent to be perfectly adequate; very robust.

Unfortunately not. He expects to join Mariner in January for the world cruise,

I thought it was only $250 each and the wording seems clear that your friend would have to book a separate suite “TRAVELING COMPANIONS SHARING ONE SUITE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO REFER NEW GUESTS WITHIN THE SAME SUITE” Ambassador Program I am from the U.K. so maybe the offer is more generous in North America?

Not exactly “last minute”. There were about five Mediterranean cruises on various Regent ships which were discounted by Regent in June. We heard about them with an email flyer from our TA. This one sold out quickly. There are also some good offers on cruises in 2024; the offers are scheduled to end on October 31st

Entertainment has been very good this cruise. Same Production Cast as we had in August; they are superb. They have done two evening shows thus far, a dance party and the usual ABBA routine for the SSS reception. Emma, their wardrobe mistress, hosted needlepoint on the two ‘forced’ sea days. Two visiting entertainers; an English lady singer early in the cruise and then latterly the comedian/magician, John Lenahan; he is performing his second show tonight. Ray, the CD, presented his show pre dinner last night

Will do; I am sure it will be reciprocated

It was sunny this morning on our sail in to Istanbul, but overcast this afternoon with rain clouds threatening 🙁

Yesterday in Kusadasi we chose to spend a leisurely day on board; very relaxing in the sun on deck. There were two large ships also docked (Celebrity & NCL) so the town and some of the more popular tourist spots (Ephesus) were probably crowded. Pilot & tug heading back for their next customer having assisted our departure Today we are heading for Istanbul; arriving just after lunch and staying overnight.

See review from earlier this year: We enjoyed “Tokyo & Hakone” and am surprised that more guests do not opt for the alternative. Extra cost but, IMO, well worth it.

Gytheion (Tender port, so we were awoken by the sound of the anchor being deployed) Another glorious day, with an excursion to the Diros Caves, an underground labyrinth of lakes and rock formations The bay at Diros ….. overlooked by a fierce woman from the “Mani” tribe After the caves we drove to a small town for a short walking tour and to sample the delights of the local bakery, which specialised in pies of various types and a flat fried savoury doughnut eaten with cheese As our guide had warned, the bakery staff looked stern & miserable but their produce was tasty and reasonably priced.

Navigator was moored near to the Christina O; formerly the private yacht of Aristotle Onassis, being used at present for a film about Maria Callas, starring Angelina Jolie. For the SSS top tier event the F&B department organised a wine tasting. They had been ashore during the day and brought on board some local Greek wines, olives, olive oil and cheese. All very tasty 😋

Katakolon Finally a beautiful, calm, warm & sunny day. The day before we had realised that our pre-booked tour around the archeological site of ancient Olympia was going to be a bit long & strenuous. A very helpful lady from Destinations was able to recommend an alternative and switched our tickets. (There have been a number of posts slamming Destinations but we find all the team on Navigator, under the leadership of Luke, to be friendly and very helpful) We thoroughly enjoyed our alternative included excursion - a Greek cookery class followed by an extensive buffet and Greek dancing …………. including plate smashing ! The guide for the tour was also very good; giving us plenty of gory mythological stories during our time on the bus going to/from the cookery venue.

We hoped this cruise would help us avoid the windy rainy weather in the U.K. ………………. but we were proved wrong🤨 The first night we hit a major storm which continued for the first few days - wind, rain and sea swells up to 5-6 metres 😳 We were unable to dock in Zadar or Kotor, and sleep was difficult with the constant slamming of the ship against the waves. Fortunately neither of us suffered from Mal de Mer so our gastronomic pleasures were not interrupted. The Captain also managed to position the ship to allow more stability for dinner and showtime. So our first port of call was Corfu. Still a rainy day but we had an excellent tour - wine tasting at one farm and then on to another venue to sample olive oil and be shown the pressing process. Finally on Monday we found the Greek sunshine and we have had glorious weather ever since; the forecast looking good for the rest of the week 🤞 More later ………….. lunch beckons 😋 🍹