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Blogging Arctic Splendors cruise on the Navigator


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On Tuesday morning, NCCruzQueen and I head to New York for a couple of pre-cruise days, then on Thursday board the Navigator for the 89-night Arctic Splendors cruise.

 

I am blogging this cruise at https://summertimechilling.blogspot.com/ . Click on "Read More" at the bottom to see full content. If you want email notification of new posts, click on the three lines on the top left of the screen.

The blog will primarily concentrate on the ports. I will check in here from time to time with comments about the ship and the cruise overall.

I'm beyond excited about this trip!

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Just bookmarked your blog. We are taking a portion of your cruise (20 days) next summer so looking forward to your port information. So smart to get away from the hot, humid South in the summer! Have a wonderful trip!

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It's nice to see the positive comments about Navigator! Although it sometimes seems to be disparaged as the "Little Engine That Could", we like sailing on Nav very much. Probably more so than on a ship that carries 2-3 times the number of passengers. We're looking forward to riding on her in the future, as well, and hope that Regent is committed to keeping her in service and in good shape for the foreseeable future. Regards.

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So glad you are doing a blog for your trip! This is a cruise still on our bucket list so I am an eager follower.

 

 

Happy Sailing to cooler parts.

 

 

Carolyn

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I'm finally able to get--and stay--on wifi. It's our second full day aboard. Our sailaway from NY on Thursday was spectacular--perfect weather as we sailed past the Statue of Liberty, with the band playing on the pool deck. More terrific weather yesterday in Martha's Vineyard. We had a great walking tour, led by a retired flight attendant who lives on the island. It's a charming place, and still early enough in the summer season that it isn't yet overrun with vacationers. It was also our first tender port. We were anchored fairly far out, so it was about a 15-minute ride to and from the ship.

 

The Navigator is in fine form. They did a nice job on the refurbishment. We've been meeting some terrific people, both crew and passengers, and having a great time. Clive, the pianist in the Navigator lounge, is terrific. The captain's welcome aboard last night featured the troupe doing some Abba songs, and a comedian named John Joseph. We'd seen him before on a Crystal cruise and were looking forward to seeing him again. He certainly delivered--he had us all in stitches. We got a chance to chat with him in the bar afterward, and he's as pleasant as he is funny.

 

The scotch is fine and the coffee is drinkable, so I'm a happy sailor!

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We board in Iceland. Looking forward to this our third time on the Navigator.

 

 

On Tuesday morning, NCCruzQueen and I head to New York for a couple of pre-cruise days, then on Thursday board the Navigator for the 89-night Arctic Splendors cruise.

 

I am blogging this cruise at https://summertimechilling.blogspot.com/ . Click on "Read More" at the bottom to see full content. If you want email notification of new posts, click on the three lines on the top left of the screen.

The blog will primarily concentrate on the ports. I will check in here from time to time with comments about the ship and the cruise overall.

I'm beyond excited about this trip!

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Last year, when we were on the Explorer, we noted that the internet seemed better on the starboard side than on port. As our cabin was starboard, we were in luck. It appears that it's the same thing on the Navigator, but this time we're on port. So, we'll either need to keep our door propped open to get a good signal, or do what I'm doing right now--go to the Coffee Connection.

 

And, speaking of coffee, today was my first breakfast in La Veranda. Much to my surprise, the regular pouring coffee was not just drinkable, it was actually good! I've never been able to say that on any cruise ship.

 

A couple of days in, I'm still loving being back on the Navigator, but the more critical eye has kicked in. We've all discussed the ridiculous move of eliminating drawer space, so I won't beat that dead horse. We had an extra little dresser brought in to replace the side table in the sitting area, and between that, the one in the closet, and a hanging shelf that I brought, we have adequate storage for our longer cruise.

 

Another poor choice in the refurbishment is in Galileo's. The band stand has been moved from the corner to the center of the back of the room, completely blocking the rear view in that lounge. In a ship without a forward observation lounge, why would they eliminate the direct view from the rear lounge? You can still see out the side windows, or go to the outside deck, but this is primarily a cool-weather cruise (and indeed we are already in jackets, and we're still in the U.S.), so outdoor venues will be of limited use.

 

Finally, I got a good look at our bathtub, which has multiple cracks in the bottom. That's a bit of a surprise. I'd be reluctant to use it in its current condition. Fortunately, I'm not big on baths, but it's a surprise to see. I can't help but wonder if a past occupant used it for storage of something heavy. I'd like to think it hasn't been this way for an extended period.

 

But that 's it for the grousing. Everything else is terrific! There's been a couple of dishes at meals that have been misses, but most things have been great. The ship is lovely, and the people even lovelier. The entertainment so far has been good. All is well.

 

Oh, and the blog is updated: https://summertimechilling.blogspot.com/

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We've hit our first patch of rough seas. Ray announced that we are sailing through a force 10 storm, with 16-foot waves. Which would explain the bouncing and groaning last night and this morning. A few items fell off our bookshelf, and a tray of dishes slid off a counter in La Veranda this morning. Given how bouncy it was up there, we decamped for Compass Rose for breakfast. Our waiter there told us that a lot of people are doing room service this morning.

 

The Captain just came on to announce that we are skipping our stop in Sydney, Nova Scotia because harbor conditions are too unsafe to enter. A mild disappointment, but such is life at sea.

 

So about life onboard....

 

Dinner in Compass Rose has been a slow affair the past two nights. I like a long. leisurely dinner, but 45 minutes before a wine steward turns up, much less a waiter, is a bit much. But fortunately the company was good, and based on previous nights those two nights' problems are likely outliers.

 

Last night's show was the comedian John Joseph, who had done a brief bit at the Captain's welcome aboard (and who we saw on a Crystal cruise a couple of years ago). He had us in tears from laughing. Afterward, Clive entertained on the keyboard in the Navigator Lounge.

 

There also was a cocktail last night for those of us on board for the full 89 nights, with entertainment by the pianist from the band.

 

Tonight is our first visit to Prime 7. And, now, our first sea day.

 

We had our meet & mingle the other afternoon. A few of the officers stopped in briefly, then we all had a good opportunity to chat. We'd already dined with a few of the attendees, and were happy to finally meet others. It was held in Stars, and was interrupted by the mensa quiz and then trivia. So we contributed two teams to the latter, one of which came in third (alas, not the team I was on).

Edited by wishIweretravelling
forgot the M&M
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