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Navigator after drydock

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LindaM

LindaM

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No one has mentioned this, but we enjoyed La Veranda for dinner on evenings when we wanted a "quick meal". I understand some people do not like a buffet, but it can be convenient. Now that La Veranda will be an Italian restaurant at night, we will have to order room service if we don't have a lot of time to spend on dinner. I'm not happy!

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2old4this

2old4this

Posted
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No one has mentioned this, but we enjoyed La Veranda for dinner on evenings when we wanted a "quick meal". I understand some people do not like a buffet, but it can be convenient. Now that La Veranda will be an Italian restaurant at night, we will have to order room service if we don't have a lot of time to spend on dinner. I'm not happy!

 

Many travelers have 'poo-pooed' eating in La Veranda while claiming their only desired dining is Compass Rose or Prime7. Well and good, until you think back to the heavy crowds that filled La Veranda's seating area and did so virtually at every meal. Buffet style eating allows the diner to be selective in both choice of food and in amount. For the casual dining out, La Veranda is the place to be. Jack Morris

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pingpong1

pingpong1

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Jack - I'm with you! I happen to love a good Italian buffet! Perhaps I'm showing my "blue-collar roots". Waiters and table service are fine and I know I'll enjoy CR and P7, as well. But for a "change of pace" and a lighter evenings fare (who am I kidding! ;) ) - Just strap me onto that Guerny and "roll me over" to the buffet line for that second helping of "weight-watcher's" lasagna! Best Regards. Kelvin

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Travelcat2

Travelcat2

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La Veranda was so good on our Voyager cruise that it was packed at night (and, as many know, La Veranda is much larger on the Mariner and Voyager. It will be most interesting to learn the new size of La Veranda on the Navigator. The interest in the new restaurant is so great that Regent may need have raffle tickets with the prize being a table in Sette Mari at La Veranda:confused:

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2old4this

2old4this

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Jack - I'm with you! I happen to love a good Italian buffet! Perhaps I'm showing my "blue-collar roots". Waiters and table service are fine and I know I'll enjoy CR and P7, as well. But for a "change of pace" and a lighter evenings fare (who am I kidding! ;) ) - Just strap me onto that Guerny and "roll me over" to the buffet line for that second helping of "weight-watcher's" lasagna! Best Regards. Kelvin

 

Dear Kelvin, there is no such thing as weight watcher lasagna. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but lasagna is lasagna, and its very name suggests calories. As for La Veranda, when you dine there you are among your kind and your kind ALL enjoy Italian fare. You may travel Italy from north to the boot and you will not find better Italian food than in any of the Regent La Verandas. Weigh yourself before you go aboard and you will see on departure the toll that lasagna takes on all of us - weight watcher or not. Jack Morris

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Hambagahle

Hambagahle

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We ate dinner once at la Veranda on the Mariner in March... because of very favourable reviews from people on the South American cruise. We were VERY disappointed. Nothing seemed to have changed from the "old" la Veranda at night - admittedly it is not yet "Sette Mari" but the food, ambiance etc were just as before. we do not like dinner buffets anyway so it is unlikely that we will eat at Sette Mari on our next cruise.

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2old4this

2old4this

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On March 13, 2012, travel agent Elliot West wrote a piece on the change over of Regent's dining/casual experience in La Veranda for all 3 vessels. He wrote that each evening La Veranda transforms its breakfast venue into Sette Mari (Italian for Seven Seas) at La Veranda. Guests there are provided a menu of authentic antipasti and Italian items paired with Italian wines. The author wrote that each dish is cooked to order by Regent chefs. For those seeking Al fresco dining there is seating under the stars. Wow! Sounds like the place for me. Hold it a minute. According to world traveler Hambagahle, little has changed in La Veranda following the March conversion on Mariner and he came away disappointed and stating he will not eat there again. I was on Navigator in April following the alteration in La Veranda and discovered foods much to my liking right down to the wide selection of olives and many cheese options. Like friend Hambagahle, I, too, saw virtually nothing about the ambiance to suggest I was anywhere other than in a buffet setting. Hanging a few leaning tower paintings on the walls, changing the colors of the table cloths, and displaying some Italy road signs or statuary might improve the visual setting. Otherwise, it remains the La Veranda of our past. Jack Morris

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OrpingtonT

OrpingtonT

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On March 13, 2012, travel agent Elliot West wrote a piece on the change over of Regent's dining/casual experience in La Veranda for all 3 vessels. He wrote that each evening La Veranda transforms its breakfast venue into Sette Mari (Italian for Seven Seas) at La Veranda. Guests there are provided a menu of authentic antipasti and Italian items paired with Italian wines. The author wrote that each dish is cooked to order by Regent chefs. For those seeking Al fresco dining there is seating under the stars. Wow! Sounds like the place for me. Hold it a minute. According to world traveler Hambagahle, little has changed in La Veranda following the March conversion on Mariner and he came away disappointed and stating he will not eat there again. I was on Navigator in April following the alteration in La Veranda and discovered foods much to my liking right down to the wide selection of olives and many cheese options. Like friend Hambagahle, I, too, saw virtually nothing about the ambiance to suggest I was anywhere other than in a buffet setting. Hanging a few leaning tower paintings on the walls, changing the colors of the table cloths, and displaying some Italy road signs or statuary might improve the visual setting. Otherwise, it remains the La Veranda of our past. Jack Morris

 

 

All this is very odd. On Mariner and Voyager La Veranda changes to Sette Mari in June 2012. So it hasn't changed yet. Even Navigator about which I know little, is due to change in June also. I was hoping to judge the new set-up on my cruise on 3 June 2012 but I am told this date has slipped to end June. Even Travel Agent Elliot West can only have sampled a presentation by Regent.

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2old4this

2old4this

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All this is very odd. On Mariner and Voyager La Veranda changes to Sette Mari in June 2012. So it hasn't changed yet. Even Navigator about which I know little, is due to change in June also. I was hoping to judge the new set-up on my cruise on 3 June 2012 but I am told this date has slipped to end June. Even Travel Agent Elliot West can only have sampled a presentation by Regent.

 

Maybe that's why I saw no change in the ambiance on Navigator. I did discover Italian food and olives and cheeses. Was wrong of me to think the change was done, finished, and . . . this is it regarding the conversion. Jack Morris

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Travelcat2

Travelcat2

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Actually, the dates have dropped a bit. . . the Voyager and Mariner will change in July. With the new chairs that were put in last week, the venue could look quite different at night. In terms of the Mariner, there was some type of test done to see what the guests thought of the new concept. It was after the test that it was decided not to make this a reservations-only restaurant. When we spoke with the head chef on the Voyager about this, he had not seen the final recipes as yet.

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Travelcat2

Travelcat2

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Just read Terry Breen's newsletter. She will be returning to the Navigator after dry dock. This is what she had to say about the upgrades and changes to the Navigator:

 

 

"Starting May 12, the Seven Seas Navigator will be going into to dry-dock for extensive re-modeling. The ship will be out-of-service until May 30, at which time the regular 7-day Alaska cruises resume.

 

Though I do not have all the details I do know that preparations are being made for the following:

 

New Carpeting throughout.New wall and window treatments in select areas.Major face-lift for all the suites.Improvements to the Seven Seas Show Lounge.Enlargement of Prime 7.Re-modeling of La Veranda including installation of new menu dinner service.Remodeling of Pool deck including new decking.New steam and sauna in Spa.

 

I can hardly wait to see how it all comes out. As soon as the ship is back in serbice I will take pictures for all to see."

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Hambagahle

Hambagahle

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Maybe I wasn't too clear? I wasn't talking about experiencing Sette Mari, as of course that is not yet "in place". What I did say was that on the South American cruise that immediately preceeded our TA people were very enthusiastic about the evening meal at la Veranda. Said the ambiance had changed, candle lit etc, and it was really nice. So we went. And we found it to be exactly as it always had been. The hors d'oeuvres were buffet and so was the dessert and the main course was ordered from the menu. I have never eaten at la Veranda in the evening, even on the Navigator, when you didn't order your main from the menu! So I really do not see what had changed on the S American cruise - nor do I see much difference except furniture and plates in the promised Sette Mari!! But I hope I am wrong...

 

Oh - Jack Morris BTW I am not a "he" I am a "she"!! Gerry in my case is short for Geraldine a name I absolutely detest and needless to say did not choose!!

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2old4this

2old4this

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Maybe I wasn't too clear? I wasn't talking about experiencing Sette Mari, as of course that is not yet "in place". What I did say was that on the South American cruise that immediately preceeded our TA people were very enthusiastic about the evening meal at la Veranda. Said the ambiance had changed, candle lit etc, and it was really nice. So we went. And we found it to be exactly as it always had been. The hors d'oeuvres were buffet and so was the dessert and the main course was ordered from the menu. I have never eaten at la Veranda in the evening, even on the Navigator, when you didn't order your main from the menu! So I really do not see what had changed on the S American cruise - nor do I see much difference except furniture and plates in the promised Sette Mari!! But I hope I am wrong...

 

Oh - Jack Morris BTW I am not a "he" I am a "she"!! Gerry in my case is short for Geraldine a name I absolutely detest and needless to say did not choose!!

 

Sorry about the gender mix up thing, Gerry. The very nature of threading has us all wary about true name use and otherwise being too public on who and where we are.

 

Getting back to La Veranda I feel its going to take quite a bit of change there beyond name, paint, and plates, before many of us will give up our full service sit down 'restaurants' in the evening. I have not a complaint about the food in La Veranda. I am sure it is always of the highest quality. But when traveling at great expense and first class, I feel cafeteria style dining and doing one's laundry are in the same category level and both out of place.

 

I've braced myself for the responses. Bring 'em on! Jack Morris

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room010

room010

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This is all idle speculation at the moment. We will see for ourselves on our July southbound and rest assured I'll report back. We dined in la Veranda (Voyager, Sydney-Beijing 2011) quite a few times where the buffet was available for starters/soup/salads etc and then ordered our main courses from the menu so I'm not clear how Sette Mare's set up will be any different to the current arrangement. I suspect the restaurant will look different in the evenings and the menu will be more specifically Italian but that's about it. It won't bother us as we are very happy with informal dining sometimes (hardly a "caffeteria"), we love Italian food and no doubt the level of service will be up to the usual standard. If it isn't, rest assured the customers will quickly let them know!

 

Change isn't necessarily a bad thing (but I still think having the gym/spa in that prime spot on the top deck is a wasted opportunity :p).

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  • 8 months later...
FADE

FADE

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I will be on the Navigator in March 2014, so I have been looking around for info and found this.

 

In January 2014, Navigator of the Seas will spend a month in drydock to receive "Royal Advantage" upgrades, including an outdoor movie screen, digital signage, ship-wide Wifi, new Concierge and Diamond lounges, and the changeover of the Cafe Promenade and Portofino restaurants to the Park Cafe and Giovanni's Table concepts first introduced on the Oasis class cruise ships.

 

Hope this is real. :D

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OrpingtonT

OrpingtonT

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Do you realise that Regent SS Navigator is different from Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas?

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