Some comments about my Navigator cruise-NYC-MIA

[cruiseluv]

Hello,

 

Just got home yesterday from a fabulous cruise, NYC-MIA, by way of the Caribbean. The only major "hiccups" of the trip was bad weather in Bermuda and St Lucia, where we were treated to a deluge of rain. In St Lucia we carried on, enjoying the aerial tram in the rain forest ,wearing ponchos . Bermuda for us was a real washout, luckily we have been there before ,so we just took a short walk around St Georges carrying an umbrella. 

 

I had not been aboard the Navigator since 2005, when she was still a young ship, so I had trepidation about what I would find, but I should not have worried. The Navigator is being kept in great condition, upholstery and linens look fresh and new. It does still vibrate in the back, and even in our forward cabin ( 716), we would experience creaking and assorted noises when the seas were a bit rough. I would say what really stands out currently about this ship is the congenial and warm atmosphere of a friendly, service oriented crew , that's constantly trying to make your experience as positive as possible. And as others here have mentioned, the atmosphere is a "cozy" one ( sometimes too cozy in the pool deck area). Food for the most part was excellent. I had trouble liking items cooked in the pool grill, specifically turkey burgers and hamburgers, so stopped trying, there're many other options! We had dinner most days on Compass Rose, but tried Prime 7 twice, and Sette Mari once. We also availed ourselves of lunch and breakfast at Compass Rose, to escape the crowded and hectic atmosphere that you find in La Veranda. Service was in general fabulous, I think I had to look for the wine steward just once, my glass was "refreshed" frequently  :) 

 

A few things that I didn't care for, and commented about in the end of cruise comment "card" ( now done interactively): They have just changed the refrigerators in the suites, and they're smaller. They can barely accommodate the ice bucket, a bottle of wine, and a couple of soda cans ( and to achieve even that I had to remove a shelf). The  dedicated smoking area at the Pool deck is too large in relation to the size of the pool deck. It occupies a choice , shaded location, and since its open, the smoke wafts to other nearby lounge chairs. I'm sympathetic to smokers, but I think the pendulum has swayed too far on this accommodation. On sea days in good weather the pool deck can be uncomfortably crowded. We stopped at a couple of ports we didnt care at all for, Bonaire and Santa Marta in Colombia. I cant understand why St Barts was eliminated in our cruise (supposedly due to complaints of passengers because of few excursions), but they keep these substandard ports. 

 

Rather than writing more details, feel free to ask me any specific feedback you're interested in. We are booked on Navigator for a May 2021 cruise, New York to Iceland, and we're planning to keep that ( assuming Regent still owns the ship!). By the way , the sail away from NYC is magnificent!

 

 

 

[rcandkc]

37 minutes ago, cruiseluv said:

Hello,

 

Just got home yesterday from a fabulous cruise, NYC-MIA, by way of the Caribbean. The only major "hiccups" of the trip was bad weather in Bermuda and St Lucia, where we were treated to a deluge of rain. In St Lucia we carried on, enjoying the aerial tram in the rain forest ,wearing ponchos . Bermuda for us was a real washout, luckily we have been there before ,so we just took a short walk around St Georges carrying an umbrella. 

 

I had not been aboard the Navigator since 2005, when she was still a young ship, so I had trepidation about what I would find, but I should not have worried. The Navigator is being kept in great condition, upholstery and linens look fresh and new. It does still vibrate in the back, and even in our forward cabin ( 716), we would experience creaking and assorted noises when the seas were a bit rough. I would say what really stands out currently about this ship is the congenial and warm atmosphere of a friendly, service oriented crew , that's constantly trying to make your experience as positive as possible. And as others here have mentioned, the atmosphere is a "cozy" one ( sometimes too cozy in the pool deck area). Food for the most part was excellent. I had trouble liking items cooked in the pool grill, specifically turkey burgers and hamburgers, so stopped trying, there're many other options! We had dinner most days on Compass Rose, but tried Prime 7 twice, and Sette Mari once. We also availed ourselves of lunch and breakfast at Compass Rose, to escape the crowded and hectic atmosphere that you find in La Veranda. Service was in general fabulous, I think I had to look for the wine steward just once, my glass was "refreshed" frequently  🙂

 

A few things that I didn't care for, and commented about in the end of cruise comment "card" ( now done interactively): They have just changed the refrigerators in the suites, and they're smaller. They can barely accommodate the ice bucket, a bottle of wine, and a couple of soda cans ( and to achieve even that I had to remove a shelf). The  dedicated smoking area at the Pool deck is too large in relation to the size of the pool deck. It occupies a choice , shaded location, and since its open, the smoke wafts to other nearby lounge chairs. I'm sympathetic to smokers, but I think the pendulum has swayed too far on this accommodation. On sea days in good weather the pool deck can be uncomfortably crowded. We stopped at a couple of ports we didnt care at all for, Bonaire and Santa Marta in Colombia. I cant understand why St Barts was eliminated in our cruise (supposedly due to complaints of passengers because of few excursions), but they keep these substandard ports. 

 

Rather than writing more details, feel free to ask me any specific feedback you're interested in. We are booked on Navigator for a May 2021 cruise, New York to Iceland, and we're planning to keep that ( assuming Regent still owns the ship!). By the way , the sail away from NYC is magnificent!

 

 

 

Why in the world would they decrease the size of the refrigerator.  Very upsetting.  I drink lots of diet soda that I want cold.  I have suggested many times on comment card I think a glass wall should be between smoking area and other lounges.  

[cruiseluv]

1 hour ago, rcandkc said:

Why in the world would they decrease the size of the refrigerator.  Very upsetting.  I drink lots of diet soda that I want cold.  I have suggested many times on comment card I think a glass wall should be between smoking area and other lounges.  

 

Agree! At first I thought I was imagining things, but the room stewardess confirmed they had just changed the refrigerators to be more environmentally conscious. Ridiculous

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Great report! Sorry we were not with you. 
Hope to sail with you again. 
Hugs

Sheila and Herb

[ronrick1943]

Nice report, thanks for taking the time.  

[Foggyzx9r]

Just a quick question, the burgers how were they not to your liking?
Curious as albeit I do not eat a great deal of fast food, dear God I could not face McD’s if my life depended on it. 
A comment on the smoking area. There indeed should be a protective screen to prevent smoke wafting into non smoking areas. I used to smoke so I do understand the needs of the weed but smoking should not infringe upon those that don’t or indeed ex-smokers.

[mrlevin]

11 hours ago, cruiseluv said:

Rather than writing more details, feel free to ask me any specific feedback you're interested in. We are booked on Navigator for a May 2021 cruise, New York to Iceland, and we're planning to keep that ( assuming Regent still owns the ship!). 

 

Curious about the comment "assuming Regent still owns the ship?"  Did you hear any scuttlebutt about potential sale?

 

We will see you onboard Navigator May 2021 (assuming Regent still owns the ship).

 

Marc

[mj_holiday]

We took the ice bucket out of the refrigerator and asked that it be filled on the afternoons we wanted ice.  A smaller bucket would work.  With the current bucket, if not careful the refrigerator doesn't get closed properly and nothing is cold.

[GrJ Berkshire]

The fridges were changed last August during our Southampton to Amsterdam cruise. They do not fit everything , the best way is to take out the ice bucket. As Brits we did not use it anyway, as the over icing of soda in the states is a problem and we only drink wine and beer so no need to add ice here. But the butler said the replacement fridge design had not been discussed with them, and they were critical of its size.

[vitacura]

1 hour ago, mrlevin said:

 

Curious about the comment "assuming Regent still owns the ship?"  Did you hear any scuttlebutt about potential sale?

 

We will see you onboard Navigator May 2021 (assuming Regent still owns the ship).

 

Marc

 

Hi Marc,

 

My wife and I were also on this cruise and spoke to many of the senior staff with regards to the future of the Navigator, especially with the arrival of the Splendor and then another new ship in a few years time. While they admitted there were talks of selling the ship in the  past, the fact that bookings remain high and she sails near capacity most of the time, made Regent decide to keep her as demonstrated by the last refurbishment and another one next year.

 

Hope it remains in the fleet as she is a favorite for many of the crew as well as my wife and I.

 

[rcandkc]

Between water, Diet Coke, and beer we use the refrigerator a lot.  I think too many decisions are made by people that do not use these suites.  Just like the removal of shelves and drawers in suites...bad decisions in my opinion. 

Edited November 21, 2019 by rcandkc
Spelling

[pingpong1]

2 hours ago, vitacura said:

 

Hi Marc,

 

My wife and I were also on this cruise and spoke to many of the senior staff with regards to the future of the Navigator, especially with the arrival of the Splendor and then another new ship in a few years time. While they admitted there were talks of selling the ship in the  past, the fact that bookings remain high and she sails near capacity most of the time, made Regent decide to keep her as demonstrated by the last refurbishment and another one next year.

 

Hope it remains in the fleet as she is a favorite for many of the crew as well as my wife and I.

 

+10  👍

[flossie009]

1 hour ago, rcandkc said:

I think too many decisions are made by people that do not use these suites.  Just like the removal of shelves and drawers in suites...bad decisions in my opinion. 

++1

 

3 hours ago, vitacura said:

While they admitted there were talks of selling the ship in the  past, the fact that bookings remain high and she sails near capacity most of the time, made Regent decide to keep her as demonstrated by the last refurbishment and another one next year.

............. and no doubt the capital cost of the ship will have been paid off by now, so Navigator probably makes good profits.

We took our first cruise on Navigator this year and loved the ship.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Sounds like removing the ice bucket would be the ticket for most of us.  We rarely use the ice, and if so, just a cube or two.  

 

I really liked Bonaire (but it was a snorkel excursion--I highly recommend doing one there if you like the water.)

[Sheltieluv]

We were on this cruise and had a great time.  Met people from many countries--Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Australia.  Our block party rocked, even tho it was difficult to carry on conversations because of the language barriers, which often ended in hilarious results.   

 

Staff was fabulous, and we enjoyed the food very much.  We liked the option of the pool grill in the evenings, esp the nights we were just too tired to go to Compass Rose. I hope they keep that venue available in the future.  We also ordered room service a few times, which was excellent as well.

 

We loved visiting Bonaire, as we used to scuba dive there in our younger/crazier years.  We didn't take an excursion that day, but rented a golf cart and visited some of our favorite places.  Our least favorite port was Santa Marta.  There were very few excursion choices for that port (I believe only 4), so why St. Bart's was eliminated for that (supposed) reason, doesn't make sense.  (We did enjoy St. Kitts, which was substituted for St. Barts.)  However, they could eliminate Santa Marta, in my opinion--the excursion was supposed to be 3.5 hours, but due to traffic it ended up being more like 5+ hours total.    Unfortunately, it's a port where you are not allowed to walk on the pier, and frankly I would not venture into the city unless on a ship's excursion.

 

We love the Navigator and hope Regent keeps it in the fleet.

 

Oh, and we too removed the ice bucket from the fridge! 

[cruiseluv]

8 hours ago, Foggyzx9r said:

Just a quick question, the burgers how were they not to your liking?
Curious as albeit I do not eat a great deal of fast food, dear God I could not face McD’s if my life depended on it. 
A comment on the smoking area. There indeed should be a protective screen to prevent smoke wafting into non smoking areas. I used to smoke so I do understand the needs of the weed but smoking should not infringe upon those that don’t or indeed ex-smokers.

The initial  "turkey" burger was marinated in some sort of Asian sauce and tasted awful. So I asked if they could just give me a regular , grilled turkey burger. What was brought to me was unrecognizable as a "turkey" burger , I call it mystery meat, disgusting, obviously I returned it. Even the chef came out and apologize, but offered no explanation. I've eaten enough turkey burgers in my life , including in Regent, to know what they should resemble. A couple of times I asked for regular hamburger (medium), and they were brought rare , in parts it looked still frozen. No more attempts of burgers for me on this cruise!

[cruiseluv]

5 hours ago, mrlevin said:

 

Curious about the comment "assuming Regent still owns the ship?"  Did you hear any scuttlebutt about potential sale?

 

We will see you onboard Navigator May 2021 (assuming Regent still owns the ship).

 

Marc

 

No, I didnt hear anything while on the ship, just idle speculation on my part

[Sheltieluv]

Hi Cruiseluv,  we didn't order a turkey burger, but the cheeseburgers we had were consistently good and cooked to order.  Sorry you didn't enjoy yours.😟

I haven't stepped on the scales yet;  I'm afraid to.......

[cruiseluv]

2 minutes ago, Sheltieluv said:

We were on this cruise and had a great time.  Met people from many countries--Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Australia.  Our block party rocked, even tho it was difficult to carry on conversations because of the language barriers, which often ended in hilarious results.   

 

Staff was fabulous, and we enjoyed the food very much.  We liked the option of the pool grill in the evenings, esp the nights we were just too tired to go to Compass Rose. I hope they keep that venue available in the future.  We also ordered room service a few times, which was excellent as well.

 

We loved visiting Bonaire, as we used to scuba dive there in our younger/crazier years.  We didn't take an excursion that day, but rented a golf cart and visited some of our favorite places.  Our least favorite port was Santa Marta.  There were very few excursion choices for that port (I believe only 4), so why St. Bart's was eliminated for that (supposed) reason, doesn't make sense.  (We did enjoy St. Kitts, which was substituted for St. Barts.)  However, they could eliminate Santa Marta, in my opinion--the excursion was supposed to be 3.5 hours, but due to traffic it ended up being more like 5+ hours total.    Unfortunately, it's a port where you are not allowed to walk on the pier, and frankly I would not venture into the city unless on a ship's excursion.

 

We love the Navigator and hope Regent keeps it in the fleet.

 

Oh, and we too removed the ice bucket from the fridge! 

 

Unfortunately, I don't snorkle , so in Bonaire took an excursion to use the facilities at Spice Beach Club. A total dump, next to a construction site, in a most unattractive "beach" ( no sand there, you had to go down steps from a dock if you wanted to get into the water). 

 

I was in that same Santa Marta excursion, a crowded, unattractive city, where there must be at least 10 motorcycles for every car/bus (and there're are many of those). Crossing the streets (which unfortunately we had to do several times to go to the "sights") and being accosted by sundry beggars and vendors added to the "charm" of this excursion.

 

The St Barts cancellation decision makes no sense , and I notice its still being offered in future Regent cruises. Would love to know the real story there.

[cruiseluv]

6 minutes ago, Sheltieluv said:

Hi Cruiseluv,  we didn't order a turkey burger, but the cheeseburgers we had were consistently good and cooked to order.  Sorry you didn't enjoy yours.😟

I haven't stepped on the scales yet;  I'm afraid to.......

LOL, unfortunately I had to step on the scale yesterday at the drs office, it confirmed my worst fears! :)

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for posting your comments.

[mrlevin]

1 hour ago, drib said:

 

This is a good place to note that the Navigator itinerary starting April 27, 2021, and into the first two weeks of May, was just extended from 12 to 14 days. (Two new ports were added to that itinerary.) And the subsequent itinerary, which originally began May 9 for 7 days, is now kaput. Presumably there's now a five day charter from May 11 through May 16.

 

And I would also assume that because mrlevin is always on top of things, that his May referenced cruise is the next one, starting May 16 *, and not the cancelled one ... assuming Regent still owns the ship. But in that case, you might want to know more about the previous charter, just in case it is to Florida State alumni, or some other group of hedonists, not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

======

 

* Oh, I see - there is another cruise starting May 31, so that gives them some distance for clean up!

 

 

 

Drib, the five days may be to stock the whisky and beer for the Grand Arctic Adventure that departs on 31 May.  

[cruiseluv]

22 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

 

Drib, the five days may be to stock the whisky and beer for the Grand Arctic Adventure that departs on 31 May.  

 

Are you doing the whole trip? We're just on first segment.

 

Hopefully they''ll also stock a better tonic water than Canada Dry, made the Gin tonics IMO undrinkable. I'll request Fever Tree and see how that goes. 

[Fairfield Nana]

Thanks for the wonderful review! We are on board for the Montreal-NYC cruise in late Sep 2020--our first cruise with Regent. Really looking forward to our time on the Navigator, as we are big fans of smaller, more intimate ships (river cruises with Uniworld and Scenic, and a fantastic Baltic cruise on the Viking Star to). As the navigator is due for a week or so of  refurbishment right before our 202 cruise, maybe they will solve the mini-frig. and smoker intrusion issues. We can always revert to the technique we frequently used to chill sodas and some beer when we lived in Germany--stick them outside on the terrace.

[GOARMY]

Took special note of this recent cruise because spouse and I will be aboard most of October, 2020 for a BTB New York-Montreal; then Montreal to NYC via Bermuda.  Great opportunities to visit our junior son and his Brooklyn family, both coming and going.  

 

Numerous cruises aboard this novel ship going back 12+ years.  At this point in our cruising experience, having been aboard all Regent ships--and eagerly awaiting Splendor this coming March--it's the destination that counts.  Yep, have experienced the "traveling" wine glasses vibrating on a table in the Theater while the ship enters, or leaves port.  Strange shivers, from time to time in our suite.  

 

But--book appropriate forward, and lower, suites.   Go with the flow.  In context, the minor nuances on this ship pale in comparison to great cuisine (never tried a turkey burger); caring crew; and meeting with CD Ray Solaire.  

 

Just my perspective. 

 

GOARMY!