Mediterranean mythology & musings on Navigator

[cwn]

Enjoying your report! Pictures are great. Thanks for taking the time! Carolyn

Edited October 28, 2023 by cwn

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks Susan. As always so appreciate you taking the time to bring us along and to post such great photos. 

[labonnevie]

Flossie, one last question. Have there been officer/staff hosted tables on your cruise?

Thanks again and safe travels. 

[liptastic]

Really good photos and posts. Thanks for posting, Jean. 

[flossie009]

1 hour ago, labonnevie said:

Have there been officer/staff hosted tables on your cruise?

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

 

[flossie009]

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

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2023 by flossie009

[flossie009]

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 😎

 

 

[ON cruiser]

A most enjoyable read; thanks for taking your vacation time to share this with us. Safe travels home!

[2012_Alaska_bound]

Thanks @flossie009. I will wave to you at Piraeus tomorrow as I board Splendor!

[lprp]

Thanks for the blog @flossie009. See you on Mariner.

LP

[kjbacon]

@flossie009 thanks for taking us along with you and for the great pictures. We are going to Mykonos next year. Would you say it’s a good port to do your own thing without booking a shorex? 

[mrlevin]

11 minutes ago, kjbacon said:

@flossie009 thanks for taking us along with you and for the great pictures. We are going to Mykonos next year. Would you say it’s a good port to do your own thing without booking a shorex? 

I will take a jab at this; having been twice before and again next week.  If you are into ancient ruins; I strongly recommend the tour to Delos.  I have taken the island tour and it is not much.  My favorite activity is to sit at a beachside restaurant eating souvlaki and drinking retsina while my wife peruses all the cute shops.

[Techno123]

We also very much enjoyed Delos one of the most significant archeological sites in the Agean and would recommend a visit. We have also done our own thing around Mykonos town - it's a pleasant wander with the church of Paraportiani, windmills, alleyways and small shops - you might even see a pelican.

[Jane Mitchell]

2 hours ago, kjbacon said:

@flossie009 thanks for taking us along with you and for the great pictures. We are going to Mykonos next year. Would you say it’s a good port to do your own thing without booking a shorex? 

Forgive me for jumping in.  I cannot comment on Regent's tours as I am waiting to go on my first Regent cruise in February next year.  However, I did a clipper cruise around the Greek islands last year and the highlight of that whole trip was probably my time on Delos.  I only wanted to go to Mykonos so that I could take a tour of Delos.  The excavations are incredible.  The detail of the ruins and the stories they hold are amazing.  If you get a chance to go, please do.  We were on a tour arranged by the clipper company but there were only 9 of us.  There must be a way to do a private tour if Regent does not provide one.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 10/28/2023 at 5:05 PM, flossie009 said:

Both shows were full of appreciative guests, enjoying one of the best theatre auditoriums at sea

It is a terrific auditorium indeed!

[Casa2]

Any comments on Navigator to the British Isles in July 2024 ?

[papaflamingo]

6 hours ago, Casa2 said:

Any comments on Navigator to the British Isles in July 2024 ?

We did Navigator in 2022 around the British Isles.  The similar ports we had were Dublin and Belfast.  In Belfast we did the Titanic Trail and really enjoyed it.  But I'm a bit of a "ship junkie" so there is that.  But the museum is about the building of the ship, not the sinking of the ship.  So a totally different experience than most Titanic exhibits.  And it was interesting (to me) to see the dry dock where Titanic was built.  

In Dublin you dock in Dun Loaghair, about a 20 min. ride to Dublin.  I had been to Dublin before but my wife had not.  We overnighted so had 2 days there.  On the first day we did Dublin Highlights to get to town and see some of the sights,including St.Patrick's Cathedral and the Book of Kells.  But I notice on your cruise it doesn't say it goes to see the Book, so.....  Anyway, we left the tour after the Book of Kells and walked to the Guiness Storehouse and had no problem getting in without any reservations.  It's interesting, but the best part is the 360 degree view from the top while you enjoy an included pint of Guiness (or glass of wine if not a Guiness drinker).  Then we went to Temple Bar (grabbed an  Uber as it started raining a bit).  Went into Olver St. John Gogarty's Pub as it has live Irish music and had lunch and a very good time!  Made our way to the train station (there's one a few blocks from Temple Bar) and went back to Dun Loaghaire.  The train station is right across from the port entrance, so very easy trip.  You can research the train you want and station locations on line. 

On day 2 we did Summertime Drive Through Ireland's Countryside and really enjoyed it. Beautiful drive, some interesting stops, and a nice lunch. So if you want to see the countryside rather than Dublin, it's a good option. 

[Casa2]

Thanks for the comment!

[flossie009]

On 10/29/2023 at 12:47 PM, kjbacon said:

We are going to Mykonos next year. Would you say it’s a good port to do your own thing without booking a shorex? 

@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

 

 

[flossie009]

On 10/30/2023 at 3:26 AM, Casa2 said:

Any comments on Navigator to the British Isles in July 2024 ?

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 😉

 

 

[Casa2]

Thanks Flossie !

[tnm6217]

@flossie009 Thank you for this review! I'm looking at a 10 night sailing on Navigator next August-September and my travel agent cautioned me about Navigator's age. I saw in another thread that a drydock was completed shortly before your sailing. Did you feel that anything about the ship felt old or tired? I was recently on Crystal Serenity, also an older ship, but felt she was very well-maintained, so I'm hoping I'd feel the same way about Navigator. I welcome any feedback!

[flossie009]

17 hours ago, tnm6217 said:

@flossie009 Thank you for this review! I'm looking at a 10 night sailing on Navigator next August-September and my travel agent cautioned me about Navigator's age. I saw in another thread that a drydock was completed shortly before your sailing. Did you feel that anything about the ship felt old or tired? I was recently on Crystal Serenity, also an older ship, but felt she was very well-maintained, so I'm hoping I'd feel the same way about Navigator. I welcome any feedback!

 

As we would say in the UK, Navigator is somewhat of a "Marmite*" ship; guests either love her or avoid her.

After years of being put off sailing on Navigator by naysayers, we finally tried a cruise a few years ago and found that we love her.

She is a unique ship; small & intimate. Only one speciality restaurant (P7) and not as glitzy as the newer ships (Explorer & Splendor). However the basic cabins are spacious and the lounges & bars are very welcoming. Navigator has an excellent show lounge (theatre) where there is a good view of the stage from every seat.

No need to be put off by the age of the ship; she has been well maintained with numerous refurbishments over the years. She does suffer some vibration aft so if you are sensitive to this then book a cabin more towards the front.

The suite bathrooms are a little dated but shower fittings etc are recent and everything works just fine.

 

Hope this helps with your decision; have a fabulous cruise 😎

 

 

 

 

* For those confused about "Marmite", the following links might help:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/marmite

 

 

 

 

 

[tnm6217]

29 minutes ago, flossie009 said:

As we would say in the UK, Navigator is somewhat of a "Marmite*" ship; guests either love her or avoid her.

After years of being put off sailing on Navigator by naysayers, we finally tried a cruise a few years ago and found that we love her.

She is a unique ship; small & intimate. Only one speciality restaurant (P7) and not as glitzy as the newer ships (Explorer & Splendor). However the basic cabins are spacious and the lounges & bars are very welcoming. Navigator has an excellent show lounge (theatre) where there is a good view of the stage from every seat.

No need to be put off by the age of the ship; she has been well maintained with numerous refurbishments over the years. She does suffer some vibration aft so if you are sensitive to this then book a cabin more towards the front.

The suite bathrooms are a little dated but shower fittings etc are recent and everything works just fine.

 

Hope this helps with your decision; have a fabulous cruise 😎

 

Thank you @flossie009! I'm not huge on specialty restaurants and prefer the bustle of main dining. I love your comment about the ounces and bars being welcoming--that's always comforting for an independent traveler! Since I'm set to sail on Grandeur in November, I think it will be nice to sail on a very different ship in August/September. I'm looking at booking a cabin on Deck 5, midship, which I understand from another thread is pretty quiet. Thanks again!

[newlondon]

flossie, Bill Nighy is ALWAYS worth the price of admission🙂