Navigator Review Baltic 29 July part 2

[nearly there]

The itinerary

 

This was a port-intensive cruise, to put it mildly! 12 days with only 1 sea day and even that was a transit through the Kiel Canal which was fascinating and deserved time spent on the balcony watching people, animals and scenery.

The cities were fascinating and we particularly enjoyed St. Petersburg and Riga. Many passengers used the stop in Warnemunde for a marathon 13-hour day in Berlin, but as we live in Europe with Berlin an easy week-end destination, we spent the day relaxing in the little sea-side town. The ship’s tours were very well organised (I would especially recommend the “Daily life in St. Petersburg” tour for a fascinating view into that city) and, in spite of reading lots of threads on the Baltic ports board about the benefits of Denrus and Red October over ship’s tours, we were very pleased with the choices we made.

 

 

The entertainment

 

A brief section, as we did not attend the entertainment every night. In spite of the full ship, the theatre was never full; I think many people were exhausted after a day in port and knew there was another early morning to come. However, I must mention the Russian folklore evening on the night in St. Petersburg, really the kind of entertainment you would expect to have to book an evening excursion off the ship to see, as well as the Julliard chamber music group who were on the cruise and provided several very good performances.

 

The Regent Experience

 

Finally (if you’ve read this far), I want to write about the Regent experience as a whole and the reason this is our cruise line of choice. There is a generosity of spirit about the experience that goes beyond the concept of “all-inclusive”. (This was especially noticeable for us, as our two Radisson/Regent cruises were interspersed with a cruise on Oceania Insignia last summer). It is not just the wine poured freely with dinner, the soft drinks that you don’t sign for, etc., but it is the things that are not advertised but provided anyway. The free shuttle buses in every port, the bottles of water waiting as you disembark at ports, the first evening “block party” with wine and cheese throughout the ship, the Seven Seas Society party where caviar was served and champagne flowed, all contributed to the feel of a luxury experience with a cruise line that is not trying to cut corners. I think that once Regent goes all-inclusive in 2007, this sense will only increase.

 

Would be sail with Regent again? Yes, please, as soon as possible. Would we choose the Voyager or Mariner? Probably, as we preferred the slightly larger Voyager on our cruise in 2003. Would we sail with the Navigator again? Yes, if the itinerary were right and, hopefully, if the ship is given the facelift it truly deserves.

[lborne]

Thank you for your review. We will be on her from Athens - Rome in October.

[Maya-Tucker]

Thank you for the review. I will be on the Navigator for my first time in November and I'm very much looking forward to trying the Regent line.

[helenp2]

Great review - thank you. We sailed on the Navigator approx 1 yr ago from NYC to Bermuda and unfortunately we experienced the exact same things in our suite as you did. The bedding is just not acceptable (especially for a 6 star line) and they still have not replaced these beds. We also felt that the cabin was in dire need of a makeover. Carpets torn, bedspread dirty, cushions on the balcony were mildew and stained. I don't get it. We were expecting a 6 star experience and found this ship to be 3 star at best.

[HomeLover]

I was on the Navigator 3 week before you. You will be happy to know that the two cabins next to me (one adjoining) were empty and recarpeted during the cruise. I got to inspect the adjoining room since they didn't lock the connecting door. It is beautiful. They are to complete renovations during dry dock.

[lborne]

When is the dry dock scheduled?

[JoAnne B]

The dry dock will be in December. In addition to refreshing the cabins (which is sorely needed) they will be removing the underutilized VIsta lounge and adding the space to the spa and fitness facility.

 

I'm surprised at the recent comments about the bedding by other cruisers. On both of my recent cruises I've had very comfortable mattresses and the duvets and shams are replaced frequently during the cruise so the bed always looks clean and fresh. Maybe it was the luck of the draw.

 

But in other aspects an update was long overdue...frayed dust ruffle and drapes, throw pillow coming apart at the seams, white paint spots on the drapes, worn, shabby pillows on the verandah furniture, etc. The carpet looked really tired...maybe because sweeping is only hit and miss, mostly the center of the room. It looked like a can of cola had been sprayed on the carpet in front of the refigerator and not cleaned up. I have no idea how long it had been like that, but it should have been reported to housekeeping by the room stewardess and the carpet spot-cleaned before embarkation. However, having said that, our stewardess was adequate at best so I shouldn't be surprised that she didn't notice. I have definitely seen a deterioration in cabin service since they did away with the two-person cabin team. Maybe the dry dock will breath some life into the housekeeping staff.

[nearly there]

It will be interesting to see how the Navigator looks and feels after drydock. I thought that the public areas were fine, but the cabins need major work. It would be great if the fitness area was re-done and expanded. I didn't use it, but my husband thought it was cramped and airless.

It's interesting in terms of the cabin staff. I wonder if Regent has gone back to 2 cabin attendants in some form. We had 2 names on the card in our cabin and saw 2 young women in different types of uniforms (1 a white shirt and skirt, 1 a kind of black pinafore) servicing the cabins. I would guess that the uniforms indicated a difference in status, but as I wrote in the review, we never really spoke to the stewardesses and so didn't sort out who did what. I did think that the cleaning worked very well, so perhaps the policy has changed.

[lborne]

Just my luck, we sail in October. Although, going by "HomeLover's post, maybe they will have my cabin completed by then.