Issues on this last cruise on the Navigator.

[Margate Cruiser]

Let me start by saying we have cruised on Regent several times 3 times on the voyager and twice on the on the Navigator. We just got off the Bermuda cruise just yesterday, I must say it was not up to par as the voyager which we were on this past Dec. The ports were very nice the speakers from Washington were OK all they did part of the time was slap on each other on the back and say how great they were. The food on the ship I would not consider there strong point on this cruise. Morning breakfast service was a c- if that. As for the chief wine Steward he never did this before his parents are from Italy and I think they got him the job I don't think that when you pay Regent there prices you should have to train them or his helping staff. (all were sweet and tried) but not with the prices that Regent gets. Now for a major safety issue that I fund maybe I am to picky but this got to me. In all the mens rooms at the urinal there is no grab bar. Id there is a swell or a jerk movement there is no place to hold. My wife and I cruise 50 days or more on three cruise lines. This is the only ship that I have seen with out a grab bar in the mens room. I spoke to the Hotel manager he never noticed, I asked him if he ever went into the mens room he said no he uses his cabin never took notice. Strange answer from the head of the hotel dept. e said he would talk to someone. Asked him three days later he said he will in Durex time. I guess for the first guess to break a hip in the mens room. I then asked the safety officer on board the same question he never noticed this before and was shocked that I would even ask him this question. I will look up the regulation on safety and see if they are required to have bars in the bathroom But it does make sense to me. On the plus side the ship was very clean and the cabins were great. Chris was great with the games all around the ship.

[yarlenna]

We were on the same cruise. I didn't go to the talks with the speakers from Washington. I didn't even know they were there. We enjoyed our time hearing some good music and met lots of nice people. I loved the breakfasts! I didn't like the coffee - but I am fussy. I found good coffee on deck 6 at the bar. Yes, the sommeliers were poor at times, but I found the food to be quite good. Some was even wonderful. I have never found the perfect cruise – but I am enjoying the hunt.

[Iamboatman]

The sommelier issue is a pet peeve of mine. If you don't know the wines, don't try to snow me into thinking I am getting knowledgeable advice when I am not. I found that offensive and it is bothersome that it still exists with no improvement.

[Margate Cruiser]

I am glad that I am not the only one that had this problem. I also thought the cruise director was not so great. He talked on the PA system with marbles in his mouth he was hard to understand. They should have someone that speaks clear English.

[Charsie]

Who was the Cruise Director on this sailing?

[Margate Cruiser]

He was short and a British accent could be from Australia or New Zealand

[PaulaJK]

--In my own mind, there are only a few sommeliers in the diningroom. Most of the others seem to be at the level of wine waiters. So I find this rather pretentious. We were fortunate [New Years 07/08] to have an excellent sommelier [Dobri].

 

--The HD on Navigator is a very personable man.........but I am not surprised by this reported response.

When we disembarked Navigator, we felt that they had service problems

in excess of their sister ships.

 

--The hold bars seem like a good idea in all bathrooms, cabin & public.

 

--Was the CD Paul Reynolds?

[Margate Cruiser]

It was Paul. We were on the Voyager in Dec. A man and wife team they were so good. It makes all the difference in the world when you have seasoned help. Cruise ships now have a problem with all the new ships coming on where are they going to get the right staff. It's like finding good Rn's in a hospital. Our captain on our cruise was under 40 I think still wet behind the ears. The hotel manager should be put out to pasture and I am a senior. Regent is not cheap and we should get the best, don't you agree?

[Travelcat2]

Had to check with my DH on this -- and, am not defending the Hotel Manager. . . but, I've never heard of having a grab bar/railing by the urinal anywhere. If this is something that other Regent ships have, I would contact Regent rather than blame someone who may be unaware of this safety item. Do they have grab bars in the stalls? Without getting graphic, there are times that this could help both men and women. When I think of situations on board a ship where such an item would avoid a fall, it's mind boggling.

 

Regarding the breakfasts on the Navigator. . . I am not a "breakfast" person and find most places lacking in that area. However, ordering food from room service for breakfast solved the problem for us. While you probably can order items such as lamb chops in Compass Rose, it is so much fun having it on the balcony in your suite.

 

Sorry to hear about the difficulties on the Navigator. . . she is such a lovely little ship (although "little" is subjective -- can't imagine being on a ship the size of Seabourn, for instance -- just seems too small). Hope that you have shared your opinions with Regent. They really care about the opinions of their customers:o

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I don't think I've seen grab bars in stalls in any of the women's washrooms on Regent. (Not to say it is not a good idea.)

 

Margate, do you remember the captain's name? Sounds new to me, not McNeill, he's older than that.

[Pam]

There are grab bars in the handicapped stalls, in the womens' restrooms.

 

I would bet the captain was Jarle Jensen; he was our captain last February. He's very personable and friendly, was out and about a lot of the time. I *think* I remember that he is one of the youngest men to ever attain his ranking.

 

We liked Paul, and didn't find him hard to understand at all. Of course, it's hard to beat John Barron and the Jamie/Dana team.

[Margate Cruiser]

Jamie/Dana team are so good together. They were all over the ship during the day. Paul was only seen making his good night speech and introduction at the shows at night. As for the Captain he is very shy and except seeing him have diners with the important people and the people from public television he was never seen by me and my wife. We have been on cruises where the top officers take there meals with guests at breakfast and lunch not everyday., But this in my opinion is good policy so they have the pulse of the ship. Passengers like to see who is running the show and staying in a lofty tower. A good manager gets down and dirty with everyone on just with his top officers. Maybe I am old fashion. But after cruising over 40 or more cruise we have see it all. This ship is suppose to be one of the best in the industry for it size, I don't see it. You can have the best looking ship but if the service is not there you have nothing but bolts.

[Iamboatman]

I also am not impressed with the Hotel Director. When I was on Navigator I had some issues, but was told he was not available. I did see him playing shuffleboard before he found the time to see me.

[NCCruzQueen]

I'm interested in knowing which Hotel Director you all are taking about. I believe Guisseppe left the ship in February for vacation.

 

Margate Cruiser, who was your captain?

[Margate Cruiser]

But he is short grey hair in his 60's maybe. I would say he is the Pa Pa officer of the ship

[Iamboatman]

Giuseppe was the HD on my Diamond cruises and was fantastic. Fabrizio is the HD I was speaking of.

[NCCruzQueen]

Thx, boatman, I feel it's always good to put names with comments.

 

MC, not sure who your captain was. Do you still have your daily Passages? Maybe his name in on some of that paperwork. I hope you made note of your feelings on your comment cards. Also, you seem to feel strongly on some issues. Write corporate or email Mark Conroy. He seems to reply to passengers with concerns.

[Margate Cruiser]

He was the Hotel manager.

[larry1365]

I believe Capt. Dag has been the master on all of Voyager's World Cruises.

 

In 2007 he was about the ship every day. He played pool volleyball, at times he was around for breakfast and lunch on the pool deck, and teamed up with Jamie Logan (the CD) for some very public adventures ahsore (that were taped for the video channel) and was the bartender for our truck stop dinner evennigs in the crew area.

 

He also teamed with Jamie on such antics as roller skating on stage as a Chinese dragon, singing, playing games, etc. I heard a few objections to some of these activities, but I thoroughly disagree with such thoughts.

 

Capt. Dag is the complete master of the Voyager.

 

The way I see it, the Captain of a cruise ship has three primary jobs.

 

First, he must be an excellent, seasoned seaman. Anyone who has seen Capt. Dag move the Voyager in and out of tight anchorages, handle at-sea-emergencies or watch him train staff captains, knows that he is an expert seaman.

 

Next he must be a strong and caring leader for the 450-person crew. It is easy to see the respect and love that the crew have for him. Many of them have been with him for years. He is friendly but firm. He seems to be aware of what's going on in every area of the ship.

 

And third, he is the face of the company for the 700 passengers. He needs to perform the traditional duties of receptions, speeches, hosting the Captain's table, etc., with style and grace. Capt. Dag excels in this area, making each passenger feel important.

 

In my opinion (based on sailing on 5 different cruise lines), Capt. Dag performs all three of these duties better than anyone else. He is the best.

 

Larry

[Margate Cruiser]

This was the the case on the Navigator. He might run the controls fine but not a people person at all. The buzzzz of the ship was where is the captain during the day? Never seen him or his senior staff make the rounds, it's a small ship you can't hide from the guests but he did a good job keeping to himself.

[OrpingtonT]

This was the the case on the Navigator. He might run the controls fine but not a people person at all. The buzzzz of the ship was where is the captain during the day? Never seen him or his senior staff make the rounds, it's a small ship you can't hide from the guests but he did a good job keeping to himself.

 

Several people have asked, without success, so I will add my plea:-----

 

"What was the name of the Captain?"

[Maineac]

Captain Jarle Jensen was Master at the helm during our 14 night March cruise.

We did see him quite a few times playing shuffle board with guests and his crew. He also lunched at Potofino's on several occasions.

Much to our surprise, we were invited to dine at the Captain's table. We found both the Captain and his wife charming.

[Margate Cruiser]

He never played shuffle board on our cruise 11 days the Bermuda cruise. He did eat at Portifino with a large table with the hotel manager.

[Travelcat2]

I've heard nothing but positive things about Captain Dag. However, on our Baltic cruise, he was invisible (except at the Captain's reception). I later heard that his navigational are needed more on this particular cruise. So, it seems that there are times when the Captain is working so much, it leaves little time for shuffleboard.

[Pam]

I had suggested, in Post #11 on this thread, that the captain was Jarle Jensen. He was our captain for a couple of Navigator sailings recently. The first one, he was out and about more than he was on the most recent (or we weren't where he was, which may very well have been the case).

 

Captain Dag was very much NOT out and about on our British Isles cruise in 2006. He was out on a rubber boat with members of his crew, making movies of the different ports, but wasn't very approachable in my estimation (I tried once and found him rather distant).

 

It may depend on the individual sailings. I know that Captain Dag was up all night on the night we were to turn up the Thames and sail into London. The fog was so dense that there was every danger we wouldn't be able to make the turn; it lifted just an hour or two before he had to make the decision. Then he turned us around and sailed partway up the Thames backwards.