questions about Navigator for folks who know the other Regent ships

I'm having more difficulty than usual trying to find an affordable cruise for next summer. (Part of the problem is air connections, which are an upcharge for non-stop flights.) So I'm looking at some cruises closer to home, e.g. where I can go or come from Miami and so have to fly only one direction. There are some ok-seeming, quite reasonable cruises on Navigator, but I've never been eager to sail on that ship. So here are my several questions:

How much did you miss not having that second specialty restaurant? I've had the feeling that being on the ship for 14 days or more, it gets kind of boring having one fewer dining choice. Or maybe not?

How much did you miss not having an observation deck?

Were you as pleased with Navigator as you were with Mariner (my particular favorite-- because of the shower) and Voyager? How does the shower size on Navigator compare in size to the one on Voyager? About the same, I'd guess?

Anything else I should know? (We'd be booking E category.)

Thanks!

I haven't done a 14 day on Navigator but have done several 7-12 days. We actually like navigator, but it is not my favorite. I would say it is about equal with Mariner as far as my liking. The suites larger, and very comfortable. Bathroom is significantly larger, like that on Voyager. The shower isn't as big as that on Mariner, but it is plenty big enough and a square configuration rather than rectangular.

I do not miss the observation lounge as the lounges they do have are quite comfortable.

Really I pick based on price and itinerary and can be perfectly happy on any regent ship.

Hey, Rachel-- thanks! And thanks, too, for the "trivia" answers.

Now go play!

Poss I would say we are both fans of the Navigator. Our first Regent cruise was in the med on Navigator. Our second was 2 years ago, with various cruises inbetween then on Voyager and Mariner.

I felt kind of at home again on Navigator. We did not miss the signature restruant one bit. We were happy with the 3 evening spots on Navigator. Yes the observation lounge is a miss for a lot of people, but again it did not detract from our experience in anyway. Cabin wise we had mid ships both times, and we're delighted with the size and space, and balcony was big enough.

Sea day or an poor weather day the dining area at lunch can get tight for space but they do open up the prime 7 area for more capacity and the CR is always open then too.

I am not a sun seeker, but know the sun lounger areas can get busy on the sea day in warm days, but again it was not an issue for us.

We would happily book a cruise on Navigator again, most of our cruises have been on Mariner and I like the flow of public areas very much on there.

Hope you find a lovely cruise for you and your husband to both enjoy and relax.

Jean.

poss,

See EnglandRose's thread on her recent Navigator cruise. That should eliminate any concerns you might have.

poss, in the past I did miss having the extra restaurant on the Navigator. However, since the roll-out of the new CR menu on the Navigator and Explorer, we really wouldn't care if we ever dined in a specialty restaurant since CR has everything that we want.

You surmised correctly that the suites, showers, etc. are just about the same as on the Voyager - not the Mariner. The Voyager and Mariner do have more public areas that the Navigator and we do miss the forward Observation Lounge.

Is there is a particular reason that you are looking at summer cruises? As you know, the airports, airplanes - just about everything is extremely crowded during the summer months. We were reminded of just how bad it can be when we flew to Monte Carlo this summer.

If you would consider the fall/winter, we are looking at (not booking yet) a round-trip Miami itinerary next November on the Mariner to the Amazon. While not anywhere near the top of my list, my DH has had an interest in the Amazon for quite some time. Anyway, it does seem that the more we cruise, the more difficult it becomes to find the right itinerary - with decent fares, easy flights, etc.

I think that people tend to like their first Regent ship the best - ours was the Voyager (not counting the PG) and it remained our favorite ship for years. The second Regent ship we sailed on was the Navigator - however, she had significant issues every time we sailed on her so we have temporarily given up sailing on that ship. The Mariner is beautiful but the suites feel even smaller than they are (sort of like the "G" suites on the Explorer being the same size as the Mariner but feel much smaller.) This sounds like the story of the Three Bears - in this case, the Voyager suited us the best.

Hope that you find something that suits you and your hubby.

So here are my several questions:

 

How much did you miss not having that second specialty restaurant? I've had the feeling that being on the ship for 14 days or more, it gets kind of boring having one fewer dining choice. Or maybe not?

 

How much did you miss not having an observation deck?

 

Were you as pleased with Navigator as you were with Mariner (my particular favorite-- because of the shower) and Voyager? How does the shower size on Navigator compare in size to the one on Voyager? About the same, I'd guess?

 

Anything else I should know? (We'd be booking E category.)

 

Thanks!

Poss, we just came off Navigator in July. We were only on board for 12 nights so not having another specialty restaurant wasn't an issue for us. Maybe 21 nights or more it might be an issue, but for 2 weeks or less I think you'd be fine.

Not having an observation deck wasn't an issue for us, either. I can find plenty of places to sit and have a cocktail as well as a nice view.

We're fans of Navigator, though, having sailed three of our six Regent cruised on her. As you know, all the ships have their plus and minus points, but we've always enjoyed our Navigator cruises. And our Mariner and Voyager cruises, too. And hopefully our upcoming Explorer cruises.

:D

Appreciate the replies!

Tc: We live in southern FL.

Appreciate the replies!

Tc: We live in southern FL.

Which is a very good and valid reason for wanting to cruise in the summer!

I like Navigator quite a lot, husband enjoys it, but not so much. Haven't been on Mariner yet but Voyager suits us very well, so it's the benchmark.

The Navigator standard balcony suite feels slightly roomier than the Voyager one, not sure why. Shower stalls, as I remember, are about the same. We've been on twice, both times in an E, which I recommend as the minimum, midship, although there are window cabins across the hall that are probably nice too.

I really like the aft lounge, Galileo's. It's every bit as nice as a forward observation lounge, for me. It has an outdoor section that's also great.

The interior area gets a somewhat crowded feel when the weather is bad, I admit. We did the 10-day SF to Vancouver to Alaska, and there were plenty of times when you couldn't enjoy the outdoor areas of the ship--I think I'd avoid that kind of itinerary on Navigator. I did not miss Signatures, and felt that Prime 7 was done well.

Many thanks to the Usual Suspects, the Oldies and Goodies. I'm convinced!

Now back to the drawing board for more fun and games.

You can also create your own specialty restaurant by having dinner in your suite one night. Order unusual things, maybe an Indian menu. Have cocktails on the verandah first. Turn on some music and voila! you're transported!!!!

Hi I have sailed all 3 ships and I am currently sat in Gailileos on Navigator.

Lovely ship they have indeed rolled out the new menu. La Veranda is fabulous as is Prime 7. I haven't really missed Signatures.

Service in Compass Rose has been a little spotty this cruise but nothing major and has got better as the cruise as progressed. Food has been amazing.

Shower is the same size as voyager as are the suites.

I haven't really missed the observation lounge as we spend most of the days on tour or on deck and the only time we go for a drink is at night when it's dark and you can't see anything :-)

The Stars Lounge is a welcome addition and both that and Galileos have been busy most evenings

Shows have been amazing. If the itinerary is right I would sail this ship again in a heartbeat!

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Hi I have sailed all 3 ships and I am currently sat in Gailileos on Navigator...If the itinerary is right I would sail this ship again in a heartbeat!

Good to hear another positive review of my little buddy, the Navigator. There had been a few less than positive reviews lately, but our last cruise in July was superb.

We just came off the Navigator a few days ago. The refurb on her has made the ship fresh again. The re-arrangement of the public areas has added more space - or it seems that way, and that is all that counts.

The room refurb is especially nice. The colours are not my favorite ( I hate modern grey white black), but this was done to good taste. Funny thing is they left the old brown tallboy in the closet. The only thing I missed is I usually haul around a lot of camera stuff and I missed the shelf above the desk to put lenses, etc on.

I did find the Compas Rose service to be a bit spotty this time around, but Seti Mari is vastly improved - so much so we had dinner there 3 nights. We only got one Prime 7 - mainly because I simply forgot to ask until the 4th day out. But, as you can read in my recently posted review - Prime 7 is not my favorite anyway. I did miss Signatures (what it used to be called) - especially since they have 3 rotating menus and on longer cruises you can hit all three. The lounges between 8 and about 10:30 were vacant - maybe one or two couples. On this cruise they only got populated about 11pm...but never crowded.

If a good itinerary came along again, I would sail the Navigator again, but I would not especially seek out cruises to get on the ship. That sounds contradictory, so I hope you know what I mean.

Service in Compass Rose was poor, 3 1/2 hours for 2 courses, vegetables arrived after main course finished, forgot my birthday. Vibrations in Stars Lounge so bad that drink from table behind fell on me and ruined new jacket, concierge staff disinterested. Could not enjoy Cellist due to vibrations. Sunbeds packed so tight that toes were 2 inches from head. Ceiling rattled in the Library so no peace and quiet.

Invisible Captain, who when seen avoids eye contact with Passengers and Crew

Apart from Lead Singer and the first production the shows were poor. Singers too ambitious for their abilities.

Plus points, suites are excellent as is the Sette Mare where staff are very attentive. Refurb is excellent, Tours were excellent except for Tour guide to Jerusalem who used inappropriate language and was proselytising.

Back to the Mariner next time, can't stand the vibrations on this ship

Hi Poss! Haven't been on here in ages, but thought I'd add another thumbs up for The Navigator. We love it! The crew all seem to love it too which makes it, in my opinion, the friendliest and warmest of all the ships. I can't wait to see it after the refurbishment. We were on board for 17 nights a little over a year ago and never thought about missing Signatures or the Observation lounge. Our last cruise we were lucky enough to get an upgrade offer to a Navigator Suite and absolutely LOVED it! Would love to cruise with you again - let us know what you decide!

Editing to add a comment about the vibration. Yes, there is vibration in the very aft part of the ship. It really only bothered us one night when we were seated next to the automatic door in Setti Mari. We laughed as we watched the wine vibrating in my glass. We were within 100 miles of Hurricane Linda in the Pacific last fall and the ship rode beautifully, with no small thanks to Captain Stan. We even got to experience the "Navigator Slam".

While we're talking Navigator here, I'm hoping someone who's been aboard recently can comment on this...

I watched a video that I thought was post refit, but I could be wrong. Anyway, it appeared there was what I'd call "Neon Blue" lighting in CR. Was this just for a "special effect" or is this some sort of permenent thing? I find that blue lighting terribly off putting and it makes food (as well as people) look terrible....That could be a deal breaker for me.

Thank you for the comments.

drcrandon: I'm with you on not liking the grey, black, white kind of thing. From the photos, the bathroom in the Explorer is a turn-off to us-- all that black marble is not to our taste at all. I'm so hoping that the re-fit of Voyager won't copy those severe color schemes (and the unfortunate removing of the chair in the sitting room, as I believe was done with Navigator during last dry-dock.)

Kathy: It's lovely to hear from you! I saw on the other website that you were going on one (or more?) cruises since we saw you on that fine Alaska cruise back in May. And I much wanted to wish you Bon Voyage-- but I don't post on that site. But I really and truly thought about you and wished you well. I hope that everything was (will be?) terrific; with your so-positive spirt, it surely will be.

I'd reallyreally wanted to do an Iceland/Norway cruise next summer, but the Explorer was so expensive, and I resent the fact that one needed to go up to an "E" category (same with Navigator, I know, but that's a different story) in order to have the comfort of the lowest category on Mariner and Voyager. Plus, I don't think that the Explorer would be our cup of tea, though I'd surely give it a try if the price were within our means. By the time I decided ok, we'll try Navigator, it was all booked up. Perhaps we'll be fortunate enough to do a similar itinerary in the summer of 2018.

Meanwhile, I've booked the 17-day Voyager Med cruise, beginning June 1. We know-- and like-- about 2/3rds of the ports, but there are quite a few that we've not visited, either by land or by sea. I'm much looking forward to the itinerary and crossing fingers that we and the world will still be around by then.

Btw, the only time I'd miss the Observation Lounge is if the weather were nasty. We don't use the lounges at all (Jack prefers happy hour in the cabin)-- except for "observation" when conditions aren't so great for being outdoors. On our first Alaska cruise, the weather was poor enough that we spent many hours in the OL, and very grateful we were to have it.

Cheers!

Mudhen: Your post wasn't there when I wrote my earlier response. Just wanted to say that we, too, find the blue lighting (the glitz in general) off-putting. It would not be a deal-breaker, i.e., we'd give it the old college try, but I'm sad that Regent decided to go in this direction. I assume we're in the minority, and it's nice that so many, many people are really excited.

My take on the blue lighting: It's LED accent lighting. There are plenty of downward facing white lights (also LED) in the chandeliers, so the lighting on the table is fine. I'd seen pictures of a magenta hue, too, and I didn't like that at all. I believe the lighting colors are variable, but it was the soft blue every night that I saw it. It's not as noticeable in person, IMO. I rather like it.

My take on the blue lighting: It's LED accent lighting. There are plenty of downward facing white lights (also LED) in the chandeliers, so the lighting on the table is fine. I'd seen pictures of a magenta hue, too, and I didn't like that at all. I believe the lighting colors are variable, but it was the soft blue every night that I saw it. It's not as noticeable in person, IMO. I rather like it.

Do you think the colored lighting reflects, or is visable on the tables? I would hate blue lights (or magenta for that matter!) on the table.

Mudhen,

I didn't notice any blue cast on the table or table ware at all. Like I said, the downward facing lights were white LEDs and I thought they provided a nice neutral illumination. But honestly, I didn't pay a lot of attention - which tells you that it's not as noticeable in person as it is in photos.

Hopefully someone else can chime in, but I didn't see it as being a problem at all. Then again, I hardly notice the vibration on Navigator, so what do I know? :p

Thank you, Bill!