johncb7

The minute you step back onboard from a trip ashore in a port of call you and everybody else onboard are potentially not longer an isolated 100% vaccinated community. That assumes that vaccination gives 100% immunity which I understand it does not. We are happy to sit back, wait to see what happens, then consider booking.

6 hours ago, D C said:

If you can't be mask-free in an isolated community that is 100% vaccinated, where and when do you expect to no longer need a mask?

It seems that a few potential travellers are more concerned with not being able to travel than their own personal well being and that of other guests. To me, at the moment, with covid spreading like wildfire in many parts of Europe with the associated close down of attractions and curfews who in their right mind would even consider travelling. Covid vaccinations in a Europe, UK aside, are very low with new strains regularly occurring. The risk of bringing covid onboard after a port if call is potentially high. Stay at home, keep safe and wait to see what happens. One thing is certain, cruising will never be the same again for a long time if ever. If you don’t want to protect yourself and others please stay at home.

MSC did start a few cruises in the Med. I think you will find that many were cut short and/ or refused port entry when COVID was found onboard despite stringent testing. Until there is a high level of vaccination in the countries to be visited and in any county used to transit we would not consider this risk. In addition the thought of sitting in close contact on an aircraft and wearing a mask for many hours would not be a pleasant experience. Then add masks on board possibly. Do not call this a holiday.

With the lack of foresight by the European Commission in ordering vaccines for all of the EC countries the vaccination programme hardly started. France has closed  its borders. I cannot see any European country accepting cruise ships this year.

Based on the daily rising death numbers in Europe and the US I would be very surprised if the whole European season is not cancelled. There has been advice for those over 70 not to cruise for the foreseeable future. Whilst cruising is one of our favourite type of holiday I will not risk getting covid-19 for the sake of pleasure. I think it will be sometime before most countries will feel able to allow cruise ships to dock. Hence we will not consider cruising for sometime yet whatever the discounts are to try to persuade passengers. Keep safe.

7 hours ago, AJCM said:

Isn’t it obvious???? Azamara (and undoubtedly others) have an administrative nightmare. They can only cancel up to a certain date to have any hope of dealing with the affected clients. Our cruises are scheduled for late June onwards and I’m not worried at all. I have every confidence that in good time they’ll get through the March, April, May backlog and cancel June/July cruises and, in turn, get to us. Similarly with travel,insurance, hotels and flights, I’m not even attempting to contact them yet - why bother when they can’t handle the volume?

I would not hold your breath for a June cruise in Europe. Suggestions are that the virus will not reach its peak for another 12 weeks or so. I would not expect to see any European cruise until the Autumn or possible next Spring!! As for the USA I am unwinding a land tour for June/July and all of the hotels to date have allowed a free cancellation for non-refundable bookings. Virgin Atlantic are indicating that they will not be flying to the USA until after May 31st.

The ex Swan Hellenic Minerva, not an R ship,  was previously known as Saga Pearl prior to the sale to Swan Hellenic. Since the demise of Swan Hellenic she spent some time laid up in Bremerhaven. At present she is at anchor off the coast of Saudi Arabia south of Thuwal.

We found the Navigator one of the worst ships we have sailed on in regards the handling of rough seas and swells. I hope that you have a suite low down and mid-ships well away from the stern vibration issues. We were on Deck 10 forward and felt every wave. 

Ask your travel agent to provide this information. You do not say which Tokyo airport you will be using. From Haneda there is a limousine bus service which takes around 45 minutes and costs around Yen720, from Narita there is a limousine bus which takes around 3 hours and costs around Yen4000. There are also train services if you are adventurous and don't mind some walking!!

I think you will find that the Mozart has a beam of 11m and a water draft of 1.7m.

Would love to know who this line is or do you wish to keep a secret so that prices do not go up??

There has been some excellent deals on Regent many of which are only available with a bit of digging. Viking also sometimes have had some good offers eg transatlantic

We have not sailed with Azamara now for several years as, in our opinion, there is better value elsewhere. Whilst we miss the great interaction of the officers and the friendly crew, other cruise lines offer better, more comfortable cabins with good sized showers plus as good if not better food, and more inclusive at a better price. We would like to return to Azamara in the future but will not unless they become more competitive.

Navigator is a ship that some passengers like and others are not keen. We are in the later category. We sailed from Lisbon to Cape Town a few years ago and the ship rocked and rolled, pitched and vibrated for most of the days we were on board. The Interior of the ship was smart, food good and staff great. We would try Regent again but nothing would get me back onboard the Navigator. The ports on our cruise were fascinating, but be prepared for abject poverty. The included short safari provided by a Regent was excellent and I would recommend a short stay in Cape Town but do research carefully hotel locations as many areas of the city are not too safe after sunset.

I am amazed that you felt NO vibration on Seven Seas Navigator. All of the previous contributors to this board, and other boards on this topic, have felt this feature to a more or less extent. Even if your suite was forward of midships I am amazed that you do not notice it in the restaurants. Are you sure you were not on Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas!!!!

Could not agree more. Vibration and unfortunate motion in relatively calm seas are, and as far as I understand, will continue to be be a feature for this ship which we would not consider sailing on again. The refit has brought the interior up to the standard of other Regent ships. I find it hard to understand why a Regent has not sold off this ship. Whenever a cruise linenpurchases a pre built hull and tries to convert it to a cruise ship it rarely works.

Unless you are purchasing for a reputable store, in which cases it is unlikely that you will get a bargain, be sure you know how to test for genuine Amber as we have seen many fake amber pieces on our travels around the Baltic, Russia and Scandinavia. If it looks too good to be true it probably is. If you just like the look of the item and don’t mine it not being genuine then it does not matter. Happy searching.

The length of the road trip from London to Southampton can vary considerably with heavy traffic. If given the option I would prefer to have the pre deparure night in Southampton which is a pleasant city to visit. If you are in central London and arranging the trip to Southampton yourself, there is an excellent rail service from London Waterloo to Southampton , the terminals in Southampton being a short taxi ride from the rail station. Only problem with the train is that there has been irregular strikes by Southern Rail over the last 18 months e.g today and Thursday this week!

Totally agree with that sentiment. Where in the world is anywhere that is totally safe now when will be when you visit? We have travelled in the knowledge that a shipping line would not visit a port if anything had a dramatic change in risk and been sensible in avoiding large crowds or demonstrations if they happen whilst you are there.

Re shore excursions you would need to consider long trousers if you intend to visit any churches or monasteries and may find that ladies need to cover their arms. A light shawl usually would be okay.

Presumably not a brand new ship. What is the history of this new vessel please.

I am glad for those who enjoy the Fred product that they did not buy the Navigator from Regent. Whilst Regent may have spent a lot of money on refurbishment, dig below the surface and you will find an old ship that creaks and groans and is not at all comfortable to sail on in moderate, let alone rough seas. In addition to that the vibration in cabins aft of mid ships is to be felt to be believed.

All this talk of vibration seems to refer to the aft cabins. Does the vibration also affect the restaurants? I don't want to be shaken to pieces while I'm having breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Yes it affects all decks of the ship aft of midship.

we like the meditterean in may and june and don.t want to be in colder climates, so we are going somewhere else

after 28 cruises and 7 pre booked , Annelies

I guess it is really difficult to try to please everybody all of the time! A good variety of cruises with new itineraries I would have thought would be welcomed by many of us who enjoy Azamara.

Thanks for the heads up. I just visited the reviews on CruiseCritic and it is clear that Africa was a bust but the other reviews in 2016 were a mixed bag of some average, some great. I didn't see a single comment about too much instability or sea sickness. If you have a link or two, please send it. Some of the comments have me bewildered. I know itineraries can go bad because of weather. But the comments seems to suggest that Regent has lost its way. Do you think that it has or is it just the Navigator and bad luck. I may have to reconsider one of our next cruises because it is on the Navigator but seas should be less of an issue. Miami - Miami Amazon River cruise. I can say that in November 2015, we had 4 days of rough water sailing from St. Helena to Rio but suffered no ill effects. We did look funny walking down the halls though and you had to hold the handrails everywhere you went.

 

We are used to rolling with the punches. Cruises in the 70s and 80s were far rougher on those not used to being at sea. Stability has improved significantly over the decades but I would not want to spend the whole time feeling queasy. We rarely get to choose the ship because we choose the itinerary. The itinerary is our primary interest.

 

Please keep the comments coming. We have never been on the Navigator and while we can roll with the punches, we don't want to pitch and roll too much.

We have been cruising for many years on a variety of ships. We were so looking forward to our first trip on the Regent and our first visit to West and South Africa. However, whilst the Navigator looks good after her refit once at sea, she became one of, if not the most uncomfortable ships we have sailed on. I acknowledge we had a PH well forward on Deck 10 but significant movement was felt in many areas of the ship even in moderate swells. We had the ship's carpenter to our suite several times to try to fix the various rattles but in the end he shrugged his shoulders saying she was an old ship and these noises are no different from other suites. Hardly 5 star luxury. It seems to me that when a cruise lines purchases a pre built hull and then converts it to a cruise ship it rarely works out well. We have had far worse sea conditions on other ships, 4 days of really high seas crossing the Tasman once, but never have we felt so uncomfortable as we did on the Navigator. Not just us but many other guests. Then of course is the well known vibration problems aft of mid ship. Navigator was not a pleasant introduction to a Regent for us but I hope it will not put us off trying Regent again, but definitely not on Navigator.