jayneez

The Navigator is getting very bad reviews at the moment!! Is it really that bad. ? Getting worried

There are tons of posts on this topic in the Ports of Call forum. You might want to check over there.

There are tons of posts about all Cruise topics on this site but a lot of them are old posts. It's good to get up to date feedback :)

Advice please from anyone who has been to the Baltics recently. We are on the Navigator in a few weeks to the Baltics. We are from the UK and the pound is not good for exchanging at the moment. We will be mainly using CC but wandering whether to just take pounds for tips on board and to use ashore for beers etc or to get Euro or Dollars. ? We have had the email from Alla Tours informing us we cannot pay in Dollars for our Tour. We are hoping to use the Hop on Hop off buses in most ports. Can you pay on CC for tickets ?

Adventure OTS - Elvis Pinto February 18 until mid-April (need handover date?) then Casey Pelter mid-April for 4 months

 

Allure OTS - Bobby Brown March 12 until April 16, then Mitch Merucci April 16 through August. According to his tweet, Mitch will be the new regular CD of Allure

 

Anthem OTS - Dru Pavlov March 12 through mid-July. (It's been reported that Jimmy Rhodes is covering sometime in September through sometime in November??)

 

Brilliance OTS - Jerome Sueur November 10 until late March (need exact date. Who is covering?) per her FB post, Clo O'Connor will be onboard May through July (need dates)

 

Empress OTS - Carlos Torres October 21 until April (need handover date?) then Elvis Pinto begins mid-April for 2 months.

 

Enchantment OTS - Michelle Pimentinha Oliveira February 18 (for 2 months, or for 4 months?)

Explorer OTS - Rob McNally January 25 through March 19, then Graham Seymour returns March 19 through July 28 (then Graham is stepping back from cruise life except for an occasional fill-in)

 

Freedom OTS - Michele Scarpato February 18 for 2 months (exact date? then who?) (Casey will not be returning to Freedom after his break - he has been reassigned to Adventure)

 

Grandeur OTS -Paul Rutter returns February 25 for 2 months (need handover date) then Bobby Broughton returns late April/early May for 4 months.

 

Harmony OTS - Abe Hughes returns March 11 until mid-July. Abe returns mid-September until after the New Year. Who will be covering his break mid-July through mid-September?

 

Independence OTS - John Blair January 9 until March 20, then Drew Devine March 20 until May 27, then Joff Eaton returns May 27 until September 30

 

Jewel OTS - Simona Ferraiuolo February 19 until mid-April (then does Dennis Charles return mid-April for 4 months?

 

Legend OTS - Chris Brown Jan 15 until the ship is handed over to TUI

 

Liberty OTS - Jeff Arpin January 8 until mid-May, then John Blair is covering from mid-May until mid-July (per John's FB post) It was also reported that Drew Devine was doing the May-July coverage - where has he been reassigned?.

 

Majesty OTS - Marc Walker February 17 until mid-June (per his FB post)

 

Mariner OTS - Fang Lixin October 17 (until when?)

 

Navigator OTS - Cuddy Cudsworth November 23 until end of March (need exact date - he is confirmed onboard for the 3/17 sailing) then Rob McNally mid-march for 2 months.

 

Oasis OTS - Jimmy Rhodes March 12 until mid-July.

 

Ovation OTS - Mike Hunnerup March 5 until when (early-July?), then who?

 

Quantum OTS - Ricky Matthews end of January until mid-to-late May, then Chris Brown

 

Radiance OTS - Joff Eaton January 28 until March 28, then Steve Davis March 28 until late-July, then John Blair

 

Rhapsody OTS - Dan Whitney January 21 (until the TA on April 29? or through the TA on May 13?)

 

Serenade OTS - Carly Boileau March 17 for 2 months, then Topi Ylonen should be returning.

 

Vision OTS - Bill Brunkhorst March 13 (until when?) then Ken Jones. Marc Walker posted on FB that he will be on Vision out of Texas mid-November 2017 thru mid-January 2018)

 

Voyager OTS - Ken Jones January 31 until sometime in April (need date) then Jamie Fentiman

 

Graham Seymour is stepping back from cruise life after July 28, 2017 except for occasional fill-ins.

John Perry has left Royal and is now Operations Manager at Hyatt Hotels (per LinkedIn)

Ken Rush works at corporate in Miami as RCI's Director of Entertainment. He may occasionally fill-in as CD

Rich Edwards is temporarily out due to back issues

Amy Fickert-Southgate has taken a job shoreside as of June 8

Luke Aerowsmith is working at the corporate office in London

Gordon Whatman is retired, but will be filling-in from time-to-time if needed

Allan Brooks works for Celebrity in their corporate office.

Richard Spacey is a CD with Celebrity

Becky Thompson works for Celebrity Cruises in their corporate offices in Miami.

Dave Chapman is a CD with HAL

James Andrews is a real estate agent in Sydney

Mike Szwajkowski is a Canadian Mountie

Leo Papa is a Product Manager at Tauck Corp in Connecticut

Anna Bass is a make-up artist

João Pereira is studying Portuguese/English education and translation at Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas in Brazil

Kirk Detweiler is now CD with Silversea cruises.

Simeon Baker - married a dancer, had a baby girl and is a sales exec at a Porsche dealer in Saskatchewan

Matt Baker - Sim's brother - recently married and living in Wales. They bought a pub called the Tiddley

Kieron Buffrey - CD with Holland America

Tom Canosa - teaching 6th grade science in North Carolina

Peter Benfield and Johnny Osborne have emigrated to Thailand

Anthony Richards is living in Miami with his wife, and is working for Royal Media Partners as Manager Port Revenue Operations

Rico du Breil is now a CD with SilverSeas out of Italy

Paul Lancaster is no longer with RCI, and resides in England

Abel Jeney is now with The World - Luxury Residence at Sea

Parker Cristan is living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - staging/choreographing for local theater

Ashley Kerr - married and living in Vancouver BC, working as a marketing rep for a PR firm

Karen Maybury - has a consultant/pr/entertainment agency

Jannie Cloete - leading expeditions on small ships

Warren Allen (aka Warren Melhuish) lives in Ontario, Canada. He has retired from ship-life but still works on the stage

Thomas DeCell is no longer with RCI

Leigh Xuereb and his AM Frankie Portera are CD's for Carnival[/quote

 

Who is on Navigator in June 2017 ?

Does anyone know Who is on Navigator in June ?

You can't change Cruise in U.K. without losing deposit.

In quite a dilemma now as its getting close to payment date. The reviews are getting worse. Sewage smell across the whole ship !!! Had to move cabin on the Grandeur of the Seas a couple of years ago for same reason. We were wrenching every time we went in bathroom and the smell was all down one side of the R Bar. Been on 8 Cruises and only had this problem once . Has anyone else noticed this on the Victory.? Wandering whether to cut our loses and lose deposit ?

Sorry Port Canaveral, predictive text !!!!

What are your dates? Where do you read those bad reviews? Booked in October as well and most of the reviews and reports I read were good.

I think we're on the same Cruise as you. I have seen one of your previous posts. We were supposed to be giving Cruising a miss this year to do our other favourite holiday . Orlando . The. Saw these Mini Cruises from Port Canaverol so couldn't resist, lol 🚢🚢

Thank you for your replies, feel a bit reassured. The bad reviews are on this website. I did check reviews before booking but the worst ones are recent. we have been on cruises before with a mixture of reviews and always had a great time.

My husband and I are booked on the Victory in October whilst visiting Orlando from the UK. We normally Cruise RCI . Getting very concerned from the reviews on this Ship. Wandering whether to cut our losses and lose deposit as don't want to waste money on drinks etc as well. We are in our early 50s and still enjoy having a bit of fun and a dance but don't really want a booze cruise. Not being served. Bad food etc. We are not hard to please but do like a bit of Dacorum whilst on holiday

Thanks for the review! :)

 

I'm a little worried now... I hope our 4 nights cruise departing on Sunday October 9 (columbus day week-end) won't end up being too much of a "booze cruise"... :(

 

Was the cruise happening during a week-end?

Hi, my husband and I are going on this same Cruise too on the 9th Oct. We decided to book it whilst we are in Orlando just as a taster Cruise to try a different Cruiseline. We normally go with RCI. We are in our early 50s and enjoy the evening entertainment with a few cocktails. I,m a little worried too now as although we like to still have fun on our Cruise , we don,t want it to be a booze Cruise. I,m a little concerned as well about the amount of smoking venues on this ship. I,m not anti smoking but seems a few of the entertainment venues that we would like most, Disco etc, (not sure why they have entertainment in the Casino ? )we are not going to be able to go to. Wish I had read the reviews before booking.

Thanks for the review! :)

 

I'm a little worried now... I hope our 4 nights cruise departing on Sunday October 9 (columbus day week-end) won't end up being too much of a "booze cruise"... :(

 

Was the cruise happening during a week-end?

Hi, my husband and I are going on this same Cruise too on the 9th Oct. We decided to book it whilst we are in Orlando just as a taster Cruise to try a different Cruiseline. We normally go with RCI. We are in our early 50s and enjoy the evening entertainment with a few cocktails. I,m a little worried too now as although we like to still have fun on our Cruise , we don,t want it to be a booze Cruise. I,m a little concerned as well about the amount of smoking venues on this ship. I,m not anti smoking but seems a few of the entertainment venues that we would like most, Disco etc, (not sure why they have entertainment in the Casino ? )we are not going to be able to go to. Wish I had read the reviews before booking.

I was wandering the same thing for bike tour in Larnaca, says gentle but it,s 20 miles I,m nearly 51 and Hubby 53, he will be absolutely fine, I have recently bought a bike to get some practice, I walk miles with the dog, only got 4 weeks though, don,t want to hold everybody up.

Fabulous, thank you very much.

We have the ships trip booked for Sorrento as I was worried about missing the ship if there was a problem on the Amalfi drive but all the others we will do ourselves, I have printed off various things that people have put on and I think (hope) we will be fine.

Just doing the worst be now....I hate packing!!!!

Make sure you take the telephone number to the ship. When we went last year, a couple missed the last train from Florence. Luckily they had the number to call the ship to let them know. The ship told them to get a taxi and they would wait for them, which we did. This was RCI but I,m sure other Cruise lines would do the same. We also had the same thing happen in Cozamel a few years ago, they waited then as well.

For anyone interested my ports of call were:

ISTANBUL - did the ship's Easy Istanbul tour as I wanted to go to the Asian side. It was more of a photo stop before coming back to the historic centre for 2 hours on our own. I did the cistern & Blue Mosque - both well worth it. This trip worked perfectly for me, but I'd definitely have a DIY trip next time.

BOZCAADA - Ship's tour to Troy. The ruins aren't as spectacular as say Ephasus, but definitely worth ticking off the to do list. The museum wasn't worth the extra hours travel, although we did get a view of Gallipoli on the way there.

KUSADASI - been 3 times before, so this was a lazy day wandering the market then grabbing a sun bed.

ATHENS - thanks everyone who recommended the X80 bus. 4 euros return, walked through the Plaka (paid 2 euros to visit a couple of ruins, think it was 12 euros for the lot including the Acropolis ), then paid 6 euros for the Happy Train tour of the big sites, including a hop off at the Acropolis if you wanted. A great day for less than 20 euros.

SANTORINI - ship's tour to Oia village, including a wine tasting stop, followed by free time in Thira. Didn't risk DIY due to the Greek upheaval at the time and this was the new place/highlight of my week. Loved it, was not disappointed at all.

MARMARIS - full day in port for changeover day. Just walked along the beachfront, bazaar and visited the fort, before a lazy afternoon on the ship.

ASHDOD - Day 1 ship's Jerusalem & Bethlehem tour - it's an early start and long day (10 hours), but is just fabulous. I'm religious enough to appreciate seeing the Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane & places were Jesus was born & crucified, as well as the Western Wall & Dome of the Rock. The only downside after 2 days in Israel was that everywhere else felt like a bit of an anticlimax.

- Day 2 Ship's Masada & The Dead Sea tour. Another 11 hour day, but again well worth the long drive. Trip up the cable car to the Masada fort, our guide explained the story of the Zealots on the way. Then lunch at the Lot Hotel (like the ship's buffet) on the shore of the Dead Sea, before using their beach for our Dead Sea "float" - definitely an experience to tick off the list too.

LARNACA - ship's shuttle bus cost £5 return. 2 hours was enough to see the town, though there's a nice big beach if that's your thing. Was really just a rest day after Israel though for me.

ALANYA - nice seaside resort you walk into straight off the ship, with a big fortress that I wasn't tempted to climb. I did walk round the base though and visited the Caves (worth 5TL ~£1.25, but I'd have been disappointed if I'd paid for the ship's tour) and also the interesting small archaeological museum (again 5TL, worth it for the air con!). There are lots of shops here too.

RHODES TOWN - have been before and love to just walk off the ship and explore the narrow streets.

 

All my official tours were with the ship. I prepaid before I travelled which was a couple of pounds cheaper, but guaranteed the tours I wanted. Tickets were in my cabin on day 1 each week. All of the ones I went on were very good, but I don't mind being part of a larger crowd and our guides did a good job of avoiding crowds.

Was the entrance to Dead Sea extra or included in the Tour price ?

We've called at Gibralter 3 times now. It's a lovely little place. Our 1st time we did ship tour but there's really no need. There are mini buses outside the Port that will do you a Tour for half the price, they then drop you in the square to have a walk up the High street. It is very cheap . I always head for the Pandora shop, theyre half price to what they are here. Think everyone has the same idea as its always full . Last year we just got off the ship and walked to the centre. It's only 10 to 15 walk. Now Casablanca that's another story. Hated the place. It's a few years ago now we called there. The crew were not allowed off the ship but the took us round a smelly meat x fish market swarming with flies. I have never heard so many complaints when back on board. We visited Tangiers next day but just stayed on board. Dont let one place put you off though, just stay on board and enjoy the Ship :)

Made me realise why we love Cruising and hate Hotel holidays. All these programs do is make us as a Society look ignorant. Couldn't believe the young girl who thought the wine was nicer because it was 'Manmade x not made in a Supermarket' OMG !!!!!

I,ve just called Holiday Taxis who I booked through a link from Thomson website and they have rung the Taxi Company to confirm they can enter the Port and they drop you off at the Ship. Will definately let Thomsons know we are getting a Taxi. Wouldn,t dream of just going and not saying anything. :)

It's not just the transfer time, it's the waiting for everyone to get on the coach, with a Taxi it's just jump in and go, hopefully !!!

We arrive around the same time in September. Decided to book a taxi through Holiday Extra,s cost is £87 return. Hopefully will get there a lot quicker than the coach so we can get off and have a walk in the harbour. Depending on flight not being delayed of course !!!

Thankyou so much for your honest informative review. As yourself we have cruised with Thomson x RCI 4 times, and love them both, agree though that Thomson Staff x entertainment are far better than the big glitzy ships. We are doing the Holy Land Cruise on Spirit at the end of September. Only prebooked for Jerusalem x Dead Sea with Israelguidedtours, just hope we can get some others to make up a group. Will do our own thing for the other ports. Really exited now after reading your review.

Ah, thanks for that. bet he,s brilliant on Reception,

Could you advise us on what Currency to use for Israel? We have to pay for Tour in US Dollars but wandering what to use to buy a drink or lunch. Think we need 3 different currencies for this Cruise instead of just Euros or Dollars.

Does anyone know if Bricks is still working on Thomson Cruises ? He was our Waiter, then Head Waiter on 2 of our Cruises a few years ago on Celebration. He was fantastic at his job, last we heard he was on the Dream. Would love to see him again, see how he is doing.