Just back from Navigator 2/19 cruise

[liindajean]

Our cruise went very well, from our first contact *welcome to Navigator* (as we were getting out of the van) to our last..very easy disembarkation.

We did have some rough times on board..a storm on thurs nite really had us (and the ship) rocking and rolling.

everyone was trying, and i never heard "no" in response to a request.

everyone greeted us in the hallways, there were fresh flowers on tables, and orchids in our room and mid cruise there was a request from mark conroy wanting to know if there was anything they could do to make our cruise better.

as a long time lurker and sometime poster, i know the issues, and i can only say we had no issues. none.

[WesW]

Thanks for your Navigator feedback, Liindajean.

[yarlenna]

Thanks for the update. I hope you give us a full review. What you have already given us is wonderful.

[judebarsto]

So nice to hear that you had a great time!

[tallship]

I'm happy that you had a nice time. Good to hear the positives especially the part about being asked for mid-cruise feedback. They have done that in the past and it does help them to calibrate.

[liindajean]

yes, i'll try and get a review up this week.

you know, what was funny was i felt like they read cc..the ice cream was under an overhang along with an umbrella..remember that complaint? :)

[SuitCaseBears]

Thanks for posting this. We leave on the Navigator in less that 3 weeks, and I had kind of promised myself NOT to read any reviews. People do tend to post all of the little negatives and I was feeling like we would wouldn't like Navigator and would have a bad trip.

 

We've only been on 3 1/2 cruises (one was just 3 days) and this is only our first cruise where we're repeating on the same line. So I feel quite new still. And as excited as I am, I also was getting a bit down when I was reading complaints about Navigator.

 

I'm glad I read this. Thanks

[liindajean]

Our cruise went very well, from our first contact *welcome to Navigator* (as we were getting out of the van) to our last..very easy disembarkation.

We did have some rough times on board..a storm on thurs nite really had us (and the ship) rocking and rolling.

everyone was trying, and i never heard "no" in response to a request.

everyone greeted us in the hallways, there were fresh flowers on tables, and orchids in our room and mid cruise there was a request from mark conroy wanting to know if there was anything they could do to make our cruise better.

as a long time lurker and sometime poster, i know the issues, and i can only say we had no issues. none.

ok, we had one..when i called for tea and toast, it was delivered rapidly. but, there was no hot water in the carafe..we called, and our butler immediately delivered one with water, with a "sorry madam"...we just smiled!

[beaniele]

Thanks for posting this. We leave on the Navigator in less that 3 weeks, and I had kind of promised myself NOT to read any reviews. People do tend to post all of the little negatives and I was feeling like we would wouldn't like Navigator and would have a bad trip.

 

We've only been on 3 1/2 cruises (one was just 3 days) and this is only our first cruise where we're repeating on the same line. So I feel quite new still. And as excited as I am, I also was getting a bit down when I was reading complaints about Navigator.

 

I'm glad I read this. Thanks

 

I was feeling exactly the same way. We leave on our first cruise on the Navigator in May to Alaska and I was getting very worried. Glad to read the review and hope to get a little more detail if possible, if not glad that someone posted a positive review of the Navigator.

[hondorner]

I am absolutely certain they read CruiseCritic, at least those on Navigator. I said something nice about the destinations manager, and she stopped me the next day to thank me. We had dinner with general manager Franck Galzy and he assured me he reads this forum nearly every day. I mentioned food and beverage manager Joe Vagos on the forum but misspelled his name; he stopped by my table to pretend he was angry ;).

 

These folks take their guest's happiness very seriously.

[Gardendog]

you know, what was funny was i felt like they read cc..the ice cream was under an overhang along with an umbrella..remember that complaint? :)

 

They do read CC. I was told by someone on the ship that they read cc every day.

[Travelcat2]

I am absolutely certain they read CruiseCritic, at least those on Navigator. I said something nice about the destinations manager, and she stopped me the next day to thank me. We had dinner with general manager Franck Galzy and he assured me he reads this forum nearly every day. I mentioned food and beverage manager Joe Vagos on the forum but misspelled his name; he stopped by my table to pretend he was angry ;).

 

These folks take their guest's happiness very seriously.

 

We sailed (and dined) with Franck on the Mariner in 2008 and can't wait to see him on the Navigator this May. Such a lovely man! Very happy that he was promoted to general manager!

[OrpingtonT]

We sailed (and dined) with Franck on the Mariner in 2008 and can't wait to see him on the Navigator this May. Such a lovely man! Very happy that he was promoted to general manager!

 

Crawler....:):)

 

You're just expecting him to read this! ;)

[Hambagahle]

Llindajean - what great news! Please let us know when your review is posted and if by nay chance you have some photos of the "new" Navigator please post them too! I hope our april cruise on Mariner goes as well as yours did on the Navigator!!:)

[hondorner]

Crawler....:):)

 

You're just expecting him to read this! ;)

Nothing but the truth! Betsy thought he was cute! (Now, he's probably blushing...)

 

I just found him very capable. A couple of days ago, I had an opportunity to have a brief conversation with Nicola Volpe, who has been one of Oceania's general managers since the beginning, and who will be the new general manager of Marina. He asked me how we had liked our Regent cruise, and I mentioned how effective Mr. Galzy was. To my surprise, Mr. Volpe said, "I'm very happy to hear that -- I was the one who promoted him." Mr. Galzy started his career with Regent as a waiter aboard Navigator, on her inaugural voyage, 10 years ago!

[JG2Springer]

Thanks for the post. I am neew to this forum and was kinda getting worried about our upcoming honeymoon on the Navigator. Good to see that things are running smoothly onboard. Mollie and I look forward to celebrating with our shipmates.

[commodore2010]

With the recent spat of bad reviews and the couple comments about seeing HQ executives on board, this makes perfect sense. They read reviews and they read comment cards and letters.

The service appears to have been below expectations in Nov - Jan, they put plans in place to fix it and now they are executing the plans.

Its what every good business does and the Voyager and Navigator feedback has been good lately.

 

Thats good cause I'm getting on the Voyager next week:)

[Fogfog]

It would be wonderful IF they do read these forums...

I know on another line they have a coffee/danish mtg with CC forum participants on board..and the Cruise Director does a few nice tings for the group...

 

Glad to hear positive things about the Navigator--we are looking forward to our sailing..

[Travelcat2]

We, too, are happy to read some positive Navigator reviews. We will be on her first 2010 Alaska cruise in May. While I cannot guarantee that the current officers of the Navigator read CC, I know as a fact that there are high level Regent people that do. It can be difficult to interpret reviews. Those who have sailed on the Navigator previously may have a different opinion than someone who is taking their first Regent cruise on the Navigator. As someone who has sailed on the Navigator twice, we strongly feel that it is not the best Regent ship to do the Alaska season with many, many families on board. This is a small, intimate ship with considerably less public areas than the Voyager or Mariner. Time will tell. Hope that I am wrong.

[hoosier74]

TC,

Just wanted to make sure that you are aware that Regent isn't offering the special family rates on the Alaska cruises this summer. I noticed they weren't listed on the 'special offers' page of the web site and then looked at some of the trips. I didn't check each cruise but couldn't find one on which it was listed.

[Travelcat2]

TC,

Just wanted to make sure that you are aware that Regent isn't offering the special family rates on the Alaska cruises this summer. I noticed they weren't listed on the 'special offers' page of the web site and then looked at some of the trips. I didn't check each cruise but couldn't find one on which it was listed.

 

Thank you so much for this information.:) I really thought I saw the specials a while back, but, like you said, they are not showing now. I looked into the 2011 Alaska cruises and they do have the family specials. I wonder if they are removed for 2010 because almost all of the Alaska cruises are full for 2010. Guess we'll have to read reports from the Navigator this summer. I have a feeling that Regent won't be overloading the Navigator with an extra 100 or so guests like they did on the Mariner last season. We'll be on the first Alaska cruise this year. . . but, it's early in the season -- not many families traveling at the end of May on a 14 night cruise.

[RachelG]

The family specials were definitely there earlier, TC. You are not crazy! But they are gone now. Maybe the ships are full enough that they decided to take away this offer for 2010.

[Island Cruiser]

I am delighted to see Regent filling their ships and I am delighted they have put the breaks on kiddie cruises which were, IMO, definitely a departure from their established model. I LOVE to have families on board when I cruise. But not the numbers of kids generated by last year's kiddie cruise promotion. Can you imagine how happy the crew must be about this! Pat

[DaveFr]

The kids sail for less program was capacity controlled. Since the cruises are basically sold out in Alaska this year, my guess is that the capacity for the kids program has been reached and that is why the kids program no longer appears on the special offers page for Alaska cruises.

 

However, I believe there still will be kids programs on Navigator this summer. Obviously, a number of people booked the kids sail for less program for Alaska cruises prior to its removal from the website. If you look at the details of the kids program on the special offers page, you'll see that there are Club Mariner Youth Programs on Navigator from about mid June to mid August.

 

Dave

[barefootfantasy]

TravelCat,

Are you on the Panama Canal cruise May 6?

Barefootfantasy