Review of Seven Seas Navigator 2-19-05

[greygypsy]

Review of Seven Seas Navigator Feb. 19, 2005 Caribbean Cruise

 

 

Susan and I are traditional Celebrity Cruisers. Ever since we got engaged many years ago on the Century on an European Cruise, we have always enjoyed the service, food and overall ambience of Celebrity. For this winter’s winter break we decided to try Radisson instead. We had read many positive reviews in travel magazines like Conde Nast and also on the various boards and felt that Radisson would be the next step up from Celebrity. From a cost standpoint, it was more expensive (even with the 2 for 1 and cabin credits we got) but within 20% of what we would expect to pay for a Sky Suite, including bar bill and tips.

 

Overall, we were very pleased with the cruise. It wasn’t a knockout performance, but it certainly met most of our expectations. I can highly recommend Radisson to other “high end” mainstream cruisers who typically get the suites on those ships.

 

The Navigator

 

The ship was built in 1999 and has some unique features. It doesn’t have the sleek lines and visual beauty of most Celebrity ships (certainly the Century class) and it also pales in comparison to its sister ships the Voyager and Mariner. Evidently it was a converted Russian Spy ship, and the front end, in particular, looks chopped on. But once on the ship, it is gorgeous, logically laid out and full of wonderful art. Since it only carries a maximum of 490 passengers, it is substantially smaller than other ships we have been on, at around 33k tons. We thought the size was great for ease of getting around and lack of lines for everything from buffets to tenders (unless you wanted to be first off).

 

The ship can go very fast and felt very solid. Even though we had some rough seas on a couple of days I felt the ship handled it as well as any M class Celebrity ship. There were a number of passengers wearing the patch, but if you are regular cruisers, the ship’s motions should cause you no problems.

 

The pool area on deck 10 had one good-sized lap pool and 2 Jacuzzis. There was no chair hogging to speak of and on nice days there was never a problem finding a seat in the sun or shade – whatever your preference. This was a definite advantage over Celebrity, where, especially on Caribbean cruises like this, finding pool space and some quiet is always a problem.

 

Our suite was 605, front starboard. We had read on the boards that forward suites were actually preferred on this ship because of an ongoing vibration in the rear. The suite was lovely with lots of blond wood, a large desk and seating area, a large walk in closet, a marble bath with separate shower and bath and plenty of room to enjoy a room service breakfast. The balcony was plenty large enough for 2 good-sized chairs and a small table. We could have eaten outside if we wanted to as long as the ship was docked or anchored. When in motion, there was always some sea spray, even in relatively calm seas. Nothing to keep you from enjoying it, but we didn’t want to eat out there. It’s possible there is less spray higher up, but that would be the only reason I could think of to pay the extra money for a cabin on higher decks, since virtually all the suites are the same.

 

The main restaurant, the Compass Rose, is on deck 5. It is a pretty, single story restaurant that seems to be designed to seat around 350 at one time (more on that later). The secondary restaurant, the Portofino, is on deck 10, aft of the pool area. It is the ship’s buffet for breakfast and lunch and it’s gourmet Italian restaurants at night.

 

Aft of the Compass Rose is the main theater, which could also be accessed through the back of the Stars Lounge on deck 6. It had great sight lines and was a great place to catch a show. Seating was noticeably more comfortable than in most Celebrity theaters. On deck six mid-ships is the main reception area and excursion/concierge desks. There you could also find the ship’s library/computer room, the Navigator Lounge (café in daytime and bistro style bar in the evenings), the Connoisseur Club that served as the rarely used Cigar Bar and morning meeting room for the Captain and his staff, and the aforementioned Stars Lounge that was the erstwhile piano bar and quasi disco late at night.

 

Aside from suites, deck 7 also had the shops (very small and limited compared to Celebrity – also, very expensive) and the photo office and art auction area.

 

Decks 8 and 9 are strictly suites. Deck 10, aside from the pool and restaurants has the usual pool bar and pool grill, and some of the Carita Salon is up front. Deck 11 has some suites, the rest of the Spa, a walking/jogging track and more deck chairs. Aft on deck 11 was our favorite lounge, Galileo. Deck 12 has a shuffleboard set and golf practice area.

 

Our overall impression of the ship was one of elegant beauty and well executed interior architecture and art. We also loved the fact we could get from the front to the rear in less than 5 minutes!

 

Regarding the oft-mentioned vibration in the rear. Yep, it’s there. The very powerful engines are in the rear, and in a ship of this size, the vibration is going to be felt. Still, it never really bothered us when having a cocktail or watching a show, but I could see where it would be a problem if your suite was in the back. In general, Celebrity’s ships have noticeably less vibration in the back, especially on the M class ships, but from mid-ships forward, overall noise and vibration on the Navigator was very little.

 

The Food

 

After reading all the raves about the food on Radisson, we were a little disappointed. As previously mentioned, the Compass Rose is the primary restaurant, opened for single seating from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. Although with most of the pre-dinner entertainment ending around 7:30 and the evening shows all starting at 9:45 there was a great rush for seating between 7:15 and 7:45. One night we had to wait in the Stars lounge for a table for 4 at 8:15 and 2 other nights the only table for 4 they could find for us was in the “smoking” section (yes, this might be the only ship still afloat with a smoking section in the main restaurant). I didn’t mind that much, but if we were sensitive that could have been a problem.

 

Also, service was spotty at best, which I chalk up to the organization of this single seating concept. There seemed little “ownership” by the wait staff and the Maitre’d of this restaurant has his work cut out for him in improving this area. The wine and drink staff, on the other hand, were superb. The wine steward on our first night, Alfonso, made it a point to locate us each night, wherever they sat us, and if it wasn’t his area, he would sneak in a pour anyway, and always tipped off the wine steward to our preferences.

 

The food was also not all that great. Seafood was generally well done, but poultry and meat dishes were mixed. Soups were a disappointment, especially in comparison to Celebrity’s, as were the appetizers. In fact, the appetizers served around the ship prior to dinner were better than those served at dinner. And desserts were generally tasteless. The anomaly to this was that the desserts and snacks served at teatime every day were delicious. We couldn’t figure this out.

 

The specialty restaurant, Portofino, was a Northern Italian Trattoria on the first 7 days and then converted to a fun “Taste of Italy” complete with checkered tablecloths, singing waiters and dancing in the aisles. Dinner both times was superb. It was almost like the ship had two different galleys. We can’t recommend Portofino enough. It was also the best buffet we have ever had, with many dishes prepared especially for you, a wait staff that seemed to care about you, and a Maitre’d who did everything she could to make your meal a great experience.

 

We had most breakfasts as room service, and also ordered room service a few times after returning to ship in the afternoon. Service was always prompt, the food was always hot and fresh, and you can order pretty much anything you want, whether on the menu or not.

 

And last but not least, the Pool Grill. These were, by far, the best hamburgers, chicken breast sandwiches and steak sandwiches we have ever had on a ship. Also, outdoor seating, often a difficult to find commodity on Celebrity, was never an issue on the Navigator.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the wine service with dinner every night. The choices were very good, and if they weren’t pouring something you liked, they were always willing to get another bottle of something that you wanted. Our glasses were never empty!

 

So, overall, in comparing Celebrity to Radisson, I give the food a tie, with Celebrity taking the lead if you eat most of your meals in the primary restaurant.

 

The Entertainment

 

This is one area where Radisson shines, and beats Celebrity hands down. The Spiral Duo who played in Galileo and on deck, were a wonderful pianist and percussionist/computer programmer who always played tuneful, danceable music. Kenneth, who knew virtually every song and was lots of fun, headed the piano bar. Roberto is a wonderful guitarist from Naples, who played afternoons and late evening at the Navigator and entertained the guests during dinner at Portofino. He had a lovely tenor voice and played a mean acoustic guitar. This cruise was called “Spotlight on Jazz” and the group they brought on board, led by pianist Bob Alberti, was a wonderful treat for those of us who love traditional jazz and standards. The other musicians were bassist Ben Tucker, who Alberti evidently plays with often since they are both now headquartered in the South, guitarist Joe Cohn and vocalist Yolanda Long, who had a beautiful alto/mezzo voice and from whom we should be hearing more from in the future. Tenor sax player Harry Allen was also on board for the first 4 nights before he had to leave for another engagement.

 

The jazz group headlined two evening shows, played by the pool twice, and played up in Galileo a couple of times. We could have heard more from them!!

 

Due to illnesses and injuries the 8 primary singers and dancers of the Paul Trehune group couldn’t put on their first show until the 7th night of the cruise. And then, there were only 7 – still, they were very energetic, in good voice and wonderful dancers. Their productions may not have been quite up to Vegas standards, but were a definite cut above what we have seen and heard on Celebrity over the years.

 

Another entertainment highlight were a couple of married Aussies who called themselves String Fever. They put on two enthusiastic shows and based on the audience for the second show, were the entertainment stars of the cruise.

 

I have to say that on most Celebrity cruises we have stopped going to the theater shows as they have been so amateurish, and the “dance” groups have usually been tuneless, and best drowned out by a couple of martinis, so it really was a pleasure to enjoy all the entertainment options that the Navigator offered.

 

The Ports

 

I’m not going to write a lot about the Ports since there has been plenty written about most of them on the boards over the years. Still, I think it is worth mentioning a few highlights and “low” lights, if you will.

 

Princess Cays was wonderfully uncrowded, had a beautiful beach and plenty of water sports if you were so inclined. Princess should be very proud of its private island.

 

We met some friends in San Juan, and were able to get them onto the ship for cocktails. I can’t ever see this happening on Celebrity, so kudos to Radisson for making this possible.

 

St. Thomas has become so overcrowded that it is not worth getting off the ship anymore. Even the shopping is so-so, especially compared to St. Martin. The day we were there, there were a total of 6 ships in port, including 4 with passenger lists of 2-3,000. I know tourist dollars are important to the economy, but without substantial improvements to the infrastructure, the island should strive to limit cruise passengers to around 7500 per day, and then we might try it again.

 

Dominica was wild and beautiful and rainy. I took some great photos and can highly recommend the 4 wheel drive excursion, as long as you don’t mind getting wet and getting some exercise.

 

St. Barts is very pretty and very expensive. It is also a waste of a port for Radisson to stay late at (last tender at 10:30 p.m.) since it doesn’t have the nightlife that, say, St. Martin has. We did find, amazingly, some good shopping in Gustavia at a brand new Mephisto shoe store that is on the first street up the hill away from the port area. Even with the bad exchange rate, we saved $50 a pair compared to prices here in the Chicago area.

 

St. Martin remains one of our favorite islands, for it’s combo of great shopping and wonderful food and beaches. The jewelers are definitely a cut above (excuse the pun) St. Thomas and there is a brand new Furla store that opened up for you handbag aficionados out there.

 

If you have a chance to go to Tortola in the BVI’s, by all means take the sail and snorkel excursion. Wonderful sail boat, good crew, great snorkeling and even a fun bar on Norman Island.

 

And we didn’t quite get Grand Turk. At least from where we anchored, it is an ugly spit of an island, and while I’m sure the snorkeling and diving is good, you aren’t going to do much during a 4 hour stay, and the tour we went on for snorkeling was the Ford Pinto when compared to the BMW 530 of the Tortola excursion (and yes, we let the excursion desk on board know our feelings – we aren’t shy!).

 

Overall, we had wonderful weather, with only one day that was rather cloudy and cool – our last sea day. We didn’t even mind the rain on Dominica as it contributed to the overall ambience.

 

The Passengers

 

We were very pleased with the overall friendliness of the passengers, although the median age was probably around 70 with an average age of around 60. Because it was a longer cruise on a smaller, more expensive ship, there were very few children and teenagers – maybe 10. I have to admit it was nice to feel and look young on my 50th birthday. We made some great friends, Rodney and Dorothy, from England (we always seem to make some new great friends from Britain) and they helped make the cruise even more wonderful. I’m sure that on shorter cruises, or perhaps cruises on other Radisson ships, that the demographics may be a bit younger, but in general, I’m guessing that this cruise was pretty typical for Radisson.

 

Any Celebrity cruisers out there who feel they won’t quite fit in on Radisson can rest assured that they will. Still, I wouldn’t recommend this cruise to families with young children or active teens as there are other cruise lines that have a lot more activities to offer.

 

The Crew

 

The Captain was Italian and very nice and was pretty visible around the ship. For those of you who are regular Radisson cruisers, he was Fausto Chegia. The Cruise Director was Sam Perry from Australia – lots of energy and quite fun. In general, the operational officers were mostly from Italy and Germany, while the hospitality staff and entertainment staff was mostly British or Commonwealth, and the wait and bar staff was mostly from the Philippines.

 

Our favorite cocktail waitress was Arleen, who we met up in Galileo on the first night, and had the galley make up hundreds of blue cheese olives for me and my friends for the rest of the cruise. I already mentioned Alfonso who was a great help to us with the wine service at dinner. I didn’t get the name of the Maitre’d in Portofino, but she was certainly more energetic and helpful than her male Italian counterpart in Compass Rose. Our stewardess, Charlotte, from London, was very sweet and did an excellent job – especially with cleaning the salt spray from our balcony every day.

 

Embarkation and Disembarkation

 

Except for the fact that Hertz no longer has a direct shuttle to the port from the airport, getting on the ship was a breeze. From the time our taxi dropped us off at 1 p.m. we were on the ship in 10 minutes. No waiting, no lines.

 

Disembarkation was also relatively painless. There didn’t seem to be any real rush to get off the ship – you could even have room service if you like on the last morning. The ship was cleared around 9 a.m. and our color was called around 9:30 and we had our bags and were waiting for our ride outside by 9:45.

 

While we’ve had pretty good luck with Celebrity, Radisson’s overall service in this area is far superior.

 

In summary, we had a great time, made some super friends, had a couple superb excursions and will probably go on Radisson again, although not in the immediate future. We did book the Paul Gauguin for December of this year as a way of getting the extra 5% discount, but we intend on moving that reservation to a cruise in either 2006 or 2007.

 

Jeff

[TxnAquarian]

Jeff, thanks for that terrific trip report! I have been on both the SS Navigator (Dec. '99, 18 days, Ft.Lauderdale-LA) and the SS Mariner (Oct. '04, 14 days, Tokyo-Hong Kong). You did a great job of giving an objective review and really captured my opinion of Radisson 100%. It was also interesting to hear a report from someone who is more familiar with a mainstream line like Celebrity. After sailing on several cruises with Crystal, Cunard, Seaborn, Windstar, and (gasp!) even Carnival, I have to say that while Radisson has a tendency to be very much hit-or-miss in regards to food and service levels, it comes out on top in several areas as well. Your praise of Portofino was right on the mark, as well as your criticism of the Compass Rose. I have had frustrating experiences at the Compass Rose on both Navigator and Mariner. And good job letting the tour desk know your dissatisfaction with the Grand Turk excursion. I am a manager at a hotel, and while I don't like complaints, I appreciate them as it is the only way we can make ourselves better. Thanks again for one of the best reports I have seen in awhile. Happy cruising!

 

 

 

Michael

[PaulaJK]

Thank you for your highly informative and balanced

review. I enjoyed reading it and know it will be very

helpful to those considering a similar voyage.

[KeepCruizen]

Thanks Jeff for a great review we will be first timers on Navigator April 27th looks like your itinerary to be the same as ours so I appreciate your thoughts on these ports one thing did you visit the casino or the spa would love some feed back if you did. You might want to try Crystal next it is our favorite so far have been on most major cruiselines including Celebrity.

Thanks!

Denise

[Dreps]

Jeff- Thanks for the thorough review. While we haven't been on the Navigator, we have been on a b2b on the PG and on the Mariner in Alaska. We thought the food was somewhat better on the PG than on the Mariner. Though the cabins are not as spacious on the PG, the cruise itself was outstanding. If you have any interest in cruising the Society Islands while the PG is still there, think seriously about that cruise.

 

Eugene

[canadagal]

Great review! I too loved the Navigator and her crew was fabulous on our Bermuda cruise last summer. Thanks for the balanced report.

Pat.

[Ngaire]

Well balanced and good review. Thanks for taking the time to post that.

[JoAnne B]

What a great review. You were fortunate to have the extended hours in St. Barts. When I was there on the Diamond they wouldn't let us tender after about 6 p.m. We stayed at anchor off shore and I had a lovely room service dinner on the balcony overlooking the delightful port. Of course, it was Sunday and everything was closed anyway, so there would have been little to do on shore.

[greygypsy]

Susan did use the spa once, and she liked it. The facilities looked very nice, and they never looked that busy. Aside from that, you'll have to ask others who are real spa people. We don't gamble, but the casino was generally pretty busy - they had 1 blackjack table, one Carib Poker table, 1 craps table and 1 roulette wheel. Carib poker seemed very popular. I didn't count but I think they had around 30 one armed bandits, and they were never all occupied. If you like a lot of sound and action with your play, this isn't the line for you. Jeff

[carolynh1976]

Hi there. I read your review, and wanted to agree with you about Arlene. My husband and I just returned from the March 18-25 cruise to Mexico and we had a wonderful time. We met Arlene the first night at dinner in the Compass Rose. She went out of her way the entire cruise to say hello, even if we were sitting on the other side of the restaurant, or in the Show Lounge. This was one area that Radisson really excelled, which definitely leads me to want to cruise with them again. Sam Perry was also very energetic, and we agree that the captain, Fausto Chegia, was very visible and personable. Excellent experience.

 

:)

[Jeanne S]

Having sailed on both Celebrity and Radisson to Bermuda last year nad found the food great on both - am dismayed to hear about your expereinces. I only sailed on the Navigator once and the chef - from Australia vistited our table twice with the Food and Beverage Directer visiting each night. Anything we wanted, they got us. Breakfast in Suite each monring was wonderful. I hope this is not the situation when we sail on Navigator in August.

[Marylis]

We just returned from the 3-25 sailing of the Navigator. When Arlene came to introduce herself to us the first night, I surprised her by telling her I had seen her picture on the internet. Eventually, I found this post and printed it out for her so she could see what I was talking about (and how much people love her.) She took such great care of us the entire cruise, always coming to say hello whenever she saw us and making sure I always had my glass of pineapple juice. We will miss her!

 

Lis

[gr8twocruz]

We will be on the Navigator for 26 nights roundtrip Los Angeles,sailing on November 8th. Your wonderful review made us even more excited. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

[greygypsy]

Our pics seem to have been lost in the shuffle. Includes one of the now more famous Arleen. Here is the link.

 

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/greygypsy1/album?.dir=/16bd&.src=ph&.tok=phDJRpCBQmZJmaYv

[joedi]

We, too, found the review helpful. Like Denise, we'll be first timers on Navigator (and Radisson) on the April 27 Caribbean cruise. Other tips on ship/independent excursions would be appreciated.

 

Joe and Dottie

[Marylis]

Hi Joe and Dottie -

 

We were on the Navigator in March, and posted a review (more of a travel log, really) and pictures at our website, www.marylisphotos.com, that you might find helpful, too.

 

Mary