Navigator review

[azgkrudi]

My review of the 10/28 Navigator cruise has been published here:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=91686

 

Try to ignore the +$S%* stuff - I typed the review in Microsoft Word and my dashes turned into smut when CC published it, for whatever reason. Oh well.

 

Also, CC did not accurately record my "star" ratings. I didn't record spa & fitness (we've never been there) but they said I gave it a 1. Embarkation was definitely not the 5* they said I recorded. It was more like a 3. Rates, as well, are more like a 3. I have no idea how that got messed up, but I wanted to set the record straight nonetheless.

 

I really struggled with whether I should post my thoughts (I will probably get flamed) but my husband and I agreed, this was NOT the Regent experience we had come to know and love. With Conroy's indication of rising fares (I had read this on a prior thread, and no one has denied it), I really don't think Regent is in the cards for us in the future. We've been burned several times in the past with cancellations, pod problems, and itinerary changes - all which never happened to us in our years sailing with Silversea (???).

[MICone]

I liked your review-I didn't see it as negative but as a fairly good take on your experience. I enjoy reading a variety of Regent guest's perspectives on service because, for me, that's why I pay a premium for Regent. For the most part, from what I have read, the service is generally up to par, although perhaps a tad more inconsistent than in other years. However, despite a rather dodgy embarkation experience and some rough seas, it sounds like you had a good vacation. Lucky you.:)

[ebobh]

I also posted a review (I am technologically bereft, so I leave the interested to find it in its spot in reviews) re the same cruise. I'd concur with many of the perspectives, and in areas where we differ, I just chalk it up to each of us having a slightly different experience.

 

I noted on another string the fun resulting from the heavy seas; they were a memorable experience, and gave me an appreciation for adventurers through the centuries who struck out in small wooden boats in similar conditions. I am thankful to live in a time when the ocean's conditions do not necessarily strike terror into the heart since the vessel is built to withstand them. This opinion was shared by many of us huddled on deck six watching waves tower over us through the windows...

 

La Veranda was generally pretty good for us, but we did expect the type of service we had received on the Mariner as described by the previous poster. It didn't bother me, though, since I enjoy picking things out on my own. Given the condition of the seas, the room was pretty empty once the sea got rough, so we didn't wait (nor did we expect to). In Compass Rose, especially on nights with early shows, it seemed as though everyone chose to eat at once. I did see folks who had to wait, and can imagine service was hectic for staff (since most didn't use La Veranda, that probably also added to the numbers served, etc.). Ray was gracious with us, but the duress of managing a seasick passenger complement most certainly could have worn on him.

 

As stated on my review, we enjoy Regent, and would sail again, but not on the Navigator in open seas, most likely...

 

Regards, Bob H

[Travelcat2]

Thank you for posting your detailed review. Although the Navigator is not my favorite ship, your reports regarding service were disturbing. Passengers are hearing "no" from the staff much too often (according to recent reviews).

 

We are aware that La Veranda is now buffet in the evening. Obviously the person who said that it has always been that way has not worked for Regent very long. It wasn't that long ago when it was an Italian restaurant with pre-dinner wine tasting and entertainment (Portofino's). It became buffet only when Prime 7 was built out of a section of La Veranda. There are rumors that there will be more changes in that area during drydock next year.

 

We have not been on Regent since January of this year (but have been in Silversea where women are still escorted to their table on the arm of the maitre d').

 

Who was the General Manager on board the Navigator? I only ask because the best experiences we have had on the Navigator was when Franck Galzy was G.M. He has high expectations for his staff but is also willing to assist them in any way that he can.

 

We have positive thoughts about our upcoming Voyager cruise. And, as always, will do a full review upon our return.

[WesW]

Hi Kristin,

 

Thanks for your candid review, sincerely appreciate you taking the time to post considering your conflicted feelings. Like Greg and you we also sail both Regent and Silversea--but we give a very slight nod to Regent.

 

We just disembarked from another delightful Silversea cruise but were reminded, on reflection, tho we sail both lines (depending on the itinerary & value) we slightly prefer Regent. We enjoy dining/service equally on both lines tho we do prefer evening mealsin the Veranda equivalent on Silversea--La Terraza. On Silversea the liberal smoking policy is still problematic for us non smokers. Second hand smoke wafts up/down each Pax deck between suites as the Chain smokers obviously are smoking (often) in theirsuite (ok to smoke in your suites on SS). We have rarely been bothered by second hand smoke (except when we are near the pool deck bar) within the Regent ship. We believe both SS and Regent crews are outstanding tho we give a very slight nod to theextra warmth/friendliness of the Regent Crew in our experiences (multiple cruises on both lines). Plus, we're spoiled with Regent's perks--disliked paying $250 for Internet on Silversea. On exotic itineraries (Asia, Middle east, South America) we prefer Regent's included tours vs ala carte pricing found on Silversea. Also, speaking of being escorted to your table in the main Restaurant--in addition to the Maitre'D/Assistant Maitre' D, Silversea also uses the entertainment (dancers/singers dressed up) to escort the passengers to their seats for dinner in their main restaurant. The Silversea Spirit Singers & Dancers are available to do this from 6:30-9pm, thus does not interfere with their performance that night (if there is a show) One night as we walked into the Compass Rose equivalent-- Ida was whisked away--escorted by a nice young man, I was pleasantly surprised that a beautiful young singer grabbed my arm and then escorted me to our table--nice touch.

 

For us, you really can't go wrong when sailing on either Silversea or Regent.

[cruiseluv]

Azgkrudi,

 

Thank you so much for your review. What a shame that the Navigator has declined in this manner. I never had issues with ventilation in my cabin but yours is not the first report I've read of problems in this area. The smoke issue is totally unacceptable. We found a similar problem (to a lesser extent) on Voyager this summer (it was mostly in the Computer room and the hallways outside of it, and of course near the Casino).

I hope you're writing a letter/e-mail to Mark Conroy documenting all these issues. There are too many to ignore.

[debijaynes]

Very good review to read before our Friday departure. Since you mentioned age-- how old are you--or rather-- what age group. I'm late fifties and my husband is in his early 6o's-- we're with my mother on this trip.

Was it really THAT rough?

[RachelG]

I don't view your review as negative at all. Just how things are, and you gave credit where it is due.

As far as age, I think you all are about the same age as me, which isn't terribly young. Don't know why Ray reacted that way. I know a lot of people love him, but he is not my favorite CD though I don't have any particular complaints. I have just found the excursions go off a lot more quickly and efficiently when Jamie and Dana, or Dionne or Lorraine for that matter, are running the show. They seem more actively envolved in getting the excursions going.

The waitress was just plain wrong about La Veranda always having been totally buffet.

[ebobh]

We're in our mid-50's, I'm a pilot and also ride motorcycles, so motion does not bother me personally. I would say that yes, it was that rough.

 

Enroute to Bermuda, we spent several hours in a rolling/elevation cycle with waves coming from port with an average height of 20-plus feet (up, slide right, down, slide left, repeat as needed...). Enroute to Nassau, the same waves, a few larger (up to 30 feet by the Captain's assessment), were behind us, so the sensation was surfing, with the boat being lifted from behind, and then sliding forward. That is when the push right-tip left incident occurred that resulted in people, food, pots, pans and chairs all sliding by in La Veranda.

 

This is not intended to scare folks; just wanting to be specific and descriptive, since everyone who sails any length of time will get these waves from time to time. The storm system north of us creating the waves was highly unusual (same system that dumped the snow on the northeast the week prior) and energy of the wind and waves was intensified by an unusual late-season storm in the Caribbean moving towards us. The boat was not in duress, though (although many of the people were green in the gills and were in worse condition than the ship) so those reading about it should not draw a direct conclusion they will get the same experience IMHO.

 

Bob H

[Threechicks]

I don't view your review as negative at all. Just how things are, and you gave credit where it is due.

As far as age, I think you all are about the same age as me, which isn't terribly young. Don't know why Ray reacted that way. I know a lot of people love him, but he is not my favorite CD though I don't have any particular complaints. I have just found the excursions go off a lot more quickly and efficiently when Jamie and Dana, or Dionne or Lorraine for that matter, are running the show. They seem more actively envolved in getting the excursions going.

The waitress was just plain wrong about La Veranda always having been totally buffet.

I spent a month with Ray on the Mariner and found him to be my best friend one day and a total stranger the next. He always seemed to be hyper and rushing around. I took him as he was each day and didn't worry about it. I was just thankful I didn't have to live with him once I left the ship. I much preferred other CDs, like Jamie and Dana, who weren't always rushing but still got the job done.

[Travelcat2]

The Navigator (IMO) is the least stable of the three ships. If you are sailing on the Navigator, suggest a low deck and mid-ships.

[count florida]

We were on the Seven Seas Navigator cruise from Montreal which disembarked in Ft. Lauderdale Oct 28th, the one immediately prior to the Bermuda cruise discussed here, and with the exception of our experiences in LaVeranda, agree with everything written. The ship, in fact we think all Regent ships today, are short-staffed, particularly in the dining rooms and kitchens. Also, we believe the menu choices have been cut back yet again, and the quality of the food itself has noticeably declined. I don’t particularly like lamb, but it seemed to be the primary meat of choice throughout our cruise. Also, two selections from Prime 7 were available in Compass Rose each evening, a truly great idea. The problem was about half the time or more they seemed to be the lamb chop and scallops, neither of which appeals to me, although my wife enjoyed each a couple of times.

 

Because of the really crummy service in Compass Rose (crummy = slow, intermittently inaccurate, detached and without grace or class) and the limited choice of soups, appetizers, salads and entries, we often chose to have dinner in LaVeranda. We found maître d' Mara most efficient and accommodating, and never had a problem finding a table available although the ship was entirely full – not one empty cabin! This may explain part of the slow service problem, although that situation persisted at breakfast and lunch, when Compass Rose was near empty and appeared to be well staffed. One morning it took well over 30 minutes to get an order of Eggs Benedict. When they finally arrived, the eggs were overdone – yokes hard as rocks – and the hollandaise cold. I caught the waiter and complained, and he took them away to be rather quickly replaced, but when the maître d' offered the hollandaise sauce, it was obviously curdled! I rejected it again, and was thinking about going directly to the concierge or GM to complain forcefully when the same maître d' brought properly prepared Eggs Benedict and offered equally well prepared hollandaise sauce to go with them – all in about two minutes!

 

We did book another cruise on Navigator, in May 2013, but that may end up being an onboard-booking place-holder for a cruise on one of the other Regent ships with better facilities. Also, both of us dislike the new memory-foam beds, and had problems sleeping on (really, in) it. I must add that the very same morning I brought that issue to the concierge’s attention the mattress was flipped, and for two or three days seemed better, but then it developed the same kind of “hole” or depression it had originally, not quite as bad but not good either. I am a big man, and this may be the cause of my unrest, but it doesn’t explain my wife’s difficulty sleeping on the Navigator. We tried a memory-foam mattress at home last year when we needed a new one, but after a 10 or 15 minute ‘nap’ at the store knew it wouldn’t do for us; either one of us, by the way. Anyone else have problems with the new beds? Is there any option (do they keep any of the old mattresses around for those of us who dislike foam)?

 

Thanks for a well-written, comprehensive and fair review of the ship.

[whatnot]

Your post gives me great concern! We are booked on Navigator next June. I do not like Memory Foam Mattresses either. As a matter of fact I have back problems and the firmer the mattress the better. I too would love to know if there is any other option!

[south seas sue]

Thank you for reminding me Count Florida. When I wrote my review of the Navigator about our cruise NYC - Montreal ending Oct. 13, I forgot to mention the foam bed. Terrible! We had an awful time sleeping on it. Could NOT get comfortable, and it did make depressions the mattress could not recover from - just in the 10 days we were on it.

 

By contrast, the bed at the Intercontinental Times Square, where we stayed the night before embarking on the cruise, was wonderfl. Just a terrific sleep.

[DaveFr]

My wife and I were on the 10/13 and 10/28 Navigator cruises and we also didn't care for the memory-foam mattress Regent uses. We had slept on similar mattresses once or twice before and found them uncomfortable. After the first night of the cruise, I asked our stewardess for an egg crate mattress pad which she put on the bed. With the mattress pad, we found the bed to be comfortable and slept well for the remainder of the cruise.

[journeyfan]

We also find the memory-foam mattresses extremely uncomfortable and always ask for an egg crate mattress pad. It's a pity as their previous mattresses were so comfortable. I hope Regent replaces them with pillow-top mattresses when they refurbish the Navigator next Spring.

[markwoll]

Since the Navigator will be in drydock prior to the May 30,2012 cruise they may switch out bedding.

One can only hope. We prefer a latex foam over the memory foam anyday.

 

mark

[azgkrudi]

Thank you all for your kind comments about my review. I don't like to sugar-coat things but rather spell out the truth, but I was so afraid that the review was too negative and would scare people off. Someone asked our age - we are both 41. And I agree about the beds - I had forgotten to mention them - we also had trouble sleeping and really miss the mattresses Regent used to have. In addition to being uncomfortable to lie on, they also tended to hold in heat. And with our cabin already being so warm, it made for some uncomfortable nights. I always loved to turn the A/C down a notch and then snuggle in their wonderful comforters, but this time I had to throw them off of myself because I was just too hot.

 

I am really glad others here have had good experiences at LaVeranda. The food looked and smelled incredible (I still dream about those cannellonis I saw while waiting!). We probably should have stuck it out, but we just felt so humiliated (my husband more so). Additionally, and I forgot to mention this before, this was a particularly rocky evening, and LaVeranda's position on the ship has more motion than Compass Rose's.

 

I made sure to fill out our comment cards both mid- and post-cruise, so hopefully a lot of my concerns have been addressed by now.

[tombo]

We also were on the Montreal to Fort Lauderdale leg. This was our first time on Navigator, and for most of the trip the weather was not real good and it was chilly and rainy out. We noticed that when the ship is full and nobody wants to spend time out on the pool deck, the interior facilities are quite overtaxed, including the Navigator Lounge, the computer area, La Veranda and Compass Rose. With everyone returning from morning excursions almost at the same time, the interior lunch facilities were swamped, yet they still wanted to close the dining rooms on time. You could still order from the pool grill, even though no one wanted to sit out there, so the waiters were kept on at La Veranda, even though the buffet was closed, and there was a long wait to get a burger or a hot dog once you could get an inside table.

[RachelG]

OOH, Kristin, you are young!

[Anna B.]

Yes she is! Young and pretty and so much fun!

 

Kristin, thanks for the review. From what I know of the Navigator, your review is very balanced and very accurate. I am so glad to know about the egg crate mattress pads. We cannot stand the memory foam beds either!

[whatnot]

Thanks for the tip about the egg crate mattress pad. I will certainly remember that and request it if Navigator doesn't have changes made in dry dock!

[azgkrudi]

Yes she is! Young and pretty and so much fun!

 

Kristin, thanks for the review. From what I know of the Navigator, your review is very balanced and very accurate. I am so glad to know about the egg crate mattress pads. We cannot stand the memory foam beds either!

 

Aw, Kathy, we miss you and Al! And I should say that Dave (DaveFr) mentioned early on in our cruise that he and Joan did the egg crate thing and it probably could have helped us (me) a lot. (It was so great to meet you two, Dave & Joan!!) Anyway, Greg was happy with the way the mattress was, so I didn't argue. I wonder if they have "half" egg crate mattress pads?

[journeyfan]

Yes, they do.

[SuzK]

La Veranda has been both self serve and served at your table. I know the first time we were on the Navigator in 2002, it was self serve with a an excellent Italian dinner most of the time but one night was Asian. I don't think the food has been quite as good as it was that first time but has improved.

I was suprised when we were on the Mariner this year and the meal was served to us and then again when we were on this time and it was serve yourself again.

 

And ...sigh... all this talk of food, I've almost taken off the 6lbs I gained on this trip. I was going to be good but failed. It's been hungry time since I got back.