Just back from Navigator

[beolink]

Hi Elana,

 

as it was not possible to make an online reservation, because the Civitavecchia Hertz office is normally closed on Sundays, I called the toll-free number of Hertz in Germany. They emailed to their Civitavecchia office and called back the next day. First they told me a much higher rate but then I asked for the 3/6 hour rent.

As there was not much difference, I opted for the 6 hour rate which was about 35 plus 25 delivery fee (don't know if it was for the Sunday extra or for the oneway) plus several taxes totalling around 75 Euros. I got a confirmation mail without any credit card deposit.

 

Actually there were 2 clerks on duty on Sunday morning, and there were other cruisers picking up cars. The Hertz office in Civitavecchia is a 3 minute walk from the port entrance, half way to the train station. We got luggage tags for disembarkation at 7.45 and 8.30 and used those for 8.30. We finally got off at about 9 because we had a nice and long chat with tablemates at breakfast in the MDR...

 

Yes, Italian (better: Southern European) drivers are a bit more aggressive, blowing the horn all the time, squeezing in between with scooters and cars and seem not worry about damage to their vehicles. So maybe you have to pay a little more attention than at home. The toll-road (A12) is not crowded at all, but the scenic road (SS1) along the seashore is definitely crowded on a nice Sunday, because all the local families go to the beaches. So if you want it easy and fast, take the motorway.

 

Hertz at the airport is located in a parking garage like all the other rental companies and marked by the usual signs 'rental car return'.

[pennys mum]

just realised that turkey is 1 hour ahead of greece, did you have to adjust clocks or did ship not change times?

[Sinppu]

just realised that turkey is 1 hour ahead of greece, did you have to adjust clocks or did ship not change times?

 

Yes, the clocks had to be adjusted twice. Once ahead and then back again.

[pennys mum]

Yes, the clocks had to be adjusted twice. Once ahead and then back again.

 

Thanks for that

[dh9nar]

Hello Parpot,

 

i know, I am the 100th to ask but it would be nice to see the compasses before our cruise in August.

dh9nar@web.de

 

Thank you very much,

Michael

[9ersRule]

Enjoyed the Navigator in May. We had GS 1268 and 1274. Noise was not an issue.

 

Ricardo was great in the CL as were his team.

 

Early dining was not as crowded but tables were generally full.

 

All ports were fun. Chania was a great surprise; wished we would have had more time there. Took the bus and then walked around town. Excellent lunch and nice shops, etc. Stumbled into the Olympic flame as they brought it into Chania on its way to London. Big ceremony with many school children and locals celebrating the tradition.

[9ersRule]

Sooooo helpful - thanks.

 

If the fare is 45 Euro flat into Rome from the airport, how much should it be flat fare from the airport to the ship in port?

 

Is it best to pre-book?

 

If not pre-booking does it matter where you flag the car from exiting the airport?

 

 

We stayed at the Hotel Borgo del Mare in Civitavecchia pre cruise and added their shuttle price of 110 euros for three of us from FCO to the hotel. Shuttle to pier in the morning was complimentary. I believe the hotel can arrange shuttle transfers even if one is not staying there as it is a separate business run by the hotel owners son. All arrangements made via email. All of our flights were severly delayed. We updated arrival time via email. Hotel staff was extremely responsive and flexible; once in FCO, everything was smooth.

[cruising_canuk]

Hi Elana,

 

as it was not possible to make an online reservation, because the Civitavecchia Hertz office is normally closed on Sundays, I called the toll-free number of Hertz in Germany. They emailed to their Civitavecchia office and called back the next day. First they told me a much higher rate but then I asked for the 3/6 hour rent.

As there was not much difference, I opted for the 6 hour rate which was about 35 plus 25 delivery fee (don't know if it was for the Sunday extra or for the oneway) plus several taxes totalling around 75 Euros. I got a confirmation mail without any credit card deposit.

 

Actually there were 2 clerks on duty on Sunday morning, and there were other cruisers picking up cars. The Hertz office in Civitavecchia is a 3 minute walk from the port entrance, half way to the train station. We got luggage tags for disembarkation at 7.45 and 8.30 and used those for 8.30. We finally got off at about 9 because we had a nice and long chat with tablemates at breakfast in the MDR...

 

Yes, Italian (better: Southern European) drivers are a bit more aggressive, blowing the horn all the time, squeezing in between with scooters and cars and seem not worry about damage to their vehicles. So maybe you have to pay a little more attention than at home. The toll-road (A12) is not crowded at all, but the scenic road (SS1) along the seashore is definitely crowded on a nice Sunday, because all the local families go to the beaches. So if you want it easy and fast, take the motorway.

 

Hertz at the airport is located in a parking garage like all the other rental companies and marked by the usual signs 'rental car return'.

I was interested in a car rental but thought the dealers were closed in port on Sunday...

[cruising_canuk]

Anyone ever hear of or try Gladiator Cabs?

 

Great rates...

[cruising_canuk]

Friends,

 

With soaring temperatures in Europe, I am hesitant to pack suits and formal wear.

 

How were cruisers dressed on Navigator?

 

Thanks

[Nanna5]

We will be on the Navigator in March. Does the Navigator have a Vintage Wine Bar? If it does how is the wine selection?

[kylenne]

I did this itinerary last year and it was wonderful, loved the ship as well. Definitely planning to do it again in the future. Simona wasn't technically the CD for that trip, just an "unofficial" one for the Italian guests, but she was a total sweetheart.

 

For the people inquiring about airport transfers, I arranged ours through Rome Cabs and they were very good. Prices were reasonable and we liked our driver so much that we managed to get him again after the trip (we stayed in Rome for a week after the cruise and he took us to and from our cyber rental as well).

 

We did our own thing for the most part at the ports, since I did a lot of research beforehand. For Ephesus, I definitely recommend doing a guided tour though just because the ruins are huge and amazing. We booked a private tour with Ephesus Shuttle and they were very, very good. For a fraction of the price we would have paid for the ship tour, we had our own comfy private coach. They were also very prompt in responding to my email--due to some procrastinating on the part of my sister, I wasn't actually able to book it until literally the day we were supposed to fly to Rome, but they were very accommodating. If you do go through them be sure to add the $10 extra for the Terrace Houses, they are a must see.

 

As far as dress goes...people seemed to take formal night seriously, lol. People were relatively well dressed in general though (well, except for the lady who tried to waltz into the Windjammer in a bikini top. that didn't end well for her.).

[wontbelong]

Hello Parpot

We would also like a copy of the compass if possible. First time cruisers and looking for anything to help with the feeling of being totally overwhelmed.:D

 

jresurv@aol.com

[Sinppu]

Friends,

 

With soaring temperatures in Europe, I am hesitant to pack suits and formal wear.

 

How were cruisers dressed on Navigator?

 

Thanks

 

I also thought people dressed really nicely. The majority of cruisers are Italian, so what else can you expect :D

 

Formal wear was a lot more cocktail dresses than ball gowns.

 

 

Does the Navigator have a Vintage Wine Bar? If it does how is the wine selection?

 

It does, it's on the Promenade. I found the wine selection more than adequate but then again I didn't visit often and am not in any way a wine connoisseur.

[Sjscotter]

Please could ou send me a copy of the cruise compass, we are sailing 23rd September :)

mackay555@aol.com

[lannie62]

thx Beolink - looking into this all right now - this is a great help

[9ersRule]

Friends,

 

With soaring temperatures in Europe, I am hesitant to pack suits and formal wear.

 

How were cruisers dressed on Navigator?

 

Thanks

 

 

Dockers and Nike/Calloway golf shirts or Tommy Bahama shirts. We enjoyed chops on formal nights. Many people dressed down and it was May. Far more enjoyable. We had early dining.

 

Our summer cruise in 2009 on Brilliance was much the same.

[rblucy]

I just returned from the July 8-15 sailing with my husband, parents, brother and his gf and we all had a wonderful time. Captain Claus was still there and Simona was the cruise director. We used Rome in Limo for transfers from the airport to the port and then on the last day to pick us up, give a full day tour and take us to the hotel and then to transfer from the hotel to the airport. We were in room 7322 and it was very convenient. We had early dining and were happy with it (my dad likes having the same waiter every night, personally I don't care). I agree there were a lot of Europeans on board and they ate later and stayed up later so the early dining was a little quieter but it was good for us. I couldn't imagine eating at 9pm!

As for the ports, we did a private tour through Sicily With Mario where we saw Mt. Etna, Taoromina, and Castlemola. In Athens we did a private tour through Private Greece Tours. We did a RC tour to Ephesus and the Terrace Houses in Turkey. We liked the freedom of the private tours better and with 6 of us the price was pretty good. In Crete we took the 3 Euro bus to Chania and then another bus to the beach.

As for the tips, we paid our tips to our cc. I had done that previously as well. The only person we gave extra to was our main waiter and my dad just handed him the extra on the last night.

How people were dressed-I would say there was a very wide variety. There were nights that I saw people come to dinner in jean shorts and a baseball hat and other people were pretty dressed up. On formal nights I saw a range from tuxedos to sundresses.

The clocks were changed twice during the cruise. They made sure to tell you multiple times on the Compass about the time change.

We had no problems bringing our hair straighteners. Between the 3 girls, we had 2 straighteners and 3 hair dryers, all left out on counters with no problems.

Shows included the Beatles cover band, RC's Now and Forever, a magician/mime (well I guess mime bc he didn't talk the entire time) who I thought was awful, the ice skating show, Jazz/Big Band, and Ballroom Dancing. We only went to Now and Forever, the magician, and the ice show. My parents went to the Beatles and liked it. Brother and gf went to Ballroom Dancing and said it was pretty good.

Hope this helps :)

[parpot]

Hi wontbelong and sjscotter, Compasses sent to you - enjoy your cruise.

[wontbelong]

Hi wontbelong and sjscotter, Compasses sent to you - enjoy your cruise.

 

Thanks very much

[sebasdevil]

Please could you send me a copy of the cruise compass?, we are sailing 5rd August :)

 

fsebastian@mpib.es

[cruising_canuk]

I just returned from the July 8-15 sailing with my husband, parents, brother and his gf and we all had a wonderful time. Captain Claus was still there and Simona was the cruise director. We used Rome in Limo for transfers from the airport to the port and then on the last day to pick us up, give a full day tour and take us to the hotel and then to transfer from the hotel to the airport. We were in room 7322 and it was very convenient. We had early dining and were happy with it (my dad likes having the same waiter every night, personally I don't care). I agree there were a lot of Europeans on board and they ate later and stayed up later so the early dining was a little quieter but it was good for us. I couldn't imagine eating at 9pm!

As for the ports, we did a private tour through Sicily With Mario where we saw Mt. Etna, Taoromina, and Castlemola. In Athens we did a private tour through Private Greece Tours. We did a RC tour to Ephesus and the Terrace Houses in Turkey. We liked the freedom of the private tours better and with 6 of us the price was pretty good. In Crete we took the 3 Euro bus to Chania and then another bus to the beach.

As for the tips, we paid our tips to our cc. I had done that previously as well. The only person we gave extra to was our main waiter and my dad just handed him the extra on the last night.

How people were dressed-I would say there was a very wide variety. There were nights that I saw people come to dinner in jean shorts and a baseball hat and other people were pretty dressed up. On formal nights I saw a range from tuxedos to sundresses.

The clocks were changed twice during the cruise. They made sure to tell you multiple times on the Compass about the time change.

We had no problems bringing our hair straighteners. Between the 3 girls, we had 2 straighteners and 3 hair dryers, all left out on counters with no problems.

Shows included the Beatles cover band, RC's Now and Forever, a magician/mime (well I guess mime bc he didn't talk the entire time) who I thought was awful, the ice skating show, Jazz/Big Band, and Ballroom Dancing. We only went to Now and Forever, the magician, and the ice show. My parents went to the Beatles and liked it. Brother and gf went to Ballroom Dancing and said it was pretty good.

Hope this helps :)

Thanks and sounds amazing.

 

For Athens do you recommend a full day or half day tour given the intense heat. What's the downside of the half day? Do we need a guide or is the driver sufficient?

 

For Sicily with Mario - how many people do we expect to join us in their Mercedes van?

 

Do you recommend a private tour for Ephesus?

 

Thanks and regards!

[lisiamc]

Thanks for all the useful info! We're taking this cruise on October 14th - can't wait!

[Nanna5]

We have booked a cruise on the Navigator for March 2013. We were thinking about switching to the Mariner because it has already been refurbished. All of your comments have been encouraging to stay on the Navigator. Has anyone tried out the spa?

[rblucy]

Thanks and sounds amazing.

 

For Athens do you recommend a full day or half day tour given the intense heat. What's the downside of the half day? Do we need a guide or is the driver sufficient?

 

For Sicily with Mario - how many people do we expect to join us in their Mercedes van?

 

Do you recommend a private tour for Ephesus?

 

Thanks and regards!

 

We opted for the half day in Athens. The main difference was the addition of museums for the afternoon and we don't generally enjoy museums that much anyway. For us it was perfect doing the half day. It was also about 99 degrees so we were all happy to wrap things up. We felt the driver was very informative. The main difference is that the driver tells you what you're going to see and then you walk through on your own. He was able to share enough information for our liking. I'm sure some people would prefer more detail as they walked through, but it was perfect for us.

For Sicily, our tour was just us since there were already 6 of us. The van fits 8 people. I will say, Mario was more of a "fun" guide and gave us some information, but not as much as the Athens and Rome companies. I think that partly may be because of what we saw though. With the ruins, the drivers would tell us about the ruins. When you're looking at a volcano or walking through a small town, there may just not be the same kind of story to share. His style was perfect for us though!

We only did a tour through RC in Turkey because some of my family was nervous about how safe Turkey was (it ended up totally fine). Had we done Ephesus on our own, we definitely would have walked through faster.

I think for all locations, it just depends on how much "history" your family likes to hear. My family is happy with hearing a brief description and then walking around ourselves to take some pictures at our pace.

Enjoy your trip!