Navigator Canada Cruise, smooth sailing?

[Fairfield Nana]

Hello- my wife and I just booked the Navigator for a New York to Montreal cruise in mid-September, 2020. Really getting excited, but a long way until then. Never been on a Regent ship before but they sure sound great! My question is how much should we plan to encounter rough seas? Realize this requires some "crystal-balling" , but more curious about how this smaller size ship handles the sea. Will pack my leftover sea-sick meds from our Alaskan cruise last year--which weren't really needed. Guess this is the price I pay for being a real "land-lubber". Thanks for any info!

[UUNetBill]

I can’t really guess about possible rough waters on that route...like you said, that’d take some crystal ball mojo.  But I can tell you that the Navigator is pretty good in rough seas.  Not great, mind you, but we’ve never had any issues that turned us green, even in 30’ seas.

[RachelG]

We did an identical itinerary a couple of years ago at the same time of year on Navigator.  Very smooth sailing.  I recall no issues at all.

[Fairfield Nana]

Thanks everyone--I will sleep well tonight! We have only been on 6 ocean cruises and fortunately all have had calm seas. I gotta say, after booking this cruise and reading all of the CruiseCritic  comments from y'all, this sounds like a really fantastic adventure for us. I had hoped to plan something really special as this will be our 50th anniversary.

[DavidTheWonderer]

It is impossible to predict, but you should prepare for rough seas and then hopefully be glad you didn't have to use your medicines.  This past September (on Seabourn) we had a rough patch in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

[UUNetBill]

FWIW, the roughest seas we've encountered so far were on Navigator in the Western Med in July a few years ago - the captain said we were in 30' seas and I can believe it - it was rocking and rolling, but no one in our group had any issues.  There was a bit of 'to-and-fro' while walking down the hallways.  Our solution?  Go to a wine tasting.  We walked perfectly straight after that.   

 

  🍷

[Saildude16]

Four years ago in October we were in suite 616 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with apparent wind of 75 knots on the bow.  Seas were ~15'.  When it was the roughest we simply took a nap.  All in all the ship's motion was OK for us.  I must add I've never been seasick(yet) on either ships or much smaller sailboats.

[orvil]

I am the World's worst sailor.  I've gotten sick on some of the best ships afloat.  I get sick on airplanes.  I used to be a flight attendant.  I've gotten sea sick snorkeling.  I just got off of Voyager with no problems.  The sea state was good to very good the entire trip.  But, I did tender twice and do the 12-meter yacht race in St. Marten with no problems, either.

 

Sea bands and ginger don't work for me.  Holistic patches don't work.  Bonine helps but doesn't work all the time.

 

I suggest the following therapies:

 

Always look at the horizon whenever possible.  I have amblyopia (lazy-eye) and this will exacerbate motion sickness.  Poor eye sight will make it worse, too.  Don't look down at the floor.  Looking at the horizon will help the brain sort out what the ears, eyes and balance system are trying to sort out.  I made horizon watching part of my daily activity.  I tried to be seated where I could see outside to the horizon.

 

Scopolamine transdermal patches, I've used these with varying degrees of success.  They do give you an insatiable thirst.  They didn't work at all on one TA.  I spent four days in bed.  They require a doctor's prescription.  I went looking for other therapies.

 

Travel Shades:  https://www.travelshades.com/ I used these other day on Voyager.  They worked for me.  I wore them multiple times during the trip.  I would walk the deck with them and in other outdoor areas where I was sure of my footing.  I would wear them as sunglasses.  I always wore them during tendering and on the yacht race.  During tendering, I sat by the open seat facing forward.  This way I could see the horizon, smell fresh air, and throw up without grossing anyone else out.  I ordered the glasses from the UK and they arrived within a month to the US.  As a small woman, I ordered the smaller youth size.  Crazy idea, but it worked and no drugs.  Only DH knew I was using them.  I can recommend them.  The sea state was good when I was using these.  I'm still going to need to test them in crappy weather.  

 

Boarding Ring Glasses:   https://www.boardingglasses.com/ These have proven to be hard to get.  I ordered these glasses from a company in the UK.  They had sold out and couldn't get an additional supply.  I ended up ordering from this supplier.  While they are supposed to be in shipment, I have not received them.  It's been three months.  I've got emails that say they are in process and are shipping any day now.  They missed my cruise.  The reviews are fabulous.  I don't mind looking like a fool if they work. I'm willing to try anything.  I'll just wait and see if they ever show up.  

 

I hope these help.  I really want to do more cruising when we retire.  This is the one thing that could stop my ambitions.   

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, orvil said:

I

Boarding Ring Glasses:   https://www.boardingglasses.com/ These have proven to be hard to get.  I ordered these glasses from a company in the UK.  They had sold out and couldn't get an additional supply.  I ended up ordering from this supplier.  While they are supposed to be in shipment, I have not received them.  It's been three months.  I've got emails that say they are in process and are shipping any day now.  They missed my cruise.  The reviews are fabulous.  I don't mind looking like a fool if they work. I'm willing to try anything.  I'll just wait and see if they ever show up.  

 

  

 

I also waited for these glasses.  Thankfully, the company we dealt with in the U.K. is wonderful - kept us up to date every few weeks.  Sadly, they did not come in and I received a refund earlier this month.  No one seems to be able to keep them in stock.

 

Back to the Navigator.  Unfortunately our experience with the seas is not the same as others.  The first time my husband ever got seasick on a Regent ship was on the Navigator (on the way to Alaska from San Francisco).  I strongly recommend that passengers select that is low and mid-ship.  If you do that, you'll be fine.

[johncb7]

We found the Navigator one of the worst ships we have sailed on in regards the handling of rough seas and swells. I hope that you have a suite low down and mid-ships well away from the stern vibration issues. We were on Deck 10 forward and felt every wave. 

[kjbacon]

This thread is of particular interest to me. We have our first Regent cruise in April on the Explorer to the Med and we are looking ahead to consider our next. Iceland on the Navigator catches our eye so we have the same concerns about rough seas.

[orvil]

Travelcat2, try the Travel Shades.  They were available and not expensive.

 

Fairfield Nana, I'll update the thread if I ever get the Boarding Ring glasses.  I'm dealing with the French and my elementary school French only goes so far.  

 

I took the QM2 from Quebec to NYC two years ago.  She has more stabilizers than most ships and the sea state was generally good.  But, I don't think you will have much trouble with this itinerary.  While in the St. Lawrence seaway, you will be protected.  

 

 

Edited January 26, 2019 by orvil

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, orvil said:

Travelcat2, try the Travel Shades.  They were available and not expensive.

 

Fairfield Nana, I'll update the thread if I ever get the Boarding Ring glasses.  I'm dealing with the French and my elementary school French only goes so far.  

 

I took the QM2 from Quebec to NYC two years ago.  She has more stabilizers than most ships and the sea state was generally good.  But, I don't think you will have much trouble with this itinerary.  While in the St. Lawrence seaway, you will be protected.  

 

 

 

Thank you so very much - just ordered a pair (and they will arrive before we leave for our cruise next month).  Really appreciate the information!

[katykrol]

I’ve been following all the threads on CC with great interest since we recently booked our first Regent cruise on the Navigator for May 2020 to Bermuda. I suffer from motion sickness, so I just ordered those travel glasses. Thanks for the information.  We have sailed on Oceania Riveria, which we loved. And Aramara Quest, which, while we loved the smaller ship, bathrooms tiny and food mediocre in our opinion. So we are super excited to try Regent.  As stated many times before, I did a price comparison since Oceania had the same itinerary on the sirena for April  2020, but we would have to get a penthouse to match the cabin size of the  category E on regent. And Oceania was about $1500 more expensive when you add the tips and drink package. Thanks to all the information here, we booked a midship deck 6 in order to alleviate the movement in rough seas, because I’ve read so much about the vibration, bobbing like a cork, etc., so I’ve been a little concerned. 

 

And I have read all the “controversy” from people who love Navigator and others not so much. This trip is a bit of a splurge for us, so I’m just thrilled to be able to experience a true luxury line,  wewon’t be at work, We will be on vacation and spending quality time together. 

 

So, always interested for anyone’s thoughts on how to make the most of this trip.

[Fairfield Nana]

Got the info I asked for, as well. I'm a happy camper and really looking forward to this cruise. Obviously you get range of comments and advice, but in general, this ship seems no more prone to seasickness than most others. We'll just take it as it comes, and now I'm armed with some drug suggestions as well as some really cool glasses (really gotta check these out!). Will continue to check this website out for some really interesting and helpful advice and information. Nice that so many people are willing to share their thoughts and experiences.

[orvil]

I just received my Boarding Ring glasses this week.  I started ordering these from one source in the UK about 10 months ago.  They couldn't get a resupply and couldn't get a proposed delivery date.  After six months, I cancelled and asked for a refund.  Then, I ordered them from France sometime in October.  It's the first of March.  They arrived.  My trip was in January.  

 

According to the Boarding Ring website, they should have been shipped the first of December.  Don't be in a hurry and exercise supreme patience.        https://www.boardingglasses.com/

 

I did get the travel shades from the UK in good time.  I successfully used them on my January cruise.  But, the sea state was very good.  I also used them whenever I boarded a tender.   https://www.travelshades.com/

 

I haven't been able to really test either one.  But, if you suffer from mal de mer, you know you will do anything to avoid it.  If I can avoid drugs, I will.  Next trip with nasty weather, I will update the post.  

 

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You should be okay, but weather can vary since it is the tail end of hurricane season, and they can, believe it or not, make it all the way up to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  Our hurricane-force seas last fall on Seabourn were further up, the Labrador Strait--you'll be hugging the coast presumably so should be fairly protected there, although you'll be in open ocean up to Halifax and then around to your next stop, so be prepared.

 

I myself am going to look into both of these types of glasses, since I too have been a horizon-watcher for decades, and can get seasick in a rowboat.  Thanks for the tips.  And I'll be interested to hear if anyone actually uses the Boarding Glasses successfully.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Wendy The Wanderer

[Ladys Mom]

On 1/26/2019 at 5:27 AM, kjbacon said:

This thread is of particular interest to me. We have our first Regent cruise in April on the Explorer to the Med and we are looking ahead to consider our next. Iceland on the Navigator catches our eye so we have the same concerns about rough seas.

We took the Navigator last June-July from New York to Reijkavik.   My husband, who has a tendency to get seasick, never had a problem.  We were on Deck 7 midship, but spent lots of time in different areas of the ship.  The cruise was spectacular, as was the scenery.  All I can suggest is to bring warm clothing because Greenland and Iceland are quite cold, even in the summer.  I also would suggest adding a few days on the end to spend some extra time in Iceland.  It is an amazing country to visit.

[Travelcat2]

10 hours ago, orvil said:

I just received my Boarding Ring glasses this week.  I started ordering these from one source in the UK about 10 months ago.  They couldn't get a resupply and couldn't get a proposed delivery date.  After six months, I cancelled and asked for a refund.  Then, I ordered them from France sometime in October.  It's the first of March.  They arrived.  My trip was in January.  

 

According to the Boarding Ring website, they should have been shipped the first of December.  Don't be in a hurry and exercise supreme patience.        https://www.boardingglasses.com/

 

I did get the travel shades from the UK in good time.  I successfully used them on my January cruise.  But, the sea state was very good.  I also used them whenever I boarded a tender.   https://www.travelshades.com/

 

I haven't been able to really test either one.  But, if you suffer from mal de mer, you know you will do anything to avoid it.  If I can avoid drugs, I will.  Next trip with nasty weather, I will update the post.  

 

 

 

Thank you for the updated information.  We would not sail on Navigator again unless we had them.  We know people that have done the itinerary that the TS is discussing and it was horrendous in terms of storms/waves, etc.  With the wild weather that we have had in the U.S., past experiences are not as relevant as they used to be.

 

[GOARMY]

TS:  Have experienced this same basic "Fall Foliage" segment, on Navigator either Montreal to NYC; or NYC to Montreal twice.  Fortunately, no motion problems aboard the ship.  Certainly some movement in Gulf of St. Lawrence, but not to the point of distraction.  However, due to wind and sea conditions, at-least one port-of-call, usually in Maine had to be canceled.  And, yes.  Be prepared for cold and windy weather.  We layered-up on several occasions while on shore excursions. 

 

The colors were magnificent. 

 

GOARMY!