Currently on Navigator and I have been told she is going into drydock??

[JVilleGal]

Thanks Bill I love that story and vodka on Navigator seems like a good thing! She is a Gem that’s for sure 🙂

[Anchorbuoy]

Posted by JMARINER, on thread RSSC Navigator Refurbishment 2016

 

 

Travelcat2 said:

..............

An interesting tidbit about the Navigator is that the hull was built in the 1950's. I wonder why Radisson purchased such an old hull and one that wasn't meant to be for a passenger ship. It must have been one heck of a sale.:)......

 

I do not know where you got that the hull was built in the 50's?

 

How is your Russian?

Спущен на воду 23.08.1991 (Launched Hull August 23, 1991)

 

This is what it was supposed to end up looking like.

 

"She started life as AKADEMIK NIKOLAY PILYUGIN a warship for the Soviet Navy. She was laid down Admiralty Yards of St. Peterburg in 1988 as a warship with an ice strengthened hull and was to be fitted with powerful satellite antennai to monitor NATO Navy's. Before she was completed the Soviet Block collapsed and building was suspended. In 1997 she was sold and re-named BLUE SEAS, then she was towed to Mariotti's yard at Genoa Italy for conversion to a cruise ship"

 

 

"The Seven Sea Navigator packs in four main engines, two to port and two to starboard, each a Wärtsilä 8L38 (specs) designation, manufactured in Finland and developed 5,280bhp – in total, an output of 21,120bhp. Propulsion is by way of fixed-pitch propellers. Her service speed is registered as 17.5 knots "

 

If you look closely at the Russian shipyard photos of 1991 you can see the distinctive square a area around the anchors. One assumes that Radison bought it cheap. The upper decks were completed by the Russians but none of the spy equipment was ever installed. Mariotti yard cut off almost everything from the waterline- deck 3 and up.

 

This is supposed to be a pic from Russian mothball area in St petersburg c 1991+

 

This is the ship in Italy before reconversion. You can see the squared off back end at the water line that is/was supposed to be fixed.

 

 

 

J

 

 

[Travelcat2]

Since the above very interesting article was posted, I dug up the article given to me by G.M. Michael Coghlin (not Davor as I mistakenly posted earlier).  Below is the article (minus one page as indicated)):

 

Seven Seas Navigator (1999)

 

(Formerly Akademik Nicolay Pilyugin, Blue Sea)

Bulilders:  Admiralty Yards (St. Petersburg) and T. Mariotti (Genoa

25,000 grt (approximate): 170.60 (150.00) x 24.80 x 6.80 m

(559.7 {492.1} x 81.4 x 22.3 ft)\

4 SR 8-cyl. Diesel Engines 14600 SHIP 19.5 kn

By Wartsila (Swolle) 

540 cruise passengers, 326 crew

 

At the time of this writing a luxury cruise vessel, the latest addition to V.Ships’ present fleet, is under construction at the Temistocle Mariotti shipyard in Genoa. The Seven Seas Navigator is expected to enter service in Sumer 1999 for Golden Ocean 2, a joint-venture company between Vlasov and Radisson Seven Seas.

 

In recent years V.Ships and Mariotti have developed a great skill and ingenuity in fitting our deluxe cruise vessels from existing hulls, the latest result of this being the ruise ship Minerva.  The latter is, like the Seven Seas Navigator, the transformation of a former Soviet Union “spy” ship.

 

The eventual Seven Seas Navigator was laid down on 12^thApril 2988 as hull no 0210 in the Admiralty Yards in St. Petersburg and was launched on 24^thof August 1991 with the name Akademik Nikoklay Pilyugin. She was the prototype in the intended Akadermik class of three sister vessels (which actually never entered service) and constituted the largest and most modern ship conceived by the Soviet navy to follow the movements of Allied submarines.  As the original plans show, the U.S.S.R. navy intended to fit them with powerful satellite antennae to create a control net over the movements of the NATO navies.

 

In November 1993, after the collapse of the Soviet Bloc, the fitting out of the Akademik Nikolay Pilyugin was suspended.  At the time the upperworks, the bridge, the houses, the funnel and the antennas platforms were already in position, as well as the main engines and the auxiliary equipment.

 

As the vessel was in an advanced state of fitting out, with steel interior partitions, insulation, pipes and cabling almost finished, it took nearly a year to gut the hull with some 4200 tons of materials being scrapped. In the rebuilding process the tern retractable azimuthal thruster was also removed, while two bow-thrusters were re-engined.

 

On 12^thMay 1998, after the superstructure was razed to the main deck, the Blue Sea entered drydock to start rebuilding, commencing with the new engine seats to house two pairs of Wartsila 8L/38 Diesel engines, replacing original Pielsticks.  Each pair of diesels is geared to a shaft (terminating with a variable pitch propeller) which drives also a 2500 kW generator, sulpplying the electricity for the on-board services together with three Wartsila-Vasa/Leroy-Somer 6R32 diesel-generators of 2000 kW each.

 

The new power plant will give the vessel a maximum speed of 202.5 knots, with service speed fixed at 19.5 knots.

 

The extraordinary design for the difficult transformation of what was actually a warship into a five-star cruise vessel is the work of senior project managers Ken Normal and Arnold Brereton and of the junior project manager Roberto Fazi, the three talented naval architects and marine engineers of the V.Ships new building department.

 

Interior décor has been entrusted to the well-known architectural firm Yran & Storbraaten of Oslo, with Mr. Soren Storbraaten being responsible for the design coordination.

 

The passenger accommodation is situated on ten of the fourteen decks of the vessel.  To enable the passengers to embark easily at any of the ports at which the vessel will call, three different decks are fitted with shell doors and their own vestibule.  In addition, on deck 4, there is a tender embarkation area to bring the passenger ashore while the ship is anchored in a roadstead; the Seven Seas Navigator has two 150-seat tenders in addition to four lifeboats.

 

There are in all 250 suites, all exteriors, 215 of which are fitted with private balconies.  Each standard suite has an ample area of 29 square meters and a bathroom fitted with a separate tub and shower.  Among the private staterooms are four grand and ten superior suites, with an area of 90 sqm and 40 sqm, respectively.

 

Normal occupancy is double berth per cabin, but additional beds can bring the maimum passenger capacity to 540, while the crew is numbered at 326.

 

The complex of the public lounges is on decks 6, 7 and 12, exception made for the restaurant, placed on deck 5 and for the Panorama Lounge on deck 11, while the suites occupy the whole of decks 8 and 9 and the forward portion of the upper ones.

 

On board, the passenger flow develops around the central hall, which rises from deck 4 to deck 12 and  NOTE: THINK THAT I’M MISSING A PAGE HERE BUT WILL CONTINUE ON THE LAST PAGE.

 

Passengers can choose the 24 hour cabin service (where it is possible to have not only breakfast but also lunch and dinner), the barbeque buffet of the swimming pool or the self-service of the Portofino Grill, located on the stern area of Lido deck.

 

This room, served by a second independent fully equipped galley, offers 200 indoor seats plus 40 on the stern balcony, during the evening the self-service is closed and it becomes an exclusive “a la carte” restaurant with a beautiful night seascape.

 

The Seven Seas Navigatorf is one of the very first cruie ships to be designed with the so called “full green concept”.

 

Thanks to her most up-to-date sewage and garbage treatment system, she complies with the most stringent rules for pollution prevention and can sail all of the World, including special protected areas.

 

She is a very versatile vessel: not conceived for repetitive cruises but to navigate the seven seas, the new cruise ship has a provision capacity of at least six weeks and an autonomy of 7500 miles at cruise speed.

 

On 23^rdDecember 1999 a contract for the building oif a similar cruise ship was signed with Chantiers de L’Atlantique of St. Nazzire, the French shipbuilder will start the construction in July 1999 and deliver the vessel in Summer 2001.

 

For the Vlasov Group the newbuilding marks a new, successful achievement in their history of continuous progresss:  Alexandre and Boris Vlasov would be proud of her and, in a curious twist of fate, she was born like them in Russia to become well known all over the World.”

[gentlemancruiser]

On 6/4/2019 at 9:52 AM, Belltown said:

As for the brown water, it is real.  Worse, the water sometimes ran clear at first, and then changed to brown for a bit.  We had it in our suite and learned to let the water run awhile before trusting it.  A wasteful but necessary step.

 

Vibrations are real, too.  We shared a chuckle with the couple at an adjacent table in Compass Rose as we watched our wine glasses shimmy and clink on our tables.  

 

But, overall, the brown water and the vibrations in the rear were minor annoyances.  We enjoyed ourselves while, at the same time, learning some things about our personal cruising preferences.

 

 

  

 

On 6/4/2019 at 9:52 AM, Belltown said:

 

 

On 6/4/2019 at 9:52 AM, Belltown said:

You were right about the brown water.  It happened twice, but it was just a minor annoyance.    There were some sections (forward) in the Compase Rose where there was NO vibration or noise.   Our cabin 1113 had minor vibrations and mostly it was the bathroom vanity doors which rattled.   

 

[UUNetBill]

21 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

The new power plant will give the vessel a maximum speed of 202.5 knots, with service speed fixed at 19.5 knots.

Interesting typo in that article!        A max speed of 202.5 knots would sure explain any vibrations on board...no wonder they use her for the World Cruise - she can finish it up in 2 1/2 weeks...

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

Interesting typo in that article!        A max speed of 202.5 knots would sure explain any vibrations on board...no wonder they use her for the World Cruise - she can finish it up in 2 1/2 weeks...

 

This could easily be my error, however, after having 3 glasses of wine, it is better that I not look back at the article.  I suspect that it is 20.2 or 20.5 knots.

[eliana]

Exactly when is Navigator’s dry dock, for how long and rather than guesses or rumours what exactly is being refurbished.

[rallydave]

On 6/4/2019 at 12:45 PM, JVilleGal said:

Your correct about Navigator, her Hull was built for another Commerical purpose and not for a cruise ship. At one point years ago I heard the whole story and maybe it was TC who shared it. Sadly like so many things I just don’t remember.

FYI the name I gave for the Seabourn ship also Chartered for this trip is wrong. She is the Newest ship Seabourn just added (forget the name). I know her capacity is 350 passengers.

The two newest Seabourn ships are the Encore and Ovation and those are the two largest Seabourn ships and hold about 650 passengers each.  The Odyssey is the same size as the Quest Sojourn all three hold about 450 passengers.  None of the current Seabourn ships hold 350 passengers.   And yes, the hull of Navigator was originally in the design of an ice breaker to be used as a USSR Spy ship as others have mentioned.

Edited June 9, 2019 by rallydave

[rcandkc]

4 hours ago, eliana said:

Exactly when is Navigator’s dry dock, for how long and rather than guesses or rumours what exactly is being refurbished.

 

There are no rumors and never have been...at the end of the current DDay charter.. for sure. 

[JVilleGal]

Dave the Ovation is The Seabourn ship that was also Fully Chartered. I had the name wrong and apparently the capacity also. I apologize.

 

The crew had already started wrapping chairs  in plastic and begun other activities for the drydock as we disembarked. Navigator was in beautiful shape and it’s hard to imagine what they plan to do. However one crew member told me he was on carpet duty 😉

Edited June 10, 2019 by JVilleGal

[eliana]

One change I have previously suggested to Regent is to replace Prime as most items on its menu are available every evening in the main restaurant. An Asian or French venue would be great. We would then have a greater choice at dinner.

[UUNetBill]

7 hours ago, eliana said:

One change I have previously suggested to Regent is to replace Prime as most items on its menu are available every evening in the main restaurant. An Asian or French venue would be great. We would then have a greater choice at dinner.

As much as I love a good steak house, this is a really good suggestion, I think.  You're 100% correct that there are good steaks on the CR menu all the time; having Chartreuse or Pacific Rim on board would be a nice refreshing change.

[ROLLTIDE2]

My preference would be Pacific Rim, but I would be happy with Chartreuse replacing P7.

[rallydave]

9 hours ago, JVilleGal said:

Dave the Ovation is The Seabourn ship that was also Fully Chartered. I had the name wrong and apparently the capacity also. I apologize.

 

The crew had already started wrapping chairs  in plastic and begun other activities for the drydock as we disembarked. Navigator was in beautiful shape and it’s hard to imagine what they plan to do. However one crew member told me he was on carpet duty 😉

Thanks for the clarification.  Appreciate all your posts and information

[UUNetBill]

3 hours ago, ROLLTIDE2 said:

My preference would be Pacific Rim, but I would be happy with Chartreuse replacing P7.

So should we start the rumor now or wait until Navigator is out of drydock?   

[Cruiseluv19]

3 minutes ago, UUNetBill said:

So should we start the rumor now or wait until Navigator is out of drydock?   

 😁 

[UUNetBill]

3 hours ago, ROLLTIDE2 said:

My preference would be Pacific Rim, but I would be happy with Chartreuse replacing P7.

Maybe for Navigator they'll bring back Signatures - voilà!

[texasatty]

Looks like the Navigator will be recently refurbished when we board in Reykjavik in July. Outstanding.

[Joanandjoe]

On 6/10/2019 at 3:17 PM, UUNetBill said:

Maybe for Navigator they'll bring back Signatures - voilà!

It's nice to dream about a different specialty restaurant than Prime 7: but why, then, did Regent take reservations for Prime 7 for our Amsterdam to NYC leg beginning 8/14?  In any event, by this time next week we'll be able to ask questions of the people boarding the ship in London.

[Travelcat2]

On 6/10/2019 at 12:17 PM, UUNetBill said:

Maybe for Navigator they'll bring back Signatures - voilà!

 

On 6/10/2019 at 6:33 AM, UUNetBill said:

As much as I love a good steak house, this is a really good suggestion, I think.  You're 100% correct that there are good steaks on the CR menu all the time; having Chartreuse or Pacific Rim on board would be a nice refreshing change.

 

Guess that it is time to disagree - just a little bit.  Based on postings on the Regent board, P7 is much more popular (and receives less criticism) than Chartreuse.   Even if that were not the case, those crab legs may be one of the most popular dish on Regent.

 

In terms of PR, I’m sure that passengers on all Regent ships would love to have this dining venue available to them.  However, this is about the Navigator and, unless things have changed, there could be an issue with having a kitchen that could accommodate PR.  While I don’t keep up with Navigator as much as I do other ships, the kitchen has always been an issue (on the deck where La Veranda/Sette Mari is).  I believe that P7 was sharing a kitchen with La Veranda at some point.  As you know, the area up there is quite tight.  For this reason, I was surprised when they cut out a portion of La Veranda order to accommodate P7.  On the bright side, I read somewhere that there will be changes in the layout of P7 which is likely a good thing.

 

It was mentioned that there are items on the CR menu from P7 but there are also items from Pacific Rim and Chartreuse on the menu (at least this is the case on the Mariner and Voyager so I’m making an assumption here).

 

So, if you want really great food from Pacific Rim, sail on our favorite ship ...... there is plenty of food (and drinks for you and your DH).  Would love to do a cruise with you and “Z” - it would be a blast.  Be sure to follow “Z’s” blog — it should be interesting and well as entertaining.  The only negative about sailing with him is that I somehow end up drinking more than normal (not complaining).

[Zqueeze1]

21 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

...Would love to do a cruise with you and “Z” - it would be a blast.  Be sure to follow “Z’s” blog — it should be interesting and well as entertaining.  The only negative about sailing with him is that I somehow end up drinking more than normal (not complaining).

That’s a good thing, right?

Will let you know about the changes on the Nav when we board on Tuesday. 

Z and TB

[xrvlcruiser]

Looking forward to you blog and also to seeing the Nav changes. Cabins? P7? Nav+Galileo Lounges?

TIA!

 

Peggy