GeorgiaPeach Sails the Atlantic on Navigator

[RachelG]

3 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

We were invited, with another couple, to have dinner in Compass Rose last night with Ray, the CD.  He is so charming, and is just fascinating to listen to.  What a life he has had.  Spent hours adrift in a boat after the ship he was on caught fire and was evacuated long ago, performed for the Queen, met Putin and Mandela.  He is going strong and obviously just loves what he does.  It was a once in a lifetime treat.

 

We are doing a walking tour today, ending with tea at the Frontenac, so I will report to you later. My husband has been bustling around packing and it is now, regretfully, my turn.  Ugh cubed.

We love having dinner with Ray and have heard all those stories.  He is a very interesting fellow. 

 

Darned packing!

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Beautiful day in Quebec City.  Weather was warm and breezy, like a Spring Day.  Charming City.  Fire was a recurring theme with the city being destroyed several times, which is why they decreed that houses had to be built from stone.  The photo of the roofs is a restored square and the roofs were chosen in those specific materials and sequence to represent the improvement from wood to slate to metal to shingle.  The statues are of Champlain.  We did a walking tour from 1-4, including tea at the Frontenac.  
 

The tea was not what I expected!  I was a little disappointed because I expected white tablecloths, etc., and it had a cafeteria feel to me.  People at our table had to ask for milk for their tea, ask for jam for their scone.  Our breakfasts on the ship are fancier than the Frontenac , IMHO.

 

Came back pooped and with one knee protesting, then raced to trivia one last time, which I will miss.  Ray does a good job with it.  
 

One last lovely dinner in Sette Mari with friends, suitcases in the hall and this final shipboard message to all of you.  I’ll post more tomorrow.  Want to get this day recorded while it is fresh in my memory.  Regent saved the best for last with Quebec City!  Would love to return.

the beautiful history of Quebec murals

fourth photo is of the roofs

the streets and houses

funicular

river view

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Statue of Champlain

oldest house in QC

house with the smallest facade….they charged taxes for the width and number of windows

high tea

the Frontenac

[WNcruiser]

Thanks for taking us along, it really did go by fast! Safe travels home.

[Gilly]

I agree, Quebec City is delightful and I really enjoyed being taken back there - thank you @GeorgiaPeach51 !  For "next time" I highly recommend the Auberge St Antoine, a family owned Relais & Chateaux property with a fabulous restaurant too.  Too late now, but in my experience you'll want to return 🙂  

[Mudhen]

Although I've been following along, I haven't said THANK YOU! for the excellent account of your cruise.

We enjoy all of the Regent ships, different reasons for all, but we find the little Navigator particularly charming. Hope you felt the same.

Safe travels home....

[mariners]

What a fabulous thread!  Although it's been many years since we sailed the Navigator, she remains one of our favourite ships.  Your review brought back wonderful memories - including memories of sailing with some of your fellow passengers.  Thank you!

[lprp]

Thanks for taking us along on n your trip @GeorgiaPeach51, sounds like it was great overall.

Safe travels home.

LP

[GeorgiaPeach51]

We are at the airport.  It is certainly not busy, especially by Atlanta standards.  We basically walked right up to each station but it still took 30 minutes, so be aware.  But perhaps they staff up when they know things will be busier.

 

We left our suite at 7:30, had a last breakfast in the Veranda, sat and talked with friends, and off we went.  Very easy.  I was going to do an Uber but taxis retreat lined up and we took the easy way out.   Taxi to airport was $48.40 Canadian.   I think Uber would be cheaper.

a few odds and ends…

 

If you look up in the hallways these are the internet access points, and it seems that the closer these are to the room the better your internet service.  Friends on the ship had one outside their room, as we did.  We had excellent Wi-Fi.  They did not because their thingy outside their room wasn’t working.  I had very few problems with internet, and give it a solid 9 out of 10.

 

Final food photo….the final meal in Sette Mari.

 

and the list of points exchanges and the goodies you can get.  We got two shirts and some golf balls with most of our points coming from Trivia and Mensa.

 

when we got in line to redeem the points there was @Kwaj girl generously donating ALL of her points so people who were a little short could have enough points to get what they wanted.  How lovely is that?  Sorry the photo is so crumpled,  it it gives you the idea.

 

so, with that, I bid you a fond farewell till next time,  I think the next time I will appear will be in November.  We are taking our first Oceania cruise with my sister and brother in law and I may decide to post on CC to compare our impressions of the two lines.  We tried our absolute best to wrangle them into Regent but they felt it was too expensive.  As it turns out, comparable cruises are very close to the same price and I already know I will be an unhappy camper with having to haul out a card to show every time we get a drink.  But, it’s worth it to travel with them, so I will suffer in absolute silence, which is,  believe it or not, capable of happening!  I just don’t do it often!  Happy sails to you all, and thanks for those who posted and offered comments.  Appreciate you all!

[ON cruiser]

Just chiming in with my final impressions. Overall, this was a lovely cruise, notwithstanding the itinerary changes.

 

The Saquenay started out cool but it warmed up—nice day for a tour and walk. GP’s tour, the same one taken by our friends, was I think  better than our “panoramic” ride-around. Still pleasant.

 

Quebec City—a warm and sunny day, perfect for walking the old town. Much history to consume. Back to ship for a nice lunch at CR; and then to pack. Given that the laundry folds our clothes it’s not a difficult task, albeit a sad one.

 

Went to the pre-dinner show, a cast vocalist who sang quite well, and was  well accompanied by the ship’s band. A pleasant interlude.

 

Final pre-dinner drinks at Galileo’s lounge, where we had been consistently well looked after by the super bar team. Then, as we and our friends dine late (8pm), had our last dinner at Prime 7–all delicious once again.

 

A little partying later in Galileo’s. Said our good-byes to new friends.

 

Today, debarkation day in Montreal, last breakfast in CR. Eventually left ship, much assistance available in port including a lovely porter who carted our bags to a waiting taxi. To our hotel and thankfully given room on arrival before 10AM. Now resting before heading out.

 

FYI, in Montreal there is a flat-rate ($48.) taxi fare from downtown, including the port, to the airport. Often better than Uber, especially at rush hour or times of peak demand. GP, going to the airport at an off-peak time, Saturday morning of a long weekend in Canada (so, many left Friday), got “lucky” with the relatively short waits at the airport and a short ride to the airport. Usually the security line at Montreal’s airport can be quite long and slow. Traffic getting there can also be congested. Plan accordingly. 
 

In conclusion, we enjoyed our second Navigator cruise. The people make it great. Yet we prefer the wider amenities of the larger Regent ships. With two itineraries that each ticked the boxes, we likely would go with a larger ship. Yet still, we can very much see ourselves returning to Navigator again.

 

 Thanks to GP for starting this thread and  for encouraging others to chime in. Wishing all smooth seas and following winds. 

 

 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

@ON cruiser Such a pleasure to meet you both!  I hope our paths cross again.  Thank you for contributing to this report….and I hope others on the cruise might hop on to give a few of their impressions…feel free!

 

Joanie

[1982CruzStart]

Thanks to GP and ON for taking us along.  Wonderful pictures and commentary. 

 

GP, I hope you will post your Oceania experience on here. It would be great to get your impressions and comparisons. 

 

Safe travel home to all. 

 

[Gpilon]

2 hours ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

We are at the airport.  It is certainly not busy, especially by Atlanta standards.  We basically walked right up to each station but it still took 30 minutes, so be aware.  But perhaps they staff up when they know things will be busier.

 

We left our suite at 7:30, had a last breakfast in the Veranda, sat and talked with friends, and off we went.  Very easy.  I was going to do an Uber but taxis retreat lined up and we took the easy way out.   Taxi to airport was $48.40 Canadian.   I think Uber would be cheaper.

a few odds and ends…

 

If you look up in the hallways these are the internet access points, and it seems that the closer these are to the room the better your internet service.  Friends on the ship had one outside their room, as we did.  We had excellent Wi-Fi.  They did not because their thingy outside their room wasn’t working.  I had very few problems with internet, and give it a solid 9 out of 10.

 

Final food photo….the final meal in Sette Mari.

 

and the list of points exchanges and the goodies you can get.  We got two shirts and some golf balls with most of our points coming from Trivia and Mensa.

 

when we got in line to redeem the points there was @Kwaj girl generously donating ALL of her points so people who were a little short could have enough points to get what they wanted.  How lovely is that?  Sorry the photo is so crumpled,  it it gives you the idea.

 

so, with that, I bid you a fond farewell till next time,  I think the next time I will appear will be in November.  We are taking our first Oceania cruise with my sister and brother in law and I may decide to post on CC to compare our impressions of the two lines.  We tried our absolute best to wrangle them into Regent but they felt it was too expensive.  As it turns out, comparable cruises are very close to the same price and I already know I will be an unhappy camper with having to haul out a card to show every time we get a drink.  But, it’s worth it to travel with them, so I will suffer in absolute silence, which is,  believe it or not, capable of happening!  I just don’t do it often!  Happy sails to you all, and thanks for those who posted and offered comments.  Appreciate you all!

I’m mad at myself! I had meant to mention that once through=ugh the Duty Free area of Montreal airport, to go to the St. Viateur Bagel kiosk and pick up, what we believe to be, the best bagels anywhere to take home with you. We always go when in Montreal and order regularly on Goldbelly. 

 

 

 

[curmudgeon98]

I'd be curious whether folks think there is extra value in having a cruise that starts or ends in Montreal vs Quebec City.  I know there are more flight options to Montreal, but I was wondering more about the trip up the river - was it mostly in darkness and just not relevant?  Are there other factors to consider?

 

We are looking at cruises in the area for fall.  We'd probably spend an extra couple of days in whichever city was the cruise terminus.  If there is a strong reason to prefer one over the other, that could help in weighing the tradeoffs of various options.

[papaflamingo]

9 hours ago, curmudgeon98 said:

I'd be curious whether folks think there is extra value in having a cruise that starts or ends in Montreal vs Quebec City.  I know there are more flight options to Montreal, but I was wondering more about the trip up the river - was it mostly in darkness and just not relevant?  Are there other factors to consider?

 

We are looking at cruises in the area for fall.  We'd probably spend an extra couple of days in whichever city was the cruise terminus.  If there is a strong reason to prefer one over the other, that could help in weighing the tradeoffs of various options.

We did Montreal to NYC last May.  Montreal is a great city for sure.  We spent only a couple of days as it was May 2022 and many things were still closed from Covid.  But enjoyed it for sure.  I can't say that I specifically remember the sailing from Montreal to Quebec City but it was scenic leaving Montreal, etc. It was overnight, but remember it's light up in that part of the world late into the evening. 

 BUT, we loved Quebec City and really wished we could have spent a couple days there.  So for us, we would have preferred the cruise had started in Quebec City and would likely (since Covid is no longer much of an issue) have spent a couple days in Montreal then a couple days in Quebec City, then board the ship.  

[1982CruzStart]

13 hours ago, curmudgeon98 said:

If there is a strong reason to prefer one over the other, that could help in weighing the tradeoffs of various options.

I can't speak to whether it is worthwhile to be on the ship to Montreal but having visited both Montreal and Quebec City many times I would pick a cruise that stopped in Quebec City. If you can't make time to do both i would pick QC over Montreal. Both are great cities to visit but QC is more historic and would be my pick. 

[cwn]

Agree with QC as a stopping point. We have done this cruise route twice. Both times we have gotten off the ship early in QC spent a couple of nights there. Rented a car and driven to M for a night. Then boarded the train to Albany where we rented another car and drove home. Couldn’t rent a car in Canada to drive to the states one way. It was leaf time both times and made for a great trip through the fall color.

 

[warmwater]

Thank you so much for posting, you did a fantastic job! I get on the Navigator June 11, I loved "traveling" along with you. I did an Oceania west coast trip last year - there was no comparison for me, the food was OK, staffing was OK, rooms were small, especially the bathroom! All in all, with drink package & excursions, I'm sure it was still a bit cheaper, but I'll take Regent every time.

[curmudgeon98]

My thanks to Papa, 1982, and cwn for their feedback on my tagged-on question in this thread.  It was very helpful.