Navigator Newbee

[lildan]

Hi all...yes atlgacruisers only 8 weeks and counting...and boy do I need it ..the weather here in the UK has been atrocious...I think it has rained now for three weeks solid and I've had to resort to fake tan in the middle of summer...this is so not on...

 

Charsie thanks for the feed back and glad to hear that you had a super time...did Bonifacia and Calvi, Corsica last year on SeaDream and yes I agree Bonifacia was absolutely fabulous...and I also agree that it's a girls right (whether Canadian or British) to get away in Jan/Feb...we are abandoning the cruising in the caribbean next year and taking a villa in Speightstown, Barbados for Feb...not stayed in a villa in the caribbean before so won't be as pampered as on a ship but it does mean we can stay for a month instead of the usual two weeks which definitely has to be a plus point.

 

Michael..thanks for the email address and for telling me what ATL stood for....hadn't guessed Atlanta at all...came up with "At the Top of Life" and "Always Totally Lavish"....but now I know...!!

 

Did I read somewhere that I can book the Portofino on line before we go..??...we weren't going to bother as we are not really into entertainment but loads of you seem to think it's worth it for one night so we are going to go for it...also is it a case of get in when you can or is there a best night...help please...

 

xxH

[MichaelATL]

You can book Portofino on the RSSC website between 28 and 7 days before your departure. Just click on the my cruises tab and you should see the make reservations link next to the shore excursions link. You may need to add your cruise if you haven't done so already. You'll need your booking number, last name and departure date.

 

I don't seem to remember more than tables for 2-4-6 people - most were 4 people. If you think you might want to have people join you, book an extra 2 or 4 people for your table - the reservation system will ask you for names just put TBD. You can always reduce it once on board. Also, be sure that you coordinate your informal/CCC days with your Portofino reservation to your liking. I HIGHLY suggest that you book before you get on the ship as they typically have all the reservations taken by the end of the first day on the ship. We tried to change ours on day 2 and they didn't have anything available for the rest of the cruise.

[chefpa]

I have a feeling they are listing a couple of days as "informal" to satisfy some of the older [which is just a state of mind] or more formal passengers. I believe that overwhelmingly travelers would prefer "country club casual" as long as it is not abused, and I can't imagine the average Regent passenger doing so.

We just returned from Navigator. I am sure you will enjoy it. We saw the Sea Dream in Sorrento on this trip and I am sure that it is a nice time as well. We also celebrated a big occasion and were treated to a cake.

 

I highlighted the above because, while we are all for informality (country club casual) the two nights that were informal there were several gentleman that came in, not just without jackets but in jeans as well. I am not sure how one defines "abuse" but they were clearly out of place and I felt that it was not in keeping with the "feel" of the experience. But they were allowed in and seated. Perhaps we are just of the old mindset then but still feel as though on occassion it is nice to be out and nicely dressed for dinner. After all, if we chose to go this casual, we could always return to Royal Caribbean or HAL.

[lildan]

Hi everyone

 

glad this thread is getting some good responses...good for me certainly as I have just registered my cruise on the rssc website and set myself a diary reminder to book the Portofino as soon as the 28 day deadline pops up on the computer...so thanks for the info Michael....

 

only 39 days to go....so all I need to do now is lose loads of weight/get fit for all the walking we've planned/buy some new clothes/pack.....easy..!!

 

oh yes one more question for anyone that has been on the Venice start point before and the ship has stayed overnight in port....can we go ashore after we have embarked or do we have to stay on board until the next day...

 

thanks for everything so far....keep it coming

 

xxH

[Iamboatman]

You can, and should, go ashore.

[bogie113]

Hey Helenlilhaynes & Altacruisers

 

Helen, as far as Venice is concerned, I am sure you can get on and off as much as you want as long as you are on board when we sail. We are doing the back to back and will be on your cruise as well as the one before [i think we talked about this, :D your birthdays & our 28th anniversary].

 

Anyway, we plan on getting off when everyone else does after the first leg of our BTB and trying to see stuff we didn't see on our last Venice visits.

 

Not that excited yet but definately looking forward. I guess it is just my personality to wait 'til the last week and get panicky and excited all at once ;)

 

A question, because I don't necessarily trust information I get from Regent's office. When you do a back-to-back, using the same cabin for each leg, can you just leave all your stuff in your cabin between legs. Regent's people said yes, but I would still like to hear it from someone who has actually done it.

 

Thanks

[& looking forward to seeing you on board]

 

Marsha

[OSUFAN]

Hi to you all! I posted yesterday on this site inquiring if anyone sailing on the 8/25 Navigator out of Athens. Also tried to get a roll call started at that site. No responses on either, but from this thread it looks like you three couples will be on this sailing. This will be our first trip on RSSC....previously Costa, NCL, RCCL, Princess and Celebrity. It has been interesting to research the transportation in Venice to the hotels....navigating the water and going over bridges with luggage to some hotels. We are on a waitlist for RSSC pre-cruise hotel which includes transportation airport to hotel and hotel to pier. However, may just book something on our own so I can quit worrying about it. Looking forward to meeting all of you! This will be a wonderful trip for that 28th annniversary celebration for you two, Marsha! Thanks for the advice regarding the jackets on the informal nights....my husband will love it!

Carla

[Island Cruiser]

Marsha, yes positively you leave your stuff in your cabin. You have it for both legs of your journey. We did so on the PG in 2005. That is what Regent expected us to do. We've cruised with friends who were booking BTB. Same. Remember, lots of cruise lines sell world cruises. They are all simply lots of segments BTB. The world cruisers hold their cabins for 100+ days. Others board and depart the ship segment by segment. This is industry standard! Patrick

[atlgacruisers]

Agree. We are B2B as well and we have been told that we can leave our bags/stuff in our rooms so no biggie. Should be nice to see Venice with no sweat! We leave for Rome in 28 days...cant wait!!! Ill buy you all a drink, wait a minute, they are free!! ha ha

[bogie113]

Good to know that my husband and I won't be sailing alone and that in fact others are doing BTB.

 

We are flying into Rome on the 16th ['cause we couldn't get upgrades on the 17th]. Soooooo, I guess we will just have to suffer with a day-and-a-half in Rome ;).

 

And.... it appears we have a few celebrations going on... a 4oth B-day, a 55th B-day and our 28th Anniversary. Anyone else want to join the celebration?

 

Marsha

[TravellersTwo]

We are new to Regents and are booked on the Navigator 12/17. If it goes well we are considering B2B next fall on the Voyager (Rome to Funchal then Funchal to Fort Lauderdale).

 

Understand that we would be able to leave our belongings in the suite but are unclear if we would have to disembark, spend the night ashore, then embark the next day.

[atlgacruisers]

Sounds like a party Marsha! Cant wait!

[lildan]

Hi All

 

that's great about Venice.....flights and transfers permitting we hope to be on board by about 16.00 so what with quaffing champagne, unpacking and exploring the ship (well we are Newbees) and the "drill" ....it will probably be time to bathe and change for dinner before we know it....so we hope to go ashore and "do" St Marks Square in the moonlight....we're just so romantic.....

 

The Sunday is already planned....after breakfast we are going to do the Vaporetto No 1 route from the Lido to the end of the route (Piazzale Roma ?) so we get to see all the buildings from the water as they were designed to be seen and then walk back to St Marks doing the "sights" on the way.....(found a great site...http://www.veniceforvisitors.com ...which gives some good advice)...then after lunch it will be slob-out time by the pool ....which I must admit we tend to max out on....

 

look forward to seeing you all soon....

 

xxH

[OSUFAN]

Helenlil....

 

How long will you be in Venice pre-cruise? What hotel in Venice did you select? We will be arriving in Venice on August 24....the day before the cruise. I'm still looking at hotels and sorting out transportation options from the airport to the hotel and the hotel to cruise pier. Thanks for the Venice for Visitors site info.

Carla

[dfb]

TravellersTwo,

On back to back cruises, you just act as if you were on one long cruise. You don't have to do anything. Even if, for some reason, you had not booked the same cabin and had to change cabins in the middle, the steward/stewardess would pack you up to move you if you wanted. If you are booked in one cabin over 2 or more cruises, you don't have to do anything. It would really be transparent for you and like one long cruise. Enjoy, Debbie

[TravellersTwo]

dfb

 

Thanks for the info. This is what we thought but wanted to confirm with those in the know.

 

TravellersTwo

[weelv2cruise]

Helen,

 

You can email Regent directly from their website, just be sure to give them your booking number and what ship/date you are on with your requests. They are usually very responsive within 24-48 hours. The email address is information@regentexperience.com or if anyone is a Seven Seas Society Member it is SevenSeasSociety@regentexperience.com.

 

We are from Atlanta, just finished our 3rd Regent cruise in June and have booked another - New Years 2008-2009 in the Caribbean. We have never done Caribbean with regent before. Any thoughts?

 

Michael

 

Hi Michael. Just booked New Years 2008-09 as well. There is nothing like being at sea with Regents during the New Years! Last year I don't believe there was anyone in their cabin at midnight--everyone was in the main foyer with music, champagne and caviar--and quite a few hugs and well wishes! The trip was to the Western Caribbean on the Voyager, and although some of the ports aren't our favorites, the cruise was fantastic. They even had a shore picnic with champagne and caviar in the surf. The Captain did an outstanding job of ordering the best weather possible, the service was impeccable (as usual), and the guest population was diverse.

[lildan]

Hiya All

 

well only 24 days and counting......thanks for all the info about the Portofino restaurant and online pre-booking...I went online 28th July (earliest date) and have booked a table for the Monday night (27th August)....it appeared to be a casual night with no captains do....so we went for it....the only thing was that there was no dining time choice...just said 7.00 to 9.30 so do I assume it's a one sitting dinner...??...(can someone confirm or otherwise..!!)...

if so I'll just have to get off the sunbed a little earlier than usual in order to get ready....takes a little longer these days....

 

Carla....we're not now staying in Venice before the cruise....we were going to stay for 2 days but the flights and transfers to Venice and back from Athens started getting very complicated so in the end we took the Regent travel package....expensive but we thought if there were any travel problems it would be up to Regent to sort out ....so now we arrive in Venice on the 25th August and get taken straight to the ship....however if we had stayed we found some good little 3 star hotels by the Rialto bridge...just Google it ....good luck....let me know if you have any problems....

 

xxH

[OSUFAN]

Hey there, Helenlil!

 

I was worrying about you since you hadn't posted for awhile.

 

I got lucky and got a canal view room for us on the 24th at Locanda Orseolo. It's rated #1 at TripAdvisor for B&B's and says only 2 minutes from St. Mark's Square. It should be fun! We will undoubtedly be jet-lagged when we get in on Friday, so maybe we can look around a bit Saturday morning before we board the ship. I'll bet the people at the hotel will have good recommendations they can give us for Saturday and Sunday sightseeing. I like your Bellini idea at Harry's Bar!:p

 

I haven't a clue about Portofino but I'll bet it is just one seating since there seems to be entertainment. I haven't tried to make any reservations there yet.

 

Have e-mailed back and forth a bit with bogiegirl and atlgacruisers.....they only have two weeks to go!

 

I got some Euros from the bank for water taxis, etc. in Venice and yesterday at AAA I got a Visa money travel card that I read about in one of these threads. You just have it loaded with whatever amount you want and then can use it at ATM's or restaurants, etc. Figure if I don't use it can just cash it in when we get back home.

 

Look forward to meeting you soon! Feel free to e-mail me at 2bocks@cox.net any time.

 

Carla

[cruizergal]

Yes, Portofino has only one seating at 7:30 with a wine and cheese/meat appetizer sampling from 7:00 until 7:30. It is a great evening!

[lildan]

Cruisegal...thanks for the info on the Portofino...we don't want to miss a thing so I guess we'll be there at 7.00 for the antipasto bit...means leaving the sunbed a little earlier but if the weather remains as hot as it has been in the Med this summer (has hit 100 degrees in parts of Greece) I guess I'll need to "be careful" and not take too much sun in the first few days....

 

Carla...only 13 days to go before we board the Navigator....enjoy your extra day in Venice and if you have time go across to the Lido and have a walk along the beach.....the public beach can be a bit tatty but last time I was there you could sit on (and walk on) the first 10 metres from the sea of the beaches in front of the big hotels (as that bit was classed as public) and people watch. Look forward to meeting you on board....

 

Marsha and Atlgacruisers....guess you'll be leaving for your B2B some time this week...so Bon Voyage and have a super first week and we'll meet up for that champagne tub party ....hope they've got enough champers on board for us gals...!!

 

xxH

[OSUFAN]

Helenlil...Thanks for the tip about the Lido and walking along the beach....sounds like fun!

 

I told Bogiegirl and atlgacruisers to save some of that champagne for us after their first week! :p

 

Have a safe trip and it is going to be a treat just to meet all of you.

 

Carla

[lildan]

Ok this Newbee girl is back from her Navigator Cruise (Venice to Athens)....so what did I think...

 

overall I had a really good cruise but there were several downsides that I think bear mentioning...

1. we waited over an hour for our luggage and as only 6 couples boarded at the same time as us (all on our London flight and with Regent transfers) we were not happy bunnys...after asking 3 times in the end we found our luggage in one of the staff stairways and moved it ourselves.

2. the cabin was excellent (standard cabin) and I loved the walk in wardrobe and the "tub" and the Aveda toiletries were great but during the week I had to ask several times for extra bath foam etc (I was surprised they weren't automatically replaced when empty). Also we had to walk around for several hours with our "valuables" as the safe had not been left open so it could not be used until released by someone from reception. Also we had no hot water on the second day just lukewarm but they did try to fix it as soon as we reported it but unfortunately not in time for my bath. Finally allowing for the quality of the Anachini sheets the towels were awful...they were thin, hard, old and much too small ...hardly covering a girl's modesty....if they were mine I would have thrown them away months before. This could have been because we had a standard cabin 'cause we were told by newly met friends that the towels in the penthouse suites were huge, soft and luxurious.

3. hardly anyone used the Gallileo bar when we were "at sea" as the vibration was terrible although when we were in Kusadasi we sat outside at the back of the bar in the balmy night air and watched and heard Kusadasi in all its glory which was great especially as it was the only place you could get a drink outside at night.

4. our Regent transfers to Athens airport at the end of the cruise were a joke....everybody was transferred by coach at the same time and so we were left at the airport 5 hours before our flight and 2 hours before we could even book in....this was disgraceful and not what you expect from a 5 star ship.

 

ok...now for the good things...the service was superb and the Filipino waiters for both meals and drinks were friendly and helpful...the food quality and choice were good but it was quite difficult to get a table for 2 without a wait each night ...but the choice of wines was excellent and on the odd occasion when we did not like the choice (hate oaked chardonnay) they would always find us a bottle of Pouilly Fume or Fuisse....the itinerary was really good (the main reason we chose the ship) and we went ashore everyday for an hour or two before returning "home" to the ship and a dip in the pool and the cold beer we knew the pool bar staff would have waiting for us...usually delivered to us while we were still in the pool without us even having to ask...that's service!!!

 

so that's about it....we had a fabulous time but I'm not sure we will return... the Navigator has too many guests....case in point ...despite looking for Bogie 113/Atlgacruisers/Osufan everyday and asking heaven knows how many people are you Marsha or Carla etc we never met....which is kinda sad after all our conversations on here.... so I guess we will return to our little ships in future....

 

thanks to everyone who has given advice and help...it was well received and made our cruise all that more enjoyable.

 

xxH

[OSUFAN]

Hey there, Helenlil!

Sorry we didn't connect on the ship. Marsha, Mike and I had e-mailed each other before boarding and we exchanged last names and cabin numbers. We didn't see you on the CC boards for a long time. Marsha called and we arranged to all meet for dinner in Compass Rose.....we had a great time getting acquainted! All of us had dinner another evening with the cruise director who was leaving and the new one taking his place. During the days, I even wore my Oklahoma State University (bright orange and black) lanyard around my neck with my room card....hoping you might notice it! :confused: Hope you got to have that "real" Bellini at the original place, Harry's Bar, in Venice! I ordered one onboard and poured it out....Peach Schnapps and champagne instead of the real thing. We loved, loved, loved Locanda Orseolo in Venice and are eager to go back! We, too, did the transfers back to Athens airport along with Mike and Judy since our flight was at 12:50, but we had used mileage for business tickets so got to go to the lounge which was nice. I absolutely LOVED Navigator and the staff and am looking forward to sailing again with them! :D Our loss in missing getting together with you!

Carla

[atlgacruisers]

Helen, Sorry we missed you as well. We asked everyday about you guys but no one seemed to meet you guys. In any event, we loved the trip and can wait to go back!

 

Thanks!

 

M and J