Navigator Review - Monte Carlo to Istanbul

[englandsrose]

Hi All - sorry I did not get chance to post while on board, but below are my thoughts on my recent Navigator cruise - its a bit jumbled and was mostly written at the airport. Background on us - we are mid forties married with a 14 year old son and always holiday as a family - we have done over 20 cruises previously with Cunard, P&O, Royal Carribean and NCL, and decided to give Regent a try this year - I hope you enjoy my ramblings and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

Well here I am at Istanbul airport reflecting on what has been an amazingly fantastic holiday. I am going to talk about the first day to give first impressions, blast through the rest of the 2 weeks and then give my summary – enjoy……

It all started on Thursday 5th August – when we departed the UK from the new terminal 5 to Nice, we arrived at around 8.00pm and were swiftly taken by taxi to the Radisson close by. We overnighted there, and waited with anticipation to board our Regent cruise the following morning. At midday a taxi took us along the cost road to Monte Carlo to board the Seven Seas Navigator. Upon arrival at the port, we were whisked into the port area, bags were taken immediately from the cab and we did not see them again until we got into our suite. We were taken through to a departure lounge where our passports were looked at, and directed straight onto the ship, where we were greeted with a glass of champagne and directed to the check in area, which was in the Compass Rose restaurant, check in was really easy and we were greeted like old friends by the lovely Cody – one of the entertainment team on board.

We were then directed up to lunch in the Portofino Grill, which was a buffet affair, with every type of seafood you could think of, as well as a salad bar, carvery station, pasta bar, and hot food selection. We collected our food and a waiter then took our plates from us, and escorted us to a white table clothed table, complete with silver cutlery and beautiful glasses, and were asked what we wanted to drink – champagne was the order of the day – so I had a glass – the first of many that day!

After lunch we went for a quick explore – the pool deck was close by and laid out with beautiful sun loungers, complete with pillows and towels, and a table in between each one – no having to launch oneself on a bed here LOL – they were beautifully spaced out, and it did not at any time feel crowded during the entire cruise (even on a sea day). The Bar waiters were around constantly asking if we wanted our drinks freshened up – note no signing as everything was included. The champagne was extremely good that afternoon, as were the Strawberry Daiquiris and Martinis!! We then met some American ladies and their families who I had “made friends with online” , and became firm friends, having dinner with them most evenings.

At 2.30pm it was announced that the suites were ready (note to self I really must stop calling them cabins!) – we had booked a Penthouse Suite on deck 11, which was 301 square feet plus balcony – it was beautifully appointed, the bathroom was huge for a cruise ship and included a separate shower and bath. There was also a true walk in wardrobe which also houses the safe plus lots of drawer space, and the cabin itself had the biggest double bed, dressing table and stool, as well as 3 seater settee (which converted to a single bed for Jack), desk area, 32 inch plasma TV with a selection of 283 movies on demand – including latest releases like Marley and Me and the Changling. The balcony has 2 very comfortable chairs and a table. Also waiting for us was a bottle of chilled champagne in ice bucket with 2 glasses, plus a fridge filled with beers, wine and sodas. There was also a tray of fresh fruit which restocked daily. We also had the services of a butler - Felix, who came along and introduced himself to us, he offered to press that evenings clothes for us and told us to use him as much as possible, as he would be delivering room service, booking restaurants etc etc for us. He also delivered a selection of canapés to us each evening at 5.00pm, and was apparently “English Butler” trained. We then spent the afternoon unpacking – drinking yet more champagne, and attending the sail away party, where waiters tempted us with canapés of lobster, caviar etc., and yet more champagne and cocktails. At some point we did the life boat drill – but it’s a bit of a blur, and then at 6.30 – we had a “Block Party” – this is where everybody from the cabins along your corridor (there are about 14) brings a glass out and the butlers poor wine, and bring more canapés, and you can introduce yourself to your neighbours! The Captain and Cruise Director make a brief appearance to introduce themselves, and it lasted for about half an hour – a great way to meet new people.

Dinner that night was an extravagance and consisted of a choice of 4 starters, a choice of 3 soups, 2 salads, 3 pasta dishes, one sorbet, 8 main courses, (which always included streak, salmon or chicken), plus 7 deserts, cheese, coffee and petit fours. The first night we were polite and only ordered 3 courses, the following nights after dining with our American friends, we ordered all courses and sometimes 2 if we wanted to try something (we didn’t eat everything, but wanted to try them!!) (I am a stone heavier mind you!!). Each evening there was a choice of red and white wines – all being very good – one of particular note was a Peter Lehman Shiraz which was very good, and if you did not like what was offered, you could request something else – again everything was included and my wine glass was never allowed to empty the whole time I was sitting at the table!! Entertainment that evening was a movie with Pop Corn in the show lounge – it was the latest James Bond, but we ended up sitting outside at Galileos bar sipping more champagne. Got back to the cabin and the stewardess had set up Jacks sofa bed, which was great as it was a single and meant that we could still access the balcony unlike other cruise lines, where once the bed is down you can’t get out without climbing over it. Drifted off into a very peaceful slumber (probably alcohol induced!).

Next day we arrived in Civitececcia and took a tour entitled Room on the Lighter Side – we were taken to St Pauls and escorted in there, to the Coliseum and guided round there, given a quick tour around the main sites and then dropped off by the Trevi Fountain for a couple of hours. The ship had kindly provided water as we left and also on the coach – it was a great tour. Regent do not completely fill the coaches and limit the exc ursions to around 35, which means the coaches never feel overcrowed. We got back to the Ship late afternoon to be greeted with more canapés and alcohol, and another gastronomic delight of dinner. We had agreed to meet our new friends and turned up at just before 8.00 requesting a table for 10 – no problem, we were all seated within minutes, and the usual excellent service continued. Point of note – Compass Rose offers Open Seating so you just turn up when you want to eat – we never had to wait and were always seated within minutes whether it was a table for 3 or a table for 10. There is also an alternate dining option which has to be booked – we did not try this as enjoyed Compass Rose so much (it is included in the cruise fare).

The next few days consisted of various tours including Off Roading at Mount Etna – this was an amazing excursion and took us to 9000 feet and to the site of the 2002/03 eruption, where the ground is still smoking. We took a cable car to 8000 feet and then an off road vehicle for the remainder, and we were up there for about an hour, and then bought back down – it was an excellent experience. We also went to Pompeii – again another excellent excursion where our friendly guide showed us all the main areas and explained what had happened. Santorini was another excursion, where we once again climbed a volcano, which is still smoking, swam in hot springs and then went to a winery for wine tasting, before catching the cable car back to the ship. Ephesus in Kusadasi was also another excursion, and boy was it hot, Regent thoughtfully provided a very nice Orchestra playing beautiful classical music just outside the library area and also provided cold scented towels to all its passengers, very welcome in a hundred degrees plus. We had one sea day which was a very welcome relief after all the excursions.

Most of our excursions were half days which was great as it meant we could spend every afternoon lounging around reading – the waiters always noticed when your glass was empty and another magically appeared by your side. Also they came round with cold towels mid afternoon just at the point where it was getting that bit too hot J

During our evening in Kusadasi we were treated to a deck BBQ – this was like nothing I have ever seen before. At 4.00pm the crew started to clear the decks and out came the table and chairs – everything was beautifully laid up with crisp white table cloths, silver cutlery and glasses and a BBQ like you have never seen was laid out including Suckling Pigs, Lobster, Paella, Steaks, Giant Prawns, Ribs, Sausage, Moussaka, Burgers, bread, salads – everything you could possibly imagine – all washed down with a never ending supply of wine – we did not like the one offered that night – a nasty Greek number – so they happily changed it for a very nice South African Shiraz – no problem. At 9.15 a local Turkish dance Group joined us and performed for about 30 minutes – they then left the ship and we set sail to the Regent Orchestra – what a fantastic evening.

We arrived in Athens where the majority of the passengers left the ship – there were only 15 of us that had elected to do a back to back 2 weeks cruise – so we had another sailaway party with lovely cocktails, champagne, canapés and food and watched our new passengers join us.

Week 2 took us to Napfilion were we did an excursion to the Corinth Canel and Ancient Corrinth which was great. We then went back to Santorini where for some reason I decided to walk down the 895 steps – bear in mind these steps are frequented by the donkeys which ferry passengers up and down, so you can imagine what they were like – Chris decided to take the donkey – which was hysterical as they gave him the alpha male, which had a mind of its own! I managed to get down 894 steps without breaking my neck, but unfortunately on the 895th I slipped and badly twisted my ankle – I had 8 old Greek chaps all shouting and trying to pick me up as well as throwing bottles of water over my foot. Needless to say I ended up at the Doctors on board and had an X-Ray – luckily nothing broken, just soft tissue damage – I was wondering what to spend my OBC on LOL.

Whilst in Santorini we noticed posters everywhere advertising a firework display at 9.00pm that evening to celebrate the volcano erupting years ago, and I said to Chris it’s a shame we were sailing at 6.00pm and would miss it. Well no surprises - we got back on board and the Captain announced that he too had noticed the posters, and had taken the decision to stop at Santorini so we could see the spectacle. That evening we had been invited to dinner with the Chief Engineer – Pepe and Martha the Exec Concierge, who were fantastic hosts – at 9.00pm we were every waiters nightmare, the main courses had just shown up, and Pepe told them to hold fire with serving it as we needed to see the fireworks – and to keep it warm…… We were gone for a good 40 minutes and I had ordered Chateau Briand – medium rare – as they had been told to “keep it warm” – I fully expected it to be a little past its best, but no - it was cooked to perfection…… Oh how I love Regent.

The next day we received another invite to a Private Sailaway with the Captain on the Bridge from Rhodes – how cool was that – they crew up their were marvellous – they explained everything to us – showed us how everything worked, how GPS works, how they still use maps and eyes, and how they avoid colliding with other boats. They even let us drive the boat J. Captain Aage (sp) was a delight as were the rest of his team – and they let us stay for as long as we wanted. This will be a memory that will stick with me forever.

Word must have got out about what good company we wereJ as we then received an invite to dine with the Cruise Director – by this point my 14 year old son, was fed up with long dinners, so elected to dine in the suite – where Felix our butler served him Spaghetti Bolognaise, a break basket and a strawberry milkshake – so he was happy. We had a lovely evening with Paul the CD, who was also English and spent loads of time chatting about his role, and the exciting things he had been doing – it was a great evening and we really enjoyed his company.

Yet another invite arrived for a “Behind the Scenes Tour” – there were about 10 of us, treated to a tour through the galley, into the crew mess areas, and finishing up in the crew bar – it was really interesting and we were greeted at the end of the tour with yet more champagne and canapes.

We attended the Crew Capers show on Wednesday night – where crew members perform – it was magical – and I did shed a few tears – Oh how I didn’t want to leave this beautiful existence and come back to the real world.

We arrived in Istanbul on Thursday ready for disembarkation on Friday morning – it was still really relaxing and we were never once made to feel that it was the end of the cruise and they were glad to see the back of us (unlike some cruise lines!!) – all the waiters came up to us and gave us hugs and said goodbye – more tears from me…… Oh how I love Regent.

In summary – I have found the perfect holiday – we were treated as individuals and greeted by name after the first few days – the bar tenders knew exactly what drinks I like and how I liked them. I really liked the fact that it was a small ship. Every lunch time I liked a White Zinfandel with lunch, and every lunch time it magically appeared, along with my iced water. The waiters greeted us by name every day and if my son wasn’t with us asked after him.

Regent have a way of making every guest feel individual and that nothing is too much trouble. If you don’t see something you want – just ask, and if they have it they will get it and deliver it with a smile.

The food was incredible – and the choice was amazing – never once did it feel like mass catering – the portions at dinner were not huge, but with a possible 9 courses to go at they didn’t need to be.

The products in the bathroom were a choice Anicini or Regents own and were restocked throughout the entire cruise. We were provided with an iPOD with speakers with an excellent variety of music from the Killers to Classical – something to suit all tastes. Our fruit bowl and fridge were replenished every day (sometimes twice if my son had hit the sodas).

Other passengers were lovely and we met some fantastic people, some of whom we will stay in touch with, and are talking about cruising with again next year – with Regent naturally.

There was no signing for anything, room service was included (my son used it every day for steak sandwiches and milk shakes), no tips are expected as they are included in the cruise fare , and the service was out of this world – all excursions were included (we did pay a small supplement for the Mount Etna trip), and we were given OBC so I stocked up on perfume and a paid my medical bill. Even the washing powder in the laundry was included J

I cannot speak highly enough of Regent and am counting down the days until we join Voyager in the Baltic. If you have any questions fire away……

[Travelcat2]

Thank you for taking the time to write your delightful review. It makes me feel like I'm back on the Navigator. Really happy to read that you enjoyed your cruise:)

[Emdee]

So glad to hear you had a lovely time. I am doing a similar itinerary next year - 10 days ending in Venice and ont b2b.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Thanks for the great review. Glad to hear that the line still can deliver that extraordinary, special experience!

[Island Cruiser]

I love reading a wonderful review like this. You enjoyed Regent at her best as we have on eight marvelous cruises. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this. Pat

[Stickrod]

Hi EnglandsRose

Thanks for your thorough and entertaining review.

Did you notice distinct cigarette smoke anywhere on the Navigator? We were on this ship a couple of years ago, and my only complaint was that smoking was allowed on the balconies and I could also smell smoke in the hallways. We were unfortunately downwind of smokers so even using our balcony wasn't as enjoyable as it could've been.

However, I understand that Regent now prohibits smoking on the balconies. Hopefully, passengers complied?

One reason we haven't cruised again w/ Regent was the smoking issue. Now, we may be drawn back to them; loved the Navigator and its crew.

Thanks again for your review!

[Orange County Murphy]

Thank you for your delightful and informative review.

[cruiseluv]

Hi EnglandsRose

Thanks for your thorough and entertaining review.

Did you notice distinct cigarette smoke anywhere on the Navigator? We were on this ship a couple of years ago, and my only complaint was that smoking was allowed on the balconies and I could also smell smoke in the hallways. We were unfortunately downwind of smokers so even using our balcony wasn't as enjoyable as it could've been.

However, I understand that Regent now prohibits smoking on the balconies. Hopefully, passengers complied?

One reason we haven't cruised again w/ Regent was the smoking issue. Now, we may be drawn back to them; loved the Navigator and its crew.

Thanks again for your review!

 

 

Regent does not allow smoking in the cabins anymore, not even in the balconys. I believe they still allow it on certain areas up on deck and the casino, maybe in part of one of the bars.

[poss]

Thanks for your spirited and affectionate review, and all the various fun details. (I hope the ankle is completely healed by now: not the sort of souvenir a person wants to keep forever.) I admire the fact that you actually wrote your post right there in the airport while your memory of those details is still so alive. I'm trying to get a review written before certain things begin to fade, especially since I don't keep a journal of any sort.

Have a great cruise in the Baltic. That was our first cruise on Regent, our first cruise anywhere in fact, and we sure caught the bug.

[Goofyisme]

Thanks for your great review and I hope your ankle is well healed.

What vibration did you notice on the Navugator on this itinerary?

Thanks

[traveller333]

What a refreshing review. I'm happy you had such an excellent cruise and experience with Regent. If you like the Navigator, you're going to love the Mariner and the Voyager. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us.

[Island Cruiser]

Don't worry about smoking. The new Regent policy on smoking is working out very well. No smoking in cabins or the balcony. Most folks, and I emphasize most, who were tempted and likely to have ignored it have moved to other lines. And I think the policy has resulted in a net gain of passengers booking Regent. Pat

[Billybob62]

We were on the second half of EnglandRose's b2b, but never met her, a shame. We would concur with everything she said and would add the following. We arrived at the pier in Piraeus at 12:30 after 1 1/2 days in Athens (pre-fire) ans were allowed to board at 12:50. Embarkation was fast and efficient. The normal lucheon buffet was available in the Portifino Grill, which was typical for the week (plenty to choose from). We sailed at 6:00 and the first port of call was Nafplion, Greece. We took the long tour to Corinth and Mycenae and the tour buses were not quite full. While there were more Regent tours than normal because of the free excursions, they were all run very well and we never felt overcrowded, either in the bus or at the sites. All of our guides were excellent (as best as we can tell, most guides were quite good, with just a few exceptions). This was just as true for Santorini, Rhodes, Kusadasi and Mykonos (Delos).

 

We ate all of dinners in the Compass Rose, as the menu selections were too good to pass up. The comment on Portifino for dinner were quite mixed, which encouraged us to stick with Compass Rose. All of the dinners were at least very good. If a local restaurant, we would go back. Special requests were easy to deal with. I had discussed a plate of grilled calamari for dinner, which I oedered the day before, and had the best dish ever. Service was good, but not overwhelming. This was also true for luch at Portifino, where we continually had to make requests for beverages. Unlike the days when wait staff on many lines were Italian and fun, the current crop of wait staff is serious and just goes about doing their job with little bantering or joking. This was the only downside of the cruise.

 

The entertainment was provided primarily by 4 singers and 4 dancers (with the cruise band of course), all of whom had just graduated from college. This was their second week on the ship. They were very talented and considering they had just started, put on very good shows. They will only get better as time goes on. The crew show was among the best we had ever seen.

 

While we are not big time drinkers, my wife remarked that this is the first cruise where we became friendly with the bartenders, who were, as a group, the best of the service crew.

 

The cabins just cannot be beat, spacious, with a walk in closet, large bathroom, a large sitting area and unbelievably comfortable beds.

 

As for the vibration, our cabin was mid-ship so we never felt it in the cabin. It was very noticable in the show lounge, but the not the dining room.

 

As EnglandRose mentioned, the captain stayed in port in Santorini to allow us the the fireworks at 9:00, which lasted a half hour. We left 3 1/2 hours lateleaving , but made the next port right on time. A real nice treat (the fireworks started out slow, but ended up quite good).

 

After our second sailing with Regent (we had also done the Paul Gauguin), we can never go back to a mass market cruise line.

 

As a final comment, if at all possible, do at least a day and a half in Athens and at least 3-4 days in Istanbul. We had 4 days in Istanbul at the end and still did not have enough time to do all we wanted to do.

[OrpingtonT]

Loved reading of your experiences, Englandsrose and Billybob. I have never sailed on Navigator perhaps because of the fewer dining choices and some of the electrical and plumbing issues others have reported. I am sure that you would also be over the moon with Mariner and Voyager.

[gdlamberth]

We were on the Navigator for the 3 weeks prior to Rose (BTW red or white?) and if you couple her elegant review with my random musings at

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1037133

 

it seems the Navigator had a very good summer in the Med.

 

Greg

[OrpingtonT]

my random musings at

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1037133

 

it seems the Navigator had a very good summer in the Med.

 

Greg

 

For some reason I missed your musings, but have now read them with a great deal of enjoyment. Many thanks for bringing them to my attention. I was sorry you missed Albania. It is one of the stops we are really looking forward to on our next year's cruise on Mariner. I do hope it doesn't get bypassed.

[RachelG]

Great reports. I have never sailed on Navigator, but may give it a look after the dry dock is over.

[Billybob62]

By the way, we never ecperienced or heard about electricasl or plumbing problems and after drydock if they exist, they will be corrected. I would sail this ship again if the itinerary was right.

[Travelcat2]

By the way, we never ecperienced or heard about electricasl or plumbing problems and after drydock if they exist, they will be corrected. I would sail this ship again if the itinerary was right.

 

When we were on the Navigator earlier in the year, there were electricians from Italy on board (from where the ship was built). When they intentionally stopped the power for 15 minutes and started it up again, it caused the water to come out brown for a short time. The thought was that this stirred up sediment in the water tanks. Since that time we have not read about any power outages. In any event, all of this will be fixed in drydock.

[DebbieH103]

I really enjoyed the review. It sounds heavenly.

 

When I was on Navigator, pool deck service was not great, it was much more self-serve, but other things were fabulous. I am glad to see recent reviews are glowing.

[UUNetBill]

Loved reading about this cruise; it took me back all the way to July when we did Monte Carlo to Athens. I echo your sentiments; the cruise was a fantastic period of relaxation, pampering, superb service, interspersed with fantastic touristy experiences!

 

If I had to complain about anything, it would be that the in-suite entertaimnent was intermittent. I am one of those geeks that likes to see the live maps, ship stats, etc - and found that the TV system was spotty at best. Of course, I didn't cruise to watch the tube (or LCDs as the case may be) but it was still a minor annoyance. But it didn't stop us from booking our Baltic cruise for next year!!

 

:D

[jhp]

When we were on the Navigator earlier in the year, there were electricians from Italy on board (from where the ship was built). When they intentionally stopped the power for 15 minutes and started it up again, it caused the water to come out brown for a short time. The thought was that this stirred up sediment in the water tanks.

 

I have been on Regent ships (or maybe it was Silversea on one of my cruises with them) and have had the "brown water" thing more than once. It is not pleasant, but a call to reception has usually cured it. They come, and from the hallway have done a "backwash" thing, or whatever they do in a swimming pool, maybe? It has never been related on my cruises to an electrical outage. These things unfortunately happen on ships now and then, but with the Navigator, more problematic for some. I hope dry dock will fix it. My last cruise, I didn't have it, but a good friend did, to her annoyance.

[Fogfog]

Hi--We will be sailing the Nav next summer with a 14 yr old and 17 yr old...

What did you son think of the ship?

[Fogfog]

subscribing:o

[englandsrose]

Hi - my son loved the ship - however it was a very port intensive cruise, so we did not spend a massive amount of time on there during the day time - apart from lazy afternoons lounging by the pool.

 

My son is not a sun worshipper so was happy to watch movies in the suite, and make the most of room service (he used the butler more than we did).

 

Evenings were spent with us at dinner, which was the main event for us - we like long sociable dinners and had many on this cruise with really interesting people - luckily we meet other families with boys of a similar age and outlook.

 

During the first week they did have some evening stuff for the kids which included WII tournaments etc., but he didn't make it until the last night, and then wished he had gone all week. The second week there was nothing in particular, but he was happy to join us in the show lounge or again watched more movies.

 

I would say that if you are expecting kids clubs etc, and your boys to be "entertained" like on the mainstream cruise lines, then Regent is probably not for you, as this is not available, but in our case was never a requirement as he does not generally use those facilities anyway.