Navigator Cruise Regent Line

My husband and I have sailed a lot on Crystal and I on other lines so it was hard not to compare them to the Navigator. Our room was nice and larger than Crystal on the lower decks. The sheets were nice also. We did have three nice dinners.

Our window had so much caulking around it that we could see the rust and disintegration which gave us cause for concern. The window in the dining room was the same with cauking and lots of rust. The green grass growing around the hull at the waters edge made us wonder how safe this ship might be?

I had to ask for something to write with, another day something to write on, for our room. A few days into the cruise some slippers appeared. Another few days and a clock appeared. At the front desk I asked if housekeeping could put a new ironing board cover on the ironing board as it had worn down to the metal. After asking twice it never happened.

The food was something like Denny's. The Italian restaurant had some meals that were so dry that they really were not worth the calories. One day we walked away from our lunch plate in the main dining room and went upstairs to make our own in the buffet line.

The day we arrived in Belize we asked if we could fly home. It was possible but the airline was a local one and with the weather storming and flying in a little plane we opted to stay on board.

The entertainment is rather like a high school review. There was one lady who played the piano which was quite nice. Otherwise we never stayed to watch the floor shows. It was just sad.

The help is really sporadic. One day the waiter whisked the menu out of my hands so fast that I had to point on my husbands menu the extra that I wanted.

We originally signed on for this cruise to become a member of the Seven Seas Society. We were thinking of doing their World Cruise and wanted to try out the line. In fact we spoke with a lady at Regent on Nov.5th regarding making a reservation for the world cruise. She never called back. Fortunately for us she did not.

The ship has very little common areas. The pool area has very limited seating out of the sun. The Gallileo room was good for reading if you could stand the music. Other than those places the light was very poor and not very inviting.

If you have never cruised before this might be a place to start. We spoke with a few passengers who love the ship. MInd you that they were very elderly and probably don't care about the food.

When we returned home I told my travel agent that if they offered us a free cruise on this ship we would not go. I certainly hope that their other ships are better than this one.

WOW! Very sorry about your cruise. This sure doesn't sound like the Navigator that we know and love and can't wait to be on again next month.:(

Please don't compare the Navigator with the other RSSC ships....the Voyager and Mariner are fantastic and sound even better since they both came out of dry dock. I overheard others talking about the ironing board covers on my last Navigator cruise I was on but surely they've been replaced since then since this was many months ago. Sorry your cruise was disappointing but I hope you give the Voyager and Mariner a chance, I think you will be very pleased.

Good grief, all these negative reports about Navigator have me worried! And it doesn't have a drydock until April 2010!

Good heavens - athough it's a few years since I sailed on Navigator, I can't believe you're talking about the same ship! I was on Voyager in September last and loved every moment - maybe we have different standards.

There have been several Navigator reviews lately -- none of which sound like the one above. In fact, there has not been even one post indicating what this poster alleges. Food like Denny's? This sounds like a Crystal vs. Regent post. As most of you know, there is some strange competition between the two cruise lines (can't imagine why -- they are totally different products).

Lest I be called a Regent cheerleader, all of us are aware that the Navigator has a vibration issue (due to the hull -- not something fixable) -- is older than the other two ships and has less dining venues.

The Navigator was in dry dock and had all soft goods (including carpets) replaced in 2007 (or late 2006) -- much more recently than the Voyager or Mariner -- prior to the latest dry dock. All Regent ships are getting new entertainment (currently in process). Crystal is known for their top entertainment.

It may be a good idea to warn Crystal passengers that they may not like Regent (and visa versa).

The Op said nothing about the vibration, did she??

Why is it necessary to editorialize what a poster experienced or didn't experience and provide rebuttal? We weren't there.

Why is it relevant that Navigator had a drydock in 2006 for soft goods? Actually, the OP complimented the bed sheets!

If you chose not to believe the experiences she is describing that is your call . I want to hear everything anybody wants to contribute from their own experience and it is not helpful to have somebody trying to counterbalance it.

The Op said nothing about the vibration, did she??

 

Why is it necessary to editorialize what a poster experienced or didn't experience and provide rebuttal? We weren't there.

 

Why is it relevant that Navigator had a drydock in 2006 for soft goods? Actually, the OP complimented the bed sheets!

 

If you chose not to believe the experiences she is describing that is your call . I want to hear everything anybody wants to contribute from their own experience and it is not helpful to have somebody trying to counterbalance it.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion -- as am I. It only takes one baseless bad review to lose customers. For newbies that have not read the recent positive reviews of the Navigator -- it is only fair to give the other side of the story. If CC has hosts have a problem with someone giving another perspective, they can make that fact known.

The relevancy of the dry dock statement will be apparent if the post from traveller333 is read.

We've been on the Navigator twice, totaling about 40 days, the last time in the fall of 2004. It doesn't have the public space or facilities of the Mariner and Voyager, but its suites are larger than Mariner's and the baths have both tubs and separate showers, as does the Voyager. Mariner’s baths have large, treacherous raised tubs with limited overheads in most suites, although a goodly number have now been converted to walk-in shower-only setups. Navigator’s dining choices are limited compared to the other Seven Seas ships, and in March we'll see how the food is, as we've booked a 12-night Caribbean cruise R/T Ft. Lauderdale. We feel all RSSC food as well as the associated dining service has slipped, except in the Signatures restaurants on the larger ships. Menu choices are more limited now, and to us the food seems less well prepared and served, at least on Mariner. Admittedly we don't like the nouvelle cuisine they feature, and haven’t yet had the opportunity to try one of the new steak houses. But clearly it’s not as bad as some nearby have intimated (Denny's!?!?, come on!)

We're looking forward to a nice cruise with an interesting group of people on a lovely ship. More after March 23rd, if there is something worth reporting, particularly good or notably bad.

This did not strike me as a "balanced" review at all - and we have seen some excellent, well thought through reviews of the Navigator recently. It is strange that this lady does not mention a thing that is frequently criticised on the Navigator - the vibration - and says that the food was awful when the last two reviewers praised it. I also find it odd for someone to state that the entertainment was terrible and in the same breath admit that she didn't stay for any of the shows...

Count Florida - let us have your opinion once you are on board! My husband and I are sailing on her on May 1, and we will be eager to read it!!

Well.......we board the Navigator in 4 hours. I have been trying very hard to remain positive about this cruise in spite of the recent reviews and comments. We will be boarding with a smile on our faces and hope to disembark the same.

Count Florida:

We will all have a wonderful time on our Navigator cruise March 11th!!

Look forward to meeting you.

Wow, I am stunned by your review. The fact that your experience was so bad that you wanted to cut your cruise short is unimaginable for me.

I consider myself a pretty good cook and have for the most part enjoyed Regent's food and presentation. I also think that people's tastes are very subjective, but to compare Navigator's food to Denny's? :eek:

My husband and I (in our late 40s and 50s) sailed on the Navigator last March. We truly enjoyed our cruise and met some fabulous people!

I hope which ever line you decide to go with for your World Cruise, that you have a memorable journey.

Cheers,

Judy

Jim, Count, we expect you to tell us yoru experiences, for sure!

This was the cruise with the terrible weather, right? This must be factored in I guess, and I wonder if that's why they wanted to leave early.

Yes, the soft goods refit was in December 2006, and we were on the ship immediately afterwards. Food was very good, not quite up to Voyager, but very good. Ship was lovely.

I agree that we all have our opinions and it's obvious that the OP really did not have a good time, and I believe that.

But, I also agree that there's a couple of comments that are over the top--it's the second time lately that the food on a Regent ship was compared to Denny's, and that just can't be true (although the breakfast buffet is pretty standard, but I don't think they have smoked salmon at Denny's!) The other one is about the entertainment, I agree, if you don't attend the performances, don't complain.)

This is a nicely laid-out ship, with lovely public areas. If the staff was off its game, perhaps part of that could have been the weather as well.

Oh, and I've never had a stateroom on Regent that did not have (personalized) stationary available or slippers, for that matter. Sounds like the OP had a stewardess who was tired, incompetent or just not properly trained.

I do believe that each person in entitled to report their experience and give their opinion [hoping that they are doing so in an honest manner, without another agenda operating]. Then we are free to 'read' the post.

I do like to hear all opinions...but treat them like a bell curve, lopping off the wildly negative as well as the wildly positive..and the wildly skewed.

I agree w. Count Florida..while at the same time 'Denny's' I simply can't embrace. Actually I've never been on any ship over the years...no matter what its class...that tasted like Denny's et al.

Unfortunately, based on our New Years cruise on Voyager, I have more sympathy for the entertainment comments. We found this category to be very, very weak...not in line w. previous Regent sailings or in fact, w. most other lines. I suppose that at this very moment someone out there is thinking of a good excuse for this.....but that cruise cost over 14K and I am not interested in excuses.

Bottom line appears to be that Regent Navigator was not a match for this pax........why broad brush all Crystal pax as the same??? I sail both lines and know many others that also do.

To the OP,

I noticed your "other" post is on the Navigator of the Seas thread on RCCL.. Could you be posting on the wrong board??!

Host Dan

Dan, the OP mentioned Galileo's, so I think they are talking Regent. Plus the weather from that trip seems to jibe with other posters.

Dan, the OP mentioned Galileo's, so I think they are talking Regent. Plus the weather from that trip seems to jibe with other posters.

Oh well, just a try... :(

Host Dan

I may have to give Denny's another try if the food is like that on the Navigator!:cool:

Funny, very funny! I was just thinking, too bad they don't have Denny's in Canada!

I was just thinking maybe Denny's has gotten better!

Seriously, the things (besides the Denny's comparison) that make me doubt this report are that the OP has never posted anything before and that she said that they would have to fly a small local plane if they went home from Belize. The only port visited in Belize as far as I can tell was Belize City, and it is serviced by American and Continental for sure (probably others as well) with big planes.

We were on the Navigator from January 9th to January 19th. I decided to

join in on thread after reading a recent review and comments.

The Embarkation was similar to most of the seven times we have boarded a Regent cruise ship: computer problems, friendly staff and a bit of a wait to get through security. I have learned a lot by reading your comments on CC, so when we got on board we went to our cabin and dropped off our carry on and then proceeded to lunch.

We had a balcony cabin in the aft of the ship and although there was some vibration we were not bothered by it after the first night, not even in bad weather. Our cabin was similar to a cabin on the Voyager and had a separate shower and tub - important to us. The cabin was well appointed but there were noticeable differences from set-up on other ships. For instance, there were only two drinking glasses, two wine glasses and two champagne glasses which came with the the champagne, no stirrers, no napkins. When one of the drinking glasses was broken during the night it was never replaced. We could have asked for another one but never thought about it and so made do with the wine glasses. We did receive four pieces of stationary in the leatherette Guest Information Binder, (I have been told that on some lines guests receive personalized stationary). The first page in the binder was so badly stained I did not want to use the binder for information. There were no slippers in the cabin so we had to ask for them. I love the way the Regent pens look but there wasn't one in the room so I had to ask for one, it ran out of ink right away. To be continued ...

I may have to give Denny's another try if the food is like that on the Navigator!:cool:

That is a great idea. My Navigator cruise was wonderful - not perfect, but wonderful. It will be some more months before I get back on the Navigator and am having a craving for their blue-cheese burgers. I just have to go to Denny's for a great lunch.

Wendy said:

Funny, very funny! I was just thinking, too bad they don't have Denny's in Canada!

And, at least for breakfast, they are are in the same ballpark as the competition (Humpty's). May have to try them for other times if they are comparable to Regent.

mike

Methinks I heard someone complaining all over the place about matters inconsequential while on the 'bad weather' cruise. Naturally, a few complaints are usual, but not as far out as this one.

Writing materials ? There is a black leather book with letterheads, envelopes, postcards and a scratch pad on the vanity table.

A great pianist was located in the Navigator lounge . A male. The female pianist is a concert pianist. We did not attend as this is not our type of music.

There are many quiet places to read, with plenty of light. The top deck lounge for example.

I never inspected the exterior windows so cannot comment on the caulking, and cannot swim so I was unable to check the hull.

The comments were written in anger, I suppose.