Navigator Crossing: First Segment Monte Carlo - Funchal

Just got back from the cruise. Here are my brief impressions.

1. The people (=passengers) have exceeded my expectations. What a pleasant and friendly crowd it was!

2. The service was Ok, but servers in the restaurants and bars were not as helpful and friendly as expected (on many occasions they did not smile back, or it took several reminders for them to bring my order). The guest relations ladies were cold (the guest relations manager did not even bother to come out when I asked to talk to him/her about a late check-out). The cleaners were all smiles and greetings on the other hand. Bartenders Andrea and Ricky were very nice, and I highly recommend dealing with them for all your wine needs.

3. I can not recommend Portofino for dinner. Lunch and breakfast are very good, but all three attempts I made at making sure the previous dining experience was not a glitch just confirmed that there is something wrong with the Chef. The entertainment (=Roberto) was so-so too.

4. Dining at Compass Rose was Ok, but mostly because of the quality of the ingredients as opposed to the Chef's ingenuity. Frog legs, venison, veal, duck, etc were not up to my best experiences elsewhere. Escargots were good though.

5. We had one rough day at the sea, half of the public was sick staying in their cabins. One of the waves caused our balcony door to suddenly open and immediately close with such force that the whole glass piece was shattered into pieces. This happened when we were leaving for lunch. By 5 PM the glass was replaced and the door was completely operational again.

6. Tunis was a disappointment for all of us, and Regent is replacing the local tour operator. On the other hand, Casablanca was more fun than I thought.

Overall, I liked the cruise, and would go again, but will probably try Mariner next time for a change. :-)

AT

Thanks for your review. I'm not at all happy to read that you experienced service problems. You should not have to ask several times for an order to be brought to you and although the ship's crew are not there to be your friends I would at the very least expect a friendly, helpful and receptive demeanor when speaking with them. I hope you noted these items on your evaluation form or told someone while on the ship.

Pat

Wow that is so surprising to hear. In Portofino, you mentioned Roberto...was Jerry there, too?

I am not sure who Jerry is. By the way, based on previous reviews I was expecting that the personnel would address me by name, but I think that no one ever asked and therefore never used my name talking to me. This applies to all ship venues except for a couple of casino dealers, of course. :-)

AT

AT, lots of time if you are returning to a particular ship, the staff and crew will address you by name. Too bad Jerry wasn't at Portofino's at night. He puts on a great show during the dinner. Maybe you will meet him on another Navigator cruise.

It's a lovely day at sea midway across the Atlantic. I agree with some, but not all, of your post.

First of all, to clarify the situation at Portofino's, Jerry left the ship just before the crossing due to problems with his voice. As a result, Portofino's was abruptly left without entertainment. Roberto tried his best filling many hats, but without Jerry there was definitely something lacking. Three nights into the second leg, Portofino's was converted to a steakhouse. The first night was brutal, but word is that the second night was improved. Hopefully Jerry will be able to return soon and all will be back to normal.

I agree that Compass Rose has perhaps an overly ambitious menu without the quality of ingredients to meet expectations. For example, the large shrimp of the past have given way to 40-60 to the pound quality and the beef is inconsistent. Sometimes great, other times tough and gristly. I have found the food much blander than in the past. As a result the menu sounds far better than it actually tastes. And the menu is less than cohesive. Flavors are disjointed from one course to the next. To be honest, I've been disappointed with much of the food. Overall, Portofino's at lunch is actually much more flavorful with a great selection. I know Sylke can do better, so I'm not sure what the problem is.

We had a great tour in Tunis and praised our tour guide to ship personnel. Some people were less than pleased, and the ship made adjustments far beyond what could be expected. We tried to give our credit back, but were told it was a blanket adjustment.

As for service, it seemed at times that the full ship put a lot of pressure on staff. Even for the crossing leg the ship is almost fully booked. Sometimes dining service is slower than usual. There have been some shortages of things that should be stocked. And worst of all, the cruise director is less than stellar. On the other hand, our cabin stewardess is the best we've had since they changed to the one-person program. When some minor things came up she cheerfully resolved the problems immediately. With a few minor exceptions, I have found the entire staff to be very attentive and helpful. During the day of rough seas (and they were rough) room service was overwhelmed, but remained pleasant and did their best to meet demand. They apologized for an anticipated 20-minute delay due to the large number of orders ahead of ours. The captain warned us of the impending storm and to be prepared if we were prone to motion sickness. I heard before I boarded that there was nobody to carry plates or see you to the table at lunch, etc, but have not found that to be the case. Especially during the rough seas and with a number of passengers with physical limitations, staff was always right there to be of assistance.

On the other hand, one thing several of us have noticed is that there are a number of very demanding, even rude passengers on board. I hope this change in demographics isn't permanent! One fellow passenger complained to me that he was tired of being "nickle and dimed" to make up for the open bar plan. When I asked him for specifics, he complained about being charged for tours. Okay. That's a new one. Another passenger made quite a scene in the dining room one night, even loudly calling the wine sommelier an a**hole. This wine sommelier is one of the most friendly, knowledgeable, and professional people onboard and I can't imagine what transgression caused this lengthy, vulgar outburst. I observed another passenger making a scene in reception over the schedule for vacating cabins in Funchal. In each case staff maintained their cool and did their best to defuse the situation.

I've been on board from Monte Carlo and have absolutely no major complaints. Yeah, the food could taste better, but I've probably gained at least 5 pounds, so I've survived.

Just another passengers take.

JoAnne B

JoAnne, that's disappointing about the rude passengers. There's always a few, but we always hope just one or two. I guess the days when crossings were a bargain because they weren't very popular is over for good! And too bad about Portofino's--that the steakhouse had a rocky start that is. I would love it if they got rid of Don Vito's completely, but I'm in the minority, I know.

I hate to read these things. I don't know what this crossing cost, but I know the one on Voyager looked like a pretty good deal. That is why a lot of people added it on to the cruise before. I hope that didn't bring out the "ugly Americans". Chewing out the staff in public is never a good thing. I know I did that once a few years ago when I was downgraded 2 categories at a resort because they didn't have my room category right from the tour operator, and I was sick about my own behavior for days. I still regret that I embarrassed the staff in front of others, and it has been maybe 6 or 7 years. Let's hope these people realized they were out of line as well.

Sounds like it still should be a relaxing cruise if not too many rough seas.

Debbie and Wendy, as I've indicated, I really liked the fellow passengers, and I saw only nice friendly people on board. Please do not generalize about the composition of the crowd on this crossing without being there and witnessing the events.

JoAnne, is it your observation, that this crossing has an excessive "number of very demanding, even rude passengers on board" as compared to your other sailings?

AT

I am quite disappointed at what I am reading. It seems like the very things that I complained of on Navigator in August 2006 haven't changed or have reoccurred. Either way, it is not good.

While there is "always one" rude passenger, I am concerned that while the passenger's response may not have (or simply wasn't) appropriate, there was something that triggered it in the first instance.

As for Jerry's absence, I love Jerry but he actually does take time off the ship fairly regularly. If I am not mistaken, Roberto handled things without Jerry previously so I am wondering what is going on. Regardless, if Regent was going to make it a steakhouse, it should be able to cook a steak and serve it without much of an issue.

Sorry if I am perceived as negative, but consistency of product is what it is supposed to be about and the inconsistency just seems to keep coming up.

Have friends on full crossing MC/FL they are diehard SS cruisers - very happy so far and had left SS due to issues - will wait for full report

Here we go, another report of the Navigator service and food not being up to luxury standards. I so hope that this is not a trend as I really liked the Navigator and her crew. What the heck is going on. Regent is continually marketing themselves as a superior product with the comfort and care of their guest in the forefront so I do hope that this is not part of a downward spiral. With the increase in cruise costs that they have implemented I would expect things to at least stay on par if not improove. This really saddens me

as I really like the old Radisson.

Pat

JoAnne, that's disappointing about the rude passengers. There's always a few, but we always hope just one or two. I guess the days when crossings were a bargain because they weren't very popular is over for good! And too bad about Portofino's--that the steakhouse had a rocky start that is. I would love it if they got rid of Don Vito's completely, but I'm in the minority, I know.

We love the Navigator (except for the lack of dining options). . . from reading these boards, it seems like the majority do not like Portofino (would be nice if we could do a poll;) ). I should clarify that Portofino was just fine for lunch -- and, we found the food quite good-- just could do without the repetitive entertainment that makes conversation at the table nearly impossible (am a little unclear about your reference to Don Vito's -- Portofino's is an Italian restaurant -- think that Don Vito's was previously in that space).

In terms of the "Ugly American" syndrome, we have traveled extensively for the past 20 years (mostly non-cruise travel) and encounter this quite often. It seems like people go on vacation/holiday to have new experiences but expect/demand that things be the same as at home. IMO, the only way to counter this is to show that the majority of "us" are polite and respectful of other people and cultures.:)

Just two weeks off the Navigator, I experienced the opposite of the negativity expressed here. Great service (with an occasional slip up, but come on ...), friendly faces, polite passengers. Sorry for the opposite experiences.

Jerry was taking some time off in Rome, as I understand it.

Agree with Portofino being a less than great experience, but in my case it was because I just don't like the audience participation required to have dinner there.

Oh yes, Portofino's is quite fine for breakfast and lunch!

And it would be a fine venue for a casual restaurant like La Verandah, perhaps with alternating menus.

But I've seen people on the other board praise Don Vito's up and down, so I've mostly given up on that over there. In our two experiences with Don Vito's (one on the old Diamond), the majority seem to love it. The first time, we walked out, could not stand it. The Navigator experience is actually toned down since then, believe it or not.

Hi JoAnne - so jealous of another crossing. But can't do them all :) Who is on board as staff? Where did you have the rough sea day? Have never had a rough day but my 2 crosses have been in Spring. Does that make a difference?

Still have not booked the Spring Navigator cross yet.

How is trivia going? Have a good team :)

Phyllis

I'm extremely troubled over JoAnne B's thread. :(

We are a few weeks away from making final payment ( by Dec.1 to avoid an over $200 fuel charge) on our first Regent cruise. This will also be our first "luxury" cruise. I'd done a great deal of research before ultimately deciding on Regent. And while I certainly don't expect caviar and top shelf champagne,I do have certain expectations on the quality of food and service.

For the amount of money we're paying for our luxury cruise, I was hoping to be "wowed" by Regent.

Judy

I'm extremely troubled over JoAnne B's thread. :(

We are a few weeks away from making final payment ( by Dec.1 to avoid an over $200 fuel charge) on our first Regent cruise. This will also be our first "luxury" cruise. I'd done a great deal of research before ultimately deciding on Regent. And while I certainly don't expect caviar and top shelf champagne,I do have certain expectations on the quality of food and service.

For the amount of money we're paying for our luxury cruise, I was hoping to be "wowed" by Regent.

 

Judy

We are ready to make our final payment also in about 2 weeks in order to avoid the fuel surcharge. I'm quite sure you will enjoy Regent but don't go expecting to be wowed and go with the flow and you won't be disappointed. There is not a cruiseline on earth that I think I could book on with the expectation of being wowed and I've experienced the top 3.....Seabourn, SS and Regent.........all great, pleasant experiences and all different but none that I can say gave me that "Wow" factor. Try not to get too influenced by the things you read especially when it comes to food as it's so subjective to individual tastes. Again, unless you are someone seeking perfection then I'm sure you will have a good cruise. Just don't set your standards and expectations so high that they can't be met. As others have mentioned before in other posts......better to go on any cruise with lower expectations and be pleasantly surprised then going with unrealistic high expectations and be disappointed.

Pat

I wasn't generalizing about the people, I was more inquiring. On my first SS cruise, two large groups bought out a lot of the ship, and two guys were drunk on the pool deck a lot. One was pawing women all the time, and another had to be carried (literally) to his room by his companions one day. This last cruise, as I mentioned there were a few falling down in one of the lounges on Regent Voyager, and they were tipping staff heavily to "take care of them". They were knocking over tables, breaking glasses, etc. Naturally, both times, this was a few, but they do stick out in one's mind.

Another day of calm seas, but sadly beginning to pack for disembarkation.

I need to clarify my post. I've been impressed with the service aboard and will continue to sail the Navigator as often as I can. I've had a great time and met some wonderful people. I certainly wouldn't let a few bad apples spoil my vacation. In comparison, yes there have been more loud, rude, and demanding passengers. I could make a list of observations, but don't want to turn this into finger pointing. And also because I've enjoyed the company of really great people. The pleasant people far outweigh the negative ones.

I commented on Portofino's to address the previous complaint...it was an abberation caused by Jerry's sudden departure. There was little time for planning, and I doubt that the powers realized how much Jerry contributed to the experience...hence the empty room. I also anticipated others commenting on the one-night problem in converting to the new concept...last night Portofino's was filled to the brim with old Diamond cruisers and service was spot-on. I was also trying to convey the effort staff was making to recover from a bad situation. They really cared and it showed. Portofino's has always had mixed reviews...it's not quite Don Vito's, and not quiet elegant Italian restaurant.

Other positives....entertainment, lecturers, and activities on the crossing have been above standard. Room service has been without flaw...hot, on time, and pleasantly served. Staff has been professional and friendly. Most of the regulars are aboard...Giusseppe as HD, David Guy as Asst CD, and a delightful newby, Cara as social hostess, Mikki, Roberto, pleasant bar staff and waiters....can I say more?

I don't think one negative (or positive) review should cause anybody to change their overall opinion of the line. I've certainly seen more improvement than flaws, and I anticipate the line will continue in that direction.

JoAnne B

Judy,

> And while I certainly don't expect caviar and top shelf champagne,

> I do have certain expectations on the quality of food and service.

I consider Heidsieck Monopole (which I was drinking the whole trip) to be a very decent champagne. And there were at least three occasions I enjoyed malossol caviar in industrial quantities so to speak. :-)

AT

Very good advice Pat, thank you...Expectations are in check.

Besides, spending two weeks alone with my DH is the greatest luxury I can imagine. :p

Judy

We just came back from the crossing on Voyager. It was an excellent trip. We found the food for the most part excellent (although there were a couple of blips on quality. One of them was a veal chop that was close to inedible). Service was also for the most part top notch. Oh yes, one day during lunch on deck they forgot to bring me my diet coke so I go up and got it myself. Not a big deal. My one complaint is about Compass Rose during breakfast. I found it very amateurish and erratic, very different from service level at dinner.

Regarding prices, this was a very discounted cruise with a fantastic price. But I agree with Wendy, going forward Regent is being priced a little too "rich" for us. However, I have priced comparable Crystal cruises, adding beverage costs and tips, and I don't find that much price differential on a per diem basis . Especially when you take into account that Crystal standard cabins are much smaller that Regents.