RSSC Navigator Feb 18 and hoping for advice

[Galadraal]

Hi: I'm new to the forum and this will be my DH and my First cruise with RSSC and our third cruise otherwise.

 

I was hoping to meet others on the cruise who also enjoy snorkling and was hoping to also get feedback on using a butler and any other useful

info about RSSC.

 

Thanks in advance ;) Joanne

[greygypsy]

Well, well. We have been searching for months for someone else to post who is also going on this cruise - the actual cruise date is Feb. 19 (we are arriving a day early on the 18th, which is always a good idea). This will be our first Radisson Cruise, but we are pretty experienced cruisers, mostly with Celebrity. We plan on doing plenty of snorkeling and usually bring our own gear. We won't be having a butler this time - we typically get a suite on Celebrity that comes with one, but didn't really see the benefit so much on Radisson based on what we read on the boards and other research. I'm sure your butler will be very nice and pretty much do anything you request, as long as it is legal!

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We are up in the Chicago area and have been cruising just about every winter since we moved here 4 years ago.

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So let us get to know each other a little better. If you are uncomfortable posting here, feel free to e mail us at greygypsy1@yahoo.com. Look forward to meeting you soon,

[fizzy]

Dear Galadraal, On our Navigator cruises we did not have a butler but friends traveling at the same time did. They told us that they actually felt guilty at times because they really could not think of a thing for their butler to do. They were sorry they had booked the butler cabin ONLY because the money could have been spent on other land excursions or shopping trips. The service is so fantastic that it seems at times as though they find things to do for you that you never even knew that you needed! [with no butler]We thought that if you were on a very long cruise and needed help with organizing clothing from cold weather to warm weather and storage, maybe that would be a nice thing.

[kodykat]

Hi Folks!

 

My Mom and I will be also traveling on the Feb 19th Navigator cruise.

With the weather on the east coast getting colder I can't wait.

 

We have been on Radisson once before and cruised with several of the other major lines…mostly Celebrity. We had a butler a couple of times. Ours were VERY willing to help and booked our shore excursion, made restaurant reservations, even offered to reserve lounge chairs for us by the pool....we didn't accept that as I hate when people to that! They did serve us dinner in our room once and brought us appetizers each evening. (Not that we were ever hungry!)

We generally were very undemanding.

 

I love to snorkel but haven’t done so in any of our ports.

(I’ve gone in Key West, Grand Cayman, Nassau, Bermuda and St. John.)

I want to snorkel at least once on this cruise but not sure where to do it.

Any suggestions?

Since I am traveling with my Mom, who has some mobility issues, we will probably rent a car in some of the ports and take a private tour that way.

 

I have never been to Dominca, St. Barts, Tortola or Grand Turk.

Any ideas what to do there?

 

Sincerely,

 

Carol

[greygypsy]

Hello folks. Hopefully we have dodged a bullet. As I'm sure you know, or will have read when coming back to the boards, the Navigator sustained a "small" fire and the next cruise (scheduled to depart tomorrow) has been cancelled. We are grateful no one was hurt, hopeful that they treat the folks who were scheduled to go on the cruise well, and even more hopeful that the repairs are done and the ship is back in great shape for our cruise. We have also not gone to the four stops you mentioned, and that was one of the deciding points for us in choosing this eastern/southern itinerary. On Dominica we are taking one of the ships excursions into the rain forest - but if your mother is usually sedentary, that might be difficult, but I'm sure you could arrange a taxi tour of the main sights. In the BVI's, we'll probably go to the baths. Not sure about St. Barts. We're there for a long time, and I'm sure it's beautiful, so we'll probably hang out at a couple of beaches and do some people watching. In researching snorkeling opportunities, they all have spots where it could be fun - snorkeling on Princess Cay will depend on the weather and sea temps - this time of year it can still be coolish there. After that it's pretty much wherever you want. Anyway, glad to make your acquaintance and looking forward to meeting you aboard. Jeff

[Galadraal]

Sorry I must've mis-typed the date.

 

I also haven't been to those ports which is why I chose it. My husband's from England and I just love the accent so I really wanted to go to the British Virgin Islands (Tortola).

 

I went with the butler because I've never used one and was hoping there would be added benefits. Our first cruise was one of the deluxe suites with Holland America and we got priority embarkation and tenders and I also really liked the concierge room. With RSSC all the rooms from A - F are the same and I debated on whether it was worth the added expense.

 

We also have our own snorkel gear which makes life easier. Our last cruise was on the Carnival Miracle with friends of ours who've been cruising for about five years with several couples. I hated Carnival (we also had bad weather and much was canceled the first few days and the ship was very rough) but they booked our excursions privately vs what was available thru the ship and it was excellent. The one "co-host" had found excursions and/ or info thru Cruise Critic which is how I became aware of this site.

 

GreyGypsy, I just noticed your location. My Dad was born in Highland Park, Il; his Dad was a doctor. Talk about a small world :) . We used to live in St. Louis, Misery from when I was 12. I like Florida MUCH better! LOL

 

Joanne

[greygypsy]

We are currently in sunny So Cal (from where we moved to Chicago a few years ago due to work) and enjoying a few days of thaw before we head back and start preparing for this cruise. It looks like I'll have maybe a foot of snow to contend with when we get back Sunday night!! But, aside from winter, we do enjoy living there - like the small town feel with the beautiful big city very close by. Have you booked any excursions yet? We typically try to avoid the ship's excursions as costly and crowded, but we've heard good things about Radisson's, and we have a room credit to use up. The 4 wd excursion in Dominica looks especially interesting (let's hope for not too much rain). We have friends in Puerto Rico who we'll probably spend most of the day visiting. And will rent a car in St. Martin (we have found it's less expensive than taking up to 4 taxi rides and it's easy to drive there, except for the traffic in Phillipsburg). On some of the other islands, I think we'll just pick a beach and head there for part of the day and then just check out the port. Let us know if you are interested in sharing a car in St. Martin and/or perhas St. Barths (haven't been there and am still debating between getting a car or using a taxi). Jeff

[Galadraal]

Sorry I haven't checked the boards (or my email) in AGES!

 

My husband and I were just starting to look at the excursions. I'll talk to him about renting a car; it sounds like a good idea. Our first cruise, the only thing we tried to book was parasailing and they screwed up and left without us. The other cruise we went with about 12 other people and they planned excursions outside of Carnival.

 

My mother-in-law just left from a 2 week visit so I haven't really had a chance to even get excited about the cruise; much less do any planning

 

Joanne

[Dolebludger]

On all tropical Radisson cruises we've been on (though we've not been on the Navitgator to the tropics) snorkel gear has been provided to guests free of charge on a "check out" basis. You might want to check and see if it is the same on your cruise. If it is, we would take our own masks and snorkel tubes, but check out fins and vests, as they are bulky to pack.

 

Hope this helps,

Richard:) :) :)

[Galadraal]

Richard ~ that's a great idea about the fins. We plan to do mostly snorkeling on the various islands. I usually pack our snorkel gear in my husband's suitcase since he doesn't need as much room as I do :D and he might appreciate some more room in his suitcase.

 

Joanne

[JoAnne B]

I've been cruising for over twenty-five years (started as a wee infant...not) We have honestly lost track of the number of cruises we've taken, but I think we were well past 30 at last count. Been on a lot of the mass market cruises from the now defunct Regency, Renaissance, and Royal Cruise Line to a number of NCL, Princess, even Celebrity, Carnival and RCCL. We've even done the River Cruises. Did I mention that I love to cruise? So when it comes to RSSC, I've got a fairly good base of comparison from the mass market lines. And, yes, I've been a pretty vocal critic of the handling of the Diamond cancellations.

 

Having said that, I have a very positive opinion of the shipboard experience on RSSC. The ships are well maintained and service is at a very high level. The cabins have the comfort of a boutique hotel. What is better than curling up under the fluffy duvet listening to the water sounds! Beyond that, it is a very personal experience. You feel like the staff is hosting you rather than just doing a job. If you are looking for a hubbub of activity and silly games, you may be disappointed. However, all of the entertainment is classy and the setting so relaxing. The lectures are something I really look forward to, and the variety of offerings never fails to amaze me!

 

I really like the relaxed attitude toward mature social drinking. No searching of bags to ensure that you haven't smuggled alcohol onboard. Who needs to smuggle...the two bottles you select will be in your cabin by the end of embarkation day. Want to mix a drink in your cabin and relax on the balcony..no problem. Wine pours freely at dinner, eliminating the awkward "how many glasses" question. They're there to sell the cruising experience, not just drinks. If they would only convert to the open bar concept it would be perfect, but that's an overworked thread that is best left closed. It will be curious to get the feedback from the world cruisers this year.

 

But the whole experience is really enhanced by your fellow passengers. You would have to work really hard not to make friends even on a short cruise. I've never sailed a line with such friendly cruisers. I didn't even mention the low add on for single occupancy. When I sail solo, I never feel left out of shipboard activity.

 

What else can I say? It's a class act, but never stuffy. I've never sailed the other luxury lines, so can't compare RSSC to them. But as long as RSSC has an itinerary and ship that suits my needs, there's no real need to.

 

Just writing this makes me anxious for the bitterweet spring crossing!

[greygypsy]

Joanne (with the lower case a). Understand being busy but glad you got back on the boards. Just to be safe, we reserved a car (what they call a mid size, which is probably more like a compact etc.) on St. Martin. We'll be in suite 605, and look forward to meeting both of you in less than 2 weeks!!! Jeff and Susan

[Galadraal]

I'm so excited and trying to figure out what to pack!

 

Jeff and Susan, the car in St Maarten sounds cool but one of the two excursions I requested is the "Golden Eagle Catamaran & Snorkling" is in St Maarten. (the other one is on Roseau -- "Snorkling at Champagne")

 

I was wanting to do one of the walks in the Rain Forest in San Juan but I wasn't sure which one. The Nature Walk sounds more interesting but I'm not sure if it might be too intense. I was going to wait for the excursion talk to decide.

 

They don't seem to give you times on any of these excursions so it's difficult to plan anything.

 

I'm hoping the weather will be nice; it's been great here in Florida

 

See you soon,

Joanne