9/1/10 - Onboard Navigator - Alaska

[Mark_T]

Boarded at noon today after wonderful weather for the last few days here in Alaska.

 

Sunshine and flat calm sea yesterday so our trip with Major Marine deviated from the planned route to visit a glacier they had not been to all season. Couldn't have asked for a better trip, great scenery and a pod of about 7 Orca as a bonus.

 

No problems boarding today, luggage all taken care of by our hotel so didn't even have to take care of that.

 

Captain is Igor Bencina, all crew friendly and helpful so off to a good start.

 

Dinner in Prime 7 tonight, will post more when I can.

[Travelcat2]

Really great to hear from you. Also great to hear that the weather is nice. It can be iffy in September. Looking forward to further postings:)

[colomom]

Awesome! I don't think I can be any more anxious.

 

I have finished all my preparations, ready to GO!

 

I am looking forward to your posts. Thanks for taking the time.

[Mark_T]

I know there are other CC members on this cruise so I'm sure that between us you'll get a range of views on everything and someone to answer any and all questions :)

[rallydave]

Been watching a webcam which moves back and forth 120 degrees of the Navigator in Seward and can see the structure forward of the bow where I assume we pass thru security but, can't see the train, either this morning or this afternoon.

 

Anyone know how close on the pier the train gets to the building??k Thought someone previously said it was about a 100 yards and from a map I've found, the tracks appear to end several hundred yards before the pier starts which I assume is on the east side of the small boat harbor.

 

Thanks,

[Mark_T]

It is 100 yards or less, you literally exit the train and walk into the building where you go through security.

 

If it was any closer you'd step off the train onto the ship :)

 

We didn't use the cruise train so that arrives closer to town.

[rallydave]

It is 100 yards or less, you literally exit the train and walk into the building where you go through security.

 

If it was any closer you'd step off the train onto the ship :)

 

We didn't use the cruise train so that arrives closer to town.

 

Thanks Mark,

 

Looking forward to boarding two weeks from today. Have a great cruise.

[Mark_T]

We went to Prime 7 last night, first let me make it clear that everything was prepared to perfection, no criticism of the food itself, but for us at least, the concept just doesn't work.

 

It is an attempt to cross 'steakhouse' with 'cordon bleu' and it really makes for an odd combination. The meat was great, but the sides were strange. The baked potato was actually half of a very small potato ( about the size of a large plum ) the Yukon mash amounted to a similar minute portion. Overall I wish they had put in a 'Signatures' and done the job properly or just gone with a normal 'steakhouse' instead of this imperfect blend of styles.

 

I don't think we'll try for a second reservation even if it was possible.

 

Breakfast this morning was in Compass Rose, where we met up with Anninfl and her DH, the room was almost empty, just a few tables occupied near the windows on both sides. Staff were prompt and attentive while we placed our orders, but then we realized we had been talking for 20 minutes or so and still no sign of our food.

 

We asked the nearest senior staff member what was happening and we were told they had been dealing with a 'large group'. Quite where this large group was I do not know as the number of people in the whole room would have barely amounted to a 'large group' at that point.

 

Food did arrive about 10 mins later. I think we'll eat elsewhere tomorrow morning.

 

Perhaps we are starting to see what others have reported as the edge does seem to have gone from the service we remember on our 'Voyager' cruise 5 years ago.

 

Not passing judgement yet though as we've barely started, but the previous effortless service quality seems to be in need of a bit more effort ...

 

***

[Travelcat2]

Apparently, service in CR in the mornings has been spotty all summer. We pretty much followed our server around for all three meals (sitting in his section). This was one way of assuring that the quality of service would be consistant.

 

In terms of Prime 7. . . . . I don't care for the venue on the Voyager either. I can get a wonderful steak in CR without reservations, and with better appetizers, sides dishes and desserts. It could partly be sour grapes on our part as we loved Latitudes and miss the lovely servers and Asian flavors that they did so well.

 

How have the excursions been?

[Island Cruiser]

Mark T, I really appreciate your candid evaluation of Prime 7. Hope you'll keep the candid feedback coming. And I would be the first to agree Prime 7 isn't a home run for everyone. Latitudes, on the other Regent ships, wasn't either. But Prime 7 wasn't ever designed as strickly a "steakhouse." The menu, from the very begining, was more than that of a stakehouse. My problem with the first verson of Prime 7 was the portions were so large as to be obscene. They have cut back and that, to me, is an improvement since I hate to send leftovers back to the galley. The first time we placed an order in Prime 7 the amount of food they brought to the table was absurd. Much too much. So I'm glad they have moderated the portions. I don't order steak in Prime 7 since I can order a decent steak dinner every night in Compass Rose. But I love the whole Maine lobster tail, the three varieties of steak tartar, and a number of other alternatives of side dishes on the menu. I think they are "small" because so many of us asked for smaller portions after being overwhelmed with food on our first visit to Prime 7.

[RachelG]

Glad to hear that they have cut back on the size of portions in Prime 7. They were MUCH too large. Still miss Latitudes.

 

We have never eaten breakfast in CR on Voyager much because of the slow service, so it is interesting that the problem also is on Navigator.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I too am glad they have made the side dish portions smaller. Our first time there we shared a table for 8, and we were all flumoxed by the side dishes--we passed them all around, there was enough of everything, for everybody!

[Travelcat2]

I agree that the portions in P-7 were too large. However, on the Navigator, we ordered the crab entree and found the portion much too small. Had we known that they changed sizes, we would have ordered a double portion. Note: The description on the menu still states "2 pounds". Think they need to update their menu.

 

Really hoping to hear some positive reviews of the Navigator. Due to stability issues on the way to Alaska (San Francisco to Canada), my DH feels that he would prefer not to sail on the Navigator again. This is particularly interesting since we sailed twice prior to this year -- the problems reported on these boards were many. . . . but, it wasn't until the ship was "fixed" that he became seasick.

[hondorner]

I'm just a country hick from Okeechobee, Florida, and when I reviewed the menus at Prime 7 before sailing, I was intrigued by American Wagyu beef and Berkshire Pork, neither of which has found it's way to Cowboy's BBQ in Okeechobee. I looked up both on Google, and couldn't wait to try them. I found the beef interesting but not exciting, but was thrilled by the pork. We also had foie gras for the first time in our lives, and were not particularly thrilled with it, either, especially after Googling it and learning how it is obtained.

 

I was happy enough with Prime 7 to beg for a second reservation, any night, any time, at any table, sharing with anyone.

 

But then, we're not as sophisticated as many of our fellow travelers, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

[cruzndiz]

... We also had foie gras for the first time in our lives, and were not particularly thrilled with it, either, especially after Googling it and learning how it is obtained.

 

Good for you Don! I also love foie gras but won't order it (or veal for that matter) specifically because of animal mistreatment

[Emdee]

I am not a foie gras fan but my family felt it was melt in your mouth. My daughter also enjoyed the steak tartare trio.

 

TC2 I had the same experience with the crab legs - I got two small legs that were fried ( I kid you not) in butter. When I questioned it I was brought a regular sized helping appropriately steamed!

 

We actually found the sides to be of a very large size - although we used each for the whole table there were left overs.

 

On our first morning in CR we had no service at all - no order taken for 20 minutes. We left and went up to La Veranda where we had wonderful service every morning of our cruise.

 

I noticed that a lot of the dining staff were assigned to Room Service maybe this is the reason why CR is really bad for breakfast but excellent otherwise.

 

Miriam

[Mark_T]

Excellent weather yesterday, we got within 700 yards or so of the Hubbard glacier and saw some magnificent calving.

 

Lunch in Compass Rose went a lot smoother than breakfast. Dinner went well too, no hint of pushing the reserve wines, but it does seem to vary depending who is serving your table.

 

The show was very good, it will be interesting to see the others this week to see how they make use of the aerial skills available without letting it get too similar each night, off to a great start though.

 

Breakfast in La Veranda this morning was an improvement over Compass Rose, still a 15 min wait for eggs, but everything else was readily available. They could probably use 2 staff on the egg station at peak times, but much easier and quicker in general than Compass Rose. ( note for those who prefer salted butter, it is available if you ask, but you won't see it out on the buffet. )

 

Going n our first excursion this morning in Sitka as yesterday was a sea day. Tender to shore for most, but our excursion picks us up directly from the ship, so one less complication.

 

More later ...

[Mark_T]

Just got back from the 'Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest' excursion.

 

Flat calm seas, sunshine and no rain.

 

Less than 5 mins or so into the trip and we already had 3 humpback whales close by.

 

Trip continued in the same way, lots of otters, up to 30 at a time and a whole lot more whales on the way back including one only about 10 yards from the boat.

 

Had lunch at the poolside grill upon our return, started working through the burger menu, lots to choose from :)

[Island Cruiser]

We were on Navigator for 20 days in May. We almost always ate breakfast in CR because we don't book a luxury cruise to eat in a cafeteria. (We inevitably eat too much in a cafeteria and don't care for the lines.) On our trip, the service in CR was unacceptably slow four times. The problem wasn't the wait staff it was the galley. The CR galley services room service as well as CR. Apparently, room services orders can vary quite dramatically from day to day. When passengers abandon LV for either room service or CR and order at similar times the galley crew goes tilt and, apparently, room service gets highest priority. I'm not justifying this, mind you, just expressing my understanding of why this happens. This same thing happens in LV mid-day when the ship arrives at an early afternoon port call. Everyone on board decides to converge on LV at the same time to have a quick lunch before their shore tours. LV simply can't handle everyone at once. And LV is a ZOO, absolutely awful. We have learned to anticipate this and simply order something from room service or the pool grill.

[Mark_T]

Just wanted to pick up on a few points.

 

I don't doubt the original Prime 7 portions were over-sized, problem now is they have reduced sizes considerably but not the descriptions and the verbal explanations. I'm sure our negative reaction was at least in part due to being told to expect very large sides suitable for the whole table then being presented with portion sizes that were barely enough for one person, if that.

 

Regarding performance of the ship itself, can't comment on sea-sickness issues as we have some of the calmest seas I've ever seen. Regarding the vibration at the back; a strong resonance was very noticeable at low speed in Prime 7, but aside from that we've not noticed it much.

 

We have had one odd problem over the last 24 hours which is being handled badly.

 

It seems that there has been at least a partial failure of the desalination plant. Net result is a strong salty taste in the drinking water. The problem is most staff are either in denial or just simply don't know there is a problem.

 

The restaurants switched to bottled water straight away, but the bars still try to use ice made from the tainted water. Afternoon tea was attempted using the same salty water until we complained, then staff boiled bottled water and at dinner the coffee was affected. Why there has been no announcement to passengers and why staff continue to try to use the water I *do not know.

 

We were told at reception that the problem had been fixed, after an initial attempt to deny that anything had ever been wrong, we are reserving judgement until we can see a change for ourselves.

[Mark_T]

Still no general notification about the water problem, but I did get a message after I submitted a comment card asking for a straight answer as the reports from staff continued to conflict.

 

I was told the problem was caused by salt somehow leaking into the fresh water rank. The tank is apparently being cleaned today which should end the problem.

 

No comment as to why this was only happening today, 36 hours after the problem started or why they had continued to use the contaminated supply for so long.

 

We just hope it really is being fixed this time as the lack of useable ice is playing havoc with our afternoon G&T :)*

 

Cruising Tracy Arm at the moment, low cloud, but still no rain and flat calm water again, looks like it will be another great day.

[JoAnne B]

I have always felt that the coffee and hot tea was off-taste due to the use of ship's water. I have sent tea back more than once and asked that it be made with bottled water. I gave up on ice tea when they went to the extract. To me that isn't tea.

 

I don't use tap water to make coffee at home, so am really taken aback by the chemical taste on the ship. Can't believe that they served the tainted water or used it for ice. Yuk.

[Mark_T]

I have always felt that the coffee and hot tea was off-taste due to the use of ship's water. I have sent tea back more than once and asked that it be made with bottled water. I gave up on ice tea when they went to the extract. To me that isn't.

 

I have to admit that I was disappointed to find the orange juice was not fresh either.

 

We just got off the ship today and i must say we had excellent weather with rain only affecting us once in the whole week.

 

Quite a few staff changes happening for the next cruise, new Cruise Director taking over ( with his own puppet show apparently ). The speciality dance duo change with a new pair arriving and one of the other male dancers is also on leave.

 

The shows were excellent though and I'm sure the changes will not cause problems, other perhaps than the fact the team will be doing one less show to allow for the ne Cruise Director's marionette act, perhaps those who have seen this before can comment if this is a good thing or not.

 

Excursions were very well handled. All tickets were pre-printed with meeting times and locations. The only tender port caused no delays or queues for tenders either. May have helped that some tours collected direct from the ship.

[rallydave]

As we are embarking in a week, did they get the salt water issue resolved?? Any other issue with the ship or is it good to go crossing the North Pacific??

 

Glad the staff changes are today as the people will have a week to become acclimated before we board.

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

[Emdee]

Mark,

You have to request the fresh squeezed stuff OJ. If they know in advance they will keep a couple of glasses for you at breakfast.