NAVIGATOR Crossing - Surprisingly disappointing

[Island Venturer]

We just disembarked NAVIGATOR in New York a few days ago (A crossing from Barcelona).  

First off, let me say that we absolutely love Regent... but I feel I must write about our disappointing experiences onboard this crossing.

 

The ship appeared surprisingly understaffed.  Dining Room waiters and Bar personnel were few and far between.  Dinner service was terribly slow; oftentimes, we missed most of the evening performances... or had to go without coffee and dessert... in order to get to the theater in time.

 

The quality of the food has gone down quite a bit.  Escargots, for example, were rubbery and tough... something we've not experienced ever before on Regent.  Steaks/veal chops, sinewy and a bit tough.  Lobster tail, wasn't 'shelled' at the table, unless requested.   But first, you had to find the waiter...

 

The pool luncheon buffet seems to be more limited in variety than ever... and again the quality has gone down. Specials seem to be inexpensive things like "Tex Mex"... not very appealing for such a first-rate ship.

 

The hamburgers by the pool appeared to be very thin frozen patties of lower quality beef... their look and their taste was obvious.  And the size of the burger itself has diminished... the size of the bun is so much bigger than the burger itself.  We've always enjoyed delicious burgers by the pool in the past, and so this change was surprising.  Just as an experiment, I ordered a burger in Compass Rose the following day... which the menu said came from Prime 7... just to see the difference.  And the difference, to be honest, was not very much. The burger may have been a wee bit larger, but the taste was just as bland, and the quality of the beef was less than thrilling.

 

A grilled tuna at the pool had to be returned by our friends onboard because of a very strange taste and smell.  The head waiter was very apologetic... of course, it's not his fault.

 

As I mentioned, bar service has also deteriorated.  Far fewer waiters than ever... very long waits for drinks... and no one around to supply refills.    We had to flag someone down.  A few nights ago... after waiting 30 minutes for a cocktail refill at the Stars Bar... we just left the bar.  

 

Same in the Dining Room.  There seemed to be fewer Wine Stewards onboard... or if they are there, we didn't see them.  And they seem to no longer actively refill wines at the dining table, unless you wave them over, and make the request.

 

Two nights ago... a fellow guest ordered his favorite brand of rum... the bar waiter told him "we don't have that at this bar... you need to go to another bar to get that."  And so the guest had to walk to the other bar, get his drink there, and then rejoin our group in the original bar.  Outrageous!

 

Finally... the internet connection onboard is simply unacceptable.  Both TV and internet service rarely works at all while in port.  And at sea... it's impossible to download anything.  One document took me seven hours to download.   As someone who still operates a business while traveling, this situation is very frustrating and again, unacceptable, in 2022... And we even 'upgrade' to their highest-priced service.  Nothing changed... a complete waste of money.  And the live TV service (various news programming) was never available in port. Even in NYC... the screen said problems with connecting to the satellite.  Nonsense.  I've never experienced internet and tv service as bad as this on any of Regent's other ships... and, in fact, on any other cruise line.   So my advise would be to avoid NAVIGATOR if you need to communicate with business or loved ones at home.... or are interested in watching live News Programs (especially when we heard of the death of Queen Elizabeth II).

 

And lastly... the quality of the cast of the production shows was quite poor... clearly inexperienced... with poor singers and dancers.  We saw one and a half shows... and never went back.  It was too uncomfortable.

Overall, we were sadly disappointed... lack of personal, food quality down, and a clear 'come-what-may' attitude in the bars and dining room... ... unexpected, as we had excellent experiences onboard SPLENDOR and EXPLORER just a few months ago.

 

It makes us wonder if Regent may no longer be willing to invest in NAVAGATOR to keep her up to their usual high standards, and may be more focused on the newer ships.  Perhaps understandable, I guess.  But they do not seem to realize that when they allow one ship... albeit, their oldest ship... to slip in quality and service like this, it diminishes their overall brand.  Not a good thing.

 

PLEASE REGENT... please take a more focused look at NAVIGATOR.  She's a wonderful ship with lots of charm.  The onboard experience MUST be brought up to your regular standards.

[Pcardad]

Navigator, during the most recent test by the satellite provider, was about 3% faster than the other ships. The hardware is in place for much faster bandwidth but Corporate has not yet decided to buy it.

[mdunne48]

I guess I was not imagining things while on the Navigator, August 12th -24th, Amsterdam to Barcelona. My review hit on quite a few of the items mentioned above. Specifically the dining room and pool grill service. Since we had just left the Voyager it was natural to compare both ships. The Navigator was sorely lacking when stacked up against the Voyager. To my recollection the service on the Navigator could be described as haphazard. Yon never knew what to expect. 
 

In total agreement that Regent needs to address these issues ASAP. 
 

As a side note: while on Voyager Jason Montague addressed the internet issue head on. He advised that by January 1, 2023 all ships in the fleet would have double their current capacity for both uploads and downloads. Now does that mean your 7-hour document will only take 3.5 hours….. I hope not.

[pingpong1]

1 hour ago, Island Venturer said:

 

We just disembarked NAVIGATOR in New York a few days ago.  First off, let me say that we absolutely love Regent... but I must write about our disappointing experiences onboard.

 

The ship appeared surprisingly understaffed. Dinner service was terribly slow; oftentimes, we missed most of the evening performances... or had to go without coffee and dessert... in order to get to the theater in time.

 

The quality of the food has gone down.  Steaks/veal chops, sinewy and tough. Bar service has also deteriorated. ... very long waits for drinks... after waiting 30 minutes for a cocktail... we just left the bar.  

 

Same in the Dining Room.  There seemed to be fewer Wine Stewards onboard.

 

Overall, we were sadly disappointed... lack of personal, food quality down...

"Island Venturer" - I was very disappointed to hear about your experience on Navigator.  As Regent customers, we all have the right to expect the "top advertised Regent experience", regardless of which ship we're cruising on.  Regent is charging "top fares" for all of their ships and itineraries, and we all have the same right to expect and receive that same level of service and quality for our money.

 

A common "excuse" offered by some (after these types of reviews have recently and frequently appeared) has been along the lines that, "They're still getting back to normal after Covid".  So just "how long" should we be expected to give Regent "a pass" for these huge lapses?  Is Regent just trying to "mitigate" these lapses (and refill their ships) with recent offers of 2-level suite upgrades, large OBC's, or first-class flights on U.S./Canadian itineraries?

 

Our own "next cruise" will also be on Navigator in May '23 (from NYC to Montreal).  We will be bringing along friends, who have never been on Regent before, and we've been telling them "How great" Regent is.  It will be extremely embarrassing and disappointing to us if our collective experience turns out to be the same as yours - 8 months from now!  If it is...I promise that it will be our very last Regent cruise, and we will never recommend the company to anyone else again!  And at that same time, we will also immediately cancel our future-booked TA cruise on Splendor (in Nov '23).

 

We've worked and saved our money for too many years to waste it on a Regent cruise like you have just reported on (and which I have no reason to doubt).  Yours has not been the only recent negative experience described on CC.  Best Regards.

[fudgbug]

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting awfully tired of the supply chain Covid excuses....not just with cruise lines.

[RJ2002]

Sorry to read about these issues.

 

Who was the General Manager on Navigator?

[Pcardad]

53 minutes ago, mdunne48 said:

I guess I was not imagining things while on the Navigator, August 12th -24th, Amsterdam to Barcelona. My review hit on quite a few of the items mentioned above. Specifically the dining room and pool grill service. Since we had just left the Voyager it was natural to compare both ships. The Navigator was sorely lacking when stacked up against the Voyager. To my recollection the service on the Navigator could be described as haphazard. Yon never knew what to expect. 
 

In total agreement that Regent needs to address these issues ASAP. 
 

As a side note: while on Voyager Jason Montague addressed the internet issue head on. He advised that by January 1, 2023 all ships in the fleet would have double their current capacity for both uploads and downloads. Now does that mean your 7-hour document will only take 3.5 hours….. I hope not.

Perhaps Regent has decided to buy more bandwidth - the current hardware can handle 4x the current speed.

[mrlevin]

15 minutes ago, RJ2002 said:

Sorry to read about these issues.

 

Who was the General Manager on Navigator?

GM is Michael; Regent's most experienced and capable GM.

 

I just got off Navigator after 94 days; was everything perfect?  NO WAY!  But it was absolutely wonderful; so much so that we booked four more cruises whilst onboard.  I will never speak negatively about any individual online; however, I had my favorites and not so favorites.  As I spent about 12-14 hours a day with bar staff; I know them all very well; I guess that is why I never had an issue.  Ella as Head Bartender is absolutely fantastic; probably best (or second best to Ksenia) that we have ever had.  If you need a fantastic waiter in Compass Rose I highly recommend Francis.  Nino as a new F&B Manager is fantastic; Archie his replacement as Dining Room Manger also fantastic.  Luke outshines all Destination Managers including, in my opinion, Katje.  There are some weak links but I think management knows this and is working on it.  Unfortunately some of the best crew are being sent to Oceania at times.  

 

Marc

[Pcardad]

51 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

GM is Michael; Regent's most experienced and capable GM.

 

I just got off Navigator after 94 days; was everything perfect?  NO WAY!  But it was absolutely wonderful; so much so that we booked four more cruises whilst onboard.  I will never speak negatively about any individual online; however, I had my favorites and not so favorites.  As I spent about 12-14 hours a day with bar staff; I know them all very well; I guess that is why I never had an issue.  Ella as Head Bartender is absolutely fantastic; probably best (or second best to Ksenia) that we have ever had.  If you need a fantastic waiter in Compass Rose I highly recommend Francis.  Nino as a new F&B Manager is fantastic; Archie his replacement as Dining Room Manger also fantastic.  Luke outshines all Destination Managers including, in my opinion, Katje.  There are some weak links but I think management knows this and is working on it.  Unfortunately some of the best crew are being sent to Oceania at times.  

 

Marc

Second most... 😉

[cwn]

I hope those of you who had poor service …food, bar or cabin took it up at the time with head staff. That is only way they know of problems and know what to correct. Complaining on CC weeks after the fact doesn’t help much.

Thanks for your input mrlevin. Sounds more like the Navigator we k ow and love. We will be spending the Holidays on her.

[mdunne48]

Yes, I submitted a mid-cruise comment card detailing our concerns. I also completed the arduous end Of cruise survey. In Jason’s town hall on the Voyager he indicated that they were about to launch the new end of cruise survey that could be completed within 7 days of disembarking. 
 

So far nothing on that score. 
 

As I indicated in my review of the Navigator we were going from a 5++++ performance on the Regent Voyager to a 4 **** experience on the Navigator. Is it fair to compare? In my estimation, YES! We saw first hand what Regent is capable of delivering!!

[cwn]

We will be able to make a similar comparison in Dec as we will spend 17 days on the Slpendor and then transfer to the Navigator for two weeks over the Holidays. But at this point we are so eager to be back on a cruise, I will be happy just sitting on my balcony and being waited on. 

[GOARMY]

Island Venture (and pingpong):  

 

We will be boarding Navigator at NYC next May for two segments.  In the interim, will monitor comments from those on intervening cruises, particularly concerning staffing levels at restaurant and bar venues. 

 

And, will note same when boarding Mariner at L.A. in three weeks--for comparison purposes.  

 

Island Venture's comments were a bit jarring.  We have been on post-COVID lockdown cruises (other Regent ships); did not experience any diminution in service, albeit passenger complements were at the 65-70% level.  

 

GOARMY!

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by GOARMY
context

[liptastic]

We were onboard Navigator from Amsterdam to Barcelona, far too short, we were sad to leave.  
Our experience was different from the OP.  We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise, staff were excellent, meeting some known faces to us and meeting new staff.  Didn’t have any issues with our meals in the 3 evening venues, but to be fair we always mentioned that we like a slower paced dinner which worked well for us.  This was every bit as good as all our previous Regent cruises.   Jean.
 

[Dolebludger]

The problems directly caused by Covid should be over (or about over). but it seems that labor and supply shortages are problems with lives of their own. Posts like the one above (and similar ones about the Voyager in the recent past) cause me concern. We havent cruised since this mess started and are trying to determine when we could cruise again with 2019 standards of service. One statistic we have looked at in the past is crew/pasenger ratio (or passenger/crew ratio as it is sometimes termed). In any event, this measurement compares the number of guests to the number of crew, and the closer it gets to 1 to 1, the better. Does anybody know what this ratio is on the various regent ships now?

 

We are very sensitive to getting into a hospitality environment that is understaffed. We live in a resort area known for good food and service -- but no longer. Everything is highly understaffed and food and service have gone way down hll. We were just looking at a Feb. 2023 Caribbean cruise on the Navigator. Now maybe not.

[cwn]

Glad to know you felt that the Navigator was on par with service. 
The Navigator has always had a love/hate relationship with Regent cruisers. We love the slower paced less over the top atmosphere on the Navigator.

[liptastic]

cwn that’s exactly how we feel too and felt on this cruise. It was our third time on Navigator and it seems to be a favourite of ours for many reasons . Jean 

[EagleScout66]

Who was the cruise director, Ray Solaire? Thanks 

[ronrick1943]

Reading the 1st review—sad, Regent should step up.

[mrlevin]

1 hour ago, EagleScout66 said:

Who was the cruise director, Ray Solaire? Thanks 

Paul Reynolds (boarded 7 July).

Edited September 12, 2022 by mrlevin

[Catpow]

We recently returned from 66 nights on the Navigator - NYC to Amsterdam.  This was our first trip on the Nav - we became 'platinum' on board and we've travelled on all the other Regent ships bar the Splendor over the past nine years.

As it's a smaller ship, we weren't quite sure how we'd like it, but found its intimacy a benefit both for getting to know fellow passengers and staff.

We truly were delighted by the service on board and wonder what could possibly have happened after we disembarked to generate such negative comments.  Admittedly, some key staff did leave in Amsterdam, and the entertainment group were new, but key staff, as mentioned by mrlevin were replaced by well respected folk.
The food was generally excellent and I agree with mrlevin's comments regarding Ella, Nino, Archy and Luke.  We found the burgers (bar the buns which are always horrible) a delicious small meal, but the I repeat, the service was a standout.  Discussing the supply chain issues with Cedric the Food and Beverage manager was interesting; even breakfast cereal was hard to get, the worldwide price of eggs has doubled in the last six months etc. This will affect menu options.

We only had to nod to Alvi in the Coffee Connection and our morning coffees arrived.  Cyrel sometimes had our drinks at our usual spot in the theatre before we arrived, Javid never missed a beat in serving us wine, Donald could always find us a 'special' table in La Veranda. And we could go on...

Again, what happened?  Mrlevin and liptastic are positive, others quite negative.  I realise everyone's expectations differ however we enjoyed this cruise and its ambience as much as any other - and in some ways more - than the larger Regent ships we've sailed on.

We sail next month on the Explorer; I look forward to making a measured comparison.

[bbtondo]

I'm also tired of the "covid"excuses.  My Aug 2022 med cruise on Oceania was wonderful!  Food, service, just wonderful!

 

It was my first time on Oceania.   It was obvious that the Riviera ship had a seasoned crew on board and no problems with getting quality food. If Oceania can give a wonderful product, why can't Regent?  Cost cuts perhaps?

Edited September 12, 2022 by bbtondo

[papaflamingo]

We also just returned from Navigator (left ship on July 7) after 40 nights from Montreal-Southampton.  We had 2 or 3 dinners where the service seemed a bit slow, but other than that everything was easily up to Regent standards in my opinion. I agree the entertainment is nothing special, but they all tried very hard.  The production crew was good, some of the guests were just not that good. But entertainment for me is unimportant.  I'd rather enjoy a quiet drink at a relatively empty lounge while everyone else is at the show.  

But we loved our cruise!  I, too, have 4 more booked including the Grand Cruise in 2025.  

As for the "Covid excuse," it's still out there.  We also had dinner one night with the F & B Manager, Cedric.  He explained, as mentioned above, that they were having great difficulty getting many supplies.  But they still were able to offer great menu variety.  We usually chose off the Chef's daily dishes, but a few times chose from the "always available" side.  My wife had one of the best Pork Chops ever from the "always available" and I had an excellent Rib Eye.  I had Escargot a few times and it was always excellent.  He explained that they had hired a number of former Crystal crew members and it was taking time breaking them in on the Regent "style" of service. And many crew members simply found better jobs after Covid created so many openings. And don't disregard the fact that Covid is still out there and crew members do catch it and require quarantining which adds additional burden on the crew and can affect the efficiency of service.  

I know there was a crew change after we left, so that could be part of the issue.  But for us, Navigator was wonderful and I will never hesitate to sail on her.  In fact we're looking at a 2 week Navigator cruise next April.  

Edited September 12, 2022 by papaflamingo

[cwbegg]

11 hours ago, mrlevin said:

Paul Reynolds (boarded 7 July).

Paul Reynolds left in New York City and Ray Solaire was returning.

 

Regarding crew and service - I can't find the article to provide a link but in addition to Covid and other issues discussed on CC there is a major issue of crew getting their visas.  As much as they want to restart, they are at the mercy of their government to issue the visa that allows them to work/travel.  As you know, many governments make this an arduous process, even for tourists.

 

We were on the 94 day Arctic Grand Voyage and enjoyed every minute (except disembarkation!)

[2012_Alaska_bound]

Thanks to @mrlevin and @Catpow for naming some of my favorite staff on Navigator (Copenhagen to Amsterdam). Still missing my morning coffee with Alvi and staff in CC!