Navigator Cruise Regent Line

[Travelcat2]

JoAnne B, I have been doing some searching on the Regent website and learned that we will be staying in your favorite suite next year. Really looking forward to it!

[PaulaJK]

Travelcat....I don't know how to access former posts. I have to add that I don't think you would 'enjoy' reading my posts about that cruise! Our most personal problem was that the a/c in our cabin was insufficient [to say the least]. We had the engineer come several times and he obtained high temperatures but was unable to fix the issue. They removed several of the ceiling tiles,leaving a gaping hole which they lined with foil lest the asbestos fly into the cabin. So the a/c then came down in one line only. We were always uncomfortable....and at night would awaken repeatedly due to heat. Not a good cruise.

 

There also were other disappointments on that cruise..which I am trying not to recall.

 

We had such a negative experience that my husband refuses to sail Navigator again. I appreciate that many on board love her.

[cruiseluv]

Paula,

 

I can't recall if it was your post , but I do recall a post sometime ago that described that same situation. May I ask, did Regent at least provided you with any compensation for what must have been a very uncomfortable and substandard cruise?

[Travelcat2]

Travelcat....I don't know how to access former posts. I have to add that I don't think you would 'enjoy' reading my posts about that cruise! Our most personal problem was that the a/c in our cabin was insufficient [to say the least]. We had the engineer come several times and he obtained high temperatures but was unable to fix the issue. They removed several of the ceiling tiles,leaving a gaping hole which they lined with foil lest the asbestos fly into the cabin. So the a/c then came down in one line only. We were always uncomfortable....and at night would awaken repeatedly due to heat. Not a good cruise.

 

There also were other disappointments on that cruise..which I am trying not to recall.

 

We had such a negative experience that my husband refuses to sail Navigator again. I appreciate that many on board love her.

 

Are you referring to cabin 601 -- with the air conditioning problems? I was kind of assuming that all electrical issues will be resolved when the Navigator goes into dry dock. We'll be on the Navigator next month -- in a Navigator suite. Hopefully that will be okay.

 

We did have one question about 601 -- does it have any windows in addition to the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony? It is difficult to find information on this suite. I appreciate any input you may have.

[esther e]

We were in that suite a few years ago from FLL to Bermuda. There are no extra windows; however, the bedroom is partitioned off by draperies that can be closed to make it like a separate room. It is a large suite and the balcony is long. The only problem is the anchor going up and down. Didn't bother us, but if you don't like to know when you're landing somewhere it might be a problem. Shhhh, don't tell anyone about that great room. Keep it a secret!;)

[PaulaJK]

Travelcat...I have erased the cabin # from my mind....but it was on deck 6 or 7.

 

We were thoroughly disgusted with that cabin/cruise and disappointed in other aspects......We didn't correspond with Regent about it ...probably an error ...but we weren't particularly thinking about compensation. Dopey, I guess.

[cruiseluv]

Paula,

 

I understand, sometimes we just want to forget and not keep going over the bad memories! I don't blame your husband for not wanting to cruise on her again!

[Anna B.]

PaulaJK and Cruisluv: Your cruise experiences on Regent sound absolutely awful. I hope you can find a line that meets your expectations.

[LOGHL]

.

 

I do agree the pens are terrible. The metal ones they give out write fine, but always get stuck. It was true 2 years ago too. I asked at Reception if they had any pens that would work, and they joked that it would not be a Regent pen. So they gave me a standard bic pen.

 

THANK YOU FOR A GOOD LAUGH !!! I MUST BE CRAZY.... HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED THE QUALITY OF THE PENS WHEN BOOKING A CRUISE!!!

[esther e]

At least they gave you a pen! We never thought to ask and used our own.

[canadagal]

Hardware is one thing, but the human factor boils down to ship management. That counts for continued training to observing daily operations. The Captain sets the tone for the ship...including the Hotel Director....but the Hotel Director is directly responsible for the attention to details. I saw the lack of attention on Oceania...and have not sailed them since. Perhaps the lack of WOW on Navigator...or lack of attention to detail stems from management change....

Its funny, when I boarded the Navigator in Sept 2002....I knocked on the open door of the Hotel Manager and introduced myself. If I remember correctly his name was Harry. After exchanging pleasantries I told him I was going to grade him on what I observed...and a point would be subtracted for every "significant" missing attention to detail. I told him the best to date was a score of 98 on the Deutchsland and I doubted he could match it. He asked who the Hotel manager was...I told him Renato Chizzola. He smiled an informed me he was Renato's mentor and was his predecessor on the Deutchsland. So Harry said the challenge was on. needless to say the Navigator got a 99. I wont say where the one point was lost preventing a perfect score of 100.

So this November I shall see if the Navigator stays in the 90's point wise. But I still believe the Captain sets the tone, the Hotel manager is responsible for the crew training, morale and attention to detail. Since I am easy to please...I expect to have a great time.....but will have fun with my score card just the same.

Navigator...I'll see you in Funchal. :D

 

I like your moxie! Kudos to you in challenging the Hotel Director. I'm thinking the same thing that the management change has something to do with all of the bad reports the Navigator seems to be getting lately. I look forward to reading your reports this fall. I just booked another cruise on the Navigator yesterday. Hopefully with time things will turn around.

Pat

[Travelcat2]

I like your moxie! Kudos to you in challenging the Hotel Director. I'm thinking the same thing that the management change has something to do with all of the bad reports the Navigator seems to be getting lately. I look forward to reading your reports this fall. I just booked another cruise on the Navigator yesterday. Hopefully with time things will turn around.

Pat

 

As reported by the Editor in Chief of CC, the position of "Hotel Director" no longer exists. The new position is "General Manager".

 

In any case, it appears that there are as many positive reviews as negative ones on the Navigator. As has been discussed in the past. . . passengers on the same cruise can have completely different reports. During our upcoming cruise, we will only compare the experience to the last time we were on the Navigator.

[canadagal]

I not sure what your point is in quoting me Travelcat in my response to RMS Olympic.

Pat

[ORV]

I not sure what your point is in quoting me Travelcat in my response to RMS Olympic.

Pat

 

 

I believe TC2 is referring to your use of the term "Hotel Director"

[canadagal]

Thank-you Orv! Thank-you TC2!

Pat

[Travelcat2]

Thanks ORV. Yes -- I was referring not only to the title change, but, change in responsibilities. Apparently the Hotel Manager responsibilities have decreased and have been taken over by the General Manager. Not certain what this means. . . . but, it could cause some interim confusion.

[Avondale]

Just returned from the Jan.26th to Feb.6th/09 sailing on the Navigator. Going again in Nov./09.

Will start at the beginning. Arrived at the dock at 1200 and immediately went to check-in area, sat for 5 min. and went thru the normal procedures and were on board with drink in hand at 1230. Were in cabin by 1430, after having lunch on the Pool Deck.

Found the dining in Portofino to be very good, as was the service. Although we did miss the wine tasting before dinner and the singers during dinner. Thought they were very good.

The dinners in the Compass Rose, throughout the 11 day cruise, were excellent. The service, at all times, was above and beyond the call of duty from the Maitre d' on down. The Sommeliers were very accommodating, as most nights we ordered something not on the Menu suggested list.

We took all our breakfasts in our cabin(trying not to overindulge)and always on time. The coffee was excellent, very strong.

Most days we had lunch on the Pool Deck. All very good.

The Bar Servers were attentive and we only waited a moment or two for our drinks.

Only noticed slight vibration once during dinner.

[Travelcat2]

Thanks so much for posting that. It is really very good news. The seas were very stormy a couple of weeks back and they appear to have settled down a bit. When we were on the Navigator in March, 2007, there was minimal vibration and were hoping for fairly calm seas.

 

We are looking forward to dining in Portofino -- unfortunately, we have not been able to make reservations yet. Are they serving Italian food, or is the menu more of a steak, chicken, fish, etc.

[Avondale]

In the Portofino we had Fettuccine, Ravioli, Red Snapper(all very good) and Tiramisu(the best I've had). The complete Menu is shown on the Regent web site. The lights were low, lots of ambiance, the way we like it. Good Italian wines and attentive service. My wife loved the "Blanc du Nil" in Sint Maarten on the Front St. (the end nearest the cruise ship).She bought a couple items there. In Tortola we shopped at "Pusser's" for souvenirs and I bought a White Shirt (seemed like Sea Island Cotton).

[Maineac]

Thank you for posting Avondale,

It's refreshing to read some positive feedback about the Navigator.

[annual cruiser 63]

We were on the cruise discussed in the initial posting and we actually met the couple who posted. (Very nice people.) We have sailed Crystal a half dozen times and really, on the whole, we agree with the posting. The experience was very disappointing with the exception of two absolutely terrific excursions in Belize and Guatamala.

 

We do not believe that the Navigator could be placed in the same zip code as either of the Crystal ships. This neither in terms of the physical plant or the service:

 

The rear of the ship vibrates dramatically. Whether in high seas (which we had) or flat seas, if the ship was at speed, eating in the back of the ship was a bit like being on a train in the 1950s. This we found unacceptable. After the first couple of days, we effectively put a line in the middle of the ship and did not go beyond that line. We were lucky that our cabin was in the front of the ship and in the cabin, there was no vibration what-so-ever.

 

Our room was magnificent relative to Crystal. However, the waste disposal system is in serious need of repair. When I asked the first night out, the attendant finished my sentence, which was a tipoff. We had the maintenance people in about every other day as flushing was often more of a concept than a reality. ---- That is nuts.

 

We had a minor problem with the TV set, minor as defined as if i had given it two minutes of thought, i could have fixed it in two minutes. The individual came to fix it instantly and after fixing it informed us that the ship was not worth what we were paying and commented that the electrical generator would probably break again. ----- I continue to ruminate on the training he had received about dealing with passengers as we surely did not ask any questions.

 

We thought he food was pretty good at dinner, but the dining experience was not very positive. It is interesting because although we thought the food was ok, I used Dennys to describe the service in a note to Regent. The meal was virtually always served with a speed you would expect in a Dennys. And we saw a few things during the trip you might not see at Dennys including table clothes being used twice during the same breakfast or lunch service. One of my personal pet peeves is sitting at a meal and looking across the aisle to see used plates stacked from other tables which had finished the meal. We also so no useage of the hand disinfectant available throughout the ship.

 

So sadly. and we were expecting to have a great time and we did meet a few wonderful people, we are one and out on Regent. We simply did not think there was value and frankly, we understand why the other couple wanted to fly home. When your expectations are so far from the product delivered, it is a bit difficult to have a great time.

[count florida]

We'll be on the Navigator a week from tomorrow, and will see whether Shortsleve and Annual Cruiser or Avondale are closer to reality - but we sure hope is Avondale! We know about the aft vibration, so we have a suite forward, but won't avoid Portofino just to be away from any shaking posibility. Maybe they can do something about it during next year's dry-dock.

[OrpingtonT]

After reading annual cruiser 63's comments it will be even more interesting to read Travelcat2's view of Navigator after her cruise.

[cruiseluv]

We'll be on the Navigator a week from tomorrow, and will see whether Shortsleve and Annual Cruiser or Avondale are closer to reality - but we sure hope is Avondale! We know about the aft vibration, so we have a suite forward, but won't avoid Portofino just to be away from any shaking posibility. Maybe they can do something about it during next year's dry-dock.

 

This ship is almost 10 years old and has vibrated from day one. This will not be fixed ( I don't think they can).

[yarlenna]

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

 

You took the words right out of my "mouth"