On Current Istanbul to Athens - Black Sea Cruise.

We have had outstanding weather so far. We will be in Sevastopol, Ukraine today and have already visited Nessebur, Buckarest, and Odessa. I was very pleased with Odessa, a beautiful city, tree line streets, with gorgeous women.

As has been said before, on this forum, Navigator is showing its need of repair: carpets, drapes, furniture, a stern elevator that still doesn't work well(was stuck in it for 20 minutes, Oct.'08), a toilet in one of the public restrooms they just aren't fixing. But she is still a beautiful ship, good food and a friendly crew.
A number of old crew are no longer on board, I miss seeing the Scottish Captain and his kilt.

Now back to rest and relaxation, the cruise is already half over.

- David

Thanks for the report, David! Hoping the weather continues to be great! Sounds like some fascinating ports.

Thanks for checking in, David. Sounds like the ship is more than ready for her drydock!

Hey David, Glad to hear you all are having a great time in the Black Sea. Are you keeping Wendy in line? Hi to all of you. :hello1:

Some of the great Navigator staff and crew from last fall are now on the Mariner. It was so much fun to see them last week.

Thanks for the post!

We are doing Athens - Istanbul Black Sea next Aug/Sept, so I am anxious to hear as much as you want to share about the itinerary. We will be on the Mariner though.

Enjoy your trip!

Liz

Just finished an outstanding Prime Rib dinner.

Two full days left - Finally I get to rest.
This is not a restful vacation, we have been in a new port everyday with 6 hour tours. I picked up a pedometer before leaving home and I am averaging 4.5 to 5 miles of walking per day.

We had 3 outstanding private tours in Ukraine (Odessa, Sevastopol, & Yalta) and a great tour in Sochi from a guide Naire had recommended whan she took this trip last year.

Today, I believe I almost did in my entire group in the hike to the Sumela Monastery. We took the Regent tour and the guide was describing a gentle slopping path, hand rails, only 60 steps up and 60 down. Four of my group are in their mid to late 70's, knee replacements and other heath problems. The hike is about 1.25 miles each way, first a rock path, then slippery downhill, a large area of tree roots you have to tip toe through, very few hand railings, and a couple of hundred steps.
Everyone made it, but they also have retired to bed very early this evening. The Monastery was nice to see, but if you have any breathing, walking or fear of height problems, think twice before attempting.

Regent's Trabzon highlights tour was a little bit of a disappointment. Other than the Monastery, Trabzon doesn't offer too much. A mosque, which was one of only 3 stops in the morning tour was closed, so you only saw the outside.

Liz - Will be glad to answer any questions or refer you to the tour operators we used.

- David

David, It sounds like the monastery trip was a bit scary. Glad everyone made it back to the ship ok. At least you have a sea day tomorrow to rest up.

Hi David, nice to hear from you, long time since we have seen you. I missed the Monastery on my visit but most loved it. I did my "own thing" in Trabzon in local taxis. These were fun as and we stopped and picked up people and others got off, we had no idea where we were really going. The locals tried to talk English to us, some quite sucessfully and we had a wonderfultime. We did find some fantastic "only made in Trabzon" silver jewelry. Everytime I wear this piece someone comments so I have fond memories of Trabzon. It it is not that much as a town goes though really, just lots of shopping and some very old churches.

Arrived home last night - Overall an excellent cruise, with near perfect weather.

Navigator is definitely ready for an extensive dry dock. But, she is still a beautiful ship.

My Restoration Wish List:
Besides all the known problems that need to be fixed:
- Get larger, more comfortable chairs in the lounges. (the current barrel type chairs they have in all the lounges, are on the small size, are very low and are not that comfortable.)
- Put a back-lighted wall clock in the cabins.

Welcome home, David. Sounds like you all had a great cruise. Thanks for the seamail. Where to next?