Let me say to start that this was a wonderful week, and I was so glad to meet so many LCTers. They were truly a nice bunch, and their presence certainly enhanced the experience greatly. I was especially glad to meet Debbie Tate from B&K, she's a nice lady.

Part I

The Ship: I loved the scale of Navigator, the small size, the intimacy. Physically it looked like a petite, scaled-down Voyager (from the inside, that is.) Portofino's was a pleasant viable second dining room for breakfast and lunch.

The Suite: Nice suite, as you would expect. The shower was a bit better shape than Voyager. I actually thought the balconies were nicer, and more private than Voyager. wish they could make the king-sized beds less like a pair of twins with a range of mountains between them! The bedding was lovely, however.

Dning: The food was excellent in Compass Rose, as expected. A couple of times the degustation menu seemed a bit pedestrian, but whatever I tasted, the execution was very good.

Portofino's for lunch started slowly, I thought the daily buffets tended to be always the same, but they got better during the week. Breakfast was good, we ate there all but one morning; my only complaint was that the scrambled eggs were almost always dry and overcooked.

Portofino's for dinner. Well, I'll leave my comments about the entertainment for now, but the food I thought was very good. I did think they could provide a vegetarian option for the main course, but then again there was so much food that most of us were pretty full by the time we got the meat course anyways. I also liked the wine-tasting party before dinner, it was very pleasant.

There were several interesting buffets on the pool deck as well, although the weather limited this venue.

On Board Activities: Just ok. The Spotlight on Chocolate was maybe fair at best, and the lectures and other special events on board were pretty poor really, given all the sea time we had. They could get some bang-up lecturers on the history and culture of the Caribbean for example, like the PG. But that's just me.

More later...got to get some work done...

Part II

The Itinerary: The itinerary was a little weak, but we all knew this going in, it's probably why we got such a great price, so I did not mind at all. We missed Princess Cay because of the weather (too windy to tender), but we got Grand Turk instead, which was nice.

On the whole, there was a bit too much sea time for me, and I would prefer an itinerary that was more port intensive.

I would avoid Nassau like the plague, and would advise RSSC to do the same (I knew that, I'd been there before)--no excuse for Regent to go there.

Grand Turks would be a good substitute, although being there accidentally, as it were, the excursions had not been researched thoroughly by Regent. This should happen if they start using the Turks as a regular destination.

San Juan was pleasant for a first trip, although I would find a way to escape the oppressive heat and humidity next time.

Our favourite port was USVI; we will definitely try to go back there.

Excursions: We did just two--on Grand Turk we did a snorkelling excursion which was only pleasant because it was relaxed and I got to go in the water, which I longed for. The snorkelling was poor, and the people running the boat were pretty unprofessional.

On the other hand, we did the Calypso catamaran trip from St. Thomas to Honeymoon Beach on St. John. That was very professionally run, a great deal of fun, beautiful, with some very good snorkelling (good fish, a little coral.)

The Weather: Started out windy and cloudy. The first two days were quite rough on the ship, and many people were unwell. It didn't bother us, but it did manage to change our itinerary significantly.

The New Captain: John McNeil (sp?). I liked him. We had open bridge hours several times during the cruise and he seemed very friendly and accessible.

Entertainment: I can't say much about this, since we are early birds. We did enjoy the piano player (Tonee Valentine), and the piano guitar duo who played in Galileos at night. There was a puppet show that sounded great, but got cancelled.

It was a bit disappointing that there was no sailaway party at all. I think this was partly because of the refit, maybe because of the windy weather and the fact that the departure time was a bit soft--we turned out pulling away during the block party which had been scheduled for 6 p.m., an hour after the stated departure.

I again did not enjoy the entertainment in Portofino's, despite the fact that they have toned it down since Don Vito's. But I know I'm in the minority, so I will just avoid that venue if I'm ever on Navigator again.

Service: Very good, but not as consistently excellent as Voyager this summer. I think they were suffering from being fuller than intended. I really enjoyed seeing Franco from the PG again (maitre'd), and loved meeting Arnold!

Ship's Organization: Somewhat scattered. US Immigration at San Juan was organized very badly, for example. Information about port documentation was wrongly given twice. The whole dress-code thing was a debacle--initially 3 nights informal, but posted as 2 nights before we left, then dropped to 1 night when we got on board, then boosted to 3 nights again! If the Cruise Director is responsible for this stuff, then he did a bad job.

Thanks for the balanced review, Wendy! I love reading reviews...

Wendy, since I've never been on the Navigator I enjoyed reading your review. It sounds like you had mixed feelings about several things but I wanted to particularly ask about the entertainment at Portovino's. It sounds like they must have just changed it! My hairdresser did the same itinerary on the Navigator in November and raved about the entertainment at Portofino's. She said it was one of the most fun evenings she's ever had on a cruise ship.

Maybe the SANDees should have put it on your comment card to bring back whatever they had 2 weeks earlier....it sounded like a great entertaining restaurant. My hairdresser is such a hoot, she'd have fun anywhere, anytime! I'm trying to convince her to come with us LCTers one of the days!! Hopefully someday I'll go on the Navigator too.

Welcome home and thanks for taking the time to write your review.

Marcie,

Frank and I had a great time in Portofino's; Jerry is a great entertainer and the singing was a lot of fun - the food was a constant stream of good things to eat - too much, actually. You just couldn't have much conversation over dinner, really and some of the entertainment was a bit hokey.

As to not discourage anyone from visiting Nassau on their upcoming cruises, I find it has improved greatly from, say, 10 years ago and I suggest that you do get off the ship. Several parts of the island are actually quite charming with their pastel colored houses.

Marcie, we enjoyed the entertainment in Portofino's! It was a joy to see Gerry and Mona Lisa again and she still sings like an angel!

Wendy I'd say your review is quite balanced. We did the navigator last january, and felt the same about the lecturers, not having a sail away party (we too didn't leave till 6 PM), the snorkel on Calypso and also the rough seas.

btw: one of the crew, Christian, said that those with good balance tend to get seasick. Um, I've thankfully never been seasick. (Hopefully I won't have to eat my words when I cruise in 10 days.)

I didn't care for Don Vito's (now in Portofino on the Navigator) on the Diamond after two tries, but I seemed in the definite minority at the time! So, for me, I knew better than to try again on the Navigator when they switched over due to popular demand. I'm just not into dinner theater or music like that during dinner. Personal opinion only.

I love the Navigator because of her wonderful cabins (like the Voyager), size, intimacy, and the fact that I have had 3 wonderful itineraries on her; Alaska (her first year), the Baltics, and Norwegian Fjords. Just doesn't get better than those itineraries for a cruise!

There is a reason certain itineraries are priced as they are. And if bad weather gets in the way of a bad itinerary, I think it is going to affect your experience, in a more negative way than a great itinerary would.

I would assume they do Nassau as a port as it is close to Florida, and they know they can get there for disembarkation in the morning and not screw up everyone's air plans to get home. Seems like some of you got home early! Not sure they can do that so easily from Grand Turks or any other port on this itinerary.

Wendy, I appreciate all your comments about the cruise and surely your experiences are based on your true perceptions of things. But I don't think one can expect an itinerary that changes almost weekly at certain times of the year can have the same quality of "enrichment" lectures as a cruise like PG that repeats itself almost year round, especially if they show up almost unannounced, like in Grand Turk. No Caribbean itinerary could ever match the PG's in my mind. Funny you liked St. Thomas USVI the best, as that is my least favorite port in the Caribbean next to San Juan! I have only visited Turks and Caicos on a land trip.

Mona Lisa???? Precious girl and voice ... If you have the right group and are fun loving those "hokey" evenings can be a such a good time !!!

Gosh Wendy. I loved the Diamond and after reading about the intimate feeling of the Navigator and loving the Carribbean I was seriously thinking of giving it a try. I always had a good time at Don Vito's - but then Guiseppe ran it on the Diamond.
Do you think I should reconsider?

Wendy, thanks for the review. I will be doing mine soon, but it will be more of a comparison between this ship and our previous Silversea experiences.

We loved Grand Turk as well and wish we would have known we were going to be there sooner. I liked the fact though, that they had a plan and did something! I don't think this is a place that they go to often, and also thought that the snorkeling excursion was not the best. I was helping people that had never snorkeled before with their equipment. Also, I think where they took us was better geared to diving than snorkeling. This is one place that I understand the diving to be excellent.

While on the subject of diving. I did the dive excursion in St. Thomas and I might add that it was top notch. They were very professional. Two good dive sites and they spent the time to make sure that you knew what you were doing and what you were seeing.

What we planned to do in Puerto Rico was to rent a car and see more of the island this time. That plan got fouled up. Between getting in late, a fiasco with the gal at the Hertz desk at the Sheraton, and Frank having trouble with his eyes, we decided to blow it off and instead Kathy, Diana, and I hired Junior, the taxi driver to give us a tour. Even though Junior was not a tour guide and his english was a little spotty, it was very relaxing and enjoyable.

While we didn't get to join Mark, Karen, Frank, and Kathy in going to Atlantis in Nassau as we originally planned (Diana feeling a little under the weather) we did have an enjoyable day hanging out at Cabbage Beach, which was very accessable from the pier. A $4 cab ride per person each way. The water was a little chilly and the waves were a little rough, but it was a very pleasant day. Also the Captain and his girlfriend were at the same beach and seemed to be having a rather good time! <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" /> At least we knew the ship wasn't leaving without us! LOL

As for Portofino's we had such a great time on Wednesday night when we ate there. The wine tasting was great, the food was plentiful, the company of our friends was fantastic, and the music and the fun was very entertaining. We had a blast!

We loved Compass Rose and Arnold was fantastic. We varied whose section we were in and you could see a difference. Arnold is an entertainer, that is for sure and you know you are in good hands.

Guiseppe, what a smile he has and what a ham. He was so fun to be around.

John (Mr. Bean) and his lovely bride Lynsay were so much fun as well and he is so talented. We loved his big band show in Galileos the one night. And he is always "around the ship"!
LOL

It was too bad about the Marionettes. I would have loved to have seen that show as well, but understand that they were a little tied up and couldn't make it. But-ump-bump! LOL

Thanks for the clarification. I had misunderstood Wendy's review. Now I understand, just different strokes for different folks.

I do remember Don Vito's on the Diamond when we were all on DDD. That was a crazy night and lots of fun. I remember Karen's Mark and my Tom becoming part of the show, dressed up and marching around the restaurant singing or playing some type of instrument??? Karen probably remembers better than me but it was a lot of fun because of being with so many friends.

We have a scheduled stop in Grand Turk in February, so we'll see how the excursions go. Although, we haven't signed up for any that Regent is offering, so far.

We made an unexpected stop at Nassau in January, when weather prevented our stop at the private island. Mark found a bench to sit on, while I wandered around. I eventually made it up to the main street, and immediately went back to get him. We were AMAZED at how they had cleaned up the town, since we were there last (only a few years ago because Nassau is an easy trip for us). And that new little shopping area at the dock is a far cry from the old straw market that burned. We didn't go over to Atlantis because we've been there recently, so covered quite a bit of the main shopping area and were very pleasantly surprised.

St. Thomas is another stop for us, along with St. Maarten. St. Maarten was our very first Caribbean excursion when we first got married (we went back a few more times), and St. Thomas has been our destination several times, too. We are looking forward to seeing how much or how little they have changed.

We didn't eat at Portofino's in January, because Ricardo gave us such excellent meals in Compass Rose. I am sorry that y'all apparently missed receiving his great service. I really hope he's still there in February.

This is the night I remember at Don Vito's...it sounds like Portofino is similar??

That's the night Marcie - we laughed until we could not laugh anymore :woh: :woh: :woh: :woh: :woh:

Restaurants like Don Vitos on the Diamond or the new version on the Navigator always get mixed reviews. We are all different and what a boring world it would be if we were all the same. That is what makes the world interesting and everyone has their own perspective on things.

I love the entertainment and never care for the food. I am not a pasta lover and try to watch the carbs.

Others love the food but wish there was no entertainment.

Some love the entertainment and food and go as often as they can.

Others dont like either, noisy, no choices and not a nice dining experience.

Everyone is right --- it just depends on your point of view.

We sat with Wendy and David in Portofinos and I agree with Wendy that the entertainment was kind of hokey, although I sang along to all the familiar songs and enjoyed it. :chicken:
The entertainers have beautiful voices but all the popping and clucking and whizzing sound effects they made did distract from their voices.
The same could be said of Jerry when he did his unplugged show in Stars. When he just sang, people stopped and watched him and listened. But when he started all the Donald Duck noises type songs etc. people turned away and resumed their conversations. The large group I was sitting with all agreed it would be much more enjoyable to just hear him sing since he has a LOVELY voice.

Julie, yes, I agree. Both he and Mona Lisa (who we remember from Diamond, and enjoyed her then too) had great voices, and were very talented. A few raucous Italian songs where folks join in are quite pleasant, but if they could do away with the clucking and other noises, and just turn the volume back a little it could be quite pleasant, and we could have conversations with our wonderful dinner (I love pasta!)

As I said, I loved the ship, and would certainly sail her again. So I wouldn't suggest anybody change their plans because of anything I said. And as I said, I knew the itinerary was a bit thin, and have no regrets about that, although for next year we've chosen Voyager to the western Caribbean which has less sea-time (it's a 2-fer, and the dates are right as well.)

As usual, Ngaire is bang on about us all being different and that this is a good thing. The job of Regent is to try to satisfy as many of us as is possible, and we all know that they do this very well.

If I were the Cruise Director on Navigator I would definitely keep Portofino as it is. The overwhelming majority of the people have a fabulous time. So I would recommend that people give it a try: they might really like it.

If one of the lounges had a good bluegrass band playing every night, then I would be in that lounge every night. But I suspect the attendance would be pretty sparse: not very many people share my enthusiasm for that genre. So if I were Cruise Director I wouldn't book that band.

Now, if they had a polka band on board ....

-- David

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cruisinsince75:
[QB] Also the Captain and his girlfriend were at the same beach and seemed to be having a rather good time! :banana: :woh:

Sue...I liked that comment too..we always worry when doing our own thing at a beach. And what were they doing?

I didn't know Lynsay and John were on the Navigator. Are they there permanently. They were on the Voyager in August/Sept. They are wonderful and so good looking.

When we were on Voyager in August/Sept, I've gone blank on the cruise director's name, but his wife/asst. director was Dana. She was a delight.

Sue and Andi, they were just frolicking in the surf. Have you seen the movie "From Here to Eternity" with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr? Well, kind of the same, but upright!

John and Lynsay were headed off the ship to go on vacation the day that we disembarked. She is off until April and was going to do some modeling. I think he was going to be back onboard starting the end of January and I believe it was on the Navigator.

Jamie and Dana Logan are doing the World Cruise; Sam Perry got married so Lyndsay and John covered for him since they were on Voyager with nothing to do since the ship was in dry dock. They will be on Voyager alternating with Jamie and Dana for 2007. Jamie and Dana will be on for World Cruise and for Cross; At the end of the World Cruise the Barron's will come back on Voyager and then the 3 months rotation starts with some hiccup in the plan to compensate for the extra month; Sam and Mimi will be on Navigator; Not sure about the Mariner.

Kathy, so will we have Lynsay and John on TAP

Yes Olivia, this is what J & L told us....on for last segment of our WC then they stay on for TAP.