Cruise Review, or "Best of the Best": Radisson Seven Seas' Navigator

Questions:

How did she ride especially in roughish seas.

Did Sophie survive without you?

Was Butler service worth the Class A/B vs Class C/D/E. Are C/D/E and
A/B on different decks?

Where is the Butler "physically" during day/nights. How late is too
late to call.

What would you have done differently?

The Diamond is weird. Interested?

How many Gold Points did you earn?

I think you said you tipped "extra" since tips are included? True?

Did you use the Beauty Salon/Barber Services?

================================================== ==============




On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 01:54:18 GMT, (CupCaked)
wrote:

Radisson's Seven Seas Navigator to the Caribbean, January 2004.

*****

Just spotted this online:

"Best of the Best": Radisson Seven Seas' Paul Gauguin & Seven Seas
Navigator

Ranked #1 and #2 ships in the world by Conde Nast Traveler's 2003
"World's Best" Readers' Choice Awards

Radisson Also Won "Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" Distinction

*****

Why am I not at all surprised?

For the last few years, I've looked at the brochures, studied the deck
plans, read the reviews from other cruisers and wanted to try this
line, especially after Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner were
launched. I kept thinking that this was the type of ship Hans and I
would enjoy: smaller, great personalized and professional service and
best of all, no crowds. I usually get my fill of crowds at the
airports before I ever set foot on the ships.

When Hans and I realized that we couldn't take the two week maiden
voyage on the QM2 (we'll be on the April 25th eastbound crossing
instead) , I immediately started looking for an alternative cruise
that was shorter in length, possibly closer to home and something
different, something we really REALLY wanted to do. With a nudge from
my trusty TA, who has sailed and loves Radisson, and the incentive of
a two-for-one deal on this particular cruise, the Seven Seas Navigator
was a shoo-in over the other contenders for this trip. We booked a
penthouse balcony suite on Deck Ten, complete with butler service and
a beautiful 356 total square foot stateroom.

Just some ship background: The Seven Seas Navigator entered service
in 1999 and is actually one of the older, smaller ships ( beam is 81
feet, length is 560 feet, tonnage is 33,000) in Radisson's fleet. It
has all-suite, all ocean view accommodations, single open seating
dining in several venues, wines, soft drinks, iced tea, bottled water
and the like included with lunch and dinner, as well as gratuities
included in the price of our fare. The ship accommodates 490 people,
certainly a very manageable number of passengers.

Our itinerary was part regular Caribbean, part smaller, different
Caribbean. We flew to San Juan, boarded the ship and were off to St
Kitts, "goat-and-sugar-cane-capital-of-the-world", the next day. I
don't know why Radisson chose to include this island, but they did.
Others onboard wondered, too. Next was the very French St Barts, then
St Martin followed by famous Caribbean shopping mecca, St Thomas.
Hans and I suddenly realized we had not been to the Caribbean on a
cruise in nine years when we got to St Thomas, so it was nice to be
back. I'm ready to make it a regular cruise destination once again.

Embarkation at San Juan was a breeze. After picking up our luggage
after our flight, we were quickly ushered to a van to take us to the
ship. No waiting, no long lines, no tired and cranky soon-to-be
cruisers. Check a few docs, take a photo for ship security, surrender
passports until the end of the cruise and we were onboard. A glass of
the bubbly was cheerfully handed to us after the perfunctory boarding
photos were taken, and we were on our way to our cabin. Our luggage
followed about five minutes later. Nothing about cruising has been
that easy in my recent cruise memory. No lines, no crowds.
Absolutely fabulous.

There are eight decks for passengers, and our cabin was conveniently
located on Deck Ten, near the pool, jacuzzis, and Portofino Grill
area, perfect for lounging or getting something light to eat.
Radisson makes these big, wonderful coconut macaroons (along with
other kinds of cookies) and has them by the pool grill every day … a
real sweet treat!

How was the food? Early on in our trip, I would have said "just
okay". Every time I think of any single dinner we had, I think
"okay", which, I guess, is okay. I didn't starve, but it wasn't the
Princess Grill. That was the first day. Then, we had lunch at the
Portofino Grill, served buffet-style. It was a delightful combo of
new foods not normally seen on a ship's luncheon buffet, such as
smoked trout with sun-dried tomatoes or the cold blueberry yoghurt
soup, which was tasty and refreshing. Even the salad fixins' had a
lot of thought go into them, as the variety was certainly there. The
hot luncheon entrees (on one particular day there was a pasta station,
on another day, a carving station) were also good. The desserts were
particularly good (such as mocha eclairs.) But throughout the cruise
I found the food a bit uneven, not so much that it mattered terribly,
but it was not as consistent as I would have liked to report. The
service in all dining venues was extremely consistent, friendly and
attentive. Every dining room staff member to the person did an
outstanding and professional job.

Wine (both white and red) is always available with both lunch and
dinner, soft drinks, as I said, are always gratis, plus each and every
cabin is supplied with four standard or two premium full sized bottles
of whatever kind of liquor you chose. Hans checked off a bottle of
Myer's Dark rum, Tangueray gin, Stolichnaya vodka and a bottle of
chardonnay. We could never in a million years finish all of this off
during one cruise. That, plus, we really never drink in our cabin,
but prefer to stop at a lounge onboard for pre- and post-dinner
drinks. The times when the rum or the wine came in handy was on our
balcony as we waited to pull away from one beautiful island and on to
the next.

Besides the wine with meals, if one is to order a caviar appetizer,
one would also get vodka served chilled. With your after-dinner
cheese plate, a nice port is offered up, all gratis. It really is a
very nice touch. There is no bar tab to sign or wine receipts to
fumble with at the end of dinner. Another wonderful thing is the late
afternoon hors d'eurves brought to our cabin by our butler. Some
goodies he dropped off for us during our cruise were king crab legs,
caviar pastries or a relish dish with dipping sauce. This was so nice
after a day of beach-going or island-shopping.

We wanted to go to dinner at least one night at the Portofino Grill;
however, a large group of construction industry people were onboard
(cruises they had won, vendors hosting people in the trade, etc), and
had taken large segments of that dining room, so much so that many
passengers not sailing with that group lost out on this dining
experience. I called the afternoon we came onboard, but that was
already too late. Next time, we'll be sure to make arrangements just
about as soon as (or maybe even before) we board. Many passengers not
with the large group complained about this. In my opinion, a ship
like the Seven Seas Navigator is not well suited for large corporate
groups. Although the construction folks were in seminars and vendor
presentations from 7 AM to noon, the ship was too small to take on
this group and still accommodate the other passengers fully. It
didn't take away from the onboard experience for me, but others who
had previously sailed the ship or the line indicated that the group's
presence made a difference in the cruise for them.

The regular dining room, the Compass Rose, was noisy; in fact, I
haven't been in a dining room at sea that noisy since the SS NORWAY's
Windward dining room during the first farewell crossing in 2001.
Could have been the large group sailing with us helped boost the noise
level a bit.

Breakfasts in our cabin were served at precisely the time expected
daily and contained everything requested, prepared just the way we
asked. Every time we had in-cabin meals, they were exceptional, as
was the service. Another thing we enjoyed was being able to get our
room service breakfast on the morning of disembarkation. On other
lines, that sometimes just doesn't happen. The ships are too big and
the staff too busy. Nothing on this beautiful little ship prevented
any of the staff from being too busy for the passengers.

Here's another example of resourcefulness and creative thinking on the
part of ship staff members:

The scene is the onboard photo shop. The players are an older man
with a grumpy dispostion and a young staff member manning the photo
shop counter by himself.

Crusty Old Man: "I want these twenty five 8X10's in seperate folders
and I want them right now (despite the fact that there was a line of
other people forming behind him with only one or two photos to
purchase)!

Pleasant Photo Shop Man: "Sir, I'll prepare the individual photos and
have them delivered to your cabin immediately"

Crusty Old Man: "How long will THAT take??"

Pleasant Photo Shop Man: "In just ten to fifteen minutes, sir" (which
would have been the time needed to get the waiting line down to
nothing, stuff the Crusty Old Man's twenty five large photos in their
folders and get them all to his cabin.)

We saw many situations like that, where staff took charge of their own
job descriptions and how they should function to make ALL passengers
happy.

Seven Seas Navigator's suites are the largest ever. Bathrooms were
human-sized, with a tub AND shower, plus plenty of counter and storage
space. Complimentary plush robes, a walk-in closet with all the
hooks, hangers and drawers one could ever need, plus storage
throughout the cabin that was much more than enough. The furnishings
in our cabin were well-thought out and very comfortable. Not just a
love seat but a sofa! I mentioned to Hans that this was the first
time on any cruise ship we were not tripping over each other as we got
dressed for dinner. I'd like to give the designer of these spaces a
great big kiss. Kudos!

Our butler, Saurabh, was wonderful and always there when we needed
him. Radisson is the only cruise company with membership in the elite
Guild of English butlers. On the very first day, Hans sat down with
him and asked, specifically, what a butler does. That's my Hans. He
gets to the point. Ours brought our in-suite breakfasts, our wine and
other beverages. If we had a question or a request, we called him.
One thing I did like very much was a full and constant supply of
bottled water there for me at all times. I didn't have to order it,
and I never ran out. Saurabh also supplied us with wonderful
hors-d'oeuvres late every afternoon ranging from king crab legs to
caviar and pate' cups.

As far as I'm concerned, the best sleeper cruise bargains are
Radisson's 2-for-1's. Look at it this way: On other cruise lines,
you are nickeled and dimed to death for the small things, like bottled
water, a can of Coke or Diet Pepsi. I'm a very big water drinker, and
I am always ordering up room service on other ships. And how about
the liquor supplied to each cabin? It's certainly more than generous.
At the pool, no need to buy soft drinks or iced tea. They are
included. Stuff like that adds up on other lines.

Plus, there's no crowds, no lines, no staff member is too busy to help
you or too overwhelmed. I don't think I've ever heard anyone report
back that they like crowds, lines and confusion on a cruise ship.
Radisson makes it happen. This really felt like a luxury cruise on a
luxurious ship. THIS is what I've been looking for.

I wonder how many other regular cruisers out there will also soon grow
tired of the behemoth ships and the constant "in your face" vacation
style? The Seven Seas Navigator was truly a ship that left me with no
low-level cruise anxieties, even as I was having a good time ("Will
the wake-up call really work tomorrow morning?" Where's my bottled
water??" "The internet room's crowded, and I need to check on
Sophie!") The ship is well-arranged and is small enough to go
smoothly from one area to another with no Death March to Bataan-style
megawalking. My favorite public spaces turned out to be the lovely,
muted Gallileo's on Deck Eleven, the spacious library with full
internet access (I should note here that you are not charged online
while reading or writing e-mail, so the expenses stay 'way down) and
the Navigator Lounge (reminded me of HAL's Explorer's Lounges, but
smaller and cozier) with the adjacent cigar lounge, frequented by Hans
after dinner. One area I couldn't quite figure out during my time
onboard was the bank of glass-enclosed elevators off the reception
area. This space was full of gears and mechanicals, but no real
design, and it is located at a focal point of the ship, where many
central atria are located on other ships. Maybe this was an atrium
and I didn't know it? Hmm.

Did I like this ship? Yes, very much. Would I sail with Radisson
again? Yes, we're planning cruises on Radisson's ships through 2005,
which includes the two week Papeete/Marquessas itinerary on the Paul
Gauguin. We've done the South Pacific on the late, great Ren, and we
have wanted to return.

It should be interesting to compare experiences after our sailing in
April on the new QM2, which is (right now, anyway) the largest cruise
liner in the world. I'm truly wondering if, in the end, I'll prefer
the smaller ships. We're going from the sublime to the ridiculous,
size-wise, so it should be interesting.

Unless the funnel gets knocked off the QM2 on it's way into New York
Harbor, that is ;-)

Karen





__ /7__/7__/7__
\::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.cupcaked.com/reviews
(...and leave off the "potatoes" to e-mail)



The Not So Fine Art Of Google - Go To Top Of Thread
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E29A321E6

Cruising Chrissy wrote in
:


The Diamond is weird. Interested?

Let us not be saying bad things about the Diamond. She is not long for the
cruise world and that is indeed a shame. Would I rather sail the Norway or
the Diamond? Transatlantic well I would probably rather fly and then take
the Diamond but in all but open ocean waters the Diamond is my favorite so
far. (And it is not that she would be unstable, on the contrary, it is
becasue she is so small I don't think I would want a lot of sea days.

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 22:42:21 GMT, jcoulter
wrote:

The Diamond is weird. Interested?

Let us not be saying bad things about the Diamond. She is not long for the
cruise world and that is indeed a shame. Would I rather sail the Norway or
the Diamond? Transatlantic well I would probably rather fly and then take
the Diamond but in all but open ocean waters the Diamond is my favorite so
far. (And it is not that she would be unstable, on the contrary, it is
becasue she is so small I don't think I would want a lot of sea days.

That's a shame. Weird but in a good way. When is she going off the
cruise world?


The Not So Fine Art Of Google - Go To Top Of Thread
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E29A321E6

Cruising Chrissy wrote in
:

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 22:42:21 GMT, jcoulter
wrote:

The Diamond is weird. Interested?

Let us not be saying bad things about the Diamond. She is not long for
the cruise world and that is indeed a shame. Would I rather sail the
Norway or the Diamond? Transatlantic well I would probably rather fly
and then take the Diamond but in all but open ocean waters the Diamond
is my favorite so far. (And it is not that she would be unstable, on
the contrary, it is becasue she is so small I don't think I would want
a lot of sea days.

That's a shame. Weird but in a good way. When is she going off the
cruise world?


The Not So Fine Art Of Google - Go To Top Of Thread
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E29A321E6


I haven't heard the definite but when we sailed her last September the
Captain was already getting nostalgic about it, saying that she had
maybe another season in her.