Hello!

I've finally managed to log onto LCT! The Internet is very slow especially if one usually connects with broadband. I purchased the Jumbo Internet package so I can "load and post" to my heart's content - but patience is not one of my virtues!

As all past Navigator passengers well know, this is a lovely, intimate ship. Smaller than the Voyager and Mariner but large enough to give you most of the activities that you can't find on the really small ships.

We have 320 passengers on this cruise - a bit fewer than expected. Some had quite a time getting to the port on time. We heard some grueling travel stores this morning around the pool.

Our first surprise of the cruise was the cancellation of Grand Cayman as one of our ports of call. Belize will be visited instead and they are offering some great shore excursions there. I am a bit sorry not to visit Georgetown, especially since I was going to deliver a "care package" for a friend to someone in Grand Cayman. I'll just have to carry it home again and find another way to get it there.

Our first and only formal night is this evening. It will be fun to be elegantly dressed for Thanksgiving. The menu includes the traditional offerings of Turkey etc. but there are also some of the usual formal night entrees as well.

Joe and Heather Raad are our Cruise Directors. I haven't met them yet, but recall many nice remarks from other LCT members about them. Captain Alfredo Romeo is our master and I look forward to meeting him as well.

We are still exploring the ship but find everything to be well maintained, and ship shape. The weather is beautiful and life is grand! What more can I say?

PS: Wes.... there seems to be plenty of Champagne and Caviar - we'll leave some for you!

Margo, I am jealous. Wish we were with you. Sounds like a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving. Have a great time and we hope you have good weather all the way!!!

Margo it sounds wonderful - have a great trip and a delicious dinner tonight- Joanna

Margo; Scope out the dancing availability for us. We'll be boarding Dec 27 for the New Years cruise. Reason for cancellation of Grand Cayman is that the port was basically destroyed by the hurricane this summer. Are they going to substitute Beliz on our cruise also; or will it be something like Cozumel? We welcome any and all reports about the ship, since Navigator is the only RSSC ship we haven't been on. Have a great cruise!

Captain Alfredo Romeo is a handsome and charming man....his name brings to mind an Italian sports car or pasta dish but we all loved him.
My sister & I had dinner at his table one night and I couldn't think of a thing to say...so unlike me!
I hope you love this ship as much as we do and have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.

Margo and Tom, have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner onboard!
I am glad you bought the jumbo internet package, we love those long reports from the ship!!

Hi Margo,

Glad you are having a good time. We love Grand Cayman so we'd be disappointed too! Please send greetings to Joe and Heather from Kathy and Frank Rappaport - we ate with them twice on the Navigator in June to Bermuda.

Margo - so glad to hear from you! Hope the weather continues to be good. Have a great time tonight and enjoy the offerings! (and you'll have to tell us how the turkey was)

Masaki

Happy Thanksgiving aboard the Navigator! I'm sure you'll be rolling out of your chair from all the food just like we will!

Happy Thanksgiving! What a nice way to spend the holiday. Who is the Hotel Director? Thanks.

Enjoy your cruise and Happy Thanksgiving!

We shall be getting on in Dec. 18th. Remind me how much the prices are for the internet now. Have a great cruise!
Jan

Margo - Hope your Thanksgiving on the Navigator was special! Sorry to hear about your missing Grand Cayman. That is a disapointment. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. She is a wonderful ship with a great crew. Love hearing from you!!!!

Cyndi

Margo, Wonderful report and thanks for enduring the culinary hardship & saving some C&C for us next week when we board...we have already carved out one bedroom to start packing (having never done this before we want to try to get it right)..sorry to hear about GC, I guess that means our 12 Dec stop is out too?...Again, thanks for the exciting NN (Navigator News) you are setting a good example for me...r/wes

Margo- what a wonderful place to spend Thanksgiving. I, too, have a secret crush on Captain Romeo! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! A 1/2 full ship sounds lovely indeed! No crowds. (Oh, but then there never are anyway!) Write when you can!

Margo, a little late responding, but glad to hear you are enjoying the Navigator! I was on her for my first two cruises and am eager to get back on for (oh, I hope it gets a name) the Norwegian fjords cruise on June 25, and looking forward to being on her again. Please tell us how Turkey Day went. All of us who slaved in the kitchen yesterday want to know what it is like being on a cruise over this holiday! On another board, I have heard how badly Grand Cayman was damaged by one of those hurricanes this fall. There were so many, I can't remember which one it was.

I just love reading reports from onboard! Kinda like living vicariously. Glad you are having a good time. So did you eat a turkey dinner for T-day, or something else?

I'm sitting here still stuffed (and maybe a little hungover?) <img border="0" alt="[drinker]" title="" src="graemlins/all_coholic.gif" /> from all the turkey etc. I ate yesterday. I feel like I've been waddling all day.

Hello LCT Cruisers!

Thanks for all of your notes. I'll try to answer a few questions and keep you up-to-date on activities onboard the Navigator.

Tom ordered the Turkey - the rest of our table selected the Lobster instead - all diners were pleased! The food and service has been wonderful. Some of our fellow cruiser are a bit more critical, but over all, the reviews have been favorable.

Today we were in Progreso and I selected the 8 hour tour to Chitchen Itza. In typical Radisson style, the bus (capacity 60) was only booked for 35 passengers. We were able to choose comfortable seating. The air conditioning worked well, and was required, especially on our return trip. They have constructed a new highway to the ruins and the travel time, while long, was comfortable.

Once there, we found the guide to be knowledgeable, but perhaps a bit long winded. We enjoy the ruins and a buffet lunch before we retunred to the ship. The Mayanland Hotel(luncheon site) is lovely, the food was fair and the sites were interesting.

I plan to see Copan and Tikal, so should have a fairly complete overview of the Mayan tours by the time we return to Florida.

It is my understanding that Grand Cayman was cancelled because other (larger) ships call there regularly and have priority. At this point they can only handle a limited number of ships, so those who have an ongoing schedule are allowed, but no others. That may change as time goes by, it seems to be a cruise-by-cruise decision.

We will call on Belize instead and they have done a marvelous job arrangeing tours for our time there. This will be my opportunity to visit Tikal.

Answers to other questions:

Our hotel manager is Jan Novak.

Doug, I'll research dance opportunities for you and Lynn.

Jan, I'll also check the internet prices. The Jumbo is 20 Hours for $75....and I'm sure I'll have time left - I'll pass it onto you and other LCT cruisers - but I can't guarantee it will work. Another LCT member gave me their logon and password, but it didn't work for me, I still need to investigate what happened.

Kathy....I'll extend your greetings to Heather and Joe!

The internet cafe is very available, but sometimes unreliable. Yesterday I spend a good bit of time composing an email - when I hit the send button it disappeared into the great void - never to be seen or read by anyone. I'm hoping this communication will survive the transition. Not bothering to edit or spell check....I apologize for errors - but you get the gist!

More tomorrow from Cozemel!

Margo,
You are simply amazing to take the time to provide us with such details. Thank you!

I, too, am sorry about Grand Cayman and hope that the Mariner is considered one of the bigger ships with priority. We hope to dive there & look forward to that excursion as the highlight of our Xmas cruise.

Best wishes to you for a marvelously relaxing journey!

Cheers! <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" />
Ash

Sounds like Grand Cayman continues to struggle with recovery after the series of hurricanes that they got hit by ... :(

Masaki

Jan...this morning (without benefit of all that free flowing wine at dinner) I noticed that the Internet prices are posted right here on the wall.

1 hour - $6
5 hours - $25
10 hours - $40
40 hours - $75

It also seems that the "clock" is always running from the moment you sign on, even when you're typing. I was just talking with Diane, the Internet Manager. She said this system is now on all of the ships. She also said that if you have time left on your plan and want to "pass" it along to someone else, it's best to let them know, and it must be used in a relatively short time because they wipe out old accounts fairly soon to make room for new passengers.

I'm not sure I like this system better, but with the jumbo package I don't obsess too much on the clock. I must admit I miss Marco from the Mariner. He was the nicest Internet Manager I've ever met on the ships.

Wes...since you are boarding next, I will pass on my unused time (if there is any!) to you. I'll send an email or leave a note at reception to give you the logon and password.

Thanks Margo for all the updates. I know it is difficult to post on board and so frustrating when you type up something and then lose it. I really love to hear from people on the ships. Glad you had a good Thanksgiving - I would have gone for the Lobster too! Tom must be one of those who loves the traditions of the holidays.

Those are the same prices for internet we had on the Navigator much earlier this year. The Mariner is still on the old system of .75 upload and download time but all the ships are supposed to go to this new system. The upload download time is always so inconsistent. Sometimes it cost nothing and other times that clock would seem to jump like crazy. At least with this system it is how long you are on and is completely consistent. What does change however, is the speed of the internet connection.

Have a great time and we look forward to hearing more of your adventures.

Margo, thank you, thank you for the updates! Your Thanksgiving dinner sounded yummy!!
I was hoping the other ships in Cozumel would be pointing your way but so far, the Princess ship is pointing at the coast.

Ash, you can check the Cruise ship calendar to see how many ships are scheduled to be in port for your Grand Cayman stop.

Margo - can you judge about how much time you use in a typical session? Also - maybe Ngaire knows this answer - I seem to recall a different system on the Diamond? SOmething funky in trying to log onto your own email account? Or am I just hallucinating from the (imagined) fumes of all that wine that Margo's drinking at dinner?

Hi M!! Thanks for posting - it all sounds good!

R

Glad you're enjoying Navigator, Margo!

Claudia

Margo. One trick I learned when the internet conections are sketchy is to write what you want on word. Bring up the post or e-mail and cut, paste and send. That way you don't lose it if it doesn't go through.

I was on that $6 per hour thing (lower when you purchase more) and it was less expensive than the .75 per minute. The internet is just so slow on the ships that you can spend and spend before you get anywhere! I think this is a plus for Radisson. Once my daughter got on-line and spent over $25 just to download her work e-mails. It would not cost that much with this new system.

Hi Margo,

So good hearing from you and that you are enjoying yourselves!

Thanks for all the information, too!

Hope the rest of your cruise continues to be fantastic!

Good Morning! It's sunny and warm as we approach Costa Maya. Today I'm going kayaking - they've offer "Clear Kayaks" - you can see into the water as you paddle along. I'll let you know how that works.

Yesterday we were in Cozumel with 6 other ships, two Celebrity, 2 Carnival, the Deutchland and a Costa ship (I think). We were "parked" next to the Carnival Ectasy - we looked like a baby calf next to a momma whale. Three ships were docked at our location, four more further down the coast. I think our dock was named Porto Lagusto and seems fairly new. It a short walk to the typical shops and restaurants i.e. Hard Rock, Senoir Frog etc.

The best part of the day was the deck barbeque. After a fabulous sunset (as most of the other ships sailed away) everyone gather to enjoy a cookout under the stars. The ship didn't sail until 11 pm so we enjoy perfect conditions for dining afresco.

After many glasses of wine and lots of good food we wandered back to our suite - happy with such a relaxing day.

Margo - sounds like a Great evening last night!

And today's Kayaking trip sounds wonderful - I like that idea of the glass bottom. ENJOY!

And BTW - I never said anything about it, but I LOVE your signature line.

gil

Margo,

I'm so glad you are enjoying your cruise. Thanks for taking the time to post.

Betty

Margo,

Glad you are having fun. Thank you for your posts! I love the pool side barbeques!

Margo, wonderful NN (Navigator News) glad Tom
and you are having a great time, I bet especially relaxing after your recent move...Thanks very much for your genorisity if you have any time left over, Promise to post too...Keep having fun..r/wes

Wow, glass-bottom kayaking? I hope you are able to take some pictures! That sounds fantastic. Enjoy!

Thanks Margo in regards to the internet prices!
My job the last morning is to type out the boarding passes for SW in San Juan! We are going from San Juan to FLL and then FLL to BWI, thus if I can print out the boarding tickets for us then we don't have to rush around so much in FLL when we get off of American Airlines. There will be 4 of us!
Is this the captain that will be on for the holiday cruise?
We will be doing the eastern caribbean cruise.
Thanks!
Jan

Jan...I just asked Diane the Internet Manager - she said that Captain Romeo and the Raads will be onboard for Christmas. The Captain seems very charming and funny! I haven't been involved in many of the shipboard activities so haven't really met the Raads yet - but I plan to before the end of the cruise.

There were 17 Radisson Kayakers...we had a great time, but can't really tell you that we saw much.

The kayaks are acrylic and it is very easy to see through the bottom into the water. The water is crystal clear, but there wasn't an abundance of fish or coral on our route.

I must also hasten to add that we were paddleing like crazy to keep up with our young, athletic guide. Our arms are sure to complain about that tomorrow.

Costa Maya is such a new and undeveloped area, it was interesting to see it now before it becomes "developed". The water is beautiful and it is a great stop for some sun and beach time. I don't think there's much else to do here, but we made the best of it and I met many other interesting fellow passengers.

It's another beautiful sunny day and most passengers are out by the pool or joining in the Mexican tradition of Siesta! I think I'll try that at the POOL. More later....

Margo, I love reading your postings from the ship!! So much fun hearing what you're up to. Keep them coming!

Your kayak trip reminded me of one we did when we were on our Alaska cruise with the kids (well grown kids!) We all went kayaking and I did all the work! I was in front so I couldn't see Tom behind me but I assumed he was doing his share...WRONG!! Daughters and son-in-law flew by us laughing hysterically since they could see the WHOLE PICTURE. We ended up so far behind everyone else that the guide had to come tow us...how embarassing! I'm married to a real slacker!

Margo,


Love hearing from you. Keep us informed.


Thanks, JPar

Margo,
It sounds like you are having a great time. I don't mean to be dumb. But what are the Raads on board for Christmas mean??? We can't figure that one out.

We sailed with the captain over to Bermuda, we think, we have to pull out our papers.

Have a great time.
Jan