Kathy and Frank too - your cruise sounds so wonderful - its neat that you are having such a great time - and again we can't wait to cruise with you in Sept - we had so much fun on Mariner a year ago, I just know we are going to have a great time. Besides, now you know everyone, so you can introduce us to all the staff!!! Keep the news coming its so much fun to hear from you.
JoAnn

Kathy,
Enjoying your experiences!

Did you find a need for power strip and/or xtension cord for camera, etc.?

Kat 4

Yes we are having fun. We had a water spout just off the ship this afternoon. Very interesting. Chocolate tea was today. Very disappointing next to the two I had on Mariner. Nothing creative but still tastes good but I have never tasted bad chocolate! We played Trivia with Marc and Arlene twice today (sea day) but we all lost. ;-( I played in the BlackJack tournement and advanced to the finals. I came in fourth losing by $10.00! I also won an amber necklace in a drawing by the boutique. You will either have to join us on the Canada New England Cruise in Sept, come to the July 10th get togther in California, or join us for PIP to see it. We are confirmed in 623 or 624 (I forgot , but, heck, I had a Cosmo before dinner and a couple glasses of wine with dinner so my memory might be impaired slightly). Sorry for any typos - this keyboard needs to be replaced.

Kat - we managed without a surge strip for our power. There are two outlets on the desk and on the dressing table. We charged our camera and cell phone while I was drying my hair. Our cabin did not have a hair dryer. Bring your own shampoo because the Aveda makes your hair too soft.


I definitely had the ear of several senior staffers. I will not mention names so not to get anyone in hot water or the brig. They all know about the boards. They are really interested in what we have to say. I asked alot of the questions and shared alot of the comments I've heard here.

Some answers (you can figure the questions)

1. All inclusive is coming ship-by-ship. (At what cost? is my question - probably in room bar set up, which we barely touched - we had 5 (AMEX/SSS/Welcome/Farewell and hmmm one more, I think) cocktail parties on the ship plus champagne)
2. Regent Seven Seas - most likely (we knew that one)
3. New Ship (hey, maybe we will get to go on it's shakedown) How long does that take? They've been full quite a bit and if it continues, the will need one! This cruise was at a capacity!

Time for bed - we've got a 7:30 shore excursion to Williamsburg! More tomorrow.

Thanks for all the info! What suite were you in that didn't have hair dryer? I wasn't planning to bring one!

Hope you had a great day in Williamsburg!

Kat 4

ChatKat:

Your suite should definitely have a hair drier. If you read this onboard, contact the Hotel Director immediately.

Also, have you noticed any undue vibration/niose in the show lounge? We did in June '02 and April' 03, and hope it has been fixed on what is otherwise our favorite ship.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Great news Kathy about the all inclusive coming soon. We found that there was way too much booze in the cabin and it really was a waste of liquor. So if we have to give up the bar set up in the cabin to get all inclusive ship board then that is just fine with us. Also, it could be the treated water onboard and not the shampoo that is making your hair too limp. I took my own shampoo and conditioner and I noticed the same thing.

We had a hirdryer in the suite - it was in the closet. I too had limp hair and used my own shampoo.
There is still a very pronounced vibration on this ship. I've done 12 cruises and this ship has the most vibration I've ever experienced. There are tables in the Compass Rose in the middle rear that you really want to avoid. I also found that Portofino had a constant vibration when sailing that was annoying to me - I ate lunch in the dining room several times to avoid this. We had dinner there on an overnight evening so as to avoid the vibration.
I will also say AVOID any odd numbered (starboard) cabins on deck 5. There is a "motor/pump" noise that comes on and off 24/7 and I lost sleep every night because of it. I was not the only one who heard this noise - others in cabins nearby were complaining too. I was very disappointed that when I asked about the noise no one seemed to know what I was talking about - I know this has to have been an problem before and their not at least acknowledging it was an issue with me. I made comments on the questionaire about it but doubt I will get any response as I couldn't get one on the ship.
I agree the cabin set-up are more than we'd drink in a week as we like to socialize before dinner in the bars.

Kat 2

If the all inclusive comes true, what a coup! We will finally be up there with SilverSea and Seabourn but with a bonus! We have the only two ships that are all balcony. Kathy, did they mention any time frame?

As for the name change, I am getting used to it but it still reminds me of Regis and Kathy Lee :)

Thank you so much, Kathy for updating us from the ship so often, those of us left at home just love getting reports!

Kathy - hard to believe your cruise is almost over, have a great day in Norfolk. Talk to you when you return - maybe some of the issues you mentioned will have been taken care of by Sept. Wonder when Navigator will go "all inclusive"? I'm still nervous about anchor noise in 601, but whatever, I'll manage thru it. Take care and travel home safely.
JoAnn

I agree with Kat 2 that the vibration is still there although it did not bother us. I do believe it has to do with where you are seated both in the show room and the Compass Rose. It seemed to be worse at the front of the showroom on the floor but if you were up in the balcony it was not really bothersome. I also agree about the middle rear location in the Compass Rose and we always avoided sitting there. It was most pronounced when we were crossing and the ship was under full speed. I think I was home for 3 days before that constant hum and vibration finally left me every time I closed my eyes but I did not find it overwhelming enough to effect my over all enjoyment of the cruise......which was fabulous.

We were on the Mariner last month and heard the same thing about a new ship coming. We were told it's going to be put in commission in 2007. However, RSSC is still deciding which shipyard will handle the order so I'm not sure how firm that 2007 date is. Apparently the shipyard in Helsinki is under serious consideration. I was surprised to hear this because I don't believe RSSC has ever built a ship there, but was told this shipyard has the capability of turning out superb interior finish work and was a contender for this reason.

ChatKat and all:

As to the vibration, if it was not found to be a bother in the show lounge, it must have been at least partially repaired. that's good!

As to the news about all inclusive, forgive me if I am a little skeptical. Last I heard, Jan Novak was the Hotel Director on the Navigator. He is a very accurate source, and just a month or so ago he reportedly told some guests on the Navigator that possibilities for all inclusive did not look good. So I have to wonder, did something change? Don't misunderstand: I personally believe that all inclusive will eventually be seen by Radisson management for what it is ---- a competitive necessity! It is just that talk and rumors of all inclusive have been going on for so long! So please reassure me on this one. I hope THIS TIME it's for real!

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Sorry, I have not responded earlier to this thread. The computers were so slooooooow on the Navigator the last day and the computers in the Waldorf very expensive at $1.00 per minute regardless of how you used them and for me an hour can slip quickly by!

I had dinner with Rogerio Guerreiro the Food and Beverage Manager. He told us that All Inclusive was coming ship-by-ship. He also told us that they were planning a new ship since the last few months all of the ships have been full and they were very pleased. That info was not requested just freely given during dinner conversation. He was a very cordial host during dinner and we really enjoyed his company as we did during dinner with Heather and Joe Raad.

As to the missing hair dryer, I always bring my own but I did find it hidden in the closet when we were packing.

For our last day, we took the Williamsburg excursion. It was an enjoyable day wandering around but the amount of time spent there was too short of the amount of time we spent getting there and then sailing at 3 pm. We met at 7:30 am and did not get clearance to leave until 8 we arrived at about 9 and after a stop at the visitor center to get tickets and make a rest room stop, we did not start our tour until 9:30. We met for a tasty lunch at one of the restaurants and then re-boarded the bus. I thought that Old Sturbridge Village in New England was more interesting for an authetic re-creation of a time in the past. The Governor's house was very interesting to see and our tour guide very excellent. There just was too short of time to really do this properly.

We packed when we returned to the ship and spent our evening saying our good-byes to Marc and Arlene and the others we'd met. I played some more in the Casino and left the ship with just a few more dollars than I arrived with for playing, so I call it winning.

I will post an overall review later in the cruise review section.

ChatKat-
I am looking forward to your review/comments it sounds like you had a nice cruise. We too enjoyed our dinner with Joe & Heather. We found them to be very nice hosts and they joined us another evening for pre-dinner cocktails. It was fun to share stories about the old days of cruising in the early 70's and how much it's changed.
I was glad they had a hairdryer as my plug wouldn't fit in the socket.

Kat 2

Kathy, I have enjoyed your posts on your cruise. Looking forward to your review. :)

Betty