My attempt will be to detail our opinions of our recent cruise on the Navigator by category rather than by day. I don't feel our days were jam-packed like others who have been on the Navigator recently for several reasons: we were travelling with a group of 21 so did a lot together rather than meeting many new folks; we had two "sick" sea days i.e. the weather was awful and mostly you needed to just get over that(!!)and the pools were closed those two days. We felt like we missed a lot of sun/socializing by the bad weather those two days. Also, on the Bermuda days we took turns babysitting our grandson so the kids could go have fun with their cousins.

A group of 21 of us met on the Navigator to celebrate my mom's 80th birthday. The youngest two travellers were 19 months and alas won't remember all the good times and the fuss the very wonderful staff made over them. They were always stopping to talk to the babies and play with them and do for them and call them by name! It must be so hard to be away from their families for long periods of time.
The largest group were the 20s-30s age cousins who found the Navigator a bit too refined and laid back for them. They would have liked a little more fun/action but we knew that when we bought. They were very pleased with the shore excursions they did and, of course, were happy that the wine flowed at dinner.
Many of us travelled from upstate NY to Poughkeepsie, NY via car, then took the MetroNorth train into Grand Central. It was then just a quick car ride to the Pier.
Boarding was simple and there were no lines at 2pm
We were offered champagne and music at embarkation. There was lunch on the pool deck. By five the weather turned and we could not be outside for sailaway. We did watch it from the covered deck however.

SUITES: Plenty of storage. Loved the walk-in closet as other ships I have been on you are blocking the hallway as you get your clothing. The bathroom was beautiful and a great size. All the amenities are there.
We also felt the bed was comfortable as were the pillows. Although the comforter was lush and "comfy" we would have liked a light sheet instead. We kept the air pretty high so we could use the comforter.
We used the balcony time mostly for morning coffee and when we arrived at port.

DINING: We thought the presentation was lovely and the service was good. Most nights there were at least 15 at dinner and we felt they did a good job but dinner as you know was always two hours. The "kids"(20s-30s) got antsy. The babies, of course, needed to be "walked" in between courses. The adults would have loved the ambiance and been more relaxed if we weren't "walking" and worrying about babies! The kids wished for a more relaxed alternative for dinner. They would need to go on another cruiseline to find that.
We felt the food was well-prepared and they did plain pasta and steamed veggies for the babies on request. As Masaki said, I believe, the desserts were the only weak point. Lots of ice cream and moussey kinds of dessert. A couple cakes we ordered for parties were delicious as was a cheesecake one evening. I loved the lobster/angel hair pasta and the dover sole, halibut and one other fish I had which I can't recall now.

CASINO: Entered the blackjack tournament. My son-in-law came in third despite never having played in one before(nor had I, but it was a week of trying new things) The slots were nothing and the casino is small. The table games were busy each evening.

ENTERTAINMENT: The singers/dancers were enthusiastic and good. I think twice during the week would have been good though and replace one of their shows with a comedian or some other type of entertainment just for variety. The classical pianist was wonderful and the pop singer good as well.

INTERNET: Usually the computers were available and it was nice to be able to check mail. My husband took out movies one night.

LOUNGES: One night just the two of us went to the Stars Lounge to hear the pianist and have a drink/canapes. There were only two others there. That was the case in most of the lounges most of the time, although the Navigator Lounge was busy as tea time. Part of that could have been the alcohol in the room or the fact that people were motion sick on two days.

WEATHER: On the two sea days when the weather was so awful we played cards either in the suite or in the Stars Lounge which was closed during the day.

BERMUDA: Hot, sunny, sticky....perfect beach weather!! Horseshoe Bay was where we went on Friday and I highly recommend it. Not that crowded as it was a weekday. I have been there other trips on a weekend and it was very crowded. You can walk forever on the beach and it is so pretty. There are facilities for changing/food etc. The area off to the right served as a kiddie pool as there were no waves there...it was ideal. You can take the bus with little hassle and see some of the island while doing so or take a cab. Cabs are readily accessible in front of the ship; the bus is about a two block walk.
The second day we did "inside" things as my husband had a sunburn despite lathering up with sunblock 45 at Horseshoe...he is very fair. We went to the Perfumery...not particularly recommended but the bus ride there got us to see some of the other side of the island. We also went to the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute...maybe about a mile walk from the ship and interesting if you are looking for a day out of the sun. I wanted to see the shell collection and there was a roomful of artifacts discovered on shipwrecks in Bermuda, a movie about shark exploration, etc.

MISCELLANEOUS: My husband and I would definitely choose a Radisson ship again when we could appreciate the quiet ambiance and weren't with a group. The ship size was just right for my mom who couldn't get around a lot. The Chocoholic Tea was lovely and even ice cream by the pool on the last day was presented in a beautiful way. The chaise lounges were comfortable and there was shade if you needed it. The pool was refreshing but closed on the two sea days and the day we were in Norfolk, I believe. The Chrysler Museum in Norfolk was very nice and a reasonable taxi ride away. We would definitely have preferred another day on Bermuda and forget stopping in Norfolk for just those few hours.(I'm sure the Norfolk cruisers would disagree with me!!) We found the staff friendly but always professional. The Portofino night was good as a change of pace but not wonderful. You still did the "buffet" thing for your salad and dessert.
Never ate in Compass Lounge except dinner. Found the buffet in Portofino adequate with wonderful variety at lunches. The "crumbles"(blueberry, apple)were wonderful especially with the vanilla sauce. Took an "awesome abs" class which was well done. Enjoyed the reflexology massage.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: We only did the Sail and Swim from St. George's and thought it was relaxing and terrific. Nice history of the island and plenty of time to swim and snorkel away from any crowds. My daughter/s-i-l loved the Restless Catamaran excursion from Hamilton. They did the kayaking too but were disappointed that of the two and a half hours you only kayaked for about one hour. My sister and her son walked from the ship to Horseshoe Bay(about an hour and 45 minutes one way!!)Don't know how they did it in the heat and humidity but walked partly on the old railway trail to get off the road and found it a great walk!!! Ouch....just thinking about it. I'm rambling here just trying to remember other encounters...The reception folks were helpful and friendly. My mom's air condiditoning was not working well and that unhappily took three days to really fix.
If any one has specific questions please email me.

Great review tennispretzel! Thanks for sharing your experiences. It made me realize that missing the ship isn't the only way you can miss out on some of the cruise, bad weather can also be a factor. We were just on the Diamond with our 18 and 20 year olds. While they loved the ports, they too felt the entertainment on the ship a little lacking. Glad you had a good time overall.

Sue

Thanks for posting that, tennispretzel! Sounds like you had a good time overall despite the weather ... I agree that the refinement of RSSC may be best appreciated in small groups. It'll be interesting to see how the RSSC experience will be different with the large group that we have for MINT! (even better, I'm hoping!)

Masaki

The bad weather affected our overall experience for sure, but please know there were plenty more wonderful things onboard than negatives. The weather on Bermuda was perfect for a beach vacation. The ship/staff very classy!!
We've done it both ways before...with a group and without. When you are with family, there are many joyous moments but it also carries with it many responsibilities(we babysat, we made sure my mom got around the ship and was with someone always, etc.)You always have someone to talk to and enjoy things with. On the other hand, going alone...well, it's freeing--there is no schedule. And we've been blessed to have both kinds of cruises.

We did the VTC cruise with 30+ other LCT/CC members. It was every bit as nice as those we've done with a smaller group. The hotel director was kind enough to organize a cocktail early in the cruise so everyone could get acquainted. People tended to split into smaller groups but were friendly and acknowledged all those they recognized from the larger group. We also met several people who were not even aware of the boards who fit right into the group. Hoping PIP and MINT are like that for all LCT/CCers, too. Cheers, Anne

Nice thoughts, T. Thanks for sharing.

R

Thanks for the review, Tennispretzel! We leave for NYC tomorrow and board the Navigator on Wednesday. We appreciate your insight.

Hubby is dying to know when and where the life boat drill takes place. I think he is worried about missing the sailaway scenery!

Mrs. Tiki

On the 6/16 cruise, the muster drill was held in the show lounge appx 45 minutes before sailaway.

Thinking about taking this cruise and appreciated the quick and dirty...