Navigator-Trans Canal

I'm just about to book the Navigator going from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles for fourteen nights next May. All of the reviews, postings, pictures, ect.that I have seen on the net have sold me on Radisson.

We have traveled on Celebrity six times, and while we enjoy Celebrity very much, we find that the new Millennium class ships are too large for us.

If any of my fellow Cruisemates have done this or a similiar cruise, I would welcome your comments.

Thanks,

Cruisebill

We have not done a trans-canal cruise yet (its on our to-do list), but we have sailed on both Navigator (in Alaska last August) and Millennium (Western Caribbean this past February). We enjoyed both cruises very much.

Size of ship has little to do with the difference between the two experiences. Our travel companions on Navigator have sworn off big sips. In fact, Navigator is the largest ship they have sailed on in the last 10 years – and she quickly became their favorite – they are sailing on her again this summer in Europe. We are convinced that what they liked most about Navigator was her big ship feel and amenities. Neither ship ever felt crowded. Despite its size, Celebrity did a much better job embarking and especially disembarking 1950 passengers than Radisson did with 450 passengers.

The big difference between the two experiences is the “little things” that you get on Navigator. Not having to ‘sign’ for soft drinks and cappuccino – the in room bar setup and daily restock of water, soft drinks, and mixers – complementary wine with meals – the no tipping policy – complementary (and prompt) 24 hour room service – top my list of “little things” that add to the enjoyment of the Radisson experience.

We are not very demanding in terms of service, and found the dinning room and cabin service on both ships to be comparable. The quality and presentation of the formal meal service was also comparable on both ships – although we did appreciate and enjoyed that Radisson clearly spends more on certain quality ingredients. For example, there were always significant servings of large shrimp and crab claws on Navigator buffets – which would never be found on Celebrity.

The other significant difference between the ships is cabin and especially bathroom size and appointment. Our standard cabin on Navigator was much larger and more nicely appointed than our Category 1 cabin on Millennium – although we were very comfortable in our Millennium cabin. There is no comparison, however, between bathrooms. Navigator’s marble bathrooms are hard to beat. The attached photo shows a side-by-side comparison of our two rooms.

I would sail on both ships again. Enjoy your cruise.

[Mary]

CruiseBill - I responded to your Mariner inquiry earlier and told you that I had been on the Navigator - It was in April of last year and we went thru the canal to Costa Rica. Transiting the canal was the highlight of the trip for me - we were given excellent information on the building of the canal and the operation of the locks - it is awesome to experience the manuever from one lock to another - i remember that we had a tugboat behind us when we were going thru the locks and how small it seemed - it is amazing to see what is involved in keeping the ships from hitting the sides of the locks - it took all day to transit and when we went thru the last lock about midnight we were on the upper deck next to the side wing (?) of the ship where the captain was overseeing the transit - we were talking to him about what was going on - that is another perk of being on a small ship. We went thru Lake Gatun around sunset while having smoked salmon, cheese and champagne on our cabin balcony. (just call room service - no problem) What a view - it looks like you are in the pacific islands. What appears to be islands are actually the tops of trees left from flooding the area for the canal. After you go thru the last lock you then sail under the Bridge of the Americas and that is an exciting feeling. The ship anchors at the Gatun Yacht Club where you can take some side trips - one being a helicopter ride over the canal - we did not do that but the ones who did said it was great. Have a wonderful trip and I hope this helps.