In the aftermath of 9/11 much changed, including many cruise ship itineraries. Radisson, which had planned the Inaugural World Cruise of its 490 passenger Seven Seas Navigator to go through the Suez and the Mediterranean, altered its itinerary to round the Cape of Good Hope instead. As a result, in its later segments after Cape Town, the ship was less than sold out, to put it mildly. In March, they offered past Radisson guests price concessions, a complementary pre-cruise tour, low-cost business class air upgrades, and perhaps most intriguing to us, an invitation to join the shake-down cruise of Radissons new Seven Seas Voyager, then scheduled to be completed in Genoa in March, 2003. My wife and I were definitely interested!
Since we had earlier booked the inaugural transatlantic cruise of Holland Americans Prisendam (the former Royal Viking Sun) plus the following two segments in Western Europe and the Baltic (a total of 37 days), we didnt feel we could take the full trip from Cape Town, including a pre-cruise safari in South Africa. Instead, we opted for the shorter 14 day Rio to Ft. Lauderdale segment, preceded by the complementary tour to Iguaçu Falls. According to Brazilian sources, Iguaçu is the world's largest waterfalls. Although tricky to get to and see, the Falls are truly magnificent! Iguaçu is much larger than Niagara, and is said to be taller than Angel Falls in Venezuela. The falls are inland on the Argentina/Brazil border, well worth the trip to see them.
After a bit of a run-around concerning our flight arrangements (resolved by a cooperative Radisson air rep and our very competent agent, Vicki) we arrived at the Tampa airport early, only to discover the Delta flight scheduled to take us to Atlanta to connect with their flight to Rio was late. Initially the Delta agent (supervisor?) was adamant there was no problem, until the earlier flight to Atlanta, leaving from the gate next to us, had closed up. When she finally listened and looked at our tickets, she realized the problem.
Eventually, after a big hassle, we were re-routed on an American Airlines flight from Miami, but had to reclaim our bags in Tampa, go through security again, and have bags hand-searched, luckily by a nice, helpful American Airlines porter/security guard(?). And, with no two seats together; we were assigned seats on either side of someone sitting in the middle seat of a 2-3-2 business class row on a Boeing 777. This turned out to be a ploy to get the whole row to himself; when faced with reality, he moved to an aisle seat, so my wife and I were able to sit together, even if not in the most desirable place.
Generally, we avoid domestic airlines for international flights when possible, but I must admit that the American Airlines extra room tactic certainly gave us room to stretch out. And their service was pretty good, too. Radisson flew us in business class on a Continental 777 from Newark to Rome in the fall of 2000, and we found it to be very good as well, although the AA flight had more leg room I think. In our opinion, the Boeing 777 is superior to anything else flying commercially today.
We had spoken with Radisson reps during the rearrangement of flights, and sure enough, their agent in Rio was expecting us. Things went quite smoothly, and although the security for our bags in notorious Rio seemed casual, everything arrived promptly and safely. Radisson booked us in the LeMeridien Hotel, directly across Avenue Atlântica from Copacobana Beach. Our room for that night was available, without additional charge, upon check-in about 10 AM. We were in an ocean-front room on the 36th floor, so high the people on the beach looked like ants. So much for girl- (or boy-) watching.
After a quiet, security-conscious day and night in Rio (we had an bad experience there earlier), we flew next morning via San Paulo to the city of Foz do Iguaçu, where we were taken by bus to the Iguaçu Falls National Park. The flights, on Varig, the Brazilian airline, were delightful. Attractive, sharp, well-dressed and -groomed flight attendants. Fast, cheerful service. Quick turn-arounds in San Paulo. The stewardesses served drinks and a snack on the forty-five minute flight to San Paulo, and lunch and drinks on the one hour flight from there to Foz do Iguaçu! Ditto on the return. Remember how nice air travel used to be in the U.S.? How special it seemed? In Brazil, it still is.
Viewing Iguaçu Falls requires a lot of walking and climbing, some of it challenging. The first day, we went by bus, jeep and, after a treacherous climb on steep, un-guarded stairs, zodiac boat up the river right to the base of the falls, getting wet but not soaked. Another, more daring group went right under part of the falls, but it appeared they were prepared, having stripped to the waist (men only, sorry) or to bikini tops.
After a good meal and a long night in hard beds in the Spanish Colonial style hotel in the park, the next morning we crossed the Argentine border by bus. Then we caught two trains and took a substantial hike to the catwalks which extend out over the river 1100 meters to the very edge of the most dramatic part of Iguaçu Falls, the Devils Throat. This is a horseshoe shaped section which appeared to be 300 or 400 yards across and perhaps half a mile long. What a marvelous sight! On the way, we passed the ruins of the old catwalk, which collapsed a couple of years earlier. Ah, well.
That evening we dined in famous chef Paul Bocuses restaurant atop the hotel. A good meal, high but not outrageously priced, but nothing spectacular. Our meal in that same restaurant 17 years earlier during Carnival was truly spectacular. Too bad things have to change. The restaurant had a wonderful view of the lights of Copacobana. This time we had an ocean-front room on the 14th floor, so we could actually see the people on the beach.
At the concierges suggestion, we went to the Hippy Market in Ipanema Sunday morning. Held in a park several blocks in from the famous beach, this weekly open air market specializes in local art, crafts and jewelry, with clothing and souvenirs also available. I got my lady a huge topaz and silver necklace. We also bought a very nice modern sculpture, as well as a couple of small limited-edition prints, all exceptionally inexpensive by our standards. A great time. If youre in Rio on a Sunday, dont miss it! Hardly anyone speaks English, but it really doesn't matter!
Back at the hotel, we just had time to collect the luggage from our room and grab a drink before catching the bus to the ship. Boarding a Radisson ship is a delightful experience, you are welcomed with a glass of Champagne, and the formalities are handled quickly, efficiently and pleasantly. The only downside here was that the passenger ship terminal in Rio is a long building. They drop you at one end, forcing you to walk quite a distance carrying your hand luggage past yet another gauntlet of hucksters for the inevitable jewelry and duty-free shops in order to reach the greeting area at the gangway. Once there, youre in Radissons friendly, competent hands, but till then, youre on your own.
Because of our other cruise plans, we had asked for the lowest cost cabin available. On Radissons Seven Seas ships, all suites are at least 300 sq. ft., and most have balconies. In this case, we got a suite on six deck, port side, without a balcony. Instead, each morning we had seamen outside on a walkway, hosing down and cleaning up. The first morning, a passenger wandered back and forth, lost we presume, but that happened only once. We learned to close the drape before retiring.
Cabins on the Seven Seas Navigator are really terrific; spacious, well-furnished and -equipped, exceptionally comfortable. The baths are perhaps the best afloat, with separate tub and shower and a spacious vanity. We dont miss the double sinks some folks favor, having consciously left them off the plans of the last two houses weve built. Everything else was there in abundance, especially large, absorbent towels and bath-sheets and even pool towels! Our cabin stewardess and her helper were just delightful, cheerful, prompt, and nice. Actually, that goes for everyone on board the Navigator. Weve never been on a friendlier ship. Or heard of one. The entire crew seems to go out of their way to be nice, to greet you, to get whatever you want or need. May sound exaggerated, but isnt. Try it, youll see. We never felt the infamous Navigator vibration, even while aft (e.g., at dinner), so we can't comment on it.
Knowing passengers joining the ship in Rio may not have had lunch, they kept the informal dining room on ten deck, the Portofino, open late. Thoughtful! Lunch was delicious, a nice buffet plus carving and pasta stations, while out on deck, a grill offered hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. On most days, there were two grills outside during lunch, the second with at least four or five choices, including a grilled fish and some kind of steak. They also offered fruit, cheese and other deserts. More than enough; too much, really.
That first day our waitress seemed to have a large, busy station, part of which was outside on deck, but we didnt wait overly long for anything. We soon learned to sit on the other side of the room, in Ann Maries area. Shes a very efficient, friendly English girl who seemed to anticipate our needs after only a couple of days. Throughout the cruise, service in all of the dining rooms was excellent to outstanding.
After lunch and a couple hours of unpacking in the very spacious cabin and walk-in closet, we explored the ship. Then we were invited on deck for Champagne, to watch as we sailed out of Rio de Janeiro. It was dark, but the lights were a sight themselves, and Sugar Loaf was silhouetted against them. Then, to dinner.
We put ourselves in the hands of the Maître D, Miki, asking him to put us at a large table with interesting people. On this and every other evening that we didnt make our own arrangements, Miki put us with people we enjoyed. We sat with the Staff Captain the first formal evening, and at the Captains table twice (the Captain wasnt there when we were -- we sat there when we were with a large group, as it was one of few tables for ten available). Whatever you want, they tried to accommodate you. One night Pat wasnt feeling up to snuff, so we ate in our suite from the dining room menu. They served us in courses, just as if we were in the Compass Rose restaurant. Classy!
On Radisson ships, wine and drinks with dinner are included; no extra charge. The sommelier and his assistants knew their wine, but perhaps more important, they quickly got to know their guests. That first night, both the red and white wines served were Burgundies. I much prefer Burgundy to, for example, a Bordeaux. The next night, the white was another Burgundy, but the red was a Bordeaux. Having had a pleasant experience earlier on the Seven Seas Mariner, I thought Id try again, and see what happened. I asked if any of the Burgundy they had served the previous night was available. But of course! Almost without delay, there it was. After that, wherever we sat (remember, the main Compass Rose restaurant holds more than 450 people when the ship is full) here comes one of the wine stewards asking if we were having the Burgundy tonight? And at least two knew us by name. This service is typical of what we experienced throughout the cruise.
One night early on we had dinner with two couples who were circumnavigators (i.e., had been on the ship for the entire World Cruise). They were very interesting, talking about the highlights (and the few low spots as well) of the trip to date. One of the men, a digital photography buff, was making an album of the entire cruise, a marvel according to the other couple. (Later, I saw it, and it was truly outstanding!) Although quite modest, the digital photographer had been a very senior IBM systems engineer, and had been talked into teaching a three-class digital photography and photo album course on board. I told him I had just bought a digital camera and was very interested.
One of the drawbacks of cruising on a small ship like the RSS Navigator is that there are a limited number of things to do on sea days, so I welcomed this opportunity. Unavoidably, I arrived late for the first class, held in the Stars Lounge outside the large Seven Seas show room. The class was over-subscribed, but we pulled up more chairs and everyone was accommodated. The class itself was very interesting. Ron, the instructor, was a good lecturer, exceptionally knowledgeable about his topics.
For the second class, I arrived early to find Ron with a projector, a table, and his own laptop PC, struggling to rearrange the chairs into a classroom layout, so everyone could hear and see the screen. I helped, as did a couple of other early arrivals. The chairs were heavy and not easy to grab on to, so it was difficult to move them. When I spoke to Ron, he said that after the first set of classes, support for his efforts was basically limited to announcing the class in the ships daily newspaper, and providing the projector and screen. Later, I spoke with the officer who ran the computer lab, but he seemed frustrated and unable to help. When pressed, he suggested I discuss it with the Cruise Director or even the Hotel Director. So I did.
This resulted in only real negative in our cruise on the Seven Seas Navigator. Ive been a bureaucrat myself, and have dealt with them for much of my career. I know when Im getting the run-around or a brush-off. These guys didnt even try to hide it. For the only time on board the Navigator, I met with indifference and a defensive, negative attitude. The hotel director explained plans and implied he would get help for the room set-up, but none appeared. Unfortunately for him, the cruise director happened along when we were breaking the room down the third time, and I unloaded on him, but all I got were excuses and B.S. This was out of character for the ship and, in fact, for the whole Radisson line. There may have been something I didnt understand or know about going on, but it seemed to me here was an opportunity to give passengers something useful and desirable to do on a boring sea day, at little or no cost, yet they ignored it at first, and derided it when questioned head on. Certainly not typical or helpful.
My wife and I had planned a cruise from (or to) Australia and New Zealand, either on the Navigator this fall or on the Mariner next winter, but our experience this trip and on a longer cruise since have caused us to re-think our plans. This cruise was 13 days, calling at four ports: Salvador de Bahia and Fortaleza in Brazil, Bridgetown, Barbados, and San Juan, PR on the way to Ft. Lauderdale. That left nine sea days. We dont play bridge, and are spoiled by our 45 lap pool at home. The casino crew went out of their way to drum up interest, running classes for neophytes early on and blackjack tournaments later. We enjoyed that. The library is pretty good, and there are enough computers when the ship has less than 350 guest. Just upgrade memory and fix the charge-back software before the next long cruise, please.
There were some good speakers, particularly former Attorney General and PA Governor Dick Thornburg (although his wife cut off informal conversation after the lecture, and little or no time was provided for questions.) Prof. Michael Mendelssohn, who talked on a variety of topics, was also quite interesting. But that doesnt begin to fill up nine days! Now think about expanding that to 45 days, with 19-22 at sea. Gives you something to pause about, doesnt it. It has us, Im afraid. (We didn't go, and most likely won't take a cruise over three weeks long.)
A few other observations: We never missed a meal, and the food was good to excellent. Perhaps not as good as the Signatures dining room on the Mariner, maybe even not as good as the Mariner overall. We both gained weight, not a lot but some. Pat wished for more variety in the on-board shops. We met quite a few very nice people. In fact, on every Radisson ship we seem to meet nice people. As for entertainment, the Peter Grey Terhune company are attractive, talented, energetic, and they sing and danced well. The concert pianist was excellent, although we missed her first (best?) show, unavoidably. Larry Hagman was on board and turned out to be rather entertaining speaker, although I never did care for either Dallas or I Dream of Jeanie. All in all, for a smaller ship, we found the entertainment surprisingly good.
The ports visited after Rio were less than inspired, in our opinion. We would have liked to cruise up the Amazon a way, or perhaps stop at Devils Island. We went ashore in each of the four ports, but took a tour only in Barbados. That was sponsored by our travel agents Voyager Club, but we didnt think much of it. Of course, weve seen a lot of islands. Free tours are often worth just what you pay for them.
Next year the Mariners World Cruise is scheduled to skip Rio, going directly from Ascension Island to Fortaleza. That certainly will be exciting! (NOT!) Weve compared Radissons port selections with some of its competitors; in our opinion, we find them sorely lacking. Who plans these trips, anyway, the bookkeeping department? Of course, if you dont like the itinerary, you dont have to go.
On this cruise, the hospitality and excellence of the ship itself, the excursion to Iguaçu, the time in Rio, and the Voyager shakedown cruise invitation make the whole thing worthwhile for us. Open single seating in the dining room is a major plus as well. For us, a real handicap for Crystal are the sittings for dinner. Seabourn and Silversea use smaller ships, and you do pay for their all inclusive approach. If youre not a big drinker, or dont use the included amenities, youre paying for someone who is/does. Radisson balances this well, we think: drinks with dinner and an initial setup in your room are included, as are non-alcoholic beverages. After that, you pay for what you use. Works for us. All things considered, well be aboard Radisson again, but selectively.
Actually, we did book two future cruises while on this one. The first is the inaugural cruise of the new Seven Seas Voyager, which follows the shakedown cruise weve been invited on. Not worth the hassle to fly to Europe just for one week. We also booked a Montreal to Palm Beach cruise on the Navigator for the Fall of 2003, itinerary unseen. The initial details and ports of call Radisson announced (after our return) were just awful, and we were going to cancel, but then they made some changes, breaking it up into three trips over 20 days, so weve picked up our option. We are looking forward Charleston and Savannah, but will miss Newport. In this case, it seems they listened to past passenger comments, which is truly AMAZING!
We do like Radisson, we like it best of the lines weve cruised, in fact, but improvements are still needed in a couple of key areas. Some of the annoyances would be quite easy to fix, we feel. Like more interesting, informative activities e.g., speakers, courses or lectures, more classes of general or special interest, etc. on sea days (al la Crystal), as well as more customer input/consideration and a lot more careful thought given to itinerary planning. Instead of running round-trips from New York to Bermuda back-to-back, mix them up with New York to Montreal trips. That way guests who want a longer cruise can book different ones back to back.
This piece obviously reflects just the reviewers personal opinions; although it tries to be objective and balanced, any person contemplating spending multiple thousands of dollars should use care and check a number of sources deciding. Perhaps even more important, you should know yourself and your traveling companion(s) well enough to make well-informed decisions.
