Review Navigator 4/17/04 Sailing - Western Itinerary

Well, I am sitting here in Ft Lauderdale Airport and since Jet Blue had free wireless internet access. I was reading on the NFL Draft and thought I would post a mini review of the cruise we just finished.

Day 1 - Sat Embarkation/First night

We arrived at Ft Lauderdale and our limo driver picked us up. Very uneventful today (Yesterday was so stressful getting to NYC from Boston). I thought we were done with the travel problems, but up comes embarkation. We arrived at the Port of Miami and checked in just fine (11AM) and were ready to board. But, then were informed that the Navigator had not YET cleared immigration and we would have to wait to board. OK, small glitch, no problem. We finally were able to board at 1:15PM. YOWZA!!! But, we are on vacation so it's all good. We went to the stateroom (Cat C 7392) to drop off our carryons and Katy took Connor to the pool and I went to the Royal Promenade and the Pub for a drink (or 4). Tonight we ate in the Dining room and Rolando and Lionel were our waiters. What a wonderful pair. We were sat with a Minister and his wife (from NC) and a very religious family from MA. Was god trying to tell us something? lol The food was good, but not up to the standards that we have come to enjoy with RCCL. But, it was definately very good. (NOTE: I had not seen the Ranch steak anywhere except the Windjammer, in the dining room the alternate steak was always a sirloin). After dinner Connor went to the Adventure Ocean Club and Katy and I went to the Ixtapa loung for Karaoke and met up with Pan and Teresa (HI LADIES). Also, there we met with Kevin, Sandy and Chuck (you 2 were GREAT singing), these folks are some of the CC'ers in the roll call thread.

Day 2 Sunday Nassau

Since Katy and Connor are going back here in July we had no driving need to get off the ship and do anything so Connor spent the day in AO and swimming and Katy and I spent time in the Spa. Ate today at JR's for lunch using our C&A coupons (Looks like this may be permanent as it DID control the crowd but did not eliminate the use of it by anyone).

Day 3 Day at sea

What can I say about this? Since we stayed on board yesterday we used this day to just relax and do NOTHING. Spent a little time at the pool, got a Latte in the Promenade, etc. BTW, the Royal Promenade, nothing can describe this place, you just have to see it. Ice Cream at sprinkles has become a habit for Connor and I.

Day 4 Ocho Rios

Our first port. Katy and I had been there on our honeymoon 4 years ago and were stunned at the changes here. We actually felt safe thought that it was actually turning into a place to have a nice vacation at. We did the Swim with the Dolphins and Dunns River Falls (skipped Dunn's). Connor LOVED this. It was so cool, apparently the Dolphins knew he was a child and kept swimming around him to make sure he was ok. Or taht is what we were told. And, since he was the only child (10y/o) in the group it was a plausible explanation.

Day 5 George Town

Woke up and ate in the dining room as I wanted eggs benedict much to Connors disappointment. Breakfast with RCCL has sufferred in the DR as well. Back to the Windjammer for the rest of the week. Got off the ship early and did some shopping. Ordered some Tortuga Rum and Bailey's Irish Cream to take home and bought Katy a new Omega necklace and Connor a 2000 y/o treasure coin. We booked the Stingray City Tours through Captain Marvin's for the 12:15PM Ships time (11:15 local) tour. This was done since they said that we wouldn't have the time to get out for the first one. It was a 2 hour tour (or scheduled to be) and we should be back at approx 2:15. Plenty of time to make the last 3:30 tender back to the ship. Well another bump. We didn't get back to Captain Marvin's office until *3:20* because of spending more than the allotted time at both locations and some delays by other people on the tour. We ran the distance to the pier, with me continuing to pick up Katy's necklace past the Hard Rock. Apparently (lucky us) there was a problem with the tenders and none had run for 20 minutes or so. This made for a long line and a sigh of relief from us.

Day 6 Cozumel

Another beautiful morning. Katy and Connor today has a Scuba Dive scheduled so I went back to Tulum. (Katy's details are in her review which will be combined with mine on our website SOON)

Tulum, I love this place it is beautiful and relaxing. We were instructed to assemble in the Metropolis Theater at 9:45. Ships clearance was delayed until 10:20, no problem. At 10:30 we were informed that the ferry that was picking us up blew an engine, and they had to send another one, but it wouldn't be there until about 11. So, the folks that were on the Tulum/Xel-ha tour had a choice, either cancel the whole thing (with a full refund of course) or just do the Tulum Express with a refund of the difference. Since I was already on the express, it was only a departure delay for me. No problem. A few people were expreely upset, but I think they just need to relax, you are on vacation.

Tulum, was the same wonderful pace that I had seen 4 years ago. The bus ride was uneventful, with a talk from the tour guide. Jeff, Janet and their kids (CC'ers from the roll call thread). Josh (their son) is apparently very much into history. So, when the guide talked about the Mayan Calendars Josh was very interested. Since Katy and I purchased one 4 years ago I could give him some information on it (I hope he liked the calendar). I took over 150 pictures and while I was there (they will be posted in the next couple of days), I had noticed so many more ruins that we had not seen 4 years ago. Apparently Tulum is the second largest Mayan Ruins site on the Yucatan (second only to Chichen-Itza). Next time, Chichen-Itza. Tonight I revisit another love of mine, BLACKJACK! Katy and I started with 10.00 each at the slots, she went through hers fast, I hit 7's a few times so I was up 100.00 and took that to the tables. I was up some 300.00 at one point and should have stopped but was having so much fun that I kept on going. Finished with 50.00, oh well I spent 2 hours playing and I still was up a total of 30.00, so no loss.

Day 7 Day at sea

Last day saddness. Spent time at the pool, relaxing in the room, etc. Connor took part in the Family Talent Contest. Katy and I went to the Art auction (had to resist this all week since we purchased 16 pieces on the Nordic Empress in Oct.), Katy bought another Bellet for her office. I went to the tables with my 50.00 from last night and another 100.00, finished at 4 to pack with 100.00 so I played last night and today for only the cose of the slots. Not bad in my book. Had our last night in the DR and made our goodby's. I went back to the tables and in 2 hours and didn't do as well, but was a cheap 8 hours or so of entertainment. Katy and I was to meet back in the room at 11PM to call it a night, but I had heard about the last night karaoke contest and thought Chuck and Sandy would be singing so I wanted to go. I went looking for Katy in Vintages and our room. Not there, so I went searching all over the ship for her, no go, couldn't even find the contest. Apparently we were 2 ships passing in the night because Katy was looking for me as well. Of course, I didn't look in Studio B for it, so I missed it (Sorry Sandy, I heard you did a GREAT job, congrats).

We retrieved Connor from AO and said our goodby's there as well and went to bed.

Day 8 Disembarkation

Well the saddest time of any vacation, the day to go home. Woke up at 6AM to shower and get coffee. Came back and woke Katy and Connor. We got all put together and had breakfast in the Windjammer. Our color (orange) was called at 7:15 (Thank you Pam and Teresa for not holding us up at immigration lol). So we got off at 7:30 and our limo to the airport met us at 8:45.

And, that brings this NOT SO mini review to where I am now. Sitting in the airport waiting for our departure at 1PM to take us to JFK then to drive back to Boston.

If you have read this long, and have any questions, I will do my best to answer any that I can. Please remember this is from a Mans point of view. Katys review (along with this one) will be on our website (link below) RSN (RSN and Real Soon Now is not a copyright of anyone I know).

Cheers

Tony

Feel free to check out our past cruise pics at http://www.ournuthut.net

Enchantment of the Seas 6/2000

Sovereign of the Seas 3/2001

Disney Magic 7/2001

Majesty of the Seas 4/2002

Carnival Legend 10/2002

Carnival Victory 6/21/2003

Nordic Empress 10/2003

Navigator of the Seas 4/2004

Carnival Destiny 2/20/2005

Until the Carnival Destiny

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Tony, thanks for sharing. Can you tell me if the Quest game was played? We will be on the NOS May 1.

Karen

http://community.webshots.com/album/110164366BHiQxX

Till we party on the NOS Reunion Cruise

We will be on May 8th. Just curious what entertainment was currently on the Navigator.

Mike

Can't wait to board the Navigator in

thanks for the review. We're going 9/18 but now you have me concerned. We did AOS 2 years ago and the food and service was not up to what we had experienced on previous cruises but have since tried NCL and carnival and decided to try RCCL again. However....I wounder if we have made a mistake.

The Moyers

Dennis & Debbie

Navigator of the Seas 9/18

DO NOT BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE FOOD OR THE RPESENTATION. WE ALSO JUST RETURNED TODAY FROM THE APRIL 17 NAVIGATOR - - THE FOOD SERVICE WAS OUTSTANDING. WE ALSO DINED ONCE IN BOTH PORTOFINOS AND CHOPS . BOTH WERE EXCELLENT , BUT , I WOULD GIVE AN EDGE TO PORTOFINOS . BY WIFE AND I ARE PLATINUM MEMBERS AND HAVE CRUISED OVER SEVERAL YEARS . YOU WILL LOVE THE NAVIGATOR. WAYNE & CAROL

Hi Thanks for the review.

I was wondering about the tender times in grand cayman. The last tender is at 3:30 (is this ship time or local time?)

How difficult is it to get tender tickets? Was there a long line-- did you have to get there early? If I wanted to be at GC at 10 am local time, would I need to be on the first tenders? Thanks for your help!

-Lily

IN GRAND CAYMAN THERE WERE NO NO TENDER TICKETS.FIRST COME , FIRST SERVED. HOWEVER , IF YOU HAD CERTAIN EXCURSIONS EARLY IN THE MORNING , THEN THEY ARRANGED A MEETING PLACE FOR YOUR GROUP AND TOOK EVERYONE AT ONE TIME. ALL IN ALL THE TENDERS WERE SIMPLE AND EASY.

Hi,

We just returned too, and enjoyed meeting a bunch of folks from these boards. Here's my five cent review in no particular order.

Food and drink - The food was pretty good, especially dinner. Breakfast and lunch were typical buffet style, always something to please everyone. We ate at Portofino one night and really enjoyed it. Drinks-Love those Pina Colada's. My negative is about soda-why must RC charge 1.50 + 15% gratuity for a lousy coke? It just rubs me the wrong way. We wound up getting two soda cards for the price of one because we thought my son's sea pass was lost, but it turned up. Since they gave him a replacement sticker for his new sea pass, I just used the old one and no one said a word. All you do is flash it anyway. And no, I did not feel guily at all. We boycotted Johnny Rockets because of that stupid cover charge. It seemed like the place was less crowded.

Service - excellent all around.

Room - My wife, son, and I were originally in 7334, but it didn't have a bed for my son. Instead of just giving us a rollaway, they moved us up to 9630, a junior suite, at no charge ! What a difference in space, and it had a bathtub ! I estimate it was 50% bigger. I'll have a hard time going back to a regular room.

Kids club - my 10 year old son lived there, and absolutely loved it. Long live gaga ball !!

Entertainment - Awesome. I must first mention the Krooze Komics, they are the best and shouldn't be missed. Think of vaudeville on the high seas. I got to participate in one act where I "made" a pie with several of them. You know where the pie wound up... The headliner acts were great. My favorite was the Love and Marriage Game Show. Two guests became "famous" for their late night activities in a hot tub. It was the hardest I have laughed in a long long time.

Excursions-I'm a diver and did 2 tank dives in Nassau and Grand Cayman. They were typical Caribbean dives, but nothing spectacular.

Getting on and off the ship - We took a taxi to/from the airport. Cheaper and quicker than RC transfers. Getting on the ship stunk because of immigration problems with the prior cruise due to an itinerary change. Getting off the ship was easy as pie. We were in the first group (7 am) and breezed thru immigration in about 30 seconds, no line at all. We had to wait a bit for our luggage, but after that customs was very quick too. No hassles at all.

Overall, aside from the weather, we had a great week. In our pile of mail at home were brochures from Disney and Princess. We'd love to try something else, but price will certainly play a role in what we choose to do.

Frank and Robin

Navigator 4/17-24/04

Explorer 4/12-19/03

Disney Wonder April 2001

Thanks for your excellent review Tony

Frank and Robin, I'm having a hard time swallowing the fact that you were upgraded to a suite for free but yet still complained about the JR's charge

Navigator of the Seas 6/26/04

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Hi Phoenix,

The reason for our boycott was simple and had nothing to do with our upgrade. Our son was allowed to go there whenever he wanted and he had a milk shake once. We could eat better quality food until our hearts content for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining rooms. All of this is included. I just can't see paying any amount, no matter how small, for a "typical" burger and fries. We happily paid extra for Portofino and our expectations were met.

It's all just a question of how people want to spend their money. I don't like being nicked and dimed to death and would prefer an all-inclusive option if offered.

Have a good day.

Frank and Robin

Navigator 4/17-24/04

Explorer 4/12-19/03

Disney Wonder April 2001

Hi,

I was also on the 4/17 Navigator with my CC friends Tony, Katy, Frank & Robin. I would agree with most of the above. My own two cents:

Embarkation

We arrived at 12:15 and breezed through security and registration. The "Photo Line" was quite long, though, due to the debarkation problems on the previous cruise. We waited in a 2-mile long line, but it only ended up taking about 30-45 minutes. They opened a second photo machine just as we reached the end of the line. Would have been helpful if they had done it a little earlier!

Food

We thought the food was great. I didn't enjoy my dinner (scrod) the first night, but everything else was good to fantastic, depending upon the night. We did go to Chops, Portofino and Johnny Rockets (a few times). Chops service was great, food was okay, but I didn't really feel it was significantly better than the DR. We all got the filet. I think the tenderloin at Sun. night's formal night was better! Portofino was wonderful, although a little too "gourmet" for my steak-and-potatoes husband. I loved it. Don't miss the shrimp risotto appetizer! JR's had the best desserts on board. Apple Pie a la mode and Oreo cookie sundae. We walked right in everytime we went, and made pigs of ourselves each time. My boys went through about 5 bowls of french fries with every meal! They loved the music, too.

Entertainment

Quest was hysterical. Love and Marriage was so funny it was tear-inducing, thanks to Bob & Kathy! We skipped most of the shows in Metropolis, but enjoyed the ice show and the Rock n Roll Thru the Ages with the guy from Las Vegas (can't think of his name)was a nice surprise. Karaoke Idol was my favorite. We had some friends who competed, and also enjoyed our CC friend Chuck and his mom Sandy, who were both stand-outs!

Excursions

We didn't really do any. Most of our family and friends went to Margaritaville in Jamaica and had a blast. Found myself wishing I had gone. We had a nice day at the Colony beach club in Grand Cayman, though lots of clouds dampened it a bit. My brother, BIL and nieces did Capt. Marvin (no problem with the early one, Tony) and had great weather and a great time. Cozumel - Planned to go to Chakanaab, but we just shopped and stopped in Carlos & Charlies (what a crazy place!) because my older sun had gotten quite a sunburn the day before.

Weather

Biggest complaint, and a total fluke, but we had a few rainy & cloudy days (Mon, Tues, and some little sections of Weds). No biggie to me, but my mother is a sun goddess and I got tired of hearing her whine.

Other

Loved the team trivia. One was general stuff, very hard, and one was hollywood, which is my forte! We all had a blast doing that. We were near the library, which we found really nice. I never noticed it on the Explorer, but it was a really comfy spot to relax, read, look out onto the promenade, etc.

Kids had fun. I barely saw my 12 year old, who was rooming with his cousin, and spent the whole week on his own with him. My 9 year old enjoyed the kids club, which is a major first for him. He didn't "live" there, but it was a big step for him to go willingly at all. Evenings were better than days, and the late night was a big hit. My 9 year old niece, on the other hand, LIVED at the kids club. My brother could barely get her to leave. She made lots of new friends and had a blast.

Overall, a great week. Any other questions?

Susan

Nordic Empress 9/95

Disney Wonder 10/01

Explorer of the Seas 4/02

Navigator of the Seas 4/04

Just thought of a couple more things. I'd agree with what I heard about the need for more activities for teens. My 12 year olds (son and nephew) found nothing exciting about it, and my son was a past Adventure Ocean fan. My 15 yr old niece and her friend were very often bored. Partly their fault, as they're rather shy and not willing to "jump in" to a group....they had plenty of opportunities with our other friends on board, but I heard similar things from others with teens.

Also, debarkation was remarkably smooth. Only complaint was that they started calling people much earlier than expected. We were red, supposed to be called between 8:30-9:30, and we got called at 7:50. We hadn't had breakfast yet, and it kind of freaked me out to "break the rules", but met up with my family and ate first, leaving the ship about 8:40. We were at the Miami airport by 9:30 or so. Wow!

Susan

Nordic Empress 9/95

Disney Wonder 10/01

Explorer of the Seas 4/02

Navigator of the Seas 4/04

rockytop, the quest game was played, but we missed it.

brandy, don't get me wrong, PLEASE. The Moyers, the service was among the very best we have had. It is just that the food was not what we had come to expect from RCCL. The food was good just not great. No complaints on the food, just not as good as in the past.

lilyhammer, the last tender in George Town is at 3:30 ships time, 2:30 local time. There are no tender tickets, just get in line and use the tenders.

Feel free to check out our past cruise pics at http://www.ournuthut.net

Enchantment of the Seas 6/2000

Sovereign of the Seas 3/2001

Disney Magic 7/2001

Majesty of the Seas 4/2002

Carnival Legend 10/2002

Carnival Victory 6/21/2003

Nordic Empress 10/2003

Navigator of the Seas 4/2004

Carnival Destiny 2/20/2005

Until the Carnival Destiny

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WOW, welcome to all from our trip. What a wonderful week.

Susan, I wish we had known you were on the early Capt Marvins, we wanted the early one but had some confusion about being able to make it in time with the difference of ships vs local time. Oh well, our bad.

The Love and Marriage shop was the best. OMG I have never seen one that good. Bob and Kathy were FANTASTIC. lol Taking the tender from George Town we saw the Cruise Director with a T-Shirt that said "Where's Bob" LOVED THAT.

This was one of the best crusies we have taken, so don't take my review as negative. It was well worth the money and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone wanting to cruise on the larger ships.

Feel free to check out our past cruise pics at http://www.ournuthut.net

Enchantment of the Seas 6/2000

Sovereign of the Seas 3/2001

Disney Magic 7/2001

Majesty of the Seas 4/2002

Carnival Legend 10/2002

Carnival Victory 6/21/2003

Nordic Empress 10/2003

Navigator of the Seas 4/2004

Carnival Destiny 2/20/2005

Until the Carnival Destiny

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Susan-

Glad to hear the early Capt. Marvins went well. When they wrote back to me saying that we would not be able to make the early excursion I thought that they were wrong (I thought the island would be an hour behind the ship); but I was incredibly busy at work right then and didn't pursue it. I figured we'd have a full 1 1/4 hours to make the last tender so I wasn't worried.

Two things happened that day that have made me vow to always do early excursions when we're on our own:

1. As we were leaving the ship, I asked the cruise director what time the island was on, he told me that ship time and island time matched in the Grand Caymans. We found out he was wrong when we purchased our alcohol at Tortuga, and the salesgirl and I discussed what time the last tender left.

2. I double checked with Capt. Marvins before we started the tour that we would be back at about 1:15 p.m. island time (again 2:15 ship time). She assured me that this was the case.

Nothing happened during the tour that would have made us particularly late (no engine troubles, etc); I think it was just a matter of taking longer to find better spots...etc. In fact, I think that they did a great job...we had a wonderful time with them...until we realized that we might miss the last tender. However, because of the stress associated with them, we probably would try someone else the next time...and always take the first excursion or do something else.

I'm curious has anyone else had this problem with Capt. Marvins or were we a fluke??? Again, we thought they did a fantastic job as far as the tour itself went, and loved the small number of people on the boat!!

RCCL Navigator of the Seas to the Western Caribbean

RCCL Majesty of the Seas to the Bahamas

Carnival Destiny to the Southern Caribbean

RCCL Enchantment 6/2000

RCCL Sovreign 3/2001

Disney Magic 7/2001

RCCL Majesty 4/2002

Carnival Legend 10/2002

Carnival Victory 6/2003

RCCL Nordic Empress 10/2003

RCCL Navigator 4/2004

RCCL Majesty 7/2004

Carnival Destiny 2/2005

I wanted to make one more observation.

If you are taking a laptop along, you REALLY need to get the in stateroom adapter from the Pursers Desk IMMEDIATELY upon boarding. I tried to do this after the Muster Drill and was unable to as they were out. I was informed that they have a very limited number and they go FAST. My loss, but, please keep this in mind for your cruise.

Feel free to check out our past cruise pics at http://www.ournuthut.net

Enchantment of the Seas 6/2000

Sovereign of the Seas 3/2001

Disney Magic 7/2001

Majesty of the Seas 4/2002

Carnival Legend 10/2002

Carnival Victory 6/21/2003

Nordic Empress 10/2003

Navigator of the Seas 4/2004

Carnival Destiny 2/20/2005

Until the Carnival Destiny

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Ok...thought of something else to add. I feel very ADHD this morning...it may be PCD setting in.

I'm sure this MUST have been mentioned somewhere, but both Tony and I missed it. On the NOS if you have an aft balcony on decks 6,7, and 8 at least, you are NOT on the very back of the boat. There is infrastructure that extends pretty far out past the balconies. Once Tony gets his pics posted you'll be able to see this. Again, not a major deal, but we wouldn't book another aft since it definitely decreased the "balcony" feel (couldn't see directly into the water). That being said...we probably spent more time on our balcony this trip than any trip previously.

RCCL Majesty of the Seas to the Bahamas

Carnival Destiny to the Southern Caribbean

RCCL Enchantment 6/2000

RCCL Sovreign 3/2001

Disney Magic 7/2001

RCCL Majesty 4/2002

Carnival Legend 10/2002

Carnival Victory 6/2003

RCCL Nordic Empress 10/2003

RCCL Navigator 4/2004

RCCL Majesty 7/2004

Carnival Destiny 2/2005

Interesting comments on the aft balconies. I currently have a Junior Suite booked on deck seven of the Navigator. I have went back and forth on if this was a good choice but I have conversed with several RCI cruisers that state they are still the best balconies on the ship. I know that the balconies on the side are narrow which I do not like. I have seen some photos taken from the rear balconies and you can see the metal girders but I think that it will still be better than one of the side balconies. I got very spoiled by my balcony on the Carnival Pride and Legend and now nothing but the aft of the ship will do. I look forward to seeing your photos.

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. A great website by the way.

Gordon

http://community.webshots.com/user/cruisingator

NCL Starward-86, Starship Atlantic-91, Caribe-92, Seabreeze-93, Fantasy-93, Norway-94, Celebration-94, Sensation-95, Imagination-96, Destiny-97, Celebration-98, Triumph-99, Victory-00, Majesty of the Seas-01, Fascination-01, Carnival Pride-02, Majesty of the Seas-02, Carnival Legend-02, Fantasy 7-03, Glory 9-03, Fantasy 11-03, Triumph 3/04.

Navigator of the Seas 12/04/04

Hello everyone,

I was also on NOS 4/17.

I have to agree with Tonyric about the food,

the food in the dining rooms was good but not

great. We loved Windjammer and Chops, and we

did break down and ate at JR's, we loved the

atmosphere, and the milkshakes were too die for.

Robin, I just read you were in 9630, we were in

9360....

This was the most beautiful ship we have cruised

on, the Royal Promenede is just incredible, I am

missing the cafe Promened this morning, and my balcony.

We also enjoyed the spa, I did the seaweed wrap,

and me and my DH did the Rasual for 2, very romantic....alot of fun.

We had great sevice everywhere on the ship.

For you chocoholics, the mudpie in Chops is the

best desert I have ever had!

This is also the earliest I have ever gotten off

a ship. We had orange tags and were off the ship

at 745am, we were scheduled to leave Miami at

1230pm, we were able to get on a flight at 930am, we arrived back in Detroit at the time we

were origionally supposed to leave Miami.

Ports- Nassau, we stayed on ship

Grand Cayman, went to Colony Beach Club

Jamaica, I visited Sandals Dunns River Falls

Cozumel, Went to Paradise Beach Club, what a great day at the beach that was, Hung a

little with Paradise Beach Tom, he was a great host.

We had terrific table mates, and met some nice

people at the meet, this was a great cruise, but

now I need a vacation, we tried to do everything, but it was impossibe.

Thanks

Mary (Travelgoddes)

Bon Voyage,

Mary

Mary, I also heard great things about Paradise Beach in Cozumel. Sorry we missed it.

Tony and Katy, sorry you had confusion with Capt. Marvin. We were also on the last tender after our trip to the beach...we saw you get on looking rather harried! My brother also had some confusion with the time, but on the "start" end. He showed up an hour early! Still had a great day. Jeff (Hamma) and Janet and their family were on board with him, too.

Oh, and I did a swedish massage at the spa on Sunday. It was fabulous!! Very relaxing and worked wonders on my neck and shoulders, which were very sore from carrying luggage!

A few more words on the Quest: If you don't know what it is, it's a kind of team scavenger hunt. Very funny things like "I need to see a man wearing women's shoes, and lipstick!" and the team has to get the man done up like that quickly to get him front and center for points. The winners kind of cheated. They had obviously done it before, and had a bag of props, so they were ready for everything pretty quickly. Nevertheless, it was very entertaining. But Love & Marriage was the best! So happy they showed it on tv the next day, as most of my family missed it, and it just had to be seen to be believed (like when Kathy knocked over Cruise Director Mark and landed on top of him! SO FUNNY!)

Susan

Nordic Empress 9/95

Disney Wonder 10/01

Explorer of the Seas 4/02

Navigator of the Seas 4/04

Susan, yeah we were a bit flustered at that point. With about 7 minutes to make the tender (and not knowing that there was a line large enough for us not to need to worry) and just arriving at Capt. Marvins, having to run to the pier and me also having to retrieve jewelry, we were a bit stressed. lol We had a credit card and our shipboard passes but NO photo ID. So we had the funds to make it to Cozumel but no ID to get there with. lol But, in the end, all was well.

How come you didn't say hi? lol

cruisingator, I hope to have the pics posted in the next day or 2. I have about 400-500 to sift through and ditch the really bad ones. Also, thanks for nice note on our website, we just redid it about 1.5 months ago and are really happy with it now.

Feel free to check out our past cruise pics at http://www.ournuthut.net

Enchantment of the Seas 6/2000

Sovereign of the Seas 3/2001

Disney Magic 7/2001

Majesty of the Seas 4/2002

Carnival Legend 10/2002

Carnival Victory 6/21/2003

Nordic Empress 10/2003

Navigator of the Seas 4/2004

Carnival Destiny 2/20/2005

Until the Carnival Destiny

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Mary, We are cruising Mariner in May and was wondering what the rates are for Sandals Dunn River?

Thanks!

Andy

Hi tdbama,

Regarding Sandals, I am a TA, I had a day pass

to inspect the resort. I'm not aware if they

sell day passes.

Bon Voyage,

Mary

Tony,

I was wondering if you could answer a couple more questions about the dolphin swim in Jamaica because I was thinking about doing this myself but read a couple negative reviews about the swim in Jamaica. Anyway..how long were you actually in the water w/ the dolphins...did they allow you to use your camera ? did they videotape your swim..and if so do you remember approximately what the cost was ? Overall were you happy w/ the excursion and would you recommend it ? Thanks

Countdown to the Voyager out of NYC

Hello everyone, we were also on the 4-17 sailing. Aside from the horrible time gettin on the ship, it was a great cruise. We had an early flight from Philly to arrive in Miami at 9:30am. By the time we claimed the luggage and found out where to go, it was about 9:45 or so, a representative from RCCL showed up and told us that those of us in group 2 for the navigator the bus to take us to the pier was at 10:45. Ok no big deal so at 10:45 we go to the spot where he asked us to wait, and now said it would be 11:50. They finally told us at 11:50 that there was a problem at the pier with immigration and they couldnt get people on the ship. BY the time we got to the pier it was 1:30!! and we finally got on the ship at 2:30. SO much for booking an early flight in hopes of being on the ship early.

Sunday - Nassau, Went to cabbage beach in hopes of renting waverunners and bananna boats, but to our dismay, the waves were crashing in too hard and high for any watersports to take place. Kind of disappointing, but we had a nice time at the beach. First formal night was tonight and we thought the food was outstanding the beef tenderloin was able to be cut with the butter knife, and cooked perfectly, so good in fact i had 3 of them.

Monday-at Sea... i was sick most of the day so it didnt bother me that it rained all day.

Tuesday- Ocho Rios... Did the Enchanted Gardens/ Dunns river falls excursion. Excellent tour, it would have been better if it wasnt raining most of the morning when we were at the gardens, but it did clear up when climbing the falls. Climing the falls was an awesome experience. I dont think i would want to go back to jamaica for a week. I just didnt feel safe in the outskirts of town around the gardens.

Wednesday- Grand Cayman.... Took Captain Marvins half day stingray and snorkel trip... We got onto the 10 am boat and had a blast, marvins did a great job making sure everyone touched and held the stingrays and gave us a "stingray massage" ... Would not hesitate to book with them again. Everyone got a free rum cake at their office after the trip, plus 10% discount on merchandise for booking with them.What a great place!! Grand Cayman was our favorite island on this cruise.

Wednesday was also our second formal night (lobster night)

Thursday.. Cozumel... Was slated for the Tulum/Xel-Ha tour but got cancelled due to a blown engine on a ferry.. We took the tulum express and had a great time there,the ruins should not be missed, our tour guide was excellent. The ferry ride to playa del carmen, was very rocky for 25 minutes straight, alot of people had to use the bathrooms. i do not get seasick and i was very close to being very sick. I suggest taking seasickness pills before you go on the ferry. We were left in cozumel after the tour had ended and did some shopping downtown. There is plenty of time to get back to the ship, taxis are $6 US per cab, not people. It only took about 5-10 minutes to get back to the pier from where the ferry left us off.

Friday.. At Sea.. Got burnt!

We did eat at JR's with our C&A coupons and didnt think the service it was any better than the AOS last year, in fact the service was worse this year!! I am very disappointed in them charging to get better service and having to wait long periods of time for the waittress to come to us. Last year on the AOS there wasnt any lines at any time we went, and the service was phenomenal.

The Entertainment on the NOS was exceptional, had no complaints at all. Marc Walker did a superb job as cruise director, always entertaining to watch with a great personality. Every show was top notch, especially the Ice Dancin!

Service as whole on the ship was outstanding much better than the AOS with the exception of JR's as mentioned above.

We did eat in the dining room for breakfast,and thought the food was great especially the eggs benedict. Although food is very subjective, i thought every meal i ate was excellent. Even the windjammer, for buffet food, is alot better than the buffets we have at home.

Had a wonderful time, a bunch of family members were with us who previously sailed with Carnival, and while every cruise line does something differently, they do prefer the little more touch of class that RCCL had.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Jeff

P.S. BOB YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!!!!

I'm sure everyone who was on this cruise will always remember "Hottub BOB"

Navigator of the Seas 4-17-04..

Adventure of The Seas 5-18-03