Help me choose a cabin on RCI Navigator of the Seas

Hi,

My wife and I want to celebrate our 3rd year anniversary this year by going on a cruise. We have both been on cruises 10+ years ago but have never been together. I usually make all the travel plans and I decided on this cruise leaving Galveston, TX. After doing some reading I decided to go with a balcony (neither of us has ever stayed in anything other than an inside room).

Ive been trying to get the best room for the price but am stuck. I see E-1 through E-3 and D1 through D3 rooms listed all varying in price. I cant make heads or tails of it. I called a travel agent and he just confused me even more. Can anyone explain this system to me? Also if anyone has any advice for this trip I would really appreciate it. Planning excursions is next and Im already driving myself nuts trying to figure out which ones to do at each port. We were thinking of one of the beginner scuba excursions. My wife wants to swim with sting rays and dolphins. Maybe a private beach with private cabana, drinks, snorkeling.. That kind of thing...

Thanks

E's are smaller than D's....all E's are the same size...as are all D category cabins. The number designations are about location and number of berths.....

Look at the deck plans. Something mid-ship, near stairs and elevators will be SOOOO convenient! A good choice! Never, ever book without the deck plans in front of you!!!

As far as excursions...get a guidebook! Libraries have them, if you don't want to buy one. Figure out what interests you, then decide HOW to do it! Most things don't need ANY excursion at all...DIY is great for being on your own timetable, and saving lots of money!

As far as the cabanas....if you want to spend that kind of money..go for it! It's not necessary to have a great beach day on the private islands, tho!

Thank you so much cb! Ok, so the E cabins are priced from E-1 being the cheapest and E-3 being more expensive. The D cabins are different. The D-3 is the cheapest and the D-2 is the most expensive.. Im guessing the D-3 is on sale or something as it is cheaper than the E-3 also and only cost about $40 buck (total trip) more than the E-2 and $60 more than the E-1.. I think it being less than the E-3 is what was confusing me.

As far as excursions go, I guess I'm just wondering if they are better at certain spots. For instance I was thinking of doing the beginner dive at the Grand Cayman Islands but I heard the Stingray city there was awesome so maybe we should do the dive in Cozumel instead.. I'll do some more research!

Our ports are Cozumel, Grand Cayman then Falmouth..

Again, thank you for the response!

Hi,

 

My wife and I want to celebrate our 3rd year anniversary this year by going on a cruise. We have both been on cruises 10+ years ago but have never been together. I usually make all the travel plans and I decided on this cruise leaving Galveston, TX. After doing some reading I decided to go with a balcony (neither of us has ever stayed in anything other than an inside room).

Ive been trying to get the best room for the price but am stuck. I see E-1 through E-3 and D1 through D3 rooms listed all varying in price. I cant make heads or tails of it. I called a travel agent and he just confused me even more. Can anyone explain this system to me? Also if anyone has any advice for this trip I would really appreciate it. Planning excursions is next and Im already driving myself nuts trying to figure out which ones to do at each port. We were thinking of one of the beginner scuba excursions. My wife wants to swim with sting rays and dolphins. Maybe a private beach with private cabana, drinks, snorkeling.. That kind of thing...

 

Thanks

Congratulations on your 3rd anniversary..choosing a balcony cabin will completely change your cruise experience..make sure you read my post on this section called "Thanks, cruise ship balcony, a commentary"...I've cruised the Navigator twice & I'm a cruise agent as well..If I were choosing a cabin, I would go with a D2 on deck 8 on the bump...these cabins, called "hump" or "bump" cabins, stick out a bit & give you clear views of the aft ( back) and bow ( forward)..difference between the D's & E's is size & location..next choice for me would be E2's on deck 7..slightly smaller, but still great views..I would NOT choose deck 6 cabins because they are right above the Royal Promenade, and it can be noisy there late at night with the parades & music going on there..So Deck 8 D2's are my # 1 choice, followed by Deck 7 E2's ..one more pretty good cabin is deck 9 D1's on the bump..there are only a few ( 6 total)..good thing as CB at sea says, all bump cabins are near the elevator, so that's convenient ...

As far as excursions go,Sting Ray City is on the Top 3 most famous & popular excursions in the Caribbean .. Chankanaab Park in Cozumel is fantastic for swimming with the Dolphins- we just did it in Oct. on the Oasis..for one price ( like $75 ) you get a full hour with the dolphins, buffet lunch, beer, also an encounter with manatees,beach, etc..really well worth it IMO..Grand Cayman is where you can do BOTH snorkeling & Sting Ray City...the Stingrays are safe & very gentle..I have done Western Caribb 10x, total 30 cruises, 13 alone on RCI, so ask away.. another suggestion: make a reservation for CHOPS steakhouse for a special dining experience- it's $35 PP and if you guys like steak, fish, or whatever, it would be MUCH more romantic to dine by a window over-looking the sea, rather than dining with 1500 people in a bright, noisy room, huh? Menu is better, food & service terrific, and your wife will be very impressed by this gesture..you can book Chops on line..we go on formal nights because we don't do formal nights anymore after 30+ cruises..Portifinos is also nice, and is more International / Italian food...both have romantic views of the sea...hope this helps..anymore questions, let us know...

Big Al

Wow thank you Big Al! Actually your post is what inspired me to book a balcony to begin with. My wife is still skeptical though since it is about $800-900 more than an inside cabin. Its funny because I am the frugal one and she is the spender.. Actually she thinks the money would be better spent during the cruise rather than on our cabin.

Sounds like Sting Ray City and Chankanaab Park are exactly what we are looking for! Any advice for when we port in Falmouth?

Uh Oh, as I am sitting here looking through cruises I found a Carnival Cruise that leaves the same day from the same port and goes to the same locations (Montego Bay instead of Falmouth, Jamaca) aboard the Magic.. The price for a balcony is the same as we would spend for an inside cabin on the RCI cruise..

Just what I needed another dilemma.. So Carnival Magic or RCI Navigator of the Seas?

Wow thank you Big Al! Actually your post is what inspired me to book a balcony to begin with. My wife is still skeptical though since it is about $800-900 more than an inside cabin. Its funny because I am the frugal one and she is the spender.. Actually she thinks the money would be better spent during the cruise rather than on our cabin.

 

Sounds like Sting Ray City and Chankanaab Park are exactly what we are looking for! Any advice for when we port in Falmouth?

 

Uh Oh, as I am sitting here looking through cruises I found a Carnival Cruise that leaves the same day from the same port and goes to the same locations (Montego Bay instead of Falmouth, Jamaca) aboard the Magic.. The price for a balcony is the same as we would spend for an inside cabin on the RCI cruise..

 

Just what I needed another dilemma.. So Carnival Magic or RCI Navigator of the Seas?

Have your wife read my thread on cruise ship balconies..that will encourage her to do the "romantic" thing..once you both sit out there & look at he amazing blue sea, blue skies, fish, sunsets, moonlight, passing other cruise ships ( now THAT is cool!), and feel the breeze & salt air on your face, she will LOVE it!!..the Carnival Magic is newer than the NOS- however, the NOS just had a revitalization just last year , and reviews say she looks great- the 2 cruise lines are, IMO, ver different- Carnival is more Vegas, glitz & neon..RCI has more soft colors, perhaps not as party or festive as Carnival is...I love the Royal Promenade on the NOS, love the British Pub, Vintages Wine bar, love the ice-skating shows & 70' s disco Retro night..the Magic has the Red Frog Pub and a nice adult pool area ( as does the NOS)..Carnival will always be less $$ than RCI because they are a less expensive cruise line to sail..BTW, I would go to Falmouth before Montego Bay- Falmouth was built by RCI just for cruisers..nice shops in port & nice beaches & beach clubs near by..you should go on You Tube & look at each ship individually..I don't like that Carnival has replaced the Reggae/ Caribbean bands at the pool with a DJ who plays LOUD Top 40ish music ( ugh..)..to me- the reggae band at the pool is part of the cruise experience..RCI still has live music at the pool...Magic is a 4-5 years old & 130,000 tons..NOS built in 2002, redone in 2014 & is 140,000 tons...look at videos...

Big Al

So after reading reviews, looking at pictures and watching as many videos as I could stand I finally pulled the trigger on the CCL, Magic! I actually booked then did some more reading and re-booked to a cove balcony. The total was about the same as the inside room on the NOS (about a $700 difference from an E-2). I was told to stay away from the cove cabins on the magic toward the front of the ship because they get wet. Honestly a part of me wants to go ahead and give it a try.

I'm excited about this trip. We have never been on a vacation, just the two of us other than a 3 night weekend getaway. The kids are getting older so last year we went to Florida for 2 weeks doing Disney, Universal, Wet n Wild, Daytona, St. Augustine... Even our honeymoon back in 2012 was just a 3 night stay at a bed & breakfast, which was very nice but not the same feeling as a cruise! Planning this has been very important to me so I really appreciate your responding to my post cb at sea & Big Al!

Next up, excursions!! Whooohooo!

So after reading reviews, looking at pictures and watching as many videos as I could stand I finally pulled the trigger on the CCL, Magic! I actually booked then did some more reading and re-booked to a cove balcony. The total was about the same as the inside room on the NOS (about a $700 difference from an E-2). I was told to stay away from the cove cabins on the magic toward the front of the ship because they get wet. Honestly a part of me wants to go ahead and give it a try.

 

I'm excited about this trip. We have never been on a vacation, just the two of us other than a 3 night weekend getaway. The kids are getting older so last year we went to Florida for 2 weeks doing Disney, Universal, Wet n Wild, Daytona, St. Augustine... Even our honeymoon back in 2012 was just a 3 night stay at a bed & breakfast, which was very nice but not the same feeling as a cruise! Planning this has been very important to me so I really appreciate your responding to my post cb at sea & Big Al!

 

Next up, excursions!! Whooohooo!

Congrats on choosing the Magic!! BTW, going for TWO weeks to Orlando w/ children is hardly a VACATION,lol...A trip, yes, vacation- maybe not...for looking at excursions or ports of call, go the "ports of call" page on CC ( same as when you found this link, just further down the page) , choose "caribbean", then click on each individual port of call ( Cayman Islands for Grand C., etc..) any questions on excursions, ports of call, let us know....

Big Al

Congrats on choosing the Magic!! BTW, going for TWO weeks to Orlando w/ children is hardly a VACATION,lol...A trip, yes, vacation- maybe not...for looking at excursions or ports of call, go the "ports of call" page on CC ( same as when you found this link, just further down the page) , choose "caribbean", then click on each individual port of call ( Cayman Islands for Grand C., etc..) any questions on excursions, ports of call, let us know....

 

Big Al

Yeah we took 4 kids to Florida! Two 16 year old girls and 9 and 12 year old boys...

Thanks for the tip. I'll head over there right now..