Quick Review Navigator 1/2/05

Just a few quick thoughts about the 1/2/05 6 night eastern cruise aboard Navigator. Family of 4, myself, DW and two boys 18 /22 years old. We have sailed on Celebrity before but this is the boys 1st cruise.

Embarkation - Awful. got late check out from hotel in FLL and arrived at Miami at 2:45 PM. Huge line, not enough personnel. Two thirds of the computers were not manned. At 5:00 PM they decided to get the process moving by taking all the non-US passports and expediting boarding. We boarded just in time to miss the Drill, which is fine by me.

Navigator itself is a beautiful ship, but after cruising Celebrity, it is simply too big with too many Kids of younger age and all the problems associated with them. It might be OK for others, but we have been there done that and moved on. All public places were crowded. Our staterooms were a nice adjoining two rooms on Deck 8. It actually made a nice suite when we opened up the connecting door.

Huge amount of Spanish speaking travelers aboard the ship made it difficult to meet interesting people, but still we had a good time as a family. Rough seas Day 1 and Day 2. 12 ft swells with 40 knot winds put us two hours late into San Juan 4 PM. And I must say sailing into San Juan was very pretty and the fort on the coast is magnificent. Lots of sick puppies, and many people wearing the patch. We have our sea legs from sailing so enjoy a little rock and rolling. Best way to get to sleep like a baby at night. Quite frankly, we did not find any thing very interesting inside San Juan except the sail away party aboard the ship when we left, which when compared to Celebrity's sail away parties was pretty lame. To be fair, after dark it was pretty tough to get a good feel for the place in a short amount of time.

Next stop St. Thomas. We had made arrangements for a Day sail with Winifred and Capt. Sharon. I will give a detailed review of that in the Destination board, but is short it was fabulous and really made an otherwise mediocre cruise into a great reason to go to St. Thomas.

Nassau, a nice 5 hour stop before heading back to Miami.

Disembarkation, great. We were White Tags, Actually the first off the ship, had luggage in our hand by 7:15 AM and in the FLL airport at 8:20 AM.

Overall, RCI would not be my first choice for another cruise. We tried it on a recommendation from a travel agent for our boys to have a good time, but by the end of the trip they were also fed up with the kids. It is clear RCI is really setup to compete with Disney for the young family market. This is not our gig anymore. Also, they really push the alcohol and many passengers if they acted and drank like they did on the boat in Miami, would be cooling their heels in jail, but I guess RCI tolerates this when they can get $8 a drink, they look the other way. One other little problem occurred in the Adult pool area when two foreign travelers, a man and women decided to have sex in the hot tub, with others in with them. Actually it was sort of comical to see which other hot tub occupants could get out of the tub the fastest. It was like a slip and slide contest. The guests complained to a passing officer, but no one approached the offending couple. Did I mention they were drunk?

Overall the cruise vacation ranked a 4 on a scale of 10 for us. As I always say, you have to try it to see if you like it, and in this case, we did not care for it. It will be a long time before we book with RCI. I'll have to weigh other options first. The saving factor was the fun we had in St. Thomas aboard Winifred http://www.sailwinifred.com

Moral of the story: Never cruise when the kiddies are out of school. Also RCCL is not competition for Disney. They are more in line with Princess or Carnival. You just happened to go when all the schools are out of session.

One other little problem occurred in the Adult pool area when two foreign travelers, a man and women decided to have sex in the hot tub, with others in with them. Actually it was sort of comical to see which other hot tub occupants could get out of the tub the fastest. It was like a slip and slide contest. The guests complained to a passing officer, but no one approached the offending couple. Did I mention they were drunk?

 

And people wonder why I take my video camera with me almost everywhere I go onboard. :D Wouldn't you just LOVE to have that on tape to send in to RCI and ask them why the ships officer did nothing about it? What da ya think that would be worth? ;) Free cruises for everybody to keep it off Andy Rooney on 60 minutes!

I'm sorry RCI isn't your cup of tea. It still works for us as I really haven't had that many problems with kids. Especially since we tend to sail when they're still in school. We've only been on 3 cruises so far so we really don't have all that much experience.

After having sailed on two Vision class ships I thought the Voyager class ship felt more roomy and comfortable. I really never felt crowded on a full ship and even our pictures reflect that most puclic areas didn't get congested. While there are more people, the ship is larger and I believe the sq ft of public space per passenger remains the same. Service, IMO has slipped from our first cruise with RCI in 2003. Perhaps we just had a really great crew on that first cruise and the other two just didn't measure up?

Yet another reason to stay out of the hot tubs!!!!!!!!!!:)

thanks for the review i enjoyed reading it.

And yet another reason I worry about unclorinated water in the hot tubs!!

Moral of the story: Never cruise when the kiddies are out of school. Also RCCL is not competition for Disney. They are more in line with Princess or Carnival. You just happened to go when all the schools are out of session.

If you don't mind me asking, how much was the excursion in St. Thomas? I'm going to go there in April aboard Voyager and was looking for something to do outside of the excursions offered by the cruise line.

The day sail with winifred is a little pricey, but worth every penny. $110.00 / pp if you pay cash and $125.00 / pp if you use your credit card. the day was great and the sailing and snorkeling is an experience that is just fantastic

HockeyDAD73, Thanks for the review. We were on the Jan. 2 Eastern sailing of Celebrity Millenium and would love to hear more comparisons of the two lines. Since we have 2 kids 12 and 14, I was thinking of trying RCCl next on one of thier newer ships. This trip my husband and I went alone. There was alot I loved about Celebrity, haven't sailed on RCCL since 1997 on Enchantment. Going to read your Winnifred review now, We sailed the Winnifred on this trip also, and it was absolutely fantastic!!!! The othe 4 people who were supposed to sail with us canceled, so it was just my husband and I. The winnifred by far was the highlight of our trip!

Sorry to hear you did not like the cruise, thankfully we all have other choices as to who to cruise with. To date, RC has been good to us and we will be on the Navigator in April with the kids. We alsays seem to get to the dock around 10 or 11 so hopefully we will be able to do the same although this is the first time we are are booking our own transportation to FL and the port.

two boys 18 /22 years old - 1st cruise.

Did your boys participate in the rock climbing, ice skating and meeting others? I can't imagine anyone not liking the Navigator. We love all the ships!

New Years week is not a good time to cruise with all the kids. We cruised last summer on the Mariner (children were 17,19 & 23), and although there were a lot of kids, it didn't bother us. There were also a lot of kids when we sailed the Millennium for Spring break.:rolleyes: It just depends on the time of year that you cruise and what your expectations are.

I suggest that you give RCCL another try, but cruise during non vacation times and try one of the mid sized ships that are more in line with Celebrity. The Radiance class sounds more to your liking. :)

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise, the only positive point in your review was the Navigator is beautiful, I hope that you may have enjoyed other things? Ice show, rock wall.

Cruising during peak times, holidays, kids out of school will always be a headache....you've got to expect problems....I would of not arrived late afternoon for embarkation :eek: we always get on ealry to enjoy the ship before it gets too crowded.

I hope you give RCI another chance at a different time of the year and avoid times when kids are out of school.

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How was the food and service you received? We're on the same cruise the first week of June. I am not one to let kids bother me. At least I can correct kids for misbehaving (unlike adults) and my wife is a teacher.

I have very minor complaints about the food or service. I know that they are trying to please a lot of people, so like anywhere on the ship, some food was better or worse depending on the time of day and what you were in the mood for. One hole in service I found was that when you returned to the ship around 4:00 PM, the only place to get a quick snack was at the cafe promenade. Which became quickly over run. The Windjammer / Jade is closed preparing for dinner. So if you’re hungry and have late seating, you have to either wait in fairly long lines or wait for 6:00 PM. Your choice.

Our stateroom was always clean and orderly, and the attendant left the towel animals for our enjoyment. That was something different and nice. However, one noticeable difference between Celebrity and RCI was how much dirty laundry was stacked in the hallways during the cleaning cycles. Sometimes it was like running an obstacle course. We never saw this on the Summit.

Staff courtesy and friendliness was also more apparent on our Celebrity cruise. On the Summit, as we passed staff on the ship they always had a "Good Morning Sir" on the tip of their tongues. For the most part on the Navigator the staff seemed less than enthusiastic to make any conversation or simply say good morning. On a rare couple of occasions a few staff members grunted something. However, our Waiter and Stateroom attendant always made a point to make conversation. Funny how a tip incentive will always bring out conversation. Another curious event occurred in the dining room on the first night when our waiter detailed out his job responsibilities and the assistant waiters job responsibilities. During the week if we asked for something that did not fall into his job, he let us know we needed to address that request the assistant waiter. On Celebrity we did not have to keep track of who did what during dinner so to make the proper request to the proper person. Do they have a union on board now?

The entertainment was nice, not spectacular, but good for what they are trying to accomplish. The ice show is pretty cool, but do not look for any of the participants to show up in the Olympics. The stage productions are a good way to spend and hour, but keep in mind, this is not Broadway. I think this is probably normal for any cruise entertainment. We enjoyed it for what it was.

The boys spent most of their time either on the pool deck or in the “Dungeon” nightclub. Rock climbing was impossible according to them due to the number of younger kids taking up capacity. Only one RCI staff member most days to run the wall. Being 22 & 18, they enjoyed the girls, the sea and ‘hanging out.”

Please remember, even though we rated it a 4, we still had a good time. We simply have had better times on other vacations.

I am not sure how to put this, but one of the most annoying issues during the cruise was people’s lack of concern for how they looked during dinner and adherence to the dress code. I hold both RCI and the people who eat in the dining room at fault. RCI has a very clear dress code for the dining room each night. If you do not plan to adhere to the dress code they have alternative dining opportunities for you, i.e., Windjammer, Jade, or Room Service. On formal nights we enjoy dressing up and having a formal dinner and so did about 60% of the people attending dinner on those nights. Then there are the 40% who could care less and how they look and show up in shorts, sandals and t-shirts. It just does not fit and puts a bit of a damper on the rest of the night for those who choose to meet the dress requirements. I understand everyone may not have a tux, or even a dark suit. So on these nights, I would suggest these folks seek out the alternatives I mentioned. On the Summit, 80% of the people were in Tuxes and the rest in dark suites.

I have cruised that week before, and the kids haven't been that bad in my experiances. I think that a lot of kids got out a few days of the next week because of the HOlidays falling on weekends, so that may have increased the kid population.

Too bad you didn't enjoy the Navigator, I went on her the madin year and had a great time.

I also was on a cruise that week and had some very very bad experiances, (Legend of the Seas).

Scott

HockeyDad73..... I know exactly what you mean about how crowded the Promenade Cafe can get....room service is 24 hrs, a nice alternative.;)

And I can also relate to how some dress and are allowed in the dining room. :eek:

Whatever or wherever your next cruise is I hope you enjoy it. :)

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It just does not fit and puts a bit of a damper on the rest of the night for those who choose to meet the dress requirements. I understand everyone may not have a tux, or even a dark suit. So on these nights, I would suggest these folks seek out the alternatives I mentioned. On the Summit, 80% of the people were in Tuxes and the rest in dark suites.

We choose to dress on formal night and if we didn't we would not eat in the dining room, but not because it would "put a damper" on your cruise, because we personally would feel self conscious. If you do not mind my asking how does what other people wear damper your experience? This is debated often on these boards and I normally don't read them because everyone is different and the last thing that could damper my experience is what others choose to wear when they eat the food they paid for. Just curious.Thanks.

I guess I mean by damper is that there is a certain mood, feeling, or perception of elegance during a formal affair. A dress code allows the affair to meet certain standards of this elegance and when people refuse to honor the dress code, they in fact alter the intention of the of the affair. Even it is only slightly altered, it is still changed from it's original intent. Imagine a perfectly groomed and green lawn and then imagine several weeds, dandelions, through out the lawn. In effect they ruin the intent of a perfect sea of green. The conscientious lawn keeper removes the weeds to return the lawn to its intended perception. RCI on formal nights has the intention of providing an atmosphere of formality and elegance. Those who choose to meet the dress code want to associate, commiserate, and be in the company of others with the same intention. Those who willfully ignore the formal standard take on the role of the weed.

That is why there are several levels of dress codes available during the cruise. This allows the folks who for whatever reason do not like to dress formally the opportunity to "come as you are" on different nights or take advantage of the other alternatives for dining.

In the end it is a simple matter of respect for others and yourself to meet certain standards when in the company of many people during scheduled affairs. If the events were surprise events and everyone was unprepared, then that is a different story. But everyone who purchased the cruise had the opportunity to know the dress code standards for different dining nights on the cruise and then prepare for them accordingly. If they refuse to wear formal wear, then on those nights, the Windjammer / Jade or Room Service becomes their options for dinner. If you were invited to a "Black Tie only" wedding, you surely would not show up in shorts and a t-shirt to honor your friend. That would be an insult to them and the other guests that arrive dressed appropriately. Wouldn't one would feel out of place and by intuitive thought they would know that they were out of place, not dressed correctly and dishonoring the occasion. When in doubt, let your conscience (“moral sense of what is right or wrong”) be your guide and think how your mother would want you to look if she was taking you to a special occasion. Set aside the bravado of “no one tells me how to dress” and join in and enjoy. If you look good you feel good and good things will happen to you.

I understand how easy it is to revert to the "I paid for it, I deserve it attitude." But, standards still exists even when you pay for certain things. Simply by paying for things does not give anyone carte blanche to act, dress or behave in any manner desired by that person. There are rules, regulations, and behavior standards on cruises or most anyplace we vacation or live our normal day-to-day lives. The problems arise when people violate these rules or suggested behavior standards and are not penalized in anyway. They then falsely assume they are “entitled “ to act anyway they want because “they paid” for it. This assumption if simply wrong. And if RCI would deny access to the dining room to people who do not meet the suggested dress code, and they face the embarrassment of being turned away, then this would go along way to correcting the problem. Then for those who are not embarrassed or have no respect for themselves or others and continually showing up at the door to prove a point. Hand them a room service menu, directions back to their cabin and bon appetite.

Well said "HockeyDad". :D

Linda

HockeyDad - Having lurked on the CC and previously the old AOL boards for what sometimes seems like thousands of wasted hours;), your response to the enternal "dress code" issue was the BEST that I have ever seen. Thank you for expressing so eloquently what the vast majority of us feel.

"Why it is important to dress correctly for dinner "

Well thank you for that answer. I appreciate your taking the time to do so. As I stated we always dress for dinner and as a woman enjoy the chance to purchase a new gown :rolleyes: oops I mean wear a gown. I knew it was always a touchy subject and since I never really cared what others wore too much I never quite understood the uproar but the way you put it now I understand and you even won me over to your side:) . Thanks for just explaining it to me and without jumping all over me.

Michele

Thanks to everyone, I just try to be objective and call a spade a spade. I really try to "play" well in the sandbox with others. Even the small (minor) complaints I have outlined here did not effect me negatively or the cruise as whole. How can I complain, God blessed me with two fabulous boys and a beautiful wife and I had the chance to spend 6 nights withn them as a family. Families are what really count and I am surely blessed to be able to call them my family.

Here are a couple of photos I uploaded of the cruise if you are interested. http://www.olympus.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?showSlide=true&Uc=acrubwf.12jwkbrz&Uy=85sz21&Ux=0

HockeyDAD - I agree with Jimmy's assessment and thank you as well for so eloquently sharing your thoughts on formal evenings. I wish everyone on the boards could read your response with an eye to why I believe the majority of us enjoy an evening of elegance.

On another note, I am sad to say that I think our hockey is out the window. While I'm sure you don't share the Leafs fan base (my guess is Philadelphia, or perhaps even Pittsburg), all of us are missing our hockey this year. You would have thought that the players union and the management would have learned a thing or two from the baseball strike a few years back....but no :confused:

Good luck on your future cruises...make sure you choose your ships and timing wisely! Thanks again for your thoughtful comments.

Hockeydad73, thank you so much for sharing your great cruise pictures. I must ask, what kind of camera do you have? Was it a digital? The pictures are so clear. Wonderful!!:)

Bravo HockeyDAD73! Well said! :)