Navigator OS 7/13 review from the average joe

First off, let me tell you a little about us. We have cruised twice before on Carnival but 10 years ago so we were a little familiar with the general process. We are pretty down to earth folks. Fast food and buffet eaters with occasional “chain restaurants”. This was our first time on Royal in cabin 7552, a balcony, so we had no perks as far as any type of priority. We did not eat in any of the specialty restaurants nor did we buy high end drinks. We did do the wine and dine package for 7 bottles and all seven were gone by Saturday night. Point here is, a lot of the posts on this board, are by folks who have multiple cruise on Royal status and are in suites so I thought I’d give the average joe perspective. The Navigator is all that folks have raved about. Very clean ship with very friendly and attentive staff overall.

EMBARKATION – Got to terminal a little after 11. Will address Port of Galveston later. There were lines but once they started moving, they never stopped. Very quick process through security, got sea passes, and was on board by 12. Rating 10

PORT OF GALVESTON – Stay off of Harborside. Traffic is still a nightmare and there is only 1 entrance serving both terminals. Royal is at 2. Instead use I-45 which turns into Broadway and turn left off of Broadway around 25th to 21st. 21st goes right into the terminal entrance but you’ve got to go all the way past Carnival to get to Royal. Leaving was also a mess taking over 2 hours to get through customs with a porter. Person directing traffic into customs area mixed porter and non-porter passengers and the porters were furious, supposed to be much quicker process with porters. This person obviously didn’t know her job and the rules. Also, if you go to Belize, customs takes much longer to verify documents, etc. due to drug trafficking - Rating 2

NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS – Word of advice…there is so much to do on that ship, you could go nonstop from 6AM to 2AM and still not cover everything on a given day. Pace yourself and leave some down time. Wine on the balcony while cruising sure felt good. Crew was exceptional in all areas. Rating 9

POOLS - Only slight negative was pools were VERY crowded and this time of year, hot tubs and pools were crammed with kids who overall were really well behaved but got a little rowdy in the pool and one almost kicked my wife in the face. Rules on no jumping, etc. were not enforced. There was an area called the Solarium that is adult only, was also very crowded, but calmer. There is really not enough capacity for that many passengers and could probably use 1 more pool area. Rating 7

FOOD – Overall good in MDR and our waiters were exceptional. Despite the fact we had my time dining; we were mostly able to get the same staff each night and never had to wait. Yasmin and Kelly were awesome. Windjammer was a little cut above Golden Corral and Furr’s Buffets we have here in Texas. If you go during prime time, finding a seat can be an issue but we were always able to eventually find one. We used this for Breakfast and Lunch and me and the wife would get our seats first then get our food in shifts so as to not lose our seats. It’s all first come, first serve. As I said, we didn’t do any of the extra charge specialty restaurants so I can say if they were worth the extra money. Included food was good enough for us Rating 8.5 on quality, 10 on service.

ENTERTAINMENT – Better than I remember on Carnival. Very good comics and productions. Wasn’t all that impressed with the Ice Show as it started off with performers falling and they just didn’t seem in it. We did the last show so maybe that accounted for it. Lounge bands were fair to good. Parades are a must see. Rating 8.5

STAFF – one word…awesome. Our cabin attendant was right there when we needed her and wasn’t when we didn’t. Kept us supplied with ice and gave us extra buckets. Best we’ve had on 3 cruises. Other staff always smiled and spoke when we passed and jumped right in to help when needed. Rating 10+

ROOM – 7552 three quarters way forward on port side. Very spacious and lots of storage. Bed was firm, which I like, so if you are a soft bed person, it may be an issue. Mini fridge does not cool much at all so don’t expect much from it. Bath area compact but nice. Balcony had a small table and 2 chairs. Little noisy at times but usually quiet at night. Slept great. Rating 9 due to mini fridge.

SHORE EXCURSIONS – Kind of mixed bag here. All booked through Royal as we wanted security of not being late and left by ship. Roatan…Went to Maya Key Resort. Nice beach and animal refuge. Staff there, however, was indifferent and not very friendly. Snorking equipment rental was very expensive so we just chilled at the beach. Nice lunch included. Drinks reasonable. Accessed by 5 minute boat ride. Would go back. Rating 7 due to staff. Belize…Did Airboat tour and it was great. Kind of sad going through Southern Belize City as unbelievable poor living conditions, dumps everywhere and people living in squalor never seen in the US. Apparently is also a major drug hub causing customs delays back into US. Rating 8. Cozumel…. Did the Chankakub National Park which we had done before. Very expensive restaurant and snorkeling part of tour was nice but a swimming marathon. If you are not in decent shape, I’m not sure I’d try this. Beach OK but very small area that is not bordered by rocks. Should have done this on our own as taxis are plentiful and cheap and we could have managed our own time. Did not do the dolphin encounter. My wife hated the marketplaces. Vendors are extremely aggressive and are constantly after you. Also, you have to negotiate prices or you get really ripped off. Bought at great hat for 30.00 and he threw in a shot of Tequila. Wanted 45 in beginning. I don’t have a problem with all this but she just doesn’t handle it well. Rating 6. Overall rating 7

Hope this helps those who don’t have perks, are in lower level cabins and are trying Royal for 1st time. One question that comes up is how much cash to bring. We brought 500.00 and came back with 65.00 Major places to spend cash is in ports, tipping porters, and the cabin/wait staff at the end of the cruise. We were pretty generous with our cabin attendant, waiter and asst. waiter. This was in addition to the pre-paid gratuities already charged. They really made our cruise special with just their service and attitude. Overall, except for the Debarkation, which was not Royals fault, was very relaxing and again just be patient and pace yourself. I would give this cruise an overall rating of 9. It would have been a 10 except for crowded pools and debarkation issues. :)

Thank you so much for your review. I am going next month and can't wait!

Can you elaborate on the snorkelling tour in Chanknaab Park? I booked the dolphin encounter through RCI as my niece and nephew want to go. I was hoping to do snorkelling on my own. Do you have to swim far out to see the fish? Wasn't planning to bring my fins but if its far out i might have to!

Great review. Glad you enjoyed the Navigator. We have sailed her several times and was impressed from the first.

Word of advice on driving to port; yes, Broadway is a better choice. However, DO NOT turn left on 25th (Rosenberg). Go 21st or, even better, go 10 19th to Harborside so you are coming up to the port entrance on the right and have a short, if any, wait to turn right.

I can't tell you how many near misses I have had with OP not paying attention to the NO LEFT TURN sign at 25th and Broadway. Can't miss the intersection with the Texas Heroes Monument:D

Liked the review. Glad you had a good cruise.

We had to wind around a bit to get to 21st. One other thing. We parked at Galveston Park and Cruise. All their enterences and exits face New Strand and they did not have a shuttle to the terminal. It's a bit of a walk all the way to terminal 2 if you don't have a wheeled carryon. On the snorkeling, We saw fish almost immediatly. Snorkeling was included in the tour so we didn't have to rent equipment but our guide was a really good swimmer and took use pretty far out and around from the shore. You can rent equipment there for 15.00 if you are on your own. A couple of folks who couldn't keep up just staying closer in and at their own pace.

Great review. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Good to know. Thank you Nascar Junkie.

Thanks for the report!

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. I really enjoyed reading it. It sounds like you had a great cruise! We LOVE the Navigator! :D

I was on the cruise with you. We did Chops, Giovanni's Table, and Sabor. The quality and quantity are in a different level than the MDR. We always have loved Chops, and Sabor is probably a new favorite.

The solarium pool was slightly crowded but we always got in no problem (sea days). Seating was a premium but that's always the case. We had no problem getting chairs on the upper deck.

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Do you remember which evenings were the formal night in the MDR?

Great review , I have one more month till we sail , any random pic's you would like to share :)

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Not sure how to download pics but there are a bunch of reviews on here with pics. Formal nights were Monday and Friday.

On the pool issue, we used the solarium some also when the others got totally packed but it pretty crowded also in the afternoon. Had room to get in without crowding others and not as rowdy with the kids. Hot tub there always had room. My point on the food was MDR was adaquate for us as we are not accustomed to going to upscale/ very expensive places. For those who prefer that level, I'm glad they have it available.

Thanks for the review

Im glad the Broadway approach to terminal worked for you.

For others

I agree with Galveston cruiser on Broadway to go pass 25 to 22,21 or 20th

Then turn left to go to Harborside for drop off at terminal.

Remember Fishermans wharf restaurant is at entrance (22nd) of terminals.

And then go park wherever .

On the pool issue, we used the solarium some also when the others got totally packed but it pretty crowded also in the afternoon. Had room to get in without crowding others and not as rowdy with the kids. Hot tub there always had room. My point on the food was MDR was adaquate for us as we are not accustomed to going to upscale/ very expensive places. For those who prefer that level, I'm glad they have it available.

Thanks for the unbiased review nascarjunkie. Really great to see a review from new(er) cruisers. Glad you had a great time :D

If you ever book Navigator again, you should really try Sabor. It does not feel as upscale as the other specialty restaurants, the ambiance seems very casual, but the experience has been my favorite specialty restaurant on any RCL ship. I don't think you'd feel out of place with what you said regarding food, and you may have one of the best meals ever :)

Great review thanks for sharing

Thanks for taking the time to do a review of your cruise.

we also are a month away. We have reserved a spot at Park and cruise also. had planning on just parking and walking. How far do you think it is?

michael

:) Thanks do much for your honest review of the Navigator. We booked the Navigator for October 2015 so we have a bit of a wait! However the reading & planning are fun!

Enjoyed your review and glad you had a nice cruise.

Keith

Thanks for the unbiased review nascarjunkie. Really great to see a review from new(er) cruisers. Glad you had a great time :D

 

If you ever book Navigator again, you should really try Sabor. It does not feel as upscale as the other specialty restaurants, the ambiance seems very casual, but the experience has been my favorite specialty restaurant on any RCL ship. I don't think you'd feel out of place with what you said regarding food, and you may have one of the best meals ever :)

Agreed. The made to order (at the table) guacamole is great! Same goes for the cheese fondue, and chicken-stuffed jalapeños wrapped in bacon! Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with the MDR, but it is as good as mass-prepared food can get. The specialty restaurants feel more like land based restaurants. At least that is our opinion. :D

We always park at Galveston Park & Cruise. It's an easy 10 minute walk. i always drop off the wife and the bags at the terminal, go back and park the car then walk to the terminal and meet her, by then she has hailed a porter and the bags are gone and we are off to the ship. When we return, we do the same thing in reverse.

Happy sailing.

I made the mistake of having a very heavy carry-on duffle bage without wheels so that 10 minute walk was not real plesant. My fault and would use this place again but with a wheeled bag. Did drop wife off with porter before parking but kept carry-on with me.

nascar junkie...excellent review! My DW & I were on the same cruise and loved it!

We had two cabins on this cruise. Let me explain why. We only lack 13 points from being Diamond Plus and it was cheaper for us to book an aft cabin (deck 9) and a virtual balcony cabin (deck 9) then it was to book a jr suite. By doing it this way were able to experience the virtual balcony room and have an aft cabin and get our double points. We only booked 3 1/2 weeks prior and got some awesome rates.

We booked our excursions through a private company that we use. Cheaper then the ship and smaller groups. Roatan we did a private tour with a swimming stop. Belize we did cave tubing & zip line. Cozumel we did ATXs. Enjoyed them all. The ATXs were a blast.

We were with another couple that cruised before on Carnival before. They were very impressed with Royal and said that they will sail again with Royal.