Just off the Navigator Sailed 7-26-15

I have been on 10 Cruises and work in the travel industry. It is with this point of view I share what I hope are beneficial comments.

We traveled with my wife's family, 16 total in our group. I had my wife and 3 small children, 6, 4, 18 months. There were over 1,000 kids on this ship and I will say it didn’t seem like it to me, but then again 3 of them were mine. If you don’t like kids my best advice is don’t cruise in July.

Parking

We used Galveston park n cruise right across the street. It could not have been easier and I would do that again on any cruise I sail from Galveston. We arrived about 10:15 dropped the family and bags at the terminal and then dropped the cars. There was very light traffic at this time, as we were in between both rushes of people getting off and on. By 11:00 we were checked in and on board.

Cabin

We had the highly coveted cabin #1388, and it lived up to the hype. It is a strange design but it does have more floor space. The balcony portion of it is also strange. I had to duck to get around that beam, and the furniture was nice but again in the way to move around the beam. But, we would choose it again.

Kid’s Club/Nursery

I cannot say enough nice things about the people that do this. They were amazing and all of my kids liked it. Nursery is for 0-2 years and is $6 before 7:00 pm (I think) $8 after. I forget the exact hour but around then. Kid’s club is free 3-17 years and was the best deal of the entire cruise. I can’t believe it is free. After 10:00 pm until 2:00 am it is $7 or $8 an hour.

Dining

We did My Time and moved it around most days without a problem. Every meal we had at the same table except one night. Service was friendly but slow at times. The personality of the staff made up for their speed. Food was hit and miss, with some stuff being great and other stuff not very good. Overall it was fine and we enjoyed dinner. Again that might have more to do with the kid’s club/nursery. We had the kids with us 3 of the 7 nights.

Excursions

Cozumel:

We took a cab to Playa Mia and had a blast. We pre-paid for the all-inclusive package and we were glad we did. I was very surprised at how good the buffet was. I had heard negative stuff and wasn’t expecting it to be very good, but it was. Everyone had a good time here and I would recommend it if you have kids. If you don’t and don’t want to be around them, I would advise you to choose another beach club. I would if I didn’t have my kids.

Grand Cayman:

I arranged for our group to go to Stingray City with Capt. Marvin’s. They were right across the street from our tender pier and it was so convenient. They took our entire group and we had a blast. The little ones were a little nervous but still liked it. This was a very windy day so we had to snorkel at the Coral Gardens. It was fine if you hadn’t snorkeled much.

Jamaica:

This was the only excursion we booked with the ship. We left the kids onboard, (a little scary) and did a catamaran and snorkel out of Montego Bay. It is about a 30-45 min ride by bus. Traffic was bad for some reason, but I enjoyed seeing the country. Boat was great with good snacks and drinks (all included), but it was windy this day too. Snorkeling was fun but just got knocked around a bit because of the wind. Nothing terrible just not great conditions. This was probably my favorite excursion, but I love sailing.

Issues:

One of my issues was an issue every parent of small children talked about while on board your ship. There is absolutely no place for toddlers to play in the water. Everyone with toddlers was asked to remove them from the pools. I understand why they are not allowed in the pool, but it is unacceptable to me, for the ship to not to provide a free play area for this age. There was literally no place to take them during the day unless you wanted to pay and drop them off. I have sailed other ships that have small play areas where the little ones can run around. There were MANY upset parents who commented that they would never had come on a cruise had they known about the pool rule. Again, I understand the rule and I'm grateful for it, but I would point families with young children towards other vacation options or ships that at least have play areas.

The Jacuzzi in the spa is rusted and in need of a makeover. It was one of the only places on the ship that looked as old as it is. When we were on this ship 10 years ago there were buttons that would make the jets work. Now the buttons don't do anything and the wires that used to be attached to are just loose. I'm shocked somebody looked at that and thought it was acceptable. It doesn't look dangerous or anything just trashy. Not what I ever expected to see on a Royal Caribbean ship.

The evening entertainment was way below what I was expecting. I'm not sure if the orchestra had the week off or what, but we never saw them again after the first night, until the final night. The first song and dance show had music played over the sound system instead of live. There never seemed to be a consistent flow to the evening entertainment/schedule. I don't know how to explain it other than it just felt off. I left with the impression and hope for their sake this was some sort of transition week. The Liverpool Legends were good, and the quest was funny.

I'm not really sure what to take away as my overall impression of this cruise. There were some real highs and some real lows. My group of 16 was split about Royal Caribbean living up to its reputation. Our first time cruisers were still impressed, but those of us who had cruised before were not. I can't say I would recommend Royal Caribbean over other lines, if the cost we much higher. I was hoping I could.

I am happy to answer any questions.

Jeff

Thanks for your thoughts, 1,000 kids that is scary and also the reason we do not cruise in summer or major holidays.

FD Attire

Every night listed in our cruise compass was either Casual or Formal. The day we got on board the ship I saw adults in shorts and t-shirts and thought they probably didn't have their bags yet. The next night (first sea day) was formal night and everyone was "dressed up." Every night except the two formal nights had people in ball caps, shorts, t-shirts, flip flops...

I asked the maitre d if they were dressed appropriately for the dining room, and he said yes. Anything goes on casual night but swim wear....

I was surprised,

Jeff

Hi Jeff, we are booked on Navigator in December. I would like to know if there was any problems with the kiosks for portraits and how many did they have. Last year I was on Serenade and the kiosks were not working half the time and the other half had very long lines waiting to view and purchase photos. Also you mentioned the jacuzzi being trashy, was the spa area nice ?

Hi Jeff, we are booked on Navigator in December. I would like to know if there was any problems with the kiosks for portraits and how many did they have. Last year I was on Serenade and the kiosks were not working half the time and the other half had very long lines waiting to view and purchase photos. Also you mentioned the jacuzzi being trashy, was the spa area nice ?

There were plenty of kiosks and they all seemed to be working. It did take forever though which resulted in long lines at times.

My wife spent more time/money in the spa than I did, but the workout area is nice. Men's locker room and Jacuzzi need some love.

Jeff

FD Attire

Every night listed in our cruise compass was either Casual or Formal. The day we got on board the ship I saw adults in shorts and t-shirts and thought they probably didn't have their bags yet. The next night (first sea day) was formal night and everyone was "dressed up." Every night except the two formal nights had people in ball caps, shorts, t-shirts, flip flops...

 

I asked the maitre d if they were dressed appropriately for the dining room, and he said yes. Anything goes on casual night but swim wear....

 

I was surprised,

Jeff

Thanks for your review...I can't imagine a ship with 1,000 kids on board! I am sure it was fun for families but that is why we never cruise during school breaks! Typically there are about 100-150 kids on board during non-school break weeks...even less on longer transatlantic cruises.

It's been reported by other cruisers on the Navigator recently that shorts have been allowed in the MDR for dinner on non-formal nights, which I think is great. Do you recall if there was still a sign posted at the MDR entrance saying shorts were not allowed during dinner? We're sailing the Navigator later this month and I would hate to bring shorts for dinner and have the rules changed!

Thanks for your review...I can't imagine a ship with 1,000 kids on board! I am sure it was fun for families but that is why we never cruise during school breaks! Typically there are about 100-150 kids on board during non-school break weeks...even less on longer transatlantic cruises.

 

It's been reported by other cruisers on the Navigator recently that shorts have been allowed in the MDR for dinner on non-formal nights, which I think is great. Do you recall if there was still a sign posted at the MDR entrance saying shorts were not allowed during dinner? We're sailing the Navigator later this month and I would hate to bring shorts for dinner and have the rules changed!

I saw no signs about dress code. I just wish I had known before I left. This is an inconsistency between the website and actual cruise ship that needs to be fixed. If they are allowing shorts the dress code suggestions need to be corrected. It would clear up a bunch of confusion about what to wear. Not to mention the controversy about dress code on this website.

Jeff

FD Attire

Every night listed in our cruise compass was either Casual or Formal. The day we got on board the ship I saw adults in shorts and t-shirts and thought they probably didn't have their bags yet. The next night (first sea day) was formal night and everyone was "dressed up." Every night except the two formal nights had people in ball caps, shorts, t-shirts, flip flops...

 

I asked the maitre d if they were dressed appropriately for the dining room, and he said yes. Anything goes on casual night but swim wear....

 

I was surprised,

Jeff

Sounds like RCCL is turning into Carnival, might need to find another cruise line.

I would imagine since Carnival & Royal are the only two ships sailing from Galveston.... And sailing from Texas.... That would be why they have relaxed the MDR attire... Short of loosing customers to Carnival... Plus it's TEXAS and it's HOT here in the summer. This may be a temporary thing with the Navi.... We will see if in November when the Liberty comes in, if they too have the relaxed attitude toward the dress code in the MDR...

Jeff, how long did it take you guys to get through customs when you left the ship after your cruise? Trying to decide if we just hit on a bad day or if it always takes 2+ hours once you leave the ship.

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We were in Studio B by 8:45 and in our car driving off by 10:00 AM.

Jeff, how long did it take you guys to get through customs when you left the ship after your cruise? Trying to decide if we just hit on a bad day or if it always takes 2+ hours once you leave the ship.

 

 

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Historically, it is a nightmare getting off the ship.... But I have been reading lately several saying it was a breeze... So maybe they have corrected the problem (s)... We carried our own luggage off last time, but still took a while getting thru customs...

The Jacuzzi in the spa is rusted and in need of a makeover. It was one of the only places on the ship that looked as old as it is. When we were on this ship 10 years ago there were buttons that would make the jets work. Now the buttons don't do anything and the wires that used to be attached to are just loose. I'm shocked somebody looked at that and thought it was acceptable. It doesn't look dangerous or anything just trashy. Not what I ever expected to see on a Royal Caribbean ship.

 

We were on the Navigator in April 2013 (as I recall, see my signature below) and the Jacuzzi in the spa was rusting and the paint peeling. We were told it would be refurbished in dry dock later that year.

Thank you for your review & your good info. :):):):)

We were on the same cruise. Yes, tons of kids, but they were awesome. I really enjoyed them, especially the boys at the end of our hall way. They were a mess and made me laugh everyday. Their poor parents looked a little frazzled. My in laws are frequent cruisers, but always off season for the best deals. They could not believe the number of kids. True, cruising used to be an adult thing, but now it is a family trip.

In general, the pool area is just too small for summers coming out of Texas. The actual pools were packed with people. It was hard to get in and out of the pool. I didn't pay attention for a toddler area, but that is a great point. Those little ones need a place to run around.

The other issue we had is trying to walk/run on the deck 12. It was way too crowded. We opted for running on Deck 4, until we saw the sign that said not to run there.

Most everyone seemed dressed for dinner. I noticed very few in shorts and flip flops. However, I wasn't paying attention.

I think it took us about an hour and 45 minutes from exiting Studio B to getting into the car at EZ Parking.

I was on last week also. I did self-disembark, left my room at 7:00 and was in my car at 7:22 at Galveston park n cruise. Could not have been easier. As for kids 1000 is nothing. We were also on in March during spring break and there was over 2200 kids that week. Last week seemed like a joy compared to March. Granted I have one of those kids and this trip we had the best weather, flat seas and no rain until a little bit coming back one afternoon then it dried out. As for having one in diapers you have to pay attention to which ships have the H2O zones, those are the only ships in RCCL that allow babies in the water and only in those certain areas. Nothing worse and I have seen it on a cruise ship where everyone loses the pool for an entire day to empty and clean the pool, because someone thought those pool diapers keep in the waste, and now everyone on the pool deck is suffers because of one unfortunate accident.

I have been on 10 Cruises and work in the travel industry. It is with this point of view I share what I hope are beneficial comments.

 

We traveled with my wife's family, 16 total in our group. I had my wife and 3 small children, 6, 4, 18 months. There were over 1,000 kids on this ship and I will say it didn’t seem like it to me, but then again 3 of them were mine. If you don’t like kids my best advice is don’t cruise in July.

 

Parking

We used Galveston park n cruise right across the street. It could not have been easier and I would do that again on any cruise I sail from Galveston. We arrived about 10:15 dropped the family and bags at the terminal and then dropped the cars. There was very light traffic at this time, as we were in between both rushes of people getting off and on. By 11:00 we were checked in and on board.

 

Cabin

We had the highly coveted cabin #1388, and it lived up to the hype. It is a strange design but it does have more floor space. The balcony portion of it is also strange. I had to duck to get around that beam, and the furniture was nice but again in the way to move around the beam. But, we would choose it again.

 

Kid’s Club/Nursery

I cannot say enough nice things about the people that do this. They were amazing and all of my kids liked it. Nursery is for 0-2 years and is $6 before 7:00 pm (I think) $8 after. I forget the exact hour but around then. Kid’s club is free 3-17 years and was the best deal of the entire cruise. I can’t believe it is free. After 10:00 pm until 2:00 am it is $7 or $8 an hour.

 

Dining

We did My Time and moved it around most days without a problem. Every meal we had at the same table except one night. Service was friendly but slow at times. The personality of the staff made up for their speed. Food was hit and miss, with some stuff being great and other stuff not very good. Overall it was fine and we enjoyed dinner. Again that might have more to do with the kid’s club/nursery. We had the kids with us 3 of the 7 nights.

 

Excursions

Cozumel:

We took a cab to Playa Mia and had a blast. We pre-paid for the all-inclusive package and we were glad we did. I was very surprised at how good the buffet was. I had heard negative stuff and wasn’t expecting it to be very good, but it was. Everyone had a good time here and I would recommend it if you have kids. If you don’t and don’t want to be around them, I would advise you to choose another beach club. I would if I didn’t have my kids.

 

Grand Cayman:

I arranged for our group to go to Stingray City with Capt. Marvin’s. They were right across the street from our tender pier and it was so convenient. They took our entire group and we had a blast. The little ones were a little nervous but still liked it. This was a very windy day so we had to snorkel at the Coral Gardens. It was fine if you hadn’t snorkeled much.

 

Jamaica:

This was the only excursion we booked with the ship. We left the kids onboard, (a little scary) and did a catamaran and snorkel out of Montego Bay. It is about a 30-45 min ride by bus. Traffic was bad for some reason, but I enjoyed seeing the country. Boat was great with good snacks and drinks (all included), but it was windy this day too. Snorkeling was fun but just got knocked around a bit because of the wind. Nothing terrible just not great conditions. This was probably my favorite excursion, but I love sailing.

 

Issues:

One of my issues was an issue every parent of small children talked about while on board your ship. There is absolutely no place for toddlers to play in the water. Everyone with toddlers was asked to remove them from the pools. I understand why they are not allowed in the pool, but it is unacceptable to me, for the ship to not to provide a free play area for this age. There was literally no place to take them during the day unless you wanted to pay and drop them off. I have sailed other ships that have small play areas where the little ones can run around. There were MANY upset parents who commented that they would never had come on a cruise had they known about the pool rule. Again, I understand the rule and I'm grateful for it, but I would point families with young children towards other vacation options or ships that at least have play areas.

 

The Jacuzzi in the spa is rusted and in need of a makeover. It was one of the only places on the ship that looked as old as it is. When we were on this ship 10 years ago there were buttons that would make the jets work. Now the buttons don't do anything and the wires that used to be attached to are just loose. I'm shocked somebody looked at that and thought it was acceptable. It doesn't look dangerous or anything just trashy. Not what I ever expected to see on a Royal Caribbean ship.

 

The evening entertainment was way below what I was expecting. I'm not sure if the orchestra had the week off or what, but we never saw them again after the first night, until the final night. The first song and dance show had music played over the sound system instead of live. There never seemed to be a consistent flow to the evening entertainment/schedule. I don't know how to explain it other than it just felt off. I left with the impression and hope for their sake this was some sort of transition week. The Liverpool Legends were good, and the quest was funny.

 

I'm not really sure what to take away as my overall impression of this cruise. There were some real highs and some real lows. My group of 16 was split about Royal Caribbean living up to its reputation. Our first time cruisers were still impressed, but those of us who had cruised before were not. I can't say I would recommend Royal Caribbean over other lines, if the cost we much higher. I was hoping I could.

 

I am happy to answer any questions.

 

Jeff

So i just read this post, I,m travel on a TA cruise next May with a 5 and 3 year old. Does anyone know if the Navigator has kids pools, or some where the kids could play with water? So funny RCL promotes family vacation but they don't have kids pools on all of there ships???

Thanks

Danny

So i just read this post, I,m travel on a TA cruise next May with a 5 and 3 year old. Does anyone know if the Navigator has kids pools, or some where the kids could play with water? So funny RCL promotes family vacation but they don't have kids pools on all of there ships???

 

Thanks

Danny

They have kids clubs for that age for free. If they are potty trained and not in a swim diaper they are more than welcome to swim in the main pool. There is a very small fenced off area attached to one of the main pools where they can splash around in about 6 inches of water. I wish I had taken a pic, but one dad got very upset so they brought out a inflatable pool big enough for one toddler to sit in. It was funny/embarrassing for the cruise line.

My 4 and 6 year old had a blast.

Jeff

We took a cab to Playa Mia and had a blast. We pre-paid for the all-inclusive package and we were glad we did. I was very surprised at how good the buffet was. I had heard negative stuff and wasn’t expecting it to be very good, but it was.

Jeff

I thought it was terrible and wouldn't recommend it, but that was 2008 when I was last there. I'll keep an eye out for other more recent reviews.

 

I'm not really sure what to take away as my overall impression of this cruise. There were some real highs and some real lows. My group of 16 was split about Royal Caribbean living up to its reputation. Our first time cruisers were still impressed, but those of us who had cruised before were not. I can't say I would recommend Royal Caribbean over other lines, if the cost we much higher. I was hoping I could.

 

I am happy to answer any questions.

 

Jeff

Can you explain why you said this? Your review seemed overall very positive, except for your issue with the pool/kids. What were the "real low's" you mentioned, if you don't mind my asking. :-)

I thought it was terrible and wouldn't recommend it, but that was 2008 when I was last there. I'll keep an eye out for other more recent reviews.

I had very low expectations, and stuck to the Mexican food.

Can you explain why you said this? Your review seemed overall very positive, except for your issue with the pool/kids. What were the "real low's" you mentioned, if you don't mind my asking. :-)

The kid issues were the definitely the lows and highs. They were so good in some places and so bad in others.

The evening entertainment in particular the song and dance shows were not good at all. The had an awesome and funny magician on and only offered a one time 7:00 show. it's like I said in my review. That part of the cruise just seemed off. I can't figure out why they scheduled it the way they did.

I think the biggest issue was my expectations. I guess I had watched too many Royal Caribbean commercials, and had cruised too many other ships since I had sailed with them. My memory of being on Royal Caribbean was so good. It had been 10 years. I had them on much too high of a pedestal.

Don't get me wrong, I'd cruise them again today, but with a better understanding of how they really are. They just didn't measure up, and to be fair, I'm not sure they could have.

I'm really looking forward to the Liberty arriving. I just hope they don't take away from the toddler area to make room for the new slides (which look awesome btw) like they did on the Navigator to make room for the Flowrider. Looking at the deck plans, it appears to me at least the H2O zone is going to stay.

The kid issues were the definitely the lows and highs. They were so good in some places and so bad in others.

The evening entertainment in particular the song and dance shows were not good at all. The had an awesome and funny magician on and only offered a one time 7:00 show. it's like I said in my review. That part of the cruise just seemed off. I can't figure out why they scheduled it the way they did.

 

 

I'm really looking forward to the Liberty arriving. I just hope they don't take away from the toddler area to make room for the new slides (which look awesome btw) like they did on the Navigator to make room for the Flowrider. Looking at the deck plans, it appears to me at least the H2O zone is going to stay.

I agree with the problems with the pool. My daughters kept saying they wished they could go in the adult area. They were shocked to find out that the adult area was just as crowded as the the main pool. RCI lists 10 pools on this ship, but they are really more like spa sized.

When we initially booked, the girls were disappointed that there were no slides.

Also, the scheduling of entertainment was strange. We never saw the magician because we were at dinner. We were on My Time Dining, but the times available for a table of 6 was either 5:45 or 7:45. We ate at 5:45. It took us 2 hours every night, and that is not a complaint. We truly enjoyed the dining experience every single night. We are foodies and this was our chance to try things we never would have tried.

We caught the 8:30 shows. They were fine, but nothing fabulous.

Any chance you still have the cruise compasses from each day and could post them? We are on this same trip and leave August 23.

Thanks!

We are on the Navi in 24 days. We have enjoyed e very cruise on her so far and expect to this time too.

True, we don't have any small children and we don't drink much so we can't complain about the pools or the drink prices.

we go to meet new people and see new places. And Relax !