Off the Navigator from trip: 11/22 - 11/29

Everyone was so helpful to me, that I thought I'd try and answer any questions. We had 8 people in our party (4 balcony rooms with 2 that connected (2 aft connecting & 2 mid/forward)). 2 kids under 10, 2 adults in their 30's, 2 in their 40's, 2 in their 60's. Dined in Sabor twice and at Chops once. Kids did Ocean Adventure too.

We had a great experience. Few minor room issues which were quicly resolved. Fairly rough seas, we thought. Change in itinerary - no stop to Cococay - switched to Costa Maya instead.

I am not an expert on the ship - so I can't tell you how things were before/after dry dock....

Do you have any pictures of your cabins and other areas of the ship? I haven't been finding many reviews of Navigator.

Glad you enjoyed the experience.

Keith

Everyone was so helpful to me, that I thought I'd try and answer any questions. We had 8 people in our party (4 balcony rooms with 2 that connected (2 aft connecting & 2 mid/forward)). 2 kids under 10, 2 adults in their 30's, 2 in their 40's, 2 in their 60's. Dined in Sabor twice and at Chops once. Kids did Ocean Adventure too.

 

 

We had a great experience. Few minor room issues which were quicly resolved. Fairly rough seas, we thought. Change in itinerary - no stop to Cococay - switched to Costa Maya instead.

 

I am not an expert on the ship - so I can't tell you how things were before/after dry dock....

Just to be clear, the sailing you were on went from Sunday 11/22 to today, Saturday 11/28/15. I was on it as well.....and I would love to still be on the ship for one more day....but alas...other cruisers board today for an 8 night cruise.

The seas were rough. For those that took an excursion to the Mayan Ruins on the mainland, which was almost a full day excursion, the ferry ride over was very rough from people I knew on the excursion. Visiting the Ruins was wonderful, but getting there and back, was anything but wonderful.

We did a much smaller Mayan Ruins excursion, which was on the island and it included a visit to a chocolate factory....which gave me enough history of the Mayan Ruins, without the ferry experience. We also like 1/2 excursions, so we can make it back to the ship and enjoy 'quiet pool time' when others are still on excursions.

Food was good in the MDR with fine service even if not 'extraordinary'; we dined in Izumi on one evening and that was exceptional; our cabin steward was marvelous. Our sailing was packed with 3800 passengers and over 1000 of them were children. We personally did not have any bad experiences with the children on board -- some of course were more noisy and rowdy in the MDR and a few parents did not control them appropriately in these situations.

Entertainment overall was good. One of the nightly shows we did not go to see, since we had seen El Gaucho, twice before, and knew that we did not enjoy him. Good entertainment from the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers and comedian Mel Katz. Dancing in the Cosmopolitan until the wee hours was enjoyed by many -- on the night we wanted to enjoy it, we found it just too too loud. Ice show was very very good as well.

Got a specific question....just ask -- if I can I will answer it.

By chance was there a self serve laundry onboard? I know some ships have them, others don't. Also, did they have any specials on the drink packages like half way through the cruise. I have heard you can still buy them 3 or 4 days into the cruise.

By chance was there a self serve laundry onboard? I know some ships have them, others don't. Also, did they have any specials on the drink packages like half way through the cruise. I have heard you can still buy them 3 or 4 days into the cruise.

Royal Caribbean ships do not have self service laundries. They offer a laundry service, which is NOT self service -- I have no personal experience with it however.

We are not big drinkers so don't inquire at all about the drink packages, so I can't help you with that question at all.

By chance was there a self serve laundry onboard? I know some ships have them, others don't. Also, did they have any specials on the drink packages like half way through the cruise. I have heard you can still buy them 3 or 4 days into the cruise.

No passenger-use laundries on any Royal Caribbean ship.

You can buy the drink packages on any day of your cruise as long as there are at least four days left. You are then purchasing for all of the remaining days.

SOME ships are reportedly experimenting with other "deals". Who knows what will be available by the time you sail!??!?!

:)

No passenger-use laundries on any Royal Caribbean ship.

 

You can buy the drink packages on any day of your cruise as long as there are at least four days left. You are then purchasing for all of the remaining days.

 

SOME ships are reportedly experimenting with other "deals". Who knows what will be available by the time you sail!??!?!

 

:)

The question of self serve laundries comes up more and more.....I can say one thing for me personally.....on vacation, I don't want to be doing laundry. If I need their laundry service, I will pay for it to get done....it's vacation.

How did embarkation and debarkation go? I have seen some horror stories from FLL lately, other than the power outage.

Thanks in advance!

How did embarkation and debarkation go? I have seen some horror stories from FLL lately, other than the power outage.

 

Thanks in advance!

Easy both ways. We arrive on departure day early with the goal of being on the ship by noon and we were. We use Park N Fly to drop off our car and get shuttled to the pier. This morning on debarkation we were eating breakfast at 7:15am and in our car by 8:35am. We did not carry off our own luggage.

Any thoughts about the timing of the fixed dinner times relative to show times? How long did it typically take to get through dinner in the MDR? We have the late seating for our upcoming 8 night cruise, I believe 8:30pm, which we are happy with but from looking at the show times on the schedules that were recently posted for this itinerary I am wondering if we should switch to MTD. We did MTD twice and did not love it, preferring the fixed times, but we don't like to rush through dinner and I am wondering if we are always going to be missing things if we stick with late dining rather than MTD (other than when we would see a show prior to dinner). Appreciate any insight you may have!

What did you think about the beds? I've read a lot of complaints lately, and while I know preferences are subjective, firm vs.soft, etc. I'm more worried about the springs poking through the mattress comments. Curious what your experience was.

Glad to see the positives in your review.

Any thoughts about the timing of the fixed dinner times relative to show times? How long did it typically take to get through dinner in the MDR? We have the late seating for our upcoming 8 night cruise, I believe 8:30pm, which we are happy with but from looking at the show times on the schedules that were recently posted for this itinerary I am wondering if we should switch to MTD. We did MTD twice and did not love it, preferring the fixed times, but we don't like to rush through dinner and I am wondering if we are always going to be missing things if we stick with late dining rather than MTD (other than when we would see a show prior to dinner). Appreciate any insight you may have!

We had Early Traditional Dining for 6pm. Worked just fine for us. NO, we could not make the 7pm show, but that show is designed for those having the late dinner seating. We had a nice leisurely dinner with plenty of time to enjoy a ship activity after dinner (trivia, lounge and music) before showtime, then had time for later night activities after the show, which usually was 45 minutes or so, such as Karaoke.

What did you think about the beds? I've read a lot of complaints lately, and while I know preferences are subjective, firm vs.soft, etc. I'm more worried about the springs poking through the mattress comments. Curious what your experience was.

Glad to see the positives in your review.

Bed comfort is a very subjective topic, just like food is. I have never had a spring poking through a mattress....and if that happened, have the cabin steward replace the mattress. Could it happen, I guess so.

I like a hard mattress, DH likes one softer, not soft. This time, it was more to his liking -- I slept perfectly fine, regardless of the fact that it was not as hard as I have mine set up at home. We have a comfort sleep mattress -- so he can his level of firmness and I can have mine -- I don't expect that on a ship or in any hotel.

Did anyone on this sailing notice the ship allowing crew members to unlock the partition dividers between balconies? We have three cabins (not connecting rooms) together and from my experience it is up to the captain to allow them being open.

Thanks!

Did anyone on this sailing notice the ship allowing crew members to unlock the partition dividers between balconies? We have three cabins (not connecting rooms) together and from my experience it is up to the captain to allow them being open.

 

Thanks!

Since it is up to the captain whether partition dividers between balconies can be opened or not....Captain Frank was leaving the ship for his own vacation on 11/28. It will be up to the next captain as to what he or she will allow....so in this case 'recent history will have not affect on the next policy'.

Any thoughts about the timing of the fixed dinner times relative to show times? How long did it typically take to get through dinner in the MDR? We have the late seating for our upcoming 8 night cruise, I believe 8:30pm, which we are happy with but from looking at the show times on the schedules that were recently posted for this itinerary I am wondering if we should switch to MTD. We did MTD twice and did not love it, preferring the fixed times, but we don't like to rush through dinner and I am wondering if we are always going to be missing things if we stick with late dining rather than MTD (other than when we would see a show prior to dinner). Appreciate any insight you may have!

Tonight's second show is at 10:45. You will have no trouble making that.

What did you think about the beds? I've read a lot of complaints lately, and while I know preferences are subjective, firm vs.soft, etc. I'm more worried about the springs poking through the mattress comments. Curious what your experience was.

Glad to see the positives in your review.

Mine is very comfortable. Slept like a log last night. :)

Since it is up to the captain whether partition dividers between balconies can be opened or not....Captain Frank was leaving the ship for his own vacation on 11/28. It will be up to the next captain as to what he or she will allow....so in this case 'recent history will have not affect on the next policy'.

Captain Aris from Venezuela is now the Master of the Navigator. :)

Thanks for the meal/show timing info! I think we will keep what we have with the late dining time and see how it goes.

I was on this cruise as well. This was my first RCCL cruise. I've previously cruised with Princess and Celebrity. My thoughts on the Navigator:

- Embarkation was a breeze. I had read the recent horror stories so we decided to try and board as soon as they would let us. The whole process only took about 20 minutes.

- We had MTD. We didn't really want it but weren't given any other options. We were amongst the first on the ship so we went to the MDR and requested a two-top table for a set time. They had 5:30 available so we took it. This was much better than showing up every night at 7 or 8 and being put on a wait. I don't want to wait on a cruise ship every night.

- The food exceeded my expectations. In the MDR, there was only one dish I didn't like - the NY Strip that is on the menu every night. I ordered it mid-rare and this thing was like chewing on shoe leather. They had beef medallions that night, so I swapped and they were absolutely perfect. The prime rib and lobster on the final night were delicious as well. I had read about the cold fruit soups on RCCL and was not disappointed. They were all delicious. Many of the desserts left something to be desired, but that has been my experience on every other cruise as well.

- We ate at Chops one night and I ordered the aged porterhouse while my wife had the filet. The meat was extremely high quality and I actually preferred my wife's filet to my aged porterhouse. I've had better steaks at Ruth's Chris, but these were still very good. The sides were a disappointment. The fries are the same ones served in the buffet. For appetizers, try the french onion soup! It is fantastic! We also tried the scallops and bacon. Both very good. For dessert, the liquid center chocolate cake was easily the best dessert I had all week. I had read that the red velvet cake was delicious, but I didn't find it extraordinary. Overall, a very good meal, but probably not worth the $105 or so I paid for it after tip. If you decide to go, stay away from the aged steaks for a much better value. They simply aren't worth it.

- The food in the Windjammer was very good. I went into it with the expectation that the buffet wouldn't be as good as the Celebrity or Princess ships I've been on, but I was wrong. It was very high quality considering the amount they are making and I liked most everything I put on my plate.

- The entertainment was top notch and the best I have seen on any cruise ship. The Elton John impersonator had us laughing hysterically and he was also a very talented musician. The comedians were very funny. The ice show is a must see performance and very entertaining. El Gaucho and the variety act (broadway songs) wasn't quite as good, but we still enjoyed it. I would have enjoyed the variety act more if they sang more recognizable songs. Oh, and the newlywed knockoff game show was a hoot. There were also musical performances in the Royal Promenade. Overall, the entertainment was fantastic.

- The activities on board were fun and kept us busy. The flowrider is a blast and the lines weren't too long - about a 20 minute wait on most days. We did the rock wall on the last sea day. I suggest getting there when they open it up to avoid a long line. Mini golf is mini golf. The pool area was very large and we watched several movies at night. If you get there about 10 minutes before showtime, you can usually get a lawn chair that is front and center. One disappointment was that they always drain and clean two of the whirlpools every night, so it gets pretty crowded in there in the evenings.

- The stateroom was on par with other ships. The bed was comfortable. Not Westin comfortable, but we slept just fine. We ordered some room service one night and the food was very good.

- Disembarkation was better than I expected. They allowed you to leave between 6:30-7:30 am if you carried your own bags. Otherwise, they assigned you a number and required that you disembark when it was called. We had a five hour drive, so chose to carry our own bags. The whole process was very smooth but I have a feeling it would have taken much longer had we waited for them to call us.

What did you think about the beds? I've read a lot of complaints lately, and while I know preferences are subjective, firm vs.soft, etc. I'm more worried about the springs poking through the mattress comments. Curious what your experience was.

Glad to see the positives in your review.

I was on the NOS a few weeks ago and had no issues with the beds. They were neither too hard nor too soft. You will not find any springs poking through the matresses

Everyone was so helpful to me, that I thought I'd try and answer any questions. We had 8 people in our party (4 balcony rooms with 2 that connected (2 aft connecting & 2 mid/forward)). 2 kids under 10, 2 adults in their 30's, 2 in their 40's, 2 in their 60's. Dined in Sabor twice and at Chops once. Kids did Ocean Adventure too.

 

 

We had a great experience. Few minor room issues which were quicly resolved. Fairly rough seas, we thought. Change in itinerary - no stop to Cococay - switched to Costa Maya instead.

 

I am not an expert on the ship - so I can't tell you how things were before/after dry dock....

How did your kids like Adventure Ocean? My son is 9 and liked the kids club on Carnival. Wondered how your kids felt about this kids club?

Thanks for your other responses.

Thanks everyone for your bed responses. Makes me feel much better to hear from those with actual experience with NOS.

We were also on this sailing- a big group about 15 of us. My dh and I are young 30's and our two girls age 3 and 5. The oldest in our group was 90 and the youngest just 7 months. We all loved it. I'm platinum so I've cruised plenty and I felt this cruise was really great. Getting on in fll was easy as was disembarkation. We had deck three oceanview connecting rooms and our steward was fabulous! Our waiter in the mdr was really great as well.

Beds were very uncomfortable to me, but dh slept like a rock. Kids loved the ship. They even spent time in adventure ocean and my usually shy 5 year old even participated in the talent show. Ice show was a hit-we didn't catch the evening shows though.

Windjammer was eh...but we loved the mdr food. Any questions for a parent of young kids just ask me!

I did feel the grand Cayman Getting off 3 hours after planned was awful. But we did enjoy the beach with the time we did have.

Oh wanted to add- my father who is a seasoned cruiser and used to Oceania and the like commented that this cruise far exceeded his expectations.