Review - Navigator of the Seas - Western Caribbean

My wife and I just got back from Navigator of the Seas May 1-8 (Western Caribbean) and we wanted to share some quick comments on our cruise for anybody interested in RCI, NOS, Western Caribbean. We have focused on the stuff that seems to get discussed the most on Cruise Critic.

Overall we had a fabulous time and came home wondering why it was so long since our last cruise. This was our 4th cruise, 2nd on RCI and we plan to be back just as soon as the credit card allows it!

TRAVEL AGENT - We booked everything online. We used cruise.com and got good service. Filled in the online RCI embarkation forms well ahead of time and got everything we wanted (including dinner seating). Used Travelocity for air tickets. No problems. Stayed at the DoubleTree Biscayne Bay the night before and spent the evening in South Beach. We always arrive one day ahead.

SHIP - The NOS is a stunning ship. We had 3338 passengers yet it never felt crowded. There was always somewhere you could go and "get away from it all". There are places on the ship we have yet to visit. The NOS really spoilt us and the only reasons we will consider "less" ship would be if we moved up-scale or wanted to go somewhere these Voyager class ships don't go. The promenade / main street provides something that no other ship can come even close to. And there is something nice about always being the biggest ship in port :-)

EMBARKATION - We arrived at the pier at 10:30am and were in our cabin shortly after 12 noon. The only real hold-up was while the staff in the terminal dealt with all the guests for the 4 weddings that were being held on board the same day. No hassles and the process was very smooth. We had edocs so the porter on the pier directed us to the desk where they gave us luggage tags to fill in. Filled them in and our luggage disappeared rapidly. We had it in our cabin before 5pm so we had it all stowed before dinner (late sitting for us).

STATEROOM - Not huge (I'd hate to have more than 2 in the room!) but very efficient. We had a Deck 8 atrium cabin. View was good and we watched a couple of parades from there but mostly the curtain was kept shut (either dressing or sleeping most of the time in the cabin). The TV on channel 42 kept us aware of what was going on outside. There were 3 electrical outlets - 2 on the dresser and one in the bathroom. No need for the extension cord I bought. Fridge didn't have much in it - maybe it had already been emptied? Lots of room for our water. We filled our water bottles at the water fountain in the fitness centre or bought back iced water in coffee cups from the Promenade Cafe (there's a notice saying you can't fill water bottles in the cafe.) Noise was never a problem. This was our first inside cabin and we figure that from now on it will be either inside or a balcony. Just a plain outside window doesn't seem worth the extra cost - to us at least.

CABIN SERVICE - Excellent! We got turn-down and fresh towels every night including the first. We got towel animals every night except the first night. Our cabin attendant (Marlon) also made interesting arrangements with the pillows and cushions. We tipped him some cash at the beginning and then paid the suggested amount as well at the end.

DINING ROOM FOOD - The biggest disappointment of the cruise. It was definitely the lowest quality food we have experienced yet on a cruise. The menus were not imaginative and much of the food appeared to be frozen super market quality (shrimp cocktails, breaded chicken, salads, dressings, mahi mahi that looked and tasted like fish sticks, vegetables all looked and tasted like what we have at home.) The desserts were probably the best items on the menu. We aren't picky eaters and our opinion was shared by the other couples at our table (combined total of 20-30 cruises). Having said that, this will not discourage us from using RCI again but we really would prefer to pay slightly more and get a dining room "experience" like we have had in the past. Side note - the infamous ranch steak was not on the menu.

DINING ROOM SERVICE - Not the best we have had but way better than HAL which was terrible. The wine service was slow the first night and I complained to the waiter. The section head waiter appeared about 2 minutes later and apologised profusely. We had really good wine service for the rest of the cruise!

CHOPS - Absolutely incredible in all respects. I don't expect this level of food and service in the main dining room but, because of the lower quality there, we will be definitely using Chops and Portofino more in the future. It will cost more and maybe this is RCI's plan but we will have to budget for it.

WINDJAMMER - About the same as our other cruises. Jade provided some nice variety to the food and was open every day. We never bought any drink cards as the free iced tea and lemonade was all we needed for lunch.

JR's - A really great experience, the food and service was excellent. We and most others we talked to saw the waiters do their singing/dancing routine so we figure they must do it fairly frequently. We had C&A coupons and it cost about $8 for the shakes and extras. We don't have a problem with the extra charge but of course we wouldn't eat there every day (charge or no charge). The several times we went by it was never really crowded - one time there was a line of about 4 people who all got seated in about 5 minutes. Whether or not the $3.95 charge was really meant to reduce demand I don't know but if so it seems to be working.

DECK CHAIRS - Yes, there were some very visible chair hogs (well, actually their towels/books/sandals were visible - they weren't.) but we never had a problem finding a chair in the sun or the shade on either deck on both sea days. There are notices about a 30 minute limit for an unused chair but we never saw it enforced or any sign of chair hogging problems. There are enough chairs that most people are not going to have a problem unless they really, really want that prime spot by the pool.

ENTERTAINMENT - Generally very good and about the same standard as our previous cruises. Our experience is that Carnival has the most lavish theater shows but RCI makes up for it with better entertainment in the bars and lounges. The dance band Icepak in the Ixtapa lounge was excellent (for our slightly older age group anyway!) Marc Walker was the CD and did good job. The love and marriage game was lots of fun as usual. We didn't spend a lot of time in the casino but our impression (and that of others we talked to) was that the slot machines are paying less than they used to. The blackjack and roulette tables were very busy while there were lots of slot machines sitting idle.

CROWDS & LINEUPS - The elevators were often slow coming and often full, especially when boarding just before sailing and at dinner time. We took the stairs mostly unless we were going more than about 3 decks up so it didn't hurt us too much. Being on deck 8 was great - only 3 decks to the pool or the promenade. The purser's desk (sorry - customer relations) had the usual long lineup the last evening.

DESTINATIONS and EXCURSIONS - Nassau, Ochos Rios, Georgetown, Cozumel. The Cruise Compass said that RCI has suspended Labadee indefinitely. Nassau was the only place we booked through RCI (because we didn't know until the day before sailing where/when we would be). We did a sail and snorkel which was pretty good although it took them a long time to collect everybody off 3 different cruise ships and then get us all on board the catamaran. Ochos Rios - we booked with Ionie McBeam and had a great time at Dunn River Falls and a tour of Fern Gully etc. The vendors in the market at the top of the falls were very aggressive and often blocked your way or almost chased you - beware and don't take things they try and put in your hand / around your neck. Georgetown we booked with Capt Marvin and did the stingrays and snorkeling. Again, a small group and a great time. Neither of these will charge you if the ship doesn't dock on schedule. In Cozumel we did a Dolphin Discovery package and got ourselves to and from Chankannab by taxi. We had no problem with the taxis as we were paying cash. Some people off NOS had RCI coupons for taxis (because they booked an excursion on board) and the drivers werent too keen on accepting them. We think its much better to book your own excursions if you feel comfortable doing this. Most reputable operators won't charge you if the ship doesn't dock on schedule. Jamaica was the only place they want more Id than your seapass - most people take their drivers licence. We also had to fill in a form for the Bahamas - you hand this in during embarkation.

DISEMBARKATION - RCI has this down to a fine art. We had red tags and sat in Vintages until we were called. They called for red at 8:40am and at 9:20am we were in the check-in line at the airport. Then we had to wait for our noon flight home so we went into the hotel and found a quiet seat to wait where they charged us $1.95 for coffee and $2.95 for a pastry - back to reality! We always use a taxi - the RCI arranged buses are a pain and slow. The taxi fare is $25 including tip.

All in all a great cruise on a great ship. The food was disappointing but we will be back with RCI.

We're happy to answer any questions if we can.


[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;5;1;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

Until Navigator 5/1/04

Thanks for your review [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] It was so detailed and informative, I don't have any questions!!

Thanks again!

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=191970&cdt=2004;6;26;17;1;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Navigator of the Seas 6/26/04


<center>
<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/logos/time98.gif[/img]</center>

Very good review!! Thanks.

Monarch of the Seas 09/92
Majesty of the Seas 11/93
Sovereign of the Seas 09/94
Majesty of the Seas 11/95
Grandeur of the Seas 11/99
Grandeur of the Seas 11/00
Grandeur of the Seas 06/01
Grandeur of the Seas 02/02
Navigator of the Seas 12/02
Rhapsody of the Seas 06/03
Radiance of the Seas 11/03
Grandeur of the Seas 05/04
Navigator of the Seas 11/04