Just back from Navigator..... 10/09/04 sailing

One word-- WONDERFUL. We enjoyed it so much that we booked our next cruise on Explorer the same week next year. My dh and I were on our belated honeymoon/one year anniversary. The ship is truly beautiful-- just breathtaking. The food was mediocre (in my opinion) but the service more than made up for it. The dining room is gorgeous and the staff are great. We were a little disappointed as we requested a large table and got put w/ one other couple who spoke NO English whatsoever. Being that it was our honeymoon, hubby spoke to the matre'd and got us a table for 2. The windjammer was constantly crowded, and if you eat there, be sure to get your drinks and condiments Before getting your food. Otherwise you will be running all over the place and your food will be even colder. My breakfast was usually cold to begin with (french toast/waffles) but in the grand scheme of things-- that was nothing!

The cruise director was extremely cheesy but did a good job nonetheless. The cruise director crew were all young and did a nice job coordinating everything. The ice show was amazing-- there was a girl from Russia who we were fortunate to see her last performance. The rest of the skaters were wonderful too. The entertainment was good-- some was a little over my head, being that I'm 22 and did not know many of the people being impersonated, but I still enjoyed the nightly shows. We opted to skip the RC Singers and Dancers performance after seeing them in the opening show, but that is just a personal preference.

I played Bingo every day and won 2x, but I didn't come close to breaking even b/c the cards are $35 a pack (the hotpack which they say is the best value).

There were 481 kids on board, though I never would have guessed. The only time we saw the kids was during their pirates parade through the promenade. Adventure Ocean kept them very busy. The mini-golf was fun, though we didn't have the guts to try climbing the wall!

They suckered us into buying a "VIP Passport" which is a coupon book for the ports. They got us by saying, "Everytime you come to bingo and bring this book, we will give you a $50 package for Free". What they failed to do was ENUNCIATE--- the "$50" value was really a "$15". It still paid for itself if you played Bingo 3 or more times, but it still irked me that they did that. Several people are us thought he said $50 as well. The coupon book itself is relatively worthless unless you want to buy jewelry. They bragged about the "free gifts" you got--- aka JUNK! We're talking teeny, tiny stones-- like loose gemstones, but hey, live and learn!

We had a Category E2 cabin and it was just right for our purposes. Loved having a balcony and probably won't ever cruise w/out one. Loved sleeping w/ the door cracked to hear the waves. We also enjoyed room service on the balcony 3 mornings. Room service was great-- though somewhat of a limited menu. We only ordered breakfast but the only hot options you can get are omlets, bacon, sausage, and eggs. (No pancakes, waffles, french toast) in other words.

The other thing that was a little agravating was the automatic gratuity they add to everything--- including the minibar! I couldn't believe they charge a gratuity for a can of pop that you open yourself, pour yourself, drink yourself, and toss in the trashcan yourself! Pop was $1.50 a can and most mixed drinks were $5- $6 apx. plus gratuity.

We did not go to Portofinos or Chops, but heard good things about both. FYI-- if you have been married for many years, they gave a free dinner for 2 to one of the restaurants to the couple who had been married the longest on the ship! There were also 44 honeymoon couples, and they had a nice little party for all of us complete w/ free champagne and wedding cake.

If I had to pick one major complaint-- it would be the temperature on the ship. I was Always HOT. I am usually cold and carry a sweater everywhere, but the whole trip I was so hot, and most of the time the outside temp. was 70-80's. The theatre was hot, the bars were hot, the casino was especially hot. I couldn't figure out if the thermastat was broken or if it was just their way of getting you to buy more drinks! The bar staff were very agressive but not pushy. Everytime you sit down somewhere you will have at least 3 people come around saying, "Bar service..."

The crew were WONDERFUL. My husband and I feel in love with a little guy at Johnny Rockets named Niranjan from India. He gave us the absolute best service anyone could ever imagine, and he was so funny! I had him write down his supervisor's name and his supervisor's supervisors name so that I can write to them and tell them what a wonderful employee they have. We tipped him very well but wished we could have given him even more he was so great. We also had a wonderful cabin steward-- a husband and wife team that did great and were very funny.

The ports were fine-- though we didn't get off the ship for long in San Juan and at all in Labadee. I'd already been to both and my dh does not do well in extreme heat-- and it was HOT those days!

Well I've been babbling on and on, but please let me know what questions you may have. I'd be glad to answer any questions that I can for you. Take care,

Carrie

Welcome back Carrie. Thanks for your review. We also have an E2 catagory cabin. What deck/cabin were you in? I've read a couple of posts that state that the view from balcony staterooms on decks 6 and 7 could be obstructed by the lifeboats......true? We're on deck 7 so I'm hoping we'll be okay.

Did you book your Explorer cruise while on this cruise? I'm hoping that we will book another while we're still cruising - hate the thought of not having a cruise to look forward to.

Carrie,

Thanks for the info! I'm surprised to hear that the ship was hot -- I'm usually freezing! Was your cabin hot as well, or was it just the public areas?

We are getting ready to cruise on the Navigator in November, and I was wondering which nights were formal, and if you remembered what night the pirate parade is on? I want to book dinner in Chops or Portofino, but don't want to do it on formal night or during the parade (since my kids will be in it). Thanks for any info you can provide.

Beth

Hi,

thanks for the review. My sister and my friends atre in our 20' s looking into the Navigator in March. What was the crowd like?

Do you recommend this ove the NAvigator or the Seranade maybe.

shipknotshore-- we were in cabin 6256. We Loved the cabin location--- very close to the stairs/elevator but far enough that we didn't hear a lot of traffic. The balcony view was definitely not obstructed. If any decks have obstructed views because of the lifeboats, I would guess it'd be the lower decks. I'll look at my pictures as soon as I get them developed and let you know if I'm incorrect on that. Our view was wonderful.

We did book our next cruise while online. They give you $50-$200 for booking on board. We got $100 for booking another E2. We also were given a coupon from the C & A magazine that gives us $150 off our sailing which was a pleasant surprise.

Beth_2001,

Our cabin was always pretty cool; we had the air turned to as cold as it could go. It was actually set to that when we got there and we never touched it. Mostly just the public areas were warm.

The first formal night was on night 2, and if my memory serves me correctly, night 4 was the second. I wish I could remember what the pirate parade night was but I don't. It was extremely cute though-- they little ones paint patches and beards on their faces and all!

alchris11,

My husband and I are 24 and 22, and we didn't notice too many others our age, but we didn't go to the Dungeon, which was the popular dance club where more 20-somethings may have been hanging out. If I had to narrow it down, I'd say the average was was 40, but there were over 400 kids, lots of teenagers, many middle agers, and even some elderly. It was a nice crowd.

If you guys have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Take care!!

We will be on board for the 12/11 sailing. Thanks for the review.