Navigator of the Seas Review- RCCL 1st Timer

I originally submitted this as a regular review, but I decided that I missed some things that I wanted to expand on and figured that I would add it to the boards.

I booked this cruise back in June 2017 for sailing in January 2018 (Jan 14th-19th). I found a great deal on the Royal Caribbean website and told my friends. It was a 48 hour sale and a bunch of us ended up booking the cruise, in total it was 19 adults and 6 kids. Our group ages ranged from 70s, 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s, 20s, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 23 months. This was my first experience on Royal Caribbean. In the past 13 months, I traveled on Holland America and Silversea with my father (in suites!). I'm in my early 30s, single and not married. I planned to share an interior cabin with my roommate. About a month later, another friend (my ex-boyfriend) asked to share our room and we switched to an interior room with pullmans. We figured that we would hardly be in the room anyways. At the time, we all three lived together and figured we could handle it. The good thing is that we are still friends :D

When we booked our room for 3 people in July, our total was $1,249.59 with refundable deposits. Just before our final payment was due in October, we rebooked our cruise with non-refundable deposits for a total of $1063.99. That's $70.93pp/night. What a deal!! Most of our friends who originally booked did the same thing and saved at least $100 or upgraded to balconies for minimal extra cost. Our total with pre-paid gratuities was $1266.49.

Just after we made our final payment, the deluxe drink package was advertised for $55/day plus 18% gratuity. I did not receive an email about a discount, but I logged in and saw it for $41/day plus gratuity. We all purchased it and it each cost a total of $241.91 per person. I told my other friends and most of them purchased it as well.

We did the 8pm Traditional Dining so that we could all eat together. We linked our reservations together. More on this later.

Our entire group lives in South Florida, about an hour away from the Port of Miami. The 3 of us plus 3 more left our house around 10:30am on embarkation day and arrived about 11:30am. We dropped our bags off with the porters and 4 of us waited at the terminal, while 2 people parked the car in the cruise parking garage. We previously discussed parking offsite, but decided that we would just split the cost of parking and enjoy the convenience of parking at the port. It took about 10 minutes for us all to meet up again to enter the terminal. We entered the terminal about 11:45am. We had to show our SetSail passes and passports to enter. Then we went through security where they checked our carry-ons There were no lines to enter or security. Then we proceeded to check in. We went to the Gold line since we had previous cruisers with us. There were signs at the check-in desks that said the cruise was sold-out and upgrades were not available. There were about 3 groups ahead of us in line, but we got to an agent within 5 minutes. Some of our friends we saw outside the terminal went to the regular line. It took them about 20 minutes to get through check-in. We all boarded the ship together and went straight to the Windjammer. It was about 12:15pm. One of my friends went directly to the fitness center. Although busy, we were able to find a table for 6.

This was my first time in Windjammer. I thought the food was horrible. Especially since I was on cruise lines with significantly better food. You definitely get what you pay for. I’ve been to so many buffets in my life and I really don’t think RCCL considers what holds up well in a buffet. The hot dogs already in a bun were awful. Crunchiest buns ever! I do want to mention here, that the value of the deluxe beverage package really comes in to play immediately. As soon as we sat down, we were offered drinks. After we ate, we got more drinks from a mobile cart set up in WJ.

As we finished lunch, they made an announcement that the staterooms were now available. That was about only a couple of minutes before 1pm. We went to the cabin and found it pretty roomy despite it being an interior cabin for 3 adults with suitcases. I knew I needed to lower my standards since my last couple cruises were in suites with rooms more than double the size. We were in room 1553 on floor 10. Our friends had rooms 1555 and 1559. Our other friends were spread out on floors 8,9 and 10. We all found the rooms to be quite adequate in terms of storage space and size, but we spent very little time in the rooms during the day. I will say that the WORST part of the cruise was the MATTRESS.:rolleyes: It wasn't just a little uncomfortable. It was the worst that ever slept on. It was actually painful to rest on my side. I started to sleep on top of the comforter and it helped slightly. We met our room steward, Alistair. He was great! I tipped him $20 when we met him since I like to make sure that we get great service. The next day I mentioned that I wanted a blanket to a friend in the hall and he heard me from another room down the hall and brought it to me immediately!:cool:

After we visited the room, we went on a ship tour and walked through the ship from the top down and checked out Adventure Ocean to register the kids.The ship itself appears to be in good condition. I enjoyed most of the bars and venues on board. I did not spend much time on the pool deck because it was windy and chilly, which is not uncommon for this time of year. Plus I'm from Florida so I didn't feel the need to go to the pool. The hot tubs were very crowded though because the pools were cold. Also, I felt that the ship never seemed too crowded. There also weren't tons of kids since winter break was over.

During our tour, we were approached by someone from Izumi. He offered us 30% off for the first night only. I said we have a large group and our plan was to have dinner in the MDR at 8. I asked if we could get 40% off for appetizers at 6. He said if we brought 20 people. So I said, we could bring 10. He had to call someone and confirmed 40% off if I brought 10 people and 50% off if I brought 20 people.

After the tour we went to the sail away party. It was a lot of fun, but very windy and a bit chilly. The staff was great at getting everyone to dance. I think I was on my 5th drink by this time! We went to Izumi directly from the party for appetizers. The sushi was great and we had an awesome view of Miami as we sailed away. After Izumi, we went to the arcade with the kids for free play and then to dinner in the MDR.

Our dinner table setup in the MDR was perfect for our group. We had 3 large tables of 8 on deck 4. As you walk in, it was directly to the right against the port side windows and the promenade area. We were almost isolated, which was good with the kids. On most nights, the kids that were 5 and younger usually ate in the Windjammer and then went to Adventure Ocean and one went to the Nursery (23 months). The kids ages 6-9 ate dinner in the MDR and one of their parents would drop them off at Adventure Ocean and come back. They ordered the kids' meals as soon as we sat down and they usually came by the time we had appetizers. I did feel like the service was very slow. Our groups’ tables had different waiters and sometimes they had their entrees when we had just gotten appetizers. While I wasn’t blown away with the food, I didn’t really have any complaints about the food. I usually ordered 2 appetizers or 2 entrees so I could try different things. I wouldn’t eat there all 5 nights though. There were very few kids on the cruise, so the MDR was fairly quiet. My biggest issue with the MDR was the wait for drinks. Usually we had to wait at 10-15 minutes to order a drink after we sat down, then it was at least another 10-15 minutes to get the drink. In my RCCL survey, I suggested that maybe they could help elevate the issue by offering wine by the glass. They did it on Holland America. They swipe your card on an iPad. You get a drink so quickly that way! Or maybe they should just wheel in the carts from WJ. I kept thinking that I should just go to a bar when I was in MDR.

For the most part, our group only used Adventure Ocean and the nursery after dinner. The nursery closes at 12 and Adventure Ocean is open until 2. There is a surcharge for Adventure Ocean after 10 and there is always on in the nursery. Only one time they had to pick up from the nursery at 11pm because it was booked from 11-12. The ship did not have lots of kids, so usually it wasn’t too crowded. There were not many family activities in the evening.

In the evenings, we usually went to the casino and/or adult comedy shows. There were two nights of adult comedy. I really liked the 1st one, but the 2nd one was so-so.

On day 2, our 1st sea day, I looked at the agenda to figure out what to do. First, I went to WJ for breakfast with my roomie. It was packed, but a crew member saw us looking for a table and brought us into Giovanni’s table. It was really nice since it was mostly empty and tucked away from the crowds in WJ. We were very thankful that he saw us and brought us in! I started off the day with a couple of mimosas and some crispy bacon.

As I previously mentioned, I mostly stayed away from the pool due to the weather and being a FL native. I did trivia, sushi-making, and bingo. I really enjoyed the activities director, Daniel, and activities staff member Carlos. You have to get to trivia very early since it is held in the Schooner bar and it's not very big. Tables fill up 15 minutes before. The sushi-making class was excellent. It was very small, but I feel like I could be a sushi making expert now! We made so much food, I couldn’t eat it all. I feel like it was worth the money. My friend and I showed up for the class and they told us we should have registered early so that we could have a certificate prepared. I have two issues with this, 1) the Compass did not say anything about it 2) how hard would it have been to print them for us and we could pick them up later. Either way, we didn’t care about the certificates. It would have gone into a pile of junk. Caveat emptor, if you play Win a Cruise bingo and two people call bingo, they will do a “drawing” and one will win the cruise and the other will win nothing. I felt really bad for the loser of the drawing at bingo. I wouldn’t play that game again. It was a waste of money. Plus the first bingo game was 4 corners and someone won with 4 numbers called. Bring your own dauber with you if you plan to play. They charge $3 for a little one. Holland America has punch cards. Even Carlos was joking that this is how RCCL makes money.

Night 2 was formal night and my group dressed up. I would say that the majority of people were dressed up. I didn’t think the MDR menu was anything special.

Our cruise went to Costa Maya and Cozumel. We did not prebook any excursions. My friends did the adventure park in Costa Maya. There are a bunch of places to book excursions when you get off the ship. I think they negotiated about $20 or $30 per person. I’m not sure of the exact price. It’s always easier to negotiate as a group and when some of your group members speak Spanish. I walked around the port area. I was disappointed with the "tex-mex" food options, since I wanted authentic food. There didn’t seem to be anywhere else to go besides the port. It was fun to walk around and explore. Our ship was the only one in port. You will still get the experience of getting hounded by shop owners!

I got a spa service when we were docked in Costa Maya. I did the special for $129 for 75 minutes which included a 50 minute Swedish back massage, facial, back exfoliation, and scalp massage. The specials are only advertised on port days in the daily compass. It was ok, but it was needed because my neck and shoulders were so tense from the uncomfortable bed.

For dinner we went to Sabor. One of my friends, who was drinking, told her husband to book 10 of us for Sabor on the 3rd night and we would get a discount. This is the best dining venue!! So I only tried Izumi, MDR, and WJ, but it’s amazing!! The margaritas are included in the deluxe package and were fabulous. I had 3 at dinner! If you go, you should try the Sweet and Spicy. We had 10 people at dinner in Sabor and they brought us out everything on the menu to sample. As far as the discount goes, I asked my friend what the discount is and she asked her husband. He said he didn’t know he was supposed to ask for a discount. So she asks me to ask for a discount. Um, we are already eating! So I say to the waiter, we were under the impression that we would get a discount if we brought a group of 10, what is the discount? He says: 10%. Of course I agree. It ended up being $17.95 per person with no additional charges. I definitely felt it was worth the money!

In Cozumel, we walked off and rented a 15 passenger van from Hertz (note that the cars are manual shift). It cost about $200. We drove to the San Gervasio Mayan ruins. It was a 30 minute drive on very well paved roads. It cost $9.50 to see the ruins. The ruins are smaller than the ones near Costa Maya, but they are very close by. We drove around the island a bit before going back to the ship.

Some of my friends wanted to have an early dinner in WJ and put their kids in Adventure Ocean and the nursery so they had more adult time, but I was avoiding WJ like the plague. My ex was doing everything he could to avoid spending anymore money on board so he went. My roomie and I decided to try Johnny Rocket’s. JR is so much fun! It doesn’t even feel like you are on a ship. It wasn’t very busy. We brought our own beers, but they also have a limited selection there. You can order as much food as you want for 6.95 excluding shakes. We received onion rings and fries as soon as we sat down. My roomie ordered a grilled cheese and I ordered a cheeseburger plus chili cheese fries to share. It was so good. My roomie ordered a 2nd grilled cheese and then I ordered one! We were too full to order dessert. After we got our checks, 2 of our friends stopped by after they dropped their kids off in AO and grabbed some fries from our table. No one seemed to mind.

The Compass said that there were “All Access” shows at 8pm and 10pm in the highlights. We showed up at 9:45 and it appeared there were doing All Access. I looked at the listings by time and it only showed All Access at 9pm. At 10pm, they had the Disco Inferno in the Royal Promenade instead. It actually was so much fun. The activities manager, Daniel, as the Indian in the Village People was hilarious.

On our 2nd sea day, I slept in until lunch. Still trying to avoid WJ, I went to Brasserie 30 in the MDR. I believe it’s only open on sea days. You get a menu of foods or you can do the buffet. Both the menu and buffet looked amazing! The buffet had a chopped salad bar. You tell the chef what you want in the salad and they chop it for you. Plus there was a chocolate fountain with fruit and other goodies to dip in it!

On the last night, I went to The Quest. It was a lot of fun and very entertaining. Daniel was a great activities director. I saw very little of the cruise director, Cuddy, except at the sail away party for a short amount of time.

For disembarkation, we did self assist. The schedule said 7am arrival and 7:45am-8:15am disembarkation for self-assist. They opened the doors for self assist at 8am. It was very quick after that. We cleared customs and were outside the terminal at 8:25AM. The lines snaked around the ship though. We lined up at 7:30am. Our friends were further back in the line and didn't get out until closer to 8:45am.

I would go again, but I would read reviews about the beds for the ship. I enjoyed everything else about the cruise. I would also skip the Windjammer for all lunches since I really didn't like it. It's perfectly fine for breakfast though. I would say the drink package is a great deal if you find it for the right package and you plan to drink through out the day. I rarely drink, but I made the most of my drink package for sure. I usually had 2 alcohol drinks with each meal plus 2 specialty coffees per day and 5-6 others drinks throughout the day and at least 5 water bottles (18-19 drinks for $41). It’s easy to drink a lot when you are with a big group. Before you judge, I haven’t had a single drink since Jan 18th (almost 2 1/2 weeks). At least one other of my friends hasn’t had a drink since the cruise either. We are detoxing! Also, many people want to know how to keep in touch with each other on the cruise. I had the same question myself. I’m sure it’s an issue on bigger ships, but Navigator didn’t seem crowded or overwhelming after the first day. I ran into my friends everywhere I went. I could always find who I was looking floor. We usually planned at dinner or after dinner activities when we would meet for breakfast and then at breakfast when to meet for lunch. The nice thing about a cruise with a large group is that you can still do your own thing. Also, January is a crapshoot for weather. It was cloudy, windy, rainy, and/or cold every day. I only saw 1-2 people in the pools the entire time. The hot tubs were packed though. The seas were also rough, so the boat was moving a lot. My cruise was like that in January 2016, but it had an indoor pool.

If someone knows an easy way to upload images let me know. This review took such a long time. I tried to upload pictures and it says they are all too big and need to be resized.

Thank you for the detailed review.

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We were on the same sailing. We are Diamond members and can tell you that the beds do not get much better. They are horrible, and I do not understand why the continue to utilize these horrible mattresses. I like a firm mattress, but these are like bricks.

The Windjammer is pretty bad. This is the first cruise that I tried the MDR for lunch, and I love Brasserie 30. The salad was amazing, as was the menu items and hot buffet items. This is what I will be doing on every sea day... what a nice option.

I too was saddened about the shows. They printed the times wrong on part of the Compass, but on the other part it was correct. We saw the incorrect times, and showed up early for those to find the show almost over. Later, speaking to the entertainment director, he said he noticed it and hoped everyone caught the real times on the back. I said you noticed it, and you didn't make an announcement? His response was.. "Sorry" :rolleyes:

We booked this in November, and only paid $129 each plus port charges for our inside cabin, so I guess there is really nothing to complain about for us. We keep coming back... and are going on her again in March.. so there is that. :o LOL

Thank you, enjoyed your review and insights.

... If someone knows an easy way to upload images let me know. This review took such a long time. I tried to upload pictures and it says they are all too big and need to be resized.

The easiest way to upload photos is to use a smartphone app like Tapatalk or Forums. Otherwise you would have to upload to a photo sharing site, like FlickR, and then put a link to that photo in your post here.

We were on the Navigator on the January 5th sailing. We asked for and received the egg shell crate mattress pads for our bed and it was great. No problems or backaches. I recommend asking for them when you make your booking. It really makes a difference.

We were on the navigator over New Years, and I was concerned about the mattresses due to prior reviews, but ours was fine. Luckily.

Thanks for your review

Helaine

Good review, thanks!

I agree - Not a fan of the hard "new" mattresses on RC. Might need a few extra drinks to help me sleep on the 9 night Navigator cruise. Most of the rooms we have had recently had foam toppers added.

Thanks for the great review