Navigator of the Seas - August 30-September 8 2015, Review

To start this off I'll give a little background. This was my first cruise, my mother's fourth but only her second with Royal Caribbean. I'd wanted to cruise for ages and a prize at work (travel voucher) made it possible. I went with Mom because our interest were in line and we had a great time.

Mom and I flew out of Vancouver on August 29th to negate any risk of delays causing us to miss the ship. We stayed in the Super 8 by IAH. Cheap but clean, it served out purposes, most importantly it had a free airport shuttle. The reason we stayed in Houston for the night was rather practical, we wanted to take the Royal Caribbean transport to the cruise terminal. This all worked out nicely. We returned to Terminal C at 10:00am, August 30 and were on a shuttle in about thirty minutes. I will sing Royal's praises here, the shuttle had seat belts, something that is rather uncommon but it does strike me as safer. In about an hour we arrived in Galveston where porters collected our bags and we entered the terminal.

August 30, 2015 – Embarking at Galveston

Embarking was really rather painless. The lines moved quickly, and we were stepping onto the Navigator of the Seas in about twenty minutes. It was lunch time and Mom and I were ready to eat so we found our stateroom – 7125, and dropped off our carry-ons. While we were there, we met our cabin attendant, Arya who divided the bed for us as we head to the Windjammer.

For all people tell tales of being unable to find a seat at all on embarking day, we found ourselves a window seat without any trouble and hit the buffet. As far as the Windjammer went the food was fine, with a good selection. Given it's a cafeteria. the food was not amazing but it wasn't bad. We returned a few times on different days for lunch, breakfast or snacks and we were always able to sit by a window.

We sailed after Carnival Magic. As the Magic left port, she stirred up dolphins which I was delighted to watch. Photographing them proved difficult but I was more concerned with actually looking with my eyes and not the lens of my camera so that was alright.

After watching the dolphins for a bit we returned to our stateroom to change into swim suits. Knowing that we were going to want to find a pool and a lounge before our luggage arrived, we both packed swim suits and cover ups in our carry-ons. Once we had changed, we went off the Solarium, it would be our favourite spot on the ship for the rest of the week. Mom and I lounged by the pool and had our first drinks as we whiled away the afternoon.

Before dinner we returned to our stateroom to change were we met Arya again, he teased us about our bags not being there yet and opened the door for us, surprise our bags were there, he had brought them in for us. He confirmed that we only had a bag each, and was relieved. Apparently a lot of his charges had nine or more bags. Wow.

Mom and I changed out of our swimsuits for dinner and headed to the Sapphire dining room for the 8:00pm seating. Dress in the dining room had a wide range. I saw shorts and ball caps and cocktail dresses and sports coats. No one seemed concerned. We met our table-mates, an older couple and her sister, English transplants to Texas and another English couple transplanted to Texas and their daughter who was visiting them from across the bond. The food was excellent and I fell in love with the chilled fruit soups. Apart from the days when I didn't like the soups, I would select these for my appetizers. Table conversation was also good and we elected to eat in the dining room every night.

On accident we stumbled across a circus parade on the Promenade deck. It was unexpected but very entertaining. We watched the Welcome on Board Showtime in the Metropolis Theatre and enjoyed the show. Shaun sang Evita, Mom was thrilled. After the show it was bedtime for us. This became the pattern of the cruise; we woke early and were in our cabins before 11:00pm and ready to sleep.

Going to be on her out of Ft. Lauderdale in January - keep going!!!

August 31st, 2015 – At Sea

Mom is an early riser so I ended up being on as well. We elected to eat in the Windjammer for breakfast And relaxed in the Solarium before the Meet and Mingle. Located in the Cosmopolitan lounge it was well attended. The crowd was loud and friendly and we enjoyed the game. The swag was a pouch and pen, which actually came in handy.

(Technically this photo was taken on day six but work with me.)

Neither of us is into gambling and such so we did not spent a penny in the Casino, we did get stuck walking through it over and over which I did not love but it's unavoidable. I basically held my breath as I am allergic to tobacco and happen to like being able to see.

After the Meet and Mingle, Mom and I spent the rest of the day by the pool. I enjoyed a pina colada in a pineapple, so did Mom. I've heard that the drinks on cruises are watered down but this was not my experience. If anything, they were too strong. But I do like a long of mix in my drinks.

Arya saw that Mom had gotten a bit burned and warned her to stay out of the Sun, given our plans for Tuesday, that did not happen but we did use more sunscreen... not that it ever seemed to save us from burning a bit.

Before dinner we went the theatre and watched Ed Regine perform a family friendly show. It was hilarious. At first we thought we would go to his Adult Only show at 10:00pm after the first formal dinner but by dessert we were both ready to relax and have an early night. Our excursion was at 9:15am the next morning and I like my sleep.

September 1st, 2015 – Cozumel, Mexico

As I said, our excursion was in the morning so it was the Windjammer for breakfast and then off the ship to find make the boat. We booked the Fury Catamaran through Royal Caribbean and loved the experience. We went on a boat ride were the margaritas and pop were flowing. Before we snorkeled we stuck to Pepsi.

This was the excursion that Mom selected and I am glad we went. I'd never snorkeled before but fell in love with it. The reef is quite close to the cruise ships, you could see Carnival's Magic and Triumph as we snorkeled. It crossed my mind that much of the reef must have been destroyed to make the cruise dock, a shame, as far as I was concerned.

I'll say this for the excursion, forty minutes of snorkeling went by way too fast and I was sorry when it was over. This was were it got hair raising. My underwater camera slipped from my wrist when I was handing a guide my flippers and I thought it was a goner. The tour operator sent the guides down to search for it and to my immense relief, one of the guides found it on the sea bed! We tipped him personally as a thanks and I bought the whole set of photos that they took throughout the excursion as an added thanks to the whole crew.

After snorkeling we sailed away, drinking margaritas, and arrived at a beautiful beach were we spent the rest of the afternoon. Mom and I both got a few braids in our hair, we discovered we could have had it done at the port for less but it wasn't a major concern. The slide in the water was scorching hot so even though it was free to use, we stayed away. Lunch was $11.00 USD each for hamburgers and unrefrigerated potato salad... I think the salad part should be refrigerated, kept on ice, something. The booze and pop was free and Mom and I switched back to Pepsi as we lounged on the beach.

When it was time to sail back to the port, the Fury crew put on a dance party and it was great fun to watch as they and some of our fellow cruisers danced to the Macarena and YMCA. On arrival to the dock, Mom and I wandered around to do a little shopping but were quickly chased off to the ship. No, no one accosted us but we felt harassed by the shopkeepers and were unable to look at anything or browse without being surrounded and that got old quickly. I have a panic disorder and while it is well controlled I really do not like people in my bubble. Mom felt the same way so we returned to the peace of the Navigator. We might have spent more money had we not felt harried by the shopkeepers but it is what it is. I did buy an ammolite pendant and opal earrings, Mom bought a charm for her Pandora bracelet and her own set of opal earrings but we could not get back to the ship fast enough to escape the vendors.

September 2nd, 2015 – Belize City, Belize

Many people are leery of tenders but I enjoyed the ride to Belize City, as did Mom but we love boats. Our excursion to Altan Ha and the River Wallace involved meeting in the Metropolis Theatre for 8:15am so Mom and I ordered room service breakfast. It was pretty mundane and the coffee was pretty terrible (it is, throughout the ship) but given my terrible sleep the night before, it swallowed it down. It probably had something to do with my excitement of finally getting the chance to see Mayan ruins. Something I have wanted to do since I was ten years old. The party for this excursion was small, thirty some people. We started with a bus tour of Belize City and the countryside where the guides talked about the history, the ecosystem and the politics of Belize.

It was scorching hot when we reached the Altan Ha ruins. For those that are curious the name Altan Ha translates to Rockstone Water in Yucatec, The name the ancient Mayans used is unknown. We explored one segment of the town as our guide explained what the archaeologists discovered and did the preserve the site.

She was very well informed. I was thrilled to learn that one of the burial was actually one I had cited in an essay when I wrote a paper on the Mayans as a kid. We were followed on our tour by a dog who must be used to getting treats from tourist. I called her our unofficial tour guide.

The dog left us behind as we climbed the Temple of the Sun God and holy was it a steep climb. The stone steps are tall and uneven and it takes care and work but both Mom and I got to the top and marvelled at the view. Someday I'll visit Chichen Itsa in Mexico but I am so happy we visited Altan Ha, the ruins are in the rain forest which only added to the beauty of the site.

We had an hour to explore the site and it was all we needed it was unbearably hot, even to our local tour guide and we were happy to pile back on the bus for the drive to our river cruise. We stopped for lunch at the boat dock, and bought some fruit and a drink. Belize is a Coke country and Mom was excited to have a Fanta, something she'd had a lot in Nigeria when she worked their before she married. I had a Coke. Glass bottles are the norm there. some else I kind of like. There were market stalls selling art and trinkets and it was nice the browse without being accosted.

Our party of thirty some piled into a sort of stretched out speed boat and zipped down the River Wallace. Mom and I had selected this tour for the river cruise, ruins combination. Somehow we had missed that this was a wildlife cruise as well. It was a pleasant surprise. We saw Howler monkeys, bats, iguana and manatees. I heard whispers of annoyance that we didn't see more animals. I was bemused by this because these are wild animals and the guides couldn't exactly summon them out of the forest. We did get drenched by a sudden shower that lasted about five minutes. And boy did that actually hurt! With the boat driving into the rain it felt like needles on my face. Our guide called it a shower of blessing.

Given the wildfires Belize suffered this year, it makes sense. The boat took us back to the dock and Mom and I strolled the dock and looked at the shop. The shopkeepers took no for an answer and let us browse. We never felt the need to escape the sales onslaught. She bought a new beach cover up and I kept my wallet shut. I got my bling in Cozumel and nothing else really appealed to me.

The tender ride back to the Navigator resulted in some more sun burns for Mom and I. Since the speed of the tender was such that my hat tried to blow off so I put it in my bag. The result was a burn on my scalp, thanks to the braids, and oddly my hands. I don't know what it is about the Caribbean sun but in spite of sunscreen, I was scorched. Thankfully I brought aloe vera with my from home and it took care of the burns.

September 3rd, 2015 – Roatan, Honduras.

Let me just say that I loved Roatan. It was gorgeous, just gorgeous. You could see reef next to the docks and the island is just lush and green. There are travel advisories in place due to violence and we elected to book a beach excursion through Royal Caribbean. Tabyana Beach was stunning. White sand, free food and drink (iced tea and lemonade) and beach chairs going on for ever. Mom and I met a new friend who was alone as her husband did a diving excursion and she joined us for the day. We rented snorkeling equipment with the plan of just floating along but a local offered to guide us around the reef.

No charge but tips welcome, he got an excellent tip because it really was amazing... Just amazing and he took us out twice! The reef is charge and I got a few nicks for my troubles but it was worth it. We spent so much time floating in the water that our backs and thighs got a bit red... Oops.

There were vendors selling jewelry and shells and mahogany bowls. I got a necklace with abalone inlays and my mother bought a mahogany dish. This is were my caution comes in, the vendor on the beach was charging nearly double for her mahogany wears compared to the gift shop and Mom and Debbie from Colorado bought their pieces from the shop not from her.

I'd like to asked here if anyone knows this Debbie, all I know is she is from Denver and her husband is an engineer, we meant to exchange emails so I could sent her the pictures I took but we forgot. She might have told you about the guide that triggered a school of fish to swarm us as he tossed small pieces of bread. It was a sight.

September 4th and 5th, 2015 – At Sea

After we got toasted a bit more in Roatan, Mom and I stuck to the shade of the Solarium for the final sea days. We read, relaxed and swam as we desired. We played trivia in Schooners Bar too. For these sea days we ate every meal in the dining room save for lunch on the 4th where we ate poolside. At this point we were both mostly done with booze as our stomachs do not love it. I blame her genes, which she passed to me... Thanks, Mom.

We found the spot at the forward end of the ship where you can watch the crew sail the ship. It was neat to watch.

The second formal night was lobster night and we ate like kings. The end of the cruise was nigh and we left dinner to pack

September 6th, 2015 – Disembarking at Galveston

Since we had book an airport transfer through Royal, we could not self assist. Set to disembark at 8:45am, we ate in the Windjammer due to time constraints. We really needn't have rushed. The lines to disembark lasted for hours. We didn't get through US Customs until after 11:00am. Our original shuttle was scheduled for 9:45m (RC's choice not ours) but we didn't end up getting on until 11:30am. All in all it was the worst customs experience either of us has had and Mom and I have both been through customs in Europe, Canada, USA and in Mom's case, Nigeria. Galveston's cruise terminal, at the moment is a glorified warehouse. A new terminal is under construction. One of the staff said that it wasn't so much the facilities as the lack of staffing that made the wait so long.

I can believe that. We flew in to Vancouver at 9:30pm and went on to Canada Customs. They have a self serve set up where you insert your declaration form and then see an agent. It took no more than one minute to deal with the machine and to be approved by an agent. There were more Canadian customs agents to handle a few planes then there was to handle over 3000 cruise passengers and never mind the crew.

Disembarking was really the only nightmare on this cruise. It was enough, however to make me leery of ever sailing from Galveston again. The cruise bug has bit me but for my next Caribbean cruise, I'll definitely pick an itinerary out of Florida.

Shows and Extras

Mom and I didn't do much in the way of "nightlife". We watched a little of the 70s Dance Party and listened to some live music in the Star Bar but for the most part we were early to bed and early to rise. This is no different than at home, honestly. Loud music gives me a headache quickly so I can only take a little.

We watched the Flowrider but neither of us ended up trying it. I'll admit I chickened out. My balance on dry land is questionable, on a buggy board? It was very fun to watch, especially when the operators road it, they were, not surprisingly, very skilled.

The Sapphire Dining Room served as well and we didn't bother with the speciality restaurants. We enjoyed snacks at the Cafe Promenade in between meals and basically had a relaxing time on the Navigator of the Seas.

If you wanted nightlife, gambling, booze or rest, it was at your finger tips. That was what I loved about being on the ship; your cruise is what you make it and we made it relaxing. The comedy shows were fun. The Ice Show, beautiful and we never felt overcrowded. We were always able to find a lounge chair in the Solarium, not always by the window but we often did.

Iced Tea was not really hard to come by, when we had our none drinking days, it is always available in the Cafe Promenade and whenever the Windjammer was open it was available, along with iced tea and lemonade and juice. Water is available at the Solarium bar and Mom and I used our Fuze (iced tea water enhancer) when we wanted iced tea there. The only thing I would do differently is bring another flavour along.

Overall I thought that Navigator was a glitzy showgirl, she had some spots that could use fresh paint but as a whole, she sparkled and I miss her already.

Thanks for the nice review, sounds like you had a great trip! I am trying to learn more about Navigator in advance of our upcoming trip and you definitely have me excited, and the pools look great from your shots, is one of the them the Solarium pool? We just cruised Anthem, which we loved but there is not really a true pool in the Solarium, just three tiered very shallow wading pools, and to me it would be a big plus to have a true pool in the Solarium. Luckily we will cruise from Fort Lauderdale, not Galveston, sorry your disembarkation was such a mess but glad you enjoyed the rest of it.

Thank you for your review we set sail on 9/20 and I am super excited! Your review gave me some insight although we have the other port options (different from yours). Glad that cruise bug got you too!

Thanks for the review and photos.

Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed the cruise. Definitely agree with you about customs on disembarkation - it was as bad as my experience in Ghana.

Hey Neighbor!

I stayed in RM 7123 on this trip!! Were you the ones with the cute sign that changed daily? :)

Yes, the sign was ours! I'm glad it amused you. It'll be the front page of Mom's scrapbook now.

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Thank you for your review and pictures. We did this cruise in March and your descriptions brought back great memories.

Thanks for taking the time for write this review. I know how time consuming it can be to write a review and organize the photos, etc. We are going on the Navigator in just over 30 days (but who's keeping track? ) . Sadly, my work blocks the photos, so I will have to look again later tonight at home.

I imagine we will review our trip on our blog after we get back. It's a lot of fun to be able to re-live the trip... it helps to pass the time until the next one.

Thanks again, and cheers!

Thanks for the review! We are on The Navigator in just over 5 weeks now.

Thanks for the nice review, sounds like you had a great trip! I am trying to learn more about Navigator in advance of our upcoming trip and you definitely have me excited, and the pools look great from your shots, is one of the them the Solarium pool? We just cruised Anthem, which we loved but there is not really a true pool in the Solarium, just three tiered very shallow wading pools, and to me it would be a big plus to have a true pool in the Solarium. Luckily we will cruise from Fort Lauderdale, not Galveston, sorry your disembarkation was such a mess but glad you enjoyed the rest of it.

The first shot of a pool was the Solarium. It wasn't big, people basically floated around, drinking and chatting. I wouldn't even say the pools on the pool deck were suited for serious swimming, not unless you got in early as they were generally well occupied.

Thanks for the review! We are on The Navigator in just over 5 weeks now.

I hope you enjoy her! I found the staff friendly and zealous. We said thank you regularly and smiled back and we got exceptional service.

Thanks for taking the time for write this review. I know how time consuming it can be to write a review and organize the photos, etc. We are going on the Navigator in just over 30 days (but who's keeping track? ) . Sadly, my work blocks the photos, so I will have to look again later tonight at home.

 

I imagine we will review our trip on our blog after we get back. It's a lot of fun to be able to re-live the trip... it helps to pass the time until the next one.

 

Thanks again, and cheers!

I found reviewing made me sort my photos quickly instead of letting them linger on my memory cards. The reef photos needed retouching as all underwater photos are blue blue blue but it's not hard to correct.

Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed the cruise. Definitely agree with you about customs on disembarkation - it was as bad as my experience in Ghana.

Mom said it went smoother in Lagos, Nigeria. It was certainly smoother for her last year in Florida.

Thank you for your review we set sail on 9/20 and I am super excited! Your review gave me some insight although we have the other port options (different from yours). Glad that cruise bug got you too!

I hope you enjoy your cruise. We loved the Navigator and I would sail her again, out of Florida for sure!

Thanks for the pool info, and even that is much more significant than any of the three Solarium tiered pools on Anthem so I will take it! No floating possible on Anthem.

Great review! :)

Thanks so much for sharing! We have the same port lineup as you end of October. Can you comment on the seaweed problem that I've seen on some posts for Cozumel?

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