Navigator of the Seas 12.8.2012 Pictoral Review

[kruzerci]

Thanks for great review. Live in your area and AU fan also. Is there an outdoor movie screen on Navigator. Will be on during super bowl.

 

It doesn't. It will in 2014 but there's a sports bar in the Viking Crown on Deck 14 with lots of comfortable seats and TV.

 

 

[R'man]

We're off on NOTS next weekend. You're getting folks here all wound up! Thanks!!

[pascalburns]

enjoyed your review and the pictures.

thanks:)

[highsierracpl]

Great review. You got me all fired up for my NOS trip.

[jjb415]

This is a fantastic review !! Thank you so much for all of the effort. :)

[yogimax]

Thank you!!!

 

We will be on Navigator February 23rd so really enjoyed the photos and commentary.

 

The only thing missing was a photo of you!

[kruzerci]

Conclusions:

 

The Ship- This was our second time on the beautiful Navigator. The first was 7 years ago when she was still pretty new, sailing from Miami. At the time, we thought the ship looked neglected for such a new ship. We expected the same thing this year. We were absolutely, 100%, wrong. From the moment we stepped on board, everything was glistening. The outdoor decks looked freshly painted, the carpets in most areas looked new. No complaints whatsoever in terms of the way the ship looked.

 

Our favorite class of ship is the Freedom class, simply because they are newer and have nice little touches like wider solariums, freshwater pools, bigger gym, and added venues like Sorrentos and the Cupcake Cupboard, but the slightly smaller Voyager class (Navigator specifically), comes in a close, very close, second. We thought the ship was the perfect size, the crew was well above our expectations, and I cannot stress enough how clean and fresh the ship looked. A very pleasant surprise since she hasn't been in dry dock lately.

 

The cabin- Like I said, we had a D2 balcony on Deck 8. It was a very nice for 2 adults. The beds were comfortable and the glass balcony was beautiful, very light, and private with two chairs and a small table. The only place that needed a little updating was the room. The carpet was beginning to fade and the TV was the old tube style. Certainly not a deal breaker.

 

New Orleans- What an incredibly easy embarkation. Parking and embarking were both a breeze. It was up there with Port Canaveral in terms of ease and convenience. Sailing down the Mississippi is really something. I would love to do it again... I'm sure we will in the next couple years. The only negative, of course, was disembarkation. What a disaster. Do yourself a favor and do the express walk off if there is going to be another ship in port.

 

Dining- Like I said, we were disappointed in the dining experience. We have never left a Royal Caribbean cruise being disappointed in the main dining room, but we did this time. The dining room is understaffed and the crew can barely keep up. It's clear it isn't their fault, they clearly have too many tables to take care of. The food was never cooked right, soups were cold, salads (house and caesar) looked like they were thrown on a plate and had a cup of dressing dumped in the middle. Desserts were alright. The food was certainly edible, but growing accustomed to RC's menu over all of these years, you can tell when something isn't cooked right or doesn't taste good.

 

The Windjammer food was very good- better than I remember on previous cruises. Had we not eaten in Chops and Portofino a few nights, we probably would have rather gone to the WJ than the dining room, simply for the great variety, good service, and generally better tasting food.

 

If you haven't tried Chops or Portofino, do it! You won't be sorry you did. The food is much higher quality than the dining room and the atmosphere is much more upscale and relaxing. We love both, but went to Portofino twice vs Chops once, simply because we feel the quality of the food is just as good and Portofino is $20 cheaper for two people.

 

Overall- We had a fantastic cruise. We were impressed with sailing from New Orleans, the Navigator exceeded our expectations, we had great weather, 2 days at the beach, 3 relaxing days at sea, and really enjoyed ourselves. I would do it again in a heartbeat. If the Navigator was coming back to New Orleans next year, we would be all over it.

 

After Christmas, I'm in desperate need of another vacation... Very jealous of all of you leaving on the Navigator in the near future.

 

I will be posting more as I think of what I have left out, as well as posting more pictures in the next few days. Any specific questions, feel free to ask.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

[rsham]

I really appreciate your review and all the pictures. We are so excited to be leaving in less than two weeks. Did you eat at Johnny Rockets and if so what were the prices like? Also were cruisers able to bring a 12 pack of soda or bottled water on board? We have done ths on several cruises in the past and it was so nice to have in the rooms.

Again. Thanks for your effort in this great review.

[Rocknsoul]

Great pictures and review, thanks! I have to admit I skipped through some of the pictures, because I've never been on this ship & like to be surprised when I get on. :)

 

I have a novice-type question--it's been awhile since I've had to worry about time zones. Our last 4 cruises have all been in Central time the entire time.

 

When you were in Jamaica, you said the tour left at 8:30. Was that ship time or Jamaica time? Are there reminders of the time change when you leave the ship?

 

We don't have any excursions planned, I'm just trying to wrap my head around it. Thank you!

[kruzerci]

Great pictures and review, thanks! I have to admit I skipped through some of the pictures, because I've never been on this ship & like to be surprised when I get on. :)

 

I have a novice-type question--it's been awhile since I've had to worry about time zones. Our last 4 cruises have all been in Central time the entire time.

 

When you were in Jamaica, you said the tour left at 8:30. Was that ship time or Jamaica time? Are there reminders of the time change when you leave the ship?

 

We don't have any excursions planned, I'm just trying to wrap my head around it. Thank you!

 

This was our first cruise in years that changed from the time zone of the departure port. We changed to eastern time the night before we got to Grand Cayman if I'm not mistaken and stayed on it until the night we left Falmouth. It was minor inconvenience because I'm not used to changing times on the ship, but no big deal. There were constant reminders.

 

You can check out of compasses to see which nights the time change for sure.

[kruzerci]

I really appreciate your review and all the pictures. We are so excited to be leaving in less than two weeks. Did you eat at Johnny Rockets and if so what were the prices like? Also were cruisers able to bring a 12 pack of soda or bottled water on board? We have done ths on several cruises in the past and it was so nice to have in the rooms.

Again. Thanks for your effort in this great review.

 

We didnt eat at Johnny Rockets this trip but have before. There's a $4.95 cover charge per person (includes tip), but can order whatever or as much as you would like. The only thing that costs extra is milkshakes.

 

We didn't attempt to carry on water, but we carried on three 1L bottles of diet coke and two bottles of wine in a carryon and nobody batted an eye. They say 2 bottles of wine per cabin, but we could have each brought 2 and nobody would have noticed.

[drbrowne]

Thank you so much! We and another couple are going on this cruise on Jan 26th. It will be there first cruise and this was so helpful!

Dave & Rhonda

[Krazy4Kruisin']

We just got off the Mariner today. While onboard, we booked Navigator for next December. We decided to go a little earlier in Dec, since school won't be out yet, therefore fewer kids. My pictures are very similar to yours. I also am going to post the Compasses. I asked the head waiter for copies of the dinner menus from the MDR for the week and he did it.

One question- what cabin were you in? We booked 8318, midship starboard.

 

The only thing that disappoint me is the next month after our cruise, she goes to dry dock for a month.

[bbbearden]

What a great review. Thanks so much for the awesome pics and for posting the compass for each day. We will be on Navigator on March 9th with friends. Your review made me even more excited. Thanks for sharing.

[wamram]

Enjoyed your review very much! Read the last part as we drive to Memphis as part of our pre-cruise vacation. Thanks much for the photos too, they are gorgeous and really helped psych us up for our very first cruise, on the Navigator 1/5.

[R'man]

Conclusions: Overall- We had a fantastic cruise. We were impressed with sailing from New Orleans, the Navigator exceeded our expectations, we had great weather, 2 days at the beach, 3 relaxing days at sea, and really enjoyed ourselves. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

First off, thank you for your review and the many pictures. We are off next weekend, and some, particularly the newbies among our group, were having doubts about the quality of the experience they were about to have based on what others said.

 

My only concern is the MDR food quality, which seems to be a recurring theme in Navigator reviews, and Royal Caribbean reviews in general. Our last cruise aboard Princess left many wondering where their food quality went. The presentation was invariably beautiful; the flavor completely lacking. I hope we do not experience the same disappointing "okay" dining experience.

 

In regards to service, I realize that the game is to fill cabins, and that most consumers are price sensitive. I suspect that Royal Caribbean has sliced staff among its cost cutting to remain competitive. We found MDR service on Princess to be cursory and hurried, also staff serving several tables. One cup of coffee and out you went...'cause you were getting no more! I'm happy to pay "peanuts" for the vacation, and I'm confident it remains an excellent value. However, there can always be that slice too far that proves false economy and ruins hard-earned reputations over a minor amount.

 

The pictures were great! As I posted earlier, our group is getting very excited about the ship and the whole cruise. For most, it will be their first RC sailing. They've never let me down in the past, and your review gives confidence that we'll all have a grand time! Happy New Year!!

[Smigley]

Thank you very much for the great review and pics.

We are on NoS Jan 12 sailing.

It's been difficult finding reviews with the NOLA itinerary.

Very excited for my first balcony ( deck 8, starboard, aft of hump )

I can only hope our weather and sunsets are as great as yours.

[kruzerci]

We just got off the Mariner today. While onboard' date=' we booked Navigator for next December. We decided to go a little earlier in Dec, since school won't be out yet, therefore fewer kids. My pictures are very similar to yours. I also am going to post the Compasses. I asked the head waiter for copies of the dinner menus from the MDR for the week and he did it.

One question- what cabin were you in? We booked 8318, midship starboard.

 

The only thing that disappoint me is the next month after our cruise, she goes to dry dock for a month.[/quote']

 

I believe we were 8528. We loved the location. It was forward on the port side. Just a couple flights down from the gym.

[mrsdoc3]

We woke up early our first morning at sea and worked out from sunrise to about 8 AM. We went back to our room and had a light breakfast on the balcony when we got back from the fitness center. The gym was not as large or as well equipped as on the Freedom class, but it was certainly adequate and we really enjoy the free steam rooms and sauna, especially after all the salty foods we eat on the ship!

 

When we got back to the room, we knew it would be an absolutely gorgeous day. The day probably started out in the low 70's and climbed to 80 over the course of the day. Perfect for enjoying the balcony and laying out on the upper decks.

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed this view for most of the day.

 

 

The ocean looks much calmer than when I was on NOS the week before. White caps most of the week except for our last sea day.

[mrsdoc3]

Enjoyed your review very much! Read the last part as we drive to Memphis as part of our pre-cruise vacation. Thanks much for the photos too, they are gorgeous and really helped psych us up for our very first cruise, on the Navigator 1/5.

 

Pretty chilly here in Memphis, but I guess not as cold as Minnesota! Eat at Corky's. Arguably, the best barbecue in town of barbecue fanatics! And, no, I don't work for Corky's.

[mrsdoc3]

I sailed the week before OP, and we had delayed boarding because of noro outbreak on the prior week's cruise. Passenger's were not allowed to serve themselves at the buffet in an effort to stop the spread of the disease on the current week's cruise. ALL staff were seen serving in the WJ, including some maintenance guys (complete in blue coveralls) with giant grins on their faces. I suppose they were thrilled to be having some kind of positive customer contact (as opposed to fixing things that passengers had complained about).

 

We were in boarding line for about an hour, but I think the only ones complaining were in the Diamond line because the general boarding line was moving faster than theirs!

 

Food in the MDR was fair. My big complaint was the night they had beef stroganoff. Well, it was on the menu as stroganoff, but it was a whole lot more like pepper steak served over rice. It most definitely was NOT stroganoff, and I was sorely disappointed. It was fine, but I had ordered beef stroganoff, not pepper steak. The rest of the food was edible but really nothing special. I did, however, greatly enjoy our dinner companions -- Jeff & Beth from Nottingham, England; and Jerry and Elisa from Sacramento, CA.

 

Ordered room service for breakfast a couple of times and was surprised at how small the portions were. The OJ, however, made great mimosas!

 

Our debarking experience was just the opposite of OP's. We did self-debark, but we got a late start and didn't leave until they had called groups 1-7. There was absolutely no line to get your lost "bong" as you clocked off the ship, and only one group ahead of us in the custom's line. We were the only one ship it port, though.

 

I have no complaints about the condition or cleanliness of the ship, either. I had read some reviews that sad she looked old and tired. I didn't see that at all.

 

For all those sailing NOS in the future, have a great time.

[Eng23]

Thanks for the review! Have a Happy New Year! :D

[Kevin's girl]

Thanks for great review. Live in your area and AU fan also. Is there an outdoor movie screen on Navigator. Will be on during super bowl.

We were on board the Navigator for the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. It was great. They played the game all over the ship including the ice rink and the Ixtapa lounge. They had tailgate type snacks in the lounges.

[shydonna]

Great review! I know that those of us heading out of NOLA in the coming weeks appreciate your thorough notes! Can hardly wait to escape all of this snow for our cruise on Feb 16th!

Thanks again!

[Rocknsoul]

Enjoyed your review very much! Read the last part as we drive to Memphis as part of our pre-cruise vacation. Thanks much for the photos too, they are gorgeous and really helped psych us up for our very first cruise, on the Navigator 1/5.

 

Hope you have a wonderful first cruise & a fun stay in our fair city. :)

 

We'll be getting on the Navigator as you're getting off.