NAVIGATOR Review -- June 4-11 -- E. Carib -- LONG

[FlyingPhotog]

Embarkation – Port of Miami

 

The weather was overcast and rainy. At 11:45am we turned in our car at the Alamo office at the Miami International Airport. The cool thing about Alamo is they let us choose our car from any model in the category. We had a “full size” car, so we chose a white Chrysler PT Cruiser. We boarded the complimentary shuttle and they took us to the pier. We arrived at the pier at 12:01pm. Gave a tip to the porter. We were in the security line by 12:05. We quickly passed through there and were in line for our Seapass cards by 12:15. We received our cards and were on the ship by 12:45pm.

 

 

Onboard – Night 1

 

Once onboard we went to out room, 6616 on the port side “hump.” The first thing we did was reserve the “City Tour & Bacardi Factory Tour” for our stop in San Juan. More on the tour later. We went to the Windjammer Café for lunch. I think I had a burger, fries and a couple pieces of fish. I also chose to purchase the unlimited Coke package for the week. One thing I noticed was that Diet Coke tastes different at every single bar! The Café Promenade was by far the worst. It was much too sweet, but unfortunately it was the most accessible so I usually ended up there for my refills. After lunch we took a guided tour of the Ship Shape Spa. The facilities were very nice! At the end of the tour we reserved a spot for the Couples’ Massage class on Thursday at 1:15pm.

 

After the spa tour we went to the dining room and found our table, which was conveniently printed on our Seapass cards. We had table 280 in the Nutcracker dining room (Deck 3). We viewed the other levels, Copellia & Swan Lake. We agreed that the Nutcracker level was the prettiest.

 

At 3:30pm on the Promenade (deck 5) there was a raffle to win some shopping, excursions and artwork. We did not win anything.

 

The muster drill started promptly at 4:30pm. Since our room was on deck 6 we only had to go down 2 floors and our station was right by the main exit. The whole process was very orderly, however the humidity from the rain made it quite uncomfortable. The drill was over by 4:45pm. I was impressed by how 3,500 passengers can be arranged and accounted for within 15 minutes. We took the life preservers back to the room abd headed up to the sky deck for departure. We departed at 5:20pm. By the time we returned to our room at 6:00pm we had received all 4 of our bags. We unpacked and hung our clothes. There were plenty of hangers in the closet for our needs. The closet shelves held our shoes, t-shirts and shorts and we put our socks & underwear in the tiny drawers. We stowed our bags beneath the bed in spite of “bed bug” incidents on other ships.

 

Our “Welcome Aboard Show” was at 8:00pm with our dinner delayed until 9:00pm this night only. The show featured 2 roller skaters who performed various tricks. Comedian Craig Carmean also performed a rated PG show. He was VERY funny.

 

At dinner we met our tablemates. We only had a total of 6 people at a table for 8. We were never joined with a 4th couple the entire week. The first couple we met was Doug & Susan, who came from Dublin, Ireland. Doug was in a t-shirt and board shorts that evening because his luggage had been lost by British Airways for 6 days already. They promised to get it to him in San Juan, our first stop. The other couple we dined with this week was Anthony and Rosana. He is from Brooklyn and she’s from Staten Island, NY.

For dinner I had herb-crusted Atlantic Cod with mashed potatoes and Apple Pie ala mode.

 

After dinner we attended the Bon Voyage parade on the Promenade deck. We ordered breakfast delivered to our room for the next morning.

 

 

 

Sunday – Day at Sea

 

Breakfast was brought to our room at about 9:00am. I had a ham & cheese omelet, croissant, bacon & OJ. We went up to the pool at 10:00am while many people were down in line for tickets to the Ice Show. We were able to get chairs in a good location on deck 12, overlooking the main pools. As a mater of fact, finding chairs was never a problem at any point throughout the entire cruise. I did witness many children in the hot tubs, some young enough to be wearing inflatable arm floats. Sometimes there were as many as 6 to 8 kids in the hot tubs. We returned to our room at noon, to find the invitation for the Cruise Critic meet & mingle, which had started at 11:30! We sprinted up to the Cosmopolitan Club. We were too late for the raffles but we got to meet several other members. For some reason everybody had imagined me as an older man in a cowboy hat! After the M&M we went to have lunch in the Nutcracker dining room with CC members Abear, Debbiescruising, Heather & Nick. I had the babyback ribs & a caramel sundae.

 

From 1:30 to 4:00pm we attended the art auction in the Ixtapa lounge. For sitting in the front row we were each given a bottle of free cheap champagne. My wife gave her bottle to a person next to us, and the auctioneer awarded us with a $500 piece of art just for her generosity!

 

After a nap we got all dressed up for the first of 2 formal nights. Evidently all the women on the ship got some sort of memo that it was the night to wear black! Most everybody looked really nice but it’s amazing what some people’s idea of “formal” is. We attended the Captain’s Gala on the Promenade deck and got more free champagne.

 

At dinner I had the filet of beef with mashed potatoes & strawberry cheesecake.

 

After dinner we attended the production show “Now & Forever” in the Metropolitan theater.

 

At 12:15am comedian Craig Carmean returned with an “Adults Only” routine. It actually wasn’t too offensive. He made fun of the “Ship Tips” commercials you see on the stateroom TV all day. He made up several of his own as well. My favorite was his one about the hair braids (dredlocks) people get on shore. He said “The didn’t even look good on Bo Derek, and they won’t look good on you either!” His routine was mostly funny songs he had written about things he had been through. He also played “Stairway to Heaven” with the lyrics from “Gilligan’s Island.”

[FlyingPhotog]

Monday – San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Got up and had breakfast in the Windjammer. There was a very funny greeter guy up there that reminded many of us of American Idol contestant William Hung. This guy was very loud and energetic as he welcomed us to the cafeteria.

 

After breakfast I went to the climbing wall on the Sports Deck. There was no line, maybe because people did not want to climb in 22 knot winds! I accomplished the green route with no problems and then did the blue route which was much more of a challenge.

 

Afterward we went to play mini golf on the Navigator Dunes course. Wind was also problematic for this event but it was still fun so that’s all that mattered. It was my first time to play on a course with different kinds of turf, simulating fairway, rough and green.

 

We went to the Schooner Bar for the contest called “Where in the World.” Evidently I do not know as much about world geography as I thought.

 

We went back to the Windjammer for lunch just we were pulling into the harbor at San Juan. We passed the El Morro fort on our port side so I ran out for some photos. We cleared Customs at 2:05 and were off the ship by 2:15.

 

 

Excursion: City & Bacardi Factory Tour.

 

Henry our bus driver drove us from the port in a school bus while he narrated our way through town, repeating himself several times. I forget how many times he said Old San Juan has 7 Catholic Churches within 7 blocks. Anyway we got to the Bacardi place at 2:45pm. We were given tickets for 2 free drinks featuring Bacardi rum. Our bus driver told us to be back at the bus at 4:30 so we would leave in time to make it to the fort before it closed at 5pm. Sounded easy enough.

 

Our tour began as a tram took us to another building featuring a sculpture with the Bacardi bat logo, a fountain and some murals of Christopher Columbus. We were given hand-held radios that let us punch in a number that corresponded with any item we would like to hear about. We were guided into a theater where we saw a film on the history of Bacardi and Puerto Rico. After that we saw other rooms with advertisements, different rum flavors, awards and a replica of what the factory might look like. I was disappointed that we were not given a tour of the actual Bacardi factory. I have toured the Budweiser brewery in Houston, TX and this one was a rip-off on comparison. Everyone made it back to the bus by 4:30 except some idiot stragglers who decided they would do whatever they wanted. Several of us were fuming mad by the time they boarded. Henry did nothing really to go find them and hurry them up. We left the factory 15 minutes late and drove back into town. On the way we passed the church where “The Flying Nun” was supposedly filmed but I have never seen the movie. We drive past the fort that was to be our final stop. Our driver took us downtown and gave us the option of getting off or staying on the bus back to the ship. We got off the bus downtown at about 5:15. There was not much to see except shops and the lighting was too bad for photography so we walked back after stopping for a drink. I would rate this excursion a 2 out of 10 because the factory “tour” is not a real factory tour, and because we were denied the stop we were most looking forward to.

 

At dinner Monday night I had scallops for the appetizer. I had to ask our waiter Christian from the Philippines for a 2nd helping because they were so good, and he happily met my request. I had Tiger Shrimp for the entrée and warm chocolate cake for dessert. Doug’s luggage was delivered as promised by British Airways.

 

Monday evening’s show was the original “Drifters!” They were excellent and it was a real treat to see such legendary musicians perform for us. They still have all the talent they had when they lade their original recordings years ago. They performed many well known hits such as “Under the Boardwalk” and “Up on the Roof.”

[FlyingPhotog]

Tuesday – St Thomas, USVI

 

Woke up at 7:00 just as the local pilot boarded to guide our ship into port. Breakfast was delivered at 7:15. We had ordered ham & cheese omelets once again but this time they came with no ham! This would be the only incident of incorrect service we would encounter all week on the ship.

 

We departed the ship at 8:15am and headed for the Paradise Point skyride, just a 10 minute walk from the pier. On the way we caught up with CC members Abear and Debbiescruising so we rode up the hill with them. We had only a short time to spend at the top because we had to meet our tablemates at the Café Promenade at 10:00am to share a ride to Magen’s Bay. The view from the top at Paradise point really was beautiful, despite the cloudiness. On the way down it began to shower but had stopped by the time we reached she ship.

 

We shared a taxi van to Magen’s Bay with our tablemates for $7 a person. The ride took about 30 minutes to get around and over to the other side of the island. A funny moment occurred when the road was blocked by some tree cutters. A pickup truck was in the road so we went around him, then the truck driver came beside us and started yelling at our driver! They were talking so fast the only thing I could really understand was “I don’t give a hell about you mon!” We called it Caribbean Road Rage. We made it to the beach before all of Godfrey’s people arrived and crowded the place. We were able to secure a picnic table and good spot of sand near the end of the beach. It really was a beautiful place. I could only imagine how great it looks when the sun is out! The beach also has places to rent snorkel gear, bathrooms, showers and a bar/restaurant.

We left the bay about 1:30 pm via an open truck/taxi like Godfrey uses. We were dropped off downtown near the Post Office. We shopped for an hour and bought 2 bottles of Cruzan rum. We put them in our backpack and they were not confiscated when we returned to the ship. We got back at 2:30, in time to lunch at the Windjammer. I tried the pizza, and it was okay. I give it about a 4 out of 10.

 

Went back to deck 12 to lay out for about an hour then back to our stateroom for a nap. I woke up at 6:00pm just in time to take pictures of the departure and the first real sunset we had seen after 3 days.

 

At dinner I had the Lobster bisque for appetizer, and the entrée was Seafood Pasta with scallops, shrimp and mussels. Banana cream pie was for dessert.

 

The evening’s event was the “Love & Marriage” game show. The three couples had some absolutely hilarious answers. One older gentleman was asked his wife’s bra size and he just held out a cupped hand and said, “I don’t know, how big is this?” The crowd just roared laughing! The same couple also admitted the strangest place they ever “made whoopee” was on the kitchen sink in their first apartment!

 

After the game show we went to the Mardi Gras parade on the Promenade deck, then up to poolside for another dance party. This was also the night of the first late buffet but since we ate so late we did not eat anything. The coolest thing was a little bartending competition, where several bartenders showed how they mix drinks by juggling bottles and flipping shakers. It was very entertaining.

[FlyingPhotog]

Wednesday – St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles

 

Excursion: America’s Cup 12 Metre Regatta

 

We were met dockside for our excursion and lead to a dock from where we would be tendered to out boats. My wife Liz was chosen as an honorary team captain and she chose my as her first teammate. The excursion leader actually divided up the rest of the teams. We found our that we would be racing only 2 boats that day, 1987 America’s Cup winner, Stars & Stripes and a Canadian boat called True North which also ran in the 1987 race. A coin was flipped to decide who would be on which boat. 18 people were on each team. Our team was assigned to Stars & Stripes. I was given the role of “Primary Grinder” along with 3 other men and 4 women. Grinding proved to be quite grueling work and made my shoulders sore for the next day or so. The race was very close and we changed leads several times but our boat ended up losing by just a couple feet. It’s amazing how precise maneuvers have to be while racing a sailboat. Onboard we were offered water, sodas & El Presidente beer, When the race was over out boat stayed out about another 30 minutes because the owner needed to film some promotional video. After we were tendered back to the excursion office we were given complimentary rum or fruit punch. I bought a Stars & Stripes hat and we each got a t-shirt. I highly recommend this excursion if you ever happen to be in St Maarten.

About a 10-minute walk from the marina we made it to downtown. Philipsburg was definitely the most beautiful city we visited all week. There were the usually jewelry, clothing & liquor shops but the town seemed cleaner and better kept than San Juan and Charlotte Amalie. We were downtown and walked back to the ship in time for lunch at the Windjammer once again.

 

We laid out on deck 12 for a couple hours and finally got some color for the first time all week.

 

Tonight our show was before dinner, at 7:15pm. It was another production show, called “All Access.” Their entertainment staff onboard was really quite talented. My wife is a dance teacher and even she was impressed.

 

Tonight at dinner was “Lobster Night” so naturally that is what I chose for my meal. Christian even brought another plate of tails without us having to ask for seconds. It was a good thing too, because by the time the waiter arrived with the melted butter, we had already nearly finished our first tails. The men at the table each had a 2nd tail. The lobster was also served with garlic-sautéed shrimp. We also found out that our tablelate Anthony proposed to Rosana at sunset that evening up by the bridge.

 

At 10:45pm after dinner was “The Quest” in Studio B (the Ice Rink). The place was filled to standing-room only. I know it’s supposedly taboo to talk about the Quest, but I’ll just say our Cruise Director, Ken Rush ended up dropping his pants.

 

After the Quest we went to the Nutcracker dining room to view the Gala Buffet. There were many beautiful pieces of ice sculpture, dessert and breads. The edible foods were mostly desserts, cheeses & cocktail shrimp.

[FlyingPhotog]

Thursday – At Sea

 

Had breakfast in the Windjammer at 9:45am, followed by “Win a Cruise Bingo” at 10:30 in the Metropolitan theater. We went ahead and had an early lunch at noon in the Nutcracker dining room. I had the fish & chips and cherry pie ala mode.

 

At 1:15pm we went to the couple’s massage class in the spa. We were taught several massage strokes and practiced them on our partners. Included in the $49 per couple price was a bottle of massage oil to take home.

 

We again went to lay out on deck this afternoon with our books from 3 to 5:00pm. We attended the ‘Ice Dancin” show at 7:45pm in Studio B. It turns out this was the final performance from this group of ice dancers. They had been on the ship for 6 months. They did a great job and she show was wonderfully entertaining. The only thing negative was they could never seen to get their turns synchronized.

 

At dinner I opted out of the Chef’s rack of lamb and chose the black angus steak, cooked medium. The steak, while tasty was cooked well-done. Other tablemates had the same complaint about over-cooked steaks at other points this week. I had the crab cake appetizer and Baked Alaska for dessert.

 

Our evening show was 2 performances. The first was Dave & Dania, professional quick-change artists. They could somehow change an outfit in a matter of 5 seconds while behind a curtain. The 2nd performer was ventriloquist Brad Cummings, and he was okay. He and his dummy, a little lizard named Rex, kept commenting on the lack of enthusiasm from the audience.

[FlyingPhotog]

Friday – Nassau, Bahamas

 

This morning we had our first breakfast in the Nutcracker dining room. I had some delicious blueberry pancakes, bacon and OJ.

 

At 10:00am we went to the Metropolis theater for a backstage tour. We were shown the costume & dressing areas for the performers. We also saw the stage and how they move props around. Finally we viewed the sound booth. Not a bad way to spend a ½ hour if you have nothing else to do.

 

After passing the NCL Dawn on her way to sea, at 1:00pm we docked at Nassau along side the Disney Wonder, Carnival Fantasy and a little old cruise ship called the Regal Empress. This marked the first time all week we had to share a port with other ships! We disembarked around 1:30pm and headed to Senor Frog’s where we had quesadillas. After lunch we walked around town for about an hour as it sprinkled off and on. The weather was cloudy and windy thanks to Tropical Storm Arlene over in the Gulf. We got back to the ship around 4:30pm and began packing since we had just spent 4 days in Nassau last summer.

 

Once again this evening, the show for our late dinner seating was before dinner. We were shown the farewell video and the performers came and did a musical number for us.

 

Dinner was the “Feast of Nations.” I had 2 shrimp cocktails, battered Mahi Mahi, and split the Brownie Madness & Key Lime Pie with my wife. After dinner I tipped our servers for their excellent work all week. We exchanged e-mail addresses with our friends at the table and said our goodbyes. We went back to the stateroom to finish packing and had our bags outside our door by 11:00pm.

[FlyingPhotog]

Saturday – Disembarkation

 

We received white baggage tags to be among the first group off the ship. We had flight arrangements from Ft. Lauderdale on a 10:45am departure. We went down to breakfastt in the Nutcracker for the last time. Just after we placed our order, at 6:45am our color was called to disembark. Since we weren’t in that big a hurry, we stayed and ate breakfast. By the time we were done they had also called the Orange color to leave. We were off the ship at 7:25am and had our bags on the transfer bus to FLL by 7:40am. The bus left for the airport at 8:10 and we arrived at FLL by 8:45 – 2 hours before our flight that many said was “too early.” It can easily be done if everything goes smoothly.

 

 

The ship

 

The Navigator of the Seas is a beautiful ship. Everywhere we went for the first couple days we just said “wow.” She had only been out of dry-dock for a week before we boarded. Everything looked new and polished. I even smelled wood varnish a few times. I was impressed by how much beautiful art was placed on the ship just to please the passenger’s eye. The public areas were all thoughtfully designed, and never felt crowded. The ride of the ship was silky smooth and we rarely felt any motion except between Nassau and Miami the final night due to the storm.

 

 

The Staff

 

Each staff member was always more than willing to accommodate any need or question we had. One day I even asked our stateroom attendant Bernadette to please clean the balcony windows and it was done by the time we returned. I think a great attendant is one you never see but who is always available. I had 5 shirts ironed and she had them returned to me by dinner the same day with no extra fee for same-day service. Our waiter, Christian was outstanding.

 

 

Anecdotes

 

I looked for the things that some CC members typically notice or complain about. I did see kids in the hot tubs. I never swam in the hot tubs for that reason. I encountered no children misbehaving without their parents, even thought there were 661 on board. Even the CD complimented the parents on the good behavior this week. I did notice several dress code “violations” including shorts and jeans in the dining room. It amused me how some women wear outfits that are much too small and tight for their figure. All in all it was the best vacation of my life. I would do it again in a second.

 

I would like to thank everyone here who provided the wealth of information that helped make this cruise a success.

 

Photos to come. Please see the link in my Signature.

[megr1125]

Great review, can't wait til my cruise.

 

Hmm....from your screen name, perhaps your occupation means you LUV to fly 737s for something that let's you be free to move around the country?

[njoyndride]

Great review Paul, I could picture everything and felt as if I were there. We were on Navigator in April, are now booked for November and will possibly be on her again in May 2006 for a friends and family cruise.

 

Just got off of SWA RNO to SJC a couple of hours ago. Gotta love that LUV!

[PhoenixCruiser]

Excellent review!!! Thanks for sharing your vacation with us, and we're glad you had a fantastic time :D

 

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[just4kixx]

WOW!!! WHat a great review!

 

We're boarding the Navigator on Saturday, same itinerary. Loved all your details!

 

A~:)

[emilymad]

Great review! Thanks. Do you happen to know how long Ken Rush will be on board? We are sailing in July and would love to have him as our CD. Thanks.

[FlyingPhotog]

Great review! Thanks. Do you happen to know how long Ken Rush will be on board? We are sailing in July and would love to have him as our CD. Thanks.

 

Ken gave no indication that he would be leaving anytime soon. I'd expect him to be there in July.

[gatordad]

Great review, we were also on this week and agree with your review of the ship and staff.

Ken Rush did mention that he will be leaving the Navigator this month and moving to the Enchantment (one of his former ships) and working a few cruises. It has been cut in half and made longer with many new features and he was looking forward to being on it again.

He then will be part of the team that will bring the Freedom of the Seas over.

[twinkletoes204]

Thanks for such a detailed review. My boyfriend and I will be taking a cruise on the Navigator in May 06. It will be my true first, but he had gone so many years ago, that I guess we both consider this his first as well! I am sooo excited beyond words!! :D

 

Btw...your pictures are great. From what I understand, though, still shots do this ship no justice.

 

I feel like I have so many questions, but I will attempt to contain myself until AT LEAST December or January. Until then (if I can hold out that long), I will continue to enjoy reading the posts.

[Dave85]

Excellent review!!! Thanks!

[FlyingPhotog]

Ken Rush did mention that he will be leaving the Navigator this month and moving to the Enchantment (one of his former ships) and working a few cruises. It has been cut in half and made longer with many new features and he was looking forward to being on it again.

He then will be part of the team that will bring the Freedom of the Seas over.

 

Oops I guess I missed that announcement by him... :o

[bkr50]

Great Review Paul. I was on the Navigator last September but due to the hurricanes our itinerary was adjusted significantly. Reading your review of the trip is bittersweet because we missed out on a number of activities and ports of call but the ship is beautiful and I still managed to enjoy the trip.

[lephysteria]

Great review! I really enjoy the ports in an Eastern Carib itinerary, and enjoy reading what others did while on St. Maarten and St. Thomas. I wish I could go back "right now"! :D

I saw Rex the half-hatched dinosaur puppet on the Explorer. I thought he was hilarious, and many members of the audience were laughing so hard they were crying and holding thier sides. I guess his act got old in the 4 years since I'd seen him. That's too bad, as he was tooo funny.

Thanks for posting such a detailed review. I'm glad that you had a good time. :D

[FlyingPhotog]

Thanks for such a detailed review. My boyfriend and I will be taking a cruise on the Navigator in May 06. It will be my true first, but he had gone so many years ago, that I guess we both consider this his first as well! I am sooo excited beyond words!! :D

 

Btw...your pictures are great. From what I understand, though, still shots do this ship no justice.

 

I feel like I have so many questions, but I will attempt to contain myself until AT LEAST December or January. Until then (if I can hold out that long), I will continue to enjoy reading the posts.

 

Ask all the questions you like, I'll be happy to answer what I can.

[Cruising89143]

Great review. The Navigator is a great ship. Thanks for sharing.

[FlyingPhotog]

I forgot to add that Saturday before we departed, the NOS underwent an 8-hour health inspection. Captain Bang informed us that our ship scored a RECORD HIGH of 99 points of a possible 100. :cool:

[HeatherE]

Very nice review, Paul! We really enjoyed meeting you and Liz. I'll be posting mine soon - we hardly did any of the same things as you two! We were very into relaxing! Glad you guys enjoyed it!

[Carrie P]

What a great review.. I enjoyed all of it... Even though I'll be on the explorer doing the same itinerary as yours...

I'm guessing your a pilot on southwest airlines 737 ??????????

[niceguy02_06]

Were there many people in the 18 to 25 age range?