Spring Break in Texas: Review of Navigator of the Seas March 9, 2014

[mistshar]

Thank you so much for your posts. We will be sailing her in April and it is very interesting to read your experiences.

[internetwhiz]

Bring on the pictures! Lol

 

 

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[mo&fran]

To the OP. In the dining room, if you want something that is not on the menu, ask for it. They want to please you.

[Lindat]

The country band is Bubba Feathers. Their new keyboard player is awesome. Play mostly old c&w. We found them in Boleros and the Star lounge and between sets in the Cigar lounge.

Linda T

[sailing diva]

I am a newbie to Cruise Critic, so I hope this turns out OK. Your posts will be interesting to me as I am taking that cruise in November. As a retired school administrator of 35 years, I now have the luxury of traveling when I choose!!

[Spurschick]

Hi all,

 

We are somewhat new Texans having just moved to the state in the last couple of years. We try to cruise 2-3x per year and always on Royal. I am stuck cruising during school holidays and it just so happened that university spring break was the same as everyone else this year. This cruise was booked two years ago when someone on CC posted about some good deals. It appeared that Royal didn't know when TX spring break would be.

 

s.

 

Thanks for doing the review, we are going on NOS later this year so am looking forward to the latest info, really hope you enjoy your cruise:)

Welcome to TX as well! I am guessing 5 hours out your around the Dallas area at a guess.

 

It makes me laugh though that RC didn't know when spring break is in TX. We have already got our daughters school district calendar for the next two years in case anyone needs them;)

Edited March 10, 2014 by Spurschick
Spelling

[janeyzee]

Ohhhh dr.pepper is not part of soda package.

 

Do they not have the soda machines, where you go fill up with whatever you want? We'll be on Enchantment soon and they have the machines, or so I was told. I love Dr. Pepper.

[saintbernardlover]

Thanks for doing the review, we are going on NOS later this year so am looking forward to the latest info, really hope you enjoy your cruise:)

Welcome to TX as well! I am guessing 5 hours out your around the Dallas area at a guess.

 

It makes me laugh though that RC didn't know when spring break is in TX. We have already got our daughters school district calendar for the next two years in case anyone needs them;)

 

Yes, I would like the spring break calendars please. And also your location. We are in the dfw area. Have been trying to figure something out in case we decide to book something while onboard. Have to figure out Easter as well. Thanks!

[seaofwonder]

Do they not have the soda machines, where you go fill up with whatever you want? We'll be on Enchantment soon and they have the machines, or so I was told. I love Dr. Pepper.

 

 

No they don't :( apparently dr. Pepper is not part of the soda package and they only have regular.

 

I didn't take any pics today....too crowded everywhere. But I do have good ones of the room I need to upload.

 

Dinner was a solid B today. Tasty but not out of this world. Had a few pics taken and changed into regular clothes and now heading back out.

 

 

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[Spurschick]

seaofwonder, sorry don't know your name (not had a chance to get through all the pages yet am getting there but want to enjoy as I read)

One of the other threads mentioned they are on a b2b and this week the fees are back for towels not being returned, and towel usage was not reverted to the old policy, but they had the new policy last week!

Did you have to check out towels and are there signs for $25 fee for lost towels?

 

Thanks

[Spurschick]

Yes, I would like the spring break calendars please. And also your location. We are in the dfw area. Have been trying to figure something out in case we decide to book something while onboard. Have to figure out Easter as well. Thanks!

 

We are in Coppell, if you go to coppell isd you can view 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 calendars in PDF. Not sure how to import them here. They have been approved by teachers and the school board so they are set.

 

We don't get anything for Easter as Good Friday is always weather day! So more often than not end up at school.

 

Spring break next year is Monday march 9th through 13th

 

Hope that helps

[3disboysmom]

I may be wrong on the ships but we have the machines similar to the freestyle ones several places around out town and they distribute coke family of products... If it's the same no Dr. Pepper as it's not a coke product.

 

 

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[camreesmom]

OP, is this the Cozumel-Grand Cayman-Jamaica itinerary this week or the one with Roatan and Belize? Reason being, I am looking for Compasses for the C-CG-J week because we have a group going in June on that itinerary and we are trying to figure out when to have a little get together for our graduation celebration (we have a big group sailing for our senior's grad present :) )

[Proud2bRoyals]

We sail 2 weeks from today so I will be following. Like others I'm looking forward to pics of the menus and possibly compass schedules. This will be our first time with late seating in the MDR. I cannot eat Gluten so we will probably eat in the MDR most of the time, maybe one specialty dining.

 

What a coincidence! We are sailing in 2 weeks, have late seating in MDR and I also do not eat gluten! Maybe we will run into each other! We are on deck 8 in a promenade stateroom.

[bighairtexan]

I can just see someone asking RCI for the Spring Break calendar and then complaining b/c they got misinformation. I think it best that you google SPRING BREAK CALENDAR and you can find the info for almost all colleges. All Texas don't have the same spring break whether it's college of kindergarten.

 

Not saying the posters would do this but there was just a post of someone saying "ROYAL ruined my cruise" b/c they did a 3rd/4th person sails free. I can just see it if some cruisers get less than perfect information. I'm guessing Royal figures it's not under their scope of duties and thank GOODNESS for google!

[saintbernardlover]

We are in Coppell, if you go to coppell isd you can view 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 calendars in PDF. Not sure how to import them here. They have been approved by teachers and the school board so they are set.

 

We don't get anything for Easter as Good Friday is always weather day! So more often than not end up at school.

 

Spring break next year is Monday march 9th through 13th

 

Hope that helps

 

Thanks!

[Spurschick]

I can just see someone asking RCI for the Spring Break calendar and then complaining b/c they got misinformation. I think it best that you google SPRING BREAK CALENDAR and you can find the info for almost all colleges. All Texas don't have the same spring break whether it's college of kindergarten.

 

Not saying the posters would do this but there was just a post of someone saying "ROYAL ruined my cruise" b/c they did a 3rd/4th person sails free. I can just see it if some cruisers get less than perfect information. I'm guessing Royal figures it's not under their scope of duties and thank GOODNESS for google!

 

Agree spring breaks vary. I understand colleges are normally different to school schedule. That being said I know in the. DFW area most schools work within a day or two of each other as most teachers work in neighboring cities so varying the schedules normally gets voted against. My understanding was the majority of the state works to rough same dates due to STAAR testing etc. as that is state exams that have mandated test dates. I assume other states are similar in that respect. Regardless of where you are it's pretty safe to say March is Spring. Break month!

[Spurschick]

Thanks!

 

Your welcome. Not sure where you are or how close you are, have you checked your iSD's home eg to see if they have released their dates yet? If you contact your school they should definitely have next years dates at the least!

Good luck

[SherriZ366]

Tonight is formal night and captain pictures.

 

Looks like escargot is on the menu everyday now. I wish they had a nice simple mixed greens salad with oil and vinegar, instead of the heavy Caesar salad.

 

Tonight's menu is a little blah, but it's the one night that we do formal....so I guess we'll go.

 

Restaurant credit is on the account as is the OBC that we had. We'll probably go to Giovanni's since we've never been. Just need to figure out which night.

 

Room steward just came to apologize...something about a mandatory meeting....you would think that management would schedule that in the afternoon when they are not cleaning. Seems odd to me. Oh well.

 

It's windy and overcast still...some very low clouds outside.

 

Oh, we did breakfast in the mdr. Meh. The yogurt and fruit was good but it had the French toast and normally I love this stuff, but there has been a change on our last two cruises. It looks very sloppy, the bread is thinner and mushy, and it doesn't have the nice crisp sugar crust. I know people on here have talked about cutbacks....we've cruised March 2013, August 2013, and now. I've definitely noticed changes since last year.

 

It's not enough to deter me from cruising or from royal. Just small things I've noticed and thought I would share. It's not "ruining" my cruise or anything :)

 

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I would ask your waiter for a simple, mixed green salad and vinegar and oil. We always ask for wedge salads and get them every night when we want them. We have also had the salad from one of the later nights a few more times as we let the waiter know after we tried it.

[bilyclub]

I may be wrong on the ships but we have the machines similar to the freestyle ones several places around out town and they distribute coke family of products... If it's the same no Dr. Pepper as it's not a coke product.

 

 

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The freestyle machines up here have Dr. Pepper....

[minnie328]

Thanks for the great review, OP.

 

Question--what kind of yogurt does the ship have at breakfast? Yoplait, Dannon, light, regular, etc.? I know it's a silly question, but I rely on yogurt for protein and RCI says there is no hope to get greek yogurt on the ship.

 

Also, the Starbucks on the ship....is it actually a Starbucks with Frappuccinos and whatnot?

 

Thanks a bunch!

[snowman70]

The freestyle machines up here have Dr. Pepper....

 

Same in Denver.

[JYD Hawkeye]

Thanks so much for this review. Will be sailing NOS March 30th. Our last RCCL was two years ago on Mariner and the bed was so incredibly horrible that I thought I would never cruise again. The next year we cruised Alaska with HAL and their beds were so very comfortable! Am hoping NOS has new beds and would like to know what you think about them. Thanks.

Hope to meet you onboard. Cruise Critic members meeting at Skybar after muster drill.

[JYD Hawkeye]

The country band is Bubba Feathers. Their new keyboard player is awesome. Play mostly old c&w. We found them in Boleros and the Star lounge and between sets in the Cigar lounge.

Linda T

They were on Mariner when we cruised last April. Super nice guy.

[JYD Hawkeye]

I may be wrong on the ships but we have the machines similar to the freestyle ones several places around out town and they distribute coke family of products... If it's the same no Dr. Pepper as it's not a coke product.

 

 

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The Freestyle machines in the restaurants around Dallas have several variations of Dr Pepper in them. Of course, Texas is home to DP.