NAVIGATOR May 4-10,2014 REVIEW w/lots of photos

[Addictedtocruising]

There were plenty of other native animals to see, pet & feed.

 

This guy quickly paced back and forth and back and forth and back and forth... never coming close to us. I could not get a good pic. And we were whisked away quickly from this area so I didn't get the name of this animal. I do remember the guide quickly saying something about the racoon family. Anyone know?

 

I'm pretty sure the guide said this was a racoon/anteater mix

[Hoopster95]

I read on the ports of call board to ask for Big Al and he was phenomenal! We told him what we wanted to do and he took us to do it off the beaten path without crowds. We told him we wanted a lobster lunch and he recommended a great little place where we got 4 tails and sides for $17.00! For anyone going to Roatan in the future do yourself a favor and pay $10 more a person or even less if you have your own small group:D

 

Great idea... thx for posting this.

 

By the way I want to mention that VB's pre-cruise confirmation and post-cruise follow up is excellent. I was sent a review, which I did send back with the info I posted and the various situations. We emailed each other back and forth a few times the last two days discussing things, and he wished for me to come back and allow him to give me a better experience. I like this private tour idea and would give it a try.

[Hoopster95]

Pulling out of Roatan was very very quick, and seemingly we were out in open water very far from shore within minutes (say 15-20). Had some time before getting ready for dinner (MDR tonight) so decided to head down to deck 4 to walk the outside deck. I remembered I hadn't taken theatre pics yet from the main level deck 3 so I quickly dashed in to see if anyone was in there... I got my pics! here they are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MDR dinner was quite nice, but again I can't remember what I had so not memorable once again. There was no headliner nor production show this evening, tonight was the "Ice Dance" down in Studio B... one of the better ice dance crews I've ever watched. Very good show this evening and very technical, not a slip up or fall that I can remember, and the sets were impressive. Also tonight was Love & Marriage... CD John Perry played this one up really good, and as usual, the experienced 60 yr married couple won the game.

 

After another early morning and busy day, we didn't go up to Cosmopolitan Club tonight as we were beat, so we headed straight for the sack. It's Cozumel tomorrow... stay tuned :D

[Hoopster95]

Thanks for the review Hoopster. Doing a 7 day w. Caribbean next week on Navigator and was wondering if you think I'll have any problem making specialty rest. reservations onboard? I know I may have to be flexible with the time and/or day.

 

Just went back through the posts to see if I missed answering a question and I think I missed this one.

 

This ship was no different than the others I've been on... day 2 Giovanni's was only 1/2 full, final day packed. Sabor's day 6 packed. I think later in the week people book to get in those final dinners. You will not get in during peak hours (6:30-8) on those final days unless you book ahead of time. delacruz booked us 4 into Giovanni's 6pm (right at opening) for final day 6 the day before... I don't think we would've had a table had they not done that minimum a day before with that early seating as soon as the restaurant opened. Early in the week, I suspect you can walk in through the door and they'll seat you imo

[delacruz]

Great idea... thx for posting this.

 

By the way I want to mention that VB's pre-cruise confirmation and post-cruise follow up is excellent. I was sent a review, which I did send back with the info I posted and the various situations. We emailed each other back and forth a few times the last two days discussing things, and he wished for me to come back and allow him to give me a better experience. I like this private tour idea and would give it a try.

 

I'm glad you got a response from him. I also replied to his review email with the same concerns about the lack of communication and rushing by the 'tour guide', but haven't heard back from him. I agree that the pre-excursion communication was excellent, and a private tour would be a great way to not deal with the issues we had. I have a feeling someone from our tour was whining behind the scenes about having too much beach time and not enough time for shopping (which we would have had anyway) and Dahlia, who was less than enthusiastic to start with, caved to that.

 

Given the majority of great reviews I think we just happened to have bad luck.

[lady_cruiser]

We were on her for a B2B, December 2013, before the upgrades and we were on here the week of March 2, after the upgrades. We will also be on her the week of August 24th of this year.

 

You did a great job of capturing what she really works like. Thanks.

[Cindy]

Great idea... thx for posting this.

 

By the way I want to mention that VB's pre-cruise confirmation and post-cruise follow up is excellent. I was sent a review, which I did send back with the info I posted and the various situations. We emailed each other back and forth a few times the last two days discussing things, and he wished for me to come back and allow him to give me a better experience. I like this private tour idea and would give it a try.

 

I've done several private tours with VB, and they were all excellent. In my opinion, that's the way to go...you can't beat the price or the service!

[delacruz]

After another early morning and busy day, we didn't go up to Cosmopolitan Club tonight as we were beat, so we headed straight for the sack. It's Cozumel tomorrow... stay tuned :D

 

I really should do my own review instead of jumping on your bandwagon, but I'm too lazy (or relaxed from a great vacation!) to get started!:p

 

Since you guys didn't make it to the Cosmopolitan Club that night I thought I'd fill in that this was the night for the 'SILENT DISCO' at 10-11pm.

 

You picked up a headset when you walked in, with an A/B/off switch and a volume control. There were 2 DJs - one playing older disco like Michael Jackson, Bee Gees, Tina Turner, etc.; the other playing House and newer music. It was the FUNNEST thing we did entertainment-wise that week. If you just wanted to chat over a drink, you could sit and not have to shout...although you heard a lot of people singing off-key and laughing. It was a hoot to watch one group dancing and singing to Proud Mary and the other to something like Counting Stars. Of course, when the Cupid Shuffle and the Wobble came on back to back EVERYONE was on THAT channel!:D

 

I wished they had done that more often, but I suppose the novelty would wear off after a while.

[edington]

Thanks for a great review! We booked VB private tour with four of us and it was great! The only issue we had was when we were at West Bay, our driver Isaac took my husband into one of the condos trying to get a salesman to speak with him. DH had walked with me as Isaac was showing me where to snorkel and instead of walking back, he told him he wanted to show him something! That will be included in our review. We loved Roatan and the snorkeling was spectacular considering it was right off the beach.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[delacruz]

I've done several private tours with VB, and they were all excellent. In my opinion, that's the way to go...you can't beat the price or the service!

 

I just received a nice follow-up email from Victor, with a forward of the email that was sent to all the independent tour operators from the Port of Roatan mid-day stating we were setting sail at 3pm. He's working on following up on that and was very responsive to the issues we had.

 

Thanks for a great review! We booked VB private tour with four of us and it was great! The only issue we had was when we were at West Bay, our driver Isaac took my husband into one of the condos trying to get a salesman to speak with him. DH had walked with me as Isaac was showing me where to snorkel and instead of walking back, he told him he wanted to show him something! That will be included in our review. We loved Roatan and the snorkeling was spectacular considering it was right off the beach.

 

 

We also enjoyed the snorkeling off the beach (on the left side as you face the ocean near the inflatable water thingy).

 

One thing none of us mentioned about the beach in Roatan was the number of vendors walking by all day. At least they took 'not interested' for an answer, but after 3 women passed by in less than a minute asking if we want a massage, why would the 4th one think we would say yes? :eek:

 

I found myself constantly shaking my head 'no', and wished I had a sign to stick in front of my chair 'No, I am not interested in..a Massage, Jewelry, a Hammock, conch shells, etc.' :rolleyes: I know this is how a lot of locals earn a living, but I felt that the sheer numbers of them took away from the beautiful surroundings we were in.

 

I don't want to take away from Hoopster's wonderful review, but think a heads up to know what to expect can be helpful.

Edited May 13, 2014 by delacruz

[hanna04]

I could've ... and would've ... spent hours here!! But we only had about an hour. This was waaaay too short of time and one of the funnest things about this entire cruise vacation

 

Pictures say a thousand words.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's delacruz & hubby in this last photo behind my gf :D

The young guides within the park take you into the cages, give you some food (sunflower seeds) and let the monkeys jump on to whoever they want and do whatever they want! They swing and jump all over the place, hanging & swinging from the fencing & roofing, and then jumping onto your shoulder all of a sudden! One of these little guys was playing with one of the cruiser's hats, jumping up and down inside of it, hilarious!! The other little guy was looking inside any pocket he can get his little hands into. There were several cages, and also a section with the smaller baby & teen monkeys. Awesome fun!!

 

This looks like fun!

[OceanDreams]

Great Review so far .... Looking forward to the rest, as we are taking this cruise in August.

 

OceanDreams

[janhtx]

Thanks for the great review and photos. Love photos.

 

I am booking for September. Have been on Mariner and one of my favorite things was the jogging (well, walking for me) track that looped around the sun deck. It was deck 12 or 13 if I recall. Is there still such a thing? I was reading the refurbishment threads and there was some question, but lost track of the conversation.

 

Thanks!

[pettygirl]

Heyhey! We were also on this sailing; what a great pictorial review so far, OP!

 

Quick question: when you get to the day, could you go into a little bit deeper detail about why Sabor was such a great experience for you? Every single time we passed it, it was completely deserted. Probably 10x over the course of the 6 days: Not one customer, no movement, no life ... nothing to give us any inkling that it truly was worth the same surcharge as Giovanni's, which was outstanding (thanks to our rockstar server Vladimir!!). I mean, there HAD to be something that would command $25pp, right? Right??! :D

 

Luis at Sabor subbed in for our normal MDR waiter one night, and while he was great/funny/vibrant, he still couldn't give us any differentiators. Believe me, we wanted to go and were looking for recommendations that it was worth it! But the lack of understanding why it was special just couldn't surmount a mediocre-looking menu and consistently-empty tables for us.

 

Did we miss out? :(

[Sat1]

Hoopster95, EXCELLENT photos! I was also on board, using a walker, and your review sort of brought me back on board. :-) May I ask what type camera you used, auto expose, or manual? Flash, only at times? You have set my goal for my next cruise. Thanks, so much.

[auxxcay]

There were plenty of other native animals to see, pet & feed.

 

This guy quickly paced back and forth and back and forth and back and forth... never coming close to us. I could not get a good pic. And we were whisked away quickly from this area so I didn't get the name of this animal. I do remember the guide quickly saying something about the racoon family. Anyone know?

 

These guys were beautiful & friendly

 

And we went by this guy very quickly as well. Anyone know who he is?

 

 

It is a kudamundi. My neighbor had one when I was growing up in Miami. A nice creature.

[Hoopster95]

I found myself constantly shaking my head 'no', and wished I had a sign to stick in front of my chair 'No, I am not interested in..a Massage, Jewelry, a Hammock, conch shells, etc.' :rolleyes:

 

LOL! How about a towel placed right in front of them with a big bold "NO" on it :p

 

I don't want to take away from Hoopster's wonderful review, but think a heads up to know what to expect can be helpful.

 

Keep it up! It adds to the review imo. I don't mind sharing at all :)

[Hoopster95]

Thanks for the great review and photos. Love photos.

 

I am booking for September. Have been on Mariner and one of my favorite things was the jogging (well, walking for me) track that looped around the sun deck. It was deck 12 or 13 if I recall. Is there still such a thing? I was reading the refurbishment threads and there was some question, but lost track of the conversation.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Jogging track is on deck 12. It's exactly half the length of the regular track you'll find on Mariner and the other Voyager Class ships now that Navigator cut off everything from the Solarium forward for the new cabins on deck 12.

 

So the track loops in behind the big screen TV underneath the Viking Crown as the other ships... but instead of looping again all the way around the front of the ship in front of the gym/spa it loops in behind the sky bar. For the "Make A Wish" we did 8 laps for a mile instead of the normal 4.

[Hoopster95]

Quick question: when you get to the day, could you go into a little bit deeper detail about why Sabor was such a great experience for you? Every single time we passed it, it was completely deserted. Probably 10x over the course of the 6 days: Not one customer, no movement, no life ... nothing to give us any inkling that it truly was worth the same surcharge as Giovanni's, which was outstanding (thanks to our rockstar server Vladimir!!). I mean, there HAD to be something that would command $25pp, right? Right??! :D

 

Did we miss out? :(

 

delacruz and hubby also went to Sabor on a different night and expressed that this was also one of there best dining experiences ever. Delacruz, I wouldn't mind if you posted your thoughts on service, meal, etc as I'll include my thoughts on Sabor within my Cozumel post coming up this evening. Or if you want to wait til tomorrow that's cool too. I think you had several different things than what we did... but let me comment on the desert ;)

 

Regarding your question "Did you miss out?" Yes, unfortunately I think you did imho... Which just means you'll just have to book another Navigator cruise!!:p:D

 

oh, and btw it's $35pp (isn't it?)... and totally worth it for something different and utterly delicious. Seriously, I could barely get my a$$ off my seat after eating there, so very very good I ate a ton. It was fantastic :)

[Hoopster95]

Hoopster95, EXCELLENT photos! I was also on board, using a walker, and your review sort of brought me back on board. :-) May I ask what type camera you used, auto expose, or manual? Flash, only at times? You have set my goal for my next cruise. Thanks, so much.

 

Glad your enjoying this review, bringing back great memories yes? :)

 

I use a point & click simple Sony "Cybershot" with panorama 180degree ability, 3D and movie. 16.2 megapixel. In my many solo cruises and taking thousands of photos per cruise (seriously, I had over 1000 for this 6-dayer) I've become really good at framing myself in selfies (the two monkey shots of me are selfies for example), keeping the camera and angles aligned/straight to the horizon on still landscape shots, and knowing whether I need flash or not especially in sunlight in order to get rid of shadows. I've just played a lot with it and now I know when I need it or not. Yes, I've also used manual settings... and in the ice rink and shows I've used a "scene" setting that allows for low light with no tripod (some of the theatre shots are with this setting, but I can't remember which ones). I've researched that this Sony when I bought it had one of the best lenses on the market regarding low light shots in the lower "everyday Joe" price range. :)

[Hoopster95]

It is a kudamundi. My neighbor had one when I was growing up in Miami. A nice creature.

 

Yes, that's it!!! Thank you :)

[bellabaloo]

Thanks so much for your review! We are sailing navigator next year!

 

We also did VB's fun sun tour. We had a great guide and are definitely looking forward to visiting his monkeys again in march!

[TheShayQueen]

Hanna, I'll be on this ship March 19, 2016 … are you on that sailing?

 

No, we're on the March 5 sailing...have a great cruise!

 

I see that I'm not the only one that books EARLY ;)

[TLex]

There were plenty of other native animals to see, pet & feed.

 

This guy quickly paced back and forth and back and forth and back and forth... never coming close to us. I could not get a good pic. And we were whisked away quickly from this area so I didn't get the name of this animal. I do remember the guide quickly saying something about the racoon family. Anyone know?

 

 

Perhaps in Miami it IS "kudamundi" but the correct appellation is coati mundi.

After 17.5 years in Panama AND being a charter member of the Coati Mundi Bar Association, I'm pretty familiar with these critters! :D

 

BTW, we used Victor Bodden in March 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Our driver and guide was Tex and he was top-notch!

 

VR,

 

T Lex

[delacruz]

delacruz and hubby also went to Sabor on a different night and expressed that this was also one of there best dining experiences ever. Delacruz, I wouldn't mind if you posted your thoughts on service, meal, etc as I'll include my thoughts on Sabor within my Cozumel post coming up this evening. Or if you want to wait til tomorrow that's cool too. I think you had several different things than what we did... but let me comment on the desert ;)

 

Regarding your question "Did you miss out?" Yes, unfortunately I think you did imho... Which just means you'll just have to book another Navigator cruise!!:p:D

 

oh, and btw it's $35pp (isn't it?)... and totally worth it for something different and utterly delicious. Seriously, I could barely get my a$$ off my seat after eating there, so very very good I ate a ton. It was fantastic :)

 

No, I'm pretty sure Sabors is $25 pp. We went on Wed - Roatan day. In the first couple of weeks after the Navigator returned from dry dock, the Sabor reviews were very negative and it was sounding like they made a mistake, especially on a ship that sails from a port with so much Tex-Mex available. However, in the few weeks before our sailing, we started seeing glowing reviews, so I guess it was just taking them time to get into the flow. Also, this is coined 'MODERN Mexican', it isn't Tex-Mex, Mexican, but a fresh, flavorful twist.

 

My response to 'did you miss out' is that in the middle of our meal we booked it again for 2 nights later. (Unfortunately we ended up cancelling that because after Hoopster raved to us about Giovanni's table we had to make room for that!).

 

I'm not certain I can put my finger on any single thing that made this such an excellent experience - it was the whole package. Every single member of the staff has such enthusiasm for what they are presenting there that it is contagious....from the host, waiters, server preparing the tableside guacamole (OMG! I love guacamole anyway, but I can't tell you how many times I heard from guests who dislike it but ate every bit of it at Sabors). Even the chef came out to greet us after we sent our raves to the kitchen (he is Filipino, but he said a Mexican chef trained him for Sabors).

 

A bit of background - DH Paul has been in the restaurant business in some shape or form for 45 years, 25 as an executive chef. I'm used to every meal being delicious:), and when we dine out we appreciate the care taken to prepare a great meal. And we both agree that this was among the top 5 meals we have enjoyed.

 

Paul started out with one of their signature Margaritas - a cucumber/Grand Marnier/Jalapeno combination - the best Margarita he has had to date. I had the horizontal Tequila flight (it almost made ME horizontal) that was served with a refreshing interesting spicy tomato juice - so good Paul asked for a glass of it with a shot of Patron mixed in! The bartender pouring the shots had such pride in the variety of tequila on his cart.

 

Paul enjoyed the Oaxacan Ceviche of Red Snapper, and the Gazpacho Mexicano that I ordered was delicious.

 

Paul (who has traveled extensively through Central America) says his Carne Asada was the best he's had. I had a lot of trouble deciding on what to order, and enjoyed the Chicken and Roasted Corn Empanadas.

 

I can't tell you about the dessert since Hoopster95 asked me to let him talk about it. :p

 

I hope Royal Caribbean considers adding this venue to some of the other ships.