Text of our 2nd Consecutive NOTs Thanksgiving Review

[nealstuber]

This is a quick recap of our 2nd consecutive Thanksgiving Cruise on the Navigator. We submitted a review of the previous cruise here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=245331

We had such a good time that we decided to do a repeat and invite extended family to join us. In many, many respects our shipboard experience could not have been more similar, including the mediocre weather and the missed call at Grand Cayman as a result. Both were great experiences: the shows, the enthusiastic staff, the dining and the lounge entertainment were equally wonderful.

 

What made this experience different for us was travelling with extended family, changes made to the Navigator during recent refurb and our choice of shore excursions. The opportunity to get together with family was a plus for us, while the changes made to Navigator had overwhelming negative impact. Our shore excursions were very different this time around as they were geared to accommodate ages 15 to 75.

 

First the positives: Having a year to get used to Galveston, the NOTS crew were no longer discombobulated as they were on their first cruise of the season last year, but a broken gangway (one of 2) delayed our embarkation and debark. Our wait staff was awesome: Glen & and assistant waiter Jioa doted over us and made every family dinner an event. The AMD was always present and made sure all of the special dietary requirements of DM were met by presenting her with tomorrow’s menu a day ahead of time so that her meals could be specially prepared. In preparation for China sailings, RCCL has been hiring from China, selecting special crew members such as Jioa who was ALWAYS there at exactly the right time with a gracious smile and whatever we needed. Again, the crew made the most of the opportunity to make Thanksgiving at Sea special when the Cayman call was wiped out, including NFL games on the new Big Screen at the pool. The new flow rider ran flawlessly and was never over crowded. DW thought the removal of the coffee table from the cabin was the biggest improvement as it felt much less cluttered. Perhaps the biggest plus was that we paid $850 less for our two cabins (a D3 balcony and an OV guarantee) – and we booked with almost the exact same lead time (6 weeks out) - and last time kiddos had an inside and this time they had a gigantic window in one of the new cabins on Deck 3. One could argue that the extra capacity installed during the recent refurb (along with NCL and Princess coming to Houston) made this possible, but the extra passengers made the pools, windjammer and promenade feel over-crowded.

 

As to the negatives, one of the two biggies was the plumbing. Both of our cabins had “Bathroom issues.” RCCL defenders will always say it’s something the passengers did – but we had the same issues on two different floors and I doubt that our bathroom “habits” have changed since our last cruise. Most noticeably, several of the public restrooms had a commode or urinal out of order. 23 cruises (including 1 on the Navigator and 4 on her sisters), and this has never happened to us: yet we had it happen 7 times in two cabins including 3 calls from one of the brand new cabins. It would be very difficult to convince me that anything but the extra “butts” were at the root of the problem. I also sincerely doubt that they added any extra bar staff to accommodate the extra passengers after the refurb. It’s also true that more beverage packages are being purchased and it sure seems like RCCL is trying to limit consumption on these packages by limiting service. I gave up trying to get seated service at the casino and the pool and I was not alone. The bars at these areas were SWAMPED – at one point I waited 20 minutes at the bar to get a beer I already paid for! I very much enjoy a glass of wine with my bread and appetizer but did not even see our bar servere until the entrée was served the first two nights. I complained to the Maiter’d and he saw to it to some degree, but even then it was not up to par. This was also an area where my parents were disappointed. They haven’t cruised in 12 years but go to Atlantic City frequently. I put considerable effort in to prepping them for the fact that they would have to pay for drinks in the casino, but they were not pleased at all to have to leave their machine to fetch (and pay for) their own drink at the bar. Fortunately the machines they left did not “hit” while they were waiting, sometimes for as long as 10 to 15 minutes to be served at the bar (and they were not on a package). They also felt the machines were “tight” - but that could just be luck – and the comps are quite pitiful by comparison (a key chain vs a free resort hotel night for the same level of play). We also missed the Dungeon that was replaced by cabins and a Mexican restaurant as well as the back nine of mini-golf course that is was supposed to be where the in-line skating used to be (at least according to the deck plans). No problem with the extra cabins around the Spa, especially since it created more deck space on deck 13 forward: Unsolicited suggestion for RCCL, move the solarium for adults up there and turn the existing solarium in to something for the kiddos as the main pool area was completely over-run.

 

With just two port calls and Grandparents in tow, it was difficult to come up with something that was right for everyone. I feel like we nailed it with Chuka at Falmouth and Chukakannab in Cozumel. Chukka was a jungle mountain resort, with a very lazy river tube ride, zip lines and a nice uncrowded pool. We bought a resort day pass on the dock (that was charged to my sea pass) that included transport and then paid for what we wanted at the resort as we went. Saved a bundle vs the prices on the ship. We had not been to Chukakannab in over 10 years and boy has it grown. Botanical Gardens, sea lion shows and walk in snorkeling for all and Scuba for DS and I, Manatee touch for DW and DD. Just took a cab and paid $22/pp to get in so all could do what they wanted from there. HUGE shout out to the woman at the information desk who recommended Jerry at Booth #3 for scuba. DS and I had never done this and (after a very good, 20 minute orientation) enjoyed our own private experience for over an hour under water that included caves, lobsters and thousands of fish we never would have seen while snorkeling. Just $60/pp (plus a very well deserved tip) to start what might be a very expensive hobby. Too bad Grand Cayman got washed out as we had a nice private charter scheduled for that day.

 

Other random stuff: Pre Cruise we all rendezvoused at the Hampton Inn at the Hobby airport, I flew in from work in Cali, Grandparents and Uncle from NY, and DW and the kids drove up from the border. I originally intended to shuttle everyone to and from there (two 1.5 hr round trips) but in the end I burned some National comp days to park a second car at the pier. Parking rates have gone up due to new surcharges at the pier, but EZ cruise lets you pay less if you walk (after dropping bags at the pier). I love Texas and am proud to call it our home, but they are getting intrusive with what they expect while the ship is in Texas waters (no imported beers served, photo shop closed at 11pm Saturday) plus the duty table on the pier…. None of this is consistent with the business friendly mindset that has allowed Texas to prosper.

 

In summary, we had a great time (even though DS did not win free cruise bingo like he did last time) and feel very blessed to have the opportunity to repeat and share a great experience with our extended family; However, in our opinion, the Navigator is not as good as she was before her $80 million dollar refurb. We’ll wait for a different ship before we cruise RCCL out of Galveston again.

Edited December 4, 2014 by nealstuber

[kftw]

Thank you for your review.

[JamesEM]

Also, thanks for your review.

[SuiteTraveler]

Are you sure it was just your two cabins with broken bathrooms? Reason I ask is because on our recent Allure of the Seas cruise, someone we don't know put a sanitary napkin down the toilet in another cabin and it made all the mid port side inside and outside bathrooms inoperable starting about 5am on multiple floors. The inside cabins apparently got backed up and the cabin steward told us they were in major clean up mode in those cabins and it was not fixed (although the ships plumber was working on it extensively) until nearly 3pm. Luckily we were in Labadee that day, so we were off the ship while all this was going on.

 

Anyway thank you for your great review. Enjoyed reading it!

[Cindy]

This is a quick recap of our 2nd consecutive Thanksgiving Cruise on the Navigator. We submitted a review of the previous cruise here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=245331

 

As to the negatives, one of the two biggies was the plumbing. Both of our cabins had “Bathroom issues.” RCCL defenders will always say it’s something the passengers did – but we had the same issues on two different floors and I doubt that our bathroom “habits” have changed since our last cruise.

 

We also missed the Dungeon that was replaced by cabins and a Mexican restaurant as well as the back nine of mini-golf course that is was supposed to be where the in-line skating used to be (at least according to the deck plans). No problem with the extra cabins around the Spa, especially since it created more deck space on deck 13 forward: Unsolicited suggestion for RCCL, move the solarium for adults up there and turn the existing solarium in to something for the kiddos as the main pool area was completely over-run.

 

However, in our opinion, the Navigator is not as good as she was before her $80 million dollar refurb. We’ll wait for a different ship before we cruise RCCL out of Galveston again.

 

Thanks for your review!

 

Like you, we experienced plumbing problems on the Navigator in April. We were on Deck 10, and it seemed like the plumbers were always up there. We had a couple "no flush" mornings and lots of delays, but thankfully no overflows! It seems that there might be something more going on than just inappropriate items being flushed in the system. Either that, or the Navigator is plagued by people who can't follow directions!:eek:

 

Thankfully, we didn't experience any of the crowding or slow service issues you did, and we LOVED the refurb. I think the difference may be that our cruise was during an "off" week, and yours was during one of the busiest weeks of the year. I was a principal before I retired so I have many peak-time cruises under my belt. I'm still astonished at how different the ships feel when they don't have 1,000+ children and every berth occupied.

 

Thanks again for sharing the details!:)

[nealstuber]

Are you sure it was just your two cabins with broken bathrooms? Reason I ask is because on our recent Allure of the Seas cruise, someone we don't know put a sanitary napkin down the toilet in another cabin and it made all the mid port side inside and outside bathrooms inoperable starting about 5am on multiple floors. The inside cabins apparently got backed up and the cabin steward told us they were in major clean up mode in those cabins and it was not fixed (although the ships plumber was working on it extensively) until nearly 3pm. Luckily we were in Labadee that day, so we were off the ship while all this was going on.

 

 

 

Anyway thank you for your great review. Enjoyed reading it!

 

 

I can't be sure of anything since I was not there "observing the operation" or the subsequent repairs. Have a tough time figuring out how a sanitary napkin would get down a urinal when the one next to it was working fine.

 

It seems like this is an easy excuse for the line to make and we accept it because some times it is true. My suspicion on this ship is that it's a some of both... That the system is more susceptible to clogs from for foreign objects because they've overloaded it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[nealstuber]

Thanks for your review!

 

 

 

Like you, we experienced plumbing problems on the Navigator in April. We were on Deck 10, and it seemed like the plumbers were always up there. We had a couple "no flush" mornings and lots of delays, but thankfully no overflows! It seems that there might be something more going on than just inappropriate items being flushed in the system. Either that, or the Navigator is plagued by people who can't follow directions!:eek:

 

 

 

Thankfully, we didn't experience any of the crowding or slow service issues you did, and we LOVED the refurb. I think the difference may be that our cruise was during an "off" week, and yours was during one of the busiest weeks of the year. I was a principal before I retired so I have many peak-time cruises under my belt. I'm still astonished at how different the ships feel when they don't have 1,000+ children and every berth occupied.

 

 

 

Thanks again for sharing the details!:)

 

 

As notes, we did the same cruise at the same time last year and the before and after difference was very noticeable.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Ladysilver]

Thanks for your review. We're about to cruise on the Navigator for the 3rd time. First time was before the refurbish and it was a wonderful cruise. Second time was this past May and it was overcrowded and hot. Had a good cruise but we prefer the winter months. We're excited about our next one in 9 days! :D

[cb at sea]

Every single ship we've cruised has had some sort of "toilet" issue at some point. Once it affected our cabin and those on our hallway for a good part of the trip....others, it was random, and fleeting...here and there the "sewer gas smell" was present. I believe it to be a "ship thing"...unavoidable. The cruise lines should fix this problem...it's been going on for nearly 20 years (That I'm aware of!).

[nealstuber]

Every single ship we've cruised has had some sort of "toilet" issue at some point. Once it affected our cabin and those on our hallway for a good part of the trip....others, it was random, and fleeting...here and there the "sewer gas smell" was present. I believe it to be a "ship thing"...unavoidable. The cruise lines should fix this problem...it's been going on for nearly 20 years (That I'm aware of!).

 

Agree that this is an issue that could be adressed on most ships, but it was significantly worse on Navigator.

[nealstuber]

Thanks for your review. We're about to cruise on the Navigator for the 3rd time. First time was before the refurbish and it was a wonderful cruise. Second time was this past May and it was overcrowded and hot. Had a good cruise but we prefer the winter months. We're excited about our next one in 9 days! :D

 

Well, in THE OWNER'S SUITE, during an off peak sailin, you should have a fantastic time!

[Ladysilver]

Well, in THE OWNER'S SUITE, during an off peak sailin, you should have a fantastic time!

 

We had an Owner's Suite last May. This time we'll have a JS. :)