Navigator or Regal Princess

[Gabrielle R.]

OK.... I'm struggling with trying to figure out pros and cons of two ships. I'm down to two ships..... I just don't know enough to make an informed decision. Hoping I could get some input from you!

 

First- I am locked in to the dates during Christmas holidays. I have it figured out that we will leave from Fort Lauderdale.

 

It boils down to a 7 or 8 day cruise. 7 days on Regal 8 days on Navigator. I haven't been on either ship nor have been on either's sister ship(s). Price is about the same. 2 days vs 3 days in Ft. Lauderdale. Navigator goes to Eastern Caribbean, Regal does the Western Caribbean/Mexico, Roatan Like both areas- so it's a coin toss.

 

We are platinum on BOTH lines. We have enjoyed our platinum benefits on Princess a few times- NEVER have tried Royal since getting to platinum. WHAT do we get different now that we are platinum?

 

I have read on the boards that prices of drinks really jumped on the Royal ships..... We aren't heavy drinkers... I like a few beers (Darker the better) or a Rum cocktail and maybe a glass of wine. DH is pretty much the same. Are we better off doing a drink package or would we not break out even? Any advice/experience with the drink packages?

 

We generally book an inside cabin- wondering about the promenade staterooms. Like them? Hate them?

 

We have been on the 'smaller' Royal ships... so haven't gone to the large ships Living in MN I can see ice skating- so NOT a huge draw for us... BUT would love to know some pros/cons.

 

Any experience with the Navigator class ship compared to Regal? Any positives that you could give either way?

 

THANKS!!

Gabrielle

[Clarea]

See this for Platinum perks:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/benefitsLoggedout.do

 

See this for Platinum coupons on board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2045047

 

If you are booking a balcony, you would get a discount of $100 per stateroom if you book at least 6 months in advance.

[pspercy]

Promenade cabins are a great value, the bay window seating adds a lot of utility too. We did 28days straight in a PR cabin and were quite content.

[Nick67]

I have not been on either ship but plan on going this December on the eight day Navigator. We have been on the eight day route on the Independence four times and really enjoy this route. We have been on the Allure and the Oasis but we really enjoy visiting the islands on the eight day cruise. Some cruises the ship is the destination and this 8 day cruise the ports are truly the destination.

[searoses]

My favorite ship is serenade.....sailed on regal princess in jan....she will be hard to beat...gorgeous and very good food....the adult area is outside.....I did miss the inside solarium found on the radiance class ships.....otherwise the regal can't be beat....I also prefer the western ports.....have fun planning...

[LeeW]

Hmm - Navigator feels roughly like Coral/Island to us, although actually has more people. Has a great FREE solarium area, while you have to pay extra for the Sanctuary on Princess. Personally would go for a longer cruise but we really enjoyed Navigator on our last B2B.

[somerandomidiot]

i haven't been on navigator but I've been on explorer a few times. at this point i think i would prefer regal.

 

I have strange preferences though.

 

the food is much better on regal. It beats any recent rc cruise i've been on (allure, oasis and liberty).

 

the gym on regal offers trx classes.

 

princess lets you pre- purchase OBC for the casino so you don't need to carry cash on. i lose my club royale benefits like the free drinks and the rebates and the casino rate on the room but I get better odds with princess on the game that i play.

 

there are a ton of tv shows/movies to watch for free.

[Topo Gigio]

In this case I would say Regal for the food and desserts!, and Navigator for the cabin. I had an inside on the Regal and it felt very small. But in the end you can't go wrong with any of those 2.Btw Freedom Class (a larger version of the Voyager Class where Navigator belongs to) is my favorite class of ships.

[Gabrielle R.]

Glad all of you see my dilemma!

Gabrielle

[Bananas27]

I sailed on the regal last month. Although a beautiful ship, the bar staff and most of the waiters are very grumpy. They closed the bar on the private island at 2:00 when we sailed at 5:00 for example. A man took the drink order for the man sitting next to me in the theater before the show but when I tried to order he said it was too late. For a brand new ship there is a lot of peeling varnish too. It's the only ship I would be reluctant to go on again. They do have lots of creme brûlée which is a good thing,

[pspercy]

A friend says Regal balconies are very small, FYI.

[dizneefreak28]

I haven't been on Navigator but was just on Regal in April. Beautiful ship. I thought the crew was very nice and accommodating. The only downside I found, there wasn't a ton to do on seas days. They had this little mini-golf course and basketball, etc. but you couldn't play unless they were planned cruise activities. For the mini-golf, they told us people were throwing things over the side, so they didn't have free play. But the ship is gorgeous. We had a mini-suite and I thought the balcony was just fine.

[Gabrielle R.]

A friend says Regal balconies are very small, FYI.

 

Thanks! I did know that..... I'm booking an inside with the hope of getting an upgrade.

I won't consider a paid for balcony on Regal since I have heard about the size.

Gabrielle

[Aquahound]

I have been on both ships. My Regal cruise was just last month. Whole heartedly, I recommend Navigator. Regal was a nice cruise but that ship leaves a lot to be desired. There really isn't anything special about it, and some design issues had me scratching my head. Probably the worst is the central stairs/elevators that only go up to deck 7. Staterooms are very small and balconies are tiny. Both DW and I said to each other we would have been uncomfortable in those small rooms for anything longer than 4 days. On the other hand, all rooms, including interiors, on Navigator have a couch. There is no separate sitting area in standard Regal rooms. For being Princess' newest and greatest, it fell very short of being comparable to RCI's older Voyager Class.

 

Here is a standard balcony on Regal:

 

Edited May 19, 2015 by Aquahound