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Brief Navigator review 6/28-7/5/15

lbjen

By lbjen,
in Royal Caribbean International

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lbjen

lbjen

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Here is my short review of our first cruise, on Navigator out of Galveston (Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth). Family of 4, including 5y and 11y.

 

Check in - there were long delays because of computer outages. The ship ended up sailing an hour late, as they were struggling to check everyone in. We didn't get caught in it but I heard from many about how hot it was in the terminal and how frustrating it was.

 

Adventure Ocean - both my kids loved it there. The 5y was hesitant at first but once he gave it a go he wanted to go as often as we would let him. They had pagers available, very reassuring for me. They seemed to watch a lot of tv but my boy was happy with that. 11y also enjoyed herself, did lots of drawing and painting. They also had an option to sign up for lunch and/or dinner with the AO staff.

 

Drinks - we don't drink because of medication restrictions, but I got the soda package for myself. It was easy to get refills (or fresh glasses) of soda at any bar, but a lot of the time the soda was flat (no bubbles) and often had some mystery flavor mixed in which was annoying. No freestyle machines on this ship so you are limited to the standard fountain sodas, although they did have a couple of options poured from 2L bottles including Dr Pepper and Sprite Zero.

 

Ports - Cozumel and Falmouth were not big draws for us so we just did souvenir shopping in port (the shops at Falmouth were also quite expensive). The wind at Falmouth got really bad as the day wore on and we ended up having to stay in port for an extra 60-90 minutes to allow the winds to slow down enough to sail.

 

Grand Cayman was the reason we chose this itinerary so we booked the island tour with turtle farm stop. There was a very long wait once we had tendered on to the island which was difficult for my 5y who has autism. That was our fault for not planning better. The bus we rode had very poor visibility from the windows which was a shame. We were a little disappointed at how short the island tour was, it was really only a drive to the turtle farm and back with a stop in Hell. The turtle farm however was great, snorkeling in the lagoon with the turtles was a highlight for my 11y. I was so happy to find no wait at the port for the return tender, as we walked past several hundred in line for the Carnival tenders. The fresh cool drinks were also very appreciated.

 

Food - the ship was full, so we could only book an 8pm dinner seating which could not be changed on the ship. We did eat dinner in the MDR a couple of nights but it was really too late for our kids. Our waiters Vipin and Arvesh were great and as helpful as they could be in getting our food brought out quickly. The rest of the time we ate in the WJ. The food there was better than I had expected, something for everyone (bonus points for the grilled tomatoes and baked beans at breakfast from this Brit!). Very attentive staff, despite how many people were on board we never struggled to find a table. Cafe Promenade was also enjoyable, although my one 3am experience there was interesting - it was full of drunk people making a ton of mess! One drunk lady was trying to make herself a hot chocolate and I was certain she was going to scald herself.

 

Pools - the main pools were empty on port days which was great for us. On sea days they were a disaster, the gated shelf area was filled with sunbathers so my 5y couldn't play there, the depth of the pools was a surprise to me considering how many families were on board. I suppose that it does stop people letting their non-swimmers roam around unattended though. They brought out buffets at lunch on a couple of days which were popular.

 

Activities/entertainment - we went to most of the shows and enjoyed them all. We also played bingo a few times, and checked out the casino. The evening outdoor movies were also good although it was sometimes difficult to hear.

 

Special needs - my 5y has autism and we had contacted RCCL in advance to ask for help with a couple of things. The biggest thing was getting escorted through check in so that we didn't have to wait in the busy, noisy terminal for hours. Without this I think we would have probably given up and gone home going by what I have heard about the delays. The MDR waiters were also great, making sure he got his favorite foods every night, and the AO staff had no problem keeping him entertained. This was my biggest fear about taking a cruise and RCCL reassured me on every level.

 

We ended up booking our next cruise while on board, so obviously we had a great time!

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lbjen

lbjen

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They had advised us to speak with the dining room once on board, who said there was nothing they could so since the ship was full :(

 

 

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reallyitsmema

reallyitsmema

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They had advised us to speak with the dining room once on board, who said there was nothing they could so since the ship was full :(

 

 

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That's too bad because they move people around all the time. Usually, they will tell you they can't accommodate you the first night but will get you moved for the rest of the week.

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lbjen

lbjen

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We checked in at around 11.30am, I believe the problems started sometime after that. We had pre-arranged to check in separately from the line because of my son's condition.

 

 

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texankhj

texankhj

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Here is my short review of our first cruise, on Navigator out of Galveston (Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth). Family of 4, including 5y and 11y.

 

Check in - there were long delays because of computer outages. The ship ended up sailing an hour late, as they were struggling to check everyone in. We didn't get caught in it but I heard from many about how hot it was in the terminal and how frustrating it was.

 

Adventure Ocean - both my kids loved it there. The 5y was hesitant at first but once he gave it a go he wanted to go as often as we would let him. They had pagers available, very reassuring for me. They seemed to watch a lot of tv but my boy was happy with that. 11y also enjoyed herself, did lots of drawing and painting. They also had an option to sign up for lunch and/or dinner with the AO staff.

 

Drinks - we don't drink because of medication restrictions, but I got the soda package for myself. It was easy to get refills (or fresh glasses) of soda at any bar, but a lot of the time the soda was flat (no bubbles) and often had some mystery flavor mixed in which was annoying. No freestyle machines on this ship so you are limited to the standard fountain sodas, although they did have a couple of options poured from 2L bottles including Dr Pepper and Sprite Zero.

 

Ports - Cozumel and Falmouth were not big draws for us so we just did souvenir shopping in port (the shops at Falmouth were also quite expensive). The wind at Falmouth got really bad as the day wore on and we ended up having to stay in port for an extra 60-90 minutes to allow the winds to slow down enough to sail.

 

Grand Cayman was the reason we chose this itinerary so we booked the island tour with turtle farm stop. There was a very long wait once we had tendered on to the island which was difficult for my 5y who has autism. That was our fault for not planning better. The bus we rode had very poor visibility from the windows which was a shame. We were a little disappointed at how short the island tour was, it was really only a drive to the turtle farm and back with a stop in Hell. The turtle farm however was great, snorkeling in the lagoon with the turtles was a highlight for my 11y. I was so happy to find no wait at the port for the return tender, as we walked past several hundred in line for the Carnival tenders. The fresh cool drinks were also very appreciated.

 

Food - the ship was full, so we could only book an 8pm dinner seating which could not be changed on the ship. We did eat dinner in the MDR a couple of nights but it was really too late for our kids. Our waiters Vipin and Arvesh were great and as helpful as they could be in getting our food brought out quickly. The rest of the time we ate in the WJ. The food there was better than I had expected, something for everyone (bonus points for the grilled tomatoes and baked beans at breakfast from this Brit!). Very attentive staff, despite how many people were on board we never struggled to find a table. Cafe Promenade was also enjoyable, although my one 3am experience there was interesting - it was full of drunk people making a ton of mess! One drunk lady was trying to make herself a hot chocolate and I was certain she was going to scald herself.

 

Pools - the main pools were empty on port days which was great for us. On sea days they were a disaster, the gated shelf area was filled with sunbathers so my 5y couldn't play there, the depth of the pools was a surprise to me considering how many families were on board. I suppose that it does stop people letting their non-swimmers roam around unattended though. They brought out buffets at lunch on a couple of days which were popular.

 

Activities/entertainment - we went to most of the shows and enjoyed them all. We also played bingo a few times, and checked out the casino. The evening outdoor movies were also good although it was sometimes difficult to hear.

 

Special needs - my 5y has autism and we had contacted RCCL in advance to ask for help with a couple of things. The biggest thing was getting escorted through check in so that we didn't have to wait in the busy, noisy terminal for hours. Without this I think we would have probably given up and gone home going by what I have heard about the delays. The MDR waiters were also great, making sure he got his favorite foods every night, and the AO staff had no problem keeping him entertained. This was my biggest fear about taking a cruise and RCCL reassured me on every level.

 

We ended up booking our next cruise while on board, so obviously we had a great time!

 

So glad you got to port early to avoid the delay. We always get by 10:30am. Normally works out that we are at the buffet before noon. We will be cruising on the Navigator in August. Our first on this ship. Cruising is addictive!

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Aggie0790

Aggie0790

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We were on the same cruise. We booked pretty far in advance so we got the 5:30 dining. The computers were a problem the entire trip. Boarding, leaving the ship, the photos, just about everything. Other than that, we really enjoyed it. At Grand Cayman, we booked an excursion not thru Royal Carribean. We wanted beach time, and there was really nothing that the ship offered. We booked the Westin thru Resort for a day, and it was tremendous. I think the hotels in 7 mile beach don't let the cruise ships unload thousands of tourists all in one day. However, you can get tremendous Cayman beach access thru Resort for a Day and probably other deals, just not thru the ship. The long wait for the people doing Royal Carribean excursions was due to the ship getting to the Cayman port early. They tendered the RC excursions first, but the excursions were not started early, which made the wait very long. For us, the Westin was a cab ride to the beach, so there was no wait for us.

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Aggie0790

Aggie0790

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As I said, the computers were down. A lot. We arrived at the port at 10:30 and were in line by 11. We didn't get on the boat until after 2. Leaving, we got in line at 6:50AM, but didn't get off the boat until after 9. However, with the huge back-up getting off the boat, customs was a breeze. They were averaging about 30 seconds per person getting off the boat. Each person would get their SeaPass scanned, and stand there and wait for the computer to finally pull their name up. Hopefully, they fix that.

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Sonnieb

Sonnieb

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Thank you for your review. We are scheduled for this cruise in mid-October. This will be my second RCCL cruise since 1996. I think I stress more about the check-in process and hope it goes smoothly. Thanks again.

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lbjen

lbjen

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We planned to get there early because I was sure I would forget something and wanted enough time to be able to go back and get it! We did end up stopping at Target right before the terminal to get cash (the thing I forgot) and a quick snack.

 

 

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vettecruiser1

vettecruiser1

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We were on the same cruise. We booked pretty far in advance so we got the 5:30 dining. The computers were a problem the entire trip. Boarding, leaving the ship, the photos, just about everything. Other than that, we really enjoyed it. At Grand Cayman, we booked an excursion not thru Royal Carribean. We wanted beach time, and there was really nothing that the ship offered. We booked the Westin thru Resort for a day, and it was tremendous. I think the hotels in 7 mile beach don't let the cruise ships unload thousands of tourists all in one day. However, you can get tremendous Cayman beach access thru Resort for a Day and probably other deals, just not thru the ship. The long wait for the people doing Royal Carribean excursions was due to the ship getting to the Cayman port early. They tendered the RC excursions first, but the excursions were not started early, which made the wait very long. For us, the Westin was a cab ride to the beach, so there was no wait for us.

 

 

What time did you get to Cayman since you got there early. We are on this route in a couple of weeks and it shows 10:30. I too have reserved a non-cruise trip, so wondering what time did you get off. More time on the island is better since we are getting there late morning. What tips would you give for getting tender as early as possible.

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lbjen

lbjen

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I believe we were supposed to report to Studio B to tender at 9.50, but around 9.15 they started announcing for people to come down. From Studio B we were sent directly down to the tender on Deck 1, and there was no line.

 

They let booked RC excursion and guests who have C&A/suite perks on first, then it's in order of the tickets they give out early that morning. My recommendation is to make sure you are first in line for a tender ticket when they give them out, then be first in line at the tender meet point.

 

 

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lbjen

lbjen

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I loved reading all the reviews as I was preparing for our trip, I felt much more ready instead of being overwhelmed by it all once on board.

 

 

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