Just off Navigator....quick review

[Qcruise]

We're home from our Oct. 18th sailing out of Galveston and I thought I'd give some quick thoughts. Our embarkation was interupted by a medical emergency where they shut down everything. Once that had passed, the large mob/line filed into the terminal. That took around an hour and we were aboard around noon. The ship is beautiful and seems in good shape, having never sailed her. We had superior balconies on deck seven aft of the hump, and they were clean, the closet arrangement across from the bathroom door created some issues for us, shower water pressure was minimal but temp was good. One evening all water pressure stopped while my wife was taking her shower, and was restored in a few minutes. That same day the desalinization system for drinking water had failed, and they tried to pass off salty nasty water to everyone including the crew. We dined at Chops that night and they poured the awful water to us, which we rejected so they comped us Evian, the coffee was undrinkable that night....we purchased a cup at Starbucks. Food in the dining room was quite good, with our servers Leonardo and Rommel keeping us in laughs and a great experience. Weather at all ports Cozamel, Grand Cayman and Falmouth was wonderful, just missing three days of rain....though our first day at sea was quite rough prompting sea sick bags being deployed. Then we were a bit delayed getting back into Galveston with the hurricane Patricia coming through...it was an adventure driving to Bush Int. for our flight home, but we made it on time. Entertainment on board varied, some nights we didn't find anything we enjoyed, but overall it was a great cruise experience. The thing about the bad drinking water was we would have liked to have honest information coming from the staff, not just talking about it with other guests. Any questions I'll try to help with......

[jimmymed3]

Thanks so much for the info! My family and I are leaving this Sunday on the Navigator. We saw that the current cruse was delayed leaving port til Monday at 10am. I sure hope the water issue is fixed by the time we cruise! We are suppose to have rain the whole time. Oh well!

[miss meow]

We're home from our Oct. 18th sailing out of Galveston and I thought I'd give some quick thoughts. Our embarkation was interupted by a medical emergency where they shut down everything. Once that had passed, the large mob/line filed into the terminal. That took around an hour and we were aboard around noon. The ship is beautiful and seems in good shape, having never sailed her. We had superior balconies on deck seven aft of the hump, and they were clean, the closet arrangement across from the bathroom door created some issues for us, shower water pressure was minimal but temp was good. One evening all water pressure stopped while my wife was taking her shower, and was restored in a few minutes. That same day the desalinization system for drinking water had failed, and they tried to pass off salty nasty water to everyone including the crew. We dined at Chops that night and they poured the awful water to us, which we rejected so they comped us Evian, the coffee was undrinkable that night....we purchased a cup at Starbucks. Food in the dining room was quite good, with our servers Leonardo and Rommel keeping us in laughs and a great experience. Weather at all ports Cozamel, Grand Cayman and Falmouth was wonderful, just missing three days of rain....though our first day at sea was quite rough prompting sea sick bags being deployed. Then we were a bit delayed getting back into Galveston with the hurricane Patricia coming through...it was an adventure driving to Bush Int. for our flight home, but we made it on time. Entertainment on board varied, some nights we didn't find anything we enjoyed, but overall it was a great cruise experience. The thing about the bad drinking water was we would have liked to have honest information coming from the staff, not just talking about it with other guests. Any questions I'll try to help with......

 

We were on the same cruise as you - the water all thru the cruise had that weird taste as tho the desalinization system wasn't working well....awful water. Sounds like you had a completely different experience than we did in the dining room - our servers were slow, rarely seen and never asked us if we wanted more than water to drink - which just seemed odd to us. We wound up eating in the Windjammer a few nights due to that. Overall I just didn't come across many overly friendly/happy crew members. Our stateroom steward, Bernaudette, was FANTASTIC. She was happy, always laughing, wanting to talk - loved her!

 

We must have boarded prior to the medical emergency...we were on board by probably 11:30. Once we got past the long back up to get thru security, it was maybe 5-10 minutes before we were on the ship and most of that being the walk. Disembarkation was quick - we self disembarked and absolutely flew thru customs - and then out to the crazy wind and rain.

 

Ha...I was in the shower as well when the water stopped for awhile...I stood there wondering what to do to get the soap and shampoo off with no water. But, after it came back on, never had another issue with that.

 

Really, all in all, we had a great time both on and off the ship. Watching the Seahawks vs 49'ers on the big screen outside was awesome!

 

I'm open to questions as well.. :-)

Rita

[Paulette3028]

Good to read both experiences on board the same sailing.....we sail on her over Thanksgiving departing on 11/22/15...we were on Navigator in 2004 on our very first cruise, but she is a much different ship after her refurb. When she was moved to Port Everglades we decided to cruise on her again, to remind us of what the experience was all about that caused us to begin our love affair with cruising.

[anjomojo]

We were on this same cruise as well. Had a great time, good weather in all 3 ports despite hearing prior there was going to be rain. Boarding the ship went fairly smooth and I too didn't realize there was a medical emergency as we were aboard by 11:45.

 

The friendliness and level of crew service varied considerably.

 

We ate in the dining room for three nights, two nights at the specialty restaurant Izumi (which we loved!) and two nights in the Windjammer.

 

The shows/entertainment were not much to our liking during thus cruise as we had seen much better on previous RCCL cruises.

 

We chose to carry our own luggage off the ship and disembarking was a breeze. Off the ship by 9:15.

 

Not my best RCCL cruise but not the worst either.

[Firefighterhoop]

Looking forward to the Navigator (In FLL) First time on her since early 2011.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

OP--thanks for starting this thread. :) I have sailed the Explorer, but not the Navigstor. So, I found your comments very interesting.

 

I am glad that several of you have recently sailed on the Navigator.

 

DS and DIL + 4 yr old DGD are thinking of taking a cruise when DS has a 2 week R & R coming from deployment. [They are stationed at Fort Hood TX] They do not have a firm date yet [sometime Jan-March]. So they will be booking at the last minute--or at least after final payment.

 

They have asked me for some advice. I want to get some information before I give them any opinions. [always dangerous to suggest something to someone else :rolleyes:]

 

I feel it would be a waste of precious time [and money] to fly to FL to cruise when they could drive to Galveston and take either Carnival [don't flame me] or RCL. Have any of you been on both of these ships and can give me any thoughts?

 

They feel it is a relaxing family vacation that also allows them some alone time. DGD loves attending preschool, so they feel she will like Adventure Ocean. Did any of you use this on Navigator?

 

Also, are there curtains in inside/outside/balcony cabins that provide any privacy?

 

I know a family cabin would be best for them--but, with only 3 people they can not book this unless they happen to be open after final payment. [not likely]

 

Thanks for your help.

 

I am glad to hear you all had a good cruise.

[Qcruise]

Great black out curtains

[ZoeyVictoria]

I don't believe either ship will have curtains inside the cabin to provide privacy for the parents. Two connecting inside cabins are their best bet for privacy.

[TxKroozer]

We cruised Navigator in July with five year old grandson. Took him to Adventure Ocean and he enjoyed it electing to go back at least two other evenings. I would recommend it for a four year old.

 

As noted, there are no substantial interior curtains in the cabins. If privacy is an issue, you can use the bathroom or even consider someone using the showers in the spa.

 

I agree if you are serious about cruising then I suggest driving to Galveston and use other funds saved from flying for excursions.

 

We sail RCCL exclusively now having tried Carnival in 1980's. You can hear from others, but we prefer RCCL.

[WisconsinFan]

DragonoftheSeas, Navigator will be leaving Galveston and will be replaced by Liberty of the Seas this spring after her dry-dock. We will be sailing on her this coming March. Google her dry dock as I can't leave links to other stories on it.

 

We have sailed Liberty before, but she is getting some major upgrades :) a brand new waterpark/slide area with tube slides and a bat wing slide. They are keeping the flowrider and the rock wall, ice skating and so forth. She will also be getting some new staterooms.

 

She is also a Freedom Class ship, so she will be a bit bigger than Navigator. We really like the Freedom Class ships. Lots to do, or not do. Your choice.

 

With these ships no divider curtains either, but I know of people who took a shower curtain and strong magnets and made their own curtain. The walls/ceiling is metal so magnets can do the trick.

Edited October 28, 2015 by WisconsinFan

[jeanneful]

Can someone explain what cabins are hump cabins

[WisconsinFan]

jeanneful when you look at the deck plans of the ship you are considering you will note a bump or "hump" about mid-ships. These are the cabins many are talking about. Unique to RCCL.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

ZoeyVictoria—I agree 2 cabins would be the answer.[but, a little pricey--hence my Carnival reference] Just trying to provide them with as much info as possible.

 

TxCroozer—So glad to hear your DGS liked AO. They will want to do many things with her, but it would be nice to lay around the pool for a couple of hours and not have to keep an eye on her.

 

wisconsinFan—That is good news. I think DS and DIL would love the Liberty. They are very active young 30s. They would love all the bells and whistles [that I no longer use] :D

 

Thanks for all of your comments.

[jeanneful]

Ok it's where it sticks out in the middle

[Susie51]

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

 

I was on Navigator with my sister and daughter. We were on Navigator in March in a GS. The cruise was wonderful. I swam is the solarium pool in the morning when it was shady. I am sensitive to sunlight, so the pool and whirlpool were perfect for me.

[pspercy]

Liberty's first sailing out of Galveston is Nov 13 2015, a nine night West Caribbean trip which lines her up for the Sunday to Sunday cruises thereafter.

 

"Galveston, Texas; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Roatan, Honduras; Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico; Cozumel, Mexico; Galveston, Texas"

[WupperAV]

Nice posts. I like it when people don't just cry about all the bad stuff. We are going on Navigator in Feb for Valentines.

[rudeney]

We were on the same cruise and had a blast - no complaints worth mentioning and lots of great experiences. I am thinking the medial emergency at the port was around 10:30 or so? We had dropped off bags, then parked at Park-N-Cruise, and walked back over to the terminal. When we got there, people were queued up outside the doors. I noticed an ambulance off to the side, but didn't think much about it. Since we were in a suite, we walked to the doors to ask if we needed to get in any special line. Right as we got there the two port authority employees holding the doors closed opened them and told "everyone" to come in. People started mobbing the doorways and we just walked in with them. I guess we ended up breaking in line ahead of all those waiting, but it was not intentional!

 

I did not notice the water taste issues, though I heard someone else mention it. I did experience the water-shut off in the shower. This was right as we left the dock in Jamaica. Having done the zip lien tour, I really needed shower. Luckily it came back on in about 5 minutes.

 

I've written a VERY detailed trip report for some friends on a Usenet group, but I'd be glad to post it here. It is LONG though!

[elaine5]

did they play any movies in the theater either at night as main entertainment, sea days or in the evening on outside screen? Any 3D movies? which ones? Do you recall about what time outdoor movies were played? Wondering about what time for dinner. I have 2 teens who would like to watch some movies.

What was your dining rotation, such as Mojo, Pimento, etc.?

Edited October 29, 2015 by elaine5

[Qcruise]

They were playing movies on the big screen at night. I remember it must have been Antman one evening....and there would be football games there too. We had my time dining and ran into this, one could arrive at 530pm or wait until 730pm we were told. Each evening we had a standing reservation for 730pm with our same wait staff as we enjoyed them much. Dining at that time would create issues with some of the show times for us as they were scheduled at 630pm or 830pm, if we really wanted to see the show we'd try to see it at 630.

[miss meow]

We were on the same cruise and had a blast - no complaints worth mentioning and lots of great experiences. I am thinking the medial emergency at the port was around 10:30 or so? We had dropped off bags, then parked at Park-N-Cruise, and walked back over to the terminal. When we got there, people were queued up outside the doors. I noticed an ambulance off to the side, but didn't think much about it. Since we were in a suite, we walked to the doors to ask if we needed to get in any special line. Right as we got there the two port authority employees holding the doors closed opened them and told "everyone" to come in. People started mobbing the doorways and we just walked in with them. I guess we ended up breaking in line ahead of all those waiting, but it was not intentional!

 

I did not notice the water taste issues, though I heard someone else mention it. I did experience the water-shut off in the shower. This was right as we left the dock in Jamaica. Having done the zip lien tour, I really needed shower. Luckily it came back on in about 5 minutes.

 

I've written a VERY detailed trip report for some friends on a Usenet group, but I'd be glad to post it here. It is LONG though!

 

Oh come on...share it!!! I'd love to read it!

[elaine5]

thanks. We have 6pm dining, so it sounds like that would work well for 8:30 movies. I was hoping that they were utilizing the outdoor screen.

[elaine5]

hi. what was the main entertainment? Is there a Broadway show like on Liberty, Indy?

also, did they offer any discounted dining packages onboard. tx. Elaine

[rmurray847]

hi. what was the main entertainment? Is there a Broadway show like on Liberty, Indy?

also, did they offer any discounted dining packages onboard. tx. Elaine

 

I assume this might be subject to change with the move to Florida, but when we sailed Navigator in August, there were no "Broadway" shows. There is a company of dancers and singers on board, who did what I guess you'd call "production shows". That is, multiple sets, costume changes, theatrical lighting. One was a sort of "Salute to Ballroom Dancing" with some song/dance numbers, and the other was a "Broadway Medley" kind of thing where they did 3 songs from various Broadway shows, each with a different set and costume. The dance show was pretty lame, IMO. The Medley was a bit more entertaining, but still nothing fantastic. Frankly, we enjoyed the comedians and other entertainers more. The lead singers in the company had ZERO chemistry with each other during the love songs, and that got a bit tedious. Some of the sets were clever, and it wasn't that we hated those shows...but they were nothing special.

 

They never showed movies in the main theater. Everyone was always on board in plenty of time to expect full "live" entertainment.