LUV'D the Navigator (SHORT REVIEW) JANUARY 20, 2017

[Dr. Pam]

SO long time coming....life gets busy!

To preface (please do not bash me). I enjoy luxury. I enjoy first class travel, the suite life, good food and wine, spa and gym facilities, great entertainment, and most importantly, I love to meet and talk to people from everywhere! This cruise heat all the sweet spots.

 

We flew United (first & biz) YYC-IAH-MIA the day before the cruise. Great service, great team, especially on our first leg. We arrived at MIA around midnight and called the hotel shuttle to the Hilton Miami airport (I am a gold member). Shuttle arrived quickly and we were taken to the hotel. It looked like a ghost town. Nothing (not even a lounge) was open. Clean hotel, good beds, ok linens....but hotel has that late 70's vibe. Fine for an evening, but would not encourage for a longer stay.

 

 

EMBARKATION:

We took a private but shared shuttle to the POM at around 11 AM. As suite guests, we were ushered to a short line where they did a pre-security (checked passport and checked off our name on list) and then we were allowed to take the escalator up to the check-in. Now, I will mention, that I was a little off put when we first arrived at the terminal. Everything looked so old and worn from the outside. The line up for the pre-sec check for non-suite guests was queuing outside in the hot sun. SO be warned, this is not like RCCL terminal in Port Everglades. However, once we took the escalator upstairs, the large room was much more presentable and organized. A quick check-in and we walked onboard!

 

HELLO CRUISE;

Once onboard, we decided to indulge in a welcome glass of prosecco! We decided to discover our home for the next 9 days and delayed heading to windjammer. Big mistake....."he who hesitates is lost!" Well, when we returned, we were not able to find a table for 4 anywhere! Finally a nice couple who were at a large empty table asked us to join them. Very much appreciated. While chatting with them, we found out that the Armenian Travel Group (1500 strong) were joining our cruise. They were lots of fun and seemed to be enjoying themselves. My only criticism was that on the last sea day, they had their own Armenian band playing /singing and members dancing by the pool for almost 2 1/2 hours. Ok, I like to listen to cultural music......but cmon...not for that long! Oh well. My friend and I were tempted to buy one of their Armenian CRUISE 2017 t-shirts just because.... :/

 

PRE-CRUISE:

My DH and I have Diamond Status. We always cruise in a suite. We never buy the bev package, as we find because we have the gratis cocktails in and out of the lounges, we do not find value in purchasing a package. However, we were travelling with our friends (Non-diamond, non-suite) who did not have bev perks. We all wanted VOOM to stay in touch with our (kids-all over 18) back at home. Well, on black Friday, RCCL came out with a fantastic deal that included VOOM, surf and stream and the Ultimate BEV package. WE bought it! We were able to enjoy sparkling water, cocktails by the pool, fresh squeezed juice (HAVE TO ASK FOR IT AT THE WJ BAR!), wine, coffee from their "Starbucks" like coffee bar. If anything, the package was convenient. But to note, WIFI was not-consistent. We had to log in every hour or so and then sometimes depending where you were, it was long painful.

 

SUITE: Owner's Suite 1628. Great location. Quiet. Spacious. Kept very clean by our excellent attendant!

 

 

FOOD: (Subjective)

Our group of 4 only ate at the MDR twice, both on Formal nights(Day 2 and 8). We found the service to be good-excellent (a little rushed) and the food to be good for a large dining room. No complaints.

 

We ate the rest of our dinners at the speciality dining restaurants except for one evening when we dined in our suite.

 

Chef's Table: Good not great. The event is hosted to one side of the Windjammer. Not intimate. At all.

Presentations and food and wine pairings were good not amazing (except for pea soup!). (ALthough I am a discerning foodie, having dined previously at Alinea, French Laundry....) However, it was a nice evening chatting with interesting people while enjoying good food and wine.

 

Izumi: Great!! Ate their twice! Try their albacore tuna starter! Yummo!

 

Chops Grille: Good-Great

 

Giovanni's: Good food. Great service

 

Sabors: Ok-Good.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

Ok...I was very surprised at the quality of entertainment! I had my sights set low after being on the entertainment showboat Oasis a couple of times. Wow! I could not have been more wrong! Please do not miss Piano Man David Curtis Mutter at the Schooner Bar! WOW!

AlsoDo not miss "THOSE GUYS"! WOW! s amazing! WOW!!!

 

CHAD CHESMARK was fantastic. He has left the NOS and will be joining the Jewel in May. WOW, he will be missed.

 

The hypnotist was the only show that did not wow me.

 

Overall, I was extremely impressed with the entertainment onboard. And Yeah, Cuddy the cruise director is pretty funny!

 

 

EXCURSIONS:

Sooooo, sorry Royal, I rarely do the ship's excursions. Overpriced and over crowded. I research, plan and reserved my own.

 

Labadee: We rented a bungalow this time on Barefoot Beach. I do not recommend. Yes, you have a few loungers, shade, and attendant. ( No TV, no fridge, etc) But for me, I am happy to grab a chair on the beach and move it around based on sun direction. I just do not understand the ROI for these bungalows. Each to their own.

 

Curacao: WOW! Booked the Santa Barbara Beach Resort thru Resort for a Day (94USD pp). There is a van and organizer that meets everyone at the ship and transports us to a very luxe, chill resort. For this price, your lunch, beverages etc. are included. To be noted. The beach is very calm due to a man made rock barrier. THis provides great swimming and some fantastic snorkelling. THis was a great day!

 

Aruba: We had been here before and knew that we just wanted to walk the beach, have hotel privs including loungers and have a hotel room to clean up before we went shopping prior to walking back on the ship. I had arranged a day room with Hilton for 4 of us. Very reasonable. We used cabs for transportation both ways. And btw, most stores were closed that day because of national holiday. So more time at the beach!

 

Bonaire: I am just going to put it out there......WOODWIND SNORKLE. Amazing company, run by very caring and enthusiastic owner_ DEE & ULF! HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

 

 

DISEMBARKATION:

As Suite guests, we are escorted as a group (early and a later departure) from Chops Grill. We had put our luggage out the evening before and only had hand luggage. We were invited to enjoy a cooked to order breakfast in the restaurant prior to Nadjia collecting us all for our group departure. Quick and painless. This is truly one of the perks that I love being a suite guest.

 

We flew home MIA-YYZ-YYC on Air Canada Biz class. Great flights, but not nearly as exciting as our outbound ones!:(

 

 

THOUGHTS:

I had read some negative reviews on CC regarding the NAV prior to our cruise. However, because I am Type A and like to pre-plan and set my expectations accordingly, I left this cruise feeling WOWED! I was expecting less because of our voyages on the Oasis. However, because my DH and I aren't using all the special "toys" on the big ship, I found the Navigator very enjoyable. The staff, especially, Nadjia the suite concierge, our suite attendant (?), and special cocktail servers by the pool were amazing. The entertainment was great, fitness centre was good ( never as crowded as on the Oasis :) ), ship was easy to navigate ;). I would not hesitate to recommend this itinerary and this ship.

 

Happy and Safe Travels,

 

:)Pam:D:cool:

[Dr. Pam]

I should also add that I enjoyed Royal so much, that I just reserved a cruise for my family in May onboard the Allure! IT will be interesting to compare.......

[George C]

Thanks for the review, totally agree on suite if they are in your budget, we are looking forward to GS in Liberty in April and our 3rd Navigator GS in November, also loved Izumi had done it multiple times on our other cruises on this ship, did it on Brilliance last year and was totally disappointed

Edited February 26, 2017 by George C
add info

[easyboy]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[JTBCruiser]

Interesting review, I enjoyed reading it, thank you.