Just off 9 night ABC on the Navigator!!!

[geneology]

Dress suggestions are not enforced, so people wear the full range of attire. I don't think there's any "majority" of dress. Wear whatever you want.

 

Thank you for not ripping me apart and for the info. We do dress up on Formal night - me more than DH. :DWe come from NY so we usually dress semi-formal for weddings, so I will use that as my guide.

[geneology]

Palm Beach on Aruba. $2 pp each way, city bus.

 

Sorry for all the questions. How long is the bus ride and how often does it run? I always am afraid of missing the ship. LOL

[Clarea]

Sorry for all the questions. How long is the bus ride and how often does it run? I always am afraid of missing the ship. LOL

Bus ride is around 15-20 minutes. Don't know how often, but you can see the schedule at the bus station. Taxis are available if you don't want to wait, but I forget the cost.

[ONECRUISER]

Not everyone on this forum is diamond so I appreciate the question. Tried to find the drink cards on the Serenade last year and they weren't available at all on our 11-day sailing.

Agree. Serenade like other ships doesn't always offer drink card. When Serenade does sell it on 10/11/12 nite cruises my experience is it's usually on the 6-7th day...

[boxermom711]

This is our first time on Royal Caribbean - We liked the itinerary. Any one have any ideas on what to do in ports? Aruba we want as a beach day - suggestions on which beach? At a loss on what to do on the other two islands. Also does Navigator have any large Broadway type shows? Any other ideas on what is not to be missed since we are new to the ship and the line.

How is Labadee? Lots of questions!!! Been doing research but for some odd reason nothing is really jumping out at us.

 

 

 

In Aruba we walked down to Reflexions. Nice quiet beach. $18 for 2 chairs & umbrella. Food & drink were reasonable & good. It’s about 3/4 mile. No excursions, just the people who showed up. I would do this beach again.

In Bonaire we booked a snorkel excursion through RCI - it’s was on a private yacht (it was small but nice) and only 20 people.

Curaçao we just walked around & really enjoyed that

Labadee we just rented an umbrella & enjoyed the sun and beach

 

 

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[AggieCard]

Also which nights were the formal nights? With out getting ripped to shreds - How dressed up do you have to get? I just wanted to know what the majority dresses like - so we can pack accordingly. My DH wants to just bring his navy sports jacket, grey pants, collared shirt - would prefer not to wear a tie. Does this work for formal nights?

 

 

The formal nights were night 2 and 8

[Paulette3028]

Also which nights were the formal nights? With out getting ripped to shreds - How dressed up do you have to get? I just wanted to know what the majority dresses like - so we can pack accordingly. My DH wants to just bring his navy sports jacket, grey pants, collared shirt - would prefer not to wear a tie. Does this work for formal nights?

 

As already said, "Formal Dress Code" is not enforced. Your husband will be just fine....and you can dress in whatever you feel compliments his attire. You will see everything. Just coming off the same cruise, I can't remember seeing many people in tuxedos at all....lots of pretty dresses/pantsuits of all styles.

[HangryGrl]

Sorry for all the questions. How long is the bus ride and how often does it run? I always am afraid of missing the ship. LOL

 

We did the bus just a few weeks ago from the terminal in town to Arashi beach (last stop) and it probably took 20-25 minutes. The driver told us as we were getting off where the bus picks up for the return, how often it runs and what time to look for it (ie. quarter past each hour). The buses both ways were very clean and the drivers very friendly. Make sure you have small bills becuase they will give you change in the local currency (florins I think?).

[squadron]

Who cares about the drink cards when you are diamond and can get many drinks between 4:30/5:00-8:00/8:30 every day? Of course unless you want to be “buzzed” all day:)

 

Just got off Liberty - the cards could be shared -so a couple could share a ten drink card for 3 or 4 days. Couldn't get "buzzed" on that. Also the diamond lounge was so crowded that I only went once - no sitting for hours for free drinks which seems to be the perception.

[njm5378]

As already said, "Formal Dress Code" is not enforced. Your husband will be just fine....and you can dress in whatever you feel compliments his attire. You will see everything. Just coming off the same cruise, I can't remember seeing many people in tuxedos at all....lots of pretty dresses/pantsuits of all styles.

 

Agreed. We had late dinner on the 1/19 sailing most people were respectful of the dress code, did not see many shorts and tank tops. Also didn't see many tuxedos. We did notice many more suits that on our last couple sailings. Guessing it is attributed to an older demographic versus other sailing.

[cruzinchar]

I know that some ships offer a laundry service at some point during the cruise (clothes in a bag for a fixed amount). Do you know if that was offered on your recent 9 night cruise on the Navigator, and, if so, on what day?

[ONECRUISER]

I know that some ships offer a laundry service at some point during the cruise (clothes in a bag for a fixed amount). Do you know if that was offered on your recent 9 night cruise on the Navigator, and, if so, on what day?

Was 5th day once and 4th other time for me. Was $35 and only put in it things like undies, sox, swimsuit, workout clothes, PJ's. Nothing nicer as some fading can happen. Small bag but stretch's to fit, alot, if you roll ea item up tight. My record is 10 T-shirts, 4 gym/PJ shorts, 10 underwear and 10 sox in one bag. Of course they came back in two large regular bags...

[cruzinchar]

Was 5th day once and 4th other time for me. Was $35 and only put in it things like undies, sox, swimsuit, workout clothes, PJ's. Nothing nicer as some fading can happen. Small bag but stretch's to fit, alot, if you roll ea item up tight. My record is 10 T-shirts, 4 gym/PJ shorts, 10 underwear and 10 sox in one bag. Of course they came back in two large regular bags...

Thanks! Just what I needed to know! When we get on the cruise we will have already been away from home for three days, so was wondering how soon we’d be able to wash a few things. Sounds like it’s around halfway through the cruise so that will be great!

[Oldgoat61]

My wife and I will be on the Navigator Mar of next year. We wanted to experience another cruise line, and the itinerary was exactly what we wanted.

We have cruised NCL almost exclusively. How different is RC from NCL(for those in the know)? What things, from your experience, are good to know ahead of time? Sorry, that is such a broad question.

What is the upcharge for the specialty restaurants (does it depend on the dish)? Are reservations to those restaurants necessary/recommended, or can you just walk in?

Do excursion sell out quickly?

 

Thanks! :D

[Clarea]

... What is the upcharge for the specialty restaurants (does it depend on the dish)? Are reservations to those restaurants necessary/recommended, or can you just walk in?

...

The charge for the specialty restaurant varies by ship, sailing, and restaurant. Once you book a cruise, you can use the Cruise Planner on Royal's website to see the prices for your sailing. I suggest having a reservation as walk-ins are not always possible.

[rosebud1g]

The formal nights were night 2 and 8

 

What night was lobster? night 8?

what was the menu on day 2?

[rosebud1g]

Just got off the Navigator of the Seas 9 night cruise to the ABC islands and wanting to see if anyone had any questions. About 24 hours removed now, but didn't see any other posts so wanted to put this out there. Overall the cruise was amazing and I am now officially diamond. Let me know if you have questions and I am happy to answer.

 

Do you have the compass for the week?

[Kruzlife]

Just got off the Navigator of the Seas 9 night cruise to the ABC islands and wanting to see if anyone had any questions. About 24 hours removed now, but didn't see any other posts so wanted to put this out there. Overall the cruise was amazing and I am now officially diamond. Let me know if you have questions and I am happy to answer.

 

 

What excursions did you do or do you recommend?

[tullers]

What night was lobster? night 8?

what was the menu on day 2?

RCCL Cruise Compass’ & Menu’s

https://issuu(dot)com/Hochmania

[tullers]

Do you have the compass for the week?

RCCL Cruise Compass’ & Menu’s

https://issuu(dot)com/Hochmania

[NewfieGuy1972]

This is our first time on Royal Caribbean - We liked the itinerary. Any one have any ideas on what to do in ports? Aruba we want as a beach day - suggestions on which beach? At a loss on what to do on the other two islands. Also does Navigator have any large Broadway type shows? Any other ideas on what is not to be missed since we are new to the ship and the line.

How is Labadee? Lots of questions!!! Been doing research but for some odd reason nothing is really jumping out at us.

 

 

 

I’ll help if I can....

 

Labadee is a beach day for us, so we just do the beach lounger for 2. It is overlooking adrenaline beach, and sometimes can be a bit windy, if you are looking to swim you can lay out by barefoot beach which is usually more crowded but the water is amazing there.

 

Aruba we also consider a beach day as it has the best white sandy beaches of the the ABCs. Eagle beach is closest to the ship and also quieter than Palm beach. Agree the bus is the way to go, right across from the port exit and a smidge to the right. Eagle is best for laying out and enjoying the water and palm is better for amenities, beach bars etc...but is also much busier as it has the high rise hotels. Honestly if it’s your first time, go to palm, rent some chairs and an umbrella for $30 near a beach bar and enjoy some Amstel Brights. There is no fee for the beach (or the palapas on eagle beach) as all beaches in Aruba are public. Don’t sweat catching the bus on the way back, cab is only $15...tip included and were plentiful.

 

In Curaçao, we did the Aquafari, located in pirate bay near piscdera. This was phenomenal, and I highly recommend. We got a cab there for around $15, and we had enough time after spending time in the beach to do some exploring while trying to find the bus stop back. We ended up walking to a nearby hotel, and the security guard pointed us to a paved walking trail that ran all the way along the ocean and directly to the cruise ship. It was an unexpected highlight of the day, we saw some really cool little houses like some that you would find in a little fishing village. It took about 40 minutes in total, so if you’re up for it, you can’t beat the view.

 

Bonaire...this is one of our favs. The past 2 times we have been there we rent the golf cart from Bonaire Cruisers, and explore on our own. We love it....went to the Cadushy Distillery, the flamingo sanctuary and ended off the day to the southern part of the island at Sorobon Beach resort. The people in Bonaire are simply fantastic, waving to us as we passed by in the golf cart always smiling and just Dushi in general. We made several pit stops for some Amstel brights while touring the island and had a phenomenal time.

 

As far as the Navigator...she is one of our favs, the crew on this ship are always smiling and they actually seem to enjoy their job. We spent a lot of time in the casino and at vintages and have nothing but positive things to say. The only negative I can even think of is that the quality of the food in the MDR for supper and in the jammer for breakfast seems to have plummeted. We did this cruise last year also, and were so shocked on how good the food was that we only booked specialty dining for 2 nights this cruise anticipating that they food would be the same. We are very easy to please, it hopefully this is only a temporary glitch, and the MDR and the Windjammer offering will be much better going forward. That being said, we ended up doing speciality dining for the remaining nights after 3 mediocre dinners.

 

Can’t think of anything else right now, but if I do I’ll chime in...

 

Cheers and enjoy your cruise!

[rosebud1g]

RCCL Cruise Compass’ & Menu’s

https://issuu(dot)com/Hochmania

OMG! Thank you SO much!!!

[Sunshine-lady]

I’ll help if I can....

 

Labadee is a beach day for us, so we just do the beach lounger for 2. It is overlooking adrenaline beach, and sometimes can be a bit windy, if you are looking to swim you can lay out by barefoot beach which is usually more crowded but the water is amazing there.

 

Aruba we also consider a beach day as it has the best white sandy beaches of the the ABCs. Eagle beach is closest to the ship and also quieter than Palm beach. Agree the bus is the way to go, right across from the port exit and a smidge to the right. Eagle is best for laying out and enjoying the water and palm is better for amenities, beach bars etc...but is also much busier as it has the high rise hotels. Honestly if it’s your first time, go to palm, rent some chairs and an umbrella for $30 near a beach bar and enjoy some Amstel Brights. There is no fee for the beach (or the palapas on eagle beach) as all beaches in Aruba are public. Don’t sweat catching the bus on the way back, cab is only $15...tip included and were plentiful.

 

In Curaçao, we did the Aquafari, located in pirate bay near piscdera. This was phenomenal, and I highly recommend. We got a cab there for around $15, and we had enough time after spending time in the beach to do some exploring while trying to find the bus stop back. We ended up walking to a nearby hotel, and the security guard pointed us to a paved walking trail that ran all the way along the ocean and directly to the cruise ship. It was an unexpected highlight of the day, we saw some really cool little houses like some that you would find in a little fishing village. It took about 40 minutes in total, so if you’re up for it, you can’t beat the view.

 

Bonaire...this is one of our favs. The past 2 times we have been there we rent the golf cart from Bonaire Cruisers, and explore on our own. We love it....went to the Cadushy Distillery, the flamingo sanctuary and ended off the day to the southern part of the island at Sorobon Beach resort. The people in Bonaire are simply fantastic, waving to us as we passed by in the golf cart always smiling and just Dushi in general. We made several pit stops for some Amstel brights while touring the island and had a phenomenal time.

 

As far as the Navigator...she is one of our favs, the crew on this ship are always smiling and they actually seem to enjoy their job. We spent a lot of time in the casino and at vintages and have nothing but positive things to say. The only negative I can even think of is that the quality of the food in the MDR for supper and in the jammer for breakfast seems to have plummeted. We did this cruise last year also, and were so shocked on how good the food was that we only booked specialty dining for 2 nights this cruise anticipating that they food would be the same. We are very easy to please, it hopefully this is only a temporary glitch, and the MDR and the Windjammer offering will be much better going forward. That being said, we ended up doing speciality dining for the remaining nights after 3 mediocre dinners.

 

Can’t think of anything else right now, but if I do I’ll chime in...

 

Cheers and enjoy your cruise!

 

Thanks so much for all the information. This will really help us decide on what we want to do in just 3 weeks.

[amykay618]

Not everyone on this forum is diamond so I appreciate the question. Tried to find the drink cards on the Serenade last year and they weren't available at all on our 11-day sailing.

I agree.. Kind of turned off by that comment. Not everyone is "Diamond" and not everyone that enjoys a drink or 2 at the pool is sleeping in the shows. I wish people that didn't have the answers that people ask, kept their entitled comments to themselves.:confused:

[amykay618]

Who cares about the drink cards when you are diamond and can get many drinks between 4:30/5:00-8:00/8:30 every day? Of course unless you want to be “buzzed” all day:)

Congratulations on your Elite "Diamond" status and hour of drinks but I'm not sure your answer and somewhat judgmental comment answers the question someone asked about drink cards?