Navigator Vs. Mariner etc/Slides

[jojolee1968]

Hi there,  We are a large group traveling December 2020 with kiddos ranging from age 4 to 16...

I am concerned with what i am reading as far as wait time for the new water slides...ie. limited mats/wait time etc...'

Is this a much less concern/problem on the Mariner?  The slides look more thrilling on the navigator but navigator doesnt have the cool looking sky/jump pad.  

I am curious which ship people prefer in general and as per slides/sky pad...thanks so much.

We would be first time RCL cruisers.

[Clarea]

If anyone in your group enjoys the fitness center, including free sauna and steam rooms, then avoid Navigator.  Royal moved the fitness center on Navigator, making it smaller, losing the expansive view forward, and removing the free sauna and steam rooms.

[jojolee1968]

Not sure....I think we are all about the kids, so wanted to know about the wait time for slides between both ships and if skypad is worth it...thank you!

[sandebeach]

Our grandson did the slides on Navigator a few weeks. Shortest lines were on Boarding day, he did the slides after lunch with very short line. He also did them when we got back from CocoCay, around 4 PM? The longest lines were definitely on our Sea Day!

[Levon71]

We just got off the Mariner yesterday. The two slides, Typhoon and Cyclone, are very good. We went on them everyday and the wait times were never longer than about 5-6 minutes.  

 

We were in Port in Nassau directly next to the Navigator (sister ship to Mariner). We noticed the different slide configuration and I looked it up. One slide uses a mat and is apparently the longest water slide at sea. So of course now we want to sail on Navigator (water slides are one of our biggest factors in choosing a cruise ship).  

[LuCruise]

We just got off Navigator and were on Mariner last summer.  I can't speak personally but from my kids comments:

• Navigator slides are their favorite
• Agree with comment above, wear bathing suit when boarding and go on that day as lines were the shortest...or go on Nassau day.
• The mat one goes quicker in long lines.  Even with lines on the last sea day, my daughter was able to go many times without too much of a wait (this was in the morning - not sure if it go busier later on)
• As a negative....there was an occurrence where someone got stuck on the tube one.  That caused about a 10-15 minute wait as they had to shut off the water, go up and get the people (it's one spot near the beginning and there are stairs there so they can get out), then start the water up again.  It's August now, and our kids commented that it gets quite hot waiting in the stairway part (which looks like the same structure as the Mariner waiting spot).  

 

You can't go wrong with either one though...loved both.  As you say, Mariner has the SkyPad, which our kids loved and the Skyclimber.  Slides and pools are better on Navigator.  And Navigator has hammocks all around the pool areas which kids like too.