Star Trek: The Cruise VI Navigator of the Seas 2/24/23 - 3/3/23 Review

[rimmit]

7 hours ago, VirginiaIsForCruisers said:

Great review! This was my fifth Star Trek cruise and I had a blast, even though the weather put a damper on some of the events, especially the sail away. I'm happy next year will depart from Florida again.

Yes.  ECP in their Q&A specifically said they will never cruise out of cold weather again as it just makes the deck parties very difficult.  Being my first Star Trek Cruise, I was sad not to have that first day deck party as everyone said that was the one that was not to be missed, and it just got cancelled.

6 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

Since it is probably mostly Trekkies that are watching this thread.   Anyone have an idea for a female Vulcan name for a goat?   We have baby goats and one has face markings that look like heavily slanted eyebrows, so at the moment she is called "Vulcan."   

T’Goat?  Goatvak? Tugoat? B’illy?  G’oat? 

[gmerick]

10 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

Since it is probably mostly Trekkies that are watching this thread.   Anyone have an idea for a female Vulcan name for a goat?   We have baby goats and one has face markings that look like heavily slanted eyebrows, so at the moment she is called "Vulcan."   

T`Nan, Baavik

[rimmit]

Ports

 

I apologize for the lack of pictures of the port area, transportation, terminal, that I would normally take pictures of when I do a review.  I was not planning on doing a review, and only decided to do this after we returned so I did not take as many pictures as I normally would

 

We had been to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerta Vallerta previously in 2008 on a Vision of the Seas cruise prior to RCI pulling out of LA during the 2010s, and been to Cabo again in 2017 on a Disney Cruisee with the kids so we didn’t really care much for the ports.  Originally we had not planned to get off the ship due to my wife’s inability to walk, but she has made great progress in physical therapy, so she said she wanted to see what she could handle.  On embarkation day we did some last minute shore excursion bookings via shorexcursion.com, and directly with a tour operator.  We traditionally do not book through RCI due to the 30% markup on excursions.  Also RCI had minimal excursions offered it seemed and the majority were sold out at this point so it was not even an option.   In the past ECP has offered celebrity led excursions, where there is a celebrity on your excursion, but since the pandemic these have sadly not yet returned.  Previous cruisers say they were a ton of fun going on excursion with the celebrities and it’s something they hope returns.

 

Cabo San Lucas

 

The last time we were in Cabo we booked a zipline tour in a canyon.  Due to Kendall’s current limitations we were obviously not going to do any significant hiking, so in Cabo we booked a quick 2 hour boat ride to the arch and a short snorkel with a pickup about a 10 minute walk from the pier.   It was a little pricey at 89/person for a quick two hour tour, but they did provide a lunch after snorkeling which at least added some value.  The lunch was a ham sandwich with some chips and some juice.  The sandwich was tastier than expected, and the juice was good as well. 

 

We boarded our boat about 5 minutes late as we were waiting for 2 more people, that never showed up.It was a short ride out to the arch where we stopped for a quick photo, and then started the short ride to the snorkeling location which we passed on the way to the arch.  We were then taken to the snorkeling area, which was just 5 minutes away.  The guide stated most people only stay about 10 minutes in the water this time of year due to the cold.  The water was pretty cool but not too cold that it was intolerable without a wetsuit, but it was 68 degrees.  Not nearly as cold as the 57 degrees we encountered in the Galapagos a little over a year ago.  We snorkeled for about 25 minutes before we decided to get out and get back to the ship.  There were a reasonable amount of fish, but it was nothing spectacular, but it was about what I expected.  The guide did take pictures with his GoPro throughout the excursion and emailed them to us for free later, which definitely added some value to the tour.  It was nice not to be nickeled and dimed for the pictures. 

 

It was exactly 2 hours, and I don’t think I’d do it again, but it was something than involved minimal walking and Kendall managed herself well. 

 

Mazatlan

 

In Mazatlan we booked a shore excursion via shoreexcursion.com and went horseback riding on the beach.  It was only 65 bucks a person, included transportation to and from the port, and also included some chips and salsa and complimentary drink and an hour horseback ride.  The pickup point for this tour was in the cruise terminal which was very handy, and there was minimal walking to get to the terminal and within the terminal.  It took a little bit of logistics to get to the horseback riding location as it was on another island.  We initially got in a van to get to a two level party boat in which we were the only people on it that was used to transport us to the island.  We then got on a truck to get to the location.  

 

Which was actually a restaurant on the beach that had the horses. 

All in all it took probably about 30 minutes to get to the beach with horses.   The restaurant area was very clean, and seemed like a nice place to spend a couple hours, but we were there primarily for the horseback riding.

 

The horseback riding experience was pretty minimal.  There was no orientation, or getting to know your horse, or telling you the horse’s name.  They had no helmets.  They basically had you climb onto your horse, and you took off, while the guide was in the rear.  The guide spoke minimal English which led to some confusion on where to go on multiple occasions as I was the one in the lead and the guide was in the rear.  The horses are pretty well trained, but they still need some guidance.  You do not start out riding the horses on the beach.  In order to ride the horses on the beach, you have to travel on several roads until you have passed the last restaurant on the beach. Then you can take the horses onto the beach.  I definitely took a couple wrong turns and had to turn my horse around to get back on the right path.  Once we got on the beach it was very relaxing and beautiful.  The weather was perfect and the breeze just right.

We were there pretty early in the day, and as such we basically had the beach to ourselves which was really nice.

 

Overall, it was a very relaxing ride on the beach and for $65 dollars/person was very reasonably priced.  Afterwards, we were allowed to stay at their restaurant and beach for as long as we wanted and have some chips and salsa and our free drink.  It was a very nice location and very relaxing and the weather was perfect today in the mid 70’s with a light breeze.  We did stay to finish our chips and drink but chose to have them take us back to the ship after we were done so we didn’t miss any of the entertainment as that is the whole reason we took a Star Trek Cruise.

 

Puerta Vallarta

Puerta Vallarta we did a Razr (side by side) excursion.  This was an absolute blast and I absolutely would do it again.  We booked this directly via the operator, Canyon River.  This was $300 for both of us so it was a little on the pricier side.  It included pick up from their office which is a short walk from the ship.  “Short” being a relative term based on your ability to walk efficiently.  My wife is still recovering, and it really is relatively short IF you didn’t have to walk some obscure mile long walk to get out of the port.  You can see the road from when you get off the boat not even 40 yards away when you get off the ship, but due to the way they make you walk through the port and the attached shopping area, it takes 20 minutes to get out of the port walking if you are mobility challenged.  She definitely got in her physical therapy for the day for sure getting to their office which ended up being a 30 minute walk when all was said and done.  

 

It was then 45 minute drive to the canyon where you do the excursion which was a blast.  We had three other stops to pick up other tourists on the way to the canyon.  

Once we got their, they handed us our goggles and bandana to keep us from inhaling insane amounts of dust, as it has been very dry lately, and the Razr's kick up a lot of dust.  

This was before....  Needless to say, I should have picked a different colored shirt.  LOL

 

Despite the very rough terrain the Razr has an amazing shock system making for relatively smooth ride.  The trail was very long, and I'd say we spent at least an hour actually driving in the Razr.  While there were some turns that were a little harrowing I never felt unsafe.  I did have to slow down to almost a stop sometimes as the dust was so thick I could not see even 2 feet in front of me.

 

Some Razr's did get stuck trying to get up some areas and took a little backing up and going at the hill again to get up it.  There were several areas with water you had to cross that definitely made for some good pictures and some big splashes onto the Razr.

Midway through there is a stop at a waterfall that you could hike to.  We were a little concerned Kendall would not be able to make it down the short 100 ft trail with about 40 ft in elevation change to get to the waterfall but she made it!  The waterfall water was nice and cool and we took a quick dip.  There was a small cliff you could jump off of if you wanted.  I did jump off it, and it was definitely a fun experience.

 

Right before the end there is another stop at a bar to get some tequila that overlooks the final bridge you drive on before being back at the home base.  Drinking and driving is OK there apparently as they were definitely downing the tequila shots before the final stretch.

  

 

After we were done, we had about an hour to chill at their base camp area.  They have many tours that start here, such as zip lining, ATV tours, and several shows.  The area is very nice and developed and has a  very large restaurant

a pool

and a stage for shows

and much more. We did have some chips and queso while we waited to go back.  At this point in time the photographer who was taking pics during the excursion found you and showed you your pics and offered to sell them to you for $25/pic or $60 for all.  They took about 15 pics of us of varying quality.  I am not normally one to buy phots as I take my own, but for safety reasons, you cannot take pics while driving obviously, so I did spring for the photos this time.  We eventually left and took their provided transportation which dropped us back off at the pier rather than their office this time which saved us some walking.  Overall, this was an excellent excursion and if I ever go back with my kids, I will definitely take them, as it is only marginally more to take them as you pay for the Razr rental, and it holds 4 people, so it's not much more to pay for 2 more people.  So instead of $300 for 2, it would be $400 for 4.  Much better bang for buck if you can fill your Razr.

 

Unfortunately, I don't have much from an actual Port report. Due to Kendall's mobility issues, we were unable to roam around as freely as we normally do and just explore the ports on our own.

 

Next time on Star Trek: The Cruise

The Celebrities

Cabin

Ship

Service

Overall

Edited March 24, 2023 by rimmit

[Smokeyham]

@rimmit

Thanks for this great review!  It is really interesting to learn how themed cruises are different from a regular cruise.  I'm looking forward to reading the next segments of your review.

[island lady]

8 minutes ago, Smokeyham said:

@rimmit

Thanks for this great review!  It is really interesting to learn how themed cruises are different from a regular cruise.  I'm looking forward to reading the next segments of your review.

 

You do realize this was 2 years ago right?  

[BecciBoo]

OMG I flipped out...my whole family would want to go.  Thanks, fabulous..live long and prosper!

[Smokeyham]

On 2/24/2024 at 10:30 AM, island lady said:

 

You do realize this was 2 years ago right?  

Actually, this was posted March, 2023 (one year ago) for Star Trek VI.  The information seems relevant for the Star Trek cruises and most will likely apply to future cruises.   A friend works on these cruises and the information posted tracks with what she has told me.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Great review looks a fun cruise. 

Would love royal to do a starwars one. Props, costumes,  characters, actors, themed stuff in bars, shops and food. 

Plenty of spare stuff i imagine going cheap from Disneys stupid expensive theam hotel. 

[JemzRoo]

Oh, my, god. Now I feel like I absolutely need to go on the next one. I'd probably constantly be star struck moving around the ship. This looks so much fun.

[alexgtp]

awesome...

Huge TNG fan here! totally enjoying this thread!

[VirginiaIsForCruisers]

On 2/24/2024 at 3:21 PM, BecciBoo said:

OMG I flipped out...my whole family would want to go.  Thanks, fabulous..live long and prosper!

 

12 hours ago, JemzRoo said:

Oh, my, god. Now I feel like I absolutely need to go on the next one. I'd probably constantly be star struck moving around the ship. This looks so much fun.

 

Open booking just started for the 2025 cruise! It will be leaving from Miami and going to the Western Caribbean. We got back from the 2024 cruise on February 29th. It was a blast!