(Late) Review of Navigator of the Seas 11/29/10-12/4/10--with pictures!

Sorry that I am a couple of weeks late with this, but after seeing all of the wonderful picture reviews on here lately, I figured that I would try one of my own. This was a 5 night cruise to Labadee and Montego Bay. First some background info, my mom and I (22 y/o male) decided to go on this cruise for some relaxation and to take advantage of the Diamonds in December event. This was my mom's 15th cruise on Royal Caribbean and my 11th (and first as a Diamond member!) This was our first time sailing on the Navigator of the Seas. I have every Cruise Compass (but don't have a scanner) and will be happy to answer any questions along the way!

Day 1:

We arrived at Port Everglades around 11 am and there we almost no lines to check in and get our SeaPass cards, even without the priority check in. We waited in the Diamond area until we were allowed to board the ship at about 11:45. As we always do, the first thing we did was go up to the Windjammer. However, to our surprise, it was still closed and did not open up until almost 12:30 pm. No big deal though, we just decided to walk around and explore the ship a little bit. Allure of the Seas was also in port that day, so we took a couple of pictures and hoped that we would be able to take a cruise on Allure one of these days.

Here is a picture of Allure:

After walking around for a bit, we went back to the Windjammer and had lunch. It was pretty croweded, but we were able to find a seat after about 5 minutes. They had all of the standard foods that we have come to expect, but everything was good for the most part.

Here is a picture of one of my must haves on the first day for lunch--honey stung fried chicken (which by the way, was the best that I have had on any cruise so far):

After lunch we went to check out our cabin. We had a promenade view cabin located on Deck 7. There was plenty of storage space in the cabin for all of our laggage, clothes, and many many many pairs of shoes that my mom thought it was necessary to bring. The bathroom was small, but functional. It was nice to have the shower with the door instead of the curtain. Our cabin attendant was Claudiu, and he was great throughout the entire cruise. We had ice every night along with extra towels and washcloths. Our beds were turned down every night and we had towel animals 3 out of the 5 nights.

While we were in our cabin, our luggage came probably around 2:30, so we unpacked and then walked around a little bit more until it was time for the muster drill at 4:30 and the sailaway at 5.

Up Next: Day 1 Evening

Day 1 Evening:

So after watching the ship leave Fort Lauderdale, it was time to get ready for the show and dinner. The Welcome Aboard Show was only performed once, at 7:45 pm. We were introduced to our Cruise Director, Simeon Baker. He had a good personality and was pretty entertaining, but he was not the best Cruise Director that we've had, but definitely not the worst either. The show featured comedian Bill Garan. He performed for 20-25 minutes. He was just ok. Neither my mom or I thought he was that funny, but we did talk to some other people throughout the cruise who thought he was pretty funny, so I guess it just depends on your personal taste.

Here are a couple of pics of the Metropolis Theatre:

After the show it was time for dinner. We decided to try out My Time Dining on this cruise, it was the first time that we have done this. We made our reservation for 8:30 for a table for 2. All of the MTD tables were on Deck 5 in the Swan Lake dining room. I don't remember the names of our waiters, but they were good, and unfortunately this was the only night that we had them. For dinner we both had the Vidalia Onion Tart, Caesar Salad, and Pork Medallions. The savarin was for dessert. Everything was good and tasted just like it had on previous cruises. We usually don't like to spend too long at dinner in the dining room, and with MTD we were in and out in just over an hour.

Pics of the dining room:

After dinner it was just about time for the Sail Away Parade in the Promenade, so we went to get a good viewing spot. The parade lasted for about 15 minutes. Here are a couple of pictures.

After the parade, we went to Cafe Promenade to get some coffee and tea. We just walked around for a little bit before going to bed around midnight. We did not use the casino or any of the night clubs on this cruise, even though they all looked like fun.

Coming Up: Day 2

Day 2: At Sea

Today was a day at sea. We slept a little bit late and went up to the Windjammer for breakfast at 10:30 am. There were plenty of tables available at this time. They had pretty much every breakfast item you can think of. I don't usually eat breakfast, but on cruises I make an exception for scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, donuts, danishes, etc, etc, etc,.

After breakfast we walked around the ship a little bit and took some pictures while some of the public areas were still empty.

This is the Ixtapa Lounge on Deck 5:

The Royal Promenade:

Some interesting artwork:

Then up on the Sports Deck, there was mini golf, inline skating, and the sport court:

Thanks for the review - helps me get excited for our upcoming cruise! I don't see many reviews of Navigator so I'm sure many will appreciate your work on this! Looking forward to the rest! :)

After taking some pictures, we went and relaxed by the pool for a few hours. Some of the activities that were held out by the pool that afternoon were the belly flop competition, miss biceps competition, and poolside music.

This afternoon we decided to see the first performance of the ice show, Ice Dancin'. It was performed at 3 and 5 pm today, as well as on the last day. The show was amazing, do not miss it! Definitely the best entertainment that we saw the entire cruise.

This is the special guest star they had in the ice show. Her name is Larissa Sherman. She was very good as well.

The ice show lasted for about an hour, so after it was over it was snack time since our dinner reservations were not until 8. We went to Cafe Promenade, where we had ham and cheese sandwiches, shrimp salad sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, calzones (which were awesome, I had at least one every day), and a few different kinds of dessert.

After eating all of this, we walked around the promenade for a bit and did a little bit of shopping before it was time to get ready for the evening.

Up Next: Day 2 Evening

Thanks for the review - helps me get excited for our upcoming cruise! I don't see many reviews of Navigator so I'm sure many will appreciate your work on this! Looking forward to the rest! :)

You're welcome! This was a great cruise, so I wanted to share my experience with anyone who might be sailing on the Navigator in the near future.

Enjoying the review :)

Day 2 Evening:

At 7:30 was the Captain's Welcome Aboard Reception. The Captain is Patrik Dahlgren from Sweden. He is the youngest Captain that I have seen on any of the cruises that I have been on. He was also very visable around the ship. I saw him many times walking around the pool deck or up and down the stairs.

Tonight at dinner we had a different reservation time, so we ended up with different waiters. Unfortunately things in the dining room were not as good as the first night. Our waiter and assistant waiter were very slow. It took about 15 minutes before anyone came over to our table to give us water or take our order. I had the chilled papaya soup, caeser salad, and chocolate souffle with espresso sauce (I had never had that before, and it was delicious). However, my mom ordered a seafood skewer with shrimp, scallops, and monk fish, which she did not like at all and said that it was cold, tasteless, and by far the worst thing she had ever eaten on a cruise.

We went to the production show after dinner. It was called "All Access" and featured music by Queen, Destiny's Child, Madonna, etc. Some of the music was from before my time, but the performers were good and both my mom and I enjoyed the show.

Also tonight was the Battle of the Sexes Gameshow and the late night adult comedy. We did not attend the Battle of the Sexes, but we did go to the late night comedy, and we were both sorry that we stayed up until midnight just for this. The comedian from the first night was the one who did the show, and neither one of us thought it was funny at all.

After this we went back to the room and went to sleep so that we could get up early and see Labadee.

This was the sunset from tonight (I think) as we passed Cuba.

Up Next: Day 3--Labadee

Enjoying the review :)

Thank You!

Day 3: Labadee, Haiti

We had never been to Labadee before, so we were excited to see the area and take a walk along the beach and look at what the local vendors were selling. We thought about doing the roller coaster or the zip line, but in the end decided that we were just going to take a walk and relax.

The ship docked around 7am, so we were up a little bit earlier than yesterday and went to the Windjammer for a quick breakfast. We were docked next to Explorer of the Seas today, so Labadee was a little bit crowded.

We walked along the beach area for a while, but it was very rocky and the beach itself was not as long as it is on CocoCay, so we then decided to go over to the little market and the vendors that were selling artwork. Some of the vendors were a little bit pushy, but some of them were also very nice. We ended up buying some artwork from a nice man who we talked to for about 15 minutes. Most of the vendors here were willing to bargain, so there are some good deals to be had. We decided to pass on the bbq, so we went back to the ship for lunch. We enjoyed seeing Labadee and thought it was an interesting place, but we both agreed that we like CocoCay better because of the larger beach and the natural beauty of the island.

Up Next: The remainder of Day 3

 

 

 

 

 

Up Next: The remainder of Day 3

It is interesting to see the two ships next to each other. I don't know if it's just the angle but they don't look like sister ships. The balconies appear to be very different!!

I am enjoying the review. Right now I am trying to get my mom to decide between Navigator & Radiance for April. Someone just finished a radiance review and now this one popped up!

It is interesting to see the two ships next to each other. I don't know if it's just the angle but they don't look like sister ships. The balconies appear to be very different!!

 

I am enjoying the review. Right now I am trying to get my mom to decide between Navigator & Radiance for April. Someone just finished a radiance review and now this one popped up!

Yes, the balconies on the two ships are different. I also noticed that since they were so close to each other. I have been on the Radiance twice, it is a great ship. You can't go wrong with either choice. Good luck with your decision!

Very good. Thanks for posting and please keep them coming. Much appreciated.

Day 3--Continued:

Lunch in the Windjammer was the usual: pizza, sandwiches, fries, salads, pasta, many different desserts, but everything was good. After lunch we went and spent a few hours lounging in the Solarium. The Solarium on the Navigator does not have a roof like on the Radiance class ships, but it was still a nice quiet spot to relax.

We stayed in the Solarium until about 5:30 pm and then it was time to get ready for the show and dinner.

Before heading back to the cabin though, we watched as we sailed away from Labadee and left the Explorer behind.

We went to the show at 7 pm tonight. The featured performer was Finis Henderson, who was described as the ultimate performer. He routine was mostly singing, he covered songs by Nsync, Michael Jackson, and many many more, but he also did some dancing and some comedy. I wasn't sure what to expect from this show, but it turned out to be very good.

After the show we went to the Platinum, Diamond & Diamond Plus Party in the Ixtapa Lounge. There were the usual finger foods and free drinks, and the Captain and some of the officers made speeches. The party lasted until 8:30, and we were then headed off to dinner in the main dining room.

We again had the same waiters as the night before, and unfortunately their service did not improve. They were both very slow throughout the entire meal, and forgot my main course and the tea that my mom ordered with dessert. The food tonight was also a little bit disappointing. I had the Thai BBQ Chicken, which was different from how I remembered it previously, and it was not very good. My mom had the shrimp and lobster tail, which she said was slightly cold and a little bit lacking in flavor. After tonight's dinner, we were both a little bit upset with the way the dinner in the dining room had been so far, so we agreed that we would try dinner in the Windjammer for the remaining two nights.

The 70's Party was after dinner at 10:15 in the Royal Promenade.

Tonight was also the Quest. It was at 11 pm in Studio B. I had never seen the Quest in Studio B before, so I was interested to see what it was like and if it would be as good as when it is held in a lounge like I had seen on other ships. The room was split up into 10 team, with only two team captains allowed on the floor. It was a little bit more tame than on previous ships, but it was still as entertaining as always. I know I'm not supposed to give away too much about the Quest, but here are a couple of pictures.

Up Next: Day 4--Montego Bay

Day 4: Montego Bay, Jamaica

Today was a lazy day for us. We have been to Montego Bay before, so we decided to stay on the ship and enjoy it while most of the other passengers got off. The ship arrived at 10 am, so we waited until about 10:30 to go to the Windjammer for our usual breakfast.

For the rest of the day, we hung out in the Solarium (in between eating lunch in the Windjammer and getting snacks at Cafe Promenade). It was a very nice and relaxing afternoon.

On one of my many trips down to the Promenade to get a snack, I noticed that the crew was beginning to decorate for Christmas by starting to assemble the massive Christmas tree in the Promenade.

This was today's lunch from the Windjammer:

Here is the Christmas tree being put together, and then after it was finished:

We skipped the show in the theatre tonight. It was a couple from Russia doing a ballroom dancing routine.

We went to the Windjammer for dinner tonight at about 7:30 pm. I've never had dinner in the Windjammer before, so I was kind of unsure about what to expect, but I have to admit, it was much better than I was expecting. They had about half of the menu items from the dining room in addition to plenty of other choices. I was still able to get some of my favorite soups, entrees, and desserts, as well as some things that I had never had before. The atmosphere in the Windjammer was also very nice for dinner. The lights were dimmed, it was not very crowded, and there were plenty of waiters if you needed anything.

After dinner I went ice skating. Open skate started at 9, but before that there was a skating session for people who had brought their own skates, as well as a special class for beginners. It had been about 3 years since I was last on ice skates, so I was nervous that the skates they had on board wouldn't be very good or that the ice might be bad, but the skates were great and so was the ice. I spent about an hour skating before the rink started to fill up and it was time for the Love and Marriage Gameshow.

The Love and Marriage Gameshow was at 10:30 pm in the theatre, and it was very funny. This show is a must see on every cruise.

At 11:15 there was the pool party and buffet up on the pool deck. My mom went back to the cabin, but I went up to see what the party was like and what kind of food was there. The party was the same as usual, the pool band was playing and there was some dancing, so I didn't stay too long.

Coming Up: Day 5--At Sea

Day 5: At Sea

Today was our last day, and since we had spent most of the cruise relaxing by the pool, we decided to do some of the activities around the ship today. We ate breakfast in the Windjammer again today at about 10:30 am.

After breakfast, at 11 am there was an art tour scheduled. We met our tour guide at the Champagne Bar. The guide was a member of the art auction staff. We had never seen one of these tours offered before, and the guide said that it was something new that the new art company onboard had started. The tour lasted about an hour and took us through the Promenade, dining room, casino, theatre, and some of the bars and lounges. It was very interesting to learn about the art and the artists. We were also told some interesting facts about the theme of all of the art work onboard and that the Navigator is decorated with over $8 million worth of art.

After the tour, we went and did some more shopping on the Promenade, listened to some of the live music by the Rosario Strings, took some pictures by the giant Christmas tree, bought some of our photos using our Diamond member coupons, and then attended the art auction in the Ixtapa Lounge. We had never gone to an art auction onboard before, so we thought that it would be interesting...and we got all the free champagne we could drink, haha.

After all of this it was time for lunch again (it was my goal to eat as much as I could since it was our last day), so we went up to the Windjammer and I pigged out.

After we finished, it was late afternoon, so we walked around a little bit more before we went back to the room and packed and got ready for the evening.

Coming Up: Day 5 Evening

Day 5--Evening

We went to the Farewell show at 7 pm, before dinner. The Cruise Director spoke for a few minutes and then did his Top 10 list of stupid questions asked by passengers. The featured performer was a comedian/magician by the name of Levent. He performed for about 20 minutes and was pretty good. At the end of the show, a good amount of crew members from every department came up on the stage and were greeted by applause from everybody in the audience.

After the show, we once again went to the Windjammer for dinner. They had some of the items from the dining room menu, as well as plenty of others to choose from. I thought the selection tonight was even better than the previous night, and everything that both my mom and I had was delicious.

After dinner, there was Christmas Caroling in the Royal Promenade. The Cruise Director and the ship's singers were singing holiday songs. It lasted for about 15 minutes and was a really nice activity.

The final event that we attended was the Holiday Street Parade at 10:45 pm in the Royal Promenade. My pictures of this did not turn out so great, but here are a couple of them anyway.

After this was over, we went back to the cabin and went to sleep since we were going to have to be up early in the morning.

Up Next: Leaving the Ship

Yes, the balconies on the two ships are different. I also noticed that since they were so close to each other. I have been on the Radiance twice, it is a great ship. You can't go wrong with either choice. Good luck with your decision!

That's the easy way to tell the difference between the first and second generation Voyager class ships. The Voyager, Explorer and Adventure have steel balconies and the Navigator and Mariner have glass balconies.

Leaving the Ship:

We woke up around 6 am to get ready and get some breakfast. We got up to the Windjammer right about 8 am, and it was packed, but that's to be expected on the last morning. I made sure to get in one last good breakfast (that chocolate donut was sooo good).

Our departure time was at 9:30 am, so we took our time with breakfast. Our meeting place was the Metropolis Theatre, and we showed up there at about 9:25 am, and our color had just been called, so we jumped in line with everybody else. Leaving the ship was a little bit strange this time compared to other cruises. We departed on Deck 1, like we were getting off at one of the islands. The we had to stand outside in a line that led to the terminal where all of the luggage and customs officers were. The line was pretty long, I would estimate that it took about 45 minutes in total. The line went past every group of luggage, so when you got to your color you would just jump out of the line, grab your luggage, and then get back in line. Kind of a strange set up, but whatever. After we went through customs, we were able to walk out to the curb where my dad drove up and picked us up, and we were on our way home by 10:30.

Overall, this was a great getaway. We had decided before the cruise that we just wanted to be lazy and enjoy everything the ship had to offer. I really don't have any complaints about this cruise other than the sub-par dining room experience that we had. It had been 7 years since I was last on a Voyager class ship, so I really enjoyed having the Promenade and the ice rink. The size of the ship felt just right and nothing ever seemed crowded. Out of the different ships I have been on, I would say that I like the Voyaged and Radiance class ships the best, and I don't know if I would be interested in trying anything bigger than those. I would not hesitate to go back on the Navigator and would suggest it to anyone who is thinking of booking a cruise. As I said before, please feel free to ask any questions and I will certainly try to answer them as best as I can. I hope you have enjoyed the review and thanks for reading!

Thanks for your review. It's been three years since we were on the Navigator and this was a great walk down memory lane--as well as a prompt to sail with her again. Thanks.

Thanks for your review. It's been three years since we were on the Navigator and this was a great walk down memory lane--as well as a prompt to sail with her again. Thanks.

No problem. You're welcome!

Thanks for your review. It's been three years since we were on the Navigator and this was a great walk down memory lane--as well as a prompt to sail with her again. Thanks.

You're welcome! I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

It is interesting to see the two ships next to each other. I don't know if it's just the angle but they don't look like sister ships. The balconies appear to be very different!!

 

Voyager, Explorer, and Adventure all had the balconies "flush" with the side of the ship. This is why some people don't like deck 6 balconies on these...the railing is almost all steel and only a little glass.

The last two, Navigator and Mariner, had the balconies sort of hung on the outside of the ship structure. The railings are all glass on all decks. This newer design was carried over to the Freedom class ships (originally code named "Ultra Voyager") as well.

Thanks for the great review and the great pictures.

Just one more week!!!!!!

:)