Just back from 5 day Navigator of the Seas

If you have any question, let me know.

Here are a few points:

Embarkation was quick at Terminal G. We arrived at the port the earliest we have ever arrived, 10:30am. They were already checking people in. We sat in the preboarding room for about 15 minutes and they started boarding shortly after 11:00am.

Rooms were ready on time at 1:30pm and luggage was delivered quickly.

Andrew, our stateroom attendant for 9342 greeted us and asked if we needed anything. We like to have fresh ice each day and he happily obliged.

Someone on an earlier review of Navigator mentioned the slate mattresses used by RCL. Again, this is the biggest complaint I have about RCL. They have never listened to the complaints, but please stop buying your mattresses from the Flintstone Mattress Co. We brought our own blow up mattress pads and they helped some.

The Windjammer was the usual organized chaos during high dining times. Food was acceptable. I found the typical variety. The staff on service were doing what they could to keep the tables cleared. I have no complaints other than a shortage of coconut ranger cookies. I may had missed them, but I saw more oatmeal raisin than coconut ranger.

We attended the evening happy hour in the Diamond lounge to be happily surprised. It was relatively easy to find a seat. Happy hour was 4:30 to 8:00pm. We would arrive after first dinner seating and it was always cleared out enough to find a seat. It was nice to find the outdoor area open and the weather cooperated as it was not overly windy. JJ, the Diamond Concierge is awesome. She loves to chat it up with you and keeps a lively atmosphere. We also met a few new friends and had a pleasant time the evenings we attended.

For those interested, we attempted to get the 10 drink beverage card on the first day. We stopped at two bars and both said it was not available and to check back later in the cruise. On day three (Tuesday) it showed up in the cruise compass and we purchased one at a bar. The price with tip was $88.50.

We dined in the specialty restaurants three nights. We chose Sabor on night one. I'm disappointed in the menu changes. The entrees are basically tacos and quesadillas. Gone is my favorite, the red snapper. In my subjective opinion... it is no longer worth the full cover charge. But I should mentioned I would still go with the buy one get one Diamond benefit as the guac and appetizers are good.

We also visited Chops. Experienced excellent service and the food was above par. Wife and I had the filet and it was hot and prepared perfectly. Ended the diner with a cappuccino and shared a slice of cheesecake. Simply delicious.

Finally we visited Izumi. We are not regulars at Japanese restaurants at home, which I am going to change in the future as I like the food. So we struggle with the menu (and the chop sticks). We ordered a few types of sushi rolls and the hot rocks. As I understand, the Navigator still has the hot rock on the menu since they have not changed over to the optional hibachi style of service. Again the food was delicious and the service was good.

This was our 24th cruise with RCL, so we don't typically attend shows very often, unless it's something new. On this short cruise we did not attend any.

With regards to the ports of call, the first of two was Costa Maya. It's been years since we've been to Costa Maya and it has grown tremendously. Our plans were to pick up a two dollar per person taxi and head to the beach club area. I heard good things about the Krazy Lobster and so we told the driver to drop us off there. My opinion is the experience was simply OK. For just the two of us, they put us at a table just behind the beach chairs. I had a bucket of beers and DW had the two free margaritas and a Bahama Mama. We ordered guacamole and nachos. It was simply OK. It is certainly the Mexico beach experience with vendors stopping at the table every 5 minutes.

The second stop was Cozumel and I prearranged a reservation at Nachicocom. I'm going to give a more complete review since I feel this was a bit lacking.

I feel it is a bit overhyped and I feel they are missing out on what is possible when you bring together a limited number of guests. It starts off well with a personal greeting with photo op and then they take your money and hand you a glass of champagne in real glass. A member of the staff then showed you to your beach chairs. We were there early and had plenty of papalas(sp?) to choose from.

I would have liked to have as part of the greeting, a better explanation of what was available to us. They did a poor job of showing us what we would receive for our $110.00 for two, such as the facilities (restrooms, pool area, changing rooms, small gift shop, beach toy options) or explain the food and drink options included.

They brought out float mats and other float toys and lined them up on the beach. Plus there were a couple of kayaks. I was under the assumption that non-motorized beach toys were included. I don't know where I got that wrong impression. An inner tube float was $12.00 to rent till 3:00pm. A float mat was $7.00. I didn't ask about the kayaks. That is simply crazy, IMO. But I guess they have to make a buck somehow.

Also, it was to my opinion they were short staffed. We had one person serving us and he was around quite a bit, but seemed to be quite busy covering the number people in his section, so individual personal service was lacking. I asked for a drink menu, but they don't publish one so I had to query at the bar to find out what liquor brands were available. The brands offered were acceptable. They could improve the bar service by getting a better blender (the blended drinks were a poor attempt), add another bartender and offer a drink menu. Finally the mixed drinks lacked in taste and had the minimal amount of alcohol. I watched the bartender measured by hand and was light on his pours.

Around 11:30 the service staff handed out menus, again with no explanation. We were not the only ones confused by the menu since they had prices with no explanation. We overheard the attendant tell someone else that you get an appetizer, a salad, an entrée and a dessert. So that is what we ordered.

Between the two of us, we ordered guacamole, cheese sticks, a raw vegetable salad, ceviche, quesadillas, and we skipped dessert. The food was typical Mexican, nothing special.

So in general, I had higher expectations of Nachicocom and feel they are missing out on opportunities to provide a better product.

So here is the kicker of our day at Cozumel, I ended up getting food poisoning. The funny thing about food poisoning in Mexico is you have many ways of getting it. After reviewing what I had to eat and comparing it to my DW, since she did not get sick, it could have been the raw green peppers on the salad or the ceviche, neither of which DW ate. Or it could have been how the bar glasses are cleaned or the bathrooms. I'll spare you the details, but it knocked me out of the game for 24 hours.

Besides that low point, we had a good time on the cruise and are looking forward to our next in just four weeks.

Feel free to ask questions and I'll answer any I can.

Would you happen to know,who the contract entertainers were: Schooner Bar piano player; Two Poets Pub guitar player; Caribbean/poolside band; Boleros/Latin band?

Very good review/report.

Keith

If you have any question, let me know.

 

Here are a few points:

 

Embarkation was quick at Terminal G. We arrived at the port the earliest we have ever arrived, 10:30am. They were already checking people in. We sat in the preboarding room for about 15 minutes and they started boarding shortly after 11:00am.

 

Rooms were ready on time at 1:30pm and luggage was delivered quickly.

 

Andrew, our stateroom attendant for 9342 greeted us and asked if we needed anything. We like to have fresh ice each day and he happily obliged.

 

Someone on an earlier review of Navigator mentioned the slate mattresses used by RCL. Again, this is the biggest complaint I have about RCL. They have never listened to the complaints, but please stop buying your mattresses from the Flintstone Mattress Co. We brought our own blow up mattress pads and they helped some.

 

The Windjammer was the usual organized chaos during high dining times. Food was acceptable. I found the typical variety. The staff on service were doing what they could to keep the tables cleared. I have no complaints other than a shortage of coconut ranger cookies. I may had missed them, but I saw more oatmeal raisin than coconut ranger.

 

We attended the evening happy hour in the Diamond lounge to be happily surprised. It was relatively easy to find a seat. Happy hour was 4:30 to 8:00pm. We would arrive after first dinner seating and it was always cleared out enough to find a seat. It was nice to find the outdoor area open and the weather cooperated as it was not overly windy. JJ, the Diamond Concierge is awesome. She loves to chat it up with you and keeps a lively atmosphere. We also met a few new friends and had a pleasant time the evenings we attended.

 

For those interested, we attempted to get the 10 drink beverage card on the first day. We stopped at two bars and both said it was not available and to check back later in the cruise. On day three (Tuesday) it showed up in the cruise compass and we purchased one at a bar. The price with tip was $88.50.

 

We dined in the specialty restaurants three nights. We chose Sabor on night one. I'm disappointed in the menu changes. The entrees are basically tacos and quesadillas. Gone is my favorite, the red snapper. In my subjective opinion... it is no longer worth the full cover charge. But I should mentioned I would still go with the buy one get one Diamond benefit as the guac and appetizers are good.

 

We also visited Chops. Experienced excellent service and the food was above par. Wife and I had the filet and it was hot and prepared perfectly. Ended the diner with a cappuccino and shared a slice of cheesecake. Simply delicious.

 

Finally we visited Izumi. We are not regulars at Japanese restaurants at home, which I am going to change in the future as I like the food. So we struggle with the menu (and the chop sticks). We ordered a few types of sushi rolls and the hot rocks. As I understand, the Navigator still has the hot rock on the menu since they have not changed over to the optional hibachi style of service. Again the food was delicious and the service was good.

 

This was our 24th cruise with RCL, so we don't typically attend shows very often, unless it's something new. On this short cruise we did not attend any.

 

With regards to the ports of call, the first of two was Costa Maya. It's been years since we've been to Costa Maya and it has grown tremendously. Our plans were to pick up a two dollar per person taxi and head to the beach club area. I heard good things about the Krazy Lobster and so we told the driver to drop us off there. My opinion is the experience was simply OK. For just the two of us, they put us at a table just behind the beach chairs. I had a bucket of beers and DW had the two free margaritas and a Bahama Mama. We ordered guacamole and nachos. It was simply OK. It is certainly the Mexico beach experience with vendors stopping at the table every 5 minutes.

 

The second stop was Cozumel and I prearranged a reservation at Nachicocom. I'm going to give a more complete review since I feel this was a bit lacking.

 

I feel it is a bit overhyped and I feel they are missing out on what is possible when you bring together a limited number of guests. It starts off well with a personal greeting with photo op and then they take your money and hand you a glass of champagne in real glass. A member of the staff then showed you to your beach chairs. We were there early and had plenty of papalas(sp?) to choose from.

 

I would have liked to have as part of the greeting, a better explanation of what was available to us. They did a poor job of showing us what we would receive for our $110.00 for two, such as the facilities (restrooms, pool area, changing rooms, small gift shop, beach toy options) or explain the food and drink options included.

 

They brought out float mats and other float toys and lined them up on the beach. Plus there were a couple of kayaks. I was under the assumption that non-motorized beach toys were included. I don't know where I got that wrong impression. An inner tube float was $12.00 to rent till 3:00pm. A float mat was $7.00. I didn't ask about the kayaks. That is simply crazy, IMO. But I guess they have to make a buck somehow.

 

Also, it was to my opinion they were short staffed. We had one person serving us and he was around quite a bit, but seemed to be quite busy covering the number people in his section, so individual personal service was lacking. I asked for a drink menu, but they don't publish one so I had to query at the bar to find out what liquor brands were available. The brands offered were acceptable. They could improve the bar service by getting a better blender (the blended drinks were a poor attempt), add another bartender and offer a drink menu. Finally the mixed drinks lacked in taste and had the minimal amount of alcohol. I watched the bartender measured by hand and was light on his pours.

 

Around 11:30 the service staff handed out menus, again with no explanation. We were not the only ones confused by the menu since they had prices with no explanation. We overheard the attendant tell someone else that you get an appetizer, a salad, an entrée and a dessert. So that is what we ordered.

 

Between the two of us, we ordered guacamole, cheese sticks, a raw vegetable salad, ceviche, quesadillas, and we skipped dessert. The food was typical Mexican, nothing special.

 

So in general, I had higher expectations of Nachicocom and feel they are missing out on opportunities to provide a better product.

 

So here is the kicker of our day at Cozumel, I ended up getting food poisoning. The funny thing about food poisoning in Mexico is you have many ways of getting it. After reviewing what I had to eat and comparing it to my DW, since she did not get sick, it could have been the raw green peppers on the salad or the ceviche, neither of which DW ate. Or it could have been how the bar glasses are cleaned or the bathrooms. I'll spare you the details, but it knocked me out of the game for 24 hours.

 

Besides that low point, we had a good time on the cruise and are looking forward to our next in just four weeks.

 

Feel free to ask questions and I'll answer any I can.

Was there a special area in the main dining room for "Diamond" cruisers to have breakfast?

You mentioned you brought blow up mattresses for the beds and it helped somewhat. What type, brand, etc? We will be on the Nav in two weeks and don’t look forward to 9 nights of hard as cement beds. Thanks.

we like izumi and we always ask for a fork, love the hotrocks