Jan 29 Navigator OTS- Port Everglades Park N Go

[citrusflorida]

Hello everyone. We just returned today from the 6 day Jan. 29th sailing on the Navigator. I will try to figure out how to post pictures soon, but just wanted to start the review of our trip. I have one word : FANTASTIC !

 

I have been on the RCI boards in recent months as our 5 previous cruises have been on another line. I must say I was a bit worried as there had been embarkation problems at Port Everglades and also, I had read numerous mediocre and downright poor reviews of the Navigator OTS. I know, I know, it is all individual perception, but if you didn't want opinions, you wouldn't be reading, right?

 

We used Park N Go right outside of Port Everglades. Go to their website and get an internet coupon and book online. You don't pay until you leave. They were awesome! My rate was 7.99 per day. You pull in, they follow you to your space, remove your luggage from you car and take you literally to the doorstep of the pier. They unload your bags and give them to the pier porters. Much easier and tons cheaper than parking yourself at the port. When you get back, call them and they will be there within 5 mins, if they are not already there. You even get a free bottle of water for the ride.

 

Checking in was very smooth. My mother lost her glasses and had to go back through and they had been turned in to security and it still didn't take more than 30 mins total to get onboard.

 

We went straight to the Windjammer for lunch and even though there were items I did not care for, overall, the food quality was good. I mostly ate the food from the Jade section, but I had a good sampling of all of it. The french fries are To Die For! Food plentiful and at the correct temperature for the most part. I loved, loved that it seemed like a restaurant and not a high school cafeteria free for all. The servers will bring you whatever you want to drink, which is also nice.

 

We went to our cabins around 2:00 and all was well. We had an interior cabin 9581. It was small, but very well laid out with very well placed storage areas. Plenty of room for all our stuff and clothes. I hate clutter and we were able to keep a neat cabin. Our room steward, Lilianna was excellent. No complaints at all. My parents had a handicapped accessible room that was huge compared to ours. Nice shower for my father with a pull down seat, so he could sit and wash.

[citrusflorida]

Our luggage arrived by around 3:00 , I believe. I had checked in a 12 pack of water, which I know you are not supposed to do, but I did and it made it to our cabin later that night. It was there after dinner. I put it in an old tote bag with a luggage tag. I also put a tag on the water itself and left it with the porters.

Dinner in the MDR at 6:00 was a great experience every single night. Sunil and Vitaly were great. They were attentive and the food was very good. Of the 6 dinners we had, there was only 1 pasta dish that my mother didn't care for and Sunil brought her something else right away. My father asked for a dessert as an appetizer and even though my mother told him he couldn't have it since it wasn't time, Sunil brought it anyway! We had lobster and prime rib on the second formal evening and it was no problem to get extras of anything. BTW, I thought the dining room was beautiful, very elegant. There was a pianist or a violinist each night on the second floor balcony.

 

The shows and entertainment were overall very good. Dan Dan the Party Man Whitney had some pretty poor reviews but we found him engaging and entertaining. I spoke to him several times and he seemed to keep the party going. The 70's party on the Royal Promenade was a blast. I know they do the same thing on many of the ships, but it was still very entertaining, especailly his mile high afro! His staff were all over the ship and the activities were varied and plentiful. If you cannot find something to do on this ship (or any ship, for that matter), you are just better off going to an insurance seminar. There was a comedian who was very good, a young juggler who was also very good, and The Scintas, a family of singers and musicians that were excellent. The Scintas received a standing ovation.The production dancers and singers were ok, I have seen better, but we still enjoyed them. The piano bar singer was....not so good. The Quest adult game show in Studio B (the ice skating rink), was absolutely hilarious, I was crying. DO NOT miss the Ice Skating show. I was totally impressed with what they could do in such a small area. The costuming was great and the show was just plain great.

[citrusflorida]

We made much use of the ship's gym. It was vey pretty. There was a large hottub and plenty of machines, both cardio and strength. I always love to work out while looking out over the ocean. There is a spiral staircase from the gym up to the spa area. The only spa service we used was the hair salon. My husband decided he needed a haircut. It was actually only 5 dollars more than it would have been at home. The stylist was friendly and did a good job.

 

The Solarium adults only area was also pretty. It had an Italian-esque feel, as did the gym and spa. There were very few children on this sailing, so no problems with children in that area. The pool was small, but there was hardly anyone in it anyway. 2 large hot tubs that were well used also. The deck chairs were comfy, much nicer than by the main pool area. As is expected, chair hogs were out in full force. I don't worry about it. Either get out there early or wait for one to open up. It is frustrating though. I was walking towards 2 chairs and a lady came running over saying she had seen them first. Ok, whatevs. You can have them. Then she set her bag down on one, her towel on the other, and grabbed her husband and said " Let's go eat" I really don't let rude selfish people ruin my vacation.

 

First port day was Grand Caymen. Tendering was smooth and the weather cooperated. We walked to Eden Rock Dive Center and snorkled from the shore. It was like snorkling in a giant fancy fish tank. The variety of fish was amazing. We have our own snorkles and masks and rented fins for 5.00. So we had a nice excursion for 10.00! Eden Rock is a 10 min walk to the right from the pier. My parents had a picnic table to sit at and watch our stuff and take pictures. Very nice day.

[citrusflorida]

More to come tomorrow and hopefully I will figure out how to post the pictures. I will be happy to answer questions.

[jagnum1fan]

Thanks for the review! We are going on Allure in October for our honeymoon and we were debating on using the park n go or not. We used one in Miami and had a good experience, so you have helped reaffirm our thoughts on the one in Port Everglades.

[devvt]

I'm glad you enjoyed the Navigator - we've sailed on this lovely ship a couple of times.

 

My question has to do with Park N Go at Port Everglades - I'd be interested in knowing what time you arrived there on embarkation day - was it earlier than 11 am?

[citrusflorida]

I'm glad you enjoyed the Navigator - we've sailed on this lovely ship a couple of times.

 

My question has to do with Park N Go at Port Everglades - I'd be interested in knowing what time you arrived there on embarkation day - was it earlier than 11 am?

 

No, we arrived after 11:00. It was 12:30 or so.

[citrusflorida]

This is a link to my pictures, over 300 of them. Enjoy!

 

 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2290710446680.84104.1816579359&type=3&l=3b4123b157

[RCcruisinfamily]

This is a link to my pictures, over 300 of them. Enjoy!

 

 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2290710446680.84104.1816579359&type=3&l=3b4123b157

 

Enjoyed your pictures. Sailing Navigator in March. We went to Labadee last year. We took the same tour. It was the grand opening of Fallmouth on Oasis. We almost missed the ship coming back. Have they improved the speed of the tour or lengthened the time in port? I wonder. We didn't have time to look in one shop in port. We ran back to the boat!

 

Thanks for sharing. Can't wait till Spring Break 2012, Navigator.

 

Kelly

[citrusflorida]

Enjoyed your pictures. Sailing Navigator in March. We went to Labadee last year. We took the same tour. It was the grand opening of Fallmouth on Oasis. We almost missed the ship coming back. Have they improved the speed of the tour or lengthened the time in port? I wonder. We didn't have time to look in one shop in port. We ran back to the boat!

 

Thanks for sharing. Can't wait till Spring Break 2012, Navigator.

 

Kelly

 

You are welcome. We were in port from 0700 until 1530. We were on our bus by 0730 and returned around 1300. It was a great excursion. We stopped in a few of the shops, but were just too tired and hungry to stay at the port for too long.

[citrusflorida]

Day 4 was the Falmouth, Jamaica port. The port itself was very nice. It is pretty new from what I have been told. Most shops were open. Local vendors in booths were not terribly pushy. There was a shop that sold Jamaican sauces at very reasonable prices. I bought 6 assorted bottles for less than 20.00. We shopped on our way back to the ship after our excusion to the Green Grotto Caves and Dunns River Falls. Our guides and driver were great. Totally worth the 67.00 price, booked onboard. We both made it all the way to the top of the falls. It was very exhilerating. The guide that videotaped the whole climb was a bit pushy at the end trying to get us to buy it, but other than that, another great day.

 

Day 5 was the Labadee, Haiti stop. I would have to say Labadee was the most gorgeous place I have ever been. I was stunned by it's beauty. However, I was also stunned by the fact that just a few short miles away, the homeless forsaken live day by day. The juxtaposition of human suffering and human excess was sobering. I almost felt guilty for being there. OK, I will get off my soapbox now. We did not do any of the activities. We found a nice spot and asked for 2 loungers. We relaxed for most of the day and enjoyed the scenery. We wished we had brought our water shoes as it was rocky. We still swam though.. The water was cool, not cold. (The weather our whole trip was perfect. ) We did not eat onshore. We did notice that the lines for food were very long. We had no problem getting beverages though, including soda. We walked the paved paths and got some spectacular photos of the ships and the sea and the mountains. We did not go ashore until after 1100, so we stayed later than most people and it was very quiet by 1500 or so as many had returned to the ship. We sailed at 1630.

 

Day 6 was our final day and a sea day. Tons of activities were scheduled, but we spent the morning in the gym. My husband had a haircut at lunchtime in the spa and it was very reasonable. Then we did the rock climbing wall. I was not succesful, but it was fun trying. We laid around the pool the rest of the afternoon before getting cleaned up for our final dinner. Our waiter, Sunil and our asst. waiter Vitaley were excellent. There was 1 pasta dish my mother did not care for and it was quickly replaced by something different. Other than that, all the food was very good. I was very impressed with our dining experience.

Debarkation day came way to quickly, of course. We did self assist and we were off the ship and through customs by 0730! A Park N Go van was already loading passengers and luggage. We were in our car and on the way home by 0750! Could not have been a better morning.

Overall, I was very impressed by RCI, the ship, and her staff. There were very few times when I was not greeted in some way by a crew member with a friendly smile. I thought the ship was in great shape for being 10 years old. Wear and tear is to be expected when you carry 3000+ passengers each week. There was constant cleaning and painting on our sailing, but not in a way that it was annoying. However, I went to the service desk twice during our sailing and while waiting in line I heard complaints. Once from people complaining about the MDR wait staff and the speed of their meals, and the second was someone complaing about how terrible the shows had been. Maybe I see things through rose colored glasses, but I experienced nothing that would compel me to complain to anyone.

 

I look forward to sailing on RCI again soon!

[citrusflorida]

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

[sml3]

Are there lounge chairs on deck 5 and does it go all the way around the ship?

[citrusflorida]

Are there lounge chairs on deck 5 and does it go all the way around the ship?

Good question. I honestly do not remember. Sorry!

[Ander026]

Are there lounge chairs on deck 5 and does it go all the way around the ship?

 

I can answer that for you.

 

On Deck 4, where you Embark/Disenbark in FLL, there is a walkway all the way around. As you approach the front of the ship there are stairs that take you to Deck 5. Once on Deck 5 you can still navigate around the front of the ship. In the very front you can even sit out on the Helipad :D.

 

Below is a view looking from the MDR area on Deck 4

 

Below is a view from the Helipad, (this was taken on Freedom, same setup)

 

Hope that this helps

[JGORD7]

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Ok this may be a silly questions but I've never been on a cruise & our first one is on the NOS over the week of Easter....

 

How in the world do you know what & where everything is?? Are the pools & solarium & all that on same deck? Is the ship easy to navigate & find everything?

[sml3]

Thanks!! :)

 

 

I can answer that for you.

 

On Deck 4, where you Embark/Disenbark in FLL, there is a walkway all the way around. As you approach the front of the ship there are stairs that take you to Deck 5. Once on Deck 5 you can still navigate around the front of the ship. In the very front you can even sit out on the Helipad :D.

 

Below is a view looking from the MDR area on Deck 4

 

Below is a view from the Helipad, (this was taken on Freedom, same setup)

 

Hope that this helps

[jerryb48]

JGORD7.. to answer your question, if you go to RCCL's web page and put your pointer on "plan a cruise" then on "ships" then scroll down to "voyager class" and click on "navigator" then scroll down to "view deck plans". Once there you will see a box that says "select a deck". Go back and forth and just study where things are. You can print them out if you wish.

 

Hope this helps you out.

[citrusflorida]

Thanks! I didn't even go to the helipad area. I was so engrossed with other things, I totally forgot!

 

I can answer that for you.

 

On Deck 4, where you Embark/Disenbark in FLL, there is a walkway all the way around. As you approach the front of the ship there are stairs that take you to Deck 5. Once on Deck 5 you can still navigate around the front of the ship. In the very front you can even sit out on the Helipad :D.

 

Below is a view looking from the MDR area on Deck 4

 

Below is a view from the Helipad, (this was taken on Freedom, same setup)

 

Hope that this helps

[citrusflorida]

Ok this may be a silly questions but I've never been on a cruise & our first one is on the NOS over the week of Easter....

 

How in the world do you know what & where everything is?? Are the pools & solarium & all that on same deck? Is the ship easy to navigate & find everything?

 

I thought she was very easy to get around on. They give you a map when you check in and there are nice navigational tools on the ship also. The Solarium, the main pool deck, and the Windjammer, amog other things are all on Deck 11. Do as the OP said and go to the website and study the ship. That is what I did and it really helped. You should love this ship and the staff, we sure did.

[jerryb48]

Citrusflorida, did you have to fill out a 2 question health form at the pier?

I have read on these boards that some have had to an others didn't. One person even posted a copy if you wanted to print it out. Others said they went to a table to fill it out. I think it ask weather you have a cold and also if you have or flu like symtoms.

[jakenashleysmom]

Just checked out your fabulous photos on your facebook link, we were also on this cruise! In your photo of yourself on the tender to Grand Cayman we were sitting back to back! :)

[citrusflorida]

Citrusflorida, did you have to fill out a 2 question health form at the pier?

I have read on these boards that some have had to an others didn't. One person even posted a copy if you wanted to print it out. Others said they went to a table to fill it out. I think it ask weather you have a cold and also if you have or flu like symtoms.

 

Yes, we had to fill out a very simple form. If I remember correctly, I had to check 2 boxes. It was given to us as the check in person prepared our cards.

[citrusflorida]

Just checked out your fabulous photos on your facebook link, we were also on this cruise! In your photo of yourself on the tender to Grand Cayman we were sitting back to back! :)

 

Wow. Small world, huh? Hope you had as great a time as we did.