Navigator the Seas Questions

[Astro Flyer]

It's been a couple years since my last RCI cruise and it was a different class of ship than the NOS so I have a few questions about it. I searched the board however I was unable to find answers to these questions.

 

From the deck plans and photo of the ship it's difficult to tell if they have a covered promenade deck where we can do our exercise walking in at least partial shade. If so does it wrap around the ship or do you have to reverse directions when it deadends & anyone know how many laps per mile?

 

I know that many things such as comfort of the mattresses is subjective however we've sailed primarily with Princess recently which many times requires us to request a foam mattress topper & I was wondering what others think about the mattresses on the NOS.

 

I've read recent reviews posted on the board for sailings from New Orleans so know some passengers' opinions. I've read that earlier boarding has resulted in boarding quicker & if I want to bring on more than two bottles of wine we can board separately to enjoy those in our cabin. Princess cabins are available immediately upon boarding so we'll have to drag around our carry-on bags to the buffet until our NOS cabin is available around 1 PM.

 

We're looking forward to our cruise and we've only had good cruises and better cruises and hope this'll be a better cruise like so many others. :D

 

Our sailing includes Mardi Gras so if anybody has any information to share with us about the NOS I'd appreciate that also...mahalo!

[Clarea]

It's been a couple years since my last RCI cruise and it was a different class of ship than the NOS so I have a few questions about it. I searched the board however I was unable to find answers to these questions.

 

From the deck plans and photo of the ship it's difficult to tell if they have a covered promenade deck where we can do our exercise walking in at least partial shade. If so does it wrap around the ship or do you have to reverse directions when it deadends & anyone know how many laps per mile?

 

I know that many things such as comfort of the mattresses is subjective however we've sailed primarily with Princess recently which many times requires us to request a foam mattress topper & I was wondering what others think about the mattresses on the NOS.

 

I've read recent reviews posted on the board for sailings from New Orleans so know some passengers' opinions. I've read that earlier boarding has resulted in boarding quicker & if I want to bring on more than two bottles of wine we can board separately to enjoy those in our cabin. Princess cabins are available immediately upon boarding so we'll have to drag around our carry-on bags to the buffet until our NOS cabin is available around 1 PM.

 

We're looking forward to our cruise and we've only had good cruises and better cruises and hope this'll be a better cruise like so many others. :D

 

Our sailing includes Mardi Gras so if anybody has any information to share with us about the NOS I'd appreciate that also...mahalo!

Navigator has an outside walking promenade on deck 4. It is mostly shaded. You can go all the way around, except at the forward end you must climb some stairs, walk past the helicopter pad, and descend stairs to get back to deck 4. While you are near the helicopter pad for a short time, you are not shaded.

[Astro Flyer]

Navigator has an outside walking promenade on deck 4. It is mostly shaded. You can go all the way around, except at the forward end you must climb some stairs, walk past the helicopter pad, and descend stairs to get back to deck 4. While you are near the helicopter pad for a short time, you are not shaded.

Great! Thank you very much & most Princess ships also have stairs up to go around the bow although covered.

 

Having retired from a career of flying helicopters maybe I'll just sit on the helipad to reminisce. :p. Although my helipads were land-based including the top of high-rises & hilltops but never got to land on a moving ship.

 

On a recent Princess cruise they had to medevac somebody to land for treatment without a helipad & had to sling load the patient into the Coast Guard chopper. Although sometimes that is the best option because I've seen videos of choppers trying to land on a moving ship get destroyed. :eek:

[lady_cruiser]

Great! Thank you very much & most Princess ships also have stairs up to go around the bow although covered.

 

Having retired from a career of flying helicopters maybe I'll just sit on the helipad to reminisce. :p. Although my helipads were land-based including the top of high-rises & hilltops but never got to land on a moving ship.

 

On a recent Princess cruise they had to medevac somebody to land for treatment without a helipad & had to sling load the patient into the Coast Guard chopper. Although sometimes that is the best option because I've seen videos of choppers trying to land on a moving ship get destroyed. :eek:

If you get there early enough the Helipad area is great for the sail-a-way but you neet to get there the second the Muster Drill is over with. It has become a very popular place for the sail-a-ways.

 

As for getting in your cabins early, forget it. Royal Caribbean has staff guarding the doors leading to the hallways and "no one" gets through. Believe me we have tried it on more than one occassion. And was stopped each time. If the "guard" doesn't get you one of their cabin attendants will.

 

You can seperate when checking in so you can each bring two bottles of wine. We never tried it because we are Diamond and get free wine everynight. But everyone we spoke with that did sperated were able to get away with it.

[bld44]

As for getting in your cabins early, forget it. Royal Caribbean has staff guarding the doors leading to the hallways and "no one" gets through.

 

Consecutive cruisers can get through :cool:

[robtulipe]

Great! Thank you very much & most Princess ships also have stairs up to go around the bow although covered.

 

Having retired from a career of flying helicopters maybe I'll just sit on the helipad to reminisce. :p. Although my helipads were land-based including the top of high-rises & hilltops but never got to land on a moving ship.

 

On a recent Princess cruise they had to medevac somebody to land for treatment without a helipad & had to sling load the patient into the Coast Guard chopper. Although sometimes that is the best option because I've seen videos of choppers trying to land on a moving ship get destroyed. :eek:

 

I been told on while on X and RC cruises, even though most of these ships have a helipad that a helicopter doesn't land but simply uses that area as a safe place to winch up the patient. On our last Princess cruise one passenger had to be medivaced off the ship by the RAF. They evacuated passengers and most crew from all areas, including cabins, in the front half of the ship for this medivac. It might have been Prince William piloting the helicopter as we were in the Irish Sea off the coast of Anglesey Island where he was stationed.

 

[lady_cruiser]

Consecutive cruisers can get through :cool:

Usually yes but this was a big NO for us. We were on a B2B (Dec 1st and Dec 8th, 2012) and because of the Norovirus we were not allowed to access our cabins ahead of time between the cruises.

 

The virus hit on the cruise the last week in November so we had delayed boarding the first week. Then during the first week we were on it we had twenty people that came down with that dreaded gastrointestinal virus So as you can imagine inbetween both weeks of our cruises the ship went into another deep cleaning mode and we were not allowed to stay in our cabins.

[Astro Flyer]

If you get there early enough the Helipad area is great for the sail-a-way but you neet to get there the second the Muster Drill is over with. It has become a very popular place for the sail-a-ways.

 

As for getting in your cabins early, forget it. Royal Caribbean has staff guarding the doors leading to the hallways and "no one" gets through. Believe me we have tried it on more than one occassion. And was stopped each time. If the "guard" doesn't get you one of their cabin attendants will.

Thanks for the sailaway suggestion & I recall the fire doors were closed to block access to cabins & even though they could be manually opened we still couldn't get in our cabin but as 'bld44' said we weren't doing b2b cruises.

I been told on while on X and RC cruises, even though most of these ships have a helipad that a helicopter doesn't land but simply uses that area as a safe place to winch up the patient. On our last Princess cruise one passenger had to be medivaced off the ship by the RAF. They evacuated passengers and most crew from all areas, including cabins, in the front half of the ship for this medivac. It might have been Prince William piloting the helicopter as we were in the Irish Sea off the coast of Anglesey Island where he was stationed.

Sling loading a patient would be my 1st choice vs. landing on a ship.

 

As I recall the muster drill has you go to your muster station & then they escort you to the area where the planned lifeboat would be located...do you bring your life-vest?

[Sassy19305]

 

As I recall the muster drill has you go to your muster station & then they escort you to the area where the planned lifeboat would be located...do you bring your life-vest?

 

You don't have to bring your life-vest any more. You just meet at your assigned muster station (they take roll) and they go through how to put on the life-vest. That's about all. They don't take you anywhere any longer. Some cabins don't even have life vests in them, you just get them when you get to the muster station.

[Astro Flyer]

You don't have to bring your life-vest any more. You just meet at your assigned muster station (they take roll) and they go through how to put on the life-vest. That's about all. They don't take you anywhere any longer. Some cabins don't even have life vests in them, you just get them when you get to the muster station.

Thanks...with all of these helpful posts & I'll share the info with our group going for a family event.

 

Anyone have any thoughts on the mattress comfort? I know it's subjective but if it's best for our comfort level to get a foam topper like we do on Princess I'll request one on the NOS. With Princess a topper can be requested in advance...wonder if it's the same with RCI?

 

We sail on the Royal Princess' maiden TA in October & looking forward to sleeping on their new 'pillow top' mattresses. Some like the current Princess mattresses & there probably isn't a mattress made that would keep everyone happy. ;)

[Clarea]

Thanks...with all of these helpful posts & I'll share the info with our group going for a family event.

 

Anyone have any thoughts on the mattress comfort? I know it's subjective but if it's best for our comfort level to get a foam topper like we do on Princess I'll request one on the NOS. With Princess a topper can be requested in advance...wonder if it's the same with RCI?

 

We sail on the Royal Princess' maiden TA in October & looking forward to sleeping on their new 'pillow top' mattresses. Some like the current Princess mattresses & there probably isn't a mattress made that would keep everyone happy. ;)

Royal does have egg crate type toppers you can request once on board, however I've not seen the ability to arrange this ahead of time. I'd ask your room steward as soon as possible because they seem to go fast.

[ckmommy]

I just got off the Mariner.

 

The beds are hard in my opinion. I slept horrible the first night. I never asked for an egg crate cover. I guess i just got used to it--or I was too tired to notice.

 

The jogging track on the Mariner which I think is the same for Navigator is on the 12 floor. It is not shaded but is round so you do not have to turn around. Deck 4 was not a jogging track and there were signs saying no jogging on this deck. I am pretty sure if you want to walk it that would be just fine.

[lemonade-sails]

Navigator has an outside walking promenade on deck 4. It is mostly shaded. You can go all the way around, except at the forward end you must climb some stairs, walk past the helicopter pad, and descend stairs to get back to deck 4. While you are near the helicopter pad for a short time, you are not shaded.

 

 

 

Here is a photo of the outside deck - 4. Very nice place to walk. Clarea is right about the front of the ship and stairs/sun.

 

I found a post - several years old - regarding distance when walking on deck 4.

 

 

I would HIGHLY recommend running on my favorite deck....deck 4. It is the deck with all the yellow life boats. There few people there and it is longer with all the chairs up against the wall. There are so many pluses like:

--far less crowded

--less obsticles

--you can hear the water against the hull

--less direct sun for those really hot/stifling days

--there's a spot on both sides where it juts out about 10-15' from the ship, like a "hump" cabin. This is where the path goes around the main dining room.

 

There is one drawback or benefit depending on how you look at it: To get to the very bow of the ship, you have to go up a set of stairs, then back down the other side. This is really good for aerobic excercise, but you obviously have to be careful using the stairs. The rest of the way around is very nice and wide. Around the back of the ship is like a tunnel with big open port holes.

 

 

You can do this two ways...do the whole loop with the stairs, or just go to the stairs and turn around to go back the way you came. If you pass on the stairs, you can still make it around 3/4 or more of the whole circumference of the ship. Seeing as how the ship is about 1000' long, then add the width of about a hundred feet, you are doing about 2200' for one lap=3 laps would be about a mile.

 

Good luck

 

We found the beds on Navigator to be very comfortable.

 

Have a great trip!

[Astro Flyer]

 

Here is a photo of the outside deck - 4. Very nice place to walk. Clarea is right about the front of the ship and stairs/sun.

 

I found a post - several years old - regarding distance when walking on deck 4.

 

We found the beds on Navigator to be very comfortable.

 

Have a great trip!

Thanks for the info & to all of the others who have shared their experiences...it's a very helpful group here on the RCI board! :D

[Astro Flyer]

I seem to recall reading that it's prohibited to bring soda and water onboard...is this stringently enforced? My wife drinks Coke Zero and I don't believe that's available on the ship.

[Clarea]

I seem to recall reading that it's prohibited to bring soda and water onboard...is this stringently enforced? My wife drinks Coke Zero and I don't believe that's available on the ship.

No, it's not stringently enforced. Most reports here on CC say there are no problems bringing on soda or water.

[johneeo]

Thanks for the info & to all of the others who have shared their experiences...it's a very helpful group here on the RCI board! :D

 

BTW, if you do not want to walk up the steps and cross the heliport, you can walk inside the ship and exit on the other side.

[robtulipe]

We've never had a problem with bringing on soda on our RC, nor X cruises and am planning on doing so next month on Voyager.

[Astro Flyer]

No, it's not stringently enforced. Most reports here on CC say there are no problems bringing on soda or water.

Do cabins have a mini fridge or do they just provide a bucket of ice?

BTW, if you do not want to walk up the steps and cross the heliport, you can walk inside the ship and exit on the other side.

Thanks...a good idea if weather is a consideration. Walking stairs is my version of a Stairmaster exercise machine which helps to minimize any weight gain. :p

[Clarea]

Do cabins have a mini fridge or do they just provide a bucket of ice?...

There is a mini fridge in all staterooms, but it is normally filled with soda and snacks for purchase. You might be able to get fridge emptied, but some report that this is refused. If you empty it yourself, you need to communicate with the people on board who check the fridge daily so you won't be charged for anything they perceive as missing.

 

The stateroom attendant will also bring an ice bucket on request and refill it twice a day.

[Astro Flyer]

We've never had a problem with bringing on soda on our RC, nor X cruises and am planning on doing so next month on Voyager.

Thanks...we board the NOS on the 9th so will get a few sodas in New Orleans and maybe along the way for her to enjoy onboard plus will bring our two bottles of wine to enjoy in our cabin without a corkage fee...is it possible to get wine glasses in our cabin? On Princess some passengers request them from their already busy cabin steward who has to call room service to have them delivered so we just call room service directly instead and they're delivered to us.

[Astro Flyer]

There is a mini fridge in all staterooms, but it is normally filled with soda and snacks for purchase. You might be able to get fridge emptied, but some report that this is refused. If you empty it yourself, you need to communicate with the people on board who check the fridge daily so you won't be charged for anything they perceive as missing.

 

The stateroom attendant will also bring an ice bucket on request and refill it twice a day.

That's good to know & will check with our cabin steward about the best way to remove items & to store them without being charged for them.

[rednancy1]

Do cabins have a mini fridge or do they just provide a bucket of ice?

 

Thanks...a good idea if weather is a consideration. Walking stairs is my version of a Stairmaster exercise machine which helps to minimize any weight gain. :p

 

The cabins have a mini frodge and you will have an ice bucket. We have ice provided twice daily. :)

[Alphadah]

We were on the Navigator last week. Although you can't get into your room until 1 they were making announcements that carry on bags could be checked in the Ixtapa Lounge so you didn't have to cart them around the ship. We arrived just before 11. There were no lines and we boarded as soon as we were checked in. There is no ice bucket in the room anymore (jr. suite) but there was a little sign that you could request this from your cabin attendant. I find the promenade deck on Voyager class ships to be much wider than on the Princess ships that we have been on. The Promenade deck is a delightful place to sit and read in the shade if you're not set on being near a pool. There is generally no one there and I just move the chairs around so I can put my feet up. I do this even though we usually get balconies because the view and tranquility is so great. You're much closer to the water and the sound is beautiful! Just make sure that you're on the nonsmoking side (if you don't smoke that is).

 

Debbie

[oledave]

We're on the NOS out of New Orleans on 3/2. I had a few questions.

 

1) Does the pool area have tables and chairs around the "edges", like Carnival and Princess? Or only lounge chairs? Is one side smoking? Can you smoke cigars there?

 

2) Can you order coffee and danish in the AM's by calling Room Service, or do you have to put out the card the night before? If so, how long does it usually take?

 

3) If you order drinks to the cabin from Room Service, how long does that usually take? How many can you order at one time? Can you order doubles? We plan to have cocktails on the balcony in the afternoon before early dining.

 

4) How do you go about getting the door dividing adjoining balconies open? Do you have to ask for this to be done each day, or will it be left open for the duration of the cruise?

 

Thanks,

 

Ole Dave