Liberty to replace Navigator

[Royalty X]

So where is Navigator off to then...?

[Aggiebuttercup]

Rumor has it Navigator is going to San Juan

[youngcruiser15]

So where is Navigator off to then...?

 

navigator is going to san juan to replace the jewel and the jewel is going to san diego to do some north pacific cruises before doing panama canal. I think RCI is doing a dry run out of west coast to see how demand is before going back full time.

 

and to the poster who insinuated galveston cruisers get antsy quickly.... I sort of agree. If you think about it, the same itineraries have been going out of jersey and baltimore for way longer. but that also is nature of the location and people have been complaining about the itins on explorer for a while on the boards. but i am just happy a cruise ship is out of galveston full time!!!

[lady_cruiser]

There are plenty of other ports to chose from, RCI just has to decide to make itineraries longer than 6 & 7 nights from that port. There are cruises to Eastern & Western Caribbean all the time from Baltimore & Cape Liberty, it just takes 9 & 10 night cruises to make it happen. They could easily do the same Eastern Caribbean itineraries from Galveston in about the same distance and time length.

 

Nice but some of us don't/can't fly and taking another 3-4 days of travel each way isn't always an option with the added expense of staying in hotels/meals/fuel charges.

 

I'll even consider a longer cruise from either Galveston or New Orleans just to visit St Thomas and those ports. Even if the cruise would be a 12-nighter.

Edited February 19, 2014 by lady_cruiser

[texasdillo]

A number of years ago, Royal Caribbean did either an 11 day or 12 day out of Galveston down to the Panama Canal. I would love to see them bring that itinerary back.

[DHADEN]

navigator is going to san juan to replace the jewel and the jewel is going to san diego to do some north pacific cruises before doing panama canal. I think RCI is doing a dry run out of west coast to see how demand is before going back full time.

..........

 

YoungCruiser;

 

I would LOVE to do Jewel through the Panama!! Where did you get this info?

Hope it's true!

 

I've been waiting impatiently to find out what Jewel's itineraries would be in Nov. of 2015.

[youngcruiser15]

I found out about jewel from the crown and anchor desk and then the captain told us afterwards! I don't know if it will be there in November though. There's another thread about someone claiming to have booked jewel already out of San Diego. You could try looking at that for more info!

 

 

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[houstoncruisers2001]

A number of years ago, Royal Caribbean did either an 11 day or 12 day out of Galveston down to the Panama Canal. I would love to see them bring that itinerary back.

 

Right, when the Rhapsody of the Seas was first in Galveston. i think it even did an Aruba & Curacao itinerary briefly too or maybe it stopped there on the Panama Canal cruise. I can't remember.

[The Mister]

Here's a question:

Let's assume that this rumor turns out to be true.

Let's also say I and my family are trying to decide between an April 2015 cruise on the Navigator and a May (or maybe fall) 2015 cruise on the Liberty.

Furthermore, let's assume that the itineraries will be identical.

 

What are the main differences between Nav and Lib that might sway our decision one way or another?

 

BTW, at that point our son will be 9 1/2 and our daughter 4 1/2. Also, don't know if it makes any difference, but our son is high-functioning autistic / ADHD, and our daughter is probably the girliest girly-girl who ever girled. We'll probably book via Autism on the Seas, and this would be our second cruise ever (see sig for past one).

 

I'm *tempted* to wait for the Liberty OTS for no other reason than to be able to say that both of our cruises have been on ships named "Liberty". But I'd like our decision to have a bit more substance than that. ;)

Edited February 19, 2014 by The Mister

[jonbgd]

YoungCruiser;

 

I would LOVE to do Jewel through the Panama!! Where did you get this info?

Hope it's true!

 

I've been waiting impatiently to find out what Jewel's itineraries would be in Nov. of 2015.

 

Its on the RCCL website

The Jewel is doing 2 PC transits

one in may 2015 from PR to LA

and one from LAX to PR Oct 10th 2015

 

SO the Jewel will do Alaska summertime and winter PR

 

 

Back to the Liberty Im still looking for the repo cruise on her:D

[Galveston Cruiser]

A number of years ago, Royal Caribbean did either an 11 day or 12 day out of Galveston down to the Panama Canal. I would love to see them bring that itinerary back.

 

It was Celebrity.

[DHADEN]

Here's a question:

Let's assume that this rumor turns out to be true.

Let's also say I and my family are trying to decide between an April 2015 cruise on the Navigator and a May (or maybe fall) 2015 cruise on the Liberty.

Furthermore, let's assume that the itineraries will be identical.

..............

 

If you have been on a Voyager Class ship (Navigator), you would agree that the Promenade is it's best feature.

On the Liberty, the Promenade is even BIGGER. The ship is about 30 feet wider and 100 feet longer. And it has the Flow-Rider + a couple of other venues that the Navigator doesn't.

The down side is that there are also 1,000 more people on the Liberty, and (my opinion from being on the Freedom) it was more crowded - especially in the Windjammer and the Dining Room.

 

Hope This Helps.

Edited February 19, 2014 by DHADEN

[Topo Gigio]

If you have been on a Voyager Class ship (Navigator), you would agree that the Promenade is it's best feature.

On the Liberty, the Promenade is even BIGGER. The ship is about 30 feet wider and 100 feet longer. And it has the Flow-Rider + a couple of other venues that the Navigator doesn't.

The down side is that there are also 1,000 more people on the Liberty, and (my opinion from being on the Freedom) it was more crowded - especially in the Windjammer and the Dining Room.

 

Hope This Helps.

 

Navigator DOES have a flowrider!!

[youngcruiser15]

Here's a question:

Let's assume that this rumor turns out to be true.

Let's also say I and my family are trying to decide between an April 2015 cruise on the Navigator and a May (or maybe fall) 2015 cruise on the Liberty.

Furthermore, let's assume that the itineraries will be identical.

 

What are the main differences between Nav and Lib that might sway our decision one way or another?

 

;)

 

So in my opinion, there is not much difference. The glaring difference for kids the age you have that I can think of is the h20 zone and the dreamworks experience. Other than that, navigator has everything, including the flowrider, that liberty has. It is a bit smaller, which is either good or bad depending on who you talk to...but my experience with kids is that the larger the better!!

 

But navigator just dry docked, which could be a game changer. I know you are not going soon, but still the new stuff on navigator overall makes the ship seem newer than liberty. Plus the new Sabor mexican and the updated chops grille, and even virtual balconies! some good options for you guys. I would also assume that the itinerary won't be the same, so if the ships seem very similar to you, the itinerary could be the difference! Hope it helps

[youngcruiser15]

YoungCruiser;

 

I would LOVE to do Jewel through the Panama!! Where did you get this info?

Hope it's true!

 

I've been waiting impatiently to find out what Jewel's itineraries would be in Nov. of 2015.

 

Sorry, but i misspoke. I think it is out of LA not san diego!

[KITKAT0229]

[quote name='The Mister']Here's a question:
Let's assume that this rumor turns out to be true.
Let's also say I and my family are trying to decide between an April 2015 cruise on the Navigator and a May (or maybe fall) 2015 cruise on the Liberty.
Furthermore, let's assume that the itineraries will be identical.

What are the main differences between Nav and Lib that might sway our decision one way or another?

BTW, at that point our son will be 9 1/2 and our daughter 4 1/2. Also, don't know if it makes any difference, but our son is high-functioning autistic / ADHD, and our daughter is probably the girliest girly-girl who ever girled. We'll probably book via Autism on the Seas, and this would be our second cruise ever (see sig for past one).

I'm *tempted* to wait for the Liberty OTS for no other reason than to be able to say that both of our cruises have been on ships named "Liberty". But I'd like our decision to have a bit more substance than that. ;)[/QUOTE]

Navigator has Sabor, Izumi, digital way-finders, virtual balcony inside cabins, panoramic ocean view cabins, Giovanni's Table, R-bar & the new photo system.

Does the Liberty have the new photo systems?

Liberty has Saturday Night Fever the Musical, 3D Movies, H2O zone, cantilevered whirlpools, full size cupcake cupboard, Champagne Bar, The Crypt Disco, Sorrento's Pizza, Portofino & the Dreamworks experiences.

If it were me I'd probably pick the Liberty - bigger, has more to offer especially for your younger kids.

[LetsGetWet!]

[quote name='youngcruiser15']So in my opinion, there is not much difference. The glaring difference for kids the age you have that I can think of is the h20 zone and the dreamworks experience. Other than that, navigator has everything, including the flowrider, that liberty has. It is a bit smaller, which is either good or bad depending on who you talk to...but my experience with kids is that the larger the better!!

But navigator just dry docked, which could be a game changer. I know you are not going soon, but still the new stuff on navigator overall makes the ship seem newer than liberty. Plus the new Sabor mexican and the updated chops grille, and even virtual balconies! some good options for you guys. I would also assume that the itinerary won't be the same, so if the ships seem very similar to you, the itinerary could be the difference! Hope it helps[/quote]

[quote name='KITKAT0229']Navigator has Sabor, Izumi, digital way-finders, virtual balcony inside cabins, panoramic ocean view cabins, Giovanni's Table, R-bar & the new photo system.

Does the Liberty have the new photo systems?

Liberty has Saturday Night Fever the Musical, 3D Movies, H2O zone, cantilevered whirlpools, full size cupcake cupboard, Champagne Bar, The Crypt Disco, Sorrento's Pizza, Portofino & the Dreamworks experiences.

If it were me I'd probably pick the Liberty - bigger, has more to offer especially for your younger kids.[/quote]

I'm thinking that some of the post-drydock reviews I've seen from CC'ers have also had pictures of a new H2O Zone on Navigator?? Edited February 19, 2014 by LetsGetWet!

[mconthehighseas]

If you have a child in diapers who wants to swim, Liberty has a special area of the H2O zone just for this (as do all Freedom, Oasis and Quantum class ships do).

Otherwise, there will be enough to do on either ship that you may not miss what the other ship has.

[youngcruiser15]

[quote name='LetsGetWet!']I'm thinking that some of the post-drydock reviews I've seen from CC'ers have also had pictures of a new H2O Zone on Navigator??[/QUOTE]

I don't know. I haven't seen any and I haven't heard RCI talk about it, which you'd think they would since they love the h20 zone concept.

[wolfganghowell]

For those who mentioned itinerary, Key West is limiting its ships so Royal has no control over that. I recall that the 10 day cruises that Celebrity did were not strong sellers - Galveston seems to attract good crowds for 3-4 day cruises and 7 day cruises. Things could change now that Houston is up and running and competition has increased. There are other ports - Costa Maya, Progresso and Playa del Carmen come to mind. I like CM and Playa but no thanks to Progresso. However, some of those ports may also have size limits and other issues we aren't aware of.

[DebJ14]

[quote name='ehfl']I've found that you have to take this type of information with a grain of salt. Information we've received from crew (including the captains) about future ship builds or deployment has always been wrong.[/QUOTE]

I would tend to believe this one. I got an e-mail from RCCL the other day showing the Freedom from Port Canaveral and Independence from Fort Lauderdale in 2015, plus ships of other classes. The Liberty was conspicuous by its absence. There was nothing listed from Galveston and we know they signed the agreement to be there in 2015 and beyond.

[DebJ14]

[quote name='texasdillo']A number of years ago, Royal Caribbean did either an 11 day or 12 day out of Galveston down to the Panama Canal. I would love to see them bring that itinerary back.[/QUOTE]

Royal did the Partial Panama Canal and a longer W. Caribbean from Galveston on the Splendour about 10 years ago. Celebrity also sailed out of Galveston doing the 10 and 11 day itineraries.

[DebJ14]

[quote name='wolfganghowell']For those who mentioned itinerary, Key West is limiting its ships so Royal has no control over that. I recall that the 10 day cruises that Celebrity did were not strong sellers - Galveston seems to attract good crowds for 3-4 day cruises and 7 day cruises. Things could change now that Houston is up and running and competition has increased. There are other ports - Costa Maya, Progresso and Playa del Carmen come to mind. I like CM and Playa but no thanks to Progresso. However, some of those ports may also have size limits and other issues we aren't aware of.[/QUOTE]

Docking at the industrial port in Playa del Carmen is for small ships only. We did it back in the day on the old NCL Sea and Star (not the big replacement Star).

A couple of times on the old Celebration and Jubilee cruises from Galveston we were put onto tender boats at Playa del Carmen for mainland excursions (Tulum, Xcaret and Xel Ha) and then took the ferry back to Cozumel to meet the ship. It was a much better system than docking in Cozumel and having to take the ferry over and back. We had extra time to do more on the mainland. Then again many times we did not sail from Cozumel until 10pm or later. They used to bring on the Mexican dancers to put on a show after dinner. I hate leaving Cozumel by 3 or 4pm.

We had a great visit to Veracruz out of the Port of Houston in 2000 on the Big Red Boat. There were great excursions from Veracruz. They also gave everyone gifts and there was a wonderful send off with fireworks when we sailed. I still have my morning coffee in my Veracruz mug.

[tlatrice]

A longer itinerary on the Liberty is what I'm hoping to see. Not interested in Key West or the Bahamas, but I guess I could be persuaded.

I'd like to see something like Labadee/St. Thomas/St. Maarten. Freedom does a similar itinerary out of PC.

[CruzinSuz]

[quote name='DebJ14']I would tend to believe this one. I got an e-mail from RCCL the other day showing the Freedom from Port Canaveral and Independence from Fort Lauderdale in 2015, plus ships of other classes. The Liberty was conspicuous by its absence. There was nothing listed from Galveston and we know they signed the agreement to be there in 2015 and beyond.[/QUOTE]

We're supposed to get a bigger ship as per the contract signed between RCCL and the Port of G. The deployment schedule has not been put out for all the ships as yet. Patience! I'm trying hard to be patient myself since the port is 30 to 40 minutes away. So happy to have a ship year round. Loved going to Key West on Rhapsody...especially during Fantasy Fest. Freedom class is too big for KW.