getting worried about Navigator!

[JCO4O1]

Thank you to you both for answering my questions. I sincerely appreciate it. Looking forward to seeing the Navigator. I've gone on a cruise many years ago on the Sovereign of the Seas. I guess she's no longer around.

 

Sovereign was our first cruise, and going from that to Freedom (or Navigator) was quite a jump!

[lknight68]

Really? So you are saying that the Navigator is a nicer ship than what the Sovereign was???? Also, are the RC ships way more fun than the Carnival ships?

[JCO4O1]

Really? So you are saying that the Navigator is a nicer ship than what the Sovereign was???? Also, are the RC ships way more fun than the Carnival ships?

 

I have never been on Carnival, but the difference between the two ships in size alone is HUGE. There is also much more to do: specialty restaurants, the promenade, ice skating rink, flowrider etc.

[Sat1]

Can someone tell me their GOOD experiences on Navigator?

Was able to cruise the NOS last Dec. and again this past May, this 86-yr old widower, had so much fun, am booked for the Nov 9 cruise. The flow rider is used by instructors to teach, not for fun. Windjammer staff was very helpful, wanted to walk with me, carry my plate, and even place selections on it! Remember, we all have opinions. Relax, and enjoy your cruise. :)

[jonbgd]

Really? So you are saying that the Navigator is a nicer ship than what the Sovereign was???? Also, are the RC ships way more fun than the Carnival ships?

 

I wouldn't say RC ships are more fun.

There is lot more to do on the Navigator than most Carnival ships thou

 

This will be our 4th cruise on the Nav and second since coming to Galveston and the dry dock.

I like the new improvements. Sabor was a great surprise

[Cindy]

Really? So you are saying that the Navigator is a nicer ship than what the Sovereign was???? Also, are the RC ships way more fun than the Carnival ships?

 

We find there to be many more entertainment options on Royal Caribbean. On the last couple Carnival cruises we took, much of their entertainment was passenger led -- karaoke, talent shows, etc. instead of professional entertainment. I also like the dining options on the Navigator and refurbished RCI ships. The ships handle the numbers of people quite well and I seldom feel crowded.

 

By the way...if your only experience on a cruise is the Sovereign, your jaw is going to hit the floor when you see the Navigator!:D

[notree]

I was disappointed in the service, It was NOT the waiters fault. It seems they have expanded the cabins and have not got their act together yet to accommodate the extra passengers. That being said you make the best of it and have a good time! We always use Light House parking and get great service from them, luggage and passengers picked up and delivered to your car. Really it is the luck of the draw sometimes and after 7 cruises on RCCL this one was the one with just "average" service when I have been accustomed to better. I hope that they improve as we have already booked another cruise with RCCL..

[Ocean Boy]

The Navigator was one of my least favorite cruises and would never do any Voyager class again.

Service was less than mediocre, embark & disembark were the worst.

 

I'd be interested to know why. I really like Voyager class ships.

[Loves_Dogs]

I'd be interested to know why. I really like Voyager class ships.

 

Me too. Love Voyager class ships!

[Ladysilver]

My cruise is coming up at the end of August. I've been reading the boards and reviews and no one has many good things to say. I'm getting worried. Servers don't want to wait on you because of the new drink packages? Long lines for ice show tickets, long lines to embark and disembark, flow rider being used more by staff, food not great, the list goes on. Can someone tell me their GOOD experiences on Navigator?

 

 

We were on the Navigator in May and loved it. The only complaint I had was the hot elevators and large amount of people. But that's what you get in the warmer months. To me, the food was great, our cabin was quite comfortable, service outstanding, entertainment good, ports great, and embarkation and debarkation fast and painless.

 

Don't worry about what the reviews say. You'll have a great cruise! :D

[molsonschooner]

When it comes to reviews, I look at them the same way some sporting events are judged. Toss out the high score and the low score. What's in between should give you a good idea of what things are really like.

[AS2914]

I was in a group of 15 that just got off this NOS on 7/27. EVERYONE in our group had a great time. Ages ranged from 4-80 yo. Here's my short review.

 

1. Embark. Ship came in late. Took about an hour to get on-board. We arrived at the port around noon. total madhouse on the streets and terminal

 

2. Windjammer food was average at best. Fortunately there a other options such as the dining room for breakfast or Lunch. Scrambled eggs in the windjammer in particular were not good. Eggs cooked to order in the Dining room were good. Eggs cooked to medium or well done actually arrived the way we ordered them

 

3. Johnny Rockets was good, not great. We liked the onion rings

 

4. MDR. We had early seating. First class service and variety of foods. Quality of the food was very good for every meal. Biggest disappointment was prime rib. cooked too much. After every meal everyone in our group left pleased with dinner.

 

5. Did not eat at any specialty restaurants.

 

6. Entertainment was great. Main theater always had seats available. Tom McTigue is a great comedian. Singers and dancers were very good too.

 

7. Ice show. Get tickets when you get on the ship. With that said there were empty seats. Great show btw. must see

 

8. always able to find seats on the pool deck. Maybe not next to pool, but not too far away. Pool drink service seemed fine to me.

 

9. Lunch was served on the pool deck on sea days. BBQ was very good. didnt try the other days, but it looked good too.

 

10. Ship seemed warm at times. Announcement was made this was the most passengers ever on the sip. Maybe the doors were constantly open

 

11. Live music was great. Good variety

 

12. disembark took about an hour. We used a porter and everyone had passports. no complaints considering the number of passengers. off ship at 8:30. in car at 9:30

 

13. both kids enjoyed their perspective kids programs. 4yo girl was in the Barbie program. seemed worth the $200

 

14. The circus parade, disco night and jazz night in the promenade level were very fun.

 

15, Quest game show was fun. this was the most crowded event. standing room only if you arrived late.

 

Since I live in Houston, we've been traveling recently on Carnival out of Galveston. Over the past 10 years, we've been on the Triumph, Conquest, Magic, Rhapsody of the Seas (2x) and now Navigator. Without a doubt this is the best cruise we've been on. IMO there's no comparison to the Magic and NOS. NOS is much less crowded, better food overall and far superior entertainment.

[lmares1968]

When it comes to reviews, I look at them the same way some sporting events are judged. Toss out the high score and the low score. What's in between should give you a good idea of what things are really like.

Exactly! I do this with hotels, restaurants, movies, etc, etc.

[Psycopuppy]

A lot of the negative reviews I see here and on TA are from people that usually stay at the Ritz and have their chauffer drop them off in their Bentley. :rolleyes:

 

If you are out to have fun, you will have fun.

[The Viking]

Is muster drill outside or inside?

[Clarea]

Is muster drill outside or inside?

Both. Depends on your muster station.

[cruiselvr04]

We were on her two weeks in May and had a great time. She is all spiffed up. The entertainment was great, I gained weight from eating too much. You will have a great time!

[ssb]

The Navigator was one of my least favorite cruises and would never do any Voyager class again.

 

Service was less than mediocre, embark & disembark were the worst.

 

You cruised in November 2013,

and did not say you were on TA,

then you were on the shake down cruises out of Galveston,

after the repositioning and TA from Europe..

Yes, obviously there were some issues.

And we were on b2b cruise from Europe

and yes there were issues on the b2b and transatlantic also.

 

Fresh crew, and all shake out issues were evident

with new home port and RCL operations.

Disembarkation was not a good after TA arrival either.

And Galveston still had some ingress and egress issues at port.

Immigration was doing their best with what they have to work with.

Lack of budget, space in facility, personnel and old computers and scanners.

 

However, with some changes, issues have improved since,

except port ingress issues on Sundays.... when two ships are in!

On the Gulf Coast Departure Board this issue has been addressed.

Like stay off Harborside Dr. and use other alternatives for ingress to terminals. Read those threads on that CC forum.

The port is addressing this issue and hopefully will be resolved soon or with improvements to terminal # 2.

 

Even disembarkation in Galveston has improved,

except for circumstantial issues like when Federal immigration scanners went down.

 

The reviews of cruises since November 2013

are mostly positive about Port, RCL, Navigator and Voyager Class Ships.

These reviews are even without the future improvements at Terminal #2 in 2015.

Edited July 30, 2014 by ssb

[lady_cruiser]

My cruise is coming up at the end of August. I've been reading the boards and reviews and no one has many good things to say. I'm getting worried. Servers don't want to wait on you because of the new drink packages? Long lines for ice show tickets, long lines to embark and disembark, flow rider being used more by staff, food not great, the list goes on. Can someone tell me their GOOD experiences on Navigator?

 

We were on her in March, a week after her upgrades. We never had a problem getting a drink with our Royal Replenish Card. The servers were always friendly and made our drinks as fast as they could.

 

We always had long lines to wait for the Ice Show; before and after her upgrade. Its a popular show and everyone wants to see it. You have two options. Show up 10 minutes before the show starts and if seats are available one of the crew will find them for you. Or a few hours after the last ticket is gone, go by Customer Service Desk and they will have extra tickets to hand out.

 

The only staff that uses the Flow Rider is probably the one who is there to help you out. And they are on using it to show people how fun it is to use.

 

As for disembarking we were off the ship and on the ferry before 8:00 AM. We are one of the hundreds that get up early, park ourselves near the door and are ready to walk off the ship the minute it is clear. We get up so early that we are usually on of the first 3 or 4 groups that is standing near the door waiting for them to give us the clearance to walk off the ship.

 

The food is always debatable no matter what cruise line you are sailing on. We realized that the Chef can not cook for a few thousand people and satisfy all of us when it comes to all of our individual tastes; too much seasoning, too little seasoning, meat under cooked, meat overcooked, etc.

 

Our next cruise on the Navigator is in 3 weeks and needless to say I can't wait.

 

Any other questions please feel free to ask us.

[internetwhiz]

We have been on NV twice this year. Loved it, even on oil spill week. We were treated very well.

 

 

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[Jimnbigd]

I've been on the Navigator twice now -- once in December before the refurb, and again in May after the refurb. Great time on both. The only thing I miss is a classical music duo or trio like the Voyager and Mariner had -- although I wonder if they are gone from these ships now too.

 

Ice show tickets: Go to the 3rd or 4th show, usually on Wednesday. It is not attended as much as the Monday shows. There is no theater show on Wednesday night, other than a late night Love & Marriage game show (which to me is always fun), so you won't miss any other shows. Monday afternoon go to the customer service deck on deck 5 and get tickets for a Wednesday show -- we've never had a problem with availability. Or better, if you are Diamond members or in a suite, get the Diamond lounge or suite concierge to get the tickets for you. Also, there are usually no-shows -- I always see some empty seats at any ice show I've attended. So you could always wait in the stand-by line, which opens up 15 minutes or so before the show starts.

[SA Traveler]

On the Navigator if you are Diamond Plus or in a suite you don't need tickets to the ice show so the Suite concierge doesn't have them.

[Sat1]

Is muster drill outside or inside?

Last May, was in the Star lounge. By the way, the door on starboard side, will let you visit the landing pad.

[ssb]

The Navigator was one of my least favorite cruises and would never do any Voyager class again.

Service was less than mediocre, embark & disembark were the worst.

 

It would be interesting to hear

why you would never do any Voyager Class again?

[internetwhiz]

It would be interesting to hear

 

why you would never do any Voyager Class again?

 

 

I'd love to hear that as well. Oasis class is my first love, but Voyager class is right behind that, especially Navigator and Mariner.

 

 

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