Navigator of the seas: first time on Royal Caribbean

[cruisinmoores]

Hey y'all! This is my families first time on a Royal Caribbean cruise, and just curious as to what we should expect? Any tips on what to skip, or must do's on the boat or at ports? We have cruised Carnival many times before so we know the general idea of cruising. Cruising the Navigator out of Galveston in June going to Cozumel, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. Any tips are appreciated :)

[awhfy]

Don't miss the ice show! Johnny Rockets (fee) & Chops (fee). Flow rider was a hoot to watch (I'd have broken a hip if I did it). Mini golf always fun & rock wall if you like. Cafe on the promenade has wonderful (free) sandwiches & cookies. Coffee (free) in urns wasn't bad at all. We weren't crazy about buffet or MDR, but it was acceptable. Didn't like the smokey casino. Professional photos were very good & reasonable in cost. Navigator has been our only Royal ship

 

 

We did a great excursion to Nachi Cocum in Cozumel. They only take a certain amount of people so get a reservation. We didn't go to the other two ports.

 

Have fun!

Edited May 6, 2015 by awhfy

[cajuncowgirl13]

Is the rock wall and flow rider free??

 

 

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[MagicNMe]

You sign a liability waiver, but it's included in your cruise fare, yup! Free!

[dplusd]

Is the rock wall and flow rider free??

 

 

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Yes, both are free.

 

I'll also recommend Sabor, Navigator's new Mexican specialty restaurant. Enjoy the ship, she looks really great following last year's dry dock.

 

Oh, and remember, unlike Carnival, no shorts in the MDR for dinner.

[cajuncowgirl13]

You sign a liability waiver, but it's included in your cruise fare, yup! Free!

 

 

Can you reserve times or just have to wait ???

 

 

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[Clarea]

Can you reserve times or just have to wait ???

Wait in line for the rock wall and Flowrider. If you pay for lessons on the Flowrider you can pick a time.

[spookwife]

Hey y'all! This is my families first time on a Royal Caribbean cruise, and just curious as to what we should expect? Any tips on what to skip, or must do's on the boat or at ports? We have cruised Carnival many times before so we know the general idea of cruising. Cruising the Navigator out of Galveston in June going to Cozumel, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. Any tips are appreciated :)

 

 

ICE SHOW.

 

also on boarding skip the buffet and do lunch on the Promenade instead.

[Clarea]

Hey y'all! This is my families first time on a Royal Caribbean cruise, and just curious as to what we should expect? Any tips on what to skip, or must do's on the boat or at ports? We have cruised Carnival many times before so we know the general idea of cruising. Cruising the Navigator out of Galveston in June going to Cozumel, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. Any tips are appreciated :)

Enjoy the views from the helipad. Go outside on deck 4, walk forward, up stairs, and keep walking forward.

[C2174]

Ice show for sure!

 

My husband enjoys the Flow Rider.

[cincicruisers]

Pack less cloths, bring more money!:eek:

 

Grand Caymen- stingray excursion

 

Have a great cruise!

[clackey]

By far one of our favorite cruises. The ship was very nice, shows were good, food decent and plenty to keep us busy. We had an inside cabin that overlooked the Promenade deck and watched a parade and a Disco party on the Promenade. The Ice Rink was cool (pun intended) and there is a small movie theater.

 

We have only sailed RC twice but it is our favorite line except when we are on one of the other lines. Then they are our favorite. Yeah, I know. I am fickle.:D

 

Almost forgot to mention, pick what you want to do by researching the boards and do a Google of the ports.

 

Cozumel is easy to DIY. Grab a cab and go.

 

Grand Cayman nearly screams swimming with Rays. Nativeway's Rays, Reef and Rum Point Tour is a good one. You can do a beach day cheaply too. You can walk, take a cab or do public transportation. We walked to Eden Rock and snorkeled last trip. Before that we did the R R and RP Tour and also took Public Trans to Cemetery Beach.

 

Jamaica needs to be done by tour. This is one port that I didn't feel comfortable in and I'm 6' and 225 lbs. Dunn's River Falls is a neat place and some of the river tubing or whitewater rafting is a ball.

Edited May 7, 2015 by clackey

[George C]

Just got off Navigator Sunday, Flow rider was not crowded when we went too look at it.

AS said before Ice show is a must , all the other shows were good several comedy shows and a singer ( these shows change from week to week) .

Our favorite restaurant by far was Giovanni's which was 25 for dinner but only 12 for lunch ( it is only open for lunch on the 3 sea days) the lunch had 4 courses and we were there for 2 hours, we had lunch there twice and dinner once.

Izumi is a very nice a la carte Japanese restaurant had dinner there twice

Chops is steak restaurant 35 dollars

They had a deal that would give discounts if you had dinner 3 or more nights in specialty restaurants

If you like to drink think about getting drink package

[Maxpilot]

Hey y'all! This is my families first time on a Royal Caribbean cruise, and just curious as to what we should expect? Any tips on what to skip, or must do's on the boat or at ports? We have cruised Carnival many times before so we know the general idea of cruising. Cruising the Navigator out of Galveston in June going to Cozumel, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. Any tips are appreciated :)

 

Like the others said, everything about the ship is mostly great. We ordered the Specialty dinning package that included Giovanni's, Chop's, Sabor and Izumi. If we had it to do over again, we would not get the package. We had a bad experience in Chop's.

 

I ordered a New York strip in Chop's and it was one of the toughest steaks I have ever had. My wife had the filet mignon, and it was good. She gave me some of hers. I had a side of corn in Chops that had a funky flavor and I could not eat it. I would skip Chops.

 

We really enjoyed Sabor. That's a must for us again. The best margarita I have ever had. Table side guacamole is fantastic. We were stuffed leaving Sabor.

 

Giovanni's is good. The filet in Giovanni's is the same you get in Chops, so if you want a filet mignon save $10 each and go to Giovanni's. Izumi is good too.

 

Flowrider is fantastic. Make sure you stand in line for your ice-skate tickets so you get the time you want. It's a must see. It's free, but you have to get tickets because the rink only holds 750 at a time.

[cruisinmoores]

Thanks for the tips!

Edited May 8, 2015 by cruisinmoores

[xpcdoojk]

I haven't been on the NOS since 2007, but we are booked for May 2016. Flowrider is awesome. I spend 2 to 5 hours a day on it... I am not a fan of Sabor ( ate there in February on the Oasis... don't plan on ever doing it again). It is not bad just not worth the money. I can't wait to see the ship after the changes it went through last year. One of our best cruises was the TA in 2007 on the Navigator.

 

Great captain then.

 

jc

[buffy24]

My husband practically lived at the Flowrider. He loved it. We really enjoyed the Schooner Bar (excellent Piano Man) and The Two Poets. We also enjoyed dancing at Bolero's, though the floor is small. Later in the evening, when they had just piped in music, no band, we practically had the floor to ourselves. We did a food tour in Jamaica (Taste of Falmouth) which was excellent. It is run by two sisters. Did our own thing in Cayman, as we have been there a few times, but Sting Ray City is a great option. Did our own thing in Cozumel. Stopped at a great little bar (La Palapita Den Medio) about 1/2 way to town and had some amazing tequila and amazing views, then walked the rest of way into town and did some shopping.

 

We had a virtual balcony room and really enjoyed that too.

 

The Ice Show was really fun, sit in the front row :) The comedians and singers were great. The professional ballroom dancers in the dancing show (forgot the name) were excellent. The ship dancers need to do some more training. Their basics are fine, but I really worry about those lifts. A couple of the female dancers have not learned to help with their lifts and someone is going to get hurt: either the guy is going to strain a muscle or the gal is going to get dropped or both. Hopefully they can improve on it, as I do enjoy good ballroom/latin dancing :)

 

We ate almost exclusively in the main dining room, except for a few things at the cafe on Promenade level and Johnny Rockets. We found the food to be really good, with a few really amazing things. I do know we had two pretty awesome waiters.

 

This was our first cruise in 10 years, so we wanted to stick with the dining room. If we sailed frequently, we would probably try some of the other restaurants too. Johnny Rockets had awesome onion rings.

[Riverz]

Great information have been on the Mariner and Independence. Looking forward to Aug trip on Navigator

 

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[FloridaPalms]

crusinmoores ~

 

We love the Navigator and are looking forward to being back on her for Thanksgiving.

 

As others have posted, the ice show is not to be missed. The ice rink is also open for ice skating several times over the course of the cruise, with sessions for beginners to advanced. If this interests you or anyone in your party, make sure you pack long pants and socks and check the daily compasses for session times.

 

As clarea posted, visit the helipad. Have someone take your "I'm King of the World" photo. Also, on a starlit night, it's the darkest area on the ship to enjoy stargazing.

 

Visit the "Peek-A-Boo" bridge on deck 10. Go out to the deck through the doors at the very front on the Solarium and continue forward. You'll come to a window that lets you look into the bridge.

 

Familiarize yourself with the deck plans before you cruise - makes it easier to find your way around.

 

Be flexible, don't sweat the small stuff, and have a great cruise!

 

~ Judy

[Paulette3028]

Sign up for your Roll Call and find out from others on your cruise what they are doing.

 

We are returning to Navigator in November for our 2nd cruise on her....but it will be like a totally different ship since her refurb.....that is just fine with me! She got us hooked on cruising.

[bonvoyagebites]

Great tips, everyone! I will be onboard Oct 2015, and it will also be my first RCI cruise. I am looking forward to it. Look forward to a review here as well as on my blog! I just love reading all the reviews and getting psyched for my upcoming trips!

[Sonnieb]

Thanks so much for the tips. This will be my first RCCL cruise since 1996 (Viking Serenade).