NOS 6/28/15 Western Carib. From Galveston

[63galaxie]

Here's a short review of our sailing on NOS 6/28/15 from Galveston to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth, Jamaica, balcony room 6328

 

 

Check in at 10:30 was seamless for us. We were one of the lucky ones who boarded before the computer systems crashed and 800 guests waited for up to six hours in the heat with no water. We heard personal experiences from many of the passengers who were still boarding while we were doing a late muster drill at 5:15 pm. Quite a delay for some.

 

The food at the main dining room was outstanding. Our servers, Katsiaryna and Gunawan, were excellent! They were prompt, professional, friendly, engaging, attentive, and felt like family. I will ask for them again. The bar server, Glenn, was also attentive and friendly each night! Even the maître d visited our table twice. He was personable and considerate.

 

A highlight in the main dining room was the 4th of July celebration, complete with all of the staff lined up on the stairway singing Deep In the Heart of Texas and America the Beautiful. The ship was decorated in red, white, and blue. And a large flag cake was presented during a ceremony on the Promenade. Also many theme related activities were provided throughout the day.

 

Our stateroom, cabin 6328, which was ready about 1:15, was bright and blue and everything was spotlessly clean and functional. The cabin had a large bed, a large couch, and no pesky coffee table. Howard from Jamacia was the best steward in our eleven cruises. He was unobtrusive yet always available. He always had a smile and a cheerful disposition. He went above and beyond many times. Once, we found he had even washed the sand from our water shoes. He was remarkable and exceeded all standards!

 

The ship was gorgeous, easy to navigate (pun intended), and had a plethora of activities. We spent a lot of time in the Promenade Cafe enjoying Chicken Roti and Greek Mediterranean Vegie snacks. The staff here was very helpful.

 

Loved the shopping and special sales. Kudos to the lady in the perfume shop for checking out my purchases quickly. We enjoyed Starbucks also. Workers here were willing to make drinks as requested without complaint.

 

We booked a cruise at the Next Cruises desk. The blonde employee was super sweet and helpful despite having a large number of people waiting to book.

 

Our favorite show was the Ice Dancing. It was over the top spectacular. We would love to see some Cirque shows onboard one day. How about some South American Guitarists such as Maximo Diego Pujol and Victor Villadangos? They would bring the house down!

 

We enjoyed the Cruise Critics meeting. Appetizers were delicious and the virgin punch was also. Prizes were much appreciated. I was taken aback, however, when Mark the DJ referred to us as Cruise Critters and sarcastically thanked us for "spreading rumors." While I'm sure this has happened in the past, it wasn't appropriate to direct it at our group. It was awkward, at best.

 

 

 

We went on two shore excursions. The Salsa, Salsa, and Margarita tour was well organized, fun, and funny. My husband thought the drinks were lacking in alcohol, and he wanted more food. I felt it was too long considering there was no air conditioning. In fact, I became quite overheated and we had to forego the dancing portion (a big disappointment). I also was concerned that they had failed to mention that there were stairs that we had to traverse to get to and from the one hot restroom. One person was in a wheelchair, and they had to almost carry him up the stairs. But, the tour was still was a lot of fun!!

 

 

The second excursion was the Jamaican Heritage Foundation Walk. I consider this the best excursion I've ever done. The guides showed us the "real" Falmouth, taking us to historical buildings, teaching us about the history and current conditions of the island, stopping in shady areas and providing free water frequently, watching out for our safety, and answering all questions thoroughly. Highlights were the stop at the Christian school and meeting the students, and walking through the neighborhoods to see how the people lived. It was heart breaking and eye opening. The heat was intense, but the huge breeze kept us going. Security could have been better as I'm not sure the two young ladies could have provided much help if someone had wanted to hurt us. I would recommend adding two strong men with radios or cell phones visible in case of trouble.

 

Room for improvement:

 

 

We had one major issue when we first boarded. A staff member was making reservations for specialty reservations for the week. I offered to make three reservations at different restaurants and make one of the reservations for the first night as I know that specialty restaurants are not always well-attended the first night. I asked if he would give us a special rate of 50% off. He agreed to do so after a brief negotiation. He made the reservations and handed us a card. A bit later, we read the card and he had written 30% rather than the 50% he had agreed to. We approached him about this, and he said he would check with his supervisor. He returned rather quickly and asked if we were Diamond members. He said the best he could do was 30% off as we were Platinum members and "had to work our way up." My husband was quite offended and felt slighted by his comment and demeanor. We told him to cancel our reservations. He never offered an apology or an explanation for the debacle. His parting remark was, "Well, maybe you will change your mind."

 

I did call Guest Relations who responded with a written apology and a bottle of wine.

It was a nice gesture, but I can't drink, nor was an explanation provided for why we were told one thing verbally, but in writing, given something different. I now understand that he obviously was unable to negotiate the rate, but he should not have promised something he could not deliver. The gentlemens' name was Darwin.

 

The other major complaint was the lack of ice available to guests. It wasn't in the rooms, self service in the Windjammer and the Promenade Cafe was no longer an option, and even room service did not provide a cup of ice when asked. It was very hot in the Caribbean, and we felt it was an important item to have for guests! Also, as a diabetic, staying hydrated is critical to my well-being.

 

My husband also suggested I include a design fault in the Windjammer. The islands of food had guests entering from all sides, creating confusing havoc. A simple solution might be to add enter and exit signs on the counters.

 

Debarkation was fairly orderly. The staff kept us moving. Getting the luggage was a disaster. It was crowded with folks moving in all directions, but order was restored as we entered the Customs line. We were whisked through in no time.

 

Final Comments

 

Despite the major and minor issues we felt were important, none of them would keep us from sailing on Navigator of the Seas or any other Royal Caribbean ship.

 

 

 

 

Excellent service overall, beautiful ship, great ports-of-call, and delicious foods. We definitely will be back!

 

Thank you to the crew for a memorable vacation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad

[39august]

I am surprised you could not get ice! We ask our steward for the ice bucket to be filled twice daily when we meet on embarkation day, and always get it. Sounds like Darwin needs some training! BTW, nice review.

Edited July 10, 2015 by 39august

[kwbound]

Thanks for your review. We are sailing the Navigator on Aug 30 for the second time and really looking forward to it.

[cruisingsince94]

Very nice review. Thanks for posting. The WJ island issue is on most of their ships and can be a bit frustrating with people just cutting in at will. It's a minor inconvenience but we just ignore it and not let it get to us. It's not worth it.

As for ice, it's available in your stateroom if you request it. Your steward will be more than happy to bring it.

Ice not being self-service anymore was changed for safety purposes. Ice was being spilled onto the floors, melting, and causing a safety issue. We saw someone slip and fall because of it. I'm sure it happened on other ships as well, resulting in changes being made.

Edited July 10, 2015 by cruisingsince94

[63galaxie]

Very nice review. Thanks for posting. The WJ island issue is on most of their ships and can be a bit frustrating with people just cutting in at will. It's a minor inconvenience but we just ignore it and not let it get to us. It's not worth it.

As for ice, it's available in your stateroom if you request it. Your steward will be more than happy to bring it.

Ice not being self-service anymore was changed for safety purposes. Ice was being spilled onto the floors, melting, and causing a safety issue. We saw someone slip and fall because of it. I'm sure it happened on other ships as well, resulting in changes being made.

 

Well, that makes sense. Thanks for explaining it to me!

[63galaxie]

Thanks for your review. We are sailing the Navigator on Aug 30 for the second time and really looking forward to it.

 

Congratulations on your next cruise!!!!

[63galaxie]

I am surprised you could not get ice! We ask our steward for the ice bucket to be filled twice daily when we meet on embarkation day, and always get it. Sounds like Darwin needs some training! BTW, nice review.

 

I guess, in retrospect, we should have asked about it, but Howard, our steward, never mentioned it. Thank goodness for Cruise Critic.

[wreckem2013]

Most staterooms normally have some sort of sign/placard that states "Ice available by request. Ask your stateroom attendant" in them. But yours could of had it missing.

 

I was on this cruise. It was my second week on a B2B. I have to say debarkation has improved dramatically since we first cruised out of Galveston on Mariner in 2012. Or it could be we know the drill in Galveston. My wife and I were the first guests to hit the customs line using Self Assist.

 

While most of the 4th of July activities were unique to the 4th of July. The parade of waitstaff(decks 3 and 4) and the singing of Deep in the Heart of Texas and America the Beautiful occur every Saturday on RCCL ships sailing out of Galveston. Its a weekly tradition of sorts. The Saturday night performance and the wide availability of Dr Pepper(including on the soda pkg) is also unique to RCCL ships homeporting in Galveston.

Edited July 11, 2015 by wreckem2013