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Navigator 09/03/05 Review - Long....

Catseyes

By Catseyes,
in Royal Caribbean International

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groovy gran

groovy gran

Posted
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:) hi catseyes

It is great to read a review by someone from uk.

i can identify with so much of what you write.In the us they seem to jump on and off cruises like buses.Of course we dont have that option in the uk but i think it makes our cruises very special, and of course they are usually longer as it is not worth us cruising for 3 or 4 days unless we are going to the med.

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groovy gran

groovy gran

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:) hi catseyes

It is great to read a review by someone from uk.

i can identify with so much of what you write.In the us they seem to jump on and off cruises like buses.Of course we dont have that option in the uk but i think it makes our cruises very special, and of course they are usually longer as it is not worth us cruising for 3 or 4 days unless we are going to the med.

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Patybear

Patybear

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This is one of the best reviews I have read. We are traveling on the Navigator in November and this helps to pass the time. Can't wait to read the next installment. Kinda like waiting for the next episode of the Amazing Race!!!!

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Patybear

Patybear

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This is one of the best reviews I have read. We are traveling on the Navigator in November and this helps to pass the time. Can't wait to read the next installment. Kinda like waiting for the next episode of the Amazing Race!!!!

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dolphinbarmy

dolphinbarmy

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hi catseyes your review is fab!my hubby and i are going on this cruise in four weeks time for two weeks.reading your reviews is making me want to be there right now!we are renewing ours vows while on board so it will be real special like your cruise.i cant wait to have that woosh of heat as you get off the plane in miami,we too are staying at the intercontinental.cant wait for the next part of the review!

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maren91 Great Review Rare

maren91

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Tessa-

I find myself checking your post daily reading about your experience on NOS. As a first time cruiser going on NOS in January, you keep me in anticipation of the big day. You are a fantastic writer and I look forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.

 

-Maren

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ewheelock

ewheelock

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Looking forward to Grand Caymen! My cruise in December will take

me back there :)

 

I'm with LDR. We are on the same cruise in December and will be going to Grand Caymen. Maybe your adventures will give me some ideas of what to do in Caymen!

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Reenie

Reenie

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I am soooooo hooked on this thread!!!! I leave on my cruise on October 16th on the Mariner of the Seas and this has just been so awesome to read!!! I feel like I'm right there with you guys!! I got all weepy when I read about your gift to your husband! How wonderful. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. Can't wait for the next part!!!

 

Reenie

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starq1

starq1

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What an awesome review. Last night was the first time I sat down to read it. I was like a kid a christmas time, my husband kept telling me to go to bed but I had to keep reading. We are going on our next cruise in November 06 on the NOS, this review has me excited and it is still a year away.

 

Whenever we go on a cruise I start a book. I put little tidbits and anything I can find about it in there so I can read it at night. I like to plan everything! You have given me lots of good info! Thank you!

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Catseyes

Catseyes

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Wednesday - Grand Cayman - Stingrays,Comedy & Gala Buffets.

 

It looked like it was going to be another hot day. We had sailed 180 miles from Jamaica to Grand Cayman and the main town of George Town. The two small islands were discovered in 1503 by again Christopher Columbus (he was a busy guy!) He named the islands 'Las Tortugas' after the hundreds of sea turtles that he found there. Though on later maps the islands were called 'Caimanas' meaning crocodile. They were raided by many pirates until the 17th century, including the famous Blackbeard. The islands were part of the territories of Jamaica until 1962 when Jamaica gained it's independance, but the Caymanian people decided they wanted to remain British subjects. English is the official language and they are one hour behind ships time. The Caymans are one of the wealthier islands with triving banks and tourism with great shops. There are many tours available here, the favourites being Stingray City and Sandbar, The Turtle Farm, Town of Hell, Rum Point beach and 7 mile beach with wonderful white sand that like its name stretches for 7 miles.

 

The ship was expected to arrive in Grand Cayman at 8.00am. This was a tender port again and would take about 20 minutes to get to the island from the ship. We had booked a tour of Snorkeling and Stingray City with the ship this time. We had been a bit apprehensive of getting into the water with the Stingrays and had left it until a couple of weeks before we left for our trip, to book the excursion, but were still able to get on it. The cost was $45 each and we paid on our credit card which was taken straight away. You do get a refund if the tour is cancelled. After breakfast in the Windjammer again we went back to our cabin and got ready to roll. Again you need just swimwear and shorts, water shoes (unless you do not mind barefoot in the sea) water camera and bottles of water, also towels. You can bring a change of clothes, but if the weather is hot you do dry off pretty quick. We had a note left in our cabin the night before to fill in the Departure Questionnaire on your TV before noon on Thursday, we decided to get that done now. It was easy enough, just what time you needed to leave the ship on Saturday and your flight time. With this done we made our way down to the Metropolis Theatre to meet the groups going on the excursion. Our tour was to leave at 9.30am. We joined others were you were given a coloured sticker for each group, we were brown. Only had to wait about 10 minutes and were then asked to go aboard the tender boat to go over to the island. The queue was longer today, I suppose because of all the excursions. Got onboard with a lot of people and soon we were off. The trip over was good and we were soon at the port. As we went through the port building which is only small, we were greeted by our tour guide who asked us all to follow him to the bus which would take us to pick up the boat out to Stingray City. Walked through a couple of shopping passages and across into a car park. There were a row of buses waiting, all old school buses. had always wanted to go on and American school bus!. We were split into smaller groups of about 30 people and started our journey to the boat. Our driver was very cheery and sung to us, also told us a bit about the Cayman Isles. We had seen the pictures of the islands after the hurricanes last year and were very surprised at all the rebuilding that had been done. You could still see were the trees and palms had been destroyed, but it was amazing how much work had been done to restore things. We saw some lovely houses on our bus ride, very neat and well kept.

 

After about half an hour we arrived at another car park beside a canal. We got off and walked across the car park to our boat for the trip. It was covered in the middle bit, but open at either end with seats all around, and captained by a very cheeky and friendly guy from England called Chopper!. He had two lady assistants who were nice too. We all settled down and soon we set off. It was getting pretty hot by now, in the 90's again. Everyone started stripping off to their swimwear and putting suncream on. It was a short trip down the canal past some great houses andout into the ocean. The trip across was very smooth which we were glad about. We had been on a catamaran in Spain last year and Peter had been very seasick, so it was good we had no trouble this time. But wished I had taken a sunhat! About 20 minutes later we could see a small boat in the distance and people in the water. As we got nearer you could see the Stingray swim over to greet us. I have to say some of them were huge, about 4 foot across. You could see the sea bed and it seemed to be only about 3 to 4 feet in depth. We had worried about the depth of the water beforehand and were so pleased it was not too deep. Chopper! told us that we were extremely lucky, as there was only one other boat there today, normally you have 20 boats at one time and loads of people in the water at once. The other people were just about to leave so we would have the sandbar all to ourselves for a while. We dropped anchor and were told about the Stingray, snorkeling and the life vests for those chickens off us who did not want to risk just going in without. They had adult and child sizes available. We got down into the water which only came up to Peters waist but up to my neck (one of the joys of being short!) and made our way across a bit into waist height water for me. This was one of the most amazing things we have done. The Stingray swam all around us, there must have been about 30 or 40 of them, ranging from quite small, about 12" across (the males) to 4ft across (the females). They are wonderful creatures and I absolutely adored them. They reminded me of cats, gliding past and rubbing against your legs. They can be quite strong and a couple of times the big ones nearly knocked me over, but I did not care, I could not believe we were here in this gorgeous light blue sea with these beautiful Stingray. They are one of my favourite fish, along with Dolphins and Whales.(I know they are mammels, but you know what I mean). A bucket of squid was put in the water for you to feed them if you wanted. We took some and held it out for the Stingray to take. They just slide over your hand and suck it up, it is a really funny feeling. We were told you should not touch them on their top as they do not like it, Chopper made me laugh when he said it was like someone wetting their finger and sticking it in your ear! you would not like it! Lol.

 

We could touch them underneath and they felt so soft. The tail is their most lethal weapon and it is this that they get their name from, they can give a pretty nasty sting if they are provoked. So we tried to avoid that. We were able to get our photo taken holding the Stingray, some people were still pretty scared of them and would not, we heard a bit of screaming going on. (Others were snorkeling and seemed to be enjoying themselves, wish I could have done that.) But these creatures are so gentle and I expect are well used to us intruding in their home. Chopper said they did not wander any further than 20 metres from Stingray City, they knew were they were onto a good thing with all the food!. After taking photo's and seeing what they looked like underneath we all got back onboard to make our way back to shore. Another boat had just turned up. This had been an unforgettable experience and one we would love to do again with our sons.

 

The ride back was ok and we could order photo's onboard, you saw them on a PC and chose what you wanted. They cost $15 each and would be sent to your address at home. We received ours last week, great photo, (it is such a shame I can not show it on here, sorry!). They also sold Tee Shirts, baseball caps and furry Stingrays, we got Luke one which he loved. There was a fresh water shower onboard and a restroom if you needed it. Also a water drinks machine and an ice box. Our trip back was soon over and we all said our goodbyes to the crew and gave them tips. Had to wait about 15 minutes for our driver to come back and then we headed back to George town.

 

Most people seemed to head off shopping. There are plenty of great stores and some lovely jewelry, black coral, diamonds, watches and some great crystal goods. Could have spent a fortune, but we were very good and only went to one shop for souveneirs and presents for the boys. I bought a really lovely photo frame, which I collect. It had a 3D beach theme with a wooden sunlounger in white in the foreground, a lovely reminder of our wonderful day. Off course the stingray photo has pride of place in it on our sideboard. Took some photo's of Navigator in the bay and decided to go back to the ship too sunbathe for a while. (Remember I had all these white bits to fill in hehe) Would have loved to have done more here, like see the turtles and visit Hell! but did not realise how long the excursion would take or not, I suppose we could have taken a longer trip. Oh well, means we will have to go back, yipee. There seemed to be plenty of taxi's outside the pier if you just wanted to do your own thing, it costs about $3 each, to go to 7 Mile beach. I loved the buildings in George town, reminded us of a quaint old fashioned British seaside town. Plenty of bars and restaurants were around if you wanted to eat. The last tender left at 3.30pm.

 

We got back about 2.00 and showered before going up to the pool to sunbathe. (A little tip! I had read on here, to bring a couple of bungi cords. I strung two together over the two chairs on the balcony and used to hang our swimwear etc., to dry overnight, very useful.) Decided first to get a bite to eat at Johnny Rockets on deck 12, there is a cover charge of $3.95 each, and you pay for your drinks, but all food is free and you can eat as much as you want. It is a great 50's diner and has enclosed booths and old fashioned small jukeboxes on the tables. We had seen these on films and had always wanted to eat in one. It was pretty quiet up there, everyone on shore I suppose, only two other couples while we were there. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Our waiter kept asking if we wanted anything else telling us all about the different dishes. I had a Burger with Blue cheese and all the trimmings and a chocolate malt too die for. Peter had a Burger with bacon and cheese and a bananna milk shake, he said it was great. You get wonderful onion rings and fries with everything. Our waiter talked Peter into having something else, a great chicken sandwich, but I was full. Really enjoyed the food in there, but would have loved to hear the waiters sing as I had read about, but it seems they only do this at certain times.

 

Up on the pool deck we decided to go by the solarium pool. The seats are a lot better here, with blue padded seat covers. Managed to find two together by the hot tubs. It was interesting to see all the people who just want to sit in the shade and sleep, a few gapping mouths!Lol.:) Sat in the hot tub for a while and ordered the drink of the day 'A Mai Tai'.(rum,triple sec, grenadeine,lime and pineapple. Lovely! There are still plenty of things going on around the ship if you want. The bingo was to win a cruise today at 8.10pm. The usual quizzes and seminars, a family scavenger hunt at 4pm, and a Silent? Art auction. Dinner tonight was the second formal night and the 'Chefs Dinner'. The hot tub was very nice and so relaxing, I did chuckle at the four ladies who all sat in there with their shower caps on. Obviously had had their hair done for dinner. It is quite expensive to have your hair done, about $50 for an up do, and $90 for a cut and wash. When we did the spa tour on the first day, I saw the hairdresser looking at my hair, I bet she thought "I would love to do something with that!" Lol.............

 

Noticed there was a 'Frozen Yoghurt' machine by the pool as you entered, it looked good, but we were still full from lunch, and wondered if we would be able to eat our dinner. Peter had a swim in the pool and we continued with the sunburn!! Enjoyed just relaxing, reading and people watching. At 4.00pm the NOS set sail for Cozumel,Mexico, 336.5 nautical miles. We watched from the pool deck saying goodbye to our new friends the Stingray, drink in hand, the band playing calypso, watching Grand Cayman fade into the distance. What more could anyone ask for?

 

As we walked back to our cabin, we stopped at the internet room 'Royal Caribbean Online' on deck 8, (open 24 hours a day),to send an e-card to our boys. We were missing them terribly. This costs 0.50 cents per minute and we sent three altogether over the week. There are quite a few computer terminals in this room with a lot of privacy, there always seemed to be people in there. We got ready for dinner about 6.00pm. Peter wore his suit again and I wore my red cocktail dress with black highheel shoes (these were to come off a bit quick after dinner) Lol. As my 'white' bits had covered up a bit, I felt a lot better tonight than the first formal eve. Peter said I looked lovely again, he knew I had been pretty upset before and I think he would have said I looked lovely if I had been wearing a black bin bag. Made our way down to the Promanade to watch the Wine tendars performing 'Heard it through the Grapevine', very good and the Krooze Comics performing their usual tricks, these are very funny guys. They usually do a little bit of comedy before the main shows. One of them is not exactly a 'small guy' and I will always remember on our first evening on board seeing him standing by the bridge on the prom, dressed in tight blue lurex jogging pants and a too small tanktop with his belly hanging out, telling us all to go to the gym in the spa, because we would get a body like his! I laughed so much I cried.:D

 

Had yet another photo taken for formal night. This one was taken in front of the magical lights that go up the promanade, and we finally got one that looked good with both of us Horray!! Went into dinner and said hello to Ramon & Michael. Sat down and waited to see if we would have dinner mates?. People wandered in, but again no show for our table. Not one this time! Oh well, never mind, a table for two again, and we did not even have to request it. I said to Ramon "It must be the perfume or aftershave we are wearing" he laughed and said it happened all the time. He was very attentive to us (think he felt sorry for us) and we chatted quite a bit about his family in the Phillapines and about our kids. The photographers came around again, as they did every night for photo's at your table. It would have been nice to get a photo with our table mates, we watched all the other tables get theirs done. The food was great tonight 'Lobster' wonderful! had never had this before and really enjoyed it, Ramon removed the shells for us, we were dreading having to fight the shells! After dinner we went back to change into something casual, found another towel animal, an elephant this time.Great! and then went down to see the 'All Access Production Show' in the theatre. It was pretty packed tonight and had to sit upstairs this time, but could see ok. Drinks waiters go around before the shows and we ordered a drink, baileys irish cream with ice, my favourite. The show was great! mostly pop songs, the cast dressed up as different pop stars like Madonna, etc., loved the choriography. There were other things going on, off course the casino, the Glow Party, sounds of the 70's & 80's in the Dungeon, and Rock-A-Rokie, a chance for you to perform with a live rock band (adults only I'm afraid), in the Ixtapa lounge. We wanted to see Graham Seymour do his show at 12.15am in the theatre, but before that we went to see the 'Grand Buffet' to take photo's at 11.30 in the dining room. Got the chance to see the other dining rooms, The Nutcracker & Coppelia. Very grand with a lovely staircase going down to deck 3. The buffet was set out all over the room, lots of spectacular sculptures in ice and every kind of food you could think off. We were very impressed by this and realised how talented these Chefs are. You got the chance also to meet the Executive Chef and his assistants. Lots of people wanted their photo's taken with them, but the queues were long. You could eat it all between 12.30 and 1.30am, if you could, we could not, maybe if you had dinner at first seating. It seemed such a shame to ruin all these wonderful engraved and sculptured dishes, they must have taken an age to do. The waste must have been atrocious, we were told later that what ever is left over is mulched and fed to the fish ahhh.

 

Grahams' show was very funny, he is a great guy and though some people may not understand his humour we liked him. We did laugh when he was talking about the amount of food some people can eat on vacation, he said they think "I've paid for all this, and I am going to eat everything that is put in front of me". Lol.

 

We were very tired by now, but went for a walk up on deck just to see the ship at night, very magical with all the lights, a warm sea breeze and off course your special person with you. So back to bed and the end of another wonderful day, what would tomorrow bring?...................

 

next: Cozumel, Mexico - Sun Faces, Mud & "Anyone for Cricket".

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dolphinbarmy

dolphinbarmy

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hi again you are the best writer.ive stayed on the boards tonight waiting for your next chapter its great.its giving me some great ideas about what trips to do and also i have decided i have to go buy a red dress for formal night.ive been thinking about it for ages i just wanted something different to black.so im off to dream about cruise now.cant wait for your next chapter!!!!so good of you to take time out and write it.

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Taffygirl

Taffygirl

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Catseyes....Your review is the cats whiskers!!!

Looking at different boards as Iwant to book a cruise for next year but not sure which one,your review of this ship makes me very excited and makes me wish I was on it right now,the sad thing is I know I never will be,as I could never sit on an aeroplane for an 8hr flight(sad but true).Does this class of ship sail from anywhere in europe.

Once again loving your review,can't wait for the next installment

Cheers from Taffygirl.

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Catseyes

Catseyes

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Thank you again everyone for reading my review and am honoured that you are all enjoying it and especially for your encouragement, it means a lot.

 

Taffygirl - Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Sea and Brilliance of the Sea sail in the Mediteranian. The VOS is the sister of Navigator, same layout etc., you would love it. Go onto Royal Caribbean's web site www.royalcaribbean.com, you will get all the info you need on there. Of course there are lots and lots of other cruise lines as well, but we have only been on RCCL, our first cruise.

 

I do hope you get to go on a cruise, best thing we ever did. We hope to go again some time. Wish you luck and Happy cruising.

 

Tessa:)

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