LIVE / Navigator OS / Feb. 17 – 21 / 4-day Getaway

[HBCcruiser]

Welcome to a LIVE review of our (DH and myself) 4-day winter getaway cruise on the NOS out of LA. I work in education and our schools are closed for President’s Day, so this cruise fit into my work schedule perfectly. Last year we sailed the 3-day cruise on NOS and really loved the crew and ship. The weather is showing mostly sunny weather around 60-68 degrees over the four days which is pretty normal for SoCal this time of year. Last year we were lucky to have the warm Santa Anna winds during our February getaway cruise. Of course, the weather doesn’t really matter because – I’m going on a CRUISE!

 

This cruise stops in Catalina (day 3) and Ensenada (day 4). Day 2 is a sea day;

 

 

From what I have seen on previous cruises, most of the time the ship will be doing large donuts off the west coast.  Hopefully the captain will follow the sun!

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

We purchased the Ultimate Beverage Package (UBP) with Voom internet (now Starlink I think) and Ultimate Dining Package (UDP). I waited until the Black Friday sale day to purchase these packages which saved us quite bit.

 

Our dining reservations are:

 

Friday, 2/17/2023 - Lunch, WAS supposed to be Chops at 12:00 PM but they do not open Chops for lunch even though it was available to purchase online. Why do they offer it online if it is not even available? SMH 🤷‍♀️ Odd.  We plan on going to Playmakers instead. 
Dinner Izumi at 6:45 PM
Saturday 2/18/2023 - Lunch Jamie’s at 12:30 PM.  Dinner - Hooked Seafood at 6:45 PM
Sunday 2/19/2023 - Dinner Chops 6:45 PM
Monday 2/20/2023 - Dinner Hooked Seafood 6:45 PM

 

One January 3, 2023 – 45 days before our cruise - we received the notice to Check In. On the same day, after I checked us in, I received the RoyalUp email. We have GS but I thought, “What the Heck!” and made low bids in on an OS and the RS. With a sold-out cruise I highly doubt we will win any bids. The other day I received the "wait and see" email which usually means the bids are not accepted. No prob. We are very happy with our cabin. 😁

 

 

This cruise has been sold out for about a month. Schools are out so I anticipate a lot of families onboard. We plan on getting to the terminal early for our check-in time of 10:30. I don’t think the terminal is open until 10:00 (anyone know for sure about this?), so I am hoping if we get there around 10 we won’t have to wait outside.  We live really close to the port – about 40 minutes – and plan on leaving our car parked in the lot right by the terminal. It is so easy IMO. 

 

I received the following Concierge email on Sunday, February 12 – SUPER BOWL day;

 

 

 
Like I always do, I emailed the concierge back with a request for her to book our dining reservations (this included the Chops lunch). I think I heard that the Concierge is new which explains why she did not know that Chops is not open for lunch. Yesterday she sent the following email;

 

It is interesting that she did not list Playmakers. According to the App it opens at 11:30 AM. Our plan is to grab a few cocktails then hit Playmakers for lunch after we board. 

[HBCcruiser]

Now THIS is the Tote I need for my cruises!! 

[HBCcruiser]

The weather looks pretty good! Typical for this time of year. We have had a lot of rain and cooler weather this winter, so I'll take it! 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by HBCcruiser

[fac429]

Really enjoyed sailing on the Navigator a few months ago.  Spent a lot of time in the Bamboo Room (drinking mostly Zombies and the Bamboo Room Mai Tai).  If you find yourself there please tell Raj and Sabrina that Patrick says hello!  (They will not remember me.)

[HBCcruiser]

I have a loooong workday today but am already pretty much packed. I pack in a very strange way. I pack everything I think I might need the weekend before we leave, percolate on what I may or may not need during the week,  then on the morning before we leave I reevaluate and remove/replace stuff. Oh, and lists. I have to have LISTS! Who can explain it?! 😂

 

My DH, on the other hand, travels a LOT for work and can just throw it all together the day we leave. Go figure! 

[HBCcruiser]

7 minutes ago, fac429 said:

Really enjoyed sailing on the Navigator a few months ago.  Spent a lot of time in the Bamboo Room (drinking mostly Zombies and the Bamboo Room Mai Tai).  If you find yourself there please tell Raj and Sabrina that Patrick says hello!  (They will not remember me.)

Will do! We plan on grabbing drinks there while we are waiting for Playmakers to open. Are Raj and Sabrina still there do you know? I will post pics when I am onboard. I LOVE the Mai Tais! How are the Zombies? Will I become one if I have too many? 

 

[HBCcruiser]

There are a few activities I am interested in trying onboard. One is the Casino: Learn to Play. Does anyone know if that includes Craps? I'd love to learn more about that game! Please let me know if you have tried this or know anything about it. I have not seen it on the other cruise  that we travel with.

 

 

This is the other activity we are interested in - the Moet & Chandon tasting. Question though - Do they still charge you if you have the UBP? 

 

 

 

[seapad]

Following.....nice blog! 

[HBCcruiser]

Just received this email. ONE MORE DAY!!

 

[HBCcruiser]

Ok full confession -  I am a woman and just changed my mind about lunch tomorrow. I have a hankerin' for Jamie's Bruschetta and Meat Plank. Plus I like the Oberon Cab. Can we just show up there at noon? 

 

 

[fac429]

4 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Will do! We plan on grabbing drinks there while we are waiting for Playmakers to open. Are Raj and Sabrina still there do you know? I will post pics when I am onboard. I LOVE the Mai Tais! How are the Zombies? Will I become one if I have too many? 

Haha, I think I may have looked a bit like that by Monday... But yes, the zombies were excellent.  Only bummer was that even with the drink package you still had to throw in a dollar.  (It was worth it.)  On the other hand, Bennie's Mai Tai (also on the premium menu) was pretty terrible.  I stuck with the Bamboo Room Mai Tai.  I'm sure I tried a couple others, but I must not have liked them as much because I definitely stuck with the zombies and mai tais.  (If you're into tiki drinks, the Bamboo Room Mai Tai is surprisingly faithful to the original 1944 recipe, which is pretty different from what most people think of when they think of mai tais today.)

 

When I was there at the end of October Raj was just about to head back to India to see his family for a month, and then my understanding was that he was coming back for another tour of duty so I think he should be there.  Sabrina had been in the Schooner Bar all weekend for our cruise, but she had just been promoted to bartender in the Bamboo Room and was training the last night we were there.  So I would think she would be there too, but I wasn't sure how much longer she had on her own contract and/or if she was planning to continue on with the ship after her initial term.

[Deeliteful]

6 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

I have a loooong workday today but am already pretty much packed. I pack in a very strange way. I pack everything I think I might need the weekend before we leave, percolate on what I may or may not need during the week,  then on the morning before we leave I reevaluate and remove/replace stuff. Oh, and lists. I have to have LISTS! Who can explain it?! 😂

 

My DH, on the other hand, travels a LOT for work and can just throw it all together the day we leave. Go figure! 

I make lists, pack my cases a few days before. Open cases the day before travelling and add more stuff! 
last cruise, last month, I took 13 pairs of trousers for an 8 day cruise and forgot my swimsuit! 😱

I did get a new one onboard, thank goodness for my poker wins 😂

[HBCcruiser]

Ugh will this work day ever end..?!

 

 

[Tree_skier]

6 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Welcome to a LIVE review of our (DH and myself) 4-day winter getaway cruise on the NOS out of LA. I work in education and our schools are closed for President’s Day, so this cruise fit into my work schedule perfectly. Last year we sailed the 3-day cruise on NOS and really loved the crew and ship. The weather is showing mostly sunny weather around 60-68 degrees over the four days which is pretty normal for SoCal this time of year. Last year we were lucky to have the warm Santa Anna winds during our February getaway cruise. Of course, the weather doesn’t really matter because – I’m going on a CRUISE!

 

This cruise stops in Catalina (day 3) and Ensenada (day 4). Day 2 is a sea day;

 

 

From what I have seen on previous cruises, most of the time the ship will be doing large donuts off the west coast.  Hopefully the captain will follow the sun!

 

 

Following...

 

We just got off Navigator Feb 3 after the same itinerary.  The ship is in good shape and the staff are great!

[Tree_skier]

6 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

We purchased the Ultimate Beverage Package (UBP) with Voom internet (now Starlink I think) and Ultimate Dining Package (UDP). I waited until the Black Friday sale day to purchase these packages which saved us quite bit.

 

Our dining reservations are:

 

Friday, 2/17/2023 - Lunch, WAS supposed to be Chops at 12:00 PM but they do not open Chops for lunch even though it was available to purchase online. Why do they offer it online if it is not even available? SMH 🤷‍♀️ Odd.  We plan on going to Playmakers instead. 
Dinner Izumi at 6:45 PM
Saturday 2/18/2023 - Lunch Jamie’s at 12:30 PM.  Dinner - Hooked Seafood at 6:45 PM
Sunday 2/19/2023 - Dinner Chops 6:45 PM
Monday 2/20/2023 - Dinner Hooked Seafood 6:45 PM

 

One January 3, 2023 – 45 days before our cruise - we received the notice to Check In. On the same day, after I checked us in, I received the RoyalUp email. We have GS but I thought, “What the Heck!” and made low bids in on an OS and the RS. With a sold-out cruise I highly doubt we will win any bids. The other day I received the "wait and see" email which usually means the bids are not accepted. No prob. We are very happy with our cabin. 😁

 

 

This cruise has been sold out for about a month. Schools are out so I anticipate a lot of families onboard. We plan on getting to the terminal early for our check-in time of 10:30. I don’t think the terminal is open until 10:00 (anyone know for sure about this?), so I am hoping if we get there around 10 we won’t have to wait outside.  We live really close to the port – about 40 minutes – and plan on leaving our car parked in the lot right by the terminal. It is so easy IMO. 

 

I received the following Concierge email on Sunday, February 12 – SUPER BOWL day;

 

 

 
Like I always do, I emailed the concierge back with a request for her to book our dining reservations (this included the Chops lunch). I think I heard that the Concierge is new which explains why she did not know that Chops is not open for lunch. Yesterday she sent the following email;

 

It is interesting that she did not list Playmakers. According to the App it opens at 11:30 AM. Our plan is to grab a few cocktails then hit Playmakers for lunch after we board. 

Paulina is new.  She was working with Francisco but Francisco was clearly in charge when we were on Nav a couple of weeks ago.  I'm sure that Paulina will get up to speed quickly enough,

[Tree_skier]

6 hours ago, fac429 said:

If you find yourself there please tell Raj and Sabrina that Patrick says hello! 

Raj was great!

[Tree_skier]

2 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Ok full confession -  I am a woman and just changed my mind about lunch tomorrow. I have a hankerin' for Jamie's Bruschetta and Meat Plank. Plus I like the Oberon Cab. Can we just show up there at noon? 

 

 

good call 🙂 

[HBCcruiser]

26 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Following...

 

We just got off Navigator Feb 3 after the same itinerary.  The ship is in good shape and the staff are great!

Perf! Were the pools heated? Last year they were freezing cold. 

[Tree_skier]

12 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Perf! Were the pools heated? Last year they were freezing cold. 

I didn't go in but I think they were.  Lots of people were using them.  The odd thing was on the waterslides, the one where you ride down on a carpet was heated but the one where you are in a tube was not 

[HBCcruiser]

27 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

I didn't go in but I think they were.  Lots of people were using them.  The odd thing was on the waterslides, the one where you ride down on a carpet was heated but the one where you are in a tube was not 

 

Thanks good to know!

[HBCcruiser]

Finally finished with work! Let the fun begin🥳🥳🥂 I’m going to grab a glass of wine and finish gathering a few last items to pack and unpack items I don’t need. My DH just started packing.

[HBCcruiser]

So I just checked the App and the shows and movies are listed! If you have feedback/opinions about the shows and performances please let me know. Love the ice show so that is a given! 
 

 

Love Maverick! 

 

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

Calling it. Time for sleep. “All my bags are packed I’m ready to go…”

 

see you tomorrow 🥂🚢🥂

Edited February 17, 2023 by HBCcruiser

[mandyleighflies]

We sailed on this exact itinerary on Navi last February and also in a GS. It was our first GS and now I have been officially ruined and only book JS or GS for cruises now. The bathroom and closet space alone sold me, much to my husband's dismay 😄. We loved Navi, she's a beautiful ship and the itinerary was fantastic, we will sail another LA cruise in the future for sure. Tiki lounge is super cute and has a lot of hidden gems if you're into vintage travel and gimmicks. Schooner Lounge tends to be our spot to settle in for the evenings, the entertainment staff was fantastic, piano player was very fun and interactive, bar staff attentive and friendly. 

 

LIGHTYEAR was ADORABLE and I CRIED throughout the entire movie. Sox the cat steals the show, it's a must see even if you do not catch it on the ship. 

 

Will be following along!! 44 days until my next sailing so living vicariously through all you February cruisers now! Bon Voyage!