Live and Having Fun! NOS Sept 16-23

[Step1]

Hi Sharon, Thanks for the review! I have enjoyed the last two mornings turning on the computer to your review! I copy and forward it on to my husband at work since he does not visit CC like I do!

 

DH was asking if you have seen a cocktail server, Elena? She had worked the Wig & Gavel on Mariner and then last we heard gone to Navigator. she was really sweet and kept had a Red Bull when she would see him coming! LOL We enjoyed the pup and hope to enjoy it again! If you have a favorite server could you ask if they know Elena Dimitrov? (sp)

 

How is your cybercabin working for you? I have not decided which to do..cybercabin or wireless.

 

Thanks again for the great review!

[njoyndride]

Cozumel

We did dock in Cozumel woo hoo. The shopping area at the pier looks pretty normal with the exception of pier itself. The crew are so happy to be docking as the tendering process wasn’t the best and the crew isn’t allowed a tender seat unless there’s one available without a need by passengers to use it. We docked at 10:00 and were off the ship by 10:20 with no lines. We walked through the maze of shops out to the cab line where the 6 of us caught a cab to Mr. Sanchos. We love Mr. Sanchos and had debated not going there due to the lack of beach however we’ve spent quite a few memorable afternoons here and we thought it only appropriate to give them our much needed business. The fare was $14 for each cab if we divided in to 2 cabs or $30 total for a larger van which is what we opted for. Mr. Sanchos is one of the last beaches on the strip that boasts Playa Mia, Paradise and San Francisco beaches. While the beach was indeed much smaller, the margaritas, guacamole, the view and friendly staff are still there. We had a really nice day, got too much sun and did a little shopping there. My SIL had a special magnet hand painted with all of the fish she’d seen there; it is a very cool momento. We came back on board about mid afternoon with the intention of heading back out but the absence of passengers around the pool was too inviting so I spent the rest of the day enjoying the solitude and reading. We sailed away only to view the most magnificent sunset watching the giant orange ball slip silently in to the ocean. It’s was just beautiful, the pictures never do it justice. Since we were leaving at 7pm we decided to make this our Portofinos night so we could watch sailaway. While the food and service were exceptional I didn’t enjoy my dinner as I’d liked due to too much sun and we ended up bringing our dessert back to cabin. The dining hours were changed tonight with early being 6:30 and late at 8:45. To our sadness upon our arrival back to the cabin were our luggage tags, tip envelopes and customs form. Reality is setting in, they are really going to make me get off tomorrow!!!!

Patty - Martin is onboard until February, you are going to love him.

Stephanie - The cybercabin is slow as always but it is nice to sit in the morning in my robe and type this. I like the convenience of having it in the cabin, plus DH needs his baseball and can listen to live broadcasts.

[daffodil]

would someone please explain"cybercabin"!!!

Daff

[Patty in NC]

Hi Sharon,

 

Thanks for letting us know about Martin. It's always nice to know the cabin steward is going to be great. My family has 3 cabins across the back...1390, 1690, and 1688...do you know if he covers all of them? If you don't know, don't worry about...it's not a big deal.

 

Glad to hear you were able to dock in Cozumel. We are doing the Eastern itinerary but it will come in handy to know for others.

 

Have a great rest of the cruise and safe trip home!

 

Patty

[jmacway]

Hello all, we are the SIL and BIL traveling with njoyndride and her DH, We thought we would tell you about our days and impressions on the Navigator and ports as they were somewhat different than what they experienced. Although we shared many meals together and may have started off together, we often did different things during the days and evenings. This is our 9th cruise and it is very similar to the first one we took in 1988,

Boarding: We arrived at pier about 11:15 (we are gold members) and stood in a line that moved continuously, We were on board ship shortly after noon and dropped off our carry on bags in our starboard balcony cabin 8328 before they said we could also – which was located at the beginning of the hump. Marion’s the steward and is very good and hardly seen.

First Day at sea: We enjoy getting and doing the trivia games that are provided in the library every day. The Meet and Mingle was fun - drinks were served along with nice appetizers. About 30 of the 60 or so that signed up for the M&M were there. Captain Rick Sullivan visited and gifts were passed out along with two prize drawings. Climbing the Rockwall is harder than it looks. I only made it up about 5 feet. You provide the socks, they provide every thing else. The shoes are so tight it felt like I stubbed my big toe. The Welcome Aboard Reception was very nice, good appetizers served along with drinks in the Ixtapa lounge. That evening we went to the show “Now and Forever” It was lots of singing and dancing with music and scenes from popular Broadway productions.

Labadee, Haiti: Much nicer than we expected. It was easy to get around, you can walk the entire area, but there was a shuttle for transportation. Nice beaches. Water shoes a must! Checking out Dragon Breath Rock is also a must. You can see the dragon head and “hear” the dragon breathing. People I talked to that snorkeled said they did not have much to look at, at least at the Hideaway Beach area that we spent our time. The Bar-B-Q that was there was very good - ribs, jerk chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, salads and fruit. Tea, punch and water were free with sodas, beer and drinks available as always for purchase.

Ocho Rios Jamaica: We went to the ice show that night. For a show on an ice rink in the bottom of a cruise ship, it wasn’t bad. You do need to get tickets in advance and it was a sold out show. We went to Dunn’s River Falls after dropping Thom and Sharon at Reggae Beach. There is lots of walking involved even if you only want to get in the river beach area instead of climbing the falls.

George Town, Grand Cayman: We got a tour guide at the pier, Tessa, a local. $20 per person for 2-2.5 hour island tour in air conditioned van for 8-12. Sights included the an old homestead, the Governors house, Turtle farm, a stop at a Tortuga rum cake outlet, Cemetery, several picture stops, a visit to the town of “Hell” and back to pier for shopping.

Cozumel, Mexico: If you want to learn to snorkel, this is the beach to go to. I ending up buying some water goggles after my first venture into the water as there was so much to look at. I put them on and walked out in the water and stuck my head under water to see fish all over the place. I had purchased a disposable water camera at Wal-Mart $9. I thought the prices were high there at the local beach market though. The prices for the t-shirts and wraps I bought were cheaper at the pier stores. The show that night was the Drifters. They talked amongst themselves quite a bit for a group that was supposed to be singing in our opinion. The did close with the classic “Under the Boardwalk” with lots of audience participation.

Day at sea: We crashed the Diamond and Platinum brunch with FIL & MIL. Very nice food and drinks were served. Captain Sullivan spoke. If you enjoy Rock N Roll, check out Johnny Rockets. We went and had root beer floats and watched the waiter staff sing and dance.

[njoyndride]

Home again home again.....It always amazes me how long you wait for your cruise and then how quick the week whizzes by.

 

Last Day at Sea

 

I do like the last day of a cruise being a sea day. It's a nice relaxing wrap up to the week. We did just that, relaxed. Since I'd baked myself the day before I avoided the sun and spent the day shopping, looking through the pics and doing the dreaded packing. We'd chosen the luggage valet service and received our boarding passes and luggage tags by noon. We talked to our cabin steward quite a bit off and on during the day, boy I already miss Martin! We said our goodbyes to our dining room staff, Jamel and Vikas are high on my list of top wait staff. They really made our dining experience fun as well as being super attentive and immediately keying in on our likes and dislikes.

[masonpips]

Glad you had such a great trip and thanks so much for the live review - these are so awesome for those of us getting ready to sail!

[Step1]

Thanks for the review! I looked forward to your updates!

[njoyndride]

Disembarkation

 

As stated above we had luggage valet which is done a little differently than our experience in San Juan. For Miami, you are given colored tags based on the fact that you have purchased luggage valet. You are asked to disembark as soon as the color is called so that they can get the luggage out and to the airport. Being Diamond we also had access to the special lounge for disembarkation. We met up with MIL and FIL at 7:30 in the lounge and no sooner did I start pouring a cup of coffee than they called our color. BTW-The Crown and Anchor staff had already escorted the the platinum, diamond and diamond + off the ship prior to our arrival in the lounge. Once up on deck 4 we waited in a line that included all the early disembarkation colors. In order to monitor the flow through immigration they would let groups of 30 or so off the ship at a time, they did this from both the forward and aft doors. By the time we were allowed off the ship and passed through immigration was approx. 35-40 minutes. It took us another 30 minutes or so to gather all of our luggage at the carousel and grab a porter who took us to the luggage valet area to drop the bags. All in all it was just over an hour from the time they called our color to hopping in the cab to the airport. While the luggage valet is a really nice feature we had a 1:30pm flight to SFO and since we were to the airport by 9, it was quite a long wait for our flight. I'm not sure which I prefer doing it this way or enjoying the ship longer and hasseling with the luggage to and at the airport. The jury is still out on this one. The airport was not very busy (for MIA) since it was Saturday and there were only 2 ships in port. I think for a Sunday the luggage valet would be money well spent to avoid the long check-in lines.

 

In summary, I think the staff on the Navigator are some of the best as is reflected by the fact that many were transferred to the Freedom and next the Liberty. I was disappointed that Capt. Bang would be on vacation however Capt. Sullivan would make him proud. He attended our Meet and Mingle, spoke at the Platinum/Diamond brunch and held a Q & A on the last day at sea. Capt. Sullivan loves what he does and enjoys sharing his perspective with his passengers. The Navigator reflects the management by her Masters in her pristine appearance and the happy, friendly and accommodating crew.

 

Thanks to all who posted during our sailing, it was fun to read while aboard. Please let me know if you have any specific questions, I don't mind a bit re-living my experiences :) .

[hollyad]

Welcome back Sharon. I'm glad you guys had a great time.

:-)

[njoyndride]

Thanks Holly...I'm already thinking hmmmmm.....where can I go next?

[emen822]

Thanks again for posting live. We are sailing the Navigator next March and can't wait. Glad you liked the Intercontinental as we have that booked as well.

[Dreamz2cruise]

Hi Sharon! (and Thom!) - glad to hear you made it back ok. It was nice being your neighbor for a week! I too miss Martin! I cleaned and did laundry all day yesterday getting ready to get back to "real life".... Ahh... Martin?! Where is my Martin?!!... I agree, he was absolutely wonderful. I'm spoiled. Murph is asking when we are going next - glad he enjoyed the trip and the (not-so-young-one) DD had a blast too.

 

Thanks for your advice, the CD (great CD by the way!) and for being great neighbors on board. It was a pleasure to meet you. Take care!!

 

Tami

[sailingawaysoon]

Sharon,

 

Thank you for the live review. I was checking in all week to see what you were doing and how your cruise was going. We'll be on the Navigator this Saturday. I'm like you, I want to do so much, but I don't know if I'll be able to stay up that late. I'm typically in bed every night by 10:00...I know I could stay up a little longer, but w/the sun and drinks....I may be out of it sooner than I think.

 

What was your favorite part of the ship?

[njoyndride]

Hi Sharon! (and Thom!) - glad to hear you made it back ok. It was nice being your neighbor for a week! I too miss Martin! I cleaned and did laundry all day yesterday getting ready to get back to "real life".... Ahh... Martin?! Where is my Martin?!!... I agree, he was absolutely wonderful. I'm spoiled. Murph is asking when we are going next - glad he enjoyed the trip and the (not-so-young-one) DD had a blast too.

 

Thanks for your advice, the CD (great CD by the way!) and for being great neighbors on board. It was a pleasure to meet you. Take care!!

 

Hi Tami! So the cure is to start planning that next cruise. If you liked the western carib. you'll LOVE the eastern! We'd love to be your neighbors again LOL!!! Say hi to Murph and Leeanne for us.

 

Thank you for the live review. I was checking in all week to see what you were doing and how your cruise was going. We'll be on the Navigator this Saturday. I'm like you, I want to do so much, but I don't know if I'll be able to stay up that late. I'm typically in bed every night by 10:00...I know I could stay up a little longer, but w/the sun and drinks....I may be out of it sooner than I think.

 

What was your favorite part of the ship?

 

You must be so excited to be so close to leaving. Favorite part beside the casino LOL? I love the helicopter pad in the very front of the ship, you can play King of the World like in Titanic. Go all the way forward on Deck 4 outside promenade then up the stairs.

[raytownlady]

[quote name='njoyndride']Hi Tami! So the cure is to start planning that next cruise. If you liked the western carib. you'll LOVE the eastern! We'd love to be your neighbors again LOL!!! Say hi to Murph and Leeanne for us.



You must be so excited to be so close to leaving. Favorite part beside the casino LOL? I love the helicopter pad in the very front of the ship, you can play King of the World like in Titanic. Go all the way forward on Deck 4 outside promenade then up the stairs.[/quote]

I've been on 4 Voyager-class ships and each time I say that I'm going to check out the helicopter pad, this time I'm going to do it!

[njoyndride]

[QUOTE]I've been on 4 Voyager-class ships and each time I say that I'm going to check out the helicopter pad, this time I'm going to do it![/QUOTE]

It's especially cool at night, it's very dark up there and the stars look like they drip right in to the ocean....ahhhhhh I want to see it again!!!!!

[SUZCRUZ]

[quote name='njoyndride']It's especially cool at night, it's very dark up there and the stars look like they drip right in to the ocean....ahhhhhh I want to see it again!!!!![/quote]

[SIZE=4][COLOR=magenta]It was fun reading your review as we were on the same sailing and a few doors down from you! Wasn't Martin a gem? He was by far the best cabin stewart we've ever had and I told the Capt that. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#ff00ff]We did find our way to the helicopter pad but it was during the day. Wish we had gone up there at night. Gotta do that next time. And don't you love the peek a boo bridge? [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#ff00ff]Ditto on the aft cabin being still at times. I don't think you get that much air circulation back there.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#ff00ff]Anyhoo, nice writings and review, and a BEAUTIFUL SHIP IN TIP TOP SHAPE![/COLOR][/SIZE]

[njoyndride]

Suz - Maybe we should start a Martin fan club! I've only had 1 other cabin steward that was as good or maybe a wee bit better.

[Brambletonian]

We are sailing on the NOS in March and loved your report/review. We would love to see your pictures if you care to share them.

Thanks for all the great information, especially about the helicopter pad at night. I think we will have to check that out!!

[njoyndride]

[URL="http://www.macwayzoo.com/Photos/06-Sept-Navigator%20Cruise/index.htm"]http://www.macwayzoo.com/Photos/06-Sept-Navigator%20Cruise/index.htm[/URL]

Hi Brambletonian - It's mostly family pics, not too many of the ship since this was our second time on her. Enjoy!