Navigator reviews???

[NEAL52]

Anybody been on Navigator recently? How was it?:)

[Alexis]

This is my short and to the point experience on the Navigator. No tours are mentioned, nor any on board activities.

 

 

My B2B on the Navigator, 9/16 - 9/30/2006

 

We did a B2B on the Navigator. The Western Caribbean on September 16 and the Eastern Caribbean on September 23. It was a great two weeks on her. We do not do tours anymore as we have been to these ports many times. This review is only about certain things on the ship.

Our embarkation was smooth and very organized. The best one we ever had. We arrived at the pier at about 10:30 and waited behind the bridal parties to board. The bridal parties board ahead of everyone else. Once the line started to move, it was just minutes before we were on board. They took our Set Sail pass, checked the Charge card and off we went.

The Windjammer had their buffet lunch ready at 12:00 and it was good with a large variety of foods. We ate breakfast and lunch there everyday. It was very good and I had no complaints about the food at all. We never had to wait on any long lines.

The passengers favorite person on board is Nestor. (Not sure about the spelling.) He is the official greeter to the Windjammer in the mornings. He was introduced at the final show as the peoples favorite employee on the Navigator. You MUST say “Hi” to him as you enter, and you better say “goodbye” when you leave. :D

We ate in the dining room every night. We had main seating at 6:00, late seating was at 8:30. We found the food to be quite good. The only complaints at our table were about the steaks. They were a bit tough and grizzly. I never received a dish that I did not like, so I was happy. We had fabulous waiters, assistant waiters and GREAT head waiters on both of our weeks. Our table mates on both weeks were so friendly and nice. We had a great time dining with them all. Everyone should be as lucky as we were to have such enjoyable company to eat with. The Navigator does not have smart casual nights listed anymore for dinner in the dining room. Just formal and casual. So men, leave those sport jackets home..

This was our Eastern week dinner schedule.

This is how it is on the Navigator Eastern.

Saturday- sail from Miami

Sunday- Sea day was - Formal

Monday- at San Juan was - Venetian/casual

Tuesday- St. Thomas was - Get Out There night/casual (no more Caribbean night)

Wednesday- St, Maarten was - lobster/casual

Thursday- Sea day was - Formal

Friday- Nassau was- Feast of Nations/casual

Saturday- Disembark

I forgot the Western.

I can truly say that most of the people on the Navigator dressed very well for dinner each night. On formal nights everyone looked formally dressed. The ladies wore a mixture of different dressy outfits, the men seemed to mostly wear suits. There were tuxes on men and boys, but I would say the majority wore suits. Everyone looked very nice.

On regular nights, most people dressed very nicely and many ladies wore everything from very dressy clothes, to Capri's. There will always be a few in dirty sneakers and ripped T shirts, but very few.

The Promenade had lots of shops, a Wine bar, a Pub with live entertainment and is a great place to sit and watch the world go by.

Also on the Promenade is the Café that has free hot tea, hot chocolate, coffee, pizza, cookies, cakes and sandwiches available 24 hours a day at no charge.

Next to the café is the Coffee bar and Ben and Jerry’s where both charge a fee.

I did not use the specialty restaurants, room service or Johnny Rockets so I can not comment on those.

I found Shane the CD to be very pleasant and did a good job speaking at the shows and all with updates on the ports and activities. Someone had posted on here that they did not like his laugh and it really got to them?? Several of us cruising had read that post and waited to hear it. We never heard anything like that at all. When he emceed the shows I thought he was good. His staff were all really nice and they handled the activities we saw very well. We do not do the pool deck activities so I do not know about them. But, if you only want to see them, go up to the Viking Crown lounge on Deck 14 and you get the best view for the “Belly Flop contest” and such spectacular sporting events. :eek:

We attended both the Repeat Cruiser parties and the Platinum and Diamond parties each week. Captain Sullivan attended them all and introduced members of his staff. He is a very visible, down to earth and friendly person and is always walking around the ship saying "Hello" and chatting with passengers.. The Captain told us he is on the Navigator for 14 weeks and then off for 14 weeks when Captain Bang returns and takes command.

The Captain also attended the Meet and Mingles parties. At the Meet and Mingles they serve finger foods, have a raffle and gave each guest a RCCL water proof holder to be worn around the neck. They officially last about 45 minutes or so.

We had an E1 cabin, 8320 middle of the hump, on Deck 8. Our cabin was the middle of the hump and has as good of a view as one could get. I was concerned when we first saw it as it was right opposite the doorway to the hall. Not in it’s own hallway as the Brilliance hump cabins were. There was a whistle coming in the cabin door that was caused by air moving when we sailed. I put a folded beach towel on the floor up against the door and it stopped. I did this every night and no more whistle. There was no noise at all from the people coming and going by our room from the elevators. I would book it again on another cruise.

The bathroom has sliding doors on the shower, so no friendly shower curtain to grab you from behind. :p

We got bars of soap, a shower cap, a scrubby, shampoo, cream rinse and body wash gel.

I didn't care to much for the new set ups on the beds. Pillows and spread all in white There are so many pillows on the bed that the cabin attendant has to leave the biggest ones on the couch at night. The pillows were way too hard and the heavy quilted thing in between the duvet is so heavy it is hard to sleep under if you fold it down as we do.

The laundry service was very good. We used it several times in the two weeks. Everything was done perfect and fast. I consider the fee reasonable for the quality job.

Disembarking on “turn around day”

(the day one cruise ends and the other cruise starts.)

We were instructed to meet in a certain place on the ship for an officer to come and escort us off. We were also told what to bring with us.

We were all escorted off the ship by the officer. This is usually done after the last passenger gets off, but I believe we were taken off before that on this ship. The officer took us though to customs/immigration and we waited our turn to go through. We then returned to the ship. It was pretty fast and organized. We had to wait on line for just a little while before going through.

Disembarking on the last day of our cruises.

We choose to do the express luggage with Delta.

For $10 Each, they give you your luggage tags, airline tickets and boarding passes on the last night. You put the ships colored tag on your luggage, the airline tag, and put them in the hall. I used the TSA locks, (after permission was given to me at the Rochester airport to use them) and my luggage was locked the whole trip.

On the last morning, we were eating breakfast at 7:02 when they called our color, Lavender. (Lavender is the color for all Express luggage handled by the airlines.) The paper they gave us said we would be called between 7:30-8:30, but they were clearing very early.. We left the Windjammer and went down to stand on line to leave the ship. It took about 45 minutes and we went through customs, immigration. We retrieved the luggage from the carousel, had a baggage handler take it for us to the Delta area and off we went. Since we had the boarding passes already, we did not have to do anything but show up at the gate and board the plane. We got a cab immediately and went to the airport.

Doing the Express luggage with the airlines was the best thing that ever happened after a cruise. The luggage was in Rochester with us when we landed.

My few complaints were.

The elevators are terrible. Slow, and not enough for all the people on board after shows and such. They wiz by you empty, but do not stop??? When they do stop they are all packed with people. Be prepared to walk the stairs or you will not get where you are going in time. Take any elevator you can and ride it up and down until it gets to your stop. That is the only way you will be able to get in one.

Very dirty balcony glass made it hard to see the water. Others commented on that too from other areas of the ship.

The computers on board are soooo slow that you will eat up time faster than you think. At .50 a minute, they are making good money on them.

All in all, the Navigator is a beautiful ship and has a great crew.

I will be happy to answer any questions if I can.

__________________

[Willbcruisin]

NOS is a wonderful ship! Captain Bang and his Wife Darlene are so nice!

 

I can't say one negative thing about it at all. I will miss the ship when she goes to Europe but....I will book her as soon as she returns to the states.

 

As for now...we're trying her sister ship Mariner. I'm hoping we will like it as much but really will miss the Capt. and Mrs. Bang!

 

Make sure you attend the Meet & Mingle!!

[TennisLover]

Alexis: Thank you for your review. We are going on Navigator next month (our first RCCL cruise). This is all very helpful!

[Alexis]

Alexis: Thank you for your review. We are going on Navigator next month (our first RCCL cruise). This is all very helpful!

 

You are welcome. :)

You have picked a beautiful ship. It has everything on it for a first time RCCL cruiser to have the time of their lives.

You must post and let us know how you enjoyed the cruise on your return.;)

[over the edge]

Alexis: Thank you for your review. We are going on Navigator next month (our first RCCL cruise). This is all very helpful!

 

TennisLover, I hope you will post a review when you return. We are sailing on the Navigator in March, aft D1. We can't wait. :)

[Geema]

The Navigator is our favorite ship so far. We did the Eastern Caribbean.

 

I agree with Alexis on everything she wrote. We had Nester as our assistant waiter and he was a hoot! Our grandkids just loved him!. Captain Bang was also very nice and the whole staff onboard were very friendly and helpful. We had a Junior Suite and were very spoiled at the spaciousness of it and the walk-in closet! The bathroom in a Junior Suite has a tub.

 

You will love the Navigator. :D

[vermontvoyager]

Navigator is the best cruise we have had of the 3 cruises we have been on...all RCCL and Voyager Class.;)

The staff, service and the food were excellent.

Nestor is great. He made your trip to the Windjammer fun.:D

We are looking to book Navigator again this year.:cool:

Bob:)

[RachelD]

DH and I loved the Navigator... having a hard time picking another ship to sail on now.:rolleyes: :)

[<M&M>]

NOS was great. The cruse director Graham Seymour was hilarious, make sure to tell him "Sup? Sup?" The ship was clean and beautiful. The winjammer greater guy is great. Our waiter Salmon was a treat. I would recomed the ship to anyone with no hesitation. Enjoy your trip!

[Retired not Expired]

As much as I enjoy reading a recent review on ships I'm about to sail, a lack of anything recent is a very good indication things are running extremely smooth on that ship.

 

If anything at all has gone wrong, we will hear about it.

[NEAL52]

Thanks for the great reviews of The Navigator. We are booked 4 nights Dec. 27.

[Alpic]

Thank you for your review. It's gonna be our first Royal Caribbean cruise and our first back to back cruise also. I was wondering how to proceed at the end of the first week and you made that clear.

[ciderapple]

It was truly fabulous!!!

 

The new cruise director (I forget his name) Aussie chap is a hoot!

 

I will try to post a mini review for you later.

 

gotta go!!!

[over the edge]

It was truly fabulous!!!

 

The new cruise director (I forget his name) Aussie chap is a hoot!

 

I will try to post a mini review for you later.

 

gotta go!!!

 

I would love to read your review of the ship and your cabin. Tks. :)

[TennisLover]

TennisLover, I hope you will post a review when you return. We are sailing on the Navigator in March, aft D1. We can't wait. :)

 

Be careful what you wish for! You should see the very long review I just wrote on my 4 day Fascination cruise last week!!!

 

I'll post before I leave, so anyone can ask me to make special note of things you are interested in.

[masonpips]

From our October trip:

 

Mini-review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=432651

 

Photos/Movie Clips:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=439639

[vermontvoyager]

It was truly fabulous!!!

 

The new cruise director (I forget his name) Aussie chap is a hoot!

 

I will try to post a mini review for you later.

 

gotta go!!!

The Cruise Director's name is James Andrews.

He is very good and funny. I heard that he is returning to Freedom of the Seas. He started out on Freedom and was on Navigator and heard he was returning to Freedom.

Bob:)

[over the edge]

Be careful what you wish for! You should see the very long review I just wrote on my 4 day Fascination cruise last week!!!

 

I'll post before I leave, so anyone can ask me to make special note of things you are interested in.

 

Thanks, I love long, interesting reviews. Not to worry, can't be long enough for me. When its a ship I'm interested in, if the review is long, I like to print it off, and take it to bed at night and read it there. Silly, I know, but its something I really enjoy doing. :)

 

Looking forward to the review of your cruise and counting the sleeps til mine! :p

[ciderapple]

I would love to read your review of the ship and your cabin. Tks. :)

 

Okay, I'm back! it will have to be brief I'm afraid:o

 

We were in a D1 cabin 9376 with a balcony. We travelled with our two teenage boys who were in 9381, this is an inside cabin which has a connecting door into 9376.

 

Embarkation was really easy. Ship was sailing at 5pm. Our docs said not to get to the port before 2pm. We got there at around 11.45am and were allowed into the cruise terminal. We were onboard by 12.30pm. Windjammer was open for lunch - food that day was a bit so so.

 

Our cabins were ready after 2pm. I was pleasantly surprised at the size. having the interconnecting doors with the kids was great. There is plenty of storage and the bathrooms are well designed - no complaints there at all.

 

We did the Eastern Caribbean; loved Puerto Rico, St Thomas and St Martin. We really did not like Nassau, but to be fair 6 ships were docked at the time!

 

Food on the ship was very good. We ate in the main dining room for six nights. I enjoy good food and was not disappointed, a couple of desserts were just so so. The service was great. We ate in Portofinos one night, the food was superb but not much better than the dining room to warrant $20 pp. For lunches and breakfasts we mixed it up between the dining room, room service and the Windjammer.

 

Entertainment was great, enjoyed the shows and the ice show. Love and marriage and Quest were hilarious.

 

The ship is in very good shape, you feel proud to be on her when your are docked next to other ships. I really could not fault the design or condition.

 

Staff were superb - totally professional and HAPPY!!! From the dining room to our steward Olson and everywhere else (spa, gym, barstaff, teen staff etc)

 

We had such a great time, I could waffle on for ages if I had the time! If anyone has any specific questions I will try to answer. If you are booked on the Navigator in the near future you are in for a Fabulous time :D

[TennisLover]

 

Entertainment was great, enjoyed the shows and the ice show. Love and marriage and Quest were hilarious.

 

Please tell me more about the entertainment -- not the shows, but what about live music. Was there a rock band for dancing anywhere? What about the piano bar player in the Schooner lounge?

 

We have 42 days to go (but who is counting).

[rodbrod]

just on navigator with wife and two teenagers. great cruise (good weather helps)no problems at all, food was good and plenty of it, entertainment was enjoyable and Eastern Caribbean ports were fun Would love to cruise on navigator again. hope you have as much fun as we did. worth every penny spent

[Cape Cruiser 2007]

Thanks for the great reviews/comments!

Will be on NOS on Feb with Tennis! Psst I am counting too!

I can't wait.

One quick question- Any Rootbeer on board?? DS loves his rootbeer floats in the warm weather! If it was available- he can enjoy one on his balcony while we sip foofoo drinks!

[TennisLover]

Cape -- where are you staying on Friday in Ft. L? (sorry for hijacking the thread)

[Cape Cruiser 2007]

Tennis-Must've answered ya on another thread-Holiday Inn ; the one across the street from beach.