I had planned this cruise for seven months. A friend and I who had previously traveled with Carnival and Celebrity were eager to try Royal Caribbean after hearing so many positive things about the beauty of the ship, the quality of food and service, etc. For the second time, I surprised my retired parents by taking them with us (the year before I had surprised them with an Alaska cruise that I will review later), and they were absolutely giddy with excitement when they found out they would do it again. She will travel aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, which they said was their favorite ship of the 13 other cruises they had taken. With the ship fresh out of the dry dock for improvements, we were ready to go to some completely new destinations that none of us had ever visited: the island of Roatan, Honduras, and Belize City. The expectations were high.
Then it was time for the cruise. While I’m not prepared to say we had a bad time on this cruise, I think it’s fair to say that our expectations were a bit deflated, pretty much from the moment we arrived in Galveston port. Let me take you through the high and low lights of life on the high seas aboard the Navigator of the Seas.
The tall ones
Our Dining Experience: Definitely the best service we received on the ship was in the main Sapphire dining room, which is without a doubt the most beautiful dining room I have seen on a cruise ship. Entering the dining room is like entering a royal opera house with a grand staircase and three levels of dining room with windows on each side. Our two servers were extremely attentive, noting my stepmom’s preference of making her own iced tea with two glasses of ice, 2 tea bags, and some hot water, which was waiting for her night after night. I could blame her for being a “tea snob,” but then I would have to look in the mirror with my Starbucks in hand and look at Folgers. We all enjoyed the variety of food options and thought the food was of a very high quality, with service running like clockwork. It was really a pleasure to have dinner every night.
Here we are having dinner. I’m the fool in blue.
The Cabin – Inside Cabin 7667 (aft port) was a home sweet home during our week at sea. My parents were right next door at 7669. For an inside cabin, there was plenty of room to store all of our things and have a completely clear space to move in. I’d say the bed was a bit hard, but this is your preference as my friend and travel companion Jay (the guy in purple) said his was the right one. The ample closet and drawer space allowed us enough space to unpack. Our butler service was also top-notch, restocking and ordering twice a day.
The Ship – Navigator is definitely a beautiful ship. Of note is the Royal Promenade, a series of shops, restaurants and bars running from stern to bow, giving cruise ships the feeling of walking down a cobbled street while at sea. I recommend Two Poets Pub for a nice atmosphere and people watching. The main atrium is gorgeous, and the various lounges and bars are designed with a very elegant yet comfortable feel. The pool deck is impressive too, with two main pools flanked by several hot tubs, some of which are shaded. For the most part, there are plenty of chairs both in and out of the shade, but if your cruise ship is full, you’d better get there early to get one. We also thought that the nightclub overlooking the pool deck with its floor-to-ceiling windows added a nice touch to the ship’s offerings. The ship’s casino is pretty decent too, but since smoking is allowed there, you might come out smelling like an ashtray.
Overlooking the Royal Promenade
The great atrium
Drinks Package: Three of us on this cruise had the premium package for $ 55 per day, but since my dad only drinks beer, we got him the basic package. At first glance, this package may seem a bit pricey (Royal Caribbean beverage packages are some of the most expensive at sea), but overall we got our money’s worth. What I especially liked was that basically nothing on the drink menu was off-limits to super premium things. You can even go for Gray Goose vodka at no additional charge. The flip side here is the bar service (see below).
Theater entertainment: If you ever find yourself on Navigator of the Seas, don’t miss the ice skating show. It’s fantastic and it was so much better than I thought it was going to be. We also enjoyed the Elton John impersonator, the bar flair show, and the adult game show.
The short ones
Boarding / Disembarking – The words fiasco, nightmare, eternity, and disorganization come to mind for both of you. This was hands down the WORST embarkation / disembarkation process I have ever experienced, and my parents, who had been on 13 previous cruises, agreed. We should have expected this when Royal Caribbean emailed us prior to the cruise instructing us to arrive at certain times based on the deck our cabin was on. As it happened, we had flown to Houston, and our transfer left us just at the time we were supposed to be there, which was 12:30 p.m. We didn’t set foot on the boat until almost 2 p.m., as we were stuck. two different lines, both extremely slow moving. This is definitely not the way you want to start your vacation, and very few smiles were found at the security and check-in lines. Mind you, I do wait a bit of a wait to register, but this was ridiculous. I think the longest wait I’ve experienced before this was 30 minutes max. I definitely expressed my dissatisfaction to the registry lady.
The landing was practically as bad. Since we had a driver waiting for us, we opted for automatic check-out and they gave us a specific time and place to meet. We have done this on other cruises with minimal wait, with customs officers boarding the ship to collect forms. In the past, we basically got off the boat. Not this time. When we got to the designated spot, we waited another good 45 minutes to be allowed to disembark. Once off the boat, guess what? Another line, another 45 minutes to clear customs. My driver charged me an additional waiting fee, thanks to Royal Caribbean and the Port of Galveston.
Bottom line: I will never sail from Galveston, Texas again as they clearly don’t have the capacity to handle the volume of people that cruise ships have. Basically Royal Caribbean left a negative first impression and a negative last impression.
Service: Other than our servers at dinner, the service in the bars and lounges on this ship was average at best and certainly not what I’m used to on a cruise. While some bartenders excelled, it usually took forever to have a drink and often felt like it was a nuisance to the bartender or bartender. The worst service was probably at the pool bar. Some will say I’m too picky, but when I spend my hard-earned money on vacation, I want decent service. Period. I really didn’t get it on this cruise. My parents also commented that “things were not the same on this cruise” as their previous Navigator of the Seas experience.
Kids, kids, kids … Okay, I’m probably going to roll my eyes over this, and maybe for some it wouldn’t be a negative, but there were too many kids taking control of the main pool area on this ship. . Like anywhere else, parents are partially at fault here, allowing their little monsters to run wild and splash others in the main pool, but I blame Royal Caribbean for not enforcing the pool rules. On previous cruises, children weren’t even allowed in the hot tubs, but they were on this one. Of course, there is an adults-only pool and hot tub, but the problem is that there is no entertainment there (not that the entertainment at the main pool is anything special).
We do not participate in any excursions on this cruise, so I cannot speak for its quality. We heard several comments that the tours were expensive and not worth it. One excursion was even more than an hour late and had to be delivered to the ship by boat as it left Honduras.
The Verdict: If you had to choose between Royal Caribbean and Carnival, you would probably opt for Carnival based on past experiences. I’m not entirely closed to giving Royal Caribbean another chance, but they would have to completely surprise me to keep it coming back.