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Navigator of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

pgabazemore

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 14

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 20, 2014

Ship: Navigator of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8646

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 10 years ago

Review summary

Great ship. Loved the port visits, All the staff onboard were great, especially Rolitsa and Mariana in the main dining room, and Damian our stateroom attendant. Two issues I would like to see changed:

1. Need more bartenders. I never saw more than one bartender in an area at a time. This made for some very long lines, especially around the pools when one person was trying to serve several hundred people.

2. The evening entertainment was lacking. We missed the show in the theater on the first night. Instead we went to the mystery diner at Giovanni's Table. Food was great and we had fun. We went the second night to see a so-so musical production, then later for a comedy show. The comedian was good and had my wife laughing hysterically. There was nothing else until the last night. We saw a comedian/juggler who was actually very funny (probably the best act on the ship) and a closing musical number. Later that night we saw another comedian who was not funny at all.

Once again, the ship and staff are great. We would certainly sail on Navigator again.

Now the real negative... The port of Galveston was a real mess. Getting on the ship was disorganized and slow - frustrating but acceptable. Getting off was a nightmare. The first groups got off at 7:30, We were scheduled for 9:30. Well, 9:30 came and we went but we didn't. They changed our time to 10:00 then 10:15. Then they announced that Immigration hadn't arrived yet. So everyone that had got off before us was still standing in line on the dock. We finally disembarked and got in line about 11:15. We got through Immigration and Customs about 1:10 and were picked up by our shuttle at about 1:30.

Do not expect the same speed and professionalism that you get in Fort Lauderdale. Yes, of couse we would sail on Navigator again or any other RCI ship. And Galveston is much more convenient to Oklahoma than Florida. But Port of Galveston really needs to get their stuff together if they want to be a player in the cruise industry.