Refurbished Ship was a Pleasant Surprise

Navigator of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

AtLarge

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 11

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 09, 2020

Ship: Navigator of the Seas

Cabin number: 9258

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

The cruise exceeded my expectations. Although there were some negative aspects to the ship/cruise (read my full review), the positives easily outweighed the negatives. I've always thought that cruising is not for me, but this cruise changed my mind. Navigator of the Seas is a wonderful ship, and the cruise was a great value.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

We arrived at the terminal 15 minutes before check-in closed (and we'd already checked in online), so there was no line and we breezed aboard the ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Food (except for desserts) was the low point of the cruise. Food in Windjammer Market, the buffet-dining venue, was not good. Food in the Main Dining Room was only passably better and almost never hot, only lukewarm. Desserts, however, were good.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

We stayed on the ship while most passengers were at Coco Cay and used the water rides, Riptide and Flow Rider, without having any wait in line, and they were fun enough. We were also able to enjoy the adults-only deck area and hot tub that day and greatly enjoyed the peace and relaxation we found there with only two other couples using the Solarium. We also used the fitness center, which was a good size and well equipped.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

We only saw one stage show, a Las Vegas-based comedic hypnotist, and were neither impressed nor amused. However, we were really impressed by the ship's house band (especially the trumpeter) and a young man who set up his piano in one of the elevators and played and sang song requests.

Children's Programs

No children.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

5 stars for the service we received from our room steward, who maintained our room in impeccable condition and was very accommodating with our requests, and for the service from our waiters in the MDR. These three men really made our trip! 2 stars for the guest-services agents, who seemed very poorly trained and whose English-language skills were not up to the task of fielding our questions.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

With the exception of Windjammer Market, which reminded us of a mall food court, the ship's high point was the design and cleanliness of its common areas. Having recently been refurbished, the common areas (including restrooms) were attractive and in great shape. While we may not have been impressed by the hypnotism act, the Royal Theater in which we saw him was very impressive. The ship was so well maintained -- and there were so many hand-washing stations (enforced by the crew) and hand sanitizers located at the entrances to the dining venues -- that we felt safer from the coronavirus aboard the ship than on dry land.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

We were very happy with the size and cleanliness of our cabin, a junior suite. There was plenty of room to spread out, and we actually enjoyed hanging out in it. The cabin featured a bathroom with a tub with great water pressure for the shower and a roomy walk-in closet with plenty of hangers and shelving for our clothes/accessories and floor space for our luggage. Our room attendant kept the cabin meticulous. Now for the bad: The mattress was horrendous! Each day we woke up sore because the mattress was thin and lacked support. (Reading reviews on a different website about another RCI ship, it would seem that hard mattresses are the norm for this cruise line. This makes me re-think ever booking another RCI cruise.)