Navigator of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Our November 2014, 7-day western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas to Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel was a fun event.  We have cruised previously on Princess in Alaska, and Carnival in eastern Caribbean, and the Baltic. We didn't really notice much difference between Royal Caribbean and Carnival (last two cruises). We just decided to go one week before we left so we were able to get an awesome price on a last minute vacation which was also incentive for friends to also book the same cruise.  We loved the directory boards near elevators that gave the current time, what was going on at that point in time, maps of how to get to your next destination, and the upcoming schedule.  We look forward to when they integrate that into an app for your phone.

The staff, servers, cabin attendants, entertainment staff, etc. were all pleasant and great at their business of hospitality.  The waiters kept us well fed in the dining room.  Of three excursions, we most enjoyed the cave tubing and zipline in Belize (it was unBelizeable!) and the "Save-a-Turtle" in Cozumel which was an amazing experience (lucky to be there when they were still hatching).

No complaints, but there is always room for improvement.  1) The at-sea schedule for less popular events seem to change fairly often from what was published.  2) It would be really nice to be able to easily be able to get a cup of ice 24/7 without bothering your cabin attendant. 3) It seemed like the Windjammer (buffet) was closed several times when we wanted to eat and we would have liked at least one ice cream machine and self-serve drinks to be available 24/7 like on Carnival.  4) Some of the products at the on-board sales seemed to be of a lower quality than we would have expected but it was always fun to shop nevertheless. 5) The elevators don't seem to be synchronized in any way so that we often had long waits.  Again, these are small things which would never hinder us from going on another trip like this one.  

It was great for us as Texans to be able to cruise out of Galveston to save time and airfare.  We look forward to the next trip although we are running out of destinations from Galveston.  Our service through was great as well!  Bon voyage on your next trip!

The service was great.  The staff was very friendly.  We did notice that they have cut out quite a bit of extras that they did in the past.

The waiters did not sing or parade around the dining room

The food seemed to be downgraded somewhat

They do not make the towel animals every night

The shows were good, but not as good as before.

The room and showers extremely small.

My first cruising experiences were with Disney, so I've had high standards from the beginning.  The RCL Navigator was very close to Disney in quality, and head-and-shoulders above the Carnival Triumph- and Magic-class boats.  (Life is too short to cruise Carnival... no matter how cheap.)  I haven't been on the Norwegian lines in a while, so don't remember well enough to compare, but I think they're comparable.  I've heard too many people say Princess is like Carnival, so I haven't even tried.

Pros: Attentive dining room and cabin staff.  Outstanding entertainment (especially the ice show).  Excellent quality food, both in the main dining room and WIndjammer.  The 24-hour Cafe' had sandwiches to die for - and I don't generally get excited about sandwiches.  Try the Jive Turkey and muffuletta.  They're served dry, so find the condiment packages.  Morning room service was always prompt, even on port days.  The fruit plate was wonderful! The Windjammer is entirely indoors, making it much eaisier to find a seat in hot or inclement weather. The WJ staff constantly brings you water, iced tea, and a yummy strawberry-kiwi water. Lobster night is spectacular.  Someone at my table ordered two entrees, and ran out of time to order a third.  Good general layout of the ship; it's easy to get wherever you're going, except Johnny Rockets, which is accessed from outside. Really nice, quality ship mates; dinner was always interesting and we made some lasting friends. 

Cons: The dinner seating only serves 3 courses, so if you're accustomed to 4, you'll need to double-order an appetizer.  There were one or two appetizers I didn't care for (e.g. chilled fruit soups), so I was glad to leave one untouched.   Elevators: There were fewer elevators than on most ships, but they were generally larger.  Still, on formal nights, when women were reluctant to climb stairs in ultra-high heels, the wait for an elevator was rough. DItto for getting on and off the ship.  Be prepared to climb stairs - a lot.

Ports of call Roatan, Honduras.  Docked port-side (but nothing to see but a bunch of trees).  The Roatan stop was almost a waste of time.  Maybe 5 shops are open at the pier with overpriced, unoriginal merchandise.  No internet, but I did find a tiny booth with $1/min calls to the US.  Tours will take you past grinding poverty (tough for sensitive children).  By all means, stay within the touristy pier area, where you're protected from aggressive begging.  It's a good day to stay on the boat and chill, or take classes (belly dancing and ballroom were great). Belize City, Belize - ships tender about 5 miles out - plan 30 minutes to get to/from shore.  The bar right by the pier (second floor) offers free internet service; just buy a $2 can of soft drink.  It's also a great place to watch the line for the tenders, and choose your time to get in line.  The best prices on prescription pharmaceuticals was in Belize.  Cozumel was twice the price.   The shopping at Cozumel was excellent.  Internet service was easy to find in local bars.  There were 4 mega ships that day: the RCL Allure, the RCL Navigator, Carnival Magic and Dream.  Tourists vastly outnumbered the locals.  It was a little crowded, but not as bad as I thought it would be. 

Suggestions: Events, like giving out ice show tickets, start the very first day - even before the ship departs - so find a Compass and get going! With such outstanding service, the staff deserves higher tips (so budget for it).  The really good food in the Windjammer is at the very back (onion gravy over mashed potatoes - yummm!).  There can be lines at peak times. People dress well for every evening meal.  Formal night often means a tux, but almost always a suit. Ladies often change into nicer dresses for dinner (no flip flops, even if they're formal). Galveston on/off ship:  Boarding is from boarding from 11:30 - 3:00.  (We asked; the staff at terminal said best time to arrive was either 9:30 or after 2:00.)  We arrived at 2 pm and sailed right through, with a brief wait to get our room cards.  leaving the ship, we were in the first self-assist group (pick up a ticket at Customer Service the day before, being queuing at least 15 minutes early) and again, sailed right through.  Both were between 30-45 minutes.  The Galveston terminal is largely un-air conditioned, with almost no seating, and waiting in line can be miserable.   Bring an ice chest, and stop by the local fish market (the pier is just down from the cruise terminal) to buy some fresh shrimp and fish.  They'll supply the ice.  Ask any local for help.

If you have cruised much you will know that all ports are not the same.  This was our 14th cruise. We have sailed out of a lot of ports. Galveston TX was the best by far. The line was short due to a ton of workers checking us in. Once we got through the metal detection line we were on the ship eating lunch in 15 minutes.  It was awesome.  Thank you Galveston. We also had our luggage by 3:00. We have never had it that quick. Nice job Royal.  The cruise was just as good. Staff was great.  Our only complaint was in Belize.  No port there, had to tender in which once on the tender boat took almost 40 minutes to get in and out.  Honduras beach was very dirty (garbage everywhere and floating in water that you had to swim through) and we had people selling stuff in our face the entire time.  Would not go to either place again.  Love cruising and love Royal Caribbean.  Ship has an Ice skating rink that they have an Ice Show on, seen many, this was one of the best.

We have cruised before on Carnival but that was seven years ago.  We were instructed to board at 11:30 a.m.; however, we couldn't get into our cabin until 1:00 p.m.  Fortunately, our cabin steward let us stow our luggage in the closet so we didn't have to lug it around.  We were really not pleased with the urine smell in our cabin. The only explanation we got was chemical.  However, the toilet stopped working a couple of times and we learned there was a clog right outside our cabin.  The service in the dining room was great. Not happy with the shore excursions.  Debarking was a nightmare and we would have to think twice before we would sail out of Galveston again.  Two and half hours of waiting is unacceptable.  

All in all the cruise was great.  Was only our 3rd Royal Caribbean cruise out of 17 total cruises.  I would rate this one as a 7 out of 10.  The Ice Show was excellent, but other entertainment was only good.  The cruise staff had lots of energy, but not the pizzazz other cruises had.  The Royal Promenade was way too narrow to hold some of the events during the week, with limited sitting areas and usually had to stand most of the time.   The food was good, but nothing spectacular, and was somewhat boring by end of the week.   The only negative was the long time and very long lines it took to leave the ship and get thorough Customs, which is beyond Royal Caribbean's control. 

Although I was first apprehensive about cruising, I am glad I agreed to go. I had an awesome time! You can do everything or nothing. The drink package is highly recommended.

Only thing I would have liked to have was more food choices during the day for people who do not eat beef or pork.

The customer service is not great compared to other cruise lines that I have been on before.  The cruise director was a dud and basically read the daily news letter from his office word for word.  The boat closes up at about 10 pm so good luck finding an open bar.  I was very disappointed with this cruise and the experience.

Very good cruise, service on RCC is excellent! Although daytime activities are very good, could improve on variety of evening entertainment, such as a comedy club that offers a show every night like Carnival has.

Enjoyed the trip despite not the best weather.  Entertainment was very good, enjoyed the variety.  Borelos Bar staff was friendly and efficient but music was a little loud at times. Ship was clean, overall great staff and the variety of food options was over the top.

Thought the cruise itself was one of the smoothest cruises ever. The ship  was clean and presentable. The loading & unloading of the passengers was ok.  The attention given by the room attendant, waiter and his assistant was really good.

The whole theme of the cruise, as far RC is concerned, is to sell alcohol  and merchandise.  The ports of call were the same. 

Having cruised the Caribbean many, many times, I can say that this is probably my last visit.

This was a very relaxing cruise.  The ship was well maintained on the interior but we had a problem with a loose vent cover above our stateroom.  Our stateroom attendant, Amir, worked to identify the problem and to get maintenance to correct the problem but it seemed that they would not listen to him.  We reported the issue to guest services and after two days we finally caught a bridge officer passing our stateroom and asked him to look at the problem.  Within 30 minutes a group of maintenance staff came to our cabin, assessed the problem and began temporary repairs at night while at sea.  The next morning they completed the repairs.  Guest services sent a nice bottle of wine and an apology note the next day.  Our room attendant, Amir, was very, very good.  He was easily available but never in the way.  We could leave our cabin only briefly and upon returning, he had serviced our cabin.  This is an employee that should be considered for promotion.  In the Windjammer, our table service attendant, Sergii from the Ukraine, was always there with a smile and a kind word.  No matter what the various guests said or did, he remained very positive and helpful.  Some passengers can be rude to those that serve them but this never changed Sergii's cheerful attitude.  We were not able to use the casino because cigar smoking was restricted to a single cigar lounge.  The music in the cigar lounge was hip-hop which was very odd since the majority of the cigar crowd was older and would have preferred something like the old crooners or some light jazz or blues.  Several guests requested a change of the music but they had a difficult time locating the key to the audio control cabinet in the cigar lounge.  They finally were able to tame the music down but still the wrong genre.  We eventually had them just turn down the volume for the rest of the cruise.  The food in the Windjammer was very good overall except for the deserts which are typically lacking in taste and texture (most likely due to the limited use of flour and sweeteners) on all cruises that we have taken (Norwegian, Carnival and Royal Caribbean) so nothing really negative on the deserts ... just this passenger's preference.  The ship events, venues and shops were great.  We are port shoppers so we have no comments on the excursions.  Overall, we will cruise with Royal Caribbean again as they are the best that we have experienced to date.

This was our second cruise with Royal Caribbean.  We went with my husband's two sisters and their husbands.  This cruise was just for us, not our children and grandchildren. However,  I would like to take my grandchildren on a cruise someday.  There was a lot to do if you wanted to stay busy and also plenty of time and space if you just wanted to relax. Music was provided at poolside everyday.  There were a lot of activities to join in around the pool.   Dining in the main dining room was marvelous.  You could take every meal there is you wished or oft for dining in other venues on the ship. I felt that the Windjammer Restaurant on Deck 11 was always to hurried and crowded.  Also, the same food was offered everyday unlike the Dining Room which always gave you great options and a pleasant place to enjoy your meal.   Our waiters/waitresses in the dining room were exceptional.  So wiling to serve and make your dining experience one you would remember.  Our stateroom attendants were helpful and kept our rooms in great shape.  My attendant checked in with me everyday, and sometimes twice a day.  She had this wonderful smile that warmed my heart.  The crew was very helpful and all crew members were able to answer my questions regardless of the area they concerned.  Tours were available for every level of expertise.  I will be traveling again with Royal Caribbean Cruises in the future, for sure.

The staff on Royal Caribbean has always been great, this and past cruises.

The food is fantastic with a variety of choices.

Not a lot of activity on the pool deck. There was a big screen TV.

The pool deck needs more tables and chairs. Voyager and Rhapsody had plenty.

There was no coffee or tea on the pool deck when the Windjammer closed at 9 pm. Rhapsody had a coffee and hot tea 24 hours.

A Juke Box on the pool deck would be nice. Everyone I talked to agreed.

Overall the cruise was a pleasant.

This cruise was beyond what I was expecting after reading some of the reviews before sailing. Everyone on board made us feel like royalty and no we weren't in a royal suite just a balcony E1. Our room was always clean and freshened and our ice bucket filled, the only room complaint was no lounge chair on the balcony. Our evening meals were always in the MDR because we LOVED our attendants, Gerry, Vipin and David, and the food kicked some pretty Royal behind also. Our breakfast was in the Windjammer because Maykel was there, he was wonderful and again only 1 complaint on the food, the oatmeal was thin, but loved being able to have salmon and cream cheese. The entertainment director Thomas was great, he made it a point to bring my son who is special needs into the events, taking pictures with him and never forgot Shawn's name.  We are already planning out trip on this beautiful ship for next year and hope to get the same wonderful crew again!!!!!!!

The cruise was great the staff and shows were excellent. We slep alot as we always do on a cruise and that is one of our favorite things about it but our bed sucked. That is the only thing that SUCKED and unfortunately that is a biggie. The staff did all they could to try to pad it up but the mattress or lack thereof was just to bad. They newly remodeled this ship and it was beautiful and we will go again but I told my wife in all sincerity we are going to bring a blow up bed with us and just leave it on board after the cruise. Very nice and us and our friends did enjoy it.

The over sized ship, the totel lack of passenger care, every thing about this trip was to get as much money out of you as they could. Such as the auto TIP program for 175.00 $ for two for seven days

I have made 3 cruises with RCL, and this is my last!

Always relaxing and an adventure!  Missed the ice and fruit sculptures.  Wait staff seemed slower than past cruised.  Missed not having the dinner song with the wait staff coming down the stairs on the last night.  Great massage but didnt like the 10 sales pitch on over priced products at the end with a forced 18 percent gratuity charge when i did that before we cruised.  I should have gone to the service desk.

I think I already sent in my rating, but I'll send another one. We look forward to another cruise on the

Navigator of the Seas. We had a great time. Thanks for being # 1 with us. The service was the best.

We were waited on each day and  we got to meet such nice people

June Granger and daughter.

It was a great time, we enjoyed everything.   the food was fantastic, the service great, we had a tour of the city of Routaan Hondorus and some beaches, it was okay.  In Belize we did the River tour and visited the Mayan Ruins, it was great, we really enjoyed the river trip.  In Cosumel, we enjoyed shopping and took a van to a nice beach,The Playa Palancas and some in our party did some snorkeling, it was delightful.  We enjoyed the entertainment especially the ice show.  We loved our room attendant, she kept our room nice and clean and we enjoyed the towel animals. 

It was an unbelievable trip.