Navigator of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We had a great time on our recent RC cruise.  The staff was awesome as well as the food!  We enjoyed the shows and the variety of entertainment options.  Looking forward to a Spring 2015 cruise with additional family members!

Even though our ship couldn't leave on time and we missed 2 of our ports, royal caribbean did a very good job. Not only did they give us a full refund, they gave us an extra discount on our next cruise, we still got to go to Mexico for free. I think the ship and cruise line did a great job on making sure we still had a good time and made up for what we lost. I will definently be going on another cruise.

We were part of the oil spill mess in Galveston.  The ship was delayed and were did not get on the ship until almost 1am Monday.  The lines and waits to check-in and board were long and slow.  RCCL kept saying updates would follow at certain times and never were at that time.  HOWEVER...

Once on board it was a good time, even after the cruise was cancelled.

Monday night it was announced that the port was closed and the cruise had been cancelled and we would receive a full refund plus a voucher for 25% of the cruise cost toward another cruise. 

PLUS we could stay on the ship until Sunday,  As on person put it we had a free week at a 5 star hotel.

Tuesday it was announced that the port was open and we would sail the next day for Cozumel.  So we did get a free one port cruise and our money back.

RCCL was great during the whole process that was more or less out of their hands.  My only complaint was they never gave updates when the said they would.  Even if they had nothing new to announce (which most of the time they didn't) they should have made announcements when =promised.

Not being able to sail because of the oil spill, I cannot comment on this particular cruise.  We have cruised on other RC cruises and loved them so are looking forward to trying another cruise with RC in the future. We have always had good service, food and experiences with RC 

This started out as the "Cruise from Hell" thanks to a ship colliding with a barge in the Houston ship channel the day before we were supposed to board and depart. The port was shut down, so our ship did not get into port until late Sunday, which meant we were not allowed to board until after 9:00pm. Our time to arrive at port was 10:20, per Royal. We got there at about 10:15pm. Four hours later we were finally in our cabin after standing in the cold rain for several hours while the custom agents took 10 minute breaks every 15 minutes. The baggage handlers had either gone home for the day, or were napping somewhere, as most people had to carry all their baggage through the check-in line, which only added to the delays. We did not actually leave Galveston until Wednesday and had two of our three ports cancelled. This was very disappointing and to be fair, it was not Royal's fault. They did offer all guests a 100% refund (which we still haven't received) and allowed us to stay and enjoy what was left of the cruise. So this is a pretty generous offer by Royal (if they ever issue the credit). The ship itself was in pretty good condition. Considering it was just 'refurbished' this winter though, there were some things they over looked. Some of the chairs in one of the bars had very noticeable tears in the upholstery, and carpets on the deck our cabin was on were very worn looking. The cabin itself was in very good condition and had more than ample storage space. We did not get to meet our cabin attendant until Thursday, which is very strange, we normally meet them upon boarding. When we did finally meet here, she was very nice and easy to talk to. There was also no 'Welcome Aboard' presentation, just a lot of looks from some of the crew that showed they were less than happy to have us on board that late at night.

Most of the crew were very nice and friendly, one notable exception. One morning in the dining room, we asked for salsa, and the waiter snapped “You will have to wait!”. There are many much more polite ways of saying “Please wait a minute”. Bar service in the dining rooms was generally very slow. Also, some of the bartenders seemed to be annoyed when you asked them for a drink, kind of odd since that is their job.

Some of the things we didn’t like about this ship:

You cannot get food in any of the bars, not even popcorn.

None of the bars had outdoor seating on the deck, other than the pool bars. By contrast, the Carnival Magic has a lovely pub with food service and indoor or outdoor seating. We were also on a NCL ship a few years ago where you could order (at extra cost) king crab legs at one of the bars.

The ship has a nice adults only area, unfortunately, they do not keep children out. They even serve them sodas from the bar and did a poor job of keeping them out of the pool and spas and off of the chairs. There are not a lot of chairs in full sun, and as it was rather cool while in Galveston, they were always full, and on at least one occasion there were children in them while an older gentleman (probably in his 80’s) had to lean against a wall because of the children occupying the chairs. Which is totally unnecessary as there was a lot of family seating to the rear of the ship around the main pool. This is the first cruise we have been on where kids just ran wild on the ship, playing tag in the elevators, tying them up, so that guests with disabilities that could not use the stairs had to wait a long time to be able to get in the elevator.

The food was of good quality, just not much variety. On other cruises, there were always new choices every day on the dinner menu, not so much on this cruise. The Buffett was not as good as what we have seen on other ships either.

Overall I would grade:

B for the ship

C for the crew (a few rude crew members make you forget the friendly ones pretty quickly)

B for the food

C for the entertainment, some good shows, some not so good, but not a ‘comedy club’ with nightly shows like other lines offer.

F  for boarding process (there is no reason it should take 4 hours to go through the registration process)

A  for exiting the ship both for the excursion and leaving the ship at the end of the cruise

The cruise on the Navigator of the seas on March 23, 2014 was not as we plan. Due to an oil spill at port, ship was detained for 3 days. RC was very informative since the beginning and understanding. They  offer ed great compensation including staying at port  for the whole term 7 days. To our surprise and enjoyment we were able to sail after 3 days and able to visit only 1 port. The service was outstanding and the ship is absolutely georgeous. Food was great. With the reimbursement to come , me and my family plan to book another cruise as we will have a year to use it. Definitely Royal Caribbean is one of my favorites cruise lines and Cruises Only agency is a top start company.

This was out first cruise and despite a rocky start we had a great time, we were treated great and had a wonderful time.  I would recommend a cruise with Royal Caribbean to anyone.

In light of the oil spill, we were impressed with how the entire crew continued to carry on their duties and to serve us with outstanding attitudes.  Our itinerary was altered due to the oil spill, which Royal Carribean had no control over; yet, they refunded our fees and allowed us to continue onboard being pampered and well fed.   

Loved the cruise.  Will always sail with Royal Caribbean.  Did not like the bus tour in Jaimaca.  The bus tour in Jaimaca took us to a couple of sleazy strip malls and to a beach for a 30 minute stop that turned into an hour and a half because the few who ordered lunch were not served timely.  We were expecting more of a historical tour of the island.

This cruise was our third times I guess we are so called Gold Member.

What is gold member benefit ?  Last trip they game us gold member coupons.

we didn't get any advatage being gold member.

We always have had a good time on Royal Caribbean, but this cruise had a few problems.  Upon our arrival, we wanted to celebrate with a cocktail and had a hard time finding a bar open.  After finding one, we had to wait in a long line to get to one of two bartenders working hard to please many customers.  You would think that RC would be ready to help all the fresh passengers get in the vacation spirit.  They also were out of beer for my husband by the time we made it up to the front.  It seemed like lack of bartenders and crowded bars were a theme throughout the cruise.  We are not big drinkers, fortunately, but found that very unaccommodating.  The ports were fabulous, and we really enjoyed our excursions, which were not RC, and that leads to another problem.  RC makes it seem like all other excursions are not allowed to leave the ship until RC excursions have gone--via announcements and literature.  We almost missed ours, until we made our way down and complained.  The crew member graciously let us on and acted like we could have gone at anytime.  Mixed messages were definitely sent.  Our dinner service was slow, and we missed at least one show due to this.  It was not our waiter's fault.  He was also assigned to a large, convention type party that would come in extremely late and get him way off schedule.  He should not have been put in charge of our table, knowing his station was linked to this party full of singles, coming and going as they please. Food is good and plentiful with RC, but we did run out of butter before the cruise is over.  Disembarkation was crazy due to heavy fog, which is understandable, but one would think the crew would be well-versed in disembarkation procedures in light of delays.  It almost seemed like everything was brand new to so many of the crew.  This has not been our usual experience with RC.  In spite of all the annoyances, we still enjoyed the cruise and will go again.  

Ship was in good condition. Statesman kept the room nice. One of the waiters in the dinning room was good. All other staff were rude. Bar staff, customer service , and dinning service was rude........ Didn't seem like they even enjoyed working for Royal Caribbean. Had a 16 year old with us and there was absolutely nothing for him to do.  Not a cruise for the young. Everyone is in bed by eleven. 

First Cruise and had a GREAT time.  Service and food was very good.  Would choose Royal Caribbean again.  The staff  were more than helpful.  The only negative was Jamaica.  Would recommend that cruisers book an excursion of Jamaica through Royal Caribbean. Our friends did the zip line and had a great time.  The rest of the cruise was great.

The food was great, The staff was very accomodating,The ports of call were fun!  We especially loved zip lining in Jamaica! The room was clean and very well arranged.  There was plenty to do on the ship.

We had a great time, I only wish someone would have told us we would be jacked for $12 Bucks a Day Per Person and then Asked to give more at the end of the trip...Our Gratuity and drinks came up to $300 Smacker Roos..Wish we had the option to prepay this cost! It put a damper on the trip. That explained why the deck and pool guys were not so anxious to take our drink orders...they get tips anyway.

Caymen Islands! dudes you need a dock..the line to board back on the ship was a 3 hour wait!! It was hot and I felt sorry for the people that had bladder or health issues.

All in all it was a great trip...if Royal Carribean fix these propblems they would be the King of the Seas!

The cruise itself was great.  The staff were mostly friendly and really take care of you.  We did have one "incident" where they changed the time of the excursion we booked through the cruiseline and they didn't tell us until we got on the ship.  Unfortunately, the excursion description did not give an accurate representation of what we got and we were very disappointed.  To top it off because of the time change and the fact that we had to tender into Belize, we did not even get to go into the port afterwards to shop or explore the city.  We heard from many people on the ship that we didn't miss much.  The port of Honduras was also pretty small, but we had a great excursion so still enjoyed it.  Cozumel was EXCELLENT and the best by far!  The only non-friendly staff I encountered was the Excursion Manager.  When I tried to discuss with them our incident in Belize, it took 3 days and several follow-ups from me to get someone who would talk to me and then she kept trying to say it was my fault that I should have known we would miss seeing the port.  And since I should have known that, I should have cancelled the excursion.  Not having been on a cruise before and not knowing that port was a tender port and not knowing it took 45 minutes each way to use the tender, I had no way of knowing this schedule change was such an impact.  Everyone else we encountered on the ship was super, over the top friendly and the food was great!  Our stateroom attendant and waiters were the best!

The cruise was nice, but there was a real lack of activities. We learned that the ship was being docked and renovated after our cruise, and this is desperately needed. VERY FEW shows - which they blamed on stage issues. Game show themes took the place of entertainment. We picked this boat due to the ice and inline skate rink and even brought our skates. Unfortunately, there were only a few times open for the ice rink (four days into the cruise), and the inline skate area is only big enough for a toddler or small child. There were no pooside movies. The kids club was deemed really boring by my 12 and 16 year old. Our 14 year old made friends early on and had a better time. We were on Carnival Magic the previous summer. I chose Royal Carribean for its reputation but will not do so again. The itinerary both ships followed was the same, and my family repeatedly pointed out the other ship and asked me why they were on Navigator of the Seas. Disembarkation was a ROYAL MESS. As the Carnival ship and passenders had left the port by 11:00 am, we were still waiting to get out at 1:30 PM. Since RC did not have another group going out, we were all left to flounder. BIG MESS!! NEVER AGAIN!!

The staff was excellent, the ship was in bad need of remodeling which I understand this was the last cruise.  The ice show was the only show that was worth seeing, the rest were below standard of other cruises I have been on.  We made some cabin changes and the information did not get

to our cabin steward.  Food in the dining room was not as good as expected but the staff was excellent and made up for it.  Customs was a mess and long time getting through.  Customs had only two lines for US citizens.  We had a handicap in our family--even airlines let small children and handicap go first!  The handicap cabin was great.  We booked our shore excursions through an independent party and had no problems.  I feel that soft drinks should be available without charge just like the coffee bar.   

Was a pleasent cruise, clean, good service and good land trips. Food was great and the room exceeded my expectations.

the advise we got from Mr. Malik was excellent.

I can only compare to the Holland America cruises we've been on. 

My three main complaints are:

The first day we went to the Spa Welcome event.  We booked actupucture appointments for the following morning.  We both had back pain treatment, the therapist was friendly & professional and the treatment was pleasant & did help relieve the pain.  When I left and signed the charge slip, I noticed I was charged the full price $150 + $27 gratuity.  We were told yesterday "if you book appointments today you get $30 off the price" & the Acupuncture therapist gave us  coupon for 20% off.  When I asked why I was charged full price, the receptionist said the discount was only if you booked yesterday and had your appt yesterday....very deceptive!  I paid and registered a complaint at the desk...they credited our account with the discount. 

On our Holland America cruises, one of the highlights was the wonderful Sushi displays at lunch every day.  We went to lunch on Monday and was told sushi was only available from 6-9 pm, no sushi @ lunch....huge disappointment, especially since our dinner dining is at 5:30.  After dinner we went up the see the sushi offering, it was really a pitiful offering, very bland...mostly salmon, imitation crab and smoked fish.  No Yellowtail, Tuna or Sashimi, and none even included pickled daikon or avocado garnishes.

Monday afternoon we had booked an Exotic Rasul @ the spa.  It's a 50 minutes private steam room with shower that includes salt scrubs & mud masks, and facial treatments that you share with a partner.  This is well worth the $95 - Highly Recommend!

Day 3, I woke up with red swollen crusty eyes.  My eyes were burning some and watery last night after we went to the casino, but I thought it must just be from the smokers.  Now I think I had an allergic reaction to the face or eye cream I used after the Rasul treatment at the spa.

Went down to the medical facility to see about getting some eye drops.  Went to the desk to check in, only one woman in waiting room.   A staff member was sitting at a desk doing paperwork and didn't even look up to acknowledge us.  After a few minutes I said excuse me, she finally looked up, with an aggravated look and said the nurse would help us when she came back ... The nurse came in shortly and told us to wait in the waiting room and she'd be with us in a few minutes.  We sat in the waiting room for approx 5 min and left. Went to breakfast in the windjammer, decent breakfast buffet, nothing special.

Went to the small store on board and got a small bottle of Visine eye drops, which fortunately helped calm down the itchy, watery eyes, but seriously...$12.50 for Visine???? 

The rest of the cruise was nice...Ship is clean & well cared for.  We had a balcony room on the aft of Deck 6.  Staff was all very friendly & professional.  We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Chops Specialty restaurant one night, and had a lunch at Johnny Rockets the last day.   Enjoyed the Solarium (Adults Only) pool & Hot Tub area.  Saw "The Drifters" perform one night, a really good Ice Show, and Yulia & Alan a Russian Artistic Gymnast couple.

We picked this ship because we're in Texas and wanted to cruise from Galveston.  Holland America doesn't cruise from TX or LA, so we decided to try RC.  Not sure if I'd cruise with them again...time will tell.