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Royal Caribbean's
Navigator of the Seas
January 18 - 25, 2003
Cruise Review
by
Linda Sparrow
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 16:04:08 -0500
From: "Linda Sparrow" <LLindaC@aol.com>
Subject: Review
We sailed with a Cruise Critic group on the Navigator’s Eastern Caribbean
route 1/18/03-1/25/03. Our friends Mike and Debbie, also from Louisville,
joined us. We were on the Voyager the past summer and couldn’t wait to
book her new sister! I will compare these two ships in this review. Our
friends stayed at the Hyatt the night prior to the cruise. We flew down
the morning of, having stayed at an airport hotel in Louisville, then parking
and shuttling to the red-eye. Very easy flights.
Arrival: It was in the low 50’s and windy when we arrived at the
RCCL terminal in Miami at 11:50. We had to wait in line about 40 minutes
outside, which was pretty brisk. Once inside, we waited another 40 minutes
in line before finally stepping aboard the ship. We headed to our room
and met Wickham, our steward, who provided wonderful, friendly service
all week. We gave him his gratuity up front, and later handed him another
tip for the great job. I recommend tipping everyone up front; they know
you won’t stiff them and you'll have a chance to reward above average service.
The Ship: On for the tour. Right away, we saw many changes in the
Navigator that we liked better than the Voyager. The art work in the atrium
is stunning! The library is now separate from the computer terminals, which
makes it a bit more peaceful and relaxing. After the Norwalk scare, we
noticed more cleaning. The smell of bleach became overwhelming at times
and burned my sinuses. The Fitness facility had better machines. They used
all Lifestyler bikes, elliptical trainers and treadmills. These machines
read your heart rate and have other fun features such as workout programs.
The weight machines were also very nice- much better than the Reebok machines
on Voyager. The temperature of the gym was cooler, which was pleasant for
aerobics.I used the jogging track outdoors once- it was too windy most
of the time. 5 laps to a mile, get there early before people start sitting
there.
Bars:
Vintages Wine Bar was our favorite addition to the ship. We went
for seminars, tastings and other events hosted by an affable and knowledgeable
staff .The BIG negative is they allow smoking on one side and at the bar
which drifts throughout the bar. There is not good ventilation either.
It ruined our first tasting when we tried to distinguish smells from fruits
and compare them with wines. All we could smell was smoke! At later tastings,
they asked people to refrain from smoking, but it was still allowed at
other times. RCCL allows smoking in all bars- here’s one where they could
offer a smoke-free environment!
Boleros: This replaced the Aquarium bar on Voyager. It had warm,
rich tones and gorgeous glass flowers on the walls. My favorite artwork
on the ship. They had the Rosario strings playing a mixture of standards
and Latin music. The dancing was great! This quartet also provided tunes
on the Promenade in the afternoons. They were fabulous and much appreciated.
Ixtapa Lounge: Pretty typical rock music. The Stingrays did a variety for
the theme nights .They have an excellent keyboardist/singer who is the
guts of the group. This lounge also hosted the karaoke nights. They are
no longer contests, as the ones held in Pig and Whistle on Voyager.
Two Poets: PeteWickersham played guitar and sang a typical variety.
We enjoyed singing with him and he was gracious with passing the mike .
He enjoyed the harmony, and was a good entertainer.
Cosmopolitan Club: Bigger than High Notes on Voyager. Also, prettier,
warmer with a larger dance floor. Excellent jazz Band, the Phil Magallenes
Quintet. We only wished they had played a little more swing,; we love that
dancing. Pianist was one of the best I’ve heard on a cruise. Real pro.
Studio B: This is where the fabulous ice show was held. Do not miss
it. They didn’t “fly” as on the Voyager, but it was more Ice Dancing instead
of the competition format. The costumes and music were stunning. On one
night, a dance floor was installed, and there was a 50’s-60’s sock hop.
Jeffrey Arpin, the Cruise Director, dressed as ‘Big Daddy” and hosted a
dance competition, sang and played piano! The Stingrays did the music and
the staff danced as well. It was a solid hour of fun!
Schooner Bar: Usually a favorite, we weren’t crazy about Matt Yee.
I play piano for a living, so I am a bit opinionated. When we do piano
bars, we like the crazy stuff, but it’s also nice to do some standards
and sing alongs. Most pianists pass the mike and make it a group activity.
he wouldn’t give up the Gilligan’s Island stuff. In your face music. Every
other song, he’d break into the song from Grease- wella wella wella UUGGHH.
That’s what you heard over and over and over when you passed through. I
found it pretty annoying.
The Dungeon: Very cool, loved the cracked glass steps,gothic-style
decor, lighting was something to see. We didn’t care for the music, so
didn’t stay there long.
Food:
Windjammer/Jade: Big improvements here! There is a lovely wood-trimmed
entrance to this area with Chops and Portofino’s on either side. Jade has
the first buffet lines. I REALLY enjoyed the food here. I had some interesting
Indian dishes, Chinese mixed veggies with Tofu ,and salad with a very spicy
Indian dressing. Since buffet food tends to be bland, this is a welcome
change. The buffet of the Windjammer is now set up in several stations.
It keeps the lines shorter, but also has people going in lots of directions!
The food was good- they had a couple of fish and chicken dishes which were
tasty and had an excellent vegetable stew. I’m not a big meat eater, but
my tablemates raved about the short ribs. At breakfast, you could have
an omelet made at the very back line. The fruit was excellent- pineapple
fresh, watermelon and cantaloupe sweet. The spicy salsa was great on eggs.
Dining Room: Food was good to very good. Lobster on Friday was superb.
Many ordered two. We were booked with a group and were originally given
first seating with them. The four of us from Louisville had our cards hand-
marked , and we were changed to second seating on the third tier by the
door at a table for 10! We got a very strange explanation when asked how
this occurred. We spent a couple hours with Raj, our patient Head Waiter,
trying to get it right. Many in our group were really irate! They’ve cruised
extensively, and had never encountered such a mess. There was a large group
of senior citizens who switched seats and made it difficult to rectify
the situation. However, on the second night, 8 from our group were seated
together on the second tier, albeit alongside the senior group. That was
fine, they were very nice and we made some friends in that group. Our waiter,
Tamer, was wonderful as was his assistant Richard.
Chops: We had a group of 13 at two separate tables. We arrived, got
water, then waited 10 minutes for a drink order and bread. Terrible! The
service was spotty all night. The filet was wonderful, and they brought
all the sides on the menu served “family style.” Really enjoyed that. Captain
Bang’s daughter was having a birthday there that night, and they shared
the cake with us! The Adventure Ocean kids above us made a lot of noise
during dinner.Sounded like elephants.
Portofino: Perfect service from Eva and Ernest. Food very good- atmosphere
excellent. Loved the truffles after dinner!
Cafe Promenade: Loved the daily sandwich specials. Also had sweets,
fruit and pizza. The Navigator is serving Seattle’s Best Coffee now; what
an improvement!
Entertainment:
Poolside: The Mega Four was an outstanding band. They did all the
standard Marley covers, plus a wide selection of Caribbean and standards.
Excellent musicians; really got the party going. Metropolis Theater: RCCL
Singers and Dancers- First show, Now and Forever, was our favorite. Featured
Broadway numbers. I didn’t write down the names of everyone, but Stephanie
Pope was featured female singer. The featured young man was an excellent
entertainer, too. Stephanie is pregnant, so I doubt she’ll be there very
long! We heard Phil Tag, comedian, who was good and did the late adult
show.Also enjoyed Don Friesen. Our favorite act was Two Funny Guys= two
Argentineans Mario and Daniel who were gut- busting funny! Singer/Pianist
Bobby Avron, known as the “Voice of Happy Days” proved he had many other
skills, including impersonating all the popular male singers you could
imagine. A real ball of energy!
Parties: We had our Cruise Critic party on Monday at 11 am. We put
faces behind the names we’d seen on the Internet all those months. It was
a lively, friendly group and we made many friends. (Linda and Joe from
New Hampshire gave us a tour of the Royal Suite- that was something to
behold! ) The Captain, his wife and family came to the party, as well as
Jeffrey Arpin, the cruise director and Genie Lee, the social host. Several
others on the staff attended as well. During the week, many in our group
attended dinners together, had a put-putt tournament and a “White Shark”
gift exchange .On the final night of the cruise, the four of us participated
in the talent contest. Me on piano, Mike aka “Michelle” on lead vocal and
Rick and Debbie on backup. Despite us, there was some good talent that
night!
This was the friendliest cruise I’ve been on- both passengers and
staff. It was our 5th cruise, and it was a bumpy ride! The weather all
over the nation was bad, and it affected the seas. The waves in the pool
were soaking the deck during our “Under the Stars” dance! The towel monkey
was swinging so hard, he was hitting the ceiling.
Ports: Nassau, San Juan, Labadee, St. Thomas: We did this cruise
for the ship, not the ports. I can add little or nothing to what has been
written. In St. Thomas, we took a cab to Red Hook (20 min) then took a
15-min ferry to St. John. That’s where the beauty is! We parked at Cinnamon
Bay this year. It has a restaurant, showers and facilities as well as lockers
and snorkeling gear. It was too rough to snorkel, though, but you could
SURF! Shopped a while in Cruz Bay- very quaint- before taking the ferry
to Charlotte Amalie (45 min). We walked approx. one and a half miles through
the shopping area downtown back to our ship. In Labadee, we just beach
walked and enjoyed the barbecue. I swam a mile in the ocean there. Easy
swimming, but the water isn’t clear or pretty, and there are no reefs or
fish to see. We stayed on the ship in the other ports.. Debarkation: We
were in the second group (purple, blue, gray). We sat at the Cafe Promenade
enjoying snacks and coffee.until called The Voyager did not offer that;
what a welcome change. We were called at 10 o’clock, and by 10:30 were
in the cab. Very smooth and efficient. Miami airport was a total zoo! We
curb-checked, which helped a bit. The security line wrapped all over the
airport and there was mass confusion about where to go. The staff could
not handle it. It took us over an hour just to get through security! We
spent a leisurely hour in the airport, then returned home to snow and record
cold. We picked the right week to travel!
Conclusion: This was our favorite cruise so far. RCCL staff once
again impressed us thoroughly. The Navigator is a stunning ship, and the
changes between her and her sister ship, The Voyager, are welcome. We can’t
wait to book the Mariner next year! Any comments or questions, feel free
to email us at LLindaC@aol.com
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