Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas - Cruise Review

Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003 11:00:02 -0400
From: Lokalona@aol.com (Cindy)
Subject: Review

First off let me mention this is prime spring break time and we took along 4 teenage boys(12, 14, 15, 16) 3 ours and a friend. We had a balcony cabin on deck 10 aft, and an inside quad two doors down the hall. Our room was very airy and comfortable. The balcony was lovely and I liked to leave the door cracked open at night to listen to the ocean waves as we traveled to the next destination.Be forewarned whenthe balcony door is open the A/C shuts off. Embarkation was lenghtly, only one more cruise and I will be checking in the platinum area thank goodness. We took the transport from Ft. Lauderdale and it went rather smoothly. I think this is one reason embarkation was so crowded, we arrived at the same time as several other buses. I usually take a cab from the airport, but with this many kids and luggage the bus was they way to go. When we got on the ship the kids were in awe. My husband and I cruise often, but this was a first for our children. We were so excited for them it was like looking at it all for the first time again. We went directly to the Windjammer for lunch and purchased Coke stickers for the kids cards. Windjammer was the usual fare, quick and if you get there early the food is better. I wish breakfast had more variety, it was the same offerings daily and there were plenty of choices, but it'd be fun to have a little change. We never made it to the dining room for breakfast. Jade, the Asian area was just in front of Windjammer and offered plenty of Asian choices and Sushi. The kids loved Johnny Rockets and ate there often.

Muster was the usual drill. It went off with ease and we were on our way. Our luggage didn't make it to our cabin in time for early seating so thank goodness the first night is casual! Our room steward was friendly, although we only got towel animals on 2 nights. The kid's room steward was great, he deserved the extra tip we gave him and the kids loved his little tricks. He folded their clothes, hung up their hastly disgarded formal wear so it'd be fresh for the second formal night, and made sure they had the teenage version of the Compass daily.

The boat was full of kids for spring break and I kind of felt sorry for the unsuspecting travelers without kids. Fuel the disco was where our boys spent much of their time, and they have a place called The Living Room. It is a huge area with couches and TV's for the kids to hang out Ages 12-17. They also had a nice area in back of Fuel for the teens. The arcade was impressive, and we warned the kids only $20.00 a piece on their card. They didn't really use the arcade much because they were too busy. They climbed the rock wall several times played basketball in several tournies, volley ball, golf and used the hot tubs more than the pools. The seas were very rough so the pools were drained often. The weather was great but the "Motion in the Ocean" was the biggest swells Captian Johnny had expierenced yet on our ship. The kids loved the motion, and none of us ever got sick from it, but many people were feeling woozy and they gave out medicine at guest relations if you needed it.

Our ports were nothing great, we've been there before so it was helpful to know what to do and avoid. Bahamas we took the Yellow Bird boat over to a private island for a beach day and the kids had a blast except the ocean was full of jelly fish so you had to be careful. On the ride back a band played and kids danced and did the limbo. In St. Thomas we paid the open air bus driver, Henry, to take us on a tour of the island. He did a wonderful job and the kids laughed at his antics when he'd stop and explain the history. He got us back in time for our shore excursion to St. John and Trunks Bay. Lovely beach, the water is crystal clear and too bad we didn't have more time here. San Jaun was a day for waundering around Old San Jaun. The kids hated this place, it was 91 degrees and they could have cared less about El Morro or the history here, so we headed back to the ship for some relaxation and a less crowded boat to ourselves. Labadee was the last stop and I warned the kids not to pay full price for anything and be careful in the Haitian market. They just about attack you to buy their stuff. My son and his friend (15 and 16) bought these huge carved masks and walking sticks which were a pain to get home on the plane. TSA said no to carry on, and the airlines charged extra to check them, plus I had to pay $9.00 to shrink wrap them first. Mental note; next time make sure you are with your kids in the market!! We did the Banana Boat ride in Labadee, and you must sign up early at the beach, even if you already have your tickets, they book up the rides first come first serve. 8 people can go at a time. We had the 6 of us and unfortunately for the other 2 people, a mother and her 12 year old kid who did not want to get wet!!! Well w/ 4 ornery teenage boys you can just about bet they are going to tip the thing smack dab in front of the cruise ship! Which they did! This over 40 mom found it to be a blast, but being in the water by a huge cruise ship was scary, that thing looks so big from down there! The other mom who didn't want to get wet was furious. She had some not so nice words to say to me and my kids, but no one was hurt, everyone had a life jacket on and the boat drivers made sure everyone got back on the banana. Her son refused to get back on so he rode in the boat. I don't think he could swim, and I had to pull him along in the water to the boat. MAKE SURE YOU CAN SWIM BEFORE DOING OCEAN RIDES ON RAFTS!

The days at sea were nice and we enjoyed them most. Our dinner was very good most nights, with one or two mediocre meals. Our waiters were great and we had a table to ourselves. The comedy shows were very funny and there was a mexican entertainer EL Gaucho, who was great. The singers were annoyingly off tune, and the ice show had a few spills due to the motion in the ocean. The Royale Promanade was impressive and the kids loved the cafe, and Sprinkles ice cream.

All in all this trip was a great success, the crew freindly and efficiant, the boat awesome and my wallet empty!

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