harrismo
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Posts posted by harrismo
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Is it still there after the refurb? What do they serve there?
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Good call. Once you cruise, you will be HOOKED. Navigator leaves Galveston in November, so it's smart to book her first. Magic will be there later for your second cruise... Then and only then can you really know which cruise line is for you...
Happy sailing.
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I giggled a bit when I read this because that is almost word for word the conversation we had when we settled on trying the Navigator first!
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Thank you all. Deck 4 sounds wonderful and so does the thought of waking up with coffee and the sunrise from our balcony.
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PPS Just saw the date and cabin you are looking at and the first site Iooked at posted NAV and Magic at less than 1000pp with taxes and fees. Also Nav deal included tips (about $150) and Magic a 50 OBC.
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Those prices were what we found on the Royal Caribbean and Carnival websites, and an Avoya travel agent online quoted us figures in the same ballpark so we assumed that was the going rate.
That is the "out the door" price with all taxes, fees, tips, and travel insurance added on, but if you think we can beat that price elsewhere please PM me which websites we should be shopping on instead!
Oh, and on the Navigator we factored in an extra $100 pp into the cost to cover specialty dining because reviews about the food on Royal ships aren't as positive as the reviews for food on Carnival.
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Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my long winded post and respond with your honest opinions. And also for setting us straight on a few issues where we had our facts wrong. I wish I knew how to cut and paste quotes from your replies on here so I could respond to and thank some of you personally, but from my iPad I can't see how to do that.
After contemplating everyone's advice we are still torn, because both ships seem to have a lot to offer, but we have decided the Navigator is probably the best fit for us for our first taste of cruising. If we find we love cruising then we'll be back for more and we can try Magic the next time, right?
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Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my long winded post and respond with your honest opinions. And also for setting us straight on a few issues where we had our facts wrong. I wish I knew how to cut and paste quotes from your replies on here so I could respond to and thank some of you personally, but from my iPad I can't see how to do that.
After contemplating everyone's advice we are still torn, because both ships seem to have a lot to offer, but we have decided the Navigator is probably the best fit for us for our first taste of cruising. If we find we love cruising then we'll be back for more and we can try Magic the next time, right?
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This will be our first cruise. We are a mid to late 40's professional couple and are recent empty nester's so it will just be the two of us on this trip.
We will be sailing May 31st from Galveston (because we can drive to the port) on either the Magic or the Navigator, in a balcony cabin. Both ships sail to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. Both cost roughly the same: Carnival costs $2500 and Royal Caribbean costs $2400.
A bit about us. We don't drink, smoke, cuss, gamble, or party- thus the reason we've never tried a cruise before- it just didn't sound like our kinda thang. But we DO love tropical islands, palm trees, watching the ocean from a balcony, exploring new cities and cultures, relaxing around a quiet pool and hot tub...and eating! Food is our only vice! We diet all year long but on vacation all bets are off so good food is important to us on this cruise.
I thought I would list our pros and cons of each ship here. Partly to wrap my mind around what we do or don't like, and partly so those of you with first hand knowledge can help guide us where our assumptions are wrong. So here goes:
CARNIVAL MAGIC: Carnival seems to invest a lot of money in neon. Way too much neon for our tastes so the decor is a big detractor for us. And, to be perfectly honest, we are really afraid that the party crowd Carnival ships are famous for just might ruin the trip for us. After all partying is fun when you're the one doing it, but to onlookers it's mostly just loud and obnoxious. Since we sit firmly in the onlooker category these days, it seems that could get old real fast.
HOWEVER....a lot of things about the Magic DO appeal to us. The water slides and ropes course look like a lot of fun! We would definitely try them for sure. And we'd do the putt-putt too. The comedy shows get rave reviews and who doesn't love a good laugh?! The food gets a lot of good word of mouth and the idea of the Tandoori is a huge plus to us, as is the Mongolian Wok and Guys Burgers, plus the pizza and desserts on Carnival get great press! We like that the buffet is always open and there's even a CHOCOLATE BUFFET! YUM! I also like that there are lots dining areas with great ocean views and lots of comfy looking loungers scattered around the various decks for your ocean viewing pleasure.
As for the Navigator Of The Seas:
We think the ship itself is gorgeous and the passengers in the youtube videos we've watched seem more sedate and better behaved and that really appeals to us. We like that the Solarium is glassed in and has a pool AND a hot tub so we could go back and forth from hot to cold. And the nighttime entertainment shows seem like something we would vastly prefer to bars and casinos. The Ice Show gets rave reviews and shows like The Quest and Love&Marriage are on youtube and look hilarious to us.
HOWEVER...... we wouldn't use any of the big ticket items that most people rave about when they recommend Royal Carribbean. We wouldn't ice skate. Or use the Flowrider. Or climb the Rock Wall. We wouldn't watch the parades... indoors...in the crowded...umm...Mall? Even thiugh we think the Promenade looks pretty -a cruise seems like the place to be outside enjoying an ocean view and the smell of the ocean, not indoors shopping! But the biggest negative to us is that the food gets so many bad reviews!! All my life I've heard how great cruise food is, what gives Royal Caribbean?? And there are only 3 places to eat unless you pay extra (well 4 counting Room Service) but 2 of those 3 close down in between meals so we wouldn't be able to avoid the crowd by going a little early or a little late. And no 24 hour ice cream or chocolate buffet either.
Honestly I really want to love the Navigator because it just seems nicer overall, but after listing out all our thoughts here, the cons are stacking up against it.
For those of you that have cruised both. Any suggestions? Are our perceptions off base?
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This will be our first cruise. We are a mid to late 40's professional couple and are recent empty nester's so it will just be the two of us on this trip.
We will be sailing May 31st from Galveston (because we can drive to the port) on either the Magic or the Navigator, in a balcony cabin. Both ships sail to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. Both cost roughly the same: Carnival costs $2500 and Royal Caribbean costs $2400.
A bit about us. We don't drink, smoke, cuss, gamble, or party- thus the reason we've never tried a cruise before- it just didn't sound like our kinda thang. But we DO love tropical islands, palm trees, watching the ocean from a balcony, exploring new cities and cultures, relaxing around a quiet pool and hot tub...and eating! Food is our only vice! We diet all year long but on vacation all bets are off so good food is important to us on this cruise.
I thought I would list our pros and cons of each ship here. Partly to wrap my mind around what we do or don't like, and partly so those of you with first hand knowledge can help guide us where our assumptions are wrong. So here goes:
CARNIVAL MAGIC: Carnival seems to invest a lot of money in neon. Way too much neon for our tastes so the decor is a big detractor for us. And, to be perfectly honest, we are really afraid that the oarty crowd Carnival ships are famous for just might ruin the trip for us. After all partying is fun when you're the one doing it, but to onlookers it's mostly just loud and obnoxious. Since we sit firmly in the onlooker category these days, it seems that could get old real fast.
HOWEVER....a lot of things about the Magic DO appeal to us. The water slides and ropes course look like a lot of fun! We would definitely try them for sure. And we'd do the putt-putt too. The comedy shows get rave reviews and who doesn't love a good laugh?! The food gets a lot of good word of mouth and the idea of the Tandoori is a huge plus to us, as is the Mongolian Wok and Guys Burgers, plus the pizza and desserts on Carnival get great press! We like that the buffet is always open and there's even a CHOCOLATE BUFFET! YUM! I also like that there are lots dining areas with great ocean views and lots of comfy looking loungers scattered around the various decks for your ocean viewing pleasure.
As for the Navigator Of The Seas:
We think the ship itself is gorgeous and the passengers in the youtube videos we've watched seem more sedate and better behaved and that really appeals to us. We like that the Solarium is glassed in and has a pool AND a hot tub so we could go back and forth from hot to cold. And the nighttime entertainment shows seem like something we would vastly prefer to bars and casinos. The Ice Show gets rave reviews and shows like The Quest and Love&Marriage are on youtube and look hilarious to us.
HOWEVER...... we wouldn't use any of the big ticket items that most people rave about when they recommend Royal Carribbean. We wouldn't ice skate. Or use the Flowrider. Or climb the Rock Wall. We wouldn't watch the parades... indoors...in the crowded...umm...Mall? Even thiugh we think the Promenade looks pretty -a cruise seems like the place to be outside enjoying an ocean view and the smell of the ocean, not indoors shopping! But the biggest negative to us is that the food gets so many bad reviews!! All my life I've heard how great cruise food is, what gives Royal Caribbean?? And there are only 3 places to eat unless you pay extra (well 4 counting Room Service) but 2 of those 3 close down in between meals so we wouldn't be able to avoid the crowd by going a little early or a little late. And no 24 hour ice cream or chocolate buffet either.
Honestly I really want to love the Navigator because it just seems nicer overall, but after listing out all our thoughts here, the cons are stacking up against it.
For those of you that have cruised both. Any suggestions? Are our perceptions off base?
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The "Real Secret" is to explore the entire ship, deck by deck, to see what is there.
Print deck plans from the RCI Web Site before you board and then just wander and explore.
You will be glad you did!
Here is proof that this system works.
On our first cruise on the Jewel of the Seas, every time we went to the Windjammer we got our food and then found a nearby place to sit down and eat. At lunch on the 4th day, the Windjammer was pretty full so we kept heading aft to find an open table. And we found the open air seating area across the stern of the ship. For the rest of the cruise, that is where we ate.
Had we not walked back there we would never have found it!
Is there any place like this on the Navigator of the Seas?
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Thank you, that is very helpful.
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Total newbie question here. I've watched hours of youtube videos and I love the beauty and ambiance of Royal Caribbean's ships, but it does seem a lot like a nice mall. Where can we see views of the ocean? Is there outdoor dining anywhere, or a pretty deck to stroll?
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Thank you cruisinlover1414! You really put my mind at ease and got me excited to go give it a try.
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Thank you Gonzo70, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain things so thoroughly and thank you cb at sea for the land based references. Between your two responses I feel like I have much better idea of what to expect.
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What a great review. Loved all your pictures and especially your dining and excursion reviews. I'm a total cruise newbie so thanks for sharing.
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Very helpful review and great pictures. Thank you.
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Thank you Maureen. I was hoping someone from that board would chime in :) because I've combed through that Navigator board pretty extensively but I have only found a few mentions/pics/reviews about the food available for a fee on board and even less about the food that's included in the cruise price. That makes me start worrying that the food on board is just ho-hum and therefore not worth mentioning?
We don't expect 5 star or even 4 star, but we do expect vacation food to be tasty and worthy of gushing over and remembering fondly when we get back home to our diets :). Are we going to find that in the dining room on the Navigator?
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We've never cruised before but food is always an important part of our vacation experience. I'm curious about what we can expect in the Main Dining Room and the buffet as well as the upcharge specialty restaurants like Giovanni's Table and Chops Grille. Is there a land based restaurant you could compare the main dining room and the windjammer to?
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Well, I see this has been viewed 90+ times since I posted the question last night but so far zero responses so I'm guessing food pics are scarce. Could anyone maybe do some comparisons to land based food chains for me? Is the buffet food similar to say a Golden Corral? How about the Main Dining Room food, would it compare to an Outback Steakhouse? Better? Worse? I usually do a Google search and get Yelp or Trip Advisor reviews -with pics- of almost every land based restaurant when we travel, but so far I haven't been able to find out much at all about what to expect on board the Navigator. I'm feeling very fish out of water'ish here because we've never cruised before and I just have no idea what to expect.
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We've never cruised before but food is always an important part of our vacation experience. I'm curious what we can expect from the Main Dining Room and the buffet as well as the upcharge specialty restaurants like Giovanni's Table and Chops Grille.
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@mon1jan1
I haven't booked it yet - we just settled on the idea TODAY- but I priced it for the June 1-8th sailing. Before I book I'm hoping to find a Travel Agent that can sweeten the deal or beat the advertised price.
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Thank you all for sharing your expertise and advice, I think you sold me on The Navigator and sailing from Galveston. Roatan, Belize and Cozumel here we come!
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We certainly have a lot to think about! I am reading reviews from both ships now to help us decide. Part of me wants to just go all out and do Oasis, but another part of me wants to start a little smaller on Freedom and learn the ropes first.
Plus I just now found a cruise on the Navigator out of Galveston for a little bit less and Galveston is within driving distance ...so this may be a game changer.
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Hahaha I'm no closer to deciding now than I was, you all have echoed all the thoughts swimming in my head but thank you for weighing in!
A little background, for the last 15 years our favorite vacation destination has been Disney World. We love that it's beautiful, clean, has great service and interesting food at Epcot and in the resort restaurants but we've been so many times we are actually bored of the parks (and now this year the kids are grown and it's just the 2 of us so we're looking for a new vacation destination). I'm hoping cruising will fit the bill and give us new, delicious meals to try every night with the added bonus of waking up with a new port city to explore instead of the theme parks.
Which ship has the best options for a very light drinking, non gambling, non shopping, couple with bad backs who most likely won't be interested in doing the rock wall or flow rider. Boy we sound fun, right? Lol. However, we will enjoy good food, good comedians, and probably a well done evening show, plus exploring at the ports.
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Both are nearly the same price. Which would you pick?
If it matters, Freedom goes to the Eastern Caribbean and Oasis goes Western -but both itineraries have things we're interested in trying. I just don't know if the newer ship is worth sacrificing the view?
For those that have done both: Carnival Magic or RCI Navigator of the Seas
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted · Edited by harrismo
Thanks nealstuber for your advice and tips and also for including links to your cruise reviews. I have combed through each one this evening and have enjoyed them all.