The Fun Researcher

Agree OP.  Watch for towels charges! 

A couple of weeks ago on the Navigator, we would have been erroneously charged $125 for towels (5 towels total) if I hadn't reviewed our paper invoice the last day of the cruise.  It didn't show up until the morning of debarkation.  We made sure to check in, and check out towels properly.

...and $25 for one of those ratty old Royal Caribbean towels?  Are you kidding me?

I wonder how many passengers RCCL is profiting from with these "errors"?

Dan

14 hours ago, billys5764 said:

Does Nachi Cocom have parasailing?  I was at Mr. Sanchos last week, but didn't try it.  I want to when I'm back next month.

 I don’t remember parasailing being offered in particular .   I could be wrong but I don’t remember that. Nachi Cocum is it’s own stretch of beach, very nice beach, but not like the built-up area where Mr. Sanchez is at .    It is a much more relaxing place 

Dan

There are typically 8-9 entrees every night (including the ~4 "classics" that are offered very night)  No way there were only 4 options.   The menus are fairly common across the fleet.

Dan

4 minutes ago, poncho1973 said:

From someone who has done both lines, there is no way I'd compare Majesty to any other ship in the Royal fleet other than Empress.

 

I can't say that Majesty would represent much of anything in the Royal fleet of 2019.  She's a lone wolf ship with nearly 30 year old bones.  The best possible news is that you sailed her just out of dry dock!  That's the best news.

 

Everything else considered?  She doesn't have much of anything compared to the other ships in the fleet.  Like I said, excluding Empress of the Seas, which is a tiny micro-beast all of her own.

 

Majesty in Norwegian terms is the Norwegian Spirit of the fleet.

I'm actually impressed that the Majesty stacked up as well as it did all things considered.  That says something for Royals care for their entire fleet IMO.

Dan

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

I read your trip review. Sounds like it was an awesome trip and one I'm sorry I missed. Great job on the writing: detailed enough without being to wordy. Someday I hope to sample what your FIL considered he best hamburger ever from the food truck on Bonaire (I think??).

Thank you!!!  It was our best cruise yet.  Yes, that burger was at Kite City, the food truck located on the beach just south of town.  You could still see our cruise ship in the distance from the beach.   Granted, we were very hungry by that point at around 2pm, but my son also got the same burger and still says how great it was.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir//12.1341172,-68.2798469/@12.1346257,-68.3477123,12z

Dan

I would look to RCCL's other line, Celebrity for longer itineraries.  They seem to cater more to that.

Having said that, and having just sailed the new Amped Navigator on a 9 night to the ABC islands, I'm really bummed that the Navigator is only doing 3 and 4 night sailings to the Bahamas for the foreseeable future.  It's by far our favorite ship in the fleet now.  Can't wait to see how they "Amp" the other Freedom and Voyager classes.

Dan

I think you tried to be completely fair with your comparisons.

Too bad you weren't able to compare "apples to apples", such as a newer NCL ship to a newer RCCL ship.  It makes it tough to really compare one cruise line to another when you take that into consideration.

The majesty just doesn't offer what the new RCCL ships do, or even their ships that are 15 to 20 years old like the Voyager class.  RCCL is sinking a ton of $$$ into their Voyager and Freedom classes.  I highly recommend trying one of their "Amped" ships if you give Royal another go.  ...or the Oasis or Quantum class for that matter.  :)

Dan

8 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

I hope they don't CoCo Cays-ize it with water parks, etc. I know that have the Zip-line and roller coaster there but it blends in well with the landscape.

Never thought of it, but I agree 1000%.  Would not want to see Labadee go down the route of CoCo Cay. 

Labadee is all about a natural tropical paradise IMO.  I remember our very first cruise, I just wanted to keep circling back to Labadee.  :)  Our other ports were Grand Cayman, Falmouth Jamaica, and Cozumel.  I was not prepared for the ship to pull up to what felt like a city. (Grand Cayman), or a nice port market area surrounded by nothing (Falmouth).  Didn't fit that tropical island feel that I had pictured in my mind.

I've since adjusted and love fully exploring the islands we visit, but I remember our first cruise that Labadee was BY FAR my favorite port.  Mainly for the feeling of more rustic beauty,  ease, and the relaxation.

Dan

3 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Boat goes to Columbus Cove but does not return.

Ooh, creepy.  Like "Hotel California".  😉

Dan

10 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

No, my reply was to a post regarding land based restaurants pre printing “suggested tip” amounts on receipts. 

41 minutes ago, CruisinCons said:

 

As all human conversations do, we took a minor segue in this one to discuss how tipping percentages are going up at restaurants as well as in these drink packages, and seems to be a trend everywhere.  

Fair enough, however a suggested tip percentage (as in a land restaurant) is a completely different animal than a forced automatic tip % as on a cruise ship.

The only time I see forced tipping in a land restaurant is when the party size is large enough to require it (which I understand).

Land = you still choose whatever you want to leave despite any "suggestions"

Cruise = You're stuck with what they dictate

Dan

5 hours ago, brillohead said:

You can only use it to go to Columbus Cove, not back again.  And it only runs in the morning, from the pier to the dock by Columbus Cove.  

11 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I never really understood why it was only a one-way trip. I guess the thinking that since just about everyone gets off the ship at the same time, it'll be full. But as people drift back to the ship throughout the day, it might not be worth running half-empty?  The tram will take you back.

 

Anyway, in the link below, scroll down a bit & you'll see a picture on the right.

 

http://www.beyondships3.com/labadee-cruise-port.html

4 minutes ago, brillohead said:

The pier is after the security buildings, so people coming back on the boat wouldn't be processed through the x-ray machines and metal detectors.  

Thank you!

Dan

13 minutes ago, zoepipes said:

It is my understanding that they aren't "true" refrigerators.  Not sure what use they are for.

This is true.  On the Navigator there was a sign on the front of every cabin "refrigerator" that stated that it was not a true refrigerator, but rather a cooler of some sort.  It does not keep food at a safe cold temperature, that's for sure.  I don't recall exactly, but I think it listed the temperature to expect of something like 40-55 Degrees F.  Wish I had taken a photo.

Dan

3 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

I never pay attention to the percentages and don’t need to do math. I can assess at the conclusion of the meal what the service was worth to me and that figure is what I leave. 

 I thought we were talking about automatic gratuities on drinks, not meals?  If you don’t like the drink service you still can’t leave less than the automatic 18% or 20% amount. 😠

Dan

10 minutes ago, dukefan4life said:

Great review!! We use the newer full face snorkels(the re-designed ones) and I'm not a fan of the fins either. Really looking forward to getting to Bonaire to snorkel. I think we are either going to do the golf cart rentals there or the ATV's to get around the island. But I had no  idea what to do in Curacao. Thanks so much for the tip. 

Thank you.  Glad to help!

Dan

6 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

There is also a water taxi that takes you from the ship to Columbus Cove. It's called the Cove express or something like that. It's a 3 minute ride vs 10-15 minute walk.

 That’s awesome! Where is it located? How could I miss that?   I would mainly use it to get me from Columbus Cove back to the ship not the other way around 

Dan

33 minutes ago, GalwayGirl03 said:

was the laser tag crazy?? My 7 year old son is SO excited for this but I can imagine it being crazy with lines...especially b/c I am guessing there will be a TON of kids on our 4/12 Navigator b/c it is over Easter and b/c it was 9 days long we got Kids Sail Free!

 

 It is first come first serve.   We went on the first cruising day around 2 or 3 PM in the afternoon and  maybe we got lucky but we only waited for one group to finish their game and then we were in the very next group.  We waited about 15 minutes total I think.   While we were waiting we could hear and kind of see the existing game going on because they bring you into Studio B where the other teams are playing. It was well organized and did not feel crazy during the game. It was lots of fun for  our entire group including the grandparents 

Dan

7 minutes ago, Carol28 said:

Is there a charge to play miniature golf?

 

Completely free, as was the Laser Tag, Flow Rider, and Water Slides.  The Escape Room was $20 per person, and age was 12 and over

Dan

18 minutes ago, dukefan4life said:

@The Fun Researcher
Did you enjoy this excursion? We are heading down there in May of 2020 so I'm starting to put together a short list so we can decide what to do. Any tips?

I sure did!  I would recommend it.  Drinks were included, open air bus, good service, great snorkeling and beach locations.  I talk about it in my review of our cruise (linked below).  If you don't already have a nice snorkel/mask it's worth the investment if you plan to snorkel a lot on your vacations.  Personally, I don't use fins when I snorkel.  They bother my feet and just don't feel natural to me.  I MUCH prefer water shoes.

For the turtles, the water is much clearer as you swim a little further from the shore.  Near shore the other folks kick up the sand too much.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2648912-navigator-ots-review-9-amazing-nights-march-15-24-2019/?tab=comments#comment-57120111

Dan

1 hour ago, fla33023 said:

Just wow to that cliff jump! That picture is amazing. Hats off to your MIL. She must be quite the adventurous type! I'm nervous just looking at it! So nice to hear your family had such an amazing time!

Thank you!

My mother-in-law still has a bit of a sore butt/tailbone but she said that she would do it again rather than regret the opportunity. Good for her!  The picture is of my younger daughter. She went twice!, along with her older sister!   Once was enough for my 11yr old son and I . 🙂   Fortunately the sore butts were limited to my wife and my mother-in-law. 

Dan

We had three inside cabins deck 8 forward.  All had new carpet and what appeared to be new TV's.  The drawers, and bathroom appeared untouched.

Not sure if our chairs or sofas were replaced, but they looked very clean.

Bedding was nice.  I assume it was new but couldn't tell.  Beds were comfortable.  Didn't feel hard.

Dan

negative 18!

Dan

On 3/27/2019 at 1:33 PM, bouhunter said:

If you want to spend 100.00+ for a 45 second ride, yes ride the zip line.

Gladly!!!  It's an awesome experience you don't get anywhere else.  It helps to get it on sale.  We paid only $79 each this past month.  You do a practice zip line, and the large one (which is the largest in the world, over water, about 1/2 mile long.)  It's an amazing view, and something we'll never forget.  You don't get a view like this from a boat.  😉

3 hours ago, BTHodgeman said:

That is on Adrenaline Beach, directly underneath the ziplines and near the roller coaster. You can either climb up onto the bar and have drinks on the floating bar, or you can get your drinks "to go" and use one of several stand-up tables installed in the water right next to the bar. They have umbrellas and provide a little sun protection.

• The beaches we experienced were just "meh" (quite rocky and weedy). We rented a clamshell chair cover, and the beach that they are located at is roped off where the water is about waist/chest deep and maybe 20 yards off shore. There is not much room there to do anything. We did walk/swim over to Adrenaline Beach where the swim-up bar is, and that beach was a little nicer, but still rocky and weedy.
• Lunch was not good at all. The food was room temperature at best, and what they called "grilled chicken" was unidentifiable. I grabbed a piece and could not identify what part of the chicken it came from. Every bite was full of bones.

Yeah, there are rocks in the water at Adrenaline beach.  Like little freaking land mines!  😄  A few of us cut our feet on the rocks back in 2016.  No fun.  Water shoes recommended.  We tried that beach one time before going back to our favorite Columbus Cove.  Columbus Cove beach is beautiful, sandy, with lots of palm trees, and has that excellent view of the side of the ship in the background.  Bathrooms and food are also very close.

I agree that the lunch could be improved.  I personally wouldn't call the chicken unidentifiable.  They just cut it into pieces that aren't your typical portion size.  For instance, the breast and thighs may get cut in half.  Maybe they slipped in a part of the back?  That's pretty much all bones.  The ribs are just o.k., and the burgers are just o.k. as well.

We always look forward to the relaxing day at Labadee.

For those who haven't been before, Columbus Cove is indicated in my picture below.  You can get there and completely avoid the vendors by staying close to the shoreline.  It is a path there that goes past some really cool shore/rock formations actually (2nd photo)

Dan

2 hours ago, FionaMG said:

 

Fabulous pic! I would love to get one like it when we are next in Labadee. Do you know if it's possible to go up to that vantage point just to take a pic? You wouldn't get me on a zipline if you paid me my weight in gold! 

Thank you.  It's now my computer's desktop background.  :)  I had a different version of the same photo from 2014 as my background, but this one is better.

Unfortunately I believe you need to be part of the group doing the zipline in order to get a photo like this.  It's taken from the zipline launch platform, and in order to get there you actually leave the gated compound, through security.  The zipline group goes together with a few workers in the open air truck, through security.

Dan

12 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

Yep, we are going to book Adventure for March. Only difference is it is not 9 days, and we lose Labadee. That is okay, I can deal with that I guess.

 Yeah, still a fantastic itinerary with two cruising days at the beginning and especially two at the end,  Plus the ABC islands which are awesome.

Dan

The problem I have with it going from 18% to 20% is the fact that it's a percentage.  I'm not sure if Celebrity's drink prices  skyrocketed like Royals back in 2015, but not only have drink prices way outpaced any sort of inflationary increase, now they want us to pay a higher tip percentage on those higher drink prices?

I can only think that this is somehow a function of the drink packages in some way, especially on Celebrity where many of the rooms had "free" premium drink packages if you booked a balcony or higher cabin. 

Dan